I am blessed enough to be in requited love for the second time in my life! Again the man who holds my heart is a vampire, beasts that I hunt down and kill for a living, but doesn't matter to me in the slightest. It is true that I was brutally betrayed by my first love, a born vampire named Kain Akatsuki, but I've grown since then. But because of the pain his sudden betrayal, I held an intense fear of abandonment that was mistaken for a blatant distrust of vampires. I'm not entirely sure that I'm healed enough yet to trust my heart fully to anyone, but I know that with patience, I am able to give it to another. With the help of my hero and family friend, I realized the truth of my aversion and I am ready to take a chance on love again with my partner, human born Kiryuu Zero.

"Zero!" I ran excitedly from my room, shouting at the top of my lungs for the vampire that gave me his word he'd be waiting for me.

"Yuu?" He peeked up at me from the couch in the sitting room. He was careful to stay low enough so that we could barely see each other.

"Zero..." I froze in place, suddenly shaking like a weeping willow in a tornado.

I... I couldn't face him... After all of this, I still can't face him...

Why? Why can't I move? Why can't I look at him...?

Zero... Why can't I do anything?

He frowned, knowing me well enough to know that it was still too soon for me to look at him. I could see the pain in the eyes that couldn't be blinked away. Those eyes still held such anguish... Zero...!

He shifted his position uneasily, unsure of how to react, "Yuu, you're not ready for this."

I struggled against the darkness that pinned me from my own outer light...From Zero... I wasn't sure if it was enough, but I managed to move my head to disagree. It couldn't end like this, "Zero-"

He cut me off, "Don't push yourself, Yuu."

I shook my head again and took a deep breath, breathing slowly until I had control of my body once again. I ambled over to the couch, each step a thousand times farther and more painful than the last. I know what I had to do before I even sat down. I really didn't want to, but I knew that now was the time to do it if it was ever to work. If I really loved him and wanted to be by his side, I had to tell him everything...

"When I told you that I loved you, I meant it," Having said that, I sat a mile away from him, my eyes focused on the ground, and my arms crossed around my knees. I was not eager to share my past, even with him, "Zero, before we say anymore about what recently occurred, you should know about my past,"

"Yuu," He knew that even though I'm an open person, I would rarely mention certain things about my past. No, that's not true. I never spoke of my past, even to Shishou.

"So, you know that I was in love once before?" I looked sideways at him, worried about how he would take the news.

He looked inwards, thinking of something in his own past, "We're old enough to have loved another in the past."

I nodded in agreement, "Well, he was a vampire too. We met late one night on a mission, and he saved my life. It shocked us both a great deal, I could tell. Anyways, he let me stay with him while I searched for my target. And surprise, surprise, we ended up growing close in a very short amount of time. Though it was frowned upon, we became lovers. It was great while it lasted, but in my time with him, I forgot who my target was, and the Association needed results."

"I know what they're like," He gave an involuntary shudder.

"Well, I was torn, wanting my first mission to end as a success so I could win my father's approval, but at the same time, I refused to harm my lover. I tried to postpone my deadline as long as I could so I could figure out what I wanted to do, but it was slowly killing me. I was dying from the stress of my position. Well, the night I had made up my mind, I went to tell him first, but he told me it was over between us, saying he had just been playing a game with me. It broke my heart, but I still refused to kill him at the time. After a while, I went back to find him to see if he was making it up that night, but he made it clear to me that he wasn't, and ever since, I have wanted nothing more than his death," I don't know when, but I started to cry during my tale.

"Kuran Kaname," Zero assumed he was my lover because of how much I wanted to kill him and his 'family'.

"No, Akatsuki. Kain Akatsuki," I said his name with as much spite as was possible.

"Then why kill everyone else?" He was confused by my logic. Or rather, my lack of logic.

"The old me would have said it was because they were vampires. The truth is that I once made a promise that I wouldn't harm him or his cousin. However, after what he did to me, I swore that I would kill him and anyone remotely close to him," I calmed down, a flash of venom in my mouth.

He nodded, "Yuu, if you were with a vampire before, why were you so afraid of me?"

"I was afraid... I was afraid that you would hurt me like he hurt me, but because of how my mother died, it morphed from a simple commitment issue into a fear of vampires at its surface," I explained, grateful for Cross Kaien making me realize it.

"So, you really did love him, didn't you?" Zero mused aloud, obviously a bit jealous.

