Title: Web of lies and truths.

Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Knight, this is a fanfic written for fun and for love of the series. I'm not making any money with it.

Warnings: Spoilers for Rido arc. Angst and implied Ichiou x Kaname abuse and possibly non-con throughout the years while Kaname was Ichiou's ward, before he moved to Cross Academy. The fic is passed not that long before Cross Academy started.

Also, not a warning but a heads-up, in this fic Ichijou says "Kaname-sama" and not "Kaname" because it's before they got closer and he dropped the honorific.
I'd normally be against chunks of Japanese in a fic in English, but the way hierarchy between vampire classes etc. works in VK is really nicely expressed with the Japanese honorifics, and, well… yeah. So I use "sama" etc. in my VK fics, but that's it. :)

Summary: Kaname is young, orphaned and so terribly alone in the Ichijou mansion, constantly cornered and enduring unspeakable horror to shield the ones he loves. But perhaps things would be less hard if he wasn't so alone? Kaname x Takuma & Takuma x Kaname, friendship and some seduction. One-shot, yaoi.

Go go joint effort to convert the world to these pairings! XD XD LOL :high-fives IncaGold27:

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The water fell hard against his skin, warm rivulets running down his sensitive back and legs, making him clench his teeth to fight the reawakened pain of the wounds that hadn't healed yet.

He pressed the palms of his hands flat against the tiles on the wall of the shower and tried to focus his mind elsewhere while he let the warm water run down his body. He refused to make a sound or let the tears escape his eyes, no matter how badly he wanted to cry. He had showed enough weakness recently to disgust himself for a lifetime. He may be alone in the shower right now, but the tears that he shed the previous night, and many, many nights before that one were a vivid memory burning painfully in what was left of his abused pride.

He stared at the ground of the shower stall, at the thin layer of water tinted with pink from the blood that washed down his legs, thick drops hitting the ground like a reddish rain pattering all around his feet.

His fangs throbbed a little at the sight. He was thirsty, his body instinctively needing blood to help heal. But he wasn't about to ask anyone at the moment, and the only "food" that was otherwise made freely disponible for his consumption in that house was human, and thus out of his reach since he refused to bite them and create ex-human vampires. And the thirst wasn't such that he felt desperate enough to go for the blood of the house's servants, ex-humans and level C vampires that would jump to the occasion of serving him, but who would also quickly report to their master afterwards. The pureblood refused to give that man any such additional sources of amusement at his cost.

If he could stand the pain, then he could stand the thirst much more easily. At least in that, being a pureblood was a blessing rather than a curse. He wasn't in danger of easily losing his mind to bloodlust like lower ranked vampires, and he could go on without blood for quite a while, even though at this particular moment, those thoughts weren't helping the pain of his wounds subside.

He touched his forehead to the tiled wall, feeling it strangely cool against his overly hot skin. The bathroom was heated though, and he realized he probably had a fever, the shivers running through his body being caused by more than mere disgust of his current state.

Vampires didn't normally have fevers. Not unless they had a serious illness or were badly injured. He figured it was probably yet another embarrassing side-effect of the way his body reacted to the anti-vampire weapons his tormentor liked to use on him to supress his healing abilities and make him suffer from the wounds longer. Clenching his fists, he swallowed the rage that he knew to be unproductive at the moment, and locked it away in the recesses of his calculating mind. There would be a time for revenge. A time when he would be strong, a time when he could afford to take the risk to go against them. But this was not that time, not yet. It would be much too dangerous to make such a move now, and risk losing everything he wanted to protect.

His pride was nothing compared to what he wanted to hide from them. Whatever may be done to his body, he could always heal. As long as she was safe, it was all that mattered at his eyes.

Even though in those moments, he had to really cling to the memories of her, to the image of her face etched into his mind, so that he could stay strong. He had to. For her. He repeated it in his thoughts over and over, until he managed to make himself believe he would be able to keep going.

Just go on. Keep moving, keep preparing it all for when the time comes. Don't let them make you waver. No matter what they do to you.

