Okay I know really really really long delay for this chapter but I do have an excuse! Its summer. I love the beach and it is summer….so there. :P

Sunset

9. Liars, The Most Predictable of all

7/27/2010 5:40 PM

Zero froze. His eyes shot wide as he realized just what he had stumbled on to. He had found Kaname he had found what Kaname didn't want him around for! He knew he needed to move, but he couldn't. He just kept staring straight ahead like some kind of statue. Finally abruptly he shook it off and finally let his brain process what he was seeing exactly. At least twelve were in the room. Half were standing and half were sitting but all of them were arguing and the argument was escalating, very, very quickly. Zeros eyes darted from one fighting pair to the next with little luck of actually making out what they were fighting over. There was too much commotion and too many voices to understand even one. Zero wasn't positive they could even understand each other from the way they were carrying on!

"Enough!" Kaname growled. Zero almost jumped out of his skin as Kaname did so accompanied with the man's palm hitting the hard oak of a desk centered in the room. It had startled the others actually invited to the rendezvous as well. The desired effect was present throughout them all though, as their eyes drifted to the stark and fiery looking form of the pureblood. He wasn't dressed differently nor did he seem different in any outward way it was just that…well the man had a real presence about him now.

He was now straightening himself pulling his appearance back together, but there was no hiding it there was something off about Kaname now. His eyes weren't cold tonight, his face not stoic as usual. He was angry, very, very angry. Zero knew it right away as his eyes followed his movements as he walked casual and graceful as ever around the oak desk. In the slight changing of the light Zero got a better look at the man's eyes. They were the deep magenta still, but hollow, deep pools of emotion Zero couldn't quite place. Something terribly wrong was off with Kaname tonight. Something had happened and whatever it was it was the reason for not only the meeting tonight, but for Kaname's unpleasant vibes.

There was a scuffing of shoes against the hard wood and that suddenly brought Zero awakening back, a single phrase coming to mind 'If you can see the Audience the Audience can see you.' Zero stifled a gasp before quickly stepping off to the side. He flattened to the side of the door still clutching the book securely in his hand.

"Gentleman." Kaname said in his deep sultry voice. "We have a crisis on our hands."

Zero watched the light stretched across the floor as the room erupted again with voices all trying to be louder than the next. Crisis? The word ran through his head over and over and over again like a record stuck on a loop. What crisis? And how? From what he had seen things seemed fine? But that was just it…what had he really seen? And most of all what exactly had he seen and gotten answers from Kaname about? Nothing, absolutely nothing, Kaname had made absolutely sure he was in the dark. Zero hadn't gotten a single answer form the man not even a glimpse of an answer. Kaname never even addressed that a question was asked most of the time.

A moment later they fell silent, Zero guessed it was in response to some movement of Kaname's.

Either way Kaname continued. "The question is how do we be rid ourselves of this situation." Kaname paused, Zero guessed to compose his thoughts. "Especially without the general public knowing about what we have done."

Zero looked to the floor at his feet two questions popping up in to his head at this. A. When had the general public been allowed to know there were vampires at all let alone a council of them? And B. what exactly had they done?

"Kaname." Ichijo. Zero's eyes narrowed. So he was still Kaname's lap dog. In the back of his mind, that he tried very hard to ignore, a sarcastic voice commented, "No stupid, he's second in command, you on the other hand are his fuck buddy, A.K.A. Lap Dog."

Zero stifled the sigh at the thought and consumed himself with listening. Ichijo continued. "The last tested samples had a 72% fatality rate."

"Then Obviously," Kaname snarled. "We need to find a solution!" then Kaname gave a loud sigh. "Why is it that its getting worse? Can anyone tell me that at least?" there was small pause then he answered himself. "Director Lee! Tell me why do we seem to be going downhill instead of up?"

The man didn't answer for a moment. Zero didn't blame him. Kaname didn't sound like he was in the mood for the wrong answer.

"We don't know sir."

"Why do the people keep getting sick to you know that?" Kaname asked. His voice sounded calm amused almost, like a cat playing with a mouse right before the cat killed the mouse…horribly.

Another pause before a tentative answer. "Well sir, we aren't quite sure exactly what is making them sick."

"Do you have anything at all to tell me of use?"

