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

"Zero! Hey, Zero, wait up, would you?" Yuki called as she remained stuck at a distance about ten feet behind Zero. He disappeared through the academy's main gates, leaving Yuki standing in the dust that he'd kicked up. Exhausted, Yuki fell to her knees, surrendering the chase.

Why am I so useless during the day?

She stood up after a few moments and started after Zero again. After running just a few steps, though, Akatski's voice came from behind her. "You know you're just wasting your breath chasing after her, right?"

Yuki turned around to see Ruka and Takuma standing on either side of him. She questioned, "How did you know Serine had run off?"

Takuma replied, "Well, we asked some of the…well, lower class night students to act as spies. We were concerned about the presence of the Association and so we opted to take the defensive."

"But, the Association isn't our enemy," Yuki insisted.

"They kill vampires!" Ruka scoffed.

Yuki rebutted, "But only when it's absolutely necessary!"

Akatski spoke, "Alright, calm down, both of you. We have more important things to worry about right now than whether or not the Association is going to attack us in our sleep."

Ruka said, "Well, we wouldn't even be in this situation in the Association had opted to go with our plan rather than risking manipulating it just to make their job easier. Don't you think if we had thought Serine we would listen to reason, one of us would have talked to her ourselves, Lady Yuki?"

"Mr. Yaguri went and did that all on his own," Yuki insisted, "So please don't blame the Association itself."

Laughing, Ruka responded, "Oh don't be so naïve. The President was—

Takuma injected, "Now, now, Ruka, let's not forget that this is our princess we're talking to."

"Right, our princess," Ruka said, "Don't tell me we're seriously just going to sit around and allow the Association to manipulate her!"

Akatski said, "Look, I don't like fraternizing with Association any more than you do, but there's no question that we need Kiryuu if even intend to have a sliver of hope of finding Lord Kaname."

"Hmp! I can't imagine what use that Level E brat is going to be other than bait to satisfy Lord Kaname's hunger..." Ruka grunted.

"He'll be fine…so long as Lady Yuki continues to him to give him her blood," Akatski insisted.

Yuki's eyes grew wide. "You mean know…you know what happened last night?"

"Honestly, we know about every time you gave your blood to Kiryuu. Every. Single. Time." Akatski stated.

Of course…it would be impossible for them to not to…especially considering I know about every single time they drink each other's blood, even all the way in the Moon Dorm…

"Well, then, shall we join the search effort?" Takuma asked.

"It's better than standing around twiddling our thumbs," Ruka said.

Yuki asked, "So you intend to help me and Zero chase after Serine?"

"Um…well, I don't think there will be any chasing at present," Takuma replied. "You see, we're almost positive that Serine hasn't step foot off of this campus."

Yuki wondered, "What makes you think that?"

"She's not the time to risk a futile escape. She's knows Zero would have her cornered in a second if she just ran," Akatski explained. "So instead, she found someplace to hide out here to throw off Zero's scent."

There's not even a sliver of hope of catching Lord Kaname if we don't have Kiryuu…

Zero would have her cornered in a second if she just ran…

Why…why does Akatski believe so much in Zero?

"Alright, that makes sense," Yuki considered. "You guys go ahead and help look for her while I go and get Zero."

"As you wish, Lady Yuki," Takuma smiled. The three aristocrats turned to make their way back toward the main buildings, the four exchanging 'see you a little bits' as they did.

Yuki turned to walk out the gate then.

Zero leaned against the crumbling wall of an abandoned building about a mile away from the academy. His chest rose and fell rapidly and fumbled around in his jacket in search of his blood tablets. He held his breath in the moments that he took to rip the box out and messily pour its contents down throat. More slid down his shirt than ended up in his mouth, but he quickly snatched up the all the stray tablets that he could manage and promptly shoved those in his mouth as well, gasping for a breath of air in between mouthfuls. He let the empty box fall to the ground and slid down as well, resting his back and head on the wall.

I shouldn't have drunk that woman's blood, he thought, leaning his head and shoulders forward as he covered his forehead with his palms, that image she put in my head is messing with it and now I can barely even concentrate on work…

Yuki Kuran was staring wistfully up at Zero, who was adorned in the costume and mask he'd worn the ball on the very same night they met. She watched as Zero, unguarded, bent over and kissed her softly.

Why is she having those thoughts about me? Is she honestly so lonely without Kaname Kuran by her side that she would allow any man or beast to come along and let that person snatch her away from her him?

He licked away the powdery residue that remained on his lips. It tasted bitter, like medicine. He closed his eyes and long for the moment that Yuki Kuran's blood had slipped through his lips, bathed his tongue, and then slid down his burning esophagus.

I drank Sara's blood. I even drank Kaname Kuran's blood. But not even their blood was so refreshing…so perfect. Why is Yuki's blood in a quality in well out of the realm of her own brother's?

