Vampire Knight Fan Fiction ❯ Entwined ❯ Going Places ( Chapter 11 )

Entwined

Going Places

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: Review responses for the last chapter are up on my forums. As you should know by now, you can access it from my profile page. *smiles*

Things are about to start kicking into high gear now. Do I hear an `It's about damn time'? *chuckles* I realise the story may have been coming along rather slowly, but I really wanted to lay the foundation for the intrigue and of course Kaname and Zero's relationship. Over the next few chapters there will be some major action/plot events that will push both the story along and, of course, our little vampire duo. *grins*

Ack, I had most of this chapter written a few days after I posted the last chapter, but things went to hell in a handbasket after that! (What a funny saying, by the way!) I'll be attending a little family vacation at the beginning of next month, but I'll have a laptop with me, so I may get a chance to write while I'm there. Oh! I'm also off to L.A. in November for 2 weeks, so that may reduce my writing time too! (I live in Sweden by the way, so it'll be a loooong trip for me. :D)

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Seiren took note of the time. She had just under an hour until she was due to return to the payphone in the hamlet a little over a mile away. Covering that distance wouldn't take very long, so she decided to take another look around the building she had been keeping an eye on for the past few days. She had discovered disturbingly little about the inhabitants. Since the time she had observed the van pulling up and the single occupant entering the house, she had seen no sign of a living soul. Even so, she had reported the location of the building to Aera Enterprises, a small subsidiary company of Kuran Inc. She believed without a doubt, that this was where the pureblood behind the corporate takeovers was hiding. Her investigation had led her here and she had faith in her own abilities.

She had already thoroughly explored the grounds and exterior of the building, which had revealed very little. Even now, as close as she was to the house itself, she could sense no vampire or human presence within. She knew the driver of the van had not exited, so it made no sense. She could only surmise that the building had defensive wards in place. This was just another supporting fact for her belief that a pureblood was in hiding here.

As she crept around the low fence that acted as a perimeter for the building, she scanned the darkened windows, looking for any signs of movement. Seiren sighed. The place looked completely abandoned from the outside. She regretted not having any new reconnaissance to report to Kaname, but as skilled as she was, she wasn't about to place herself in any unreasonable danger by trying to enter the building. She had arranged to call the communications director of Aera Enterprises this evening to receive further instructions from Kaname, and she would do just that.

Seiren started to move away from the fence, towards the cover of trees, keeping low to make herself as invisible as possible. It was a fairly cloudless night and the moon illuminated the surrounding countryside too well for her liking. Breaking into a run, she decided it would be better to reach the copse of trees as quickly as possible.

As she reached the grove, she slowed to a jog and eventually stopped underneath the boughs of a thick trunked oak. Catching her breath, she glanced back at the distance she had just crossed, making sure she hadn't been seen, even if the chances were slim.

As she turned back to the copse, she suddenly felt a heavy pressure descend over her. Startled, she tried to move, to get behind some cover, but she found she was unable to. The force weighed down her body, pushing her to her knees. She gasped, struggling against whatever it was that was holding her down.

Her eyes widened as she felt hands slink around her throat. Strands of long, pale hair fluttered into her vision, blown by the breeze. She felt warmth against her back as a body leant over her.

“You were just going to leave without introducing yourself? Your master hasn't trained you very well,” a feminine voice whispered into Seiren's ear.

“Who...?”

A light chuckle was her assailant's only response.

“Come now. Let's get acquainted.”

The faint scent of cherry blossoms assaulted Seiren's senses before her world went black.

* * *

The towering building that functioned as the headquarters of Aera Enterprises was full of life, even though business hours were long over. The office workers, executive staff, receptionists and cleaning staff that now scurried along the corridors or typed away in front of computers were mostly vampires. The company employed human workers during the day and vampires at night. This allowed the business to run smoothly twenty four hours per day. This kind of practice wasn't exactly common in vampire owned companies, but it was becoming a more popular trend. Aera's recent rise on the stock market proved how lucrative it could be.

