Pulse is back... no, no!" Aido was kneeling with his fingers pressed to his cousin's neck and his ear close to his mouth. Kain's сердце had stopped. Again. "Takuma!" Wide blue eyes were desperate, pleading as Aido's gaze shot back towards where Ichijo was kneeling with his hands on Kain's chest.
Takuma bit his lower lip, trying to keep his hands from shaking as he crossed them over Kain's сердце once more. He exhaled tensely, sending a careful little jolt of electricity into the unresponsive vampire's body, much like a defibrillator. It was hard, trying to control his power on this delicate a level. It was much easier to summon lightning bolts than to try to coax Kain's failing сердце back to life. It was easier to kill than to save.
Kain's muscles contracted automatically, chest arching up towards Ichijo's hands. Aido yelped softly in pain and yanked his fingers away from Kain's neck as the charge shot through his cousin and into his own body through the brief contact.
"Hands off, Aido!" Ichijo shot Aido a half frustrated, half apologetic and worried look. Both of them felt еще frazzled and shaken than they'd like to admit. Ichijo felt no movement under his hands. No rise and fall of breathing lungs или beating heart. He swore softly, somewhat raggedly and charged up again. He shot Aido a warning glance this time before he gave Kain another shock.
"Come on, Wild... come on..." Ichijo murmured under his breath, perspiration making his light brown hair cling to his brow as he bent over the other vampire. Eight times already, he'd brought Kain's сердце back online. Each time, it had failed again within minutes. Now... Ichijo honestly wasn't sure he was going to be able restart it again this time. He wasn't sure it would make a difference. Kain was bad off. The condition they had found him and Ruka in was completely inhumane.
Aido's fists curled in his lap as he sat helplessly, watching Ichijo try to bring his cousin back to life. Any other time, the events of the past night would have seemed quite a lark. They'd broken into one of the most secure vampire prisons in the region and pulled off a rescue that had to be worth bragging rights for the Далее few centuries at least. But all of it would mean nothing if they Остаться в живых Kain now.
He'd been in bad shape when they freed him, but Aido hadn't realized how bad. He'd obviously been interrogated and beaten, his vampire healing and strength intentionally kept suppressed by drugs. But he'd gotten out of his cell on his own two feet. He'd even insisted on helping support Ruka, who was also in bad shape and over whom Kain proved to be fiercely protective.
As they were making good their escape however... Kain had started Показ signs that something was wrong. He was slowing, stumbling, becoming disorientated. They had all almost been caught. There hadn't been time to do anything but drag Kain out of there any way they could. In the end Aido had simply carried him over his shoulder as they were forced to make a break for it, Ichijo continuing to help Ruka, who was at least still on her feet.
By the time they had finally reached a relative place of safety... Kain had stopped breathing. Unable to stay in the улица, уличный and with nowhere else to go, Ichijo had forced them an entrance into a boarded up diner. оранжевый signs in the dusty front windows сказал(-а) something about tax foreclosure. In the back, amid booths and little round tables stacked with up-ended chairs, they had spread a yellowed таблица cloth on the floor and laid Kain down upon it. Since then, Ichijo and Aido had been working feverishly to revive him, to keep him alive... but it wasn't looking good.
Ruka sat on the edge of one of the padded booths beside them. The way she leaned against the edge and the paleness of her skin betrayed her weakness, but the rage snapping in her cold eyes spoke only of worry and vengeance. Swollen, ugly burns and bruises traced up her right arm, disappearing under the prison рубашка she was still wearing and spoiled the graceful beauty of her face where they marred her cheek and neck. Those inquisition bastards... she had damn well better heal without a scar... but right now, that wasn't what was foremost on her mind.
Kain had tried to protect her. He'd gone berserker on their interrogators when they started burning her. He'd broken free of his restraints and almost killed one of them. That's why they'd changed his drugs to keep him еще subdued. That's why this was happening now. The doctors had warned them... she'd heard them in the other room, protesting the levels of anti-vampire drugs being pumped into Kain's body. They'd сказал(-а) it could build up in his system, could overload unexpectedly and kill him. The symptoms they'd described... it was what she was watching happen now. But their interrogators, those bastard Собаки of the Council, hadn't cared. All they cared about was trying to find out where Kaname was hiding.
Ironically... she and Kain really hadn't known the answer. It didn't matter though. Even if they had, they would never have spoken. They would have died before betraying Kaname. Now it appeared possible that Kain would anyway. Ruka closed her eyes, feeling both guilty and helpless and intensely hating both sensations.
She'd told Aido and Ichijo about the drugs, but there was nothing they could do. Kain needed to be in a hospital... but considering they'd just broken him out of prison and were all currently wanted fugitives, that was not an option. Taking Kain to a hospital would be the same as turning him back over to the authorities and it would be just as sure a death sentence.
Ichijo shocked Kain again, then slowly looked up towards Aido, giving his head a little shake. It was no good... Kain's body wasn't responding anymore.
Aido's lips pinched together hard and he battled the sharp, raw sting behind his eyes. AkatsukiKain had always been there for him. Always backed him up and took his side, even when Aido knew he was being a brat. He'd always сказал(-а) they were еще like brothers than cousins.
"No! Try again, Takuma, please..." Aido insisted. He couldn't let go.
Ichijo gave Aido an anguished but resigned look. "Aido... I'm sorry. Even if we could his сердце going once more, it will just stop again. The drugs are still too strong in his system, his body can't fight them. I... I'm sorry..." his throat felt like it was swelling closed. He looked down at Kain's still form, the roguishly wild brown hair fanned limply around his pale, bruised features. This was so wrong... if only they'd gotten to him sooner, if only... His gaze was drawn back up towards Aido as the younger vampire swiftly started shoving up his sleeves.
"His body's failing because the anti-vampire element of the drug is keeping it from healing and fighting the overdose like it normally would, right?" Aido responded to the unspoken Вопрос in Ichijo's eyes as he rolled his sleeves up over his elbows. His voice was hoarse, but the young vampire had that intent look on his face that he usually got when he was working out an insanely complex physics problem. Aido pulled a small, custom Swiss нож from his pants pocket and popped out the blade.
"Aido... what are you...?"
Aido sliced a clean, deep line across his right wrist, then his left. He pressed the wounds together, blood running down his forearms and dripping off his elbows before his body swiftly started trying to repair. Aido kept the cuts pressed tightly together so they couldn't close up too fast.
"Aido!" Takuma started вперед but Ruka's hand on his shoulder stopped him.
"He's trying to make a blood seal," she сказал(-а) softly, her voice too was a little hoarse. She knew what Hanabusa was thinking. She remembered the rainy days spent in the Aido family библиотека when she, Акацуки and Hanabusa were children. They would pull down the big, leather-bound Книги and spread them around on the floor, idly devouring histories of the vampire world, folklore, science, fairytales, philosophy... anything that struck their fancy. There'd been large volumes on charms and charm theory that had especially fascinated them and led to many experiments – some of which worked, some of which didn't, and almost all of which got them into trouble.
It was in that book that they'd read about blood seals. It wasn't something they'd ever dared try just for fun, but even after all this time she recognized the steps Aido was taking. She gripped Ichijo's shoulder tightly, not realizing she was squeezing so hard. Be careful, Aido... we're not playing anymore...
Ichijo's eyes widened slightly. He knew vaguely about blood seals, although mostly only from legend. Charms had never been much of an interest for him. His grandfather had always pushed him towards subjects like business and politics, even though he secretly detested both. "Does that really work?" he сказал(-а) uncertainly.
Aido was completely ignoring him, focusing on what he was doing as he placed his crossed wrists over Kain's chest, letting several drops of his blood fall onto the pale skin. He closed his eyes, chanting something softly under his breath.
