A/N: Finally? FINALLY! I've posted chapter one of the fanfiction based on a video I made a year ago, at least. I've kept people waiting long enough. And I will continue to keep them waiting with horrible updates. I'M GONNA DO MY BEST, EVERYONE! With college applications to worry about at the moment, just excuse me for a few months x3!

Quote from "I Don't Care" by Apocalyptica. Inspiring song ;)

"If you were dead or still alive
I don't care."

x

Chapter 1: BURN

The snow was biting. So cold it burned.

Zero's curled his hand into a tight fist, the burning snow melting at the touch of his skin. His toes were absolutely freezing, and the snow, the damn burning snow, it soaked through his clothes and dampened his skin. Or was that his sweat?

Or his blood?

He had been terrified.

His lifeblood dripped at a steady rate onto the fresh fallen snow, staining it red.

Zero's neck stung.

There was a soft shuffling sound, a footstep in the snow. Zero inhaled shallowly and lifted his face from the snow. His whole body trembled with the effort.

His neck throbbed dully and Zero felt like screaming.

He wanted to scream.

x

The young pureblood stared down at Zero, the boy's blood dripping from his slender fingers.

It was so…tempting.

Zero's eyes were locked on Kaname' form. Kaname's eyes still blazed red from his recent feeding; his mistake, his blessing, his curse.

Kaname flicked out his tongue to catch a falling drop of the blood on his fingers. Zero's trembling increased tenfold as he watched, and he looked down at the bloodstained ground again. Kaname's sigh was almost inaudible.

But Zero heard it, and it made his insides curl.

Kaname stared at the boy, and his gaze was drawn to the blood running down his neck. Instinctively, he stretched out a hand, reaching for Zero's face—the skin was so soft…he knew well, after all. It had yielded so easily to his fangs….

Slap!

Kaname's hand flicked back out of harm's way, his eyes locked ever more firmly on Zero, who had shoved himself into a sitting position just to keep the pureblood's hands off him. His eye flashed dangerously, and he raised his hand, ready to land another blow.

"Don't touch me."

Kaname stared at him—this creature, this creature that was his now, his own doing, his creation, his fault…

He turned away, clenching his bloody hand into a fist.

Just before he did, Zero's vision blurred and turned black.

The last thing he saw was Kuran Kaname's face.

…It really was beautiful.

x

Blood. Why was the color red so tempting?

His eyes were a dark shade of red.

Why?

x

"Kaname…what—what on earth?"

The sound of scuffling feet, then a light thump.

"Shizuka came to kill the family. Revenge. Remember the Kiryuus killed her lover?"

"Y-yes…but…" The sounds of fabric whispering over fabric, someone nervously clasping his hands together. "She…she bit that one?"

"I did," Kaname answered calmly.

"You—what? Why? Kaname—!"

"I'm not in trouble. With the Council or the Association. Shockingly," Kaname added dryly. He sat down in on the couch by Ichiru Kiryuu, who scuttled away, his knuckles white. "He would have been lost otherwise. He was at a point where his human body would have died if he hadn't been changed. It wasn't like I didn't enjoy it, though," Kaname added softly.

Ichiru threw Kaname an alarmed look, then stared down at Zero, bloody in Kaname's arms. Chairman Kaein Cross was looking at Kaname hard.

"Kaname—" he began, wanting to—afraid to—break through that careless, arrogant act.

"He can go here," Kaname interrupted quietly. "You're almost through establishing it, aren't you?"

"…yes." Kaien said softly. He looked away from Zero's bloody body, training his eyes on the floor. The dim light of the room reflected brightly off his glasses. "What were you doing there in the first place?"

Kaname glanced at Ichiru, who was trembling by the edge of the couch, sitting as far away from the pureblood as possible. Then he looked up at the Chairman, catching his gaze, and something fierce and new seemed to burn in his eyes.

"…"

The Chairman glanced down at Zero. Kaname stood up suddenly, turning and gently letting the bloody body slip out of his arms and onto the ouch. He ran a finger down the boy's neck before straightening and backing away.

"I didn't want to see him die."

Kaname looked up at Ichiru, who was now stumbling over to his twin now that the pureblood wasn't hovering.

"Zero was ready to die for you," Kaname said suddenly, his low voice gaining a dangerous sort of snap. Ichiru jumped, but when he turned to look at Kaname there was a cold, narrow eyed look about him. Kaname didn't miss it. He took a step forward and leaned down close to Ichiru. "I won't tolerate you treating him with anything less than he deserves." He paused, then smirked. Ichiru grit his teeth as Kaname continued. "He has more than settled the issue of your condition. If I learn that you hurt him or are planning on it, I will be the one to hurt you. In fact, I'll make sure what should've happened thirteen years ago in your mothers womb become reality." Kaname's fangs flashed briefly.

