Disclaimer: Vampire Knight belongs to Hino Matsuri, however, this plot belongs to me. I make no profit from this fiction.

Warning: Sex. Violence. Language. Ichiru (yes, he deserves a warning of his own). Slash.

Pairings: Kaname x Zero for now but they are the main pairing of the story overall. I'll update pairings as they occur.

Author's Note: This is AU-ish all around. Really, the premise of VK is there but I've altered many things. For example, Ichiru is a big part of this story in a positive way. In other words, he's not the evil twin. If it'll help, you can consider this an AU from a mix of chapter 30 (Kaname's feeding Zero) at the beginning and chapters 14-19 (Maria Kurenai/Shizuka Hiou bit) somewhere around the middle of this fanfic or so. Everything else will pretty much be orginal from there onward... especially Zero's relationship with Ichiru.

GRAVITY

Chapter I: Force

"I could be cruel to you. I could bend and mend you to my will for your insolence and blatant disrespect but I restrain myself- with great effort on my part mind you. If I were you, every day I would thank Yuuki and Ichiru for preventing me from acting out the punishments I've only dreamed of bestowing upon you because I am not known for withholding my temper." Cold dark eyes stared into equally hardened amethyst as Kaname seated himself on a chair at the far end of Zero's room.

Hollow laughter filled the space between them as Zero aimed his gun expertly in Kaname's direction, his finger itching to pull the trigger if the vampire so much as blinked at him in a provocative fashion. "You say that as if I should afraid." Zero's bruised back straightened as he coolly glanced into those pitiless dark orbs. "What the fuck are you doing here, Kuran?"

It had came as a surprise when Zero wandered into his room battered and bloody after a long and tedious assignment to find Kaname Kuran seated on his bed as though he were waiting for him. He'd damned his sluggish senses (hunter and vampire alike) as he quickly pulled his Bloody Rose from its hoister and pointed it in the man's direction. He'd had enough of their kind for one night, purebloods in particular, and he was in no mood for Kaname's mind games or bullshit. Zero was able to put up with it for Yuuki and Ichiru's sakes but they weren't around at the moment.

Currently, Zero was agitated and he felt like shit. It would only take one move on Kaname's part before he decided to empty seventeen shells of nitrate into the vampire's able body.

Of course, he wouldn't dare kill the beast (and it was highly unlikely that he'd be able to) but he'd find immense pleasure in wounding him as best as he possibly could. "Well? I won't ask you again."

Kaname could very nearly hear Zero's unspoken thoughts and, if it inevitably came down to it, he would thoroughly enjoy such a battle with the Hunter. He would finally be able to put the boy in his place instead of swallowing his tongue in order to appease Yuuki and Ichiru. If only he could so much as…

Kaname quickly shook the thought from his head and his eyes narrowed as he reminded himself of why it was he'd forsaken his pride and dragged himself to Zero's room. "It has been brought to my attention that your body is beginning to reject the blood tablets." He watched as Zero's composure shifted for the briefest of moments but it was all the answer he needed. "Yuuki and Ichiru have both offered you their blood, a fact which disgusts me for I believed you stronger than your urges. Nevertheless, that has done nothing to satiate your hunger or make the tablets bearable for y-"

"Get to the fucking point Kuran or leave." Zero hadn't missed the way Kaname's eyes flickered briefly between red as the scent of his blood finally encompassed the entirety of his room.

It was exactly what he needed to remind himself that Kaname Kuran was nothing more than a beast, a pureblooded beast that could drain him in an instant if he so much as dropped his guard for a millisecond. And it appeared as though the creature was already livid and ready to strike if so prompted due to the fact that Zero was feeding from both Yuuki and Ichiru. Zero grimaced, he hated himself for the same reasons but he didn't need Kaname to admonish him for something that could no longer be reversed.

