Author's Note: I'm so, so, so, sooooo sorry about how long it took to get this updated!! Not only have I had little time to write, but I had a problem accessing this account, only to realise that I was just being an idiot... D'oh!

But enough excuses from me. Again, my apologies! And thank you very, very much for your reviews and messages!

Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Knight. I just play with the characters to suit my own twisted desires.

Zero blew vacantly at the steam rolling from his cup of coffee. His eyes followed its swirling path through the air, and when that got boring, he focused on watching Yuuki's distorted image through the screen of vapour. Yuuki was curled up on the floor across the room from him, looking just as bored as he felt. She was lazily leafing through some magazine, but the drooping of her eyelids told Zero that she probably wasn't actually reading it.

Winter holidays at Cross Academy were always a wonderful affair at first; after all, with no class, no prefect duties and thus, no screaming hordes of girls, how could he complain? It was only when the routine of doing, well, absolutely nothing, fully set in that boredom would show its apathetic, indifferent face and refuse to move from its comfy spot by the TV. Not even the occasional trips into town with Yuuki could quite satisfy Zero.

Apparently, Yuuki had reached this state of lethargy long before he had. After all, he had spent a great deal of his time at the beginning of the holiday with Kuran in the Moon Dorms, and even in the midst of hour-long silences, he had not once been touched by boredom. For the past few days, however, he hadn't had a chance to see the pureblood. Or rather, the pureblood had not had a chance to see him. Since the evening of Ichijou's arrival, Zero had not stepped foot into the Moon Dorms. He had tried, though.

The following evening, he had returned with the hopes of speaking to Kaname and making sure that he really was all right. After all, Zero had left rather abruptly and not in the best of moods. An entire night of being ignored by two over-pampered vampires in business mode had left the hunter irritated, upset and insanely bored. All of the concern he had previously felt for Kuran had been so easy to discard when he was in that mood, and especially when he was in that mood and seeing how utterly unaffected his pureblood companion seemed.

A brisk walk back to the Sun Dorms, a short sleep and a cup of steaming coffee later, however, had cleared Zero's head and invited all of those concerns back in. Accompanied by uncertainty, an uninvited guest. Zero would never claim that he was the most perceptive person in the world. He was most comfortable with openness, with people who could express their thoughts and emotions freely. Yuuki was that kind of person, and so was the Chairman, to some extent. He was not comfortable with having to dissect one's every expression, every lack of expression, every utterance. To find that he enjoyed the company of a person who could be as open as Yuuki at times and then become a sealed crypt of secrets at others was rather bewildering for him.

At first, Zero had found Kaname's mystery challenging. He had delighted in seeing the cracks. He had even pushed Kuran further than was kind, just so he could see them. Thinking about it now, the hunter realised that he had been cruel. Even caring on some level for Kaname, going so far as to enjoy his company and think of their relationship as friendship, he had thought nothing of hurting the pureblood, just so he could work out what was bothering him. At the time, Zero had thought that it was because he cared for the other vampire that he pushed to find the cause of those dents, but now he suspected that it was simply his own callous curiosity. A fascination. If he had really felt so worried about Kaname, then perhaps he would not have allowed his mood to so easily drive away all of his gathered resolve to stay by the pureblood's side. It was as if he had actually hoped for something terrible to happen, and when it hadn't and the holes in Kaname's armour had suddenly filled, he had gotten bored and gone home. In fact, thinking about it now, it was this sudden hardening of the mask that should have had Zero worried.

And so, struck by guilt and renewed concern, the hunter had trudged his way to the Moon Dorms the next evening, only to be greeted by the sight of Kaname sliding gracefully into the back seat of a limousine.

Zero had called out to him before he could shut the door, and after a strangely long pause, the pureblood had stepped out again and faced him expectantly.

'Do you need something, Kiryuu-kun?'

Kiryuu-kun? Zero had shaken his head as he jogged the rest of the way to the pureblood. 'Not really,' he had puffed. 'I was just making sure you -' are all right '- didn't need anything.'

'Need anything?' Kaname had repeated. His dull tone had made Zero look more closely at him, noting the usual perfection of his appearance, and also the absence of any kind of tilt to his lips and the rather glazed look of his eyes. If anything, Kaname looked the pureblood version of tired.

Zero had shaken his head again, dismissing what he had just said. 'Where are you going?'

'Not far. It's a business trip.'

'Oh. I see.'

'Goodbye, then.' Abruptly, Kuran had returned to the confines of the limo, his movements not quite as graceful as they had seemed from a distance but rather, sluggish and reluctant.

Zero had watched as the car had driven off, feeling the chill left not by the cold but by Kuran's tone. And for some reason he didn't want to comprehend, the pureblood had given him a strange, accusing look as he had said goodbye.

This memory completely occupied Zero's thoughts as he continued to stare at Yuuki through the steam of his coffee. He was brought back to the present by her gently reprimanding voice.

'Is there something on my face, Zero?'

'There might be,' he replied smoothly. 'You were drooling a minute ago.'

He smirked as she brought a hand to her face in alarm and finding nothing, launched her magazine at him.

'What are you reading this rubbish for, anyway? Missing the pretty boys now that the night class is gone, eh?'

'Oh, whatever. Speaking of pretty b - I mean, the night class... where has Kaname gone? He hasn't come around for a while and when I went to the Moon Dorms yesterday, the gatekeeper said that no one was in.'

'How would I know?'

