Author's Note: Hey guys! Managed to squeeze out another chapter before all the busy stuff starts. I initially wanted to combine Past and Present in this chapter, but then I thought it would be more organized if I separated them into different chapters. I'm still working on the Present chapter, so I thought I'd post the Past one first yay :) I think the Present one should be done either later today or tomorrow, maybe? But because they were supposed to be part of one chapter, Chapters 10 and 11 are hence not as long as my normal chapters, I'm sorry! (unless you guys prefer shorter chapters, then YAY.) Hehehe.

Anyway, I don't know if you guys have noticed, but Switched has a new cover image yay! I'm not much of an artist, but I saw this image in my mind as I was writing a random upcoming scene (yeah, I don't always write stuff in order XD ). If everything goes according to plan, you guys should be able to see the written form of this scene in the next, next chapter. Or next, next, next AHAHAHA. Consider it a teaser haha. It would mean so much to me if you guys just took a second to look at it hahaha. I'm sorry they don't look much like who they're supposed to though... And I need to thank this website for the amazing filters that made it look much better.

Okay, I'm gonna stop rambling now! Here's Chapter 10! I'm realising my chapters are all really draggy... my apologies :( Hope you guys enjoy it anyway! And review hehe :)

Disclaimer: Credits to Matsuri Hino, Blackened Wing and TammyTBoneTTB!

PAST

Zero's eyes shot open.

Without a word to the other vampire sitting next to him on the couch, he jumped to his feet, rushing to the door and flinging it open. Down the stairs and past the two nobles he ran, all the while ignoring Kaname's perplexed calls.

He couldn't recall the last time he had run this fast. Everything flew by him in a blur, the very air whirling around him as his body sliced through it with astonishing vampire speed. The sun had risen to perch higher up in the sky now, and his skin tingled faintly from where the light rays grazed him, a stark reminder of how drastically his body physiology had altered, how he was now more vampire than human, more vampire than hunter. In the past, that thought would have had him clawing at himself, submerged in self-hatred and disgust. These days, it just something to shrug at and forget. At this moment, it didn't even register in his mind, the prickling sensation merely a ripple in the sea of emotions that Zero was currently drowning in. Just like the painful throbbing of his feet as they slammed onto the ground again and again, and the suffocating ache in his chest as his stiff lungs struggled to match their speed of gas exchange with that of his running. It was a futile effort, of course, but they had no choice but to try to keep up. It was simply the nature of things. Just like how it was nature to lose things precious to you...

Zero had no idea where he was heading, no destination in mind. All he knew was that he needed to get away. Away from everything - that room, the dorm, the vampires. Especially the vampire who looked exactly like his lover, reminding him of what he had lost.

Kaname...!

The single word was all it took for his body to give out. And then it was over. No more running away from reality.

Knees buckling, Zero collapsed against a tree, face pressed against the rough bark. Harsh, ragged pants spilled from his pale, trembling lips, his chest heaving from his strenuous running. Curling his body up into a ball, he dug his fingers into the trunk, dragging them forcefully down the rough, uneven surfaces, relishing in the pain that spiked down his arm. Skin tore and blood oozed, the red trails pooling in the ridges of the bark like tiny lakes.

The pain felt so good. Numbly, he repeated the action over and over again, progressively increasing the intensity and speed of his strokes, emotionless eyes watching impassively as his blood flowed freely down the tree trunk, staining the grass blades at the base a deep red as well.

It was addictive. The intense stinging of his fingertips was such a welcome distraction, from – no. From nothing.

Letting his eyes flutter shut, Zero cleared his mind, gratefully letting the pain overshadow everything. Every little emotion within him was gradually being masked by the pain he was inflicting on himself. If only he could do this forever... To forget...

'Kiryuu! What are you doing?'

All too soon, he was hurled out of his peaceful reverie, his hand wrenched away from its cathartic motions in a tight, constricting grip. His eyes opened, blinking dazedly.

