Book of Hanabusa: Chapter 3

You and Me

-II-

Present; June 2014:

Hanabusa could slowly feel his consciousness returning; his head pounding so fiercely, it felt like his entire body had been hit by a freight train.

Blue eyes fluttered open of their own accord, pupils straining against the white hospital light as Hanabusa tried to focus at a particular spot at the end of his bed. He attempted to push himself up into a sitting position, immediately regretting moving so soon, when the need to dry wrench hit him full-force.

"Whoa there." A hand suddenly appeared at Hanabusa's backside, attempting to steady him. "Easy does it." The noble was embarrassed to admit that it took him a whole minute to realise that the hand, now guiding him into a more comfortable position, belonged to none other than Kiryuu Zero.

Despite the uncomfortable burning in his parched throat, it was as if Hanabusa's heart had come alive in his chest, beating more forcefully against his ribs when pretty pale-amethyst eyes settled on his.

While looking back into those eyes, the noble's tongue peeked out to moisten dry, chapped lips. Fat load of good that did him when there was barely any saliva present in his mouth.

"How are you feeling?" passed Zero's lips; the handsome face morphed into an expression of concern. Hanabusa took a few moments just observing the hunter, willing his heart to calm down once again. He could privately admit to himself that Zero's presence had made him feel immediately better. Just having Zero near him provided him with a sense of security - why that was the case, Hanabusa was still trying to figure that out himself.

Zero looked exactly the same as Hanabusa's more than a week old memories conjured him up to be. There were no injuries to the ivory skin, no blemishes that marked the smooth surface as an indication that Zero had been in a horrific event, where an entire building had come down around him.

The ex-human stood tall and strong, gaze steady, without visible limitations to long limbs that would affect his gait. He looked no different than he had done almost four days ago, before the incident with the fugitive.

Hanabusa could feel his eyebrows pulling together in bewilderment and before he could stop himself, the words, "What the hell happened?" were out of his mouth, his tone harsh and scratchy from being unused; the blond tasting blood at the corner of his lips, from where the dry skin had stretched.

Zero pulled back a little at the outburst, his eyes searching each of Hanabusa's with an intensity that made the noble frown even more, before the hunter let out a small breath.

He reached over toward the bedside table, picking up a glass, before filling it with water from the dispenser nearby. Zero then proceeded to hand it to the noble with a, "Drink this, it'll help your throat," with Hanabusa eventually accepting with slight reluctance.

After Hanabusa had taken a sip, Zero breathed a sigh of relief, before answering with, "We're still trying to figure it all out."

Hanabusa could feel his irritation spike again. As if the fact that his injuries had only just begun to mend, particularly the nasty one along his side, wasn't enough, being stuck in a goddamned hospital for over three days, did nothing to lighten his mood.

"Don't lie to me Zero," and whoops, guess they were officially doing first names now, "I may be drugged up on opioids, but I'm not so far gone that I can't call bullshit when I see it. I can tell that you know."

Zero's eyes looked away from Hanabusa's, as if unable to stand the scrutiny of the accusatory gaze. Hanabusa felt like kicking himself when he saw the forlorn look on the hunter's face, but goddamnit, he was tired of not knowing anything, feeling as though he was trapped in a web of secrets. He had a right to know!

All the noble could remember of the past week was that Zero had only just escaped being prosecuted by the Association Board, by the miraculous helping hand of one, Director Natalie Parker of the Black Ops.

Zero's past connection to the leader of the Brotherhood, Michael Darius, had not helped much into Darius' investigation, as Zero had had no idea how far and widespread the fugitive's current plan was.

Within the time the prisoner had been kept on the premises of the Central Hunter Agency - a move Director Parker had advised against- the Board had prohibited Zero access to him.

On the day that Parker had finally managed to override the Board's decision and allowed Zero a meeting with Darius, Hanabusa had accompanied him to Central. And as they had been making their way over to the prison holds, the building underneath them had given way after a thunderous explosion; glass shards flying away from nearby windows, slicing Hanabusa's side in the process.

Hanabusa could suddenly feel the hairs on his arm stand up in response. "Did he escape…?"
Zero eventually directed his gaze back at Hanabusa, before he moved to settle at the end of the bed by Hanabusa's feet. "Yeah, he's gone."

Despite Zero sitting so close and fiddling with a loose thread from the cotton sheets covering Hanabusa's legs, Hanabusa felt like he'd been punched in the gut by the revelation... and after everything that had been sacrificed to capture Darius. The vivid image of separated limbs and gas clouds flashed in his mind. Hanabusa had to swallow down the bile that tried to burn its way up his throat.

"You need to rest." Zero's soft-spoken voice accompanied his hand, as it ran a soothing motion up and down Hanabusa's leg.

On another day, Zero's ministrations would've been enough to distract Hanabusa to the point of doing something stupid, such as blushing like a virgin on her wedding night; however after the scare of the past week, where his life had been in danger so many times, where he could have just as easily died in any of those given scenarios, considering his powers had stopped working and his inability to heal, all it did now was provide a small amount of comfort.

"Isn't that what I've been doing, for the what, past three-and-a-half days now? How much use can I be stuck in this hospital bed?"

Zero's dejected expression returned; his hand tightening on Hanabusa's ankle. "I'm glad you're in this bed right now, than not here at all. Hanabusa, your powers stopped working, your injuries weren't healing…"

Hanabusa had to look away. "Yeah… I remember that much," was his response; his fear thinly veiled by unconvincing sarcasm.

Zero scooted closer to Hanabusa. "Maybe you need to take some time away from all of this."

Hanabusa had to scoff at that. "You're joking right?"

The noble didn't relent, despite feeling like an asshole, looking back at Zero's more than hurt expression. "Zero, even if I wanted to pretend that all of this doesn't exist, run away into my hidey-hole in the Kuran dungeons" - here, Zero visibly flinched - "to live out the rest of my days, just how far do you think I'd get? I'm a part of this now, not only personally, but as a member of the vampire race. I can't run from a war, especially from one that I hear now, may promise our extinction."

The hunter's expression fell further, and he suddenly looked worse than if he'd actually been injured. God did Hanabusa feel like an absolute dick. "I… worry about you," Zero replied in a voice that sounded much too small for him. "I'm sorry, I shouldn't coddle."

Zero turned to leave and Hanabusa's reaction was immediate; the noble reaching out to grab Zero by the arm, his injured side protesting at the sudden movement.

Hanabusa pushed through the pain. "Hey… It means a lot that you care. Sometimes it feels like even my own family never cared as much, so even the smallest of gestures means a great deal."

The sincerity in Hanabusa's words were not faked. (The fact that his immediate family were still none the wiser about what had happened to him was quite telling). What he now felt for Zero, and the emotions the hunter evoked within him, frightened him with the intensity of how strong they were. Hanabusa felt like aside from his two cousins, he trusted Zero more than he did anyone else in this day and age. Especially after everything his sister had done, trust was hard to come by for the blond.

Hanabusa's gaze somewhat softened as he looked back at the hunter. "What happened back there Zero…? I still don't fully understand. While I've been stuck here, Akatsuki's come in and told me bits and pieces of all that's he's discovered or heard, but even then it feels like there's significant amount of information that's missing, at no fault of his, questions we seem to be clawing at… answers to some of which you appear to have."

Like the fact that Zero had known of the existence of currently, one of their greatest adversaries, but had failed to mention to anybody previously about what had gone down in his lost years.

Another fact was that despite having had a building dropped on him, and despite not being a pureblood, Zero had sustained not even trivial injuries, which was unsettling in itself.

This time, Zero did get up off the bed; his words that followed sounding heavy. "I've trusted you with more information than anyone else Hanabusa, believe me that's the truth. But a part of me wanted to protect you from everything else I know, not only because of the potential trouble it might be for you, but because I had difficulty making sense of it all myself.

"That day, the day of the attack at Central, as Natalie had predicted would happen if the Association did something so stupid as to hold him on sight, Michael's followers had tracked him down to our location and orchestrated a plan to break him free. They managed to get past our security perimeters and plant a bomb at the base of the building. The most troubling fact is, is that we don't know how the bomb got there in the first place without setting off any sensors whatsoever, and how Michael was able to escape from his prison cell in order to detonate it himself."

Nausea hit Hanabusa right in the centre of his chest once again. "You know how Zero. There's only one explanation for that."

"That as suspected, there are people working within the Association to aid the Brotherhood? Yeah, that's the main contender for answers." It didn't go unnoticed to Hanabusa when Zero's fists clenched at his sides.

