~l+l~ Hunters and Hunted ~l+l~ (Claude's Bird / Vampire Knight)

[Silver Radiance]

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Kaien Cross x Zero Kiryu

 

Concept:

 

Yuki and Kaname have already left. Zero has moved out of Cross Academy into his own apartment but still attends every day as normal. The Vampiric urges inside of Zero have only been subdued, not cured in the least. The only thing left for Zero to do is continue on as he has been, acting as a guardian at the academy, trying to protect the human students from the possibility of attack. Without the night class present, it has been a lot more silent. The odd Vampire attack here and there simply because of the events that transpired at Cross Academy.

 

With little left to live for, Zero practically just waits for death or the complete extinction of all Vampires at his own hand.

 

Kaien Cross, still acting Head Master of Cross Academy, notices the pain and suffering Zero has been through all this time and sees an individual much like himself, with little left in the world, seeking for a reason to exist.

 

~Silver Radiance / Zero Kiryu~

[Claude's Bird]

An angry wind tore down the emptying street, tugging at the hair and clothes of the few people that were still out and about hurrying to reach the warmth of their houses for the evening before the rain would come down from the gloomy clouds overhead. It was going to be a stormy night.

 

Kaien Cross ducked deeper into the flipped-up collar of his long dark coat, preventing the greedy fingers of the wind from snatching away the ribbon that held his long blond hair in a loose ponytail, golden eyes habitually scanning everyone approaching from behind thin oval glasses. A hunter was always on guard after all, and times like these, when people were too busy running from the weather to pay attention to what was around them, made good opportunities for hungry vampires looking to secure themselves some easy meals.

 

He tugged his coat tighter around his slim frame, allowing his eyes to drift to the light streaming from the windows he passed. The warmth radiating from the houses, cozy scenes of families having dinner and enjoying eachother's company playing before him, painfully reminded him of how cold and empty his own house was since Yuuki left and Zero moved out, a cold he hadn't experienced for the past ten years but that had firmly wormed its way back into his heart. It was as if the only thing providing him with some much-needed warmth these days was his trusty woolen vest and the thick knitted green shrug he practically lived in, but even that was only on the outside and had ceased to give him any real comfort ages ago.

 

It wasn't his own need for comfort that had him out on the streets in this weather though. He knew that Zero was struggling with recent events much harder than he himself did, having lost pretty much everything he had in such a short amount of time and fighting his own deeply resented vampiric tendencies at the same time. His adoptive son had chosen to leave home after Yuki went with Kaname and live alone in the apartment Cross was currently heading to, to make sure he wouldn't attack the students at the Academy should he lose control. He had told Cross about the hunger the first time the headmaster came to visit him, and Cross had been worried about it every night since.

 

Zero...

 

The silver haired youth's lavender eyes had been filled with a disturbing emptiness lately, thinly veiled by a fiery rage directed at anything vampire, a combination only too familiar to the blonde hunter. After all, he had also let himself fall prey to rage and vindictive bloodlust after losing so much all those years ago, attempting to get through an otherwise empty existence.

 

The boy was so much like Cross himself when he was younger that it was both amazing and intensely painful for the older hunter to watch. Even though he usually contented himself with watching over Zero from a distance, tonight with this depressing weather the usual worry that the boy might collapse under the immense weight he was trying to carry alone when he wasn't there to catch him was too strong to ignore. Tonight he needed to be closer for some reason, make sure that the boy wasn't alone in his suffering. They only had eachother left now...

 

Alright, maybe it wasn't just Zero's need for comfort that had him out on the streets in this weather after all.

[Silver Radiance]

The streets seemed far too soulless on a night like this.

 

The wind was howling with the intense vicious nature of a beast baring its fangs all too eager to tear everything apart, if only it were given the chance. The darkness, both consuming and concealing at the same time, aching to provide the best possible backdrop for creatures of the night to have an opportunity to strike. The rain, that started in but a few icy droplets that had started to multiply, making the street slick and slippery, as if lubricated for death.

 

Why was it always on nights like this, he felt as if the eyes of the woman long since dead were still watching him closely, fangs bared and waiting to pierce him yet again?

 

Lavender eyes narrowed, soft silver strands caressing pale cheeks while the Hunter glared into the blackness, trying his best to ignore those icy torrents of rain that seemed all the more frequent, the closer he got to home, like a warning. There was no way his ramen was going to still be hot by the time he got indoors. Clutching the bag tightly, those long slender legs moved at a slightly accelerated pace when the realization hit him. There was definitely a Vampire near by.