No! He didn't want to see that face. All the overwhelming, tumultuous emotions he had finally managed to bury deep within him rushed back up to the surface, bringing with them the intense hurt and heartache, the reason behind which he refused to acknowledge.

'No! Leave me alone!'

He screwed his eyes shut, snapping his arm back, at the same time aiming a kick at the pureblood.

Kaname easily dodged the weak kick, releasing the other's upper arm as he took a few steps back. What in the world had come over the hunter? He had never seen the other in such a pitiful state, curled up so defensively and visibly shivering. Had something happened in the future?

His gaze flicked over the blood flowing down the ex-human's arm, matching it to the darkened lines staining the dark bark. Why was Kiryuu trying to hurt himself? Then his eyes narrowed as something that should have been glaringly obvious finally dawned on him.

He couldn't smell the other's blood. Or even his scent. Reliving the memories of the previous night, he realised that even then, even with all the hunter's blood he had shed, there had been no scent emanating from him.

How was that possible?

The ex-human suddenly shuddered, his hand weakly falling to rest on the grass. Sunlight reflected off something on his wrist, the sudden glare catching his eye and drawing his attention to a simple, silver band on the hunter's wrist. As far as Kaname knew, other than his piercings, Kiryuu had never worn any jewellery. Was that why?

'Kiryuu, that br-'

That was as far as he got before the hunter's eyes snapped open again, a fist thrust brutally towards his face as Kiryuu launched himself at him. It was only his lightning-fast reflexes that managed to save him from receiving a complimentary facial rearrangement.

Zero fell to the grass, fist connecting only with air as the pureblood threw himself off to the side, just narrowly avoiding the blow. Even though he was basically on his elbows and knees in front of the pureblood, he found it difficult to summon the drive to get himself up.

'Kiryuu, what happened?'

If Zero closed his eyes and blocked out all thoughts and memories, he could almost pretend it was his lover asking him that, in a worried, dulcet voice thickly laced with concern...

But this wasn't his Kaname. It was just a stranger who walked around with the same face and voice. Nothing alike, they were.

And he needed to remember that, especially since he intended to stick around for a long, long time.

Zero took a deep, shaky breath, fighting back the tears threatening to spill over. He had to stop feeling sorry and miserable for himself. He had made the decision to leave Kaname. It had been his own choice. His present behaviour and denial was just been plain pathetic.

Get a grip, you fool!

Exhaling sharply, the hunter got to his feet, desperately burying his inner turmoil under a concrete mask. When he turned to meet the pureblood's gaze head-on, his face was as guarded and apathetic as ever.

'Nothing happened. I spoke to Kaname and told him that I would be staying here.'

Kaname had blinked at the sudden change in the hunter's demeanour. He had seemed in the midst of a mental breakdown, but in a flash of a second, he was suddenly back to his old self, as if nothing had happened. And what had he said? He wanted to stay? For Kaname, that was great news for sure, but he could not help wondering...

'Why?'

Zero shifted his gaze away. That's right, he hadn't told him about Yuuki yet. At least now that he had heard how his Kaname had explained her absence to past Zero, he could simply use that for himself.

'After our blood bond was formed, Yuuki decided that she didn't want to make things difficult for us. She decided to stay at the Academy, to help her father run the school. I'm staying to make sure she doesn't end up alone again.'

Wary russet eyes bore into his. 'Did something happen to her?'

Zero faltered. Even though he had decided to remain here, he had not wanted to divulge more information to past Kaname than was necessary. He could deal with everything as they happened in the order they were supposed to. If Kaname knew about Nasser, he might prematurely engage him. And even with Zero here to aid him, this Kaname was far from ready to deal with that conniving bastard. Hence the lie about Yuuki remaining at the Academy.

But this question... It wasn't something that he could lie about, especially not when the pureblood seemed to already have his own suspicions.

