Author Notes: Happy New Year to all of you! I hope you all had a good start in 2012!

I have to add, to avoid any kind of confusion, that unlike in the books, Zero didn`t vow in this story that he would kill Yuki. It`s because his relationship with Kaname, even back at Cross Academy, is different, but you`ll get to know more about that in the next chapter. Just keep it in mind, when you read this one.^^

Appreciation: Special thanks to YenGirl, who didn`t only check the chapter for language errors, but also helped me to improve it noticeable. The chapter wouldn`t be the same without her.=)

A Fateful Encounter

Dawn arrived. A new day began and the early morning sun turned the sky into a sea of bright colors. Even the cars glistened like jewelry of pure gold. Dewdrops took on the appearance of pearls as they moved slowly over the surface of the leaves or fell down to the earth like precious diamonds, changing their color each second, until they hit the ground.

Cheerfully, the birds hopped from branch to branch and their chirping woke even the well-proven late riser, who would have otherwise only turned to the other side if their alarm clock had rung.

Irritated, Zero reached towards his nightstand to turn off the disturbing noises. He finally realized that the chirping didn't stop no matter how often he hit his clock. Violet orbs blinked open and stared slightly disorientated at the wooden ceiling.

For one moment, he believed that he was still there.

The chirping of the birds, the diffused light of the sun and the first morning breeze that already held the promise of a hot and humid day… those days in the jungle when he had woken up in the middle of the rainforest, surrounded by plants he couldn't even name.

Zero almost thought that the last few hours had just been a dream, but with just one deep breath, he knew for sure that he wasn't on the mission anymore. The scent of blood, pancakes and his lover could only mean that he hadn't imagined Kaname`s presence, but that the young pureblood had really been with him for the last few hours.

He was home!

Still tired, but with a contented smile playing around the corner of his lips, Zero sat up and gazed around his bedroom. The apartment wasn't the largest and there were surely buildings closer to the city center, but this place was his own.

After graduation, Zero had chosen to live on his own and decided to rent this apartment. To tell the truth, Cross had to support him for the first year, until he earned enough money to pay for everything.

Zero rubbed his eyes and stared around at the bare walls. Funny, he had lived here for nearly five years now, but the apartment still looked like his room back at Cross Academy. He shook his head. He didn't know why the Spartan furnishings only struck him now, after he had yearned to return home every damned day he had had to hunt vampires in the rain forests.

Sighing, he finally got up. Entering the kitchen after a quick shower, he spared the dishes in the sink only a brief glance. He could do that after he had had breakfast. As soon as he opened the refrigerator, he was confronted with a large range of food that would have been enough to feed a whole company of hungry men.

Smiling faintly to himself, Zero selected two eggs, bacon and a fresh green pepper before taking a pan and turning to the oven. It seemed like Kaname had too much free time if he was able to pick up such a large amount of food for his lover. But actually… no. Zero shook his head, a dark frown appeared on his forehead.

Kaname had close to no free time at all. Even after hours of lovemaking, Zero could stay in bed for as long as he desired, but Kaname had to get dressed and leave for an important meeting.

Really, Zero thought to himself while the eggs baked in the pan, he should have remembered that Kaname didn't get two free weeks after every closed deal like a hunter got after an especially long mission. His lover hadn`t even had the chance to rest during the night.

Sighing, Zero turned off the burner and put his breakfast on his plate before sitting down at the table. He wasn't even sure if Kaname had eaten something before he left. The sinking feeling of guilt almost choked Zero.

Their different lifestyles had even been the cause of problems, when they were both at Cross Academy. They had had to plan beforehand, if they had wanted to spend more than a few hours in each other's company. Even now, it seemed like they couldn't even manage to be together for a whole day.

Of course, Zero thought as he attacked his eggs with a knife, he could change his lifestyle. Hunters often had to hunt at night and to sleep during the day in order to fulfill their job, but still…

He didn't want to!

Zero shook his head in resignation. Sometimes, he didn`t even understand himself. On the one hand, he loved to be with Kaname, to drink his blood, to make love with him or just sit around and talk, but on the other hand he was afraid that he would give up himself if he adapted to his lover's rhythm.

With an aggressive gesture, Zero dispelled such dark thoughts from his mind. He wouldn't let them ruin his day. He nodded to himself and after looking out at the bright sunlit sky, he decided that it was the perfect weather to wander through the city.

