Hello guys! I can't believe I was able to update in a just a month! Here is the next chapter of the story! I hope you enjoy! There is a new character who made his presence known in this chapter! And I have a feeling you will like him! (:

Beta Reader: RecursiveDestroyer (Thank you for the help ;-; )

Disclaimer: Do not own VK.

The Ball

"Kaname, Zero, come downstairs this instant! We are going to be late!" A flustered Juuri exclaimed. Her arms crossed over her chest as she tapped one of her boot heels on the floor impatiently.

"Coming, coming, Mother," Kaname groaned softly while closing his eyes in the process. He really did not want to attend this stupid ball, and his uncle being there didn't make his desire not to go any better. The brunet didn't appreciate his uncle's unusual interest in Zero. It bothered him to a great extent - and he wasn't particularly fond of things that caused him unnecessary worriment.

A frown marred his perfect complexion. If Kaname could, he would lock the frail human far, far away from here, where he would be the only one to ever lay his eyes, and hands, on the silver-haired boy. Zero belonged to him. Only him. No one was allowed to touch his property - and that also included his own parents. Whenever they embraced the human or kissed his cheek, which grated on his nerves the most, or even ruffled his hair, he had to suppress a strong urge to sever them apart. Although, he had to hold it in. He would be damned if he ruined his perfect image of an ideal son.

The pure-blood came to a sudden halt when his eyes landed on the silver-haired boy, who was about to descend the stairs, but froze when he spotted the brunet approaching towards him.

Kaname walked over to Zero, and his eyes regarded the younger male in silent contemplation. Sweat started to break out on Zero's forehead, and his breathing quickened as the intensity of the pure-blood's stare increased and didn't waver away from him for the longest moment. The human stood still with downcast eyes and his grip on the railing tightened as the silence pursued.

Another exclamation from their irritable mother finally broke the ice. Frowning slightly, Kaname pulled his eyes away from the human and stared downwards - towards the source that interrupted his thorough scrutiny of the silver-haired boy. Meanwhile, Zero had to suppress a sigh of relief. Having a pure-blood burn holes into you wasn't his idea of having fun.

"You look nice..."

It was barely audible, but Zero heard it loud and clear. His lips parted slightly, and he gawked at the pure-blood in sheer shock as the brunet gracefully started cascading down the stairs. His ears had to be playing a trick on him. He couldn't have heard that correctly, right? No, he couldn't have. Not in million years.

Another shout of his name brought him out of his musings, and he followed the retreating pure-blood, silently concluding to himself that the brunet had finally lost it.

His stare of bewilderment did not go unnoticed by the bemused Kaname, who was already at the bottom of the stairs smiling innocently at his furious mother.

"Shall we get going, Mother?"

•●•

A carriage drew up to the steps, and four well-dressed occupants - a joyful couple, a sullen brunet and a timid yet excited silver-haired youth - emerged from inside. Zero shuddered slightly when a cold wind swept over him as he set foot out of the warm confines of the carriage. Steadfastly, winter was approaching, and he dearly hoped that the interior of the mansion would be warm enough to remove the sudden chill from his bones.

The guards gave them a respectful bow as they passed and opened the heavy gates for them, sparing a disgruntled yet also curious glance towards the silver-haired boy. Although, they didn't utter a word of protest against them for letting a human in. It was simply not their place to do so.

The trio glided up the stairs gracefully, while Zero had a bit of difficulty keeping up with their pace, and pushed open the deep blue french doors when they reached the top of the stairs. They were greeted with the sight of people chatting with each other, servants scurrying here and there to accommodate their highly respected guests, a few couples waltzing across the dance floor, and an orchestra that was harmoniously playing some unknown, sweetly solemn hymn on top of a small stage.

Zero had to squint his eyes at the sudden brightness. Damn, for vampires, they were accustomed to a great deal of lighting! He cast a curious glance at Kaname and slightly grinned when he saw the slight twitch of the brunet's left eyebrow. Hah! Not so composed now, are we?

A deep, modulated voice entered his ears and his amethyst eyes landed on the approaching pure-blood.

"Haruka, Juuri, Kaname," His eyes stopped on the silver-haired boy for a moment, "Zero-kun! I'm glad you were able to make it!" Rido smiled warmly, a tiny dimple dancing at the corner of his full lips.

"We wouldn't miss one of your balls for the world, Nii-san! You would murder us!" Haruka laughed heartily while wrapping an arm around his wife's waist and pulling her close to him. Juuri gave a small smile and batted her husband's prying arms away before ambling towards her older brother to give him a tight, loving hug.

"I hate to agree with Haruka on this one, Rido-nii." Juuri fondly responded and pecked the elder's cheek affectionately before returning to Haruka's side. She giggled slightly when she received a playfully stern look from him.