"I won't lie to you, I did love him, once, very much. In fact, if things hadn't been the way they were, I would probably be married to him right now... But, I'm glad it happened this way," I smiled shyly, stealing a glance at Zero.

"Why?" Zero's inferiority complex came out in full force again.

"Because I didn't love him the way I thought I did! When we met, I found something true," I turned on my knees and practically climbed on top of him, "You are it for me. I love you Zero, I love you! I thought that I really had the true 'spend forever together' kind of love with him, but as I got to know you, possibly before, I came to find that truth is I only had a teenager's infatuation with him,"

"You seem that you would chose him if you could," He scoffed at me, jaded by his own love interest.

That grilled me, so I rounded in on him, "Zero, just because that girl chose that other guy over you doesn't mean that your unfit for love! I know it must be upsetting for you, knowing my past, but none of that matters to me anymore! I love you, and only you!"

"Yuu, you're too excited," He tried to push me back, but I wouldn't budge.

"Zero, what are you saying? You tell me that you care about me, but you're doing this? Are you really so down on yourself that you push me away when you want me the most? You're trying to protect me from yourself? Is that it? Well stop it! I know the risks in being with you, but I know that the reward is more than worth it. I just wish you'd see that for yourself," I pointed it out to him, doing my best to keep from beating some sense into him.

He was silent for a moment, mulling things over. I sat back and watched him like a barely breathing hawk, patiently waiting for him to come to his senses. Zero began to get up to leave, but I wrapped my arms around his back to prevent that. I shook my head, needing a resolution now. He sighed and looked back at me from over his shoulder, semi-grateful for my actions and persistence. After what felt like eons, he faced me completely, his answer found.

"I do hide behind any excuse I can to protect those closest to me. I do love you, and I want to be there for you, but I'm so worried that I'll hurt you. A part of me doesn't even want to try, because the thought of losing you is too much to bear," He frowned, looking at me for forgiveness.

"Zero, this won't be easy for either of us, I can promise you that much, but as long as we fight, it will all work out at the end of the day, I know it," I smiled, "Because I know that I can trust you,"

Zero smiled, sitting by my side, "From now on, we'll have each other to share our pain with, to bear our burdens with, and to laugh with. It's us against the world now," He grabbed my hand in his, "But I have faith in us,"

"You should," I kissed his hand, "Because trust is all we can have in life."

...Later that night...

Kaien surprised up and already made us dinner when we sat at the table; vegetable stew with sliced fruits and green tea. He was still in his apron and Zero and I were in our pajamas. We had spent the rest of the day, which there wasn't a whole lot left after our conversation, in his room, merely enjoying each other's company and speaking a bit of this and that. My room was too messy as I hadn't cleaned it in my depression. I had the sneaking suspicion that Kaien had been watching us from inside the school. I bet Zero noticed the same fly on the wall as I did.

"You two seem closer," Kaien commented at the dinner table, 'cutely' attempting to force a confession from either of us.

I laughed, leaving no clues in my wake, holding Zero's hand on top of the table so he could suffer from not knowing, "Really? I have no idea why,"

Zero rolled his eyes at my childishness like always, though a tiny little smile was on his lips, "Idiots,"

Kaien looked between us, his hands laced under his chin and the look a principal gives a student when they want to lecture them on his face, "Yuu, you wouldn't hide something like this would you? And Zero, I know you wouldn't lie to daddy!"

"You're not my father," He gave Kaien the cold shoulder as he aslways did.

Of course I took pity on my second father, "Don't mind him, Zero. He's just being himself,"

"Yuu! You're such a great girl!" He beamed at me as he clasped both my hands, stealing one from his 'son'.

"Thank you. Well, if you don't mind, I haven't taken a shower today, so I think I'm gonna go now," I got up and walked toward the bathroom before turning around quickly, "Don't follow me! I'm a girl of some principals, ok buddy?"

Kaien looked at Zero, "Did I miss something?"

Zero shook his head discreetly, "Not really,"

More than a few weeks later...

"Hey, Zero?" I clutched my pillow to my mouth for dear life, positive that he would still hear me just fine.

"Hmm?" He absently sniffed my hair, still damp from my bath.

"Are you happy being here with me? I know you said it weeks ago, but I can't help but wonder if you meant it. About Yuuki," I looked over my shoulder at him with wide eyes.

