First Snow
The sky was a cold grey colour. It seems like it will snow soon. The fresh cold air in the mid of December cuts through your skin to your bones. It also clears your head for ensuing battles. Cross Academy is on winter break, and only those few students that have no home to go to stayed back. Without the usual crowds in the school, the solitude seems oddly eerie.
Yuki stood beside the window, and gazed out at the scenery. Most students in the Moon Dorm went back to their families for the break, but not her. She had no home to go back to. It has been like this ever since she could remember, even after she regained her memories. The fact that her parents were dead would not change. Even her only relative, her brother was still missing. When hunters were dispatched to stop him from hunting purebloods, all of them were either injured or killed. So now he was on the top of the hunters' list. Sadness welled up inside her, and she thought for at least the hundredth time, why would he do something like this? A part of her knew that he was doing this for her, but still...
"Dinner is ready!" Aidou yelled from the kitchen.
This snapped Yuki out of her deep thoughts. Aidou was the only one that stayed back. She knows that he has a home to go back to, but he still stayed back to keep her company.
"Coming!" Yuki yelled back. She turned away from the window and paused a second. She turned back and looked outside the window. Somehow, she's feeling a bit uneasy, as if something is wrong... But what could go wrong? There's barely anyone inside the academy right now anyways. Shaking her head, she started back towards the kitchen.
After dinner, she went back to her bedroom. Laying in bed, Yuki stared up at the drapes, and thought about Kaname. Where could he be right now? Is he well? Is he sleeping too? Or is he still on his hunt for the purebloods...? Slowly, sleep came over her, and she drifted into a restless slumber.
"It's been verified. We have various evidence pointing towards Sara Shirabuki as the mastermind behind those new blood tablets. She is the one that's capturing humans and using them to illegally make those blood tablets. Moreover, we found over a hundred humans locked up that has been turned into vampires by her." Yagari reported grimly.
Kaien Cross, the vampire hunter association president didn't say anything. He had his chin on his crossed hands, and he looked troubled.
"What do you think about this, Zero?" He asked without looking up.
"What is more to say? I think it's pretty clear that we have to take down Sara Shirabuki, as we should have a long time ago." Zero replied coldly.
The association president sighed. "I really didn't want to do this... You all know what happened last year. Because of that incident, the night class was completely destroyed. If we go ahead with this, the same thing might happen again. But this time, the night class might not be able to be rebuilt anymore."
For a moment, nobody said anything. Then Zero broke the silence.
"But we can't just leave her in the school and do nothing. Do you want to put the Day Class students at risk too?"
"You're right. No matter how much I don't want to do this, it must be done." The association president paused. "Since it's the winter break, there's not a lot of students in the school, so maybe the damage would be to the minimum. Alright, I give out this order as the vampire hunter association's president: All hunters that are not on missions are to gather to the Cross Academy and eradicate Sara Shirabuki!"
A tall figure appeared in front of her. She rubbed her eyes. Who was it? It looks like...
"Kaname!" Yuki cried out in surprise.
The figure turned around, and it was Kaname. He turned back and continued walking. Yuki tried to chase after him, but her body was so heavy, and it seemed to take forever just to take one step.
"Kaname, wait for me! Please, come back!" Yuki sobbed and begged. But he didn't slow down, he just kept going. Then, another figure appeared beside Kaname. It was Zero, and he was holding the Bloody Rose gun to Kaname's head.
"No! Don't, Zero!" Yuki screamed in horror. But it was too late. The gun went off with a loud bang and a huge flash of light. She could smell blood. Oh god, Kaname is bleeding! Yuki looked on with horror, but unable to do anything because she couldn't move her body at all. But Kaname got back up, and whipped out a sword. Quick like a snake, he plunged it deep into Zero's chest with a sickening thunk. Then just as fast, he pulled the sword back out.
She watched in horror as Zero fell down to the ground. Kaname turned his head towards her. He had blood splattered across his face, and his face looked strangely empty of any expression. He wasn't the gentle kind Kaname she had known anymore. Without a word he turned around and walked away. Soon he disappeared.
She knew that it was already too late for Zero, but she still used all her strength to try to get to Zero. Her body was still so heavy, and she could barely move. Zero flinched and lifted his head in her direction. Blood was seeping out of him, and there was already a huge pool of blood around him. It was shaped like a rose. His face was contorted in pain, and he was panting loudly and gurgling blood in his throat.
"Zero, hang in there! Just hang in there! I'll save you for sure!" Yuki yelled. "Zero!"
