"Lucas!"

I screamed. A large, ugly animal slashed its way through my head. Tearing through my rationality with its' sharp claws. Panic. Kaname stood, eyes filled with curiosity. The panic animal began to scream. What was I doing just standing there?! Adrenaline coursed through my body, causing me to leap up off the bench and into the air. Keeping low to the ground, I followed the scent of blood, trying not to hyperventilate. I could sense Kaname's dark butterfly aura trailing mine. No doubt his interests had been piqued. What about the Night Class? Would they be rushing outside too? I couldn't allow that. Vampires were dangerous when lustful. They'd probably kill Lucas. I banked sharply, narrowly missing a wall. I came to the center of the grounds. When I had pulled my wings in, all my resolve broke.

There was Lucas. Coughing, and shaking. Feebly, he tried to stand, only to collapse into a widening pool of his own blood. The wet sound of splashing tore my from my paralysis. With a cry of fear, I rushed over to him.

"Lucas! Lucas! What happened?!"

My words came out coherent, but my thoughts were scrambling around aimlessly. Like blind sewer rats, they ran, around my head. Fighting with each other and screaming in high pitched keening wails. Lucas looked at me, his purple eyes no longer shown with the light of the moon. Now they only showed a weak pinprick of light that was slowly fading. Cradling him closer to me, I felt tears course their way down my face. My hands were becoming soaked with blood. Whatever had done it, the wound was deep. I could feel torn vanes throbbing dully as they tried to circulate useless blood that could never reach the heart. Lucas, my lover, my angel turned his head to look at me. His face was peaceful, as if nothing at all was happening.

"Yuki. Don't cry, this was bound to happen. We all die someday."

"Yeah, but it's never supposed to happen this fast! We're supposed to stay together! No matter what! Don't….Don't…."

The rest of my sentence was devoured by painful sobs. Lucas placed a paling hand on my cheek.

"Sssh. Listen to me. I love you Yuki. And I'm so glad… that I got to see you…one last time…If only…"

"No! Don't die! I can't live without you! I'd rather die than be alone! Please! If you die let me go with you!"

Lucas only smiled.

"No. There are so many others who need you Yuki. So many people in this world who need your smile…your voice…your light…Don't disappoint them Yuki. Give them your magic….like you did for me…"

People needed me?! Why?! When the person I needed most right now was dying! No one would need me! I would never want to be needed. If my only person in the world was leaving then I would do the same. Screw what everyone else needed! Nobody ever saw me! They only saw an end to their selfish needs!

"Bullshit! I don't care about them! I want you! No one else matters! They all can just die!"

"Yuki…no…that's wrong…You need…to embrace life…you need to learn…to open your heart…otherwise…the reason you're alive…the reason we're all alive…will be useless…"

"What? I don't understand-"

"You will, my love. You will."

A sharp inhale, then a rattly exhale. It was over. Lucas had died. I laid the body down on the ground, then stood up. A soft, shallow breeze glided through the school, carrying away the silver dust of the only person that mattered. Somewhere, out in the darkness of the woods, an owl hooted. It was a lonely sound, empty and void of heart. Why? Why was the world still going? Why was there still life in me? I dropped to the ground, silent tears running down my face. When Lucas died the world should've gone with him. I could sense the presence of other vampires. Aido, Takuma, Ruka, Rima, Shiki, Kain, and Zero. All had come because of the smell of blood. None cared about my obvious heartache. Dimly, I wondered where the others were, of course Takuma had probably calmed them, Kaname's dogs, Aido and Kain, had followed the vice president, probably just of confused as he was. Ruka, Rima, Zero and Shiki…well who knows their reason, and frankly who the hell cares? A dense misty fog settled over my body. Zero's aura.

"Yuki…what's-"

"Ahahahahahaha! Poor little birdie. Look at the way she hides her head beneath her wing. Does it hurt my beauty? Do you wish for death as well?"

All nine of us present, glanced around to see where the voice had come from. That maniacal, homicidal voice that could kill with a whisper. No one could pinpoint the exact location. It seemed to come from anywhere and everywhere. Dark rage consumed me. Clenching my fists, I stood up.

"Show yourself! I'm through playing these games! If you want me come and get me!"

It materialized right in front of Zero and I. Zero took a step back, in shock and fear. I heard the gasps of the others as well. The creature came up to me, and put its fingers underneath my chin in an eerily sensual manner.

"Ah, my darling nightingale. Are you pleased? I have finally stepped out from the shadows and shown myself. Now…if you'll come quietly, we can-"

"Fuck you."