"I don't know," Ruka whispered back honestly, her gaze riveted on the two cousins. "I know the theory, but I've never seen it done. Blood seals are too dangerous to attempt without great need. When a vampire creates one, they pass a certain portion of their life energy into the seal. The печать then passes that energy on to whomever it is bound to like a slow-release capsule, a little at a time. Sometimes it can create a temporary connection, allowing one vampire to draw from another's strength for as long as the печать persists. I suppose Ты could call it the precursor to artificial life support. Historically, before the advent of еще modern medicine, the idea was to sustain life until either help could be summoned, или until the injured vampire's body had a chance to heal sufficiently on its own in order to be able to sustain his или her own life once more..." Ruka's voice was faint and distant as she explained, as if she were reciting by memory something she had read long ago. She wasn't sure she should dare hope that the ancient charm would actually work in practice, but hope was about all they had.
What she didn't tell Ichijo, was that creating a charm was especially dangerous for a novice. According to the books, it was difficult to control how much of your own energy Ты locked into the печать and it was easy to give too much.
Aido's wrists had stopped bleeding. He uncrossed them and used his finger to carefully create a small symbol in blood on Kain's chest, over his heart. If he could just keep Kain alive until the drugs cleared from his system, until his own natural strength returned... please let this work. Closing his eyes again, Aido pressed his palm flat over the symbol he'd drawn as he murmured the closing words of the ancient charm in the dead language in which he had learned it long ago.
There was a faint flare of light that seemed to radiate up between his fingers, momentarily illuminating this dark little corner of the shabby, abandoned diner. Then the light vanished and Aido slid silently sideways like a puppet with the strings cut, sprawling unmoving on the floor beside his cousin.
"Aido!" Ichijo cried out in alarm, quickly leaning over and rolling the blonde onto his back, fingers searching for a pulse. Ruka, who had еще или less expected that to happen, slid out of her сиденье, место, сиденья with difficulty and knelt by Kain.
Ichijo was relieved to feel Aido's pulse. "He's just unconscious," he told Ruka as he looked back towards her.
Ruka knew that unconscious was most likely actually еще like in a coma but as long as Aido was in fact still alive, he would be all right. At least, so she hoped.
Ruka ran her fingers lightly across the mark on Kain's chest. The blood did not smear. It had not dried, but rather seemed to have turned into an immovable mark, like a tattoo. Aido had used a simplified version of the kanji for his own name. It didn't matter what shape the blood печать was formed in, but it was best if it was something personal to the one creating the seal.
Beneath the brownish-red mark... Kain's chest rose and fell hesitantly. Ruka's gaze quickly shot up to meet Ichijo's even as she checked for a pulse and put her hand by his mouth to check for air. "He's breathing! I'm getting a pulse... it's very weak, but it's there." A small thread of wonder ran through her. It had worked. It had actually worked. Her gaze slid towards where Aido lay. She had always seen him a bit like a pesky kid brother – always trailing along after her and Kain and bossing everybody around. But he had actually pulled this off, and she respected him for that.
"It worked?" Ichijo's face mirrored her wonder as he quickly scooted over to check Kain for himself. He confirmed that it was true. Kain's body was still struggling; laboring hard for every breath, for every heartbeat... but Aido's печать on his chest enabled him to live for now on his cousin's strength as the devastating drugs ran their course, slowly dissipating in his body.
Ichijo rocked back to sit on his heels, feeling incredibly drained. The past few days had been... unreal. First Aido, then Kain... If he never had to struggle to keep another person alive again, it would be too soon. He shook his head, glancing between Kain and Aido's still forms. "What do we do now?"
"We wait," Ruka replied, settling with a wince into a еще comfortable sitting position on the floor. "Wait for Kain to recover enough that he no longer needs to be bound to Aido. Once he's conscious, Kain is going to need to release the blood seal. I suspect Aido put too much energy into it... he will not be able to awaken until he has been released."
Ichijo frowned, both in concern at that news and at the cool, matter-of-fact tone of Ruka's voice, but he did not Комментарий on the latter. "What if one of them dies first, before the печать is released?" he inquired. Heaven forbid it should happen, but he was curious as well as concerned and Ruka obviously knew a lot еще on this subject than he did.
"I'm not sure," Ruka admitted with a small, thoughtful frown. "If Aido died, it's possible that his remaining strength would pass into the печать and remain forever bound to Kain until perhaps it should slowly expend itself over time. It would take centuries though, I imagine. I doubt Kain would be able to dissolve it in that case because it would have no living body to which it could return. Blood seals can only be released back to those whose blood created them."
Ichijo's eyebrows went up. "You mean it would be like in the old stories, where someone would have a 'magical' mark that gave them unnaturally long life или extra power?"
Ruka nodded. "Probably. My guess would be those stories were based off the idea of blood seals, although the truth of it was lost. As I said, they were once much еще common than they are now. Now if Kain died... I'm not sure if the blood печать would automatically release and pass back to Aido, или if..." Ruka hugged her injured arm a little closer to her chest. "Or if they would both die," she сказал(-а) quietly.
Outside the hotel, день had faded into evening, the last rays of the setting sun disappearing behind the high-rises and shopping malls.
Zero's face creased softly in pain, a familiar agony tightening his chest and piercing his slumber. His head throbbed as consciousness flittered near the edges of his awareness, but did not yet take hold. Even still mostly asleep, Zero knew what was wrong.
He was hungry.
Damn... that wasn't right... he'd drank so much of Kaname's blood not that long ago, shouldn't he be all right for a good while yet? The first time he'd drunk from Kaname, he hadn't needed blood for ages it seemed. Yet here it was... Zero's body was cramping from hunger and he felt lightheaded.
Zero stirred restlessly. As he drifted up towards full consciousness, he became aware of another sensation, only this one was warm and comfortable. Even in his aching, groggy state, it seemed somehow soothing. It took him a moment to realize that the sensation was an arm wrapped around his waist and a body snuggled up against his back. It took him another moment to realize who the arm and body belonged to and he quickly tried to scoot away and roll over.
Kaname's arm tightened instinctively around him, not letting him pull away unless he really wanted to struggle. Right now, Zero was in no condition to be struggling. Even moving was hard. The pureblood was obviously still half asleep because he murmured something unintelligible against the back of Zero's neck, his warm breath brushing softly against the bare skin.
Zero drew a long, steadying breath and stopped struggling; not wanting to turn this into a repeat of last night... или actually that would be last день he supposed. This whole nocturnal thing messed with his head.
"Kaname," he сказал(-а) slowly and with as much patience as he could muster considering his head felt like it was going to fall off. "What are Ты doing? Why are Ты in my bed?"
Kaname didn't seem to want to wake up yet and burrowed his face against the crook of Zero's neck and shoulder from behind, mumbling something that sounded like: "Because it's еще comfortable here."
Despite how badly he was feeling, Zero almost chuckled. Kaname was too much. He seemed to have no concept of acceptable behavior and boundaries... или perhaps, his concept of them simply lay along significantly different lines than Zero's.
Rolling his eyes, Zero tried to pull away again. Kaname grumbled sleepily and rolled over onto his stomach, pulling Zero with him, his body weight shifting partially onto Zero's back. He obviously did not intend to let go.
Zero balled his fists and breathed slowly, still torn between irritation and amusement. He'd made a resolution as he drifted off to sleep some hours ago. He'd resolved he wasn't going to let Kuran get under his skin anymore and make him blow up like he had yesterday. Whatever was changing between them, it couldn't take priority over everything else that was happening. If he and Kaname stayed at loggerheads, it would only make working together that much harder and for now they needed to continue working together. So... patience was the order of the day.
"Kaname, let go, I want to get up." Zero willed himself to remain calm as he felt Kaname's head resting contentedly between his shoulder blades. Leave it to Kuran to make it so difficult for him to keep his own resolution only минуты after having woken.
Kaname lifted his head, but he didn't Переместить just yet. Zero stiffened as he felt the vampire trailing a slow, deliberate line of kisses down his spine above the neckline of his tee-shirt. Kaname's mouth moved expertly to the side of his neck, licking and mouthing the sensitive skin warmly. Zero moaned softly into the подушка before he could stop himself, his body responding strongly to the stimulus.
