Sixth Night

A hollow, icy wind wafted itself past a frustrated Yuuki as she strode over to the Moon Dorm; still deceived by loathe at Zero's departure and now Reitsu's appearance…

"I don't want anyone to replace Zero." She adjusted her eyes to perceive the dark night as she rubbed her arms to lessen the cold and sighed melancholy. Puffs of breath resonating with the cold proceeded with her sigh.

"Reitsu…" Her thoughts were suddenly interjected with a pause as she saw approaching her in a furtive manner amidst the mysterious darkness, a lone figure. Just to ensure safety against anything unexpectedly occurring, she gripped Artemis once more, and brandished it against herself, ready to take anything head-on. She was just about to open her mouth to challenge the stranger with a call of requirement, until, when the stranger came into full view, and the monochrome streaks of the moon rained down…she saw that it was none other than Zero. Ever since he had entered into the Night Class willingly, he and Yuuki had barely even chances to talk at all. It nipped at Yuuki in a lonesome feeling of resentment, meekly making her realize with an unwanted notice that things really had changed between them.

"Z-Zero!" Yuuki exclaimed in surprise, raising her iron weapon down slightly. "What're you…"

"I'm on an errand." Zero answered in his usual tone of voice, so casually with his distant eyes looking dismally away from her. A small smile of relief touched Yuuki's lips at the thought of it; nothing right now is changed.

"An errand…?" She fully raised Artemis down now. Knowing with pure knowledge that it was unnecessary; Zero would never harm her…and Yuuki knew it wholeheartedly. "Hm…Zero following an order." she smiled teasingly. "Usually Zero's the one giving orders!" A small, silent laugh contrived from her statement as Zero looked back at her for a moment. Accompanied with the pale sheen of the moon's light, and the ominous wind wavering about in strokes like being delicately painted, Yuuki thought Zero really did look much different than usual. Especially now in the elegant uniform of the Night Class…reflecting white and silver glamorously. He really did now look like a vampire…as the realization of this made Yuuki feel strangely frightened and out of place; nostalgia swirled within her, trembling.

"So what are you on an errand for?" Yuuki asked, forcing a bright smile, trying to start a conversation so that she could talk to Zero again…like always before.

"I needed to get a book…" Zero said in a low reply with a glance looking away from her now. "…for Kaname-sama."

"A bo…ok." Her speech broke oppressively, her eyes forming into one resembling someone who had just acquired the hearing of incontestable news.

"K-Kaname…sama?!" Yuuki repeated on an impulse, her voice quivered.

"Yuuki." Zero said in a soft tone, seeming to always say her specific name with a gentle kindness. "Kaname-sama is a pureblood. Have you forgotten…?" The wind howled within his brief pause. "I'm a vampire." Zero's words struck at Yuuki with menace…as if deliberately intending to crush and hurt her; bending her with it's evoking taunting.

"Z-Zero!" Yuuki shouted, even unexpected to herself. She clenched her fists as silver tear raindrops flowed from her dark eyes streaming down her pallid cheeks. "Where are you?!"

"Y-Yuuki…" Zero's amethyst eyes glinted with uncertainty at her sudden reaction.

"Where's…Zero?! Where's the Zero…" her voice faltered as a cry elapsed itself into her tone. "The Zero I know…" Her gaze blinding looking down, as if stunned and unable to stand any longer. Weak with the vehement feeling of breaking. Her body flinched as she felt a sudden warm, fervid tight embrace encase itself affectionately around her. She heard Zero's calm, lucid voice…that seemed to comfort and elude her pain.

"I'm still here, Yuuki."

Yuuki's eyes widened for a quiet moment, slowly, slowly, taking in Zero's whispering words. She felt as if her mouth had clamped itself shut; rebuking her from speaking in reply.

"Yuuki…I…I really am sorry…" He now pulled away from her in embrace, but still kept his hands on her shoulders gently. "Because I've made you so sad…" His fingers brushed past her pale face, gingerly wiping away the tears that were strewn within it. The expression that Zero's face displayed on his face seemed to chant in anguish over and over again…two simple words: I'm sorry. Words asking, seeking…desiring forgiveness overwhelmed him as Yuuki felt pangs of guilt volt through her as a devious hate invited itself into her cunningly.

