(Zero's POV)

"So, what do you think of the new girl?" Kaien calmly asked me that morning when I came into his office. He was pouring two cups of tea, papers spread out over his desk.

"She's. . . different, from Yuki," I answered honestly, not wanting to go into detail about what all had happened last night.

"Obviously," Kaien smirked, offering me a cup. "She looks nothing like Yuki."

"That's not what I meant," I hooded my eyes in annoyance, taking the cup and sitting down in a chair before his desk. "You know what I'm talking about."

"I know," he smiled. "I heard your conversation last night. I'm not completely dimwitted, Zero."

"I know," I growled, my hand tightening around the glass in my hand.

"Careful," warned Kaien lightly. "That's my favorite cup. You made it in that pottery class Yuki made you go to when you were younger."

"I remembered," I narrowed my eyes at him, getting annoyed by the second.

"Have you heard from Yukimi since last night?" he switched to a completely different topic, sitting down in his desk chair and going through the papers.

"No," I grunted. "I'm pretty sure she was having a nightmare last night, though. She kept tossing and turning. I could hear her with a pillow over my face."

"It's recorded that she has insomnia," he held up a plain black leather file, bound by a blue ribbon. "You should read this. I read it last night before bed. It was a lot to sleep on, if you ask me. Here," he handed me the file. "read it sometime today."

I took the file, staring at it. It wasn't very heavy. Easy enough to carry around in my backpack or hand and keep it looking normal. I shrugged.

"She'll be joining the day class students for now," Kaien continued while I held the file in my hand. "I have a uniform for her in the chair by the door. I want you to take it to her and explain the rules. She has your exact schedule, other than the PE and your extra guardian class, of course. I need you to keep a very close eye on her. It's said that one time she was let out of her room and around the others in the asylum. In the end, she was tossed back inside not even an hour after she was around others. One of the women there, a larger security guard, was transported to the hospital that same day. Serious internal injuries, beatings and wounds unlike anything I've ever seen. She earned herself the nickname 'Ghost', others called her 'Cinemax'. She was popular among the delinquents."

"Did the police officer provoke her?" I raised an eyebrow, now very interested.

"It was proven that the officer was giving her a very. . . loud and obnoxious rundown of the rules and said something about her being locked up since the age of six," Kaien explained.

I smirked, nodding. She was short, feisty, and overall beautiful.

"Okay, classes are about to start. You might want to get a move on," Kaien simply dismissed me.

I shrugged, stood up, set the cup on his desk, and turned around. Snagging up the folded uniform from the chair indeed beside the door, I walked towards pigeon's new room. Indeed she was a caged free bird. I knocked lightly on her door with the back of my knuckles. There was a small pause, and I knocked again. Two seconds later, the door cracked open to reveal a small portion of her large, round, bright iris colored eye. She stared at me for a moment, then opened up the door for me.

"Morning?" I offered gently.

"Hi," she squeaked back.

"Ready to start Cross Academy's day class?" I smirked, holding out the uniform to her.

"Oh," she took it into her own hands, staring at it. "I didn't realize-"

"It was short notice for me, too," I smirked. "After something that went down about a year ago, Kaien had changed a lot. He's. . . different. Before he was a weak, squeaky, obnoxious push over headmaster. Now that he's finally gotten back into hunting, he's a lot different."

"Can I ask you something?" she looked up at me with those big, innocent eyes.

"Sure," I nodded.

"Are you a hunter, too?" she was so curious it melted my heart. Only Yuki had been able to do that to me.

"Yes," I nodded.

She hesitated for a second before squeaking in the softest voice ever. "Oh."

"How'd you sleep last night?" I stepped into the room and shut the door behind her, setting down her new clothes on a chair.

"Er- Fine," she bluffed, her mouth pressing a bit together to prove it.

"You look really tired," I noted, being obvious about my knowledge of her poor slumber of the previous night.

