I finally finished it! I don't usually take this long but I had a lot of stuff going on plus the all too familiar writers' block played a big part in this. I might have some mistakes in this and if I do I'm sorry for that. I corrected it really fast.

Chapter

4

If I could I would stay here forever in this bed where I can escape. I can escape the sleepwalking and the dreams and the roses. Here, nightmares don't exist and all my troubles disappear.

The sun shined brightly through the window hitting me directly in the eyes. I turned over to block it but there was something firm in my way. It was Zero's chest. Without thinking I ran my hands over his skin. It felt smooth and toned and it looked less pale that I remember it being. A beam of light came down on him making his look like a beautiful pure white angel sent from heaven.

Zero's body shifted drawing me closer to him. His lips were just inches from his.

I blushed violently.

He shifted again and this time lavender eyes began to open.

When I noticed he was waking up I quickly hid my face pretending to be sleep. But it was too late. He already spotted me.

"Yuuki," he says.

I lifted my head, slowly revealing my reddened cheeks. "G-Good Morning Z-Zero," I stuttered not sure how to respond.

"Good Morning," he says back yawning.

We stare at each other for only a second before he backs away.

As I studied his face he doesn't seem moved by the situation (me sleeping in his bed with him.) We haven't done that since middle school. He just stands up and slips on a shirt as if this was any other day.

I sit up and he stares at me as if he wants to tell me something then turns his head to the bed, specifically a blood stained pillow.

He tears his eyes away reluctantly. "You should take a bath while I make the bed."

I nodded and marched straight to the bathroom. I take off the blood stained gown and step into the steamy shower. My wounds felt raw against the hot water but I toughed it out until I was done. Before I left I wrapped a towel around me and put a band-aid over the bite marks.

On the way back to my room I saw Zero pulling new sheets over his bed.

"Do you need any help with that?"

"No," he answered flatly.

"Are you sure I can't_"

"I said no." he snapped.

I walk away without saying another word. "He hates me now," I think to myself.

I feel a storm of guilt wash over me. I felt guilty for making him drink my blood and for asking him if I can sleep with him and most of all I felt guilty for feeling happy waking up next to him. I get up all refreshed and rejuvenated while Zero's still the same Zero. The same Zero with the weight of becoming a Level E heavy on his shoulders. It made me feel like my 'Kaname problems' were petty and insignificant which they were compared to his. And now, to make it worse, I'm asking him to help me solve them.

When I got to my room I put on my clothes quickly so I could get down stairs sooner. I grabbed the business card out of my blazer pocket then headed for the front room.

"I'm not some helpless little girl." I think. "I can do this without him."

I sit on the couch in front of the fireplace, and pick the phone off the receiver. I dial the number and squeeze the plushy cushions with my hands anxiously as it rings.

"Good morning," says a woman with a polite voice. "Welcome to our offices. How may I help you?"

"Um yes…" suddenly my voice gets really high-pitched and shaky. "I would like to make an appointment with Dr. Yagari."

"Dr. Toga Yaguri?"

"Y-Yes."

"One moment." There is a long pause and I nervously look at the burning wood in the fireplace. She cleared her throat and then spoke. "What is your name and age?"

"Yuuki Cross. Sixteen years old."

"Yuuki Cross!" she exclaimed, "the daughter of Kaien Cross!"

"Yes…but how did you_"

"Dr. Yaguri told me you might be calling. He told me to reserve an appointment for you in case you showed."

There was another pause.

"Your scheduled appointment is at noon today. Is this acceptable?"

"Yes."

"Okay. I'll see you then. Have a nice day."

The call ends and I sit there not sure what to do next. How did the lady know who I was? Better yet, how did Dr. Yagari know who I was? Did Headmaster make an appointment for me planning that I'd go? Should I be thankful or feel betrayed?

"You called already?" Zero asked from behind me.

"Yeah," I replied. "Apparently Headmaster made an appointment ahead of time in case I decided to go."

"So your little problem's that bad, eh."

I sighed. "I guess so."

The taxi ride was long and silent. I was nervous the whole way there and my anxiety made Zero feel uneasy. I didn't have a clue on what to expect. This is my first time ever seeing a therapist. What kind of questions will he ask me? What will I say?

The taxi jerked to a stop and before we got out Zero paid the fair for us. The building was brown, single story, and smaller than I pictured it. We walked slowly to the door and my hand clinched anxiously around Zero's arm.

The inside was quaint and quite comfortable looking with comfy leather couches and chair and a small play area for children. I went up to the front desk to sign in. The woman there gave me some papers and I took them over to where Zero was sitting. I took my time filling them out then brought them back up to the desk. She took a look at the papers then smiled kindly. "Welcome Miss Cross."

