I don't own Vampire Knight or any of the characters in the series.

A/N: Hello, Chapter 7 is finally here! :D

I'm so sorry I couldn't upload this yesterday but I had a headache and was too lethargic to stay awake later than I did. I really did not want to collapse at my computer so I delayed this update due to illness. I'm so sorry for making you wait! (-_-")

Aoi. y. love. forward, Angelionfire, Chaos, WriterForLife15, AokyorRenka, Irmina, KxZ fan girl, BeYukii: Thank you so much for your reviews, reading them is the highlight of my day and they give me so much motivation to continue writing! :D

Also: I'm so glad to see many of you trying to guess how Rido found out about Zero in your reviews, but unfortunately I cannot answer this in an authors note (because that would spoil the story) so I hope that you keep reading to find out the answer! ^^

I'm just finishing and editing chapter 21 of Zeroella and will upload it hopefully in the next hour or two as well!

Please read, review, fave and follow! But, most of all, please enjoy! :D

Chapter 7: The Garden

After making sure that Lily was okay and he had said his goodbyes to Ikki, Zero trudged back into the main castle building. As he walked, he thought back on his conversation with Rido.

…

Flashback

Rido leaned his face in, next to Zero's ear.

"I wonder what Kaname would think of you if he knew you were aligned with the hunters, hmm?" He let go of Zero. "Think wisely about your position from now on or I shall tell him what you really are." He whispered threateningly before allowing Zero to run. And Zero ran…

Flashback End

…

Just the thought of what Rido said sent chills up his spine. It gave him chills because Rido shouldn't know about that, he couldn't know about that…but he did, indeed, seem to know about it.

Zero half-considered sending word to Yagari, asking him why, but he knew that he'd only be asking for trouble if he did such a thing. So, Zero tried to think of anything he had done that may have alerted Rido to his identity. Going over his actions was most critical because if Rido had deduced he was with the hunters through his actions then someone else may also have found out, his cover may have already been blown. But, no matter how many times Zero wracked his brain and recounted the events after arriving at the castle he came up with nothing.

As far as he was concerned everything was perfect. He couldn't remember doing anything particularly suspicious since arriving, he hadn't even gone snooping around the castle buildings yet!

So, how did Rido know?

His only conclusion was that someone must have told him.

…

Somehow, after entering the castle, he had ended up safely back at Kaname's room. It seemed that his feet had unconsciously guided him there, and thankfully he hadn't had the misfortune to run into Rido yet again.

He stepped into the room and was about to slide the door shut behind him when the action was prevented. There was a hand on the door preventing it from closing. Initially, with the suddenness of the hand stopping the door, he instinctively worried that it might be more bad news. Yet, thankfully, after he took just a second to calm down he realised that he recognised that hand. It was Kaname.

"Kaname-sama." Zero greeted, slightly breathlessly.

"Zero, I'm sorry. It appears that I've startled you." Kaname apologised.

"No, it's my fault for not hearing you coming so please do not apologise, especially to someone like me. My mind was occupied, I'm sorry." Zero replied, bowing and quickly moving out of the doorway to let Kaname enter.

After entering Kaname slid the door shut and turned to face Zero. Zero also took note of the fact that Kaname hadn't changed attire since visiting the stables.

"Yes?" Kaname prompted, noticing Zero's staring.

"Um, I'm sorry. I shouldn't stare, but your kimono is kind of…" Zero gesture to it without actually finishing his explanation.

"Kind of…messy?" Kaname finished, guessing what Zero was trying to say.

"Yes." Zero confirmed.

"That was because I got dressed in a hurry this morning." He explained with a slightly furrowed brow. "I heard you leaving and I thought that, since you hadn't seen much of the castle yet, you may get lost."

"So you followed me?" Zero asked.

He was really quite shocked about hearing this.

Those footsteps which approached while Rido was mocking me, they could have been…Kaname's…

"Yes, I did." Kaname confirmed his thoughts.

