Bloody Petals

Chapter 22

Zero looked up and looked at Kaname's composed expression. He smiled a tad before he nodded. And yet, the moment he heard the question, he wished he shook his head instead. "What do you... exactly feel about me?"

Zero could only stare at the brunette, slightly gaping as he tried to process what those words meant. He looked frozen stiff but his mind was reeling for some answers. And he realized that for the first time, he didn't know the answer either. He wasn't thinking of Kaname as an enemy anymore because the guy was just too annoying and perverted to be an enemy. No, that's not quite rational. He also knew he did not think of Kaname as a friend because their relationship was much more complicated than that. And he knew that he wasn't treating the pureblood as a comrade either because he only thought of hunters as that. Yes, he treated Kaname as a vampire and one of the purebloods. But beyond that, he didn't know how the pureblood stands to him.

Kaname chuckled at Zero's reaction and patted his head. "Sorry, I didn't mean to make you confused." He sighed. "Alright, I'll just ask you some other questions which will lead to the answer to that first question. Is that alright?"

"Uh, yeah... I guess." Zero blinked as he heaved a deep sigh. He didn't think this thing called affection was such a complicated thing. Now he felt amazed at Yuuki and Yuzuru for actually figuring things out on their own. Wait, did he just compare himself and Kaname to lovers...?

"Earth to Zero." Kaname chuckled again when he saw how Zero seemed to have gone back to reality. "Alright, first question: do you feel happy when I'm around or not?"

At that, Zero immediately blushed. "W-What kind of question is that!?"

"Just answer it, Zero, so we can move on to the next question. And please answer honestly." Kaname berated lightly, doing his best to stop grinning from the cute reaction.

"Well..." Zero averted his gaze to the side as he scowled. "Sometimes..." Kaname arched an eyebrow to that, indicating he should be more specific. He growled as he glared at the pureblood. "Sometimes, I'm happy and sometimes I'm not. You're too annoying to be around! Not to mention too perverted..."

Kaname chuckled at the last comment. "Alright, next question: Do you feel anything akin to romantic love for anyone right now?" Zero's eyebrows furrowed before he shook his head, indicating he didn't have one. Kaname inwardly sighed in relief before he voiced his next question. "Third question: What do you feel if I were to suddenly disappear from your life?"

Zero suddenly felt his heart ache at the question. He stared at Kaname as the latter waited for the answer with a composed feature, though the hunter knew that façade would break if he ever voiced the wrong answer. He averted his gaze to the side again as he mumbled the answer, cheeks blushing a little. "Of course, I'll be lonely... probably..."

Kaname had to sigh at Zero's stubbornness. "Alright, next question: Do you have any affection for me, any kind at all?"

The hunter blushed again. "What's with that question?"

"Just answer it, Zero." Kaname grinned when he saw Zero blush even more.

"Yes, I think..." The answer was quieter than a whisper and Kaname was thankful he was a vampire so he was still able to hear it just as perfectly. He couldn't help but be happy that Zero at least has some affection for him, even if it's not the kind of affection that he wanted so badly and craved for.

"Next: Do you think we're friends?" The brunette asked again. It would be great if Zero considered him as a friend. He knew that there's no way the half-pureblood vampire would feel anything akin to romantic love for him so that would be the next best thing Zero could feel for him.