A/N: As the chapter title suggests, even though time-wise we don't move along too far, we do get at least one more twist in this chapter... :)

Chapter Twenty-Eight: "Unexpected Revelations"

The room smelled like blood and held the faint, unmistakable odor of charred flesh. Zero was already resigned to the fact that these registered to him as good smells, but they were definitely out of place in the sterile storage area. He recognized the familiar scent of the blood immediately and his hunter senses buzzed ever so faintly as he hurried forward, eyes urgently scanning the dim room.

There was a work sink and several desks pressed up against the vaulted storage units along the right side of the room. Just beneath and partially behind one of the industrial grade steel desks, Zero could just see the curled outline of a dark shape. If the figure had succeeded in getting all the way between the desk and the wall, it would have been much harder to find him, but apparently that was as far as the person on the floor had been able to drag himself.

Zero crouched down beside the desk, ducking his head to peer underneath even though he already knew what he was going to find. He'd seen a glimpse of blond hair as he approached and he recognized the familiar shape of the crumpled body.

Aido was curled on his side in a fetal position in the space beneath the metal frame. His arms were wrapped around his middle and he lay in a disturbingly large puddle of blood which seeped out from under the cabinet and made the cement beneath Zero's shoes both sticky and slick at the same time. A blood trail on the floor leading away from him indicated that he must have dragged himself under here to hide, but been unable to fully complete the process before his body gave out. The young vampire's face was badly bruised and streaked with blood and his golden hair was matted with crimson. He registered only very weakly in Zero's hunter senses. Aido was very near death.

But he was alive.

Zero quickly twisted under the cabinet as far as he was able, grabbing the bloodied raincoat Aido was wearing and tugging him out from under the storage unit as carefully as possible. "Hanabusa? Hanabusa!"

Aido stirred faintly, his eyelids fluttering as if the mere motion was almost impossibly difficult. He was only around a year Zero's junior, but with pain and vulnerability stripping him of his usual swagger he looked a lot younger. When the foggy blue eyes finally opened, they registered fear. The rate of the blonde's stuttering breathing increased and he made one weak, pathetically desperate attempt to pull away. Zero could tell Aido wasn't seeing him and was simply reacting to having been found.

"Hanabusa, it's me, it's Zero. It's okay. It's okay now," Zero soothed quickly, gently pinning Aido to the floor to keep his faint struggles from doing his damaged body any further harm while trying to get the injured vampire to understand him. "I'm here with Kaname; we're going to get you help. You're safe..." he promised as Aido's terrified, bloodshot gaze managed to lock blearily onto his face and the young hunter finally saw a flicker of recognition on his friend's features.

One bloodied hand reached out and curled desperately in Zero's shirt. Aido's eyes darted around the room as if fearful that they were not alone. His frightened, unfocused eyes begged his friend for protection.

"It's all right," Zero repeated gently, stroking Aido's hair in a comforting manner and trying to get a look at his wounds. "You're safe. I won't let anybody hurt you, I promise. Just lie still and let me check your injuries, okay?" His throat felt thick and tight and his eyes burned as a fierce, protective feeling squeezed his chest. Aido could be a know-it-all pain in the ass sometimes, but he was a good person and a good friend. It hurt to see him like this.

Aido mouthed Zero's name silently as reality finally seemed to register. The young noble's body relaxed and slumped back onto the concrete in a mixture of relief and the simple fact that he had no more energy left. Surviving this long had taken all he had. His body was failing and he wasn't going to last much longer without intervention. His skin, where it was visible around all the blood and bruising, was taking on a dangerous, chalky color and texture that Zero knew all too well usually indicated that a vampire was not much longer for this world.

Aware of the perilously low ebb at which his friend was riding, Zero quickly pushed aside Aido's raincoat and ripped open his already ruined shirt. His expression remained carefully neutral, but inwardly he cringed when he saw the raw, blackened holes punched through Aido's gut and shoulder. There was no mistaking that the Bloody Rose was responsible.

Aido had been shot three times - twice in the stomach and once in the shoulder. A lesser vampire would have been killed even though his heart and head had not been hit directly, but Aido was stubborn in many ways, apparently. It had most likely also helped that his attacker had not been as in tune with the Bloody Rose as Zero was. In some cases, especially when older and more powerful armaments were involved, hunters and their weapons often grew to form a kind of symbiosis which made them more effective together. The weapon drew power from its wielder, and sometimes vice-versa. The knowledge that he probably could have killed Aido with those same three shots was not a terribly comforting thought, but fortunately it was not something Zero really had time to consider much at the moment.

Aido must have taken quite a beating after he lost his vampire healing, because his face and body were badly bruised. To someone with Zero's level of experience, that was a tell-tale give-away that the noble had not received all three gunshot wounds at the same time. That would have laid him out too fast for him to have received this much collateral damage. This pattern of injury said that Aido must have kept fighting even after he'd been shot and his healing factor had been knocked out. Then he'd been shot again, and again. Zero couldn't imagine how Aido had escaped being killed given his condition and his respect for the blonde went up a little. Now they just had to make sure he didn't die from his wounds anyway.

"Kaname!" Zero shouted for his lover as he quickly tore strips from Aido's already ruined shirt and pressed them against his wounds in an effort to staunch the thankfully already sluggish blood flow. Heedless of his own safety and of the tainted blood covering his hands, Zero applied pressure to the wounds as best he could. Aido grimaced in pain and Zero could feel the body beneath his hands beginning to shake. Aido was in shock. He had far too much hunter poison in his system and he had lost a lot of blood. Zero had seen many vampires less severely injured than this perish. It was a little odd to be in a position now where he was desperately trying to avoid that outcome instead of bringing it about.

As Zero pushed Aido's shirt open further, he noticed the widespread hemorrhaging that spread in splotchy, bruising patches beneath the noble's pale skin. The hunter tensed in apprehension. The Bloody Rose didn't cause this kind of injury, neither would someone's fists. Mix these symptoms with the bloodshot state of Aido's eyes and one could only guess that in addition to being shot, the young vampire must have been subjected to some kind of hunter charm. It was the only way to explain that pattern of damage. Crap… couldn't Aido catch a break anywhere?