 

Even when he was very young, Zero had been able to sense the dark creatures before even his parents. A talent which had not been able to save him from tragedy in the past yet he relied on to hunt in the present. Sadly, as much as he wanted to just kill whatever Vampires he found, it had been very clearly stated by the Hunters Association that only the individuals placed on the list would require slaying. If Zero ever hoped to become the head, he needed to play by their foolish rules, if only for now.

 

Ignoring the presence, the dripping wet Hunter made a turn toward the apartment and couldn't help but notice the creature seemed to have followed him. Was it possible that they were just going the same direction? Perhaps someone who was fonder of Vampires would have come to that conclusion, but Zero got the distinct impression he was being followed. Turning again, the careful hunter pressed that strong back against the brick wall and waited, feeling each icy droplet cascading over his pale face as those lavender eyes narrowed with annoyance, still sensing the creature drawing closer even though it should have been obvious now he was well aware of its presence.

 

Without hesitation, Zero leapt out and grasped onto the collar he saw first and shoved the one he had been sensing hard against the wall, glaring menacingly at golden eyes that seemed all too familiar for some reason. Without loosening his hold, Zero leaned in to realize the man before him was indeed the Head Master, soaking wet from the rain with a rather goofy smile on his face.

 

Zero was not the least bit impressed.

 

"Why are you following me?"

 

Releasing the older Hunter, the Kiryu survivor glared unpleasantly. It happened all too often that he mistook the man for a Vampire. The feeling he gave out was exactly the same as them, it threw off a lot of the other hunters that had the same senses that he did. One day, it very well might get him killed. Though to be fair, he had lasted over 200 years already without being slain by mistake.

 

"Do you still expect me to come back to the dorms?"

[Claude's Bird]

The rain started when Cross was only two blocks away from the apartment building he was heading for, leaving the blonde hunter completely drenched within seconds and clearing the streets of all signs of life in about the same amount of time. The rain slapped angrily into his face, the droplets covering his glasses and reducing the world in front of him to not much more than a blur, preventing him from recognizing the person that appeared up ahead and soon disappeared.

 

Just when he decided he needed to be extra careful to enter the apartment should Zero not be home so as not to get shot at like the last time he was here, something lunged out at Kaien slamming him into the opposite wall hard, almost knocking the wind out of him.

 

He blinked and raised a hand to fruitlessly wipe the rain from his glasses in an attempt to see better, finding himself staring into a pair of fiery lavender eyes, a disarming goofy smile plastering itself over his fine features instantly even before he recognized a rather hostile-looking Zero as their owner.

 

"Oops, you got me..."

 

He shuddered lightly at the slender, but surprisingly strong hands currently keeping his collar in a vice-like grip. Such hate, such murderous intent, yet such self-control at the same time. Zero must have mistaken him for a vampire. Again. He was momentarily distracted by the raindrops running down those pale cheeks, hanging off the long lashes like small diamonds. They looked like tears... The realization flashed through Kaien's head that he had never once seen Zero with tears in his eyes, not even after Shizuka murdered the boy's entire family ... He forced himself to concentrate on the situation at hand, the goofy smile shifting into a sheepish grin.

 

"I wasn't following you, it's not a crime for a father to come visit his only son, is it? Although admittedly it would have been better for my personal safety if I'd called ahead."

 

He glanced down at his collar to emphasize his point, sighing lightly in relief when those strong hands released him. Zero definitely could be dangerous even to him if he wanted to. The boy's distrust at even the person who had been taking care of him for the past 5 years made Cross' heart ache, but he knew everything that smelled of vampire was like a red flag to the younger hunter and considering everything that had happened he couldn't blame him one bit.

 

"And no, you made it perfectly clear you wanted to stay here while you're not attending school, and as long as you do attend the school that's fine with me."

 

He shivered as cold droplets ran down his neck and leaked into his coat onto the last bits of his skin that had hitherto remained dry and warm, suddenly realizing how soaked they both were. He could feel his clothes cling heavily to his body, water dripping into his shoes. The boy in front of him wasn't faring much better. Zero's hair was plastered against his scalp, caressing over those delicate features like molten silver, water dripping freely down that soft, tattooed neck and into the younger's coat and shirt that were inevitably unbuttoned at the top. His beautiful boy... The smell of ramen suddenly wafted into the older hunter's nostrils, snapping him back to reality. He glanced over at the bag now lying on the street. Zero's favorite food.

 

"Mind if we continue this inside? I think your dinner would appreciate that too if it's still salvageable."

[Silver Radiance]

The chill slowly crept up on those pale fingers so tense around the soaked coat that had usually offered such comforting warmth to the slender body, now only providing a heavy trap for moisture hanging from strong shoulders. Just why did it have to rain when he wasn't in the mood for such things? Feeling cold and lonely was quite sufficient without the added precipitation.