The man gulped from what Zero could hear before he answered this time. "Well like you said we do have one surviving test subject and if you would only let us to him—"

"So you can what?" Kaname interjected violently! "So you can run him through a million tests and still not come out with a clear answer? So you can hound ever step he makes until you have determined that nothing can be learned? No. we already tried that with the others of the first round and as was a consequence they are all dead."

Zero looked to the ground. It was like there were millions of little puzzle pieces but he just couldn't get them to go together. He had the answer, but he couldn't fit it in to a sentence. It was there just not tangible. He knew that Kaname had something going on. He'd known that from day one. He knew that something was wrong. For three hundred years the society hadn't seemed to advance too much. Then it hit him. This wasn't a utopian society this was dystopian.

He stared up in shock as the realization hit him. His eyes had gone wide. His jaw had gone a bit slack. What he didn't realize is that his grip on the book had also gone slack. The old copy slipped from his fingers and before Zero could even look down in time the volume hit the dust incrusted floor. The thump that had accompanied the books landing silenced the room beyond. Zero wasn't sure if his eyes really did get any wider, but it felt like they did. He knew they knew someone was listening in on their meeting now. He knew he had no time to freeze, no time to even think. They would be on him within seconds. So he acted.

He tore through the doors connecting the small sitting room to the library, pulling them shut wildly as he crossed the threshold. He stumbled through the room and on to the hall. Once in the hall he really started to run. He didn't notice how fast he was running only how hard. He pushed his weakened legs to propel him to safety. He reminded himself to breath and sucked in gulps of air. That consequently allowed his mind to free up. Now there were only a few thoughts scampering through his scrambling mind that was really getting much attention. Kaname would know. Kaname would know it was him. He wouldn't even have to ask he would already know. There was no other person in the house to do it. A second thought occurred to him; maybe Kaname would think it was an intruder. No. the answer was swift. Kaname would feed some bull like that to the council but he himself would undoubtedly know exactly who it really was. . Zero had thirsted for answers from him from day one. Kaname would know. Zero stumbled back suddenly to find himself in a place he knew.

If he would have been less numb to the idea and less scared at what was going to happen to him he would have smiled at his luck. He knew where he was! Somehow in the vast house his frantic flight had landed him in a spot he knew. Out of the vast mansion he only knew very few parts that he could recognize instantly. And to his great astonishment he had actually unwittingly found one of those said places. He heard nothing behind him but he knew that was no tell tale sign. They were vampires. They didn't make sound unless they wanted to. He let out again this time in a direction he actually knew. His goal was to simply get back to his room. If Kaname found him there maybe just maybe he wouldn't be punished. Part of him hoped that he wouldn't even be checked up on, but that was wishful thinking…and that was all that was.

He skidded around the corner to stop cold in his tracks. He was facing his door looking straight at it but that wasn't the problem. His brain was screaming for him to just hurry up and get in the room, but he had already noticed it he could barely breath as fear leapt up in him.

The door to his room was already open.

He looked at the open threshold, eyes as big as plates, trying to think of any possible reason why the door would be open. As far as he knew the doors in the mansion stayed shut. All of them, it was rather eerie, but it was true. Every door was closed at almost all times. In fact not even almost, just all the time. Every door he'd encountered was closed in the mansion. The maids, the butler, even Kaname himself all shut the doors behind them whenever they left or went into a room. That was how Kaname preferred it. Like he never gave out a single secret of his it was like he didn't want his mansion giving up any either. A reflection of the Master on to the Mansion.

His breathing was starting to come rather fast as he stood there. He hadn't a clue what he was going to do. There wasn't much that he could really do anyway he was quite stuck in the situation he'd gotten himself in too. He looked to both ends of the halls. No one was in sight. He knew that didn't mean much but what was he to do? He wasn't a real vampire really. He was just the shady drab Vampire lookalike. He gritted his teeth at the thought. He was a parasite compared to those grand predators. They ruled their worlds and he simply survived. He fed constantly they drank when it suited them. He was nothing like the creature he was sleeping with. He was too weak and too far gone. He looked down at his skeletal like hands. It'd been only a few days but it seemed like months. His condition wasn't improving drastically. He fisted his hand. The veins in his arm bulging as he growled low in his throat. He was a weakling, but then again, he was acting like it too. The more he kept putting this confrontation off the worse this helplessness he felt was going to plague him. He needed to start acting like the creature he used to be. The one that wouldn't have stood for any of this bull shit.

