Kaname woke up warm, content and comfortable. He blinked a couple of times, adjusting to the late morning sunshine and yawned, adjusting his grip on Mana. He closed his eyes, smiled and nuzzled her neck gently. Mana shifted in her sleep as he allowed his hands to wander up and down her stomach, recalling last night's activities. He pressed closer to her, feeling her back against his front so perfectly, it was like they were two pieces of a puzzle that simply fit. They were perfect together, just as he had imagined for so long. Her movements, her sounds, they were all forever etched into his mind.

Kaname kissed Mana's forehead, rubbing her belly a little rougher to shake her awake. He yearned to make love to her again, see her in the full light of the day as opposed to shrouded in shadows. Perhaps they could just spend the rest of the morning getting to know one another intimately, he was eager to see what she enjoyed. Mana stirred as he slowed his shakes, her legs shifting between his and her eyes blinked open. Kaname kissed her cheek lovingly and her blinks slowed, opening fully and looking around with a slightly confused look. He smiled down at her happily.

"Good morning, my queen."

Mana glanced up at him, her eyes wincing at the sunlight as Kaname slid his hand into hers.

"Did you sleep well?"

Mana yawned in response and he chuckled, moving her so she faced him and kissed her lips. Mana pressed her hands to his chest and scooted away and out of his arms. Kaname blinked, a little confused as Mana sat up, bringing the covers around her nude form and looking at the bed. She scooted away again when he tried to get closer and his smile faded, picking up on her not so positive mood. He watched with a neutral look as Mana patted her body up and down, looking a little panicked as she lifted the covers to look at herself.

"Um…"

She licked her lips, swallowed and looked around the room to see the scattered clothes.

"We didn't…did we?"

Kaname sat up, moved over and brought his arm around her. She shifted uncomfortably as he pulled her against him where he could embrace her.

"We did. We are lovers after all, Mana."

Mana furrowed her brows and turned away from him. Kaname tilted his head at her as she rubbed her eyes and glanced around the room.

"I…don't think it was a good idea," she muttered.

"What do you mean?"

Kaname slid up to her and pressed her back into his chest, caressing her side lovingly.

"We're getting married in a few months. We're both adults and far from virgins. I don't see the problem."

Mana glanced at him, her lips twisting into a soft grimace.

"I just have trouble seeing you as anyone but my brother."

Kaname sighed, kissing her cheek and holding her closer.

"It was the same for Yuki and I," he reassured her, brushing some loose strands of hair out from her face "but over time, especially since Ai was born, the fact that we were siblings just didn't seem to matter. We loved each other and that was all that mattered."

Mana turned away from him, hitching the duvet up more.

"I understand the concept," she murmured as she shied away from him more "but I don't appreciate you forcing it onto me."

"Mana, it's been six months," Kaname sighed.

"Yes and I told you last night that I was having doubts about this!"

"You said you'd try to see me as a lover!"

"And I've tried!"

Mana glared at him.

"And I told you that I've failed and yet you're still trying to force something that will never work!"

"And why won't it, Mana?" Kaname lowered his voice "Why won't it work between us? Because we're siblings? Because you won't let go of the past?"

Mana glanced at her left hand to see the rings gone and moved to get out of the bed. Kaname grabbed her before she could and pulled her closer. The pearl ring he had given her swayed around her neck and he watched it dangle, swallowing softly. It was so tempting to just pin her down and kiss her roughly. Remind her just who was alive and available to lay claim on her love. He deserved all her love, every thought that went through her head should be about him. She shouldn't be thinking about her pathetic late husband. She should focus all her attention on him and him alone.

"He's gone, Mana. Clinging onto ghosts is never good."

Mana lowered her eyes and he cupped her face, angling it up slightly so he got her attention.

"I love you."

"I can't love you in the way that you want," Mana said and her sincerity cut into him.

