Author's Note: This is written in Ichiru's POV.

Disclaimer: I own nothing yada yada yada. If I did own VK, Takuma would've had bubble gum stuck in his hair long ago.

I walked into the basement where Zero was locked up due to his slow descent to Level E. Rido-sama had told me to kill Zero, but he also promised to turn me into a vampire, which he didn't. My shoulder hurt badly as I picked up the gun and Zero looked at me. I knew what I had to do as I aimed the Bloody Rose and pulled the trigger.

I saw that I had shot Zero in almost the exact same spot as I wounded. I felt my strength leaving me as I recalled our past together. Zero was probably upset that I was talking like I was going to die. I walked over to him and kneeled before him. I fell, my head landed on his shoulder.

"Ichiru!" Zero yelled as he wrapped his arms around me. I missed it when he hugged me. So many years have gone by since we were this close.

"Zero, I'm dying." I told him and I could tell that his eyes had widened.

"Ichiru, Maria wants to see you." He told me, hoping that saying that would delay my death. It seemed that he feared death, as does almost everyone. I could feel my blood leaving my body and pooling on the floor.

"I love you, Zero." I said to him as I closed my eyes. After I dropped Shizuka-sama's bell from her ribbon I had worn in my hair after her death, I heard him scream and start crying. After a few minutes, which felt like an eternity to me, I felt his fangs pierce my flesh. At least I took my last breaths in the arms of someone I loved.

Zero gently laid my body on the floor, in the pool of my own blood. I looked at him one last time and attempted to smile at him, to reassure him, but I was too weak. I watched him cry for a few more seconds before I closed my eyes for the last time and took my last few breaths.

Zero seemed to know I wasn't going to last much longer, so he put Shizuka-sama's bell in my hand. He did his best to close my hand around it, but my muscles were already relaxing, as if I was just going to sleep. Zero stood up and wiped all traces of his tears away.

"I'll kill that bastard for taking you away from me." He told me before he walked away. I didn't know who he meant, but hopefully it wasn't himself. I could never blame him for killing me. It wasn't his fault that I died, it was Rido-sama's. Oh, how I wish I could tell Zero that I didn't blame him, but I was on my very last breath. As I exhaled my last breath, I knew that I would be with mom, dad, and, possibly, Shizuka-sama.