So! Canon events mixed with original events, Yuuki trying to get used to the changes in her subconscious and her instincts, as well as the beginning stages of turning into a vampire!

Tell me when you see the changes, some of which will be obvious and some will be subtle!

I decided to make Yuuki a level C vampire, which is basically a "normal" vampire. But as shown with Seiren, in the manga outright and in her online bio, who is also a level C vampire, even the normal ones have abilities. Though not anything flashy or specialized (It says Seiren has the ability to teleport, which I haven't seen any actual sign of so I personally think she's just stupid fast, which fits with her "martial artist" vibe). And as shown with Zero, he didn't start to really struggle with his vampire thirst and the effects of turning until at least a year after he was bitten (canonically!), and while Yuuki is different from that due to her immediate ingestion of Shizuka's blood and the remaining "pureblood-ness" of her body and mind, I'm going to use that as a sort of template.

BloodyLoved, aaah! Thanks so much for the nice review! Seeing it made me really happy and motivated to write! I'm glad you like what I've been doing, and I hope to hear more from you in the future! As a small side note, sorry for the late updates and stuff. As you might imagine, writing like this is pretty~ difficult~.

All those nice reviewers with kind words and thanks, nice to hear from you! It makes me happy to see reviews like that, I'm glad you don't seem too angry with me!

And everyone who favorited and followed, I'm glad you're liking this story so far!

[The Update Schedule can be found on my profile page, which I will keep updated as often as possible.]

Food does soothe the hunger, a glass of chilled apple juice doing wonders for her headache as well, but as she starts to clean off her dishes, Cross flies into the room with wide, teary eyes and a panicked cry of her name that makes her ears ring. Before she can recover, he's swept her into a swinging hug, throwing the both of them around the room. By the time she can hear again, admittedly a few seconds later, he's babbling about how he's sorry for whatever he did to make her avoid him and hide in Zero's room, asking her why she'd been in there at all and why she hadn't gone to school either yesterday, or today and why are you wearing Kiryuu's clothes, Yuuki, did he take advantage of you?! Does daddy need to-

He doesn't get to finish and she doesn't really get to answer before Zero comes to her rescue, coming into the room and plucking her directly out of Cross' hands, lifting her by the back of his shirt and punching Cross in the chest.

"Get your head out of the gutter!" He shouts before hauling her out of the room towards her own room, depositing her inside the doors, telling her to get dressed and then closing them behind her as she hears him turn back to where Cross' wailing is getting closer as he undoubtedly follows them.

Standing in her room a little dizzy, Yuuki quietly wonders what's going on before deciding that there was little harm in getting dressed. Zero probably has a plan, and that probably involved taking her outside and maybe on patrols. She kind of wants to stay inside, continue to hide away, but she also knows she can't, and it's better for everyone if she leaves the house with someone who knows her situation.

She's pretty sure she's not going to have any trouble with keeping in control of herself, as she doesn't feel very different, instinctively or otherwise, but it's always better to be safe than sorry, which Yuuki completely understands. So she turns her attention to her clothes after putting on appropriate underwear and stares at her school uniform, which is on her bed from where she'd laid it out at some point. Studying the uniform, Yuuki stares at the skirt of the uniform, and remembering wearing it seems so distant.

She... Doesn't want to wear it.

She does not want to wear the skirt, not at all. She can't figure out why, but the idea of wearing it is turning her stomach, making goosebumps crawl all along her skin and disgust curl in her chest...

Shelving the issue for now, Yuuki digs through her clothes and pulls out some casual dark pants, a tank top and a sweater before getting on her socks and shoes instead of putting on her uniform. Habit has her pulling up her sleeve to attach the Artemis holster to her arm, and then pulling up the back of her shirt and wrapping her gun holster around over-top of her tank-top.

She reaches towards her nightstand, where she usually sets her anti-vampire weapons if she doesn't sleep with them on her person, but her hands come up empty on Artemis, and when her fingers wrap around the gun, her fingers instinctively release it out of fear.

But... The gun... Hadn't reacted?

She stares at her unharmed palm with wide eyes before crouching down to collect the gun from the floor once more, closing her fingers around it and focusing on the weapon. It doesn't feel any different to her now than it did before, despite her supposedly-vampire status, though that might just be the bracelet at work. She stands as the door behind her opens up and then holsters the weapon, pulling her sweater down and turning around.

Zero blinks at her clothing choice for a moment before walking over and extending a hand out towards her, that fist gripping the Artemis Rod, which is sparking furiously. Yuuki steps back slightly, eyes fixed on her weapon, and Zero pauses.

