The rest of the week goes by slowly, but peacefully. The vampires leave me alone, specifically Kaname. I don't get into any weird trouble. Everything goes well, and then Saturday appears. I wake up early and have breakfast and a tutoring session with Yuki and Zero. Zero may hate me but he seemed to think that Yuki wasn't capable of tutoring me well enough, so he volunteered to help. Or maybe Kaien put him up to it. Either way, I spent my morning with them. As the afternoon arrives, I head back to the Moon Dorm to meet with Hanabusa and Akatsuki. As I walk up to the dorm, Hanabusa and Akatsuki walk out.

"Hana," I say almost excitedly. I have a flashback to my first night of classes.

"Hey, Rose," Hanabusa says. "Can we talk for a moment?"

I nod and Akatsuki looks at both of us. "I'll just meet you both at the training area," he says as he walks away.

"What's going on between us?" Hanabusa asks.

I sigh. I knew this moment was coming, but I didn't know how to prepare for it. "Nothing bad, I mean... I mean... I don't know," I finally say.

"Are we still together? You've avoided me all week. I understand I upset you, but when I tried to apologize-"

"I thought Kaname put you up to it," I interrupt. "I thought the only reason you apologized was because Kaname told you you had to."

Hanabusa stares at me for a moment. "Why don't you like Lord Kaname?"

I make fists with my hands and sigh. "I lived with him and Ichijo for several years. For seven long years to be exact," I say.

"Why have you never told me?"

"Hanabusa, we haven't even been together a year. I didn't think that was something to tell someone anyway," I mutter. "Besides, I didn't tell you I was a pureblood until I told you I was coming here to school."

Hanabusa looks at me with a shocked expression. "Oh no, I should be referring to you as Lady Rose, I'm so sorry!"

I punch him in the shoulder. "You will do no such thing. I hate being treated like that."

Hanabusa rubs his shoulder and nods. "Yes, Rose. I'm sorry."

I scream with my mouth shut. "This is why I didn't want to tell you, and partly why I was afraid to come. I didn't want everyone to change because I was here. I thought that Kaien's pacifism was strong and that all vampire students believed in it, but apparently I was wrong. And maybe I was wrong about you actually loving me, too," I say without thinking. I pause and look at him, how hurt he seems from what I just said.

"I told you, we do ask Kaname asks. But I thought we loved each other," Hanabusa says,

"I thought so, too. But people who love each other understand each other, and I don't know if I understand you anymore or not." We stand in silence for a moment as a breeze flows through our hair. I take Hanabusa's hand and kiss it. "Maybe we can try again in the future?"

He nods and turns around. "Let's just get your training started."

I nod and we walk to the training area, which is just behind the dorms. For the next five hours, we do nothing but try to get my vampire powers to work. At some point, Kaname has wondered his way to watching me train. I don't really like it, but I"m trying to stay focused on my progress. Finally, I just get mad and scream.

"Rose, you're doing fine," Akatsuki reassures me. "You've never been in tune with your vampireness before."

I wipe tears out of my eyes and turn around and glare at Kaname. "You're making me nervous!"

Kaname walks up to me and pats me on the head. "You're doing fine. Besides, I don't know that your powers will come to you this way."

I could scream I'm so mad. "What the hell does that mean? You told me one weekend!"

"You have to want the powers, Rose. You have to want to be a vampire," Kaname says.

"But I don't want to be a vampire," I reply. "Honestly, I don't even want to exist!" I say in defeat. I plop down on the ground and begin to cry. "I miss my family, Kaname. I know you keep telling me they weren't my real family, but they raised me! They fed me, they clothed me, they took care of me when I was sick."

Kaname kneels down beside me and caresses my cheek. "I tried to show you as much kindness as they did when you lived with Ichijo and I," Kaname says.

I push his hand away and push him over as I stand up. I stand above him an glare down at him.

"You can't do that to Lord Kaname, Rose!" Hanabusa exclaims.

I look up at Hanabusa. "I just did. What's he gonna do about it?" I look back down to Kaname as he stands up and dusts himself off.

"I know you hate me, but you don't understand me at all," Kaname says as he makes eye contact with me.

"I don't want to understand you."

Hanabusa tries to say something, but I walk away. I run out of the gates and to the water fountain in the middle of the school. I dunk my head in it and scream. How foolish am I to think that this was a good idea? I think to myself. I lift my head out of the water and scream out of pure shock this time. I turn around and see Zero standing behind me.

"What the hell are you doing there?" I ask him.

"Wondering what you're doing out of the Moon Dorm," he says bitterly.

I calm my heart beat and look at him. "I don't belong there, so I ran off." Zero stares at me silently. "I had a fight, alright? Vampires can have arguments, too."

