Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Knight, nor do I profit in any monetary way from this story. It is written for my and other's enjoyment, and I am taking creative liberties with the characters. The only character that is mine is George Rosenburg. Vampire Knight and Vampire Knight Guilty are property of Viz Media and Matsuri Hino. Support them buy purchasing manga and dvds legally from your favorite retailer! The rating is posted above, and I cannot be held responsible if a reader who is too young reads this story without permission.

Author's Note:

Some secrets will be revealed in this one! I really wrestled with Yuuki's response, but decided to just leave it like it is. The other option was Yuuki saying no because she doesn't want to be tied down to him since she can't get Kaname out of her head. Either way, the outcome would have been the same, so imagine whatever you like.

Anlia: Thanks for the review!

CHAPTER 10: To Love and Protect

George's face lit up and he hugged her tightly. She returned the hug as what she had done had sunk in.

"Thank you, Yuuki! Thank you," he said elated as he took a ring out of his pocket. "Forgive me, but I don't have a ring, since I don't know what you like. We'll pick out an engagement set later this month when we go to visit my family."

She agreed and then he kissed her passionately on the lips, as if he were making up for something. Robotically, she found herself returning it, but a piece of her heart was still somewhere else.

They walked back to the Headmaster's home hand in hand. Kaien was waiting by the door with a knowing smile on his face as he saw them approach in the distance.

"Looks like she said yes," Zero said in a detached tone as he stood behind him.

"Yes, it does," Kaien replied. After a pause, he dared to ask, "Are you alright?" He'd been in a similar position to him before during his long life, and Yuuki's face reminded him of it everyday.

He made a snorting noise. "Yeah, just fine. It's her that's most important."

Kaien smiled and patted him on the head. "You're such a good son."

Zero swatted his hand away, but didn't offer his usual denial of Kaien's feelings towards him as he walked away. Now, there's no point in arguing. If I can't be like that with her, then I'll be whatever I can.

The next hour was filled with typical congratulations and merriment courtesy of the Headmaster. Eventually, Yuuki realized she needed to do some patrolling, so she excused herself.

"If you don't mind, would I be able to stay for a while in order to plan the ceremony with Yuuki, Headmaster Cross?"

"Oh, of course. I don't mind at all. We don't have any guests scheduled for a long time, so you are welcome to stay until then, if you'd like," he offered.

"Fantastic. Thank you, sir. I'll see you in the morning then, my love," he said as he kissed her on the cheek. He'd have done far more, but out of respect for her father he restrained himself.

"Goodnight," she said shyly.

After George left, Kaien looked at her seriously. "Yuuki, you'll have to tell Kaname."

She looked down. "I know. I'll tell him soon. I'd rather not think about it right now. I'll see you later."

A week passed by.

Thankfully, she didn't encounter many students during patrol, except during the switchover. Kaname must have had business to attend to in the Moon Dorm, as even Hanabusa didn't come out to tease her about whatever he felt like.

Just when she thought her life couldn't get more complicated, it did.

It was twilight, and a cold, light rain was falling. The newly-engaged couple was walking through the cool mist, anyway, ignoring the chill that was sure to set upon them. Yuuki carried an official Cross Academy-issued umbrella. George walked next to her, but stubbornly in the rain with only his raincoat on.

"If you're going to walk with me, you can at least get under the umbrella," she insisted.

"No, thank you, Yuuki. That umbrella is only meant for one. You'll get your hair all wet," he replied with a shake of his head.

She grunted. "Fine, but I'm still escorting you back to the Headmaster's. Guest or no guest, only those with passes are allowed to walk on the grounds at this hour."

He pouted. "Even me? Surely you could make an exception?"

"No." He was startled by the vehemence behind her tone, so she put on her goofy smile. "I m-mean if I let one person bend the rules, then I'll have to do it for everybody, right?"

George was still curious about her response, but let it drop for now. "Yes, I suppose you're right." In all honesty, something was bothering him, but he wasn't sure how to voice it. With Yuuki doing her job during the day in the office, and patrolling at night, he had a lot of free time on his hands. During these times, he sometimes liked to walk around, with no particular destination in mind. One day, he leaned up against a tree and closed his eyes. Two younger female instructors were nearby gossiping, which he didn't pay much mind to, until they mentioned her.

