Rose's eyes flopped open lazily as she turned her head. The light streaming through the curtains pricked her eyes as she grumbled and rolled over to find a body resting next to her.

Widening her eyes Rose remembered the night before and couldn't help but smile softly. She wished that this moment would never end.

She became startled when he rolled over as well at noticed her staring at him with a big goofy grin. Zero narrowed his browed and questioned. "How long have you been staring at me?"

She shrugged her shoulders and just dropped the smile into a small pout. "Not long, I just wanna remember this moment forever."

Zero breathed a sigh of amusement as a terrifying ring started in the back of his head at her words. He secretly wondered what she meant but he didn't want to ruin this moment, so instead he changed the conversation into something lighter. "You know, this won't be the last time. I mean, if you want."

The response he got didn't ease his worry as she gave him those eyes he always saw when she was thinking about something, something she wasn't telling him.

Rose on the other hand heard his words and knew that what he envisioned couldn't be. Either way she was going to die today, whether it be by Carson's hand or her own everything would end the same.

But of course she couldn't have the heart to tell him that. She couldn't stand the thought of his heartbroken expression when he would find out she had died.

Zero stared at those sad eyes and moved to stand before walking over to his jacket that was strewn on the floor. He reached his hand in the pocket and carefully took out a small box.

Walking back, he settled in the bed as Rose sat up in question. "What is that?"

He smiled and handed the box to her before smiling softly. "It's for you, somehow I knew that this was always meant for you."

Rose turned her head in apprehension before slowly boxing the box before almost dropping the contents.

Her eyes began to well up with tears as realization crossed her face. There in the center of that small box was a small, silver encrusted ring. "What.."

Zero moved forward and took the ring from the box before rolling it around in his fingers, looking at it longly. "It was my mother's. When I was little she would tell my brother and I the story on how they met. She would alway tell me that someday, when I meet the right one, I would know and now, I finally get what she meant."

Rose put a hand to her mouth in shock and placed a hand on his arm before trying to form words. "Oh Zero, I can't accept something as precious as that. I mean, what if you find someone else? They deserve it, not me."

He frowned at her response and carefully placed his hands on each side of her face before lowering his voice. "Hey, that's not going to happen. I already told you that I found someone dear to me, and I'm not letting you go again, no matter what. This ring, it's yours."

She shook her head once more as Rose's hands flung about in anxiety as everything started to rush into her mind. "But but, we are so young, and you don't know anything about me. I mean, what if you find out that I'm not that great and then you want it back. Or what if something happens and you have to go away or something , or what if…"

Zero noticed her shoulder raise up and down even more rapidly as she breath started to come out faster and faster. He quickly realized she was caving under her own stress and moved forward to press a slow kiss onto her lips to stop her wandering thoughts.

Caving under his warm, she began to slow down and when he pulled away he tried to ease her worries. "Rose, I love you. You don't have to think about all of this now, okay? Just think of this ring as a promise. And maybe one day, when you are ready, you can wear it for real."

Rose thought about his words before reaching in his hand and grabbing the ring. Then she lifted it up and squeezed it onto her left hand before looking at it and smiling.

She truly wished that the words he said could be a reality but the head truth crashed around her just as quickly as those thoughts came as she choked out a sob and clutched her mouth.

Zero gazed at her in concern until she leapt forward and kissed him causing the force to push him over in surprise.

Maybe she couldn't have a life with him, but she did have right here, and there was no way in hell she was going to waste it.

Hanabusa walked down the hallway in anticipation and anxiety as a billion thoughts ran through his head. Toda was the day, the day were Rose died regardless of the outcome and he was an absolute mess.

He debated going to wake her but he also saw her enter the room with Zero last night which meant they deserved some privacy, at least one moment of happiness. She earned at least that much. "Hey, Hanabusa?"

Gasping he drastically turned but calmed down immediately when he saw a familiar face. Kain strolled up to him in concern at the way his friend was pacing. "Are you okay? If you keep pacing you are going to create a hole in the floor."

The aristocrat grumbled at his joke and raised his voice at first, before it lowered dramatically. "Shut up, I just have a lot to think about, okay?"

Kain nodded his head in understanding and leaned against the wall before continuing. "I bet. Seems like you have your hands full."

He had absolutely no idea what he was dealing with. Just the thought so not being able to stop Rose's demise brought a hard lump to his throat in fear.