For a split second, time stopped. The Night Class was staring at me in shock. The creature glared (it's hard to tell since it has no eyes) at me in a flat hatred.

"What did you say?!"

In a cool, calm voice, I replied;

"You heard me. But if it pleases you I will translate. Fuck you is my way of saying no."

Silence. Then claws flashed out. Long and dangerous, hell-bent on tearing me to shreds right then and there . Good thing for the awesome vision, otherwise I would've been sashimi. I leapt into the air, snapping out my wings. Behind me, I heard five vampires gasp in awe. The creature snarled in rage.

" Hmph. You blindly accept an outstretched hand that will inevitably lead you into darkness, then when a true savior appears, you decline the offer. You obviously wish to live a life dominated by shadows and covered in blood. With aspirations like that, it's no wonder your lover died. You're the one who caused Lucas's death!"

The panic animal, which had been resting comfortably until now, stirred and transformed. Into pure, utter hatred. I let the flames of anger roll over my body, burning me again and again. Until the rage became so overwhelming it erupted.

"YOU HAVE NO RIGHT TO SPEAK!"

Claws grew out of my hands, my fangs returned. I felt something inside me snap. It went unraveling through my body, spinning down to the last thread, till that too was gone.

"I'll send you to hell in a matter of minutes. Nobody ever crosses me like that. Ever."

On the ground, the creature snarled in anticipation. My vision was beginning to cloud over. All I could see was a red haze. I wanted, hell, needed to kill. And you know what? I rather liked that feeling. With a screech, I flung my body at my tormentor. He was going down. One way or another, I would ensure that I saw him in hell.

Kaname's P.O.V.

Quicker than lightning, she sailed off into the air. The smell of blood was strong in my nostrils. I decided to give chase, even if that whelp boiled my blood just looking at him, I couldn't let my dear girl down. It took all of my speed just to remain a few feet behind her. Damn she was fast! I watched as Yuki banked and nearly hit a wall. We soon found ourselves in the courtyard. Yuki halted instantly, nearly causing me to crash into the back of her. There a few yards in front of us, kneeling on the ground was Lucas. I kept my distance, knowing it was better to leave them be. No matter how much it pained me to see her suffer, I knew she must deal with this on her own.

"Lucas! Don't leave me!"

Those words, plagued by uncontrollable sobbing, made me want to wrench my heart out. My, Yuki, my dear girl was going through unimaginable pains, and all I could do was watch. Standing there, I watched as Lucas drew his last breath, and became dust. Soon after I was alerted to the presence of other vampires. Takuma came to stand alongside me.

"Kaname? What's going on?"

Could I be able to tell him? Should I tell him? My mind ran circles in my head, while Takuma looked at me with the loyal expression of a puppy, as he awaited his answer.

"To be honest, I'm not sure myself Takuma. I think it's best if we just watch."

A lie. I knew damn well what was going on. Just the fact of breaking it to someone, though, made my carefully constructed walls begin to crumble. Ruka, Kain, Shiki, Aido and Rima stood, staring at the collapsed, sorrow-laden Yuki. Stop it! My mind shrieked. Stop staring at her! What do you think she is?! Some exotic animal behind a cage, some rare jewel for display purposes only?! No. I needed to calm myself. My anxiety, combined with pain, and grief would not help me, her, nor anyone. Then something spoke. I know not what, nor whom that terrible, lunatic whisper belonged to, only that it will haunt me in the small wee hours of the night, when the world stops just for a moment, and the greatest terrors are unleashed. Kiryu, that intolerable beast, actually looked frightened and took a small step back. Yuki, however looked enraged. She slashed, kicked, and screeched.

"What the hell's going on?!"

Ruka shouted. Looking around for someone to answer her inquiry. No one did. We all watched as the soft, gentle Yuki all of us had known transformed into a blood thirsty demon.

Back to Yuki

The school, Zero, Kaname, everything around me vanished in the red. The only thing that remained was my anger, and the need for death. I could feel the scarlet of my rage deepening towards an ebony fury. Dammit all! Why was that insufferable leech hiding? A presence settled over mine. Completely different from either of the three boys I had come to closely know, this one whispered things of insanity, babbled in tongues straight from the depths of hell. With a yell, I whipped around, and slashed. I was met with the satisfactory scream of pain, and the coppery smell of blood. My arms were beginning to tingle. Cautiously, I lifted one up to my face, searching for ravenous bleeding. No bleeding, but the more I moved my hands, the more misty black shadows surrounded my arms. With a snide grin, I pointed at the hissing, bleeding creature. The shadows flew from my arms, and wrapped themselves around it's humanoid body. It squealed, a high pitched sound that grated on my ears. I flinched, but walked forward, towards the entangled soul snatcher. It lay before me, grotesque in every way possible. As I knelt by it, an image appeared in my mind. A woman, in a black dress, sitting at one of those spinning looms. On the loom, were red threads they were

(drenched with blood)

the threads that bound everything. The creature looked up at me, I couldn't see an expression, but white hatred washed over me, stifling my body.