"The point is that you are slowly becoming an E-Level vampire. If you do not believe me, the decreased rate in your healing capabilities and the increase in your hunger are sufficient enough indications. I give you no more than a month before you fall prey to insanity, which is an amazing feat considering you've been able to last the past decade as it is. That is far longer than anyone of your kind has ever lasted without the aid of their maker. That being said, I won't allow you to further distress or harm either Yuuki or Ichiru nor will I let you exhaust your usefulness. It is because I care for them both that I have brought myself here to lend my assistance to an ingrate such as yourself." Kaname smirked smugly as he shrugged off his jacket and loosened his tie.

He was in no way happy about the situation at hand, about what he was about to do in order to placate two human children. However, Zero's ire pertaining to the situation made it somewhat bearable. Kaname's cruel eyes watched intently as the Hunter processed all of the information he'd been fed and Kaname's smirk stretched into an indistinguishable grin as Zero's eyes lit with understanding. He was almost compelled to laugh as the Hunter's frame quivered ever so slightly whilst his heart rate picked up speed. He could see the wheels spinning in that stubborn head as Zero attempted to think of a way out of the situation in hopes of dragging himself away from the proverbial corner he was suddenly backed into.

If Kaname weren't mistaken, and he never was, he could smell a hint of fear mingling in the air with the delicious scent of Hunter's blood. Almost pure hunter's blood mixed with the distinct tinge of vampire.

It was intoxicating.

Kaname had smelled nothing like it in nearly a decade but he had more self-restraint than that of a cat cornering a mouse and he would only pounce if provoked.

Zero sneered. "Get the hell out of my room." Lowering his gun his stormy lilac eyes met Kaname's near ebony irises head on. In his own right, he knew it was a futile request but he was still willing to try.

Kaname's gaze did not falter as he unbuttoned the top four buttons of his dress shirt. "Vampire's lesser than you would sell me their souls or, better yet, their children's souls in order to be offered what I am willingly giving to you, Kiryuu, and here you scoff in my face and vulgarly insist that I vacate your living quarters? You are more of a fool than I pegged you to be." His gaze didn't dither and before Zero could speak, Kaname pressed a sharp fingernail into his neck, the scent of his blood engulfing the room as though no other smell had ever been present.

Zero's eyes shifted to a deep red in an instant, his form crumpling to the ground as he tried to resist being lured over to the delicious crimson liquid rolling in beads down Kaname's pale neck and over his collar before finally losing sight of the exquisite vermilion trail beneath the vampire's shirt. The iron clad will that Zero had instilled upon himself since he'd been bitten and a tentative seal was placed upon his neck was dissipating as though it had never been there. He was now being driven by a carnal urge, an advocate he'd denied and beaten down with such force that it was commendable.

The side of Zero that completely belonged to that of a vampire wanted so badly for him to heed his desires and feed.

Zero felt disgusted and exhilarated all at once.

It was overwhelming.

Kaname's lips tugged upward as he watched the internal struggle going on within the young man and he felt his own blood race. He never imagined it'd be so exciting to watch such a strong individual kneel before him in attempts to resist the inevitable. Zero Kiryuu would finally succumb to his will despite the vulnerable position Kaname was placing himself in to garner such a victory. He knew very well the consequences of allowing Zero, or anyone else for that matter, to drink directly from his neck but he was willing to do this in order to keep both Yuuki and Ichiru content.

Their happiness meant the world to him, even at the expense of his pride and comfort.

And Zero Kiryuu wasn't entirely the worst option to allow such a privilege. Kaname had witnessed far worse beg for even less. In fact, it was safe to say that the Hunter was close to the top of the list for best options considering Zero didn't want to drink from him anymore than Kaname wanted him to.

"Come now and save us both the trouble of dragging this out any longer than we must." Without batting an eyelash, Kaname swiftly pulled Zero towards him, easily restraining the already weakened Hunter without much effort.

"Don't think you've won anything… Kuran…" Zero gave up the fight as he let his primal instincts take over.

With unadulterated need, Zero's greedy mouth began to lap at the spilt droplets that he'd allowed to roll from Kaname's neck in his hesitance. In such a state, Zero was unaware of the quaint heat that traveled down the pureblood's spine due to such contact. As his mouth moved up Kaname's throat hungrily, the pureblood finally removed his sharp talons from the wound he'd inflicted upon himself and Zero's sharp fangs replaced them. Zero's right hand gripped Kaname's shoulder as his left balled into the silk shirt hanging loosely from the man's prone form, his body intimately covering Kaname's own as he straddled the vampire and drank carelessly.

