Disclaimer- I don't own Vampire Knight

Chapter 11

Persuade Me

Reina fled the bedroom and raced down the hall to the stairs which she flew down quickly. Four students, Aido, Kain, Shiki, and Rima watched her curiously as she ran down the stairs, her wet hair clinging to her face and shoulders. The marble of the entryway was slippery under her bare feet and Reina almost lost her footing, but steadied herself shakily and continued to make her way to the double doors.

"Reina-sama!" Aido cried as he saw her running through the house and towards the front doors, he stood quickly from the couch he had been occupying with Kain.

Aido watched in confusion as a distraught Reina tore open the front doors and fled into the quickly approaching dusk, her bare feet slapping against the pavement and small droplets of water falling from her dripping clothes to the ground leaving dark splotches along the path she took.

"Aido," Ichijo called, appearing at the top of the steps.

Aido turned around quickly to see a flustered and somewhat damp Ichijo standing on the floor above them.

"What happened to Reina-sama?" Aido asked worriedly.

"Quiet down, Aido," Ichijo scolded. "Where's Kaname?"

"What happened, Ichijo?" Kaname asked as he walked up behind Ichijo.

"Reina, she-"

"I thought I said not to let her leave that room," Kaname said darkly.

"W-well, she just ran off. I tried to stop-"

"Aido, Kain, go and look for Reina. She'll avoid the dorms and school, so start in the woods," Kaname ordered as he looked over the landing at Aido.

The two cousins nodded and disappeared through the door to try and search out Reina.

"She tried to bite me, but she faltered when I tried stopping her. I didn't think she would really want-"

"It's fine, Ichijo. I didn't think Reina would try to bite you. She's always been able to control herself before. Being at the school around so many humans must be getting to her," Kaname stated.

"Should we tell the Headmaster?" Ichijo asked.

"Reina isn't a danger to the other students. She's a danger to herself at this point," Kaname replied. "I'll go find the Headmaster, you go look for Reina."

Ichijo nodded and turned to make his way down the stairs.

"Ichijo," Kaname called. "Don't let her actions fool you, remember she is a pureblood. She can be very...persuasive."

Not fully understanding Kaname's meaning, but figuring he just meant that she wasn't herself at the moment and so she wasn't acting normally. He nodded and ran out the door.

Shiki and Rima stared up at Kaname who looked down at them briefly before walking away.

It may not have been noticeable to most but the two easily caught the message in Kaname's eyes, 'not a word,' was the gist of it.

"I need to get ready for class," Shiki drawled with a bored yawn.

"Yeah, me too," Rima agreed.

The two then stood from their chairs and went to their rooms without another word.

The sun was still high in the sky, but it was beginning to make the slow descent that would turn the day into night. Reina ran blindly down the path that led away from the dorms before veering away from it and into the woods, away from the Academy and the Sun Dorms. There wasn't much in the direction she was heading just acres of trees and some hilly terrain. Her bare feet pounded on the soft earth as she ran and she could smell the trees and damp moss that thrived in the woods. The musty, earthy smells helped to relax her and she breathed deeply and let the calming smells enter her body.

As she ran she noticed an area off to the side, it appeared to her to be a stable of some sort. Horses, she figured by the scent, but paying it no mind she kept running. What she didn't know was that Zero had gone to the stables after classes that day, something he did quite frequently.

Zero's sharp ears and senses, as well as a few displeased neighs from some of the stabled horses, alerted him to the presence of a vampire nearby. He grabbed his gun out of the folds of his black jacket and took off out of the stables and towards the presence he had felt, his partially unbuttoned white shirt clinging to his already sweaty frame.

Reina continued to run through the trees, they were slowly becoming more dense as she ran further into the forest. It was cool and damp along the forest floor with so little light being able to seep through the dense treetops that towered over her. She ran into a small clearing between some of the trees where some of the early evening light was softly falling onto the grassy ground. When she reached the center of the clearing she fell to her knees and rested her hands on the ground before her and bent forward slightly so that her hair almost brushed against the dirt and her chin was tucked into her chest.

Her body tensed reflexively when she felt someone approaching her. Her follower was nearing her quickly and quietly, but she didn't move, just remained on the forest floor and waited. She knew who was coming and also knew how to handle her current situation.

The sound of someone stepping from the trees behind her as their feet crunched over some fallen leaves could be heard as well as quickened breaths from the run to catch up to her. She heard the sound of a chain as Zero raised his Bloody Rose gun to point it at the back of her head.

"What are you doing out here, vampire? You're supposed to be in the dorms," Zero said coldly.

Reina's breathing was still ragged and uneven as she answered. "What do you think I'm doing out here, Vampire Hunter?" she hissed.