"KANAME!" he snapped, irritation winning out as heat flushed through his body, making his aching head spin еще fiercely.
Kaname smiled against Zero's skin as he slowly teased Zero's neck with his teeth, feeling the other boy's pulse pounding hard in his carotid artery as the pureblood traced it with his tongue. He knew they had to get up, that there was much serious work ahead, but it was so comfortable here and it was much, much too enjoyable to elicit these reactions from Zero. He'd tried to stay away, he'd started off in his own bed... and he'd tossed and turned for hours. Zero was just too close... the draw too strong. He hadn't been able to sleep until he'd slid into постель, кровати and curled up against the other's back.
"But you're hungry, Kiriyu..." he murmured persuasively against Zero's neck. "I can feel it. Ты need to feed..." Kaname's mouth moved inexorably against Zero's neck, gliding up behind his ear and teasing the curved lobe sensually. Teeth and tongue played with Zero's earrings, enjoying the contrast of warm, soft skin and cool, hard metal. Kaname's hand slid up Zero's side under the thin cotton t-shirt he was wearing.
Zero shuddered, fists curling into the sheets as intense heat mingled with his equally intense hunger, almost overpowering his senses. He couldn't breathe when Kaname did this to him, and it had nothing to do with the pureblood's weight on his back. He resisted the urge to whimper. He was so hungry... feeling Kaname tease him like this was almost unbearable.
Kaname should have had the decency to feel at least a little guilty. He was well aware why Zero was hungry. Snuggling with Zero wasn't all he'd done while the other was asleep. He'd needed to feel connected... to stop the aching in his chest, and drinking Zero's blood seemed the least obtrusive way to accomplish that. He'd made sure he hadn't even disturbed the other's rest.
Now, though... it was just too tempting... too tempting to use Zero's needy state to his advantage. Kaname was hungry too... he was aching too... just not for blood. When pureblood mates bonded physically as well as by blood, it was usually followed by a месяц или two of devoting intense, almost undivided attention to one another. The 'honeymoon' period some jokingly called it, when no one expected them to do much of anything but be together. The desire was practically hard-wired into them, and Kaname was physically aching from trying to repress that need, from the distance Zero kept imposing between them.
Zero's human heritage apparently shielded him from the worst of that particular ache, but at least there was some way in which he needed the pureblood... and Kaname was not about to not use that.
Kaname lathed the sensitive skin behind Zero's ear with his tongue and lips, his hand sliding further up Zero's body until his long fingers captured a nipple, playing with it slowly as Zero lay trapped between him and the mattress.
Zero did whimper this time, he couldn't help it. His head tipped to the side against the pillow, giving Kaname еще access as his fingers knotted tighter in the sheets. He felt so dizzy... and yet, his hunger for blood merely fed his hunger for Kaname, increasing his responsiveness to the other's incredible, damnable touch. He hated what his hunger did to him, what it turned him into... but maybe, a small voice whispered, maybe it didn't turn him into anything. Maybe it merely forced him to face the feelings and desires that he otherwise tried so hard to bury and deny.
"I hate you..." Zero gasped softly as he felt himself melting under Kaname's intense attentions, as he felt desire mingling with hunger, burning up his body and brain and consuming his soul. His tone did not entirely match his words.
"I know..." Kaname murmured back seductively as he nipped lightly at the delicious, pale skin, holding Zero to his chest as he worried first one nipple and then the other with his warm, skilled fingers. Every fiber of his being felt alive, heat throbbing through his veins like lava. He knew time was a commodity that was precious, but he didn't need much time. He just needed... he felt Zero's body shudder against him and he groaned softly, almost desperately. He just needed this.
Kaname's free hand slid up to his own neck, neatly drawing a few drops of blood with his fingernails. He felt Zero stiffen in his arms. There was a brief moment of internal struggle as Zero obviously tried to fight his needs and his instincts. Then he let them have their way. He twisted in Kaname's grip and the pureblood allowed him roll over onto his back.
The silver eyes were blood red as they looked up at him and Kaname felt his chest tense in a rush of almost unbearable heat. Zero's mouth was at his neck in a heartbeat. The ex-human sucked warmly against the curve of Kaname's throat, licking up the stray drops of blood before hungrily biting down and starting to draw.
Relief and heady delight flooded Zero's senses as the warm blood rushed into his body. Nothing else on earth tasted this good или made him feel this incredible. He knew. He knew he was well and truly addicted to Kaname's blood. Nothing else would ever taste the same или satisfy as deeply. Under the influence of that heady tonic, he seemed to lose all control and restraint... and he liked it.
Zero became aware that Kaname was naked against him under the sheets, only the thin layer of his own рубашка and boxers separating them. This would have angered или embarrassed him a few минуты ago, but just at the moment, the realization sent a deep spike of arousal through his already aroused body. Heaven forgive him, he wanted the pureblood, and it was just too damn hard to pretend he didn't, even to himself.
Kaname shuddered in delight and slid one hand behind Zero's head, tangling in his hair and cupping him close as he fed. The other hand slid down beneath Zero's boxers, finding hard, straining flesh and lavishing it with single-minded attention.
Zero arched and groaned harshly against Kaname's skin, his fangs tearing the pale flesh as he jerked. Kaname cursed softly, but it was in pleasure. His breath rasped against the side of Zero's face as he pushed the soft cotton boxers down Zero's hips, rocking urgently against his lover's thigh. It drove him crazy when Zero drank his blood and he was nearly shaking from the passionate strength of the desire pounding through him.
Zero gripped Kaname's shoulder with one hand, fangs still buried in his neck as his other hand swiftly slid down the pureblood's stomach and curled around the arousal pressing so hungrily against him. Every muscle in Kaname's body seemed to tighten and Zero felt the pulse under his mouth increase in speed, Kaname's blood spilling faster into his body as Zero mimicked what Kaname was doing to him upon the pureblood's body.
Kaname inhaled sharply and groaned Zero's name into the other's hair. The ex-human was completely undoing him. He pushed Zero's boxers all the way out of the way and settled quickly between the other's legs, burning and aching for relief.
Zero's whole body responded to the way Kaname reacted as he pleasured him. The hunter's eyes clenched and he breathed raggedly, blood dribbling down his chin and Kaname's chest as the pureblood's intentions became obvious. He growled softly in his throat. Kaname thought he could do whatever he wanted, get whatever he wanted... obviously, he was usually right. But Kaname was going to have to give a little if he wanted to keep taking. Maybe Zero had to face that he couldn't fight this intense attraction between them... but he wasn't going to always roll over for the pureblood either. He wanted Kaname... intensely.
Sliding his fangs free, Zero lathed the puncture wounds he'd made with his lips and tongue as they closed up. Kaname twisted his head, fingers knotted in Zero's hair as he hungrily pulled Zero's mouth to his, licking his own blood off the other boy's lips before he sought a deep kiss. Zero returned the Kiss heatedly, claiming the pureblood's mouth possessively.
Zero's knees hugged Kaname's hips, legs tangling with the pureblood's as he rolled them over. He straddled the lithe body beneath him, his hands sliding up Kaname's sides and along his arms, guiding them up so that Kaname's hands rested on either side of his head. It took Zero's breath away, the picture Kaname made lying on the white sheets, dark hair spilling around his face, eyes glazed with desire.
Kaname breathed heavily in fevered delight as Zero's hands slid over his skin and their bodies moved and clashed against one another in a disordered rhythm that was half dance, half battle. They rolled back and forth on the постель, кровати in a heated tangle, unable to get enough of each other, bodies pressing and straining together in hungry, wanton desire, causing the mattress springs to squeak in unheeded protest.
Zero bit Kaname again as they tussled and the pureblood howled, his keyed up body almost cramping with head-spinning bliss. Ending up on вверх of Kaname once more, Zero trailed hot kisses and bites down the side of his neck, pumping the pureblood demandingly in his fist.