"I had a nightmare," she quickly turned away, holding her uniform in both hands. "Nothing to worry about."

"Perhaps I'll get Kaien to get you some herbal tea tonight so you can get some sleep?" I offered, though I really wasn't offering.

"That's not necessary," she started to blubber on about how it was pointless to worry about her, but my eyes glued to her soft pink lips that moved quickly.

How easy it would be to bend down, cup her cheek, and. . . I quickly snapped from my trance, staring at her red cheeks as she put a small hand over her mouth, clearly trying to cover up that she was blabbering. Or sad something private. I didn't know, but I wasn't going to pry. I'd ask later.

"Come on, pigeon," I smiled barely, staring at her beautiful, bashful face. "Get dressed. We have to head out. You and I have most of our classes together."

"O-Okay," she dashed into the restroom and shut the door with a click.

I sat down and listened to her bustle around behind the door, smiling as she cursed colorfully.

(Yukimi's POV)

I was getting ready in the bathroom of my new room when I accidently dropped my hand on the hot plate of he flat iron and burned the life from my hand. I started to swear in unmannerly ways. No doubt about it, Zero was listening just shocked to hear such cruel words flow from my mouth. Then again, sitting in the same room for almost all your life, you learned a few things when others were in the room. I quickly finished up straightening my hair, a few curls sitting in the bunch. I swore a little more under my breath than blurting it out loud.

I threw my hair up into a ponytail, tying it back with a red ribbon. As I was finished, I gave myself a nod of approval before finally leaving the room. Zero indeed had been listening. He was sitting by the small desk in my room, one elbow on the desk, his hand under his cheek, eyebrows cocked upwards. I felt my face heat up with shame. He smirked just barely, his eyes grazing my body up and down secretly. I blushed deeper, tucking one of my baby hairs behind my ear nervously.

"Ready to go, pigeon?" his deep voice rumbled, making my heart flop around like a fish out of water.

"Yeah," I thinly smiled to him, nerves tensing and making my heartstrings coil up with anxiety. "Let's go."

"You'll be okay, pigeon," he assured me, standing up and putting his hands in his pants pockets.

We walked out of my room, our shoulders inches from touching, silent as ever. We turned a corner, and I jumped as girls and boys dressed in the same uniforms as Zero and I moved to and fro across the hall. I hesitated, my heart racing. He must have noticed my hesitation because his pinky finger looped through mine, his shoulder full on brushing mine. I blushed furiously, walking quickly beside him towards our first class. People stared at me for long times, whispering to each other heatedly. I shrank against Zero, wishing nothing more than to vanish.

We found our classroom and took up two seats in the farthest corner from the door, hiding in the shadows of the dim light bulb above. The bell rang that started class, and more people filled up the room. My hands gripped into my black skirt, and Zero drew small circles on my shoulder with his thumb. The teacher finally came into the room. He was a short, stocky man with tiny eyes and a receding hairline. The man went around his desk, blubbering a bit, then finally picked up a paper.

"Okay class, good morning," he quickly went through the formal greetings. "Today we have a new student. Is Miss Yukimi Hale present?"

My heart hid behind my spine, and I slowly stood up. Everyone turned to stare at me. Both my knees felt like they were made of melted frosting. I gripped the edge of the desk top, supporting myself so that I didn't fall. The teacher smiled to me, his eyes staring at places they didn't belong.

"Welcome to Cross Academy, Miss Hale," he simply greeted me.

I sat down, my shoulders hunched, my head low. The teacher turned back to the blackboard; Zero didn't move to comfort me. I silently appreciated the space for a moment, but I wouldn't have minded if he whispered in my ear again that I was alright. I put my face in my hands and let out a deep breath. That was when he put a hand on the base of my back. My face went up in flames.

"You're okay, pigeon," he whispered in my ear, his cool breath brushing my neck and shoulder, making a delighted chill run through me.

