A/N: Annnd continuing on our merry wayyyy~ The chapter you've all been waiting for (drumroll plz!).

Disclaimer: Don't own VK.

"It has always struck me, the way we humans respond to death compared to vampires. We try to erect graves to remember those of us that have left us behind. Even when there's nothing left to bury inside that grave… I wonder which way is better…"

It had been an odd conversation with the Chairman, a suddenly serious and melancholy turn to his usual giddy disposition. Zero wasn't sure who the Chairman had been remembering, or what he had been thinking about, but as a result, Zero found himself in front of the nearby graveyard, with a bouquet of fresh flowers in his hand.

He wasn't sure why he had felt such a strong need to come to this place, but once he stepped through the gates, it felt as though a weight had been lifted off his shoulders; like he had needed to come here. Perhaps he had only been delaying what was inevitable: acceptance of his brother's death.

Making his way through the rows of graves, he had to wonder if he would have a grave here when he died. Or, because he was now a vampire, would he merely drift away, forgotten ash spilled to the winds? Somehow, the thought seemed comforting. When he died, all the taint of his twisted body, infected with vampirism, would dissolve into nothingness, as though it had never been. There would be no grave to remember that sin. Or any vampire's sin.

"What do you think, Kiryuu-kun? After all, even though you became a vampire, part of you is still human, right?"

No. That was wrong. His whole existence was wrong now. Corrupted. Unclean.

But her eyes had been the same. Different, but the same… The same… Not so changed that they were no longer human… He grit his teeth. She, too, would become nothing more than ash.

He stopped before his brother's grave, placing the flowers beside the tombstone. The pain of Ichiru's death was still new, and it made him infinitely sad. He knelt down, laying on top of the stone slab and feeling strangely close to his twin. Out of the two of them, he should have been the one to die. Not his brother. Ichiru had still been human, even while Zero had been changed.

"Ichiru…" he whispered, though he knew his brother was beyond hearing now.

He continued speaking to the grave, to his brother's spirit. Somehow, even though he knew no one could hear him, he liked to think that he could still talk to him now. "I wonder…if there really is any chunk of humanity left inside me…"

Every day was an agony. He only felt the intense thirst, the madness that welled up inside him and drove him to kill at night. He actually took pleasure in it, to hunt down the Level E vampires as if they were animals. They had become his prey. Sometimes, the hunt was the only thing that kept him sane. He couldn't deny how much he enjoyed…even delighted…in the anticipation, the thrill, every time he caught one of them… It was a feeling he knew, like his bloodlust, that could only truly be expressed and understood by a vampire.

"Ichiru, I'm already… I can't remember…" His fingers dug against the stone uselessly. "…How it felt to be human…"

He felt like he was choking. He wanted to remember. If only he could regain it… But the only time he had felt remotely close to that old existence was when Yuuki had reminded him of it at the ball, with her eyes and expressions and words. It was ironic. The only person who could revive any essence of humanity left in him was a vampire.

A voice seemed to echo through the corridors of his mind, one so familiar that his breath caught sharply in his throat. "Why are you talking to the grave?"

Ichiru..?

But he knew his brother was already dead. The voice that spoke to him now was in his own head. It was a painful memory of what he had lost. If he concentrated, it was almost like Ichiru was there with him now.

"I'm not even inside that grave," Zero could hear him saying. "The only place I am is inside of you."

He exhaled slowly against the stone grave. It was true. He had drunk in all of his brother's essence, in the end. The two broken halves of their existences had become one in that moment. His brother still lived on within him.

"Did you finally decide to listen to my voice? Did you finally decide to accept what happened one year ago?" Ichiru was asking from within his head, from within his veins.

Yes, he was was trying to hear. Trying to accept that his brother was gone now. Trying to remember the sound of his twin's voice, the features of his face, so like his own…

"Hey, Zero, what are humans? Because, you know, there are humans that desire to take the blood of purebloods, just as vampires do. So what is this 'humanity' you speak of?"

He clenched his teeth. No, they were different. Vampires were far less than human, something dangerously different, something unclean… But his brother's words, imagined or not, rang through his head. Her eyes had been the same… They could still reach inside of him and remind him of what it was like, before.

"You're always so serious, forcing yourself to cool your head and trying to hold yourself in check, but… Whatever you do, there's one thing I don't want you to get wrong… That is, the meaning of the words I told you that day: Live on, and fulfill your goal."

