Taiyou's POV

Aidou knew. I guess he deserved more than I gave him credit for. To my surprise, I actually felt relieved that he knew. No more lying to him. No more secrets from him. And he wasn't angry. I had been so scared of him hating me, but now I knew that my fears had been groundless. He didn't hate me. If anything, he seemed to understand what I was going through.

"Taiyou hurry up! Everyone's already down there."

I heard Ruka's voice shout through the bathroom door and I heaved a sigh. Why did I even bother?

"Right. I won't be long."

Reluctantly I got out of the bath and hurried to get ready for Ichijou's party.


"Happy Birthday Ichijou!" I greeted the lively blonde, handing over his present, which he eagerly took with his thanks. I then looked around for Aidou and Kain but they were nowhere to be seen. A hush fell over the guests and all eyes turned to the path leading from the main gates. I saw Aidou and Kain and I smiled but that was quickly wiped from my face when my eyes fell on the silver haired Day Class student that had been the cause of so much pain. What was he doing here?

I turned away and concentrated on the table full of food that had hardly been touched yet. To try to distract me I grabbed everything I could on a plate and found a seat on the outskirts of the yard where I could occupy myself with the food.

I froze, my hand suspended in mid-air when I felt a set of eyes watching me. I looked up to see Aidou's blue eyes watching me and I flashed him a smile to show him I was fine. Seeing Zero had simply caught me off guard. I hadn't expected to see him there. In fact, he was the last person I had expected to see and knowing he was there put me on edge slightly, especially now that Aidou knew. I suspected he was watching me to see if I was all right but he had nothing to worry about.

I scanned the area with a smile, watching everyone as they celebrated Ichijou's birthday, when I came to Zero. I was surprised to see him watching me, never looking away even though I had spotted him. Despite my determination to hold his gaze I was the one who looked away first, and when I finally looked back, he was running from the dorm, Yuki not far behind. What was wrong?

I told myself I didn't care and forced myself to remain where I was. However, I couldn't stop my mind from drifting.

"Having fun?"

A voice startled me out of my thoughts, bringing me back to the party. It was Aidou. He was standing before me, his hand held out for mine.

"Care to dance?" He asked with a smile, which I returned.

"Sure."

Taking his hand, he led me out into the mass of dancing vampires and gently took hold of me as we moved together to the music.

It was amazing how little room was left in my head for thoughts of Zero, or anything really, when I was around Aidou. Whether I had my hands wrapped around his neck in an attempt to kill him, or we were laughing together, I wasn't able to think of anything other than what was happening in the moment. I had noticed that we had fewer arguments than we used to and he didn't irritate me as much as he used to.

'I guess this is a sign we're growing up.'

I smiled to myself, almost proud of Aidou.

"What are you smiling at?" He asked, his blue eyes narrowed, watching me suspiciously.

"It's nothing," I replied.

"Well I suppose you have every reason to smile. I mean, you are dancing with me. I suppose it's a dream come true for you isn't it?"

The smile immediately fell from my face as I tightened my hands around his neck, watching his face quickly turn beet red.

"You know I was just praising you for growing up a little but I guess it's physically impossible for that brain of yours to mature past 5 years old!" I cried in exasperation as I continued to ring his neck as he attempted to break my grip.

Suddenly, a gunshot sounded across the school grounds causing a temporary hush to fall over the party. I spun around to face the direction it had come from, my eyes wide, my heart pounding in my chest. Zero had run in that direction. Could he be in trouble?

Without another second's thought, I ran. I couldn't bear not knowing. However, before I had gotten even 5 metres a hand had found my arm, holding me back. I glanced over my shoulder to see Aidou watching me, his fingers gripping me tightly.

"Let me go Hanabusa," I begged, but his hold didn't loosen even the slightest. He just watched me with those blue eyes filled with concern. It was as if he was pleading with me not to go.

"Hanabusa let me go!" I cried pulling against his grasp. Instead, he just pulled me into his chest and held me in his arms, never letting go.

"You're making a scene," he whispered in my ear. "He'll be fine."

And strangely, I felt reassured by his words. I had grown so accustomed to him being there when I was upset that it was only natural I be calmed by his words. What was wrong with me? Every time I think that I'm all right, I get worked up by the slightest thing. A gunshot. It could have been anyone. As far as I knew, Zero could have been safe in his dorm. Why had I automatically assumed that he was involved? Did he still have that much control over my thoughts?

I felt tears sting my eyes and I found myself clutching onto Aidou's shirt as I tried to get a hold of myself.

"I'm pathetic."

Aidou's POV

I knew. The moment she released my neck I knew what she was thinking. That's why I was ready to grab her when she ran. I don't know why I stopped her. What difference did it make if she ran to him or not?

But I couldn't let her go. Even when she pleaded with those emerald eyes so full of pain and confusion. I didn't want to let her go. What kind of friend would I be if I let her go as she was? Instead, I pulled her into my arms only vaguely aware of the eyes of everyone watching us. Silly girl.

"You're making a scene," I whispered in her ear. "He'll be fine."

I immediately felt her relax a little, finding comfort in my words as she had done for the past few months. The words themselves didn't mean anything anymore. It was the mere fact that I cared enough to say them in the first place that calmed her.

I felt her clutch onto my shirt and when I looked down, I saw the tears in her eyes though she tried to fight them back. I cursed that damned vampire hunter. How could he cause her so much pain without even realising it? I could never do that to her.

"I'm pathetic," I heard her muffled voice say.

I only held onto her tighter, her words angering me. "You're not pathetic Taiyou. Don't ever say that. Because in the end..."

I trailed off, unable to finish what I was about to say. What had I wanted to say?

"Thank you Hanabusa. Yet again, you're the one looking after me. It seems I can't do anything on my own these days."

"Don't worry about it."

I looked up to see Kain watching me and I knew what he was waiting for, but I couldn't do it. Not when I knew what I did. It would be pointless. I couldn't bring myself to say what I knew she would reject.

'Because in the end, I'm the one who's pathetic.'