Chapter Four: Day for Love

"For it was not into my ear you whispered, but into my heart. It was not my lips you kissed, but my soul."

-Judy Garland

She was sick of hearing about chocolates, about valentine's day, about the girls constantly starry-eyed over the night class students that often made her want to lose her lunch. She could agree that they were visually appealing, but that didn't mean everything...much of anything really for a real relationship. The entire event seemed shallow, without any true feeling, she was only looking at the magazines cause it was easier to say she wasn't sure who to get chocolate for than to tell folks she wasn't planning on getting any at all.

Even Yuki was looking at plans to make chocolates for Kaname, however much she protested the teasing Yori and Zero were offering to her as to how transparent she actually was. Zero looked downright angry today and Kagome was still mad at him for being so mean to her the night when Aidou had attacked Yuki.

Almost two weeks had passed sense then, she'd rarely had time to speak with Yuki except sometimes between classes and the Chairman had told her if she wanted to wander the grounds then she should apply to be a prefect. She was content staying in her room after that night and nothing else had happened that she'd heard about.

Zero acted fairly normal, for him at least, on occasion, it was almost impossible to tell most of the time that he wasn't another human. She only sometimes had twinges of something else from him and it didn't make her nauseous anymore, only a bit nervous rarely.

Yesterday someone had stabbed themselves on a pencil and she had to gasp at the amount of control he executed, she could feel the want pour off of him a moment before he had excused himself. She glanced back at where he was now glaring hatefully at the students saying he could possible be the one boy to get chocolates. They stopped commenting after a few moments and she resisted the smile that threatened to show when he glanced at her before storming out at the bell.

She sighed, she'd almost managed to have a decent word. Instead she was left to finish some homework and consider the chocolate forms. It might be good if she went into the city and got something for someone just so the other girls wouldn't single her out.

She closed her books to leave them for later. Getting into town and back would have to be quick. Though once she got to the shop she'd been stuck with one of the larger boxes, all the small ones had been bought out. So she was staring at it with a frown as she approached the area with all the day class trying to sneak into the night class dorms just in time to see Zero catch a girl that fell down from the wall in a failed attempt to climb over.

He set her on her feet and turned toward the rest, annoyance obvious in his tone. "If too many people try to break the rules then the event may be discontinued altogether."

There were calls of protest before Yuki organized everyone into lines in which they could hand over their offers to specific night class members. She felt a little sick as she sensed them in the distance, backing to the back of the area with people and thankful that some of the girls mistook her nausea for nervousness. It was like watching people line up as willing cattle...this place seemed so wrong...

Yuki explained but she wasn't really paying attention until the blonde haired boy ran out and got corrected by Kaname, there was more of an electricity in the air. It was amazing no one else could feel it, or could they? She couldn't know.

Regardless she hid in the back, until one of the girls pulled her forward in the throng and she was steadily pushed to the front of things. Blushing slightly when she was shoved right into Kaname, who didn't move but caught her before she fell to the ground, raising an eyebrow at her getting shoved into him and the disgusted expression on her face.

She didn't noticed the death glare Ruka was sending her way. The rest of the pure bloods were busy with people and boxes of chocolates of their own.

"Sorry." Kagome offered, steadying herself and not backing away only cause his hand was still on her shoulder.

"Not your fault it seems." He commented calmly, watching her reaction. "Are you all right?"

"Fine." She lied, lifting her hand to remove his, which only gave him another moment of pause before he released her.

"You should perhaps rest if you aren't feeling well." He offered, much to her dislike when the rest of the crowd of girls around him where trying to burn holes into her with their eyes. "Is the box for someone in particular. It seems special."

"Not really." She blinked slowly but didn't hold it out to him. Instead it was still across her chest where she'd been holding it to keep it from coming apart during her ride through the crowd.

"Kuran Senpai." The call from Zero drew the attention of both of them and the small green and gold box flying through the air Kaname caught a moment later. "You dropped that."

She could see the blush on Yuuki's face even from the distance. After she tried to hiss at Zero she didn't get to finish before Kaname spoke. "I'll accept it. Thank you Yuki."

Kagome took the chance of distraction to move away while other girls were still trying to get his attention. Not noticing that he glanced after her for just a moment before smiling at Yuki and continuing toward class and passing his boxes to the night class girl with a short blue bob of hair. She couldn't remember that ones name but hadn't seen her much.

She turned back to see just Zero and Yuki speaking when Zero paused and ran off to the side. She shook her head lightly and sighed when she saw another girl following Zero away toward the small stable on the grounds. She fell into line after them, frowning now at the thick foliage in some areas and pausing when she heard the yell from ahead of her.

"Go away!"

It was definitely Zero. She saw the girl that had following him dashing away with a small box of chocolates, eyes blurry with tears and her face broken with fear.

