The sound of a car door opening before her and the cool December chill wafting into her face was what woke Yuuki. Her eyelashes fluttered open and, the moment her eyes tried to adjust to the setting sun shining in her face, squeezed shut again and a groan escaped her throat. She didn't want the sun to be in her face, but was pleasantly surprised when she felt a familiar set of arms pick her up onto a hard, but warm surface. Her legs instinctively hooked around a person's hips and her arms wrapped around his neck.

As Yuuki made herself comfortable, the person wrapped his hands under her thighs to keep her up and tugged her upward. A sigh escaped her into his ear, tickling the sensitive skin at his neck, and he shivered as he bent down to retrieve the bag of gifts for himself and her father. Zero let out a soft sigh of his own; he'd let Yuuki go off alone, even though she had a habit of attracting Level E's… seems he wasn't the only one who wanted her.

But, he thought as he beat the cruel thought back, they want to devour her… I would never… he trailed off as Yuuki tried to speak, only for a hiccup to come out instead. If he wasn't careful, she'd start to cry. "Yuuki?" he spoke softly, though there was no hiding the worry and compassion in his voice. "Are you alright?"

Yuuki's body tensed then before she began to tremble slightly, though not for too long before she buried her face in his neck. He paused as they came to a bench and let her down. She faced him, tears being fought back as hard as she could, and he pulled her gently beside him. However, she lost her footing and toppled onto his lap; while the teenage boy inside him grew suddenly very conscious of where she'd landed, he let her get comfortable as her fingers grabbed for his shirt. Her body was wracked with harsh shivers and loud sniffles and whimpers, and his arms wrapped around her petite body. "It's alright, Yuuki. She's gone; nothing will hurt you anymore."

The girl clutching at him didn't say anything, but only cried harder. He was surprised she'd kept the tears in as long as she had, but then again, she had been unconscious for a few hours; it was nearly five in the evening now. His hand slowly crawled up her back in order to hold her head closer to his chest, while his other arm circled around her waist, his fingers on her hip. "I was…" her voice was hoarse and soft, but he managed to comprehend what it was she was saying through her sobs. "…so scared, I…" That vampire… is going to eat me!

"Stop," Zero said gently as he laid his cheek on the crown of her head, smelling her unique scent, closing his eyes. "I've got you, calm down. It's okay."

Knowing they had things that needed to be done, Zero picked Yuuki up again, though this time it was rather uncomfortable; his best friend side had melted away the minute Yuuki's legs locked around him again, but this time… instead of her on his back, she was clinging to his front, her legs hooked around his stomach and her arms hugging around his neck. Lavender-gray eyes stared down at her, unsure of what to do or say, and he fought every urge to blush or stammer. He swallowed and, instinctively, wrapped his arms around her and began to walk slowly in the direction of the Headmaster's villa.

-x-

When Yuuki got inside, she all but collapsed on the sofa, throwing the bags of decorations and her gifts at her feet as her legs sprawled. Zero was rather amused by this, however he kept a calm look on his face as he carried in the other bags and kicked the front door closed with his foot. "You know, you could've slept in the car, numbskull."

Yuuki wanted none of his joking; she was almost devoured, again, and he insisted on making fun of her! "Shut up, will you?" her voice was none too threatening, though she had a frown on her face which begged him to be kind to her this one time. He obliged by shutting his mouth, swallowing his "I'm just pointing out the obvious" comment down and shaking his head of shaggy light hair; it had begun to snow again as they'd walked back to the Headmaster's villa. Yuuki smiled gratefully and kicked off her boots, snuggling into the arm of the sofa.

It's so warm here… Yuuki thought as she curled up into a ball, staring at the wall. A flutter in her stomach made her turn and stare at the ceiling, into the light flicked off above her; the tone Zero had used with her – only her – was so gentle and completely unlike how he acted at school. She loved and somewhat appreciated that he let his guard down with her and let her see the sweeter side every once in a while. But, she hated the feeling it gave her, something she couldn't quite place.

"I know that he's my best friend," she said softly for only her to hear, a light blush sweeping across her cheeks. "But… is it possible that he's more?"

-x-

Zero was confused beyond comprehension.

He cared for Yuuki, so much, and was relieved that she was too oblivious in her own little world to be able to notice. But, he was also a bit angry that he couldn't make himself any clearer. He always worried about her and had devoted himself to her. Over a year ago, he'd told her that he lived for her and that she could do whatever it was she wanted with his life.

He was her savior, in more ways than one, and she was so much more than that to him; she offered her blood to him whenever his eyes would glow that familiar blood-red which signified his lust for blood flaring. Every day, she gave him that same smile, even the morning after he'd bite her, as if their forbidden, unforgivable act was much less than reality. He could be killed, but he wasn't who he was worried about; Yuuki wouldn't be able to handle being locked in a cell at the Association for her willingness to feed a monster like him. They'd rip her apart, in a matter of speaking.

Zero shook his head; it was very nearly Christmas, and he was thinking such negative thoughts – though they were very different from his usual 'I'm a despicable being who doesn't deserve his next breath' thoughts . He should really stop that, it upset Yuuki. And, if she is upset… I'll never forgive myself for being the reason why.

With a sigh, dragging one of his pale hands through his hair, he went back into the living area only to see the beloved girl who constantly plagued his thoughts sleeping already on the sofa, her eyes closed with tiny droplets on her lashes. His eyes softened as he stood up to grab his coat and draped it over her body, making sure her top half wasn't exposed as he rubbed her hair back. Refraining from dropping a kiss to her hair, he walked around the sofa and into the kitchen to start their dinner… which happened to be the half-finished meal from the night before.

This one was a bit short, I apologize. I'm doing my best not to upload everything I have to motivate me to get writing, but alas, I have a schedule. xD

If there are any errors, grammatical or otherwise, please let me go; I didn't look this one over quite as closely due to... well, laziness. |D So, my bad.

Please review! Reviews, believe it or not, will definitely make chapters come out quicker! (Only because I love you guys, of course.~)

-Cookie-

PS - There's this awesome Let's Player on YouTube I want to tell you guys about. He plays horror video games, such as the 'Penumbra' trilogy, and Amnesia The Dark Descent. He's fairly new to YouTube, only 2 weeks ago he started an account, but he's already do popular and I promised I'd help him out by spreading the word about his channel. Please, if you all are interested, go to YouTube and search markiplier. He's got over 100 videos already, and it'll be most appreciated by him to have more subscribers~ Please do so if you're interested in laughing your butt off while also screaming like little girls~! ;D