But his head drooped and his body stopped moving.
"Zero!" Yuki screamed, on and on. She can smell the stench of blood, and her throat parched. She started gasping for air as the thirst became worse and worse, and then she her eyes flew open.
Yuki was laying in her bed. She could feel that the sun was still up, though she couldn't tell for sure from the light coming through the curtains because it's been cloudy for this past week. She could still feel her throat burning of thirst, so she reached for her blood tablets and started pouring them into her mouth. After a while she felt better, but she could still smell blood. Alarmed, she concentrated on the scent. There was no mistaking it, it was Zero's blood. She jumped out of bed and threw on some clothes. What's going on? Is he hurt? She thought of her nightmare and she paled. No, that can't happen, she will do everything she can to stop that from happening.
As she raced out of her room, she bumped into Aidou.
"Hey, Cross, what's wrong?" Aidou grabbed her arm to steady her.
"No time to explain... Zero is hurt! And maybe other people, I don't know!" Yuki struggled to loosen Aidou's hold.
Aidou just gripped her tighter. "Well, in that case, you should stay inside. It would be dangerous for you to go out."
"What? I can't do that! I'm in charge of the Night Class, and they are my responsibility. If they are causing trouble with the hunters, then I should be the one to stop them!" Yuki cried. "Now let go!"
"Fine," Aidou said, "but I'm going with you."
"Do whatever you want." Yuki turned around and started racing outside.
"What is the meaning of this, young hunter-san?" Sara asked annoyingly.
"You know perfectly well why." Zero replied as he shot his gun towards her.
"If this is about the new blood tablets, I already told you that I don't know anything." She blocked the bullets smoothly as she retorted.
"Don't give me that innocent act. It's already been verified that you are the perpetrator behind all those deaths. The hunters have already put you on the list as top priority."
"Now that would be rather troublesome, wouldn't it?" Sara narrowed her eyes as she ripped the earth up around him. "You are no match for me, young hunter-san. I am infinitely more powerful than you. Even Kaname could not deal with me."
"I don't see how that could be a problem. I have killed a pureblood before, and it wasn't as difficult as I thought." Zero said as he dodged her attack.
"But back then you had another pureblood's help, did you not? And now, you are on your own." Sara taunted him. "You sure you will be ok?"
Zero didn't say anything and just continued to shoot at Sara. "She didn't help me. She was just in the way."
"Is that so... Well, it's too bad that she's not here to help you today then, because maybe then you would have a small chance of winning." Sara lunged forward with surprising speed and slashed at Zero.
Zero jumped out of the way, but the tip of her hands still ripped through his skin. He stumbled a bit and regained his posture. His wound was already healing, and he raised his gun towards her.
"My, you are quite quick." Sara smiled as she licked the blood off her hands. "I will just have to..."
But before she could finish her sentence, a hand plunged through her heart. Her face was full of shock, and she turned around to see who it was.
"It's been a long time, Sara." Kaname whispered beside her ear. "It's nice that Kiryu-kun distracted you, or else I wouldn't have had the chance to deal you the fatal blow."
"Ah, Kaname, you finally showed up." Sara sighed. "And here I was thinking that you would still be off killing all the other purebloods."
"I am already done my job. You were the last on my list."
"Should I be honoured?" Sara smiled.
Kaname didn't answer. Instead he plunged his fangs into her neck and drank deeply from her. Then, without any warning, he ripped her heart from her body. Sara gasped.
Kaname raised the heart to his lips and started sucking the blood from it. When he was done, he dropped it to the ground.
Sara lay on the ground panting slightly. "So this is the end for me... How unsightly. But somehow, I knew this was going to happen."
She closed her eyes. Slowly, her body started cracking apart. Finally with a loud crack, she shattered into a million pieces.
Kaname looked up from her body at Zero. "What are you thinking about?"
"That vampires truly are horrible monsters, and you purebloods are the worst of all." Zero said with disgust.
"How ungrateful. Is that the way you talk to your saviour?"
"I was doing fine. You didn't need to interfere."
Kaname smiled. "As disrespectful as ever, Kiryu-kun. I really hated that about you."
"I never told you to like me." Zero said as he raised his gun. "It makes killing you easier."
"Kill me?" Kaname said with mock surprise. "Why would you want to do that?"
With a loud bang, the gun shot off towards him. Kaname easily dodged it.
"You can't kill me you know. I was stronger than you before, and now even more so." Kaname materialized out of thin air huge blades.
