Yuki rolled over and yawned before slowly opening her chocolate brown eyes. "Hey."

The corner of Zeros' mouth lifted giving her a half smile. "Hey. Thanks for helping me, Yuki, you didn't have to."

"I wanted to." She replied softly with a small smile. "We should probably get cleaned up and head to dinner before someone comes looking for us. I just hope it won't be sensei Toga this time."

He turned onto his side and pulled the blanket over his head. She scooted quickly to his side and yanked the blanket down, pouncing on him to tickle his sides. "Get up, Zero!"

"I'm up! Damn it, I'm up!" He exclaimed attempting to ward off her attacks. "Get off me; I need to get a shower." He tried to get up to run to the bathroom.

"Oh no, you don't! I get the shower first!" Yuki yelled shoving Zero down before rolling off the bed and running into the bathroom. They reached the bathroom and engaged in another tickle fight, eventually falling into the bathtub in a fit of laughter. She looked up into his lilac eyes and her laughter died out, leaving her blushing and attempting to stand as quickly as possible in their situation. She cleared her throat and ducked her head shyly, turning to get a change of clothes for him.

She knocked on the door, waiting for his muffled answer before walking in and laying his clothes on the shelf beside the clean towels. "I have some of you good shirts since that was your last clean uniform that was ruined this afternoon. I hope that's alright."

"Yes, thank you, Yuki. I will see you at dinner then." He mumbled uncomfortably while he stared at the ground.

"See you at dinner." She closed the door and read while she waited for her turn in the shower.

*** Time skip-1 week ***

"Zero, hurry up! We're going to be late!" Yuki yelled as she finished buttoning her favorite white blouse.

"I'm hurrying Yuki! This damned button won't go through!" Zero yelled from the bathroom.

"Oh for Petes' sake!" She exclaimed as she flung the bathroom door open and walked over to him taking his shirt in her smaller hands. With no trouble at all she quickly fastened his remaining buttons and straightened his shirt to look more presentable. "There, now you are ready."

They hurried down the hall hand-in-hand, running as fast as they were able without disturning their neat appearance-which wasn't very fast-toward the meeting hall for a confernce with the Council. The Hunters and Senate had united to form the Council, presiding over the matters involving the marriage of Zero and Yuki to save Lord Kaname and the current position of the approaching threat.

Zero and Yuki had been going out to dinner to try to connect romantically so they could easier convince the students residing at the Academy they were marrying for love. The Council insisted it was necessary to keep the Academy from being thrown into panic upon learning that danger was coming.

Yuki and Zero learned about each other the past week and that they worked well together. They both had a protectiveness that made them a fierce adversary. They had begun to enjoy their time together away from prying eyes and ears. A time to themselves they never had outside of their room-for they had indeed moved in together the day after the incident with Ruka and Aido-and they even talked about their pasts a bit more. Zero opened up about his childhood and his Hunter training while Yuki told him what went on before Zero was found. Neither was aware of Yagari noting their progress and reporting to Headmaster Kaien whenever they walked to their room. He did not listen to their conversation but watched their interaction and how they reacted to each other.

When Zero and Yuki reached the conference room they paused outside, hearing raised voices from inside. They cautiously opened the door and slipped inside, facing a very furious group of people. The Hunters and Senate members stood on the opposite sides of the table yelling at each other in a flury of insults and declarations that made Yuki blush a deep tomato red. Zero pulled out Bloody Rose and released a warning shot toward the ceiling, causing the Council to drop the argument and look at them.

"Zero! Do not shoot inside the campus! You will fix the ceiling as soon as this meeting is finished!" Headmaster Kaien shouted angrily.

"Headmaster, please. There has been enought shouting in this room thusfar. Can we not discuss this in a calm, civilized manner?" Yuki pleaded, looking at her adopted father with hope.

"She's right, Kaien." Yagari spoke from his assigned seat at the other side of the room.

Yuki grabbed Zeros' hand and hurried to their seats on the Hunter side of the table, sitting side by side next to Yagari. She smiled at her teacher in gratitude before turning to listen to the headmaster call the meeting into session.

"So the threat is moving closer much sooner than was originally anticipated. The plans for the wedding are going well, according to reports from the couple. So the question remains; do we move up the wedding date to ensure our plan works? Or . . . do we go on as planned and hope for the best?"

The Council looked troubled, eyebrows furrowing with deep thought for it was a difficult choice with heavy consequences either way.

After half an hour of baited breath headmaster Kaien looked around the room, making eye contact with each person. "Has the Council reached a decision?"

A vampire Senator leaned toward a Hunter briefly before standing elegantly. "We have."