Thanks to those of you who reviewed! As you know, I have decided to go along with this story! Yay! I appreicate it to no end, really.
So here's the second chapter! It was just as easy to write as the first one, actually, so I hope that everyone enjoys it!
(I realized that I forgot a disclaimer in the first chapter) Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Knight
Against her better wishes, both Kaname and the Chairman told Yuuki that she would be better off staying in bed for a few more days. Despite the fact that she argued how she was completely healed, it was Kaname that had gotten her to relax and stay where she lay.
"We almost lost you, Yuuki," he murmured, touching her hair. "Humor us for a little while longer. None of us want to see you hurt like that again. Trust me."
That little explanation was more than enough to make her stay put for a few more days. Of course, she was still a little reluctant, but was content with the fact that Kaname and Zero were visiting her quite frequently. But Zero did not speak very much. He merely sat by her side and stared at the floor, or kept his brilliantly colored eyes shut tightly, as though he were hoping that she could not see him.
Yuuki wanted to give him some time before she questioned him about the things that circled her mind. It was tough though, seeing him suffer and knowing that she could not do anything about it. She always wanted to protect her childhood friend, and it killed her to see him so torn inside. But Kaname's words about giving him time would always ring in her head whenever she would open her mouth to ask him about it.
It was on her second day that Yori came to visit her. She meekly opened the door to the infirmary and poked her head in the room. Yuuki knew that she had had her memories erased about the attack, so she did not know what to expect from her friend.
"Yuuki?" Yori asked, looking at her friend. Her eyes were a little unsure about coming into the room. Yuuki smiled, giving Yori courage to enter.
"How are you feeling?" she asked, coming over to the edge of her bed.
"Better," she replied with a half smile. "How about you?"
"I'm fine," Yori said innocently, reaching out to take Yuuki's hand. "I'm so sorry that you got sick from coming shopping with me. I knew that it was a terrible idea bringing you along, but I didn't want to go alone."
'I got sick. Okay, I can work with that,' Yuuki thought with a sigh. "I feel much, much better, Yori-chan, don't worry."
"But Yuuki!" she whined. "You have a mild case of phenomena! I wasn't allowed to see you for almost five days! This is a week since I last saw you, when we went shopping. You've been out for so long…"
'Oh God! I was out for five days? That's ridiculous…I know I was hurt pretty badly though…even Kaname-senpai said that I looked horrible.'
"I'm sorry to make you worry, Yori. I'm getting much better now. I should be out by the end of the week." She tried to ease Yori's worrying, knowing that it wasn't her fault for what happened. "On a different note, how has class been?"
Yori grinned. "Oh you should be glad to be out! The midterm exams are coming up and they've been cramming all this information on us. You're going to have a lot to catch up on, though, I'll admit. The class president is going to have a thing or two to say to you when you return."
Yuuki groaned, imaging how that conversation would go. He could scream something about Ruka and then insult her intelligence and then make her do some ridiculous task to compensate for it. That was something that she would rather avoid as long as possible.
Yori reached for Yuuki's hand and gave it a gentle squeeze. "I hear that Kuran-senpai has been by everyday to see you so far. Even when you were unconscious he was here by your side. I even heard rumors that he held your hand, trying to wake you. How sweet of him to worry…"
Yuuki blushed, making her friend smile. "How sweet indeed. How many times did Zero come and see me?"
"Kiryuu-kun came almost as often as Kuran-senpai, but still, he was with you almost every moment of the day. I heard the Chairman was getting worried about his health at one point, actually."
They both laughed at that. Though Yuuki knew that the Chairman had no real reason to worry about Kaname. He was immortal, after all. It surprised her how rumors and stories traveled so fast and became so absurd.
Just then, there was another knock on the door and it opened slowly. Yori was looking at Yuuki's reaction when Zero walked into the room.
"Oh," he said quietly. "Yori, you're already visiting her."
Yori stood abruptly. "I was just leaving, actually, Kiryuu-kun. You can visit with Yuuki-chan if you'd like." She looked down at Yuuki, allowing her friend to have some time with one of her admirers. It wasn't fair to Yuuki to keep her from one of the men that she loved so dearly. "I'll see you soon, Yuuki," Yori said, touching her hand.
"Bye, Yori-chan," Yuuki whispered, watching as her friend bobbed past Zero and out of the infirmary. Then she moved her eyes to Zero, who was still by the doorway.
"You can sit down, Zero," Yuuki suggested, eyeing the seat that Yori had just left not a minute ago.
Zero did not move from where he stood for a long moment, which made Yuuki begin to worry slightly, until he finally stepped forward and sat on the edge of the bed, putting his hands on his knees. His silver hair fell into his eyes and he closed them as Yuuki's scent swirled around his head.
"Zero?" Yuuki asked softly. "Are you all right?"
"I'm so sorry, Yuuki," he said in a voice so small that Yuuki wasn't sure if she heard him speak or not.
"Sorry?" she repeated. "What are you sorry about? You and Kaname-senpai saved me. There is nothing to be sorry about, Zero."