"Yuuki, don't flinch away," Zero says in a firm tone before continuing so quickly she wasn't able to step away again. Artemis is pressed into her hands and Yuuki's eyes squeeze closed, waiting for pain that doesn't come. Instead, she feels a small jolt and Zero moving away as Artemis extends in her grip without her conscious control. She peels open her eyes hesitantly as Zero yells in surprise, and she stares in gaping shock at the wicked looking scythe she's now holding.

It's shaped vaguely like two lopsided bat wings, one drastically larger than the other, with a small point at the end of the rod and a jagged edge along the top. It isn't a neat or contained shape, with a deep curve and what almost looks like veins swelling through the entire upper and outer edges, the blade itself about half as long as the actual rod. It gives off the feeling of something ready to draw blood, ready to end lives, which is more aggressive than she's really used to.

She doesn't know what she's supposed to do with a weapon like this- she doesn't know how to use a scythe, even! She and Zero both stare at the weapon in shock.

"Artemis, what-?!"

The weapon sparks, as though with recognition at it's name, and then they watch with wide-eyed shock as the metal recedes into the rod by itself, the weapon soon enough looking like it always had. Yuuki stares at it before collapsing it and then re-extending it, checking to make sure the scythe version will not appear by itself again just because she's extended it. She and Zero stare at the weapon with wary eyes before Yuuki collapses it again and slides it into her holster.

"I think that's something to... Investigate later," Yuuki admits in the following silence, and is vaguely relieved when Zero nods slightly and then twitches an arm to gesture her to follow him. She trots closer to be just behind him as they leave the room then speeds up slightly to be beside him as they enter the hallway completely.

She doesn't see any sign of Cross until they're passing the dining room, where Yuuki glances in at a sound and sees Cross collapsed in the midst of the shattered table and a broken chair, one arm lifted in something like a feeble surrender or plea for help. She stalls for a moment, but Zero hooks a hand in the back of her sweater and moves her along.

"No sympathy for the stupid," he says blandly as they continue out of the house.

"Are we going on patrol?" She checks as they walk the familiar path towards the Moon Dorm gates. A glance to the sky shows her that switch-over is growing ever closer. Zero releases her sweater and her feet hit the ground with a "tap". One of her hands reaches out as though to grab a hold of Zero's arm, but her arm misses and she doesn't reach again.

"Yeah. You should still be fine for another month at least," his eyes flick over to where she's nearly jogging to keep up with his steps. "Tell me if you start to feel strange," he tells her in a firm tone.

Hypocrite, almost escapes her before she can stop it, and she tries not to choke on her tongue in surprise as she nods in agreement, some of her loose, damp hair falling into her face. With a frown as she checks her wrists for a hair tie, she finds none and falls behind as she reaches blindly back to gather the hair near her temples, smoothing back the central bits of hair, and then she braids first the left and then the right side back. She braids them together once she is able to, merging both sides together and braiding that together with some of the main fall of her hair so it will be less likely to undo.

When she looks back up, she sees that Zero had paused and is looking at her with an odd expression she can't quite identify.

"Zero?"

He shakes his head, as though to banish a thought, and he turns back around. Yuuki frowns, releasing her hair and running to catch back up with Zero.

"Don't leave me!" She pouts and, without thinking, makes a jumping lunge to catch a hold of Zero's arm and constricting the limb as soon as she catches it, legs going limp and basically making Zero drag her. Something tightens in her chest as he pauses and looks at her with a sort of fond exasperation before he sighs and continues walking, though the hand opposite her lifts and pats the top of her head. With a smile and a shot of warmth, Yuuki's legs go limp and she turns so her back is to the ground and so she won't scuff the toes of her shoes as she's dragged down the path.

She snickers to herself in success as they make their way onwards, but falls silent as they get closer to the gate and she begins to hear the day class making a fuss from a distance. They get louder as they get closer, and Yuuki winces.

"How do you stand it?" She complains to Zero. He looks down at her again.

"Why do you think I get so angry?" He questions rhetorically and she feels an expression of understanding on her face. If they're so loud with her barely enhanced senses, she can't imagine what it would be like with full vampiric senses. The closer they get, the more her hearing begins to acclimatize to the noise, and by the time they're circling the mob, all the fan girl-ish shrieking is close to white noise. Slightly disorienting white noise, but white noise nonetheless.

It does make her head ache come back, though, when as they wind up at the front of the group and the students begin to get even louder with their complaints.

"She's back?!"

"No way!"

"There's miss high-and-mighty..."

