Yuuki hummed a low tune to herself as she studied the ceiling's patterns. Zero should be arriving any minute now…

The door opened and, right on cue, Zero entered awkwardly.

"Konnichiwa, Zero-kun," she smiled.

He nodded in response as he took a seat next to her bed. "Still here I see. How're you feeling?"

"Great, actually; I would leave now but the nurse insisted I stayed until the morning." She sighed disappointedly. "Well, I'll just have to deal with it. No chance in changing her mind."

"You have a point there. I'll need to leave earlier today, before I go on patrol."

"Eh? Why's that?"

"It's just, um… Well, Kaname-senpai wanted a word with me." He swallowed uneasily.

"Really…? About what?" Yuuki's interest became piqued by Zero's discomfort.

Zero shrugged. "I'm not sure," he lied, despite how much he loathed lying to the girl he was head-over-heels for; thought he hated to admit it.

"I see…" She dropped the subject, to Zero's relief. Instead, she unconsciously moved on to a more awkward one. "Do you plan on explaining about the collapsing incident?"

Zero didn't reply. He looked everywhere there was to look, apart from Yuuki's eyes. He knew that if he met her gaze, she'd see right through him. His eyes flittered to the clock hung high on the wall. "I'm really very sorry to leave you like this, but as I said, Kaname-senpai—"

"It's okay, you go on ahead. I'll see you later. If not, then in the morning, yes?"

"Sure." He gave her a reassuring smile and headed out.

-x-

"Kiryu-kun… You did it, didn't you?" Kaname leaned back against a tree, arms folded and eyes closed.

Zero nodded shamefully. "I didn't realize—"

Kaname's eyes snapped open. "I don't care if you didn't realize. Do you see what you've done? You drained her so much that she can't even recall basic things, like, for example, your true nature." Kaname glared at him menacingly. If looks could kill… "And do you realize how much worse the situation could be? How close it was to being that way? What if you had killed her?"

Zero gritted his teeth together. "Look, Kaname-senpai! I understand how awful I've made the situation, but my point is that I didn't kill her. She isn't dead. And if she were, it would be harder on me that it would be for you."

"Kiryu-kun… Have you forgotten what I told you long ago? I'm her brother; her blood relation. I'm the only true family she's got left. Are you incapable of comprehending such things? It would be a far worse experience on her brother than a boyfriend who is simply idiotic enough to almost take her life out of his own desires!"

"It's not a desire!" Zero clenched his hands into fists. The day was quickly fading into night, but he could still see Kaname's intimidating glare clearly. "Do you think I want to be a monster?! Do you honestly think that? Because if you are foolish enough to believe that, then…" He trailed off.

"Whether you wanted your current lifestyle or not is out of the question. Blood is a desire for vampires, no matter how you look at it. And to think I let a fool like you drink from me to save your worthless life!"

"SHUT UP! JUST SHUT UP!" Zero help himself back from hitting something with all the force he could muster. Instead, he kept his fists clenched and stormed off, enraged. Of course he knew what could have happened, and he regretted his actions with his life… But was he really a lost cause? Was Yuuki only faking her feeling for his sake? Did she know what really happened, but was too ashamed to even admit it? Only time would tell…

-x-

The ticking of the clock beside Zero's bed seemed to get slower and slower with every passing second. That was not what he needed right now. He needed the exact opposite. He had to see Yuuki, as soon as possible. That didn't seem like it was going to happen at 4:30 in the morning.

Restless, Zero had tossed and turned but never got to sleep. He wasn't surprised. He'd been so worked up over his conversation with Kaname, and it kept repeating over and over in his head. He was so over-tired, he hallucinated that he had killed Yuuki and ended up shaking like a leaf because it all looked so real.

He quickly pushed the thought aside as he stumbled toward the Chairman's bathroom. Zero turned on the cold water and waited until it was icy to splash it over his face. Then he stepped backwards until he could lean against the wall, and sunk to the floor, hoping this nightmare would end…

-x-

As soon as Zero could see the darkness become light, he stood up from the same sitting position he'd been in for the last three hours. He changed his clothes hurriedly and headed straight for the nurse's office.

When he peered through the window on the door itself, he saw Yuki was already awake. This he didn't expect.

The nurse hadn't arrived yet, so he thought the door was still locked. He tapped gently on the window and caught Yuuki's attention. She mouthed, "It's open."

"How is the door open at this time in the morning?" he mumbled as he staggered inside.

Yuuki gave him a once-over. "Zero, you look more beat than I felt this time yesterday. What happened to you?" Concern lingered in her voice.

"I-It doesn't matter." He collapsed into a chair.

"Of course it does! Tell me what on earth happened to you!"

"Yuuki… It's fine. Just drop it."

She folded her arms and stared at him intently. "No. I refuse to, Zero." She paused for a few moments while she thought. "Ah. I see. It's that time, isn't it?"

"What time?"

She pulled back her short brown hair to reveal her neck.

Zero jumped out of the chair in surprise. "What the hell?! You didn't remember anything yesterday!"

Zero wasn't answered by Yuuki. He was answered by a much deeper, more masculine voice. "She needed some good rest, Kiryu-kun."

"Eh? Chairman…?"

Kaien Cross nodded as he emerged from the small room in the corner where the nurse's desk was. "I awoke early to check up on Yuuki-chan. It seems she's regained her memories of past events."

Zero's gaze switched back to Yuuki. She only nodded.

"But… Oh, God…" He let his forehead sink into his palm.

"Zero-kun, are you okay?" He found Yuuki was giving him another once-over.

Zero shook his head again and explained the conversation with Kaname and how it hadn't granted him and sleep last night.

"Kiryu-kun, you look like death warmed up."

Zero scowled. "I feel like it, too."

Kaien looked in one of the cupboards and pulled out a small black cardboard box. He handed it to Zero. "Here."

"Blood tablets?" Yuuki guessed.

Zero flipped the lid open and nodded. He downed two of them quickly.

Kaien looked at Zero, then back to Yuuki, and then at the door. "Well, I suppose I'd better get back to my office. You know, there's paperwork to do and so on… I'll leave you two in peace." He hid a small grin from the eyes of the two teenagers staring after him as he exited.

"Are you feeling better now, Zero-kun?"

"A little…"

"Maybe you should stay here this time."

"I'll pass. I don't wanna spend my days here. Besides, what if Nurse-san was to figure out I were a vampire?"

Yuuki giggled. "That would be a problem."

"Yes, it would."

Yuuki sat back down on her bed and they stayed in silence for a few minutes.

"Yuuki… Do you hate me, for what I've done?"

Yuuki looked at him incredulously. "Don't be stupid, Zero. I could never—"

He cut her off. "Then, if you don't dislike me, will you answer me a question?"

"Of course, anything."

Zero kneeled on the floor and pulled out a small black box from his pocket. The box he was meant to give to her when they walked on the beach. "Yuuki-chan…" He opened up the box to reveal a small, circular, shining object. Small enough to fit on one's finger. "Will you marry me?"

Both of their faces turned scarlet in colour, but Yuuki didn't reply. Instead, she threw her arms around Zero's neck and pressed her lips to his.

The End. xD