He hated this world and he hated himself. Yuuki was the only one who brought him joy, and her eyes were fixed on his enemy, Kaname. Zero had made a promise to Yuuki not to kill himself. But he couldn't take this much longer. The pain inside him was excruciating. One night, he lay on his bed, tears pouring down his stony face. He had to let the pain out somehow. somehow....

He stood up and walked out of his bedroom, not even caring that he wasn't wearing a shirt and his towel stil lay on his head. He walked straight to the headmaster's apartment, walked into the kitchen, and grabbed the sharpest looking knife he could. He was walking all on his own. He hadn't thought of any plan. He wasn't intending anything. But the knife lay there in his slack hand as he walked slowly but deliberately back to his room. He didn't run into anyone....

The blade drew a long thin red line diagonally across his pale wrist. He winced in pain, then it went away as it healed quickly. After all, he was a Vampire. He smirked. He was able to feel pain that was not from his mind, but his body. It wasn't pleasurable, but it was better than the hurt inside. So he did it again, and again, and again. Each time though, the healing took a little longer because of the loss of blood. He cut into his skin about twenty times before he had finally had enough, he was starting to get a little light headed. His arm was dripping blood by now, and the gash wasn't healing quite yet. He felt a presence nearing. He hid the knife quickly away under his mattress and stood up. Whoever it was stopped by his door and knocked. He opened the door and saw Yuuki standing there. She looked up into his eyes with tears in her eyes. Instinctively he reached out to her but she saw the blood all over his arm and immediately forgot her problems.

"ZERO!" She grabbed his arm. "What happened?!"

"uh..it was an accident. It'll be fine. Look, it's already healing."

She gave him a worried look and pulled him by his other arm into the bathroom. She knew what was happening. She knew he had been very depressed to the point of suicide. She had trusted him not to commit suicide, but she nbut she was afraid he would do something like this. She helped him wash the blood off and tried bandaging it, but he said it would just heal soon, so to leave it. She threw her arms around his neck and sobbed into his neck. He put his hand on her back for support and just waited until she was ready to talk. When she had slowed to a stop, Zero pulled her back by her shoulders and looked her in the eyes.

"Yuuki, whats the matter?" She was stunned by his beautiful face being so close to hers once more. By his entrancing eyes, how his silky silver hair fell in front of them like a soft whisper.

"Yuuki?!" He shook her a little. She had spaced out. unable to think or speak in his close proximity. She shook her head to clear it and pushed him back a little, that was a mistake. She had placed her hands on his chest. His beautifully toned..and naked...chest. It was so warm, she could feel his heart beat, and the rumblings in his chest as his deep voice rang out...wait huh?

"Huh?!"

"What is going on! Why wont you answer me!? Are. You. O.K.?!" He shook her lightly as he said the last few words.

"Huh? oh...yea.. Im fine."

"Why were you crying?" I shouldn't be the one crying, and it makes me cry more that he doesn't.

"Its nothing....Well, I just failed my exam...again. I'm so stupid!! And then I came over here and you were all bleeding and I just got caught up, Im sorry, I didnt mean to cry all over the place...."

"It's ok." He said quickly.

silence~

"You're not stupid." Zero finally broke the silence.

"eh?"

"You're not!"

"Psh-"

"Anyway, I like you just how you are." a blush crept to her cheeks. She knew he didnt mean it like the way she was hoping but he still made her a little happier.

"Well, I gotta get going, Kaname wanted me to go see him tonight." She stood up and walked to the door. She turned and smiled at him. "Bye Zero!"

He watched her go silently. Whenever she came around, she always made him happier, then she would leave, saying something like that, and his heart would wrench. He sighed, and closed his eyes. Before he knew it, there were three more red lines across his arm. They sat there, bleeding, not healing at all. He smiled and leaned his head back. Finally, he felt a bit human again. He let them bleed till he thought he would pass out, then he grabbed a towel and wrapped his arm tightly with it. He walked to his bed slowly and layed down.

When he woke up the next morning, the cuts were gone. But he was weak. He threw four blood tablets into a small cup of water and gulped it down. But it wasn't long before he was running to the toilet.

"DAMN IT!" His fist hit the wall as his anger flared. He broke two of his fingers and left a small hole in the wall.