Kaname gave a curt nod, not really interested in what the other was saying, while Zero smiled genuinely, truly grateful that he was welcomed so whole-heartedly here. "Thank you, Rido-san."

Rido, not being bothered by his nephew's lack of enthusiasm, ruffled Zero's hair, which earned him a malicious glare from Kaname.

"What a lovely boy he is, Haruka." Rido fondly smiled down at the silver-haired boy and then quirked a questioning eyebrow at Kaname's glaring, choosing not to say anything.

"I know! He is absolutely precious!" Another laugh, soft and infectious, escaped from the merry Haruka's throat as he bent down to Zero's height and placed a loving kiss on the flushed cheek of his younger son. "He has been a great delight to have."

Rido's brows lifted in amusement, and he chuckled - deeply and warmly. His brother hadn't changed at all.

Zero really wanted to dig a hole and hide in it. All the attention he was receiving was making him embarrassed to the core, albeit a tiny bit happy, and his adopted father was making it worse! He was sure his face would be a perfect replica of a red, ripened tomato if he happened to look into a mirror.

"I am sure he is, Haruka," Rido responded and his eyes roamed around the room as if he were searching for something. "I have a surprise for you guys." He added softly when he met with the uniformed puzzled look from the couple and a disinterested one from Kaname.

A wide grin broke out on older pure-blood's face when he spotted the person he was searching for and called out to him, "Senri! Come here for a second!"

As on cue, a young maroon-haired vampire appeared in front of them. "Father." He said with a bow of his head.

"Son, your Uncle and Aunt are here." Rido gestured towards the shocked couple, and as an afterthought, added nonchalantly, "Kaname too." At which, he received a deadly glare from the brunet.

Senri lifted his head up and smiled at the couple. "Uncle Haruka, Aunt Juuri, it's lovely to see you again."

Haruka and Juuri gave a warm smile and pulled the young pure-blood into a tight embrace. "You have grown so much Senri. We have missed you so much!" Juuri exclaimed in a hushed tone, her mahogany eyes filling with tears.

Haruka was in no better state as he ruffled his nephew's hair fondly. "You have been gone for far too long, Senri."

"I apologize for making you sad, but on the bright side, I am here now. I also have missed you guys too!" Senri smiled cordially and placed a delicate kiss on the right cheeks of the pure-blood couple. He gave them one last squeeze before letting them go.

His gray eyes twinkled with mirth, and his lips twisted into a sardonic smile as he finally regarded the awfully silent pure-blood. "Kaname, where's my hug? Didn't you miss me?"

In response, Kaname glared at him irritably but still gave the other a quick, curt hug. "As if." He scoffed, and his eyes brimmed with amusement.

"I missed you too, cousin." Senri gave out a low and soft chuckle, lightly poking the space between Kaname's eyebrows. "You will get wrinkles soon if you keep frowning all the time!" He smirked smugly when he received a heated glare as a retort to his remark. Someone was on their man period.

His attention was quickly averted to the last member of the family, and a sharp gasp unconsciously left his mouth when those angelic amethyst eyes met his own light grey ones. They had to be by far the most gorgeous eyes he had ever seen.

"... And who is this?" He tried to inquire courteously but eagerness was clearly evident in his voice.

Zero blushed brightly, feeling rather embarrassed under those scrutinizing eyes. The intensity behind the stare caused goosebumps to rise on his skin. He wasn't used to being stared at so openly and admirably, but he didn't particularly detest it - much to his own amazement. Biting his lip softly, he cast his eyes down on the floor and avoided the profound gaze.

Rido chuckled, overly amused at the interaction between the two individuals, and brought his son closer to the silver-haired youth. "He, my son, is Zero, your new cousin. Please make him welcome to the family!"

Senri, whose gaze never wavered from the bewitching human, grabbed the delicate hand of the silver-haired boy and brought it closer to his lips to place a butterfly kiss on his knuckles. "Hello, Zero-kun, I am Kuran Senri. Please call me Senri." The pure-blood looked up and gave a flirty wink, deepening Zero's blush.

"Senri-san…Nice to meet you..." The human timidly whispered as he gazed into the other's eyes, seemingly getting lost in them.

As if to ruin the perfect moment, Kaname appeared between them, glaring daggers down at the shorter pure-blood. "Mine." He growled lowly in his throat. His menacing aura frightened Zero further and managed to catch a few curious glances from the older pure-bloods.

Senri, not really being affected by the threatening aura of his cousin, simply grinned and patted the other's shoulder. He came closer to the brunet to softly whisper in his ear.

"It's not advisable to keep him tied down, dear cousin. You will suffocate him. Let this gorgeous butterfly spread his wings. If destiny ordains him as yours, he will come to you. If not, I shall snatch him away from you."

