Kaname walked up to the white steps of the mansion he was living in with Yuuki and occasionally Aidou. His face was pale as he gazed at the daunting aura that hung like smoke from ruins. He could feel the suffocating presence of death. Kaname ran inside, trying to tell himself that the blood he smelled did not belong to the person his mind knew it did. His heart was so aggrieved, that breathing became near impossible. He slipped on shards of glass from a shattered vase. The water was not damp on the ground, but Kaname's blood made the floor red and replaced the dampness. The cuts began to heal, but Kaname wished that they wouldn't as he ran deeper into his home; he devoured the pain as it distracted his nerves from feeling the pain in his fracturing soul.

He came to the room, disgusted as he saw it was his own. He opened the door, but did not enter. He didn't have to. He could see Yuuki's body positioned in the middle of it. A single blue rose was tucked under her hands that were folded on her chest. He took a few steps into the room, but didn't manage to go any further before his legs gave way under him. Kaname choked on a dry sob. He couldn't cry. His body held in every ounce of pain, allowing tears would have lessened the misery he felt at that moment. Not being able to cry, he was permitted to see Yuuki's lifeless body perfectly and the image burned itself into his memory and branded his soul, claiming it.

Kaname managed to get to Yuuki's side, and he touched her cold hand. The chill cemented the reality and Kaname lost his mind for a fraction of a second, blacking out. The windows shattered, all at once, voicing thousands of screams throughout the empty mansion. The walls splintered and some crumbled and then parts of the roof would give way. Coming to, he felt a chill from the night air as he observed the shattered ruin around him. Dust filtered through the air. The electricity had been cut then, so only patches of moonlight held a spotlight on the tragic picture as Kaname held his lifeless little sister in his arms. Then the world became deathly silent, and Kaname's heart was frozen by the coldness of the nature of death. Revenge animated his heart and he stood, holding Yuuki's body, and he looked up at the full, blood red moon.

Kaname ripped out the throat of the last vampire that had been pleading for his life in Kaname's grasp. There was no compassion or guilt in Kaname's resolute yet lifeless eyes. They had begun to call him the mad flower, like Shizuka who had gone mad when her lover was killed by hunters. Nothing else could stay in his mind except anger and hatred. Revenge consumed him entirely as he shattered the building he was in, just as his pain had destroyed his own home. He did this over and over again, in many different homes. Burying himself with blood and ash, and the touch of death seeped into his body making it cold and unfeeling.

Zero was in despair when he heard of Yuuki's fate and Kaname's actions. The hunters weren't that upset by Kaname's dealings, if in fact they did not support them. Kaname was only killing vampires, appalling ones at that. Zero clutched at his shirt and his body shook. The same as Shizuka….his soul couldn't help but scream in the clear resemblance between the two pure bloods, one he hated and one he loved. He remembered the fragile body he had held in his arms that night and now pictured the war he was at against his world and himself. Zero imagined the bloodied figure of Kaname trudging through the rivers of blood and fire in the hellish world of revenge.

Zero left the room and the other hunters didn't notice as they were engrossed in the news that had occurred overnight. So much could happen in a single night, remembered Zero. The death of his parents, the night in which Rido was killed, and his night with Kaname which had not been more than a day ago. Then Zero stopped and he was ripped with agony. He had made this happen by taking Kaname from Yuuki for only a night and a day…when he had gotten his distasteful revenge on the pureblood. Zero couldn't tame his anger, and he struck the wall. He watched the plaster crumble and dust trickled down like sand in an hour glass. Time, that was something he had to fight right now, Zero acknowledged this as he left.

But how was he to find Kaname?

The pureblood lived within the shadows during the day, but he couldn't sleep, even though he wanted to escape from the warmth and reminder light brought of Yuuki's smile. He still had yet to cry for her. Tears would probably be easy to trigger, but he avoided thoughts.

Gazing at nothing, his mind was blank when once it would have been compacted with many raging thoughts and questions and ponderings. His world was silent as the sun set for the third time after Yuuki's death. Kaname couldn't fathom where the sun had the gall to rise and set without Yuuki under it. He didn't notice the madness in this thought, and he left the shadows to face his vendetta.