She and Zero share a look before they move apart and then begin to herd the group back and away, Zero using his normal intimidating aura while Yuuki actually manhandles them somewhat. It's slightly easier and harder than it had been before, though unsurprisingly Yuuki doesn't manage to clear the path before she hears the Moon Dorm gates clock and then begin to open.

The Day Class students immediately part and Yuuki stands before the side closest to her, keeping a weather eye out to prevent any tackles or bull-rushes as the gates open completely and the Night Class begins to file out.

"Hello!" Aidou cheers as he twirls well ahead of the pack. He turns on a heel, one hand above his eyes as though to shade them. "You're all looking lovely today!"

Those in front of her shriek and Yuuki hastily throws her arms out, feet bracing so she won't get plowed over.

This would be so much easier if she could use Artemis instead of her arms, but Cross had been very insistent that doing so was Not Allowed, so she is just going to have to continue to deal. Across the gap, she can see Zero casting her a look. Seeing her already looking he smirks before glancing back at his own side and stopping those brave few advancing with a single look.

Yuuki is able to feel a small bit of envy before those in front of her fall still and silent, prompting Yuuki to cast her awareness a little wider than her previous tunnel vision.

She doesn't flinch, but it's a near thing. She forcibly schools her reactions to normalcy, as flinching outrageously or going out of her way to avoid Kaname would not be very subtle, especially in public like this.

"Hello, Yuuki," Kaname's eyes scan over what she's wearing and her face, maybe searching out an explanation for her being missing. His eyes show worry, but behind it, Yuuki feels like there's a resounding hollowness, though she can't see anything different. "Are you alright?"

"Y-yes, Kaname-nii," the address is sour on her tongue. "I was just exhausted after the dance and didn't want to get up yesterday or the morning," she explains hastily in the deathly silence.

Kaname's eyes crinkle and he smiles, lifting the hand that isn't holding a book to rest it gently on her head.

A month ago, the move would have made her smile, would have comforted her.

Now it makes something in her stomach twist. Offering Kaname a smile that feels strained as his hand drifts lower to press fingertips to her cheekbone, she feels inexplicably saved by Aidou.

As soon as Kaname has released her to go collect Aidou from where he'd been soliciting some Day Class girls, Yuuki sees that Zero had been on his way over. She gives him a flickering smile before reflexively elbowing a girl backwards in the upper chest, beneath her collarbone.

The girl cries out in pain and surprise, crumpling down. Yuuki can feel the blood draining from her face as the deathly stillness of the mob. For an instant, Yuuki almost thinks they might swarm and attack her, but the more aggressive ones are grabbed and dragged backwards. Behind her, Yuuki hears the Night Class passing by just beneath the yelling of the Day Class as they call her a brute and a delinquent.

Zero hoists Yuuki up with an arm around her waist, lifting her a foot or so off the ground and turning to follow the Night Class towards the school building, easily parting the condensing group in front of them. Yuuki watches with her head turned as the Day Class seethes behind them and feels a little glad that Zero's helped her get away.

Even if they have the advantage of numbers, they're not going to simply rush Zero like they would rush her. And if they had rushed her, Yuuki can't guarantee their safety, as she probably wouldn't think to moderate herself in time in response to the threat.

And, besides, Yuuki doesn't particularly want to be trampled.

Which, with her current state, is more likely to happen than she's going to admit to anyone, even herself.

The Night Class doesn't acknowledge them, which is comforting and tells her that they likely can't sense her, and Zero doesn't let her down until their classmates are out of sight behind them. She touches down with a slight uncharacteristic stumble, having somehow touched the ground both too soon and too late, and a few vampires look back at that with curiosity. Wisely, though, none of them say anything, and the guardians successfully escort them into the school building without incident.

Standing on the path before the doors, they wait a bit before Zero speaks up first.

"How are you feeling?"

"Perfectly fine," she assures with only enough hesitation to check that she's not going to be telling a lie. Which she isn't- beyond the headache and a weird disorientation that she can't find the origin of, she feels fine. Nothing abnormal, nothing inhuman. Nothing dangerous.

The look Zero gives her is searching before he makes a sound that's a cross between a snort and a huff that she probably wouldn't have been able to hear as a human.

"Fine enough to separate for patrols?" He questions. Yuuki doesn't have to think about that before confirming that with a nod. At his hesitation, she gives a verbal response.

"Yeah, I'll be fine." He turns away to separate without further stalling and she turns in kind, trotting through her usual patrol route with all her senses on high alert, an uneasy feeling building in her gut and chest.