Kaname bucked on the mattress, eyes clamping shut with another muttered, fervent curse. He felt like molten putty with every sense on огонь and screaming. He was already very close to the edge and his body ceded willingly to Zero's earnest, if unskilled manipulation. The pureblood didn't seem to even register at first what was happening when Zero rolled him onto his stomach and leaned over the pureblood's back. Pushing Kaname's legs apart with his knees, Zero kept the slim hips slightly raised off the mattress, one arm wrapped around the pureblood's waist so his hand could continue its devastating work. The other arm supported his weight as he buried his face against the side of Kaname's neck, sucking and nibbling.
Kaname finally seemed to realize the position he'd just been maneuvered into and he stilled slightly as if his brain was trying to play catch-up and not really succeeding because his body was taking all his attention. He started to try to push up, but Zero gave him a sharp little warning bite, leaning his weight еще fully upon the other's back. Of course, Kaname could throw him off if he really tried, but pushing Zero away was definitely the farthest thing from his mind.
Zero moved against him, making thought impossible. Kaname's body remained tense and uncertain for a few heartbeats. Giving up control in any situation wasn't easy for him, but desire and the bone-deep ache to feel Zero, to share everything with him, swiftly liquefied his hesitation. Kaname relaxed, forehead falling to rest on his crossed arms as he leaned on the mattress. He rocked back against Zero, gritting his teeth and gasping in equal amounts of raw delight and agony as his lover claimed him.
"Nghh..." Kain muttered groggily as he rolled onto his elbow and pushed up to sit. He shook his head and then held it in his hands. He felt like he had the world's worst hangover, but it was a significant improvement over how he'd been feeling last time he recalled. Ichijo and Ruka were both trying to explain to him what had happened at the same time but the pounding in his head was keeping the words from making a lot of sense, although he got the general gist. They were safe, they were hiding out, and he'd almost died.
Kain glanced down at himself. His chest felt strange... warmHis рубашка was hanging open and he could clearly see the little mark tattooed over his heart. His foggy eyes widened as he read the upside-down kanji and looked quickly around for his cousin. He knew instantly what Aido had done, without the explanation that the other two were trying to provide.
"Aido, Ты crazy little..." Kain muttered as he quickly pulled himself over and laid his hand on his comatose cousin's shoulder. "What were Ты thinking?"
"Kain... maybe Ты should wait until you're-" Ruka tried to warn him, but Kain shook his head, cutting her off. His free hand was already pressed against the mark on his chest. He appreciated what Aido had done for him, but he wasn't about to let the печать remain a moment longer. He was conscious and moving under his own power, obviously his body was getting over the near fatal overdose.
"Eximo signum cruentus recidivus," Kain murmured quietly, forcing himself to concentrate around his pounding headache. "Vivificus... vivificus..." he trailed off with a frown. His head felt three times too large and the memories he were pulling upon were many years old. "Damn," he had to break off, turning to glance over his shoulder towards the other two. He looked both worried and chagrined. "Ruka...?"
"Vivificus munificator saecula saeculorum expedio," Ruka finished it quietly for him.
Kain looked relieved that she remembered and turned back to Aido, starting over and completing the whole phrase this time. As he finished, the mark under his fingers glowed softly, the light seeming to travel down his arm as it flowed back into Aido's body. When Kain pulled his fingers away, the mark on his chest was gone.
Aido groaned and stirred, eyes fluttering open and fixing on Kain where the other was now leaning heavily against the base of the booth beside them. He looked pale and drawn, but definitely alive. Aido smiled blearily. "Ha!" he mumbled as he tried unsuccessfully to sit up. "I always told Ты it would really work. Ты didn't believe me."
Kain rolled his eyes and chuckled. "You idiot."
Ichijo's pocket vibrated silently and he started, quickly pulling out the cell phone. Only a few people would be calling him on this number. He answered quickly, spoke a few words and then flipped the phone closed again.
The others were looking at him expectantly.
"Chairman Cross," he answered their unspoken question. "He's been in touch with Kaname and they've established our regroup point. He just told me where to meet them."
Kaname had been wrong about how long they would need. Once started, it took quite a while for him and Zero to get their fill of one another. They made Любовь for well over two hours, losing track of how many times they came to ecstasy in one another's arms. Exhausted and sated, they finally collapsed together in a sweaty tangle on the rumpled bed.
Kaname's chest heaved as he lay sprawled on his back, so deliciously spent it almost hurt. Zero lay beside him, one arm draped across Kaname's waist, his own rapid breathing stirring the pureblood's dark hair. The ex-human hadn't even thought it was physically possible to do what they'd just done, so many times, but damn... it had been incredible.
"I think you're gonna have to pay for these sheets anyway..." Zero muttered wryly when he finally had enough breath to do so. They were ripped and blood stained and probably looked like someone had been murdered on them.
Kaname chuckled breathlessly, running a hand through his damp, Рапунцель - Запутанная история hair as he gazed up at the ceiling. "Totally worth it," he replied with a lazy smile.
Zero sighed quietly, his hand sliding up to rest on Kaname's chest. He felt the pureblood's сердце beat under his palm, his fingers absently tracing delicate patterns against Kaname's flushed skin. The sick feeling he'd had after their first encounter was eerily absent. Yesterday he'd wanted to beat the crap out of Kaname for touching him... today... it felt strangely okay. Zero decided he must be losing his mind. But he was too tired and felt too good to care.
"Kaname... what are we going to do?" he finally asked quietly, a serious note creeping into his tone. Zero couldn't pretend things were going to go back to the way they were anymore. Obviously... that was proving to be impossible. Maybe that's what Kaname had been trying to tell him yesterday. He simply hadn't wanted to listen. "This is insane. Ты know it is. We can't keep this up." There was a loud unspoken but... at the end of that statement.
"I don't know," Kaname admitted thoughtfully, his fingers combing slowly through Zero's hair. "We'll figure something out. Perhaps this is so strong between us because of the transference from Ichijo's passing..." he speculated absently. "Perhaps it will pass with time." Deep down, he sincerely doubted it, but he couldn't bring himself to face that, nor was he about to mention that possibility to Zero.
"And if it doesn't?" Zero was apparently already thinking about that possibility anyway.
"Then we'll figure something out," Kaname repeated simply. What else could he say? He didn't know what to do about this anymore than Zero did. But one thing he already knew... he couldn't give Zero up.
Kaname glanced absently towards the clock on the nightstand, his gaze drifting away again only to swiftly jerk back that direction. He muttered a curse as he swiftly sat up and swung his legs off the side of the bed.
Zero pushed himself up to his elbows, staring questioningly at the pureblood. "What?"
Kaname hadn't realized just how long they'd been caught up in one another. It truly had not felt like almost three hours. "I told Chairman пересекать, крест and anyone else he could get hold of to meet us here in..." Kaname glanced back towards the clock again as he quickly searched for and found the clothes he'd set aside for himself before going to sleep. "Fifteen minutes."
Zero scrambled out of bed, an alarmed look on his face. "WHAT? Why on earth would you-"
"Well I didn't exactly count on this," Kaname pointed out in mild exasperation as he quickly stripped the sheets off the постель, кровати and snatched up his and Zero's ruined clothes from the Назад night, bundling them all together. постель, кровати coverings he could pay for, but with the possibility of other Вампиры Показ up... the distinct scent of his and Zero's passion clinging their old clothes and the sheets could not be allowed to remain. "Hurry up and shower, I'll get rid of these. We've both got to wash before they arrive."
Zero was already scrambling quickly for the bathroom, hastily gathering up his clothes as he went. Despite his own feeling of desperate urgency, he still couldn't help grinning at the tone in Kaname's voice. It was so rare to see the pureblood actually slightly flustered.
"Wanna share the shower? Save time..." Zero called over his shoulder, only realizing a moment later how counter-productive that would most likely turn out to be.
Kaname stopped in his tracks, a shiver running down his spine and heat rushing unhelpfully to his groin. "No, it wouldn't," he ground out between his teeth.
