Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Knight.

A/N: Sorry I've been a little MIA for a bit, had a lot of things going on that I won't bore you with. The main thing is: THIS IS A NEW CHAPTER AND I THINK I'M BACK IN MY GROOVE! Yay! Aren't yal so proud of me :D Anyway! I hope you enjoy the chapter!

Resolve Renewed

Takuma couldn't believe what he was seeing. A glistening orb encased Zero's body as it floated a few feet off the ground. Zero's hair and clothes seemed to float around him creating an ethereal image. What also shocked Takuma were the tears that floated beside Zero's face and as more slowly glistened down his face. The young hunter before him looked as though he was suffering from a deep internal pain, which the noble had no doubt was true.

"Zero," Takuma whispered softly, his heart going out to the young hunter.

Centering himself with a soft breath, the noble let himself go into an analytical mode. He needed to find out what the orb incasing the young hunter was and how to get him out. Walking around the shimmering structure, Takuma left a wide berth between himself and the structure, not wanting to accidently make things worse. He sighed softly as he rounded the orb, stopping where he had started; there wasn't any break in the structure that he could see.

"What is this?" Takuma asked softly, raising a hand and holding it a few inches from the structure.

However, as soon as his hand got close to the glistening orb, an electric shock propelled the noble back several feet and through the wall of the stables. With a surprised cry, Takuma swiftly ended up on his back outside the stables. He could feel the blood running down the side of his face from a piece of wood that had hit him in the forehead. He could also feel blood running down his back from the gouges in his skin from the nails. He had no doubt in his mind that the others would be there as soon as they caught the scent of his blood.

Kagami's hand gripped Zero's chin tightly, "Don't you ever let me hear you say that again!"

Zero said nothing, instead looking over his inner beast's shoulder instead of in his eyes. He really was tired; he was just so tired of it all. Fighting was all he knew, it was all he ever had to look forward to.

"Zero!" Kagami growled when he realized the other was ignoring him.

Sighing, Zero finally turned his eyes to Kagami's, "What Kags?"

"What the hell is wrong with you! The Zero I know would never give up fighting, he would face the world head on and tell it to go to hell," Kagami growled.

Zero closed his eyes with a sigh, "I don't know what's wrong with me."

"Then talk to me," Kagami nearly pleaded.

Eyes flashing, Zero leapt to his feet, "What do you want me to say! I'm tired damn it! I'm tired of being an outcast from every part of society, I'm tired of Kaien, I'm tired of Yuuki, I'm tired of this school, and most of all, I'm tired of Kaname fucking Kuran! Everyone is always telling me to keep fighting, what the hell do they know? Have they lived as me for a day? Maybe I don't want to fight anymore! What the fuck do I have left to fight for! They can all go to hell!"

Kagami grinned a little, "See, that wasn't so hard was it?"

Zero's brow furrowed as he panted softly, "What?"

"If you don't want to fight anymore, then don't. Live your life peacefully if you can. You are alive so you can make your own path. Don't ever wish otherwise," Kagami explained.

"I know Kags… it's just so… hard sometimes," Zero mumbled dejectedly, shoulders sagging as his momentary burst of energy left him.

Kagami stood and wrapped an arm around Zero's shoulders, "It will be difficult, every day is a struggle but you will get through it… I'll be here and, whether you like it or not, Kuran-sama will also be there. You're stuck with us for life!"

"Oh joy," Zero muttered sarcastically.

Kaname and the other stood in Kaname's office, waiting for Takuma to make his return. So far, there had been no sign of Zero anywhere else on campus, Kaname just hoped that Takuma had more luck. The young hunter was still in fragile condition, both mentally and physically.

"So none of you found anything?" Kaien asked softly, sitting with his head in his hands.

"No," Aido, Kain, Ruka, Rima, and Shiki all chorused.

"However, Takuma has yet to return so don't lose hope yet," Kaname soothed the frayed headmaster.

"Damn idiot, always running off… Should shoot him in the legs next time," Toga grumbled from off to the side.

"Toga!" Kaien admonished.

"What? If his legs don't work then he won't run off," Toga explained with an almost innocent look as if nothing were out of the ordinary.

Surprisingly, Kaname chuckled, "That honestly doesn't seem like a bad idea at the moment."

Kaien glared at them, "I don't believe the both of you! How could you want to shoot my precious Zero!"

Kaname and Toga stared at each other before sighing as Toga explained, "It was a joke, idiot. Even Kuran got it."

The others began to join in on the little joke, enjoying the slight break in the tension. Affairs on campus had been stressful for way too long and any reprieve was welcome. However, as with most pleasant times in the academy, the slight happiness was cut short as the smell of blood blossomed in the air.

Kaien noticed how the vampires in the room stilled, head titled slightly back, "What? What do you smell?"

"Takuma," Shiki whispered softly, his distant eyes betraying his worry.

With a discrete sniff, Kaname spoke, "He's at the stables and he has, obviously, been injured. I believe it's safe to assume that he has found Z-Kiryu."