Of course he had to be serious. If he weren't, he might break apart. Without her…

How could he even begin to fulfill his goal? The only thing he had truly wanted was to make Yuuki happy. And she was happier with Kuran, wasn't she? So this was the way things had to be, for her own good…

But then, why had her eyes been so sad? Why had her fingers trembled as she'd grasped his shirt, and why had it looked as though she was about to shatter into a million pieces when he'd turned to leave? He pressed his fist against the stone until he felt the pattern become ingrained in his flesh. There was no way he could possibly make her happy. Not when she was so enamored with Kuran, and when Zero himself was so twisted and broken. So undeserving of that sweet sunshine…

When had it become like this? His control was slipping. She was the pureblood princess now, and he should hate her for the mere fact of her existence. Yet, it seemed that he could not do so… Seeing her once again, just as she'd always been… He couldn't sustain that hatred. It seemed that Ichiru's memory was forcing him to accept his own feelings, just as he'd had to accept his twin's death.

He still loved her. He still wanted her by his side.

His fist pounded uselessly against the stone. He had to push her away. He was lying to himself if he thought that he could kill her, or that he didn't need her. The thought of completely ending her existence made him shake. He had been moving through his daily life under the pretense that killing all vampires was the most important goal, but it was wrong, completely wrong. The truth was that, really…she was still the center of his existence, the only thing that mattered. That was why he still had her letters, strewn about his room. They were all he had physically left of her now, except that one photograph.

Most important of all was that she should be happy. He would only make her miserable. He had done it before, dragging her down into the darkest abyss along with him, tearing her body apart with his raging thirst. She deserved so much more than that… She deserved things that only Kaname Kuran could give her. She had chosen rightly to go with him, and she had to stay there, no matter how nostalgic she was feeling. They could no longer be friends, not only because they had become so different, but also because he didn't want to touch her with the black stain that his life had become.

Aside from all that, he could not forget that her entire life had been centered around Kuran. He could still hear her from their days at the academy, her tone filled with such adoration for the pureblood that it nearly made him sick. He couldn't stand to hear those words, because deep down…what he wanted…

What he wanted… He opened his eyes, staring out across the lines of tombstones. What he wanted was for her to love him back. That had never changed. It was for that reason, too, that they could not meet again. He had to enforce for her that there was a distance that could never be bridged between them. If not…he wasn't sure how long he could continue to hold his emotions in check.

He sat up abruptly. The breeze had changed direction, now, bringing with it the presence of another vampire. If he concentrated, it was almost like sunshine… He stood then, feet propelling him forward, back towards the gate. If it was her…

If it was her, what? Hadn't he just been thinking that he needed to demonstrate more fully the distance between them? He should consider this an opportunity.

He took a breath, forcing himself continue forward. He had to show her that he was a hunter, and that he had made a promise that should drive them both far apart forever. He had to be completely gone from her life in order for her to be truly happy. Maybe, unconsciously, he knew that was why he couldn't respond to another of her letters.

The sight that greeted him at the gate, however, was not what he had been expecting. Yuuki was there, as he'd known she would be, the scent of sunshine making his senses reel with desire. However, she was on the ground, breathing hard, her back turned to him. The blond vampire he despised so much was there as well, obviously panicked by whatever was going on. His scent made Zero gag.

"So-sorry, I'm okay," Yuuki was saying, voice rough as she clutched her throat.

"No way! There's no way you're okay!" the other vampire cried.

He stood in the gateway, eyes dark upon them. Now was his chance. If he just pulled his gun out right now... If he pushed her away once and for all from him…

…That scent of sunshine would be gone from his life forever…

"Zero… No matter what… Part of my heart is still attached to you!"

Dammit. No matter what, for him, too…

She turned towards him, recognizing his scent. He caught the red gleam in her eyes. Vampire. Why couldn't he seem to understand that anymore? He had known it since the day Kuran had ripped her from humanity and the academy. He should still understand that.

She stood, then, closing her eyes for a moment so that when she opened them again they had returned to brown. That gentle, liquid brown that he remembered… Even so, he could still detect, glimmering under the surface, that hint of red that she could not repress. She smiled though, when she saw him, and he could tell that she was actually happy to see him.

That idiot… She could never seem to hide the way she felt at all. Not when she was happy, or worried, or sad. He almost relaxed, almost let the hardness of his expression slip away before he caught himself. His fist clenched. This was not before, at the academy. This was now, and things were different. Even if she didn't like how they had changed. Even if she wanted to return to that time… If only they both could…

"Hey!" Aidou jumped up, concerned for Yuuki. "You shouldn't be moving around!"

