Vampire Knight Fan Fiction ❯ Entwined ❯ Cause and Effect ( Chapter 4 )

Entwined

Cause and Effect

Disclaimer: I do not own nor profit from any of the ideas, characters, names, etc that I have used from Vampire Knight. Original characters are all mine of course.

A/N: Thanks to all the people who have reviewed so far. It's greatly appreciated!

Sadly, again my proof-reader is too bogged down with her own work to beta this chapter, so I apologise in advance for any grammatical/spelling errors, though I hope there's not too many. *fingers crossed*

Finally, some interaction between our two main characters in this chapter! Enjoy! *grins happily*

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Wait... what? `He is mine.' What the hell is that supposed to mean?! I'm not some plaything to be tossed between these arrogant purebloods!

Zero was fuming. If his body wasn't in such bad condition he would have lunged at the newcomer. The open doorway behind the tall, slender brunette was all too enticing as well, but his common sense was telling him that if he couldn't manage to get past one pureblood, there was no chance he was getting past two.

Who was this vampire anyway? He had spoken his name, and the way he had looked at him, it was almost as if he knew Zero. The other pureblood, she had called him Kaname Kuran? The family name he knew well enough, anyone associated with the vampire world would know of it. If his previous teachings and hearsay were correct, they were among the most powerful vampires in the world. The aura he was emanating would certainly corroborate that story.

The two purebloods still had their attention on each other. After Kaname had uttered his last words, the redhead had said nothing. There was a mixture of outrage and confusion on her face. The expression on the brunette's face was one of marked detachment. As if in dismissal, he turned away from her, his gaze once more locking with Zero's. His chocolate brown eyes had a crimson tinge to them, but it was slowly fading. Zero couldn't help but feel worthless under that stare, he wanted to look away, but could not find the willpower to do so. This vampire... he was on a whole different level to any of the others Zero had encountered.

“You will come with me.” Kaname's calm voice cut through the silence of the room.

“Will I?” Zero cringed inwardly as he realised his words sounded like those of a petulant child.

The pureblood simply turned, and took a step outside the cell. He glanced at the red haired vampire briefly. “Bring him, Arlena.” He then continued out into the corridor, walking swiftly, obviously expecting his order to be followed.

Arlena almost spluttered at the direct command that was thrown at her, but she managed to keep her temper in check, and instead moved towards Zero.

The silver-haired vampire tried to move away from her, attempting to push himself up and back. His arms buckled under the strain, and he fell back onto the floor. Zero grunted in both pain and frustration.

Arlena leant over Zero, grabbing the collar of his jacket and pulling him to his feet, their faces close to each other.

“Looks like I'll have to have my fun with you later, dear one.” She brought her other hand up to his face and stroked his cheek in mock tenderness.

Zero turned his head away from her. “Don't touch me.” The words were hissed out between his teeth.

“My my, aren't you the brave one, now that your saviour is here?” she chuckled slightly, but her tone had not been one of mirth.

Zero sneered at her, about to retort, but he was cut short as Arlena started pulling him out of the cell. His legs were still weak and he found it difficult to keep standing, let alone walking. The redhead's pace was fairly quick and whenever Zero stumbled, he ended up being half dragged down the corridor.

He was vaguely aware that they had passed several sets of double doors. The corridors in this section of the building all looked the same. He had no idea where they were or which way they were going.

After what felt like an eternity to his aching legs, the two of them stopped in front of an elevator. He saw that Kaname was standing in front of it, seemingly waiting for them.

At the sudden cease of motion, Zero's head began spinning. He was light-headed. Not all that surprising considering the blood loss from his wrists as well as the injury Arlena had inflicted. This wasn't what concerned him though. Over the past few years he had struggled with the urge to feed, resisting his own base instincts. That feeling was only multiplied when a vampire was injured or had lost blood. His need for blood would eventually consume him, he knew, and it felt as if that time would be soon.

Kaname's gaze swept over Zero's body, halting at his hands.

“Attend to his injuries before bringing him down to my car. I don't want him bleeding on the upholstery.”

Arlena's expression soured further at that instruction, but she didn't offer any objection. She began dragging Zero away from the elevator, down to the end of the corridor towards another set of doors. As they passed through them, he heard the elevator arrive on their floor and the door slide open.

* * *

Kaname glanced out of the window of the Caprice towards the set of elevators. He had been waiting for nearly half an hour now, and he wasn't sure if Arlena was intentionally attempting to try his patience. He wouldn't put it past her. He knew she was angry with the way he had treated her. He wasn't entirely sure himself as to why he had reacted so violently when he had first entered the cell and seen Arlena about to bite the other vampire.

Kaname rubbed his forehead with one hand. His suspicions had been confirmed though. That silvery hair, those amethyst eyes, the unforgettable scent of his blood. That vampire was definitely a Kiryu.

