Five months passed…

Headmaster's POV

Yuuki and Zero were going to grocery store with me to pick up items that they needed when out of the blue; Zero had a fever. He passed out and collapsed in Yuuki's arms unconscious. Yuuki was panicking about Zero's condition as his fever worsens. I rushed him back as quickly as I could when I saw from the mirror that Yuuki was trying to give him some water and fanning him. That spring fever was coming to harm poor Zero. It has been five months exactly since his ordeal made him live with us. He has gotten a little closer to Yuuki as these months flow by so quickly. I was driving home; I got the groceries last as I carried Zero to his room. Yuuki's eyes were full of worry and uncertainties just seeing the boy suffer from a fever. She rushed from his room to the bathroom and got a thermometer to give to Zero. She came to his side and the thermometer into his mouth to check his temperature, "Its hundred and two degrees…poor Zero-kun." Yuuki stroked his grey-white hair from his forehead like he did to her when she had the common cold. Zero moved all of the sudden and turned to his right side and saw Yuuki holding on to his right hand. She smiled at him to keep his spirits up as much as possible. He looked not surprised about her being on his side. Yuuki saw his neck as it was getting worse as well as his fever. She figured out it must have been the bite mark causing his fever, "Your bite mark you got from that vampire, is causing your fever." Zero turns over and let's goes of her hand. Yuuki got up from the chair next to Zero's bed and left the room. She turned around to look at Zero and closed the door behind her. I was standing there seeing my precious daughter staying up with her new friend. She looked at me with sadness in her eyes as she sat down at the side of the door. I went down to her level trying to see her eyes and expression, "My wonderful daughter! How is Zero doing in there?" She sighed so hard that she didn't want to speak to me! Her awesome father coming to check on his baby girl! All I get is a sigh and no response. I sat next to her with a positive look on my face but with all seriousness. Yuuki looked like she had lost her puppy or something with the depression that surrounded her body. I caressed her in my arms and tried to make her worries about Zero go away. At that moment, Zero had an abrupt cough that made a loud sound, Yuuki rushed to his side to calm him down the best way possible. Zero continued the harsh coughing as I called the ambulance to come to pick him up.

Zero's face was lightly pink as Yuuki panicked about his severe condition, "…Zero, we will get you to the hospital." Zero's unrelenting cough was getting worse every minute we were here at the house. The ambulance came in ten minutes, I went inside the ambulance so did Yuuki as we wanted to know about how Zero got sick in the first place. We reached the hospital and got him under control and were running tests all night while Yuuki and I waited patiently for the results. The nurse came and told us, "You have to wait four days for the results of his condition. Do you need anything sir and miss?" I told her I wanted some coffee while Yuuki just sat there space out thinking about Zero. The nurse gave her some cookies to give to her. Yuuki shook her head and started crying about this situation. The nurse walked away from us, we got a report from the pediatrician about Zero's results. He flipped his charts and records, he then pointed out the cause of Zero's severe illness and, "He had pneumonia. We guess he has been training outside recently…or doing something else?" Yuuki went to the doctor and begged to see Zero, "Can we see Zero, doctor? I have to be there to help him." The doctor sighed in relief like Yuuki had made a sudden stress leave his body. The doctor whispered into Yuuki's left ear, she looked jubilant as she rushed down the hallway to Zero's room who also had a visitor; Kaname! She jumped into Kaname's arms as she was about to check on Zero. "He is sleeping right now, they gave him some medicine to relax his lungs for now…" I came and saw Kaname at the door to Zero's room. His presence was strong and fierce that not an ordinary human could sense. Yuuki was so happy to see him since it's been a while that he hasn't came to the house. He was wrapped up with other things with the Vampire Council and all trying to make Cross Academy a future success. He came as soon as I emailed him about Zero's incident. I saw Kaname stroke Yuuki's long, brown hair in his hand; he kissed her cheek and grinned at her. Yuuki's face was flushed by the kiss from her crush Kaname Kuran who was worried but Zero as well as Yuuki too. Yuuki ran to the door then saw Zero sleeping in the bed looking so miserable. She hopped into the bed without care that someone would say something about it. Yuuki remembered her precious moment when Zero came into her bed and help her in the middle of the night and wanted to do the same thing to him too. She talked to his unconscious body and said, "I am here Zero. Like you were here for me when I was sick, I owe you back for what you did that night for me." Yuuki grabbed his right hand and cried on it then shut her eyes holding his hand. Kaname and I watched her get in the bed with Zero, clearly seeing that she was getting closer to Zero each and every day she spends with him. Kaname leans on the wall and thinks about Yuuki so much as he told me how much time he has left to spend the amount of time before the sun rises. "I better leave Kaien Cross before the sun rises." Kaname walked out of the hospital then the sun started to rise. Zero and Yuuki were still holding his hands in his bed. I smiled at the two of them as they were two little children sleeping without any disturbance. I sat in the waiting room waiting for both of them to wake up from their slumber. I knew Zero must have had a rough night last night…