"JESUS FUCKING CHRIST!!!!" He bent over in pain, clutching his hand. But what was there to do? It was all his fault. If he hadn't cut himself last night, he would have healed quickly. If he hadn't cut himself, he wouldn't have broken his hand in the first place. So he stood up tall. He wrapped his wrist left wrist , and his right hand, in bandage. His dress shirt and coat would cover his wrist, but there was no hiding his hand. What is Yuuki gonna say? He prepared himself for the worst and walked out of the dorms to class.

Lukily for him, they were rather busy in class and she never turned around to see him. So it was a shock to her when they were doing their duties patrolling the school later, when they heard footsteps and he reached for his gun, only to yelp in pain and drop it to the ground, bending over in pain once again. Ichiru stood before them, laughing at his elder brother.

"What happened to you Butterfingers?" He hollered at him. Zero was about to reach for the gun when it was scooped up by Ichiru. He started fooling around with it. Tossing it from hand to hand lazily.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you. It's loaded." Zero warned.

"Oh is it?!" Ichiru remarked sarcastically. "In that case-" He pointed the gun at Zero, he took a slight step backwards. He didn't want to test his brother, he had tried to kill him many times already. "Not that it would matter if it went off in my hands. So I don't car if its loaded. I could shoot myself in the eye and it wouldn't matter now would it?!" He pulled the "hammer" readying the gun to shoot.

"STOP IT!" Yuuki yelled and stepped in front of Zero with her arms outspread.

"Yuuki dear, this is a vampire gun, and I could shoot it straight through you and still kill little Zero here." She stepped aside and clung to Zero's arm.

"I'm warning you Ichiru. I will report you to the headmaster!" He quickly dropped the arm with the gun to his side.

"Oh no!!" He said sarcastically, "Not the headmaster! What Ever shall I do?!" He then reached out and grabbed Yuuki by the arm, pulling her away from Zero. She reached for her Artemis but both her arms were quickly held behind her back.

"Let her Go!" Zero threatened.

"I'm not doing anything wrong. I'm just playing." At this he leaned forward and nibbled at Yuuki's neck, causing her to yelp in fear. Even if he wasn't a vampire, he acted worse than one. He had always wanted to be one, and the fact that he almost couldn't be one left him completely bitter and insane about it.

This was enough for Zero, he could let himself be tortured, harrassed, beaten, or killed. But when someone touched or hurt Yuuki, he couldn't just standby. Before she knew it, she sat safely on the grass, Zero held Ichiru against a tree by his neck. Unfortunately, Ichiru still had the gun and had it pointed at his stomach.

~PKOW~~~~~~

A long silence filled the night as the gunshot rang through the air and quickly faded away.

Violet eyes wide in astonishment closed and a silver head slumped as the brother fell to the ground.

Zero looked down in shock. Huh? What happened? He looked to the side to where his old master, Touga stood, holding up a rifle.

"You! Why did you-"

"He was about to kill you Zero!"

"So you went and killed him?!"

"No, he's not dead. Look at him. He's still breathing and everything. It was a tranquilizer." He chuckled and lit up a cigarette. Zero inspected his brothers body and sure enough, there in his right arm was a tranquilizer shot. He shook his head.

"It was ok, you didn't have to do that."

"Oh right. It was ok. He just had to gun clicked and ready against your belly. You had it under control."

"It wasn't loaded." He finally said point blank.

"Oh. Well, why didn't you say so?" Finally Yuuki started laughing. Or so they thought. Zero turned to look at her and she was crying and laughing at the same time.

"Yuuki? Whats-"

"YOU BASTARD!" She yelled at him. He was taken aback. He never heard Yuuki even cuss lightly like saying bastard, douche, or piss, let alone toward him.

"What?!" Touga decided it was time to leave them alone. So he picked Ichiru up like a child and brought him to the nurse.

"How could you scare me like that?! I thought you were dead for sure! Especially after I heard the shot! I had no idea it wasn't loaded." She had stood up and made her way to him. "Why didn't you tell me?" She threw her arms around him and cryed again. Damn it! I'm crying on him again. Zero relaxed and put a hand on her head.

"It wasn't exactly easy to tell you without letting Ichiru in on it too..." He said softly. He smiled and rested his head on hers. She was crying only softly now.

"I thought I had lost you." She said it so quietly he barely heard. He smiled softly and kissed the top of her head. A shiver ran down her back and she hugged him tighter, never wanting to let go.