He was so lost in his thoughts that he didn't even feel the presence in the room adjacent to the bathroom, until the doorknob clicked suddenly as someone opened the bathroom door and slipped in, startling him. Horror rushed through his body as he reached with his senses to identify the other's aura and pulled back instinctively before realizing it was only similar to that of his tormentor, but not the same. No, not quite the same.

Takuma. It's just Takuma. The pureblood tried to force his own breathing to slow down.

It was the young Ichijou, rather than his grandfather, who was warily approaching the shower, concern painted on his youthful face. The shower doors were not see-through, so the boy couldn't see the pureblood, but he didn't need to see him to know something was wrong.

"Kaname-sama?"

Takuma's features were constantly imbued with a very uncharacteristic gentleness that made it almost difficult to believe he was also a vampire. The two boys were the same age give or take a few months, but there was a world of difference between them, both because of what Kaname had lived already and because of the difference in their blood.

They had been relatively good friends in the past, children playing together in an almost carefree age where fear had been a vague thing one could try to forget and put away as something that may never return.

Before it did return when Rido came back; before he tore Kaname's life apart a second time.

That childhood was long forgotten, buried in memories of things that could no longer be retrieved. But even back then, much as Kaname had tried so hard to be a normal child and play with Takuma, he had always failed. He enjoyed the blond boy's sunny presence considerably, and wished he could be closer to him, but the fear churning in his stomach never did let him take the risk of approaching. He was still picking up the pieces of his life after his still recent first significant encounter with Rido, and letting anyone close was impossible. They had never quite managed to become close, the hurt already present in Kaname's past making him unable to really open up to the other boy, a constant worry in the back of his mind, ever reminding him of the ties of the boy's family with the council and in turn with his worst enemy.
The events that happened in the following winter convinced Kaname that he was right in not trusting someone from that family –the council didn't hesitate to help and abet the very murderer of his parents.
They had also made him a virtual prisoner of Ichiou, under the guise of the old vampire being his 'guardian' now. He was completely alone, and condemned to a living hell under the old vampire's power. But he would endure anything to keep Yuuki safe for as long as he could.

Takuma was currently fidgeting in the middle of the bathroom, visibly worried for him, but also aware he had immensely overstepped his boundaries by opening that door or even simply entering the pureblood's chambers without his permission.

It was somewhat sickening, to feel such concern from one whose looks and aura inevitably reminded Kaname of the very person who caused him this pain and shame. He knew the other boy was innocent, and to a great part very much clueless of most that went on in that house, but it still inevitably irritated him.

"Kaname-sama, are you okay?"

Ignoring him wasn't working. The pureblood's eyes narrowed in annoyance, something telling him that if he didn't reply, the boy would just stand there forever and make it impossible for him to shower in peace.

"Thanks for your concern, but I'm perfectly fine."

"I… can smell your blood, Kaname-sama."

Oh, he certainly could, Kaname told himself with a pang of renewed anger. If Takuma was anywhere as prone to lust for his blood as his grandfather was, the pureblood might have to take measures quickly. But for the meantime, nothing indicated that there was a danger of the boy trying anything foolish against him. And even if there was, Takuma was no Ichiou, and Kaname would make sure he regretted it badly if he approached so much as one step closer. A simple excuse should suffice for now. "I was careless when I opened my mail a moment ago, and I cut my finger on the letter opener. It's nothing at all."

The blonde boy hesitated for a moment at that, unsure of what to reply. He finally sighed heavily and spoke in a soft voice, opting for a somewhat blunt sincerity, dangerous as it may be.

"You are a pureblood. You can command me to shut up and leave if you so wish. But if you plan to lie instead, please at least make it a believable lie rather than take me for a fool. There's way too much blood in there for me to possibly believe you."

Kaname was silent, torn between anger and shame at being so blatantly revealed.

The current situation with his guardian was extreme enough that involving Takuma or not would make no difference, and that thought finished deciding the pureblood. He slammed open the door of the shower box, showing himself to the other boy.

"If you absolutely must pry upon my personal life, here's what you wanted so badly to see."

There was an icy edge to the pureblood's voice, but it barely registered in Takuma's mind, from so taken aback he was by the sight in front of him.