A silence erupted the hall after that for a few moments before Kain looked down and started a new topic. "I wanted to say I'm sorry. I blinded accused Lady Adelaide without trusting your judgement. I was just so afraid that she was using you."

Hearing his friend's words brought a small relief in his stomach. Did this mean that they finally accepted Rose? "Rose would never use me, she's not selfish enough for that. In fact, I think I'm using her more."

Kain just listened to his friends words crossing his arms across his body and nodding once. "I'm starting to see that. Can I ask you a question?"

Hanabusa raised his head and gave a small smirk. "Sure."

His friend looked away for a moment before locking his eyes on Hanabusa. He didn't want to miss anything in his reaction. "Do you like her?"

At those words Hanabusa's smile dropped as he coughed nervously and played dumb. "Like her? Of course I do, I made the blood bond after all."

Kain just rolled his eyes and pushed himself of the pillar in seriousness. "Stop playing dumb, you know what I mean. We are best friends, you can't fool me. I've seen the way you look at her."

Hanabusa's eyes widened as he looked down in disappear. He had tried, tried so hard to ignore his own feelings towards the pureblood time and time again but here in front of his friend, he couldn't do it anymore.

Kain eyes his friends, knowing that the silence was more than enough of an answer. "You should tell her. Quit sitting around and do something about it then."

Closing his eyes in pain the aristocrat shook his head aggressively and exclaimed. "You don't understand, I can't do that! I've known since day one who her heart belongs to. She has already lost so much, dealt with so much. I'm not going to give her another thing to worry about."

What he said was really true in Hanabusa's eyes. There was no way his feelings would get in the way of her happiness. It wasn't just a matter of liking someone, this was so much more than that. "After what I've seen, I can't be selfish."

He then shook his head sadly and smiled in response. "Standing besides her is enough."

Kain looked away at his answer, not fully understanding his choice but accepting it. "Are you sure that's what you want?"

Hanabusa just looked at his friends before answering with certainly. "Absolutely."

Kazuki stood by the window near his brother as they both sat in an uncomfortable silence. He looked at his brother and wondered what the heck was wrong with him. It seemed that he was completely against Lady Adilede's intentions now which was the complete opposite from just a couple days ago.

Jun also seemed to be angry at him for some reason which also wasn't anything new but still he wondered why. Course he didn't have long before his brother spoke up. "How can you support that, that defect? In public as well, it won't bode well for our family Kazuki."

Widening his eyes at his brother's language, he felt a small pain in his stomach at the word defect. He didn't know why but it angered him. "Well, maybe I wasn't thinking about our family. She made some good points.."

The room echoed with a sarcastic laugh as Jun scrowled. "Good points? Oh please, I knew there was something wrong with her from the beginning."

Kazuki frowned and took a step closer to his brother before reaching out his hands. "What is wrong with you?"

His brother followed in suit and moved closer, answering in a booming shout. "What is wrong with you? How can you support someone like that? She's a vampire that kills her own kind, a hunter!"

Without thinking Kazuki let his anger get the best of him and he shouted his answer back immediately. "Yeah? Well so am I!"

A heavy silence erupted the space as a look of utter disbelief and devastation crossed Jun's face. "What? Please tell me you're joking Kazuki."

Balling his fists at his sides, the aristocrats closed his eyes before continuing. "For three years I have been sneaking out of the house to hunt. Maybe if you payed attention to something other then our legacy you would notice that."

Jun's hand lifted to his mouth in shock as his stared at his brother in disgust. "You, how could you? If father found out you would be on the streets!"

A sarcastic laugh escaped Kazuki in sarcasm. "Father this, father that, that's all you care about! You know, maybe I'm different then you, maybe I want something more than just a life where I'm ordered around!"

Racing forward Jun pushed his hands aggressively into his brother chest in anger. "You take that back!"

Kazuki felt the push and that internally broke the last straw. He returned the action in an even more harsh fashion. "I can't take back what's the truth!"

Jun tightened his first and felt the air rise around them. Suddenly a gust of heavy wind torn through him and flew directly at his brother.

Closing his eyes, Kazuki waited for the hit but nothing come. He opened his eyes to find a large thorned wall blocking the attack.