"When he brought the building down and turned it into rubble, there was no sign of Michael or anybody that might have been associated with him. When the paramedics arrived on sight, people remaining on the premises were either moderately or severely injured, so it was hard to determine who the culprits that helped him escape might have been."

That revelation was enough to catch Hanabusa's immediate attention. "If the paramedics arrived on sight, then the cops would have shown up as well. I can't imagine that would've gone down too well. How would the Heads have tried to cover that up?"

"A story was spun, described as a gas leak in one of the pipelines that lead to the explosion. The authorities were asked not to look too closely on behest of the government." Zero let out a short laugh without humour, shaking his silver-haired head in the process. "It made the news though."

Hanabusa's pupils widened in horror. "Oh God."

Zero looked like he agreed vehemently with how Hanabusa was feeling. "Natalie's furious. Everything she was afraid of happening, happened. So much for trying to remain covert."

Just before Hanabusa was about to add further outraged commentary, the doors to his room opened to reveal Ruka, walking in with a small trail of people behind her. The others including: Akatsuki, the royals, and Sato Arashi.

Sato seemed like he was glued to the hip with Hanabusa's redheaded cousin; either that, or the man seemed incapable of being away from Zero for more than a few hours on end. Hanabusa had to mentally chide himself for being so petulant. He had bigger things to focus on.

Ruka was the first to approach him, coming over to stand next to his bed. "Ah Sleeping Beauty, finally awake again I see." A small smile played at the corner of the brunette noble's full lips.

Hanabusa rolled his eyes. "Well not all of us have the luxury of taking fourteen hour naps a day cousin, so I take any bit of sleep I can."

Ruka laughed at that, eyes shining in playful mirth. "Well enough to be a brat I see. Must be back to normal." She reached over to run her long fingers through Hanabusa's currently unruly blond hair. The familiar action immediately put Hanabusa at ease. "You scared us back there."

"I know…" Hanabusa replied softly. "I guess I should feel lucky to be alive." Hanabusa heard more than saw Zero take a sharp intake of breath from next to him, on his other side.

The noble suddenly felt brave in that moment.

Perhaps it was the presence of the royals that made him bolder, but one thing he wanted to do just then, was to link his fingers with the hunter's in front of everyone, not only to provide comfort, but in a gesture that would scream, 'mine.'

And he did just that; the action startling Zero for a fraction of a second, before the hunter moved closer toward Hanabusa, offering a tighter grip to the blond.

Hanabusa had been ready to experience some form of outrage from the others in the room, but he was immensely surprised to find that none came.

Ruka and Akatsuki merely exchanged small knowing smiles, Sato remained entirely unfazed, while Kaname pretended like he hadn't noticed a single thing - stoic demeanour unchanging.

However, the reaction that surprised him the most, weren't the people he had just mentioned, but the younger brunette royal. Where he had expected a seething gaze directed his way from russet-brown eyes, Hanabusa only received a kind, albeit somewhat sad smile.

Hanabusa was struggling to fathom what he was seeing. Was Yuki just faking an understanding expression? Hanabusa thought that unlikely, given all that he knew about the young girl, and her recently found volatile temperament post transition into a pureblood.

Well whatever the reasoning, Hanabusa continued to hold onto Zero, running his cooler fingers along the length of the paler ones, as he looked back at the royals defiantly, almost challenging them to make a blithering comment.

"Kaname-sama, Yuki-sama," he acknowledged.

Kaname's expression still did not change, nor did any scathing comment pass the pale lips. "I'm glad to see you're okay Aidou." The royal's tone was instead collected and soothing, while Yuki nodded back at Hanabusa, in a comforting stance from next to her brother.

"Believe you me, nobody regrets the outcome of what has happened more than I do," Kaname continued. "But I feel like that if we are to ever get any further, we have to get answers," and here the pureblood turned directly to address Zero, his demeanour now changing into one of firm conviction, "Answers on which I am still waiting. We have heard now about this potential weapon from you, Kiryuu Zero. How does this weapon come into existence? How exactly does it work?"

Hanabusa could feel tension radiating down Zero's arms, into the tips of his fingers. "I don't know. I really don't."

"If you're holding onto secrets -"

"I'm not," the hunter answered, this time much more firmly. "I never actually read the contents of the book while I was with Kara. I knew of its existence, I knew they had possession of it, I knew some of what it contained, but that book was more of a safeguard than a weapon in itself."

Kaname remained unconvinced. "What was the purpose of the book then, if not to be utilised?"

"Kara and her followers," Zero replied in a voice fighting with self-constraint, against a topic laden with despair, "knew enough of it in order to help humans, ex-humans, vulnerable vampires alike. There was no need to utilise its knowledge for the weapon but its existence still needed to remain protected, in case it ever fell into the wrong hands - that was until Kara was killed and the book was stolen."

Hanabusa didn't need to see Zero's expression to know how much grief the other man felt when talking about the friend he had lost. When Zero had eventually confided in him about what had happened to him in Madrid, Hanabusa had been thankful for Kara Voslo, a woman who had apparently saved Zero from himself. How exactly that was, Hanabusa currently failed to know.

Ruka finally pulled away from Hanabusa, giving him an encouraging nod, before taking the seat next to Akatsuki on the nearby bench. "Stolen?" she asked of Zero; brown brows pulled together in concentration.

Zero nodded in response. "The night that Kara was killed, somewhere something went wrong and we were ambushed, separated into smaller groups and targeted that away. We never saw it coming.

"I had ended up with Michael and some of the others, while Kara was left to fend off a dozen assailants on her own. By the time we made it to her, she already lay there dying. We couldn't do anything to save her."

Zero swallowed hard, as if attempting to swallow down the bitter truth. "Michael loved Kara with everything that he had. She changed him, saved him, but he could do nothing more than to watch her die in his arms; Kara being killed by the very creatures she still tried to have faith in."

Hanabusa had to take pause at that, recalling what Gabriel Berne had said regarding the man that had taken him - an unkempt ex-human who had had to witness the death of his fiancée - who had likely been driven to the point of insanity.

The more Hanabusa thought on it, the more the description the ancestral vampire had given them, fit Michael Darius. Watching the person you loved more than anything in the world, die right in your arms, would be enough to drive anyone crazy. Hiou Shizuka had been an example of that.

"Forgive me if I come across callous, but I feel as though it is imperative to know, what happened afterwards?" Kaname pressed, "After her passing?"

Zero took a strong breath, eventually moving away from Hanabusa, in order to better address the room. He looked so jaded in that moment, as if his words were heavy on his tongue, his will attempting to force them out while his heart refused to let them go. Hanabusa had to force down the urge to pull him back in again.

"Michael and I, and a few of the other followers we managed to find in the chaos of it all, cremated Kara's body and moved on from there. Michael told me that they were going to head back to base to try and regroup, and to find out the extent of the damage, while I undertook what would be considered the mandatory first point of action, which was to inform the Madrid Hunter Agency of what had happened."

Hanabusa's frown returned. "So you had contacted the authorities?" From what Akatsuki had told him, and from what Zero had later confirmed, was that the Board were going to prosecute Zero on the belief, among others, that the hunter had failed to inform the relevant authorities about the existence of Kara Voslo and her followers.

Zero nodded once again. "Eventually," he conceded, "After everything that had happened, there was no alternative but to. They needed to be made aware that they would require more support, after the antagonising coven seemed to have gotten even more powerful. But after reporting to them, when I returned back to Kara's main base, there was no sign of anybody, not Michael, not the others, nobody. Fearing the worst, I tried every location they might have been in, with no success. I even scoured areas within half a day's distance of all their sights, without any luck whatsoever. The most concerning part was, was that the book was nowhere to be found either."

"So Michael may have taken it?" Akatsuki asked aloud, what likely everybody else was thinking.

However, the "I don't' think so," that Zero replied with instead was enough to surprise everyone in the room. "Right before Kara passed away, she mentioned that the coven that attacked us were after the book and that they might've have gotten it." Here, Zero shook his head in defeat, "but that doesn't matter. The fact that Michael may or may not have the book is irrelevant."

"Why would you say that?" Kaname asked, sceptical.

Zero moved away completely from Hanabusa's bedside, walking toward the window to pull apart the faded turquoise curtains, revealing the darkening skies, before leaning back against the ledge. "Because he can't create the weapon. Only a person 'pure of heart' may be able to decipher the text that contains the knowledge on its construction."