Kaname had turned around after opening the shower door, and exposed the ravage of his pale back to him.

The blonde vampire could do nothing but stare blankly in mortified horror, shaken by the terrible contrast of the pureblood's absolutely mesmerizing beauty and the deep gashes that covered his whole back, intermingling with welts and cuts apparently made by a terrible whipping, extending down to his backside and the top of his thighs, seeming utterly out of place on such a perfect body.

Blood oozed from the wounds, mixing with the water and making the reddish rivulets along his skin even more striking and horrifying.

"Ka-Kaname-sama, who did this to you?? I... I..." Takuma was trembling, his voice unsteady as the horror of the scene set in his mind.

The pureblood had a flash of rage in his eyes when he turned back, baring his fangs in a snarl when he answered.

"How can you possibly dare to ask?! You know well who did it!"

"But... But..." The blond boy was lost trying to grasp the situation and find the right words to avoid insulting the other even more. "But... you are a pureblood...how... how is it...even possible that this... happened?" He hesitated and stumbled on his words, horrified by the situation he had been faced with.

Kaname sighed tensely. His eyes on Takuma felt ageless, and much older than his youthful body could possibly indicate.

"There are many things in this world that are sadly possible, and that a child like you can't even begin to understand."

He began to pull the shower door closed, but was interrupted by a sudden hand on it blocking the progression of the sliding door.

"Kaname-sama, wait!!"

Takuma had rushed forward stopping him, and unknowingly also breaching the distance Kaname had established as his safety perimeter in his mind, and inside which he now felt quite directly threatened.

In a moment of feverish uncertainty that he would never have forgiven himself if he were in full control of his faculties, the pureblood stepped back in a quick instinctive movement, and slammed his back painfully hard against the wall of the shower stall. It tore a whimper of pain from his lips, an unforgivable display of weakness that made him tremble with shame and a seething rage directed at the one who caused the incident.

Reaching forward with a speed that couldn't even be perceived by Takuma, Kaname grasped the blonde boy's throat with his hand, holding him at arms' length. He would have slammed him against the wall if he didn't have so little trust in his own strength at the moment.

"How dare you...?!"

"Ka-Kaname-sama... I just… wanted to help..."

The urge to squeeze was enormous. But even through the pain-induced haze he was currently in, the pureblood still had all his mind, and knew better than killing his enemy's heir and risking a full-blown war right at the moment when him and what he most wanted to protect were most vulnerable. But he could still do a great deal of damage to the boy and get away with it thanks to vampire healing. After all, it was precisely what the old vampire was doing to him, was it not? The only difference was that Ichiou could get away with a lot more, because Kaname's pureblood healing would leave no marks, no proofs whatsoever, shortly after the abuse. No one would ever believe him, even if he did dare to speak and risk the wrath of Ichiou, which was unlikely.

But Kaname was not Ichiou, and much as he was seething with rage for the humiliation he'd just suffered and burning with need for revenge -- even an indirect one -- he realized that the boy in front of him wasn't at fault in the big picture, and restrained himself from crushing Takuma's windpipe.

The grip was still painfully tight all the same, and Takuma choked softly under Kaname's fingers, his own knuckles turning white in the desperate hold he had on the pureblood's arm, his hands having latched for it on instinct when he thought Kaname might tear his throat out.

The next thing the blonde boy did was what took the pureblood by surprise completely.

He suddenly let go of his hold on Kaname's arm, closed his eyes and whispered as understandably as he could "Go ahead, Kaname-sama."

When Kaname didn't move, gauging him and wondering what move he was trying to make, Takuma continued, explaining himself.

"It's only fair... It would be of course unforgivably presumptuous of me to dare to suggest that my pain could in any way repay you for what you've suffered, but if it may make you feel at least a tiny little bit better, then I'll have no regrets. Do as you please. My life is yours."

Kaname was taken aback by the words the other boy struggled to form despite the choking hold on his throat. There was no hesitation whatsoever in his voice.

A bluff? He must know I can't kill him and not incur his grandfather's wrath.