"Well angel? What now?"

Sweetly, oh so sweetly, I replied;

"Life. It is nothing more than a giant loom, spun by Fate. As she sits there, at the loom, she spins red threads. These threads our not the threads of individual lives oh no. We would not want the loom to become clogged, and life as we know it cease. Rather, these threads are the ones that bind life. Hold it together nice and firm, they keep the nightmares from beyond that little sewing room from invading our world, and devouring it, but there are times when a monster slips through, and a contaminated thread must be removed. But in this case, all the threads have been contaminated. You, who have poisoned the lives of many, has also tainted the loom. And so now, let the threads unravel from their ceaselessly spinning prison, the hellish nightmare world that you were born from shall come to reclaim you, and the earth shall be cleansed with blood."

There was a moment of silence. Then a rumbling noise. Writhing whips of shadow burst forth from the ground. Black clawed hands tore holes in sky, and horrible, deformed bug-eyed creatures crawled out of their unnamed dimension. With ravenous screams, and babbling voices of madmen, they advanced on their fallen…comrade? Either way, one by terrifying one, they made slow, lopsided steps to where the shadow-leech lay, writhing, and screaming, and tore it limb from putrid limb, before disappearing back to the nightmare world from whence they came. Then all was silent. Six out of eight vampires were looking at me with a mixture of horror and awe. Kaname appeared to be curious, while poor Aido looked grossed out. Well, some things never change. Kaname stepped forward.

"Yuki, are you alright?"

"Kaname…I…"

I was about to say more, but it was swallowed by a gray mist as the ground swam up to meet me.

One nanosecond before my head got a painful meeting with the ground, strong arms caught me. Kaname's silky, soothing voice reached my fading sense of hearing.

"It'll be okay Yuki. Sleep for now."

That was the last thing I heard before I was submerged in the cold sea of unconsciousness .

Kaname

She seemed to hear, and let herself fall into a deep, dreamless sleep. Slowly, I got up and surveyed the scene around me. Everything was so perfect it was unnatural. There was no sign that those creatures from that strange, hellish void had ever existed. The others stood around, some gaping, some merely standing like dark guardians. Takuma was among the first to find his voice.

"Kaname? What's to be done about this?"

A question that had me thinking. What exactly were we going to do? This was completely beyond my field of understanding. But I was a pureblood, and those below me expected, and needed me to answer their questions. With a sigh, I replied to the best of my ability;

"I'll speak to the Headmaster about it. The rest of you can go back to class."

"And Yuki?"

Aido. It suddenly occurred to me: He had been the first one to know. In my arms, Yuki slept peacefully, but when she awoke?

"I'll take her up to her room. Trust me. The rest of you have nothing to worry about."

Shiki glanced at Rima who shrugged. Then they were walking back in the direction of the school building. Only Kiryu stayed behind.

"What do you plan to do with her Kuran?"

As usual, he was extremely hostile. The manner in which he addressed me made me want to laugh. As if he could ever protect Yuki! But that was a matter for another day. Instead of riling him, I simply said;

"I'm taking her to her room so she can properly rest. Is there a problem?"

"Yes there is. Leaving her with some guy I've never met doesn't sound too appealing, but leaving her with you is the epitome of negligence."

"Whatever."

I said turning away. Kiryu just wouldn't understand, but that was okay. Better to die happy in your ignorance, then drowning in miserable knowledge. I could feel Kiryu's glare boring into my back as I walked away, but I ignored it. Yuki curled up against me. I smiled. She was the only one for me.

Cross's P.O.V.

"Well, that was some show, eh Cross?"

Yagari turned from the window, and looked at me, eyes sparkling with excitement from the scene just witnessed.

"Yes it was. I had no idea angels were that powerful."

The hunter huffed, and lit a cigarette.

"That's more than I knew. I thought angels were extinct"

I smiled. Kyoko's words came back to me.

"Kaien. I'm scared for her. As an angel she'll be wanted by many, but as a pureblood…even the vampires will seek her out. I don't want that kind of life for my daughter. All I want is to see her smile."