The next few classes were spent by me and him whispering to each other. I learned a lot of things about him when we did. Of course, there wasn't much I could tell him. Hell! I had been in a mental hospital nearly all my life! Sadly, when it came for the class marking the middle of the day, we had to split up. Zero, of course, didn't mind walking me all the way to the door of my class. Which happened to be Kaien's door. Zero disappeared, and I stepped into the man's office. He was sitting at his desk, writing something down, brown eyes turning upwards when I shut the door.

He smiled and sat up.

"Hello, Yukimi," he nodded to me.

"Mr. Kaien," I nodded back, moving closer to his desk.

"I wanted to talk to you," he motioned for me to take a seat, and I did so. "What do you think about Zero?"

"Uh-" I was defiantly caught off guard by his question. "He's a very nice person. Strong. A bit cold. Nothing . . . bad. Why?"

"Curiosity," the man shrugged and sat up straight. "There's a position open and I want to offer it to you. I don't want just anyone to be in that place. Zero can help you if you take up my offer. We are short of a Guardian. I want you to be the second."

"Really?" my eyes grew wide, and I sat back a little.

"I'm going to offer you this once. You can think about it if you need to. I just need to know by Friday. Being Guardian is a very special thing. I trust you will take the title into great and wonderful graces," he put his intertwined hands before his mouth, eyes staring at me.

"I-" I bit down on my bottom lip. "I-I don't know."

"I'll let you think about it," he smiled softly to me. "You can do whatever for now. Consider this . . . a free period."

"Thank you, Mr. Kaien," I stood up, nodded, and left.

I walked blankly down the hallways, not noticing as I made myself become familiar with the place. Once I was a master and weaving the interior, I went outside. I knew there was farther places I'd have to discover, so I kept myself traveling around inside the walls. I stopped walking when I came up to a large, black, thorn covered gate. I stared at it, studying the magnificent formation. I touched it, my fingers feeling the dents and scratches on the gates from past uses. A chill ran up my spine, and I stepped back from the gate. Something made my skin crawl.

Whatever it was, I wasn't prepared to figure it out. Not yet, at least. I turned away and gasped sharply as I almost ran straight into a stranger's chest. I jumped back, slamming myself into the gates, thorns of the vines piercing my skin. I hissed and pulled away. I stared up at the person I almost knocked into. It was a tall male, fair skinned, long brown hair, and deep brown-red almost eyes. He had on a white business suit, a blue rose stuck through his collar on his coat. His hands were behind his back, but he didn't look like he was a threat. It was the vibe he gave off. Much like. . .

My eyes grew wide, breath failing to be inhaled again.

"Oh my god. . ." I whispered in horror.

"Hello," he finally looked down at me and smiled kindly. "Pardon me. I didn't see you."

I stared at him silently.

"Y-You're like h-her," I blurted to myself under my breath.

"Her?" he raised an eyebrow. "Forgive me, but you've confused me. My name's Kaname Kuran-"

I raced around him before he could finish. I ran until I found myself sitting on the rooftop of the academy. I sat beside my bedroom window, just above my balcony. I stood up, turned around, and walked to the very top. I opened my jacket and vest up, exposing the white shirt beneath. My bow was undone, the fabric strings flapping in the wind. I sat down, fixed my stockings, and put my face in my hands again. A gust of wind blew past me, and it took my hair ribbon with it. I gasped, jumping up, and hurried after the floating red fabric.

I jumped off of the rooftop and landed on a smaller balcony with a hiss, waves of shock racing up my ankles to my hips. I continued to run after the ribbon, flying down the steps leading to the ground. The ribbon finally drifted closer to the ground, but it landed in the hands of Kaname. I froze up, staring at him. He raised an eyebrow, staring from the ribbon to me.

"Strange," he simply sighed.

I clutched my fists in the fabric of my skirt. "You're a vampire, aren't you?"

"Excuse me?" his eyes grew large with shock.