The muffled sound of Zero's mirth disappeared into the bathroom as he quickly turned on the душ and reached for the soap.
Takuma bit his lower lip, trying to keep his hands from shaking as he crossed them over Kain's сердце once more. He exhaled tensely, sending a careful little jolt of electricity into the unresponsive vampire's body, much like a defibrillator. It was hard, trying to control his power on this delicate a level. It was much easier to summon lightning bolts than to try to coax Kain's failing сердце back to life. It was easier to kill than to save.
Kain's muscles contracted automatically, chest arching up towards Ichijo's hands. Aido yelped softly in pain and yanked his fingers away from Kain's neck as the charge shot through his cousin and into his own body through the brief contact.
"Hands off, Aido!" Ichijo shot Aido a half frustrated, half apologetic and worried look. Both of them felt еще frazzled and shaken than they'd like to admit. Ichijo felt no movement under his hands. No rise and fall of breathing lungs или beating heart. He swore softly, somewhat raggedly and charged up again. He shot Aido a warning glance this time before he gave Kain another shock.
"Come on, Wild... come on..." Ichijo murmured under his breath, perspiration making his light brown hair cling to his brow as he bent over the other vampire. Eight times already, he'd brought Kain's сердце back online. Each time, it had failed again within minutes. Now... Ichijo honestly wasn't sure he was going to be able restart it again this time. He wasn't sure it would make a difference. Kain was bad off. The condition they had found him and Ruka in was completely inhumane.
Aido's fists curled in his lap as he sat helplessly, watching Ichijo try to bring his cousin back to life. Any other time, the events of the past night would have seemed quite a lark. They'd broken into one of the most secure vampire prisons in the region and pulled off a rescue that had to be worth bragging rights for the Далее few centuries at least. But all of it would mean nothing if they Остаться в живых Kain now.
He'd been in bad shape when they freed him, but Aido hadn't realized how bad. He'd obviously been interrogated and beaten, his vampire healing and strength intentionally kept suppressed by drugs. But he'd gotten out of his cell on his own two feet. He'd even insisted on helping support Ruka, who was also in bad shape and over whom Kain proved to be fiercely protective.
As they were making good their escape however... Kain had started Показ signs that something was wrong. He was slowing, stumbling, becoming disorientated. They had all almost been caught. There hadn't been time to do anything but drag Kain out of there any way they could. In the end Aido had simply carried him over his shoulder as they were forced to make a break for it, Ichijo continuing to help Ruka, who was at least still on her feet.
By the time they had finally reached a relative place of safety... Kain had stopped breathing. Unable to stay in the улица, уличный and with nowhere else to go, Ichijo had forced them an entrance into a boarded up diner. оранжевый signs in the dusty front windows сказал(-а) something about tax foreclosure. In the back, amid booths and little round tables stacked with up-ended chairs, they had spread a yellowed таблица cloth on the floor and laid Kain down upon it. Since then, Ichijo and Aido had been working feverishly to revive him, to keep him alive... but it wasn't looking good.
Ruka sat on the edge of one of the padded booths beside them. The way she leaned against the edge and the paleness of her skin betrayed her weakness, but the rage snapping in her cold eyes spoke only of worry and vengeance. Swollen, ugly burns and bruises traced up her right arm, disappearing under the prison рубашка she was still wearing and spoiled the graceful beauty of her face where they marred her cheek and neck. Those inquisition bastards... she had damn well better heal without a scar... but right now, that wasn't what was foremost on her mind.
Kain had tried to protect her. He'd gone berserker on their interrogators when they started burning her. He'd broken free of his restraints and almost killed one of them. That's why they'd changed his drugs to keep him еще subdued. That's why this was happening now. The doctors had warned them... she'd heard them in the other room, protesting the levels of anti-vampire drugs being pumped into Kain's body. They'd сказал(-а) it could build up in his system, could overload unexpectedly and kill him. The symptoms they'd described... it was what she was watching happen now. But their interrogators, those bastard Собаки of the Council, hadn't cared. All they cared about was trying to find out where Kaname was hiding.
Ironically... she and Kain really hadn't known the answer. It didn't matter though. Even if they had, they would never have spoken. They would have died before betraying Kaname. Now it appeared possible that Kain would anyway. Ruka closed her eyes, feeling both guilty and helpless and intensely hating both sensations.
She'd told Aido and Ichijo about the drugs, but there was nothing they could do. Kain needed to be in a hospital... but considering they'd just broken him out of prison and were all currently wanted fugitives, that was not an option. Taking Kain to a hospital would be the same as turning him back over to the authorities and it would be just as sure a death sentence.
Ichijo shocked Kain again, then slowly looked up towards Aido, giving his head a little shake. It was no good... Kain's body wasn't responding anymore.
Aido's lips pinched together hard and he battled the sharp, raw sting behind his eyes. AkatsukiKain had always been there for him. Always backed him up and took his side, even when Aido knew he was being a brat. He'd always сказал(-а) they were еще like brothers than cousins.
"No! Try again, Takuma, please..." Aido insisted. He couldn't let go.
Ichijo gave Aido an anguished but resigned look. "Aido... I'm sorry. Even if we could his сердце going once more, it will just stop again. The drugs are still too strong in his system, his body can't fight them. I... I'm sorry..." his throat felt like it was swelling closed. He looked down at Kain's still form, the roguishly wild brown hair fanned limply around his pale, bruised features. This was so wrong... if only they'd gotten to him sooner, if only... His gaze was drawn back up towards Aido as the younger vampire swiftly started shoving up his sleeves.
"His body's failing because the anti-vampire element of the drug is keeping it from healing and fighting the overdose like it normally would, right?" Aido responded to the unspoken Вопрос in Ichijo's eyes as he rolled his sleeves up over his elbows. His voice was hoarse, but the young vampire had that intent look on his face that he usually got when he was working out an insanely complex physics problem. Aido pulled a small, custom Swiss нож from his pants pocket and popped out the blade.
"Aido... what are you...?"
Aido sliced a clean, deep line across his right wrist, then his left. He pressed the wounds together, blood running down his forearms and dripping off his elbows before his body swiftly started trying to repair. Aido kept the cuts pressed tightly together so they couldn't close up too fast.
"Aido!" Takuma started вперед but Ruka's hand on his shoulder stopped him.
"He's trying to make a blood seal," she сказал(-а) softly, her voice too was a little hoarse. She knew what Hanabusa was thinking. She remembered the rainy days spent in the Aido family библиотека when she, Акацуки and Hanabusa were children. They would pull down the big, leather-bound Книги and spread them around on the floor, idly devouring histories of the vampire world, folklore, science, fairytales, philosophy... anything that struck their fancy. There'd been large volumes on charms and charm theory that had especially fascinated them and led to many experiments – some of which worked, some of which didn't, and almost all of which got them into trouble.
It was in that book that they'd read about blood seals. It wasn't something they'd ever dared try just for fun, but even after all this time she recognized the steps Aido was taking. She gripped Ichijo's shoulder tightly, not realizing she was squeezing so hard. Be careful, Aido... we're not playing anymore...
Ichijo's eyes widened slightly. He knew vaguely about blood seals, although mostly only from legend. Charms had never been much of an interest for him. His grandfather had always pushed him towards subjects like business and politics, even though he secretly detested both. "Does that really work?" he сказал(-а) uncertainly.
Aido was completely ignoring him, focusing on what he was doing as he placed his crossed wrists over Kain's chest, letting several drops of his blood fall onto the pale skin. He closed his eyes, chanting something softly under his breath.
