The omake at the end was what I had originally intended to put with the bio, but I hadn't finished it before I published the last chapter. So I've placed it here, instead. It will be marked as OMAKE so you will know where to skip if you would prefer to do so.

xenocanaan, guest and Valen Goncalvez, nice to see you!

lunarlegend11, the rant is fine, and thanks for the compliments! I appreciate that you're taking the time to review at all! I'm doing my best. I don't know about the anime, as I've never been able to watch it, but Zero biting Yuuki happens in the third chapter of canon, I think, and Shizuka appears in maybe the fourth volume? Haven't checked recently. Aidou confronts her in the fifth or sixth chapter I think, and the party is Ichijou's birthday and happens a little while after that. Rido is a good deal later, though. Good luck with your school work? I definitely sympathize. But, okay, so. Your questions.

She calls Kaname "Kaname-nii" anytime she references him with him present, or with people who are not hostile towards him (for instance she calls him either Kaname or Kuran when talking about him with Zero). When I'm not writing dialogue I don't bother with the honorific because it can get kind of repetitive. She started calling him that in the latter half of the first evening, as calling him "Kaname-sama" (as canon!Yuuki did) had seemed "off" to her and calling him "senpai" hasn't actually occurred to her.

The salt thing is more along the lines of a personality/taste quirk inherited from me. It isn't meant to have any deeper meaning, but Cross is worried about it because it's so much salt. Like, health problem inducing levels of sodium? Sorry if trying to rationalize that got complicated

About her past self, I can actually explain that, because it's probably not going to be addressed very well in story. So, that memory transfer via blood thing you mentioned? Viable, but not something I'm going to implement. That seems like it could get really messy, really fast. The memories are not salvageable, but since they're being absorbed into Yuuki's (currently sealed) vampire self, they're going to be subconsciously available, if that makes any sense? Once properly awakened, there's going to be a shift in how Yuuki perceives the world and people in general that can be attributed to this. As she becomes more connected to her vampire side, it's going to get stronger and therefore require more feeding. To do that, it's going to eat her past self, and get even stronger, making it a cycle. Her past self's general knowledge and thoughtless skills (muscle memory or tasks so ingrained they can be done subconsciously) will be absorbed and thus accessible, but no personal memories.

Staring at the book in her lap with stalled thoughts and a painful feeling in her chest, Yuuki kind of feels like she wants to cry. On the page in front of her is the symbol of a "Tame Vampire".

It's also the symbol of Zero's tattoo. The one that she'd found so familiar when she had first seen it. Looking at it for a while longer, she can feel something terrible beginning in her stomach, ballooning outwards to choke her with its intensity, like a physical thing. Pieces of the puzzle that Zero had been revealing himself to be fall into the spotlight, emerging from wherever she'd shoved them in order to avoid them.

The unexplained blood on his neck that first night; Zero's insistence that he could "feel" that woman; his recent twitchy and standoffish behavior; how he had always known when she was hurt: Artemis' reactions to him (though she shies away from that thought, as it is connected to other things that she does not want to acknowledge); Kaname's remarks- about how Zero needed "medicine". He must have been referring to the blood tablets, which are shaped similarly to aspirin and could easily be mistaken for such if not for their distinctive serial codes.

The thought of blood tablets causes a small jolt to go through her, memory dragging itself further to the surface. Kaname telling Zero that he should take some medicine, but Zero insisting that he didn't need it. That he was fine. Has Zero been starving himself? Recalling his current food and water intake, another thought occurs to her. Trying to supplement blood with food and water?

As much as she hates the thought, she can kind of understand if so. Zero hates vampires, and so probably himself, by extension. The thought creates an immediate spike of anxiety piercing through that bubble of dread, confusion and sadness. Abandoning the old book to the side and momentarily sidetracking her "Zero is a vampire" epiphany/breakdown, she pushes off of her bed. Yuuki spares her clock a quick glance as she leaves her room- the time is 6 am.

She hasn't slept since maybe yesterday afternoon, which had been a nap lasting just under an hour. She's exhausted, but that isn't as important as this. And she's used to being tired, anyway. It isn't like she gets bags under her eyes.

Arriving in front of Zero's room, Yuuki cracks it open slightly. He's in bed, though she can't tell if he's actually asleep or not due to how dark his room is. She can see the glint of Bloody Rose on his bedside table, and she gets as quiet as she can, straining her senses to reach them into the room.