A soft groan tumbled from Kaname's lips as his hands gripped Zero's waist, pulling the boy impossibly closer. Never had he felt such an accentuated sensation, never had he felt so weak, so vulnerable. To Kaname's chagrin, he was enjoying every second of it. His neck felt so tender and the feeling of Zero feeding from him was causing his mind to implode with a dark seeded desire that he both reveled in and feared. Kaname felt as though something inside of him was awakening as nothing before had. A desire he had no label for. In all of his centuries of life, he'd experienced several kinds of lusts, passions, loves, hates, and any other name-worthy emotion in the human and vampire archives alike but never had he felt what he was feeling now.

His mind was slowly clouding as true uninhibited vampire instincts were attempting to move into gear but Kaname made a potent effort to reign in some sense of self-control. Nothing he'd read or heard about had prepared him for the awe-inspiring feeling of another drinking from him, of another viciously chewing his flesh and owning his livelihood. Kaname was starting to regret such a decision… and then Zero shifted, their pelvises meeting in a slow, almost painfully sensual way. That's when he became aware of how achingly hard he was and how positively erotic their entire situation had become. How had he forgotten how sensual the act of feeding tended to be? Perhaps the blood tablets had made him sickeningly unaware of such a fact.

Ruby red eyes met Kaname's as Zero pulled his head away from his enticing meal and Kaname realized that the hunter, Zero Kiryuu, had been replaced by its vampire doppelganger. Had this been a different situation, Kaname would have snorted at the irony of their predicament.

Without a word or any other form of warning, Zero experimentally shifted his hips again yearning to feel the spark he'd felt only moments ago and he wasn't disappointed. His bloodstained mouth parted in a silent moan as his crimson eyes watched the expression of the vampire beneath him morph. He was running on sensation alone by this point and he sought to feel the strong body beneath his quake with barely contained want. Zero wanted to feel that pleasurable tingle shoot through his cock as it had the first time he moved. Before he was able to move again, to wring that same intensified gratification that had sent fire flooding through his veins as he'd moved the first and the second time, Zero's hips were stilled by Kaname's strong hands.

With more control than Kaname had ever given himself credit for, he glanced into those cinnabar eyes and rendered the ex-human immobile. "You are simply thinking with impulse alone and you won't remember much more than cursing me come morning. Knowing that, I shall not take advantage of you. It's a shame that you will not have the chance to know that I could have brought you to your knees and rendered your body numb due to pleasure alone. I would have enjoyed every second of it, even your priceless expression the morning after, but you've drunken more than your fill and the consequences… you are not worth it." Pinching a particular nerve in the Hunter's neck, Kaname watched as those blood red eyes faded into lilac before they closed.

Carefully, he cleaned Zero of the mess on his face and chest after removing his blood stained T-shirt and jeans. Kaname placed the garments into a sink of hot water in Zero's kitchenette along with his own dress shirt before scribbling a quick note. He would inform Yuuki and Ichiru of the situation quickly and he'd tell the two to check on their brother in the morning. Pureblood was no easy food to digest, even lesser so for an ex-human, but once Zero adjusted and imbedded the power and strength into his own being he'd be fine.

Kaname placed a hand on his tender neck and was not surprised that the grotesque wound the greedy Hunter had given him in his eagerness to feed had already healed. To even touch the spot where teeth once marred his perfect ivory flesh sent a shockwave of the darkest desire throughout his body. Shaking his head and chalking the moment up to the lingering eroticism that followed feeding, Kaname headed toward the door.

A sigh fell from rosy lips as dark brown eyes glanced in Zero's direction one last time.

