Disclaimer: I do not own this awesome thang blablabla…yeah. You get the idea.

Hey people! I've got this awesome new beta. Her username is Silver Psychic. Hop along and check her stories out! (Summer Shade is a song by Cody Simpson. Check him out! You just might become an angel too… :D)

P.S. I'm reaaaaally sorry if Zero seems a little OOC…he's so difficult to write for…! T_T

.summershade.

"Zero!"

Zero turned around as he heard his name being called. His eyes narrowed at the petite girl currently standing before him. "Aren't you supposed to be in detention?"

Yuuki pouted and pointedly ignored his question, continuing with what she had been about to say before she had been so rudely interrupted. "Zero! Chairman-sama says that we are going to have tomorrow off!"

"So?"

"What do you mean, so? We can go somewhere to relax, like...like the beach or something!"

"Yuuki. There are no beaches around this area."

"I was just coming up with ide-hey! Where do you think you're going?!"

"To class of course. Shouldn't you be coming along too? Especially since you're the one always complaining about me not attending."

Yuuki's eyes softened as she gazed at him and she smiled, albeit slightly unwillingly. Running to catch up to Zero, she began to think of a way to somehow persuade Zero into going somewhere with her during that short break.

.summershade.

Zero yawned. Class was as boring, as usual, and he was beginning to regret coming. It just went to show how childish he could be when wanting to best Yuuki. But he wouldn't mind going on an outing with her..probably. At least until her blood began to tempt him. Then it wouldn't be a good idea.

"Class is over!"

"Arigato gozaimasu Sensei." Chanted the class before gathering their books and exiting. Zero stood up and paused at Yuuki's row, waiting for her to pack up. That girl was probably the slowest packer ever…

"Hurry up, Yuuki. I'm growing older and older as we speak."

She flashed him an evil look as she continued tidying away, but at a considerably slower pace than before. Zero rolled his eyes and threatened to leave if she didn't hurry up. This made her work much faster. That works every time…it's so easy to tease her. Doesn't she know that I would have waited for her even if she took a hundred years? Well, probably not. I'd have already upped and died long before that.

Finally, Yuuki zipped her bag up. Turning to Zero, she had to hide a smile at how adorable he looked, fast asleep. She reached a hand towards his beautiful silver hair, withdrawing it when he stirred and then reaching out again after it was clear that he was still asleep. She laid her hand on his hair, stroking it gently.

Zero's hair is so soft! When I was younger, I had a best friend. Her name was Akihiko and we used to tell each other about our dream guys. Her dream guy would have dark, slightly floppy hair, dark eyes and he would be tall. His hair was the softest ever and he would call her Aki-himitsu*. Mine would be a really handsome guy that everyone had a secret crush on but he only had eyes for me. His features would be really unusual and he would be fair. He would have some kind of dark secret and he was closed up, opening up only for me.

.summershade.

Zero woke up slowly, relaxing at the touch of someone stroking his hair. It reminded him of his old nanny, Takahashi Nami. She had been fifteen when his parents took her in, asking her to take care of Zero and Ichiru. He was 7 and he remembered that he had loved her. The both of them had. She was very kind but if they did something wrong, she didn't hold back with the scoldings.

Opening his eyes, he saw Yuuki, her hand still on his head. When she noticed his eyes were open, she snatched her hand back, blushing. Yuuki looks cute when she blushes…everyone says that but I didn't find that to be true until now. Ugh, now I'm sounding like some lovesick bastard. Thinking she's cute doesn't mean that I like her…or that I find her bravery astounding…or that I find her personality quirky and original…or that I find her interesting and worth getting to know-

"E-eh! Zero! Gomen-ne…I thought you were asleep."

Zero sighed and stood. "For a moment, I thought I was back in my house and…"

"Your mother was stroking your hair?"

"No. We had a nanny. Her name was Nami. She was the one who took care of us. She used to stroke my hair like that when we couldn't sleep. When I look back, she must have always been very tired, seeing how we went over to her bed to climb in with her if we woke up in the night."

"We?"

"My brother and I."

"Oh…Where is she now?"