"Did you see that Yuuki Cross was hanging around with that man from before?"

"The former Moon Dorm President? Yeah, I did. He hasn't aged a day! I always did think that she was too friendly with him as a student to just be acquaintances."

"I know what you mean. She was probably 'too friendly' with him, if you know what I mean, a week or two ago. Now she is hanging out with that newer boy from the other town, I heard. Can you believe that?"

"Maybe she's playing the field to rebel against that father of hers!"

The gossiping women were ignorant of the eavesdropper, and giggled like the students they taught all the way back to their quarters.

This news, however true it actually was, unsettled George. After that occurrence, he began paying more attention to the other gossip that was floating around, and the common denominator between them all concerned Yuuki and Kaname. He shook his head of his dark thoughts, and was comforted in the fact that her personality just wasn't suited to floating from man to man for physical reasons.

As he had wandered over to the Moon Dorm section, they both had quite a distance left to walk. Still within sight of the gates that she frequently guarded, Yuuki suddenly stopped and began looking into the trees. She was tense, and looked as if she were about to pounce on something.

"Yuuki?"

"Shh!" she ordered. She reached for her leg and pulled out a staff that he hadn't seen before. Without taking her eyes off of whatever mysterious thing was hiding from them, she whispered harshly. "When I give the order, I want you to run back to the house as fast as you can. Do not stop no matter what you hear."

George was flabbergasted, as this was a whole new side to her that he hadn't seen before. Also, he couldn't understand why he needed to run in the first place. "Yuuki, what are you talking about? You don't expect me to leave you alone out here, do you?"

"Just go...please," she added a little more softly. She turned to look at him to show how serious she really was. Out of nowhere, a shrill cry erupted into the night air, and it shook them both to the bone. "RUN!"

George did as she said, and began running down the path, but he didn't get far. A person, or more like a creature, jumped in front of him and blocked his escape. She...it...looked desperate, with glowing red eyes, a bony frame, and fangs glinting from the street lamp.

"A...a va-vampire?" George asked, struck with the usual fear of an encounter with this particular demon.

Yuuki moved in front of him, brandishing her Artemis Rod and preparing to strike. "Stop right there!"

It cackled and looked at her wildly. "Silly girl, you are but the appetizer. What I really want is the main course!"

"Main course?" she asked.

The Level-E jumped towards her. Yuuki swung the silver staff and struck the vampire in the side, causing it to hit a large tree trunk. It screamed in frustration. "How dare you? No one will keep me from the pureblood!"

Launching at the small-framed guardian once more, Yuuki did her best to deflect her attacks.

"What do you want with Kaname?" she yelled in between swings.

"We...were promised! We were...promised...his BLOOD!" the deranged night creature screamed.

Yuuki's brown eyes opened in shock. A Level-E was promised Kaname's blood? That can't be right. Who would do such a thing? Wait...she said we. There's more!

Five more shadows were seen running in their direction, each with a set of rubies for eyes. Panic beginning to set in, she put all of her might into a swing, electrifying the Artemis Rod, and hitting the female vampire in the head. She turned into dust, moaning at the lost promise of the richest blood among vampires.

Sweat forming on her brow, Yuuki stood in front of George and looked directly at her approaching foes. That was actually her first kill (Zero usually shot them before she even had a chance), and it shook her a little bit to know that she killed what used to be a person. The familiar fear of being eaten by a blood-thirsty vampire entered her mind, but it was overshadowed by something surprising...anger.

"You will NOT get to Kaname Kuran as long as I breathe! Stand down now or I will be forced to fight!" she yelled.

George's eyes widened, but not from the imminent danger of the vampires. He realized, at her foolish battle cry, that Kaname Kuran was more than he appeared in Yuuki's heart.

Naturally, the Level-E's found this not the least bit intimidating and charged full speed. Yuuki's heart began to race, and she silently prayed for help, hoping that the ruckus attracted someone's attention. Just before two former-humans were able to drag their nails into her skin, they both watched as they disappeared into nothing before their eyes. The remaining ones met their fates due to ice and a swift cut to the throat.