"I don't know," Ruka whispered back honestly, her gaze riveted on the two cousins. "I know the theory, but I've never seen it done. Blood seals are too dangerous to attempt without great need. When a vampire creates one, they pass a certain portion of their life energy into the seal. The печать then passes that energy on to whomever it is bound to like a slow-release capsule, a little at a time. Sometimes it can create a temporary connection, allowing one vampire to draw from another's strength for as long as the печать persists. I suppose Ты could call it the precursor to artificial life support. Historically, before the advent of еще modern medicine, the idea was to sustain life until either help could be summoned, или until the injured vampire's body had a chance to heal sufficiently on its own in order to be able to sustain his или her own life once more..." Ruka's voice was faint and distant as she explained, as if she were reciting by memory something she had read long ago. She wasn't sure she should dare hope that the ancient charm would actually work in practice, but hope was about all they had.
What she didn't tell Ichijo, was that creating a charm was especially dangerous for a novice. According to the books, it was difficult to control how much of your own energy Ты locked into the печать and it was easy to give too much.
Aido's wrists had stopped bleeding. He uncrossed them and used his finger to carefully create a small symbol in blood on Kain's chest, over his heart. If he could just keep Kain alive until the drugs cleared from his system, until his own natural strength returned... please let this work. Closing his eyes again, Aido pressed his palm flat over the symbol he'd drawn as he murmured the closing words of the ancient charm in the dead language in which he had learned it long ago.
There was a faint flare of light that seemed to radiate up between his fingers, momentarily illuminating this dark little corner of the shabby, abandoned diner. Then the light vanished and Aido slid silently sideways like a puppet with the strings cut, sprawling unmoving on the floor beside his cousin.
"Aido!" Ichijo cried out in alarm, quickly leaning over and rolling the blonde onto his back, fingers searching for a pulse. Ruka, who had еще или less expected that to happen, slid out of her сиденье, место, сиденья with difficulty and knelt by Kain.
Ichijo was relieved to feel Aido's pulse. "He's just unconscious," he told Ruka as he looked back towards her.
Ruka knew that unconscious was most likely actually еще like in a coma but as long as Aido was in fact still alive, he would be all right. At least, so she hoped.
Ruka ran her fingers lightly across the mark on Kain's chest. The blood did not smear. It had not dried, but rather seemed to have turned into an immovable mark, like a tattoo. Aido had used a simplified version of the kanji for his own name. It didn't matter what shape the blood печать was formed in, but it was best if it was something personal to the one creating the seal.
Beneath the brownish-red mark... Kain's chest rose and fell hesitantly. Ruka's gaze quickly shot up to meet Ichijo's even as she checked for a pulse and put her hand by his mouth to check for air. "He's breathing! I'm getting a pulse... it's very weak, but it's there." A small thread of wonder ran through her. It had worked. It had actually worked. Her gaze slid towards where Aido lay. She had always seen him a bit like a pesky kid brother – always trailing along after her and Kain and bossing everybody around. But he had actually pulled this off, and she respected him for that.
"It worked?" Ichijo's face mirrored her wonder as he quickly scooted over to check Kain for himself. He confirmed that it was true. Kain's body was still struggling; laboring hard for every breath, for every heartbeat... but Aido's печать on his chest enabled him to live for now on his cousin's strength as the devastating drugs ran their course, slowly dissipating in his body.
Ichijo rocked back to sit on his heels, feeling incredibly drained. The past few days had been... unreal. First Aido, then Kain... If he never had to struggle to keep another person alive again, it would be too soon. He shook his head, glancing between Kain and Aido's still forms. "What do we do now?"
"We wait," Ruka replied, settling with a wince into a еще comfortable sitting position on the floor. "Wait for Kain to recover enough that he no longer needs to be bound to Aido. Once he's conscious, Kain is going to need to release the blood seal. I suspect Aido put too much energy into it... he will not be able to awaken until he has been released."
Ichijo frowned, both in concern at that news and at the cool, matter-of-fact tone of Ruka's voice, but he did not Комментарий on the latter. "What if one of them dies first, before the печать is released?" he inquired. Heaven forbid it should happen, but he was curious as well as concerned and Ruka obviously knew a lot еще on this subject than he did.
"I'm not sure," Ruka admitted with a small, thoughtful frown. "If Aido died, it's possible that his remaining strength would pass into the печать and remain forever bound to Kain until perhaps it should slowly expend itself over time. It would take centuries though, I imagine. I doubt Kain would be able to dissolve it in that case because it would have no living body to which it could return. Blood seals can only be released back to those whose blood created them."
Ichijo's eyebrows went up. "You mean it would be like in the old stories, where someone would have a 'magical' mark that gave them unnaturally long life или extra power?"
Ruka nodded. "Probably. My guess would be those stories were based off the idea of blood seals, although the truth of it was lost. As I said, they were once much еще common than they are now. Now if Kain died... I'm not sure if the blood печать would automatically release and pass back to Aido, или if..." Ruka hugged her injured arm a little closer to her chest. "Or if they would both die," she сказал(-а) quietly.
Outside the hotel, день had faded into evening, the last rays of the setting sun disappearing behind the high-rises and shopping malls.
Zero's face creased softly in pain, a familiar agony tightening his chest and piercing his slumber. His head throbbed as consciousness flittered near the edges of his awareness, but did not yet take hold. Even still mostly asleep, Zero knew what was wrong.
He was hungry.
Damn... that wasn't right... he'd drank so much of Kaname's blood not that long ago, shouldn't he be all right for a good while yet? The first time he'd drunk from Kaname, he hadn't needed blood for ages it seemed. Yet here it was... Zero's body was cramping from hunger and he felt lightheaded.
Zero stirred restlessly. As he drifted up towards full consciousness, he became aware of another sensation, only this one was warm and comfortable. Even in his aching, groggy state, it seemed somehow soothing. It took him a moment to realize that the sensation was an arm wrapped around his waist and a body snuggled up against his back. It took him another moment to realize who the arm and body belonged to and he quickly tried to scoot away and roll over.
Kaname's arm tightened instinctively around him, not letting him pull away unless he really wanted to struggle. Right now, Zero was in no condition to be struggling. Even moving was hard. The pureblood was obviously still half asleep because he murmured something unintelligible against the back of Zero's neck, his warm breath brushing softly against the bare skin.
Zero drew a long, steadying breath and stopped struggling; not wanting to turn this into a repeat of last night... или actually that would be last день he supposed. This whole nocturnal thing messed with his head.
"Kaname," he сказал(-а) slowly and with as much patience as he could muster considering his head felt like it was going to fall off. "What are Ты doing? Why are Ты in my bed?"
Kaname didn't seem to want to wake up yet and burrowed his face against the crook of Zero's neck and shoulder from behind, mumbling something that sounded like: "Because it's еще comfortable here."
Despite how badly he was feeling, Zero almost chuckled. Kaname was too much. He seemed to have no concept of acceptable behavior and boundaries... или perhaps, his concept of them simply lay along significantly different lines than Zero's.
Rolling his eyes, Zero tried to pull away again. Kaname grumbled sleepily and rolled over onto his stomach, pulling Zero with him, his body weight shifting partially onto Zero's back. He obviously did not intend to let go.
Zero balled his fists and breathed slowly, still torn between irritation and amusement. He'd made a resolution as he drifted off to sleep some hours ago. He'd resolved he wasn't going to let Kuran get under his skin anymore and make him blow up like he had yesterday. Whatever was changing between them, it couldn't take priority over everything else that was happening. If he and Kaname stayed at loggerheads, it would only make working together that much harder and for now they needed to continue working together. So... patience was the order of the day.
"Kaname, let go, I want to get up." Zero willed himself to remain calm as he felt Kaname's head resting contentedly between his shoulder blades. Leave it to Kuran to make it so difficult for him to keep his own resolution only минуты after having woken.
Kaname lifted his head, but he didn't Переместить just yet. Zero stiffened as he felt the vampire trailing a slow, deliberate line of kisses down his spine above the neckline of his tee-shirt. Kaname's mouth moved expertly to the side of his neck, licking and mouthing the sensitive skin warmly. Zero moaned softly into the подушка before he could stop himself, his body responding strongly to the stimulus.
"KANAME!" he snapped, irritation winning out as heat flushed through his body, making his aching head spin еще fiercely.
