This fic involves self injury triggers, so if you're dealing with SI, this may not be the best fic for you to read.

Thanks for the reviews so far! I love reviews. They make me all warm and fuzzy inside. ;P

Expect some OOC-ness and drama ahead…and lemony goodness. Just a touch.

I don't own the characters of Vampire Knight. Matsuri Hino DOES.

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She was lying there innocently enough when the knock came at her door. She glanced at her clock, noting that it was nearing eleven o'clock. Yuuki got to her feet, taking a deep breath as she made her way towards her door, ignoring the pain of the cuts she'd inflicted upon her thigh. She had no idea how she was going to get him to leave tonight without hurting him. The last thing she wanted to do was reject him, especially when she wanted nothing more than to be with him, just as they were that very morning.

Her hand closed around the doorknob, turning it and pulling the door open. There he stood, leaning against the door frame, his silvery hair falling into his eyes as it was at times apt to. His lavender eyes were full, more so than she'd seen them in the longest time.

"Hey," she greeted, reaching out and taking his hand in hers. She pulled him into her room, shutting the door behind them.

She shrieked as his arms went around her, lifting her up off the floor. He held her to him, her legs wrapping themselves around his waist almost automatically.

"God, Yuuki…your blood is so damn potent. I can still smell it," he told her, his hands under her thighs to support her.

Shit. She began to panic inwardly, hoping to god that he wouldn't investigate further into why he could smell her blood so clearly. He was also going to find it odd when she denied him what he wanted most tonight: her blood and her body.

"How's your finger?" he wondered, taking her hand and holding it up for inspection. She'd wrapped it in gauze and taped it in place, but the smell was still a great temptation to him. Zero could feel his bloodlust beginning to stir and he fought to keep it at bay, at least until she gave him the go ahead to drink from her. Until then, he would wait.

"It's not so bad. The Chairman nearly got sick looking at it but it's fine. Sorry," she said, knowing how the smell of her blood got to him.

"Don't worry about it. I just want to be sure you're ok," he told her, releasing her hand in order to tangle his fingers in her russet hair. Tilting her head back, his lips found hers, nearly causing her to lose her breath. He deposited her upon her bed, his own body hovering over hers, his lips wreaking ungodly havoc. His hands were already beginning to explore, slipping under the hem of her shirt and sliding along the bare skin of her stomach. Yuuki knew that she couldn't let this continue for long, for if it did…

"Zero," she moaned, unable to stop herself from responding as his hands traveled over her body.

Before she could move to put an end to his explorations, her shirt was off, his hands cradling her against him as his lips ravaged hers, leaving her no time to breathe a word of protest. His fingers were busy unhooking her bra, and it too had soon fallen to the bed, leaving her bare from the waist up. All modesty behind, Yuuki's arms embraced him, wanting to hold him near to her.

A part of her wanted him to know what she had done to herself once again. She didn't want any secrets between them anymore, after years of secrets floating about. The other part of her wished she would never have to tell him. He'd be hurt beyond belief when he found out, that she was sure of. She knew that he was there for her, his warm arms always open to her, yet still she'd found love with a blade instead of accepting what was right in front of her. So stupid, she thought, to let all this get to her so. Things had definitely changed as of late, but one thing hadn't: Zero was still there, hadn't faded away like she was terrified he would.

Before her mind went off on another tangent, she returned to the moment at hand, pulling away to take a breath, her lips lingering just above his.

"You make it hard to resist you, you know," she whispered against his lips. She felt his smile, his hands gripping her waist.

"You make things pretty futile yourself," he said, his hands snagging the button of her jeans as he began to further disrobe her.

"Zero, wait," she said, her hands covering his and effectively stopping his progress. He looked at her, confusion written across his face.

"What's wrong?" he asked, his hands becoming still under hers. He could've sworn that he saw the same lust as he had last night dancing in her eyes, and yet here she was, stopping him.

She was dumbstruck, caught like a deer in oncoming headlights. She had no decent excuse to give him, save for the truth, and that she wasn't prepared to give him.

"Yuuki?" he prompted, his thumb moving to smooth along her pale cheek. She still said nothing, her eyes averting to gaze at the wall. Something was terribly wrong, and his suspicions were growing by the second.