The blood... the scent had been almost overwhelming to his highly keen senses. He had exited the cell as soon as he could. The memories brought back to him by that odour had not been entirely pleasant.

Kaname shook away his thoughts as he spotted movement from one of the elevators. The door slid open and he saw two figures step out, Kiryu and a male vampire whom Kaname did not know. How typical of her... Arlena should be seeing him off personally. That would be the appropriate conduct when dealing with another pureblood. He made a mental note of the subtle insult and returned his attention to the two approaching the car.

The injured vampire seemed to be in a better condition now. He was walking rather than being dragged, albeit somewhat awkwardly, and his hands and arm had been wrapped up in bandages.

Kaname nodded to his driver, via the rear-view mirror, who stepped out of the car and walked around to open the opposite rear door. The pureblood could see the disapproving look on the driver's face. He obviously did not like the fact that a low-level vampire was sharing the rear seat of the car with him, let alone a bloodied one.

The driver helped the escorting vampire slide Zero into the seat and fastened his seatbelt. The silver-haired vampire did not put up a struggle, his expression almost glazed looking.

The escorting vampire bowed to Kaname and then headed back towards the elevators. The driver closed the rear door and returned to his seat, another nod from Kaname prompting him to start driving.

As they pulled out of the parking space and headed towards the ramp that led to the ground level, Kaname examined Zero's face. He looked relaxed. The pureblood reached out a hand and grasped the other vampire's chin, turning his head towards him. Zero tried to pull away, but his movement was sluggish, and Kaname had a firm grip.

“I see you have been sedated. How thoughtful of her.”

Zero's mouth twitched, but it seemed the tranquilizer was performing too well for him to manage a full sneer.

“Tell me, did she do anything else to you?” Kaname's tone was flat.

“What...” The other vampire was struggling with speech. “What does it matter?”

Kaname released his chin and laid his hands in his lap, causing Zero to sag forward without the support.

“It matters because I only instructed her to attend to your injuries. Nothing more. I need to know when my dogs are disobedient, so that I may discipline them.”

“Dogs...?” Zero echoed.

The pureblood's expression hardened at the tone in Zero's voice. Even though the word had barely been a whisper, he could hear the derision there.

“You do not approve of my choice of words, Kiryu?”

The other vampire did not respond for a moment, his gaze settling on the floor of the car. Finally, he took a deep breath, exhaling slowly.

“What do you want from me? How do you know me?”

Kaname's expression returned to its usual calm. “All in good time.”

The pureblood reached over once more and placed his hand on Zero's forehead. “Rest now.”

Zero's body relaxed fully as Kaname willed him into sleep. He removed his hand and watched the other vampire's steady breathing for many minutes. He eventually looked away, glancing out of the window. They were now leaving the city.

* * *

Arlena threw the glass she had been drinking from across the room. It smashed into tiny pieces against the wall, staining the paint a faint red with the remainder of the liquid that had been in it.

“Damn him!”

She had been trying to keep a lid on her temper ever since the other pureblood had left. Her attempts had proven unsuccessful.

She slammed her fist onto the top of the table she was sitting at, trying to vent further. The wood cracked under the force.

She leaned back into the chair she was sat in, rubbing at her temple with one hand.

Why had he turned up so soon? Why had he come at all? She couldn't understand Kaname's motivation. Yes, Zero had been intriguing. A vampire with the ability to use vampire hunter weapons was most definitely unusual. She was fairly sure that alone would not have piqued Kaname's curiosity enough for him to come as soon as he had received the news. There was something she was missing; a piece in the puzzle that she had yet to figure out.

The other pureblood had been highly disrespectful towards her. First, interrupting her when she was about to feed, and so aggressively, then ordering her around like she was some low-level vampire. She could not forgive him for that kind of treatment. No, she would find out whatever it was Kaname already knew about Zero Kiryu. She would not be denied her whims so easily.

Arlena glanced up at the stain on the wall. How to go about doing this without making more of a mess...?

* * *

Zero rolled onto his side as consciousness began to come back to him. He was lying down on something that felt pleasingly soft. He realised he was also warm, covered with a duvet or something similar. Was he in a bed?

He slowly opened his eyes. The soft orange of the last light of day greeted him and he narrowed his eyes against the sudden contrast. He had been right. He was lying on a large bed, wrapped up in thick bedcovers. The pillow below his head felt velvety and smelled crisp and clean. He buried his face further into it. The whole situation seemed so bizarre after the past couple of days, he wondered if he was dreaming. If he was, it was a dream he did not want to wake up from.

Zero let out a sigh and lifted his head, peering over the bedcovers to view the rest of the room. He was in what appeared to be an expensively furnished bedroom. He could see a long beige sofa behind a low coffee table in the centre of the room. Next to the bed was a window, covered by long curtains that were partially open. In front of the window was a writing desk with a matching chair. Along the back wall were several bookshelves, cabinets and a chest of drawers. All the furniture seemed to be of a fair age, but they were all in excellent condition. There were two doors in the room. One was at the foot of the bed, and another on the adjoining wall.

