Yuuki stared at the entrance to the kitchen, having her own conversation with the wall as she slowly removed herself from her position on the sofa and made her way toward Zero in the kitchen.

Oh, no, her inner voice, the one that almost always spoke to her when something bad had happened, or was going to happen, was what finally pushed her into the kitchen to lean against the archway. Zero's expression didn't look calm anymore; it was full of concern as he glared down at the floor. Something's happened; Father's hurt, or-or Ichiru has fallen ill again… In order to read what her friend was feeling, she reached out to grab for his shirt, but he moved away, holding his hand up.

"Understood, President," he said softly before he hung up the phone.

Yuuki's heart broke in two as she waited for him to tell her what was going on. The look on his face was familiarly blank, but his eyes spoke volumes as to what was really behind that face; hurt, fear, concern… she folded her hands in front of her face, taking a step toward him. "Zero? What's going on, did something happen?"

His eyes looked to her as if asking to take her in his arms, but she didn't get to read it fast enough before he turned his body away from her, walking out of the kitchen, his footsteps fading away down the foyer. She distinctly remembered his door slamming, and then… silence.

"Zero?"

A pain surged through her heart as she realized what was happening; Zero was given bad news about something and was hiding what it was he was feeling again. He'd closed off on her again, and she didn't like the feeling it gave her. Zero…

On any other occasion, she'd have left it alone, had gone back into the living room and would be unloading ornaments and other decorations for the tree, currently set up in the far-right corner of the living room. However, Yuuki didn't want to celebrate anything if her best friend of five years was shutting her out. No more, she thought stubbornly as she walked out of the kitchen, picking up to a trot down the foyer, I won't let him shut me out anymore!

-x-

Silence. That's all Zero could comprehend was the silence.

The Association President had called him about an invasion, started by a rebel group of Level D vampires who had been changed by a Pureblood named Himeko Takemoto. Her objective, as one of the Senate's pets, was to destroy the Hunters at the top of the Association's list – which comprised Kaien Cross, Toga Yagari, and a few other well-renowned hunters – and, instead, managed to completely slaughter the Medical branch in their attempts to get to where they needed to be.

And, Ichiru was one of those who had been severely wounded.

The President told Zero that his younger brother's condition was unstable and was in no real position to be saved. Because of his weaker constitution, the abilities he'd absorbed from Shizuka over the years had slowed, putting him in extreme distress as his body tried to fix itself. He wouldn't stop moving, the President emphasized, and no hospitals had any opening whatsoever.

There was no word about the Headmaster or Yagari, which ultimately scared Zero. The latter because, well, he wouldn't be able to handle losing the closest thing to a parent he had, and the former… he just didn't want to be the one to tell Yuuki that she may – or may not, his mind pointedly added – have lost her father due to the Senate.

And, gods, was that the last thing he ever wanted to do in his life.

It can't be true… Zero closed his eyes tightly, scuffling onto his bed, feeling like he'd just seen his parents slaughtered all over again. Ichiru's the only real family I have left; he has to make it through. And… and Master, and the Headmaster…

"Zero?"

His body twitched; she sounded so close to breaking, but at the same time, her voice was firm, unwavering, and strong. What was he supposed to do, just go over, open the door, and lie to her face that everything was going to be alright? He couldn't promise that! He couldn't trust himself to tell her something that may be her downfall. She was still hurting from the fact that she didn't have a real family to spend the holidays with. (A part of him was immensely hurt by this statement; he had thought of her as a sister for the first year until he realized the love he held for her wasn't familial.)

A knock came on the other side of the door, but it was hardly soft. It was more like a pounding on his door. She was either furious or determined. The latter seemed more likely, and he knew firsthand it was nearly impossible to deter a determined Yuuki when she had her mind dead-set on something. As he got up from the bed, she knocked again.

"Zero, open your door before I…"

The door swung open and, before he could sternly advise her to leave him alone, – or before she could finish her statement – she threw her arms around his waist, causing him to take a few steps back from the sheer force of it; the anger that had once adorned his pale features melted away when he felt her arms squeezing around him, and he held her to him with one arm around her shoulders. Before he could question her, her voice chirped from his chest.

"Don't you ever hide from me, Zero… Never again, you hear?"

He closed his eyes when he realized she was just one step closer to crying, and wrapped his other arm around her, nearly crumbling to his knees. "I… I hear you, Yuuki."

Satisfied with his answer, she let herself release the tears that long-awaited spillage down her cheeks, and the two friends collapsed to their knees together. Zero still towered over her, and Yuuki's hands shook as they clutched a clump of his shirt. He couldn't stop himself from letting out a shuddering sigh, but he fought back the urge to let his own tears of fear and concern fall from his eyes as he held his partner close.

And, silence washed over them once again.


With this story, I wanted the drama to only come in small spurts. If anyone wants to know more about the invasion, I'm considering writing a short little scene sometime in the future; let me know if this interests you.

While it was pretty short, I am a little proud of this and the previous chapter; I dunno, it just goes to show how quickly things can change.

AND SPEAKING OF THINGS CHANGING QUICKLY. Updates will be a bit more sporadic, but in a good way; the story's really close to its end now, so I'll be trying to get more chapters up every two weeks instead of every month. So, I hope you all look forward to that!

Until next time! (Reviews are appreciated, subscriptions to the story -and me- and favorites are loved!)