"Yuu, even though you won't see it, you'll always care for Akatsuki. It's the same for me and Yuuki, but even if we had a chance, I wouldn't take it, because I love you," He kissed my cheek.

"Say we temporarily broke-up, would you take her back then?" I had to know, because it had been eating at me for a few days now.

"No, she's a monster now," He shook his head with finality.

"What if I was a monster? Would you hate me then too?" I trembled sadly.

He sat up so he could look me completely in the eyes, "It's a whole different situation. Yuuki was really a vampire the entire time, and she never loved me like that, you do. I don't know everything you've been through in your life, but I know that you can understand me, she never could. Yuu, it is true there are similarities between the both of you and the situations are vaugely alike, but you, not Yuuki, are the most important thing to me,"

I smiled in spite of my selfpity, "Really?"

He nodded. My Zero, he could be so verbal sometimes - But he was lucky that he was right about me being able to read him.

"Zero, that's either the corniest thing I've ever heard or the sweetest," I wrapped my arms around his neck and kissed him deeply, pulling him back down on the bed with me.

"Oi, are you two ready yet?" Kaien knocked on the door impatiently, ruining yet another perfect moment.

I swear, Zero and I will never be able to make love as long as Kaien or my father are around! I could kiss them.

We laughed, loving this chance to frazzle our "boss". Kaien was really losing it today, but Zero and I assumed it was because he was host a gala to encourage human-vampire cooperation. Yes, Kaien's dream was not yet dead!

"Dammit, I'm trusting you both to help," He knocked on the door again.

Zero left my side and opened the door with a hasty jerk, "Maybe if we didn't have to interact with them all the time,"

"Hey, it's not so bad. We get to go in together, so that eases things a bit," I walked up behind him and put my hand reassuringly on his back.

He looked back at me acidly, "Sure, take his point of view, leech lover,"

I huffed my cheeks, "At least I'm not the one who pretends to be something I'm not,"

"You really wanna go down that road?" His eyes flashed dangerously.

I rolled my eyes at his melodrama, "I mean that even though you act all bad, you're sweet,"

He sighed, "Of course that's what you meant,"

Kaien looked between us in surprise, "Are you two fighting?"

We looked at him in shock, "Of course not,"

"You don't have to pretend for my sake!" Kaien exclaimed, dramatically grabbing onto my arm and dragging me from my boyfriend.

I looked at Zero for help and patted Kaien's arm sympathetically when I saw that it was a lost cause, "We'll see you later,"

He waved, closing the door behind us, whispering in my ear, "Just wait a little."

I wanted to ask what he was planing, but I was ushered away to Kaien's office. He walked to look out the window before he spoke to me again, a grave look on his face. Not a comical one as he usually wore, but a genuinely frightened look. I rushed to his side and wrapped my arm around his like a little girl would and rested my head on his shoulder. After all, I was like his daughter...

"Yuu, do you still plan on killing him?" He glanced down at me, "Please, tell me the truth."

I didn't need to ask who he was speaking of, "It is my life's goal to see that man dead."

"Would you kill him, even if I asked you not to?" He was beginning to startle me by his questions.

"If you sincerely mean it, I might try to hold off for your sake," My eyes fell to my feet at once, "Oh, so that's why you brought me here, isn't it?"

He nodded, "Zero already knows. I spoke to him while you were in the bath."

I nodded, choking back hot tears, "You really want me to do this for you? You know how I feel!"

"Not just for him," A voice echoed from the doorway.

I didn't need to look to know who was speaking, "You're in on this too, Shisho?"

My father entered the room, shaking his head, "Not exactly. It's my idiot apprentice. He couldn't ask you this himself because he doesn't want to hurt you-"

"Yuuki. He doesn't want me to hurt Yuuki. That's it, isn't it?" I felt my tears freeze on my face, "Isn't it?"

They sighed, "Yuu-"

"No," I stood under the light, "If it's for Zero, I won't touch them. But if anything, and I mean anything, untoward occurs, I won't hold back for anyone."

I promised them that. I wouldn't lay a hand on anyone in the Kuran family's inner circle, unless I was provoked...

Alright, this took forever to come out, but not as long as the last time. I think. This underwent a few changes, but not too many. I was thinking about making the gala into a new school (like college), but I decided against it. I think it'd be way beyond my skill, so I'm gonna hold off on doing a school story. Oh, and Zero told Yuu that he still might have a thing for for Yuuki when they first got together, but I decided to hold off that little sub-plot.