Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Knight or any characters

"Didn't you know?" Zero questioned, his voice suddenly growing very low. He approached Yuki then and once he was standing right in front of her, he whispered, "The Headmaster has a daughter who passed away a long time ago."

Yuki bit her lip. She was dreading what would slip through Zero's lips next.

"The Headmaster's family, like mine, had a horrific encounter with mad, blood thirty vampire," he voice stayed quiet all the while as he kept sneaking glances toward the kitchen door. "His daughter, wife, and brother-in-law were all murder by that beast. Only the Headmaster managed to survive because…because…"

Zero's eyes were filled with hesitation. Yuki worried that he strongly doubted his own words. He was trying to compensate for the fact that a brother and sister and a husband a wife were both attacked that night, but he couldn't wrap his mind around the fact that the two pairs were on the same. Nor could he could compensate for their daughter having been adopted by the Headmaster after her real parents passed on. His mind was trying desperately to put all the pieces together when half the pieces were no longer even there.

Zero finally spoke, "I'm…I'm actually pretty surprised your fiancé hasn't told you all this, considering he was there that night too…"

"I was only a child then," Yuki murmured. "That's not something Kaname could just openly discuss with me back that. As for him never telling me, I suppose some stories just fade with time and simply become irrelevant."

"Do they become irrelevant even when they involve family members who are cold-hearted murders?" Zero demanded.

"What…what do you mean?" Yuki questioned.

"I mean, it was your uncle that attacked the Headmaster's family," Zero stated. "Ironically enough, I understand that it was Kaname who took your uncle down, ultimately saving the Headmaster's life… Of course, the real war didn't end for another ten years, when I struck the final blow against your uncle last year when he attacked this very academy in order to achieve his revenge against Kaname. Surely you knew at least knew there was an attack on your own fiancé's life last year. Didn't you have any inkling as to how that began?"

"You're insisting that I just should have known about the Headmaster's daughter," Yuki realized, "but he and I were apart all those years he spent here at the academy. I was left alone in the dark about almost everything, even about what had happened to our parents. It wasn't until just this past year that he finally came home and began to explain everything to me. Strangely enough, not even that was enough to properly explain everything that happened over the course of 10 long years, for those 10 long years come with a preceding history that would take even longer to wholly account for."

"And now he's gone and left you again, leaving nothing behind except a few grains of sands which explain all that has happened," Zero said. "Your life has been filled with nothing but loneliness. Oddly enough, you and I are the same, at least in those respects." Zero was smirking as he never thought he'd ever have something in common with a pureblood. To Yuki, however, it was no laughing matter.

Lonely…She though, the word pierced her more fiercely than even the fangs of a pureblood. She knew Zero had been struggling with so many things, but she never realized that loneliness, the worth possible emotion any vampire or human could ever feel, was so predominately part of his struggles. Was he lonely all because of me?

"Zero, I," Yuki cried out and grabbed at the collar of Zero's jacket. He back away from Yuki, but ultimately didn't actually resist or attempt to remove himself from her grip. They stood there locked in one another's sights.

Kill Kaname Kuran and that girl will be yours…

Yuki Kuran is no one to me, so why I am…why do I have this desire to just…

"You what?" Zero questioned, hoping his spoken words would chase away the thoughts plaguing his mind.

"What?" Yuki whispered.

"You were about to say something, but you just awkwardly went silent," Zero stated. He grabbed her wrist then and removed her hand from his jacket. "Look, I don't care how great your hunger is, if you attempt to pierce my neck with your poison fangs, I will eliminate you. Any vampire who recklessly attacks a human will be sentenced to death."

"I wasn't," Yuki insisted, hurt that he'd interpreted her attempt to reach out to him as an attack on his life, but instead she opted she say, "I'm sorry. I should really learn to better control myself."

"Enough about this, then," Zero scoffed. "We should go see if the Headmaster is ready for us."

Yuki looked over to the kitchen door just in time to see the Headmaster quietly slip back in. "Yes," she replied, "Surely dinner must be ready by now."

The two made their way to the dining room. As they sat down at the table together, the Headmaster popped into the dining room only moments later carrying a tray full of food. The table had already been set with plates, glasses, silverware, and a pitcher of water.

"Ah, you two are already all settled in, how wonderful," The Headmaster beamed as he sat the tray down and began filling Yuki and Zero's plates with its various contents. "I'm so glad we have this opportunity to casually chat about the mission, especially considering we haven't had the chance to talk about these past few days."

"Please tell me you have a lead on Kaname," Zero hissed as the Headmaster set a bowl of soup in front of him. He gaze was so fiery that it caused the soup to let out of puff of steam, having raised a whole ten degrees in less than ten seconds.

"Oh, Zero-kun, you're so impatient!" The Headmaster declared.

"And you are completely ridiculous," Zero grunted under his breath. "Seriously, Headmaster, how long am I seriously going to have babysit Kaname Kuran's fiancée before I get back to my normal duties."

