Waah~! Nearly twenty reviews for just the prologue. -sniffles- I love you guys. Finally, I update right? xD It's a slow start, but I can't very well rush into things now can I? :D Enjoy! (Keep in mind, I've never written this much in my life. It's hard...but so worth it! :D)

Cross Academy

Yuuki Cross knew that she was rather naïve and that she was not the smartest person that existed. She knew about the existence of vampires and the ones that hunted them. Though, she did not know a lot about either party, she knew enough. Yuuki also knew that in order for her to understand the male she had grown up, she did not need to know either of these things. She may not know a lot about Zero, because he keeps to himself, but she knew that there was something wrong with him, even if he tried to hide it.

Yuuki was snapped out of her reverie, her gaze shifting to the large crowd of fan girls in front of her. Although Zero was there, he did not pay much attention. In fact, he was trapped in a daze, nearly dozing off. Purple shadows were etched into the skin underneath his amethyst – though, with his lack of sleep, they had taken up a darker shade of purple – hues. He inhaled deeply, only to release it seconds later. His eyes slowly fluttered shut, before he was jolted awake by the sound of Yuuki's pleas with the wild crowd. He growled, "If you are not at your dorms within five seconds, don't expect to see another day of light!"

Silence blanketed the screaming girls as their horror filled eyes moved away from the doors and onto the silver headed male's face. He was scowling, as he usually did, but it was different this time – filled with absolute enmity. If it had not been because he looked one hundred percent serious, the girls would not have bolted off, but that was not the case.

Though the corners of Yuuki's lips were lifted in a smile, relief washing over her that the pushing and rather demanding fan girls were gone, they twitched, her eyebrow arched in slight confusion and annoyance, "Zero, you didn't have to threaten them."

The girl expected for a snappy comeback, but it never came. Her sangria colored orbs drifted towards her partner to find his head tipping to the side, his eyes shut. Her eyebrows furrowed, her face contorting with concern, "Zero?"

His eyes opened, slightly, leaving them half-lidded, "Hm?"

"Are you…okay?" She moved towards him. His eyes closed once again and he nodded. Yuuki knew that he was lying. She clutched his tie, scowling and shook him gently. "Zero, don't lie to me," she reprimanded.

No response.

His breathing softened, his body slowly becoming limp. He hunched over Yuuki, his face buried in her hair. She sighed and pushed him away, still gripping his tie. He fell to his knees, his head tilted to the side. She shook him again, "Zero."

No response.

"Zero," she shook him again, "Come on, wake up. If you want to sleep you can skip patrol and go back to your dorm." The hunter still did not move. Yuuki's eye twitched and she began twisting his head, left and right, "Zero, wake up."

Yuuki shook her head, her lower lip pulled into her mouth just under her teeth. Zero was not sleeping, she knew that. The dark purple hue under his eyes told anyone that. She wanted to know why, of course she did not expect an answer, but she would not give up. Right now, Zero falling asleep was not helping her. He was always a heavy sleeper and she had yet to find something that would wake him. She sighed, resolving to the one thing she would never do. Not just to him, but to anyone. Violence and Yuuki were never placed in the same category.

"Forgive me, Zero," She whispered, lifting her hand. She shut her eyes tightly, her hand meeting the male's cheek. She yelped and released her grip on him as a sting shot through her arm. Her eyes flew open, sliding to her red, throbbing hand. She blew on it, tears piled up at her eyes.

A growl emitted from Zero's lips. Anger rolled off of him. Yuuki stepped back, deciding it would better for her to be away from him when he exploded. His rage filled glare tore away from the cement to the girl's face. It bothered him further to see that she had the nerve to look as if she had done nothing. Another growl escaped his lips, "What the hell was that for?"

Yuuki's innocent charade was replaced with annoyance, "You wouldn't wake up!"

Zero's anger evaporated, becoming confusion, "I fell asleep?"

Yuuki nodded and he sighed. He pushed himself off of the ground, ignoring how incredibly heavy his body felt. "Sorry," he murmured.

