Perceptions

AU. YuuKan, KanZero.

Note: Please let it be known that this story is not set in VK time, and is an AU story although the high school has not been specified. Please enjoy and review.

Beta: The JohnnyMcKilt Productions (thank you so much for editing this fic, which would've been abominable to my readers' eyes without you!)

…

Five years ago, if you told Zero that his best friend Yuuki had a secret, he wouldn't have believed you.

When he had met Yuuki, they had only been ten. Back then he had sworn that this was the person he'd fall in love with, and that they'd be happy together and for always. That was until he found out about Yuuki's protective older brother, Kuran Kaname, and things like "love" and "futures" were thrown out the door once he realized he would've been married into that family.

It was okay though, Zero and Yuuki had agreed a long time ago that dating would ruin their perfect friendship, and they were probably right, considering how close and honest they were to each other. There was nothing that Zero would've hid from Yuuki, and vice-versa, and that's why Zero had a hard time believing that Yuuki was keeping something very dark and serious from him.

At first, when Kaname began hanging around Yuuki more than he usually would, Zero waved it off as some closer bonding between the two, if it could get any closer. And although he didn't like Kaname personally, if Kaname was willing to offer his friendship, Zero would not be so stubborn as to refuse it.

He didn't mind that his circle of friends became bigger now that Kaname went wherever Yuuki went, or that sometimes Kaname would even bring around some of his other guy friends. Zero was young, only ten at the time, and he was used to being alone, so having friends wasn't a bad idea for him.

Zero did appreciate the company and companionship, even if Yuuki wasn't all to himself anymore.

The next five years went on this way, Yuuki, Kaname, and himself. Until, it started becoming less of the 'three' of them, and more of the 'two' of them. Entering high school, Zero was still feeling optimistic. But as Yuuki and Kaname began hanging out by themselves after school, or going to places and forgetting to invite Zero, even scheduling parties and events, and forgetting to include Zero, the loneliness began creeping back to him. Several times Zero has even expressed his feelings to Yuuki about it in a not-so-subtle-way, but to no avail.

"Oh, you didn't get the invite, Zero-kun? I'm sorry; I'll make sure to invite you with us next time!" She'll say and give him one of her dazzling smiles.

Except that next time would never come.

Eventually Zero found other friends, weird ones, but friends nonetheless. The people that Kaname used to hang with, Aidou Hanabusa, Kain Akatsuki, Shiki Senri, and Ichijou Takuma. He confided in them, and gradually his friendship with Yuuki became a thing of the past. Although he missed her companionship deeply, and felt out of place when he ran into her in the school halls, he had to forget her. She had moved on, and so had he.

Once, while he thought of his past as he waited for the bus to arrive on a cold December day, he saw Yuuki walking home alone this time, without Kaname. He had wanted to call out to her, relive the old days and talk about new ones. He wanted to be the one to bring back the past, but it was her who had left him first. She saw him across the street, and ran to meet him, her face was pale and her eyes were sore. She sat beside him on the empty bus bench, wiping her runny nose and Zero took out his ear buds to listen to what she had to say.

"Zero, there's something I need to tell you, this whole time, between us, I never wanted it to end this way," she sniffled.

His heart stopped. So, she still cared for him too. He didn't respond. Instead, he waited for her to continue. "I didn't know how to tell you this. For over five years, I've been keeping a secret that I don't want to hide from you anymore, because I miss you. I miss us, you and I. So if I tell you, can we be friends again?"

He nodded.

"Kaname and I…we're in love. We're together, Zero-kun."

But Zero's mind couldn't comprehend fast enough, and the only thing he could say was,

"I…I actually don't think we can be friends again, Yuuki. That's really disgusting." It was the last thing Zero ever said to Yuuki since that day.

And as it turns out, Yuuki wasn't lying. She and her brother did have a very deep and romantic relationship, as everyone in the high school found out the next day. They had been caught in an empty classroom making out and a few other things on a teacher's desk, as told to Zero by his friend, Ichijou, who had called him with the news that very night. Although Zero hadn't intentionally meant to spread on the news, he did tell Aidou and well…the rest is now obvious.

And Zero found out that Ichijou actually did intend for the word to get out, because he wasn't the only one the guy had called the night. Zero found out that all of his friends were just bitter ex-boyfriends of Kaname, and not only was the Valor Victorian of the high school sleeping around with his sister, he was a bisexual too.

But that didn't really faze Zero. He had already known that Kaname was a lot of things, things that Zero didn't really want to know or cared about knowing. He just regretted that he hurt Yuuki that day, and although he did mean to tell her that it was disgusting. He didn't mean to say it so bluntly and put an end to the friendship that never really got restored.

