Dedication: Sydney, because it's her birthday and I love her. Like, a lot. Happy birthday babe!

Disclaimer: I don't own, blah blah blah, same old same old. If you sue me all I can give you is a David Wright Fathead and my fan.

Notes: I tell the latest chapters to go stuff it. Meaning Yuuki never finds out about her past and Kaname being her brother, Zero isn't mad at her (and believe they're enemies, what the hell, Zero?!) and never grows that creepy arm/vine power thing, and Yuuki's hair never grows out. Maybe when Hino gives us some proper Zero/Yuuki moments will I write changed!Zero/Yuuki, but until then she is still perfectly naïve.

"I thought you were supposed to be smart." Yuuki remarked dryly, sitting on Zero's bed and swinging her legs.

He shot her an irritated glare--she rolled her eyes--and muttered, "Quiet, Yuuki."

She sighed, watching as Zero tried to figure out the alarm clock that came with a built-in CD player, and since she had bought him some CD's for his birthday--some classical, since Zero was stiff and uptight and tended to be very practical, along with some rock, because he might want to headbang and get his inner emo out--he was trying to figure it out.

"Hit play," She piped up helpfully, and Zero gave her another withering glare but reluctantly pressed the play button, and SR-71 began to blast from the speakers, singing in a language that neither Yuuki nor Zero understood but Yuuki loved the beat and bought it for him. (She tried very hard not to buy him country music. She had the feeling that Zero wouldn't speak to her for a while if she had, so when she had been buying him the presents she reluctantly put down the country CD back in its rack.)

Zero quickly hit the square indent that was stop and eyeballed his dark-haired friend-slash-Something-More. Yuuki gave him an innocent smile but the male wasn't fooled by that sweet look. After all, he and Yuuki had been friends for so long. (He had loved her for so long. He knew her better than that stupid Pureblood Kaname ever could.)

Looking down, Zero pressed another button, and a scratching sound entered the room. Yuuki cocked her head, eyes inquisitive. "What the heck?" She wondered aloud. She bounced off of his bed and walked over, looking at it. Then she grinned. "It's recording us." Zero gave her a blank look and Yuuki just sighed, then pressed the button so it popped up and was no longer recording what they said.

"Really, Zero," Yuuki mock sighed and the boy across from her narrowed his eyes, knowing that nothing good could come of this. "You're only school smart, aren't you? Everything else you're absolutely hopeless in."

Zero grumbled something incoherent and went to go lay down on his bed, with Yuuki following. She laid down next to him, their arms touching and body heat bouncing off one another, and Zero's mouth went dry, though he couldn't make himself move away. Yuuki did that to him. Her presence was smothering, and when she was around he couldn't think properly. Everything he knew went out the window, and all it narrowed down to was just him and Yuuki, just him and her and some days he doesn't know whether he wants her or her blood. Some days his love for her cannot overpower the very thing he needs. (But she keeps him alive, in so many more ways than one.)

"Yeah," Yuuki mused, "you don't have that much common sense, do you?"

Zero said nothing, because he agreed with her. If he had common sense he would stay away from her, would push her away when she offers herself to him so willingly. Her blood is her very essence, and she gives him part of herself every time he drinks from her. He doesn't deserve it; he doesn't deserve her.

When he didn't answer she glanced over, and something inside of her hurt at the deadpan look he was trying to sport, though he couldn't stop the hurt beneath all of the layers of apathy.

"Zero," she murmured, rolling over so her front was pressed against his arm and she raised a hand, brushing his hair away from his face. Surprised eyes stared at her, wondering what her intentions were. "What's wrong?"

"Nothing." He answered brusquely and she narrowed her eyes at him. "I'm just tired."

"Excuses excuses." She replied, tone flat but still tinged with worry. "Why won't you just let me in?"

He didn't answer and, with a grunt, Yuuki rolled on top of him, fully. "What the hell?" was Zero's reaction.

"Zero," Yuuki's tone was bordering on a snarl and had Zero not been Zero, he would have flinched; she was mad.