She didn't have to look behind her to know that Zero's hand had tightened around his gun and that his eyes were now trying to bore holes into her back.

Pushing herself up from the ground, she turned to face Zero with a smile on her face. He immediately noticed the blood lust that was apparent in her eyes as she smiled at him, revealing her sharp fangs.

Reina laughed lightly before once again turning around and running from the clearing. She ran away from the Academy and further into the dense forest, something that Zero was keen enough to notice. Without hesitating, Zero growled and ran after her.

They ran for what seemed like hours although it was probably only about thirty minutes before Reina disappeared from Zero's view. Zero stopped in his tracks and looked around cautiously, expecting her to attack him. She didn't disappoint him either. She silently stood on a tree limb about twenty feet above him. Stepping off the branch, Reina floated down behind him, her hand reaching for his neck. Sensing her intent, Zero spun around and raised the gun to point at her.

She laughed playfully before she again disappeared into the trees.

"At least you're putting up a fight," she taunted from the thick net of foliage somewhere above Zero.

Zero eyed the canopy above him but every time he thought he caught sight of the girl she would vanish, leaving only shadows in her path.

Growling, he spun around quickly and grabbed Reina's arm when she appeared behind him.

"You're strong," she said. "But how strong?"

Zero suddenly felt a cold wind pick up around him before he was hurtled through the air, his silver gun falling to the ground as it was torn from his grasp. He braced for impact, knowing that the trunk of a rather large tree wasn't far behind him. The impact never came however and he found himself suspended in the air, a flurry of movement around him.

"I wouldn't do that if I were you," Reina called as he attempted to reach through the strange wind, she appeared on the other side of the swirling wind that surrounded him and smiled teasingly.

Zero narrowed his eyes at Reina who laughed at him before flashing him a smile and then disappearing, the wind around him suddenly stopping, causing Zero to fall to the ground. He landed in a semi crouch and looked around. He didn't move as he listened to the sounds of the trees and watched for any sign of movement. His gun lay only a few yards in front of him and he was ready to spring into action to retrieve it.

He grunted as hands wound themselves around his arms and a cold body pressed against his back. Through the thin fabric of the shirt he wore he could feel every curve of Reina's body as she leaned towards his neck.

Grabbing her arms, Zero pulled Reina over him, she released him and landed a few feet before him on the balls of her feet with her back to him.

Spinning around, Reina grabbed Zero by the throat with a single hand and pushed him back into the trunk of a tree. She pushed her thin body against him, the wet fabric of her shirt dampening his. Zero's hands clamped over Reina's upper arms as she looked up at him, her eyes glowing red and her fangs clearly visible in the dim light as she eyed his neck. Leaning forward she brushed her nose lightly across his skin and breathed in the sweet smell of his sweat dampened body. He shivered with disgust before ripping her arm off his throat and shoving her back roughly.

Reina turned slightly to the left, she could sense that Aido and Kain were somewhere nearby, but hadn't yet caught on to her whereabouts. Growling, she turned her eyes back to Zero, who in a series of quick, graceful movements had run at her and was trying to land a hit on her. Reina avoided every hit he threw at her and kept taking steps back until her barefoot brushed against cold steel and a sharp shock ran up her leg.

Jumping away from the gun that had shocked her with a hiss, Reina landed on the top of a fallen moss covered log. She glanced down at her ankle to see a small burn, momentarily taking her eyes from Zero who snatched up the gun and swung it around to point at her yet again.

Reina smirked at him, "You haven't shot that thing yet? You must not want to kill me, Zero, tut tut," she taunted, clucking her tongue at him. "Oh well, that just means that I have to fight a little harder."

Springing off the log, Reina launched herself at Zero and again pinned him to a tree. Her face was inches from his and they regarded each other coldly. They were currently in a bit of a stalemate. Zero had his gun to Reina's temple and Reina had a tight grip on his neck, her sharp nails biting into his skin.

"You won't shoot me," Reina said as she leaned forward.

Zero shoved her off once again and brought his gun up before him, pointing straight at Reina's heart. Reina smiled as she saw his finger tightening on the trigger.

A loud bang reverberated through the forest as Zero pulled the trigger of the Bloody Rose gun. The sound echoed through the trees as Zero stared coldly at Reina.

Aido shouted in surprise as he leapt aside and raised his hands before him as a bullet zoomed by him to strike the tree inches behind his head. A glowing red rose appeared on the surface of the tree which Aido had turned to look at and gulped.

"That was close," Kain said as he too turned to look at the glowing symbol behind them.

"Where did it come from though?" Aido asked as he stared at the tree and scratched at his head.

Kain shrugged, "It sounded like there was some fighting not far ahead. Obviously Kiryu's around here somewhere."