"Especially you," he adds.

I roll my eyes. "Kaien told me about your family. Well, I already knew about your family, but I didn't realize who you were. I'm sorry," I say.

Anger wells up in his eyes and pours out of his mouth. "Don't you dare think this puts us on the same level, vampire. You are nothing like me!"

"But we both grew up in Vampire Hunter families," I try to add.

"You are the sole reason your family is dead. If you hadn't lived with them, they never would have been murdered," Zero says,

Tears start to distort my eyesight. "You think I wanted them to die? If I had it to do over, I would have never had myself placed in their care as a human! But I didn't have a choice! I don't even know why I was put there, or why Shizuka attacked them!" I shout.

Zero stays silent for a moment. "You don't even know the same pain as me."

"Alright, try me," I say.

"Tch. Like you're gonna get anything out of me."

I stare at him for a long moment. That's when I notice the tattoo on his neck. I've never noticed that before. Well, I've never talked to him this long before. But that tattoo, that's a vampire hunter spell tattoo. Wait!

"Zero, did she bite you?" I ask him slowly.

If looks could kill, I would be an ash pile right now. In fact, he pulls his gun out and points it at my heart. "Don't think you know a thing about me!"

I flinch and take a step back. "Zero, I didn't mean to step over a boundary, I'm so sorry."

I back up into the water fountain, still crying. Zero puts his gun back in his pocket and sighs. "For some reason, fate would have me feeling sorry for you."

I wipe my tears and sit down on the edge of the water fountain. "Can we talk about it? Our families deaths?" I ask.

"Just because I feel sorry for you doesn't mean I want to talk to you, vampire," Zero says as he leaves.

Alone, I am so alone, I think to myself as I continue to wipe my tears away. I've never actually spoken to anyone about the day my family died. Not even Kaname. In fact, I didn't speak at all the first year after all of that had happened. But then I realized there was nothing I could have done to change the outcome. Shizuka wanted to restore my vampireness, for some reason. But Kaien, I think he knows, I think to myself. I stand up and hurriedly make my way to his office. But as I get to his door, I realize it's the weekend. So I go to his house on campus and knock on that door. Within a few moments, he answers it.

"Rose, I wasn't expecting to see you," Kaien says.

"I want to know about my family, and why Shizuka targeted my family," I say as I walk in quickly, afraid he would object to the information.

I hear him sigh and shut the door. "Rose, now is not a good time," Kaien says.

I turn around and look him dead in the eyes. "I'm tired of not knowing about my past, and I know you know something. So spit it out."

Kaien looks nervously behind me, and I turn around to find Toga standing there.

"Rose, once you know the truth you can never forget it," Toga says.

I shake my head. "I don't care. If knowing the truth would help me figure out my place in this world, then I'm willing to take my chances," I say.

Kaien steps in front of me and motions for me to follow him, with Toga following me. We end up in a room with two couches. Kaien sits down on one, I sit down on the other, and Toga stands off to the side.

"Rose, Toga isn't lying. Once you know all of this, you can't forget it," Kaien repeats.

I nod. "I have to know. At least as much as you know." Kaien shifts in his seat, as if he doesn't know where to start. "My mother and father, who were they? I assume they're both actually dead."

Kaien shakes his head. "Unfortunately your father is dead. He was a better vampire than most. We shared a lot of the same ideas about my pacifism." He takes a long pause.

"And my mother?" I ask, a little frightened. I have this sick feeling I already know who she is. But maybe I'm wrong. Maybe it's just a dark idea.

"Rose, Kaname and I both agree that you aren't ready to learn who your mother is," Kaien says finally.

I stand up and point my finger at him. "No! You don't get to hold information from me! If you don't tell me, then I'll leave this campus and find out on my own," I say threateningly.

Toga and Kaien look at each other. "Rose," Toga begins, "who do you think your mother is?"

I look at Toga and a shiver creeps up my spine. "I'm too afraid to tell you," I mutter.

"Then why ask?" he asks me.

"Because I need to know why she did what she did to my family," I say as a few tears creep out of my eyes.

"Then yes, she is your mother," Toga says quietly.

I sit down, feeling sick to my stomach. I should have known, my hair is naturally white like hers, I think to myself. "But why didn't I grow up with them? Why was I taken to a Vampire Hunter family instead?"

"Because she killed your father," Kaien says. "She went mad after giving birth to you, slaying your father shortly after your birth but not before you were taken from her, your vampireness taken away, and given to a Vampire Hunter family to protect you. Shizuka was caged, and it was hoped that she would stay there until she had paid for her crime. But she escaped ten years ago and attacked your family, where she disappeared. Then she bit a human and made him her servant some time after that, and when they were found the Kiryu's killed him. That is why Shizuka attacked Zero's family."