Where am I? What is this place? The last thing he remembered was sitting in the pureblood's car. If this was his home, he couldn't imagine why he was being treated so well.

Well, only one way to find out...

Zero pushed himself to a sitting position, and almost immediately regretted doing so. Sharp pain shot through his hands. He looked down at them and saw they were still bandaged, but more loosely than before. His dressings had been changed. He took the weight off his hands and swung his feet out from under the bedcovers. The sudden chill of the room hit him quite unexpectedly. In his groggy state, he hadn't realised he was completely naked. He quickly pulled the bedcovers around himself, huddling into their warmth.

As Zero's full senses came back to him, he started to feel the aches in the rest of his body. His muscles were complaining at the strain they had been put through recently, but the deepest of those aches was not muscular. The blood loss, the exertion, the pain, the anxiety; they had all taken their toll and now Zero was starving. His body required food and water, certainly, but his main need at the moment was for blood.

His hand came up to his chest as that familiar tightness there increased. He gasped. This was the worst it had ever been. Not only was his breathing laboured, but it was actually painful.

Zero tried to stand. He had to move, to get out of this place. His legs buckled under him and he dropped to his knees, pulling the bedcovers with him. He gasped again at the intensity of the pain. Not now, not after all I've been through.

The room faded in and out of his vision as a red haze dropped over him. The blood lust was taking him and there was nothing he could do about it.

He could feel his fangs extending and he shook his head, trying to clear his sight. Summoning what remaining strength he had, he hauled himself to his feet, staggering forwards towards one of the doors in the room.

There was something standing in the way, blocking the door. His mind couldn't figure out exactly what it was though. Then he felt hands on his shoulders. Hands? Then this must be a person? A person means... blood?

His body reacted before his mind could instruct otherwise. He grabbed one of the hands on his shoulder, the red haze shielding him from any pain the action would have caused. Twisting, he flung the person to the floor, following the motion, straddling them. He leaned heavily on his forearms, pinning the person down by their shoulders. Clumsily he knocked the person's head to the side, baring their neck. Without hesitation, he lunged towards the exposed flesh, sinking his fangs in deeply.

The tang of blood hit his senses. It tasted so good. More than good... exquisite. His body revelled in the much needed nutrition. His breathing quickened and his draining of his prey became harsher.

The bloodlust beginning to recede slightly, his other senses returned to their normal effectiveness. He heard strained breathing. His eyes focused on the neck and hair of the person he was drawing blood from. They looked familiar.

As full recognition of what he had just done flickered across Zero's mind, he recoiled in horror. Withdrawing his fangs quickly, he pushed himself up to a sitting position, looking down at his victim. He stared with incomprehension.

“Kuran?”

The pureblood was looking up at him, meeting his gaze with the same cold expression he had seen before, back at the cell. Some emotion flickered behind Kaname's eyes, but it was gone so quickly, Zero couldn't recognise it.

The pureblood slowly brought a hand up to his neck, to the puncture wounds. He rubbed absently at them.

“You did not need to be so rough, Kiryu,” he sounded almost as if he was scolding Zero.

He suddenly became very aware of his nakedness and how he was still straddling Kaname. Hurriedly, he rolled off the brunette, grabbing the rumpled bedcovers from the floor and pulling them around himself.

Zero did not turn to look back at the other vampire. Why had he let him drink from him? He was far more powerful than Zero, he could have easily killed him.

“Why didn't you stop me?”

Zero could hear the rustle of clothes as the pureblood moved behind him.

“I have my reasons.”

“And you're not going to share them, right?” Zero bit back a sardonic chuckle.

He heard footsteps. Kaname had obviously gotten to his feet.

“There is no need to. You obtained what you required. What difference does the reasoning behind it make?”

Zero turned to look at the pureblood. He was just a few steps behind him, looking down at him.

“How could you understand? I didn't want this. I don't want to have to feed on blood, and I don't want your blood.”

Kaname gazed at him coolly. His shirt was stained crimson with his own blood, but it looked as if the bite marks had already healed.

“You should rest. My blood will help you heal quicker, but you will require sleep as well.”

Zero's forehead creased in confusion.

“Why are you treating me like this? If you have any idea of who I am, as you seemed to think before, then you know I will kill you if I get the chance.”

A slight smile pulled at Kaname's lips.

“Don't worry. You won't get that chance. Don't mistake my generosity for stupidity, Kiryu.”

The smile faded from the pureblood's lips as he stepped forward. He leaned down and grabbed Zero roughly by the arm, yanking him to his feet and throwing him towards the bed. Zero landed awkwardly on the mattress with a grunt, the covers twisted around his lower body.