At this revelation, Hanabusa barked out a sarcastic laugh, his healing injury protesting in response. "So the benevolent God created a weapon of mass murder only someone pure of heart can use?" Surely everybody in the room could see the irony in that.

Zero didn't look back at Hanabusa as he answered, his expression guarded. "Yeah it didn't make much sense to me either," was the response Hanabusa received, although to Hanabusa, it seemed like the exact opposite was true - that Zero once again knew something more that he wasn't sharing with the rest of the class.

But before he could ponder long on that fact, Kaname's voice was enough to draw away his attention, especially since his tone suggested that there was information only he and Zero were privy to. Hanabusa resisted the urge to grind his teeth. "The Light Bringer," the pureblood queried, with a knowing tilt to his eyebrow as he looked back at Zero, "That is the name of this weapon."

The hunter's expression darkened, Zero answering with a short nod. "…. Yeah."

Kaname's dark eyes remained firmly on Zero. There was something about his demeanour that screamed to Hanabusa that the pureblood knew something that the others did not, particularly in the way he seemed to be goading Zero. "And how exactly is one deemed 'pure of heart'?"

Zero's gaze was equally unwavering as he looked back at the royal. "Because somebody like Kara could read and decipher the text on the construction of the weapon, while Michael and the rest could not. That was something I was sure of."

Despite not liking the idea that Kaname somehow knew more about the weapon, than anybody else aside from Zero in the room, Hanabusa suddenly had more urgent matters to press, something he was surprised that the others had not picked up on. "Hang on a minute… You said you cremated her, your friend. How? She was an ex-human, a vampire, her body should have turned to dust?"

This time Zero did look back at Hanabusa, appearing as though he was in conflict with himself.

Whatever the hunter looked about ready to reveal, would be something major on his part, something which may change the course of how everything was currently moving.

"Do you remember that post Kobe meeting all those weeks ago, where the Bernes were present? Where Gabriel Berne gave insight into the founders of The Faith, the Believers? He mentioned their leader, a being who 'walked with the power of God'?" Hanabusa nodded in response. How could he forget. That was the same day that the ancestral vampire had chewed out the figures of Authority, the same day Takamiya Kaito had limped his way into the meeting in a horrific condition, to warn everyone about the dangers of the Brotherhood going nuclear.

"Well," Zero explained, "that leader's name was Marcus O'Dell, an anglo-saxon pureblood from the fifth century, born in 495 AD. He was also the pureblood that turned Kara and saved her life. He was her mentor and the person Kara based her teachings on, such as the O'Dell guides that us hunters use for poisons - named after him.

"Marcus was also the co-author of the book of Godric… along with Godric himself."

It suddenly felt like time had stopped in the room, every being present stunned into silence. Even the royals appeared taken aback by the revelation; Yuki's eyes, large and focused on a point far off of Hanabusa's left shoulder, while her brother's were searching the expanse of the tiled floor, like his mind was attempting to make sense of the information.

It was moments before Hanabusa was able to respond, his words feeling like they were stuck at the back of his throat. "Holy shit, you mean to tell me that this Kara woman's maker actually met the Vampire God?"

"Yeah," Zero replied, looking around at all the bewildered faces in the room. "Godric first met Marcus at the Vatican, where he promised to teach Marcus everything he knew - a path that would lead to vampire kind's salvation."

"Hang on," Sato spoke up from Akatsuki's right, "I thought Kara Voslo was attacked by her maker and left to die?"

"No, she wasn't attacked by a pureblood, but by a rogue vampire. Marcus found her and turned her, passing his teachings onto her and bringing her into the light of the Faith, making her one of the original Believers."

"So she met Godric as well?" Yuki finally addressed Zero, appearing to have collected her thoughts. It was puzzling for Hanabusa to see the pureblood suddenly so self-controlled around Zero, where before she would have attempted to do anything within her power to make her his soul focus, restlessness and eagerness seeping through her pores.

Zero shook his head, sliver hair catching in long lashes. "No… Godric had disappeared long before Marcus had ever met Kara. But what convinced Kara of his existence was what Godric had imparted onto Marcus. A vial of his blood."

Hanabusa abruptly had the urge to gag again. "Okay… aside from being super creepy, what was that supposed to do?"

"Godric gave Marcus his blood in order to save any ex-humans Marcus came into contact with from the Devil's hold," Zero explained, addressing the room at large, "meaning to stop them from descending into madness. He told Marcus that if Marcus were to give Godric's blood to any ex-human, it would save them, almost restore them back to their former self, by stopping the incessant need to feed and kill. That was Godric's gift to mankind. His full-proof plan was that even if his blood got into the wrong hands, for example, a power hungry vampire, his blood would have no effect on any born vampire level A, B or C."

The hunter briefly gestured toward the royals. "If a pureblood were to drink his blood, he made it so that they would never get stronger. So by giving Kara Godric's blood, Marcus ensured Kara would never suffer from blood lust, would never descent into madness, would live as long as any upperclass vampire, and would never be vulnerable to them."

"Then this Marcus guy, where did he go?" Akatsuki asked, running a restless hand through his hair, while Ruka remained statuesque - either in contemplation or in shock - next to him, "Was he there with you and Kara in Madrid?"

"Marcus died during the second vampire war." Zero moved away from the window, coming to offer Hanabusa another glass of water, which the noble accepted more graciously this time, secretly thankful that his wellbeing seemed to be more frequently on Zero's mind.

Once Zero was satisfied that Hanabusa was sated, he turned back to face Akatsuki. "Kara used to say that it was Godric's curse. In Godric's eyes purebloods were sent upon a test, in payment if you will, for existing, inferring to their ability to form Level Es, to turn humans. If they were pure of heart, then they could abstain from drinking human blood and find a soulmate that they could share blood with, and form the strongest of all bonds, leading to an eternal peaceful life.

"In turning Kara, Marcus had succumbed to 'the curse', turning a human, something Godric had warned against doing, therefore in the eyes of the Lord he had sinned, and so would ultimately be punished. You could argue that his punishment came during the war where he lost his life - at the hands of vampires that didn't agree with what he was preaching about co-existence, so they wiped him out along with the rest of his Believers, save for Kara who managed to get away."

Akatsuki's frustration seemed to get the better of him, as the hand in his hair gained speed, mussing up the strands into an untidy appearance, before finally ceasing. "Zero… I want to believe you, and I know a big part of me already does, but you have to admit, this all sounds…insane."

Hanabusa had to agree with his cousin there, taking in Akatsuki's ambivalent demeanour.

Zero's reply was immediate, as if the hunter had been expecting this point of turn in the conversation. "Oh I do. Believe me Akatsuki, I do. Why else do you think I held out on telling people about everything I knew? It seemed crazy even to me. But everything I just told you, it is legitimately, one-hundred percent the truth, because I am living proof. I wouldn't be here, sound of mind, if it weren't for Kara."

Zero inclined his head toward Kaname in address. "You questioned me about my blood, about the smell, about the potency - I'm sure as you all have - about how after having ingested it, you felt a curse being lifted," WAIT, what? Zero had given Kaname his blood? When and under what circumstances had that taken place? "… well that's because I have the same blood running through my veins as God himself."

Okay. What? What? Hanabusa's brain felt like it had been short-circuited within the last thirty seconds with Zero's confessions.

Thankfully, it seemed like the others in the room were having similar reactions, with Akatsuki and Ruka literally getting up off their seats, while a previously quietly deliberating Yuki was looking between her brother and Zero in disbelief.

"I drank the blood as well," Zero continued on, oblivious to Hanabusa's internal freak out, and soldiering through the others' reactions, "the last of it that was in that vial. It stabilised me. Permanently. Not only am I not at the point of insanity, I don't feel hunger anymore. I can go months and months on end without feeding, and then longer still before I begin to feel even the slightest bit of fatigue.

"I have no desire to kill, no inherent anger, I am impervious to magic, my injuries heal within a matter of seconds, and I can hold my own against purebloods. Not even consuming Shizuka's blood was able to do even half those things for me. Drinking Godric's blood cleared my mind, cleaned it from impurities, allowing for greater focus on things that really matter."

So that is where the change in Zero's personality had come from? By drinking the blood of God, he now had clarity? Oh fuck me, Hanabusa thought desperately. Zero hadn't turned into one of those lunatics that suddenly found Jesus during a near death experience because, 'a voice at the end of the light had sent them back for a greater purpose,' had he?