"Mana…"

Mana pushed away and slid out of the bed. She moved around, picking her clothes up and he watched with a sombre look. He watched with disdain as she found the rings he had cast aside and placed the one he had given her on his bedside.

"Maybe it's a good idea to spend some time apart," she said.

He didn't answer, just looked up at her with a silent plea. Please accept his love. Please become his wife, his queen. Please let him take care of her as a husband.

"I mean, we've never really spent time apart since Yuki passed away, perhaps you need it more than me."

No, Mana. Spending time away from you just hurts me even more. Love me as a sister at least and you don't even have to see me ever again. Just stay where I can protect and support you.

"I'll contact Sachi, maybe I can stay with her and her fiancée until their wedding."

Stay with me for our wedding…

"See you later."

Kaname watched as she left his room and he looked at the ring that lay on the bedside table. He carefully reached out and picked it up, looking down at it sombrely.

"But I love you," he whispered "More than any mere human or Level E could. I can be anything you want, just stay by my side forever."

He then buried himself in the covers. He could still smell her scent and moaned his arousal into the white sheets. He then saw the droplets of blood that had stained the pillows and sheets, licking his lips as he recalled plunging his fangs into her neck and the way she held him. He remembered those hands running along his skin, feeling so soft and small. It had been heaven to see those hands dance up and down his body as they lay together last night. He wanted to make good use of those hands in the future. Kaname moaned into the sheets again, purring at the thoughts that popped in his head.

Kaname sat up, taking the pillow she had her head rested on and brought it to his chest. He closed his eyes, regaining his composure and sighing. He needed to calm down. His emotions were like little demons running around inside him. To face his Mana again, he needed to calm down else she'll leave and never come back. He flinched at the mere thought of Mana just leaving and never coming back chilled him. It hurt to even suggest it, he had done so much just to have her with him. He needed to convince her to stay, that he was sorry for pushing her…

I just love you so much, I can't control myself…

He couldn't help it. Being around her drove him crazy. He wanted to kiss those lips until they were bruised. He wanted to mark her body to the point where even her healing abilities won't be able to fix it. He wanted to lock her away, ensure that no other man or vampire whisks her heart away. He wanted to spend all night pleasuring her, have her scream for him and forget about everyone and everything else. He deserved her heart, he had waited for so long until Zero and Yuki were gone, he had worked so hard just to see her smile.

Why can't she see me as just more than a brother?

Should he be more romantic? Give her more gifts? Buy her a house for her own personal use to paint in? Tell her he loved her more often? What should he do to make her fall in love with him? Compliment her? Say how beautiful she looked when he woke up beside her? Make her breakfast in bed so she would take a break from cooking? How she just seems to light his world up whenever he saw her… Kaname swallowed slowly, picturing Mana with him again, naked and waiting for him. He thought about those lips that would form the words of affection that he so desperately craved.

Please, Mana. Even if you don't truly mean it, hearing those words would make me so happy…

He lifted his head suddenly as he heard the faint sound of Mana's shower running. He briskly stepped out of bed and walked towards the wall which blocked him from her bathroom. He rested his ear against it, closing his eyes as he listened to the rhythm of the water falling on Mana and her offkey notes that she hummed quietly. He smiled, picturing a scenario where she would hum clumsy notes for him and him alone. How perfect.

This was something he did occasionally. He would wake early and start working until he heard Mana's movements. And he would just listen to her as she went about her daily routine. The yearning to spend time in the shower with her burned inside him. Brush their teeth together, just do the little daily things together, just be together for the morning and not have a wall between them.

Kaname let his hand wander and let out a breathy sigh, closing his eyes and listening to Mana. He moaned softly, resting his forehead against the wall and picturing them embracing in the shower. He wanted to lather her whole body in soap, wash and scrub her until she was squeaky clean, only to claim it and be the reason she needed a second shower. He wanted to wash her hair, run his fingers through the long tresses and dry it once they were out. He pictured Mana seated at her vanity and he was behind her, brushing and drying her hair whilst she applied her lip gloss and talk to him.