She can just barely hear his even breathing, and at first smells only Zero's standard scent, as well as his care kit for Bloody Rose. He must have cleaned it just before bed. But then she suddenly smells the scent of rotten flowers, sickly sweet with a hint of death, that is beginning to spread itself just beneath his own. She must have been subconsciously filtering it out, not wanting to acknowledge anything off or strange about Zero.

For an instant she contemplates waking him, confronting him about his secret he's been keeping from her. About how he has been suffering all by himself. Then reality comes crashing back and she remembers that this wasn't exactly something she'd been entitled to know. It's Zero's business, and he should have had that option to tell her that or not. He probably would not have told her, but she'd had no right to snoop like she had. Bringing it up would probably spark a terrible argument, anyways, and she has no idea how an honest argument with Zero would go.

Probably very badly.

Closing his door and backing away, Yuuki makes her way back to her room, collecting the books she'd been searching through and then heads to Cross' office. He's there when she arrives, looking over paperwork, and she hesitates. Cross hones in on her presence, however, and his head snaps up, looking confused but happy to see her. Until, anyways, he sees the books she's holding close to her chest. The titles are facing towards her body, but he must recognize them anyway, as his face becomes thoughtful and serious, his eyes seeming more sad than stern.

"Ah, I was wondering when you'd bring those back, Yuuki." She frowns a little and walks to the shelf she'd pulled the books from, slotting the books into the available gaps and wincing when the slowly healing injury on her hand twinges sharply. "I take it you found what you were looking for?"

She has so many questions. She wants to demand answers. Worry, curiosity and fear war in her head, but she remembers Cross' sincere words back when Zero had come home with the tattoo.

"If Zero-kun wants to tell you, he will, but I can't tell you."

Meeting his eyes with her own, Yuuki takes a moment to search them, analyzing what emotions she can see in them. There's sadness, resignation, some pride and, beneath all that, a firm resolution. She can tell he won't tell her anything, and so she can't bring herself to ask anything other than a mostly rhetorical question.

"He's starving, isn't he?"

He doesn't answer, just continues to watch her, though his sadness becomes even more pronounced. She wants to cry, to scream and get angry, to demand answers, but she doesn't. Her eyes water slightly anyways as she nods and leaves the room.

Cross doesn't call her back.

When she gets to her room, she closes her door and bursts into tears as quietly as she can.

"...Oh, no," Yuuki murmurs in dismay as she stares at the thick mob of Day Class students in front of the Moon Dorm gates from where she stands atop the wall. A quick check of her mental calendar reveals to her that the date is Valentine's Day, and she feels dread. "It's still morning, what are they doing? They can't really be thinking to wait here all day for the Night Class, can they?"

From beneath her place on the wall, Zero tosses something up to her, small and metallic. Catching it reflexively, Yuuki discovers it to be a small whistle, her name scratched into the top. Blinking down at the head of silver hair and ruthlessly suppressing the lance of pain in her chest, she smiles slightly at his thoughtfulness.

The sound the whistle makes is startlingly loud and shrill, and Yuuki feels a brief flash of regret for blowing it so close to the probably-trying-to-sleep vampires, but desperate times call for desperate measures. Not that the whistle seems to have done more than make the mob pause momentarily before resuming their pushing and chattering.

"Classes are starting for Day Class students! All of you leave!"

Zero suddenly begins to walk to the left, the crowd parting easily for him, and Yuuki turns her attention that way to find what he'd seen. She immediately feels a little blind, as there's a girl with twin braids and glasses sitting on a boys shoulders, holding several dozen boxes of chocolates and attempting to reach the top of the wall.

"Hey, get down from there!" Yuuki hurries in that direction, but before she can get more than three steps, the girl is already tumbling backwards, the people in her fall path dispersing. "Ah! Someone-"

Zero manages to get beneath the girl just in time, catching her in a princess carry. He releases her almost instantly, and Yuuki can hear her quiet thanks. Zero's face gets gradually more angry, tension building as he begins in a low voice.

"I've said this a thousand times before…" Yuuki hops down from the wall as the mob grows still and quiet, Zero's voice carrying clearly. "Members of the Night Class do not leave the Moon Dorms during daylight hours. If you absolutely must give them your gifts, it will have to wait until dusk, which will be the standard event. If any of you pull this stunt again… I'll personally make sure that you're suspended from every single Valentine's Day event until you graduate." He threatens.