He turned it found Rose standing in front of him. She lowered the wall at stared at Jun with an unreadable expression. "I suggest you back off, before I get serious."

Jun took a step back in shock at her presence but held his ground. "You think I'm afraid of you?"

Rose just smirked at her response and the are around them grew darker as she approached Jun, a dark shadow following behind her. "Oh I do. And you said it yourself didn't you? I kill my own kind. All those rumors swirling around, do you really wanna test me Jun?"

Any sense of power he thought he had over her was gone as she backed him that metaphorical corner. Her aura was unmistakable and it had the urge to kill. "You..you monster, stay away from me. I knew reporting you to Lord Ackerman was the correct choice after all."

Her eyes widened at his confession until they dulled back into a neutral state. Kazuki on the other hand was internally furious at his brother for selling her out. He didn't know why but he didn't want Lady Adelaide to have this kind of betrayal.

The two of them were surprised when all she did was give out a sarcastic laugh before lifting her hand out. "See, this is why I was wary of you. All of you people are the same, only interested in securing your legacy."

Then suddenly a slew of vines cracked the floor underneath her and one in particular reached dangerously close to Jun in warning.

He gazed upon her and noticed her eyes turning crimson before hissing out "People like you make me sick."

Jun shook under her gaze the pureblood pointed to the door in an authoritative fashion. "Now, get out of my sight. That is, if you don't want to see how much of a monster I can be."

Glaring at Rose he decided not to test his luck and moved towards the door, but not before turning and hissing. "This isn't the end. I'm going to make sure you are shut down."

Rose just rolled her eyes at his empty threat and waved him off. "Well then, join the club."

Grumbling, he slammed the door behind him, leaving only Rose and Kazuki in that large space.

She let out a heavy sigh and turned to the aristocrat, eyeing him up and down. "Are you okay?"

Kazuki blinked a few times before running his fingers through his hair. "Well that went about as well as I thought it would. How long were you spying back there?"

Rose just turned her head and pointed to the door. "I wasn't spying. I think I have more important things to do then worry about your family melodrama. I just came to talk to you about something and overheard the conversation."

Walking across the floor she sit in the nearby chair and laughed. "Also I hate to break it to you, but your brother is kinda an asshole."

He blinked a few times at her statement before letting a small chuckle escape his throat. "You have no idea. He's always like this when nobody's watching. Kind of like someone else I know."

Staring in her direction Rose looked behind her and slowly realized he was talking about her. "I'm not sure if that was meant to be a compliment or an insult but I'm just gonna ignore it."

Kazuki smiled once more and realized he was actually having an enjoyable conversation with the pureblood. He coughed a few times before changing the subject quickly. "So, what did you exactly come here for again? Is it another budget sheet? Cause I already told you I would finish those next week…"

His eyes widened when he locked eyes with her and found an unreadable expression on her face. It seemed like the room had dropped a hundred degrees suddenly.

Rose reached into her jacket pocket and smiled sadly before pulling a small object wrapped in a gray cloth. "Not exactly, I wanted to give you this actually."

Kazuki's face shaped into one of confusion but didn't have long to wait as she stood and continued. "I want to thank you for helping me here at the academy. I know you hate pureblood's and everything but even so, it means a lot."

Unwrapping the cloth carefully the object revealed itself to be a small piece of metal with lined engraving etched in its surface.

Kazuki gasped at the object and exclaimed. "Is that, your seal?"

He gazed at the object in wonder. A pureblood families seal was one of the most important items passed down between generations. Those who held the seal were highly rare and esteemed among the vampire race.

Rose smiled a nodded once in conformation as she rubbed her hand on the metal. "Today, well I'm fairly certain I won't make it back so I want you to have this. I know it's not a real pureblood's word but even if I'm not around anymore, It means that you have my approval. You'll be able to live freely with this."

Looking at the object he let her words sink in and suddenly he realized what she really meant. Today was the day she was going to sacrifice herself to the hunter association. It seemed she was tying up all the loose ends before she disappeared.

This very notion made Kazuki absolutely distraught. Why was she wasting time securing his future rather then her own? It didn't make any sense.

His brow crossed with confusion as he tried to state his question without her finding out that he knew her secret. "Why would you do all of this? You said it yourself, you might not make it back. Why not use this to secure your own future?"