It'd been quite sometime since he'd seen the young man looking as peaceful as he did at this moment and, dare he think it, Kaname believed Zero looked gorgeous whilst lost deep in slumber. He was not blind. Kaname was a vampire and all vampires, no matter what rank or status, were ultimately pleasure fiends. Perhaps if Zero weren't so intolerable when awake, Kaname would have fancied the idea of bedding him. Ruefully, the pureblood shook his head again. He would have to find sexual solace elsewhere.

The matter of his straining erection very much needed to be dealt with as soon as possible… a slow smile flitted across Kaname's face. He had it in mind to allow Ruka to quell both sides of his hunger tonight.

"When did Ken say this bastard would wake up? It's already Sunday you know."

"Um… Kaname-sempai said that this kind of thing varies and we should just wait it out."

"You didn't tell Cross did you, Yuu?"

"Of course not! I don't tell dad everything you know."

"Who are you trying to lie to? Me or yourself?"

"Ichiru…"

"Quit arguing… Can't sleep…" Zero groaned as he rolled in the opposite direction of the noise.

He'd attempted to ignore them for the last ten minutes or so to no avail. All he wanted to do was sleep despite feeling more refreshed then he'd felt in years. If he weren't so lethargic, he knew he'd be able to run a marathon, participate in a triathlon, and repeat those events without a moment to spare. How he was both fatigued and energetic was beyond his comprehension. He felt absolutely euphoric and wanted nothing to subdue such a feeling, not even his bickering siblings. The thought as to why he suddenly felt so elated had yet to cross his sleep fogged mind.

Ichiru starred at his brother's pale back in amusement before he jumped onto the bed. "Wake up asshole, you've slept for two days straight and we're running out of excuses to cover for your ass."

Yuuki's big brown eyes widened as she tugged at the youngest twin's arm in a vain attempt to pull him off of their injured brother. "Ichiru! Come on, he's injured."

"S'okay, I'm up, I'm up." Carefully, Zero sat up causing the sheets to pool around his naked waist. He was completely oblivious to Yuuki's flushed gaze.

Ichiru grinned, he'd noticed. "You might wanna cover up Ro before Yuuki's nose starts to bleed."

"Ichiru!" Yuuki swatted his shoulder, her flush darkening despite her efforts.

Zero ignored their bickering yet again as he ran a hand through his thick silver hair and groaned- he felt lightheaded now that all of his senses had finally caught up with him. Everything seemed so vivid, from his sight to his sense of smell, and he didn't know at the moment if he liked or loathed this newfound increase in his five senses. Perhaps it was only a side effect of… amethyst eyes set ablaze with fury narrowed.

"Where is he?" Zero's words dripped with venom as he glanced around his room, dully noting that it was still daylight outside.

Ichiru and Yuuki exchanged looks as their brother's face darkened. "Don't sound so jaded after Ken did something like this for you, you jackass. He's risking a lot you know." Ichiru didn't understand why Zero harped on Kaname every time the guy did something nice for them. Was a thank you really that hard to dish out?

Yuuki wrung her hands nervously, she could already see where this was going. "Don't be ungrateful Zero. You should go thank Kaname-sempai for saving your life."

Zero bristled. "Saving my life? Is that what you think he did?"

Quickly, he stood from his bed, modesty shot right out of the window as he walked over to his dresser and pulled on a pair of jeans and a T-shirt. He was in no mood to appease Yuuki or Ichiru by listening to their ramblings of how great their version of Kaname Kuran was. He attempted to think back to that night, the one he'd been forced to feed from the disgusting pureblood he detested nearly as much as his maker and found that he could remember next to nothing. Zero paused, his face reddening with indignation as he entertained the idea of the bastard manipulating his mind while he was in such a weakened state.

"Ro, calm down. It's not a big-"

Zero rounded on Ichiru and took a deep breath reminding himself that he was not mad at the two people in his room with him. "I'm calm. I just have a few questions for Kuran, that's all. Go grab some lunch and I'll catch up with you later."

Ichiru and Yuuki sat on the bed watching as Zero left his room closing the door behind him. Again, they glanced at each other nervously.