Adrenaline still pumping, Yuuki turned around quickly, and met the eyes of the three Night Class members. Kaname, a fierce anger shining briefly in his eyes, stood at the front.

"Are you alright, Yuuki?" Kaname asked with contained worry. He placed his hands on her face to get her to look at him.

She nodded, in too much shock to speak. Kaname looked over George, as if to see if he were injured, and didn't bother to ask when he saw no signs of it. Two gunshots were heard nearby.

"Seiren, Aidou, go help Kiryuu dispatch of any other vermin that are roaming the Academy. I sense that there are three others."

"Yes, Lord Kaname," they both replied as they ran into the woods.

That left the three of them alone. "That was a foolish thing you did, Yuuki," Kaname began, ignoring George. "You against so many foes? Without any help? You should have run away."

Yuuki snapped out of her daze and channeled her leftover fear into anger. "I wasn't about to let them breach the gates and get to you, Kaname!"

His eyes hardened a little. "You would have fought until the end?"

"Yes," she said confidently, but her voice shook slightly.

Kaname didn't look pleased – at her – which she had never experienced.

"Look, I don't know what he is, Yuuki, but he seems to be more than capable of taking care of himself," George said, walking closer to her.

Kaname's gaze changed to one that he normally reserved for Zero. "Yes, you are correct, and as for what I am, you should already know."

George looked at him, noticing the age in his young eyes, the relaxed, predatory stance, and the fangs that purposely showed when he spoke. "You're a v-vampire, too? All of you?"

He smiled darkly.

George looked in shock at Yuuki. "Is it true? Are you a vampire, as well?" he asked near the point of hysterics. He put his hands on her mouth and made the move to lift her lips so that he could inspect her teeth.

Yuuki tried to push him away, to no avail, but Kaname promptly grabbed George's wrist roughly. "You will not touch her in that way. She is not a vampire. Only those in the Night Class are cursed by blood." Neither of them knew just how difficult it was for him to say that.

Yuuki, ever tender-hearted, placed her hands gently on Kaname's arm and looked pleadingly at him. "Let him go, Kaname. It's alright. He's been through a lot, tonight."

The mist was giving her an other-worldly glow, making her hair shine like diamonds. For the future King of the Vampires, this was the greatest weapon of all. Reluctantly, he released George's wrist, which was bruised from the harsh contact.

"As you wish," he acquiesced, forgetting some of his anger.

George looked back and forth in between the soft gazes they gave each other, and put the pieces of the puzzle together. "So, it's true," he said despondently.

"What's true?" Yuuki asked as she looked at him.

George laughed bitterly. "Those rumors I've heard – they are true, aren't they? You love this...creature, don't you?" He didn't look angry. If anything, it was slightly disgusted at being in the presence of what he considered a demon from horror stories.

Yuuki knew all to well the rumors he was speaking of. "Kaname is not a 'creature.' He is a person whom I hold very dear. But n-no, those rumors aren't true...at least, not all of them," she ended quietly.

Kaname remained silent, allowing her to have control of the situation.

"What exactly is true, then?" George asked with his fists clenched.

"Kaname is my first memory, so he's always held a special place in my heart. That special place made room for love, but I stayed away since I didn't think it our relationship would work for obvious reasons. He left for a long time, and I learned to accept it. After I met you, I was finally ready to move on, but...then he came back. While you were gone, I told myself that I needed to make sure that you were the right choice for me, so I went on a date with him...as friends, only, but we did kiss. That date is where the rumors started. Actually, I haven't seen him since then," she explained in a soft voice.

George took a few seconds to absorb the information. "So, then, why did you say 'yes'?"

Kaname raised an eyebrow. Did he propose? Cross neglected to mention this.

"That would have been selfish of me, even though he is okay with it. To imagine having a full life with him for such a short amount of time, experiencing dating, getting married, having...children, and then him being left all alone is just too much for me to place on his shoulders," she said sadly. She looked to the ground away from Kaname, afraid to see his reaction.

"Yuuki," Kaname said sadly. Such a beautiful heart, she has.

