Yori sighed, rolling over on the bed and laying the book she was reading for an assignment over her chest. Reading was one of her favorite pastimes, but sadly this particular autobiography was one she had absolutely no interest in. Idly, she glanced at the clock. Yuki wouldn't be back for a while yet, and Yori was so far ahead on her class work that there wasn't a real need for her to continue reading the dry narrative. Despite that, it was approaching the curfew time, and there wasn't anywhere for her to go or anything to do. She supposed she'd just keep reading and wait for her friend to return.

Right at that moment, something clanged against the window.

Shooting upright, book forgotten, Yori cautiously looked out the window from her room on the second story to see none other than Hanabusa Aidou standing below. Immediately, her lips twitched into a smile of combined amusement and exasperation. As soon as she appeared on the other side of the glass, he waved at her happily, motioning for her to come down. Despite her previous boredom, she was glad Yuki wasn't in the dorm. She couldn't imagine Yuki's reaction to Aidou throwing rocks at their window. Then again, he probably wouldn't have attempted such a thing if Yuki had been there.

Yori smothered a laugh, rolling her eyes as she made a shushing gesture and mouthed, "Wait there."

As Yori stepped outside and approached, Hanabusa felt his mouth relax upwards into a smile. It had been too long since they'd last been able to spend any time together. He knew it was risky here at the dorm to see her, especially when she might get in trouble with the curfew, but Yuki was on patrol and he'd missed being able to freely spend time with Yori.

"This is a terrible idea," the caramel-haired girl chastised, glancing anxiously around the dorm.

"What? No one saw me," the blond vampire reassured her, tugging her into the cover of the trees. There was a copse just beside the dorm that they could talk in without any risk of being seen by the Day students. "And don't forget, I can always tell when someone's coming."

"I suppose that's true," she admitted.

"Besides, it's been a while since we've really gotten a chance to spend any time together," he added, sneakily failing to release her hand as they sat in the shadows of the trees. Yori didn't make any move to extract her hand from his grasp, however, and he enjoyed the warmth of her fingers entwined with his. In the dark like this, the highlights of her hair and eyes were masked, giving her a darker, more mysterious beauty that he found equally appealing to her daylight look. And, dressed casually rather than in the Day Class uniform, she was most certainly cute.

"Yes...though it's dangerous..." Her tone suggested her hesitancy towards this late rendezvous.

"There are more dangerous things," he replied easily. "Like skipping class. Kaname-sama is a stickler for class attendance."

She shook her head, then asked, "I'm a bit curious actually...what do you learn in class?"

Hanabusa grimaced. He didn't like remembering class when he wasn't forced to sit through it, but he supposed it was unavoidable. Some of the teachers attempted to give them a 'human' experience, which included homework and exams, while others gave them a free study period to learn what they were interested in. So he answered, "Depends. All the normal subjects, which is pretty boring, since I've been tutored all my life... But, some of the others could use it."

"And during the breaks? Do you go home?"

"Sometimes. Other times I visit my cousin Akatsuki or run errands or whatever." He shrugged lightly. Really, the breaks were fairly redundant. There was always some party to attend, someone influential to meet, some ridiculous task Kaname-sama wanted him to perform...

"And your parents?" she questioned curiously.

"Mm...my dad owns a business, and my mom is a consultant. My sisters are doing various things of their own."

"Sisters?"

"Actually...I'm the youngest...three older sisters." He chuckled.

"That explains a lot," Yori commented wryly.

"Hey!" he exclaimed, nudging her playfully with his shoulder. "Well, what about you? Though your father is common knowledge here."

"My parents are divorced. My mom lives in China now, so I don't see her much. I don't have any brothers or sisters. Yuki-chan was always like a sister to me, though."

"Were you lonely?" he inquired gently.

"I should have been, maybe, but I wasn't. I like being alone," she admitted.

He rearranged his features into a pout. "Yori-chan likes being alone..." he repeated in a mock-melancholy voice.

"I like being with you, too." She giggled.

"So you admit it freely," he teased. "You like being with me. Well, that's good...since I like you, too. I think I have to see you again very soon."

"Won't the others be suspicious?"

"They're always suspicious. If I'm not in the dorms, everyone is worrying about where I am."

"That's because everything about you is worrisome, Hanabusa-kun," she said evenly.

"Yori-chan...you wound me."

She laughed, and he stuck out his tongue. The moment was interrupted, however, as a familiar presence entered the dorm and he reported, "Yuki is back."

"Hmm...I guess I'll go back soon..." That said, the caramel-haired girl didn't move an inch.

"Soon," he agreed. "But not just yet."

"She'll wonder where I am."