Yuuki had found him only minutes after she was caught because she wanted to tell him first, before he found out from someone else.

But some part of Zero wishes it did happen that way, because if he had heard it from someone else first, and not the person he loved, he might have been able to handle it better. Now he was stuck behind this "half-lie" that he hated the idea of Yuuki and Kaname and was disgusted by their frivolous behavior. He couldn't even talk to her publicly anymore, because people knew that he hated them, and so those people hated the Kurans too, ostracized them and made Zero their new hero, and he sat in the throne that Kaname once conquered, with bitter ex-boyfriends to keep him there in that popular circle.

He didn't mind it at first, he got many, many new friends and only lost one, but once he began to realize that people where treating Yuuki badly because of him, he regretted it even more. Of course, Kaname was still too feared to be hated for his unholy passion for his sister, it had been clear that Kuran Kaname was no longer King of the school. Zero was. And although Zero planned on keeping it that way, fate had other plans…

Because Zero was starting to fall in love with Kaname, too.

"Huh. Senpai, why are you still eating in the library when we can do whatever we want now?" Aidou grumbled and shook Zero's arm. Zero shrugged him off and returned to his book, chewing on his sandwich absently.

Even if Zero could do things even seniors couldn't do, he still didn't like all of this power because it meant harm to Yuuki and Kaname. He still preferred sitting by the vast library's window side with his lunch and a book, before he had all the popularity and the friends. Before…everything.

He looked at Aidou and smiled loosely. "Hey, why don't you just go without me, okay? I'm sure plenty of girls are waiting for their "Idol" senpai." Aidou dropped Zero's arm and blushed embarrassedly.

"Too bad for them I'm gay, huh!?" He chuckled and then waved. "I'm off then, see ya next period!"

And then Aidou was gone, just as quickly as he came. Zero sighed. He could finally be alone and finish the third book of the lesser known vampire series. He didn't like to talk about it much, but the fantasy of vampires excited him thoroughly, and reading about them was the only thing that kept him comfortable nowadays.

There were some murmured voices behind him. He sat and up and looked around, but couldn't see behind the long aisles of books. He laid back against the window's wide frame and listened for intruders, or some pesky fan girl.

"A-Ah, here's the book you were looking for, Kuran-san." A girl said from the aisle behind him. Zero recognized the voice belonging to Ruka Souen, the school's student librarian. Although the two of them weren't on close terms, he knew her as one of the lone students who still respected the Kurans, and were polite to them still.

"Thank you for helping me, I'm always terribly lost in this library…may I have your name for future reference, beautiful girl?" The thick and deep voice Zero already knew to be Kaname's.

"I-It's Ruka." …And apparently, she held a physical attraction to the Kurans as well. Zero chuckled, loud enough that they would both be alerted that there was someone else within proximity, even if they couldn't see him. It was mostly for Ruka's sake; Kaname was shameless when it came to sexuality, and flirting with the school's librarian openly for others to see would not be something uncommon of him.

He expected Kaname to saunter away, as Ruka had, not to come near him.

"Ah, if it isn't Kiryuu-kun. Why is it that when you could be out enjoying yourself with your masses of friends, that you prefer to sit alone in the library?" Zero didn't have to look up to picture Kaname's gentle smirk, and refused to look up at him when Kaname sat down opposite of him on the window's pane.

Zero grumbled. "I enjoy the silence."

"You and I both."

"Then why are you here?" Zero fumed, feeling himself easily threatened and angered by Kaname's mere presence, perhaps not for reasons he himself could come to terms with.

Kaname shrugged. "I needed something to do this afternoon, and figured I could try my hand at reading a book."

Zero could only snort in return. "Or flirt with Ruka, who is so obviously smitten with you."

"Ah, she is? I didn't notice."

"Yeah, right. Why don't you stick with something you're good at next time, like public displays of affection?"

"Kiryuu-kun," Kaname corrected. "You should know…there aren't too many things I'm not good at."

Zero refused to reply, and drifted his eyes down the open page and got lost in the world of vampiric romance, completely ignoring Kaname's stare as he fed himself another bite of his sandwich.

"Do you like vampires, Kiryuu-kun?"'

"Yeah, what about it?" Zero snapped without looking up chewing and swallowing quickly.

Kaname chuckled. "You like vampires…so then what if I told you I was a vampire?"

"Then I wouldn't believe you, simple."

Kaname leaned forward and let his hand fall on Zero's thigh, inching closer to his face. "You wouldn't believe me if I told you I was an ancient pureblood vampire and had the desire to take your blood this very instant…" He leaned close enough until he was whispering in the teen's ear, and his breath tickled Zero's skin, who in turn gulped and blushed furiously.

