*Author's Note: This chapter is a bit bipolar…but it was fun to write. The first half is very emotional and everything, but the second half was fun to write, I'm sure you'll see why haha.

Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Knight.

Vampire. Zero was a vampire. Each word separately made perfect sense to me. Zero, my best friend since childhood. Vampire, a being so different from humans, so unfathomable. But…Zero…a vampire…the words didn't seem to sink in to my mind. I couldn't understand them.

With the answers I had gained about Zero when I realized what he was, there were a thousand more questions that were now crowding my mind. How had I not known? Why hadn't Zero been able to tell me? Where was he now?

After he had bitten me, I remembered thinking Kaname was going to kill Zero, and I jumped in between them to save him. After that was a blur. Somehow I had gotten to the headmaster's office, probably carried there by Kaname. Both Kaname and the headmaster had tried to talk to me and answer my questions, but I didn't remember much. I had been in too much of a state of shock to pay much attention. After talking to each of them, the headmaster had escorted me to my room. Now I was sitting on my bed, trying to reason through my coiled mess of emotions.

What I did understand from what I heard was that contrary to my belief, it was possible for a vampire to transform a human into a vampire, so Zero had been human once. I also understood that only a Pureblood vampire had the power to do this, which Zero was not, so there was no chance of me becoming a vampire. I understood now the bite marks that I had seen on his neck the night I met him. I also understood the blood tablets.

What I couldn't understand was the fact that Zero had been suffering alone for four years. I didn't see it. I should have known. But then…Zero hated vampires with a passion. He came from a family of vampire hunters, people who are specifically raised and taught how to kill vampires. Then a vampire murdered his whole family. I could understand why he hated them…but If Zero was a vampire this whole time, did that mean he had hated himself for all these years?

My eyes filled with tears. The worst part, the part I could barely even admit, even to myself, was that I was afraid. I was afraid of what he was becoming. I was afraid of losing him. I was afraid of the physical strength he had used to restrain me. I had often seen him in action, mostly when he was coming to my rescue in some way or another, but only once before in my life had he used his strength on me. Suddenly I was caught up in a memory.

It was about a year after Zero had come to live with us. We had been sitting at the table in the headmaster's house when the headmaster had come in, looking beaten. Curious, we had looked at each other, wondering if we should ask him what was wrong. Before either of us could, he had answered our silent question.

"There is a bad vampire on the loose in town," he had said in a very serious tone. "I want you both to promise me that you will stay here, near the house until we are able to take care of it. Do you understand?"

Both of us nodded. Satisfied with our answers, he had gone upstairs to prepare for bed. As soon as he was out of earshot, Zero had turned to me, a smirk on his face. "You know he was talking to you, and not me, right? I'm a vampire hunter. You're just the delicate daughter of the headmaster," he had said. It had infuriated me.

Hurt and angry, I had lashed out at him. "Shut up Zero! You couldn't kill a vampire. If you could you would have been able to save your family!" I had shouted. I immediately regretted it. A look of hurt so complete flashed in his eyes, and I knew I had hit home. But I couldn't turn back now, so I just kept glaring at him.

Masterfully covering up the look of hurt in his eyes, he had looked at me with those dead, emotionless eyes and laughed a harsh, cruel laugh. "You don't know anything. You're just a dumb girl," he had said. A moment of tense silence filled the room between us, and then at the same moment both of us left the kitchen without another word. In that moment I had resolved to prove to Zero I wasn't just a dumb girl. I was going to kill the vampire.

When I was sure both the headmaster and Zero were asleep, I had snuck out of the house, glancing around me to make sure I wasn't being followed. I got about 50 feet from the house when I heard a voice.

"Don't do it, Yuki," said Zero, coming from the shadows behind me. The mere sight of him made me angry.

"You can't tell me what to do, Zero!" I shouted back at him. I kept walking.

Suddenly, he was next to me, his hand grasping my shoulder, a look that was hard to interpret on his face. "Yuki, listen to me. Please," he said, strangely calm after our fight. I couldn't handle it anymore. Who did he think he was, calling me a dumb girl, and then trying to tell me what to do?

I punched him in the nose. As a tiny bit of blood appeared, something in his eyes had changed. He had looked angry.

"You're not going Yuki. That's final," he said. I was about to give him my angry retort when he snatched me off the ground, using his strength against me and putting me over his shoulder. He began to walk back towards the house.