Kaname smiled against Zero's skin as he slowly teased Zero's neck with his teeth, feeling the other boy's pulse pounding hard in his carotid artery as the pureblood traced it with his tongue. He knew they had to get up, that there was much serious work ahead, but it was so comfortable here and it was much, much too enjoyable to elicit these reactions from Zero. He'd tried to stay away, he'd started off in his own bed... and he'd tossed and turned for hours. Zero was just too close... the draw too strong. He hadn't been able to sleep until he'd slid into постель, кровати and curled up against the other's back.
"But you're hungry, Kiriyu..." he murmured persuasively against Zero's neck. "I can feel it. Ты need to feed..." Kaname's mouth moved inexorably against Zero's neck, gliding up behind his ear and teasing the curved lobe sensually. Teeth and tongue played with Zero's earrings, enjoying the contrast of warm, soft skin and cool, hard metal. Kaname's hand slid up Zero's side under the thin cotton t-shirt he was wearing.
Zero shuddered, fists curling into the sheets as intense heat mingled with his equally intense hunger, almost overpowering his senses. He couldn't breathe when Kaname did this to him, and it had nothing to do with the pureblood's weight on his back. He resisted the urge to whimper. He was so hungry... feeling Kaname tease him like this was almost unbearable.
Kaname should have had the decency to feel at least a little guilty. He was well aware why Zero was hungry. Snuggling with Zero wasn't all he'd done while the other was asleep. He'd needed to feel connected... to stop the aching in his chest, and drinking Zero's blood seemed the least obtrusive way to accomplish that. He'd made sure he hadn't even disturbed the other's rest.
Now, though... it was just too tempting... too tempting to use Zero's needy state to his advantage. Kaname was hungry too... he was aching too... just not for blood. When pureblood mates bonded physically as well as by blood, it was usually followed by a месяц или two of devoting intense, almost undivided attention to one another. The 'honeymoon' period some jokingly called it, when no one expected them to do much of anything but be together. The desire was practically hard-wired into them, and Kaname was physically aching from trying to repress that need, from the distance Zero kept imposing between them.
Zero's human heritage apparently shielded him from the worst of that particular ache, but at least there was some way in which he needed the pureblood... and Kaname was not about to not use that.
Kaname lathed the sensitive skin behind Zero's ear with his tongue and lips, his hand sliding further up Zero's body until his long fingers captured a nipple, playing with it slowly as Zero lay trapped between him and the mattress.
Zero did whimper this time, he couldn't help it. His head tipped to the side against the pillow, giving Kaname еще access as his fingers knotted tighter in the sheets. He felt so dizzy... and yet, his hunger for blood merely fed his hunger for Kaname, increasing his responsiveness to the other's incredible, damnable touch. He hated what his hunger did to him, what it turned him into... but maybe, a small voice whispered, maybe it didn't turn him into anything. Maybe it merely forced him to face the feelings and desires that he otherwise tried so hard to bury and deny.
"I hate you..." Zero gasped softly as he felt himself melting under Kaname's intense attentions, as he felt desire mingling with hunger, burning up his body and brain and consuming his soul. His tone did not entirely match his words.
"I know..." Kaname murmured back seductively as he nipped lightly at the delicious, pale skin, holding Zero to his chest as he worried first one nipple and then the other with his warm, skilled fingers. Every fiber of his being felt alive, heat throbbing through his veins like lava. He knew time was a commodity that was precious, but he didn't need much time. He just needed... he felt Zero's body shudder against him and he groaned softly, almost desperately. He just needed this.
Kaname's free hand slid up to his own neck, neatly drawing a few drops of blood with his fingernails. He felt Zero stiffen in his arms. There was a brief moment of internal struggle as Zero obviously tried to fight his needs and his instincts. Then he let them have their way. He twisted in Kaname's grip and the pureblood allowed him roll over onto his back.
The silver eyes were blood red as they looked up at him and Kaname felt his chest tense in a rush of almost unbearable heat. Zero's mouth was at his neck in a heartbeat. The ex-human sucked warmly against the curve of Kaname's throat, licking up the stray drops of blood before hungrily biting down and starting to draw.
Relief and heady delight flooded Zero's senses as the warm blood rushed into his body. Nothing else on earth tasted this good или made him feel this incredible. He knew. He knew he was well and truly addicted to Kaname's blood. Nothing else would ever taste the same или satisfy as deeply. Under the influence of that heady tonic, he seemed to lose all control and restraint... and he liked it.
Zero became aware that Kaname was naked against him under the sheets, only the thin layer of his own рубашка and boxers separating them. This would have angered или embarrassed him a few минуты ago, but just at the moment, the realization sent a deep spike of arousal through his already aroused body. Heaven forgive him, he wanted the pureblood, and it was just too damn hard to pretend he didn't, even to himself.
Kaname shuddered in delight and slid one hand behind Zero's head, tangling in his hair and cupping him close as he fed. The other hand slid down beneath Zero's boxers, finding hard, straining flesh and lavishing it with single-minded attention.
Zero arched and groaned harshly against Kaname's skin, his fangs tearing the pale flesh as he jerked. Kaname cursed softly, but it was in pleasure. His breath rasped against the side of Zero's face as he pushed the soft cotton boxers down Zero's hips, rocking urgently against his lover's thigh. It drove him crazy when Zero drank his blood and he was nearly shaking from the passionate strength of the desire pounding through him.
Zero gripped Kaname's shoulder with one hand, fangs still buried in his neck as his other hand swiftly slid down the pureblood's stomach and curled around the arousal pressing so hungrily against him. Every muscle in Kaname's body seemed to tighten and Zero felt the pulse under his mouth increase in speed, Kaname's blood spilling faster into his body as Zero mimicked what Kaname was doing to him upon the pureblood's body.
Kaname inhaled sharply and groaned Zero's name into the other's hair. The ex-human was completely undoing him. He pushed Zero's boxers all the way out of the way and settled quickly between the other's legs, burning and aching for relief.
Zero's whole body responded to the way Kaname reacted as he pleasured him. The hunter's eyes clenched and he breathed raggedly, blood dribbling down his chin and Kaname's chest as the pureblood's intentions became obvious. He growled softly in his throat. Kaname thought he could do whatever he wanted, get whatever he wanted... obviously, he was usually right. But Kaname was going to have to give a little if he wanted to keep taking. Maybe Zero had to face that he couldn't fight this intense attraction between them... but he wasn't going to always roll over for the pureblood either. He wanted Kaname... intensely.
Sliding his fangs free, Zero lathed the puncture wounds he'd made with his lips and tongue as they closed up. Kaname twisted his head, fingers knotted in Zero's hair as he hungrily pulled Zero's mouth to his, licking his own blood off the other boy's lips before he sought a deep kiss. Zero returned the Kiss heatedly, claiming the pureblood's mouth possessively.
Zero's knees hugged Kaname's hips, legs tangling with the pureblood's as he rolled them over. He straddled the lithe body beneath him, his hands sliding up Kaname's sides and along his arms, guiding them up so that Kaname's hands rested on either side of his head. It took Zero's breath away, the picture Kaname made lying on the white sheets, dark hair spilling around his face, eyes glazed with desire.
Kaname breathed heavily in fevered delight as Zero's hands slid over his skin and their bodies moved and clashed against one another in a disordered rhythm that was half dance, half battle. They rolled back and forth on the постель, кровати in a heated tangle, unable to get enough of each other, bodies pressing and straining together in hungry, wanton desire, causing the mattress springs to squeak in unheeded protest.
Zero bit Kaname again as they tussled and the pureblood howled, his keyed up body almost cramping with head-spinning bliss. Ending up on вверх of Kaname once more, Zero trailed hot kisses and bites down the side of his neck, pumping the pureblood demandingly in his fist.
