Disclaimer: All characters (unless not recognized) belong to Hino-sensei, and any pop culture references do not belong to me.

“Zero? It’s time to go. Come on, brother,” Ichiru urged from the doorway.

When Zero didn’t move, he crossed the floor and sat by him. The elder was curled into himself, and he looked as if he had been crying.

“Brother? I know it’s hard on you, and I’m sorry that it happened so quickly. I was blind-sighted too! I had no idea it would come to this. Please, just get up and out of bed.”

“You…don’t…understand,” Zero muttered miserably.

“Okay, so maybe I don’t understand, but that’s besides the point. Mother and Father are already dressed. We have an hour until it starts. Please, be presentable, or Toga-sensei will come up here and do it himself. You have half an hour,” He concluded, sighing.

Not saying anything, Zero remained laying there. Ichiru, either giving up or going to get Yagari, he did not know, left. Nor did he even care. Let them try and take him. He’ll fight them all if he had to.

How this happened, even he wasn’t so sure of it himself. When had he fallen in love? He couldn’t recall the day. All he knew, was at this very second, all he wanted to do is shoot that pureblood in the neck. Closing his eyes, and reliving the time before, tears fell silently and slowly down his face. It pooled at his nose, and slowly dripped.

----

“Zero, Ichiru! Come down here! I want you to meet someone!” Yagari called from downstairs.

The twins, fourteen at the time, raced down the steps. Ichiru almost tripped on his pant legs, but Zero caught him.

“Silly Ichiru! You know better than to put my pants on!” Zero teased, helping him back on his feet.

“I know, Onii-san. But I want to be just like you!” Ichiru said, holding on to his arm.

Zero smiled, and replied, “But I like you as Ichiru!”

They laughed, and walked down the rest of the way together. Zero automatically tensed, feeling a vampire near. He slowly looked toward the brunette standing by his master. They looked to be around the same age, except that this kid seemed shyer. Hiding Ichiru behind his own body, he moved cautiously toward the pair.

Suddenly, Kaien jumped out.

“Helloo~ Zero and Ichiru! Have you met my new little friend?” He asked, as he put his hands on the shoulders of the kid and pushed them forward.

Yagari laughed, and started the introductions. “Zero, Ichiru, this is Kuran Kaname. He’ll be starting school with you guys, and so will be staying with the Kiryuu family. As you already sensed, he’s a vampire, but his family is…tamed and won’t go blood thirsty. So please, welcome him, and make him feel at home.”

Ichiru moved from behind Zero, and grabbed the other boys hand. Shaking it excitedly, he was smiling. “I’m Ichiru!”

The brunette looked alarmed, but replied shakily, “K-Kaname.”

Motioning toward his brother he said, “And this is Zero. He’s going to be one of the best hunters there ever was! Right Zero?”

Skipping back to Zero, he grabbed his hand and pulled him closer to Kaname. Both boys’ eyes widened as the distance between them closed. Soon they were only an arm’s length away. The older hunters held their breaths as they were joined by the twins’ parents.

“Pure blood?” Zero said, astonished.

The adults were quite shocked that he could tell the difference.

Kaname nodded, and said, “And you…a hunter?”

“Not yet, but I am training. Not that I would kill a pure blood, unless with proper cause.”

“And I wouldn’t kill anything, without the need. You know I don’t kill for blood, correct?” he asked, moving closer.

The silver haired boy noticed his advanced, but didn’t do anything about it. “I hope all vampires would be more gentle. But then again, it is the nature of the beast, no?”

Kaname smiled, and stepped closer. “We have an understanding then.”

Zero smiled as well, and stuck out his hand. “Of course.”

The adults in the room were shock by the development, and didn’t understand what they meant. These kids shouldn’t be able to stand each other, or be so close to each other without disgust. Even for the Kiryuu parents it was hard being around Kaname, even as a child. But there was something there, a seed being planted.