"Zero! Stop it! I demand you put me down! Zero!" I had shouted at him, an endless stream of words that he seemed to not even be listening to. I struggled, kicking him, hitting him, even biting him. I did everything in my power, but it wasn't enough. I could see in his eyes the anger brewing deeper and deeper. He looked as if he would explode.

Without warning, I was forcefully thrown on the ground, and before I knew it he was on top of me, his hands restraining my wrists to keep me from punching him again. I was about to yell at him again when he said so quietly that it scared me, "Listen to me. Stop fighting me NOW and listen," he had said between his teeth, and the anger that was clear in his way-too-contained voice scared me into silence.

"You were right earlier when you said I couldn't protect my family. That was the worst day of my life. Yuki, you are my best friend, practically my family now. I have lost too many loved ones to ever allow you to throw yourself into a dangerous situation like that and get killed. You are all I have. Don't you DARE do that to me," he finished, still glaring at me.

For a moment, I was speechless. Then, I broke down, sobbing. The moment he stood up, releasing me I threw myself into his arms, and he was hugging me tightly.

"Zero…I'm…I'm…so…sor…sorry…I'm sorry…" I sobbed into his shirt. "I said the most awful things to you. I didn't mean any of them Zero. You're my best friend. I'm so sorry I hurt you. "

He had just stood there, letting my tears soak into his shirt, petting my hair as I cried. "Shh. Don't cry Yuki, ok? I'm sorry too. This was my fault to begin with. I don't know why I said it. Can you …forgive me?" he asked, smiling slightly down at me.

"Of course," I said softly, my tears finally ceasing. Releasing me from the hug, he took my hand and said softly, "Let's go back home, Yuki." Nodding, I followed him, my hand in his, back to our home.

I felt my eyes prick with tears again as I remembered that day. He had used his strength against me because he couldn't bear to lose me then. This time had been different though. He had been so cold and unresponsive as he locked me against his body, clamping onto my neck with his fangs.

I sighed. I was afraid, yes. But the more I thought about it, the more I realized that I was not afraid of Zero. I was afraid FOR Zero. In that moment, I made up my mind. I would not give up on him. I would not let him give up on himself. That day, three years past, he had stopped me from doing something I would regret and saved me. Now it was my turn to save him.


The next day, I was sitting in my seat next to Yori waiting for class to start. My mind was reeling. Last night as I had been walking back to my room, I had overheard Kaname talking to the headmaster. Kaname had told him that Zero needed to be moved to the night class. I had stopped in my tracks. Zero in the night class? He hated vampires. I knew without a doubt that Zero would not stand for it. But what could I do?

As the teacher walked into the classroom greeting the students, I realized what I needed to do. Without a second thought, I got up from my seat and ran out of the classroom, ignoring the shouts of the teacher behind me. I needed to talk to Kaname and beg him to let Zero stay in the day class. I didn't know if it would work, but I had to try, for Zero's sake.


Arriving at the moon dorm, I hesitated before opening the doors. I had only ever been here with Zero before, and I felt a little uneasy without him by my side. I didn't believe any of the vampires would really hurt me, but there was something reassuring about having Zero there with me. I shook my head, trying to shake the uneasy feeling I was getting and opened the door quietly, expecting that all of the vampires would be asleep at this time in the afternoon.

To my surprise, when I walked in, Hanabusa Aidou, a rambunctious night class student, was sitting on the couch across from two men wearing business clothes. I didn't know what was going on, but he looked bored. He looked up at me as I entered.

"It's Yuki," he said, a hint of surprise in his voice.

"Oh Idol…I mean hello Aidou," I said, blushing, having accidentally used the name all of the hormonal day class girls had given him.

"Time for you guys to leave," he said to the men in the business clothes, pushing them out the door brazenly and ignoring their outraged protests. He closed the door behind them.

"It's so bright and now I'm tired and cranky, and it's their fault," he said in a whining voice. I felt a little bad for him.

"I'm sorry to barge in like this…" I said awkwardly. He yawned, stretching leisurely.

"I'm not annoyed with you, just them," he said sleepily. "But…why are you here? Everyone is still asleep," he said, a question in his eyes. Then a feisty spark came into his eyes as he wrapped his arm around my shoulders. Oh dear.

