The Strange Relationship

by Lightpathetic

A strange relationship had developed between them. It was born of love but not for each other. Certainly before this started they detested each other completely, each being a rival for Yuuki's affections, each being particularly protective of her and wanting to see her happy… Well it was fitting that it gave birth to this… this partnership based on a need to feed and a desire to spare their loved one any more pain.

The pure-blood's blood did halt Zero's descent into "Level E", or at least slowed it considerably but, unfortunately it "froze" his level of cravings at the current state. Zero still needed blood and fairly frequently, barely able to fight the cravings for at least a week until he needed to feed again. He still couldn't stomach the blood tablets, his revulsion for them driving him to forgo taking them altogether as he got paler and the pain grew unbearable in his chest and arm. Still he would not let her see his pain. He has promised himself in making that damnable bargain with Kaname and prolonging his cursed life that she would never be hurt by his hand again.

It seemed odd to Zero that Kaname would offer his blood another time to him. At the end of the first week since the incident, Zero was alone in the Chairman's guestroom when there was a knock on the door. He was in misery. He had skipped guardian duty again; the pain was gnawing at his chest as he tried to keep the blood-tablet liquid down. Why didn't it work for him? The other vampires were swilling this stuff like it was orange juice and he just couldn't keep it down. He sank to the floor of the bathroom near the toilet letting the "pavlovian" call of the knock leave his consciousness. He wanted to see no-one, least of all Yuuki. In his state he knew he would hurt her terribly and he hardly had time to learn to control his new strength. His new abilities were awesome but no comfort to him now as he cherished the cool tile against his skin, willing the stomach cramps to go away. He was so distracted that he barely heard the lock go and only was aware of the entrance to the room when his scent hit his nose. He groaned at a different kind of pain…

"Go away."

He kept his head down as he studiously tried to ignore the figure standing in the doorway to the bathroom.

"Kiriyuu-kun I told you that you were Yuuki's shield and yet you are shirking guardian duty, again. Yuuki has her hands full downstairs." Kaname was not a little irritated but only the practiced ear of those who knew him would realize this, his voice as calm and modulated as it always was. Zero was one that knew him, though. Sorely disappointed his gun was no-where nearby he shouted,

"Kuran, if you don't leave me alone I swear I'll…" but it was too much. His stomach decided this was an opportune moment to empty itself. He was luckier this time, as half its contents made it to the toilet bowl. Still the indignity was too much to bear. Kaname was standing over him now, immaculately attired in his Night Class uniform, coolly surveying the mess that was Zero Kiriyuu. He stooped to get a closer look, reached out and grabbed Zero by the chin, forcing Zero to look him in the eyes.

"Well you can't be sick. Are you hungry Zero?" Kaname asked, feigning concern but his eyes showing he was enjoying the sight of Zero writhing on the floor. This was the last straw. Zero put all the strength he could muster into knocking away Kaname's hand before moving to get up. This effort was too much though. His stomach again signaling this was some dry heaves. Zero moved to the bowl again, moaning pitifully for God to hear.

It was then he was aware of the scent of blood. Real blood. His starved body immediately reacted as he felt his fangs begin to grow. He swung around to see the source only just noting as well that the scent was familiar. Kaname had undressed to his waist; his jacket and shirt were hung on a Louis XVI chair that was part of the bathroom's décor. But what attracted Zero's attention was Kaname appearing to, almost nonchalantly, to scratch his neck with his sharp nails. Line after line appeared in his neck as he played, each closing almost immediately but leaving a trail of blood in its wake. Zero eyed the blood predatorily. Before he knew it he was on his feet and standing next to Kaname, the intoxicating aroma pulling him in. He only just caught himself before he grabbed Kaname.

"No. Not again." Zero moaned into his hands.