She gasped as he laid her onto her back, staring deeply into her eyes. She saw him look to her arm, where the bandage remained, then to her bandaged finger. His words cut into her like a white hot blade.

"You did it again," he stated, "and you were trying to keep it from me."

Her words stuck in her throat, her heart twisting within her chest. He knew her far too well.

"Where? Show me," he asked, sitting back on his heels and giving her room to sit up. She hesitated, the tone of his voice almost menacing.

"Yuuki," he prompted, his voice calm despite his apparent anger. At last she relented, getting to her feet.

"Fine. If that's what you want," she said, unzipping her jeans and shaking them to the floor. His eyes grew wide as he took in the site of her entire thigh in bandages, his mouth gaping slightly.

He sat there, not uttering a word, and that scared her more than anything. She wanted him to shout, to let his anger out on her for being so foolish. Instead, he remained silent, only watching her as she stood there. She felt so ashamed, startled as he rose from her bed, towering a good foot above her.

She watched as he dropped to his knees before her, his hands beginning to unwrap the bandage she'd wrapped around her injured thigh. He then gently peeled the gauze away from her thigh, closing his eyes as he witnessed what she'd done to herself.

He hung his head, her hand stretching out to stroke his hair before hesitating. She was afraid to touch him, afraid to speak, for fear that he'd leave. The sound of his voice startled her after so much silence, his words causing her great pain.

"Was I not enough? What I offered you… you still had to do this?" he wondered, unable to believe the sight before him. Her pale thigh was covered in gashes, nearly down to her knee. He could see that she'd already treated them with the liquid stitches, but they still looked angry.

"It's not that. Zero, don't…"

"What am I supposed to think when you keep doing this to yourself, Yuuki? What I told you obviously had no effect on you. And what happened between us…did that upset you so much that you had to hurt yourself again?" he asked, the smell of her blood flooding him. He leaned forward, noticing that a few of the cuts had begun to bleed after he'd removed the gauze. Unable to control himself, his tongue darted out, laving at the wounds, his lust for her blood become nearly unbearable. She saw him clutching at his throat as he pulled back, the taste of her blood just enough to tease him.

She reached for the discarded bandage lying on her bed, quickly wrapping her thigh once again. She could tend to it later. But right now, she had something else to concern herself with.

Her hands took his, urging him to his feet before she pushed him back onto her bed, climbing atop him, clad only in bandages and a bit of pink lace.

"You need blood," she stated, though his angry voice quickly cut her off.

"Stop changing the subject," he ground out, pulling her forcefully against him. His hands were rough, not at all like the touch she was used to.

"I don't know why I do it, ok?" she nearly shouted, trying to pull from his grasp. However, his grip was an iron one, and he obviously had no intention of letting her go.

"Maybe I'm crazy," she said softly, unable to look him in the eyes.

He forced her chin up, his eyes full of such sadness that she could hardly bear it. This hurt him like nothing else could, seeing her in pain. Surely she understood what this did to him.

"That's bullshit and you know it. Can't I be enough for you? What we have…is it not enough?" he asked again, nearly shattering her heart.

"It's nothing like that. There's just so much shit going on right now and I don't know what the hell I'm doing. I live every day not knowing whether or not you'll be here, or for how long," she said, her hands resting on his shoulders.

"We've been through this already, Yuuki. I told you, I'm not going anywhere, and I meant it. So what else is this about? Last night?" he asked, hoping that he was wrong.

"I thought you were ok with…"

"I am, Zero. I don't regret it, so don't think that. I wanted you, just like you wanted me. I still do," she told him, unable to keep from smoothing her hands along his cheeks.

"Then please, Yuuki. Please stop doing this to yourself. I swear to you that everything will be ok. I'm right here with you and that's where I'll stay. I'm asking you to let that be enough," he said, his arms pulling her close as he continued to fight his own primal urges.

"As sick as it sounds…seeing the blood is almost soothing. The pain chases away all these horrible feelings I have," she said, trying to explain her addiction.

"And when you and Kaname-senpai went at it again today, it just did something to me. You know I hate when you two fight, and it's all my fault," she said, her voice cracking as her tears threatened to fall.