"I know! You want me to drink your blood!" he chirped, a ridiculous smile on his face. He was so strange. It was a well-known fact that his moods were volatile and could shift without a moment's notice. I gulped, trying not to cringe, remembering that the last time his mood had shifted suddenly, he had tried to drink my blood. At the last minute, Zero had come to my rescue.

"Uh…no thanks, I came because I wanted to see Kaname," I said carefully as I watched the smile melt from his face.

"Oh well. Follow me," he said, taking his arm from my shoulders and walking on ahead of me. He didn't seem to take offense to my statement. "So then…you're gonna take me to him?" I asked, a little suspicious.

"You're the only one that Lord Kaname is nice to. The rest of us are just following his lead," he said nonchalantly. Then, he stopped on the stairs and turned to look at me. There was a dangerous look in his eyes and I knew his mood had shifted once again.

"So Yuki. Whose bite marks are those?" he asked me darkly. I started, realizing that while I wasn't paying attention, he had snatched the bandage from my neck, faster than any human could, exposing my bite mark from Zero. He turned around fully now, waving the bandage at me and chuckling a little evilly at my shocked expression.

"Last night, out of the blue, the smell of blood wafted into our classroom. It was a bit shocking to all of us. Only I knew whose blood it was. The blood I smelled was your blood, Yuki," he said seriously, looking at me a little too intensely. "Lord Kaname told us all to ignore it, which we did and the excitement died down."

"That's what Kaname said? I didn't realize…" I said, my sentence trailing off as I was lost in thought. That meant that Kaname was keeping last night a secret. He hadn't told them yet that Zero was a vampire. I didn't have time to wonder why before I heard a soft sound from above me.

Suddenly, all of the candles in the room were simultaneously snuffed out, leaving darkness in their absence. My breath hitching from being a little frightened, I looked up at Hanabusa standing on the stairs to see if he knew what was happening. He was glaring at me, his fists clenched. He took a step towards me.

"Do you know how annoying this is? Yuki, just what are you to Lord Kaname?!" he snarled at me angrily, his mood changing yet again. To my horror, when I looked up at him, I saw ice descending down the railing coming towards me from his hands. The ice came closer and closer until it got to my foot, covering it and freezing me in place. The wild look in his eyes was enough to make my heart beat faster in fear.

I knew what this was. This was one of the special powers only vampire aristocrats had. I had seen some of the other night class students use theirs before, if only for purposes of showing off to each other. But I knew Hanabusa was not showing off. He was unpredictable and rash, making him one of the more dangerous vampires living at the academy.

He slowly began walking towards me, and then surprised me by jumping with a cat-like grace and landing right in front of me, his face inches from mine.

"Tell me Yuki. He likes you, but why?" he asked me. I felt a flash of anger and protectiveness.

"I wouldn't be here today if it weren't for Kaname. Ten years ago I was about to be murdered by a blood-thirsty vampire and he saved my life," I said defensively. A look of surprise crossed Hanabusa's face.

"Well now. I knew nothing about that," he said. Then, his mood changing again, he said, "So then. If Lord Kaname is your savior, then the best way for you to show your gratitude would be to let him drink every drop of blood your body has to offer," he said happily. It was somehow even more eerie than when he had sounded angry.

"Do what?" I asked, appalled by his words. Where was Kaname? Being a vampire, he had to have woken up by now to this. We were not exactly quiet, and I had a feeling Kaname would not appreciate this behavior from Hanabusa.

"Now I understand. Your blood belongs to Lord Kaname," he said, voice dark again. "But what doesn't make sense is that bite mark, because it's not his," he said accusingly.

Suddenly he swooped down, again putting his face mere inches from mine, and took my face in his hand. He looked into my eyes, saying, "Don't give your blood to anyone else Yuki. And that includes me," he said, almost longingly. "Because one day, your neck will be graced by the lips of Lord Kaname himself. His fangs will slowly pierce your flesh, and when the sound of him drinking your blood finds its way into your ears, your body will tremble with ecstasy," he said softly, seductively. Then suddenly, breaking away from me, he stood up.

"You know, why not offer yourself to him now?" he said, his voice implying things other than drinking my blood. "You should plead with him to drink your blood," he said, smiling darkly. It seemed that if Kaname had wanted to stop this, he would have come by now, so I decided to take matters into my own hands.

"That's enough, okay?!" I said angrily.

"What did I embarrass you? He asked, smirking at me as he grabbed my arms with his hands and began to spread the ice along my arms and shoulders. Terrified, I did the only thing I could think to do.