"Err…" She seemed at a loss. Then, "Huh…good evening!" She gave Zero a silly grin with her usual sheepish face.

Before he could say anything, however, she suddenly collapsed. Aidou just barely managed to catch her with a shout of, "Hey! Yuuki Cross!"

For a moment, Zero felt a black mood descending. To call her by that name… Her human name… He mastered himself. Clearly, the blond was completely incapable of doing anything right now. Though he had kept his mood from falling back into complete darkness, he still felt ticked off. He and Yuuki had to be enemies now. Yet, he found himself in a situation yet again where that could not be the case.

With a sigh, he stepped forward, plucking the pureblood away from Aidou and dumping her over his shoulder unceremoniously.

"Come on," he grumbled. "I know a place nearby where we can lay her down so that she rests for now." It was pretty clear, at least to him, that all she really needed was blood. Wasn't Kuran giving that to her, though? He felt a little more pissed off.

"Ah. Yes. Okay," the blond replied dumbly, following along after him.

Zero glanced back over his shoulder at the other vampire. Considering the ineptitude Aidou had just displayed, not to mention his previous behavior at the academy, Zero could hardly believe that he was assigned as Yuuki's guardian. Or that he had the nerve to try to give Zero advice.

"If I were in your place, I'd face my adversary openly, no matter how many times it might take, and take what I want from him."

The sides of his mouth tilted downwards. The black mood was descending on him after all.

The building Kiryuu led them to was not far from the graveyard. Grey, small, and nondescript, it blended easily into the street. It would have been easy to miss even if he had known it was there. There was no sign on the exterior, or even an address. The hunters certainly knew how to keep themselves hidden.

Aidou stared at the other's back as they entered, assessing. He wasn't entirely certain of the hunter's motives, but he was sure of two things: Kiryuu hadn't pulled a gun out when he had first seen them, and he still cared for Yuuki, whether he would admit it or not. Both of those facts went a long way toward reassuring him.

He glanced around the hall then, taking in his surroundings. The inside of the building was as nondescript as the outside. White-walled hallways with wooden floors. There was no artwork on the walls, no offices. Just plain, unassuming doors on either side of him. He couldn't have even guessed as to what purpose this particular building served.

"There's no one else here tonight, so all the rooms are free," Zero said finally. He had stopped in front of one of the doors.

"I'll be on watch duty, then, outside the door. I'm trying to figure out if there's anything we can do for her right now," Aidou answered. He wondered if Kiryuu would actually take advantage of the opportunity he was giving him right now. If Kiryuu wanted a second chance to talk to Yuuki, this was it. Or, if he really wanted to change the way things were… What Yuuki needed right now was blood, after all. Kiryuu would be stupid as hell not to notice that much.

He stopped himself suddenly. What the heck was he thinking?! Yuuki was engaged to Kaname-sama. Kaname-sama loved Yuuki, and Aidou had devoted himself to serve the Kuran family. Why was he randomly cheering on Kiryuu, then?! If anything, he should be trying his hardest to prevent them from ever seeing each other again.

He nearly sighed out loud. It was all Yori's fault, really. She wanted Yuuki to come back to Kiryuu, after all. But, more importantly, she had shown him what true thirst really meant… And it was clear to him that what Yuuki and Kiryuu were experiencing was really no different. Kaname-sama's blood could never sate her, and she was only betraying his trust by denying what she truly wanted. So really, this was the best way to serve Kaname-sama. Or, that was what he was going to tell himself.

"Blood tablets," the hunter replied neutrally. "Just give her a bunch of them when she regains consciousness and that's it."

Aidou watched as the silver-haired vampire took her into the room, closing the door behind them with his foot. Blood tablets? Was he serious? Aidou was giving him a once in a lifetime chance here; he should be appreciative. But then again… If he wasn't intending to so much as talk to her…why close the door?

He grinned, leaning back against the wall and muttering, "You better be damn grateful for this, Kiryuu."

The world was swaying back and forth in a slow tempo that lulled her back and forth between unconsciousness and reality. The tide that carried her to and from the soothing black in her mind also brought to her a nostalgic scent that made her ache. She inhaled deeply. It was ethereal and sweet as moonlight, lapping and tugging at her senses with the gentle hands of a lover. Beneath the scent, she felt the deep, slow drum of blood, anchoring her within that fine mist of moonlight and memory.