The threat isn't unexpected, and it's delivered expertly, if the paling faces and sudden whispering was anything to go by. For Yuuki, personally, it fell flat due to the fact that she knows Zero cannot actually forbid them from Valentine's events without Cross' permission. Which he was incredibly unlikely to attain, as Cross had already refused several times.

As the mass immediately begins to disperse, the girls among it complaining about Zero quite loudly. Yuuki trots to stand next to Zero and pats him solidly on the shoulders as he continues to radiate irritation.

"And you, once again, ruin any chance you could have had to get chocolates," she teases. He twitches and gives her a dark look.

"What should I have said?" He asks rhetorically, jamming his hands into his pockets. "It isn't as though we don't have a duty as school guardians."

"I see your point," she acknowledges, turning her attention to the Moon Dorm gates once more. "Are we going to patrol together, or split up?" She then asks, looking over at Zero and giving him the chance to be alone without lashing out. Lilac eyes turn in her direction despite his head and face being pointed elsewhere.

"Split up. You stay here, watch the gates," he instructs as he turns to disappear off into the trees to the left. Yuuki frowns thoughtfully at his back before huffing and making her way back atop the wall, settling down to sit and watch the path and nearby trees. They, as guardians, don't have to attend classes today due to the need for increased security.

From where she sits on the wall, Yuuki can't see any sign of Zero.

Cross is wearing all furs today, including a large, fluffy hat, and wearing sunglasses rather than his standard glasses. As Yuuki and Zero stand before his desk, having just gotten in to give him with report before they make their way back out for the switch over, he begins to speak.

"I know it's Valentine's Day. and that everyone has been buzzing with excitement, but you mustn't relax! It's become much more likely that something will go wrong, and for that reason, I expect the two of you to be more diligent than ever as guardians!" He tells them sternly, meshing his fingers together in front of him, elbows resting on the desk.

"We know," Yuuki smiles a little, though she's just slightly irritated that Cross had felt like they needed the reminder.

"I still think we should just ban it," Zero complains with an irritated sigh.

"But that would only inspire a revolt. It's best to give the students an outlet. After all," he lifts his hands in a 'what can you do?' gesture, grinning in a smug sort of way, "all my little vampires are so adorable! I could never be so cruel as to keep them from their devoted fans!"

The aura of disgust and malice that exploded out from Zero was nearly visible, and Cross looked away with a stiff smile, stalling in his praise of the vampires. As the man stands up to stare out his window in the direction of the Moon Dorms, Yuuki can tell that he's about to say something he knows they will not respond positively to.

"I understand that vampires have been enemies of humans for some centuries now, but there are vampires here who wish to co-exist with us peacefully. It's important to teach them to have pride in taking these first steps to bridge the divide between our two races. Kiryuu," Zero twitches in acknowledgement focusing more of his attention onto Cross as Yuuki's mood begins to preemptively sour. "Even though you may think it's impossible now… Someday, I want you to understand that."

Zero doesn't say anything, his face darkening as he looks away from Cross. Seeing that Cross was gearing up to pick even further at the wounds he knows are there and still bleeding even now, Yuuki seizes ahold of Zero's hand. Feeling an ache throbbing in her chest, empathy nearly driving her to helpless tears once more, she clenches her jaw as she makes her way out of the building.

"Yuuki?" Zero's hand flexes in her own, and Yuuki can hear his concern and slight confusion. "Is something wrong?" Zero's fingers wrap slightly around her wrist.

"No," she lies. "Nothing."

He doesn't reply or ask anything further, seeming content to simply allow Yuuki to pull him along, despite the fact that they both know she's lying. When they make it outdoors, however, his hand twitches and he jerks away from her. Pausing, Yuuki turns to see Zero palming his face before his hand drifts down to his neck.

"Zero?"

"I'm fine." He doesn't meet her eyes, and Yuuki can't see anything wrong with his, but that doesn't prevent her instinctive unease.

Staring at the stalls and masses of people. Yuuki can't really believe that Cross Academy has so many students. She also can't help but be grateful that the Day Class is not always so enthusiastic, as if this many students appeared during every switch over, she would have probably been trampled to death ages ago.