 

Though the introvert wanted to hear nothing of what this deceptively young looking ex-hunter had to say, instinctively he listened regardless and as per usual, those ears were not too pleased with anything that came out of that overly cheerful mouth.

 

There were so many things wrong with everything the ex-hunter was saying. Though he was Zero's Headmaster, certainly, he had never agreed to be adopted by the older man, thus the concept of being his son was not only highly incorrect, but deeply disturbing to the Kiryu successor. The silver haired hunter had had one family and one family only and this clown had nothing to do with it. There was no way, he would ever call anyone else father again, not after...

 

"STOP calling me your son. I am NOT your son."

 

Tense hands released from the fists they had clenched into instinctively, a dark glare in those lavender orbs prominently delivering the message that he was far less than impressed with the stalking male who had dared to disturb his ritual of eating ramen in his small apartment alone and in silence. It had been his daily routine since Yuki had left with the love of her life and there was nothing more to do than exactly that. Be alone.

 

The solitude was all he could cope with anymore, even the time spent during the day around living people only seemed to irritate him to the point of hatred for no reason.

 

With the mention of ramen, Zero acknowledged within himself that finally some remnants of sense was being spoken and leaning down a hand grasped onto the soaked plastic bag with a heavy sigh, lifting the probably cold meal from the ground to walk toward the entrance to the apartment he would rather refer to as his 'black hole', where all hope had already died and slowly he was being sucked into nothingness, just waiting to completely disappear.

 

There was only one driving force that stopped the depressed Hunter from ending his own life, that was the goal of destroying Vampires, protecting his own species carefully with whatever time he was cursed to have left.

 

The bare fingers coiled around the biting plastic so much heavier with water accompanying the sealed dinner inside, the other hand reaching for keys in a pocket far too soaked to comply as usual. The kiss of wet metal against the digits brought the caress of cold with them offering up the realisation that there was always a deeper chill to look forward to.

 

Lifting the chiming keys the wet fingers dripped against the doorknob before clutching it tightly to turn, only offering the slightest slip before friction allowed him to gain a grip and open the barrier to step inside. Turning his head, pale cheeks were assaulted by the blissful streams of water that cascaded down diligently, aching to taste the Hunter's forbidden lips as they parted to issue a harsh warning.

 

"Hurry up before I lock you out, Headmaster."

[Claude's Bird]

"STOP calling me your son. I am NOT your son."

 

The smile died on the blonde Hunter's lips when the young Kiryu uttered those harsh words, sadness filling his golden eyes as a coldness that had nothing to do with the rain sent a shiver through his lithe body. He knew full well that the moody youth would never acknowledge anyone other than the late Kiryu-san as his father, nor would he ever show any outward affection the way Yuki did. The constant getting him to call Cross "dad", although serious in the beginning, had grown to be mostly just an in-game between them with them both knowing that Zero's irritated refusals were the closest the youth could get to showing that he did care. After all, if he really didn't care he wouldn't bother to stick around and blow up at the older hunter every time.

 

Still, even though Cross forced himself to keep that in mind, the words that were just spoken with such venom, laced with a rejection that he had never heard before, hurt worse than the icy rain assaulting his face. What had happened to the boy in the short time he had been living, or maybe rather surviving, here all alone? Once again he noticed the emptiness in those fiery lavender orbs, hiding away behind that flaring rage at everything and everyone. Even though part of him wanted to walk away, he knew this was exactly the reason why he ventured out here in the first place and another part suddenly desperately wanted to throw his arms around the boy and hold him tight and make all that pain and loneliness go away. Not that Zero would accept that, the only one he had allowed to touch him in such a manner all the time he lived with Cross had been Yuki.

 

"You are right, I apologize."

 

The words were spoken earnestly, no more silliness, even though deep inside he desperately wanted to go off in some silly rant just so he wouldn't have to deal with the impact of Zero's rejection just yet, so he wouldn't have to feel the pain and worry tugging at his heart. Cross pulled his soaked coat tighter around him, negating the urge to hug Zero by wrapping his arms around himself instead. For a moment he just stood there in the pouring rain as Zero turned away and walked up to his door, debating what to do, suddenly grateful that the water on his glasses didn't just make it hard for him to see, but also obscured his eyes from the younger male. The younger's gruff voice pulled him out of his thoughts.

 

"Hurry up before I lock you out, Headmaster."

 

His heavy heart suddenly felt lighter, and he hurried to follow the young Kiryu in. "Thank you, I very much appreciate your hospitality."

