Just a little something a wrote last year. Hope it's enjoyable.

Review and let me know what you think.

Disclaimer: Vampire Knight belongs to Matsuri Hino.


Memories

The memories ease the pain inside,
now I know why.
All of my memories keep you near.
In silent moments, imagine you be here.
All of my memories keep you near.
Your silent whispers, silent tears.
(Memories – Within Temptation)

They said he had been taking blood pills as if they were candy. They said his hunger could never be satiated. They said he had always been a gloomy, sorrowful person.

If everyone said that to him, why didn't he feel any of those things? He wasn't hungry. Nor does he felt like a rainy cloud was above his head all the time. He wasn't a happy person, no, by all means. However, he actually felt in peace with himself. His was a normal life, if you could forget the fact his entire family had been slaughtered by the vampire that forcefully turned you into one of her kind.

Zero was about to say everyone in his life was crazy when he saw her, the pureblood.

"I'm sorry to disturb you, hunter-san."

For some reason he couldn't explain, his heart felt uneasy with her tone of voice. It was so… impersonal. He shook his head. He had never seen that girl before in his life, it was only natural that she treated him with polite distance. It still felt somehow wrong, anyway.

And that was when he noticed. An emptiness on the place where his heart was supposed to be. A feeling like he had lost someone very important to him, someone he hadn't had the opportunity to mourn.

But as he forced his mind, no image, no name appeared to him. Who had he lost? And if he couldn't remember, why did he felt it so strongly? Nothing seemed to make any sense at all.

Nothing made sense, but it sure could get worse, as he soon learned.

The next time he saw the pureblood girl, she was with her "brother". He had her trapped on his lap, drinking her blood forcefully in front of everyone. It enraged Zero, but he had to control himself not to say anything. It wasn't any of his business. The two were engaged, he was told, and pureblood vampires probably didn't have any notion anymore of what was acceptable behaviour and what wasn't.

For days, the image of her haunted him, along with the delicious scent of her blood. How he wished it was him in the place of that Kuran!

Zero groaned, hiding his face in his hands as the thought crossed his mind. His throat was locked with overwhelming thirst. If it was true that he had always been hungry before, how come he managed to bear that feeling the entire time?

The answer was easy, even in such state he could give the right one: he held it together for her. But who was her? Who was this person he was already missing so much but couldn't remember?

"She erased my memories." Realization dawned on him, as if whispered on his ear. Whoever she was. At least now he knew it was a "she".

Could it possibly be the pureblood girl? But how could he have known her? The mess made his head hurt. Little by little, he noticed his identity was completely lost not knowing who she was. Everyone said he was different, and he felt different indeed. However, Kaito told him he was much better now than he had been before.

Was he really? Feeling all that emotional charge, he was better than before? How messed up was he?

Zero.

He raised his head, looking for the person who had called him. It took him minutes to realize the voice was only in his head, and kept repeating itself over and over in different tones. It was only his name, but he heard it in reprove, laughter, cry, screamed, happy, pleased, relief and even in a whisper of desire.

That voice… He had heard it recently.

Getting up, he left the stables and walked in a straight line. He could hear her pleads now, asking for someone not to do something. Gods, it pissed him off to no end!

Grabbing her by the arm, he carelessly threw her against the nearest tree. That woman, that desultory, kind and egoist woman he didn't know…

"No." he whispered, watching as her eyes filled up in tears. "Your name is Yuuki. The woman who I want to protect."

He saw the shock in her eyes, and finished the sentence on his mind: and the woman who refused my protection.

"You… remembered?" she asked fearful, disappointed even.

"I only remembered what I was missing. You were the one, weren't you? Who took something precious from me."

And there was no time for him to argue any further with her. The school was under attack again, and it was his job to protect it. Somehow, he finally felt like he was himself. After all, that was his true job: protect the school, protect his family.

Forcefully grabbing her, he sank his fang on her neck.

"Zero!" she called, on that voice he heard in his mind so clearly.

"I want my memories back."

They all came in a huge wave, mixed and confused, but finding their rightful place in his mind. Years and years of memories. Did she really think she could keep that away from him for long? Stupid. Yes, Yuuki had always been stupid.

When he stopped, she fell into his arms, almost lifeless. It served her well. That was his punishment for what she had done to him.

"I won't hide behind excuses anymore."

It was enough. He managed to recover himself this time, but what could happen next? As long as the Kuran name lived, she would never have peace, and he stubbornly insisted on being by her side. Now it was the last chance he would get to protect her.

He left her on Aidou's arms and ran through the trees, calling Kaname in the process. That was going to be his last fight – for good or for evil. And he intended to make the best of it. Now he would fight with his feelings right in the surface. He loved her. Always had, always would; there was no point on hiding it.

That would be the final battle of Cross Academy.