A/N: I'm sorry I've been so slack with this fic. I'll try to do better. ;-;

Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Knights.

Chapter 6:

Zero opened his eyes to find Ruka looking down at him. He jumped back a little, surprised. She held a finger to her lips, gesturing for him to be quiet. Confused, he only did as she wanted. However, he wondered where she had come from and why he was still alive.

Sitting up, he looked around the room. The walls were painted cream, with a few plain pictures hanging here and there. There was a red, plush chair over by the corner, next to a cherry dresser with a mirror. Across from the dresser was a cherry nightstand with a lamp on it, and an open novel. He glanced over at the floor to ceiling windows to his right, which were covered with red, velvet drapes.

Sighing and glancing up at the canopy bed, he said, "Ruka…we're in your room aren't we?"

She slapped her hand over his mouth and hissed in his ear, "I told you to be quiet. If you must talk, then whisper at least, or they'll find us."

"What do you mean?"

Her eyes darted around the room; she seemed nervous. "The rebels. Kaname-sama sent me to find you. And now I have the responsibility of keeping you from harm. Therefore, you must do what I say, for it is the same that I have been ordered. Plus, if anything ever happens to you, I'm to blame. So please bear with me."

He sighed heavily, exasperated. "So now, I can't even be of any use, huh? Well, that's just great." He sat up, and swung his legs over the side of the bed, trying to stand.

Ruka frowned and pushed him back to the mattress. "You can't leave. You have to stay here with me. It's not safe for you to leave because you're too weak from the injury."

He raised an eyebrow. "Ruka, I think I can handle it. What was Kaname thinking to keep me out of this? After all, I just killed the ringleader."

Ruka's eyes widened. "You did what?!"

"I shot him," He answered, irritated. "That's all there is to it. May I please be allowed to continue with my duties? After all, I am a member of the Disciplinary Committee. Isn't it my responsibility too?"

"Yes, but Kaname-sama has directly ordered that you stay here. So you can't go against his orders," Ruka insisted. "So lie down!"

"I can't let this go," Zero told her, pushing her away and standing up. "I have to go against his orders."

Ruka seized him roughly by the shoulders, shoving him back down. She glared at him, her tone icy as she spoke. "If you disobey Kaname-sama, then you are no better than those rebels. In fact, you will be labeled as such and your punishment will be accordingly. So I suggest you do as I say, and there will be no report of your resistance. Is that clear?"

There was no response. Reluctantly, Zero lay back down and pretended to fall asleep. Ruka remained by his side for several minutes. Then, sighing, she stood up and went into the room adjacent to hers. Hearing the door click shut, Zero figured he had a chance to leave. He lay still for a moment, just to make sure that she really was gone. Then, seeing how she didn't return, he quickly stood and opened the door, taking care to be quiet. However, he soon regretted his decision.

"Damn it…"

"Well, well, well, looks as though the cur didn't die after all. What are you doing here?" Hayato smirked as he stepped inside.

"You're not welcome here; leave." Zero frowned, trying to block Hayato's path.

"Excuse me, I have some unfinished business with Ruka Souen. And you're in my way…"

"You can't see her right now. She's very busy," Zero seethed, all the while reaching slowly for his gun.

"Ah, well, in that case, tell her that the building will explode in ten seconds, and the bomb is in her room."

"What?!" Zero's eyes widened.

Before he could even run to get Ruka, Hayato had already left. The speed with which the vampire had disappeared was incomprehensible. Shaking off his shock, Zero rushed into the next room, yelling.

"Ruka, get out of here! There's a bomb!"

She turned quickly, her face paling. "What?!"

"We don't have much time, the bomb will--"

It was too late. Nearby they heard a small click. Zero leapt, shoving Ruka down in a futile attempt to protect her. However, it did little good.

A ways off, Hayato watched with smug satisfaction as the dorm burst into flames. "There will be no more of that problem," He laughed softly, "Now, to eliminate Yuki and Kaname…it shouldn't be too terribly hard." Laughing louder, he walked away from the Moon Dorm, paying it little attention as it began to burn down.

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Kaname sat by Yuki's bed, watching as she slept. Even though he'd recovered a bit, he still felt incredibly weak. It would take awhile to heal, even after drinking her blood. Still, he knew that if he hadn't, he would be dead by then. Sighing heavily, he laid his head on the pillow, deep in thought.

How were they ever to defeat this enemy? It seemed much too difficult, and they were well experienced. Already, they had gained the upper hand. It seemed almost impossible; it seemed as though they were going to win. However, he could not give up. He owed that much to Yuki after all she'd been through, as well as to the rest of his people.