She could feel Zero tense at the mere mention of his rival's name, though he kept his agitation in check for her sake.

"I'm sorry you had to see that. Had I known what it would cause…"

"It's my own fault. Everything's my fault," she cried, burying her face in his neck as she finally broke down, causing a mighty sight to escape her partner.

He held her against him, allowing her to cry, feeling lost as to what else he could do for her at the time. Fighting his bloodlust was becoming increasingly difficult and he couldn't think of a more inappropriate time for it to be attempting to lunge forth.

"Yuuki," he began carefully, after her small body had stopped shaking so violently, "you've got to stop blaming yourself for things that are beyond your control. And this has got to stop," he said, his fingers brushing lightly across the top of her thigh.

"I don't know if I can stop," she admitted, hating herself for showing such weakness in front of him. But this was Zero, who knew her best of all. If she couldn't be herself with him, she would never be herself at all.

"If you trust me at all, if you care for me at all…let me help you overcome this," he nearly pleaded, his voice thick with emotion.

"You know that I do. I just don't want to be a burden. You've gone through so much already and I…"

"As if you haven't gone through hell yourself. But you were always there for me when I needed someone the most. I still need you, Yuuki. I need you to be strong, like you've always been," he told her, kissing her cheeks where here tears fell.

"I'm not strong. That's the problem," she sighed, already feeling a bit better due to his gentle touch.

"You're stronger than you realize. Yuuki, you've kept me alive all these years. Without you, I'd have given up long ago, especially after what Shizuka did to my family and I. But with you there, life was worth living again," he said, and she swore she was going to burst into tears once again. She'd never heard him spill his emotions like that before and it tore right through her to hear him speak those words.

She looked at him, watching the emotions play across his face. As confused as she was, Yuuki realized that he spoke the truth and that he'd truly do anything to keep her safe, even from herself. She also noted how restrained he'd been after tasting her blood, his eyes never turning their usual crimson shade when his bloodlust struck.

"You're the strong one. If I'm strong, you make me that way," she told him, her eyes closing as his lips touched hers.

"Please, Yuuki. I don't beg, but I will. Don't do this to yourself anymore. None of this is your fault," he assured her, his hunger still nagging away at him.

The pain in his voice was breaking her heart. She knew that all he'd told her was nothing but the truth and she was so ashamed that she'd taken what he'd given her for granted. Instead of turning to him, she'd turned to a blade to ease her emotional pain. And now that their relationship had deepened further, she knew that it was very important that she take his words to heart. She couldn't afford to lose him to this. She realized then that she had a choice to make. She could either trust that Zero would see her through this storm, as he always had, or she could alienate him, push him away by having no faith in him.

"Zero?" she asked, still being held close in his arms.

"What is it?" he asked, pain beginning to shoot through his chest as the smell of blood continued to linger in the air around him.

"How do you feel…about me?" she wondered, shocking him a bit. Surely she understood his feelings by now. He realized he was no good at expressing his emotions. He'd never been adept at it. But after the night before, their bodies locked together in their passion, surely she knew.

"Can't you see it? After everything we've been through…I love you," he said, surprising even himself with his words. She looked at him, her eyes glistening with tears. Her arms went around his neck, her lips brushing against his ear as she spoke.

"I love you, and it scares me to death. I'm afraid I'll mess this up, too," she confessed, leaning her cheek against his.

"You're so dense sometimes," he chided softly, turning so that their foreheads touched.

"Besides, I'm the one that always manages to fuck everything around me up. Seems like everything I touch turns to shit, which is why I've tried to keep my distance from you. But I can't do it anymore. I want you too much," he told her, his arms tight around her.

He looked at her, flames dancing in his lavender eyes. She could see his hunger growing therein, the warmth of his body permeating throughout her.

"I don't want you to fight it," she whispered, taking hold of his hands and moving them to her hips.

"Don't ever fight it again. Your desire for my blood…for my body. Give in, Zero. Don't ever think I don't want you near," she told him, her arms snaking around his neck as she pulled herself close against him, their lips hovering a mere breath apart.