Thankfully, the noble was able to disregard that thought as soon as it had come. There was no way he could deny the validity in Zero's words, not when Hanabusa had smelt firsthand the changes in the hunter's now more potent blood, not when despite having a building collapse around him, Zero was no worse for wear, not when magic hadn't appeared to have limited any of his vampiric abilities, and the most amazing of all, the hunter had not within the last several months, shown any signs of bloodlust.

"Does that mean…" Sato's curious voice wafted over the room, breaking through everyone else's stunned reactions, "Does that mean, you're God now, Zero?"

The hunter appeared taken aback by the question, as if never having anticipated that connection to be made. "Oh no. Most definitely not. Godric's plan was just to safeguard us ex-humans from a fate he believed, we did not deserve. That is all. His blood doesn't imbibe me with power, I don't have any omnipotent abilities. I'm like an ex-human who's been stabilised. Except in this case, it's forever."

Hanabusa had to internally scoff at that. Yeah, except for the potentially being immortal part.

Akatsuki, now in an unsettled standing position, appeared doubtful. "So drinking his blood changed your mind, made you let go of your anger? What's to say it wasn't just a means to control you?"

"Control me for what purpose exactly?" Zero countered, "For wanting peace? That doesn't seem like a very sinister thing to do now does it? In any case, it wasn't drinking Godric's blood that changed my mind per se, or made me hold out hope for vampire kind, it was something else, another experience." Here, the hunter flickered his gaze to meaningfully look at Hanabusa, before addressing Akatsuki once again.

"Towards the end of living with Kara and her followers, she revealed to me about her past life, about God and his book and his vision, how she was a disciple and she would show me the light to becoming one to. I was as sceptical as all of you, to the point where I was willing to return to Japan and tell Natalie about everything I had found out, because it all sounded like absolute lunacy. I mean it was one thing to be able to use magic to defeat your opponents, it was entirely another to base it all on, at the same which seemed like, biblical mumbo-jumbo.

"But that was until I got to Hakone and was attacked. That experienced changed me, so I went back and decided to give Kara a chance. And here I am.

"Being stabilised wasn't the only thing Godric's blood gave me. It also gave me the ability to see into his vision, into a future he predicted would occur, if vampire kind continued down the road that they have been. He saw a vision of war, within vampire-kind, and between man-kind, to the point where we would both end up destroying ourselves, leading to what he deemed as, 'The Dark Years,' before eternal extinction. If you saw it, you would also do anything and everything within your power to try and stop it from becoming truth. And how do I know all of this to be a possibility? Because it's already happening."

There was an odd stillness in the room in that moment as each person was to left to reflect on Zero's words. Everything he had revealed seemed theoretically so unbelievably implausible in its biblical core, though the proof that supported his claims was undeniable. If the future he predicted would come about, it would mean the end of all life.

There was still another thought pressing at the back of Hanabusa's mind, which he voiced out loud, "Does he have the blood? Darius, I mean. Did he drink it?"

Zero swallowed, before answering in a long breath, "Yeah."

"So who knows what he's capable of?"

"According to Natalie, Firoz and Juliet and other magic experts, are currently working on counter measures to the Elder scripts Natalie had found. So that should help target a significant part of the magical aspect of the Brotherhood's abilities. As for the rest of their bases, I don't know what the Ops are currently doing. Under Umiko, I'm not sure -"

"Well that's no longer going to be an issue," Sato interrupted Zero. "As of this morning, she and the other Board members have been suspended. They are to appear in parliament in front of a select committee of the National Diet that know of the existence of the Hunter Association, to undergo a hearing surrounding their failure to handle the situation with the Brotherhood and the Rebellion."

Zero's eyes widened in shock, his jaw going a little slack. Hanabusa appreciated the sentiment as he too felt a similar reaction.

"You're joking," the hunter replied in disbelief.

Sato shook his head before rubbing his face with the back of his hand. "Natalie and Cross are in charge now, until further notice."

Before any further conversation could occur at the startling discovery, an abrupt knock on the door drew everybody's attention.

Hanabusa took in a sharp breath when he realised who the interruption was made by; his fingers clenching in his bedsheets.

The figure moved through the double doors without invitation, posturing himself in a way which made him seem larger than everyone else present, once inside the room. He was tall and bulky, with burnt-olive-brown skin stretched thin along a bony face. "My, my what a quaint little hospital room you have here. Apologies for the intrusion but I've heard what's happened to the young noble during the disaster at the Hunter Agency. I thought I might come in and check - see how he is, how all of you are coping at this hour."

For the past five years, Hanabusa had done all he could to forget the face of the unwelcome creature in front of him; the slimy man with the personality of decaying earth and eyes the colour of spoiled spinach, standing before Hanabusa, in his lavish three-piece Dormeuil Vanquish attire.

Hanabusa had spent months trying to drain the toxicity of this very being from his mind, of the metaphorical poison he had spread through Hanabusa's family that had almost physically crippled his father. The manifestation of anger in Hanabusa's person at the sight of the man, originally from Cornwall, was a force so strong, that Hanabusa had to forcibly hold it back.

"Killgrave," Kaname's voice, in octaves significantly lower than before, filtered through the air to regard the newcomer. "I didn't realise anybody had extended an invitation to you."

The man in question briefly glanced at Kaname, a slight curl at the corner of his lip, before unsightly green eyes settled back on Hanabusa. "Oh nobody did, dearest Kaname. Like I said, I heard the news and thought I'd stop by and see how the patient was doing, myself. I take it you're somewhat well now, Master Hanabusa? Your sister's been immensely worried."

Hanabusa could feel the heat of his blood as it boiled in his veins, pumping hate and visceral anger to every inch of his being. He knew his sister would have felt nothing of the sort. She couldn't care less about Hanabusa's well being; she certainly hadn't done five years ago, when she had walked out of his family's life to join the monster before Hanabusa now.

The noble would have attempted to strangle the man with the very hospital bedsheets he currently lay on, his anger certainly allowed him the momentary energy, if he could have gotten away with it.

"Terrible, terrible thing, happened the other night," fell from Killgrave's thin lips; a serpentine smile still playing at the edges, as he moved away from the foot of Hanabusa's hospital bed toward the centre of the room, openly assessing the expressions on everyone's faces. "To think the fugitive himself was the one who planned his entire escape."

Zero appeared to instinctively take a step toward Killgrave, and Hanabusa resisted the urge to shout out a warning to 'stay back.'

"He didn't manage it on his own," Zero rebutted. "He had help."

The serpentine smile on Killgrave's face took on a condescending edge. "Oh... and you are...the young hunter, that's in charge? Or rather the leader of this ragtag team of young boys out to challenge the Brotherhood. Am I correct?"

Hanabusa could see Zero clench his jaw in response. "Kiryuu Zero."

"Right, right," Killgrave nodded; dark-haired ponytail moving at the nape of his neck at the gesture. "I've heard a few things about you, Master Kiryuu. It's good to know the Association has put our entire lives in your young, capable hands."

"I'm sorry, I have not been acquainted with you," was Zero's flat reply.

"Oh, pardon me, I apologise," a grotesque laugh followed the not-apology, "Got caught up in discussing other matters. My name is Dorian Killgrave. Founder and CEO of Killgrave and Co. Japan's leading weapons export to the Elder Council, pleasure to finally make your acquaintance." Here, Killgrave extended a hand to Zero in invitation, but instead of a handshake was met with a stony-faced Yuki instead, who inserted herself between Zero and the other pureblood. "Killgrave-san."

Killgrave withdrew his hand slowly, the smile at the corner of his mouth receding for a fraction of a second (Yuki's actions having caught him off guard) before being replaced by a full set of shark-like teeth. The display had the young royal barely keeping her composure.

"Miss Yuki, pleasure to meet you. I hope you're keeping well. Though in these dire times, I fear that your mental health might be under considerable stress."

"I'm very well, thank-you," was Yuki's clipped response. "Yes there are challenges that we face, but we are taking full responsibility. My brother and I and are doing everything we can to ensure the safety of our kind."

"Oh yes, I'm sure you are." The patronising huff of breath the older pureblood took, Hanabusa was sure, did not fail to reach anyone's ears.

"Given that the Rebellion has now joined forces with the Brotherhood - that is the current report I hear from Elder Council. What was it? Oh yes. Last week a state of emergency was declared was it not? After the attack at the Association and the disastrous way the Board had handled everything thus far." Here, Killgrave glanced at Zero; faced morphed into exaggerated, faux worry.

"A very, very unfortunate look it is upon the Association. Such an embarrassment it is to have to undergo an investigation with the National Diet because they failed to do their jobs properly. And the outcome which has put great constraints and stress upon members of the Elder Council and leaders of the wider vampire community."