Aido growled at the idea of Zero being near Reina with his Hunter's gun and obviously trying to shoot her.

"What happened?" Ichijo asked as he walked up to Kain, he had heard the shot and came to see what it was. He saw the red mark on the tree and frowned at it. "So Kiryu is out here too, we have to get to Reina first."

"There were some noises up ahead, but we were distracted when Aido nearly got his head blown off," Kain said.

"It's not like it was my fault," Aido grumbled.

"Let's go," Ichijo ordered, his eyes and face now showing only seriousness, there was no hint of the Ichijo who normally acted so human, laughing and smiling as they took off in the direction Kain had mentioned.

Reina fell to the ground, landing on her knees and letting her hands fall into her lap and her head fall forward to hide her face from view.

"Why?" Zero hissed.

There was no response from the fallen girl.

He hadn't shot her, when he had fired he had raised the gun and fired to the right of her head sending a bullet in the direction that he could sense others approaching from.

"Why?" Zero asked again. "You wanted me to shoot you, didn't you? You were trying to get yourself killed, and you wanted me to do it for you."

"I'm sorry," Reina uttered quietly.

The words had surprised Zero, it wasn't what he had expected to hear. His face registered the surprise before changing back to his look of cold hatred.

"Why?" he asked again.

"I'm weak. I've never had a problem fighting off the urges before, but now it's gotten harder. I can't control them as well. It's frightening," Reina replied, her eyes turned towards the ground, too ashamed to meet his eyes.

Zero stared at the girl before him, she looked so broken and lost that if she had been anything other than a vampire he might have felt badly for her.

"I attacked Ichijo," she admitted quietly. "I didn't bite him, but I wanted to. You might not believe me, but I have only bitten someone once. I was little more than a child."

"Why are you telling me this?" Zero asked gruffly.

"If you aren't interested in listening then why are you still here?"

Zero blinked at her, she had a point. Why was he still there? Why hadn't he taken her to the Headmaster now that he knew she wasn't a danger to him, but only trying to get him to kill her? He continued to stare at her for a few more moments before sighing and running a hand through his silver hair.

"As I'm sure you've noticed, there are others approaching. We should go if you don't want to be seen," Zero said.

Reina looked up at him curiously, the blood lust was still in her eyes, but it had faded slightly and she was able to keep it under control, for the time being.

"I'm guessing you left the dorm for a reason, so come on," he ordered roughly.

Standing up shakily, Reina made her way towards Zero who was still regarding her with suspicion as she walked up to him.

"I can't just let you run around out here. I'll take you to the Headmaster. He can deal with you," Zero told her.

She nodded and smiled sadly at him before running alongside him as he took off back towards the Academy.

She could no longer sense Aido, Kain, and Ichijo behind them and she stopped in her tracks. Zero turned around as she stopped and watched her as she just stood there staring at him.

"You hate all vampires because of the tragedy in your past, so why didn't you kill me?" she asked, "You had a perfect shot."

"You were only toying with me. I caught on to that when you never actually hurt me only did things that would obviously piss me off. You would always allow me to pull you off of me before you bit me, because you weren't going to bite me, right?"

Reina nodded.

"That and you could have easily moved aside when I raised the gun, but you didn't. The biggest give away though, was the look on your face," Zero said. "Like you were relieved I was about to pull the trigger."

"I still don't understand, you should have shot me."

"Why, because you wanted me too? I won't do anything for a vampire, and you were only trying to use me."

"I figured you would willingly shoot me. I never expected you to let me live. You hate my kind, but here you are sparing my life."

"Don't take it personally," Zero scoffed.

"So you still hate me then?" Reina asked.

Zero didn't respond immediately only glared at her before turning around and beginning to walk away.

"Come on, vampire," Zero barked.

Reina smiled at his back and ran after him, but she was halted by the sudden tightening in her chest once again and fell to the ground panting for air.

"Get up," Zero ordered.

Reina moaned and leaned over the ground digging her nails into the dirt as an intense thirst radiated throughout her body.

"T-tab-let?" She asked hoarsely.

Zero went to reach into his coat where he kept the tablets the Headmaster had given him since his own urges for blood had become more frequent. He scowled when he remembered that he had left the coat at the stables.

"I don't have any," Zero answered blandly.

"Then either shoot me or get the hell away from me," she said through her ragged breathing.

"Come on. We're almost to the Headmaster's," Zero said.

"I can't-"

She was cut off when she was suddenly being hefted off the ground by Zero. He picked her up somewhat carelessly, slipping one hand behind her back to grab her shoulder and when he had her part way off the ground he slipped his other hand under her knees.

"What are you doing?" she asked nervously as he began running towards the Academy and the Headmaster's private quarters.

"I'm not just going to leave you there, you might hurt someone," Zero answered.

