Author's note: I do not own Vampire Knight or any of its characters. I simply borrow them to use in my own sick, twisted fantasies. ^^ I do, however, follow very closely with the plot from the manga. That does not mean, however, that I'm claiming it as my own. -Nira

Chapter Two

It was Valentine's Day, the biggest day of the school year and the most dangerous for both the day and night classes. It was the day when all of the girls gave the boys that they liked chocolates to proclaim their love, and since the boys of the night class were so handsome they were the most popular.

Me being me, I wasn't interested in any of the night class boys, so I was one of the best and most indifferent mediators for the entire event. Yeah, it was going to be hard to handle everything, but it was my duty as a guardian so I had to grit my teeth and bear it. I pushed my way to the front of the crowd to push them back from the doors of the Moon dormitory while Yuki tweeted away on her whistle and barked orders for everyone to go back to class.

One girl was so determined to give someone her chocolates that she tried climbing the wall. Unfortunately, she fell from the shoulders of her friend who had been trying to give her a boost over. It wouldn't have been a nice landing at all if Zero hadn't caught her. He was always late, but he got work done and it was always a relief to have him working with us. I sighed in relief and smiled before I got back to work ushering people away.

"Please don't make this any harder than it has to be and go back to your classes! You'll be able to give your chocolates to the night class at twilight when they come out to attend their own classes!" I pleaded, but everyone left grumbling and reluctant.

"Nice work, Yua-chan," Yuki smiled.

I smiled back and the three of us reported to the headmaster's office where he went on and on about how we should be extra careful so the night class's secret didn't get out and how the Valentine's Day event was a way for the students to let off steam.

"Kiryuu… I want you to understand my philosophy. Maybe not now, but eventually…" Headmaster stated. My eyes traveled to Zero and my heart ached, knowing his stand on the problem and knowing what he was going to say.

"That's impossible… unless my past disappears…" Zero responded as he glared off to the side.

"Because they're beasts in human form who drink the blood from living humans?"

I wanted to stand up and confess to Zero about my past so he'd know that I could relate to him since he didn't know yet. I wanted to tell him, but I knew it wasn't the same for him as it had been for me. He'd been older and remembered his parents and what life with them had been like before the incident. I've never been able to discern if there's bliss in ignorance or not, so the question of which is worse- to have known or not known what life was like before a tragedy- has also gone unanswered. It probably wouldn't have been as easy for him to become a pacifist as it had for me, and for him to say that it was impossible wasn't far from the truth of the matter.

To break the tension Yuki gave the headmaster and Zero Valentine's Day presents which reminded me of my own presents. Every year I did something different. This year I made the headmaster a new blanket and I'd struggled on what to make for Zero, so I made him chocolates. I was just afraid to give them to him in person because of what it meant for a girl to give a boy chocolate on Valentine's Day. Instead, I pretended that I didn't have anything for him at all in hopes that I could give them to him later, dragging him and Yuki to class. I mentally slapped myself for being so afraid to seriously talk to Zero and tell him how I felt even though I'd been madly in love with him for years.

I hadn't realized that I'd been literally dragging him along until he snatched his arm out of my grip and clenched his throat, but he played it off as if he'd had an itch. I knew that something was wrong but he didn't want to tell me. The day went by slowly and at twilight, Yuki, Zero and I were put to work. Yuki explained the rules of the chocolate-giving rally while Zero and I pretty much just stood guard.

Yuki and Zero started yelling at each other about something at one point, but I was too busy warding off the Shiki followers and preventing them from trampling him to death to pay much attention. When I finally got the chance to look, Zero was gone. I helped Yuki get everything under control and left the rest to her, apologizing and telling her that there was something that I had to do. I circled the school grounds in search of Zero but when I couldn't find him, I gave up and left to take a bath and get ready to go on patrol. When I opened the bathroom door, Zero was sitting on the floor with a towel draped over his thin, bare shoulders and his hair dripping wet. He was staring at the tile floor distantly, his eyes angry and melancholy just like they'd been when he first came to the academy.

"Zero-kun, I've been looking everywhere for you. I wanted to talk to you. Is something wrong?" I inquired, but he didn't stir.

I gently took the towel from around his shoulders and used it to dry his hair before pulling his shirt over his shoulders. Still, I got no response — not even his eyes moving to look at me or acknowledge my presence— even when I'd finished. It was as if he'd become a doll. I stared at him for a moment before I stood up and pulled a small ball wrapped in red tissue paper and tied closed with a white ribbon from my pocket. I unwrapped it and gently tilted Zero's head up with a smile on my face so he was looking at me.

"Say 'aah,'" I demanded, holding the chocolate to his lips. "I was planning on keeping this one for myself and eating it later since I made so many, but you need it more than I do right now."

His eyes lit up very slightly and his mouth opened to allow the chocolate past his lips, but he still didn't say anything or express himself in any way. He was alive, at least, and not a doll. I just hoped he'd come to his senses and at least say something to me. He didn't.

"I wanted to give the rest to you earlier but I was too embarrassed, so I left them on your bed. I hope you like them. I worked really hard to make them just right," I smiled, attempting to rouse him again.

Still, he said nothing, but his head and eyes tilted and focused on the ground again so I sighed in defeat and went to start the bath water. On my way over to the tub, I stepped on something and when I looked down at what it was, I saw one of the blood tablets that the night class had developed to alleviate their thirst so they wouldn't have to feed off of the day class students. It seemed odd and out of place in the headmaster's bathroom, but I didn't question it. It wasn't until the next day that I realized that I should have.