"Tell her you went to the bathroom," he suggested.

Yori giggled. "I'll tell her I went outside for some fresh air. Once she sees the autobiography I was reading, she won't even question it."

"Something dull?"

"Extremely." She blanched.

"I don't really envy the amount of work the Day Class students have." He pulled a sour face, imagining the drudgery that came with being a human high school student.

They fell silent for a moment and Yori tilted her head upwards, eyes lost on the partially obscured sky overhead. The faint illumination from the nearby dorm and the moon overhead glimmered prettily through her hazel eyes. "I was wondering... Vampires see better than humans, right?"

"Mm." He nodded, only half-paying attention as he traced her features in the lowlight. "That's how I know that Yori-chan is so beautiful," he murmured.

She ignored his comment, asking, "So, when you look at the night sky...how do you see the stars?"

He blinked, thrown off by the unexpected question. "They're too far away. To me...they're still just points of light..." He glanced away from her profile and upwards, absorbing that indigo sky pinpricked with glittering stars.

"So it's the same as for me," she concluded.

"Yes." He turned his gaze back to her face, wishing he could keep her to himself like this for a little longer, even as he knew that it was about time they parted ways for the night.

"That's nice." She smiled.

"How so?"

"It's nice to think that there's something that vampires and humans see the same way..."

So that was what she'd been thinking... He smiled now, too, giving her hand a squeeze. Yes, they might be very different, but it was true... Vampires and humans alike...the night sky remained the same to both...

"I guess I should go back, then..." Yori trailed off uncertainly.

"You should, but I won't keep you waiting long. I'll see you soon." He helped her to her feet.

"That would be nice. You know where to find me."

"Good night," he murmured.

"Good night," she replied, and as the last syllable left her mouth his lips brushed against hers, a gentle, slow kiss under the moonlight. As they pulled apart, she smiled and gave a wave goodbye, but he could pick out the faint blush that colored her cheeks as she turned shyly away and returned to the dorm. He grinned. Sayori Wakaba was just too cute. He really couldn't get enough of her.

Returning to the dorms proved uneventful, as usual. If sneaking out was this easy, Yori was surprised more of the Day Class didn't do it. On the way up to the second floor, she calmed her heart and heated cheeks, remembering the soft pressure of Aidou's lips against her own. Not just with blood, but with every aspect of their relationship, he was always very considerate of her. She chuckled. Such behavior definitely didn't match his image! Nevertheless, it was just another of the ever-growing list of reasons why she liked him.

When Yori returned the room, it was evident that Yuki had been crying. Her eyes were underlined with dark purple circles, cheeks still wet. It was also obvious that the petite brunette had not been expecting her roommate back despite the late hour, as she jolted up from the bed and hastily dried her eyes, giving Yori a falsely cheerful, "Welcome back!"

Immediately, Yori moved to sit on the edge of the bed, asking as gently as possible, "What happened?"

Yuki shook her head mutely. "Nothing. I was just feeling down for some reason..."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

The prefect shook her head again, smiling again despite the futility of the gesture. What Yuki did not say, Yori guessed: it was something her friend couldn't say. Something related to Zero or the vampires.

"Zero-kun wasn't in class today... And we have a new teacher..." Yori mused, glancing at Yuki to see the girl's reaction. It was true. Two days ago, their ethics teacher had been replaced with an intimidating man named Yagari-sensei, and since that day Zero had not attended class once. It was too much of a coincidence for Yori to dismiss. Something was definitely happening, but unfortunately she had no idea what.

The prefect flinched. Then, shoulders slumping, whispered, "Zero...may not come back."

"Why not?"

The petite brunette hesitated, and Yori understood that her next words weren't quite the truth as she stated, "Yagari-sensei might...expel him... For his track record..."

Because of his vampirism, Yori thought, and wondered if there was more. Was Zero's condition worsening? She swallowed dryly and inquired, "Won't the Chairman step in?"

A tear ran down Yuki's face and she sniffled. "I don't know."

Yori put an arm around her friend, rubbing her shoulder in an attempt to convey some sense of comfort. There was only so much she could do. Even understanding the situation for what it really was, there was nothing she could do. What Zero needed was pureblood, and if Kaname Kuran wasn't going to give it to him, who would? Although, for Yori, the more important question was: why wouldn't Kaname Kuran step in and save Zero? The more she learned about the situation, the more questions that arose. She could only hope that something was done before it was too late...

AN: I hope you liked the chapter! Let me know your thoughts as always and next time we'll see some better progress between Aidou and Yori ;). Also random question: how would you like to see this fic end? I have 3 different endings in mind and I haven't chosen one for sure yet so any input would be very much appreciated!