N I N E

Moonlight illuminated the school's infirmary through thin curtains, giving off a red hue to the silvery-white lantern in the middle of the room. Her bleeding had stopped well over an hour ago, leaving a dark, crusty rim around the hole in her stomach which was wrapped tightly in an off-white bandage. She could still feel the slight freezer burn on her stomach as she tried to move, finally gaining consciousness.

"Nn…wha?" Yuuki opened a single crimson eye, having to squint a bit at the brightness of the moon, and put a hand on her stomach as she sat up slowly. Her fingers tightened atop the bandages and she pushed herself to lean against the back of her bed, tilting her head back to catch her breath; that one action alone completely tired her out, seeing as how she hadn't fully gained back her strength yet. "How did I…" she swung her head to the side a bit and parted her lips to say something when she saw a lump in the bed right beside her and she whimpered as she pushed herself to sit looking at it. "Z-Zero?"

The lump twitched and turned over, facing her with partly-closed lavender eyes. They opened a bit more, being in a sort of daze from the past two days of watching her rest and sliding ice cubes along her lips to moisten them, and he practically threw the covers from his body as he went to her side, kneeling in front of her. "Yuuki, you woke up… thank god, I…" Before he could really stop himself, he grabbed her hand and rested his cheek against it. She watched and rubbed the pads of her fingers across his cheek. "I thought I'd lost you..."

Yuuki leaned her cheek atop his head and sighed, taking in his scent and feeling tears prick her eyes. "It's alright, I'm fine, Zero." Her fingers clawed slightly at her bandages as it began to burn, her stomach muscles contracting as butterflies fluttered around. Her partner looked up at her, his eyes shining in the moonlight with tears he wouldn't let her see, and she leaned her forehead against his as she curled her legs up and wrapped her arms around his head, rubbing his hair. "Don't cry, I'm here for you. I won't leave you again." Her voice broke as a tear rolled onto his face and dripped from his nose to his lips, and lavender eyes met watery crimson. "I'm sorry, Zero."

A genuine, yet small, smile graced his features at her words and he sat up a bit. His pale fingers released her hand and tangled in her hair, pulling her face close to his. Before she could say anything, their lips met in a tender kiss. It was like nothing she'd ever felt before; sure, Yuuki had kissed him on the forehead or in the hair as a means of comfort, but she never thought she'd be kissing her best friend like this, on the lips, a romantic gesture. She let out a small gasp as he pulled away, taking in air before trying to form words. What could she say that she didn't already tell him, or that he couldn't already tell?

"I... sorry." Zero's voice was merely a croak and he tried to turn his head away, though her hand only moved his face back so she could stare into his eyes. He had such a pained expression on his face, as if he was expecting her to reject him and push him away, and Yuuki couldn't help but giggle a bit. With a head tilt, Zero watched her and brought a hand up to rest it on hers. "What's so funny?"

The girl with chocolate locks merely smiled at her childhood friend and turned to sit directly in front of him. With a slight hum and a sigh, she said quietly "If you had done that five years ago, I'd have had no reason to leave."

At her candor, Zero's cheeks got pink, and Yuuki smiled and pressed her lips to his brow. "Five years ago, when you asked me to drink your blood, I… I could feel all of your feelings for me just flow into me. It was sort of relieving in a way; all this time, I had thought that I was nothing but a sister or childhood friend to you, when I had been hoping that… you would whisk me away. I found myself wondering what would've happened if you had, and I'd been forced to convince myself that they were false hopes." Her head was bowed now and Zero couldn't stop the slight hitch of his breath as she pushed on. "When… When I left you and Father behind, I thought… thought that I'd let you both down somehow. But I didn't turn back, because I had already said goodbye, and you told me that you'd hunt me down. And so… I decided that I'd keep running, so you'd have a reason to keep on living."

Zero stood up with a grunt, almost falling onto her as his knee gave in, and climbed into the bed with her. She watched, wiping a tear from her cheek, her partner slide behind her and spreading his long legs around her body. Before she could even breathe, he grabbed her wrist and pulled her onto his chest. He smirked, just the slightest bit, at her reaction: a small gasp that only he would've heard in the utter silence of the infirmary. "Yuuki, would you have really stayed if I had kissed you?"

Without hesitation, Yuuki looked up at him and flashed a smile as tears continued to flow down her face. "I would've. Knowing that my feelings are being returned would've been all the reason I'd need to stay. Would you have really killed me, Zero?"

"Of course not." His voice had no ounce of regret in his voice, but instead something Yuuki recognized immediately: desperation. "You may've been a Pureblood vampire princess, but nothing changes the fact that I cared… care… so much about you. Even if I'd come face to face with you, I wouldn't have been able to squeeze the trig-" before he could finish his confession, soft lips met his pale ones, tears pressing against his cheeks and eyelashes fluttering. He couldn't stop himself from wrapping his arms around her slender curves and kissing back with as much intensity as was bestowed upon him. "Y-Yuuki…" her name came out in a whispered moan, and the young woman in his arms only pressed herself further onto him.

He would've laid her on the bed and kissed her until the sun rose if not for the knock on the door, and the lovers pulled back, panting from the lack of oxygen. Seconds passed before Yuuki rested her head on his chest and Zero called, "Come in."

The person behind the door did not hesitate as the door was practically thrown open and Kaien Cross leapt toward the bed with open arms and a teary disposition. "Oh, I'm so glad you both are alright! I wasn't sure if I should stop over after I heard about what happened from Rose after Maria brought her home. I'm so sorry I couldn't be there to protect you both!" In a split second, two strong arms wrapped around them both, and neither had the strength or breath to protest. Yuuki gripped his sleeve, also sliding one of her hands into Zero's, and wept into her father's shoulder as her silver-haired vampire wrapped his arms around her waist.

Without his meaning to, his breath calmed and he closed his eyes, laying his head on her back and taking in her sweet scent before falling into a deep sleep. Welcome home… Yuuki.

Alriiiiight~

So, as I stated previously, VERY mildly OOC. I think. Oh well. This was my second favorite thing to write! Please review and let me know what's on your minds (about this story. I've gotten reviews in past stories that have absolutely NOTHING to do with my story...) And the epilogue will be up hopefully between Friday and Monday of next week!

~Cookie