A soft snort fell from Ichiru's lips as a smile etched itself onto his face. "You know, he wouldn't be so wound up if he got laid half as much as I do." The youngest twin knew how much it irritated and rattled Yuuki when he so casually discussed the topic of sex because she was a prude- a fact in which he was very proud to know despite his teasing. Nevertheless, bringing up such a topic was the only way he'd be able to remove the deep seeded concern he knew she had coiling in the pit of her stomach.

"Ichiru! What did I tell you about…"

Ichiru sighed and he resigned himself to a good scolding as that anxiety Yuuki could have had tightly wrapped about the core of his stomach.

Zero stalked into the moon dorms with an irritated scowl set upon his gorgeous face as he spotted several nobles lounging off to his left in the lavish commons. They all glared in his direction, several of them rising upon his actual entrance into their surrogate home. They had not thought him bold enough to enter the lion's den alone and unarmed. Zero paused as he reached the staircase, swiftly turning around as he felt several vampires approaching him from behind. His right hand immediately reached for where his gun should've been and he was sorely disappointed that he'd forgotten it due to his anger induced haste.

Fuck… Zero mentally swore as he prepared to simply cast charms in place of using his gun because it didn't look like the nobles were going to back down and he'd be damned if they got in the way of his confrontation with the pureblooded prince.

"Kiryuu-kun?" All eyes glanced to the top of the staircase where Takuma Ichijo stood blinking tiredly.

Zero glanced over the group one last time and noted that they all seemed to back away now that the assistant dorm leader was there to possibly "handle" him. He didn't care either way as he simply directed his glare at Takuma and made his way up the stairs pausing briefly to mutter "Ichijo" in greeting.

"His rooms are to the left Kiryuu-kun." Takuma's smirk was smothered as he released a small yawn, his green eyes betraying how he truly felt as he watched Zero walk in the direction of their leader's chambers.

It was not going to be his fault when Zero burst into Kaname's rooms considering the prince had specifically stated that, if Zero were to show up, he simply wanted all of them to point the Hunter in the direction of his rooms. Of course, they all wanted to adamantly refuse such a request but could do nothing more than agree and begrudgingly promise to let the arrogant ex-human do as he pleased. They all had an inkling as to why Kaname was planning to allow the Hunter into his chambers but could not so much as question the prince on even his sudden change of heart where the boy was concerned.

Then again, the odd behavior began the night they all scented Kaname's blood, though it was faint, it was there nonetheless. And prior to encountering the luscious scent, Takuma and Senri had distinctly heard Yuuki belaying her qualms over Zero's health. Those closest to Kaname knew that, where the pureblood was concerned, the Kiryuu's and the Cross' were generally the focal point of his attention.

Takuma sighed as Zero disappeared behind the doors that led to Kaname's quarters and when they shut he began to walk down the steps. Then a thought struck the assistant dorm leader that made him outright laugh as the images of what was to come flooded his mind. He'd forgotten to tell the hunter that the dorm leader was entertaining guest in his quarters at that very moment and he wanted so badly to see the look upon Zero's face as he intruded upon such a scene. But no one would enjoy it more than Kaname himself and Ichijo felt relieved in such a thought.

Zero's acute sense of hearing picked up on the sounds coming from what he assumed was the bedroom and he didn't care. The pureblood could've been fucking the president of America himself and Zero wouldn't have bat an eyelash. Blood… It was thick in the air and the hunter had to assume that Kaname's living quarters had some kind of seal on them to prevent such a smell from flooding the halls outside of his room. He didn't pause for a second as he finally reached what he was now positive was Kaname's bedroom. Zero pushed the doors open, his eyes locking on the erotic display as three sets of vermillion eyes met his own. They did not bother to refrain from continuing such a lewd activity despite the addition of an onlooker- an unwanted one no less.

Suffice to say, Zero had never seen anything like what was in front of him at that very moment.

Kaname stood at the side of his bed, his cock buried deep inside of the quivering body posed on all fours in front of him. Another body half hidden amongst dark sheets lay beneath the head of the vampire Kaname was steadily plunging into. Zero was revolted to see that that particular creature was withering in ecstasy as the beast posed above fed from its inner thigh. He noticed with barely concealed shock that they were all covered in blood and the room was practically drenched with the invigorating stench- among others.