Hanabusa could sense the distaste in the air as the other members present in the room, each regarded Killgrave with their own looks of displeasure.

The detestable man had obviously planned this pretend-impromptu meeting in order to embarrass the efforts their side had made in fighting this war.

Hanabusa could only assume what Kaname must have been feeling at this very precise moment, when he briefly glanced at the royal and took in the barely repressed contempt present on his face.

For as long as Kaname had known Killgrave, the man had been a thorn on his side, constantly attempting to weasle his way into council meetings in order to rewrite laws in his favour. Always being present as the head of any organisation attempting to question the royal rule. A greedy man with too much time on his hand for someone who was the CEO of a Weapons Manufacturing company.

With the failure of their side in handling the mess with the Brotherhood and the Rebellion, this monster now had full ammunition required to cause even further unbalance and chaos.

Finally however, it seemed like Kaname had had enough. "Why are you here exactly Killgrave? You can see that Aidou's in a relatively well to do position. There is no immediate threat to his life, you have assessed that. Then why are you still here?"

Hanabusa's ire only strengthened when the faked concern of the man seemed to take an even further exaggerated turn.

"I'm rather taken aback by this attitude Master Kaname. I thought you'd be happy to have anybody on your side, here to offer counsel or moral support, since it seems like you have no handle whatsoever on the current situation. Perhaps it's time you look elsewhere for guidance for the vampire community. Perhaps new leadership is what is necessary. The Elder Council - they're only temporary - and they seem worn thin. How long do they think the Enforcers are going to be able to push back the Rebellion? From what I gather, they have not accomplished much."

Zero appeared rightfully indignant. "I'm sorry what are you basing this on? The Enforcers have gotten help from the Black Ops and they've managed to push back the Rebellion as far as they can. The Brotherhood is the outlier in this situation. And Natalie, that is the Director of the Ops, has managed to gather quite a lot of intel on them. If it hadn't been for the disastrous decision, I agree there with you, that the Board had made regarding bringing the prisoner back to one of our bases, we had made much progress."

Killgrave's dirty-green eyes widened in glee, as if he'd gotten his prey right where he'd wanted them. "Ohh, yes...the infamous Black Ops, who have managed to cause an international crisis, with the very dire choices they had made in St. Petersburg. What was it? Some hundred-and-forty civilians killed? Which warranted an investigation by the Russian authorities into what exactly had occurred.

"And yes I've had the great pleasure of meeting Director Parker not too long ago - a fine young woman and she'd certainly do a better job than her predecessors and her associates on the Board - but I fear she does not have enough momentum behind her to really take control of the situation."

"And what," Sato finally piped up, disdain barely repressed in his tone, "you'd feel like you'd be in a better position? I'm sorry, exactly what experience do you have?"

Here, however, Killgrave did not turn to address the blond hunter, choosing to keep his gaze firmly on Zero - and Hanabusa's patience was starting to wear very thin. "Well... Aside from being around for so long, and on my own, being able to build a a multi-billon dollar company from the ground up - this should speak for itself."

"I beg to differ," Akatsuki scoffed, attempting it seemed, to draw away Killgrave's predatory gaze from Zero. Hanabusa knew both Akatsuki and Ruka hated the bastard as much as he did, given what he'd done to Hanabusa's family, and by extension, their family. "There's a huge difference between running a corporation, and for the sake of simplicity, a country. Or being in charge of a mass group of people."

"On the contrary, I feel like I'm in the best position. I do have weapons on my side as well. And much more experience than the younglings that call themselves royals."

"We don't call ourselves royals," Yuki growled, in such a low baritone, it sent shivers up Hanabusa's spine. "We are royals."

Though her tone seemed to have no affect on the oldest pureblood present. "Mmm... but for how long my dear?"

Yuki moved a few paces forward before Kaname reached out a hand to stop her from getting any further. "What is that supposed to mean? Are you threatening us?"
Killgrave put up his hands in mock surrender. "Oh no no no no. I would never do something so crass as to threaten your lives. But I do believe your positions of power are under threat."

The supercilious smile was once again back on the deplorable face. "And not as a result of treason or anarchy, but as a result of your own doing. It is my understanding that if the royal rule is to stand, the crown Prince and Princess must get married in order to officially bear title of King and Queen. Which would give them official authority to rule over all.

"From what I hear, you are still Prince and Princess, therefore your rule can be contested. You are only temporary authority. If I rally enough vampires behind me, that is sufficient to challenge the crown rule of the Prince, or perhaps the Princess, since you are actually the one born of royalty, Miss Yuki. That is law. All you are currently doing is playing pretend rulers when really you have no true authority, the Elder Council does."

This was news to Hanabusa. As far as he was aware, Kaname and Yuki had already arranged a date. It was only a matter of time before they announced it.

It also appeared to be news to everyone else, if confused expressions were anything to go by, and when Zero voiced this confusion aloud. "I don't know what you're talking about. The crown Prince and Princess are to get married. They have a set date."

Killgrave gave a short, barked laugh, that sounded like nails on a chalkboard to Hanabusa's ears. "Ohhh that's not what I hear. Isn't that right, Your Highnesses?"

This couldn't be right. Surely Killgrave was lying, attempting to get under their skin as he had been; however when Hanabusa shifted his gaze toward the royals, dread started to form at the pit of his stomach at their expressions.

"It's been postponed," was Kaname's reply; the admission deafening in the room.

"What?" It was Zero's incredulous tone that finally snapped Hanabusa out of his stunned stupor.

"It is temporarily postponed due to the grave matter currently facing our kind," Kaname insisted, with undertones of urgency to his voice. "We have to focus on that first, isn't that your biggest concern Killgrave?"

Killgrave half-shrugged, before making his way toward the exist, clearly pleased with the intended upset he had caused in the room. "It doesn't matter. You're still not getting married. As I recall, in the law it states, that if the crown Prince and Princess are not married within two years of coming of age, then their rule may be contested. And if there is enough support behind the vampire that is contesting the rule, the authority goes over to them and they are declared supreme ruler. An age-old, wise law, that our ancestors had made in order to ensure vampires would have a failsafe in case power had fallen to those who are incompetent."

He paused at the double-doors to glance back at Kaname, "Tick tock, tick tock, Your Highnesses. You don't have very long," before shifting his gaze back to Hanabusa one final time.

"Pleasure meeting you all. Master Aidou, I hope to see you in greater spirits very shortly. Good evening." With those final words, the man was out the door; an unfamiliar tune laced with sickening giddiness carrying out behind him.

It was silent in the room for about point-two seconds before Zero rounded on the royals; everybody else's gaze following.

"Is he right? Is he telling the truth? You're not getting married?"

"We have much bigger things to worry about," Kaname responded defensively, dark brows furrowing.

"That's..." Zero shook his head in disbelief, emulating what Hanabusa was currently feeling as well. "That's beside the point. Is he right?"

Kaname looked away for a brief fraction of a second before looking back at Zero, mirroring his incredulous expression, though for obviously different reasons. "Yes, he is... We temporarily put the marriage on hold. What does it matter?"

The silver-haired hunter's expression turned into one of outrage; amethyst-eyes widening even further. "What does it matter? You, you heard him. If - if you don't get married...then... there - there is no royal rule...!" Zero appeared as if he was struggling to understand why Kaname would even be questioning this, a sentiment which Hanabusa shared with the hunter.

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry..." Yuki finally chimed in, looking completely put-out, "I'm a bit confused - wasn't it you that told us to put our marriage on hold? I mean we had to focus on bigger things, that we needed to think about our kind and put what was happening in the world before some stupid marriage. This - this is a bit rich coming from you, Zero."

Zero threw up his hands in frustration - a display Hanabusa hadn't seen from the hunter in a while. "Your Grace! Of course there's bigger things to be worried about. I was afraid at the time that that was going to be your only concern, that that seemed to be your only concern."

Zero shifted his gaze to focus directly on Kaname. "Pardon me, but that night in the graveyard suggested that was the only thing you had care for, and so I feared that the safety of vampire kind, as well as mankind, would become secondary to you. That was all that was. If - if you don't get married, then he's right, the royal rule is fair game to be contested."

"How do you know about this anyway?" was Kaname's prickly response. The pureblood seemed like he had been backed into a corner and was struggling to find a way out. Hanabusa could only assume that that would put Kaname on edge - or he would have, if Hanabusa wasn't still attempting to digest everything he had heard.

That comment seemed to incense Zero even further. "I'm sorry but does it matter?" Wha- what does it matter if I know this or not? It's fact right?