Guess Zero had not been able to maintain as stoic a façade as he had hoped.

'She was attacked. We don't know who.'

Peachy. Yet another lie. Zero was just drowning in them. How was he possibly going to keep up with all of the ones he had told the pureblood? Rubbing his face tiredly, the hunter made it easy for himself. He simply decided that he just didn't care. He would cross that bridge once he reached it.

'I see.'

Despite the calm, controlled reply, the pureblood's jaw muscles were taut, eyes narrowed in ire that his dear Yuuki had been hurt. The fact that she had been thus vulnerable because of relationship between the two of them just made things infinitely worse. And it also further reinforced his determination to alter the future.

But that did not mean he had forgotten Kiryuu's earlier outburst.

And he didn't know why he should care, really, when all this had started because of the hunter in the first place, but perhaps it had something to do with the memories he had seen within the necklace. It was difficult to watch memory after memory of a split-image of yourself so in love and intimate with another person, and still be able to hold pure, unbridled hatred and anger towards that same person.

'Kiryuu?'

'What?'

A pause. 'Are you... okay? With leaving the future.'

It wasn't like he really cared. He was hardly about to put his enemy's happiness above Yuuki's welfare, after all.

But for some reason, that question had escaped his lips. And in such a gentle, caring tone too.

Kaname cursed inwardly. What in the world was wrong with him? Kiryuu Zero was just a hindrance and burden, nothing more! Whatever the hunter's answer was, swore the pureblood inwardly, all he was going to get was Kaname's silence and departure. That was what he should have done right from the start, when he saw the crazed hunter hurting himself on a tree, instead of attempting to stop him.

Zero's heart thumped painfully and his hand unconsciously shot up to clutch at his chest, as if that could somehow lessen his anguish.

'...I'm going to go find Yuuki and head to class.'

If this Kaname insisted on harping about this, Zero was going to sock him. He swore it.

Thankfully, the pureblood simply nodded, an indecipherable expression on his face, before he vanished without a word.

Once he was gone, the Zero's tense shoulders sagged. He lowered his head, turning away in the opposite direction. The spiteful memories were back in full force again, gripping him tightly in their cruel hold and preventing him from escaping the agonising pain they wrought as the vivid images flashed across his mind, a never-ending playback of all the memories he and Kaname had ever created together.

For a second, he let his mask crack, features twisting into a despairing grimace, sorrow and misery bathing his amethyst eyes. But then he shook himself mentally, forcing those emotions down. Ignoring the unbearable ache in his chest and the warm stinging in his eyes, he made his feet move, heading resolutely towards the Day classes. Not once did he glance back. The bloody trails along the trunk lay unheeded and forgotten, their previously vibrant red colour dulling to a coppery-brown as the fluid dried, a light breeze speeding up the process.

As the graceful wind continued to blow, rustling the leaves of the trees high above, the flora on the ground, too, fluttered daintily from side to side. Long blades of green, dewy grass parted as they danced their random, silent routine.

All save one.

A sole blade of grass remained motionless, not answering the wind's invitation to participate in its dance party. A lonely rebel, pressed flat against the ground by the heavy weight resting on it.

A single drop of Zero's tear lay upon that lone grass blade.

'Zero! You got your necklace back?'

Yuuki had run up to him the minute she spotted him entering their homeroom, sharp eyes immediately spotting the familiar bulge under his top.

Knowing he had to remain inconspicuous if he wanted to stay on in this time period, Zero had returned to the dorms after his near breakdown – he scowled at the thought. It had not been a breakdown –, squeezing himself into his old prefect's uniform. It was slightly too small for him, especially with his more defined muscles, but it mostly fit, if only a little short - in fact, any female who saw him would think him unbelievably sexy, dressed in tight-fitting clothes that clung stubbornly onto his body, revealing every curve and contour of that muscular, chiselled body.