But there was no trace of deception on Takuma's features, and Kaname excelled at sensing lies. Perhaps because he himself had had to grow so skilled to survive, both at lying and at spotting who was doing the same.

But much as Takuma seemed innocent, Kaname had seen too much already in his short life to not naturally fear that he might be just underestimating the enemy.

The pureblood carefully opened his fingers, releasing the bruised neck, and Takuma fell to a posture of submission on one knee at his feet, head bowed low.

Kaname stared at the blond boy for a second, but apart from gasping and coughing lightly for a moment, Takuma made no move whatsoever, merely waiting obediently for whatever Kaname would decide, and so the pureblood probed on. "Are you serious? Do you have any idea what I might do to you?"

The clear rage still present in the pureblood's voice did not faze the boy, who raised his head to speak with a determined look on his delicate features. "You may do as you please. I can't forgive myself for living under this roof without having realized what was happening to you. I thought… I thought things were hard, but I had no idea it could possibly be something so bad... I know I can't stop him…" There was no need to say who 'him' was, and the anger at his own lack of power was also clear in Takuma's voice. "But I can offer you this in exchange. It will never be enough, but at the very least, you can take something back for your pain. Hurt me, do whatever you want, so that it will soothe your pain at least a little bit."

There was no lie in the boy's eyes. The pureblood felt a whisper of hope forming in the back of his mind at the idea of the victory possibly at hand. Save gross misreading on his part, this was a master card that had fallen right in his game, out of pure luck. And luck was something Kaname had long stopped hoping for.

He couldn't kill him, certainly not, much as he would have loved to cause his enemy that anguish. But not only Takuma was innocent, killing him would also destroy the very advantage that had fallen into his hands.

But he could seduce him. Make him utterly his, and then turn him against Ichiou…

Delicate fingers grasped the blond boy's chin and made him raise his eyes to meet his.

"Takuma…" The pureblood's voice was now a low purr, dark and seductive like the garnet eyes who were regarding Takuma in a way that conveyed so much more than a mere look, fascinating the blond and making him flush in places he had never quite felt that way before.

Kaname normally never called him anything but 'Ichijou', but had chosen to use his first name now, creating an artificial closeness that settled in unexpectedly.

He wouldn't use his power to control the boy's mind. It would never be as effective that way, and Ichiou could undo that easily enough. He wouldn't send Takuma as an assassin. It would fail and serve no purpose. Even if it did succeed, killing the old man now would only topple his delicate situation with the council faster and destroy what he was hiding and protecting. If it was that easy, he would have done that the very first time Ichiou laid a hand on him. No, things had to be more subtle.

And it had to be Takuma's choice to turn to his side, so that it would be all the more effective.

Still holding the blond boy's chin to ensure he had his full attention, Kaname ran his other hand up his own chest languidly as if he was wiping at the water droplets still running down his body, and brushed ringlets of hair off his face with his slender fingers, before sighing softly, luscious lips parting for a second to let out his feverish breath. Takuma was transfixed by the sight. Kaname's hand slid back down his delicate neck, slowly emphasizing that pale column, ensuring that the blond's gaze was fixed on it.

"Takuma… I want you to drink my blood."

"Ka-Kaname-sama!! I… I couldn't possibly!!"

The pureblood turned away for a moment, releasing the boy's chin and picking up a towel to dry himself, smearing red all over the soft white material, doing his very best not to wince while the fabric touched each of his wounds, wiping the blood and water summarily. He walked out of the bathroom still partially damp, strolling into the bedroom in all the glory of his unashamed nudity.

It was the fierce force of his will, set like stone onto his current strategy, the only thing that enabled Kaname to make no sound of pain despite the agony that the recent wounds were causing him. The weapon that had wounded him made that they would not heal for another several hours, but he had many times proved to himself that he could go through excruciating pain and not let anything show, so he would just have to do it again.
Even with Ichiou's use of anti-vampire weapons to slow Kaname's healing down, it wasn't as if the pureblood could possibly go for help. If the Council rejected his claims on basis that it was still acceptable within the grounds of a guardian disciplining his ward, then Kaname would have incurred the full wrath of the old vampire, something he couldn't risk yet. Ichiou was one of the three Elders, and had showed himself capable of covering up even the death of two purebloods; he could virtually get away with anything.
No, Kaname could only go for help if Ichiou finally lost it and took his blood by force. Only then he could be sure of the outcome. Things were getting to the point where Kaname started to wish Ichiou would really do it, but he knew better than hope for such dangerous possibilities. He would have to prepare his battle plan himself, to be ready for the day when he could finally openly stand against them.