He gazed at the dishes in the sink and sighed. Well, business before pleasure. The sound of the running water and the chirping of the birds blended together and let Zero looking forward to his first free day in weeks.

OOO

There were people everywhere. The outdoor cafés as well as the public benches and every type of seating available were crowded by sunbathers enjoying the warmth of the day.

Zero didn't compete with the masses, who jumped at a free seat the moment any seated persons showed the slightest sign of getting up. He smiled faintly as he saw a little girl who pointed at a dropped ice-cream while crying her heart out. Ah yes… life had been so easy at that age.

He continued to look around. A young couple regarded the rings in the showcase of a jewelery store while a teenage girl seemed to consider buying one of the skirts which were on display in the showcase of a boutique.

Zero loved to walk around and watch people. Each time he came back from a mission, he went into the city. Although he blended in the masses, he didn't feel like he was one of the ignorant pedestrians thronging the sidewalks. Even now, when he wasn't officially on a mission, his senses were on full alert. He recognized the various scents of the city, heard the faintest whispers of the people who surrounded him and regarded everyone who passed him with more consideration than others did.

Zero sighed. Really, he should relax some more. It wasn't very likely that a vampire would hunt humans in the middle of the day. It was only when he considered buying an ice cream for himself that he felt it. He stopped abruptly.

A vampire!

Zero could feel it. His senses told him that one of those damned bloodsuckers was here, very close to him as a matter of fact. He spun around and watched the people around him closely, but he couldn't trace the aura of the vampire. He thought of calling the Headquarter to ask if some Level E had gone crazy in this part of the city when he caught himself.

Dear God, it was the middle of the day! No Level E, regardless of how crazy it was, would go hunting at this time of day. He wasn't in the rainforest of Brazil anymore. It was one of those bloody purebloods and most of them wouldn't attack humans in the middle of the shopping mall.

Zero shook his head. Did he really want to spend his first free day in two months thinking about some weird bloodsucker? No, he decided. He turned towards one of the ice cream parlors and froze on the spot.

No, it wasn't possible! It couldn't be real, he must be dreaming!

He swallowed. Then he blinked.

No, there wasn't any doubt left… It was her!

Long dark hair that spilled over her shoulders and down her back, a slender form, big browneyes and an aura that would put every hunter within a two mile radius on full alert especiallywhen she wasn't even attempting to suppress it.

Yuki Kuran.

How long had it been since he had last seen her? Zero didn't even have time to answer his own question. His feet were already leading him to the table of the sidewalk café where the young pureblood princess was seated. He didn't even have time to decide what to do or say when large, brown orbs looked up from the menu and grew even bigger when their owner recognized him.

"Zero!"

He was completely unprepared for what happened next. One second, Yuki was still seated at the table and the next, she had jumped up and thrown her arms around him to hug him like there was no tomorrow.

Gasping, Zero didn't dare breathe for what seemed like an eternity. Dear God, when was the last time that he had been this close to her? It had to be years ago! Sure, he had seen her at various vampire hosted soirees in town, but he hadn't had the chance to speak to her in private then. The Hunter Association and the Vampire Senate might be forced to work together, but that didn't mean that they trusted each other. Those damned bloodsuckers certainly didn't trust their precious pureblood princess around a hunter so Zero had no choice but to accept the fact they would never be left alone at those soirees and that made a real conversation impossible.

Without thinking, Zero returned the embrace and inhaled her unique sweet scent, which reminded him of both cherries and strawberries.

"Yuki!"

The young pureblood princess looked up. Their eyes locked for a few moments before a brilliant smile brightened her features. She took a step back to have a better look at the young hunter.

"Zero, I haven`t seen you in…" She frowned slightly and shook her head. "Well, at least, it's been a while. How are you?"

She looked him over and her frown deepened.

"Hey, do you eat enough? You look so… skinny!"

"Yuki!

Sighing, Zero rolled his eyes at her. She was now a beautiful young woman that every man, human or vampire, would probably give his right hand to gain a date with her, but she still behaved exactly like she had back at Cross Academy. It didn't seem like Yuki would ever understand that she wasn't responsible for him.

"No excuses! Sit down and eat some ice-cream with me… No, I won't accept any protests!" She added when Zero looked like he was about to argue. "Yori-chan has just left and I need someone to keep me some company so that I can test the new type of ice-cream."