"Because!" Zero started, then stopped. Yuuki could never know. She could never know of how he loved her, of how he wanted only her happiness, and he knew that her happiness did not lie with him. How could it, when he thirsted for her blood so obviously? All he'd bring her was pain.

Yuuki's eyes were soft as she regarded him. "Because what?" She asked patiently. Zero shook his head. "Please, tell me?"

At her plea Zero sighed. He should have just shoved her off, but damn it all, he enjoyed her weight upon him. It was comforting, and she was so warm and her smell enveloped him, making it difficult to rationalize.

"I love you." He said, staring at the ceiling. "That's it."

Yuuki did not reply and Zero closed his eyes. Of course she wouldn't. Kaname could offer her so much more than he could, who did he think he was? He could die at any moment, could go crazy and kill her. At the thought he flinched inwardly; Yuuki was precious to him. She was all that mattered. No matter what, he would never sacrifice his happiness for her own. If her safety were in question then he would take whatever measures possible to protect her.

"You feel bad about that, don't you?" Yuuki's soft voice broke through his inner musings and he looked at her, confused. She looked irritated, but at what?

"What do I have to offer you, Yuuki?" He said, voice low. "Nothing. I will descend to Level E soon, and not even you can stop that."

"Watch me," she rebuked. "Who are you to tell me what I can and cannot have?"

He arched an eyebrow, his confusion soaring. "Where are you going with this, Yuuki?"

She leaned down and kissed him, closing her eyes as she did so. For several seconds shock ripped through his system as her lips moved against his own unresponsive ones, but then he came to again and against his better judgment, he began to kiss her back.

Her hand, still on his hair from earlier, clutched at it. His body went into auto-pilot as he scooped her up and rolled over, so he was on top, one hand buried in her hair and the other on her face, their kiss never breaking the entire time.

Finally Yuuki pulled away, gasping for air. Zero put his head on her shoulder (the monster inside of him began to stir because he was so incredibly close to her neck) and wondered what the hell he had just done and was he stupid?

"I love you too, you idiot."

Zero stilled at her words, snapping his head up and looking at her, tracing her features for any hint of a lie, but she was smiling at him, fingers running through his hair.

"I'm sure you have some sort of noble reason for wanting to keep yourself from me, but being with you is my happiness, even if most times you get me mad." She grinned at this but then sighed, closing her eyes before she opened them again. "Zero, I will save you. I'll find some way to keep you with me because I'm entirely selfish. And if I can't," her smile turned sad and Zero hated it, would do anything so Yuuki would never have to be sad again, "then I will be grateful for all the time I've had with you, every conversation, every tutoring session, every argument we've gotten into, every time you've made fun of my cooking…"

Yuuki looked at him, eyes serious, with her hair all disheveled and lips swollen from his kisses, and Zero thought (cliché, he thought, but now he knew why it was so popularly used) that she had never looked more beautiful. "It is not the end that matters, but the journey." She sighed, her hand moving to cup his cheek. "You don't have to be miserable, Zero. You don't have to be alone." She smiled. "I love you," she reminded him, and automatically he leaned down and kissed her, a foreign emotion swelling up inside of him, threatening to burst.

There was more passion in their second one, but each had to come back for air, and Zero fell onto his side, breathing heavily. Yuuki snuggled into his side, and not even thinking about it, he wrapped an arm around her waist.

"You know," Yuuki said sleepily, "I think you're a closet romantic."

"You must think a lot about me." Zero said, looking down at her, and though his face was smooth there was a smile in his eyes, and Yuuki's heart skipped a beat.

She smiled. "Yeah, I do." She closed her eyes and began to doze. There were Guardian duties to attend to, but that could wait, life could wait, because she was here, in his arms, in his bed, and she felt the same way about him that he felt for her. (Or not the same, because Yuuki was his savior, the only thing that registered after his parents were murdered by Shizuka. She was there when nothing made sense, just her. Only her.)

In the fading sunlight Zero's eyes closed, and for the first time in so long, he slept without nightmares.

A/N--Oh my GOD that was corny. And bad. Very bad. Curse you, muse! Come back! I can't survive with all of this writer's block! So um yes, even though this undoubtedly sucks, review?