Zero quickly murmured a few ancient words under his breath, his hand skimming down the front of Aido's chest as he attempted to make sure that the noble was not still under any lingering effects from whatever had been used on him. Zero had learned long ago after a rather unfortunate accident with Kaname that some charms needed to be unset once cast. Fortunately for Aido, that at least didn't appear to be one of his many problems and Zero supposed they should be thankful for small mercies, no matter how slight.

"Kaname!" Zero tried calling again, worried and frustrated when seconds crawled by and his lover did not respond. Surely Kaname could hear him, couldn't he? Unless of course, this room was sound proofed as well as scent proofed. He hadn't thought of that. Reaching out, Zero gave a sharp, urgent tug on their bond. It disturbed him a little that he had apparently become so used to touching Kaname in this unusual way that it now seemed like a natural recourse when trying to get his attention.

Zero frowned at the light, lingering backwash he got from Kaname's mind when he touched him. The pureblood was very agitated and he snapped his mind closed the instant Zero's consciousness brushed his. Well, great... now what? Something was going on with Kaname. It made a sudden, sick feeling of worry spring to life in Zero's gut, but he had to focus on Aido right now or he was going to lose him. Double crap...

"Zer...o..." Aido's voice was barely a murmur. His blue eyes had morphed to an agony of red and his unsheathed fangs lent a familiar lisp to the ragged word.

Experience told Zero to be on guard when you saw that look on the face of a vampire, but Aido was much too weak to be a threat to him and instead the young hunter tensed in alarm for an entirely different reason as he felt the blonde's pulse begin fluttering erratically beneath his fingers. Aido's spark of life felt like a guttering candle fighting with a strong wind.

No way. Not today. No.

Zero disentangled himself just long enough to quickly rise and retrieve a bottle of disinfectant from among the chemicals on a nearby shelf. Quickly, he splashed it across his wrist, washing Aido's blood from his left hand. Pushing up his sleeve, he pulled the knife from the inside pocket of his overcoat. He wasn't a fool; he knew he couldn't afford to get Aido's blood in an open wound without risking infection, but he also knew that Aido wasn't long for this world if he didn't get blood immediately. It was worth the danger, and worth the struggle to suppress his unease over the notion of what he was about to do. He would not let his friend die when it was within his power to try to save him.

Kneeling down beside Aido once more, Zero pulled the younger vampire's head and shoulders to him so that Aido's back was resting against his thighs with his head was in Zero's lap. Steeling himself, the ex-human quickly dug the sharp point of the hunter knife into his wrist and dragged the razor edge of the blade up the inside of his arm, partway to his elbow. He knew that if you really wanted to bleed, you slit your wrist vertically, not horizontally. He'd done it once before, but he'd been trying to take his own life then... now he was trying to give life to someone else.

Grimacing against the pain of the deep cut and the burn of the hunter weapon he'd used to inflict it, Zero set the knife down beside him on the ground and made a fist, tipping his arm down as bright red blood oozed quickly to the surface and flowed down his forearm and wrist, dripping off his clenched fingers. The hunter blade ensured that Zero's wound stayed open and he squeezed his arm a couple times, encouraging it to bleed faster.

Aido moaned desperately, his lips automatically parting in need as he looked up at Zero with shocked, uncomprehending eyes. Zero swiftly shifted his bleeding wrist, letting the blood run down the side of his hand and into Aido's open mouth. "Don't say a word, just shut up and drink," Zero muttered, although Aido obviously wasn't really able to form coherent speech right now anyway. The urgent, gentle concern in the young hunter's eyes and voice completely belied the rough sound of the words.

Aido gulped the offered blood desperately, his throat working convulsively as if trying to absorb the life-giving substance faster. If he had been more lucid, he might have at least thought of trying to refuse either out of pride or because he knew Zero's blood belonged to Kaname, but he was far past having any kind of choice in the matter. This might be the last blood he'd ever expected to drink, but at the moment it was saving his life. Even despite his current state, somewhere deep down, Aido realized that this was not something Zero would do lightly, or for just anybody.

Zero kept his right arm wrapped carefully but tightly around Aido's shoulders while he fed him with his left. He tried to be careful of Aido's shoulder wounds as he held the other vampire cradled against him both in a gesture of support and self-protection, but he needed to keep Aido's arms and shoulders pinned so the blonde couldn't instinctually lunge up and try to bite the bleeding wrist hovering so temptingly close above him. He knew Aido wouldn't intentionally do that to him given the consequences, but he also knew from much personal experience that when you were out of your mind with need, everything else took a back seat, including rational thinking and consideration.

His caution was justified as Aido pulled feverishly against him, swallowing desperately as the blood trickled into his mouth and obviously wanting more. Zero restrained him as gently as he could, rocking and murmuring reassuring nothings to the younger vampire as he fed him. It was probably a good thing for him that Aido was so weak at the moment, it made this a little easier.

Somewhere in the back of his mind was the deeply ingrained, uneasy feeling that he was doing something dirty and disgusting. He was intentionally giving his blood to a vampire which was completely taboo for a hunter. He'd been doing it for many years now with Kaname of course, but that was different somehow - Kaname was his lover and their circumstances were rather unique.

As Zero looked down into Aido's agonizingly grateful eyes, however... he knew that no matter how wrong he had been trained to feel about this, and no matter how much others of his kind would condemn him if they knew – this was the right thing to do. It was the only thing his heart would let him do, anyway.

"It's okay, Hanabusa," he murmured in Aido's ear as he rocked him. "You're going to be okay…"

"Hello, Kaname," Nasser's voice on the other end of the phone line was smooth and held a faintly amused quality that instantly set Kaname on edge. "I trust you're having a good night? Did your little hunter ever come back from... wherever he was?"

Kaname's eyes narrowed. If he'd needed any verification that Nasser was a part of what was happening, this confirmed it quite clearly. "I was having a good night until you called," he replied calmly, intentionally avoiding responding to the question about Zero. The fewer statements he gave on that subject, the better. "Do you want something besides wasting my time?"

"My, my, we certainly are hostile tonight, Kaname. If I didn't know better, I'd think something was wrong," Nasser tutted with an obvious smirk in his voice.