----

Zero opened his eyes, thinking about that first meeting. How Kaname’s dusty rose eyes shined when he smiled, the blush that appeared on his face when their hands touched. It was one of the sweetest memory he had, and he never wanted to forget a second of it.

Thinking of what followed that day, the tears came faster.

----

The first day for Kaname was hard enough, but adding on his shyness and the fact that he was a vampire…well he would have been an outcast if it wasn’t for the Kiryuu twins. Thanks to Ichiru and his nature, people were naturally drawn to him. Given that, and Zero’s mysterious aura, they were the most popular kids at Cross Academy.

Most kids went out of their way to be mean to Kaname. Either because he was shy, or because he hung around the Kiryuu’s, it didn’t matter. Some already had staked a claim on them, and Kaname was just interrupting things.

Zero didn’t know what was happening, since Kaname always seemed happy around him. He always seemed to brighten up when he came around, and be even happier when he hugged him. Neither of them cared that hugging at their age would be considered, in most cases, queer. They had a genuine connection, and no one would ruin that.

But then, one day, Zero was roaming the grounds, searching for Kaname, when he stumbled upon a disturbing scene. One of the kids, Kyo, who would hang around them, was bleeding. Kaname had pushed him for teasing him.

“You freak! Why did you push me?!”

Kyo’s friend was there with him. Haruki looked angry and pushed Kaname against a tree and held him there. “Now you’re gonna get it, you queer. You don’t think we see the way you look at Zero-sama?!”

Quickly, Kyo pushed himself off the ground, and moved closer. Zero noticed Kaname’s eyes begin to glow red. The blood! He thought fiercely. When was the last time Kaname had fed? He didn’t know, but he couldn’t let Kaname go blood crazy now!

“Do you want to get it up the butt? Is that why you stick around Zero-sama so much?! If you want that, we’d be happy to oblige!” The bigger kid, Haruki, said, ripping the front of his pants off.

Kaname wasn’t reacting, already picking up the scent of Kyo’s blood in the air. How long was he going to let this go on!

Kyo was reaching toward him when he got tackled. Zero was on top of him, and clasped his hand over the cut on his elbow.

“Get out of here, scum,” he growled.

Haruki quickly turned, and let go of Kaname when he saw it was Zero. Kaname took this time to calm himself down.

“Zero-sama! We were just-”

“Getting out of here. Now, before I do something I might regret,” he said dangerously.

The boys looked at each other, torn between their own safety and finding out what he could be alluding to.

“Now!” He shouted.

They ran off together, and Zero looked toward Kaname. The boy was shaken, and trying to hide his torn pants.

“I-I wasn’t going to do anything, Ze-Zero-sama,” he stammered out.

Smiling gently, Zero took off his own jacket and handed it to Kaname. “Tie that around your waist.”

“Are you…are you angry with me?” He asked, and quickly did as he was told.

Zero grabbed the boy and hugged him. He held him closed, and didn’t let him go for several minutes. Kaname was shocked, but stood there. He gasped when he felt the tears land on his neck.

“How long…how long as that been going on?” His question muffled, since his face was buried in Kaname’s hair.

“Since I first began school.”

Zero gasped, and continued, “Why…? Why didn’t you ever tell me?”

He felt him shrug, and then say, “I didn’t want to burden you. I didn’t want you to worry about me, already you have too much to deal with, Zero-sama.”

He pulled away, and looked down at Kaname. Silver eyes met dark rose ones, and tears were only falling from one pair of them.

“Never, never think you are burdening me. Ever. Okay?”

Kaname nodded, and Zero pulled him into another hug. This would be yet another promise that he knew he would keep.

----

He got up, and walked unsteadily to the closet. Hindsight told him that it was that day he fell in love. When Kaname had achieved to getting under his skin. Smiling, he pulled out the suit and inspected it.

Something that he would pick out, to a T. It was as if, they didn’t even had to try back then, like it came naturally for them. Even as the grew older, and Zero grew more attached, they didn’t have a care in the world. But, when he did recognize his feelings for the pure blood, it wasn’t as easy. He had to force it. He had to try not to seem like cared that much.