Presently, he ignored the other boy's worried protests, and walked towards the bed with the blond following him in tow, unsure of what to do.

The pureblood sat on the side of the bed, knees parted strategically, just enough to reveal the unmarred paleness of his inner thighs, but not so much that it would be blatant or seem vulgar. His every movement was calculated with deadly precision to be utterly enticing. A seductive smile still on his lips, he beckoned for the blond to approach.

"Takuma? Sit with me."

The blond boy obeyed, of course, but he looked wary of what Kaname might do next, sitting on the bed as he was told but keeping a safe distance and a worried posture that caused the pureblood to let out a soft chuckle.

"You said I could do as I pleased, and yet you refuse to take this gift of kings I offer you? I feel offended…" But there was no anger in his voice, only a teasing sensual tone that rippled in the air in an irresistible manner, making the blond unable to think straight when his eyes met Kaname's deep ones. It felt as if he would be swallowed by that gaze. At this moment, he would very much welcome that, and happily drown into the ocean of pleasure that the pureblood's reddish eyes promised.

Takuma stammered, trying to muster a confused apology, but he was interrupted by Kaname suddenly shifting their positions. The pureblood had gotten up and without warning breached the distance between them. And, much to Takuma's absolute amazement, Kaname was now slowly sitting down on his lap, straddling him as he shifted around slightly searching the most comfortable position to avoid upsetting too much the wounds that ran down the back of his thighs. Takuma's breath hitched in his throat at the enticing little movements. The heat of Kaname's body, particularly in the well-chosen spot he chose to sit on, was nearly driving the boy out of his mind.

Other than for the wounds covering his back and legs, Kaname's body was pure ethereal perfection, a body the ephebes of ancient Greece would envy, chiseled to perfection as if he had just stepped out of marble, a statue of a god taking human form.

Takuma had a sheltered life, and despite being of age for a vampire, he had not yet even gotten to the point where he'd wondered too much on his preferences and whether they ran towards girls or boys, but at this present moment they clearly ran towards Kaname, regardless of gender or any other considerations. Takuma burned in embarrassment, inwardly cursing his traitorous body when he felt it immediatly start to harden against the pureblood's contact.

Kaname was still partially damp, small droplets of water dripping from the tips of his dark hair making it cling to his skin in ringlets here and there. He shifted his position slightly, making it seem accidental when he pressed himself against the other's crotch harder. "I'm sorry, I think I'm getting you wet."

He was, in fact. But more with the blood from his wounds that now slowly seeped into Takuma's clothes, than with the water dripping from his hair and skin. The scent of all that pure vampire blood in the air was irresistible, and from this proximity it was nearly maddening. It took all of Takuma's willpower to not lose himself in it.

But those wounds that Kaname was trying to use as an instrument in his seduction of Takuma were ironically also what held the boy grounded to reality, reminding him precisely of why he felt so guilty towards the pureblood.

Takuma knew Ichiou was far from innocent, and he saw clear enough the boundless lust the old vampire had for Kaname. And yet, through all this time, he had foolishly –childishly perhaps– assumed that as much as his grandfather may desire the pureblood, he would not dare lay hands on Kaname's body. He was wrong, very wrong, and he cursed himself for having failed to protect his friend. Worse yet, he realized clearly that where he had failed before, he would fail again and again as long as Kaname had no choice but to remain under the old vampire's roof. Takuma knew well he couldn't possibly stop Ichiou. And that was precisely what had decided him to offer what little he had to give Kaname instead. A scapegoat to channel his hurt into. If he couldn't take the pain away from Kaname, he could at least offer him to bear a part of that pain the pureblood's body was seeping with much as he may hide it well.