Kyoko. I thought. Yuki may have been brought back to the cruel world you sought to keep her from, but I have full confidence she'll be alright. Slowly, I stood and joined Yagari at the window.

"No, they're still here. Luckily, back then, when the war was still going on, angels were on our side. Thanks to them, we were given one hell of an edge."

Yagari smiled.

"You've got that one right."

Still, as I stood there, watching Kaname carry Yuki back to the dorm, a shadow nagged at the back of my mind, asking one continuous question; Lucas was dead. Without a mate, how could Yuki carry on her blood line?

Yuki

A soft breeze snaked its way around my ankles. I stood, watching the sun set behind a deep azure ocean, twinkling as crests of foam caught the slim rays of light and became jewels for brief moments. This was a dream, and yet…it felt so real.

"Yuki."

A voice drifted on the lazy breeze, beckoning me. I ignored it. Let me watch the sunset. I thought. Don't make me turn away from this.

"Yuki."

More urgent this time. There was something familiar in it. A certain feminine tone, that sounded like rain, pitter-pattering gently against a window. My mother's voice. Slowly, I turned away from the shore. She stood behind me, her lithe form framed by the beautiful light show playing out in front of us. Mother reached forward and placed a hand on my cheek.

"You've become such a dazzling young lady, Yuki. I'm sorry, I didn't want to leave you."

Her lips curled up into a warm smile. The ivory of her skin was lit by the sun. Her eyes sparkled with love.

"I'm sorry about Lucas. But now you know what you must do."

What I must do? What did she mean by that?

"Mother…what are you talking about?"

Mother stroked my hair, and planted a kiss on my forehead.

"Vampires, and humans have been at war since the dawn of creation. Angels have fought for the humans, and vampires saw that as an outrage, and attempted to kill many of us off. There are still many vampires who view angels as a loathsome species. You can change that Yuki. Do you remember when Lucas told you there were others who needed you?"

I did. At the time, I had no idea of what he meant, now it all sunk in.

"Yes, I remember, and I understand Mother. I'll do what I have to."

Warm arms encircled me, as she held me tightly. I snuggled into her. It had been far too long since I had been held by her.

"Thank you, Yuki. If you can show the vampires that there truly can be peace, then that might save our kind from extinction."

Then she was gone. I was alone, on the warm now dark beach, with only the smooth sound of waves hitting the beach for company. Another breeze started up, only this one was different.

"I love you Yuki. And I'll continue watching over you. Don't forget what you are Yuki, don't deny your blood."

Her smell met my nose. Honeysuckle and vanilla. Unbeknownst to me, tears were flowing down my face. I made no move to wipe them away, but continued to stand there.

"Don't worry mother, I'll always remember."

I opened my eyes to a dark room. Sitting up, I glanced furtively around for a sign of familiarity. Scents flooded my sensitive nose. Mine, Zero's the Headmaster's his, and Kaname's. What room could this be, that made it a catch-all for smells? Then it hit me. I was in my own room, at the Headmaster's place. A shadow passed over me as a presence filled the room. Pure, and soothing, I closed my eyes so I could get a lock on who it was. When I opened them…

"Yuki. Are you alright?"

Kaname. Concern cast thick, dark clouds over his mahogany eyes. I leaned against him. For a moment, he was taken aback by my motion, but he quickly got used to it (of course) and embraced me. We sat there on the bed for a moment, drinking in each other's warm scent. After a long moment of silence, he let go of me.

"Yuki…I…"

"Sshh."

I whispered seductively, putting my finger to his lips. He stopped talking immediately.

"Kaname. I realize now that this is the only thing that I can do for you, as well as my self, and my own kind."

The clouds in his eyes gave way to lightning bolts of shock.

"What are you saying?"

I leaned into him once more.

"I need to be with you Kaname. There are many vampires in the council who would like to effectively destroy any angels left. If we show them that our races can live together peacefully, then they have nothing to stress over."

"Don't go into a relationship just for that Yuki. You need to continue your lineage."

"No. If I do that, I'd be going against Lucas and Mother. Besides…after what you showed me tonight…I want to save you from your darkness. It's something only I can do. Correct?"

I gauged Kaname's reaction. First, nothing happened. Then a light appeared in his eyes. The light of salvation. Strong, tender arms encircled my body as Kaname pulled me closer. I felt the light touch of his fingers brush my chin as he tipped me up into a kiss. It was long and passionate. I let a small moan of pleasure escape my lips before we broke for air.

"Thank you Yuki."

Whew! Guess there's a happy ending for them after all! Stay tuned for the epilogue!