AN: This one's a short one, with no lemon – well not really, anyway. Kaname decides to make an appearance though, so beware!

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Zero woke up to sunlight streaming through the windows and the smell of spiced apples cradled in his arms. Trying not to move too much, he raised his head to glance at the clock that blinked 10:03. Remembering it was a Saturday he sunk back down and pulled Yuuki closer to him, breathing in deeply the scent of her hair. Exhaling, he smiled softly as she stirred.

She was pulled from her dreams by the swirl of air that swept through her hair. When she her feeble attempts to stretch were crushed because there were arms binding her movement, she realized that what she had thought was a dream, wasn't. Frozen by this epiphany, she blushed furiously while wondering what she should do.

"Good morning, Yuuki. It's time for you to have a shower. You smell," Zero said, mentally adding 'wonderful' onto his last sentence. Understanding her turmoil, he released her – reluctantly – and stood up when she popped out of bed.

"O-okay. I'm s-sorry," Yuuki stammered, flying out of the room and down the hallway to the larger family bathroom. She slammed the door behind her, breathing hard, and only stopped to rip of her nightgown before jumping into the shower. Almost scalding herself, she turned the temperature down a little. Shaking, she wondered what was happening between Zero and her. As an afterthought, she speculated what would transpire in the future.

Meanwhile, back in his room Zero was reliving last night's events. Trying to skip over the juiciness, he focused on Yuuki's reactions. When he couldn't pin point any time that she seemed to be regretting or disliking the incidents, he relaxed. Maybe she feels for me what I feel for her, Zero hoped desperately. He had been containing his emotions towards Yuuki for far too long and they had built up until they suddenly spilt out. What he wasn't sure of was whether it would bring them closer or drive them apart.

xXx

Yuuki made her way back to her own room, clad only in a towel. Her wet hair stuck to her scalp and left tiny rivulets of water down her back. Before she had left the bathroom she had brushed her teeth and stuffed her clothing in the laundry bin, so she had nothing to carry. What she wasn't prepared for was the appearance of Kaname Kuran.

"Hello, dear Yuuki," he pronounced, so quietly Yuuki had to move closer to hear him. Kaname opened his arms and pulled her towards him for a hug and Yuuki didn't resist. It had been a few months since she had seen him last because he had been away on business. He held her close and felt the beating of her heart against his chest soothe his natural reactions to Yuuki being so close.

When she tried to pull away the towel got caught on one of Kaname's buttons, and the fabric slipped down to her waist, baring her breasts to the world. She gasped loudly while Kaname just stared, surprised and utterly fascinated. Standing stock-still, he reached out to touch her tender flesh, stroking the soft curves of her flesh, making her nipples harden. She yelped and Zero materialized at the end of the hall, brought by the sound of her distress.

Yuuki blinked, and Zero was abruptly had covered half the distance between them. Kaname had finally removed his hand. She came to her senses and yanked the towel around herself, trying to secure it while backing away towards her room. She felt the doorknob poke her in the lower back just as Zero's hands surrounded Kaname's neck. With a squeak, she escaped into the shelter of her bedroom, locking the door behind her.

"You son of a bitch Kuran! You dare touch Yuuki in that manner again, I'll kill you," Zero hissed through his bared teeth, his fingers crushed around Kaname's air pipe. He had pressed the pureblood against the wall, furious with the Kuran vampire's blatant violation of Yuuki. Kaname smiled widely before planting a hand squarely on Zero's chest. He threw Zero backwards so firmly that Zero hit the other wall of the hallway before sliding down, knocked out by the force of Kaname's push.

When he roused seconds later, Kaname was standing over him with his hands in his pockets, looking completely relaxed and slightly amused. Zero struggled to his feet, using the wall as support, his head spinning. Kaname backed up, waiting until Zero had gotten his feet planted before assaulting him again, using words as a weapon this time.

"She will never be yours, Kiryuu. You are a pitiful vampire, soon to fall to level E. When you lose your humanity, she will come to me and I will destroy you, erasing you from history. Good day, Zero." With that, Kaname walked away the way he had come, never looking back. Zero lost his footing and slid back down the wall, knowing the words for truth.