He remembered all of the smells inside of the house on the night Yuuki was killed, and the remains of some spilled blood that had been caused by Yuuki when she had resisted. The pureblood had looked, but had failed to find Aidou's body. The vampire behind this was not foolish to the extent of infuriating an additional noble vampire family, so he had probably been knocked unconscious and more than likely injured, but not much more. Kaname thought emotionlessly that it would be good if this had been the case and Aidou had been returned home.

Kaname remembered the blood and recognized the scent he smelled as he stood before yet another home. This was a noble's house, but that didn't matter. He would have to go up against a pureblood before his revenge was complete.

His presence had been noticed and the man that smelled like one of those that had been in his home stepped outside. Kaname looked at him emotionlessly. The man shook with fear, but Kaname overlooked that. Yuuki had been a seventeen year old girl who had been a vampire for only a year, and she had probably shivered as the last blow fell. Kaname blinked as he unintentionally imagined this. His frustration at having to witness such a thing shattered one of the large windows on either side of the door and steps the vampire stood before. The man almost fled inside, but held himself and he tried to glare at Kaname, but his eyes couldn't lose their helplessness.

Kaname appeared before him and the man took a step back, hitting the door. Kaname's hand was raised when he noticed a frightened little face in the window. He stared at it. He couldn't remember why this insignificant presence should mean anything to him. The vampire looked to the shattered window and cried out as he saw his daughter.

"Yumiko! Run you fool!"

The little girl only started to shake and tears rolled down her face, as she stood petrified. Kaname looked at her and moved his hand to her direction.

"No!" screamed the vampire and he pushed Kaname, but that wouldn't have stopped Kaname, only a presence behind him took his attention. A female pureblood stood behind him, and he turned to face her. Shirabuki Sara looked Kaname over silently.

"You've surprised me, Kaname. And you've disappointed me." She gazed at him coldly. "Who thought that you were so fragile?"

Kaname left the quaking man who then flew to his daughter and escaped to the confines of his house, not trusting his speed and strength to do more. Kaname noted how he rocked the terrified child.

"You've gone mad, Kaname." Kaname returned his eyes to her close face. She put her hands on either side of his face. "Return Kaname. I'm your remaining choice." Her hands erupted in blood. She flinched slightly. "That hurt Kaname." she said as he hands reformed themselves.

"You killed Yuuki." Kaname said quietly.

Sara looked at Kaname with interest. "I also killed my fiancée at your party. Remember?" she touched his sleeve. "We are supposed to be together. I know that now." Her entire arm fell away and her blood snaked and reformed another. Sara placed her reforming hand on Kaname's face. "We can't have you continue to do that." She triggered her own vampiric ability, but Kaname easily crippled her as her body erupted and blood splattered his own body. Sara gasped at the pain and stepped away from Kaname as her body healed. Kaname did it again.

"Stop! It's futile! You can't kill me this way!" She smiled at him as he failed to mutilate her body once again as it regained its shape. Then she stared at him in horror as he pulled out Artimus.

"Yuuki didn't have it because I had it in my possession at the time, but you should realize that this could kill you." Kaname paused. "And it will kill you."

"No Kaname!" Sara yelled and she dodged him and ran into the house. This didn't make sense to Kaname, but he followed her. He found her with the girl in her hands and the male vampire crippled on the ground. "This is Yumiko." Sara said with a demented expression. Her arms shook in excitement. "I'm going to kill her Kaname."

Kaname looked on, unfazed.

"You don't care?"

"Do it Sara." Kaname said coldly, staring her down. "I'll kill her if you don't."

"Nn…nn…" Sara's body shook with a spasm of pure desperation. She couldn't speak.

"Kaname!" a voice called from the hall, bringing Kaname to reality and he turned.

"Kiryuu?" he breathed, remembering him for the first time.

Sara took her chance and tried to get past the distracted Kaname, but he grabbed her throat as she passed without turning from the entrance. Zero skidded into the room, breathless. He saw Sara's body convulse for air as Kaname choked her with one hand, and the little girl was white and shaking in Sara's hands as Sara still held her defensively in front of herself. Then he spotted Artimus in Kaname's other hand and the crumpled vampire on the floor behind them, who stared in silent horror at the scene from the floor.

"Kaname!" Zero yelled at him, but walked over to him slowly, catching his breath. "Stop."