His brain didn't think fast enough to shove Kaname away from him. Instead, he stuttered. "N-No…I still wouldn't believe you."

"Ah," Kaname moved back in an instant, and Zero wouldn't have believed he was even that close if the spots where Kaname touched him didn't burn with a fierce intensity.

"Then it's too bad I'm not." Kaname smirked and shifted his eyes to stare out the window in some type of thought, seemingly satisfied with a disheveled and panting boy.

Zero's blush intensified as he put on his angriest scowl and opened his mouth to yell at the brunette. "Kuran Kaname, I don't know who the hell you think you are, but I'm not one of your boy toys you can go around and fuck with, so if you think for a second that I'm into you or any of the "things" you do, you're sorely mistaken, you lying piece of―"

"Kaname-sama?" A light-hearted voice stopped Zero dead in his tracks as he felt a cold sweat break out over his skin. He and Kaname both shot glances at the intruder, the latter standing up.

Kaname looked back at Zero, and then to the one who interrupted them, Yuuki. "Sorry I kept you waiting, Yuuki. Zero had something he wanted to discuss with me. We'll have to chat some other time, won't we, Kiryuu-kun?"

Zero scowled and tried to scramble to his feet. "I—Yuuki-chan, wait!"

But Yuuki did not. She bent her head and grabbed Kaname's hand; lacing their fingers as she led him out of the library, refusing to look at Zero for even a moment. Zero's outstretched hand faltered as he watched the two leave, but not before seeing Kaname turn around and mouth words to him he couldn't decipher.

Zero sighed and placed a hand on his chest, willing his fast-beating heart to stop fluttering so wildly, although he wasn't sure whose presence made it sped up so fast, that last glance just proved it.

Did that mean that Zero was seriously being to be…attracted to Kaname? Even while knowing that he was with someone Zero thought he liked at some point? At this point, who did Kaname like?

It had happened again. A week after Zero's confrontation with the Kuran brother, both he and his sister had been caught again. While not as disgraceful as being caught in a classroom, they were both caught in another open display of affection on school grounds, and they were punished for it. And this time, Ichijou wasn't the one to catch it first this time, it was Kain. Instead of passing the information around, he waited until he, Zero, Ichijou, Shiki, and Aidou met up at the local burger joint after school.

After he explained what he saw, Aidou let out a big laugh, "Aha! Those two never know when to quit, do they? Kaname's so shameless."

"Don't blame Kaname for all this, Yuuki's just to blame. He wasn't touching himself, remember?" Shiki pointed out as he slipped another piece of chocolate pocky between his lips.

Zero sighed and drummed his fingers against the table. "Aidou's just jealous he wasn't the one being fondled in public by Kuran." His friends snickered at Aidou's blushing expression.

"Shut up! I bet you all were thinking about it too for a second anyway," he rolled his eyes at his companions' affirmative nods. Zero rolled his eyes too.

"You're all just a bunch of whores." He muttered and reached forward to grab a couple of fries from the large tray they ordered. He ate them all at once, watching Kain's thoughtful expression.

His friend ran a hand through his hair. "I didn't ask to be the one to stumble upon it, it just happened and as soon as they saw me, they left."

Ichijou chose to lean forward in his seat and whisper so no one around them could overhear. "We all know you didn't mean to see Kaname touch another woman, but it did happen, and that's why, we need to spread the information quickly. So, if we all just―"

"Woah, woah. Who said anything about spreading this around? I'm not doing that." Zero raised his hands in defense and sat back in his seat, leaving the group huddle.

Aidou raised an eyebrow. "Wait a minute…You don't want to help spread it around? You're the one who said it was wrong in the first place, we should be teaching them a lesson about public immorality."

Zero shook his head. "I did say it was wrong, but I didn't say we should advertise their relationship like that, what it's going to prove? That on the inside we're all jealous boyfriends?"

None of his friends bothered to reply, seemingly hurt by his words that Zero refused to take back. But then Aidou glared at Zero.

"Wait a minute…you said 'we' were jealous. Does that include you now?" His lips began twitching upwards into a smile.

Shiki glanced back and forth between the two until the sneaky smile spread onto his lips too. "That's right, Zero-kun, you did say that 'we're all jealous.' Are you jealous of one of them? Are you jealous of Kaname perhaps…?"

"Or maybe...Yuuki?" Ichijou finished for him, mirroring the same superior smirk.