Lewis Holmes was sat behind his desk in his amply spacious office on the fifteenth floor. He was a noble class vampire and currently filled the role of Aera Enterprises' communications director. Business usually ran efficiently in this company, and he enjoyed the mostly stress-free environment. Unfortunately, tonight wasn't a usual night and he was fidgeting nervously in his chair, tapping his watch with a scowl on his face.

He had been expecting a phone call from Seiren, a noble who worked personally for Kaname Kuran. That phone call was now two hours overdue. If he hadn't been aware of her reputation, he probably would not have been so worried. Sadly, Seiren was renowned for her impeccable time-keeping and, above all, her reliability.

He wasn't aware of the details of her assignment, so couldn't possibly fathom the reason as to her tardiness. Thinking it would be better to cover his own back, he decided to risk making a phone call to Kuran Inc. to inform them of the delay.

Lewis fished his address book out of the drawer of his desk and flipped through the pages until he came across the name he was looking for. He lifted the receiver of the phone and punched the number into the dial pad.

After a few rings, a pleasant female voice answered. “Kuran Incorporated. How may I direct your call?”

“Hello. I'd like to speak with Takuma Ichijo. My name is Lewis Holmes. I'm the communications director over at Aera Enterprises.”

“One moment please, Mr. Holmes. I'll see if Mr. Ichijo is available. Please hold.”

Tinny sounding music replaced the far more enjoyable sound of the receptionist's voice and Lewis cringed slightly. Being on hold was probably one of his least favourite pastimes.

After a few minutes, the music ceased and a soft but authoritative voice spoke. “Mr Holmes? This is Takuma Ichijo speaking. How may I help you?”

Lewis knew Takuma was a member of Kaname Kuran's inner circle, perhaps even one of his most trusted advisors, so he would need to be careful to convey the proper amount of respect.

“Mr Ichijo, first may I apologise for contacting you like this. I wasn't sure what else I should do though.”

“It's fine, really.” Takuma's tone was dismissive.

“I was supposed to receive a phone call from Seiren tonight. She's now two hours late, so I thought I should inform you, as you were expecting a report from her, or something to that regard?”

A brief silence ensued, before Takuma spoke up once more. “I see. There's no way you may have missed the call, or someone else perhaps took it?”

“No, there's no way.”

“Very well. Thank you for informing me, Mr. Holmes.”

Lewis frowned as the line began to crackle and hiss.

“Mr. Holmes?” Takuma enquired.

“Uh... I'm sorry, Mr. Ichijo, but we seem to have a poor connecti-” Lewis paused mid sentence as he heard a distinct rumbling sound from somewhere below him. Suddenly, the building began to shake and he jumped to his feet.

“What the heck?” he muttered, more to himself than to Takuma.

“Is everything alright?” Takuma's voice piped up from the phone receiver, which Lewis held away from his ear as his eyes darted about, trying to find something to explain the strange happenings.

He hurriedly returned the phone to his ear. “The building's shaking. There must be an earthquake...”

* * *

Takuma paled as the phone line went dead. He had most definitely heard a scream and what sounded like an explosion before the call was cut off. He didn't want to envision what that meant.

He placed the phone back on the table and hurried out of the small conference room. He had to find Kaname immediately.

As he rushed out of the door, he almost strode headlong into Aidou, who was in the process of walking into the room.

“Whoa. Where's the fire?”

Takuma's expression darkened at Aidou's remark.

“Where's Kaname?”

The other noble frowned slightly. “In the east library, I think. At least, that's where I saw him go an hour ago.”

Takuma nodded and promptly began walking in the direction of the library. He heard Aidou's footsteps behind him, hurrying to keep up.

“What's wrong, Takuma?”

He let out a sigh. It would probably be best to fill the blonde in as well.

“I just received a phone call from Aera Enterprises, the company Seiren has been in contact with. She missed her designated call time and on top of that our telephone conversation was cut off abruptly. It sounded like an explosion.”

There was no reply from Aidou. The gravity of the situation must have sunk in. The two nobles kept a quick pace as they headed to where they hoped Kaname would be.