Kaname still didn't look at Sara, but instead continued to watch Zero detachedly. "She killed Yuuki, Kiryuu." He lifted Artimus to her neck and Zero saw her contrite eyes and he felt sick at Kaname's emotionless face. Zero pulled the weapon an inch away from Sara, but couldn't take it farther away.

"You can't do this, it's not like you."

"No. Then you don't know me." Zero was stung by this. "This is me and this is what I want."

Zero let go of Artimus. Kaname looked at Sara and he pulled Artimus closer to her but stopped abruptly as Zero embraced him from behind. "Please stop Kaname…..don't lose yourself!" Zero whispered. Artimus faltered in Kaname's hand. Zero put his face by Kaname's ear. "Don't do this…return to me. You are not alone. Remember me Kaname."

Kaname flinched with realization as he recognized that Zero had been saying his name this entire time. He felt Zero's face rub against his hair, and he felt the dampness of tears and he could feel Zero's shivers.

Artimus lowered. "Kaname?" Zero said hopefully and he held Kaname tighter. Kaname let Sara fall to the ground, choking and gasping as her broken neck healed. Zero looked into Kaname's lifeless eyes as they brimmed with tears that suddenly spilled. His eyes became filled with life once more, and he looked down at the shaking little girl in horror. He stepped away from Zero and bent before the little girl who couldn't move. She looked at him with terrified eyes. Kaname's face twisted in pain and he knelt down and hugged the little girl, feeling her shudder at his touch and continue to shiver. He held her gently, slowly comforting her tremors.

"I'm so sorry."

Kaname's voice hung in the silence. He looked up to the father who was crouched, dumbstruck at the crying pureblood vampire before him holding his daughter. Kaname looked to Sara, but looked away immediately.

"Ka…Kana…me" Sara still shook, but her face held horror and grief.

Kaname slowly let go of the girl who had ceased to shiver and he stood up. The little girl hugged Kaname, startling him. He gazed down at her with his tears drying on his face. He smiled brokenly and touched her head. "Thank you." He said to her and then he looked up at Zero, holding the same words in his eyes.

"I….I…Kaname!" Sara tried to speak as Kaname bent in front of her to pick up Artimus.

"Goodbye Shirabuki Sara." Kaname said and he left, followed by Zero.

"Kaname!" Sara broke down as she screamed, tears fell down her face as she clutched her chest. "Kaname!" she whispered, choking on her tears and she sobbed with her forehead pressed against the ground.

As they walked off the grounds, Kaname spoke up. "Thank you Kiryuu."

Zero nodded, but said nothing. Then a thought suddenly struck him. "Kaname, do you need a place to stay?"

Kaname turned around. "Yes, actually I do." He remembered solemnly how he destroyed his mansion with Yuuki's death. Zero, in concern for Kaname put his hand on his shoulder.

"You can stay with me then, for the time being." Quietly they started to walk again.

"I'm a horrible person." Kaname said suddenly, catching Zero off guard.

"No you're not!" Zero blurted out and walked directly next to Kaname. Kaname looked up at him curiously.

Zero blushed slightly as he saw Kaname look up at him. "I mean….only the outcome of all of this can be used to judge you. If only beginnings were used to determine the worth of someone, we would all be considered pretty crappy creatures. Beginnings are difficult and full of mistakes, only the end result has any worth. In the end, you did the right thing and atoned for what you did tonight by comforting that little girl."

Kaname frowned a little but was surprised by Zero's comment. "I'm not sure that will make me guiltless about tonight…but Kiryuu, you're talking about that vampire child as if she were a human."

Zero took a moment to make sense of what Kaname had said. "Listening to you, I've come to accept vampires. It comes naturally now, like I'm talking about a human. I think of both as being individuals, or just people, no longer as categories."

Kaname smiled slightly. "I'm glad."

Zero struggled to keep a straight and serious face like he normally has, but his mouth smiled despite his efforts. He was also relieved that Kaname didn't hate him after that night.

As if he had read his mind, Kaname brought up the subject's explanation. "Only the outcome matters and I'm happy with the one we've arrived at."

We….Zero liked the sound of that, and they walked to Zero's current lodgings as the sun rose, setting their figures ablaze with red light.