"That wouldn't be enough of a reason to stop me." Zero replied.
Soon, a heated battle began between those two.
"You have gotten stronger since the last time I saw you." Kaname said between blows.
"Was that a compliment? Because I don't want to hear that from you." Zero gritted his teeth. Kaname was really tough, and he tried very hard but he could hardly touch him. He doesn't even seem fazed. On the other hand, he was tired from the battle with Sara, and his wounds were still healing.
His concentration faltered for a moment, and Kaname's blade slashed across his shoulder.
"What's wrong? Getting tired?" Kaname taunted.
"Of course not. I have plenty of energy left to deal with you." Zero hissed.
As their battle resumed, it was clear that Zero was at a disadvantage. Cuts and bruises kept on piling up on his body. Kaname slashed down with his blade and Zero couldn't dodge it. It cut open the front of this torso, and with a cry, he fell down to the ground.
"I think it's pretty clear which one of us is stronger." Kaname smiled down at Zero.
Panting and gasping, Zero said: "I'm not finished yet."
"Oh yes you are. Or soon you will be." He raised his blade up preparing for the final blow.
"Stop! Oneesama!" Yuki cried as she ran towards them.
Kaname paused. He looked up and saw Yuki and Aidou running towards them. "Yuki..." He mumbled.
She stopped and stared at the scene before her. Zero was seriously wounded, and Kaname was planning on finishing him off. It was her worst nightmare.
"Oneesama, you have to stop! You can't hurt Zero, after all, he will be the next Hunter Association's president! If you kill him, the peace you have worked so hard to achieve will shatter!" Yuki pleaded.
Kaname looked sadly at Yuki. "Is that really the reason why you want to protect him, Yuki?"
Yuki was speechless for a moment and she dropped her gaze. "It's also because Zero is important to me. I don't want you to hurt him."
Kaname stared at her darkly, and Yuki just couldn't meet his gaze.
"Yuki, you have drunk his blood, haven't you?" He asked softly.
Yuki whipped her head up. She couldn't see Kaname's expression, but she can feel an ominous aura radiating from him. "Kaname, I... Well..."
"I know you did Yuki. I can smell him on you." Kaname continued as if he hadn't heard her.
"I'm... I'm sorry Oneesama..." Yuki whispered, barely audible.
Kaname shook her head. "No, don't be. You were thirsty, and I wasn't around, so he was of course the logical choice. Besides, you have always been thirsting for his blood, have you not?"
Yuki couldn't reply. Everything he said was true, but she just couldn't admit it to his face. It was terrifying.
Kaname unsheathed a sword from his belt, and it crackled in his hand. It was a hunter's weapon.
Yuki gasped. "No, Oneesama! Don't!" She started forward.
Suddenly tendrils rose out of the ground and wrapped tightly around her, securing her to the ground. Yuki struggled in vain. "Oneesama, please! Don't hurt Zero!"
"Don't worry Yuki, I won't kill him. At least not yet. Not until I let him live through pain and torture." Kaname replied darkly.
He slashed down with his sword and cut Zero again. Zero yelled, trying to raise his hand to defend himself. But he just cut down his hand too. He kept on slashing on his body, regardless his pained cries. Finally Zero fell to the ground, gasping and heaving. Blood was pouring out of his body freely, and the wounds weren't healing.
"I wonder if it's possible to make a vampire bleed to death." He mused.
"Zero!" Yuki screamed. "Zero, hang on!"
"Yuki..." Zero said between pained gasps. He tried to sit up, but Kaname plunged the sword into his stomach and drove him back down.
Zero screamed and coughed up blood. The sword was crackling along his body, and it look very painful.
"ZERO!" Yuki cried and tears started gathering up in her eyes. "Oneesama, stop! Please, stop! I'll do whatever you want, I'll leave the academy, please let him go!"
Kaname yanked the sword out. Zero lay on the ground barely moving at all.
"Yuki, the way you are defending him is making me very angry... I thought I would be ok if you had another man in your heart, but I overestimated myself. I can not tolerate this anymore, this man has to die." He raised his sword again and this time, he's aiming for his heart.
"No! Zero!" Yuki cried in despair.
His sword went down, and it hit a block of ice. His hand and sword was also frozen by ice too.
"What is the meaning of this, Aidou?" Kaname asked softly.
"Kaname-sama! I can't allow you to kill Kiryu Zero! Yuki has a point, he is the future president, if you kill him, the hunters will never let you go!" Aidou replied. "Please think this through, Kaname-sama! You need to calm down and think!"