Zero used his elbow to push himself onto his back. “What the f-.” His words were cut short as Kaname's hand clamped over his mouth. That slight smile was back on his lips again.

“You really don't know your place, do you, Kiryu? Any other vampire would be scurrying to do as I say right now. They would not be questioning me, and they most certainly would not be throwing the generous offer of my blood back in my face.”

The pureblood lowered his head to barely a few inches above Zero's. He wanted to struggle; he wanted to get away from him, from that intense gaze. Kaname's grip was too powerful for his weakened state though, and the heat of the body pressed against his own seemed oppressive.

A frown passed momentarily across Kaname's face and he pulled away, removing his hand from Zero's mouth. “Get some rest. I'll have some food sent up later.”

The pureblood took a step backwards, his gaze lingering on Zero for a few moments longer.

“Don't try anything foolish. I would hate for you to get any further injuries.”

Zero's eyes narrowed. Was that a threat? He watched as Kaname turned and left the room. As the door closed he rested his head back onto the mattress and closed his eyes. What did this pureblood want with him? His behaviour was such a contrast to Arlena's that it threw him off-balance.

The taste of Kaname's blood still lingered in his mouth, and he absently brought his hand up to his lips. He was disgusted at himself. He had let the beast take control. What was worse, was that he had enjoyed it; the taste, the feeling of draining his prey. His body almost seemed to hum with satisfaction.

Zero let out a frustrated sigh and began to untangle himself from the bedcovers. He was also feeling warmer than usual. Was that another side effect of Kaname's blood?

One thing he could agree on with the pureblood though, was that he needed rest. If he was going to find a way out of this place, it would be better if he were at full strength.

Zero dropped his head onto the pillow, welcoming the softness. He draped the bedcovers inelegantly over his body, more for modesty sake than for warmth. Yes, rest first, then he would think about other matters.

* * *

Kaname leant against the wall a short way up the corridor. He glanced back at the door he had just closed. That had gone rather unexpectedly. He knew Zero was in need of sustenance, but to be so desperate as to pounce on him, he must have gone without for a long time.

He reflected back on the other vampire's words. Why hadn't he stopped him? It was not as if he couldn't. He had simply lain there, underneath Zero, allowing him to drain him, like his prey. For all his confidence in the presence of the other vampire, now that he had left the room, he felt confused. The slight light-headedness certainly wasn't helping matters.

He pushed himself away from the wall and started walking down the corridor once more. He needed to change out of his bloodied clothes and take a shower. The staff members and other residents of the house had surely smelt his blood on the air by now. Explaining to them about what had just happened would be a nuisance.

Kaname sighed inwardly. What a foolish thing he had let the silver-haired vampire do, and for what? Some warped sense of pity? No, not pity. Obligation, perhaps? He frowned at that thought. It wasn't like him to be drawn to do something because of some feeling of responsibility. He was a planner, a strategist; not making a move unless thoroughly thought out with contingencies in place for every eventual outcome.

He stopped at the door to his personal suite. Then what is so different about this vampire...? This would need more thought, he decided.

He entered the living area of his multi-roomed suite and closed the door behind him. Striding purposefully through the room, he crossed into the bedroom, unbuttoning his shirt as he went. He dropped the soiled garment over the back of a nearby chair and headed to the en-suite bathroom. Leaning against the sink unit he gazed at his reflection in the mirror. Blood had trickled down his neck and part way onto his chest before the wound had closed.

“You are really a messy eater, Kiryu,” he murmured as he brought a hand up to rub his neck gently.

Kaname frowned as he heard a faint knocking at the main door of the suite. He did not need anyone seeing him like this. He walked back into the bedroom, grabbing his nightrobe from a hook on the bathroom door and wrapped it around himself, hiding his bloodied neck. Another knock sounded at the door.

“Enter,” he called out.

The door opened slowly and a blonde head peered around it. Takuma spotted Kaname standing in the entranceway to the bedroom and he took a step inside the room.

“Kaname? Are you alright?” He sounded genuinely concerned.

The pureblood's expression softened slightly. “Yes, I'm fine, Takuma.”

The blonde looked as if he wanted to question him further. Kaname walked to one of the leather armchairs in the living area and sat down.

“You may speak your mind.”

Takuma took another step inside the room and closed the door.

“The entire household could not mistake that scent, Kaname. I need to be able to tell them... something.”

Kaname waved his hand dismissively. “There was a slight altercation with our guest. Nothing to worry about. As for the others, you may tell them whatever you see fit.”

Takuma nodded slowly. “As you wish.” He paused a moment before continuing. “And our... guest? What do you plan on doing with him?”

The pureblood leant an elbow on the arm of the chair and dropped his chin into his palm.

“That's a good question, Takuma. I haven't quite decided yet.”