Her eyes swam through the murk of dreams, searching for something to latch onto so that she might regain consciousness. Instead, colors flashed by in streams of ink, intangible. There was the soft brush of feathers or grass against her face. Somehow, reality had faded away so completely that she was no longer certain if she was asleep or awake.

But that scent, it was so close…

Struggling, her limbs feeling as though they were rubber, she tried to pull herself into awareness, closer to the smell that was tantalizingly near. Her fingers grasped at something solid, and she drew closer to the touch of feathers or grass, opening her eyes heavily.

She was surely dreaming.

The soft brush was silvery hair, tangled now in her fingers as she drew closer to the pale neck emblazoned with the familiar tattoo. The pulse of his blood beat against her skin, an echo of the rhythm of her own heart. She shuddered, pressing herself close against him, feeling the heat of his body and the pain of months of separation. Even in her dream, she felt the sting of tears against the back of her eyes. Here, in this imaginary moment, at last…

She was home.

Zero, let me stay here. Take me home, she thought, fingers digging deeper against him, clutching him there because she knew that as soon as she woke he would be gone.

Her tongue ran lightly across the surface of the tattoo. She shivered, throat tighter than she could remember. At least here inside the dream she could taste the blood she craved so acutely. Her fangs brushed against the skin now, anticipating.

No. Not yet. She wanted to look into the purple of those eyes first, to see that familiar, tender expression that had been for her and her alone. She raised herself up a little, turning her head to look.

Her eyes slammed into his. Tormented, turbulent, and torn. That gaze jolted her back to herself in the merest of instants. It wasn't a dream. This was the reality. Her eyes widened suddenly. What she had done… What she had almost done…

"…Put me on the ground," she whispered, feeling cold.

"If you can stand by yourself…" he answered.

"I can…thank you."

He set her down carefully. For a moment, her legs felt weak, but then strengthened another moment later. She remembered now, quite clearly, all that had happened. The bloodlust that nearly maddened her… She could feel it now, ripping and clawing through the back of her mind. She could not let it take over here. Not when there was a chance that Zero might take the opportunity to shoot her the moment it did, and not when his blood was all but forbidden to her.

The words flashed through her mind: The next time I see you somewhere, I will kill you.

Would he? Here, now? After he had carried her here himself? Or had that only been to separate her from Aidou so that there wouldn't be anyone to stop him? She wanted to believe that something had changed. She wanted to believe, from that brief moment at the ball, that he hadn't truly meant those words.

"I'm sorry," she murmured, still feeling a chill spreading over her. She hated this. She forced herself to smile, "I'm really sorry for always being such a scatterbrain!" She rubbed her hand behind her neck awkwardly, feeling her heart thumping and twisting in her chest, but trying her best to ignore it.

His eyes shot to her arm as his hand reached forward to wrap around her wrist. "Are you still wearing that bracelet?"

She bit her lip, but nodded. "Of course. It's a precious keepsake."

His eyebrows jerked together, lips arcing downwards. He stepped towards her, bringing her wrist against the side of his neck. "Then use it, if you're so hungry. To force me to submit to you. The magic to subdue should still be there now."

He was testing her. She glared at him, suddenly angry. Why did he try to provoke her into doing something that would give him a valid reason to kill her? Did he really want that? She wrenched her hand free, saying, "There is no use for something other than Level E."

Was this truly the way it had to be? Even when it made her feel like she was going to break apart at any moment? They had only become enemies recently, but did they have to remain enemies? She wasn't sure if she would be able to bear it much longer, if Zero was not in her life. Even though she had chosen…

I still love you… The thought was a terrible ache.

He half turned away from her, hiding the emotions that simmered beneath his eyes. His fingers clenched slowly into fists, then back out again. He seemed to be struggling with himself, as she had seen so many times back at the academy. Only this time, she couldn't comfort him.

"You're still the same…" the whisper was almost a hiss.

She wrapped her arms around herself for a moment, then looked at him plaintively. What was the use in hiding anything? It was only driving them further and further apart. If she didn't do something, there would be nothing left.

"Zero…I can't take this. I don't wish for things to be like this." Her voice was firm, clear, but within it she couldn't quite disguise the hurt and sorrow she felt so keenly.

She heard him take a breath. When he looked at her again, she could see the swirl of darkness there, though she couldn't begin to guess his thoughts. His eyes had become so hard and unrelenting, even to her.

"This is the only way things can be," he answered, voice stiff.

She could feel it again. Once more, her heart was splintering with his words. "Stop…" she begged, but she feared her words were lost somewhere in his inner darkness, without being heard.