Kaname groaned, biting on his lip when he abruptly drove himself over the edge with that image and sighed, panting and opening his eyes to look at the wall. Yet another mess to clear up. At this point, he could do it in no time and leave no mark. He pushed himself away and busied himself to get cleaned, dressed and ready.

By the time he was at his desk, he could hear Mana's bedroom door opening and her footsteps towards the lift. Kaname sat down and pulled out his laptop to start working. Technology had changed over the years, however Kaname preferred traditional touches. Sure, a laptop is more modern than perhaps a typewriter but it was more practical and was less likely to malfunction like the latest model of holographic screens that sometimes glitched, always out of calibration and there was nothing solid enough to touch. Plus the voice command feature was very inaccurate, he had seen countless staff struggle with their portable ones.

Kaname glanced at the time in the corner of the screen, already eager to see Mana come up to at least give him a light breakfast from the restaurant as it was already quarter to ten. She often came up with a tray of breakfast, smiled and bade him a good day of work. He looked forward to it every morning, to see her as the first person of his day and just brighten his day. She was a sight for sore eyes.

Sometimes he wished that Mana would take some days off. She always insisted to work every day, overseeing what was being made and that the guests should be at least satisfied with their meals. He admired her dedication but he wished she would spend more time with him. He was jealous, admittedly, wishing he had never offered to let her manage her own restaurant. But she looked so happy and he shouldn't take it from her. Maybe he could find a compromise so she could spend more time with him.

Time ticked by ever so slowly as Kaname shifted between work and waiting in anticipation for the lift to open and to hear Mana's footsteps come down the hallway. His fingers began twitching in agitation over the keyboard as he listened to silence in the penthouse and his own eager heartbeat. The time changed to a minute past eleven and Kaname began worrying if something happened downstairs. He tapped his little finger gently against the keyboard, his patience waning thin as he glared holes into his office door.

Where is she?

Was there an incident? Did Mana get caught up in more work than she had anticipated? Is there a problem with the equipment? Was she not coming up? Kaname sat up straight at the thought. Was she having a little temper tantrum because of this morning? He smiled. How childish, but she still acted like that. It wasn't frequent but whenever she didn't like something or didn't get her way, she would storm off to cool down. She would normally be calm by the time he would arrive and either apologised to her or she apologised to him.

The time changed to quarter to twelve and Kaname stood from his place. Two hours was more than enough time to go down and make something for him, unless she was waiting until it was the appropriate time to prepare lunch. Nevertheless, a lot of time had passed and Kaname did not desire to wait any longer until he could see her again.

Saving his work, sending an email and shutting down the laptop, Kaname checked himself over in the mirror before leaving the office and hastily marched towards the lift. He stood in the lift, regaining his composure as he prepared to see Mana, probably messy with flour from the pastries she had to bake or with an apron stained with tea and coffee. Kaname cleared his throat as the lift reached the first floor and he sighed. He should really keep his thoughts in check more.

Kaname took a moment to calm down again before stepping out of the lift, nodding politely to guests. He descended down the elegant staircase, stopping when he spotted Mana on one of the sofas that was meant for waiting guests in the lobby. And she wasn't alone.

Kaname felt his blood boil as he saw Zero Kiryu sitting next to her, holding her hand and brushing hair out of her face as he chatted with her. Mana's eyes were red from crying as she clung onto his hand, her bottom lip wobbling. In that moment, time seemed to freeze as Kaname stood on the staircase, watching and processing.

He was meant to be dead. That filthy hunter was supposed to be dead. Yet here he is in his home with his fiancée. It had been ten years, even if he had gone missing, he had lost all rights to his name since he would he been declared dead in absentia. Kaname had been reassured that the hit he sent out had been followed through but yet there he was with his Mana.