"No," he shook his head slowly back and forth. Almost like a metronome. "I'm sorry Yuuki, but I need to feed again. I'm so weak…I can barely sit in this room without keeping my control. Do…do you mind?"
Yuuki sighed and shut her eyes. She should have known that Zero would eventually come into the room and ask this. It was expected. Then why did her heart ache at the question? Why did it hurt her so much to nod her head at him? She couldn't really tell why but all she knew was that she was hoping that this wouldn't be how the day turned out.
She held her breath as she felt Zero's weight shift on the bed. She kept her eyes closed as he inched closer to her, leaning over her smaller frame. His body cast a shadow over hers, but she still kept her sight black to what he was about to do. She did not want to see his face as he leaned into her neck.
"I am so, so sorry," he breathed in her ear. And he was. He knew that it was hurting her, allowing him to drink her blood. But she knew how badly that he needed it. And for that, for her sacrifice and the pain he caused her, he hated himself.
Zero opened his lips and allowed his fangs to stretch out of his mouth. His senses were wild due to how close Yuuki's blood was to his lips. Her scent lingered on the back of his tongue, and he could almost taste it then. But it wasn't enough, just inhaling her scent wasn't enough to satisfy this want that burned inside of him. He needed more, so much more. And Yuuki was offering this, her body bent in oblation, her blood pounding behind the thin skin of her throat.
Then he allowed his fangs to sink into her flesh and he felt the hot blood pool into his mouth, searing its way down his throat. He groaned and grabbed hold of her head, pulling her neck slightly so he could get a better blood flow. It was so sweet, her blood, but yet it always held a slightly bitter taste, as if her blood knew that he wasn't supposed to be doing this. It was almost as though it was only slightly unpleasant due to the fact that Yuuki loved Kuran Kaname more than she did him.
But all of these things evaded his mind as he drank from her. He had lost most of his coherent thinking and was only concentrating on the wonderful feeling of Yuuki's blood in his body. There was nothing better in the world at this moment to him.
Yuuki tried to rid herself of the feelings that stirred inside of her. She tried to tell herself that it was not the previous arms that now held her. It was Zero that now was beside her. It was Zero's arms that supported her and drank from her. He was not a monster…he was her friend. She loved him. But still, there was still fear inside of her. Fear from that night ten years ago, fear from that day only seven days ago...and fear now as Zero held her. She knew that he would sense this, her fear. He would know that he was scaring her, but that didn't mean that he would cease.
But after a few more moments, Yuuki found that she was growing weak and dizzy. Her mind was telling her that Zero was taking too much blood, more than he usually did. And this frightened her too.
"Zero…" she whispered. "Zero, please stop it."
But he did not cease. It seemed as though he did not hear her plea. And this scared Yuuki even more than anything did in world. Not being able to reach Zero.
"Zero!" she shouted, pulling on his hair. "Zero please stop!" A tear formed in her cheek as she tried to pull him off of her neck. But his fangs were locked in a death grip to her skin and he was not moving. Her hands tangled in his hair and she pulled with all of her strength, hoping that he would eventually move.
"ZERO!" she finally screamed out, not caring who heard. "STOP IT NOW!"
Something must've clicked for within a second, Zero had released his hold on her and stood panting, looking into her eyes. Tears were streaming down her cheeks and her neck was stained with blood. She looked terrified beyond words.
"Yuuki…" he huffed. "Yuuki… are you all right?"
"You didn't stop Zero," she cried. "Why didn't you stop?"
He realized as he stared at her that he didn't have an answer. There was nothing that he could say right now that would ease her pain, and they both knew this. The only thing that he could do was reach out and wipe away the mess he had made on her neck, so she didn't look like she had that day a week ago…
"Yuuki," he murmured once she was clean. "I'm so sorry. I don't know what to say to you to make you not be sad."
She had stopped crying, but her eyes were red and her fact blotchy from the tears. It scared him to see how she had feared him in those moments. He was such a beast…a monster. And it would only keep getting worse, until one day he truly hurt her. Or worse.
Her hands absently went to her neck, where she clasped her palm around it, as though somehow protecting it. Her eyes locked with his and they became glassy again, as though she was about to cry again. It broke Zero's heart to see her in such a state. So he reached out and snaked his arms around her back, pulling her up so that her cheek was pressed against his chest. It was a matter of seconds before Yuuki's hands fisted in his shirt and she shook against him.
Zero did not say anything. He knew that his words would not soothe her, so he merely held her, allowing their closeness to make up for his mistakes. He wanted her to see that he could keep her in his arms without wanting to drink her blood supply. He wanted Yuuki to see that he was able to hold her just as Kaname could.
"Zero," Yuuki finally whined against his shirt. "I'm fine."
He pulled her at arm's length and raised his eyebrows at her. "Are you sure? I…I hurt you badly Yuuki. You can say that you're not all right. I will understand."
She nodded. He pursed his lips when she reached out and touched his cheek. "I know you will understand, Zero. But really, I know how hard this is on you. And despite the scare you just gave me, there is nothing the matter with me and nothing for me to forgive."