Oh no… I hope he didn't overhear what Rido said… He said it as a whisper, but still, the idea that Kaname was so close when he threatened me…

"But, because I had to get dressed I was quite a ways behind you so I only caught up to you at the stables. You must have an impressive memory to find your way out there and to the stables by yourself considering the short time you've been here. What a useful talent." Kaname complimented.

It seemed that if Kaname had overheard anything he wasn't going to mention it. He almost relaxed a little until he replayed what Kaname had just said in his mind.

"You must have a really impressive memory to find your way out there and to the stables by yourself considering the short time you've been here."

He suddenly tensed again. Was Kaname picking up on his abilities? He had to cover himself.

"Yes…I've always had a talent for memorisation." He agreed, deciding to play it off as a harmless talent.

But still, he felt compelled to take Kaname's mind off of his actions just in case.

Zero slowly approached Kaname and looked up into the brunet's face, giving him the most innocent eyes he could muster. Kaname met Zero's eyes equally, seemingly not suspecting anything. Zero smiled at him.

"Your kimono, would you allow me to fix it for you?" He offered.

"Please." Kaname accepted, mentioning for Zero to go ahead.

Zero got closer to Kaname and undid the obi which would have to be re-tied. As it loosened the fabric on Kaname's shoulder's dropped slightly. Zero moved around to Kaname's back where he couldn't help but stare at Kaname's shoulder blades which looked rather attractive even though Zero knew he shouldn't be thinking such things at such an early hour of the day.

Restraining himself, Zero pulled the kimono back up onto Kaname's shoulders and wrapped Kaname in his arms from behind in order to reposition the obi. As he did this he also heard Kaname's breathing deepen slightly. Persevering in ignoring temptation he skilfully tied the obi around Kaname's waist before standing back and fixing a few layers slightly so that they looked just right.

"Thank you, Zero." Kaname thanked him.

But, Kaname hadn't finished with him yet. Before he could walk away, Kaname pulled Zero close and placed a gentle kiss onto Zero's lips which numbed his mind from all his thoughts.

"Kaname…" He panted between affectionate kisses. "It's morning…"

Zero put his hands on Kaname's chest and gently pushed him back.

"Why should the day and night dictate when a person displays their affection? It's such a pointless tradition. But, don't worry, I won't go further. Just kisses, okay?" Kaname checked that he hadn't offended Zero in some way.

Zero gently nodded his head to agree with Kaname, but before Kaname could start again he asked another question.

"Don't you have some kind of work to do?" Zero asked.

"No." Kaname replied. "I don't have anyone to report to until my father returns. The other soldiers are taking care of everything else. They don't let me help because 'that kind of menial work is below my position'." He explained.

"Oh." Zero nodded in understanding.

So there are things that a general is prevented from doing as well.

"So, since I am currently free and have no pending work I was wondering if you would care to join me for a tour of the castle." Kaname offered.

"I would be honoured." Zero replied, smiling with appreciation.

And so they exited the bedroom, Kaname leading the way around the castle.

…

The castle was a really big place, and there were so many corridors and passageways that the inside was like a maze. It was even testing Zero's strong ability of memorisation. Thankfully Kaname was of great help. He led Zero around the castle slowly and stopped to explain several things which truly aided Zero in creating a map of the grand castle within his mind.

At the end of the tour, having seen almost every place in the castle, they arrived at one of the courtyard gardens. Kaname invited Zero to sit with him by a small pond underneath a cherry tree.

"This is my favourite place in the castle." Kaname explained. "Whenever I've had a busy day or when I just need to relax, I can always come here to enjoy a little peace."

Zero admired that the garden was indeed a beauty. It was serene and quiet, a far cry from the war which currently enveloped the country. He couldn't help but find himself agreeing that this was, indeed, a pleasantly peaceful respite from the outside world.

"I think that it is my favourite place as well." Zero agreed, smiling.

However, soon his face fell.

Kaname was looking at the fish in the pond so he didn't see it. But, across the courtyard, through the leaves of another of the garden's trees, Zero saw Rido. He saw Rido receiving a note from a bird, from a black bird.

Zero had seen Rido receive a note from Ryouga, and by extent, Toga Yagari...