Staring at himself in the mirror, dressed in that familiar, black uniform, it was as if he was back in the past; as if the past few years had never happened. As if he were still that stubborn, prickly prefect who hated all vampires with a vengeance, whose only joy in life was being by Yuuki's side and exterminating Es.

Zero smiled softly at Yuuki's worried face.

'Hey, it's okay, don't worry. Kuran was surprisingly civil when I went to ask for it back. Nothing happened, I promise.'

If he had been Pinocchio, his nose would've tripled in length at those words. 'Nothing happened', indeed! If being beaten to unconsciousness in the forest, paying his lover of another time dimension a visit, and deciding to leave him forever was 'nothing', then Zero didn't want to stick around to wait for 'something' to hit him.

But the innocent Yuuki didn't need to know all that he'd been through.

Thankfully for him, the female bought his act. Heaving a sigh of relief, she grabbed Zero's wrist, pulling him towards his seat with a 'class is about to start! Go sit!'

Zero spent most of the day in a daze, resting his head in his palm as he stared out the window at nothing in particular. His teachers did not fail to notice his lack of attention, of course, calling on him often to answer their questions, hoping to be able to berate him for not listening. But even though it was obvious to all that he was completely tuning their lessons out, he managed to answer all their questions perfectly, thoroughly baffling both the teachers and his fellow classmates. It was as if his mind already understood whatever was being thought.

Of course, that was because it had.

Not that he was about to tell anyone that.

For the umpteen time, Zero sighed softly, lying back on the grass, arms folded behind his head. He was beginning to wonder if he had tunnel vision, because his mind was once again brimming only with thoughts of Kaname, cruelly tormenting him with what was now lost to him. But thankfully, while he could not prevent the memories from reappearing over and over again like a broken tape, he could control the emotions that accompanied them.

Well, not so much control as squash into a teeny ball and shove it deep, deep inside him. Still, that was one thing he could be grateful for. As if he needed Yuuki, or worse, anyone else, to spy the grief and pain that was constantly with him.

Zero gazed up at the sky. God, even that cluster of clouds looked like Kaname, in those precious moments when he grinned, eyes glinting devilishly as he teased the hunter.

Said hunter exhaled sharply, shutting his eyelids so forcefully one could almost imagine an audible 'snap'. Was his mind so far gone that anything reminded him of the pureblood?

Steadfastly refusing to open his mind up to further bittersweet reminiscences, he let his senses roam, sensitive ears picking up on whispered conversations here and there, littered with the occasional laugh and shout of the students milling about the grounds. Day classes had just ended and most students were still hanging about. Even though Zero had settled himself in a spot amongst the trees some distance away from them, he could still hear the flurry of activity around him.

When Zero had been younger, he had always cursed his vampire hearing, because it forced him to listen to his classmate's ridiculous problems and stories, unless he was totally focussed on tuning them out. He had always scoffed at them then. What were their troubles compared to that of a hunter turned vampire? A Level D constantly fighting the horrible bloodlust gripping him so frequently? While they were sobbing over rejected confessions and bad grades, and gushing about the latest fashions and computer games, Zero's mind had been bursting only with thoughts of how not to lose control of himself and drain them all dry. If only they knew his deepest, darkest secrets, he had thought bitterly. Would they still be able to complain about theirs as if it were the end of the world?

Well, he had been an angsty kid back then.

Right now, however, he was glad for the distraction their conversations presented. Getting swept up in the mundane topics did help – however laughably insignificantly the help was – to assuage his own misery. As he eventually tuned out, bored with the humdrum, the distinct, individual voices all merged into a single sea of sounds, growing fainter as his attention wavered. The distant echoes of voices fell over him like a lullaby, gentle and soothing.

It wasn't long before Zero was relaxing back against the grass, mind slowly drifting off. If it had not been for a sudden excited shriek, he would have fallen into a peaceful slumber. As it was, the high-pitched voice cut through the sleepy haze in his mind, disturbing his comfortable state. A low growl started in the hunter's throat, his brows furrowing at the rude interruption. Stubbornly refusing to leave the relaxed state he was finally in, he shifted onto his side, eyes still firmly shut.