The side of Zero Kiryuu that belonged to the Hunters knew that vampires were beast, knew that they operated solely on a pleasure principle that did not follow the same guidelines as that of a human's. It was that side of Zero that was disgusted and mortified at the sight that lay bare before him. The part of him that grudgingly belonged to the bloodsucking fiends egged him to join the frenzied orgy. That convoluted piece of him was what caused his eyes to dilate and shift to crimson as his pulse quickened, his fist clenching at his sides. He was as appalled with himself as he was with what he saw. When his eyes met Kaname's mirth filled cinnabar pools that were seemingly mocking him, he was reminded of why he'd brought himself to the pureblood's room. Summoning every ounce of anger and displeasure he could, Zero shut his mouth and willed away any form of lust he'd dared to feel.

Apparently, Kaname had noticed the change in the hunter's demeanor and he stopped all movement causing his partners to groan in protest. They knew better than to move after their lord stopped so they waited to either be regretfully dismissed or fucked into blind submission in front of their annoying intruder. And they'd had a feeling that it would be the former. Kaname dismissed them as he removed himself from the heated hole he'd been positioned in and he did not miss the way Zero's maroon eyes darted over his exposed physique before meeting his gaze once again.

Zero didn't deign to watch as the two picked up the articles of clothing that belonged to them before exiting the room at a speed he wouldn't have been able to follow at the moment.

He and Kaname were alone now.

Zero observed as the pureblood carefully pulled on a robe, which did nothing more than cover his cock. The blood that stained the ivory flesh around his mouth and down his torso was still visible. The sight alone pulled at Zero's bestial side, a side that was obstinately encouraging him to walk over to the animal near the bed and lick him clean… amethyst eyes blinked as Kaname began to move away from the bed and towards a door not far from it.

"Can you reign in your explosive attitude long enough for me to shower or shall we have at it as I am now?" A delicate hand swept outward as Kaname's dark gaze remained locked with Zero's.

"Make it quick. I'll be in your living room." Zero turned his back on the predator behind him and stalked out of the nauseating room all the while cursing all vampires for their sick fetishes.

Had he waited a moment longer, he wouldn't have missed the amused smirk that settled upon Kaname's face.

"You're one sick motherfucker, Kuran." Zero's violet eyes glared in Kaname's direction as the pureblood entered his living room.

"I'll have you know, I've never treaded upon those already shallow waters despite what puberty encouraged me to do." A small smirk tugged at Kaname's lips.

Zero growled in frustration as his glare intensified. "Fucking disgusting… what if it wasn't me who walked in on- on that but instead Ichiru? Or even Yuuki?"

Kaname's face darkened. "Good thing it was you then." He didn't bother to mention that both Yuuki and Ichiru would've been distracted long before they were allowed to enter his quarters. He wouldn't dare let them see that side of him. He also chose not to tell the Hunter that he'd intended for him to walk in on him. He wanted Zero to get well acquainted with what he was- a vampire- even if he had to shove the idea down the boy's throat. "I do believe the only reason you find us, your own kind, so intolerable is because you do not understand our ways but in time, you shall learn."

Zero eyed the pureblood who had so innocently seated himself on the couch opposite of him. "I am not and will never be one of you."

Kaname pinched the bridge of his nose in stark irritation. He did not feel the need to rehash their age old argument. Choosing to be the bigger man, he decided to change the subject entirely. "Why are you here Kiryuu? It certainly isn't to argue with me over my personal habits."

Zero gritted his teeth, biting back the venomous reply he'd had lined up for the pureblood in favor of quickly asking his questions and removing himself from the room. "What the hell did you do to me last night?"

There were many scathing and taunting replies that Kaname wanted to hurl at Zero but he settled for the truth. He knew that would rile the boy far more than anything else. "I fed you and you were rather eager to feed once I gave you some encouragement." He wanted nothing more than to outright guffaw at the stricken look that now possessed Zero's delicate face.