* * *

Kaname leafed through the fragile pages of the ancient tome that lay on the desk before him. It was one of a collection of books that had laid untouched for many years on the shelves of the library. This particular volume had seen recent use though, and this was why the pureblood was now scanning its contents.

He had noticed that Zero had taken to visiting this place daily and was curious to see just what he had found to attract his attention so much. After flipping through a quarter of the book, he really couldn't fathom why he would be so interested in vampire lineages. The book was a collection of family trees, carefully recorded for prosperity. Unless the ex-human was researching something or someone in particular, of course. Kaname himself, perhaps? Or maybe the pureblood who had turned him? The identity of whom he had yet to discover.

Kaname closed the book and pushed it towards the centre of the desk with a sigh. Zero had been here a little over an hour ago and his scent still lingered in the air. Since the ex-human had fed from him for the second time, he had avoided his company. Just the thought of how close he had come to biting Zero made his desire to see the other vampire take a back seat. As his need for blood became stronger, his ability to control himself would lessen. He couldn't risk breaking Zero's trust like that. Their relationship was rocky at best as it was.

Kaname ran a hand through his hair. He was being too stubborn by refusing to drink from any of the willing donors around him. Their blood simply did not appeal to him though. There was only one vampire he wanted to drink from. The pureblood's hand stopped mid-motion as he realised the connotation of that thought.

Have I... fallen in love? Surely not! I barely know him!

Kaname swept the notion aside. He could admit to being attracted to Zero, very attracted, but deeper seated emotions couldn't possibly exist.

His mind kept swinging back around to linger on the thoughts, though, turning them over, looking at them from every angle. Recollection of his urges to be around the ex-human, the enjoyment he took from their verbal exchanges and more so from their physical ones, came to mind.

He sighed irritably and leaned forward onto the desk.

His keen ears picked up rushed footsteps heading towards him. It was Aidou and Takuma. He turned towards the door, awaiting their entry.

The two nobles entered moments later and paused just inside the room.

“I'm sorry to disturb you, Kaname,” Takuma started.

The pureblood nodded for him to continue, detecting the sense of urgency clearly.

“I just had a most disturbing phone call with the communications director of Aera Enterprises. Seiren missed her scheduled call with the director and our own call was cut off.” Takuma paused as Kaname stood and took a step towards him.

“I heard a loud noise before the line went dead. Perhaps an explosion.”

The pureblood's eyes widened slightly before he caught the slip. An explosion? “We need to corroborate this as soon as possible. I must know what happened there.” He aimed the statement at Aidou who nodded and slipped out of the room.

He turned away from Takuma and rested his hands on the desk, mulling over the new information.

If Seiren had missed her call time, then that would most likely mean something had happened to her. She wasn't one to be tardy. Finding out what had happened at Aera Enterprises would be key in deciding on his next course of action. If those he had been investigating had put two and two together and realised he was on their trail, it may have been a deliberate attack. In that case, he would need to set his own plan in motion.

He turned back to Takuma. “Organise a conference call with the others once Aidou has sufficient information.”

The noble nodded and turned to leave, but paused as Kaname added, “I would like Zero to attend as well.”

The pureblood noted the blonde's eyebrows raise, but he didn't object and left swiftly.

* * *

Zero shifted restlessly on his bed in the guest room. Something had been niggling at him ever since Kaname had tricked him into taking blood from him. Well, he hadn't exactly tricked him. He had just pushed him over the edge; his willpower inadequate to the challenge. He didn't want to admit to that particular weakness though.

That had been the second time he had consumed Kaname's blood. It had been different this time. It still tasted intoxicatingly, and somewhat disturbingly, good, but there had been something more. Something Zero hadn't been able to put his finger on, until now.

His mind drifted back to a discussion that the two of them had about feelings being transferred within blood when vampires drank from one another. So, that something more had been Kaname's feelings? He wasn't exactly an expert at drinking blood, so deciphering the new sensation was rather difficult.