Kaname swallowed down his anger, his eyes being the sole giveaway of his fury. How dare he waltz in as if nothing had happened. He had no right to come in and be so close to his darling. How dare he lay his filthy hands on her. How dare he, Mana belonged to him now, Kiryu has no right to even be near her!

Mana lifted her eyes and saw him. He saw the flash of surprise and alarm in them and then saw Kiryu turn to look at him next. He saw fury, of course, but thankfully he had matured from that brat that wooed Mana in the first place. For a moment, Kaname felt smug. Yes, Mana was with him now. They were engaged and they will have a beautiful wedding.

Kiryu seemed to sense what he was thinking and shifted slightly, only to have Mana place a hand on his shoulder and Kaname saw her fingers moving to massage it. He swallowed silently, watching as she calmed down the vampire hunter and felt his blood boil. Only he should deserve her touch like that, Kiryu did nothing to deserve to be sitting next to her like he was now.

Kaname noted the staff that were watching, mostly curious about who this stranger was. He met Mana's gaze and gently nodded towards the office. Mana's hand slid down to grasp Kiryu's hand and she led him off. Kaname followed, his eyes narrowing at their joined hands. Mana paused to allow the doorknob to read her fingertips so it would unlock and allow her in. Kiryu followed her in and eventually Kaname entered to see the couple standing by his desk. He closed the door and turned his eyes to Kiryu.

"To what do we owe this…shocking visit?" he asked, trying to keep the poison out of his voice.

"I came for my wife," the vampire hunter replied shortly, pulling Mana a little closer to him.

"She's your widow, you have been pronounced dead for over ten years now."

"Nii-san, please," Mana said in a scolding tone and Kaname shot her a reprimanding glare.

"What kind of husband goes missing in action, allows to be pronounced dead and doesn't even bother to return to let you know he's alright, Mana?" he drawled and moved his glare back to Kiryu "Please remember who had to be there to take away the pain."

"Don't act all innocent, I came to bring Mana out from the web of lies you spun to keep her here."

"Lies, Kiryu? Why would I lie to my sister?"

Mana stood beside Kiryu, looking uncomfortable as the vampire hunter snorted at him.

"You want to know what happened that day, Kuran? I was assaulted by hitmen, very well trained hitmen. Took me this past decade to ensure that they were no longer a threat to me or my family."

"Yet you let them believe you were dead."

"Zero…" Mana murmured as she glanced up at him "I could have…"

"I also needed to dig around for information because who, I wonder, would send hitmen after me? Who was well off enough to hire such a skilled team to get rid of me?"

Kiryu held his gaze with Kaname for a few silent moments before glancing at Mana. Mana glanced at Kaname then looked back at him with wide eyes.

"No, he had no motive…" she murmured in disbelief.

"He had more than enough motive, Mana," Kiryu was sneering now "You were just too oblivious to see it, weren't you?"

Mana looked at Kaname who folded his arms coolly.

"Mana, he's just jumping to conclusions," he said "Why would I…?"

"Think about what happened after my supposed death, Mana," Kiryu cut him off "Look where you are now. Are you still really brother and sister after all this time?"

Mana's lips parted as she looked between the two, looking lost.

"No, he was married to Yuki when he would have hired the hitmen," she said "Why would he…?"

She shook her head, taking deep breaths as she tried to process what was going on.

"No, he had no motive! Why would he kill you just to get to me when Yuki was still married to him?!"

"Kiryu, you're putting her under too much stress, don't you think it's enough to just come back from the dead?"

Kiryu grabbed Mana's hands and Kaname stepped forward, stretching out his aura threateningly but the vampire hunter ignored him.

"And what happened to Yuki?"

Mana looked up at him sharply.

"She fell ill and passed away…"

Kiryu closed his eyes, grimacing sadly.

"Yes, convenient, wasn't it?"

Mana's eyes widened as she backed off, covering her mouth in horror. Kaname narrowed his eyes.