Zero stood from the couch, his face blank as his steely lilac eyes settled on the pureblood. "Listen well Kuran because I won't repeat myself. Stay the fuck away from me or I will kill you. I don't care about what Yuuki or Ichiru have asked you to do for me because I want absolutely nothing from you."

"Because you'd rather become lesser than the filth you take me as only to be hunted down by those so called comrades you've sworn your pathetic life to? Such a befitting end for the likes of you." The controlled anger that bubbled beneath the surface of Kaname's every word was not missed on Zero's part.

"Anything is better than drinking your blood." Even death… were the unspoken words that hung in the air as a tense silence settled about the room.

For Zero, drinking from anyone was a sign of weakness, a blatant show of his loss in control over the beast that resided within. He hated Kaname for being able to draw such a thing out of him without so much as a thought. Zero wasn't exactly keen on what occurred the night he'd fed from the pureblood but he was positive that he'd lost control of himself. He'd let that carnal instinct that belonged to his vampire self consume him and it took control- snatched at the rare chance to have it. And of all the beings he'd ever want to show that despicable piece of himself to, Kaname was the last. He couldn't afford to make such a mistake again.

Zero sighed, his hardened gaze wavering only slightly as he prepared to leave. "Do us both a favor and don't give me a reason to shoot you." Zero was nearly at the door when he was stopped by a force he had no control over. He was turned around, his eyes meeting Kaname's as he silently promised the man to make good on his earlier threat.

But Kaname's gaze was conical and unwavering as he forced Zero to look at him. "Are you honestly willing to forsake yourself simply to spite me and my use for you? Have you not thought of the devastation that would befall both Yuuki and Ichiru were you to simply perish? I could care less for you, Kiryuu, make no mistake about that, but to those two you are the world. I want you to think about this. I've forsaken my pride on account of the feelings I hold for them and I'd once thought that you had similar priorities when it came to those two… perhaps I was wrong. If I was not mistaken, then this time two weeks from now you will come to my quarters in order to feed and if you do not, you can worry over your death alone." With that, Kaname sent Zero flying from his chambers. He'd had enough of the infuriating boy for one night.

Zero glanced up from his position sprawled on the floor as he watched Kaname's doors slam shut in his face. As dignified and composed as Zero could, and cursing the pureblood in his mind all the while, he made his way out of the Moon Dorms. He ignored the amused glances that were thrown his way as he did so.

"C'mon…" Yuuki groaned as she glared at Ichiru. He was supposed to be helping her keep the Day class students at bay, not flirting with them.

Ichiru winked at the group closest to him and smiled as they all flushed and began to giggle amongst themselves. "Someone has to make up for the ice bastard standing over there glaring everyone into submission." Ichiru's face fell into a worried grimace as he glanced toward where his brother stood.

Zero had been on edge since his visit with Kaname, which more or less likely meant that the two had had a disagreement- to put it lightly. It was nothing that Ichiru wasn't used to considering Kaname and Zero hadn't gotten along from day one based on one fact: Kaname Kuran was a pureblood vampire. It was no wonder things continued to remain the same. Still, he had never faulted his elder brother's disdain for vampires due to the circumstance that embedded such a hate into a generally caring and gentle soul. Had he been in Zero's place, perhaps he'd feel the same.

When they were merely seven years of age, a pureblood came to their home in the dead of night and slaughtered their parents. Had Ichiru not been ill, perhaps he would've been killed as well or placed in the same predicament as his brother. He remembered the gorgeous woman staring down at Zero who held no fear in his eyes as he'd defiantly stared back at her. The woman had smiled and told them that she couldn't possibly destroy such a rare treat and instead, she would mark Zero and gather him at a later time. She'd left him in a pool of his own blood, curious to see if he'd survive in order to be collected by her in the distant future. After the pureblood kissed Ichiru's forehead and told the nearly unconscious Zero who to wait for, she vanished.

Her name was Shizuka Hiou.