"Hanabusa, stop it! That's enough!" I yelled, bringing my hand down to slap him. However, just as I was about to connect with his skin, a hand grabbed my wrist, stopping my arm in midair. I looked up.

"Please stop, Yuki," Kaname said calmly, still gripping my wrist.

"Kaname…how did you…?" I asked him. How long had he been there? Why had he not come sooner? And Why was it that only when I had been about to lay a hand on Hanabusa that he had finally intervened?

"Lord Kaname…" Hanabusa said, voice shaking as he realized he had been caught in the act. Slowly, Kaname turned his head towards him. Without warning, he backhanded the blonde vampire, causing him to bend over in pain.

"Did someone ask you to do this?" Kaname asked, calm as ever. "No. I apologize, I was out of line. Would you please forgive me Lord Kaname?" Hanabusa said shamefully, kneeling in front of Kaname.

"Leave," was all Kaname said. "Yes," Hanabusa said without hesitation, bowing his head before retreating quickly into the darkness at the top of the stairs. Kaname then turned to me.

"That was entirely uncalled for. I'm sorry, Yuki," he said, again in that calm voice. I blushed, feeling uncomfortable that he had saved me at all.

"No, no, no! It's fine, really!" I said, entirely too cheery, trying to get past the awkwardness and waving my arms in the air like a moron. Without warning, he laid his hand on my cheek. My breath hitched.

"It's alright Yuki. All that I ask is that you just be yourself. You're so different from all the other people I have surrounding me. Yuki, you're a warm-hearted girl, and that is something I treasure," he said, the lack of emotion in his voice making him come off as slightly insincere.

"Now then, you should go. I believe that you have class right now," he said, his hand resting on the small of my back pushing me in the direction of the door, assuming that I would obey. "In the future, don't come here alone. This place is far too dangerous. However, if you do wish to come here again, I suggest you have Zero accompany you. Considering what he took from you, he owes you at least that much," he said darkly, still pushing me towards the door. But I couldn't go yet.

The fact that he thought he could get away with saying that to me, and that I would just leave when he told me to, irritated me for some reason. He was not being fair to Zero, and I was going to call him out on it.

"That isn't fair to him. Why are you saying things like that?" I said angrily. His expression barely changed as he sighed and asked, "You really want to know?" His hand went to my neck, where my still-exposed bite marks were.

"The answer is quite simple. He bit someone I hold dear, and I'm sorry, but I just can't ignore that you got bitten by someone else," he said, a hint of possessiveness in his voice. It was a little unsettling.

"Kaname. I came here today for a reason," I said, remembering my original task and steeling myself to say what I needed to. "I have a request. Please don't put Zero in the night class!" I said, unable to control my emotions now.

"And why not?" he asked calmly.

"Zero has been fighting this battle all by himself. And for four years, I didn't know anything about it. I was so close to him the entire time, and yet I didn't even see it happening," I said, barely able to contain the tears anymore.

"You have a kind heart, but Yuki, with this there's no use beating yourself up over it," he said.

"I should have known!" I shouted at him, trying to make him understand. "When I found out Zero was a vampire I was totally shocked. But then…well yesterday I…I…I really hurt Zero," I said softly, not caring that the tears were now escaping from my eyes.

"Yuki. I'm sorry. If I could, I'd do what you ask, but I'm afraid I can't," Kaname said, wiping the tears running down my cheek with his hand. "Any human that becomes a vampire will eventually fall to a level E," he stated gravely.

Shocked, I took a step back from Kaname. A level E? That was what Zero was to become?

"Yuki, Zero cares about you and it's obvious he wouldn't want you to see him in that state," he said.

I couldn't think straight. Fresh tears gathered in my eyes and flowed down my cheeks. "So that's…" I said, not able to finish my sentence. Without another thought, I bolted out, slamming the door shut behind me, leaving Kaname alone.

I had to find Zero. I had to see him. And most of all, I had to find a way to save him, before it was too late.

*Well here's my confession…Hanabusa is one of my favorite characters. He starts out immature and frankly obnoxious, but then later on becomes a major character and even lets on that he cares. So that's the reason I let that scene stay in this fanfiction, even if it doesn't do too much for the plot as a whole of this particular story. Anyways, as always thanks for your time in reading this, and leave me a comment or a question if you have them!