Rose just looked down at the floor before lifting her eyes up and giving him that same confusing expression. It looked like utter devastation mixed with a hint of acceptance. "I have no future. I never did."

Then she turned the seal over in her hand before plopping it into his slowly. Kazuki felt the cool metal touch his hand as she pulled away and nodded once. "I want you to be happy Kazuki. Live the life I never got to have, okay?"

That small pain returned in his stomach as he felt a rush of anxiety rush over him. Why was he so anxious all of a sudden?

The pureblood then looked towards the sunlight peeking through the curtains and sighed heavily before walking in the direction where she came. "Guess it's time. Goodbye Kazuki Amano, I'm happy to have known you."

He watched her leave through the door in silence and when she was gone he felt that pain grow tighter and tighter.

He shouldn't care, he really shouldn't have. He kept telling himself that same out mantra over and over again, that one less pureblood in the world was a good thing. But standing here, he couldn't help but remember that kind smile she had given him or those devastating eyes.

Rolling the seal around in his hand he looked down before tightening the cold metal around his fingertips in anxiety.

He shouldn't have cared, but he did.

Rose walked down the hallway in in anxiety of the events that were about to unfold when she recognized a very familiar back and decided to walk to him.

He noticed her presence and turned around before before turning again. "I never used to like the sunrise but it has grown on me."

She smiled and stood next to him, smiling slightly at a memory. "Remember when I forced you to go out and watch one with me? You were half asleep the entire time."

Kaname's lips curved into a smile as he nodded his head. "Not the entire time, I believe I remember some sort of homemade cookies."

Rolling her eyes, Rose playing pushed his shoulder before continuing. "Oh no, not those. They were absolutely terrible. I still can't believe you eat all of them."

A small silence entered the space before Kaname looked down and saw Zero's ring on her necklace chain shining in the light.

He frowned at the sight and wrapped his finger around the ring before lifted it up to get a better look. Rose's eyes widened but didn't make a move. "Is this from Zero?"

She looked away as a light blush of embarrassment crossed her face at his words, quickly taking it out of his hand and putting it back in place. "It's not like it matters anyways."

Kaname looked away for a moment before asking. "Are you happy?"

Rose gazed at the sunrise in awe before nodding her head once. "Yeah, I am. I just wished things would stay like this."

Narrowing his brow in confusion he turned to her, lightly grabbing her should in concern. "Why can't they?"

She just stood there for a moment before shaking off his hand and sighing. "You know how I am Kaname. Things don't usually last, they never do. I'm just going to take in as much as I can."

Another silence entered as Rose changed the subject this time around. "I'm going to be leaving soon, can I count on you to stay here and keep the academy safe?"

Kaname nodded his head and fixed a strand of hair that was hanging out of place. "Of course, you know I will do anything to help you."

Rose smiled slightly but was quickly turned frozen as Kaname reached up and kissed the top of her head in a loving fashion. The action lingered for a moment before he pulled away and cupped her cheek. "I love you Rose, please be safe."

The sudden confession brought a heavy blush to her cheeks as she tried to ignore the sudden warmth. He was too crafty.

All she could do was nod her head in silence before it was time to go. Everything was about to end in one way or another, she just wasn't sure how.

Kaname watched the group of vampires walk out the the academy and through the front gates from his window. Honestly he wanted to join in the fight but also knew that keeping Yuki and the academy safe was also an important task he had to bear.

Rose had trusted him with this so there was no way he would let her down. Of course, everything did feel a bit lonely now.

Suddenly a loud knock erupted in the door and he turned his brow in confusion. There wasn't supposed to be anyone here, it if there was they should have been sleeping.

He didn't have to wait long as the door flew open and a night class student entered the room. He seemed to be in a hurry for some reason. "What is it?"

The boy tried to catch his breath as he moved towards the pureblood in anxiety. "My name is Kazuki Amano and we have to talk."

Kaname eyed the boy with interest and decided to investigate this matter further. "Talk about what, If I might ask?"

Kazuki looked around nervously before pulling Rose's seal from his pocket and slamming it on the table, explaining with great authority. "It's about Rose."

OOOOOH SNIPPITY SNAP. I decided to add this chapter to my planned ones just because I really like to give all the characters a fully fleshed out personality and since we are reaching the end, the time window is getting smaller and smaller.

Next Chapter: We have the big battle with Carson, stay tuned ;)