"Aidou, you have no place to question my actions." Kaname narrowed his eyes at him.
"Kaname-sama, I say that as your friend, it's in the best of interest to you!" Aidou replied.
The ice around his hand shattered and he whipped up a tendril in Aidou's direction. It pierced his body.
"Aidou!" Yuki yelled. "Oneesama! What are you doing! He's you're friend, isn't he?"
Aidou knelt to the ground. "Kaname-sama..." He said in disbelief. "I, I was only..." And he fell to the ground unconscious.
"I do not need more people to hinder me." Kaname replied coldly. "He'll live."
He turned back towards Zero and raised his sword again. "Now where were we..."
Yuki stared at Kaname. This wasn't the gentle big bother she had known. This Kaname was ruthless and coldblooded, and would do anything to achieve his goals. Though some part of her knew that this was how he was like all along, it still didn't make it any better. She closed her eyes. She was powerless to save her parents, because she was too young at the time. But this time, she has to save Zero. She promised herself a long time ago that she would take care of Zero and protect him. Now is the time to prove that.
She struggled with all her might again the restraints around her, and with a snap, she finally broken free. Kaname had the sword raised, and he was bringing it down onto Zero. Without thinking, she ran towards him, and whipped out Artemis along the way.
"Kiryu-kun, if you had not fallen in love with Yuki, maybe I would have spared you. But as a man, I just can't let you go. Goodbye, and I hope you can find peace in the afterlife." He slashed the sword down.
The blade of the Artemis stabbed into Kaname's chest, and pulled him away from Zero. The sword Kaname was holding fell to the ground with a clatter. Yuki panted heavily as she held Artemis. Zero was safe, he was safe. Then what she did registered to her, and her eyes widened in horror. She dropped Artemis, and started to back away.
"Yuki..." Kaname looked towards her. "You... Really were desperate to protect Kiryu-kun weren't you..."
Yuki just stared. All words have deserted her. The gaping wound on Kaname was thrust in her face, and she couldn't believe that she had been the one to deal that blow.
"Oneesama... I..." Her throat was so dry, and her voice died out.
Kaname pulled Yuki into his arm. "It's ok, Yuki. If Yuki was the one that killed me, I wouldn't regret it. I'm happy that it was you that finished me. That was always the way I wanted to die."
Tears spilled over her eyes, she sobbed gently into his shoulder.
"Yuki... I want you to drink what's left of my life." Kaname whispered. "This way, I can always be with you."
Yuki shook her head. "Please." Kaname said. Yuki couldn't bare him pleading like that, so she complied to what he asked for.
Yuki closed her eyes and sank her fangs into his neck. She was crying as she took in the familiar taste of his blood.
"Don't be sad Yuki. Please, don't cry. I want to see you smile and be happy. You have to be happy from now on, ok? From now on, you will be the one in charge of the vampires. I want you to do everything you can to ensure the peace between the vampires and humans. You have to..." Kaname's voice trailed off.
"I'm sorry Yuki, for doing such things to make you hurt like this. This is the only way that you won't be harmed. As long as there are purebloods, you won't be safe. The humans won't be safe either. Please forgive me." Kaname closed his eyes.
"And Yuki, thank you. The time I spent with you was the happiest time in my life. I wanted to be with you forever. But now... That won't be happening. You have to live on, for me. Thank you Yuki... I'm finally free. I can go peacefully now." He stopped talking.
Yuki clutched his body tighter. His hands started cracking, and it spread along to his face. Finally, he shattered in her arms.
Yuki stood there for a while, eyes closed, and tears silently seeped down her cheeks. Finally, she regained her senses, and ran quickly towards Zero.
"Zero! Zero! Can you hear me? Can you move?" Yuki knelt in front of him and touched him gently. He was injured in so many places, she was afraid to touch him. It reminded her of the first night they saw each other. She was afraid to touch him then, as if he was going to break any minute.
Zero was unconscious, and he did not response.
"Zero, come on, you have to drink my blood so you can get better. You hear me?" Yuki said gently to him. But there were no response still. Yuki was crying now, and she was terrified. She already lost Kaname, she can't lose Zero too. She could not bear the idea of being alone for eternity. If she had to be alone, what's the use of being immortal?
She undid her sleeve cuffs and bit down into her wrist. She sucked out some of her blood into her mouth. Then, she pressed her lips against Zero's and forced the blood down his throat.