The rain came down harder as the three of them stood in the clearing. "Was I anything to you, Yuuki?" George asked.

Yuuki's eyes began to fill with tears. "Yes, yes of course you were!"

He shook his head gently. "No, not like I wanted. You love me in some ways, but not like you love Kuran. Now I know how Kiryuu feels," he mumbled.

Speaking of him, another gunshot was heard in the distance, and George jumped. "Look, Yuuki, either way, all this," he said motioning around, "it's too much. I can't handle all these...things," he said gesturing to the tall brunette. Kaname looked irritated. "You've got too many secrets. Perhaps this is all for the best. I guess I'll marry her after all," George mumbled.

"Marry her?" Yuuki asked.

"The lady my parents want me to marry," he said calmly. "Just like Sayori's family, mine is very prominent, and that means that I lose certain privileges when it comes to love. Don't look so horrified. I love her, but I wanted to discover love on my own, to prove to myself that not all things in life are arranged, I suppose."

She bristled in anger. "So, did you even love me at all?"

"Of course. My intentions with you were true, although, they weren't as pure as you probably assumed."

Kaname finally broke his silence. "What would have happened when you announced your engagement? Would Yuuki have been your secret lover?"

"No, no, nothing like that. It would have been seen as a rebellion against my parents, but they would have accepted her, eventually. My younger brother and I would have switched inheritances, I'm sure." He turned to walk back. "I'll go to my room, and I'll take the next available train. Goodbye, Yuuki."

"Rosenburg," Kaname commanded with a booming voice. "Do you wish you had never met my dear girl?"

George stopped, not wanting to see the consequences if he refused, and sneered at the endearing term Kaname had used. "No, I am happy to have met her. I just wish I could forget knowing the truth of this Academy."

"That can be arranged," Kaname replied.

In a flash, a streak of violet rushed in front of Yuuki's eyes, and she watched as that familiar purple glow emanated from Seiren's deceivingly lady-like hands on his head.

"Wait, what are you doing?" Yuuki exclaimed.

Kaname rested his hands on her shoulder gently, but firmly. "Do not interrupt her; it could lead to undesirable consequences on his memory." Once he felt her relax, he continued. "She is not erasing his memory – merely modifying it. As far as he is concerned, he courted your briefly, but you both agreed that you were better off as friends. Naturally, the truth about the Night Class will be erased completely."

Yuuki watched her perform the memory wipe with mixed emotions, having been on the receiving end of it by his hand just before Shizuka Hio's death.

Kaname put his hand at the small of her back. "Come, Yuuki. You are soaked to the bone. I don't want you becoming ill."

They didn't get too far.

"That damn Kiryuu is testing my patience!" yelled an upset Hanabusa as he joined the three of them. "We helped him kill the remaining Level-E's, and he had the audacity to point that Bloody Rose at me when I asked to look at the cut he had."

Yuuki paled. "Cut? Zero is hurt? I have to go help him!" She made a move to run, but a sharp pain filled her senses. It felt as if she had been struck in the head, and the suddenness of it caused her to become dizzy.

"Yuuki, what's wrong?" Kaname reached out to stabilize her, concern seeping into this garnet eyes.

Instead of the usual look of shy adoration, he received one of horror. "No, no get away from me! Don't touch me! You can't have me!" she yelled.

"Cross, do not speak to Lord Kaname that way. He's just trying to -" the boy-genius began.

"No! Don't leave me!" she screeched to the empty woods before falling limp in Kaname's arms.

"Yuuki? Yuuki?" Kaname asked.

The brave girl was passed out, and, thankfully, still breathing. The pureblood knew what this meant, but now was not the time, or place, to remedy the situation.

"Senri", followed by Ichiru, appeared from behind the open gates. "Hmph, such disruptive behavior. What do you think she was carrying on about, Lord Kaname?"

Completely ignoring him, Kaname picked up the delicate package and looked his loyal subjects in the eye. "I'm taking her somewhere safe. Seiren, Aidou, bring the human to Headmaster Cross and explain what occurred."

In a blur, he was gone.

Ending A/N:

Next chapter is halfway done already and will be posted soon! It will concern some serious "changes" in Yuuki's life.