"Yes. It is the best solution. You have already drunk my blood. You have nothing more to gain except nourishment and I have plenty of blood with which to nourish you. Besides it is either me, Yuuki or the Chairman. I know the Chairman is not terribly palatable to you and I will kill you if you touch Yuuki again." Kaname stretched his neck to the side with this last, pulling his hair away from his neck. It was as if he never thought that Zero would seriously object. And Zero tried. He didn't want to be more beholden to Kaname than he already was. He hated vampires, pure-bloods especially. To have to come to Kuran to feed and to live was almost unbearable. But the scent of the blood worked to make up his mind. Or at least his body. The cramp in his chest returned in earnest and all Zero wanted to do was make it stop. He eyed Kaname's inviting neck and grabbing the hair on the nape sunk his teeth into Kaname's neck.

Kaname stifled a moan quickly. When was it his soul started yearning for just this moment? Of course he knew. One week ago when he offered Zero his blood. The bond it created occupied his mind from then till now. He had enjoyed it. The closeness and the sound and rush of blood. It appealed greatly to his vampire instinct. No-one had dared taken such a liberty with him and he had always guarded himself carefully because of the huge responsibility of gifting such pure-blood powers. The only person was Zero. The only vampire was Zero. And since that day he had ached for him. This realization was no surprise. He knew what would happen better than anyone else. Only pure-bloods knew all about pure-bloods and he knew the risk he took in offering his blood to another vampire, including the blood bond side effect and including the addictive feeling of intense pleasure that came with the act. Since that day his neck had throbbed with awareness for Zero. He "knew" where he was at all times. He was intensely aware of him. Of course a part of him was repulsed by this. The rational part that knew it was merely a side effect of the sacrifice he had to make for Yuuki. He knew he should still despise Zero… but, it felt so good. Kaname relaxed a bit, careful not to alert Zero to how much he was in his thrall. Kaname smiled at the thought of how Zero would take it. He would probably try to shoot him. But he will never know…

"Kuran!"

The last thing Zero expected was for Kaname to pass out on the bathroom floor. The second last was how long it would take to wake him up. Zero was freaked. Did he hurt him? Did this stupid blood-lust of his just kill Kaname? Kaname regained conscious to the sight of Zero holding a mirror to his face. The sight was so absurd that he started to laugh. And laugh. He rolled onto his back and just let go. He felt great and Zero thought he was dead. It was priceless. He finally stopped as Zero stood and stalked out of the bathroom. A moment's concern was brutally crushed as he remembered himself. He stood and began to wash the remnants of the spilt blood from his neck. His wound had already healed; he just needed to remove the spilt blood. The area was still sensitive and touching it reminded him… He forced his hand away. He needed to get a hold of himself. He was already annoyed at his behaviour in front of Zero. It was unacceptable. He turned from the sink and began to dress and as he slipped the immaculately knotted tie home he vowed to never be in this position again. He exited the bathroom the old Kaname. Control was what was needed now and he was very good at it.

Zero was in the kitchenette making a sandwich. His mood was slightly darker than usual, not that anyone can really tell. He had fed from Kaname's blood again. The thought depressed him no end. But his colour was back and so was his appetite. He felt great and it depressed him. He turned at the sound of footsteps from the bathroom and glanced at Kaname. He looked fine if a little pale. He was probably lightheaded earlier. That's it. He'd made Kaname lightheaded. His depression deepened.

"May I have a drink, Kiriyuu-kun?"

Zero dropped a couple of tablets in a glass and filled it with water, then turned and placed the glass on the counter. Kaname massaged his temples a he lifted the glass and downed the red liquid.

"Remember your role, Kiriyuu-kun. Make sure you go and help Yuuki." Kaname replaced the glass and left without a backward glance. Zero just watched him leave without a word. Then focused his attention on the glass Kaname left behind. Once it had exploded satisfyingly he returned to his sandwich.

So that was how it began. It was easy to say never, but as the days wound down and Zero got hungrier, principles can out the window for a more fundamental need. Sometimes Kaname felt sorry for the pale figure, barely standing by force of will and offered a time and place. Sometimes Zero approached, resentful but mindful that his options were limited and Kaname to his credit never complained or gloated, merely keeping the transactions businesslike. There was no way to explain to Yuuki why Zero suddenly didn't need blood – certainly Zero wasn't going to tell her – so every three or four weeks he would just drink bit of her blood and tell her the blood tablets were doing their job. She worried less if she knew she was helping and Zero knew this. He explained to Kaname, who was less than pleased that he was still biting Yuuki, but after some thought saw reason.