"Nothing I can't handle," Kaname replied in a bored tone, affecting a complete lack of concern. Obviously, Nasser was quite aware of the bad spot he was in, but Kaname wasn't about to give him the satisfaction of acting anything but indifferent.

"I'm glad to hear it," Nasser said lightly. "Although if you were ever in any kind of difficulty, I do hope you know that you can rely on me... for old time's sake." The elder pureblood's tone was warm and seductive now and Kaname pressed his eyes shut, disgusted that even just the sound of it could make his stomach tense.

Somewhere in the distance, Kaname heard Zero calling his name. He shifted, his attention diverted. He needed to go to the hunter and see what the matter was, but he did not want to take this conversation with him.

"I can rely on you to stick a knife in my back," Kaname said bluntly, although his tone was still carefully devoid of emotion. It was time to end this conversation, he needed to go. "Everything has a price with you. So thanks, but no thanks."

"Kaname, really..." Nasser took on a hurt tone. "Is that any way for old lovers to talk? I'm not the one who ended things and spent the last few years denying my feelings and trying to pretend it never happened. Business is business, and certainly, if I was to help you I would expect certain... concessions. But my previous offer still stands. Any time, Kaname – say the word and I will lay the world at your feet. Do not underestimate what a powerful ally I can be."

Kaname fought to breathe around the crushing pressure of rage in his chest. "We were never'lovers',Nasser and the only feeling I have for you is an overwhelming urge to crush your heart in my fist," the young pureblood seethed, restrained, but unable to maintain his implacable mask this time. "You have nothing which I want or need."

Kaname felt Zero brush against his mind and quickly snapped his mental doors shut. He wasn't actually trying to hide anything, it was mostly just a knee-jerk reaction born of how on edge he was. He knew instantly it had been the wrong thing to do since it was going to make Zero worried and the brief footprint that Zero left behind said that the hunter was already deeply worried about something. He hadn't sensed danger, but he did sense urgency. He needed to know what was happening, and Nasser was wasting precious time with his games.

"As you wish," Nasser seemed pleased at getting a reaction from Kaname and not overly concerned by his words. "I simply wanted you to know that the offer still stood. Perhaps... we will speak again soon."

"I wouldn't count on it," Kaname said simply and hung up. Nasser's confidence was unnerving, but then, he had every reason to feel confident, the bastard. His help was currently the only definite and concrete way out of the web Kaname found himself tangled in at the moment, but Kaname knew that would be trading the frying pan for the fire. He was well aware of the cost involved and could not be so easily manipulated. It was a path Kaname most certainly did not want to take and one he wouldn't even consider except as a very, very last resort. He knew Nasser's price, and it was much too high.

Too high even, for Zero's life? Kaname forced the terrible thought away from him. It was way too early to even think of such things. There were far too many other paths to explore yet to even give that one any thought. Yet even as he pushed the notion away, he knew in his heart that the answer was no. When it came to Zero's safety, there was no price too high.

As Kaname headed swiftly out into the hall, he was suddenly hit by the faint, distinct smell of Zero's blood and his heart lurched. Instants later, he had followed the scent to its source and found himself standing in the entry to the small specimen storage room. Zero had left the door open and apparently the charms containing the chamber were only intended to work when the door was shut.

Kaname was surprised and relieved to find Aido still literally in one piece, but he tensed in fear when he saw what Zero was doing. There was so much blood everywhere... and Zero was bleeding...

Quickly, Kaname entered the room and crouched down beside them, his eyes flickering rapidly from Aido to Zero. He squashed an instinctively jealous reaction to the sight of Zero giving his blood to someone else, knowing that this was hardly the time or the place for such feelings.

"He's in bad shape," Zero said softly, trying to speak low so Aido wouldn't hear, although that was almost impossible given their proximity. Fortunately, Aido seemed to be too out of it for much to register.

"But he's alive," Kaname returned, touching Aido's matted curls lightly with one hand, obviously relieved by this turn of events. Aido had become restless, his body convulsing with need which caused it to tremble in pain. Kaname's brow furrowed in dual concern. "Zero..."

"It's fine, Kaname, I was careful," Zero cut him off, easily recognizing the worry burning brightly behind the dark eyes as they stared at his bleeding wrist. "He wasn't going to make it otherwise." Zero shifted a little, having to struggle harder to hold onto Aido as the blonde's thrashing grew more intense. His increased resistance was probably a good indication, it meant that that the blood was helping. But the fact that he hadn't even acknowledged Kaname's arrival was a bad sign. Aido either wasn't lucid, or wasn't in his right mind at the moment, which made him unfortunately dangerous to the person trying to save his life if they weren't careful. Aido's neck strained upward and his fangs flashed as Zero struggled to hold him pinned without further stressing his wounds more than could be helped.

Kaname was not happy about what Zero had done, but he knew there hadn't been a choice. However, he quickly recognized Aido's current mental state and the danger it posed. The boy was in too much pain and too gravely injured. The blood Zero gave him was sustaining him, but it could not begin to quench his undoubtedly burning need. Instinct had taken over and young noble's eyes were red and feral. Reaching over a little further, Kaname pressed his hand to Aido's forehead. A moment later, the blonde's tense, writhing body went slack in Zero's arms.

Zero looked alarmed. "Hanabusa? Kaname!" He turned an accusing gaze upon his lover, letting Aido's limp body rest on his lap. "You shouldn't have done that, he's incredibly weak." He almost started to clutch his bleeding wrist with his other hand to halt the flow, until he remembered that he had Aido's blood all over that hand and quickly stopped himself, turning his arm up so that the blood was now dripping off his elbow instead as he looked around for something with which to clean his hand.

"I know," Kaname murmured, brushing Aido's damp curls back from his face with unusual gentleness before quickly tearing a strip from the inner lining of his rain coat and using it to wrap Zero's bleeding arm. He held his lover's forearm between his hands, carefully applying pressure to stop the blood flow and resisting the very strong urge to bring it to his mouth. "But you didn't see his eyes. He was not himself, Zero. You of all people know the danger of the desperate, false strength that blood lust can bring on. His need is too great and he's in agony. You've gotten him started, now it's better for him to rest a little until he's regenerated more." Kaname knew that unfortunately he couldn't let Aido rest too long. They desperately needed to know what had happened here. But Aido had been in no fit state to tell them anything just now.