Yuuki gave him a sceptical look. 'Zero. This holiday you've spent more time with him than you have with me. And we live together. And I've been polite enough not to ask disturbing questions about it. How could you not know?'

Zero had to smile at that. It was true, he had seen more of Kaname than Yuuki. 'He's on a business trip.'

'A business trip? But didn't Takuma-senpai's grandfather come to visit?'

'I guess they went together.' The hunter suddenly remembered how tired Kaname had looked the last time he had seen him. Not for the first time in the past few days, he felt a surge of impatience. Come back soon, Kaname. Give me a second chance to protect you.

***

The atmosphere in the limousine had grown more and more tense as they approached the academy. Kaname could almost see the air, solidly trembling, waiting to shatter. The two days away had actually been relaxing for him; he had been able to avoid being alone with Ichijou the whole time, bar the car journey. Even now, there was a driver on the other side of that thin screen, and so Kaname could feel at least a little bit secure. A very little bit. That very little bit of security was, however, fast draining away.

He sat up straight with his hands clasped in his lap. He knew he was the very picture of discomfort. He had begun the journey casually leaning his elbow on the door, chin resting in his hand, but the stifling other presence in the vehicle had quickly dispersed any illusion of ease on his part. Practically alone again with Ichijou, Kaname could not dispel his growing apprehension. For the next three days, this was the safest Kaname was going to be able to feel. Once the driver was gone and they were back in the echoingly empty Moon Dorms, Kaname would be plunged into a nightmare that would destroy him all over again. No one would be there to help him, not Yuuki, not the Chairman. Not Zero. Tightness gripped his chest. Even if Zero could, he would not.

'What are you thinking about?'

Kaname glanced over at the figure across from him. 'Why do you ask?' He tried to keep his voice sounding confident, but he knew he was failing and he knew that the older vampire could tell.

A flash of teeth. 'Oh, it's just that you look so... how do I put it? Out of sorts. Uneasy.'

Kaname had no reply. He just looked away. He hated those eyes.

'Do I make you uneasy, Kaname?'

The pureblood felt the air shift, and he turned his face to the window, pretending to watch the snowy trees rush past.

'Answer me.'

Kaname jerked, feeling the words at his ear more than hearing them. The hot puff of air made him feel sick, as did his own reaction. He didn't dare look at Ichijou, but continued to stare outside, seeing nothing.

'Kaname.' The voice was now tinged with warning. The young pureblood waited, unmoving. He was surprised when he felt the presence withdraw and move out of his personal space.

'Kaname. You are a fine specimen of a pureblood.' The words puzzled the younger vampire and he turned his eyes to the speaker. 'Before the council, before your peers, before all of the vermin that dream of consuming you, you are marvellously composed. You are gracious, and self-assured. You are regal.'

Another smirk marred the commendation of the words and Ichijou's intent eyes sparkled with hidden delight. 'But before me, you are none of those things. Looking at you now, I don't see a regal prince of vampires. I see what you are beneath. I see what you truly are.'

Kaname took a careful breath. Anger and fear mixed in his veins and made him shake. 'And what am I? Truly?'

The harsh rush of air that could only vaguely be mistaken for a laugh made Kaname's blood boil even more and with a conscious effort, he raised his chin and awaited the answer.

'You are a weak child, who trembles when I do this.' Before Kaname could pull back, Ichijou had clasped his chin in an iron grasp, and forced his head up so that the pureblood's neck was exposed. But he didn't even touch the pale, vulnerable skin. Instead, he trailed a cold finger over Kaname's face, making sure to savour the soft contours of the younger vampire's lips.

When that finger suddenly jabbed its way into the pureblood's mouth, Kaname jolted back into life and clutched the old vampire's wrist. He ripped it away with more strength than was safe and shoved his former guardian backwards.

Ichijou was having none of this. Immediately, he recovered and launched himself at Kaname.

'You may be a pureblood,' he snarled, his hands grabbing at Kaname's throat. 'But do not forget who I am, and what I know, and what I can do to you, and those around you.' His words shot out in a threatening rush, preventing Kaname from using his pureblood powers in defence before it was too late.

Kaname forced himself to back down, arms going limp, his suffocating aura fading, and allowed Ichijou's hands to remain curled painfully around his throat. Tears sprang into his eyes. Ichijou smiled kindly, his eyes cruel. 'I don't need to be alive, my dear Kaname, for terrible things to happen to you. Or rather, to those you deem to be important. I would even go so far as to say, "those you love", if it were not such a pathetic concept for a pureblood such as yourself. I do, however, need to be alive to prevent those terrible things from happening.'

He chuckled at the single tear that escaped and trailed forlornly down to his hand. 'How does it feel, knowing that it is this disgusting sentimentality that allows me to do this to you?'

Another chuckle rattled from the old throat as Kaname's eyes burned in hatred and frustration. There was a long moment of stillness before the younger vampire seemed to calm, and the unkind hands withdrew from their grasp. Each of them settled wordlessly back into their previous positions across from each other, as if nothing untoward had happened.

Kaname cursed his own silence. There were so many ways he could have responded to the old vampire's threats. He could have made a few threats himself. He could have scoffed at Ichijou's conviction that there were so-called loved ones in his life. He could have bluffed his way into a stalemate. Anything to abort this perverse hierarchy that was unravelling between them. But he had betrayed himself with his inability to respond with strength. Ichijou really had him conditioned.

As the car sailed down the long road towards Cross Academy, Kaname found himself, for the first time in a long time, afraid to close his eyes.