The orderliness is sort of galling, though, as it shows that they're unnecessarily rowdy on normal days.

Glancing at Zero on her right, she's incredibly grateful that he bothered to show up. If she'd been alone in this, it would definitely be very stressful. Turning to look at the opening gates, she spot Senri uncharacteristically in the lead, looking simultaneously distressed and resigned as, just behind him, Aidou bounces in childish excitement and Kain yawns. Takuma offers her a wave when she accidentally meets his eyes, and Kaname gives her a small nod in greeting. Frowning uneasily at the sight of Aidou, she inhales to gear herself up.

Distantly, she hears Senri's quiet, "I'm in hell."

"Okay, so as you all know, this is the traditional Valentine's Day event. All of you have to walk to the stalls with your name, and once there, the students in line will give you their chocolates. Please stay calm and cooperate with one another, so we can do this as quickly and easily as we can." Seeing Aidou beginning to nearly vibrate, she hurriedly continues. "Understand? Keep in mind that this isn't a game! This means a lot to the day class!" She insists sternly.

"Aidou, apparently forgetting right away or having deliberately ignored her, rushes forward towards his stall with a childish squeal. "Mine! They're all mine!"

"Aidou." Said boy freezes in place at Kaname's neutral toned reprimand. "Remember your manners. Understand?"

"Yes, dorm leader," Aidou agrees in a weak voice. From where Yuuki is standing, she sees a stiff expression on Aidou's face. Senri and Kain are among the first to begin walking once more.

"This is moronic," Senri complains. Yuuki glances over and spots that Rima is currently absent. Frowning, she runs her eyes over the group of vampires and finds the orange haired girl in the back of the group, as normal.

"Just do it anyway," Kain tells Senri. The boy then stops near Aidou not actually going to his gate, and Yuuki hurriedly makes her way to his stall to stop those in his line from rushing the Night Class and disrupting the current peace.

"Ah," Kaname's voice draws her attention away from the loudly complaining girls, and Yuuki turns to see him holding maybe seven boxes in varying sizes. "Sorry everyone… I can't hold anymore than this." Those in his line bow frantically in apology, which she doesn't really understand. "I really am very sorry."

As he turns to walk further down the path, Yuuki catches sight of his expression, which seems very tired.

"Thank you for everything, Yuuki." She meets his eyes, watching him smile a little at her, and she offers him a reflexive smile in return. The girls directly in front of her fall still and silent.

"Oh, it's no problem!"

"Try not to get hurt." He calls as he walks away. Kain then walks past and the girls surge forwards into her. Zero appears behind her and prevents her from hitting the concrete, but in doing so digs his fingers into the wound on her hand. There's a sharp sting of pain beneath the bandages and she yelps as he releases her before disappearing just as quickly as he'd appeared. Yuuki doesn't have much time to search for him, as she catches sight of Aidou getting handsy with a girl in his line.

"-Blood type?" She overhears as she makes her way over. She hurries forward. Distantly, she wonders why Zero hasn't already intervened.

"That's not allowed!" She shouts, shoving herself between them and forcing Aidou backwards. "All you can take are chocolates and feelings!" She scolds, chivying the girl away.

It's twenty minutes before all the vampires have gone to school and ten more until Yuuki has managed to corral all the Day Class students to their appropriate dorms. She spends the next half hour running a quick patrol by herself before trying to make her way towards the house rather than the dorms. She's pretty sure Zero disappeared to the house or Cross' office, and while seeing him is at least partially her motivation, she also wants to take a nice, long shower and the Dorms only allow for ten minutes before they get cold or shut off.

She makes it halfway there before hearing a group of girls nearby. With a long sigh, she turns and makes her way in that direction instead.

How tiring.

Her braid almost completely undone, held together only by the tangles that had developed as it unraveled, her feet bare and her button up and school jacket having been discarded in her room, Yuuki makes her way tiredly towards the bathroom. Tucked beneath her arm is her pajamas and in the pocket of her skirt is a small piece of chocolate that she had found abandoned earlier in the day, marked with a tag that claimed it had been for Kaname.

She's given up on the idea of a shower, her feet much too sore, but the idea of a bath sounds really, really nice. Opening the bathroom door and flipping on the light when she notices the pitch darkness, she jumps a little in surprise, almost dropping her clothes. Well, I guess I was right?

