By Your Side

~o~

Blood…

A soft thud echoed in the depths of Zero Kiryuu's bedroom as he fell to the floor in a dazed heap of black. His black Cross Academy jacket was thrown helplessly on the chair by the foot of his bed, and his white button-up shirt was unbuttoned partway to expose his chest to the cool air being let in by the partially opened window. His eyes were filled with a bright red shine, and he was burying his head in his hands, letting out haggard breaths as he tried to compose himself.

He'd run from Yuuki… Run. Like a coward. All because he saw the happening of a cat getting hit by a bicycle. The bloody corpse had been thrown feet in front of the vehicle, just as he and Yuuki were walking back to the Academy from the Coffee Shop she loved so much. The blood sprayed in a thin ribbon-like trail to its more recent resting place; in front of the path where Yuuki was walking.

"Oh, God!" She'd been so terrified when the thing landed at her feet. She was wearing a casual summer dress that reached lower than her other shirts she normally wore. Underneath was a white camisole, so it wasn't a horrible looking ensemble. Her hair, shoulder-length and a deep chocolate brown, sported a white band with a bow, which was only perfected and illuminated by the sunset sky above where they'd been walking in town.

Oh, god… Zero remembered thinking, his hands shooting straight to cover up his nostrils and mouth with his hand. He stared wide-eyed at the poor animal below him, and he didn't even feel sorry for it.

Had he been human, he just might have. But he was a despicable beast now. Despicable…

His blood lust had begun to take control just as Yuuki grabbed his arm and begged him to take her away. She couldn't bring herself to move; the will to, after seeing such an event occur in front of her before she could even think, had melted away from her body, leaving her horror-stricken and completely frozen. She'd been whimpering beside him. "Zero, please… I… I can't move!"

Instead, he gruffly grabbed her hand and shoved her forward. He could've picked her up and ran back to the academy like a hero, but he was more of the monster in a fairy tale than a hero. "Zero, what're you…"

"Yuuki, go!" He'd yelled. The girl had tripped over her own feet, but managed to scramble back up and run ahead the half-blood. Zero clutched at his heart and reached into his pocket to pull out a small box of blood tablets. They… they never stay down…but… He took out two and stared at them for a moment before pushing them into his mouth and feeling the white tablet scrape across his fangs. It only took a second for his breakfast to greet the tablets and he gagged and choked, spitting the concoction onto the concrete.

"Zero-!"

"Go, Yuuki!"

And here he was; lusting for blood like the monster he was. He clutched at his throat and slowly moved his fingers to the tattoo on his neck, which was beginning to glow recognizing his thirst. "D-Damn it…" he mumbled, and he stumbled onto his feet and ran at the window, throwing it open and leaning over the edge, vomiting. It had never been this extreme, at least that he could remember. His chest rose and fell desperately and he ran his hand through his hair. "It's… It's starting to hurt now." His voice was a mere mumble, hardly understandable by even himself, and he pulled his head slowly through the window. "But… I can't…"

Knock! Knock! Knock!

The silver haired boy looked toward the door and wiped his sweat-matted forehead with his sleeve. Slowly and cautiously, he scuffed his feet against the wood floor of his room, sliding slightly as his socks glided with every move his feet made. He placed his hand on the knob, looked up to make sure the door was locked, and pulled it open slightly, the chain only allowing the door to show half of his face. He looked into the worried red eyes of his partner. "Yuuki… what are you doing here so late?"

She had in her arms a tray of seltzer, half an orange, and a bowl of warm cereal. "I… I thought you could use something to eat, Zero, since you didn't come over for supper like you usually do. Unfortunately, you don't like the food the Headmaster makes – I don't either, to be brutally honest – so I made you something I know you'll eat. Can I come in?"

Zero let out a sigh of defeat; those eyes… they were so worried for him, over something that didn't have to worry her at all. He closed the door again and brought his fingers up to the lock, sliding the chain and metal bar from its place and opened the door again, looking at her, wearing his long-sleeve shirt and baggy cargo pants. She smiled at him and held the tray up so he could see it better. "C'mon. I made your favorite~!"

Zero moved to the side to let her walk in, and she obliged and walked straight for a desk by the window and set the food there. "I know why you aren't coming out of your dorm room. But, Zero… it's alright. You were just as horrified as I was today and… and I forgive you for yelling, okay?"