"I wonder if she's the woman on the phone," I think.

I walked over to the magazine stand and picked one up. There were dozens of stories in it about people with low self-esteem and why you shouldn't commit suicide. This made me feel really uncomfortable all of a sudden so I just sat back down and starred out the front window.

About 10 minutes later my name was called and my heart started beating rapidly. I gave Zero one last pitiful look before following a lady into a narrow hallway towards the back rooms. She stopped then gestured to a door. It was far away and isolated from all the other doors.

"Here you are," she said. "Dr. Toga Yagari's office."

I cautiously opened the door and walked in. The room was brighter than I expecting and quaint just like the lobby.

"Hello," I called out searching around to find him. "I'm Yuuki Cross."

A man turns around in a chair behind a desk. I squint my eyes to make out his face. From the looks of it he had dark mop-like hair, a broad build, and a patch on one eye. He was very intimidating and much scarier than Zero and Mr. Ichijo combined.

He stands up and walks towards a counter adjacent to the desk.

"Do you want some tea, girl?"

I didn't like being called girl but I answered despite it.

He brought a small tea cup over to a coffee table. "Sit," he commanded. And I did immediately walking over to one of the couches. He sat down in an armchair across from me and pulled out a notepad.

"Kaien has already informed me on your sleeping walking problem," he says.

I was taken aback by his suddenness and all I could do was nod my response. So Headmaster must be acquaintances with Dr. Yagari.

"No need to be nervous girl," he half-heartedly reassured me. "I'm just gonna ask you some questions and all you got to do is answer them as honestly as you can."

For the past 30 minutes he asked me questions and scribble in his notepad. Have I had any suicidal thoughts before? Have I thought about killing someone? Do I suffer from depression or bi-polar disorder? I said 'no' to every single one of them.

Gradually, he got into the more serious questions. The ones I had to think about.

"Has any major tragedies happened to you? Did someone die or leave for a long period of time?"

I stopped and starred down for a long time trying to gather my thoughts.

"Well…" I said finally. "Something did happen… a couple months ago."

"And what was that."

"Someone who meant a lot to me left."

"What were your relations with this person?"

"He saved me from a…criminal when I was 6 years old and I guess I kind of owe him for my life."

"When he left how did that make you feel?"

"Hurt…lonely…abandoned…worthless to him."

He wrote something in his notepad then looked at me. "Have you been having dreams about him?"

I nodded. "Every night for a month."

"Can you describe them?"

I told him about the nightmares of Kaname that kept me up every night and the dreams that led me to sleepwalk and collect roses.

He scribbled in his notebook again. "Are these roses somehow connected to that boy?"

"Yes. It was Kaname's rose garden at the school I go to."

His hands tightened his grip around the pen and he made a somewhat disgusted face. "Kaname Kuran?"

I nodded. Is there something wrong with Kaname Kuran? Does his knowing who I am speaking of change the whole perspective? I mean civilians think he's a rich and powerful elite, which he is.

His eyes got narrow and dramatic. "Do do know who Kaname Kuran is?" He asked. He didn't give me enough time to answer without blurting out the words "A vampire."

My heart stopped as the realization hit me like a ton of bricks. "How did he know Kaname was a vampire? How did he know vampires exist in the first place?

"Those roses you have," he says. "Get rid of them."
My eyes widen in both fear and surprise. "But_"

"Do you believe 110% that he'll come back?"

"No..."

"Then get rid you anything that reminds you of him. Move on, Yuuki. He's thinks humans like us are useless to the world. He probably has forgotten he ever saved your life."

His voice was suddenly deep and dark. "If you want advice burn them. Throw them in the fire and watch them burn."

Ring. Ring. Ring.

Some kind of timer when off and I jumped in surprise.

"Well that's it for today." He pulled out a square piece of paper and wrote something on it. "Here, take these. It'll help you sleep better. And I advise you to have someone look over you to make sure you don't wonder off."

I bowed. "Thank you for your help."

I left the room and walked down the hall into the lobby where Zero sat. When he saw me he stood up and handed me my coat.

"Zero Kiryu?" Dr. Yagari's voice boomed from behind me.

I watched as Zero's face tensed and fell to the ground. "Master Yagari," he mumbled.

There was so many questions I wanted to ask Zero but when we left the office he didn't speak of it and I was afraid to ask.