Zero coughed and blushed furiously as he shook his head. "You all have gotten it all wrong! I-I'm jealous of Kaname, t-that he gets to touch Yuuki, that's all!"

"So…" Kain interrupted, as he fingered the straw to his milkshake. "You like Yuuki, right? Not, Kaname. Yuuki."

Zero nodded furiously. "That's right; it's Yuuki I was after, not Kaname." It was only too bad he was telling half the truth.

Although not completely satisfied, his friends laid off. That is, except for Kain who kept his smug look as he faced Zero.

"Well then, if that's the case, you should also know that both of them have been suspended for two days due to their behavior, and someone's going to have to deliver their homework, since they are not allowed on school's premises. No one's offered to take up the job, and since it would give you some time with Yuuki, I think you should do it."

Aidou looked back between his friends Kain and Zero and then snickered with a sneaky smile. "Yeah, Zero. You should do it, since you 'like' Yuuki and all."

Zero flushed in embarrassment. Some friends if they didn't even believe him after he came out about his crush. They still thought he was after Kaname! And he wasn't…was he?

Zero blushed and scratched his face. "W-Well, fine! I'll go the principal's office first thing tomorrow and offer to take up the job! Hmph! It'll be no problem."

Kain sat back in his seat and pressed his straw against his smiling lips. "Oh, I doubt it'll be a problem for you."

Zero snorted to himself and rolled his eyes at their silly grins. 'Some friends I have.'

When Zero had agreed to deliver homework and other education-related news, he figured it would just be boring. But now, walking alone on a snowy path with a stack of books between his cold hands, he just felt lonely. Every time he looked up he could remember a spot where he and Yuuki used to explore and play, sometimes even with the company of Kaname. He still remembered how to reach their house and the shortcuts that Yuuki taught to him in case of an emergency. He almost forgot how close the Kurans lived to the high school they used to dream about going when they were younger.

There was a dull pain in Zero's chest as he marched on, but he passed it off as some form of frostbite. Upon reaching the house he remembered the large estate the Kurans lived on, and how their parents were never there because they were either working or vacationing, and how the maids and butlers became their replacements to Yuuki and Kaname.

He marched up the long driveway and rang the bell twice before someone answered. This butler's face was one he didn't particularly remember and the butler didn't look as if he knew him either.

'Must be a new one,' he thought and tried to best to sound polite. "Hi, are Yuuki and Kaname home? I'm here to deliver their homework for today."

The butler eyed him suspiciously for a moment and spoke with a gruff voice. "Mr and Miss Kuran are to stay in for the day, but I will be more than happy than to deliver the items for you." He opened the large screen gate and opened his hands to take the books. Zero frowned, annoyed that the butler already thought ill of him and he hadn't even introduced himself.

"I'm sorry, there's a message I need to deliver to Yuuki and its kind of private so if you could…"

The butler hesitated before regaining his posture. "I will alert her of your presence. Name?"

"Kiryuu Zero." He said, the butler didn't flinch at the name so it became clear that the man had not been working there long. He opened the door completely and allowed Zero to step inside the grand master hall.

He shut the door tightly behind him. "Please wait here for a moment." And then the butler disappeared up the spiraled stairs. Although Zero originally didn't intend to go find Yuuki for himself, he had a feeling that the butler wasn't going to stay true to his words and tell Yuuki he was here. He stepped out of his shoes carefully and placed the homework on a nearby flower table, intent on finding Yuuki and finally getting the chance to talk things over like he planned to. As he walked up the stairs, he made two rights and a left, and found himself lost. Zero didn't remember how to find Yuuki's room in the vast mansion. Then there was a silent hum and voices of seiyuu coming from down the hall.

He followed the noise. "Sounds like a…video game?" He thought to himself as he approached the door and peered into the crack. There sat Kaname, dressed in amethyst silk pajamas, feet bare, and his mouth was slightly agape as he stared at the screen in concentration, fingers tapping away on the game console between buttons.

In a different situation, he might have laughed and took pictures; the great Kaname still found the time to fool around playing video games, all propped up on a beanie bag with tousled hair. He looked…normal for a change.

"You know, if you have the time to stare at me like that, you could at least knock." Kaname interrupted, but didn't tear his eyes away from the flashing screen. Zero jumped in surprise, and then cleared his voice, finally opening the door and stepping inside.

He coughed. "Shut up, I was only looking for Yuuki."

"Yuuki?" Kaname echoed. "She's bathing, come back some other time."

"Then I'll wait until she's finished." Zero retorted and crossed his arms over his chest, glaring at the brunette angrily.