"Does he always have to be such a jerk?" She sighed and picked her way though to the stable where he was holding his side and breathing heavily.

"Hey." She raised a hand, the other still holding the box. "Um. Don't yell at me but I wanted to give you these...don't get the wrong idea. The box is big cause there weren't any small ones left. I wanted to thank you more properly and make sure you were okay."

"You shouldn't be here." He had glanced up in surprise when she first spoke but was looking at the ground again now. "It's not safe."

"You aren't feeling well again?" She asked with concern.

He could hear her steps getting closer, almost feel her warmth as it approached. He wanted to call out, to yell at her to leave, but he couldn't summon the strength to do so. Instead he continued to watch the ground in hopes she'd leave on her own. He was starting to doubt yelling at her would even work...she'd probably just stay longer to lecture him on the poor etiquette.

She didn't have to smell like that though...strawberries and chocolate...he was conscience of it the moment she'd entered the small clearing around the barn. The chocolate was a stronger scent, but likely the result of the box she was settling on the ground near him. "Does it hurt?"

"It's none of your business. Please leave." He returned as kindly as he could manage, which still only managed to make him sound like normal.

"Isn't there some way to make it easier? Like the other vampires...they drink the blood tablets." She commented, sitting down next to him. "You aren't like them you know."

He wanted to yell at her, but it was taking all he could not to hold her down and drink from her again.

"You don't have the same darkness they do." She offered, glancing up to enjoy the stars now that the sun was starting to set. "You are better than them somehow, more human."

"Stupid." He laughed at the comments she was making. Even as she was calling him more human he was barely grasping at control to keep from feeding from her. "You don't know what you are talking about."

"Stop calling me stupid." She retorted with a frown, glancing at him. "I...you should give more people a chance to try to help you. You refuse to do anything but stand on your own and you'll end up pretty lonely."

He grit his teeth, grabbing her arm and pulling her closer. "You don't know what you are talking about."

His eyes were glinted red and he was very obviously unhappy with her but she blushed and tried to pull away. "Quit it."

"I could you know...no one comes out this far." He commented darkly. "You shouldn't be hanging around me. Go back to your dorm before the sun goes down completely."

He pushed her away and she stumbled, falling and doing her best not to cry out when she felt a stone or some sharp object dig into her palm. If she moved he wouldn't stop then. So she left her hand there, painful as it was the alternative seemed worse.

"I'm just trying to be your friend. You don't have to push me away." She hadn't much of a choice but to argue, perhaps he'd be the one to run away then.

He tugged at his necktie and was still holding his chest. It was obvious how much pain he was actually in trying to hold back his hunger. Then she realized it and blinked slowly.

"You haven't eaten sense I arrived..." She couldn't recall a time she'd even seen him drink a glass of water during class or the few times she'd seen him afterward. He was never in the lunch room and apparently the blood tablets didn't work for him like the others.

"I don't want to." He returned, voice strained with pain. "Leave you stupid girl...I won't attack anyone again. I refuse."

He pulled his gun from his pocket with the hand he'd been holding himself with, sliding down to the ground and moving it to hold it against his chin.

"No!" Kagome leapt over to push it away before he could finish pulling the trigger, gasping when he flipped her onto the straw inside, his eyes completely red once she'd allowed the scent of her blood in the air by her leap to stop him. "Zero..."

He obviously couldn't hear her though, he was staring at her hand where it was damaged and his hunger was enough to make her shiver. He was starving himself to the point of insanity...it was difficult to grasp her own emotions given how strong his were. Yet somehow he was resisting, holding himself back even while he held her down.

"You have to kill me." He hissed out, glancing toward where the gun had fallen not far off, still connected to the chain in his shirt.

"No...." She wasn't sure what to say, but something had stopped him last time and she'd lived...with no outside interference. Reason dictated something would interfere if he bit her again right?

"Please." It was a pathetic word. Without hope of redemption. He was begging her to let him die before he did bit her again.

She turned her head to the side, closing her eyes. "Do it. It's not wrong if I'm offering right? Just don't kill me."

His body shook, she didn't want to look at him though, she could feel the moisture of his tears on her cheek, the shakes of his sobs at the loss of self-control. She bit back her own tears and the pain ebbed shortly after the fangs pierced her wrist. She hadn't suspected him to bite her there but it was easier this time.

Her heart started as if she'd just sprinted for an hour, her back curling as her chest rose more into the air, even while it felt tighter. Her breath quickening and her free hand digging into the dirt in a vain attempt to keep her mind grounded to the here and now instead of floating away.

It was over quickly again, possibly more quickly than last time. She didn't feel nearly as light headed as the night when she'd first arrived, but somehow it seemed as if she wouldn't have stopped him if he'd continued to drink.