Before Yuuki had a chance to reply, the sound of someone clearing their throat echoed off of the trees. The prefects turned their heads to find the Night Class watching them, amusement glued onto their faces. In their quarrel, the two had not heard the doors of the gate, separating the Night Class (a class filled with vampires) from the Day Class (the humans), open. Yuuki flushed, embarrassed that her actions had been seen by her savior in a sense, Kaname. Her head tilted slightly to the side, "Kaname-senpai…?"

Zero rolled his eyes and folded his arms across his chest.

A small smile graced Kaname's face, vanishing one second later, "Are you all right, Yuuki?"

If it was possible, Yuuki's crimson face turned a shade darker, "Y-yes!"

Kaname's wine colored eyes lifted to the hunter. He did not care much for the other male, but he knew how important he was to Yuuki, so he tolerated him. It was not very easy, especially when he worried her. Kaname wanted nothing more than to tear the hunter apart, but he needed him for his own purposes. Despite that, he couldn't help but feel a small part of him grow concern when he saw Zero's condition. The boy was completely dead on his feet. How he even managed to stand and form coherent sentences was beyond Kaname's knowledge. He desperately tried to ignore the emotion, but found that he could not. "Kiryu-kun, are you well?"

Zero ignored the question, partially because he did not want to answer and partially because he did not understand it. Sleep deprivation was messing with him, he knew that. It was only confirmed, because the bane of his existence was asking him if he was all right. Zero was perfectly content with Kaname ignoring him, content with dreaming of sleeping and nearly doing do once again, uncaring if it was on the ground rather than his room. He could feel eyes burning holes into his skin, but he refused to face the pureblood. Slowly, his skin began to tingle, fully aware of the perturbed aura Kaname sent towards him.

"It's none of your business, Kuran-senpai. Get to the class," He snarled lightly. Aidou nearly lurched at the hunter, but was pulled back by his cousin, Akatsuki. Yuuki twitched, already scolding Zero's manners, "Zero…"

"You don't look healthy, Kiryu-kun," Kaname began to head for the school, motioning for the rest to follow. He stopped, allowing the rest of the class to surpass him. His head turned forty five degrees to look at the prefect once more, "You should take better care of yourself."

"Get to class," Zero repeated.

Yuuki watched as Kaname and the rest of the Night Class slowly disappeared, nearing the school. She noticed that Aidou had looked over his shoulder more than once, to glare at Zero, who had slowly started to nod off once more. Yuuki sighed, "Zero, go to your room and sleep. I can handle patrol on my own."

Zero shook his head, "I'm fine. You were going to have to do patrol on your own tonight anyway." He slowly made his way towards the school gates that led outside. "I have a mission to get to."

"Mission? Zero, you're not going on a mission in your state." Yuuki warned, suddenly fretting the way only a mother would. She ran, stopping ahead of him, outstretching her arms blocking his path. "You can go tomorrow."

"And let more people die? I don't think so." He took a step to the side, suppressing a yawn and continued on, ignoring Yuuki's demands that he stay. True, he could have tracked the level E down in the morning after he got some sleep – if he got some sleep – but he doubted that he would. It would be better to stop the murderer now than later, when he was sure he would fully be a zombie. That and the Association ordered for him to go at night.

As Zero slowly entered the deserted town, he reached into his uniform blazer extracting his gun, Bloody Rose. His mind slowly began to ponder why the Association would send him on a night mission alone; they had special hunters for this kind of mission. It made Zero wary of them.

Zero pushed all thoughts from his mind, heightening his five senses. His eyes darted from place to place, searching for the vile creature. Unable to hold it in any longer, the hunter yawned.

"You look tired. Maybe I can help you fall asleep."

Zero whipped around, gun raised, to find the owner of the eerie voice gone. He stood there for a while, spinning around in slow circles; his eyes glazing over every inch of the alley looking path he had taken. A dark chuckle echoed off of the stores' and homes' brick walls.

Zero hissed as claws scraped his back, tearing his clothes and breaking skin. There was no way he would get Yuuki off of his back now. The E screeched, falling even deeper at the whiff of Zero's blood. He lurched for Zero, who kicked him, sending the E flying into a window. Zero cocked his gun, aiming at the vampire. He slowly walked over to the shattered window and the seemingly lifeless body.