We stopped at a small café for lunch. The whole time we were there it was so quiet you could hear a pen drop. I wanted to tell him about my appointment with Dr. Yagari but the air around us seemed too on edge.

When we got back to the academy Zero went his own way. I don't know why Zero was like this all of a sudden but I hated it. I wanted him to be there for me and hold me like he did last night.

With nothing else to do I decided to go over to the Sun Dorm and see what Saiyori was doing. She was at her desk reading when I walked in.

"What's up Yori?" I asked, trying me best to sound nonchalant.

She turned to me and smiled. "Yuuki, I'm so glad you're here. You've been gone for several days. I was getting worried."

This was the perfect time to tell her. Tell her everything.

I cleared my throat. "About that…" I stopped for a quick second to gather my thoughts then continued. "I have something to tell."

She raised her eye brows. "What is it?"

"I am a sleepwalker."

She was quiet for a while then she came over to hug me. "Is there any way I can help you?"

I shook my head.

I was so happy that I wanted to cry. She didn't ask any questions or refuse to believe me. She accepted me. Maybe if I had told her sooner I might not have gone to Zero for help.

For the rest of the day Yori and I hung out together. My guess is that she was trying to distract me from my problems. We went shopping and to the movies, then we had parfaits at our favorite sweet shop.

When we got back to the campus the horizon was a bright red-orange color.

"Are you going to sleep at Headmaster Cross's house now?" She asked as we walked up the path.

"Only until the sleepwalking stops."

"Did you sleepwalk last night?"

My face flushed red as I remembered what happened. "Y-yeah I did. I accidently walked into Zero's room."

"What did he do?"

"He kicked me out." I had to lie. I couldn't tell her that he drank my blood and then we slept together.

When we got to the end of the path she walked towards the Sun Dorm while I walked towards the Headmaster's house. I opened the door to a still house. The rooms and hallways were dim and mute.

"Hello?" I called out.

I searched the 2nd floor with no results. Then I went down to the kitchen which was empty as well.

"Zero, are you here?"

I was about to give up when I remembered the one place he could be: In the basement. I rushed down the staircase that led to the basement. Our basement had one hallway and series of rooms on each side. One of those rooms was being used for Zero's train.

I pulled open the heavy metal door to find Zero firing rounds at a paper silhouette target. Every time he shot his gun his hair swished back and his arm jerked.

"Zero!" I shouted. He couldn't hear me over the headphones he had on so I waved my hands hoping I would draw his attention.

He took off his headphones and gave me an annoyed glare. "What?"

I was a little surprised that he talked to me. This whole day he hasn't said much to me.

"I just wanted to make sure you were okay."

"Why won't I be okay?" His voice was defensive and cold.

I looked down. "I don't know… You just seemed a little…disturbed."

"I'm fine."

"But…How do you know Dr. Yagari?"

"That is," he reloaded his run, "none of your business."

My head burned with angry. Why was he acting this way? "It is my business! I want to know who he is to you."

He didn't say anything. All he did was put his headphones back on and starting firing again. Non-stop this time. As if I wasn't even there.

"Zero!"

He didn't answer.

"Zero!"

He still didn't answer.

"Screw you!" I stormed out and slammed the door shut behind me.

What is up with him? One day he's supper supportive and the next he's a total jerk. I thought we were done with these push-pull games but I guess I was wrong. He's exactly the same.

My feet were moving faster than my mind could comprehend. My vision was blurry all of a sudden and I soon knew why. I was crying. I whipped my eyes away but the tears kept coming. I opened my door and dove into my bed pulling the covers over my face.

"I'm alone in this after all," I thought. Headmaster is on a trip, I can't be with Yori, and Zero isn't on my side like I thought. I have no one else to turn to.

An image of Kaname flashed through my head. "I miss you," I whispered. For the first time since he left I truly wished he was here. I want him to hold me gently in his arms and tell me everything is okay like he did when I was little. I want him to return to the academy, give me some of his handpicked roses, and tell me that he'll never leave me again.

I miss you.

I'm alone.

I don't know how I got there but I was standing in front of Zero's door debating whether I should go in. I decided not to and kept walking. I opened the front door forgetting about a coat or shoes and went straight out into the cool air. I traveled the all too familiar path to the school and got the proper tools out of the shed.

Tears started to fall as I prepped the garden. So many tears that I could barely see what I was doing. I snatched the weeds out franticly and poured the water over them sloppily. Dirt was flying everywhere and thorns kept poking my fingers but I didn't care. I kept going…

Did you like it? Tell me in a Review!

My next chap will be up soon. I promise.

Hint: Something...interesting will happen between Yuuki and Zero.