The warmth of Kaname's hands holding his wound shut felt good on his aching arm, even if the pressure hurt a bit. Zero glanced down at where Kaname's long fingers curled almost possessively around the bloody bandage and then back up at the pureblood and he realized that there was something else that possibly might just be bothering Kaname about this situation, although it was strange to him in a way.

"Kaname... you're okay with this," Zero nodded at his arm and at Aido. "Right? I mean... he was dying, and it was my choice. Don't be upset with him, okay?" He couldn't imagine that Kaname would be, it wasn't as if Aido had even actually bitten him or anything like that.

Kaname smiled faintly as he looked down at Zero's arm. Zero didn't really frame the statement as a question. The hunter was so sure that Kaname wouldn't hold the act against him and only vaguely concerned for Aido. He had no idea how possessive purebloods were of their mate's blood. No idea how Kaname had a right to feel about it... but that was all right. Kaname understood the hunter's selfless motivation and he didn't want Aido to die either. So he supposed that did make him 'okay with it'.

"Of course, Zero," he said simply with that same, small smile.

Zero gave him a little smile in return before focusing his attention back on the unconscious noble in his lap. He pressed his uninjured hand over Aido's heart, frowning slightly. Still much too weak. "He's been shot too many times, Kaname," he said quietly. "He's not going to regenerate on his own. Trust me, these injuries are too severe. He still needs help, maybe if we can get him back to Night Haven, I can..."

Kaname shook his head. "There isn't time. Not for him, and not for us." He could tell that Aido was even worse off than Zero indicated and there was no way the youth would survive having Kaname transport him the way he'd transported Zero and himself here.

"Even if he could survive until I got a car here for us, of which I am doubtful, we can't afford to let him hibernate as long as he would need in order to mend," he added regretfully. "We need to know what he knows. If he does not wake on his own, I will need to wake him, but at the moment it will be easier to do what must be done while he's unconscious." Kaname further explained his reasoning behind putting Aido out a bit distractedly as he pushed up the sleeve of his overcoat. He unbuttoned the shirtsleeve beneath and rolled it up as well.

Zero regarded him with more than mild surprise as he realized what his lover intended to do. It was one thing for Zero to give the injured noble blood, it was quite another thing for Kaname to do the same and even Zero knew that. While the ex-human may have the right to have as much of it as he wanted at any time, the fact was that to everyone else Kaname's blood was a closely guarded and forbidden substance.

The nails of the pureblood's other hand lengthened into talons and he pressed them neatly against the inside of his smooth, pale forearm. "Tip his head back and hold his mouth open, Zero," Kaname instructed as he raked the claws down his arm, slicing his flesh open and drawing blood, much as Zero had a few minutes ago.

Zero obeyed quickly, settling Aido's head between his knees and tipping the blonde head back so that his mouth fell open. Kaname leaned his wrist over Aido's mouth, letting the small trickle of crimson blood flow down into the open mouth. He placed his other hand over Aido's throat, invisibly guiding the younger vampire's body to swallow.

Zero inhaled deeply, glad that he had fed recently so the ache that fisted in his chest was only a longing and not the intense hunger it could become. He smirked slightly. "You know... it's too bad Aido isn't awake for this. I do believe this would be the high point of his entire life, half-dead or not." He was teasing, but what Kaname was doing for the young noble truly was a rather big deal for vampires. Very few were those lucky enough to be gifted with pure blood and Zero was sure that Aido never expected to be one of them. Maybe Kaname did need Aido rather a lot right now to answer questions about his attacker... but Zero suspected there was more behind this than that, whether or not Kaname would ever admit such.

Zero felt himself relax just a bit as Aido's flickering presence seemed to stabilize a little more in his senses.

Kaname smiled sardonically. "No doubt," he agreed. "But it's better this way. It's better he not know." The pureblood's face turned serious again. "You mustn't tell him, Zero. If he were to consciously taste my blood, he would crave it for the rest of his life," the brunette said quietly. They both knew how Aido was. He had been in puppy love with the pureblood for years. It would not be fair to make him suffer for the rest of his life from a yearning for something he could never have again. It could possibly ruin his ability to ever find happiness with anyone else. Kaname was trying to be kind to him.

"And since there's only one person I care to be feeding regularly..." the smile returned for a brief moment as Kaname caught Zero's gaze and shrugged. His wound had healed shut and he judged that it was enough. Rocking back on his heels, Kaname licked the blood from his arm in a brisk, distracted fashion. He'd only given Aido a little. It would stabilize him, but not heal him. The blonde was still in rough, desperate shape. Kaname couldn't afford to give enough to heal him, for Aido's sake. Giving any more than he had would risk addicting the young noble to him for life, whether Aido was conscious or not.

Zero knew Kaname was right. "Yeah, and you really don't need him mooning over you any more than he already does, huh?" he agreed in sarcastic amusement. "It's self preservation, admit it. And give me that..." Zero reached over and snatched Kaname's arm away from him, obviously disapproving of the careless way Kaname was tending himself. Holding Kaname's arm he licked the warm, bloodstained skin slowly. The flesh had healed, but it was still tender. He traced the sensitive inside of Kaname's forearm and the pale flesh inside his elbow slowly with his tongue, cleaning up every drop. Kaname tasted so good.

"All right, so it is," Kaname admitted in amusement, shifting closer to allow his lover to do as he pleased. Now was hardly the time to feel this way, but warm shivers traced along his nerves as Zero's tongue worked thoroughly against his skin.

"Kaname... what was going on a few minutes ago, when I called you? Did you find something else?" Zero asked, still holding Kaname's arm, his mouth warmly pressing against Kaname's wrist. He felt the pureblood's pulse suddenly jerk and hammer under his lips at the inquiry and shot a keen, discerning look up towards his lover.

Kaname felt himself heat slightly as he realized he couldn't fib now if he'd wanted to and that it was not an accident that Zero had asked the question while he was in such a good position to act as a lie detector. His lover was becoming much too clever.