With a nod, Kaname signaled that it was alright for everyone to join him. Before long, they were all out the door, Kaname taking the lead as he darted off at vampire speed. The others were slightly more considerate as they stayed at a human pace to stick with Cross and Toga. All, however, could sense the urgency in the air, not only form themselves but the pureblood that was quickly pulling away from them. Some were indifferent to the plight of the hunter while others were extremely worried about him, however, despite their differences they all hurried toward the source of the blood.

Kagami's head snapped up as he felt a disturbance around Zero. He couldn't pinpoint exactly what it was; all he knew was that there was something potentially dangerous around his precious host.

"What is it Kags?" Zero murmured sleepily from where he rested against Kagami's chest.

"Hm? Why do you think something is wrong?" he questioned softly as he stroked his host's hair gently.

"You're body tensed up and your hand faltered… I was almost asleep too," Zero sighed in slight irritation.

"It's nothing of importance dear one… Just rest. I won't allow anything to harm you, I will always protect you," Kagami reassured the other.

"You really are kinder than I gave you credit for," Zero smiled softly as he leaned up to gently kiss Kagami's cheek before returning to the other's chest, "I'm so tired… I just want to rest here for a while."

Chuckling lowly Kagami responded, "You rest Zero… But I am going to go out for a little, just to make sure nothing is wrong."

"Don't leave," Zero murmured softly.

"Just sleep… You'll never even know I was gone," Kagami assured the other.

Zero tightened his grip on the other's shirt as he responded sleepily, "Just want you here with me for a little while."

"I'll stay until you're asleep," he promised as he resumed stroking Zero's hair.

Takuma groaned as he pulled himself into a sitting position. That certainly wasn't an outcome he had expected. It wasn't every day he was sent flying through a wall like a rag doll. Whatever was encasing Zero was definitely something powerful and worth investigating. That, however, seemed impossible as he couldn't even get within inches of the shimmering sphere.

With another groan Takuma levered himself to his feet, cursing softly under his breath as his legs wobbled under high own weight and his vision blurred. Blinking his eyes quickly he endeavored to take note of the situation he was in.

He was a vampire, a noble vampire at that. His trip shouldn't have taken that much out of him. He should have been able to jump right back to his feet and continue on as if nothing had happened to him. Bringing his hand up to his forehead, he was surprised to find that blood still flowed freely from the gash. Experimentally tensing his muscles, he hissed as he felt them throb in pain and more blood run down his back. Apparently whatever the orb encircling Zero was negated vampiric healing abilities much like an anti-vampire weapon. It was a troublesome and fearsome structure indeed.

Takuma shook his head softly as he tried to get his thoughts back on track but this proved to be a mistake. The world titled and, before he knew it, Takuma was catching himself on his hands and his legs finally gave way beneath him. A sharp cry of pain made it through his lips as the muscles in his back protested the sudden move. He attempted to push himself back to his feet but his body refused to cooperate with him, his strength slowly fading as his blood left his body. Growling in frustration he lightly slammed his fists into the ground. He didn't have time for weakness; Zero needed his help and all he could do was rest pathetically on the ground.

Suddenly several auras touched his senses at the same time; the Night Class was on its way. His head flew up in surprise as he sensed Kaname at the front of the oncoming pack. His vision darkened momentarily and when it cleared he found himself on his side with his face pressed to the dirt.

"Zero," Takuma whispered softly in desperation.

Gathering his strength Takuma jolted to his feet and used the outside wall of the stable to catch himself as dizziness attacked him once again. Once it had passed he looked through the very hole his body had created to keep an eye on Zero until the others arrived. It was the least he could do.

Kagami's head jerked up as he felt the oncoming presence of several vampires. His hold on the sleeping Zero tightened momentarily until he felt Kaname's presence among them. Apparently the pureblood prince had gathered everyone together to search for his host. This brought a small smile to the beast's face; at least Kaname was willing to sacrifice some of his pride for the fragile man he currently held in his arms.

Gently prying the sleeping Zero off, he cooed softly as the other fussed at being moved from his resting place. Though Zero was still in fragile condition, both physically and mentally, and he trusted Kaname to assure no further harm came to his host, he still felt the need to make an appearance in order to be truly sure. He could not afford to take any more chances when it came to his host. The time for sitting back and waiting was at an end, he would actively participate in the endeavor to keep his host safe. With a soft smile at the resting man, his eyes hardened and a cruel smirk touched his lips as his body slowly began to dissolve. If anyone dared to try to harm Zero there would be hell to pay; he would make sure of it.

END!

A/N: There wasn't a whole lot happening in this chapter and for that I apologize. However, this chapter was needed to set the stage for what is going to happen in the next chapter. Do you like the new touch (aka: the glowing orb?) that I added? I would like to thank Evangelion-Wings for helping me with the creation of this new plot twist (THANKS A BUNCH EVA! :D). Please let me know what you think!