AN-Sorry for taking so long to update! I've been away and haven't had time to write…plus I am working on two other fanfics at the same time, so balancing out the time I spend on each is becoming difficult haha. Anyway! Yes, this chapter is in Zero's POV, you can assume it's in Zero's POV at all times unless I specify otherwise =). So, a little explanation, we're back to 'present day' with 28 year old Zero locked in the compound just so we're clear, next chapter will be another flashback, either in Yuki or Zero's POV, I have another Yuki chapter I need to write, I just haven't decided where to place it yet haha. Anyway, that's enough from me! Enjoy!

PS-Just remembered! The information on vampire and vampire hunter's aging is from the website .com/wiki/How_do_vampires_age%3F so I apologise if any of the information is incorrect….I hope I've interpreted it properly….anyway, sorry for babbling on! Enjoy!

My eyes snapped open. I was back in reality now….I heard shouting and commotion from outside my prison cell. I decided to ignore it, presuming they were bringing in a new arrival. I sat up slowly on the hard, eerily cold bed. I frowned, running my hand along the creased sheet. If I'd been sleeping for so long, why was the sheet so cold? I winced; a sharp stabbing pain struck the side of my head abruptly. The pain eased into a dull thudding. A headache. I swallowed painfully. My throat was parched. My hand travelled into my pocket, groping for the tiny blood tablet I had slipped in there earlier. I grunted in irritation…I couldn't find it. I leaned forward, rising to my feet. My head span and my vision blurred a little from the force with which I'd stood, almost threatening to pull me back into unconsciousness again. I shut my eyes for a moment, taking a deep breath to steady myself.

Plunging my hand deep into the pocket of my black pants, I fumbled desperately for the wretched tablet that would force the maddening thirst to recede, at least for a while. My fingertips brushed against the familiar smooth surface of the tablet, feeling a sickening pang of relief as I clasped it between my forefinger and thumb. Slowly, I plucked it out from the creases of my pocket, being careful not to crush it. I walked the few steps towards the abandoned tray, the same tray that had been slipped into my cell that morning. I was a little surprised someone hadn't come by to retrieve the discarded items on the tray yet…they were usually quite prompt when it came to that kind of thing. Still, I was thankful of the small glass that still remained on the aluminium platter. Curling my fingers around the cool glass, I felt comforted in the knowledge that in a few moments the painful throbbing of my veins, and the scratching feeling that dominated my throat, making my breathing shallow and raspy, would soon subside. I strode purposefully towards the mirror. It had become almost like a ritual for me, or more precisely a regime. To stand and watch the hideous beast I had become grapple with the concept of humanity and a hunger deeper than any other feeling my body possessed. I watched as my reflection glared back at me, almost as if in response to my own glare. My eyes, though full of anguish and fury, were much calmer than they had been ten years ago….as if they'd tamed me. This thought made me scowl harder, resembling my younger self much more. For the time being the bloodlust, though nearing its peak, was not unbearable, and my eyes remained their familiar steely lilac color as apposed to the nauseating crimson color characteristic of a starving vampire.

I placed the glass on the edge of the sink, and raised a hand to the looking glass. I ran a finger of the reflection of my jaw in the mirror. My eyes scanned every inch of my face, searching for some sign that I was aging….I found none. Not a line or crease on my forehead, not even at the corners of my eyes. I had recently turned twenty-eight, though I looked about twenty three, perhaps a little younger. Even ten years ago at the age of eighteen, I felt my body beginning to stop changing, stop growing. Yes, ever since I'd been here my growth had slowed. By the age of twenty three I had clearly stopped aging, though this had only become apparent by the age of twenty-six or so. It hadn't come as a great shock. The vampiric blood that now flowed endlessly through my veins was prolonging my life, just as that of any other vampire….I would never live as long as Yuki or Kaname Kuran, who's lives would flow on for eternity supposedly….unless they got 'bored' and decided to end their lives prematurely, or were sought out by a vampire hunter for some heinous crime. Nor would I live as long as an aristocrat who's lifespan was that of three hundred years or so….not even that of common vampires who lived 150 years.

