A/N yeah hi it's been a while ^.^ Sorry for taking so long to upload this, I finished it a little while ago, but in between year 12 VCE and sleeping, life is so busy :P Anyhow, I wasn't expecting the response on the first chapter, so thank you so much guys for reading! I have started chapter three (?)… And an AU, so please bear with me! Thanks again for your support! Hope you enjoy this one; it was a lot harder to write… so yeah :)

How can I say it when I don't know how to feel it?

Zero's POV

He was worried because we took so long. Like four and a half hours or something exaggerated like that. He was angry because we 'have no regard for personal health and safety and cannot be trusted outside in the rain due to careless behaviour'.

Well go figure.

The chairman became a father when he realised we were now sick.

"Well, these are the repercussions of reckless behaviour, so learn from this my children". The fair-haired father softened up a bit and told Yuki he loved her, and told us to have a warm shower. We both walked through the hall in silence, but then I let off a round of sneezing.

"Bless you," Yuki says with a soft smile. I sniff.

"Ah, thanks." Ugh, my voice. My throat is sore too, but not from thirst. In a twisted way, it's kind of refreshing. Really though, it is weird I am sick. I never used to when younger, it was always Ichiru that got ill in the cold. But then again, he didn't sit in the rain for hours.

Ichiru…Where are you? Why aren't you… I stop at the bathroom door and shiver. Yuki coughs and groans.

"I feel like crap." She grumbles, her voice is distorted as well.

"You took the words right out of my mouth." I glance at the door. "You want to go first?"

"Nah, thanks. I'm going to have a bath." She smiles up at me sadly. I quickly look away before her concern can reach me. Why does she care so much? She touches my cheek, and secretly, I cherish the feeling. It's so easy to get caught up in her warmth. She's like my fire place.

"Enjoy your shower, Zero."

"Enjoy your bath, Yuki." I try to say, but it comes out all disjointed and weird and croaky. Stupid cold. She laughs loudly, and turns to the guest bathroom. Her dripping clothes leave a wet trail behind her. I look over where we came, and both mine and her watery footprints splatter the carpet. I shrug and walk into the bathroom. As soon as I stride in, I dispose of my soaked shirt. It splats on the ground. Suddenly seized with fatigue, I stop and stare at it, my mind and thoughts slowing and becoming thick with haze.

"Mum…" I mumble. 39 today. It's still very young. Both you and Dad were so happy and loving. So why did you have to go?

Because of that… that creature. She stole away our lives, and took them to her grave. So now I cannot get anything back. I turn away, seeing red, and rid of my remaining clothes. I enter the shower and turn the hot water on the whole way, and soon, I'm engulfed in steam. The hot water works its way through my rigid and cold body. I roll my shoulders. My vision of red fades, yet I'm left with a sick feeling. Anger still twists around in my head, and a feral snarl rips through me.

"No, there is still a way. I will end it." I growl. Only then-

Someone shuts the bathroom door. I hear it click. I frown, trying to think if I heard it open. Did someone walk in? Did they walk out? It's hard to tell.

"Is anyone there?"

Silence.

I guess I've been in the shower a while now. Shutting the water off, I step out into the mirror room naked to see some clothes and a towel folded on the bench. The mirror is foggy, and someone has scrawled a message in the bottom corner:

YOU FORGOT CLOTHES AND A TOWEL, SILLY! YOU MAY NOW CALL ME SUPERWOMAN! :)

Honestly, where would I be without her? I smile briefly at my superwoman's message. Reaching out for the towel, I think at how much I owe her. She was my superwoman before this. If only I could somehow be her superman. That would be nice. But I'm not. HE is. A frustrated sigh fills the room, and the clothes find themselves on me. She brought my long sleeved shirt, a grey hoodie and faded black jeans. A comforting outfit when one is sick, as she would say.

An itch shows its bastard self in the back of my throat. Reflex takes over and I cough, the air scrapes along my raw throat and it feels like sand paper s rubbing on my airways.