Feeling uneasy, he arose and stepped over to the window. Lifting the curtain, he peered out. Nothing seemed to be amiss. However, he felt as though something devastating had just occurred. Something that might determine the victor in this power struggle.

At that moment, there was a sharp rapping on the door. Wordlessly, Kaname opened it, unsure of what to expect.

"Kaname-sama!" Takuma gasped, breathless, as he threw himself at the president's feet. However, it was not a gesture of submission, rather, a gesture of extreme grief.

"What is it?" Kaname knelt by Takuma, a tight knot forming in the pit of his stomach.

Takuma gazed upon his leader, his eyes shimmering with tears. "I'm sorry…I failed. I could not keep them safe. The rebels have attacked the Moon Dorm and obliterated it. There is nothing left."

Kaname stood quickly, motioning for Takuma to do the same. "You mean to tell me that Zero Kiryu is now dead?"

Takuma's eyes darted about nervously. "Well, I believe so. There's no way he could've survived."

"And what of Ruka?"

"It can only be assumed that she is dead too…"

Kaname sighed heavily, closing his eyes. "How could we have let this happen? We were too distracted…" He banged his fist on the wall. "This is all my fault…"

"No, it's not," Takuma insisted, "Please, Kaname-sama, don't blame yourself."

"How can I ever tell Yuki?"

Takuma looked down, uncertain of what to say. "Well…I don't know…But there is a bit of good news, too."

"Good news?" Kaname snapped, "What ever can be good news at a time like this?!"

Takuma looked away, unable to gaze upon Kaname's face. "Well, Zero did take care of the leader. He's dead."

Kaname closed his eyes again, pinching the bridge of his nose. "That's all well and good but…won't that make things worse?"

"There's no one to lead them…"

"Except for Hayato; have you forgotten?" Kaname sighed heavily.

"Wait….who's he?" Takuma seemed confused. "How do you know--?"
"I'd rather not talk of it," Kaname told him, "Now, if you would leave, I have some planning to do."

"But, Kaname-sama," Takuma protested, "We really need you to assure--"

"Not now. I would like to but…I have to come up with some way to stop this from going over into this dorm or the city. So, I want you to take over for me in that department. All right?"

Takuma nodded, keeping silent. Without another word, he stepped outside and closed the door. Kaname turned back towards Yuki, then let himself fall down on the bed beside her. His hand flew to his forehead, he squeezed his eyes shut. At this point, they were certainly at a disadvantage. They had reached an impasse; was there any way to proceed? It seemed too hopeless, as though there was nothing that could be done. There was no way that he would abandon his people, however, protecting Yuki was his priority for the time being. After all, it was her that they would need to make themselves more powerful. It was her blood that would decide the fate of them all.

A sudden wave of exhaustion and sorrow washed over him. He felt as though he were incapable of making a proper decision unless he rested. Perhaps it would be all right just to sleep for a few minutes. Perhaps it would be best and it would aid him in the decision making process.

Yawning, he rolled over on his side and curled up against Yuki. Her warmth penetrated through the sheets, causing him to feel ever more grief. He knew he could never live with himself if anything happened to her. Rather he would die then to allow any harm to befall her.

Closing his eyes, he began to drift off. He slipped his arms around her waist, holding her tightly against his chest. Her presence was warming to his soul; she was comforting. It was only through her that he would find the strength to carry on and continue. She was his motivation for surviving this attack on their society. And he had made up his mind; he would not let her down.

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"Zero…"

"Shhh, don't talk."

"Zero…" Ruka opened her eyes, numb from her head to her toes. "Wha…"

Kain looked down at the injured girl, horrified by what he saw. It was a miracle he'd even found her at all buried under the rubble of the dorm. However she'd survived, it didn't mean she'd survived it well. Her body was beaten and bruised, her bones surely broken. She was bleeding extensively and it would not be stopped. Perhaps she was not as lucky as he'd thought. She might not make it through the rest of the night.

"Kain, what have you…" Takuma began, then stopped, seeing Ruka. "Oh dear…she's alive!"

Kain shook his head. "Probably not for long." He knelt by her and gently began to lift her.

She screamed in agony. "No, please stop!"

He gingerly laid her back on the ground, uncertain of what to do. Takuma leaned down to get a good look at her. Sighing, he shook his head.

"I'm going to have to take her to the infirmary." Takuma muttered, "Ruka, will you let me do that? Will you try to endure the pain?"