I frowned. In theory….my aging should not really have been affected. Though I wasn't greatly knowledgeable on the subject of vampiric aging….I was pretty sure level D vampires were supposed to keep aging…I cast my mind back to the days when I had been tutored on the subject by my master, Toga Yagari. I couldn't recall the exact lesson clearly, but I did recall the basic facts….yes. Purebloods were eternal, and stopped aging in their early twenties….Aristocrats had long life spans, and supposedly lived an average of 300 hundred years, though it was rumoured some lived longer….their aging slowed at the age of eighteen, as mine had funnily enough, and though they continued to age, it would be a long time before they visibly appeared 'old'. Level Cs….the vampires who were usually former humans, but had become fully vampire after consuming their 'master's' blood…they lived an average of 150 years, and aged slowly. As for level Ds…I clenched my fists. They weren't supposed to age any differently than if they were still human….but their lifespan was cut short due to the fact they would eventually become level Es. Of course, level Es….no one had any idea what kind of lifespan they had, they were never left to roam long enough to find out….

My vision blurred and my throat cried out for nourishment. I clutched an arm tightly in my hand, feeling physically sick as I felt my veins pulsate and throb against my fingertips…..vampire hunters. Now vampire hunters were special. Of course, they had vampire blood running through their veins…that had been the beginning of vampire hunters…this had made it so that they could live long, and even stop aging….the Headmaster being an example of this. Still, I had my own theories on what had happened to my body. Before anything else, I had been born a vampire hunter. Had I been allowed to live normally without Shizuka Hio's attack so many years ago, I would've lived a long time as it was. After Shizuka Hio attacked me….it was thought I would fall to level E, though fourteen or so years after that traumatic event…I was still only at level D. I'd been close a few times, I'd seen myself starting to change into that twisted being that never lay far from the surface of my mind….but it seemed I'd always had some help in forcing it back down inside me….I hadn't consumed Yuki, or any other pureblood's blood for ten or eleven years. Yet, I was still 'sane', well as far as being level E was concerned….this was my next theory. Perhaps…having devoured Kaname Kuran and Ichiru's blood….I had in turn, consumed enough of Shizuka's blood to gain level C status, leading to the slow of aging….or, perhaps, I had simply consumed so much of both Yuki and Kaname Kuran's blood, that it had effected me in such a way. I wasn't sure which of these options was correct, and since I had no one to quiz such as my master, I decided to just leave it. I didn't particularly care that I had stopped aging, nor did I care if I did age….in this place, nothing made a difference.

I felt a strange almost alien feeling as I thought of Yuki….I shut my eyes, ignoring the pale young man in my reflection. Yuki….Yuki would be twenty six or twenty seven now…twenty seven; yes…she'd been seventeen the year I had been abducted. Yuki….she would probably look around….around the same age as me. Twenty two? Twenty three? She was a woman now. Probably accustomed to life as a pureblood. A melancholy feeling overtook me….I could almost picture an older Yuki, an older Yuki peering up at me with a look of detachment and superiority. My blood seemed to boil. As if she gave a shit about me now. She was probably married to that despicable man, Kaname Kuran….probably had children with him now, and was living peacefully in some mansion hidden from prying eyes. I hit the sink with my fist, ignoring the searing pain that permeated through my fist. I let out a choked sob….no tears fell. No tears ever fell. I struck the wall beside the mirror with my fist, causing the glass to tremor a little with the force of the blow. I lifted my head and peered into the mirror. My eyes had taken on a bloody red color, my tattoo throbbed the same violent shade.