The E suddenly shot up, too fast for Zero to react. He tackled the hunter, gripping onto his arms coarsely, his claws sinking into the flesh. He twisted the arm holding the gun upward, causing Zero to shoot towards the sky. A string of curses Zero was sure he had never heard before in his life tumbled from his mouth. Another chuckle escaped the twisted mouth of the E, "Hunter…ally…Smells good."

Zero growled and kneed him, but the E tightened his grip on him, his claws reaching his bones. The E dipped his head down towards Zero's neck. He sniffed and sighed, content, "So…good."

He sunk his fangs into Zero's neck. The hunter's struggles stopped. Fury coursed through him. His amethyst eyes flickered red before settling on a deep crimson. He kicked the E off of him, bolted off of the ground and roared when he found the E standing. The E launched himself at Zero only to be slapped away and shot in the chest multiple times. His contorted form burst into dust, his blood drenched clothes falling to the ground.

Zero retreated to the Academy slowly, allowing Yuuki time to get to sleep before he arrived. The sun was already rising; she had to be asleep by now.

Thirst had crawled its way into his throat. The tattoo on his neck glowed, his breath short pants. His fangs had extended and throbbed violently. He ignored it, simply wishing to get to sleep – though he knew with his injuries was a bad idea.

The hunter groaned when he reached the steps that led to the Academy. He groggily lifted his legs, grunting at how heavy they felt. His head was beginning to spin, shaking the ground much to his dismay. He had enough trouble walking as it was at the moment, he did not need for dizziness to overpower him. Reaching the top of the stairs, he sighed in relief and hissed at the throbbing that had birthed in his head. He dragged his feet towards the Chairman's house, desperately hoping Yuuki was not there. He would be able to handle the Chairman's slight nagging and sudden serious warnings, but he would not be able to handle Yuuki's. She would hold it over his head for who knows how long.

The young male threw the door open and slammed it, kicking off his shoes in the process. Slowly, the world was beginning to fade. He inhaled deeply, hearing footsteps from upstairs. He prayed that it was the Chairman.

"Kiryu-kun?"

Zero released his breath in relief, not bothering to answer and continued to head for his destination – the living room couch. Before he threw himself onto the heavenly looking furniture, he caught sight of his immensely bloody uniform. He knew the Chairman would not appreciate blood on his couch, but at the moment Zero could care less. He wanted the headache to go away, the thirst to die down, and the pain that his body surged through him every time he made even one small movement to evaporate into the darkness it had come from. He wanted sleep and he wanted it now.

The boy tossed himself onto the couch, face down. It was the side that hurt him less. He shut his eyes, hearing the Chairman's footsteps venture down the stairs and into the same room. He felt the panic that rolled off of the older male.

Cross dashed to the young hunter and shook him gently, "Kiryu-kun! Are you all right?"

Zero did not respond. He had let the comforting darkness consume him.

Though, Cross knew that he was too late, he shook him slightly harder, "Zero, please, you cannot fall asleep in this state. You have a chance of losing your life."

The former hunter reached for Zero's wrist. The boy still had a pulse, he was just sleeping. He gently ran his fingers along the gashes in the young male's back. Kaien sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose, pushing his glasses up in the process. It would be hard to keep his absence from Yuuki. He lifted Zero, tossing him over his shoulder and took him up to his old room. He removed the prefect's uniform, leaving him only in his boxers before laying him on his back once more. He did not exactly keep medical supplies in his home, normally Yuuki or Zero would go to the infirmary, but that was too public of a place to keep the hunter.

Kaien exited the room, shutting the door behind him, and headed for the school's infirmary to retrieve what the supplies needed. All the while, he was coming up with excuses for Zero's absence from school. If he told Yuuki Zero still had not returned from his mission, worry would eat the girl up until Zero "returned". If he told her that Zero had returned, she would want to see him. She would see the number of injuries on him and she would still be worried. Either way, he needed for Zero's wounds to heal quickly.

Zero found himself in the wooded area near the Moon Dorms. He did not understand how he ended up here. The last thing he remembered was falling asleep on the Chairman's couch and the Chairman fretting over him.