And that was precisely why Takuma felt he didn't deserve that gift, or that contact with Kaname's body, that currently felt both impossible to resist and utterly wrong.

But the pureblood wasn't about to let the blond's hesitation get in the way of his plans, and when Takuma made no move to touch him, he raised his own wrist to his mouth, extending his fangs and biting down then pulling sideways to slash a neat red line across it, supressing a shudder as his body registered the additional pang of pain. Blood rose from the wound, thick drops spilling out and sliding down the pureblood's forearm in a graceful manner. Kaname smiled inwardly, sure of his victory when he saw Takuma's eyes narrow involuntarily, his gaze following each of the drops with rapt fascination.

"Surely you won't keep insulting me with your refusal?" he asked while placing his bleeding wrist right under the boy's face, offered for the taking.

The blood was almost under Takuma's lips now, and his breath came out in rapid little gasps, eyes lost in the red liquid, thicker and slightly darker in purebloods than that of a human or a lower rank vampire.

Through an amazing effort of willpower, Takuma pushed Kaname's arm away respectfully. "I… I'm so sorry, but I can't possibly accept this. I can't take what you offer me… any of it…I… I…" He had a look of somewhat desperate confusion in his eyes, as they briefly met the pureblood's, and it was clear that he alluded to not being able to accept Kaname's body as well as his blood.

Could he have seen through my game? ...He knows I would use him against the council.

If Takuma accepted and drank Kaname's blood, there would be no way of hiding it. Any member of the higher ranks of the vampire aristocracy would feel the pureblood's power in him, and recognize it. Without Kaname's confirmation that he had willingly given his blood to the boy, Takuma would be instantly sentenced to death, regardless of the position his grandfather held in the council. A pureblood's blood was sacred. Even in this wretched world where the council was gaining more and more power to use against the purebloods, this much would still hold true, for it was one of the very bases of the survival of the vampire society.

And Kaname very much intended to make it official that he had awarded the boy his blood out of his own will.

Ichiou and his allies would be cut out from Takuma, unable to trust him, knowing that Kaname and him were possibly plotting together against them. Takuma was young enough that they would all suspect that the pureblood had seduced him and taken control of him completely, just through his blood rather than his mind. Even if Takuma's grandfather insisted in trusting the boy, none of his associates would follow through with it. They would regard him as a traitor or a possible liability, and the boy would be left alone and have no choice but to do exactly that, serve Kaname, slave of his blood and of the lack of allies willing to take him in.

Ichiou had forced him into this household to keep him under his hand? Well, Kaname would show him what a dangerous move he had made, and how open for a checkmate it had left him.

He couldn't possibly take no for an answer when such an opportunity presented itself. Shoving Takuma backwards onto the bed, Kaname pinned him to the mattress with his naked body, leaning onto his chest, letting his warm breath tickle the other boy's face as he spoke huskily by his ear "Why do you keep rejecting me? It could be so wonderful… but I know something you won't be able to resist…"

The intimate contact added to the scent of the blood in the air and the soft weight still pressed against Takuma's waist were already nearly impossible to resist regardless of whatever added seduction Kaname may try next. Takuma was desperately clinging to anything he had, trying to focus his mind on anything else, fingers twitching against the bedspread as he pressed his hands onto the mattress as hard as he could, so that they wouldn't automatically reach for Kaname's hips as they wanted to.

"No… no, Kaname-sama, you don't really want to… to-"

Takuma's eyes widened even more as he took in the sight of Kaname's lips closing on his own wrist, sucking at the wound greedily, lapping the excess blood that was running down his forearm. And then leaning over him again, pulling him into a kiss that no power in the world could have made Takuma avoid. The pureblood's tongue pushed warmly against the other's lips, demanding entrance and being granted what he wished automatically.

Victory! A shudder of proud delight ran through Kaname's feverish body.

The blood Kaname had stored in his mouth was still deliciously hot and poured freely into Takuma's mouth, invading the boy's senses with an overload so utterly delicious that he almost lost his mind to the feeling. Kaname's blood was thick, compelling and rich, the flavor of it like nothing Takuma had ever tried, and he realized that nothing he ever tasted after this would ever be as good as the taste of that blood. He almost lost conscience at the complete bliss in his mouth, the flavor more and more intense as the blood rolled on his tongue and his taste buds could finally fully appreciate it.