Not seeing an actual reason to lie, other than the fact that he hated mentioning that man's name around Zero, Kaname told the truth. "No... Nasser called me."

Zero's lips froze against his arm, then slowly resumed their ministrations, the amethyst eyes looking up, fixed on him intently once again. "And? What did he want?"

Kaname couldn't think very well while Zero was touching him like this and he reluctantly pulled his arm away. Zero had already finished cleaning him and he let Kaname go after pressing one last kiss on his wrist.

"To gloat, mostly. He didn't come out and say it of course, but it's undoubted that he's in this current situation up to his eyeballs, either with Diachi or simply aggravating things behind the scenes," Kaname said succinctly as he rolled his sleeve back down. "He intimated that he might be willing to help me instead of Sato for certain... concessions," Kaname's tone was acidic, but there was something in his eyes that worried Zero.

The hunter's eyes narrowed. "Concessions?" he inquired with a sick feeling growing in his stomach.

Kaname's gaze diverted away as he concentrated on Aido, measuring the noble's pulse and the ragged rise and fall of his chest while studiously avoiding his lover's gaze. "Mission Oil, certainly, among... other things," he murmured, hating even mentioning it to Zero, but knowing that not mentioning it was worse. He didn't want Zero to think he was lying to him again.

"What kind of other things?" Zero's tone had sharpened unintentionally, he wasn't about to let this go.

"I'm certain you can guess," Kaname said a bit shortly. "Don't worry, all right? I'm not completely stupid. I'm not about to dance with that devil unless..."

"No. There is no unless," Zero cut him off a little more harshly than he intended. "Kaname, you listen to me," he warned. Aido stirred slightly, although a quick glance said he was still unconscious. Zero shifted, settling the injured aristocrat more securely on his lap before reaching over and grabbing Kaname's face between his hands. He looked him straight in the eyes. This wasn't where their focus needed to be right now and they didn't have time for this, but Zero feared that if he wasn't very clear right now it could be disastrous later.

"That man is the worst kind of rat bastard," the hatred in Zero's voice was intense. "I know what he wants from you but it's not going to happen. He doesn't get you at any price, do you hear me? I don't care how much it might seem like the only thing to do. It's not an option. You do that, Kaname, and I won't forgive you." His voice was low and intensely serious.

Kaname flinched as if he'd been struck, his eyes echoing a hollow ache that cut Zero to the quick.

The hunter swallowed around the painful tenseness in his throat. He didn't like sounding so hard when he knew how raw an issue this was for Kaname, but everything was moving too quickly and there wasn't time for anything else. Aido could awaken at any moment and he could never have this conversation with Kaname in front of anyone else. Given the way the night had gone thus far, who knew what would happen next? He had a feeling they weren't going to get much breathing room in the near future and he couldn't risk having Kaname go off and make these decisions by himself if events pulled them apart before they could talk.

He knew that Kaname was someone who primarily kept his own council and waited on no one to ratify his choices. It was the quality of an authoritative leader, but it could be problematic in a relationship. He'd knew how trapped his lover currently felt and he was all too aware that if pressed to make a choice, Kaname would do whatever he felt he needed to do and he wasn't going to consult Zero about it first. He certainly hadn't to this point, or Zero would have tried to keep him from making that awful bet with Nasser to start with. He was also too aware that Kaname would quite literally do anything he thought would protect Zero... and there were certain lengths to which Zero couldn't bear the thought of him going. He could never forgive himself if Kaname thought he had to sell himself for his sake.

There was so much pain in Kaname's eyes that Zero almost couldn't breathe and his throat burned. Damn, this was hard. "Do you understand me?" he demanded softly, his voice hoarse but firm. "Say it. I need you to say you understand." Zero knew the one and only real power he had over Kaname's actions was the pureblood's love for him and his need for the hunter's approval. It hurt to use that against him like this, but Zero was too afraid of the possible alternative.

Kaname averted his eyes, burning with shame under his lover's intense gaze. He felt very much like a small child suspected of being naughty, or worse... like a faithless lover who could not be trusted. He did not like the feeling. His pride balked harshly, hammering indignantly against the inside of his chest and threatening to raise a hot flare of anger to cover his hurt and embarrassment. He restrained himself, however, swallowing his natural impulse to strike back or pull away. He couldn't blame Zero; he'd certainly given his lover very little reason to trust him, or his fidelity lately. "I understand," he whispered quietly.

"You're not going to agree to anything with him without talking to me first?" Zero pressed, urgent to come to exact a promise on this as he felt Aido stirring again on his lap.

"I won't," Kaname's gaze remained firmly downcast and his arms slid around his middle, hugging himself. He was terribly ashamed that Zero felt he had to make him promise these things in order to trust him... more especially because he knew in his heart that Zero did not fear for nothing.

Zero could have cried for the very visible way Kaname was crawling back inside of himself. He would have felt better if Kaname had been angry at being badgered like this and verbally pushed back like he would have in the past... but it was clear Kaname felt he had no right to any pride or self-defense in this matter. Zero hated even unintentionally reinforcing that, but that was exactly the attitude which he feared might lead Kaname into a horrible situation with Nasser if they weren't careful. This was an unusual situation and for some reason it seemed like Kaname just wouldn't fight for himself like he should. He wouldn't defend his honor in this regard, perhaps because he still felt he had none. He obviously felt tainted and it was much too small a step from there to feeling like he had nothing else to lose, especially when stacked against the dire threat hanging over them.

Zero may not usually be able to see the web of future possibilities as clearly as Kaname could, but right now he was all too aware of how Nasser could use these things to manipulate Kaname right into his hands. He'd seen the way Kaname reacted to the other pureblood. He'd seen Kaname powerless to even respond as the other man came on to him. He'd seen what had happened in his memories. Kaname was the strongest person he knew, but he was not invincible. Nasser was horribly dangerous to his lover and Zero would do anything to protect him, even if it made him feel cruel. He knew this was a shitty situation and probably a horrible way to deal with it, but he didn't know what else to do. Ironically, he suddenly realized he had a deeper appreciation for the load Kaname carried. It sucked to try to foresee possible futures and it sucked worse when you felt like you were stabbing around in the dark in vain efforts to avert them.