I sit in silence. It was a lot to take in. Knowing what I feared I already knew about Shizuka. But knowing she killed my father, knowing that I'm the reason my adoptive family is dead, is hard to take in. I feel like throwing up.

"Are you going to be alright?" Kaien asks.

"I mean, I don't have a choice," I say, wiping a couple of tears off my face. "It's something I always had a sick feeling about, her being my mother. My hair being white, and my vampireness coming back, it just didn't add up otherwise."

"What are you going to do now that you know all of this?" Toga asks me.

I turn and look at him. "I guess try to figure out what my part in life is. I mean, knowing all of this didn't help any," I say as I shrug my shoulders.

"Wow, so honorable," Toga jokes.

"What can I say?" I try to crack a smile, but it just feels so wrong. I stand up and look at them both. "I guess I'll go back to my room, now."

"Will you be alright?" Kaien asks.

"I think so." I bow to both of them and walk back to the Moon Dorm. As I step inside the building, I see Kaname, Hanabusa, and Akatsuki standing in the lobby talking. As the door shuts behind me, they all turn to look at me.

"Uh, hi," I say sheepishly.

"Rose, we were just talking about you," Kaname says.

"Of course you were," I say. I continue to stand still in front of the door.

"Come sit down," Kaname says.

I sigh and sit down with the three of them. Kaname is on one couch, and Hanabusa, Akatsuki, and I are on the other couch.

I tap my fingers lightly on my legs and stare at them, waiting for someone to say something.

"Rose, you seem guilty of something," Kaname says.

I look up at him. Damn it, I think to myself. Why am I so readable. "What ever could you mean?" I ask him.

He looks deep into my soul. It feels like that anyway. "Where were you?"

"None of your business!" I say. "I can take care of myself."

"Rose, I am just trying to keep you safe."

"Well you're doing a horrible job at that," I say as I roll my eyes.

"Where were you?" Kaname asks once more.

"Fine, you wanna know where I was? I was talking to Toga and Kaien about something important," I say as I cross my arms.

"Then you were safe," he adds.

"What is it you wanted to talk about?" I ask him quickly. If he thinks I was just being safe, then so be it.

"Your training earlier, how do you feel it went?" Kaname asks.

I look at Hanabusa and Akatsuki. "I mean, I think it went well, considering I suck."

Hanabusa shakes his head. "You didn't suck, you just need to work at it more," he says. I smile at Hanabusa. I know we aren't together anymore, but I still care about him and what he has to say.

"What about you, Akatsuki?" Kaname asks.

"I think she did fine," Akatsuki replies.

Kaname nods. "Then you'll do fine telling me why you went to see Kaien Cross and Toga Yagari," Kaname says rather hatefully.

I could throw up. Why can't he let things go? "It's none of your business, Kaname," I say sternly.

"Then I'll just go ask them myself," Kaname says as he stands up.

I bolt to stand up. "NO! I-I mean, no Kaname. It was really not that important."

Kaname's eyes turn red. I've only seen them do that a handful of times. "Tell me now, Rose."

I look at Hanabusa and Akatsuki, but I notice they're slowly slipping away from all the commotion. "Hana! Akatsuki! Don't leave me!" I beg, but they slip out of sight once Kaname turns to look at them. I attempt to glare at Kaname, but it's hard to keep eye focus like this.

"Rose, what did you talk about?" Kaname asks.

"Fine! I wanted to know the truth about my family, alright? I wanted to know who my vampire parents were and why they killed my Vampire Hunter family." Kaname stares at me for a long moment. I am unable to read his facial expressions, not that he ever shows anything other than a frown or look of disapproval.

"And?" he asks, simply.

"And... I cried, but not as much as I thought I would. I feel like I've always known she was my mother," I say as I sit down on the couch.

"Who told you who your father was?" Kaname asks.

I look up at him confused. "Kaien just said that Shizuka killed him shortly after I was placed with the Vampire Hunter family."

Kaname nods and walks over to me. "That's all that matters," he says. I'm beginning to wonder if he's hiding something from me, but I don't try to press information out of him. I've had a long day as it is.

"Am I free to go to bed?" I ask.

"Yes, go on," Kaname says as he pats my shoulder. I get the creeps and quickly stand up and leave. As I'm walking to my room, I get the feeling someone is watching me. I think I'm just being paranoid because obviously no one is following me or I would have smelled them, or sensed them at the least. I enter my room quickly and jump onto my bed. "Today could have gone much better," I say out loud to myself. I close my eyes and try to dream of happier times when I was little.