"Ugh" I mutter as I stalk out of the bathroom. If I am suffering from a common cold, then that means a part of me is human, right? Do vampires get sick? I wouldn't think so. I enter the lounge sneezing, followed by quiet profanities. The first thing I notice is the sound of rain. It's louder, is that even possible? Then, the cosy warmth from the fireplace floods around me. The contrast between the hectic weather outside compared to the homey environment inside sets a relaxing and safe mood. But what makes the scene real inviting is Yuki. She has been tucked away in a fortress of pillows and blankets on the couch. I can only see her eyes and rosy cheeks, but as soon as she looks at me, I can tell she smiles.

"Hey, you." She croaks. I walk over to the couch and crawl in under the mass of blankets with her.

"Hey, superwoman."

Her grin gets impossibly wider. "Well, somebody has gotta look after you." She sticks her tongue out before I can retort. So I settle for a frown instead and snuggle in more. There's so much warmth and comfort here.

"Where is the Chairman?" I wonder out loud. He has left the fire unattended, which is rare for him. He and Yuki always bicker about whose turn it is to light the fire and who gets to keep it going. They are both pyro-maniacs, and it wouldn't surprise me if those two were actually related in some way.

"Oh, he is-"

"Right here!" the Chairman cuts Yuki off as he bounds into the room. "Now, first thing first! Let's get you children comfy." He skips to the couch, appearing to recover back to his irritating, optimistic self.

"But Cha- Father! You already have!" she wiggles under the blankets to show off what she means. The unpersuadable man waves a finger at her.

"Uh-uh Yuki, my daughter! You know this couch folds out to become a bed, and by the looks of you two, you aren't going nowhere once you've settled. So, quickly get up and I will set it up for you!" he claps and I can tell he is proud of himself. I roll my eyes at Yuki, and she starts to giggle, but ends in coughing. As we stand waiting for the Chairman to finish his tsk, I suddenly get hit with fatigue and a headache. Well, there goes our holidays. Not that I had anything planned, but staying sick- free is apparently not an option.

"There we go!" He abruptly exclaims. Yuki jumps beside me. "Now, both of you lie down and I will tuck the blankets over the top of you." He points to the bed. I snort.

"Honestly, we don't need help-!"

"Zero, just humour him for a little while, then he'll go somewhere else to play." She pulls me onto the couch/bed thing, and lies down next to me. I close my eyes as the erratic fool fusses over us. He throws down the blankets and tucks us in. I try to keep my pride from shattering as I make plans to thump his skull later.

"There we go my children! All snuggled up! Naw, how adorable, even when you're sick!" He gushes over us, all red cheeks and starry eyes.

"Gah! I swear to god-"

"Zero." Yuki clings on to my arm as she interrupts my attack. She looks at me, pulling that puppy face that annoyingly destroys me.

I huff and settle back down. The chairman beams down at us and passes the T.V remote.

"Here, so you don't get bored. Stay here, I need to go into town and I will be back. BYE!"

And he is gone. Why does he need to go? In this weather too? I think of a reason, then realise I don't really care. Yuki grabs the remote and shuffles closer so that she is curled up against my side. The movement causes heat to radiate within me, and I feel my face burn. Gah, I hate how easily she can break me down. But then again, I like how only it's only her who can.

The T.V flickers alive. Yuki, who clearly has her mind set, flicks quickly through the channels, settling on one after a couple of minutes. I can tell instantly that the program currently on is the music show, though it is difficult to hear the song playing. When the rain outside drowns all noise. Yuki must know the song though, based on the video clip, because she starts to sing along. Well, she attempts to, if you call coughing and snivelling as singing.

"You know what's a good song, Zero?" she says against my shoulder. I look down at her and shrug. She looks up at me and smiles. "'Don't', by Ed Sheeran. I love Ed Sheeran. His songs are good. Yori is in love with him. I have his album somewhere. Here, I'll go get it and we'll listen to Ed Sheeran." She starts to sit up, but I yank her back down.

"Really, you're sick. Just stay here and keep warm."