But he couldn't, absolutely couldn't.

Takuma was a gentle boy, kept very much away from a world that his grandfather feared he may not be ready to face. But he was anything but weak. He had Ichijou blood in him, and while in him it didn't translate into cruelty like in Ichiou, it did translate into an iron will that nothing could possibly bend.

No!! Don't swallow, don't swallow!! You CAN'T swallow it!!

He pushed himself harder than ever in his life, mustering every tiny strand of power he had in his body and mind to force himself to do the unthinkable. Fingers gripping tightly onto the pureblood's upper arms, almost digging in as they squeezed, Takuma shoved Kaname back to break the kiss, and spit a bloody mess on the carpeted ground.

Kaname was livid, staring at his blood on the ground in horrified disbelief, not even registering the fingers still painfully gripping his arms. A pureblood's blood! Spat out on the ground!! Not in a million years he could have expected the blond to be able to resist the seduction of his blood.

Wounded, naked and straddling an opponent that was turning out to be much stronger than he expected, Kaname suddenly felt frighteningly vulnerable as he turned back to look at Takuma, not sure of what to expect.

Takuma was panting softly from the effort he'd done to seize control of his own body and go against what his deepest vampire instincts had been screaming for him to do.

Raising gentle eyes to meet Kaname's, he smiled before reaching up and softly running a hand along the pureblood's cheek, in a caress he tried to make as reassuring and comforting as he could before speaking. "Kaname-sama… forgive me, I never meant to offend you. But I can't possibly take your blood. If I did, it would destroy everything I want to do. I really want to be your friend." There was so much more in those simple words than one could ever perceive without seeing the intensity in Takuma's gaze or hearing the loving determination in his voice.

A real friend. Not a puppet who only serves you because he has no choice.

"I want to protect you, by my own choice. I don't have the strength necessary to really make a difference, but…" He wasn't sure how to word what he wanted to tell the pureblood without risking insulting him even more than he already had. Takuma's fingers lost themselves into Kaname's dark hair, caressing his head gently, out of instinct rather than rational thought.

Kaname-sama… I know you are in a lot of pain, and probably even scared. I would be. I may not be able to shield you from that pain, but I want to be a safe place for you, where you won't ever have to endure it alone. Even if I can't put my wish into words without insulting you terribly, I will be next to you whenever you need me.

The unspoken promise passed as clear as water through Takuma's soft gaze, and was understood by the pureblood on a level so much deeper than the scheming daily reality he was currently forced to live in. He knew that there was no lie in Takuma's eyes, he could feel the purity of his feelings in the very trumming of the blood flowing in the boys' veins beneath him. There was such a raw sincerity in it that he found himself taken aback, and all of a sudden, all that he'd been trying to do to him appeared so utterly wrong and tainted at his eyes. Was he losing himself? To try and protect himself from people like Ichiou? Was he... becoming like them?!

They were still in the same position, the blond on his back with Kaname over him; Takuma smiled gently, his features filled with a soothing peace and gentleness that got straight to Kaname's abused and aching heart.

The pureblood finally crumbled, burying his face against the other's welcoming chest, currently not feeling like he had the right to hold any longer that gaze so sincere and pure.

Takuma's arms wrapped around Kaname with utmost gentleness, carefully avoiding his injured back, and caressing his head while holding him tight against his chest.

Neither of them would ever speak of the tears that Kaname shed then, and that Takuma diplomatically feigned not having noticed, but from that day on, they were inseparable, and shared a level of trust that was a never ending surprise even to the two of them.

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The end

Sagakure, August 27th 2008

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Takuma & Kaname need more love. X3 This fic isn't exactly your normal yaoi fic since it ends in friendship, but as a pairing or as friends I love that duo and they need more fanfiction. XD lol

I wrote this fic a while ago, but only got around to finishing to tweak it and posting it now, due to my recent increased Ichiou x Kaname mood. XD