Zero shook his then and thought, I have to stop letting myself think like this…

"Zero!" Yuki Kuran's voice suddenly pierced his thoughts. She threw her on the ground then and took hold of Zero's shoulders. She was in such a panic that her shaking caused him to tremble as well, although, he somehow felt soothed by the warmth of her hands as well. "What happened? Are you hurt?"

Zero said nothing. He merely stared at Yuki as fought against the escapade of feelings welling up inside him. Fearing that he midst of a Level E attack, she promptly pressed her throat to his lips and demanded, "Here, just take it! Take it please!"

A chill went down Yuki's spin as she felt the cold tip of Zero's tongue against her skin. She closed her eyes and fought off romantic thoughts of as she dreaded the moment Zero would delve into her mind and discover her feelings were far deeper than either one could comprehend. Zero opened his eyes and upon seeing her bunch of face, he lifted his hand and pushed her away.

Yuki opened up her eyes and stared into Zero's. He burrowed his eyebrows in attempt to express angry instead of admitting that he was too afraid to cause her more pain by digging his fangs into her veins.

"Zero…" Yuki whispered in her tend voice, "Are you okay?"

"I fine," Zero replied, unable to mask the sympathy in his voice or to prevent it from crack as he said, "You really don't really need to worry about me so much."

I honestly don't know what I'd do with myself if I didn't spend all my time worrying about him, Yuki found herself thinking.

"Are you sure?" Yuki asked. "Are you sure that you don't need my blood."

I want it more than you can imagine. But for now, I think I'll be fine. Somehow, just being next to you is enough…

"No, I don't need it right now," Zero insisted.

Kill Kaname Kuran and the girl will be all yours…

Why can't I remember who Sara was talking about…? Why would she even suggest me stealing away Kaname Kuran's fiancée?

Yuki stood in front of Zero, Artemis in hand. She grew nervous as Zero grabbed and his kissed her passionately. The rubble cause by Zero's battle with Rido and the vines of the Bloody Rose could be seen clearly behind Zero in the moments before Yuki closed her eyes.

A kiss shared with Kaname Kuran's fiancée at the ball he'd attend recently. A kiss shared with that mysterious Pureblood on the battlefields of one of the darkest nights Cross Academy ever had to live through.

Why did I see those distinct images and in such distinct places…?

"Yu…Miss Kuran," Zero impulsively addressed Yuki, intending to ask this question aloud. But when Yuki responded, he merely said, "We should get back to the hunt."

Yuki nodded and she stood up, she began to explain what was going on back on campus.

"Rima! Shiki!" Yuki blurted out the two vampire's names and she burst through the Moon Dormitories front doors. "Has Serine been found yet?"

"No," Rima scoffed. "What did you expect? She's barely even been missing an hour…"

"Oh," Yuki whispered, "Is there anything I can do?"

Shiki grunted, "You're asking us what you should do? And here I thought you were the one in charge here…"

"Right," Yuki realized.

"I don't even know why you're bothering, though," Rima sighed. "The plan's been blown sky high thanks to that stupid Association President. Serine would die before she'd knowingly lead us to Kaname."

"What you mean thanks to the Association President?" Yuki questioned, angered by the thought that her respected adopted father had anything do with messing up what she could perceive as her last chance of finding Kaname.

"Oh, come on, wake up, it's totally obvious that it was Kaien Cross's idea!" Aidou blurted. He had been sulking in a corner by himself rather than socializing with his two old companions. He came out long enough, though, to approach Yuki and practically spit in her face. "This is all because him and his ridiculous pacifist ideals! He thought that he if he get Serine to join his side then she would just roll out the red carpet in front of Kaname's hiding place. But he thought wrong! Serine would never betray Lord Kaname!"

"So…it really is all over then," Yuki whispered as tears started forming in her eyes. "There's no way we're going to find Kaname now. More innocent vampires are going to die. And then once he purifies this world of what he thinks it needs to be immediately purified of…he's just going throw himself into the Parent Furnace and leave me behind…just like all those other times before…"

"Your wrong, Yuki," Aidou spoke, "Kaname would never just leave you behind. I guarantee you that he is satisfied to know that you are safe under the careful watch of Zero, me, and all the other Night Class students. I guarantee he would have never would have blatantly left you behind if he thought your safety was in jeopardy for even a second."

"That's not the same as actually being here with me, holding me in his arms and protecting me himself," Yuki stated.

"Well even if that isn't enough for you, it's enough for me," Aidou claimed. Then he declared, "It's enough for me to believe that we can use Kaname's own sense of security against him. Yes! Yuki, there is still one last hope the lead Kaname directly and willing into the Association's hand.

"How?" Yuki wondered.

"You can die!" Aidou shouted as he plunged towards Yuki and pinned her against the door.

"Hanabusa, what are you doing?" Rima demanded as Zero ripped out the Bloody Rose and held up to Aidou's head.

"How fitting a revenge this is going to be," Aidou grinned maliciously. "Kaname took away someone very dear to me, so now, I'm going to take away someone dear to him!"