Abruptly, he turned away once more, forcefully, fist striking the wall. His shoulders were trembling again.

Although her every instinct warned her to stay back, to keep her distance, Yuuki moved. Zero was always suffering, always trapped by forces beyond his control. Even now, she knew, everything had spiraled away from him, and he was caught once more. It wasn't fair that he always had to suffer this way.

Cautiously, she walked in front of him, hands gently taking hold of his fist and bringing it to her face, where she leaned her cheek against it. She needed him to know that she was there. That she still cared. Even if knowing that would only hurt them both in the end.

His eyes widened slightly, flaring with emotions she couldn't name. The moment hung suspended in the air. And then, somehow, she felt a little of the ice melt from his eyes. She felt, just barely, the muscles in his arm relax. She thought, too, that even his expression softened slightly.

"Yuuki… How are you going to be a pureblood leader when you let all your emotions show on your face?" he asked.

She gave a short laugh. It felt more like a stab of pain. She missed him so badly that her entire body felt hollow and knotted. She wasn't sure if the prick in her eyes was from tears or thirst or both, now.

Zero's face smoothed a little, and it seemed as though the storm there had calmed a bit. He drew his hand back from her, towards him, and sank his teeth into his own wrist. Her whole body shuddered violently as the scent and sight of his blood shot through her. She took a step back, shocked, as he offered his wrist to her.

"Drink it, Yuuki. You're still weak, and you can't stay like this," his eyes were as unreadable as ever. But, was it just her imagination, or did they seem to have regained a little of their old gentleness, now?

She shook her head. She could not, even though the world was turning and blurring, even though her thirst was so bad. Not any thirst. Thirst for this blood, for this person. For a moment, something wild nearly took a hold of her, something that would have sent her over the edge, tumbling into the vampiric side of herself completely and utterly. It had never been this bad before. Not for Kaname, not for anyone… She bit down on her tongue hard, but the taste of her own blood only made it worse. Compared to that bitter taste, his would be… She shut her eyes. She could not take this blood. Not just because it would be a betrayal of her brother, but also because a small piece of her still wasn't sure if he would kill her because of it.

His words seemed to echo her thoughts. "I won't do anything, Yuuki. I won't attack you. Drink it."

She was losing. She could sense his blood running through his veins, feel her control slipping, inch by inch. She shuddered, holding herself still as quick, intense waves of increasing thirst rolled through her. Her fangs were cutting into her lip, her throat so dry now that it felt hot and broken.

There was nothing she could do to fight this. The feeling was too intense, too demanding. Her hands trembled as she took his wrist, tongue darting out to taste the blood she had wanted for so many months. But when the taste hit her tongue, she felt another violent seizure of bloodlust. It wasn't enough. Not nearly enough. Just that small taste…

Before she was fully aware of it, she had already wrapped her arms around his neck, fangs sliding into the skin imprinted with the pattern of his tattoo.

She drank him in. She drank in the love she was sure she would never regain. She drank in her childhood, her lost humanity, and her deepest desires. She drank him in until she wasn't sure where her consciousness ended and his began.

Home. It was the taste of home.

He should kill her.

A vampire was feeding off of him now, just the same as the first time, when he had been transformed. She was drinking his blood. That was, in true essence, a vampire. There was nothing else she could have done that would have proved more that she had changed. Despite that, he already knew that in her heart what was essentially Yuuki had not changed at all. The girl who was holding him close now, nourishing herself on his blood, was the same girl that he had gone to school with. The same girl that he had always loved.

She may be a vampire now, but no matter how much he tried to convince himself that she was, that she had been changed into a monster as he had been, she still seemed human to him. And unlike the bite that had changed him into a vampire, hers felt different. Yuuki's bite had been gentle, if edged with the roughness of her thirst. She had still managed to control it despite that, to keep it from hurting him so much. Not that he would have cared about the pain anyway. Even now, her feeding was deliberate, gauged in tempo so as not to take too much at once, or to cause him any pain. His lips twisted in a bitter wince. She was still compassionate even at her most vampiric.

As much as he wanted to deny it, he could not suppress the contentment he felt to have her back, so close to him. It felt right to have her there, arms around him and body against his, with the scent of her blood, so imbued with sunshine, suffusing his senses. Her genetics had changed, but she was still as warm and soft as the Yuuki he remembered. Her embrace was still so very gentle…

As if in response to his thoughts, he felt her arms tighten almost imperceptibly around him. His arms twitched. He wanted to pull her closer, to return that embrace. He wanted to lean against her and give in for once, to remember what it felt like to simply breathe again. Without the pain. Instead, he locked himself into place. He would not submit to that part of himself. She had her place now, and he had his. This was only a small favor, because he had been feeling particularly nostalgic today, and because Aidou had been so completely useless. He seriously doubted if the blond vampire had even thought to bring any blood tablets with him.

