Due to personal reasons I couldn't mention I was forced to put my ff account on HIATUS. I'm back now and I hope that you all still remember this story.

Un-betaed

Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Knight.

Chapter 12

"Can you feel him?" Takuma asked Kaname.

"No." Kaname replied.

"I feel like we're on a wild goose chase," Ruka commented. They had been searching for a week, sleeping only two hours per day and having no time to rest, and there was still no sign of the silverette. She was annoyed. Having to waste her time looking for someone he detested, truly irritating. "I don't think he'll be found."

"Careful with what you say Ruka," warned Takuma. Kaname's mood was at its limit and he didn't feel like calming down an angered pureblood.

"Whatever. I just want to find Kiryu and get this over with," she said.

"You and me both," Aido said. The search was becoming tiring. They barely had time to feed out of the tablets; it wouldn't be long before one collapsed.

"If you all stop complaining and focus on the task we might be able to find him faster. I don't have the patience to deal with your cranky temper," Kaname told them.

The way the pureblood said that, his tone so low that it was dangerous, immediately shut everyone up. Well, everyone except Takuma.

"It's your fault we are in this mood," the blonde said, catching Kaname off-guard by the comment.

"How is it my fault?"

"By making us search with not a minute to rest. I understand that Kiryu is in danger and that you want to find him fast but we are vampires, not machines. We need to rest. If things keep up like this we won't be able to focus on our task due to exhaustion," explained Takuma. He knew Kaname was also tired and that the brunette was stubborn to accept it.

Kaname sighed. He didn't want to delay the search, Akira having the advantage from the very beginning, but there was no choice. He, too, felt exhausted. Perhaps that was the reason he couldn't feel Zero's aura. He stopped running, feeling his legs getting heavier and breathing got harder. The nobles were in the same condition.

"Very well. We'll rest for three hours," Kaname told them. Takuma frowned.

"We need more than that," the blonde complained. The other nobles nodded in approval.

"A day will be enough," Shiki said, breaking his usual silence.

"There is a town near. I can smell a bunch of people in that direction." Akatsuki pointed north-west, where he felt the town was.

"We can rest there for the rest of the day," said Aidou.

A day was too long of a wait for the pureblood. However, he had to look after the nobles. They have put up with him all this time and the least he could do was to grant their request.

"Let's go. Only a day though. We'll continue as soon as we are all full rested" he said at last.

"That's all we are asking for now," Takuma smiled in satisfaction.

Without any other word, the vampires ran to the city with their remaining energy.

Back at Akira's mansion in Yoruhime, Akira was in a secluded room where Yuki was being kept. No windows, a door with a lock, no computer, no phone, not a single thing that could aid her at escaping. She struggled when he dragged her here, futile attempts from her part. Akira was surprised; he was expecting her to put up a bigger fight with her being Kaname's sister and all. Her vampire side must still be dormant.

The girl was shivering uncontrollably, her eyes showing every bit of fright she felt at the moment. The sight made the raven pureblood feel amusement. Such a powerful being this girl was and this is how she behaved? Yuki was an embarrassment to the Kuran family just like her fool of a brother. Although Kaname did put a descent fight…

"What do you want with me?" Yuki finally had the courage to ask.

"Nothing. A weakling like yourself won't help my reasons," replied Akira, looking repulsively at Yuki.

Yuki was offended by being called weak but kept her mouth shut. She had to keep herself from angering the intimidating pureblood.

"Why keep me here then? I see no reason for you to retain me here if I'm of no use to you."

"Isn't it obvious Yu-ki?" The way Yuki's name came out of Akira's mouth sounded like a taunt. Yuki wondered how could Zero stand being with such a bastard, with or without being controlled.

She shook her head.

"I can't let you wander off to your vampire friends after you saw where Zero is. I don't feel like moving away just yet, nor fighting with Kaname again. Holding you here seems like the easiest way to go," he explained boredly.

"Even if you keep me here Kaname will find us. He's not one to give up easily." The fear Yuki felt towards Akira was fading away, being replaced with irritation and hatred towards the man.

"Neither am I," Akira said firmly, his gaze darkening just a little. "When the time comes, I'll be ready. No one will ruin what I have worked so hard for."