The memory of the event reminded Ichiru that Zero had every right in the world to be weary of the creatures and it reminded him of why he'd never asked his elder brother to feel otherwise. Except for when it came to Kaname. Kaname had found them two days after the event and he'd brought them to the home of Kaien Cross. He'd carried both Ichiru and Zero the long distance to Cross' home without so much as being tempted to drink from them and if he was, Ichiru hadn't noticed. Kaname had done everything in his power to care for them as he cared for Yuuki and spared no expense in their name. Ichiru was beyond grateful and if only Zero could be a little more thankful for the second chance he'd been given at life…

"Maybe he's getting hungry…"

Ichiru shook his head and glanced at Yuuki. "What?"

"Kaname-sempai said that Zero would need to eat something in two weeks time and it's almost the end of those two weeks."

"You're right… we'll ask him about it later." Ichiru noticed the gates to the Moon Dorms opening and he sighed. It was time to get to work. "The Night Class is about to come out Yuu so look alive and be firm. You're too soft on these people."

Ichiru smiled as the Night Class stepped out of the gates. He watched as Aido spoke sweet nothings to the Day Class, he watched as Kain followed silently behind his ward, and he watched as Aido teased Yuuki before moving on. His amethyst eyes lit up as he nodded in Kaname's direction not surprised as the pureblood genuinely smiled back before fondly petting Yuuki's head. What surprised Ichiru was when Kaname briefly stopped in front of his twin, lips moving quickly before he continued to walk onward without a backwards glance.

It was as though he'd never paused in step.

Ichiru could see that Zero had tensed, his shoulders squaring and his eyes becoming violet slits- his twin was pissed. Ichiru sighed. He had a feeling that it was going to be harder to ask Zero about his feeding issues than it would be to stave a vampire away from blood.

Zero smiled to himself as he slipped past the crowd of dispersing Night Class fans and into the lush forest that intertwined with Cross Academy. He'd overheard Ichiru's and Yuuki's conversation regardless of their attempts at masking it from him. Perhaps they had forgotten that, despite his adversity towards what he was, Zero was still part vampire and an increase in his hearing capabilities came with the package. They were always worried over him, over things that were far out of their control when it came to Zero, and that knowledge warmed his heart. He knew that they wanted to solve all of his problems for him, that they wanted to help him and listen when he couldn't handle things on his own, and he loved them for it. But they truly could not help him with this problem and even knowing that he grew angry.

He'd put effort into not taking his frustrations out on his family because they deserved so much more than his turmoil spilling over onto them. Zero had done everything in his power to keep his emotions bottled within himself and directed at Kaname Kuran but as the days drew closer to Kaname's proposed date he'd became more agitated. He didn't understand why it seemed as though the pureblood was right as the days sped by?

Zero growled in irritation. He was borderline starving and, try as he might, nothing was quenching the desire for him to feed and he wouldn't dare go ask Yuuki or Ichiru to feed him again. But he might have to… He was beginning to follow the pulse and heartbeats of his classmates and those enticing rhythms tended to lure him into a blood lusting trance that Ichiru or Yuuki had to promptly snap him out. There was so much temptation and it was becoming next to unbearable to be in the same room as anything with a fluctuating pulse. Zero hated himself for allowing such a bestial yearning to occur but he couldn't help it. He'd thought he'd be able to manage his cravings, he'd thought he'd be able to bear the weight of his curse alone, but he was starting to lose sight of himself.

Kaname had been right about one thing: Zero was slowly being ruled by his vampire self.

He was turning into a Level-E vampire.

Zero stopped walking as he reached the small lake he had so eagerly sought out and he sat before the calming pool. His thoughts went back to his last conversation with Kaname. His mind had replayed and dissected the conversation for nearly two weeks now and his options were always the same. If he wanted to watch Yuuki and Ichiru grow up happily, if he wanted to avenge his family name, he needed to live. Zero knew that he was going to regret what he was sacrificing to survive but it was all for a good cause. He had more reason to strive for life than death at this moment and he was willing to sacrifice all that he needed to in order to do so.

"Kiryuu, your decision."

Zero didn't bother moving from his spot nor did he bother to glance behind him. "I want you to know that I don't like this anymore than you, Kuran."

A slow smile spread across Kaname's gorgeous face. "I wouldn't have it any other way."

TBC

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