He took in a breath before stepping forward to the threshold. He closed his eyes as he crossed over it in to the room.

He let his eyes slide open as he entered in to the room looking around as he did. His brow furrowed. No one was in the room. He stepped farther into the room still looking around. No one was in the room. Not a single soul. He stopped standing at the foot of the bed still scanning the room. Someone had to be in the room.

Clunk!

The noise came from the window. He looked to it before cautiously stepping to it. He approached silently going only as close as need be to see what was going on down below.

It looked as if the Council was leaving. At least five cars were lined up waiting to pick up their charges. The men stood at the base of the steps all in expensive overcoats and overpriced suits. He watched as they looked to be bidding each other goodbyes. They didn't look at all like they had all be just moments before fighting about such severe matters. They all looked completely oblivious to the fact they had discussed deaths. Real deaths. Now they all just stood around and talked of lunch the next day at some expensive restaurant or which outrageously over priced cuff links were better. Zero watched almost disgusted at what he could see. It was completely awful.

He looked away to the floor before he froze. A small creak of the floor boards piqued his senses. He completely froze stopped in the middle of the floor. His feet glued to the wood beneath his shoes. A second creak he still couldn't move. His limbs felt heavy and like old rusty parts that just wouldn't budge. The only thing that did seem to work was respiration. He was still breathing but to him it sounded so loud like he was panting after a long marathon, when he knew he had more than caught his breath by now. His heart skyrocketed in speed as a third creak sounded in the room. He knew who it was, he had no doubts about that, the question was strictly what would he be faced with from that person.

He glanced to his right and saw no one. He didn't want to look on his left he knew what he would see and that is what he feared to encounter the most. He licked his lips giving one more glance to his right. Then he lunged spinning on his heels and belting it for the door. He tore through the room in extreme panic abruptly he found himself pushed. Then the loud thud as he made impact…on to the door. He wasn't sure how Kaname had managed to throw the door shut and slam him up against it at the same time but it had happened. Zero froze again as he felt Kaname's body covering his own. Palms slammed on to the old wooden door on either side of his head. He let his head lean on to the wood closing his eyes and waiting for the man to make the first move.

There was a long pause in which Zero became very aware of Kaname. The man's breath was at his neck. His arms were resting against Zeros. One of his feet was between Zeros legs. And his body, well that was incredibly close. Kaname was pressed almost completely against Zero, holding him against the door. It made Zero think of how close and comfortable the tow had really become in a matter of days. Before this they wouldn't have dared touché each others in anything but a fight to the death now they touched ever few minutes it seemed like. The quiet was almost resounding in the room. It made the slightest of sounds peak in Zeros ears. His heart now was racing out of control. Zero almost wanted to smile. For wanting to get stronger so bad he wasn't doing a very good job of letting his body rest and recuperate. Sending his heart and stress level sky high at least three times a day had to be in no way good for him.

Abruptly Kaname's voice broke in to the crystalline silence. "What the hell did you think you were doing?"

Zero wasn't sure if he was supposed to answer or not. But then it occurred to him. He had been trying to figure out what Kaname wanted him to do, before he would have never taken that. He gritted his teeth before deciding to speak.

"Why are people getting sick?"

He heard a vicious hiss at his ear before he was flipped. His eyes flew open to mean cold harsh and venomous magenta ones. The two were now face to face, Kaname still pressing Zero up against the door. "You were the one ease dropping you tell me?"

"I think you know." Zero said as boldly as he could.

"If I knew then I would have stopped it already."

"I don't know would you have?" Zero, was feeling more and more confident as the seconds passed.

Kaname leaned in their noses almost touching. "It would seem you have a lack of faith in me as of late."

"It would seem that you have a reason to keep a lot of secrets from me as of late." Zero countered.

"When have I ever told you all my secrets?" Kaname's eyes flashed slightly.

Zero watched those eyes as the flash occurred. He wasn't sure what even to make of it. Kaname was right. He'd never told a single soul to his knowledge everything that he knew. That just wasn't Kaname but there was more,…had there been a time when Kaname had felt him in on those secrets? …had he ever really let him in at all. But that would mean that Kaname was lying to him. He was making that statement for a reason he was making that exact statement to point out something they had had some encounter or exchange…Kaname lied to him all the time, and he lied to Kaname it was their system but this time he had lied straight to his face and it was different…Kaname was sending a message…what Zero feared was that he had no idea what the hell he was trying to say.