Plus his relationship with Ichiru was getting strained since he focused so much on Kaname.

----

“Okay, why are you always with him?” Ichiru asked.

At this point, they had turned seventeen. Kaname was away visiting vampire noble families.

“I am not always with him. He’s not even here!”

“You were on the phone with him, when you promised to have dinner with me!” He said angrily, slamming his fist into the table.

“I did have dinner with you.”

“No. You had dinner with Kaa-naa-mee! Your precious! What happened with us, Nii-san? We were always together, and then this…this blood sucker enters your life, and now what?! You’ve been tamed by him?”

Zero slapped Ichiru, and he went falling to the ground. Holding on this cheek, tears stung the corners of his eyes.

“I guess this what has become of the better Kiryuu twin then? You disgust me,” he spat as he climbed up and ran.

Staring in disbelief at his hand, Zero couldn’t process what he just did. Didn’t he make a promise, long ago, to protect him in any situation? Didn’t he say that he was always going to be his most beloved, his most precious, that which he holds above all?

And now, a vampire walks into his life, and this is what he is? Shaking his head, he dialed Kaname to talk to him about it.

“Hello?” The vampires voice never failed to soothe him. “Zero, guess what?”

“What, Kaname?” he asked, in a light tone.

“I have a surprise when I get back! I’m sure you’ll like it!”

“If it’s from you, I will.”

“You’ll see when I get home. Which will be…tomorrow! Meet me at the park, around noon?”

“Of course, anything for you.”

“Oh, I have to go! But I will see you tomorrow, Zero-sama!”

“What did I say about calling me that?”

“Sorry, I’m just so used to it. I’ll see you,” he finished, and hung out.

Sighing, Zero put away his cell phone too. The things Kaname does to him.

----

He tied the shoes, and thought if he had any idea of what was going to happen at that park, he never would have went. Shaking his head, he stood, and looked at himself in the mirror.

The same, ignorant boy he always has been. The same sullen face, with that same indifferent look. What a difference several years apart could make.

----

Leaning against a tree, Zero looked down at his shoes. They were his hunter shoes, and allowed him to run faster with grip so he wouldn’t fall. Ichiru hated them because he couldn’t get a pair, since he wasn’t an official hunter. Smiling ruefully, he thought of the second argument this morning. Almost angry with him, Ichiru tried to make sure that Zero didn’t leave the house.

But being physically stronger than his twin, he ran and quickly lost him.

“Zero!”

He heard the voice he had been waiting to hear. The face he hadn’t seen in person for almost two months. Pushing up from the tree, thin arms quickly went around his waist, and a face burrowed itself into his chest. Laying his hand on the others head, he petted him.

“Kaname, energetic as always,” he said lovingly.

Pulling away quickly, Kaname smiled up at him. “Ready for that surprise?”

Nodding, Kaname smiled even bigger. This moment was perfect, in his mind at least. Here was Kaname, bathed in the natural light of the sun, and yet even being a vampire, he could sand there with him. His dark features lightened here, and made him look enchanting. As if the sun caused him to…sparkle almost. Zero stood in the shadow, so he hoped as soon as he stepped toward him, he’d be engulfed in the same light, and be just as perfect.

“Okay, wait here.”

Kaname quickly walked away, and Zero pondered what this could be. Something big, it seemed like. What seemed like eternity for Zero, was really only a couple of minutes, Kaname returned.

Leading a young girl by the hand, he walked up to Zero with an indescribable smile. It wasn’t his smile, it was that of a stranger. The girl had long brunette hair, and could pass of as his sister almost. But he saw the way Kaname was looking at her.

With the love that he never had for him. As if she made his world absolutely complete, and that wasn’t him.

His heart broke into a million pieces in that instant, when he realized why they were holding hands. Pure blood traditions, family marries. This must be the sister.