Reina's hands tightened over her chest as another wave of pain completely knocked all the air from her lungs. She made a small noise of pain and leaned her head into Zero's shoulder. Zero tensed at her proximity to his neck, but with a single glance downwards relaxed. She was fighting for control of her senses and he could tell she was no threat to him.

She cried out suddenly and began trying to push Zero away from her. He struggled with her and managed to keep his hold on her even though she continued to struggle for him to release her.

"No," she whispered quietly.

"We're almost there," Zero said reassuringly, he was actually surprised by the softness of his own voice and frowned to himself.

Racing up the steps behind the Academy that led to the Headmaster's private living area Zero kicked open the door with a loud crash that caused Reina to bury her head into his shoulder again.

The Headmaster came running out of a room to the right, he was in somewhat normal clothes. A pair of light slacks, a white button up shirt, and had a green shawl over his shoulders. His hair, as usual, was in a ponytail and his glasses sat precariously on the end of his nose.

"Zero, what happened?" he asked urgently as he saw Reina's struggling form in his grasp.

"She's thirsty," Zero replied bluntly.

"Right," the Headmaster said before turning around to run to his kitchen.

Zero sat Reina down on the dark brown leather couch in the living room and the second he released her, she tried to scramble as far away from him as she could. She brought her knees up to her chest and wrapped her arms around herself. Her forehead rested on her knees as she rocked herself slowly back and forth. Zero grabbed a blanket off the back of one of the chairs and placed it around her, she gripped onto it and pulled it tightly around herself.

He watched her with a look that was mixed with distrust and worry. He had never seen a vampire try so hard to fight the urges that were only natural to them. He wondered if she had told him the truth when she had said she had only bitten someone once. He shook his head at the thought, what should it matter to him if she was lying or not?

He continued to watch the girl rock herself on the couch. She looked like a little girl who had fallen and scraped her knee, not like some blood thirsty monster and it confused him. He had never once shown kindness to a vampire, but here he was helping this pureblooded vampire who was obviously trying to suppress the monster that resided in her heart.

Reina continued to rock herself as she tried to focus on anything aside from the sounds of Zero's quickened pulse. He was somewhat out of breath from the run and the sound of his blood flowing through his veins to provide his muscles with more oxygen was ringing loudly in her ears. A growl escaped her throat and she pushed herself further in to the couch. Her nails were beginning to rip tiny holes into the blanket as she tightened her grip on the soft fabric.

"Cross," Zero yelled. "Hurry up."

"I'm coming, I'm coming," came the sing song reply, "Oh dear, I don't have any blood tablets here, I need to go to my office. In the mean time she can have some of your blood, Zero, don't be stingy. Drinking blood on campus may be forbidden, but I think I can make an exception. "

Zero growled angrily at the doorway to the kitchen. Reina let out a quiet whimper and he brought his attention back to the girl before him. She was muttering something under her breath, but he couldn't make out the words. He found himself unconsciously stepping closer to her, in response she let out an angry hiss and looked up at him with glowing eyes and her fangs bared in a snarl.

Something behind her eyes flickered and Zero was surprised when the scent of salty tears wafted into his nose. He saw the thin lines of clear water fall from Reina's eyes and trail down her elegant face to her jaw.

"You want my blood, don't you?" Zero asked, there was no real emotion in the question, aside from maybe curiosity.

Reina shook her head fiercely, but her breathing was becoming extremely uneven and she couldn't get enough oxygen as her throat constricted and cut off her air supply. Her eyes widened as Zero knelt on his knees before her and looked her straight in the eyes.

"Then take it," Zero said. "I owe you anyways," he added as he looked away.

Reina looked up at him in surprise and shook her head again, but her eyes wandered down Zero's face to the spot where she could see his pulse beneath the smooth flesh of his neck. Her hands snaked out from under the blanket and reached towards hi,, but she quickly pulled them back to her chest with a panicked whimper. Tears continued to stream down her face as she looked away from him.

"Please, go away," she choked out. Her breathing was now coming out in forced, shallow gasps, and she was becoming deathly pale.

"Just drink before you end up hurting yourself," Zero said.

Again she shook her head and continued to look away from Zero.

Placing his hands on Reina's knee's he forced her to lower her feet to the ground so that now the only thing between them was air.

"I'm offering it to you, now take it," Zero ordered.

"No," she gasped. Her body was growing weak and her hands fell from her chest and in to her lap.

Without a second thought, Zero leaned forward and reached behind Reina pulling her body forward so that her mouth was inches from his neck. Reina struggled briefly, but she was becoming too weak, and she couldn't get him to release her.

"You saved my life, now I'm saving yours," he said, his grip like iron, merciless and unrelenting.

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