*Author's Note: Well I loved writing this chapter. The emotions in this scene are just so sad and beautiful. I hope you enjoy it as well.

Disclaimer: I do not own the Vampire Knight series.

Before I made it to my dorm room, my body started reacting to a blood tablet I had taken earlier that day. I was forced to stop on some stairs and collect myself. I sat down at the base of the stairs and gagged up the blood tablet. My breathing was labored and I felt sweat start to form on my body.

Suddenly, I heard fast-approaching footsteps. My head snapped up. This was not good. If some poor human stumbled upon me right now it would be very hard to control my lust for blood. I turned my head around to yell at them to get away from me, but then I saw that, to my horror, it was Yuki. Forget "very hard to control my bloodlust", if she came any closer it was going to be impossible.

"Zero," she said my name, a hint of relief in her voice. After a pause, she took a step closer. I winced.

"You know, I think I'm finally beginning to understand what you've been telling me all along," she said. I stood up, readying myself to yell at her like never before telling her to leave, but what she said next stopped my heart.

"There definitely are some bad vampires out there…I mean, that thing wasn't…even a vampire," she stated almost to herself, not knowing that I had been there to witness the whole thing.

"It was like…it was like a beast…in human form," she said, cringing as she said it, but I was cringing more. That beast was what I was turning into. I shut my eyes tightly and clenched my fists. As she took a step closer, I couldn't contain myself anymore.

"Get back!" I shouted angrily at her. She needed to get out of there now, unless she wanted to end up as my next meal.

"But…but why?" she asked, the hurt she was feeling clear in her voice. "Zero, I wanna keep talking to you. I want you to open up and share your thoughts with me. After all, we are both exactly the same—"

"NO!" I cut her off, angrier than I had ever been at her before. Why couldn't she see that she needed to leave for her own safety? "We aren't…" I said, the softness of it in stark contrast with my outburst just moments ago. Of all things, she apologized.

"I'm sorry…maybe I've been a bit self-absorbed lately, thinking you and I were struggling with the same pain, and the same fears too. I guess…I was only seeing myself…" she said taking a step back as her voice wavered, sounding like she was going to cry again. Why could I not stop hurting her?

Intending to fix the horrible things I had said to her, I whirled around to face her, reaching for her hand. Too late, I noticed that her hand was bandaged, probably from when she had been attacked by the level E. Time seemed to move in slow motion. I watched in horror as the bandage came fluttering off her hand and down to the ground, exposing her open and still bloody wound.

The world was spinning around me. My head was throbbing and my blood was pounding. That was when I lost myself.

Faster than any human could move, I was behind her, my left arm locking her in place in front of me and my right hand holding her neck. As I leaned down and slowly licked the patch of skin on her neck right above her vein, she made a sound that told me she was afraid. The predator in me took control, grasping her neck and her body more tightly against me.

"Zero…" she said, shocked so much that she was absolutely still, not even putting up a struggle. I plunged my fangs, which were now fully descended, into her bared neck and began sucking her delicious blood.

I had wanted this for so long. I did not care at the moment that she would find out what I was or that she would most likely hate me, but a tiny sliver of myself that I had retained was screaming at me to stop, that I was going to hurt the only person I loved. It was too distant. I didn't listen, and instead continued sucking from her neck.

"Zero…stop…" I heard her say softly, though I paid no mind to it. "Stop!" she said again, this time louder, just as she started struggling against me. Relying on instinct, I gripped her tighter, keeping her from escaping. Then I realized what I was doing on some level and acted quickly, letting her push me off of her.

As I looked up, she was staring at me, fear plainly showing in her eyes. I could feel her blood coursing through me, and dripping down my fangs and lips. I attempted to wipe the blood away with the back of my hand, but to no avail. There was so much.

We stood there for a moment, staring at each other. I had not fully grasped my sanity yet. Slowly realization dawned on her face as she asked, "Why…did you…"

Blood dripped from her neck and splashed onto the floor of the stairwell. This, the sound of her blood hitting the floor, was what triggered me, the real me, to awaken and push aside the monster that had drunk her blood just moments ago. My eyes widened in horror at what I'd done. I did the only thing I could.

"Yuki I…I'm sorry…" I said, not able to even meet her eyes. My mind was reeling and half of me wanted to break down crying while the other half wanted to scream in anger at myself. I took a step towards her, trying to show her that I meant her no harm, but my actions had the opposite effect. She backed away from me, fear in her eyes.

"Yuki," said a voice on the stairs above us. Kaname.

"Is…is that you Kaname?" Yuki asked, as if she couldn't quite believe someone had come to save her from this…monster. Ignoring her question, he turned on me.

"You have been reduced to a blood-thirsty beast, Zero Kiryu," he said, stepping in front of Yuki. For once in my life, I was glad he was there, standing between the girl I loved and me, the monster who could have killed her. I accepted his words without comment because I agreed with them. I was a beast. Out of nowhere, Yuki jumped between Kaname and me.

"No Kaname, please don't!" she yelled urgently at him. However, she was weak from the blood loss and her sudden movement caused her to faint, falling near me. Without thinking, I caught her before she hit the ground. "Yuki…" I said, barely containing the fear that had creeped into my heart.

"You devoured her mercilessly, didn't you Zero? So much, that she can't even stand up," he said, leaning down to pick her up and hold her against him. I didn't protest.

"How was Yuki's blood? Was it delicious?" he asked me, accusation plain in his voice. My eyes widened again, as the memory of drinking her blood came back to me. Now that I was in my right mind, I remembered her tiny sound of fear and almost broke down right there.

She had been terrified. I had taken this fragile, innocent girl, the girl I loved, and violated her in the worst way possible. I didn't think I would ever forgive myself. She certainly wouldn't. I was barely aware as Kaname picked up Yuki and carried her bridal style down the hall. I noticed the headmaster standing at the top of the stairs and heard Kaname say back at him, "Headmaster?"

"Yes, I know," the headmaster answered gravely, adjusting his glasses and staring at me with a look of disgust. His eyes lingered on me a bit longer before he said, "Come on, Zero, let's get you settled."

I followed him to my dorm room, where he stood in the doorway, obviously not intending to stay with me. He probably wanted to go see Yuki—

Yuki…

I had to know. Even if I never saw her again in my life, I had to know that she was ok. She just had to be. "Yuki—" I began, but the headmaster cut me off.

"I will go to check on her," he said solemnly. "You just get some rest. Goodnight, Zero," he said softly, closing the door behind him. I stood there, still in shock over the way the night had unfolded.

When I felt I could move again, I took off my jacket and shirt, letting them fall where I stood and walked over to my bed. I climbed in and pulled the covers up, and I did what I had not done in over four years.

I cried.

*Just to clarify, the headmaster isn't really disgusted by him…but you know Zero. He is extremely hard on himself and I think part of him believes that everyone hates him. So anyways, that's just his impression from the headmaster. Thank you for your time in reading this, and let me know if there's anything I can do to improve, or if you have ideas for the story, anything!