"No, it's fine. I wasn't in the rain as long as you." She sits up again, grabbing my hand that suppresses her. She smiles sadly at me, and crawls off the bed and walks away. I sigh and turn off the T.V. It's weird; the silence is louder than the rain. No, it's not the silence that's loud, it's the loneliness. I'm alone, I'm cold, I'm weak. My eyes squeeze shut as self-loathing roars hot in my blood.

"Zero?" a soft voice calls gently. I regain my vision to see Yuki gazing at me with concern, it seems. I wave at her dismissively.

"It's fine."

"If you-" she starts, but I turn away from her.

"If you're gonna put the CD on, just do it already." Uh, I already regret that amount of bitterness in my words. I hear her shuffle away. A sigh escapes me as I sit up. She is crouching down, putting the CD in a player, located near the T.V. The rain abruptly dies down, becoming a subtle lullaby in the background. Its sudden absence leaves a ringing in my ears. Yuki stands and sneezes as a song begins. This music matches the rain.

"Yuki, come here." I say as I force myself to stretch my arms out towards her. She reacted quicker than I expected, resulting in me being knocked back down as she flies into my embrace.

"I'm sorry." She snivels.

"Hey, you've got nothing to apologise for." I mumble as I awkwardly try to get us back under the blankets. Realising what I want, she moves away and we both slide under the covers. Rolling onto my side so I'm facing her, I pull her close again. She curls up against me as fatigue overwhelms me. My chin rests on top of her head and my eyes drift shut and warmth lulls me to sleep…

"Hey, Zero? C-can I ask you a question?" Her voice drags me back to consciousness.

"Yeah."

"Um, this is kinda awkward, and I don't wanna upset you-"

"It's fine, just ask." I inhale, and her comforting scent fills my head. She clears her throat and shifts uncomfortably.

"T-tell me about your parents?" she stutters quietly.

Like I've been zapped, I instantly recoil from her. My heart thuds and I stare wide eyed at her worried face. She blushes and walks away. A quiet yet growing panic swirls cold in my chest.

"I'm sorry." She whispers yet again.

"No."

"Pardon?"

"Don't. It's fine."

"I hurt you."

"No, you didn't. Don't cry either."

Zero, I-"

"Come here. It's really okay. Don't cry." I pull her to our former position as I grit my teeth. Get a grip on yourself, moron! Small hands skate up my chest, and in an attempt to distract myself from dangerous thoughts, I answer her question.

"My Dad was an old soul. A gentle giant, they used to call him. Of course, he was a skilled Hunter, but if you took him out of that mindset, he was just a genuine person. He had pretty strong morals, too. When it was just us, he was just a dad. You know, strong, playful, silly, all that stuff. Would do anything for the people he cherished. Mum was erratic and strong-willed. She wouldn't shut up when she got excited, but she was funny. She was just a mum. Caring, warm. They were both such loving people. Yuki, I know you think hunters are soulless humans who slaughter vampires, but the reason people like us do this is to protect humans. Hunters are only part-time killers. They have families and loved ones. And not one of them deserve to…" I shut up, embarrassed for talking so long about nothing. "Sorry, forget all that." I mutter.

"No," she says, her hands that were on my chest travel up to my face. She looks at me forcefully. "Listen, Zero. This just proves to me that I was right about your true nature. You're not a monster, vampire or not. You think like a human, with a warm heart. I never thought hunters were soulless. As for your parents, they sound beautiful. They did a good job raising a similar life. Don't be ashamed of this past, or telling it. It's okay to love them and yourself!"

I close my eyes and sigh while trying to think of a response.

"Yu-" I start, but the rain starts up loudly again. It drowns out all noise, so I open my eyes instead of talking. She gazes at me steadily. One hand rests on my cheek, the other on my heart. I rest my forehead against hers. "Thank you." I whisper. The rain says the rest.

Um, yeah. I still need to improve my writing, ugh sorry :/ Like I said, I have started chapter three, but I'm not sure if I should finish it… But there is an AU on the way! Hopefully I will be able to work on bits and pieces, but I have exams coming up shortly. And thank you for reading! Please, advice and opinions are always welcome =^.^=