I'm sorry if this chapter is rough. It took so long to write, I just wanted to get it out there, you know? I'll probably go over it again later.

Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Knight, but at least I know it is in good hands.

Stranger

Zero was studying a sociology text when the stranger arrived. He held the book in his right hand, his left gently stroking the soft brown hair falling over Yuuki's face. Having just fed from his throat, she was lying serenely against his side, half-asleep under his arm. He moved his hand from her hair to wipe a stray bit of blood from her lips. It was a little hard to focus on human behavior when the gentle rise and fall of Yuuki's chest against him was tempting his so.

A loud knock sounded from the entryway; Yuuki started and rubbed at her eye. "Nnn, what?" she mumbled as Zero threw the textbook on the coffee table.

"I dunno. Probably something for the Chairman."

"It's a little late," she said, glancing at her watch. Nine PM. Who on Earth made a house call at nine PM?

A formidable, dark-haired man whose height topped even Zero's loomed in the doorway when the young father opened it.

"You look tired, Kiryuu Zero," he observed, startling even the fearsome vampire hunter with his menace and seniority. Unnaturally red eyes glared beneath a cynical brow. "Just a long day?"

Zero was staring at one of the most intelligent, efficient hunters alive. He knew the man knew better. "You're from the Hunter's Association," he responded, crossing his arms and leaning against the doorway. He had seen this man once before; he'd paid a visit to the Kiryuu household when Ichiru and Zero had been small. Yet he knew him not by name; he responded to the stranger's bow with only a slight nod of the head. Rude? The stranger seemed only amused.

"Nagano Tatsuo," he affirmed. "If you don't mind, I would like to have a word with Cross Kaien."

Zero nodded again and stepped back. "Come in." He turned, nearly running headlong into Yuuki, who had approached silently from behind.

"Hi," she said meekly, obviously affected by the man's fearsome demeanor. This was not someone to be messed with.

"Nagano Tatsuo," Zero muttered. "One of the top hunters in the Association. He is probably better than both my parents rolled into one."

"Pleased to meet you, Mrs. Kuran," Nagano said. Yuuki's eyes widened at the address—did he think she was already married to Kaname? Her hand flew to her abdomen instinctively and she found herself afraid to correct him. "I saw you once before, but you were just a tiny little thing. You've grown into quite a lovely young woman." He stepped through the doorway; his eyes scanned Yuuki head to toe. "So it's over. Your vampire form has been unmasked."

Zero stepped in front of Yuuki angrily. "That has nothing to do with you," he spat.

"Why so hostile, Kiryuu? I have no intention of hurting your friend."

Zero grabbed Yuuki's wrist in a death grip. "Wait here," he commanded solemnly, yanking Yuuki into the living room with him.

"What the—Zero—"

"I don't like the way he was talking to you," he seethed. "That man is the most efficient, cunning hunter in the Association. He only believes in killing level E's, but I'm still not comfortable leaving you alone with him."

"I can take care of myself, Zero," Yuuki pouted.

"I don't want to argue right now," Zero said, reaching the study at the top of the stairs. "Chairman Cross?"

Beaming at his adopted son's voice, Cross glanced up from a book he was studying in one of the chairs in the center of the room. "Zero-kun! What's up?"

"Nagano Tatsuo is here to see you."

Cross' face darkened. "Oh. Okay. Tell him I'll meet him in the living room. Yuuki, could you put some tea water on, please?"

Yuuki shot Zero a warning glance and stalked back downstairs. Zero shook his head and turned to the Chairman.

"What business does that man have with you?"

"Ugh. He's been trying to get me back into the Association forever. I wish he'd give it up already. Go bring him in; I'll be down right away."

The living room seemed too small to accommodate the terrifying hunter. It was as though his tall, strong frame filled up twice as much space as it actually did; he sat (rather squeamishly) in the recliner, and all three household members were squashed together on the couch. Yuuki clutched Zero's hand the entire time; attempting vainly to soothe her churning stomach.