"Until she finds Kaname and I don't care if it takes a hundred years for her to do so," The Headmaster said.

"I swear it's already been at least that much time," Zero insisted.

Yuki spoke, "You know, Mr. Association President, if this mission is too inconvenient for this particular hunter, I would be perfectly satisfied if you opted to assign another to assist me."

"Oh, it's not an inconvenience for him at all. Zero just woke up on the wrong side of the bed. Every day…for the past 10 years," The Headmaster stated.

"Well, in which case, I do have something to report," Yuki stated. Zero glanced at her, half hoping it was something useful, completely expecting it to be completely useless.

"Oh, how wonderful!" The Headmaster cheered. "Tell us, Miss Kuran. What is that you've found?"

"Well, I was talking to the other vampires over at the Moon Dorm and they suggested that we release Serine from the infirmary and follow her since it's a good possibility that she will go running straight back to Kaname." Yuki said.

"Well, that's an idea," The Headmaster considered. "I'm not entirely certain it will work since we're not entirely sure she even knows where Kaname is, but…it's certainly worth a shot. Alright, then, I say we release her first thing in the morning."

Standing up, Zero said, "Finally, this mission has the potential of going somewhere."

"Um, Zero-kun, you haven't even touched your soup," The Headmaster murmured. "Where are you going?"

"To start packing for our trip tomorrow," Zero snapped like it was the most obvious thing in the world.

"Oh, come on, Zero, stay awhile," The Headmaster begged. "You're always working. You need to sit down for a while. Besides, I went to all the trouble to prepare this food for you. Don't tell me you're just going to waste it!"

Sighing, Zero sat back down and muttered, "Fine."

"Good, I'm so glad you're staying," The Headmaster said as he handed Yuki a bowl a soup and then began to fill one up for himself. He sat down himself then and asked, "Well, now that all that nasty association business is sorted out…tell me, how were your days?"

"Well, I had a nice long chat with Yori-chan," Yuki brought up. "That's was pretty nice."

"Wait," Zero spoke, "You know Yori?"

"Uh…" Yuki murmured and blushed. "I…uh, er…I…"

"Of course," The Headmaster put in. "They met the night of the ball when Yori went to visit her other vampire friend and well, she and Yuki just hit it off. Isn't that right, Yuki?"

"Uh, yes, that's right!" Yuki laughed nervously.

"Funny, I don't remember seeing the two of you together," Zero said. "Although, I can't say I remember her other friend all that well either. I guess you all look the same to me, though. You're all just beasts that need to be hunted down."

"Zero!" The Headmaster scolded. "That is no way to speak to our guest!"

"No, it's fine, really," Yuki insisted. "He's right. We vampires have caused nothing but trouble over the centuries. Perhaps it would be best if we were to all just fall of the face of the earth."

"Oh my, Yuki…don't tell me you intend to help Kaname to start killing all the purebloods once you're reunited with him?" The Headmaster gasped.

"No, I won't mindlessly kill like he's doing," Yuki replied. "But, should any other vampire come to his senses and decides he wants to end it all or at least decides that he is tired of living, I would be more than happy to fulfill his wish."

"Yuki, I don't really know if that's the best solution either. I mean, do you really want to taint your own hands like that?" The Headmaster questioned.

"Why not?" Yuki wondered. "You, yourself, Mr. Hunter, have tainted your hands, so why should I hesitate to taint mine. Besides, mine have already been tainted with Rido's blood, so I don't see how there's any going back now."

"Hold on!" Zero demanded. "What do you mean your hands are tainted with Rido's blood? You hadn't even been to this academy until a few days ago and yet you're insisting you played a role in Rido's ultimate demise?"

Damn…that's twice I've slipped up now…

"No…you have been to this academy before," Zero whispered. "That night, you were unconscious on the roof. Kaname gave you his blood to help. I had this intense urge to help you, but you suddenly told me…that Kaname was your brother."

Yuki and the Headmaster exchanged glances. Not even the Headmaster was quite sure how he could explain away this one.

Yes…I was in Yori's room. The two of them were in their…together, when suddenly, Kaname slipped out the window and on to the roof. I was terrified, but, I hadn't even known that she had existed up until that moment.

"I thought…I must have thought that Kaname had kidnapped a human girl and had every intention of devouring her. But then she…you told me that you were his sister. And I left after that…" Zero murmured.

"Zero, are you alright?" The Headmaster wondered.

"My…head hurts," Zero replied.

"Then why don't you go lay down for a while?" The Headmaster suggested. He went around the table to help him up and then guided him to his old room. Yuki watched shaking as the two left the dining room. When the Headmaster returned a few minutes later, he said, "I have Zero all situated in his room. Why don't you go ahead and finish your meal?"

"I'm…not very hungry anymore," Yuki said.

"Alright, then I put the leftovers in the fridge. You go ahead and eat them whenever you are hungry." The Headmaster replied.

"Thank you," Yuki replied and she stood up.