The two were polar opposites like ice and rock, both with similarities of hardness and sometimes even shape but rocks were old and secret keepers, the stood the test of time without even so much as a change, nothing effected them, cities could flourish and forests burned to the ground and they would still just be there un harmed and apathetic as usual. But ice was yielding melting when not wanted and disappearing in to the shadows when unneeded. It was ever changing ever forming and ever building. Yes that was the two like Ice and Stone. There were so many differences and so many conflicts.

"Do you really not know why people are getting sick?" Zero asked. He had to see it. He had to see if he could spot a lie again. He already knew that Kaname was withholding information from him, and more importantly he knew that Kaname did know why people were getting sick. It of course was off of pure instinct that he knew it but more than that he knew that if Kaname didn't really know why he wouldn't have let it get as far as all the council had made it sound like it had.

"No." Kaname hissed at him. And there wasn't a damn think in his eyes this time. Zero wasn't sure now what to do with this information. Kaname had meant for him to know that he was lying before… he had meant for it. Zero just wasn't sure what he was supposed to glean from that. He had no idea what Kaname had meant for him to get from that small comment. Then something struck him a question that he knew he wanted and needed to ask.

"Why am I here?"

Magenta eyes bore down in to his own icy silver ones. He watched them carefully. Kaname had had a few thousand years to perfect his façade, but he'd already told Zero he'd let him in once. Just maybe if he got lucky he'd let him in again, if only for a few brief moments.

Then without warning he found himself being thrust back on to the bed. He scrambled to lean back on his hands and luckily just in time for Kaname to descend on him. his lips made contact instantly and he pushed Zero down. Zero wouldn't budge thought as he simply scooted farther on to the bed and pulled away from Kaname all together. Kaname didn't relent though as he followed suit. Zero spoke before Kaname could seal their lips again.

"Is this really your answer?" Zero asked.

Kaname stopped, but said nothing, simply looking at Zero, stoic as ever.

"Is that all I'm here for? To be your little pet you indulge in when no one else is around?"

Kaname cut in. "I don't care if other people see us."

"You're not exactly in to showing me off though. I've barely seen outside."

"And put you in danger?"Kaname hissed.

Zero had to stifle a smile. He'd got to it, the real piece of information he wanted. "In danger of what Kaname? What kind of monsters are running around out there? I already know you are making people sick, but what about those things? Are they what is making them sick? And where the hell do demons that can pose as Vampires even come from?"

Kaname simply stared at him. "Zero you have no Idea what kind of a world you have awoken too."

"Then tell me." Zero challenged. "Better yet answer the first question. Why did I wake to this world at all?"

Kaname glanced to the window then back at Zero. "You want to know why you are here?"He lunged but this time he knocked Zero flat on the bed. He sealed their lips and blood started to pour into Zeros mouth. This time it was different though. It was like gallons were being poured down his throat. He could barely swallow enough down to keep up. His eyes widened. Kaname was giving him so much he didn't even have a chance to reject. His mind was hazing fast his body relaxing and he was accepting Kaname.

He knew one thing though. Kaname had lied to him again.

Zero was standing in his meager one bedroom apartment. He looked around him. Then his eyes went wide abruptly he looked to the phone. Like magic it rang. He stepped to it and reached down. He stopped as he did. His hand…it was his hand now. Not that skeletal useless thing he had now. The phone rang again. it snapped him out of it before he could really get the fact he was his old self. He picked up the receiver speaking in to it.

"Hello?"

"Zero!"

"Yes?" Zero said quietly in to the receiver. Then it all hit him. He was dreaming it again. The person on the other end was Yuuki. He was speaking to Yuuki! He quickly looked around him though. There was something here something he needed to see. Something about this exact moment that he needed to know but that hadn't gotten through to him thus far.

"Oh thank God!" Her voice sounded like heaven to him. He'd yearned to hear it for so long.

Zero looked around him at his surroundings. He had walked around his house now. Not just in the dreams before but in real life. He had walked around his apartment. He picked up the receiver. Walking down the hall he reached his kitchen living area. He wasn't sure what he was supposed to do now. Where was he to go. He breathed slowly before stepping in to the kitchen the linoleum creaking under his feet. He stepped to the faucet turning it on. Then he turned it off. He open cupboard after cupboard. Then the fridge.