Nagano opened the conversation with, "Long time no see, Cross."

"Nagano." Chairman Cross nodded.

"Weather's been merciful."

"So it has. Not many scorching days. We don't even need the air conditioning."

"The war must have been stressful on you. It happened right here at your school, and so many of your students were involved. In fact, I happen to know Kuran Kaname paid a little…visit to the Council of the Ancients, which increased tensions between the Senate and your school. How much longer do you think you'll be able to side with the bloodsuckers, Cross Kaien?"

Yuuki sucked an angry intake of breath. To talk about her family like that! The Chairman squeezed her shoulder to get her to calm down. Nagano turned his eyes to the girl.

"Nevertheless, I see your marriage to Kuran has gone as planned"—Nagano

smirked—"though I must say, a bit sooner than I'd imagined."

"That's not Kuran's baby," Zero snapped in Yuuki's defense. "It is mine. Yuuki just finished at Cross Academy—it would be far too soon for them to marry."

"Oh. So things have changed, have they?" Nagano smirked and shook his head. "I didn't think the Kurans would last much longer."

"You only hoped they wouldn't," Cross snapped, shocking Yuuki with his sudden, uncharacteristic fire. There was obviously a strong grudge between the hunter and the headmaster. "The Kurans are a peaceful lineage. They have no precedence for your scorn." Yuuki felt his hand descend on her shoulder. It was strong, defensive of her, and loving. She rubbed the thumb of her free hand, which was resting in its usual protective position, against her stomach.

"No need for hostility, Cross. I simply came to discuss the situation the Hunter's Association faces. Kiryuu here is still hunting Level E's, is he not?"

"He hunts them when it is necessary," the Chariman said. "He is in college now and doesn't do it so much anymore."

"The vampire who hunts his own kind," Nagano observed.

Zero stiffened. "Save it," he said.

"He is in college now," the Chairman continued. "In Tokyo. He doesn't need to work where some of your best hunters keep the vampires in check."

"He still has his duties as a hunter."

"Zero-kun really just hunted them for me; it was his parents who worked for you."

"You say 'you' as if you yourself weren't once a part of us. It is the vampire situation I came to talk to you about. The need for hunters is increasing, Cross. Despite the low prevalence of purebloods, the number of Level E's seems to be increasing. And they are becoming stronger, running in groups and working with blood-born vampires so they have more power against us. No one has been able to find out where they are all coming from, although the Association is considering an underground pureblood alliance. The point, Cross, is that we need you. Both of you. This is becoming a huge problem."

The Chairman sat up straight and glared into the dark hunter's eyes. "I understand the need to rid the world of Level E's," he said. "But you know of my desire for peace between humans and vampires, and killing the blood-borns is no longer something I am willing to do. Kiryuu may be able to help you a little, if and when he returns to Tokyo. But he and Yuuki are about to have a small vampire child on their hands, and we need to focus on it so it grows up opposing the very problems you face. I'm afraid I cannot return to the Association, Nagano. Aside from it being so severely against my morals, I have to take care of my grandchild and run this school."

The hunter listened calmly the whole time, leaning his chin on his elbow, his eyes betraying no anger or malice towards his adversary. When the Chairman finished his speech, Nagano merely sat back and argued as if countering the opposition were nothing. "Think about what you're saying, Cross. You founded this school in hopes it would promote peace between predator and prey. How much is that going to help if you let a bloody war run rampant just south of here?"

"'Never doubt that a small group of citizens can change the world. Indeed, it is the only thing that ever has.' Margaret Mead said that. There can be no peace of no one is willing to practice it."

"Without more hunters, this has the potential to become a full-blown war. We're almost certain a group of purebloods is behind this, not to mention the number of normal vampires involved. This is serious, Cross. More serious even than your little pureblood battle with Kuran Rido."

"It is late," Cross said after letting a moment of silence hang heavily in the air. "If you wish to fight me more, you may do so at a later time, perhaps on the phone or another location. But we need sleep, so if you please, I'll show you to the door."