She still couldn't look up even while she felt him binding her wrist. He didn't talk, quiet and calm Zero again...it was comforting in it's own dark way. He hadn't killed her which helped her justify the offer, that he deserved to not suffer as he had been.

She had felt his hunger ebb, fade, but not fully vanish, though it seemed lesser than the last time he'd fed on her when he was still willing to drain her completely. Then the guilt, sadness, anger, there were other emotions but they were too muted beneath those three to pick out.

"It's better?" She finally managed to look at him and ask, pushing herself to sitting up and blushing at the fierce violet glare leveled on her.

"What do you think you are doing?" He let go of her hand, disgusted with himself. "You can't do that...it's..."

"...it's fine." She commented with a shake of her head.

"It's shameful!" He protested, leaning against the wall of the barn, ignoring the fact that the horses were still watching them. "I don't want to hurt anyone, I want to hunt vampires...but I...can't resist the me that desires the blood. I'll descend to a level E eventually...it's not safe."

"This entire place isn't safe." She shook her head at him. "Don't starve yourself so much...if you need it isn't it better to have someone willing to donate as opposed to possibly attacking others?"

"You can't continue to do this." He commented but the command in his voice rang hollow when he saw the stubbornness in the girls eyes.

"No. It's against the schools rules isn't it? To feed on the grounds?" Aidou's voice reached them from the doorframe, several other members of the night class around him watching the two seated in the straw on the floor. "I didn't realize it was okay if we found ourselves a volunteer."

Zero's Bloody Rose was out, the gun cocked and pointed at the blonde haired speaker hatefully. "What do you want night class?"

"You sure are full of yourself aren't you Kiryuu?" Aidou returned in a more serious manner than he normally held outside the dormitories. "The largest hypocrite of them all, a vampire hunter turning E and feeding on helpless girls."

"Shut up!" Kagome snapped, pushing herself up from the ground and not noticing that her hair still had a few strands of straw it in. "He's not like you."

"That's for certain, to speak to Kuran senpai as he does..." Ruka commented darkly, though her glare was mostly reserved for Zero, Kagome got her own dirty stares.

The other three there seemed uninterested in getting involved, calmly stating that none of them should be fighting.

"Come on Vampires." Zero was different, his manner, voice, everything had changed. He was suddenly more confident, more frigid, ready to kill the vampires around him despite his own issues. "You showed up just as I was getting upset. Kagome, return to your dorms."

Kagome did back up a little, she could sense the flares of their anger, it was making her dizzy along with the bloodloss. She grit her teeth in frustration at the way her body betrayed her with the vampires were nearby.

"That stupid attitude..." Aidou said it more like a curse, his teal eyes narrowing in a way that made him not nearly as attractive as when he was smiling. The air got chilled and ice formed at his feet, racing across the ground and ending under and around Zero and Kagome's feet. She frowned as her own feet were caught in ice. She fell and as she hit the ground her holy aura pulsed, cracking the ice that would have otherwise likely twisted her ankle and sending all the vampires, to exclude Zero flying away from the entrance of the barn.

Yuki ran up then, glancing between the fallen Kagome and Zero as well as the others gathering themselves. "What are you doing? Fighting is prohibited."

"As is feeding on school grounds." Aidou commented, fixing his hair and shrugging. "But we'll be heading back to class."

The rest of the night class followed him off and Yuki blinked when she noticed the bandage on Kagome's wrist and the slight hint of blood on Zero's face. "Zero...Kagome?"

"It's fine." Kagome assured as Zero walked toward the door to leave.

"Zero..." Yuki repeated, reaching for his arm and then wincing when he shoved her arm away as he continued to walk.

Kagome frowned a bit but didn't want too move too much, whatever she'd done to knock the vampires away it was continuing to make the dizziness worse given the addition of blood loss.

"Kagome?" Yuki walked over and helped her up. "Did Zero attack you again?"

"No." Kagome answered as honestly as she could. "I offered it to him...it was better than him going insane and attacking someone else."

"It's not allowed." Yuki frowned after where Zero had left. "Did we grow so far apart I didn't realize how much he has changed?"

"Then punish me...I pushed him into it." Kagome commented lightly, it was a little embarrassing to be found like that right after such a intimate moment. Was everyone intent on ruining any personal space she had? "I also wasn't told not to offer blood, vampires aren't in the mortal handbook."

"You'll need to talk to the Chairman." Yuki commented, helping her to her feet. "Are you going to be able to walk, you seem a little unstable."

"I'm fine." Kagome assured. "You seem sad though."

"I'm worried." She offered, not adding that she was also a little jealous...for years she'd lived with Zero, been his sister, and in a few weeks he'd grown somehow closer to the new student. Did her special abilities make her somehow more attractive to vampires?