"Zero, are you alright?" the wonderful voice at the phone spoke.

"Yeah, I'm fine." He said closing the fridge. The truth was no he wasn't. he was looking for something. He was looking for it and he had no idea what to look for. He went to the bookcase in the hallway. He tossed book after book off skimming the titles, none stood out to him. Then ht swiftly continued to the bedroom. He tore open hid dresser drawers and flung any and everything he had out of them.

"I'm really good actually." He said trying to sound like he meant it. It was half way true he had landed back here and could hopefully find a few answers. He went to the bed pulling the covers off and then the pillows. He striped the bed bare. Nothing still stood out to him as something important or pertaining to valuable information in any way. .

"Zero are you at home?" he stood there for a moment trying to collect his thinking back in to a manageable state. He had to hurry now. There was something here. Something he knew had to be here. It was something that would give him all the answers he needed but what was it. What little detail had he missed? Suddenly it hit him. He walked to the bathroom. This had been the last place he had been in. maybe this was it, maybe this was where he needed to find whatever it was he knew was here. He tore the medicine cabinet open and threw everything out as he scanned for anything that would spark something in his mind.

"Zero!" the voice sounded borderline frantic now.

"Oh sorry yeah I'm home." He said as he turned and stopped. The bathtub was before him. He oddly wanted to take a bath now. He knelt at it. this had sparked something. He tore the curtain back and looked through the soap and shampoo. He stopped and shook his head. There was nothing with the bathtub. He turned and walked back in to the bedroom. He was running out of time now. He didn't hae a clue where to look now.

"Zero listen to me please." He stopped. He'd just ran out of time. He knew what was coming next. He remembered in the first dream he had had simply had this conversation like it was a simple small conversation, but now he knew better. It wasn't at all simple. He would say the words because he wouldn't be able to stop them from coming. This event had already happened and as much as he didn't want this conversation to end. It had to he couldn't change the past…no matter how hard he wanted to…he could never change the past.

"Yuuki?" he asked shakily. He wanted to hear her say his name now. Just one last time.

"Zero please you have to get out!" she screamed at him through the phone.

"What?" he asked just as shaky still. He wasn't confused he just couldn't say anything different. "Yuuki are you okay?" he spoke firmer this time sitting on the bed as he talked now.

"Zero just get out!" She was on the verge of sobbing now.

"Yuuki wait what is going on?"

"It's all my fault, oh, I'm so sorry, this is all my fault." She was sobbing now. Zero listened. A ghost almost. He so badly didn't want this to happen.

"What is?" he asked. He sincerely wanted ot know now. He needed to know. This was part of why he was stuck on repeat. This moment and he needed to know why. But then again ne knew she would never get to tell him.

"Zero—" the line went dead. Zero stopped, holding the receiver out looking at it. The first time he had had this dream he had know what had happened next, now he had the events engrave on his brain from a jackhammer. He would be taken and he would be put in that wretched cell. But he knew also it was time to wake. He had missed it yet again.

Zero woke all at once. He knew he would. He wasn't gasping wasn't even cold or hot. He was simply aware that he was alive. And for the first time he realized he had been a liar. He had been lying to himself. He couldn't change the past as hard as he may want too he could never change the past. It didn't matter what he got out of Kaname or even if it did. He couldn't change the past.

"Kaname?" Zero asked in to the dark room.

There was no answer. He sat up and stopped. His eyes were quickly adjusting now. But he didn't' want to believe it. he reached to his side and quickly luckily found a lamp pulling the string the light poured in to the room. He looked around himself in utter astonishment. He was in a small room. It was big enough only to house the bed and a corner for a washroom, one window next to the head of the bed and a door opposite.

He looked down at what had woken hm. He was in hand cuffs. His cloths had been changed also. He now wore a white shirt and pajama pants.

Zero was back in a cell.

Well there you go. Uhm let's see a question for this update. Okay have you ever lied to yourself about something? My answer would be yes and I still do it all the time. I tend to tell myself I can take on more than I can handle than tell myself I can do whatever I want and be who ever I want when in reality I'm a college student who is so broke I paid the last of my rent in pennies. SO would love to hear what you guys have to say about the story and if you want I would also love to hear your answers… to the reviews button!