"Are you implying something there, Kiryu?" he growled.

"No, no, no, she fell ill!" Mana shrieked as things in the room began vibrating with her distress.

"Mana…"

Kiryu grabbed Mana by the shoulders and blocked Kaname's path to reach out to Mana and comfort her.

"Mana, you're aware that vampires can react to poisons?"

Mana looked at Kiryu, looking lost and helpless.

"But Purebloods are immune, Zero…"

"Not to a rather rare one that is illegal to mix."

Kiryu glared at Kaname who was looming over the couple.

"One that can't be traced, can't be cured and can only be obtained through means that can be very exclusive to certain individuals."

Kaname stared him down as Mana looked up at him in disbelief.

"Nii-san…?"

"Mana, why would I poison Yuki? Kiryu is just letting his imagination run wild. I loved her."

"Maybe as a sister, but hardly as a wife."

Kaname glowered at Kiryu at the comment and Mana frowned.

"No, Yuki was so happy, so Nii-san loved her…"

Kiryu stayed silent as Mana looked up at Kaname pleadingly.

"Mana, when could I have poisoned her? There were doctors everywhere doing everything they could to save her! You know how long I had spent searching, contacting, doing everything to try and find a cure!"

"…Tea."

Kaname felt his throat grow dry when clarity shone in Mana's eyes and she stepped away from him.

"Every afternoon, five o'clock on the dot you prepared tea for Yuki and I. Personally. Without fail."

Her eyes brimmed with tears as she continued backing off until her back hit the window.

"In small doses, the poison can look like an illness," Kiryu said but Kaname didn't register it as he continued to gaze at Mana who was becoming more and more frightened "As long as it's continually ingested, building up more and more in the system, it will eventually kill the victim. Only way to prevent death is to stop giving it to them."

Mana was shaking her head, staring at Kaname as if it was all just a bad dream. And it did. Kaname felt his heart breaking to see Mana in such a state. He just wanted to gather her up in his arms and beg for her to believe him and stop listening to Kiryu.

"I'm sorry, Mana, but Yuki's death wasn't painless. It would have been slow, she would have been in agony the whole time, she was given one of the cruellest deaths a Pureblood could possibly suffer."

"Why…?" Mana whispered hoarsely.

Kaname was silent as he could only perceive Mana in this moment. She was trembling, her eyes holding so much betrayal. If only Kiryu had perished that day, then she wouldn't be like this.

"I didn't p…"

"Oh come off it, Kuran!" Kiryu suddenly barked and the window behind Mana cracked as Kaname restrained his anger "Stop denying it! You murdered your sister and wife in cold blood so you can pursue your sick obsession over Mana freely!"

Kaname saw the tears roll down Mana's cheeks as she stared at him in utter horror. Murder. Yes, when Kiryu put it that way, he supposed it did sound…sinister. Cruel, unrelenting and merciless. He had murdered Yuki so the way was clear for him to have Mana all to himself. Poor, sweet, innocent Yuki who should have taken Zero's heart instead so Mana would be with him. Lovely, wonderful, darling Yuki who loyally stuck to his side as his wife and queen and bore him heirs for the throne. He just got rid of her like how a farmer would slaughter his cows when they stopped giving milk.

"You killed my sister…" Mana croaked as she shook on the spot, her tearstained eyes looking at him with fury.

"Mana, I…"

"You killed her! All she ever did was love you!"

Mana's fangs elongated as she held her stance and began marching forwards.

"She was devoted to you and you thank her by killing her in the worst way possible?!"

"Mana, listen!" Kaname suddenly barked and Mana was sent flying back into the sofa.

Kiryu rushed to her side as Kaname took a moment to compose himself, breathing deeply.

"I had to kill her!" he said, his chest heaving as he tried to collect his thoughts "Imagine how a divorce would have affected her! Even if I hadn't killed her, she would have surely died of a broken heart!"