But then a name, gushed out by the same grating voice, sharply penetrated his mind, forcing his eyes to snap open.

'...oh my god! Doesn't Ichiru just look so delicious?'

Zero sat upright stiffly, gaze urgently seeking out the owner of that annoying voice.

She was standing some distance away from him, flanked by two smaller girls.

However, it wasn't them that Zero was interested in. His narrowed amethyst eyes followed the fangirls' gazes, tracing the back view of one Kiryuu Ichiru.

His brother was striding towards the back of the school purposefully, staring straight ahead of him.

Despite himself, a small part of Zero's heart softened at the sight of his twin. It seemed like only yesterday when Ichiru had been that sweet, sickly boy gazing hopefully up at Zero, begging him to take him outside to play in the snow even though their parents had strictly forbidden it. He almost smiled at the memory of his brother's scrunched up face, lavender eyes welling up with tears, when Zero had refused, insisting that it wasn't safe.

If only they could return to those days...

But then he shook his head furiously, flinging away the memory and nostalgic feelings. That part of his life was long over. His most distinct memory of his brother now was when he had been standing over him, slicing his throat open and leaving him to bleed to death. Though he had never told Kaname, even now, he still occasionally had nightmares of being trapped immobile on his back, unable to even gasp, feeling his life source pouring out of his body, leaving him weaker by the second. He would jolt awake, sweat plastering his hair and clothes – in those rare occasions where they hadn't just spent the night together making love – to his skin, huffing and wheezing for breath, heart sputtering like crazy in his heaving chest. It was only Kaname's soft, steady breathing and warm protective arms around him that would calm him down, lulling him back into a peaceful slumber in his lover's embrace.

Of course, he now knew that it had all just been a ploy to get at Kaname.

That knowledge sure didn't make things any better.

And knowing what was to come just made Ichiru's present elusive actions that much more suspicious.

Swiftly getting to his feet, Zero made a beeline for his brother, making sure to pace himself so that he was still inconspicuous to the other students. He didn't really know what he was hoping to achieve by following his brother. If he found him conversing with Rido and Ichijou, what would he do? Make a futile attempt to persuade him not to? Or...?

...kill him?

Even though Ichiru had been the one that had attacked him so cruelly, who had been the crucial participant of a plan intended to hurt Kaname, Zero wasn't sure if he could kill him. Wasn't sure he could look him in the eye, see past the image of that little boy clinging onto his arm, calling out 'Zero' in that excited, loving tone, and then stick a silver vine right through his heart.

Past Zero was right, he thought grimly. His sentimentality would one day be his undoing.

He paused before the corner of the building, counting mentally to make sure it was exactly twenty seconds after Ichiru had turned the corner before he went around it.

No one was there.

Zero cursed aloud, raking a frustrated hand through his silver tresses.

Damn it!

It wasn't today, thought Zero as he lay back on his bed.

But then, he had already known that.

Even though it had been many years ago, Zero still remembered the events that had played out on that fateful day. In the morning, Kaname had told Yuuki about knowing her past, and she had subsequently promised herself to him. Zero vaguely remembered how incensed he had been at the pureblood, feeling as if he had forced her into it. He recalled feeling both horrified and terrified at the thought of Yuuki leaving him, of her being turned into what he was.

The note from Ichiru had only come later that afternoon, just before his last class, begging Zero to meet him at the back of the school.

All day, Zero had been waiting for the note to come, even though he knew that it wouldn't. Because if today had been the day, Kaname would have called Yuuki out.

But he had not.

Zero shifted onto his side, watching the plump moon nestling lazily up amongst the clouds in the night sky.

'Spell Reversal: Has to be carried out on a full moon night.'