"It's hard you as well," he argued. "Look at what I'm doing to you, Yuuki! You're such a mess!"
"I'll live. I wouldn't allow you to do this if I didn't trust you." Her hand traced the features of his face. "If I didn't care about you."
Zero's heart was pounding loudly in his ears as he listened to her words and felt her touch. He remembered before, when he had gone to kiss her. He wondered if she ever thought about that day. Because he thought about it quite frequently. What would it be like to kiss her, he pondered. Not suck her blood, but kiss her, as though she were his. The thought made his head spin and he closed his eyes to shut the desire out. Yuuki did not love him the same way she did Kaname. His kiss wouldn't be the same.
"I'm sorry Yuuki," he finally said after a long moment of silence. "I should probably get going. You need to rest…"
"Oh Zero," she murmured as he stood, leaving her hand tangling in the air. Her skin burned from where it had been touching his.
"Get some sleep," he told her before he swiftly left the room. He did not pause to look at her once more before he shut the door. He left the room as fast as he possibly could. Probably so he wouldn't be tempted again.
"Zero," Yuuki wailed, resting her face in his hands. Her shoulders shook as she sobbed into her palms. He was in such pain! And yet all she could was lie here as he suffered! Why was it so unfair? He hated himself for what he did to her, but she did not hate him for it. She couldn't.
She sobbed for a long while in silence; the eerie quiet of the room her only company. It haunted her and made her shrink back under the blankets and cry ever so gently into the sheets. The last thing she wanted was someone to hear her pain while Zero suffered greater than she did.
But of course, she was not alone. Yuuki was never really alone and she had yet to really realize this fact. Kaname stood outside of the room, his back to the door as he listened to her cry. He shut his eyes and brought a hand to his head. The sound of her anguish was the worst sound he had ever heard in his life and he wanted nothing more than to kill Zero Kiryuu for making her hurt in such a horrific way.
"Yuuki," he breathed sensitively. "Oh my sweet Yuuki."
He stood outside of her room for a long while, until eventually her cries subsided and he thought that she slept. It was then that he opened the door to the infirmary and stepped in.
She was not asleep; he knew this as soon as he entered the room. But she was no longer crying as she was before. The only part of her that was visible under the blankets was a tiny tuff of her sienna hair. This made him smile, remembered when she was a child and he would come and visit her. She always liked to hide under the covers.
"Yuuki?" he asked gently. "May I come in?"
The blanket moved slightly and Yuuki poked her head out. "Kaname-senpai?" Her voice was shaky and she was hiccuping a little, but she did her best to keep her composure.
"Hi," he murmured. "Are you feeling better?"
"Kaname-senpai," she sniffled.
"Would you like me to sit with you, Yuuki?" he offered. It was the only thing that he could offer her, the only thing that he could give her now.
"Yes, please." Her voice was so tiny and weak. She must have been tired.
Kaname walked over to where the chair still sat at her bedside. He sat on the chair and leaned closer to her. Yuuki smiled behind her bloodshot eyes and he reached a hand out to her, gently caressing her blotchy cheek. Even when she was sad, she was still beautiful to him.
"Do you want to talk about it, Yuuki?"
"Zero," Yuuki whispered quietly. "I don't know what to do, Kaname-senpai. I don't know what to do about him."
"I know Yuuki," he said, trying to soothe her. "It'll be all right. I promise that everything will work out sooner or later. You won't have to hurt anymore."
"But it's Zero," she argued. "It's Zero that's hurting, not me."
"I don't believe that," he said, his voice slightly harder. "Please don't think that you have to pretend for me. I know that you're in such torment over this, Yuuki. I can see in your eyes all of the tears that you have shed. And not just for Zero. They are for yourself, too."
Yuuki always knew that Kaname would see through her. He was attentive when it came to her, always. It made her happy and sad at the same time. Happy to know that he cared for her so deeply, and sad to think that her pain was upsetting him.
"I'm sorry, Kaname-senpai," she mumbled, looking down.
"Don't be sorry, Yuuki. You did nothing wrong." He pulled her chin up so he could look into her eyes. "You would like some rest." It wasn't a question. He could see the exhaustion in her face.
"But don't leave," she half-pleaded. "Stay here."
Kaname smiled sadly and ran a hand down her face, stopping at the spot on her neck where Zero had bitten her. He leaned over and placed his lips to the spot, healing it instantly. "Yes, I will stay," he said to her skin. Then he pulled his head away. "Sleep now, Yuuki. I will not go anywhere."
Yuuki shuffled under the blankets and lay down completely; her head nestled on the white pillow. She tried her best to smile at Kaname before she shut her eyes. She was asleep almost instantaneously, her breathing falling into a thick rhythm as Kaname watched. He would not leave her as she asked. He was here until she ordered him away.
Whoa! Some Zero, some Kaname. Some major heartbreak. At this point, I'm not sure who she's gonna end up with, so we'll see how it plays out.
Opinions? Questions? Comments? Concerns? Well, the only way to let me know of them is to reveiw haha