She's circling around the academy fence perimeter as a whole after meeting with Zero to confirm that there's no disturbances so far in the Night Class or Sun Dorms when she catches sight of the male figure on the other side of the fence. Yuuki frowns, watching as the figure seems to be peering through the bars of the fence, looking around to try and see if Zero is still in the immediate area. When she can't see him, she scales the fence and looks around a little more, catching sight of a silver head of hair in the middle distance.

Bracing her heels into the razor sharp points of the fence is simple, and as she looks back in Zero's direction, she sees him turn and his face points in her direction. Reassured that he will be approaching soon, she turns to jump down from the fence to look for that figure she'd seen.

Once she touches down, she can very faintly sense the vampiric aura in the area, which is either because the vampire is weak, or because her senses have somehow dulled from what they'd been when she was human. Yuuki drops Artemis into her hands, though she doesn't yet extend the rod, waiting for the vampire to appear.

It doesn't take very long until he does. He's dressed in a suit and a long suit coat, with wire framed glasses, with mousy brown hair cut into an average short style. His head is angled just so that the little light available to them reflects off of his glasses and hides his eyes from her, and he tugs on his tie with a nervous smile.

Yuuki doesn't believe it for an instant.

"This is Cross Academy, I hope? Am... Am I mistaken?" He asks uncomfortably under her unimpressed stare. Yuuki straightens from her landing crouch and pushes back the bits of her hair that had fallen to the front of her shoulders, continuing to watch the man. "Ugh... I came by after overtime work, so it's late, but..."

"Why are you here, vampire?" She interrupts his rambling lies. The man's head twists, and Yuuki sees the glow of crimson eyes from behind the glass lenses. Yuuki extends Artemis as the man's killing intent begins to become apparent.

"Oh, you're a guardian here, then?" The man asks as his entire aura changes with that intent, one of his hands lifting to be in clear sight and exhibit his nails, which are inches long and seem to be razor sharp and pointed. "There's something I want to ask you."

The bloodlust in the air increases even further, and Yuuki's fingers tighten around Artemis, the weapon sparking in reaction. She refrains from trying her luck as the scythe form of her weapon just yet, though.

"Ask, then."

"Where is the other guardian?"

Yuuki is already in motion to deflect to block the vampire's lunge towards her, but her timing and balance hitch slightly and she's certain she's about to be maimed before Zero arrives, lacking his uniform jacket.

Zero skids between her and the vampire, locking the fingers of one hand with the mans extended fingers, effectively stopping his attack. His other arm wraps around her middle as Zero pivots to hold her in something like a football carry.

"What's your business with me?" Zero demands with a snarl, showing no sign that gripping the vampire might require effort on his side. The vampire sneers, lifting his free hand to push his glasses up on the bridge of his nose.

"Kiryuu Zero, for committing the murder of a Pureblood, Hio Shizuka, by the command of the Senate [I didn't want to put an A/N here, but I'm going to use "Senate" instead of "Council" of whatever, because that's a dumb mouthful.], you are sentenced to death."

The vampire's expression is smug, and when Yuuki looks at Zero's face, she sees his widened eyes. Yuuki, herself, feels something she can't completely understand, but that's terrible.

Zero killed Shizuka...?

...Who told them that?

"This is a serious crime that can only be paid for with your life. It's a "cheap" bargain, don't you think?" Zero's hand tightens around the man's, fingers clenching and hand tilting. There's the snap and cracks of splintering bones, the vampire's face twisting with shock and pain.

Zero releases her and pushes her away.

"You broke the bones of a vampire-?!" The vampire snarls as Yuuki places herself at Zero's back, Artemis held ready. She's apparently not in top form, but she should be able to do something.

Zero seizes a hold of the vampire and slams him into the ground as Yuuki stares at the vampires surrounding them. A quick scan reveals five more vampires, all dressed similarly to the vampire Zero currently had pinned.

"It's too bad there are no "cheap" bargains to be obtained here," Zero says, swiping a sleeve against his inexplicably slightly cut cheek as he straightens up from the vampire, who wisely stays down where Zero had put him. Once Zero fully straightens, Yuuki hears him groan and his breathing speed up, catching sight of his figure doubling over in her peripherals. Did he get hit somehow? Or-

"Even if you've defeated me, you cannot escape. We will see you executed." The vampire goes limp on the ground, and Yuuki distantly wonders why Zero hasn't pulled out Bloody Rose yet. "That is your fate." Yuuki feels Zero's back touch her shoulders, and continues to hear his labored breathing.

"Yuuki-" he cuts himself off as the signatures of the Night Class appear to surround them and the assassins.

The vampire directly in front of her cries out in pain, collapsing to the ground in a kneel and then turning into dust. The vampire to his right turns and exclaims in shock as the Night Class comes into clear view.