The half-blood stayed quiet and walked toward the desk, pulling out the chair and sitting in it, looking at the other guardian. He eyed the orange, and couldn't help but lick his lips at the red fruit. Blood orange, he thought, and he let his lips twitch upward. Surprised, Yuuki watched his every move. "I… I thought it might cheer you up. Did it work?"

"A little," he spoke hoarsely, and he wrapped a hand around his throat loosely, his grip tightening when they slid over the middle of the tattoo. The girl smiled and nodded for him to start eating and she sat on his bed, crossing her legs in a butterfly sitting position. "I… I'm sorry I yelled at you, Yuuki. I wasn't afraid, I was… lusting. For blood. The blood of that poor, pathetic creature, and it was getting worse the more we stood there. I had to get out of there, and by the look on your face, so did you."

Yuuki stared at his face and gave him a small smile. "Oh." She couldn't bring herself to say much of anything, because she was so used to his thirst for blood by now; it had been almost two months, and in those couple of months he'd drank her blood thrice. And the second and third times weren't as much against her will as they were more her request and demand. She got up and sat on her knees in front of him and rested her head in his lap. Zero watched, confused, and felt a little color rush to his cheeks.

"Yuuki, what're you…"

"It's okay, ya know. I don't mind that you yelled at me. I shouldn't have been standing there like a scared little child. I'm sorry, too."

The half-blood felt another twitch of his lips and he rested one of his hands on the top of Yuuki's head. You have nothing to be sorry for he tousled her hair, feeling her cheek rub on his leg and finally settle, relaxed. He looked out the window and reached over to grab the orange and pull it to his mouth. I'm… almost afraid to eat this. He parted his lips, exposing his fangs, and bit into the red fruit. He drank the red juice first, and Yuuki smiled and watched him in amusement. Her brown hair obscured her vision a little, but she'd have rather watched him under her hair with the dazed expression of hers than with her hair moved. Her red eyes softened and she let a smile grace her features.

"Why are you looking at me like that?" Zero pulled the orange from his lips, the red juice having stained his upper lips. Yuuki giggled.

"Like what?" the prefect asked, lifting her chin from his legs and giving him a questioning look. The softness in her eyes didn't fade and neither had the smile.

Her partner set the de-juiced carcass of the orange on the plate and looked at her with a curious expression in his lavender eyes. She couldn't lie to that face if she wanted to. "Yuuki, you know 'like what'. You've got that distant look in your eyes, and you're smiling like an idiot. Why are you looking at me like that?" Like I'm Kaname…

Yuuki looked away, feeling color quickly rush to her cheeks. Her partner blinked, and she rested her chin on his lap. "It's just… I dunno, I haven't seen you look so… calm before now. You're always so unhappy about something, and… I just like this." I just wish you'd smile at me. I haven't seen you smile, I don't think, ever.

"Oh," he said quietly, and he let out a long sigh. "Is… it bad? That I'm calm?" His voice was tentative and made his chest rumble at how low it had come out. Yuuki sat up and stood in front of him, stretching her arms over her head and taking a long sigh. Zero followed suit, standing two feet taller than her and resting a hand on the top of her head, looking at her with that concerned look of his.

"It's not bad," she reassured him by smiling, wishing he'd smile back (like Kaname always did, she thought wistfully, but she shook the thought away immediately), but all she got was another ruffle of the hair and his unique scent as he walked around her and sat on his bed. She stared at the wall then slowly turned to look at him. "I prefer you being calm to you being angry or sad. But…" she took a hesitant step forward but stopped, putting her hands on her hips in an act of desperation. "I'd also like to see you smile sometime, too."

What's there to smile about? Zero thought, looking down at his hands which were crossed over his thighs. I lost my family when I was a little kid and was taken in by a pacifist and am attending the same private school as the very same creature that killed my mother and father. Then, my brother disappears without a trace. Excuse me for not smiling. He could never bring himself to say that to her; he cared too much about her to risk raising his voice and sounding like an asshole. He closed his eyes and looked back up at her with the same calm expression. "You… want to see me… smile?"

"Well, I haven't yet. You're always so unhappy, and… I just want to see you smile. Have you… ever smiled at anyone before, Zero?"