Zero is sitting against a wall, a towel draped across his shoulders and wearing only his pajama pants. Pausing to look him over, absently allowing the bathroom door to close behind her, Yuuki notes that his towel is mostly dry despite its location, and he looks nearly catatonic once more. Or maybe he's just sad? With his blank expression, it's hard to tell.

Sinking down to the floor, her knees tucking up against her chest as she discards her clothes off to the side, Yuuki cranes her head to the side and studies his face worriedly. He's dripping quite a bit, meaning he probably hasn't been out of the shower long, and she can't see any soap, so he at least bathed correctly. She pops upwards a bit and finds his shirt nearby, and makes a decision.

Her knees press against the floor and she reaches out, lifting the towel. He blinks sluggishly as she presses it against his hair and begins to rub over the shiny strands. "You'll catch a cold if you don't dry your hair, but you seem pretty out of it, so I'll help." She offers him a small, worried smile as she finishes his hair and then pats down his torso and what she can reach of his back despite it being pressed against the wall.

She has to stand briefly to grab his shirt from atop the sink, and when she does so, she tosses the towel into the hamper. Turning back, she manages to drape the shirt over his back and shoulders before realizing that due to his non-responsiveness now, getting him actually into the shirt might be a little difficult. Not that she minds, exactly, as this isn't the first time she's had to help him when he becomes non-responsive, but she just wishes she didn't need to do so.

"C'mon, Zero," she coaxes, trying her luck. "All you have to do is get your arms into the sleeves." At his continued stillness, she shifts and moves to manhandle the arm opposite her into its sleeve, having to push one of his legs aside and nearly climb into his lap to get into the correct position to have the leverage she needs. Once that arm is through, she returns to her previous position and forces his other arm into its sleeve, then buttons up his shirt over his chest. As she sits back on her heels, something presses against her leg in her pocket, making her frown a little and dig in her skirt pocket before two memories jump to her attention.

The first being the memory of finding the chocolate, and the second being a memory of some girls in her class. One had been complaining about cramps and being sad, and the other girl with her had recommended chocolate. She hadn't understood then, and she still doesn't now, as chocolate has never appealed to her, but she figures it's worth a shot as she pulls the chocolate out of her pocket and pulls the ribbon of the wrapper, figuring that Zero will not be up to doing so.

"Here, a chocolate for you," she explains to Zero, holding it up in front of his face. His eyes actually widen slightly, his pupils flexing. "I didn't make it, so don't get any funny ideas, but I've heard that chocolate is good for people who are sad." She offers him a smile she hopes is comforting, and presses it against his lips when he does nothing but stare at her with slightly widened eyes and a blank expression. It takes a few moments of insistent pressure before he lets her push it into his mouth, and she watches with satisfaction as he actually chews and swallows it.

Settling down next to Zero on the floor and lifting one of his arms, she presses herself against the side of his torso, draping the limb over her shoulders and neck to hide them from his sight. Yuuki says nothing about the blood tablets scattered all over the bathroom floor.

OMAKE

This omake has line breaks due to time skips and length. There's also a significant perspective shift.

"So yeah, I died. Sad, sad, sob, sob. Who cares? The part I was most concerned about was when I woke up."

LeftNotRight, The Baker's Daughter

It's sort of painful to watch the girl as she goes about her life, innocent and so very dumb. Really, it's shocking that she used to be a part of me. Glancing down at the casket at the bottom of the pond and staring at the "sleeping" seven year old girl inside, I frown. She's starting to look a lot like Kaname around the mouth, and with her hair getting so long, she's growing to resemble Juri as well. Mostly in the eyes and the hair, thankfully, as I'm not quite sure how I'd feel if she started to exhibit Juri's old habit of flipping emotions at the drop of a hat. Her coloring is almost the exact same as Kaname's and Juri's, though, the only differences created due to her "humanity" dulling the natural wine red of her eyes and the similar coloring of her hair.

I'm positive she's noticed her resemblance to Kaname already, but I can tell she's resisting thinking about it.

Turning my attention away from the pond, I stare at my hands. There's pieces of myself missing, and when I reach over to run one of my remaining fingers along my left forearm, I'm rewarded by the sound of glass grinding against glass before particles drift up and away from me before being drawn into the pond, feeding the sleeping vampire in its depths.