“This is Yuuki, she’s my fiancé, and I wanted you to meet her,” Kaname said hopefully.

“It’s a pleasure to meet you, Zero-sama,” the small girl- Yuuki- piped up.

“It’s Kiryuu-sama,” Zero said in a cold voice.

Visibly shock by his coldness, Kaname shook his head. “He warms up, trust me!”

Shaking his head in disgust, Zero walked between the two roughly and kept going. Tears were threatening to spill.

No, no. You must be strong. You knew this day would come. You knew you two could never be. No. Be strong!

“Zero-sama! Zero-sama!” He heard the boy calling after him, and running.

He felt a firm hand grab his wrist. “Zero-sama, what’s wrong?”

He didn’t turn to face him, embarrassed as the tears fell fluidly.

“Don’t ever put your hands on me, blood sucker,” he said and snatched his hand away.

Almost feeling the hurt from Kaname, he ran. He didn’t stop until he got home, and then, with the inquiries after Kaname, he shut himself away in his room.

Feeling foolish for not having listened to his twin, he opened the drawer where his album was. The pictures of them, how happy they were! Tears were falling onto the page of the last picture, right before Kaname left. He had kissed Zero on the cheek for good luck, since he was leaving for a mission.

Was this death, then?.

He couldn’t contain his sobs anymore. He cried that whole night, and the weeks following it. Only Ichiru was allowed near him, and even then, he didn’t speak.

Two months later, he came out, a dead man. No emotions, nothing. He became an efficient hunter, cold, calculating, and clever. Exactly what they were looking for.

His rank quickly rose, and no one bothered to stop him. Or help him. Even Ichiru moved on with his own life, viewing it as a lost cause.

Zero was totally lost in himself, that even he couldn’t help himself.

Kaname went on to become the leader of the vampires, like he was destined. Because of his peaceful ways, that left Zero with less and less missions to go on. He had no outlet for the violent feelings inside himself.

This was the time of his life that he could never look back to. It was the lowest point, when he had hit rock bottom. When he didn’t know if he was human anymore. When he most wanted to die.

Then, a simple envelope arrived. One for each member of the family. Automatically, Zero recognized the pure bloods handwriting- he couldn’t even think the name to himself- and wanted to burn them. But Yagari said it was a mission.

They had to attend the wedding because humans and hunters were going to be there. They had to be there because it was a personal invite from Kaname himself.

---

He gripped his heart. Why was he still feeling this? Why hasn’t he moved on yet? Wouldn’t this prove to him, that Kaname couldn’t love him the same? But there was something there. There had to be, he couldn’t have been imagining any of it!

“I see you finally decided to dress up,” Yagari’s voice sounded from the doorway.

“Yeah,” Zero croaked.

“Come then.”

He nodded, and they walked down together. No one said a word to him, but Ichiru held his hand. As if knowing he need the support.

Looking at his twin, he smiled weakly and mouthed the words, ‘Thank you.’ Ichiru simply nodded, and didn’t let go of his hand.

They made it in time, and everyone was still filing in. It reminded Zero of a very different scene, not two years ago. But that was something that hurt Zero, and yet he had forced himself to go. It was that day that proved to be the worst day. But he accepted it, and tried to move on.

---

Walking into the church, he stood by the groom’s side of the building. As much as it pained him to have to be here, he had to be.

A blond vampire came running up to him.

“Hanabusa,” Zero said calmly.

“Kaname-sempai would like to have a word with you,” the blond said under his breath.

Pain shook Zero. Why would Kaname do this to him? Wasn’t the fact that he showed up good enough for him?

“He says please. Before he gets married.”

Nodding, Zero followed him to the back. Knocking, he opened the door. He left the other vampire outside, and walked in.

His breath caught.

“Kaname,” he sighed.

He was sitting in the moonlight, staring out the window. He turned his head when he heard Zero, and smiled. It was the smile that he knew, the smile that even Yuuki couldn’t take away from him.

“Zero-sama,” the other said.