Even though he had no intention of carrying out the reversal, Zero's mind automatically calculated the days. There were seven days, or more accurately, nights, between the moon's first quarter – on which night the Time Switcher Spell had been carried out on him –, and the next full moon night.

Tonight was already the second night. If he had not decided to stay on in this time period, there would be only four more Kaname-less nights before he could return home. Four more nights to seeing his lover's tender smile, to feeling the warmth of his touch, to hearing his melodious voice whispered in his ear.

Stop it. Stop remembering him.

But how could he? He had lived with the pureblood for years now. Waking up next to him in the same bed almost every day, being constantly by his side – that had been his life. A most wonderful, blissful life, despite the occasional fights that cropped up.

Could Zero really do this? Could he really leave Kaname?

'Mou, Zero!'

His mind abruptly flashed back to a couple of hours ago, when he and Yuuki had been at class changeover. A strong sense of nostalgia had thoroughly overwhelmed him as he and Yuuki stood across from each other, holding back the crowd of jostling, rabid fangirls waiting for the Night Dorm gates to open. How many years had it been since his last changeover at the Academy? He could barely even remember what it felt like. Yet, when he had been standing there, shooting the Day Class students his trademark scowl, it had all come rushing back. Like it had been something he had been doing every day.

The same feelings of annoyance had surged up within him as the girls squealed and shrieked, their shrill voices rising up to unbearably high decibels as the gates finally creaked open. Like it always had, his eyebrow twitched in irritation when Aidou was the first one striding out, grinning and blowing kisses to all his screaming fans.

But of course, not everything was the same. The feelings he had when he regarded the vampires were far from the hatred and disgust that had filled him in the past. The vampires, too, had all seemed to sense the change in him as well, gazing at him curiously as his firm gaze met each of their eyes, with no trace of loathing and revulsion in his earnest amethyst orbs. Ruka had glared at him the longest, before pointedly looking away.

When Kaname had stopped in front of Yuuki as per usual, patting her head gently and murmuring a warm 'good work, Yuuki', Zero had to practically bite back a grin at how flustered she had become, face turning a bright beetroot as she stammered out a 't-thank you, K-kaname-senpai!'

A still-flushing Yuuki had smacked him for his poorly-hidden amusement after that.

'Mou, Zero! Stop making fun of me!'

xxx

Back in his dorm room, Zero let his eyes flutter shut, heart thumping steadily in his chest. The moon's glow washed over his figure, basking him in an ethereal glow. Pale skin and soft silver hair practically glittered on the white sheets, a breath-taking, shimmering work of art arranged beautifully on the bed.

Yes...

Yup, yup, that's it for this chapter! Again, I'm sorry nothing very much happens in this chapter. It's all about Zero coming to terms with what he's decided to do. I don't know if him reacting that way in the forest is OOC for him, though. I hope not... Because I didn't want him to just cry it off, because I can't imagine him as a crying sorta person. Not that Kaname is, of course, but then, Zero came to his decision gradually, while Kaname was suddenly told to accept it.

Okay, but yay, past Kaname seems to be softening towards him a little, doesn't he? :)

Replies to my dear reviewers:

BlackAbyss: Oh, wow, that's like the highest praise I've ever gotten! O.O But I'm really sorry for making you cry T.T Don't cry, kay :) Most of the angst is over (for now). They'll be together soon :):) Thank you so much for the review and I hope you enjoyed this chapter! :D

babyangelholic: Hmm for me I feel like erything that happened in Blackened's story was just so fast, and Zero, too, was just swept up in everything that happened. Bond with Kaname, three-way r/s, settling into a comfortable relationship with Kaname, etcetc. And I think Zero's never had to consider giving himself up for Yuki and Kaname's happiness. There was never really a choice before between Z and Y, except for that time when Rido kidnapped the both of them and had K choose. Even then, we saw how Zero wanted to be sacrificed for Yuuki to live. And so it's pretty much the same now. Even though he has so much more to lose now than his life, he will still always choose Yuuki and Kaname's welfare over himself. Which is sad, of course... T.T But it's how I see Zero's character. Self-sacrificing, to the point of stupidity hahaha. Haha don't worry, Kaname has his own plans ;) Thank you for the review! :) I hope you enjoyed this chapter as well! :)