Aidou had seemed interested, even Kaname had offered her slightly nicer treatment than most of the other girls excluding herself. She glanced at the broken box of chocolates at the door and remembered Kagome carrying them earlier. Was Zero becoming a bad vampire after all?

"Yuki?" Kagome paused having gotten ahead of her escort. "Are you okay?"

"Yeah." It was a obvious lie but Kagome didn't press, she was having an awkward moment of her own. They finished the walk to the chair man's in silence, Yuki noting that Zero's light wasn't still on. If he was sleeping she had no reason to speak to him tonight.

"If this continues he'll have to attend the night classes..." Both of them could hear Kaname's voice. Where Kagome felt mistrust she saw Yuki's face light up at the sound, she pushed down the desire to throw up on her friends shoes.

"You already know about Zero." Kagome was more direct than the prefect with the older men, glancing between the surprised glance and stoic mask of the two speakers while Yuki blushed at being caught with her accidentally eavesdropping. "It's fine as it is."

"There is no drinking blood on the grounds. An exception cannot be made." Kaname pointed out calmly. "If we allow one then all the rest will be more difficult to pull into line."

"That's the biggest lie I've ever heard. Any of them would jump at an order from you." Kagome returned, she was irritated that this man seemed to pull so many strings.

"Kagome..." Yuki shook her head, stepping between the two. "Don't be rude to Kaname senpai. He's just trying to help...but..." She turned to face him. "I'm sorry Kaname-senpai but I don't think it would be good for Zero to join night class either. It would be more dangerous."

"Chairman?" Kaname asked graciously, not arguing with the younger mortals.

"I see no reason to remove him for now but Mr. Kuran is right in that we cannot allow feeding on school grounds." Kaien said seriously. "Kagome..."

"Fine." Kagome shrugged indifferently. "I can abide to that. It doesn't have to be on school grounds."

Kaien fell over in his chair, frowning at the quick manner in which she'd dismissed her own personal safety for his son. He admired her as a young woman but was concerned for her health as the chairman of cross academy.

"Kagome, Yuki. I'm sorry you had to see the unpleasant actions of the members of my class. I apologize, they will be disciplined shortly." Kaname bowed slightly with the apology.

Yuki immediately flushed and shook her head holding up her hands to dismiss it and rushing off with a quick excuse that she had to finish her rounds. Kagome just nodded a little and turned herself to leave, figuring the class leader and chairman would still have things to talk about after they interrupted.

"Kagome?"

She leapt away from the sound like an olympic jumper when she heard the vampire pureblood's voice so close behind her. She hadn't noticed him following but should have guessed when her nausea hadn't started to go away. It was steadily getting better with each meeting, turning into more of a natural sense of aura instead of illness, but it was still causing her some dizziness with everything else that had happened.

"Yes?" She was nervous, her bravado evaporated neatly when no one else was nearby.

"It is admirable for you to want to do what you can to help Zero...but you can't save him." There was a sad edge to his tone that made her relax a little, perhaps as Yuki said so often, he wasn't a bad vampire.

"What do you mean?" Kagome rubbed her wrist nervously, the hallway seemed darker, smaller, in the presence of the clan leader of the Kuran.

"He was bit by a powerful pureblood, he will descend into a level E eventually. No matter how much blood he gets, it's just a matter of time." He explained gravely. "I would not wish to see you get hurt when the time comes that he is unwilling or unable to stop himself. There are very few mortals or vampires alike willing to hold to their convictions as strongly as you do."

She considered for a while before sighing and relaxing a little, it was harder to act completely composed when she was so tired. "I appreciate your compliments, and I apologize if you consider me too direct or rude but I can't just step away from someone that needs my help."

"There is something else."

She blinked up at him in surprise at how easily he was reading her, he really wasn't like the other vampires. "Yeah, sort of..."

"Care to share?"

"I..." She paused when he settled a hand on her shoulder, shivering lightly and putting a hand over his with a sad expression. "I'm sorry...it's just I think I can almost feel how torn he is when I'm close to him. It was difficult at first but after a while..."

She glanced at his hand and back to him. "...it's painful...for anyone...to be alone."

End Chapter

Whew, another huge chapter. Almost all I did today was write, then write some more...then write. I only took a break for dinner and to watch House and Lie to Me. I doubt I'll be able to keep up the pace as much as I have been but I hope so. I'm really digging writing this out. I'm still not sure on the pairing but am currently leaning toward Zero as I like him better myself than I do Kaname.

-Nera

Reviewers: Yay! The love I'm getting makes me warm and fuzzy!

Kage Otome - 3 even! OMG I'm tired. While the her throwing up on him was tempting, I still haven't decided on who to use even if I'm leaning toward Zero. So it seemed best to not.

Pissed Off Irish - I decided vampire life wouldn't fit for Kagome in this story and the personal setting I'm setting up so it won't happen. Rejoice!