"I trust you, Kaname. I know where your heart is, I don't doubt that or doubt you for a moment. I just don't want you to be hurt," Zero whispered, his voice cracking ever so slightly. "You value yourself too cheaply. You lay yourself down for me too easily and I... I'd rather die."

The earnest, completely non-condemning words startled Kaname and his gaze flicked quickly back up to Zero's. The love he saw there helped ease a little of the rawness inside him. The look in the hunter's eyes told him that this wasn't about trust or faithfulness. Zero was truly afraid for him.

Zero leaned forward and kissed the pureblood, briefly but urgently, willing Kaname to understand everything he didn't have time or capacity to put into words. Then he released him. Aido was stirring in earnest now and Zero shifted him carefully, sliding an arm behind his shoulders.

Aido returned to consciousness slowly, the pain flooding back into his senses making him wish he could flee back into the merciful dark, but his body wasn't obliging. There was a strange tingling in his chest and he wondered if he was hallucinating because as he awoke, he could swear there was this incredibly good taste in his mouth. Weird, very weird. It was really nice though. About the only nice thing there was at the moment since his body was in agony.

He stirred feverishly, trying to find some kind of relief, a whimper of pain escaping along with tears that traced down the side of his face. Suddenly he realized he was not alone. That's right... Zero was there. Zero had fed him... His half-lidded eyes fluttered open quickly. Wait.. Zero had what?

"You gave me blood..." he murmured as if in shock, still quite out of it and apparently not yet aware of Kaname's presence. He knew how Zero felt about vampires for the most part and this was quite unexpected. Wow... he hadn't expected the hunter's blood to taste so good either. Must be because of his relationship with Kaname-sama.

Zero glanced at Kaname before giving Aido a wry look. "Yeah, you owe me. But tell anyone and I'll kill you myself, okay?" To be honest, he felt they were merely even now. Aido had once worn himself to the bone to keep Zero safe in an ice-coma so he had a chance to survive. He'd simply returned the favor.

Aido grumbled something indistinct in return. He seemed to be having difficulty breathing and speaking. It was a weak shadow of their usual banter, but Zero found it slightly reassuring. A moment later however, Aido's body tensed and a racking cough sized him, making the blonde weep from pain. "Zero... it hurts... it really hurts..." he sobbed softly, making the hunter's heart twist painfully in his chest as he held his injured friend, rocking him gently.

Kaname brushed Aido's icy cheek gently with the back of his fingers, reaching out and numbing the other's pain as much as he could. He willed Aido's torn veins to mend, gently, invisibly reaching into his chest and squeezing his fluttering heart, forcing it to continue beating steadily. Aido was still in a bad way. He was more stable than before and out of immediate danger, but he was a long way from all right.

Aido blinked in surprise and it seemed to take him several long moments before he realized who else was there with them. "K-Kaname-sama..." he panted softly, a panicky look coming into his pain fogged eyes. "I-I'm sorry. I tried to fight... I tried..."

"Shh..." Kaname soothed, stroking Aido's cheek again and wishing the other vampire didn't always have that reaction to him. "You did good, Aido. You're still alive, I'm proud of you," he murmured what he knew Aido needed to hear, which also happened to be true. "I need you to tell us what happened. Who did this to you and why? Can you do that, Aido?"

Aido nodded slowly, obviously struggling to comprehend everything that was being said to him but warmed by Kaname's assurances. There was so much he wanted and needed to tell them, but the thoughts wouldn't form in the right order. They flittered around him mockingly, like parts of a dream that you forgot when you awoke and yet you knew you had dreamed something...

The young noble's eyebrows knit. "There... was rain. It was raining. I... there was a phone... I mean a phone call... no, not a call... a... a..." he couldn't seem to find the word he wanted and became badly frustrated. Zero felt Aido's pulse racing unevenly under his touch as he kept two fingers lightly against the side of his friend's throat. Aido shuddered as some new pain rippled through him and tried to curl into a ball that his body couldn't sustain. More tears leaked down his face as he seemed to forget everything else but his suffering. "Oh God..." he sobbed softly, fingers pressing weakly at his injured stomach which was obviously causing him great pain.

"I don't think he can do this, Kaname," Zero murmured, his voice a little thick as Aido's other hand latched onto his, squeezing tightly as if in desperate search of a lifeline. He knew they needed answers, but he really wanted to put Aido back out, he hated having to watch him suffer like this. He wondered when he'd turned into such a big softie, but he couldn't help the way he felt.

"He must," Kaname murmured, although he was obviously also affected by the sight. The pureblood shifted down Aido's body and pressed his palms on either side of his bleeding stomach. Aido's skin was feverish and sticky with blood under his palms and the pureblood breathed slowly, his head dipping a little as he concentrated on what he was doing. The younger vampire was badly torn up inside. If he were human he would have been dead long ago.

Aido felt the warmth flowing into his body and the slow numbing of the hurt. He sobbed raggedly for breath, even as he looked down in something like pained wonder at the pureblood studiously bowed over him. It meant a terrible lot to him that Kaname wanted to help him.

Kaname knew he was doing little better than plugging holes in a sieve, but it was what had to be done at the moment and he exerted significant effort trying to help Aido deal with his pain. "Aido, listen to me. Focus on my voice," he said in low, soothing tones when it looked like the noble was in danger of blacking out again. "It was raining. You got a phone call... who was it from?"

"Naija..." Aido murmured, his voice slightly trancelike around his labored breathing. "But it... it was a message, not a call. I tried to call back... couldn't reach her. Was... busy with the phone... and then... the computer... didn't know there was someone else in the lab..."

"Who was in the lab, Aido?" Kaname coaxed patiently when the silence lengthened. Aido stirred himself but didn't seem to understand the question. Kaname tried again, but the blond was drifting once more and the pureblood forced himself to be patient and not push too hard, despite the urgency he felt clawing at the back of his mind.