She didn't immediately pull away. She stayed in that position for a while and she hoped fervently that Zero would wake up. As time went by, she began to despair. She cried and cried, but Zero was still unconscious. Finally, she gave up and she pulled away.
A hand gripped her waist and pulled her back, and Zero was kissing her. Yuki's eyes widened in shock. Finally Zero pulled away, and looked at her. Yuki cried again, this time out of joy.
"I thought you wouldn't wake up." She sobbed. "I really thought I was going to be alone forever."
"I won't let that happen to you." Zero said in a hoarse voice. "I will be by your side, protecting you, forever." He leaned into her neck and gently bit her.
Yuki closed her eyes. "You can't leave me no matter what. I won't allow that. You can't ever leave me alone. Don't ever leave me..."
Something cold touched her face. She opened her eyes. It was snowing. The white snow floated silently down from the heavens and danced around them. The first snow of the year. It signified the end of the year, and the start of something new. It was elegant and beautiful. She smiled up at it.
"Are you watching over me, Oneesama? I will be happy from now on, I will make sure what you wished for will come true."
The snow silently covered the earth, and the soft sound of falling snow was like a lullaby. She hugged Zero closer to her, and she decided that she will never let go of him.
"Idol, your wounds aren't healed yet! What are you running around for?" Ichijo's voice floated through the door.
"What? I'm perfectly fine, ok! I just wanted to see Cross and Kiryu Zero, to see how they are doing."Aidou replied loudly.
"Shh! You guys are too loud, you will wake them!" Came Ruka's scolding voice.
Yuki woke up with a smile. Some things never do change. It's very heart warming sometimes. She walked over to the door and opened it.
"Um, if you guys want you can come in. Zero's still sleeping, so please be quiet."
"See! You woke her up!" Ruka huffed.
"Aha... It's alright, really... I wasn't really sleeping anyways. So please come in."
The group filed in. They each found a place to sit or stand.
"So he's still not awake?" Aidou said.
"Yeah... But the doctor said that he will be fine, he's just sleeping for now." Yuki replied.
For a moment, nobody said anything. There has been moments like this ever since Kaname died, where everyone is just lost in their own thoughts.
"There will be a ball soon for the vampires and the hunters soon. Something about celebrating the peace." Ichijo broke the silence. "You will be attending, right?"
"Do I have a choice?" Yuki smiled wryly. "Now, I'm the only pureblood, so I have to attend these kind of things right?"
Again, nobody said anything. Indeed, now Yuki is the only pureblood left in the world. As the silence grew longer, it became awkward.
"So Kiryu Zero, will he be well enough to attend the ball?" Ruka finally asked.
"Yes I think so. The doctor said that he will make a quick recovery." Yuki replied. "He's also going to be the future president, so he needs to show his face there at least."
"I can't believe that you fell for a guy like him." Aidou muttered. "He's a horrible guy. He's mean, grumpy, and completely unromantic. I really don't see what you see in him."
"Why thank you, Aidou sempai." Zero said as he woke up.
"Zero! You're awake!" Yuki smiled at him.
"Yes, and in time to hear those nice compliments." Zero said sarcastically.
"Grr... You really get on my nerves you got that!" Aidou pointed at him. "I really don't like you! If you weren't injured, I would beat you up right now!"
"Heh... You are as funny as ever, Aidou sempai." Zero said. "But I still have to thank you for helping me back then."
Aidou blushed. "Don...Don't think that's for you! I was just trying to stop Kaname-sama from doing something stupid! If you weren't the next president I wouldn't care..." His voice trailed off. Mentioning Kaname was like reminding everyone of the fact that he was gone.
"Well, Idol, now that you see both of them are fine, let's go back, shall we?" Ichijo said with a smiling face. "The doctor said that you needed to rest, or else you wouldn't get better."
So one by one, they went out of the room.
"Ruka-san!" Yuki called.
"What is it?" Ruka stopped as she turned.
"Um... I'm really sorry!" She stood up and bowed. "I was the one that killed Oneesama, and I know how important he was to you..."
"Yuki, don't apologize." Ruka smiled sadly. "You loved him even more than me didn't you? Yet you had to kill him. It must have hurt you a lot. So please don't apologize to me. You did what you have to, and I'm sure that Kaname-sama was happy you were the one that finished him." With that, she went out the door.
"Hey, you alright?" Zero asked.
"Yeah, yeah I'm fine." Yuki smiled at him. "It's been a while, so I'm fine now..."
"It's ok to grieve for the lost loved ones. The grief never goes away, we just try to deal with it." Zero said gently.