Kaname pursued his lips into a thin line as his glare intensified. His cousin was testing his patience, and he did not like it one bit. Zero's overly friendly attitude with other pure-blood did nothing to quench his thriving anger. He would show Senri who Zero belonged to. He would show him alright! If Senri didn't learn his lesson, he would have to exterminate the threat himself - even if that threat was his very own cousin.

As if to prevent the upcoming disaster, music started playing in the background. Couples glided towards the center of the ballroom and started waltzing.

Seeing this as a chance to steal the silver-haired human for himself and to place a considerably large distance between himself and his enraged cousin, Senri grabbed Zero's trembling hand and dragged him to the dance floor.

"Come dance with me, Zero-kun!"

Zero, before he had time to comprehend what was actually happening, gave an absentminded nod and followed the peculiar pure-blood onto the dance floor. He was grateful that he wasn't near Kaname anymore. The pure-blood's behavior petrified him immensely, despite knowing the fact that he was not the main reason behind the brunet's ire.

He reluctantly looked back and gulped nervously when he met Kaname's eyes, full of fury and other indescribable emotions that he could not place his finger on.

What had caused Kaname's anger? Why was Kaname mad at Senri? What could be the reason? Was Kaname maybe jealous? At that thought, his skin flushed in embarrassment, and he had to shake his head to straighten out his stupid thoughts. No way! Kaname had always been hostile towards to him. Tortured him relentlessly. Always made him cry. So, why would he be jealous? Shouldn't the pure-blood be happy that he is not in his way?

As if his mind was trying to remind him of something he had forgotten, a husky, ragged voice resounded in his head.

"You are mine."

He inhaled a sharp breath, his pale cheeks getting a beautiful rosy color. Kaname had always been possessive of him. He had realized that a long time ago; although, he never knew the reason as to why. But yesterday, it was the first time the brunet had expressed it to him, much to his shock. Why was Kaname changing?

Another whisper interrupted his thoughts, but this time it was soft and barely audible.

"You look nice..."

His eyes widened in astonishment. The flush on his cheeks reddened even more. His earlier encounter with Kaname dawned on him like a beautiful sunset. He was more shocked now than he was earlier, his brain finally registering what had actually happened a few hours ago.

What amazed him even more was that previous encounter with the brunet was not the first one of Kaname being "nice". He had countless ones in the past - even before yesterday when the brunet asked if his clothes were to his liking.

Zero just had forgotten them until today. Until this very moment.

And he did not understand why he was remembering them - especially now and here.

Kaname's small gestures of kindness were close to a null in comparison to his horrendous tortures, but they were still there. The very fact that the pure-blood had been nice to him -more than once- and he did not pay attention to that minuscule detail -or did not have the modesty to remember it - caused renewed knowledge to penetrate his consciousness like a red-hot knife.

He had to go see Kaname now and ask him what were his true intentions were. Although, deep down he was scared shitless. What if he angered the pure-blood instead? Wouldn't Kaname find another excuse to carry out his blood-curdling punishments on him? He didn't want to find that out; but at the same time, curiosity slowly crept through his mind. He didn't want to wait any longer for his answers. Maybe if he got to know Kaname's real intentions, he and the pure-blood could work their differences out with each other.

If faith smiled upon him, he wouldn't have to endure those dreadful tortures ever again.

The silver-haired boy was about to turn around and stride towards Kaname, but a cool touch on his cheek ceased any movements he was about to make. He reluctantly looked up, realizing that the 'cold object' was actually Senri's hand, and his resolve to meet Kaname melted when his eyes locked with pure-blood's worried ones. This strange pure-blood, who barely knew him, was concerned about him - and that fact alone struck a cord in Zero's heart.

Smiling slightly, he unconsciously placed his hand on top of the other's and softly murmured, "I'm fine. Let's dance, Senri-san." He wanted to wipe the worry off of the vampire's face. He didn't want the other to worry about him any longer. The only way to do that would be to compose himself and give the pureblood what he wanted: A silly dance. He was nothing special after all, so the pure-blood was wasting his time to even spare a thought for him.

Nonetheless, Zero could not suppress a small laugh that managed to escape from his throat when he received a radiant grin from the older male because of his response.

This weird pure-blood was really interesting and overly cordial unlike the other pure-blood he was acquainted with. The dance would be short, so he could go to Kaname afterward and ask away his dubious inquiries. But for the time being, he might as well try to enjoy this dance with the peculiar vampire whilst he had the rare chance.

•●•

Kaname was mad. No, that was an understatement. He was thoroughly and immensely consumed with seething rage. How dare that fucking brat take his beloved property away? How could Zero let himself be taken away? How could they betray him like this?

The pure-blood gritted his teeth in anger and clenched his hands into tight fists, his eyes narrowing to slits. If he had known Senri was going to be attending the ball, he would have never allowed Zero to come. Heck, he would have even stayed home with the human if it was necessary!