"It had to have been a hunter," Zero said quietly. "If it was the same people who attacked me in the woods then at least one of them has to be. Diachi may have been lying through his teeth about everything else, but maybe he really has got hunters working for him somehow." The best person to take out a vampire, even better than another vampire, was a hunter. He was very aware of that fact and he doubted that a normal human could have gotten the drop on Aido even with the Bloody Rose. "Was it a hunter, Aido? Was there more than one?" Zero pressed lightly, trying to get a response, but Aido just cringed at the words and hung onto his hand tighter.

Zero glanced at the soft, blistered hand clutched in his and a puzzled frown spread across his features. He had not noticed before because Aido's hands were so covered in his own blood and he'd been so worried about his other injuries but there was something really wrong with the slender, graceful digits. Aido's hands were blistered as if they'd been scorched, but not by a normal fire. The unique blackening spoke of a hunter related source of origin. Zero remembered the charred flesh on the grip of the Bloody Rose, but there were no scrapes or tears as should have been present if Aido had gotten the burns from fighting with his attacker over the gun.

Zero turned Aido's blackened hand over, inspecting it. On a hunch, he pushed the blonde's ruin sleeve up a little and he felt himself freeze in shock. What the hell? Aido... what did you do?

Black, spidery lines ran up Aido's arms and there were blisters on his wrists and inside the crook of his elbow where the veins lay close to the surface. It was as if the very blood had boiled in his veins. Zero recognized that type of injury all too painfully well.

Quickly, Zero reached into his jacket pocket and drew out a small tube of salve which he always tried to keep on hand as part of his hunting gear. He should have thought of it sooner, but it hadn't crossed his mind until he'd seen those burns. He rubbed some of the pale cream onto Aido's blistered fingers and then carefully dabbed more around the blackened edges of the gunshot wounds. It was a special balm which helped sooth and neutralize the effects of certain types of hunter damage upon the vampire body. It was definitely not standard hunting equipment, but it was a necessary evil for Zero.

"Hanabusa..." he murmured in shock. "Hanabusa, you little idiot, what did you do? Did you actually try to cast a hunter charm?" Zero recognized the distinct pattern of the wounds. He'd been there, done that too many times when he'd not encapsulated certain charms carefully enough within the protective formula that he and Aido had devised. Some of the nastier ones could literally boil your blood if you screwed them up. He'd seriously freaked Yagari out the day he'd accidentally discovered that. Of course, he hadn't been too himself happy either. He'd needed Kaname after that little misadventure.

"Yeah..." Aido gasped with difficulty, his head lolling on Zero's lap as he finally seemed to battle his way back through the fog. "All that time working on them with you... thought it would be fun to try," he muttered with a weak attempt at flippancy.

Zero and Aido were both keenly aware of how dangerous and stupid it would be for a vampire who had no hunter blood in him to attempt such a charm. It wasn't only foolish, it was suicidal. Zero honestly couldn't believe he'd even tried it and he knew that despite Aido's words, it could only have been an act of sheer desperation on the blonde's part. Aido must have seriously thought he'd been about to die. Of course, from the look of his wounds, he'd had good reason to think so.

"That protection formula we came up with... doesn't work so great for a born vampire," the blond added wryly as he clung to Zero, his eyelids drooping heavily.

"You idiot, you're lucky to be alive. The containment formula is probably the only thing that kept you from killing yourself by twisting a hunter charm," Zero scolded, but his tone was gentle and worried. "You used one of the ustulo charms, didn't you? Aido, even I don't try to wield those, they're too volatile. You know that, I told you what happened when I tried..."

"I know... I know...," Aido wheezed, coughing and trying bravely not to cry anymore. "You told me. You told me it-it could kill you. That's why... I used it." Aido was drifting again and Zero and Kaname exchanged extremely confused glances until Aido managed to speak again.

"The man... who attacked me. There was only one, and he was a hunter," the noble murmured, proving that he had been aware of what Kaname and Zero had said before, even if unable to respond coherently until now. "But he was a... ex-human too. I wouldn't have known, except... the gun. He had the Bloody Rose, Zero, and I saw... I saw that it burned his hands to hold it. Th-that's when I knew." Aido clenched his eyes, gritting his teeth at another wave of pain.

He had been at the same school with Zero for over a year before figuring out that he was a vampire. It was very difficult to tell with hunters because of the recessive strain of vampire that they all carried within them. Only seeing how Zero's gun had reacted to his attacker had tipped Aido off in time for that knowledge to be useful to him. That, combined with the insight gained from his and Zero's friendship and collaboration over the past few years were ultimately the only things which had saved his life. It had also helped that the Bloody Rose seemed to refuse to work for the other ex-human as well as it did for Zero. The pain of handling the rebellious weapon had decidedly thrown off the man's aim, which was why he'd been shot in the shoulder instead of the heart that first time.

"He'd been turned?" Zero echoed quietly, absorbing the idea that one of the hunters who had felled him in the woods and the vampire who had initially led him into the trap might in fact have been one and the same. It wasn't a total surprise at this point, but it was worrying. Maybe all the hunters in question had been turned. That would explain a lot. Especially if Diachi Sato - a pureblood vampire capable of creating such ex-humans - was involved. Zero glanced over at Kaname and saw that his lover appeared to be thinking the same thing.

Aido nodded against him. "Recently, I think. He-he felt very young if you know... what I mean." Zero didn't, but he nodded anyway. "He wasn't tamed, but he was bound. At least... I'm pretty sure he was... bound to his master's will, I mean. He had that look - the empty eyes. But he was good. We fought. He almost k-killed me. I got shot... my ice, I couldn't... I couldn't do anything anymore..." he broke off coughing again and Zero rocked him soothingly again. Aido didn't have to explain, Zero understood.

As soon as the hunter bullets had penetrated Aido's body, the blonde had become frighteningly defenseless. He lost his ability to manipulate ice, he lost a good chunk of his superhuman strength and speed... he became in essence nothing more than an injured young man with a slight build who spent more time in the lab or out on the town than at the gym. He could be far too easily overpowered by a tougher ex-human opponent, especially one who had been trained all his life to hunt and kill vampires. Aido had still put up one hell of a fight apparently, but it would not have ultimately been enough.