Standing up he crossed the room, and was a couple of feet away. Sticking out his hand, he smiled hopefully. Zero bit his lip, should he take the hand? He hasn’t touched this man in more than two years. Why now?

But urges taking him over, he grabbed him. He held him close, and hugged him. Tears were falling from his eyes quickly.

Clinging to the man, Zero cried. “I-I love you, Kaname. I’m sorry, I’m sorry. I know I shouldn’t but I do! I’m sorry…”

He felt arms around him, and heard the pure blood chuckle.

“I’m happy to finally hear you say that, Zero-sama. I-I…I love you too. But I can’t do this. This, right here, is my destiny. I can’t change it.”

“You can’t try? Do you know how long I’ve been hurting?”

“Yes. You never contacted me. Do you know how lonely you made me feel?” Kaname asked as he pulled away.

Zero looked down at him. Smiling gently, he caressed his cheek. “When did you grow up?”

“When I realized I had to. Without you, I was a mess. But I had to pull myself out of it, and I did. I couldn’t need you anymore, much as I wanted to.”

He didn’t know what made him do it, but he kissed him. Their lips collided, and he tasted Kaname for the first time. Sweet and yet spicy, with that unique scent that could only be him. Their tears mingled, and then Kaname pushed him away.

“I told you…I can’t. I want…I can’t. I’m sorry, Zero.”

Nodding, Zero smiled. “I know. Please, be happy.”

Kaname didn’t look back up until he saw him leaving. Be happy. Those two words would be his solace. They had to be.

“Zero! The wedding is about to star- Were you crying?” Yagari asked him.

“Everyone cries at weddings.”

The music started, and the bride came out. Almost as beautiful as Kaname, but his eyes weren’t on her. They were on the man at the alter. The man who had stolen his heart.

----

Zero walked in with the rest of his family. Surrounding him, all these people crying.

Had they even known the man?

“Zero!” A voice called his name.

He turned, and Yuuki ran into his arms. She was sobbing. “Yuuki, come on. We have to be strong.”

They stood at the front row. The ceremony wasn’t long, since vampires didn’t need funerals. Tears filled Zero’s eyes when he remembered how Kaname had died.

Had died in his arms.

----

It was a bloody battle. Hopefully, the last between the resistant vampires, and the hunters. Kaname had been on his side, and they were fighting together.

Zero was indifferent to him, and Kaname acted the same. Professional, being able to play the role.

Suddenly, the other side blew something toward them, and blood went everywhere.

Kaname’s.

The shot was originally planned for Zero, but by some stroke of fate, he had moved out of the way per Kaname’s presence. Eyes widening when he realized it could be fatal, he ran to him.

The man was bleeding profusely, and he knew this would be bad, even for a pureblood.

“Kaname! Kaname! It’s okay, just drink some of mine!”

“No…it’s meant…to be…like this…”

“No! No! Fight for me! Please!” He shouted around him, “Someone help! Please!”

No one was in sight. They had their own battles to fight. He was on his own.

“Ze-Zero. I love you. I always have, and always will. Don’t forget that.”

“Kaname, I won’t let you die! I can‘t! I just…”

He smiled gently up at him, “I’m already dead. Take care of Yuuki for me.”

Tears were running down his face, as he held him in his arms.

“I love you, Zero.”

“I love you too, I love you too!” He sobbed, and pressed his lips down to the vampires.

He was disappearing, the last traces of the man he loved…blown in the wind. It was the hardest moment. Letting him go.

Letting him go.

-----

A hand gripped his. He looked down, it was Yuuki’s.

“Be happy,” she whispered.

He nodded.

Be happy, Kaname. Be happy, forever.

He would be happy, for Kaname. He would be happy, for himself.

A/N: So, as you can see this is an AU. And I’m going with the idea that Kaname wasn’t fully developed, even though some say that purebloods grow up faster. He was weak, because he didn’t get the necessary blood growing up. ^^ Please review, it makes me happy.