"Your Graces we already have a major crisis on our hands that is international, and the fate of the world could depend on it. You not getting married or having your right to rule contested would throw everything off kilter. I mean I only met Killgrave for all but five minutes and I can already tell, and excuse me for the language, that he's a grade A asshole, and I'm sure for as long as you've known him you would believe the same.

"What I can't understand is why is this even an issue? You were ready to get married. Wasn't the date set sometime, a month from now?"

"I'm sorry Kaname-sama, Yuki-sama, but Kiryuu-kun has a point," Ruka added; Hanabusa's cousin letting out a deep exhale, expression apprehensive. "This isn't common knowledge because nothing became of it, but before your uncle came into the picture, Ichijou Asato was planning a coup against you. And this was before you both came of age. He had gathered such a large following that had he gone through with it, it was very likely that he would have succeeded. I don't know whether it's irony or warped luck that his plans got thwarted by Rido's awakening. All of his followers scattered, afraid of Rido's wrath."

Holy shit.

Hanabusa had had no idea that that old bastard had planned all of that in advance. Had he not died and had Rido not existed, then Ichijou Asato may have actually had the power to overthrow Kaname. Where would they have ended up then? Still at war?

"And in time, I can only assume, he would have had enough vampires on his side, powerful included, to cement his position on the throne. I mean back then, for all intents and purposes, everything was seemingly fine, and vampires still found enough motive to gather behind an Elder with zero claim to the throne, but now? We are actually on the precipice of war, no that's not even true, we are at war. So what's gonna stop them now from joining a pureblood who promises them victory with all the powerful weapons on his side, to take down the failed authority, who are very much a part of their enemies list?"

Kaname's faux composed disposition finally seemed to fall, to mirror Ruka's apprehension. "How do you know all of this?"

Ruka swallowed, rubbing at her eyes for a brief moment before answering. "I went over some of the old Elder archives after the fall of the previous regime, at the behest of Ichijou Takuma-san. To make sure we found out as much as we could regarding all the things they had planned. Takuma-san didn't want this information getting out there so I was instructed to keep it on the down-low."

Kaname nodded slowly, taking in the implications of the revealed information; eyes subdued and overall expression wary. "We've only temporarily postponed the marriage in light of recent events," the pureblood addressed the room at large, eyes settling on Zero, "that is all. He won't contest our rule. We won't give him that opportunity."

"Are you sure?" was Zero's sceptical response.

"Yes. I understand, I understand the full implications of everything Killgrave has left us with. I won't let it get to that."

Zero looked toward Yuki. "And you, your Grace?"

"Yeah..." Yuki shook her head a few times as if to clear away her stupor, surely having manifested at Ruka's words. "I- I mean of course...it- it was only just postponed."

Dark lashes blinked twice before russet-brown eyes focused on Zero once again. "Yeah... it was always on the agenda. I just hadn't realised the severity of it..." Yuki turned to look at her brother. "We will talk about it and we will set a date," to which Kaname nodded in response.

Zero breathed a sigh of relief. "I'm sorry, I don't mean to come across so forceful but you don't have much time. He did have a point about that."

"I know. I know," Kaname replied, sounding a little jaded to Hanabusa's ears. "We will work the matter out within the next day or two. This I promise you."

Hanabusa could admit he felt some relief at the royal's words. If there was one thing Hanabusa could rely on, it was the fact that if Kaname gave his word on a matter, the pureblood always stood by it.

"Well that was a ride from start to finish," Akatsuki admitted out loud to the room; hints of frustration of earlier still lingering in his cousin's tone. Hanabusa couldn't blame him. He had been in an out of consciousness for the better part of three days, and the noble still felt like he could do with another day's worth of sleep. This entire ordeal had been exhausting, despite the roaring anger Killgrave had invoked within him.

"We have a lot to work through," Akatsuki added. "Um, I'm sorry I am going to have to leave it there - Hanabusa I'll come back for you when you officially get discharged, but for now Ruka and I have to meet up with Ichijou-san. We have to sort out some stuff for the Elder Council regarding the deposition they are going to be having with certain suspects of the Association, that may have had a hand in the prisoner escaping, or ties to the Brotherhood."

Zero was perplexed. "Why is the Elder Council taking on that?"

"Because of the Association Board and their upcoming hearing, there is no Authority at this stage apart from Director Paker and President Cross, so they are happy for the Elder Council to take that on board for now. So this is where I bid everybody farewell, yeah? Ruka? Arashi?"

The latter two nodded in unison, before the trio said their final farewells to everybody else in the room and left. The royals took a moment to themselves before they too bid a brief goodbye to both Zero and Hanabusa before making their exit.

That finally left Hanabusa alone with Zero once again. The noble was too tired to play pretend with his emotions any longer, so he extended his arm out for Zero to take a seat within its confines. The hunter gave a short gravelly laugh before doing just that.

Hanabusa immediately leaned his head against Zero's side once the hunter got comfortable next to him. "I hope I didn't scare you with everything I talked about today," Zero admitted gently; his voice soft, and almost a whisper.

Hanabusa shook his head, his hair running along Zero's ribcage. "No, you didn't. I'm just glad I finally know the truth. I'll admit, on the surface it seems surreal, but after everything I've seen over the course of the last few months, it's the only thing that seems to make any sense."

"I'm glad I don't sound like a complete nutjob then."

"Who says you don't?" Hanabusa teased, a ghost of a smile playing at the corner of his lips.

Zero laughed at that, ruffling the blond's hair. "Souen-san was right. You're better enough to be a brat again."

"Yes. But I'm your brat."

Zero's pale fingers gently combed through Hanabusa's strands, lulling the noble slowly; his voice becoming soft again. "That you are..."

A smile did manage to stretch Hanabusa's dry lips this time; the blond closing his eyes at Zero's ministrations, his heart though still beating quite loudly against his rib cage. He knew he wouldn't be able to actually fall asleep - not with Zero this close by.

"I noticed the way your demeanour changed when Killgrave walked into the room," Zero disclosed after a few silent minutes. "Is it something I should know about?"

Hanabusa had worried about having this conversation out loud with anyone that wasn't part of his family - after having kept it quiet for so long. This was a nightmare he did not want to relive. But after everything Zero had shared with him, and after how close the two of them had gotten, it was only fair.

"You remember my two sisters right? One who's in college and the other one who's married?"

"Asumi and Kyoko?"

Hanabusa took brief comfort in the fact that Zero tended to pay attention to, and retain all the things he and Hanabusa had talked about, over the prior months; however that feeling was short lived as he delved deeper into the dark history of his family's past.

"Well... there's a third sister as well." At this admission, Zero's fingers stilled in Hanabusa's hair. "One the rest of my family and I never speak of now."

"Killgrave did something to her...?"

"More like what she did to my father on Killgrave's behest." Zero had gone dead-still as Hanabusa continued speaking.

"About six years ago, Leiko, my oldest sister, met Killgrave at my father's annual company function. At the time, the interaction seemed benign, but eventually it developed into a relationship of sorts with very sinister consequences. As you know, my father owns the most successful research facility within Japan, with numerous branches overseas, Sweden being the most renown.

"Back then, they were working on a project that would help stabilise hunger within un-bonded vampires, something with a very solid basis and grounds to becoming revolutionary. But because of what my sister did, the research fell through."

"What exactly did she do?"

"She attempted to kill my father."

Hanabusa could feel it when Zero jerked back at the revelation. "What?"

The noble inhaled sharply before finally moving to sit back up, next to a still shocked Zero.

"At first, we just assumed it was because she wanted the company in her name, which it would have been once my father had stepped down, so that she would be in charge. So basically for greed. But then we found out about Killgrave and his interests in the research. Or rather his interest in completely hindering its progression."

"Why would he want that?"
"You met the man today Zero. Why do you think he would?"

Zero's face was contorted in deliberation as he focused on Hanabusa's words, before pale eyes widened, as if in understanding. "He doesn't want stability... He wouldn't want there to be a solution to hunger."

Hanabusa nodded in disgust. "He's an anarchist, who thrives on chaos. Though he'd never admit it out loud, lest it hurt his credibility. He doesn't want there to be a solution. He's the prime definition of a predator who considers vampires the 'superior race'. He wouldn't want something to stop them from being natural born killers. And besides, if this project had become successful, then there would've likely been a lot less killings due to insatiable hunger, meaning the Enforcers would require less weapons to take down blacklisted vampires and hence, hurt business."

"But your sister... why?"