Zero's dream…

Zero's POV

My dream is like a horror movie that would never end. My parents dying in front of me, my brother chuckling at me from a distance, and then the woman that caused my life to become a living disaster. The stains of blood still lingered all over my pajamas and my neck where the bite was continuing to bother me. Her fangs were deeply going through my neck as I felt I was reliving that whole ordeal again. I saw that woman, Ichiru, my parents, and then…I saw Yuuki. Yuuki was speaking the same tongue as the woman when she suddenly makes Yuuki turn against me to become a vampire. The dream got worse when I saw Kaname appearing in the dream bearing his fangs at me the same as he was changing from Yuuki's appearance. I ran towards the Yuuki in my dream and felt a warm hand grabbed it. Yuuki smiled at me then right behind her was a black hole trying to take her away from me. That is when I woke up and my hand was holding her hand. I was sweating in anxiety and from my illness. There was Yuuki sleeping carefree like nothing happened to her. I started to have that feeling in my chest that was burning then a slightly pinch of pain across my chest. I felt so dizzy just looking at Yuuki. I was not breathing the proper way since I was wheezing to get some oxygen in my lungs. Yuuki woke up and saw me suffering taking off my hospital clothes as it was getting so hot because of my high fever that I had. Yuuki pushed the button for the nurses and the doctors to come to my aid. They rushed into the room with the supplies to keep me in tranquil state to get him the oxygen and more medicine to control my fever and chest pains. I saw Yuuki's eyes as I saw nothing but fear in them. I tried to grasp her hand but the fear of me suffering made her run out of the room to whatever she was heading to. After they gave me knocking out gas, I was unresponsive for the remaining few hours…

Yuuki with Headmaster Kaien Cross…

Yuuki's POV

I cried the whole time as I was traumatized by what was happening to Zero. He started to wheeze and complain of chest pains. I cried into Headmaster's lap and shook my head. Headmaster patted my head trying to quiet me down from all the anxiety I carried since Zero was beginning to get sick. My heart was in pain was sticking into me as well like pen needles in a cushion. I never felt this way for one person before. As I am getting closer to Zero, him talking to me, opening his heart to me was a milestone in my life. He trusted me when I fell into pieces seeing his in the condition he was in. I-I just couldn't see him like that. I was an eleven year old, who was scared to experience a life-to-death occurrence happening to me. Headmaster got up from the chair and grasped my hand to walk to Zero's room. The doctors left the room giving Headmaster the heads up to go inside the room. Zero was on oxygen, he was added with many medication into his arms. Headmaster let go of my hand as he knew I feared to harm Zero. He whispered in his ear about something and Zero closed his eyes trying to ignore whatever he was saying. Headmaster left from Zero and exit out of the room without me. I turned around and watched him walk away from Zero like that. I stood there in front of the bed and stared at Zero. He extended his hand for me and smiled, "What is wrong Yuuki? I know I scared you back there a few hours ago but I am a little better than before." My tears touched his heart so much. I cried on his body and couldn't stop weeping. He patted my head telling me it was okay. He had a positive outlook that soon he would be alright. It had been seven months since his parents' murder. I looked into his eyes and saw that I knew he would be well enough to accomplish his goal. He got me up and was making me so excited about what he was going to tell me, "I will be out the hospital next week. Thank you Yuuki for being there for me." I knew that 'Zero' was coming out of him sooner than I thought.

A week as passed…

Yuuki's POV

Zero was released from the hospital. He was on strict bed rest for a few more days. It was a hair-raising experience to go through something like that. I freaked out on him and left him without support… I felt so bad leaving him that night. Zero was in his bedroom thinking about something maybe what Headmaster told him before his left his room. I just wish I knew what he said to him. I went to my room to go to bed when Kaname-sama was in my room with a book in his hands. I told him, "I am too old for that fairy tale stories you read to me every night…" He chuckled at my reaction to the book in his hands, "They are not fairy tale books. They are photo albums of me and you when we first started to hang out at your house. Remember?" I laughed in a sarcastic tone. I felt like a total idiot towards Kaname-sama like that. I blushed since we were in the same room talking and reminiscing about the day we met. Kaname-sama kissed my forehead and tucked me into my bed for the night. I grabbed his hand to stay by my side for the night. He got closer to my forehead and saw my very thoughts by a touch of my forehead. I can feel the rush from his forehead sending something through me. He moved away from me to put the albums away into my bookcase, "Good night, tender princess." He dimmed the lights into my room and walked out forgetting his promise to hold my hand until I was deeply sleep. I chased him down the hallway and pulled his sleeve to make him keep his promise, "I forgot my dear Yuuki. I am so sorry, tender princess." Yuuki walked into my room with Kaname sitting next to me as I got into the covers to my bed. He put his hand on top of mine and suddenly, I felt tired that quickly and drifted into a deep sleep.