"No! Zero! I'm…sorry!" Her voice finding speech again shouted out in utmost rejection and seemingly desperation.

Zero smiled wearily at her. "Then quit acting sad."

"I—! I…" Her body began to violently tremble again, a flurrying whirlwind of a thousand emotions all swirling within. "I can't…I cannot not…be sad." She paused. A breath expectedly waiting to be released…a great lunge surging in deep pitiless water. "I…I…love…Zero." To her own surprise, as if her body had reacted on it's very own instinct, Yuuki, finally spoke those long harbored words just above a whisper. Everything became silent. A dark shadowing cloud veiled itself over the glimmering illuminated moon, as the two faces were encased in the dark; hidden in it's oneness with it. But still, Yuuki could feel Zero's warm hands still upon her thin shoulders in a quiet, unspoken action of never wanting to let go.

Yuuki's face flushed. She was sitting in class, next to Yori, as a dry, lecture was being commenced; resonating throughout the room with it's dullness.

"Yuuki." Yori whispered with her hand covering half of her mouth. "Are you all right? Your face is red…"

Yuuki, who was blankly staring downward at her scribbled notes, jolted her head up as if in shock. "I-I'm fine!" She whispered back to Yori, smiling nervously whilst rubbing her head.

"If you say so…" Yori replied suspiciously, as she turned her attention back to the lecture and intently resumed listening to it's constant flow of words; like the good, studious student that she was. Yuuki looked back down with a seemingly troubled gaze as she remembered what Zero had said to her last night. After she had said…"I…love…Zero."

Those three words rang through her again in a noisy clamor, which made her face blemish with even more red.

"Ahh! I cannot believe I said that!" She closed her eyes and laid her head down onto her desk scornfully, and sighed. Yes, after what Yuuki had…said without any mental knowledge of speaking it, Zero only stammered,

"G-Good night, Yuuki." Then released her shoulders in a flash, and proceeded walking past her naturally. Though, in the dark, Yuuki could not discern the expression that betook Zero's face in reaction, or whether his face had, too, also flushed in timid embarrassment. Yuuki knew that her's did after she had said those words, which, she was quite glad that Zero could not see it amidst the dark shadowed reflections.

"What ran through Zero's head after I said that?" Yuuki pondered.

The lecture seemed to apparently come to a pause—or end—as Yuuki looked up now with a new interest. Her dreary, sleepy eyes resorted into that of a small surprise of enlargement. For, standing in the front of the classroom, unexpected to Yuuki, stood Reitsu. His very appearance seemed to revolt Yuuki in some strange way; a revolt with displeasure and ill premonition, a cold chill tingling down her spine. It was not that she particularly disliked him. But the very fact that he would be working by her side now as a prefect instead of Zero beguiled her disdainfully.

"This is Reitsu. He's Headmaster Cross' nephew." The teacher spoke, introducing Reitsu to the class. "He will be the new prefect also, since Kiryuu is gone."

"…Kiryuu is gone."

"Kiryuu Zero will no longer be attending the Day Class anymore."

"Yuuki, he will replace Zero as the second prefect of Cross Academy."

"…Kiryuu-kun will be attending the Night Class."

Something jumped. Inside of Yuuki. All of those hateful words that she utterly detested and wished to dispose of their realism caused a tremor to erupt inside of her frail body. Without caring about anything at all, absolute zero, she stood up from her desk with a loud bam, as all of the notebooks and textbooks and writing utensils spilled onto the ground, creating even more sound in unison with the bam.

"Cross!" The teacher called after Yuuki as she unwillingly cared about his warning, and ran. Ran out of that horrid classroom, ran away from those distasteful words, and ran away…from herself. Bitter agony finally broke. Those locked in feelings of rejection broke inside a sorrow-rendered Yuuki.