It sounded like a pretty stupid question, but as far as the silver-haired vampire was concerned, it was a pretty good one. He watched, day after day, that damned Kaname Kuran smile at her with that same sweet, loving smile on his stupid, perfect little face. Why can't I ever smile like that at her when I feel the very same way about her as he (ahem, thinks he) does? His partner walked toward him again and sat right next to him, resting her hand on his cheek and pulling his face to hers. "What is it going to take to make you smile, huh? I've known you for almost five years, and you're my best friend. What can I do, Zero?"

For starters, you can keep your hand there for a little while longer Zero thought wistfully, a little bit of color appearing on his cheeks (more specifically, pink) and he rested a hand on hers and closed his eyes. "Why does it matter? You smile enough for the both of us." Why do I feel like I made a wrong move?

"Oh, for god's sake, Zero!" Yuuki suddenly looked hurt by his words, and he retreated slightly at the tone she took. "You think that, because I smile, you don't have to? It's a two way street! If I'm happy, you've got to be happy. If you're not, I'm not. That's how it's going to work, okay?" tears pricked at her eyes, and Zero made a surprised noise in his throat.

No… don't cry, Yuuki…

"I… I'm sick of always seeing you in pain, and me not being able to do anything about it. All I'm ever able to do… is let you drink my blood, and… I just want… to see you happy." Tears promptly fell down her cheeks in ribbons and she bent her head downward, hiding beneath her thin brown bangs. "It's… is it too much to ask?"

Zero locked his mouth shut and pulled her into an embrace, letting her head rest in his chest. Her hands grabbed his shirt and she cried quietly into his chest. Her fingers left tiny imprints in the thin fabric, and the half-blood wrapped his arms around her back, pulling her into him more. He couldn't find it in himself to say anything, because he knew what she wanted. He could taste it, as farfetched as it sounded. He let a long sigh come from his nose, and the guardian in his arms looked up at him. He wiped her tears with his thumbs and sent her a worried expression.

"Feel better?" his voice was quiet.

All Yuuki did was nod at him, and he let his lips twitch into a relieved smirk. She looked at him and smiled brightly. "You have to make both sides of your lips go upwards." She demonstrated and then used her fingers to drag the corner of his lips upwards. He looked absolutely stupid, but judging how she was crying and so hurt by the fact that she couldn't make him smile, he wasn't going to stop her. He heard a small giggle come from her as she looked at him. "There. Keep it like that!"

As she pulled her fingers away, the corners of his mouth started to fall again, but he made them retreat back upwards for fear of her touching him again. By his mouth. His fangs. Before he knew it, he was smiling at her, and she let out a gasp. "Zero! You can smile! And it looks so great when you do!"

"Th-Thanks," the half-blood murmured, and the guardian beside him looked outside at the setting sun. He followed suit and got up off the bed, grabbing at his black jacket and swinging it around his shoulders. When Yuuki got up and had stopped paying attention, he let his lips droop into a melancholy line again. "Come on, we've got duties to attend to. We can go right from here."

"Right!" the brunette patted Artemis at her thigh and ran for the door excitedly. "I'll race you outside, Zero!"

"Bet you'll win, Yuuki!" he deadpanned as she ran out the door, and he took one final sigh and looked at himself in the mirror.

"Zero! You can smile! And it looks so great when you do!"

He'd heard it; he knew he did. He grinned at the mirror and stalked toward the door of his dorm room, closing the door and digging his hands in the pockets of his trousers, and walked to the direction of the exit, where he was sure Yuuki was going to jump out and surprise him. I have a feeling, he thought as he rounded the corner, that she's never going to let me live it down that I let her see me smile.

He was so glad he had someone like Yuuki by his side. Anyone else, he was sure, wouldn't have gone to all that trouble to get him to smile, he was sure. Thank you the half-blood said through telepathy as he made it to the exit to see a whooping brown-haired, pink cheeked Yuuki Cross. He rolled his eyes and took the lead, hearing her run to match his footsteps, and link her arm through his. Thank you for being by my side, Yuuki.

I don't care what Kaname says, or how he feels about it Yuuki said to herself, staring at the group of girls standing outside the Moon dorms and letting out a cry of frustration. But always know that I'm going to stay by your side, Zero.

~o~

Reviews make me feel all tingly inside!

~Cookie