Kaname sighed and paused the game, sitting up from his lazed position and smoothed out his pajamas. He smiled at Zero mischievously and held out his hand. "Fine, then. Come, make yourself at home. Would you like to play?"

Zero shook his head and shifted on his feet, still looking wary. Eventually he agreed and sat down on the floor a few feet away from Kaname, crossed his legs and tried to absorb some warmth. Kaname's eyes glinted.

"Cold?"'

Zero averted his gaze and didn't answer. The brunette took that as an invitation to move closer. "Should I…help you get warm?"

"Don't get any closer, Kuran." Zero snarled and moved back again, bumping his back on the bottom of Kaname's bed. He glared as hard as he could to no avail, because Kaname didn't stop advancing towards him.

"So aggressive, yet you were the one spying on me in my home, and I'm the one who shouldn't intrude on personal space?"

Zero's glare faltered and he flushed. "I was…just delivering homework."

"Well, aren't you a saint." Kaname mocked and placed his hand on top of Zero's. They didn't say anything for a moment.

"Your hands are cold."

"Duh."

Kaname smiled. "Well then, why won't you let me help you get warm?"

Zero slapped Kaname's hand away. "I'm not one of your playthings, asshole. Get away from me or I'm out of here."

"So mean…" Kaname pouted and inched his face even closer to Zero's, enough to peck the blushing teen on the cheek. Zero rudely shoved him off and stood up, dusting off lint that wasn't there in attempt to calm himself down. He was blushing furiously. Kaname sat up and smirked as Zero began moving away. He stood up and tripped the teen so that he fell on Kaname's bed. He took the opportunity to straddle him, ensuring he wouldn't be going anywhere.

Zero fought back furiously, only to havehis hands restrained above his head. He growled. "What the fuck do you think you're doing, Kuran?"

"Warming you up, obviously." Kaname snorted and leaned down so that his head was resting on the teen's chest. "You're awfully cold; it's so cute to see you go through the trouble of walking through that snow for my sake." He murmured against his chest.

The teen spluttered. "I-I did it for Yuuki's sake too!" He hoped his heart wasn't beating loud enough that Kaname could hear.

"Ah, Yuuki. Almost forgot." The brunette lifted his head and feigned a puzzled look. Zero grimaced.

"I hate you."

"Aw, why? Is it because I'm not a vampire?"

Zero raised an eyebrow and spoke slowly, as if the brunette were mentally ill. "No, it's because you're sitting on top of me, idiot!"

Kaname thought for a moment, pointedly ignoring the last comment. "Nope, it's probably because I'm not a vampire. I thought we talked this over; just pretend I'm a pureblood vampire. Kuran Kaname, the vampire. There, does that excite you? Don't act like you don't enjoy role playing."

Zero turned his head, blushing shamelessly. "No…"

"I don't believe you. Kiryuu-kun, I'm thirsting for 'blood'. Let me suck on your neck."

The teen thrashed against his bindings in response, growling. "Fuck off and let me go already."

"Tch, not obeying your vampire senpai? I suppose I'll have to be the one to teach you then." He smiled slowly. Zero blushed and gulped, feeling his stomach quiver in excitement and protest.

Kaname smirked to himself as he placed soft and small kisses along the base of Zero's neck, who whimpered in response and arched his head back into the plush sheets, exposing more of that delicious skin. Kaname nipped and bit at his collarbone, leaving expert love marks, before moving on to suck on the teen's pulse point relentlessly, leaving the boy groaning and shifting uncomfortably.

"K-Kaname..." Zero pleaded softly, feeling his stomach coil in a sudden burning heat.

Kaname didn't answer him, only continued to lick and bite, leaving trails of saliva on Zero's neck as he worked his way up to the ear, where he bit down hard on the boy's earlobe, making him gasp.

Zero bucked. "Ouch," he groaned out, and Kaname sought to apologize by running his tongue over Zero's earlobe, sucking on it experimentally, savoring the teen's salty tasting skin.

Kaname smirked to himself, he could tell the boy was already getting aroused by his measures and decided to make it worse for him by squeezing his leg between the boy's thighs, putting pressure on Zero's clothed arousal. He moaned loudly in response.

"Are you getting warm yet, Kiryuu-kun? Do you want me to stop?" He murmured and placed butterfly kisses along his jaw. The teen moaned softer and squirmed his hands, trying to wring himself free. Kaname obliged and let the teen's hands go, and snaked one hand down to brush again Zero's growing bulge.

Zero blushed and bit his lip to stifle another loud noise. His own hands had resorted to grabbing Kaname's pajamas across his back as he bunched up the soft material between his fingers, working through his hands like water.