Zero's fists tightened and he looked away. Yuuki stiffened, realizing that she should probably have left it alone. "She…She was taken away by the vampire that killed my parents."

"Oh."

Yuuki stepped up and slid her hand into his, squeezing slightly. He smiled at her subtle way of offering comfort. Even though it had been a long time ago, it still hurt to think of his brother, nanny and his parents.

"The Night Class is going to be here soon. We should leave quickly."

Zero nodded and they exited to perform their usual duties.

.summershade.

"Zero."

"Hn?"

"I've been thinking and I've decided that I want to go on a picnic tomorrow!"

"And what exactly does it have to do with me?"

"Everything!"

"Why? I've already said that I'm not going."

"You must! Chairman-sama says so."

"No."

"Please?"

"No."

Puppy eyes were given and the stubborn one relented. Yuuki was all smiles and laughter after that. Zero was hidden in his corner of misery.

.summershade.

"Hey, Zero!"

"Yeah? We're sitting there, underneath that big tree. It's not dirty or anything, don't worry."

Yuuki shot him a dirty look.

"Who said that I was scared of getting my dress dirty?"

"Aren't you?"

"No! Well…maybe a little…"

Zero smirked and led them both to the tree. It was a huge one, towering over the rest of the trees in the park. Plopping herself down, she began unpacking the food. "Yuuki. Are you really going to eat now?"

"Well, yeah. What do you expect me to do?"

"Take a walk…enjoy the park…After all, we came so far just to this dratted place so we might as well enjoy it."

Yuuki grinned from ear to ear. "I know that's your way of saying you actually like this place and that you would like to take a closer look at it! Am I right?"

Zero didn't bother answering, picking the picnic basket up and walking off.

"HEY! ZERO!"

.summershade.

This could be like a date, only my 'boyfriend' doesn't know that he's my boyfriend. How sad…my main objective of today is to…erm…confess my feelings to him. Somehow. I hope that he doesn't reject me…I won't be able to face him again if he does. Isn't it funny that we are so close yet so distant?

Yuuki sighed and stretched, her hand connecting with Zero's chin. He yelped as he accidentally bit his own tongue. Yuuki smothered a giggle as he glared at her. He swept her hair over into her eyes and dashed off, only looking back to smirk at her. The smirk went unseen because Yuuki was busy getting her hair, which was once neatly combed, to lie back down. Curse Zero. All romantic thoughts had fled her mind and now, she was just intent on finding him and pounding him….even though he could probably defend himself with just one hand.

Zero laughed silently behind a tree as he watched Yuuki try to comb her hair back. This is the only way that I can show my feelings…if I told her how I felt, I think that she would just laugh. Or, being Yuuki, she would just stare at me blankly. Typical Yuuki is both adorable and annoying. When she's annoying, she's still adorable. I'm probably sounding like a madman now…dreaming of a girl. I bet if I told Ichiru about this, he would have told me to confess to her and be done with it. He's always so forward and I think that was his strength. He always used to envy me, me being the older one and the stronger one…but he has always been the tough one. If he were alive and I admitted that to him, he would be denying it the same way Yuuki does now. Is that why I have feelings for her?

.summershade.

Yuuki searched around for Zero, panic rising in her throat and threatening to choke her. This reminded her of the time when the vampire had attacked her and Kaname-senpai had saved her. She had been looking for Akihiko, who had run away from home when she realized that she was lost. It was the same feeling now except that the feeling of panic at being lost was now the feeling of panic at the thought of Zero running away back to the academy and leaving her behind. Tears started to fall without her realizing it, being caught up in her old memories.

Zero watched Yuuki from his hiding place, deciding to keep hidden even when her face showed signs of impending panic. Then her face started to change to that trapped look; the look that he always got when thinking about his past and about that woman. Tears started to fall but she was still frozen. The tears flowed unchecked and Zero finally jumped from the tree, landing on the ground with a hard thump and a grunt.

.summershade.

"Yuuki. Yuuki. Yuuki. Wake up. Stop crying. Yuuki."