[Silver Radiance]

(Sorry for the massive delay, I will be responding to this shortly)

[Silver Radiance]

The apartment its self was rather cold and dark, as each light was turned on the blackness seemed to scurry away but not quite leave, hanging over each room like a dark cloud of fate waiting to devour Zero whole.

 

Setting the dripping plastic bag down, Zero immediately tugged off his coat, hanging it over the rack with a look of slight annoyance at the water dripping from the fabric. It was lucky there was tile by the front door, but if the moisture got into the carpet in the lounge room it would be quite annoying. This place was only rented after all so rotting the floor boards was not an option. It had been a fairly decent price for a one bedroom apartment subsidized by the Hunter's Association of course currently governed by Cross and Yagari. Even when trying to run away from the ex-hunter that had finally come out of retirement, it seemed as if he was being helped to do so.

 

It didn't matter though, it was only a matter of time before Cross realised the banter he had with Yagari was really just disguising his want to connect with the other Hunter in a more intimate manner. And why not? Yagari was quite masculine and talented after all. They both shared this connection, complimenting each other in a way that had irritated Zero in the beginning, valuing each of them for different reasons. However, all he wanted now was to see everything unfold as it should before he grew attached.

 

Just realising he was still holding onto that dripping coat, he finally released the soaked fabric and turned to Cross, motioning for the Headmaster to hang his coat up as well. The first door on the left was the bathroom and it was his first stop, retrieving two white, fluffy towels. Without hesitation he threw one at Cross, draping the other over his head to rub his hair dry against the strangely comforting softness.

 

Both hands reached down, ignoring the other male as he peeled off his jacket and uncoiled the loose tie, unbuttoning the white shirt to reveal that shivering slender form, muscular yet lithe. The towel was guided over the skin, so cold to the touch, making the younger Hunter cling to the fabric for a moment, his initial thought being to strip and dive into bed, turning his heat blanket on until he could surrender to sleep at least warm although alone.

 

"So you just wanted to visit? Nothing else?"

[Claude's Bird]

Cross shivered when he stepped into the tiny hall. Inside was cold, although obviously more agreeable than outside, and even though Zero flicked the lights on as soon as he was inside, the place breathed a certain gloominess the light couldn't chase away. He had to suppress the sudden urge to shake himself out like a dog, not that he was in the habit of doing that, whether in his own home or anywhere else, but this place desperately needed something silly and unexpected to take place, it deeply needed some life to it. The fact that Zero had been living in such a seemingly lifeless place again made the older Hunter think that maybe the youth had been more surviving than living lately and somehow made him all the more glad with his decision to come here tonight.

 

Cross was pulled out of his thoughts when Zero turned to him and motioned him to hang up his coat. "Ah yes, thank you," he mumbled. He reached up to unbutton the coat, staring at the small puddle that was beginning to form around his feet. He was going to have to find a mop and clean up this mess soon. The blonde hunter peeled off the soaked garment, revealing his usual attire underneath, minus the vest and shrug, those being too voluminous to wear under a coat. The black slacks clung wetly to his legs and even his mauve turtleneck showed large dark spots where the rain had soaked through. He hung the coat over the rack, turning back only to have a white fluffy towel thrown at him, snatching it out of the air before it could land on his head. He went to dry off his face, but stopped as he noticed Zero beginning to strip down and dry off his upper body.

 

For a moment the blonde hunter was caught by the movement of supple muscle rolling subtly under the smooth skin of the younger's back as he caressed the soft white fabric over his flesh. He was shivering, his pale, flawless skin currently ruddy in places where it had been in contact with wet cloth. The way the silver-haired youth held onto the fabric briefly made Cross wonder just how long it had been since someone had touched that smooth skin, had made him feel warm. Probably since Yuki left, since Zero never let anyone else touch him... A hand raised slowly, wanting to stroke him, run those strong but slender fingers through the mussed up silver strands under the pretext of smoothing them out, just to give him some of the physical contact he seemed to have been without for so long.

 

"So you just wanted to visit? Nothing else?" The hand froze midair when Zero spoke, then dropped back down. Maybe it was Cross' current state of mind, but those words sounded almost disappointed. He took a breath, hoping Zero would accept what he was going to say. "You may not want to believe it, but I missed you, Kiryu, the house is empty without you... And with this depressing weather, I figured instead of you being alone here and me sitting alone at home we might as well sit here together." He moved behind the other, wrapping his own towel around the younger's shivering shoulders, gently rubbing his upper arms, expecting to be slapped away any moment. "You're shivering. Why don't you go take a shower and I'll see if I can salvage your dinner, it's the least I can do. I promise I won't drip all over the place."