Things were going smoothly like this for a while. Until a chat with the Chairman a few weeks later caused Kaname to reveal their secret. He didn't blurt it out by any means. Quite the opposite: it was very subtle. Kaname was just visiting the Chairman and chatting about odd school related subjects when the subject of Zero and his Level "E" status came up. It was just a look in his faced for a second or two. A wistful faraway look when Zero was mentioned that caught the Chairman's eye.

"You gave him your blood didn't you?" the Chairman asked astounded. Kaname writhed uncomfortably in his chair.

"I don't know what you are talking…"

"You did, didn't you? That's why Zero is not deteriorating and why he looks hungry one moment and fine the next but Yuuki doesn't have scars. You are feeding him too." Kaname stood to escape the Chairman's eyes. He was not ready for this conversation yet.

"What would you have me do? He was deteriorating and Yuuki life would have been in danger."

"Still it is an extraordinary thing to do considering the side effects… How are you coping?"

Kaname was determined to avoid this topic. "Well you have your "adopted" son a while longer. You should be thanking me not grilling me."

Chairman Cross rose and walked towards Kaname and forced him to look at him. "I saw your eyes when we talked about Zero. You are in love with him." Kaname moved away quickly, knocking away the Chairman's restrictive hand. He shook his head, "I'm fine. I know what it is and it doesn't rule me."

"But Kaname-kun. I mean when I say "in love" it can approximate to that, but it is more than that even in normal vampires. A sort of emotional dependence born of the act of sharing your blood with another vampire coupled with pleasure. For a pure blood it must be much more…"

"Then if you know that you should shut up and leave me alone!" Kaname shouted, rounding on the Chairman in a snarl. Immediately he calmed as the words hit him and the startled Chairman came into view. "I am sorry. It is still a touchy subject, okay? Leave it alone." He felt pathetic enough knowing he was emotionally becoming a slave to Kiriyuu. His instincts screamed at him to please Zero and it was pissing him off. If Zero ever found out…

"Does Zero know?" The Chairman pressed the point, obviously ignoring the seething form of the pure-blood in front of him.

"No and I would like to keep it that way if you don't mind," Kaname intoned sarcastically.

"If he knew he could be more sensitive to your needs. You haven't forgotten Shizuka Hiou…"

Kaname paled at the thought of a scandal like that one. "My killing anyone over Kiriyuu Zero is absurd and I know what ails me. I can handle it."

"Fine. I'll drop it…for now." The Chairman turned away and began to chatter about some other inane details as Kaname tried to pull himself together. It was just a matter of control. He was more than the sum of his baser instincts and knowing this was what sets us apart from beasts.

Kaname knew that Zero was coming over tonight. Zero looked very pale today and had given Kaname what had become a particular signal that was his alone; an unusually long glare. Kaname was exhausted by the week's events though and stayed in bed, rather than wait up reading letters, or other material, until the deed was over with. He forced himself to be nonchalant about these visits, telling himself it was just like a massage and forcing Zero from his mind when he found himself dwelling on him. God, another reason to hate that verbally constipated, trigger-happy, screwball, he thought, even as a thrill shot through him when he sensed that Zero was now underneath his window and would be soon beside him.

Zero didn't make a sound as he expertly climbed the wall. His new strength made it child's play and in no time he was inside Kaname's room. They were so set in a rhythm that Zero had long lost the physical awkwardness of going to another man, Kuran, for blood. Kuran to his credit made it very easy, as if Zero was a mere glitch in his day, not even stopping what he was doing sometimes, just taking of his shirt so it wouldn't be soiled. He always seemed to know when Zero was coming and was always ready. It made Zero feel a lot more comfortable with his bloodlust. Of course another vampire like Kuran would understand, would deem it natural, and it helped a lot toward his acceptance of his condition, this…curse. Even so, mentally speaking he still felt…uneasy, after all he was sucking on another man's neck. Not that he wasn't grateful but why couldn't Yuuki have been found by a gorgeous female pureblood? Zero wondered this for the hundredth time now as he approached the bed. It was unusual for Kaname to be in bed when he came. Normally he would be sitting or standing anywhere else concentrating fixedly on something but with his shirt off. Zero had even gotten a drop of blood on a letter Kaname was writing to some official and watched as Kaname debated silently with himself whether to rewrite or send it as is. So to find him in bed…well, he couldn't be sick. Maybe he was tired. Zero wondered if he should wake him.