"Are you a vampire? Yes or no?" I demanded weakly.

He stared at me for a moment, then nodded curtly. "Yes. I am a pureblood. How do you know about that?"

"I lost everything to vampires," I answered. "I know things."

"It seems so," he smiled, stepped up to me, and handed me back my ribbon. "This is yours, if I believe so?"

"Thank you," I took the ribbon, my skin brushing his, the scent of his cologne filling my lungs.

"Of course," his smile curled up at the corners a bit.

I swallowed nervously, pulling all of my hair onto my shoulder and braiding it. His eyes glued onto my fingers and hands as they twisted the strands of my ebony hair around and around. Something lit up in his eyes, and his body changed how it was held.

"You never did introduce yourself, you know," he smiled and turned his gaze to my lowered eyes.

"You may call me Yukimi Hale," I snipped gently.

"So hostile," he chuckled. "Why is that?"

"I hate your kind," I glared at him through my eyelashes, tying off the braid with the ribbon.

"Even Zero Kiryu?" he raised a curious eyebrow.

"He wasn't born a vampire," I snapped with more force behind my attitude.

"How do you know that?" he pressed.

"We lost our souls to the same vampire," I growled.

"Pureblood? Or level E?" he smirked.

I was suddenly very puzzled. Pureblood? Was that some kind of special vampire? From how he said level E, I could only guess they weren't very . . . pleasant.

"So you know about vampires, just not the types?" he grinned at my confusion.

"Apparently not," I whispered, staring down at the bold red bound on my hair.

"How about tonight at sunset you come to the Night Class dorms and we can speak?" he offered, motioning to the large white building behind the thorny gate.

"You're not going to try and kill me?" I cocked an eyebrow, glaring at him again.

"I'll let you hold a knife to my throat," he smirked and started to walk away. "Just knock. Whoever answers, just tell them you've come to see me."

I stood in my rooted spot, watching as he slipped past the gate and towards the large building. After he disappeared from the sun, I turned around. I stared at the ribbon again for a long moment. How strange it was that the wind blew it straight into his hand. . . I turned around to the building and began to mentally curse out Kaname with every insulting word I knew.

I finally turned back around and walked towards the building, hoping that I found Zero quickly.

(Zero's POV)

During PE I felt uncomfortable. It was strange not having Yukimi at my side. I didn't like to be away from her. She was so small and frail. Who knew what could happen to her. Not even a day with her here, and I was already becoming attached to her. I cursed myself out as I rode on the large brown horse back to Cross Academy. Today we had practiced horseback riding. I didn't understand why it was so important to know how to ride a saddle, but it was still taught. I figured one day it would have to be a good skill to know.

The large beast swayed a bit, and I pulled on the reins. I had chosen the wildest of the stable. He was named Fleeter. Mainly because he often escaped his stall and tried to run away. I wondered if he was born in a stable physically, but spiritually a wild horse. An image of Yukimi came to my mind, and I couldn't help but smile. She often did that. Slipped into my mind without me even realizing it. She for now controlled my thoughts. I wondered sometimes what it would feel like to have her sitting in front of me or behind me. It would be a bliss.

One night I'd have to take her horseback riding. I erased myself of my smile and walked Fleeter into the stable. I dismounted the stallion and put him up in his stall. Walking out of the hot, musty stables, I dusted invisible dust off my shoulder. My eyes roamed the front grounds of Cross Academy. Something felt different. It felt like I was sucked back two years whenever Yuki and that bastard Kaname were still here. I shook my head, deciding it was lack of sleep making me feel strange. I walked into the large school just as the bell went off. Day Class students filled the hallways, and I let out a sharp breath. Going through all the hallways, I couldn't find Yukimi. Panic settled in my lungs. I went back to where our rooms were. I checked her room, Kaien's room, his office, and even the roof. She was nowhere.