"Why would she do it? Why attempt to kill her own family? To eventually gain nothing? I don't know Zero... I don't know if any member of my family, till this day, is actually able to answer that question. I mean, do you have an answer for Ichiru?"

Zero flinched at that, and Hanabusa had hoped he hadn't hit below the belt. He certainly hadn't intended to, so he sought to explain. "When I first found out about your brother all those years ago, my first thought wasn't to scoff at the revelation like countless others had done. It was the fact that I knew exactly how you'd be feeling, because I had gone through the same thing not all that long ago. That's why I had sought you out. And attempted to, or at least offered to, in my own warped way, help you in any way I could."

Zero's eyes were still wide as he looked back at Hanabusa; his pupils flickering back and forth between the noble's, as if Hanabusa's own could offer more insight.

"Unfortunately for us, my sister was, is, very clever. Not only was she an engineer, she was a biochemical engineer who was able to synthesise a virus that not only almost killed my father, but infected all the live culture that we had, halting the synthesis of, and making redundant the formulated synthetic blood. The engineers at the Swedish lab, where the research was actually being carried out, were instructed to torch the place and make it seem like an accident, to hide the real reason as to why the research material was compromised.

"Luckily there was pure-blood on sight to reverse the effects of the virus on my father but...The scientists never were able to recreate the material required to synthesise the stabilising blood, so in essence, she and Killgrave had won.

"That was until my bitterness turned into a resolution of revenge and I picked up on whatever research was left, headed over to the Night Class, and started the experiment that would later result in the world's first synthetic blood tablet.

"I'll admit, it's not as refined, or possess the finesse of the original project, but it is something, and from the reports sent back, it can be gathered that it has helped a lot of vampires around the world. So Leiko didn't succeed entirely. I take satisfaction in that."

Zero had sat still through Hanabusa's recount, silently observing the noble, expression changing here and there at every revelation, but for the most part, the hunter had been a silent companion. After what felt like an eternity to Hanabusa, Zero took in a deep breath and slowly shook his head. "I'm so sorry this all happened to you. I had no idea..."

Hanabusa let out a humourless laugh. "You wouldn't have. It's not the world's burden to suffer."

"But still," Zero persisted. "You're right. I did go through something similar. And it was devastating. My parents weren't alive to suffer through Ichiru's betrayal, I was. I can only imagine what it would have done to the rest of your family. "

Hanabusa gave a brief nod. "I'll concede to the fact that my family's never been the same. My sisters haven't been in the same room for more than ten minutes in the last five years, without getting into a row with each other, or with someone else in the family. They both carry around a lot of guilt, each of them feeling like they should have seen Leiko's betrayal coming sooner, done something to prevent it. My mother doesn't talk much anymore, just silently nods here and there, and adds only to a conversation when there's a direct question to her. And my father, he... hardly leaves the house now. He's mostly in his study, working from home. He only goes out when I go over to work at his Hakone lab."

"So what happened with Leiko? Why didn't they arrest her?"

"This is something my other two sisters and I never understood - my father never reported it to the authorities. He just let Leiko walk, right on over to Killgrave. It infuriated Asumi, to the point where she left home, to study from abroad. Till this day, Kyoko can't look my father in the eyes. From what I remember, Leiko had shown not a single ounce of remorse. She had denied the attempted murder of course, but had shown no hesitation at letting her family burn while she went ahead and committed to working for Killgrave, officially resigning with my father's company.

"That bastard knows exactly what he did to my family, and never fails to rub it any of our faces any time he sees us. I've spent the better part of the last five years doing everything I could to avoid that piece of scum. Seeing him today... Forget socking him in the face, I wanted to rip him apart with my bare hands. It's a shame none of the Brotherhood asshats targeted him specifically. It'd only be our luck if he winds up dead in this mess."

Hanabusa felt a little guilty at the admission, as he looked back at Zero. This wasn't something the hunter was about anymore. "I'm sorry... I know it's not up your alley anymore, speaking so freely about killing..."

Zero gave a small smile; a pensive look on his face. "There's a difference between senseless violence and fighting for your rights, for your freedom, and stopping injustice in its path. Fighting evil, no matter what face it wears, be it Nazis or supremacist vampires, is a necessary path taken. I don't like bullies. I don't care where they're from. And hey, if I get to punch Hilter vampire in the face, I can dig that."

Hanabusa couldn't help it. He had to laugh at that. He felt it a special privilege to know that Kiryuu Zero was a giant dork. "Has anyone ever told you that you're a certified dork?"

Hanabusa knew it was all fun and games, but when Zero suddenly leaned his head in closer, eyes level with Hanabusa's, a hairsbreadth of space between them, his heart stopped beating in his chest in that precise moment. Only to kick into overdrive, when Zero smiled and whispered, "But I'm your dork, right?"

Hanabusa could do nothing but nod dumbly back; his extremities feeling like they had gone numb.

"You know," Zero continued whispering, his face taking on an almost boyish look, "there's something I've been meaning to tell you this entire time, but could just never get around to doing so."

Hanabusa gulped, only managing to blink pathetically in response. Zero's smile turned coy, as his eyes, followed by long silver lashes, dropped to where he linked his and Hanabusa's fingers on a spot on the bed. "The real reason I went back to Kara, I went back to Madrid to join the movement, to join the Faith after I'd been attacked in Hakone," here the hunter lifted his eyes to meet Hanabusa's wide blue once again, his expression now serious, "It was all because of you."

Hanabusa took in a sharp intake of breath at the admission, head moving back in disbelief. "My stability, my sense, my change... I owe it all to you.

"I mean I could have very well ended up dead after being ambushed in Hakone, but had that not happened, I would never have returned back to Madrid, back to Kara. I would never have had Godric's blood. I don't think I would have found stability, perhaps forever remaining at the precipice of madness."

"But how could I have...? I never did any of those things?"

"You saved my life."

But that's preposterous, Hanbusa thought to himself. Saving Zero's life had been the right thing to do at the time. Zero shouldn't attribute any success he later had, to the noble.

But before Hanabusa could interrupt, Zero sought to explain, remaining adamant. "Hanabusa, you didn't have to do anything for me. I was your supposed enemy at the time. Had you just left me in the forest to die, nobody would have been the wiser."

"I told you at the time Zero, I'm not heartless!" How could the hunter think Hanbusa would leave anybody to die?

"I know that my saiai." Hanabusa's heart started working over time again at being called 'beloved'; all arguments from earlier momentarily evaporating from his mind.

"It was your one act of selflessness that made me question everything I had known at the time about the vampire race. I'd been taught from a very young age not to trust them, to be wary of them right from the get go. My parents were murdered by what was considered the epitome of their kind, a pureblood. And that same pureblood had turned me into a monster just like her. My entire life I had been subjected to cruelty at their hands right up until the point where the person I had loved with all my heart, abandoned me like I meant nothing to her, to go and foster a romantic future with her brother.

"So you could see why I was critical of them, and created this warped perception of them through my resentment. I would have never imagined, not in a million years, that a vampire would have saved my life that night Hanabusa. Yes, Kuran Kaname had done so in the past, stopped me from momentarily descending into madness, but that was ultimately all for his benefit. I had never been under the illusion that he would have ever done so, out of mercy or the goodness of his heart.

"But you. I wouldn't have thought that you, of all vampires, the person I was always at odds with at school, the person who had created more headaches for me than any other vampire, save for the Kurans at the time, the person who had treated me like his mortal enemy, and had defended Kuran Kaname vehemently against - never would I have thought that you would have been the one to save my life. But you did. And you stayed until you were sure I was better. Worried that I would have retaliated against you for having done so. But you also worried for my safety, for how I'd ended up in that situation in the first place, offered me support until I was back home. You didn't ditch me right after. Stayed with me, sat with me, the entire train ride. You did all those things, and you were under no obligation to do so.

"You questioned my perception of vampires - that maybe, just maybe, you weren't all so bad."

"God, Zero. If that fraction of a moment of moral decency, which any being should truthfully have, was enough to question your perception of vampires, then maybe we are all inherently assholes. You should have never been made to doubt that any other vampire in that position, wouldn't have done the same as me."

Zero remained persistent. "But you'd said it yourself right? Had it been someone else that had found me, I might have not been as lucky?"

Hanabusa shrugged his shoulders nonchalantly. "I'd meant like Level Es or something."

"So are you contesting the potential goodness of vampires?"