"Come on, Kiriyuu-kun. Let's get this over with so I can sleep. I have a damned council appearance in the morning..." Kaname drawled this last into the pillow, sounding for all the world like he just asked the maid to put the tray on the table and leave. Nothing seemed to faze him. He had never behaved like Zero owed him anything, which was good, but he still behaved as if Zero didn't matter, like some mildly irritating appointment he kept with a relative he wasn't fond of but felt obligated to. This suddenly irritated Zero for some reason. He was always being ordered around by Kuran and told he was a "shield" for Yuuki. He was relegated to servant class in Kuran's eyes because some vampire attacked his family four years ago. An old familiar rage surged in him and that coupled with the hunger made for Zero think of a bit of revenge. He recalled a general conversation with the Chairman earlier about vampires and sharing blood. There were a few side effects such as sensitivity to touch and blood as well as a bond that could develop emotionally with the partner. He had read up on it a bit hoping that he wasn't doing anything too…strange with Kuran, stumbled across a book on making the experience "better". Great, he thought, a vampire sex manual. Zero had found the book amusing at the time, but now he thought that a small prank was in order. He didn't really think it would work after all most of the "side effects" they mentioned hadn't occurred with Kuran. Maybe because he was a pureblood or maybe because Zero wasn't his "partner". Although Kuran always knew where he was…but that could be his keen senses at work. It was freaky how no-one in the dorm bothered to knock on his door yet he always knew someone was there and who it was. So it was likely that Kaname was an exception to the rule. It was a relief. Some of what he read was disturbing. Not so much because the vampire could become obsessive towards the other person but because it was involuntary and destructive mentally in severe cases. He had started to worry and would have broached the subject to Kaname hadn't it seemed so ridiculous in his case. He couldn't imagine the bored looking Kaname who was the object of his thirst-slaking to be obsessive about him. Well, he didn't want to ruin a good thing. But now he was pissed.

Zero took off his shirt and hopped onto the bed and crawled towards Kaname, uncaring that he was disturbing the other's sleep. Cutting his left shoulder with his nails he rolled Kaname onto his back and sat on astride his chest and in one fluid movement descended onto Kaname's neck.

Kaname was startled by Zero's show of force, but, not a little turned on by it. He bit his lip to suppress a moan as Zero's fangs sank into his neck. Being dominated by Zero appealed to his instincts to please Zero and it was impossible to recover quickly enough to suppress those feelings after the unanticipated encounter. Normally Kaname controlled the settings and was able to keep this need quiet but now… Kaname grit his teeth hardly daring to breathe as his body betrayed him. The sensation was incredible. He arched involuntarily not knowing how to handle it. But what was Zero doing with his tongue… Kaname couldn't stifle the groan that flew from his lips. He tried to push Zero away but his body would not obey his commands. "No…stop… you don't know what …" It was too late. Kaname felt all his fangs begin to grow and the "euphoria" began to sweep through his body. He could feel his conscious starting to recede and the beast within him started to emerge. The smell of Zero's blood was all that mattered to him now and the urge to bite into the naked shoulder by his mouth was proving impossible to resist. He wanted, needed to tear Zero apart and devour him. "No not again…" Zero was blissfully unaware of these changes as he filled himself on Kaname's blood but suddenly he found himself on his back looking up at something unrecognizable. With a massive mental heave Kaname pushed away the almost overwhelming urge to rip open Zero's neck.

