A/N:

In case I haven't really gotten it across, Zero's feelings for Ani thus far have been entirely brotherly (which Ani knows and kind of resents). Up until... well... this chapter. Zeki lovers, please don't kill me. T.O.E. readers, also don't kill me, this will all make sense in the end, I swear.

Yes, this chapter was nearly a month later than I said it might be. Gomen... -.-' I got sucked into several different writing projects, including one fanfic I will probably advertise for later (^_^*) and a deeply depressing short-story for an English class that has greatly changed what people think when I say something is depressing... ~evil smile~

-shakes head in attmpt to get back on topic- Right, Through Other Eyes chapter 9! (Wow. All the way to chapter nine. Thank you to anyone who's put up with me and my writing for so long!!) Enjoy!!

Through Other Eyes

Chapter Nine: Dreams, Asleep and Awake

It's night, the stars are shining overhead. It's peaceful, the moonlight casts a cool-yet-warm glow over the school grounds. Fireflies complete the perfect image. I'm sitting in the dew-wet grass, picking at it. Zero is suddenly in front of me, dressed casually in an untucked white button-down and loose black pants. He carries a single red rose. His expression is intense and unsmiling, more open and innocent than I ever remember seeing.

"I love you, Ani. I always have and I always will." He drops to his knees in front of me as I stare blankly, wondering how the words I've always wanted to hear have been now spoken to me in such a perfect way. "Do you love me?"

"I love you, Zero," I whisper, smiling lightly in my sleep.

*_*_*

I awake what I guess to be a few hours later, but honestly I couldn't say if that's accurate. I'm not used to telling time after passing out. I'm not really used to passing out, for that matter.

Yuki's sitting on my bed by my knees, watching my face anxiously. Her expression lights up suddenly. "Ani!" she gasps, leaning towards me as I sit up groggily.

"Hey, Yuki," I say, my mind in a fog. The loud voice is painful.

"Are you okay?" she asks, anxious again.

"Yeah, I'm fine," I lie, waving her away from my face. Scanning the room out of habit, I see my coat hanging on the back of a chair. The beautiful silver net, the Rowan Dragon, and my familiar Silver Moon all rest on the seat.

Yuki follows my gaze. "Those were here when Zero told me to watch you," she says, gesturing.

"Zero told you to watch me?" I ask, looking back to Yuki. She nods, a little surprised by the question, or maybe just how I said it.

"Do you want to see him?" she asks.

I nod, "If you don't mind, I'd like to speak to him privately." I don't know exactly why I'm speaking so carefully, but I don't really care.

"Sure," Yuki says, agreeable as always, and gets up to leave. As she turns, I see her bite her lip like she does whenever she's worried or upset. I figure I must be imagining it though, why would she be upset?

Yuki returns within a couple minutes with Zero in tow. I watch carefully to see her expression, but she keeps her eyes trained on the floor.

"I'll just leave you two alone," she says a little awkwardly, leaving the room before I can see her face and closing the door.

It's very quiet, and for a moment neither I nor Zero move. Then he walks over and sits on my bed, awkwardness still filling the room. I didn't have an idea of what I was going to say to him before, and I certainly don't now. "How are you?" he asks, breaking the silence. His voice is different, or maybe it's just his tone. It's not a bad kind of different really, but I'm still a little surprised.

"I'm fine," I say easily, the lie familiar from years of living with Yuki.

Zero looks skeptical, and slightly... I don't know what to call it with Zero. Caring? Concerned, at the least.

"What?" I say, one part self-conscious and one part basking in the glow of his gaze.

"Nothing," Zero says, looking down and shaking his head slightly. "You should get some rest," he says after just a moment, looking back up.

"But if I sleep you'll leave," I murmur, speaking more to myself than Zero. But of course he has to hear me anyway.

"I won't leave, Ani," he promises gently. "You get some rest."

With some reluctance, I scoot back down under the covers, a task made more difficult by Zero sitting on the edge of my duvet. And of course, I'm hardly going to ask him to move. Promise or no promise, I'm afraid that if he gets up, he'll leave and won't come back.

As soon as I'm situated with the blankets up by my chin, practically in a straight-jacket hold by them, Zero gets up. "You promised you wouldn't leave!" I gasp, slightly shocked he'd break a promise so fast. I wince at my child-like tone.

"I'm not leaving," Zero says calmly, turning so I can see his smile as he walks backwards. "I'm just turning off the lights." With that, he flicks off the switch and starts to walk back. It's still not truly dark; pale sunlight seeps through my dorm-standard white curtains. Zero sits back down on my bed, resting his hand absently on my knee. Instantly it starts to tingle. Zero's not much of a touchy-feely person, and I can't help but take this a tad more seriously than I should.

We sit as such for about twenty minutes, completely silent, as the light fades. Quickly my room is cloaked in shadow. I feel my eyelids sinking... my bed is so comfortable and I'm so tired... and Zero's stayed for this long, it won't matter if I just take a short nap... I roll over onto my side, back to the center of the bed, and...

...within seconds I've fallen into a dreamless sleep.

*_*_*

"Ani?" Zero's voice easily pulls me from my sleep, even if his call was soft. "Ani, are you asleep?"

I want to say I'm not, to make him stay. But I'm feeling slightly reckless. I want to know what Zero would do if he thought I was asleep.

Zero leans down over me, one hand on either side of me. He's still on my bed, and I can feel my weight rolling slightly towards his. I feel Zero's breath on my face and know he can only be an inch or two away... my heartbeat picks up, slamming against my ribs and making me feel stupid and fluttery. I'm sure Zero can hear it, but he doesn't seem to react. His arm is touching my shoulder blades, and I want to turn onto my back so I can look up into his eyes and see his face so close to mine...

Zero's lips brush my ear. "I know you're awake, Ani," he murmurs. I open my eyes a crack. Zero pushes back slightly, now probably eight inches away as opposed to one. I turn to my back, opening my eyes all the way. It's completely dark by now, and I can only barely make out his face. He's not smiling, looking at me with an intense expression. My heartbeat flutters a touch more and picks up speed.

"Zero," I breathe, trying not to hyperventilate at the feeling of déjà vu.

Now he smiles, though sadly, and kisses my forehead lightly. "Goodnight, Ani..." he murmurs into my skin. Then he pushes himself off my bed, which lurches slightly as it is relieved of 170-some pounds of vampire. I watch as he crosses the room without a second glance, then slides out the door, closing it quietly behind him.

My forehead feels hot where his lips touched my skip.

"Zero..." I murmur softly into the pitch-darkness of my room. I fall back to sleep with the memory of his whispering voice.

A/N II:

Wow. Zero's showing a bit more than just brotherly affection now isn't he? ^_^ Don't worry, it'll all make sense in the end... and if you guess it before then, PM me!!

A/N III:

It seems that someone has written on my handwritten hardcopy (yes, I still write out the chapters of my VK fanfics by hand... but strangely, only the VK ones). Where it says '170 pounds of vampire' on here, there is a star that leads slightly to the side where it says 'vampire hotness XD'. And I think I know who wrote that, even. (Nia-chan, I agree with you ^_^)