Zero rolled onto his side, facing away from the wall. Thinking back to just after he had left Kaname, there had been a lingering warmth that he hadn't felt before. He had brushed it off as another side effect of the blood itself, but perhaps that wasn't the case.

A knock on the guest room door interrupted his thoughts. He had been so preoccupied that he hadn't heard anyone approaching.

“Yes?” he called out.

“May I come in?” Zero placed the voice as that of Takuma, the surprisingly pleasant, blonde haired noble.

He swung his legs off of the bed and pushed himself to a sitting position. “Yeah.”

The door opened and Takuma entered the room. He smiled briefly at Zero.

“I've been asked to escort you to one of our conference rooms.”

The ex-human immediately scowled. “Why?”

The noble smiled again, this time apologetically.

“I'm sorry if it's a nuisance, but Kaname wanted you to be present for the conference call that is about to occur. I don't have any further information.”

Zero was surprised by this. Even though he had no clue what this supposed conference call was going to be about, he was just a little taken aback that he would be allowed to be present, let alone be asked to be there.

His curiosity peaked, he stood and walked towards Takuma. “I'll come with you.”

The blonde nodded and motioned with his hand. “This way then, please.”

Zero followed Takuma out of the room, closing the door behind him. They walked the full length of the corridor and descended the main staircase. The noble led him through a set of ornately carved double doors at the rear of the foyer area and into yet another corridor. A few staff members drifted in and out of rooms that adjoined the hallway. This was obviously a busier section of the building.

Takuma eventually paused at one of the identical looking doors near the end of the corridor and opened it. “In here,” he ushered with one of his customary smiles.

Zero peered into the room and saw Kaname and Aidou inside, sat in high-backed chairs around a long conference table. He steeled himself for whatever was about to come and stepped inside. Takuma followed him and took a seat next to Aidou.

Kaname was looking at Zero intently and he felt a little uncomfortable under the scrutiny.

“Please, sit down, Kiryu.” The pureblood motioned to the chair beside him.

Zero hesitated. “What's this about?”

“You will find out shortly, I assure you,” Kaname replied flatly. He motioned to the chair once more and Zero grudgingly obliged, walking past the other vampires and sliding into the seat. He could feel Aidou glaring daggers into his back as he did so.

Kaname shifted in his chair and nodded at Takuma who pressed a button on the conference phone before him. The screen on the opposite wall came to life, brightening the room considerably, causing the occupants to squint while their eyes adjusted.

The large flat screen monitor was split into two sections and two faces appeared on each. Zero scanned over them, not recognising any of them, which wasn't entirely surprising.

Kaname's full attention was on the monitor as he spoke.

“It's good to see you all again even though it is under such circumstances. We have a newcomer with us, so I will introduce everyone.” He gestured in Zero's direction. “This is Zero Kiryu. He will be accompanying me on my trip.”

Zero raised an eyebrow at that statement. What trip? Just when was he planning on telling him about such a thing?

Kaname continued on, regardless. Indicating to the section of the monitor to the left, he stated, “This is Kain and Luca.”

Zero eyed the orange-tinted haired male, Kain before his gaze slid across to the long haired brunette, Luca. They gazed back at him coolly, completely unperturbed.

“And this is Shiki and Rima.” Kaname motioned to the right side of the screen.

The pair there seemed utterly disinterested in Zero, their focus on Kaname. Zero memorised their features quickly, for later reference, his hunter instincts kicking in full gear. The female, Rima, was obviously short, her golden-orange hair was tied up in pigtails at the side of her head. Shiki, the male, had scruffy reddish-brown hair and wore a bored expression.

“They look after my concerns outside of my own territory,” Kaname explained for Zero's benefit.

“Now that we're all introduced, I shall get straight to the point. There is evidence that one of our subsidiary companies, Aera Enterprises, was attacked just over an hour ago. Their main building was destroyed in an explosion. Many of the employees died in the blast.

“I do not think it is a coincidence that Seiren was using that particular company to ferry messages to myself, and that she is now missing.”

Kain leaned forward, closer to the screen. “That's not good. What should we do?”