"Bullshit!"

Kaname glowered at Kiryu who stood between him and Mana.

"You killed her to push Mana into a vulnerable position where you would be her saviour!" he snarled "You pushed Mana into depression so she would look to you for comfort! Making it look like Yuki had died of illness insured no suspicion would be directed to you. That's why you didn't kill her upfront!"

"I…I don't…d-don't…" Mana breathed as she rocked back and forth, hands over her head.

"She looked up to you as a brother but you didn't just want that, no! You sick bastard, you just cared about owning her!"

Kaname snapped as he grabbed Kiryu by his shirt and pulled him closer, fangs elongating to get ready to tear him apart. He was thrown back as blood whips hit him and pushed him back into the bookcase behind him. Books fell as Mana dashed to pull Zero away from him, putting herself in between the two. Her eyes were full of fury, matching her personality from when she had been a young, naïve teenager.

"Don't."

Her voice was chilling as he stared down at her. He stood his ground, adjusting his suit.

"Are you really believing him, Mana?" he asked softly as Mana narrowed her eyes at him "He neglected to come to you to reassure you that he was alive. He is just trying to ruin our happiness with far-fetched theories."

Mana growled softly in warning as he stepped forward towards her.

"None of this can hold in court, you don't have a case against me."

"Maybe not."

Mana stood up straight and untied her apron from her waist. She let it drop and took her sloppy bun out to let her hair down.

"But it's enough for me to leave you."

Her words shook Kaname. He felt paralysed as she grabbed Kiryu by the hand and led him out of the office. He watched as they strode out of the main hotel entrance, away from him.

Mana! Don't leave me, please…!

He walked slowly to the door, staring blankly at the entrance and not perceiving any of the guests or staff. Mana was out of sight at this point as he slowly walked across the lobby to the staircase. He ascended, taking his keys out so they were ready to let him up into the penthouse.

Can't you understand? I did it all for you, for our happiness…

It took him a moment to register the doors opening to the penthouse and stepped out just in time before they shut.

I love you, I love you so much. I didn't want to kill her in such a horrid fashion, I just wanted the best possible outcome which would lead us to finally be together.

He entered her room, seeing the dishevelled uniform in the laundry basket in the corner. He approached it and gathered the clothes in his arms, burying his nose into the cloth and taking a deep breath, full of her scent. He sighed as he clutched it to his chest and fell to his knees. The first tears fell onto the carpet as he heaved heavy breaths.

I love you.

He delved into his blazer pocket with one hand.

I love you!

He found his phone and began going through the contacts.

Don't think that I will ever stop loving you!

He listened to the ring tone as he calmed his breathing.

Don't think that I will just let you leave so easily…

"It's me," he said as an ominous shadow cast over his eyes "I didn't want it to come to this but I have no choice."

He clutched Mana's uniform closer to his chest.

"She's with a Level D, silver hair and lilac eyes," he said lowly "Don't bring her back here. Take her to the disclosed location we discussed in our last meeting. Make sure the Level D is dead, he'll just cause trouble."

He swallowed and took in another breath.

"Use what I have given to you on her, I don't like the idea but we have no choice. Ah no, tail them for now, they must have left roughly fifteen minutes ago, now? Make sure you're as discreet as possible. We don't want any unnecessary attention."

A small smirk crawled onto his face.

"Subdue her for a few days, it'll take a while to sort everything out completely. …Yes, use that, but make sure to keep to small doses. I'll update you when I'm ready to move. Oh, and make sure to be very careful with her."

I'll kill you if you do more harm than necessary.

Kaname hung up and stood up, letting the uniform drop and he left to go back to the office. He switched the laptop on, sitting down and typing away furiously. He needed to get everything ready, everything had to be perfect.

You only deserve perfection, my darling. Therefore, you only deserve me.

He couldn't hold back his smirk, feeling the anticipation swell within him.