Yuki smiled triumphantly when Zero sat down without any more resistance. She didn't expect to meet him here in the city, but she was crazy if she let such a golden opportunity pass without spending at least some time with her old friend. She gave Zero a warning look when he placed his order, to remind him that she wouldn't let him order his usual pot of green tea.

"There, I knew that it couldn't be that difficult," she said smilingly after Zero had ordered a sundae.

"What?"

Violet orbs looked confusedly at Yuki.

"Ordering something sweet, I mean."

Zero ignored that comment. He watched skeptically as Yuki balanced an extreme large portion of ice-cream on her spoon and closed her lips around it.

"I assume that it's very hard not to gain weight when you eat such amounts of sugar and fat,

right?"

"What cheek!"

Their eyes locked. They both stopped breathing. The moment was frozen in time.

Then Yuki blinked. Zero grinned. Before they could help themselves they were both laughing their heads off like they hadn't done in years. Soon, Yuki was gasping for air while happy tears ran down her cheeks.

Dear God, it felt great that she didn't have to care what others might think of her right now. There were no other vampires in sight and Zero probably wouldn't even mind if she started to throw ice-cream at him.

She eyed him thoughtfully over the top of her sundae. It was true. Zero really had lost weight, but he didn't look skinny at all. No, Yuki thought to herself with some surprise, he looked fit, toned and quite… manly. He was no longer the angry, lonely and desperate boy she had gotten to know.

In short, Zero had become a very attractive man. She guessed that even vampire would have to admit that. Well, of course, not many would say it out loud if they thought a hunter attractive, but she had no such scruple. Surely there would to be many women who agreed with her and would give everything they owned for a night with Zero?

Yuki blushed faintly and an unheard sigh escaped past her lips. She was sure that Zero would be just as… handsome even if he hadn't been turned into a vampire, while she would still look like an elementary school student if Kaname hadn't awakened her.

"Is something the matter?"

Zero was knitting his eyebrows interrogatively at her.

"No," Yuki shook her head. "It's nothing. I was just thinking about our times back at Cross Academy."

Although that wasn't exactly untrue, it didn't lead to a conversation she had hoped for either.

Zero knew that he was supposed to come up with some old story about their nightly patrols or Yuki's helplessness at math, but he just couldn't find the words. Yes, he was very happy that he had met her, but at the same time she reminded him so much of her elder brother. Zero couldn't help but wonder what Kaname would say if he saw them here now. Of course, the young hunter had spoken with Yuki at some of those soirees, but they hadn`t been alone back then. Kaname had always been there too, but now…

No. Zero bit his inner lip, it was absolutely crazy to even consider this chance encounter as some kind of cheating, but still… he didn`t think that he would tell Kaname about it.

His violet orbs swept over her slender body without missing a single detail. She was so beautiful. Yuki really looked like a real princess now, but at the same time, she was still the same kind person she always had been. He just hoped that Kaname chased off every man who tried to approach her. Zero most certainly would if he ever witnessed how someone tried to make a move on her. It was good that he got so little chance to see Kaname and Yuki interact with each other, because otherwise he didn't know if he could stand to watch how openly they showed their love for each other.

"Zero, are you okay?"

Yuki had felt his eyes on her the whole time. It seemed like he was searching for something or... No, it was more like he had already found what he was looking for, but couldn't find the right words to express himself.

Their eyes met for one brief moment before Zero looked away again.

Yuki swallowed.

Zero had looked at her the same way Kaname did when he was about to kiss her. To tell the truth, her brother had looked at her like that just this morning, when he had embraced her and wished her a good day. Yes, Zero regarded her with that same longing in his eyes. In fact, she was quite sure that if she gave him just one hint that she wouldn't mind if he really wanted to…

No. Yuki shoved the strange thought away just as Zero spoke again.

"I have to go… The washing… I have just come back from a mission… I have so much to do…"

Zero tried to stand up, but Yuki`s hand around his wrist prevented him from doing so.

"You're living in the apartment building in the East Street, right?"

Zero swallowed and nodded.

"Yes." The word was nothing more than a husky whisper.

"Good!"

Slowly, Yuki let go of Zero's wrist. A faint smiled played around the corner of her lips.

Slowly, Zero left. As he walked back home, he couldn't help but recall that last part of their conversation over and over again. It felt like some kind of omen that would come true in the near future.