Yuuki started to stand to gather the teacups, but Zero held her down. "I'll get them," he said simply. Yuuki sat back and let her eyes follow her father and Nagano Tatsuo to the entrance.

"Just think about it, Cross," Nagano insisted.

"Good-bye, Nagano." The Chairman returned to the room, plagued by fatigue and frustration.

"Who was that?" Yuuki demanded.

"One of the best hunters in the Association. He's been trying to get me to rejoin them ever since I quit. He led an uprising about fifteen years ago, trying to get the Association to hunt purebloods, claiming they were the source of Level E's." The Chairman smirked. "Obviously, they lost that battle, and he's gradually come to accept the pureblood's existence. Although, you know, his feelings towards them aren't exactly what you'd call love."

A jab of fear yanked a tight knot into Yuuki's stomach. "You don't think he—"

"No, Yuuki. I highly doubt he's behind any of the killings."

"Would make sense, though, wouldn't it?" Zero scoffed, returning to the living room. "They think there's an underground alliance of purebloods who are creating level D's, and suddenly the remnants of dead purebloods are showing up all over? This could be a special assignment. There's no proof he isn't the killer."

"If the Association were sending hunters out to kill purebloods," the Chairman countered, "I would know, and they wouldn't leave the clothing and dust lying around for anyone to find."

Zero screwed up his face, unwilling to admit defeat. "But what if someone from the Association were doing this secretly? Isn't that a possibility?"

"Or what about one of the former hunters?" Yuuki supplied.

"That's a good point, but Nagano isn't a former hunter."

"He could still be doing it in secret."

"You need to have a little more faith in people, Zero."

"I am not putting any faith in anyone as long as my Yuuki is in danger." Zero pulled her into his side and glared heavily at their father.

The Chairman sighed. "I'm not saying protecting her isn't important. It's vital. To me as much as to you, Zero. But we have absolutely no evidence against him or anyone else. All we can do is be exceedingly careful." He walked over to Yuuki and placed a light kiss atop her head. "I don't want you going out alone anymore, okay sweetie? Especially now that it's so obvious you're pregnant. If someone is killing purebloods, I doubt he'd hesitate to kill someone about to bring more vampires into the world."

Zero took Yuuki's hand in his. "We're going to bed now," he said, not so much as a statement, but a command. Yuuki stumbled away with him, bowing her head slightly in a silent goodnight.

"Oyasuminasai," the Chairman bade after them.

--

"You are a really interesting person, you know that?" Yuuki asked, lying belly-up on the bed as Zero changed into his nightclothes. "I've never seen you defend purebloods. Especially like that."

"I wasn't," Zero replied stubbornly.

"Were so. You used to hate purebloods with your very life. Not three years ago!"

"I'm not defending them!" Zero insisted. "Just you."

Champagne bubbles floated through Yuuki's chest. Maybe his words should have annoyed her, but all she felt was the sweetness. "Come here," she said, sitting up and inviting him into her arms.

Discarding the pajamas he'd just grabbed, Zero turned out the light and got into bed with her. She snuggled into him and he kissed her, wrapped his legs around hers, slipped his hands under her shirt. "Promise me you'll always stay," he said in a raspy voice. "Promise you'll never leave me."

She took a deep breath and let a tear fall as they began a tender lovemaking. "I promise, Zero. Always." Her eyes slipped closed and a contented sigh escaped as they became one once more.

--

Important little footnotes…

If anyone here happens to have any story ideas, I am all ears. This is moving along nicely, but so far I only have two plots (running perfectly parallel), not enough to fill in all the chapters. I need some interesting material other than bloodsucking and fluff to throw in while Yuuki's baby and the PSYCHO KILLER progress.

Tatsuo means "dragon man." Nagano is just a common Japanese surname. Heh. I guess I could have just as easily used Bob Jones, but it didn't seem as likely (or mysterious), lol.