Kaname's gaze slid over to the left of the monitor. “You may dislike it, but I don't want you to do anything. Just keep your eyes and ears open for anything out of the norm, increase security, and report back any changes.”

“Surely there's something more we can do, Kan-“ Luca's objection was cut short by one look from the pureblood. She lowered her eyes and took a step back submissively.

“If that's what you want us to do, Kaname, then that's what we'll do.” Kain covered quickly for the uneasy brunette behind him. His statement was followed by two affirmative nods from the right section of the screen.

“Good. Those of us in this room now shall be flying out to the Aera Enterprises building within the hour. I shall issue further instructions at the appropriate time.”

A unison of acknowledging grunts and mumbles echoed around the room.

“That's all for the moment.”

A few nods later and the screen went dark again, much to the relief of Zero's eyes.

The two nobles rose from their seats and turned to the pureblood. “We'll meet you in the foyer in half an hour?” Takuma asked.

Kaname nodded briefly and the two took it as their cue to leave.

Zero began to push himself up from the chair, his mind a jumble of confusion and suspicion. He hadn't the slightest clue what was going on.

“Stay for a moment, Kiryu.”

The ex-human eyed Kaname warily, but paused behind his chair, leaning against its high back. What other surprises did he have in store for him? He looked at the pureblood expectantly.

The brunette swivelled in his chair, turning to face Zero. As he did so, his arm slipped from the top of a long lacquered box that had been hidden from the ex-human's view until now.

His eyes were drawn to it for some inexplicable reason and his eyebrows creased into a frown as he wondered what it contained. A smile pulled at Kaname's lips as he laid a hand on top of the box and slid it across the tabletop towards Zero.

“This is for you.”

His frown deepened. “What is it?”

The pureblood chuckled lightly. “Open it and see for yourself.”

Zero eyed Kaname for a moment before his curiosity got the better of him and he gingerly reached for the wooden box. The lid was hinged on one side with no clasp to fasten it, so it opened easily enough as he lifted it.

His eyes widened as he saw the contents of the container. The Bloody Rose. He slipped his hand inside and around the cool metal of the weapon, pausing there as if to reacquaint himself with an old friend.

Zero's gaze drifted back to the pureblood as he heard him pushing himself to his feet.

“I trust you know who your enemies are and to aim that weapon only at them.” Kaname's voice had lost all signs of joviality.

He knew what he was inferring. The brunette was taking a chance by returning the Bloody Rose to him. It was an anti-vampire weapon after all and could do some serious damage to those close to Kaname if he so chose to. This was a sign of trust on the pureblood's part.

Zero didn't reply for a moment, meeting the other vampire's gaze coolly. He had to admit, albeit grudgingly, that the pureblood had done nothing untoward to him, if he excluded any of his more personal advances. Lashing out at him and those he associated with would seem... inappropriate. He didn't fully believe that Kaname's actions were completely pure at heart. He still held the belief that he was up to something that he just wasn't seeing yet, but he would reserve any judgement until he had solid proof.

Funnily enough, he hadn't had the urge to shoot the pureblood when he finally had his hands back on his weapon. His brow furrowed once more at that revelation. He shook the thoughts from his head as Kaname's expectant expression became more impatient.

“I don't have any intention of shooting you, Kuran, if that's what you're worried about.”

A half smirk returned to the other vampire's face. “I am not worried about myself.”

Zero slipped the weapon out of the box and into the waistband of his jeans. He lifted his shirt and dropped the hem over the Bloody Rose, effectively hiding it from sight.

“I guess you mean what happened back at Arlena's place,” he snorted before he continued. “Yeah, that wasn't my proudest moment, but I don't make that kind of thing a regular occurrence.”

A soft sigh escaped Kaname's lips. “Nevermind that. What's in the past, is in the past.” He motioned towards the door.

“We should get moving and prepare before we need to leave.”

Zero scowled at the pureblood. He hadn't been informed about their little trip before this damned meeting and here Kaname was pushing him around like he should've known all along.

“Fine,” he muttered as he headed out of the room.