Kaname bucked on the mattress, eyes clamping shut with another muttered, fervent curse. He felt like molten putty with every sense on огонь and screaming. He was already very close to the edge and his body ceded willingly to Zero's earnest, if unskilled manipulation. The pureblood didn't seem to even register at first what was happening when Zero rolled him onto his stomach and leaned over the pureblood's back. Pushing Kaname's legs apart with his knees, Zero kept the slim hips slightly raised off the mattress, one arm wrapped around the pureblood's waist so his hand could continue its devastating work. The other arm supported his weight as he buried his face against the side of Kaname's neck, sucking and nibbling.
Kaname finally seemed to realize the position he'd just been maneuvered into and he stilled slightly as if his brain was trying to play catch-up and not really succeeding because his body was taking all his attention. He started to try to push up, but Zero gave him a sharp little warning bite, leaning his weight еще fully upon the other's back. Of course, Kaname could throw him off if he really tried, but pushing Zero away was definitely the farthest thing from his mind.
Zero moved against him, making thought impossible. Kaname's body remained tense and uncertain for a few heartbeats. Giving up control in any situation wasn't easy for him, but desire and the bone-deep ache to feel Zero, to share everything with him, swiftly liquefied his hesitation. Kaname relaxed, forehead falling to rest on his crossed arms as he leaned on the mattress. He rocked back against Zero, gritting his teeth and gasping in equal amounts of raw delight and agony as his lover claimed him.
"Nghh..." Kain muttered groggily as he rolled onto his elbow and pushed up to sit. He shook his head and then held it in his hands. He felt like he had the world's worst hangover, but it was a significant improvement over how he'd been feeling last time he recalled. Ichijo and Ruka were both trying to explain to him what had happened at the same time but the pounding in his head was keeping the words from making a lot of sense, although he got the general gist. They were safe, they were hiding out, and he'd almost died.
Kain glanced down at himself. His chest felt strange... warmHis рубашка was hanging open and he could clearly see the little mark tattooed over his heart. His foggy eyes widened as he read the upside-down kanji and looked quickly around for his cousin. He knew instantly what Aido had done, without the explanation that the other two were trying to provide.
"Aido, Ты crazy little..." Kain muttered as he quickly pulled himself over and laid his hand on his comatose cousin's shoulder. "What were Ты thinking?"
"Kain... maybe Ты should wait until you're-" Ruka tried to warn him, but Kain shook his head, cutting her off. His free hand was already pressed against the mark on his chest. He appreciated what Aido had done for him, but he wasn't about to let the печать remain a moment longer. He was conscious and moving under his own power, obviously his body was getting over the near fatal overdose.
"Eximo signum cruentus recidivus," Kain murmured quietly, forcing himself to concentrate around his pounding headache. "Vivificus... vivificus..." he trailed off with a frown. His head felt three times too large and the memories he were pulling upon were many years old. "Damn," he had to break off, turning to glance over his shoulder towards the other two. He looked both worried and chagrined. "Ruka...?"
"Vivificus munificator saecula saeculorum expedio," Ruka finished it quietly for him.
Kain looked relieved that she remembered and turned back to Aido, starting over and completing the whole phrase this time. As he finished, the mark under his fingers glowed softly, the light seeming to travel down his arm as it flowed back into Aido's body. When Kain pulled his fingers away, the mark on his chest was gone.
Aido groaned and stirred, eyes fluttering open and fixing on Kain where the other was now leaning heavily against the base of the booth beside them. He looked pale and drawn, but definitely alive. Aido smiled blearily. "Ha!" he mumbled as he tried unsuccessfully to sit up. "I always told Ты it would really work. Ты didn't believe me."
Kain rolled his eyes and chuckled. "You idiot."
Ichijo's pocket vibrated silently and he started, quickly pulling out the cell phone. Only a few people would be calling him on this number. He answered quickly, spoke a few words and then flipped the phone closed again.
The others were looking at him expectantly.
"Chairman Cross," he answered their unspoken question. "He's been in touch with Kaname and they've established our regroup point. He just told me where to meet them."
Kaname had been wrong about how long they would need. Once started, it took quite a while for him and Zero to get their fill of one another. They made Любовь for well over two hours, losing track of how many times they came to ecstasy in one another's arms. Exhausted and sated, they finally collapsed together in a sweaty tangle on the rumpled bed.
Kaname's chest heaved as he lay sprawled on his back, so deliciously spent it almost hurt. Zero lay beside him, one arm draped across Kaname's waist, his own rapid breathing stirring the pureblood's dark hair. The ex-human hadn't even thought it was physically possible to do what they'd just done, so many times, but damn... it had been incredible.
"I think you're gonna have to pay for these sheets anyway..." Zero muttered wryly when he finally had enough breath to do so. They were ripped and blood stained and probably looked like someone had been murdered on them.
Kaname chuckled breathlessly, running a hand through his damp, Рапунцель - Запутанная история hair as he gazed up at the ceiling. "Totally worth it," he replied with a lazy smile.
Zero sighed quietly, his hand sliding up to rest on Kaname's chest. He felt the pureblood's сердце beat under his palm, his fingers absently tracing delicate patterns against Kaname's flushed skin. The sick feeling he'd had after their first encounter was eerily absent. Yesterday he'd wanted to beat the crap out of Kaname for touching him... today... it felt strangely okay. Zero decided he must be losing his mind. But he was too tired and felt too good to care.
"Kaname... what are we going to do?" he finally asked quietly, a serious note creeping into his tone. Zero couldn't pretend things were going to go back to the way they were anymore. Obviously... that was proving to be impossible. Maybe that's what Kaname had been trying to tell him yesterday. He simply hadn't wanted to listen. "This is insane. Ты know it is. We can't keep this up." There was a loud unspoken but... at the end of that statement.
"I don't know," Kaname admitted thoughtfully, his fingers combing slowly through Zero's hair. "We'll figure something out. Perhaps this is so strong between us because of the transference from Ichijo's passing..." he speculated absently. "Perhaps it will pass with time." Deep down, he sincerely doubted it, but he couldn't bring himself to face that, nor was he about to mention that possibility to Zero.
"And if it doesn't?" Zero was apparently already thinking about that possibility anyway.
"Then we'll figure something out," Kaname repeated simply. What else could he say? He didn't know what to do about this anymore than Zero did. But one thing he already knew... he couldn't give Zero up.
Kaname glanced absently towards the clock on the nightstand, his gaze drifting away again only to swiftly jerk back that direction. He muttered a curse as he swiftly sat up and swung his legs off the side of the bed.
Zero pushed himself up to his elbows, staring questioningly at the pureblood. "What?"
Kaname hadn't realized just how long they'd been caught up in one another. It truly had not felt like almost three hours. "I told Chairman пересекать, крест and anyone else he could get hold of to meet us here in..." Kaname glanced back towards the clock again as he quickly searched for and found the clothes he'd set aside for himself before going to sleep. "Fifteen minutes."
Zero scrambled out of bed, an alarmed look on his face. "WHAT? Why on earth would you-"
"Well I didn't exactly count on this," Kaname pointed out in mild exasperation as he quickly stripped the sheets off the постель, кровати and snatched up his and Zero's ruined clothes from the Назад night, bundling them all together. постель, кровати coverings he could pay for, but with the possibility of other Вампиры Показ up... the distinct scent of his and Zero's passion clinging their old clothes and the sheets could not be allowed to remain. "Hurry up and shower, I'll get rid of these. We've both got to wash before they arrive."
Zero was already scrambling quickly for the bathroom, hastily gathering up his clothes as he went. Despite his own feeling of desperate urgency, he still couldn't help grinning at the tone in Kaname's voice. It was so rare to see the pureblood actually slightly flustered.
"Wanna share the shower? Save time..." Zero called over his shoulder, only realizing a moment later how counter-productive that would most likely turn out to be.
Kaname stopped in his tracks, a shiver running down his spine and heat rushing unhelpfully to his groin. "No, it wouldn't," he ground out between his teeth.
The muffled sound of Zero's mirth disappeared into the bathroom as he quickly turned on the душ and reached for the soap.