"That's what you think. Don't underestimate Kaname-sama!" Yuki exclaimed, defending her idol.

He snorted, shoving his hands in his pockets, mocking tone on again.

"I think I'm beyond that point. You know, after defeating him and all."

He felt a sting at his cheek. The girl just dared to slap him.

"I won't allow you to talk bad about him." Yuki told him.

He raised his hand to his cheek, staring at Yuki emotionlessly.

"So you do have a flare in you." He whispered loud enough for her to hear. "Never raise a hand against me. Like they say, an eye for an eye."

Akira raised his hand, ready to smack the girl on the face, but he felt another strong hand stopping him, taking his wrist in a firm hold. Akira looked to the person holding him.

Zero.

"I don't care how much she annoys you, I won't let you hit her," the ex-human told his lover, much to said lover's dismay.

"She hit me, love. I was only planning to teach the prisoner how to behave."

Zero scowled, releasing Akira's arm from the tight grip.

"Don't call her prisoner. Seriously, just because you have a problem with her brother doesn't mean you have the right to take her away," the silverette scolded the raven. "I'm pretty sure this is illegal."

"It's only illegal if I get caught."

Zero looked incredulously at Akira.

"You have a messed up logic," he said.

"I don't deny it. That's a part of me you love." Akira leaned to kiss Zero, feeling gloomy when Zero leaned out of the way to avoid the kiss.

"Not in the mood," was Zero's excuse for his action. Akira wasn't satisfied with the answer. The stone was supposed to make Zero love him, love the things he did to him. Denying Akira anything meant that something was off.

"Why did you come here anyway? You have no business with this girl," Akira asked him.

"I had to make sure you didn't hurt Yuki. Clearly, I came at the right time. Plus, I brought her food," he signaled at a tray filled with food at a small table near the entrance of the room. "Can't have her starving to death."

"She's a prisoner Zero," Akira pointed out. "You don't have to feed her anything."

"I want to." He did. That's one of the few things he could do to quench his guilt. Funny, feeling so close to a strange girl that, none less, seemed to know a lot about him.

Akira looked incredulously at Zero, a sigh of defeat leaving his lips as he knew that discussing this with the stubborn ex-human will be a waste of time on his part. He had other things to attend to than an annoying Kuran.

"Don't spoil her much," Akira said at last. "You can feed her but that's all. She is my prisoner. That means that what happens to her all depends on me. Understood?"

Zero nodded.

"See you later love," Akira waved goodbye at Zero, leaving the room. He had something important he had to check.

Zero stared at the door after Akira left, noticing something strange on the raven's behavior. Akira was always strange though, so maybe it was all in his imagination.

"I should have left the moment I gave you your supplies. Then you wouldn't be in this mess." Zero's head lowered, his bangs hiding away his eyes in shame.

"It wasn't your fault. You didn't know Akira was going to do this," Yuki paused. "And neither did I."

"Sometimes I really want to hit him hard with a bat. The idiot thinks he can just control my life. But I know he means well," even while saying bad things about Akira, Zero managed to find a way to defend him.

"He was right in something though. I do know Kaname," Yuki told him.

"You do?," Zero asked. So Yuki was against him and Akira after all.

"But Kaname is not the bad guy. He cares for you Zero. He really does. These weeks he has been so distressed, more than what he would ever admit," said Yuki.

"I won't believe that. I don't think you are a bad person but I could be wrong. As I said, I don't know you Yuki." Zero handed Yuki the tray of food.

"Thanks," she muttered, a small smile of gratitude gracing her features.

It wasn't much. Some rice balls and a nice beverage, enough to satisfy her hunger. She took a bite, her taste buds tingling at the delicious taste. She knew Zero made them himself. She recognized the unique taste everywhere after growing up with the silverette and all. Even with his memories re-written, he still cooked. Yuki was glad that at least one thing hasn't changed.

An awkward silence occupied the room, Zero not knowing what to say and Yuki focusing on eating her meal. The tension was there, not making things any easier for the two.

With one last bite, Yuki set the tray on the floor along with the cup. Zero sat down on the bed that Akira provided her, which was rather uncomfortable. He knew the raven would threat Yuki like garbage, something he had to try and prevent. Finally deciding that silence wasn't going to help, Yuki decided to break it.