Zero immediately tried to push Kaname away, terrified at what he was seeing. The person pinning him down had a full row of fangs that seemed to fill his mouth; his eyes glowed a deep crimson and his claws dug into Zero's flesh. But what was most terrifying was the aura of pure danger and evil intent that surrounded him. Zero was sure he was now living the final moments of his life. He tried to use his new powers and gave the monster a "push" with all he could muster. The creature started a little then used its power to hold Zero on the bed with such a force of will that Zero found it hard to breathe. His chest was being crushed…

"You think you understand me but you know nothing. I'll bet you are already regretting that stunt you pulled just now." The creature trailed a sharp claw down Zero's chest drawing blood easily. It then dipped its head and lapped greedily at blood it drew. The claw dug deeper drawing more. Zero screamed, "Stop Kuran. Kaname please stop. I'm sorry. Please…" The creature raised its head at this and a look of agonizing torment entered its crimson eyes. It fought desperately for control as it closed its eyes and drew in huge gulps of air.

"Zero..." Kaname managed finally. He lowered his face to the terrified visage of Zero's, his eyes still glowing and his fangs were still protruding but the aura of intent was gone.

"Zero, you have no idea how hard it is right now to stop myself from gutting you like a fish. What you did wasn't just sexual, in my case it awakened a basic animalistic urge that is in all vampires but more so in pure bloods. To feed…on people. Humans mostly but pure-bloods being what they – the essential vampire – they can take down any of the hybrids as well. We are the beast at its most elemental. We only look human because it is easier to hunt. Like a tiger having stripes.

"Zero, it takes a lot of control to behave human. To have nice little gourmet dinners and to drink just blood tablet liquid. This especially when I am surrounded by what is essentially food to a vampire like me. It is a sign of my commitment to peaceful co-existence and that firm control that I have not harmed anyone in this school and that you are still alive. I suggest that you do not test my control again."

With this Kaname rolled off of Zero and sat at the edge of the bed. His form looked weary, as if he was exhausted from the struggle and disappointed in himself. "Leave. Now." This he ordered as he clung to the mattress hardly daring to move. Zero's scent was everywhere and unless he left he would never calm down. It was just like ten years ago… This thought itself nearly sobered him but Zero still needed to go so he wouldn't start to think about hunting. He covered his face with his hands. His instincts will not win. "I am not a beast."

Zero got up and left the room. Kaname breathed a sigh of relief. The next step was to stay inside the room until class time. He will be fine. The hunger will subside. He was so keyed up he didn't notice that Zero hadn't left the apartment and was startled when he re-entered with a glass of red liquid. Zero had his usual confident look on his face. It seems he still thinks he can take me, Kaname thought, and chuckled in spite of himself at Zero's naivety. He could never explain and he was still determined he won't have to.

"Drink this. I … know you are hungry and it doesn't help anyone if I leave you in this condition. I know like you do that it is a poor substitute but at least you can stomach it." Kaname eyed the glass distastefully but took it and downed it before he could think about it. Zero went across the room to retrieve his shirt. He was still feeling very stupid. But how was he to know that would happen. He still didn't know what exactly happened or why it happened, but he definitely knew it cured him of pulling such a prank ever again.

Kaname noticed that Zero had clean his chest and bandaged the wound. When he had finished dressing Kaname asked him for another glass and Zero obliged. After he returned and handed Kaname the glass he then went and sat in an overstuffed chair on the other side of the bedroom. He wasn't going to leave until Kuran was himself again. This was one of his responsibilities as a guardian but it was also one as a friend. He saw the real Kaname a while ago, not the monster but the idealist that was desperately struggling to exceed his own nature and wanting to encourage others to do so. Who knew Kuran was worth admiring?

"Kiriyuu-kun, you are still here."

"Yes"

"I asked you to leave"

"I won't while you are like this. I can't have dangerous vampires on school grounds."

"I could still eat you."

"Why don't you try it then?"

"Zero…"

"Yes?"

"Thanks."

"Mmm."

Lightpathetic wrote this but these are not my characters. I am very grateful to "Vampire Knight" - that wonderful manga - for my inspiration.