Next morning…

Zero's POV

I got out of my room rejecting what the doctors were saying about the strict bed rest and stuff like that. I got up for school when I saw Yuuki making breakfast without supervision near the stove making bacon and eggs. I was wondering where was Kaien Cross during this whole thing. The day was when I had to skip school, to get what Kaien Cross told me to get done to my neck. After breakfast and when Yuuki left, he went to this deep cavern and saw a huge symbol that was flashing this green aura from side to side. I walked into this chair which I had to sit in. Kaien Cross told me in my ear that it was spell to suppress my vampire instincts from getting out of control. It was a vampire hunter's spell to keep my powers and my will from using those vampire powers. I closed my eyes and didn't feel the pain at all… The pain went away from my neck that bothered me forever since that day. I looked into the mirror that he reflected into my face, the tattoo was big but it was worth it since I didn't want to become one of them period. The tattoo took hours to create from the vampire hunter's spell book that Kaien Cross used to create this tattoo. The pain of the tattoo didn't hurt as much as the pain from the bite from her…

That afternoon when Yuuki came home…

Zero's POV

She brought all of my homework that I had to make up for school. I was speechless from the tattoo I received. She noticed once she gave me the homework and touched my neck. Yuuki ran her finger to figure out the patterns of the tattoo. Then she asked me who did it, "Kaien Cross. It was just to keep myself from doing things that I am not supposed to do." Yuuki looked so baffled from what I said and that she covered it up with a huge grin on her face, "I understand Zero-kun! Headmaster gave you tattoo at this young age to prevent you from doing unnecessary things?" I knew she was confused from that point on, she was lost. I took her hand and walked with her towards the pond near the house. Yuuki swirled around in her bright summer yellow dress with her big hat that she liked to wear when it was matching with something she liked. She threw the hat in the air and tried to put the hat on her head. She saw me relaxing near the pond as I was flicking rocks into the surface of the water trying to make them 'skip'. Yuuki came closer to me and wanted to try to learn how to do it correctly. I showed her the hand position and the finger position to flick the rock from her hand. She was so appalled! "Wow Zero-kun! It's beautiful and nice to be out here…even though we aren't supposed to go that far away from home." I gave Yuuki a jar to catch the fireflies in. She was so impatient to catch them rushing to at least catch one of them. I got up from my spot and helped her catch not one but two fireflies in the jar. "Zero-kun, thank you! For helping me catching them! I can never be patient for everything—"

I replied courteously to her, "All it takes is patience and you will catch as many as you want in the jar." Yuuki released the two in the jar and saw how much beauty they possess in the night. She looked at me and sat down right next to me and leaned over to my lap and laid on me. "Zero…do you like me as a friend?" She asked me all randomly. I replied back to her, "…of course. I guess?" Yuuki turns away on my lap and gets a little upset. I tried to explain why I didn't say what I was supposed to say to her. "It's because I have trusted people and they have all been people I never even expected to be what they have become in the end—" Yuuki grimaced and didn't respond back to me after that. I looked at her and she was bleeding everywhere, I knew it had to be my imagination trying to trick me to harming her. I moved a little which revealed that she was alright and just went to sleep on my lap. I carried Yuuki on my back; she was light so it wasn't that much of a burden. The thing was it was past curfew for us, curfew was like ten o' clock for Kaien Cross. Headmaster Cross was at the door and he was holding the door to let me in with Yuuki on my back. I carried all the way into her room and laid her down gently, not to wake her up. She mumbled, "Thank you Kaname-sama…and you too, Zero-kun." That was when I left the room and closed the door behind me. I went to my room and thought about vampires like Kaname. Just because she is close to him doesn't mean he is close to me. I felt something weird as someone's presence was lurking in her room; I opened it again and went towards the bookcase. I picked up a red and black album that said, 'Kaname and Yuuki's Photo Moments Album'. I was getting a little annoyed with this pureblood vampire coming freely into a former vampire hunter's house. It just disturbed me so much! I skimmed through all the pictures, not trying to flap the pages so violently so Yuuki wouldn't wake up to the noisy pages. Each photo only had her and Kaname in them going to the park, mall, going to the market, etc. The things that Yuuki wasn't even supposed to go but only when she was with him was getting a little suspicious. My heart is clouded my suspicion. Is Kaname trying to separate her from her human self? What about making her into a vampire? Is that one of his plans? That is a lot of questions I need to ask him instead of myself. I worry about Yuuki all the time…but telling her how I felt this evening was the idiotic thing to say to her. I hope I didn't hurt her feelings in any way… This was the beginning of getting to spend my time with Yuuki; not with her friend Kaname, that pureblood. I wish that Yuuki can see the picture…she said he saved her life from an evil vampire. I just have to trust her judgment on let him in her life. I know that Kaien Cross is hiding something from me…but what is it?

See you the next night…

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