Yuki looked at him sadly and nodded. "You're right. I'll eventually be fine. Please give me some time."
Zero smiled back at her. "And I will watch over you as you recover."
Yuki looked out the window. It was still snowing. The white substance was piling up now, and left a soft white blanket across the school yard. Oneesama, are you happy now? Are you in peace? She silently sent her prayers up to the heavens.
The huge ball room located in the hunter's headquarters blazed in the night. The sound of talking and laughter floated out over the cold winter night. It was a clear night, and you can see the crisp night stars shining down from the sky.
"Yuki, are you ready yet?" Ruka yelled outside the dressing room.
"I'm almost done!" Came Yuki's muffled voice from inside.
"Hurry, the dance is about to start!" Ruka called.
Yuki sat in front of her mirror and stared at the figure inside. The last time she was here with Kaname, she was merely known as his sister. His long lost sister that everyone was curious about. But today, she is alone. She is the ruler of the vampires now. She need to present herself with confidence and power, which she right now is not feeling. She took a deep breath and stood up. She glanced at the solidified rose on her desk. Oneesama, please give me strength, she prayed. She walked towards the door and opened it.
Zero was standing outside waiting for her. Her hair was pinned up in a delicate bun. The dress she had on was a dazzling white colour, with black laces decorating it. It fitted nicely against her body, and flowed down in lavish waves from her waist. Her shoulders and neck were bare, and the beautiful lines was accented by a sparkling necklace.
"You look beautiful." Zero said simply.
Yuki smiled. "Thank you. You look really cool right now too."
They looked at each other and smiled.
Zero offered her his hand. "Shall we?"
Yuki gently put her hand in his. His hand was very warm, and they gripped hers tightly. It gave her strength.
As they walked towards the drapes separating the rooms from the ball room, Yuki took a deep breath. She can do this. After all, she is the vampire's ruler now. She is the queen of them all. Most importantly, she has Zero beside her. Then they walked through the drapes.
"It's Yuki-sama!" Came whisperings as all the vampires bowed down respectfully.
"Thank you everyone, please continue with what you're doing." Yuki said with a much calmer voice than what she was feeling right now. She was going to have to get used to this feeling. It was slightly unnerving to see everyone bow down to her.
As she walked beside Zero towards the middle of the dance floor, vampires around her were giving their condolences to her. She nodded politely to them, but she knew that none of them meant it. They were just empty words.
The music started playing, it was a cheerful waltz. Everyone stood to the side, leaving a clearing in the middle. Zero looked towards Yuki.
"Ready?" He asked.
"Yup." She nodded, though her heart was thumping erratically in her chest.
He led her to the middle and stood with his hand on her hip. Then slowly, they started dancing.
Yuki practised very hard for the past week for this moment. Though a bit clumsy, she was a lot better than before. Her mind flashed back to the night that she danced with Kaname, and her heart ached. It seemed like ages ago, as if it was just a hazy dream. Zero squeezed her hands, and she looked up. He was looking at her with gentle eyes, full of understanding and support. They gave her strength. She smiled back at him, and her worries melted away too.
As the music continued, more and more people joined the dancing. Soon, the dance floor was filled with whirling couples. Then Zero stopped dancing. He started pulling Yuki away.
"Want to go somewhere else?" He asked.
Yuki nodded. It was getting humid inside. She wanted to go outside for fresh air.
They walked out onto the balcony. Yuki leaned against the railings.
"It's a really beautiful night today." She commented casually.
"Yeah." Zero replied.
For a moment, they didn't say anything. The silence between them was comfortable and relaxing. The sounds of the dance were muffled in the background, and it seems as if they had walked into another world that nobody can intrude upon. A world that only consisted of them.
"When you wouldn't wake up... I was really scared." Yuki said as she looked out at the wintery landscape. "I really... thought I would be all alone. Forever."
Zero gripped her hand. "I wouldn't let that happen. I will never leave you."
"Promise?" She turned her head a little towards him.
"Promise." He nodded sincerely.
She smiled up at him. He really went through a lot for her. Because of her, he was always put into dangerous situations. Yet never once has he left her, or failed to protect her. All along, she thought she was protecting Zero, but in truth, it was always her that was protected by him.
"Zero..." She whispered as she leaned close to his ear, "I love you. You will always be my vampire knight."
He smiled broadly at her. He pulled her into his arms and kissed her. It was a long and sweet kiss. The moon shone down on them and the stars sparkled even brighter. Tomorrow was going to be a fine day.