Ichiru was flushed an angry pink shade by then. He leaned back a little to glare more fully at Kaname, a cold indignant fury in his eyes. "I love Zero more than anything," he said flatly, reaching back and wrapping his fingers around Zero's left hand.

Kaname let out an amused breath. "Of course. So," he straightened again and turned to walk out of the room, "I'll be seeing you."

Ichiru stared after him. When he heard the front door close, he let's Zero's bloodstained hand slip through his fingers.

There was no love in his eyes.

x

Love was painful. It was beautiful and dangerous, and it hurt. Deceiving. Like a rose's beauty.

That four letter word could hurt more than a bullet's sting.

Handle it with care.

x

God, why did he hurt so much…?

Zero was used to pain.

Pain…was nothing new to him at all. Pain was a part of Zero; he would not be him if he didn't know that four letter word so well.

"Zero?"

Zero looked up slowly, his eyes connecting with Yuuki's. She stared at him, aghast.

"What…what are you doing? Zero!"

There was a blur of color and flurry of hair, and suddenly Zero's bloodied fingers were ripped from his neck.

"S-stop!" she whimpered, clutching them tightly. She looked up at him, her eyes wide and tender. "It's all right now."

She…was so pure. Zero felt his eyes sting painfully. He didn't deserve her care. He didn't deserve her at all.

"Yuuki…" he began.

"Yuuki!"

Kaien Cross' shrill voice cut through the walls of the house. Yuuki hesitated for a few moments, Zero's stained hand pressed against her face.

"Zero…" she squeezed his fingers. "Take care. Please."

Zero might have nodded. Yuuki slipped from the room quietly, and Zero was alone again.

Alone with the stinging pain…God…God, he could still feel those fangs. Piercing his skin…

He wanted the feeling out!

Selfishly, his fingers clawed at the soft skin of his neck again, and he gasped in frustration. No matter—

His neck throbbed painfully. Zero froze. That feeling had come from under the skin, the blood rushing through his veins in a sudden painful burst. It had nothing to do with his raking fingernails.

He struggled to listen, but he knew already. He knew why…

"…Yuuki and Ichiru to bed," Cross's voice filtered through to Zero. "He—"

"I know."

This was why Cross had made Ichiru go to the bedroom early.

"Okay." A pause. "Goodnight, Kaname-kun."

Always why.

He heard footsteps walking away…

And footsteps drawing closer to the room.

Zero didn't move from his spot on the floor when the door was pushed open. He slowly looked up to meet the ruby red eyes he knew better than his own.

Kaname appraised him quietly for a few minutes, his eyes moving from the ex-human's face to his ravaged neck.

"It's careless to shed your blood like that," Kaname finally spoke from the doorway.

Zero felt a dry smile flicker over his features. "Heh." He looked up to lock eyes with the pureblood, and pure loathing was apparent in his gaze. "You always want it, don't you?"

Kaname's fingers twitched and for a long, frozen moment, they stared at each other.

Then Kaname stepped into the room, clicking the door shut behind him.

Zero narrowed his eyes. What the he—

"Gh—!"

Zero flew back away from Kaname's hand, knocking his head into the wall in the process.

"Get away from me!" he snapped.

Kaname graced him with a smirk. "But Zero," he murmured, and Zero did not move this time—he was completely unable to, and he didn't understand why—why he was frozen to the spot under the pureblood's burning gaze, why he let Kaname continue to play with him like this…

Kaname's fingers ran up the pale skin of Zero's collarbone, dancing across the bloody wounds. Zero's breath hitched in surprise, and Kaname smiled again, before putting his newly bloodied fingers into his mouth. Slowly, his tongue ran up and over the fingers, tasting, savoring, desiring. Zero stared at Kaname as the older vampire's eyes slid shut.

Zero's cheeks burned and a little stuttering breath escaped his parted lips. Kaname opened his eyes and slipped his fingers out of his mouth, leaning forward to breathe into Zero's ear:

"You're right….I do always want it."

A/N: "Burn" comes from the song "Burn" by Apocalyptica. Listened to it while I wrote this chapter.

This story will NOT be all smut, but there will be plenty, I hopez as much as yew ^.^ But I'm trying for an actual plot. zomg. O_O I know, I'm scared too.

And, asking for advice to some people who know more about FF than I...but how the heck can I make a break in a chapter without that obnoxious horizontal line? *pouts*