Kaname suckled on Zero's neck, and Zero was sure that he would have more than one hickey on his neck soon. He bucked as Kaname began to stroke him.

"D-Don't…"

"Mm, I do love it when you resist me."

Zero gasped. "What the hell is wrong with you, Kaname?"

And Kaname answered more truthfully to himself than he'd like to admit; fortunately it was low enough for anyone but himself to understand. "I like you too much," Kaname murmured to himself, glancing around at several different objects nervously.

"Huh?"

Kaname relinquished his hold on Zero's neck and hovered above the teen, their lips inches away. "Kiss me, Zero."

"W-what? What are you saying?" Zero voice quivered with anger, but his eyes bore into Kaname's passion filled amethyst ones, and he was confused.

Kaname moved back a bit. "Don't be shy. Prove to me you want me too. C'mon, kiss me."

"I-I…" When did he get so serious?

He leaned back in and breathed upon Zero's lips in the most seductive way he could manage. "Kiss me…" he teased.

Zero squeezed his eyes shut and began to lift his head closer, parting his lips were trembling and yet Kaname was willing to ignore Zero's nervousness for this...

The knock on the door startled the both of them into forced neutral positions, and the butler didn't wait for an approval before he opened the door, much to Kaname's displeasure. He leaned his own body in front of Zero's effectively concealing Zero's arousal from the man's view although it didn't hide the fact that the two of them were…busy.

"What?" Kaname growled and glared at the butler who squirmed under the harsh gaze. "Why are you disturbing us?"

"Ah…well, it seems Yuuki-san is finally ready to see you, Kiryuu-san." Zero's eyes snapped open.

"Yuuki?" Zero sighed in disbelief. Oh, he had forgotten all about the real reason he came here, getting all wrapped up with Kaname, and now he had to wait here until his…problem was gone, before he could actually see her!

"Leave us; I will direct him in a moment." Kaname ordered to the cowering butler who bowed and quickly scurried out shutting the door as quietly as he could behind him.

Zero crossed his legs in annoyance, only slightly grateful that Kaname was at least considerate. He looked up at the smirking brunette. "What?" He barked, demanding to know what could still be so amusing to him.

"Nothing. Now, why don't you stop shaking so much and let me help you get ready to see my sister, hm?" He leaned forward and cupped Zero's cheek.

Zero blushed and opened his mouth to speak but did not have much of an excuse to protest.

Zero was still breathing heavily when he entered Yuuki's room, still foggy from the heated bath she had taken. The room was large, lavish, and filled with all normal things high-school girls would keep in their rooms, even color-coordinated in a pink-green scheme. In the center of the room was Yuuki, draped across her bed tiredly, clad in a bathrobe and he suspected she was still wet underneath it.

"Zero-kun," she smiled weakly, as if she had a reason to be nervous. "You're here, why?"

He cleared his throat. "Well, I was assigned to deliver yours and Kaname's homework for the evening…"

Her weak smile might have gotten even dimmer.

"And," he added. "I wanted to know how you were…faring." If that was the right choice of words, he thought.

She laughed bitterly and placed a hand under her chin, moistening lips already wet as she stared out the castle-esque window to her left. If Zero didn't know Yuuki as well as he did, he wouldn't have been able to see the sadness that sank beneath her wine-colored eyes. Yuuki was pretending to be mad, but she wasn't.

He shifted his weight to his other leg and stuffed both hands in either pocket. "Are you okay, Yuuki?"

She closed her eyes and drank in the silence. "I suppose I should be, but to be honest, I'm not sure."'

Okay…What did that mean?

"It was my fault, you know," She continued. "I needed to be sure, and I thought, 'if I don't do it now, he'll forget about me.' So I jumped right in it and didn't care about anything else for the moment. Suspension is what it got me. Or us, I should say."

She turned to look at Zero wistfully. "Kaname-sama isn't happy with me."

"I could've gathered that," Zero nodded along. She chuckled. "I guess all those rumors at school are true then."

Zero felt the need to intervene before she said anything else. It was like she was talking to herself, lost in her own self-created world of anger and sadness. "That's not true what they say Yuuki. You couldn't help it, that's all. That doesn't make you unusual or anything."

"And I suppose you're the one defending me now?"

Damnit. Now he sees how Kaname and Yuuki are related.

It struck Zero silent. Her voice was harsh, like she didn't need him to answer to know that Zero wasn't defending her at all anymore. It bothered him that it was that obvious, that he was that readable.

Zero took a step closer to the bed, and then another. But he didn't talk, instead he held her gaze until she opened her mouth.