A rustling in the bushes ahead of him made Zero whip out his gun. He aimed for the bush.

Just as he was about to pull the trigger, two white rabbit ears poked out. A small baby face followed shortly. Zero's eyes widened as he lowered the gun. Two large sangria colored eyes stared up at him, a wide grin spread across the small girl's face. She wrinkled her nose as a pink tint colored her cheeks. She now understood why her brother was obsessed with this male. He was stunning.

Zero could not believe his eyes. Standing in front of him was Yuuki. Though, it could not be Yuuki because this girl was much younger. She was a younger version of her. The hunter stared at the small girl, completely entranced. He took a step towards her, "Yuuki?"

The White Rabbit giggled, wiggling her fingers at Zero. She spun around and quickly darted further into the woods. Zero blinked – partially confused. She had responded when he called her Yuuki, but it was impossible. She could not have turned into a child while he was out. No one was able to return to their child form. He slipped Bloody Rose into his blazed and took off after the smaller version of the girl he grew up with.

He followed her, stopping when he saw her standing in the middle of the bridge that led to the Sun Dorms. He watched as she climbed one of the bridge's walls and sit on the ledge, her legs dangling just above the water below. He moved closer, "Hey, wait. What are you doing?"

The White Rabbit's gaze set upon him; the smile that never left her face stretched further. She slid off the ledge. "No!" Zero lurched forward, just in time to catch the small girl by her hand.

He scowled at her, "What the hell are you doing? Are you trying to get yourself killed?"

The White Rabbit merely stared at him, her small face contorted with confusion. She did not understand why he was trying to stop her; she was only trying to bring him to her brother to make him happy.

Zero tried to pull her up, surprised at how heavy she was. An eyebrow rose when he saw her free small hand try to pry his grip from her captured one. "Why are you –"

His question was cut off when he felt unnaturally pointy teeth slide into his hand and quickly removed. He hissed, releasing his grip on the small girl, dropping her into the water. He gasped as he studied his hand. There were two perfect punctures just above his wrist. Realization slapped him across the face – the girl was a vampire. Confusion overtook Zero once more. How could the small girl who looked so much like Yuuki – because he still did not have enough proof to say she was Yuuki, despite the clear evidence – be a vampire?

Zero shook his head, pushing all thoughts away. He leaned over the wall, searching for the small girl. She was nowhere to be found. This puzzled Zero further. The water held no current, so she could not have drifted away, but where else would she go? Zero swallowed the lump that had formed in his throat. Was it possible that she drowned because he dropped her? His eyes flickered to the punctures on his hand. He gritted his teeth, flinging himself over the stone wall, allowing the water below to swallow him…

Zero struggled to resurface. His lungs burned, begging for air. He kicked, his arms flailing. He tried to remember what his master had taught him about swimming, but the memories refused to bring themselves out. Zero kicked harder, blinking rapidly as he tried to stop the black dots from blocking his vision. His heart pounded against his chest, almost as if it were trying to escape the "confined" watery space.

Zero, rather abruptly, rose to the surface. He inhaled sharply, overcome by a fit of coughs and gags. Water spewed from his mouth. He clutched his burning throat. The water was salty.

The water was salty…Zero looked up. He was not in the clean lake that resided on the Academy's land, he was in a pool. A large pool filled to the brim with water, nearly overflowing. He swam towards the shore, stopping when he saw the White Rabbit standing at the edge. Her head was cocked slightly to the side and she looked worried. Zero immediately knew that the girl is Yuuki. No one else had a warm expression like that.

"I'm fine," he reassured her, pulling himself out of the water into a kneeling position.

Yuuki stepped back, the expression still plastered on her face, "Are you sure?"

Zero nodded, allowing shock to course through him. It was the first time he had heard her speak and she owned the same gentle voice that Yuuki did. Her voice confirmed his thoughts. She smiled at him, "Good. Onii-sama would be angry if you weren't."

Zero stood, an eyebrow rose, "Onii-sama?"

This Yuuki, he noticed, had a lot of differences from his Yuuki. The first being, that his Yuuki did not have rabbit ears. The second, his Yuuki was not a vampire. Nor would he ever allow her to become one. The third, his Yuuki did not have a brother (as far as he knew).