Yuuki jerked and opened her eyes. She was still standing in the same spot that she had started panicking. Zero stood in front of her, hands on her shoulders and he looked worried. "H-huh? Zero? Where were you?"

"Sorry. I was hiding in a tree nearby. You didn't see me and I think that you panicked."

He pulled her into his arms and hugged her tight, burying his face in her hair. She stiffened before relaxing and hugging him back. "I-I thought you had gone…that you had left me alone, just like Akihiko did when she ran away."

"Silly. I would never leave you. You wouldn't be able to function without me. You would probably be a vegetable if I left. Hmm…but what kind of vegetable? A potato would suit you nicely, I think."

Yuuki giggled and hit him. She was already feeling much better. Wrapping her arms around Zero again, she inhaled his familiar scent, the scent that always brought comfort to her when she was panicking.

She tilted her head up to look at him. I suppose that this would be the best time to confess and get it over with…

"Zero…I think, I think that I-I have, I have f-f-feelings for you!"

Yuuki turned away, blushing and secretly crossing her fingers. Zero's mouth hung open with shock. Did he hear it right or did Yuuki really stutter? First a snicker came out, then an undignified snort, before growing into full-blown laughter. Yuuki blushed harder, thinking that it meant that Zero thought her confession was a total fail and it was too funny to even reject politely. Tears rose unbidden to her eyes and she tried to blink them back without any success. Walking away, she was surprised to find a strong grip on her arm.

"Yuuki. Why are you walking away? I didn't even reply you yet."

Yuuki turned in surprise. Zero's heart clenched suddenly as he noticed the tears in her eyes. Oops. Did I really make her cry? What will she think of me now?

"Um…I think that I kinda like you too. I-I'm sorry I made you cry. I was laughing at you because you were stuttering, not because I thought that your c-c-confession was funny or anything."

Yuuki's heart leaped and she threw herself at Zero, hugging him tightly. "Baka…! What is so funny about me laughing, huh?"

Zero chuckled and hugged her back. "It's just funny."

.summershade.

"Where did you put the picnic basket?"

"Erm…I think I left it up that tree…where that squirrel just jumped out with its cheeks stuffed…"

"ZERO!"

.summershade.

Yuuki leaned against Zero, who was sitting with his back to the tree. They were sitting in the shade of that tree, which had dozens of names scratched into its trunk. Yuuki was studying the names and running her finger along the bark. I really don't know what to think…I used to have feelings for Kaname-senpai but now, I don't feel anything for him. Am I in love with Zero? What does he feel for me? What if he doesn't feel the same way? While Yuuki was thinking about all that,Zero was dozing off, feeling drowsy and hungry in the summer heat.

"Zero…?"

"Hmm?"

"What are we now?"

Zero opened his eyes properly and sat up, facing Yuuki. "What do you think we are?"

"I don't know…"

"If we were friends, it would be acceptable to do this." He poked her in the ribs, grinning wickedly when she squealed and wriggled away from him and his finger. "If we were more than friends, we would probably be doing this." He found her hand and clasped it in his. Yuuki blushed slightly and gave a half-smile. A picture of innocence. Who knew that she was such a devil on the inside..."If we were a couple, I wouldn't have any hesitations about doing this."

Leaning forward, he kissed her. Yuuki's eyes widened briefly before fluttering closed. Zero could feel her smiling into the kiss and he mentally gave himself a pat on the back. Mission: Get Yuuki to become your girlfriend. Mission: Accomplished!

.summershade.

"When you think about it, a lot of couples must have done this too. Right here on this spot under this tree. It's a very special tree…it must have seen so many other awkward confessions and kisses…" There was no reply. Zero had fallen asleep in the shade. How typical of him. "ZERO! Wake up!"

Zero groaned. Yuuki could really be a devil sometimes. But he was perfectly fine with her being a devil only to him. After all, he knew how to get her to shut up now…

.summershade.

* Means Aki-honey.

Yaaay! This fic is FINISHED! I was actually thinking of making this into a multi-chaptered fic but then I got too lazy… (^_^) So here you are, guys! Review and add this to your favourites list! :P