(A/N)yes i know, you have the right to hang me, butcher me, drown me, decapitate me etc. im sorry for the late upload -_- forgive me. i love you all. As an apology i have posted another story, well its basically a one shot called 'Light the Night with Stars'. Check it out homies.

Chapter 16- Breathing and Heartbeats

I'm dreaming. I tell myself to wake up, I force myself. Zero is here. I want to see Zero. I know who he is and he's okay and I'm okay. I smile through my dream and my eyes open to a pale beige ceiling. I blink a few times and look around. I hear the sound of beeping and look towards the source. it's a machine measuring my heart rate, there are uncomfortable tubes in my nose and my hands. I'm in a hospital. I figet from my uncomfortable postion and let out a moan at the pain on my shoulders. I feel movement and look down to find Zero sleeping with his head on the bed, inches from my hands. Tears spring to my eyes and my nose twitches at the oncoming waterworks. I try to control them but it's impossible and a quiet sob escapes me. Zero's eyes open and he lifts his head, his eyes stare at me for a second before he springs to his feet and stands over me. His eyes are red and there are dark bags around them. His face is pale and he looks skinny. Skinnier then I last saw him a year ago. Oh God, an entire year. Another sob escapes and Zero takes my face between his hands.

'Yuki, what is it? What's wrong?'

I try to speak but a lump lays heavy in my throat. My body shudders in uncontrollable sobs. I lift my hands to his and hold them against my cheek, savoring their warmth and strength. My body instantly calms. I don't want to let him go, I look at him. There is uncertainty behind his gaze. He doesn't know what to do, the same look he had when I hadn't remembered him. Did he realize I remember him and that before when I had called for him I wasn't delusional or in a trance.

'Zero,' I say, my voice cracking. He looks at my face then down to my wound, his features contort in pain as he takes me in. I place my palm against his cheek. He looks at me, tears glistening in his eyes and his bottom lip quivers ever so slightly. 'I remember.'

A single tear falls from his eyes and he pulls me to his arms. I cry into his arms, he shakes in repressed tears over me.

'Zero, I love you. I love you so much.' I kiss his cheek, he takes my face in his hands and kisses me full in the mouth. His lips are hungry and rough and I return it with the same amount of raphor. The pain in my shoulder suddenly seems to intensify as I try to pull him as close to me as possible. I let out a grunt. He pulls back to look at me.

'He stabbed me,' I say, my hands on my shoulders. He nods and leans away slightly but I keep him to me. I remember my injuries and ask Zero the inevitable.

'How did you explain the puncture wounds?'

He seems to be in a trance, like my words take him a while longer to figure out. He clears his throat.

'The one who took care of you was a vampire. I explained the situation to him before they took you in. He erased the memory of any human in the operation theatre,' he comforts me.

I stare at him, barely registering his words. I feel light headed and every detail of the room seems to intensify so much that I feel like I'll pass out again. It felt like a dream, Zero was here, beside me, I was holding him, looking at him. The sun is setting outside and I suddenly feel tired again.

'I looked for you,' He whispers to me.

I look to him. He stands over me, his hands holding mine with enough pressure to hurt me but the pain kept reminding me he was here so I didn't mind. His hair covered his eyes. His hair's grown as long as Ichiru's, I thought to myself. I see him clench his jaw and grind his teeth. He was trying to control himself.

'I looked for you, I searched everywhere. Nobody knew where you were. I- I- couldn't belive you were gone,' he pauses and inhales deeply, 'Kuran told me about Usui's palace. That's how I found you,' he spits out Usui's name with enough venom to make me cringe. 'I'm so- I'm sorry I couldn't protect you,' he brings his hand to his face and covers it, I feel my tears fall heedlessly. He was hurting, even I could tell, he had struggled this entire year. It had been easier for me because I didn't remember anything, but Zero had to live with the memory of us and the possibility of finding me gone from this world. I sob silently and tug at his hand, he resists but then leans down to me. Tears fall from his eyes and drop from his chin.