Even if he told himself that… he knew it was a lie. His nerves were burning through his skin. Every part of him, all of the repressed desires and emotions, were bubbling up now in insistent demand. She was finally beside him again. He could finally feel the soft texture of her skin and smell the warm fragrance of her hair. Even if she was feeding off of him now as a vampire, her bite held none of the violence and filth that he remembered from Shizuka. Instead, it brought Yuuki even closer to him. Her bite felt almost tender.

He tried to calm himself. This was only a favor. He needed to keep telling himself that, even though he knew deep down that he wanted her to share this intimacy with him. He couldn't seem to repress how much he cared for her… How much he loved her…

Dammit.

No. He was only doing this because she had been weakened, and Kuran clearly wasn't caring for her the way he should be. Zero couldn't just leave her as she was. Yuuki should never have been reduced to a state like this. Just what the hell was Kuran doing? If he wasn't even going to properly care for her like she deserved, then why was Zero holding himself back for their sake, anyway?

For a moment, he paused mentally to clear his head. It was better to remain distant. It was the only way that Yuuki could find happiness. Away from him. He couldn't start thinking that she might not be happy with Kuran, because the blemish of his existence would drag her down like a leaden anchor. Even if it wasn't near him, even if it didn't shine on him any longer, he needed to know that sunshine still existed somewhere.

He needed to keep himself away from her.

Yuuki released him then, stepping back, her expression a little shocked at herself. She had taken a good amount of blood, but not enough to leave him feeling any weakness. She was still being thoughtful of him. She was always far too thoughtful of him. Why couldn't she just leave him alone and be thoughtful of herself for once? But then, if she wasn't being considerate of others, she wasn't really being Yuuki, either.

Her eyes glanced up at him, uncertainty flickering in their depths. He remained motionless for a moment, gathering his will. He had to demonstrate that there was distance between them that simply could not be bridged. To her, and to himself. His resolve to remain apart from her, as enemies, was continually crumbling. He needed to strengthen it.

"Well?" he asked frostily. "Are you done?"

"What happened?!" Aidou burst in through the door. Despite his hopes, for an instant he had been afraid that Kiryuu had actually shot Yuuki. He hadn't been able to restrain himself any longer, terrified that she might die because he had left them alone together.

Instead, he saw Yuuki looking as though she might cry. "Sorry, I'm so sorry," he heard her say.

"No…" Kiryuu said.

It only took him a moment to process what had happened. She had actually drank Kiryuu's blood? It was not what he had expected, but definitely a solid indication of her desire for it. She would have been able to hold herself back, otherwise. She certainly had been able to hold back her thirst in Kaname-sama's presence, lately.

His mind flipped back again. Was she really that much of an idiot? Was he really that much of an idiot, for letting it happen? Didn't they both know how Kaname-sama would react to that? He felt a headache coming on.

"Are you okay?" he demanded, ignoring the hunter for the moment. At least he hadn't pulled out a gun. Or…he shot Kiryuu a sidelong glance. Had he actually listened when Aidou had spoken to him at the ball? Was he actually going to start fighting for Yuuki now? That would be nothing short of a miracle.

"I'm fine," she gave him a shaky smile that was suddenly cut short as she visibly paled.

Behind him, the dark hound from the mansion padded into the room, eyes fixed on Yuuki. Aidou grimaced, cold dread washing over him. Kaname might be upset with Yuuki, but if that were true, he would be a hundred-fold more furious with Aidou. There was nothing quite as terrifying as the pureblood's wrath, and Aidou was sure he'd be receiving more than his usual share of it.

"It's okay onii-sama…" Yuuki told the animal in a murmur. "I want to go home… It's okay if I'm punished…"

Before she had even finished the sentence, it seemed, the wolf melted into a thousand black-winged bats, and in the next instant both the animal and Yuuki had vanished.

"Shit," Aidou muttered, forgetting the hunter as images of Kaname-sama's various methods of punishment and torture flipped through his head. "Shit, shit, shit." He rushed out of the room, the silver-haired vampire completely forgotten. He had to get to the train station as soon as possible.

The worst part? It actually was his fault this time.

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