"I can't help hating myself for what I put you through," he said, his voice low as his lips brushed against her own.

"Don't," she said simply, pushing him back onto her pillow as her lips met his fully, inciting a full on breakdown of his composure.

Soon, his clothes were strewn carelessly about the room, her body moving over him, drawing out his most primal nature. As she moved her body along his length, he drew her close, his lips touching her neck, signaling what was to come. She continued her movements as his fangs found her, eyes closing as the pleasure threatened to overwhelm her. Perhaps she was sick, she mused, to long for this so. But this was a part of him, the beast that he struggled constantly to keep in check. She accepted this part of him without fear, knowing that even in his most feral state, he would never bring her harm.

She moaned his name softly, his tongue lapping up the blood that flowed from the wounds he'd inflicted. It was both bliss and misery for the silver haired vampire, knowing how badly he hurt her and how she would never admit it to him. However, the pain seemed to have evolved into something more akin to pleasure, as he took note of the sounds she emitted as he took of her life force.

Though she felt weak, Yuuki kept her pace, clinging to her lover and friend with what strength she had left. After a moment, he had sated his hunger for her blood, effectively rolling her onto her back, never breaking their connection as he claimed her body as his own. Her fingers anchored in his hair, her body arching to meet his strokes. She felt as though she would explode into a million stars to dot the night sky, her lips meeting his fiercely as she felt her body nearing its release.

His voice joined hers as they climbed higher together, before crashing to their ends. His weight was pleasant atop her, his breathing labored, his hot breaths beating against her neck. Fingers still twined in his hair, she lay there, eyes closed, taking in the moment. The taking of her blood had left her quite weak, her head swimming a bit as she tried to regain her sense of reality. She still couldn't quite fathom that their relationship had advanced to this level, though it wasn't something she was keen on complaining about.

She felt him move away from her, immediately missing his warmth. After a few moments, he'd returned, lying beside her, his hand reaching out to caress her cheek.

"I took too much," he noted, his tongue darting out to trail across the small twin puncture wounds on her neck. The act was innocent enough, but nearly gave her chills nonetheless.

"I'm fine, Zero," she assured him, rolling into him. She pressed her bare body against his, welcoming his warmth once more.

Her eyes met his as his hand trailed along her bandaged thigh, and she could see his plea without him uttering a word.

"Promise me," he said, her heart skipping a beat. She wasn't sure she could uphold such a promise and was hesitant to make it for fear she'd break it.

"Yuuki, it's important to me that this stops. I'm worried about you and I don't want to see you hurt anymore," he told her, his lavender eyes telling.

She sighed, knowing that he was more important to her than anything else. She couldn't bear to lose him, especially not to something this foolish.

"Ok. I won't do it anymore. I don't want to see that look on your face ever again," she said, her hands framing his face as she kissed him tenderly.

He smiled, a beautiful sight to her eyes. He didn't smile nearly enough, she thought, brushing a silver lock of hair from his eyes.

"I'll help you," he told her, receiving a smile from her in return.

"'I bet you will. If you keep occupying me, I won't have time to do anything stupid," she teased.

"It's my pleasure," he said, taking her in his arms and pressing his lips to hers. The innocent act lead to something much more intimate in nature, lasting long into the early hours of the morning before the pair finally lay spent, sleeping in the arms of the other.

~*~*~*~

The Pureblood sat, alone in the darkness of his study, fiddling with the white knight on his chess board. Suddenly, the scent of her blood hit him, causing him to throw the piece across the room with vigor. He was doing it again…using his girl to sate his disgusting hunger. The mongrel had no control, no restraint, and unfortunately for Kaname, Yuuki had chosen to allow him to continue to do it.

This, the Pureblood mused, would stop, and soon. He'd allowed Zero to continue on as usual only because Yuuki had wished it. But his patience was running thin and he was nearing the time where all formalities would be pushed aside. There was nothing he wouldn't do for Yuuki, and if he had to, he knew exactly what he would do, to keep her safe, even from her protector.

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Okee, there's Chapter 7! PLEASE DROP SOME REVIEWS ON ME! I love them so. *sniff*

Chapter 8 coming at a time yet to be determined…

*Cosmic Moon Baby*