"Kaname-sama hates me. He thinks I forced him into this relationship, and that it would've never have happened if he hadn't have taken pity of my feelings for him."

"But you know that's not true," Zero pointed out, inching closer to her. He could see the drops of bathwater cling to her slim legs and hair that stuck to the corners of her face.

She nodded. "Yes, I know it's not true, but things like that can't sound convincing when things aren't going well."'

He reached the bed, sat down, but didn't touch her. "They aren't going well?"

Yuuki finally dropped her gaze and stood with her back to him, to conceal her body.

"There's someone else." She bit her quivering lip to prevent any whimpering noises, the warning signs of tears. Zero hesitated, but then reached out a hand and gently touched her leg. Yuuki jerked from right out underneath him.

The gesture hurt her yet he didn't talk, and waited for her to get herself together first. "Kaname-sama isn't interested anymore, and maybe he never was, maybe I was fooling myself because I needed the comfort. But I can see it now, w-when I touch him, I can see it in his eyes that he's thinking of someone else. Do you know what that feels like, Zero!?" Her voice was rising up to a shrill scream.

Zero hesitated to answer. He wanted to scream, shout, yes, yes I know exactly what it feels like when the one you love loves another! But it wasn't his place, and the question was obviously rhetorical.

"Well," he said slowly. "Maybe it's not over like you think."

Another bitter laugh, she rolled back into the pillow behind her. "I get it now, and its okay Zero. I'm okay with it."

It was becoming increasingly difficult not to flush under that prying gaze. "You're…okay with it?"

She scoffed at him and regarded him with a dirty look. "How couldn't I be? Is there any other reason you didn't seek me out first?"

Zero stuttered, feeling his cheeks grow warm. "Y-you were bathing…"

"And you? What were you doing?"

He chose not to answer that question either.

Tears pooled in her eyes again, and she didn't resist the urge to cry. Softly, like an angel, she whimpered. "You both…used to love me…now I have no one." She leaned forward, clasped her hands around his shoulders with as much for force she could muster and pressed her lips against his. Only the kiss was sloppy and awkward, and didn't last but for a few seconds because he touched her again, grabbed her as quickly and tightly as he could, wrapped his arms so tight around her beads of her bathwater were dripping on him, but he didn't let go, not even to wipe the sour taste of her from his lips.

"I'm here. You don't have no one, Yuuki." Her arms went slack from him and she didn't resist.

The next line flowed from him like he had written it down and rehearsed it a thousand times, the sounds of Yuuki's quivering mouth encouraged him to comfort her anyway he knew how. The feelings he felt for her when he was younger came back to him, and only now could he recognize them. They were not feelings of deep affection; they were feelings of deep amity for her.

"I'll always be here."

Zero was true to his word. He did promise to be there for both Yuuki and Kaname, on account of their dwindling popularity, so it was definitely a shocking thing to see Yuuki and Kaname finally come back from their suspension, but to see Zero between them. Safe to say, Zero's fan base did diminish some that early morning. But none of that mattered. What mattered was that they were friends again, and Zero didn't have to have anyone else, he was just fine where he was.

But he half-expected Kaname to already be there, beside Yuuki, helping her, being there, because she is his sister. And Zero knew that, and sometimes he can't believe it took him so long to learn that his place will always be in the middle of them. Lovers or not, Zero's position wasn't going to change. But something happened, and although Zero wasn't sure whether or not Kaname and Yuuki were still trying to work out their own issues, he couldn't stop glancing at Kaname, or trying to catch his eye, anything. It was an infuriating week, one day Kaname seems to be all interested in him and now it seems like he never had bothered with Zero at all! He wasn't even worried about Yuuki as much, like he had grown tired of the both of them. Zero was confused. That's why he needed to talk to Yuuki.

Unfortunately, since Zero didn't share any classes or lunch with either Kuran, he would have to race across half the school just to see if he could catch Yuuki at her locker. The third try, he was able to catch her just as she showed up, without Kaname for a change.

He leaned against her locker. "No Kaname today?"

"He had to meet a teacher about the new student government," she said to him smiling, her cheeks and nose were red from the cold outside.

Zero smiled at her. "Do you want me to walk you to class then?" He tucked his hands in his pockets, trying to look aloof. She smiled sadly.

The grin begin to slip off his face too when he saw Yuuki's face grow serious, she turned from him and tightly held her books to her chest.

"Zero, do you like Kaname?"

Zero's body froze still for a moment. He sat up and scanned the hallways. They students were scattering, signaling that class was probably going to start soon. No one was near them, and no one else was listening.

He gulped. "What makes you say that?" She whirled on him; her eyes were big and filled with tears.