Kaname was at the end of his limit. He had no idea how he was controlling himself at this very moment. He had to refrain himself several times by painfully digging his nails into his palm so he wouldn't go over to the dancing couple, rip them apart from each other, and throttle Senri to death while everyone watched the spectacular show.

He never liked Senri. Everyone always preferred his cousin over him, including his own parents. To make things even worse, he and Senri shared the same interests – be it with books, toys, desserts, or even when it came to the color of a pair of sneakers! The latter always got everything he wanted, but he wouldn't ever let him snatch Zero away from him. Over his dead body! Zero belonged to him and always would. Until his very last breath.

A short laugh caught his attention, and his gaze settled on the couple. Anguish washed over him when he realized who was laughing.

It was his Zero.

Throb.

Zero was happy, and he was not the reason for it.

Throb.

It was because of that damn Senri.

Throb.

Kaname's blood boiled when he spotted one of the pure-blood's arms slyly snaking itself around Zero's waist. How dare that bastard lay his dirty hands on his Zero? He would kill him! This time, he nearly went over but stop dead in his tracks as two small arms wrapped themselves around Senri's neck, the silver-haired youth's smiling face coming into his view.

Throb.

His stare wavered from the duo, and he found himself looking at his own shoes. His head bowed to hide his sorrow, a feeling that he had sworn he wouldn't ever experience. So why was he feeling like this? Why?

Throb.

Kaname drew in a shaky breath and unconsciously clenched his shirt tightly - over his heart - as the ache started to get worse. Why though?

Biting his inner cheek hard, he quickly channeled his newfound agony into an emotion he was accustomed to, an emotion that didn't make him vulnerable to this dreadful ache in his heart.

Pure, uncontrollable anger.

Anger so hot that it could blaze the entire building. How dare they make him feel like this? How could they? Senri would pay for this, but Zero would pay even more. The human should have thought twice before ignoring his warning. This wouldn't go unpunished. He would make sure of it.

The aura around him darkened, causing the nearby vampires to scurry away from him in fear as he regarded the couple with pure contempt.

"Zero, you will regret this disobedience dearly. I warned you not to touch anyone yet you still did. This betrayal won't go unpunished. I promise you." He murmured to himself through clenched teeth, his eyes blazing up with fury - and unmasked anguish.

•●•

"Do you know how to dance, Zero-kun?" Senri asked in a soft voice while sliding his hand around the flushed human's waist.

Zero shook his head slowly, feeling ashamed at his inability to dance.

"Just follow my lead then," the maroon-haired pure-blood murmured soothingly, "Don't worry." He placed a small kiss on the younger male's forehead and was delighted to see the rosy tint gracing the shorter male's cheeks. He was indeed stunning.

"Place your hands around my neck." The vampire instructed, the small smile never leaving his lips.

Zero nodded and did what he was told. His pale eyes lightened enough to twinkle and his blush never faded away.

"You really do have some gorgeous eyes," Senri randomly blurted out and caught his breath when those beautiful amethyst eyes widened in pure shock and those very delectable lips parted to let out a small - and extremely adorable, the pure-blood added - gasp. The vampire colored painfully when he realized what he had spouted and mentally face-palmed himself. He had not meant to say that aloud.

Zero stuttered a few words of thanks, his gaze once again not meeting the pure-blood's one. Although he felt significantly happy, the suddenness of the admission made him slightly embarrassed.

The awkward silence dispelled when the music began once again, and Senri had to exhale a deep breath of relief at the distraction. He swiftly took possession of Zero's hand and smiled charmingly down at the flustered human. He wouldn't let this awkwardness thwart his chance of dancing with this beautiful creature.

Zero peered up through his hair at the grinning pure-blood, and a slight smile of his own gathered on his lips as he let the other take the lead.

They danced around the room in comfortable silence, seemingly getting lost in each other's eyes as the time passed away. The awkwardness between them disappeared into thin air - as well as Zero's intentions to have a word with Kaname.

The contented couple was oblivious to the stares from the other occupants in the room - especially the ones from a furious pure-blood and another one from an extremely delighted vampire.

So who likes Senri haha? I am sorry I made him OOC, but it was required for this story! Can you guess who is the delighted vampire? Some of you wanted Kaname to suffer, so here it is xD

And to clear some confusion, Zero did not remember Kaname's nice deeds the previous chapter because he was too horrified to think..so yeah, just putting it there! :p

I would like to give special thanks to ben4kevin, irmina, huangangelin, dardar1, Kichou, snipits42, Lijana, xXAmari-ChanxX, Guest, HBluesHeart, Guest, lioneatbunny, Guest, LuanRina, suki kuran and whoever put this story on their fave/alert list! It means a lot! And it really motivated me to write! So thank you once again! :3

I hope you will like this chapter enough to leave a review~ It would be appreciated!

~Love332