Zero understood perfectly what must have happened then. Unable to pull on his vampire nature any longer and about to be killed, Aido must have done the last, desperate thing he could think of. He'd tried invoking one of his friend's hunter charms instead, since those were not as dependant on his vampire strength. It was an incredibly stupid thing to do, but trust Aido to be smart enough to do something stupid and have it actually almost work.

"It didn't... quite work..." Aido was starting to tremble again. "Mostly it-it backfired on me, but-but it kind of worked. Even if it was just because he-he was on top of me and he got th-the backwash... it d-did hurt him. It didn't kill him, but it was really strange. He... he looked so shocked, like he was waking up. He... he grabbed his neck and looked at his hands and then he..." deep confusion was painted on the young noble's pale face. "He put the gun to his own head," he whispered. "He... he just... killed himself."

Zero closed his eyes for a moment. He knew what had happened. What confused Aido made perfect sense to him. Aido was right, the hunter's will had been stripped and bound, but his mind must not have been completely overwritten. Somewhere inside he must have still been aware, must have known he was a slave, just like Zero had known when Shizuka took over his body and prevented him from interfering with her plans for Yuki once, years ago. When Aido wounded his attacker with the hunter charm, it had repressed the bound ex-human's vampire side enough to allow the hunter's consciousness and will to re-assert control for a few moments. The hunter had then been free to choose death rather than face knowing he would return to the servitude of his pureblood master as soon as he healed. Zero could understand the choice. If things had been different... but fortunately, they hadn't been.

"What did he look like?" A sudden, terrible suspicion had crept into Zero's mind.

Aido frowned as if trying to recall. He swallowed several times. "D-dark hair, medium build, dark eyes. I-I don't remember much more. I think he had a kind of scar over his right eye, maybe."

Zero closed his eyes for a moment. Well, now he knew what had happened to at least one of those two hunters who had disappeared so mysteriously not long ago. They hadn't been taken out by their quarry at all. They had probably been lured and trapped just like he had been, only the price they paid had been much, much steeper. They had probably been the ones who were in turn instructed to trap him and set this whole mess in motion.

"Why did you come to the lab in the first place, Aido?" Kaname asked gently, not liking having to grill the critically injured vampire, but knowing that time was of the essence for all of them. "Did Dr. Kish want you to come here?"

"Yes," Aido murmured, shifting his gaze back Kaname. "She left me messages. She sounded really worried. She said... said Sato Labs' network had been... compromised. She'd found things... I'm not sure what exactly, but she was terribly upset. She said she thought we were wrong about... the virus. The way it was manifesting in us, the blood tablet intolerance... according to her, it is a side-effect, not the g-goal. She seemed too a-afraid to say what she thought the goal really was. I've never heard her like that. She had test data she needed me to see. She wanted my-my opinion in case she was wrong. Said she was at the Sato lab and was uploading it to our shared server, so I came here to retrieve it."

Aido coughed fitfully, although he seemed in less pain now that Kaname was concentrating on him, and speech seemed to be coming easier. "Naija... is she all right?" he asked suddenly.

Kaname's expression didn't change, but his eyes were sad. Zero blanched slightly. "I'm sorry, Aido. It could have been a trick. Either accidentally or intentionally she may have lured you here..." he murmured, trying to soften the blow that was coming.

"No!" Aido shook his head emphatically. "You don't understand. She... she was scared. She's never scared..." he swallowed with difficulty. "When I got here... there was one more message. Not on my phone, but on the computer, with the files. She must have recorded it in a hurry, straight on to the server through her video conference feed. I only just had time to see it before..." he swallowed convulsively, trying to push back the terrifying memory of the attack. "Before," he repeated simply.

Zero glanced over at Kaname. The smashed computers. It wasn't Aido's research that had been the target, it was whatever Naija had sent him, and whatever she had told him. Hadn't Diachi said something to the effect that Naija had been killed in his lab and it had been conveniently trashed in the process? No doubt, whatever she had had on that end had been as thoroughly destroyed as Aido's set up here had been.

"That last message was... bad," Aido closed his eyes, recalling it with a shiver. He'd been so horrified and absorbed watching the video that he'd not heard the intruder behind him until it was almost too late. He ducked only just in time as the computer exploded in front of him... Aido struggled to keep himself in the present.

"Naija said someone had attacked them. Granger had been killed. One of the attackers was killed too and she got away but the other was still after her. I-I think she knew why, but she didn't have time to tell me," there was an agony of frustration in Aido's pained blue eyes as they locked on Kaname again. "She wanted me to tell you... she said I had to tell you... Diachi-sama..." Aido's consciousness wavered slightly. Kaname had leaned close to catch the soft, failing words and Aido unconsciously reached out and gripped the front of the pureblood's shirt. He clung to it as if to keep from falling into the waiting darkness. His blackened fingers left a dirty crimson stain on the pureblood's clothing which would have horrified him if he'd been aware enough to notice. "She said... must tell... Kaname-sama..." he was starting to fade out again, but fighting valiantly.

Kaname's grip was gentle as his hand closed around Aido's, and only Zero could see the urgent flicker in his lover's steady gaze. "Diachi? What did she say about Diachi, Aido? This is very important; I need you to tell me. Hang on, Hanabusa..." he said in soothing but commanding tones, stroking Aido's hair again and exerting a lot of effort to keep him conscious. "Was Diachi the one behind the attacks?"

"N-no..." Aido groaned with effort, obviously fighting with everything he had to obey Kaname and deliver his message. "She said... he's in... danger..." he mumbled. "They're going to-to kill him."

In the stunned silence, Aido's eyes started to drift close and he battled to open them again. Kaname and Zero exchanged confused and stupefied looks. That was not what they expected to hear, nor did it make any sense.

"Who are they, Aido? Who wants to kill Diachi?" Kaname asked in the same soothing tones.

"I don't know..." Aido looked frustrated and regretful again. "That's what I-I meant. I think she knew... she talked like... she knew, but she didn't say. She was so worried for him, but there wasn't time. The transmission cut off abruptly after a few seconds. She only just had time to say that he was going to kill Diachi-sama, and going to make it look..." his eyes held Kaname's with glazed, intense concern. "...like you had killed him, Kaname-sama."