Guest: *secret smile* We'll have to wait and see for that, won't we? :) And thank you so much for taking the time to leave a review:):)

kanamexzero fan: I'm really happy this story evoked so many emotions in you :) I think I spend waaaayy too long delving into the feelings of the characters, and I still don't know if it's annoyingly excessive, but knowing that at least they managed to bring out emotions from my readers makes me super glad :):) Yeah, Zero, you really should listen to Kaname and to all the reviewers! Don't be so foolish! T.T Awww, I think Zero regrets making you cry :(. I'll make sure to punish him suitably hahahaha! Thank you for your kind words and hope you enjoyed this chapter! :)

perfectly flawed woman: Haha, Kaname will definitely fight! ;) And your idea changed how the rest of the story was supposed to go, so I sincerely thank you very much for that! :):) You made me rethink my whole plot and I've tweaked it so it's now better (I think?) than it was before yay. It won't go down exactly that way though hehe. Oh, don't worry, this won't end up a threesome :) I ship Kaname and Zero together alone (I hope this isn't bad news for any readers who are hoping for a threesome though...) hahaha. Hope this update was fast enough... even if nothing very much happens here. But please enjoy this chapter and thank you once again for your review and suggestion :)

shia naru: YAY! I'm so glad you loved the last chapter, even though it was so depressing! I felt super bad for present Kaname too :( This chapter kinda answers the 'what happens next with present Zero' part a little, I hope :) And ooh! A shift in the r/s between past K and present Z? Could it be? hahaha. Thank you so much for your review and overwhelming support! Hope this chapter was enjoyable for you :)

angelionfire: They'll only be apart for awhile :) Don't worry! :) Thank you so much for the review and hope you like this chapter :) Though it doesn't do anything to ease the pain of their separation.. Hehehe.

Sungoddess64: It really was heartbreaking, wasn't it? T.T It was hard writing and rereading it.. :( But yay that it makes you look forward to more :) Thank you for your support and reviews and hope you like this chapter too! :)

gleish26: HAVE I MENTIONED HOW MUCH I LOVE LONG REVIEWS? THANK YOU! My heart raced in excitement when I saw your huge paragraph :):) Oh, were you too busy to read the new chapters when they were updated? But, it's okay, at least you get to read them now :) You're welcome for them :) it's my pleasure to write for all you guys :) And yeah, past Kaname... He's kinda scheming, isn't he? Maybe that little segment involving him in this chapter can help you forgive him even a little haha. YAY I'm glad I managed to capture a suspense-y kinda feel regarding the spell reversal part hahaha. Thank you for enjoying that :):) Hahah yeah! You were right about Zero being the self-sacrificing kind of person. Even though the decision was so hard to make, he did it anyway. YES PRESENT KANAME ROCKS SO MUCH. He's such a sweetheart! Like you said, even if it can save Yuuki, he wouldn't want to do it because it would hurt Zero so much. He's an awesome, awesome lover that Zero better not let slip! Thank you for complimenting the previous chapter, I'm really glad you liked it :) Oh, no, please don't apologise for that; I can understand you perfectly haha :) same wavelength, I think LOL. *spoiler* I'm gonna be talking a little bit about the possible culprits in the next chapter, so stay tuned :D Thank you so much for this awesomely long review and for your continual support all through these 10 chapters! I hope you enjoy this one as well! :)

A huge thank you to everyone who gave up some minutes of your day to read this little fanfic. Hope you guys enjoyed this chapter! And see you guys all soon in the next chapter! You'll get to see Kaname then :)