'I'm sorry I couldn't save you sooner. I'm sorry, I'm so sorry. I'm so happy your alive. So happy your safe.'

I wrap my arms around him tightly, holding him to me. He wraps both arms around me. Both of us are silent and relish in each others presence. I didn't know what to say, so I said what I felt in my heart then.

'Zero, I love you and I always will. I'll never leave you again.'

We return to the academy. Zero had called the chairman my first night at the hospital and explained the situation to him. he had offered to come but Zero had told him I needed rest. I would fall in and out of consciousness and every time I woke, I'd find Zero staring at me, a gleam in his eyes that made my heart thump and my insides churn telling me I was the only girl he would ever love. i was released after a month, the doctor told me to take it easy. We took the train home. He wouldn't let go of my hand the whole ride. My heart wouldn't stop thumping. When we finally got off and took a taxi to the academy, it was night time. I walk in front of Zero and every time I would turn around to him, his mouth would ravage mine, his need as strong as mine.

The chairman was waiting for us at the doorway and pulled me into a hug before I could even speak. He wouldn't let me go because he said he didn't want me to see his tears. I wrap my arms around him and cry on his shoulder. Relief filling me like cool water on a scorching day. Kaname was there as well and I didn't hesitate in embracing him. Zero had told me that Kaname was the one who had told him about Usui's whereabouts. I whispered a thank you to him and he held me tighter. Yori and Mitsuki came after a little while, Yori burst into tears which made me cry as well, but smile at the happiness of the moment. Mitsuki tried to hide her tears but after a moment let them fall. We all hugged and cried, though everybody was crying, this was one of the happiest moments of my life. I was finally reunited with my family. And Zero. I turn to look at him, tears still streaming down. He was looking at me, standing beside the door.

'He brought you back didn't he?'

I turn to Yori, she stares at me with knowing eyes. I nod, a smile that I couldn't remove making its way to my face. Yori kissed my cheek and nods at Zero. I turn to Zero and make my way towards him. He pushes himself from the door and reaches for my hand. He leads me to the dining table where the chairman has prepared dinner. Everybody sits around the table and I tell them what had happened to me, leaving out the part of vampires for Yori and Mitsuki, telling them I had lost my memory because I hit my head instead. They nod and listen to me through my tale. It feels as if I'm telling them a story, it doesn't feel like it was me that had lived through that for an entire year. Zero's eyes are on me and mine hardly move from his. It feels so good to be back, my heart soars and I have to hold back my tears for more than half the meal.

After they're all finished, they say goodbye to me and leave me and Zero alone. The chairman had found out about us dating when Zero had told him a year ago, after I was taken. The chairman had almost cried seeing us together, he was sad and happy. Sad because I was growing up (his words not mine), and happy because he was glad about our relationship.

Zero leads me to the all to familiar room where I had given myself to him, where he had transformed into a human, where I had spent nights lying in his arms. He leads me to the bed and pulls the covers away. He pulls off his shirt and pants and I take off everything, leaving my underwear, bra and undershirt on. He lays down and I do the same. I lay my head on his arm, my chest to him, our breathings and our heartbeats match. he wraps me in his chest and we lie there, not talking and not moving. I feel such a surge of emotions just laying here near him that I feel I can live forever, an eternity in his arms. I let tears fall from my eyes. I love him so much. He holds me tighter, his breathing becoming hard. Quiet sobs wrack my body as the loneliness, abandonment, and helplessness I felt through the year I had been separate from him close in on me. And the loneliness. God the loneliness. Even when I didn't remember, there was always my heart that would contract or ache and I didn't know what it had ached for. But now I was back, and he was here. I lay my head on and with tears still sliding down my face, I go to sleep.

(A/N) This is i guess the last chapter. and now for the oscar speech, i'm so glad i finished this. thank you everyone for supporting me and for the reviews and the favorites. i love you all i could never have done this without you, the story would literally be moulding away in my computer but you guys encouraged me to keep writing and posting. I F**KING LOVE YOU ALL. hugs and kisses to all of you. lets raise our glass to a happy ending. ****ZEKI LOVE FOREVER*****