Yuuki nodded and without another word darted off into the woods.

Zero growled inwardly. Why did this girl keep running off? He wanted to ask her where he was, because he could certainly tell he was no longer at the Academy. In fact, he did not the surroundings of the Academy at all. He was someplace very unfamiliar and it bothered him. He did not know his way around this place. Even the time of day was different. He remembered it being morning when he returned from his mission. Here, the sun was just setting.

He glanced at the pool once more. What was a pool doing in the woods? It seemed like the pool was the end of the way because on the other side was a large gorge. After that, the land was barren.

Zero followed Yuuki, picking up her scent. Even that was the same. Zero suppressed a small shudder at the eerie canniness.

Slowly, Zero began to lose track of the small girl's scent. Other fragrances were mixing in, covering it up as Zero stopped at a crossroads. Zero's stomach grumbled as the smell of tomato soup mesmerized his nose. The hunter had not noticed that he was hungry. The last time he ate was…was…Crap!

Zero had not eaten since the morning. He remembered skipping lunch, heading to the stables to attempt to get some sleep. It was the one place Zero found complete peace. People were too afraid of White Lily to go near there, especially Yuuki. She thought the horse had it out for her.

Zero sighed, another smell drifting through the air. This time, it smelled like tea. A sweet tea, perhaps mango or peach with just a hint of raspberry. From the same direction, came another sweet smell. Growing up with a sweet tooth like Yuuki, Zero automatically knew that it was cake. It was a vanilla cake with assorted fillings from strawberries to bananas to custard.

A fourth smell hit Zero. It was not one of food, though. It was the strong smell of roses coming from the third path. The roses were not all Zero could smell; there were other flower scents mixed in as well. The second fragrance that stood out was that of lilacs. Zero was intrigued by it, but decided that it was not best to take that path. He was hungry and he doubted flowers would kill the rumbling in his stomach.

Zero sniffed again, inhaling the remaining three fragrances.

The male chose to go with the tomato soup. The tea and cake would work fine, but he felt that was spoiling dinner. On top of that, Zero was not one for sweets. Occasionally, he would eat a small piece of cake or candy, but only if he wanted it.

Zero's mouth nearly overflowed with an excess amount of saliva. He swallowed it and flicked his growling stomach, demanding that it stop. He knew better than to get his hopes up. Whoever was cooking the meal might not even allow him to join them. He flinched at the thought. He resolved that if he needed to, he would result to begging for a bowl. His pride would most likely be shattered in the process, but it was better than wandering around an unknown place starving.

Being lost in his reverie, the hunter did not notice a figure following him. The young boy felt something heavy collide with his head. His body seemed to register the force before his mind did, because he stopped and fell to the ground. He groaned in pain and tried to lift his arm to examine the back of his head. Feeling like a weight, he dropped his arm. Black dots clouded Zero's vision before he was consumed by darkness.

He was on something soft, comfortable compared to his previous environment – the hard, muddy wood floor. Familiar voices swam through Zero's ears. He groaned silently at the painful throbbing from the back of his head.

"Why would you just attack him like that?"

"I didn't know who he was until he hit the ground."

"You had better hope the Queen doesn't find out about this."

"I'll be sure not to tell the Queen."

Too fast; the voices were speaking too fast for Zero. Or maybe it was because his head hurt. Either way, the voices were not helping him. Zero twisted his head to side, slowing opening his eyes.

"Look! He's coming around."

"Thank goodness you didn't kill him."

It took a moment for Zero's eyes to adjust to the light. His eyebrows furrowed in confusion, "Headmaster? Ichijo-senpai?" Zero winced, the throbbing increasing.

Kaien shook his head, kneeling at the edge of the bed. He pressed his fingers to Zero's forehead, checking for fever. "Don't strain yourself. Go back to sleep, we'll explain when you wake up."

He stretched his hand towards Ichijo, motioning for the blond to give him the ice pack. He lifted Zero's head, gently and slipped it onto the pillow. "That should help."

Zero shivered at the newly acquired element. For once, he did as Cross told him and slipped into a peaceful slumber.