"You say that I'm a stranger, that you don't know me. Yet you're still treating me with kindness."

"Because you didn't do anything bad to be kept under these conditions. Not that I know of anyway," Zero said. "Knowing someone bad doesn't mean that you are bad."

"Kaname-sama isn't bad!" Yuki said again. "Akira is lying to you about that."

"Enough of this," said Zero. He was tired of hearing of this subject.

But Yuki was not going to drop the subject. Oh no. She was far from doing so.

"What did Kaname-sama do anyway for you to hate him?"

"I don't remember much," Zero admitted. "I've only seen him once. He and Akira had a fight. Akira told me that he wanted to take me away by force."

"Well, he wanted to take you away but he was planning on saving you."

"I don't need to be saved. I'm good here."

"No you're not. Can't you understand that Akira is controlling you?" Yuki sounded desperate, trying to make her point clear. "The life you're living now is not real. This is what Akira wants, what you were forced to accept. You have to remember!"

"I think you need some rest to stop speaking of this nonsense. Goodnight." Zero made his way to leave as well.

"Goodnight…" Yuki's voice held sadness. So much sadness that Zero felt the urge to comfort her, like a big brother helping his little sister forget a nightmare.

He left the room, making sure to lock the door to prevent her from escaping. He went to his' and Akira's room, letting himself fall to the bed. Yuki's words were getting to him. He trusted Akira with his life, and yet Yuki's words brought a familiar feeling. As if the holes in his memory could be filled with what the girl was saying.

He thought about Kaname, the man he saw a few weeks ago. Whenever the man crossed his mind he felt warm but that warmth was accompanied by mixed emotions that made him just want to scream. There was something about him that was hard to understand. He knew he should hate the man, Akira gave him plenty reasons to do so, yet when he thought about Kuran Kaname he just felt…odd.

He shouldn't even be thinking about him. No matter what Yuki said, or what his mind was trying to tell him, Kaname was his enemy. The reason they were in this place was to hide from him.

What was that about him being controlled anyway? He was a man of free will. He had control over his actions. The girl was insane. Akira wouldn't do something as horrible as taking away his will…would he?

He shook his head. He shouldn't be doubting his mate. No matter how strange Akira is action, Zero still loved him.

Deciding to stop letting his mind think such troublesome thoughts, Zero closed his eyes. Sleep would come hard this night but he could wait. He needed his mind rested.

Damn Kurans, always interfering with his plans. The girl was going to become a trouble. He had to keep her and Zero from bonding, or else she could spark some of Zero's old memories into him.

"Unacceptable," he grunted, punching a tree in front of him and caused it to fall to the ground, landing on the ground with a loud 'THUD'.

A group of humans was nearby, curious about the source of the noise.

Akira grinned. He knew the girl was right about something. Kaname wasn't going to give up until Zero was in his arms. Time to start preparations. A battle was approaching and he requires some underlings to fight alongside him. Good thing he was a pureblood. He can turn humans into vampires and easily control them. They would aid him in a fight, whether they wanted to or not.

The group that was close by will have the honor to be the first.

He ran to them, biting hard onto the first neck he could find. A young woman in her early twenties let out a pained scream, her friends looking in horror. They began stuttering, unable to form coherent words. Akira gulped some of her blood. It was nothing special, a pretty average flavor if you asked him but it satisfied some of his thirst. He pulled away, wiping away the blood from his hand with the back of his hands.

He stared at the rest of the group, grinning like a maniac. The glint in his eyes was terrifying. It was one of a predator ready to get his prey. The humans knew they had reached their end.

"Who's next?"

TBC…

There you have it. Review please.

~o~o

Preview:

"Zero," the pureblood whispered relieved. He took tentative steps towards the ex-human, afraid of provoking a negative reaction but not being able to contain himself from wanting to embrace him.

"Stay away from me," the silverette shouted alarmed, backing away from the brunette approaching him.

The brunette looked pained when Zero said that but brushed it away, determination crossing his features.

"No," he firmly stated, embracing a surprised Zero and caressing his scalp in a soothing way. "I won't let you go away again."

He had so much he wanted to talk about with him. So many things he wanted resolved. This was his chance. The long-awaited opportunity.

~o~o