She nodded weakly, trying to be brave about it. "Takuma…Zero…he…"

"He what?"

"Have you found him?" She asked as Takuma slipped his arms up under her.

"Not yet. We've excavated most of the surrounding area, and taken care of the corpses…" He grimaced, "But we have yet to have found him or seen any trace of him. How did you ever survive that explosion, anyway?"

"Because Zero protected me," She murmured, looking down, "He shielded me as best as he could with his own body. Other than that…I don't really know."

"It just isn't possible," Kain said in disbelief, "It was in your room. How could you have survived it? It just doesn't add up. Whether or not Zero protected you, you would have been blown to bits! It doesn't make any sense…"

"Miracles do happen, Kain," Takuma pointed out, "If there's no explanation then it just wasn't meant to be. Fate had decided that it wasn't her time."

"I suppose," Kain admitted, running his hand through his hair, "Still…"

Ruka screamed involuntarily as Takuma lifted her from the ground. Unable to help it, she began to cry and beg for him to put her back down. He hated to see her so miserable, however, he didn't have a choice. He had to get her medical aid before she grew worse.

"It's worth it," He told her, "You'll be better soon. Trust me."

She clung to his neck, tears stinging her eyes. Biting her lip, she suppressed the screams rising in her throat and kept herself silent.

"Kain, stay here and see if there are any other survivors," Takuma ordered, "I'll take Ruka."

Kain nodded and turned back to the ruins. Takuma carried Ruka away, relieved that she was alive yet concerned that she would not be able to survive her injuries.

"Anything broken?" He asked softly.

"Probably," She groaned, "I don't know because I'm in so much pain…Funny thing is, it was all numb a moment ago."

"That's not a good sign." He stepped inside the double doors of the school, "You're so pale. You've lost a lot of blood."

"I'll be fine," She muttered, "I can handle it."

He lay her down on the bed in the infirmary, looking skeptical. "I don't know, Ruka. You worry me so much." Sighing heavily, he pulled up a chair. "I know Kaname-sama wanted me to lead the operations but…you're hurt and I can't just leave you without knowing if your condition will be stabilized."

"You're deliberately disobeying Kaname-sama?! You're as bad as Zero." She winced and shifted her position to a more comfortable one.

He shrugged. "I'm just looking out for you. Isn't that part of my responsibility? After all, you are one of the aristocrats. And a very important one at that."

"Don't flatter me." She told him, smiling a bit, "I'm not that high ranking."

"Oh, but you are, more so than you would like to believe. Why else was the bomb planted in your room? I think they know the secret by now."

Her eyes fell to her lap, her expression became serious. "They must…it's not a secret anymore. After all, Kaname-sama did drink my blood and he has offered me penance for my actions…not to mention a position of honor."

"It is true that you are favored…" Takuma sighed, "I really don't like that Kaname-sama had to use you like that. I understand why he did it and it was a noble decision, however, I really wish he hadn't."

"I understand," She murmured, looking away. A slight blush graced her cheeks. "Are you suggesting something?"

"No, no…it's just not right, that's all. Never mind." He stood and stretched. "Well, I suppose I should get the Headmaster."

She looked over at him with sly eyes. "All right. I see how it's going to be. Go ahead and bail without answering my question honestly." Her smirk gradually disappeared and was replaced with an expression of sorrow. "Just please, make sure this doesn't happen again and make sure you find Zero. I would like to thank him for saving my life."

"As we all would like to," Takuma commented, "If we can find him. For now, I'll go and fetch the Headmaster then address Kain, Aido, Senri, and Kaname-sama on the situation and anything that we can do. For now, you stay put here."

"I can't walk," She mused, "How would I leave?"

"You have your ways when you're determined enough. And I know how desperately you want to help out. However, you can't help if you're in this condition. So do as I tell you and stay. I'll be back shortly."

She nodded as he exited. Deep inside, though, she feared that it would be the last time she'd ever see him or the others. Leaning back against the pillows, she sighed and hoped that things would be set right, and soon. Two obstacles had been overcome, yet there was still the threat of the third. Until he was taken down and questioned, they would not know the rebel's base nor would they be able to end the attacks. Hopefully, the violence would end soon. As long as they had Kaname in charge, they had a chance of winning. However, if he was injured, then that would be the end. All they could do was protect Kaname and wait.

A/N: Well, not too much was accomplished in that chapter but I'm pretty sure next chapter will be quite worth the wait.