"I've gone through all of this for her….and she doesn't even care." I spar through gritted teeth at my reflection. My body trembled and anger bubbled up within me. I'd loved her. I'd sacrificed everything for her…and she didn't care. I let out a pained cry, needing some sort of release from the emotional torment. Yuki….I pictured her, as she had been as a human, smiling warmly at me. No. The human Yuki was gone, had been for a long time. Replaced by a manipulative pureblood. I could never love her now….yet, what hurt me more than anything else….was that I did love her, even now. Even after ten years of solitude, of torment….my feelings for her couldn't be tainted, and it sickened me! After everything, I still couldn't let go of that girl…..no….of that woman. I allowed my muscles to relax, and panted as the anger began to wither. A sorry sight. I was a sorry sight. A grown man pining after a girl who had never felt anything for me….no, that wasn't entirely true. It had been clear she'd cared deeply for me….like a close friend or a brother….but she had never felt anything romantic for me. I had kissed her once….but she hadn't returned it, nor had she ever mentioned it again. What had I expected? I'd allowed myself to be captured so that Yuki could live peacefully without the threat of being kidnapped herself….but really, had I anticipated her to send Kaname Kuran and an army of aristocrats forth to break through this wretched prison and rescue me? Hell, had I expected her to burst through my cell door one day proclaiming her love for me? For us to leave this place together, to marry, to have children? No….I shook my head. Perhaps in some wonderful fantasy, in some feverish dream….no. In reality I'd always known….that night would be the last time I ever saw Yuki Cross…no, Yuki Kuran.

I turned the faucet, slipping my fingers into the trickle of water, enjoying the feeling as it began to grow warm. After letting it run for a few moments, I retrieved the glass from the edge of the sink, holding it under the steady flow of water. I filled it a few millimetres below the brim, taking the blood tablet from the other side of the sink and plopping it into the lukewarm water. It dissolved, as it always did, and I was reminded how grim an existence mine was. As I downed the mixture all of my heightened emotions began to pale….I didn't feel angry anymore, or melancholy…just….empty. It wasn't a blissful feeling, not was it distressing. It was just….neutral. Perhaps worse than any other feeling I experienced….a lot of the time nowadays I simply felt 'neutral'. If I stayed this way for a week or more, I would feel anxiety growing within me, eating me from the inside out….I felt anxiety because…I would begin to worry that 'emptiness' would be the only emotion I would ever feel again. 'Emptiness' is worse than despair, because it's what beasts feel….Anxiety always gave way to despair….and despair would give way to acceptance, and a mild feeling of pleasure….because the fall to despair would force me to realise that I could still feel something….of course, acceptance would lead me straight back to 'emptiness'. It was a vicious circle. Still…..give me despair, hatred, fury….I would wallow in the depths of any of these, though they caused my heart to ache and my mind to whirl…..it meant I could still feel something, and that was better than nothing at all. Emptiness meant I had given up.

I left the glass on the sink this time, predicting the thirst would strike again…though now I was out of tablets; I could drown myself in water. With nothing else to do, I wandered back to the little bed, though took a moment to peer out of the barred window. I was suddenly concerned. The sky was not blue or gray as I had anticipated….it had become a blend of oranges, yellows and reds….the darkest part reminding me of blood. As a human I would've relished and enjoyed the setting of the Sun, and the vibrant shades would've felt tranquil….the vampire me was disgusted that I could be reminded of blood, something so closely associated with death….from looking at such a natural beauty. Still, this was not what distressed me. I had grown used to this realisation long ago. I turned back to stare at the metallic tray that sat as it had that morning….It occurred to me that I had slept through most of the day, but once again this was not the cause for concern….what bothered me was the fact that they had not come to retrieve the tray, or replace it with one containing lunch or dinner. I scratched my head thoughtfully. Something was definitely wrong. This place was one of regime and regiment….in the ten years I'd been here this had never happened before…and now I was a little worried….I moved towards the door of my cell, ready to bang on it in order to attract the attention of one of the guards, but I paused. The commotion earlier….had that been a part of it? Perhaps it hadn't been a new arrival that was causing the chaos, perhaps someone had escaped? I shrugged, striding back over to the bed and flopping down on it. If something was wrong we'd know soon enough. I lay back on the bed, suddenly feeling very drowsy. I shut my eyes, ready to recall some more memories, it gave me something to dwell on, at least until something happened here…..