"I think I've known for a very long time that Kaname-sama has liked you, and that you liked me. Back then, Kaname-sama was growing annoyed with me when it became increasingly obvious you liked me," Her voice hushed down to a whisper.

"But I was jealous that Kaname liked you. I couldn't be an honest friend with you because I was too busy craving Kaname-sama's attention, and selfishly I dragged you both down this path. But I want to make it right." She dropped her books and ran to Zero's arms, clinging to him desperately.

"Forgive me Zero, and please make my brother happy." She murmured against his chest. He blinked and then embraced Yuuki's frame loosely.

He cleared his throat. "What makes you so sure I can make him happy?"

"Because he makes you happy. You didn't come here looking for me; you wanted Kaname to be here too, didn't you?" Her voice seemed broken. Inside Zero's stomach something jumped, but he didn't speak. Maybe it was too obvious that Kaname was important to Zero, and it took Yuuki's tears to understand that Kaname was acting weird not because Yuuki was friends with him, but because he was friends with Yuuki. Kaname was jealous. He was jealous of Yuuki.

Yuuki was sniffling into his chest like she was about to cry again. He embraced her tightly. It must've been hard for her; she had fought for Kaname's attention so badly that she willingly entered a romantic relationship with him, and even lost Zero for some time. Now they were all friends again and it seemed like she was going to lose them both. It didn't matter if he told her that he wasn't going to lose her again. There wasn't much Zero could do now, it was finally time for her to accept her brother, and maybe, accept Zero too.

He had faith in her though, that she'd realize that they'd always be there for her, whether they were in a relationship or not. He looked back into her shining brown eyes, and he had faith she'd sort everything out herself, without anyone's help. She smiled and moved back from him, picking up her books.

"He's in the library, waiting for you. He's trying, Zero. I hope you'll be able to want to try for him, but don't do it because you're sorry for me." She bit her lips and blushed.

"I guess, what I'm trying to say is…do what you think is best." She smiled and blew Zero a kiss, walking off. "See you later."

The late bell rung, but all Zero could do is slump against Yuuki's locker, completely lost for answers.

Kaname played with his watch as he slumped against the frame of the library's window. He wasn't one to skip class but such a frivolous thing like homeroom could afford to be missed. He couldn't deal with being around Yuuki right now his spirits were too low. And now it was strangely ironic that he was the one laying in Zero's favorite spot in the library.

He sighed. Something like this shouldn't have bothered him this much, but being around Yuuki when Yuuki was with Zero was testing his patience far too much. It was more than obvious that she was happier with him, but he was happier when Zero was around. Chuckling, he fingered the watch in his hands. Only seven more minutes before he actually would have to start attending class. He pocketed his watch and stood, brushing off his uniform. The library's light was low, but he could just make out another person rushing towards him.

"Kaname," the voice murmured against his skin. He was being held. Kaname smiled slightly and sunk into the others' embrace. Zero's voice was shaken and stuttering.

"Who told you I was here?" Kaname breathed. He could feel Zero shrug under him, not wanting to tell him what he already knew. That it was Yuuki.

"I'm not sure whether I want to be with you, or whether I want to be your boyfriend or anything like that," Zero said softly and into Kaname's ear. "But I know that I like you, and I'm pretty sure you like me, too."

Kaname chuckled. "Oh? And what else are you so sure of?"

"I'm sure I want to do this." Zero smiled and pressed his lips to Kaname's, kissing the other roughly over and over again until he was satisfied. Kaname smiled against his lips.

"Very clever of you." Kaname breathed, trying not to look so flushed. Zero tightened his grip around Kaname's neck almost smirking in a way.

"I could show you some other things I'd like to do too," Zero's eyes were playful.

"I doubt you could do these things in three minutes," Kaname kissed him softly again and then released him, already moving to leave.

Zero's frown resembled more of a pout. "And here I thought that you were eager to finally have me."

Kaname turned to him and smiled an honest and true smile. "I am. I love you Zero." He smiled like he was deliriously happy to say that.

Zero blushed and waved the brunette away. "Who knew Kuran was such a sap, huh?" But then he smiled back to Kaname and watched him walk away. Zero would skip first period class today; he had a bit of thinking to do.

Mainly about a tall brunette and where the perfect place for a first date would be.

Inspiration? (Like anyone cares, xD) Uh, I don't know, it was in my idea journal for a while...I really liked the idea of this kind of romance. And it was supposed to be done like...back in October, ahaha. Oh god, I'm talking too much. I hoped you liked it enough to review it. Comments and suggestions are more than welcome. Uhh, nothing much else to say here…so uhh, bye!