"The Senate has consented to this school, and it was already inevitable that that woman would hunt down Kiryuu-kun," Kaname says as he approaches from in the trees.

"Ku-Kuran Kaname-sama...!" All the foreign vampires drop into low bows.

"Kiryuu-kun shouldn't be prosecuted for the sake of protecting that pureblood's "sacredness"," Kaname continues.

"Kaname-sama, if you stand in our way, we won't be able to preform our duties- if you would just let us do so, we can leave you to your honourable school friends easily."

"I thought all my efforts to warn against dishonouring this academy with any foolish behavior were clear- even to dogs of the Senate." Kaname's previously serene expression flattens and his aura darkens.

"Kana-" The vampire who speaks is cut off as his shoulder explodes at a gesture from Kaname, as though he'd been shot.

"Disappear," is Kaname's low toned command.

"... The fact that you have defended Kiryuu Zero will be reported to the Senate, Kaname-sama." The vampires flee, and at a gesture from Kaname, the Night Class students begin to disperse, and Kaname approaches Yuuki.

"Are you alright?"

"Kaname, they wouldn't have come here only for Zero-" Yuuki dismisses the inquiry in her quest for information and watches as his face grows solemn, his eyes sad and pained. He reaches out as though to touch her head or face and she flinches back slightly before she can help it.

He recoils immediately, eyes shuttering somewhat.

"What are your intentions, Kuran Kaname?" Zero asks, stepping slightly forward to wrap long fingers around Yuuki's wrist as though to offer comfort.

"I... Overlooked something, that's all," Kaname answers withiut looking away from Yuuki's face. "You should go and report this to the Chairman. I will report in, as well," Kaname tells them before turning away to go to Takuma, who had waited behind for him.

Yuuki glances down and notices that she hadn't collapsed Artemis with a little surprise.

"Yuuki? Where's Zero?" Cross asks her from behind his office desk. Yuuki sees his eyes lingering on the door, though, so she knows that he is only asking to ask.

"In the hallway. Cross, did you know about what the vampire Senate decided?" She doesn't wait for his answer before continuing. "A little while ago, a group of vampire assassins converged on Zero and I, and told us that Zero has been blamed for the death of Hio Shizuka, and is sentenced to be executed. But then the Night Class and Kaname came, and Kaname used his influence to send them away," she summarizes as Cross' eyes meet her own once more.

"That's... very serious. Thank you for telling me, Yuuki, and thank you for your efforts." Cross stands and circles the desk to stand in front of her. "Sorry, though, it must have been an extremely difficult sitiation you were forced into, wasn't it?"

"Cross," Yuuki slides away from the hand that lands atop her head and looks more directly into Cross' eyes. "Kaname took a stand today. What can you tell me about what's going on?"

"The truth is, Kaname-kun had reported what happened to me a little while before you came in." Cross' words send a jolt of surprise and alarm through Yuuki. Kaname was just here? And we didn't see him? "From the time that Hio Shizuka hijacked Maria-san's consciousness, until what happened today, everything was business as usual, so this was unexpected. After all, Maria-san has been in the Moon Dormitory medical office since Shizuka left her body."

Yuuki has two simultaneous thought processes. The first being that she can't believe she forgot about Kurenai, and the second being how much does he know? What did Zero tell him?

"Kaname's actions may have suggested that he was supporting Zero, but this gentleness may backfire, and may very well be seen by the Senate as an act of open opposition."

An act of oppositon... In support of Zero? But..."Even though you might not see me as dependable as Kaname-kun, I don't intend to stay quiet about this, okay? Though, where Zero's brother disappeared to is also a matter of worry..."

But... Kaname never said "Zero is innocent" to those assassins, did he?

"Hey, Zero," Yuuki pipes up as they make their way out of the faculty building. He glances over at her with a questioning hum. "Your chest- the wounds from Ichiru and Shizuka, are they healing?"Zero doesn't react or respond for awhile as they continue down the path.

"I'm fine," he says eventually. Yuuki shoots him a deeply dubious look with furrowed brows, and he reaches over to press a palm against her face, pushing and knocking her slightly off balance before letting go. "I'm healing, it's fine."

"But they're healing slowly, right? Have you been taking the tablets correctly?" What little of Zero's expression she can see twists somewhat.

"I have." She wants to ask about that expressionon his face but, somehow, she doesn't believe that he'll answer her, right now. And besides that, he speaks before she can. "We should get back to patrols-"

"Zero!" She interrupts before he can leave. He jerks a little. "We need to talk, okay? After patrols?" He studies her a second before huffing.

"Alright."