I'm only a quarter myself, and fading rather quickly. I know that much, despite not really remembering much of my life from before being born into the body of Yuuki Kuran, which I no longer am in control of and probably will never control again. I'd tried to merge with the tiny girl when she was little, but Juri had cast that spell, and it had fractured me in the same instant that it had cut Yuuki away from her vampire self and old memories.

All that's left of me is shards of memory held together by a powerful will, and even that memory thing is iffy. I remember empty rooms, hiding in closets to cry, an unending loneliness and then perpetual chaos as I went out of control to distract myself from the hole in my chest. I can't remember what I looked like, beyond amber eyes, and I can't remember any other faces or names. My last memory is of that hospital room, and the encompassing cold, and that memory is hazy at best from the drugs that had been in my system at the time.

Sighing, I recline into the grass, staring up into the dark sky for awhile before closing my eyes and drifting into something like sleep.

Yuuki is twelve when she finds her way into the center of Juri's spell. It wakes me up immediately, because she is really not supposed to be here. Jerking into a stand, I stare as she approaches the pond, faint bubbles appearing along its edges as something moves within it.

Oh, this isn't good I realize as Yuuki's feet begin to blacken and her hair begins to drift into particles of its own accord the longer she is looking into the water.

"Not now," I scold her as I walk forwards, momentarily forgetting all about my fracturing appearance as she turns, whip fast, and her face contorts into something like terror. "It's too early for you to be here right now." If she breaks the spell by herself, or without being properly prepared for it, her mind could shatter, or she could simply die. There's a shaking shudder that goes through Yuuki, her reddish-brown eyes wide, and she seems to glitch slightly in place before I see her take a step back toward the pond water, probably subconsciously.

Lunging forward, she vanishes just before I can catch her and I manage to catch myself just at the edge of the pond. I stare into its depths as the casket floats maybe five feet from the water's surface, the girl inside wide "awake".

"You can't come out, yet," I warn her as I sit down at the side of the pond. She stares at me with confusion, and I frown. "Can you even understand me?"

"I'm hungry," is the only garbled reply I receive. I sigh and look down to my hands before dragging one rough palm across my forearm, dissolving a portion of it to go into the pond. The girl's eyes widen and flare a bright red before I'm rewarded with a confused and worried look. "Who are you?"

"I don't know," I shrug. "I was almost you, though. But then you were sealed away and that other girl took our place." The girl doesn't say anything more, and I don't mind, as I recline back against the ground once more. Periodically, pieces of my "self" drift off to the vampire a few feet away, but I don't let it bother me. It isn't as though it's a new thing, though it's happening a little faster than I'm used to. Eventually, as I lose an entire finger to the voracious girl, I ask,

"Are you less hungry now?"

I don't receive a reply.

The girl presses her palms flat against the glass top of the casket, the glass cracking sharply before it is repaired, as she and I watch Yuuki as she looks at the Moon Dorms.

"Nii-sama is in there," she mumbles longingly, prompting me to look in her direction. Her eyes are glowing again, tears streaking down her cheeks. Oh, this is the first time she's been so close to seeing him since the sealing, isn't it?

"Yeah," I hum in reply, shifting slightly as more of my right leg disappears. I have most of both legs right now, but my right is missing up to the knee, my left toes gone.

It isn't until later that either of us feel the need to speak again, and it's because of the red miasma beginning to invade Yuuki's mind- a product of the scent of blood, and her emotional turmoil. Due to the vampire's enhanced senses and my connection to both her and Yuuki, we are both able to tell more from the scent than Yuuki, who has only just noticed the scent.

"Is that Kaname?" I murmur.

"He's…" The vampire trails off into a pained whining-keen sound as Yuuki approaches the door. The scent gets stronger, and I have only a few seconds before it will be too late.

"Don't!" I yell, trying to get through to the girl. "Don't go there! Leave!" Yuuki isn't ready for that type of cruelty from Kaname, no matter how he feels. She only has the emotional maturity of a particularly logical nine year old, despite her 14 years of age. He's supposed to be her older brother and protect her, but he's trying to hurt her out of spite, because of something she can't control?

I'm rewarded with Yuuki turning and leaving. The vampire and I keep a weather eye on Akatsuki Kain as we move past him, and can see his gaze on Yuuki despite her back being turned.