I slumped against my own bedroom door, running a hand through my hair. There was a light sneeze from inside my room, making me jump. I opened up the door to find her curled up on the ground beside my bed, large eyes staring at the ground, her hair no longer in a ponytail but a side braid now. I shut my door quickly. She jumped at the sound, her big eyes turning onto me, the purple smothering the light blue for a moment. She relaxed as she saw it was just me.

"What are you doing in here? I was looking for you everywhere," I sighed with relief, walking towards her.

"Sorry," she whispered, putting her head on her knees.

"What are you sorry about? You didn't do anything wrong," I soothed, sitting down beside her.

So badly I wanted to pull her into my lap, release her hair, and run my fingers through the black strands. She was beautiful. Seeing fear on her expression killed me inside.

"You told me yesterday to not come in your room and I did. . . Sorry," she whispered again, shaking her head at herself.

"It's okay, pigeon," my heart thumped with pain at her self-loathing expression. "Hey, look at me."

She turned her head up to me, a strand of her bangs falling across her face. Her big eyes made my heart lurch towards her. I put a hand gently on the side of her face, rubbing my thumb across her cheek. Red exploded across her face. I smiled and leaned forward, hesitating as our faces became centimeters from touching. I swallowed nervously, and she trembled lightly as I exhaled. I moved up and kissed her forehead, moving my hand to the back of her neck. I wrapped my other hand around her waist and pulled her close to me. She collapsed in my lap, and I hugged her close to my chest. Her hands rested on my chest, making my heart pick up speed. I noticed her uniform was undone mostly. Her vest and jacket was unbuttoned, her bowtie untied.

"Kaien asked me to be a Guardian," she muttered so quietly I almost missed what she said.

"What are you going to say?" I kept my voice low and pulled away a bit.

"I was thinking about it just now," she shrugged, putting her head on my shoulder. "I was going to ask you about it."

"It's dangerous," my hands moved to the base of her back. "You get almost killed nearly every day. It's worth it, though. You have slack. You can actually leave your dorm at night. Get out of class. Learn things. I think you'd make a nice Guardian."

"Really?" one eye popped up from her thick, falling bangs.

"Really," I smiled and put my cheek on her head.

"Then looks like I'm going to tell Kaien. . . Later," she added quickly after a moment.

Statics started over our heads, making us jump.

"Would Zero Kiryu please report to Headmaster's office? Quickly!" It was Kaien's voice over the intercom.

I sighed deeply, cursing the man for breaking up the moment I was having with Yukimi.

"I'm sorry, pigeon," I shifted, and she slid off my lap.

"It's okay," she shrugged. "Kaien calls. I'll head to class."

"Or you could stay here and take a nap?" I offered, noticing the dark crescents appearing under her eyes.

"I- How-" she cut herself off, shaking her head.

"You were up all night long," I whispered, putting my hand on her cheek again. "I'll be back as soon as I'm done in there. I promise."

"O-Okay," she started to fiddle with the ends of her braid.

I stood up, holding out my hand to her. She smiled softly and took my hand. I stood her up, my eyes gluing onto the two red strands of her bow tie. Unable to stop myself, I started to take off her vest and jacket. She blushed furiously but didn't fight me. I dropped her jackets onto the ground, and put the red ribbon in her hair between my fingers. I pulled on one of the hanging strands, releasing her hair. The strands fell slightly out of the tight braid. I met her big eyes, and smiled. I kissed her nose, making the pink blush go full blown rose red.

I left my room and walked towards Kaien's office, leaving Yukimi alone in my room. I knew that my face was safe from my blush, but my body was on fire. I knew that when I came back she'd hopefully be asleep on my mattress. I'd take a nap with her if that was the case. I opened up the door to find two familiar figures sitting in the chairs in front of Kaien's desk. My blood turned into ice as the much more familiar figure turned around. Her lips curled up into a very soft and gentle smile.

"Hello, Zero," Yuki spoke with honey and smiled, showing her white teeth.