"Honestly... I don't even know what I'm saying anymore." That was only partially true. Hanabusa still felt like he didn't deserve the enormity of Zero's gratitude - the implications of sincerity his words possessed. It seemed misplaced somehow. It shouldn't have taken Hanabusa's actions to impact Zero's own so significantly.

"It doesn't matter what it was at the end of the day Hanabusa. You changed my life. Maybe my words are too heavy, I can see why you'd want to challenge them. Maybe they make you uncomfortable. But I felt like it needed to be said. I guess admitting them to you was admitting it aloud to myself as well, once and for all.

"I know you probably don't want to hear anymore and I swear I'll stop after this, but it's because of what you did for me that night, that I began to question my reality. Began to really think back on Kara's words, of how she was an ex-human, but had made the most of her life by helping others less fortunate, of the path she believed in, in the future of the pacifist that she saw ahead, in the true goodness of all beings she had faith in. Your actions questioned my view of the world... and here I am. Sound of mind and alive."

All Hanabusa could do was stare back at the hunter and Zero apparently took that as a sign of rejection if the dropping of his shoulders was anything to go by. Zero gave a short, dejected laugh before slowly inching away from Hanabusa, and Hanabusa couldn't really have that happen now could he?

"I'm sorry, I know I've probably said too much and you likely want to rest. I should get out of your way then." Zero made to get up but Hanabusa's words gave him pause.

"I know what you can do to help." Zero raised an eyebrow in question. "You can come over here and kiss me."

Hanabusa's ears didn't fail to pick up on the hunter's quick intake of breath so he raised a golden brow of his own in challenge. Well?

Zero's full lips stretched into a beautiful smile before he dropped back fully on the bed. He leaned all the way in again, eyes falling to Hanabusa's lips - which were still chapped but to hell with it. "Are you sure?" He whispered against Hanabusa's mouth. The noble just rolled his eyes, before lifting his right hand to thread his fingers in silver locks, finally pulling the hunter down to meet his lips.

The first touch of pink flesh to his made him internally groan. It was just like Hanabusa had imagined his first kiss with Zero to be, and even better still. Zero moved in closer, wrapping his other hand around Hanabusa, to reach the small of his back, being mindful of his injuries. But Hanabusa could honestly care less about those at this moment.

He could feel his blood rushing through his veins, pulse ringing in his ears with how strongly he wanted the hunter; feeling himself becoming dizzy, his brain forgetting he eventually needed to breathe. Zero's mouth parted against his, his tongue peeking out to slide against Hanabusa's lips.

Hanabusa did groan out loud this time, a ferocious hunger beginning to manifest within him, at the pit of his belly. Zero tilted his head to the side, taking the opportunity of Hanabusa's parted lips, to slide his tongue in between and into the cavern of his mouth. Hanabusa breathed in harshly through his nose at the first press of Zero's tongue against his.

The hunter's mouth was hot, his tongue insistent and searching. Hanabusa let out a little whine when one of Zero's hands moved to travel up Hanabusa's now exposed thigh (his bedsheets pooling at his ankles), shifting his hospital gown aside somewhat to run those warm fingers along Hanabusa's skin.

The sensation became too much for Hanabusa all at once, his heart struggling to come under control, the noble having to break the kiss for a fraction of a second to allow his brain to catch up and give him time to breathe. Though the separation didn't last very long before Zero pulled him back in again in a sign of desperation; heady, half-lidded pale eyes the only thing Hanabusa's brain registering before insistent lips were against his again.

The hand on Hanabusa's thigh kept up its maddening ministration, boldly venturing higher up as Zero parted Hanabusa's lips again, their saliva mixing into one. The maddening feeling of Zero so close to him made Hanabusa want to sink his teeth into Zero's lips if not his neck, but even in this adrenaline high, Hanabusa knew the consequences could not be risked given how enticing Zero's blood had become, and Hanabusa certainly had no desire to share it.

Hanabusa's heart started pumping blood to dangerous places; the heat in the pit of his belly now turning into a roaring fire. If Zero didn't stop sucking on Hanabusa's lower lip right now, then Hanabusa would be hard pressed from stopping this from going any further, despite his injuries.

Hanabusa's fingers moved from the entanglement of Zero's hair, to play at the hem of the hunter's shirt, eventually prying loose the material from inside Zero's pants. Hanabusa's fingers immediately found purchase on the freed skin underneath the hunter's shirt, and God as witness, if Hanabusa had had any less self control, he would have come in his underwear right then and there.

The skin of Zero's abdomen was so soft, unmarked, unblemished, yet the plane of muscle underneath and along his chest was refined and hard. At the feel of Hanabusa's hands on his skin, the hunter gasped before pulling away, his eyes closed and eyebrows pulled together as if he were being tortured. His face was flushed such a delicious shade of colour that Hanabusa had to bite down hard on his lip to stop himself from sinking his teeth into Zero.

The hunter's breaths were coming hard, his mouth parted and Hanabusa found himself unable to look away. He was enraptured. When Hanabusa's hand travelled up further to catch a nipple between his fingers, Zero let out a low, desperate whine at the back of his throat that had Hanabusa completely hard in an instant. Zero however, gave no warning as his mouth shifted from near Hanabusa's to his neck; fangs already elongated and scraping against the expanse of skin.

Zeros right hand shifted to Hanabusa's hair, pulling roughly at the blond strands to expose the noble's throat completely.

Pre-come started to leak from the tip of Hanabusa's dick and he willed desperately for it to go away but his body couldn't help the reaction. Zero growled low in his throat enticing Hanabusa even further, his teeth still insistent against Hanabusa's neck.

"Do it if you want to my hunter, I'm definitely not going to stop you."

Zero inhaled deeply through his nose a few times as if attempting to calm himself down. "I want to," eventually passed the full lips, breaths fanning across Hanabusa's neck. "God help me, you have no idea how much I want to. I've struggled to stop thinking about it since that night in the woods... but," here the hunter raised his head to finally look at Hanabusa, his eyes red and ravenous.

Hanabusa gasped at the all too arousing look, feeling like he wanted to set himself on fire. God, god, this was what his fantasies were made of, what he had jerked off to in the privacy of his own room - the deprave part of his mind always hoping, wanting to be the one to have Zero at his mercy. And he had achieved just that. Zero was aroused because of him.

Though the thrill of being bitten was short lived when Zero pulled away, after placing a brief kiss to Hanabusa's pulse point. "But I won't. You're injured. And you need every bit of help you can get to allow you to make a full recovery. I'm not about to take anything away from that."

Hanabusa whined pitifully at the back of his throat. "Oh you've got to be joking? Seriously?"

Zero leaned over to place another chaste kiss to the top of the noble's head, before gently pushing Hanabusa back to lie on the bed; his eyes returning to their natural hue in the process. "Yes, seriously." The hunter smiled warmly at Hanabusa; his skin still flushed a beautiful pink from the make-out session.

Hanabusa huffed grumpily, refusing to acknowledge that he may in fact be pouting. It was just unfair. Zero wasn't allowed to be so pretty, make-out with Hanabusa, then pull away so suddenly. He just had to be a rational adult.

Gentle fingers were back combing Hanabusa's hair. "You need to rest."

"You really don't lose control anymore, do you?" Hanabusa asked Zero, taking time away from his not-pouting, to look back at Zero in slight amazement. How quickly the hunter had returned to his normal state was something to be admired, especially when prey had been so willing (Hanabusa coloured at the thought of how desperate he had become).

"Don't get me wrong," the hunter answered, "I do feel desire, a certain... want... only when it comes to you, because I have feelings for you; care for you in a way, I don't necessarily for anyone else... I just don't have that impulse to kill, to incessantly feed until I'm satisfied."

Hanabusa felt flustered at Zero's admission but was secretly (not so secretly) pleased at the revelation. His dick however, still had a mind of its own, throbbing painfully by Hanabusa's thighs, thankfully not at full attention anymore, otherwise the situation would have gone from amazing to embarrassing in no time at all; the noble eventually managing to calm his body down, getting his heart rate somewhat under control again.

When the hand in his hair had somewhat managed to lull Hanabusa into semi-drowsiness, his eyes barely staying open, Zero collected himself from the bed. Through his hazy consciousness, Hanabusa barely registered the soft kiss to his cheek and a whispered, "sweet dreams," before light footsteps in the distance carried his hunter out of the hospital room.

If Hanabusa had been thankful for anything else that night, it was the fact that his dreams were now full of warm touches, kind smiles and gentle soothing words, instead of the nightmares that would later follow, of soulless blue eyes the same shade as his, the distant sobs of his mother or the deafening silence of his father.