Rating: M

Author's Note: So I know I haven't completed any multichapter story I've written. That is because I had everything planned out in my head, and then my stupid computer crashed and I stopped writing for an entire summer, and all the little plot bunnies from my previous stories just vanished, taking all my inspiration with it. But here I was actually smart enough to outline my stories on an actual document online instead of hording everything inside my head. And this plot bunny was way too fluffy and big to not write.

I already have the second chapter a quarter of the way done, so there's no reason for me to take like a year to update. Vampire Knight is my new love fanfiction wise. Well, Kaname/Zero is. BlackenedWing is the main source of this love. I mean, her stories are absolutely incredible. I wait on pins and needles for an update, and her entire duet series is amazing. And if anything in this story is familiar with any of her stories, then I apologize. :x I might have put some things that sounded similar without realizing it.

Anyways, enjoy :3

He felt a world of pain wash through his body. His breath came out in short ragged breaths and his eyes shut tightly. Oh god, he thought miserably. Never did he think that dying would be this painful, not even after the many times he had contemplated just ending his life during his development into a vampire. His head began to spin with dizziness as his injured body tried desperately to heal itself. But it was too late. . .he felt himself begin to fade in and out of awareness and he felt his body begin to go numb. His injuries were too severe and he lost too much blood. But for the moment, he didn't care. His body throbbed with blinding pain, but beyond that was a whole different kind of pain. His heart ached with loss. Tears filled his stinging eyes.

Then he heard a voice. It sounded close. He felt gentle hands grip his head. The voice whispered soothing words to him. His eyes were still closed as the pain blurred his senses. All he knew was that the presence was harmless and gentle. Maybe if his head wasn't throbbing wasn't so much, he would've figured out who it was.

Suddenly he felt a heat begin to spread across his head. He let out a startled breath and struggled a bit. The person holding him whispered something in a calming voice and softly cradled his head on their lap. The fire in his head spread faster; he felt it swirl inside his head. He should've felt petrified of what was happening, which he kind of was, but not as much as he expected he would be. The person's voice and hands compelled him to relax. It made him feel safe in this hell.

Maybe if the pain engulfing his body wasn't too much, he would've figured out what the person was doing.

The heat dimmed and he slumped in the person's hold. A strange electricity seemed coursed through his body; all the way from his feet to the tips of his fingers. It was a strange powerful force stringing across his veins, seeming to burn everywhere it touched. His breathing came out harsh and quick and sweat formed on his foreheads, beads of it running down his face. Whatever was happening to him was too much. It was straining his abused body and making him leap in and out of consciousness. He felt like he barely had the energy to keep breathing.

His dry mouth open in an attempt to say something - what's happening? What are you doing to me? Who are you? - but all he could make out was a ragged gasp. He tried to open his eyes, but his eyelids felt much too heavy. He settled for raising his trembling hand to clutch at the person's shirt. His numb fingers couldn't even feel what material the cloth was made out of.

A hand caressed his face tenderly, and he unconsciously leaned into the gesture. It felt good. In the world of pain he was in, that one touch seemed to bring a part of him back to life.

The fire was calming now, but in its departure he felt a whole new kind of feeling hit him. It was a fleeting feeling. He knew he was losing something, but he just didn't know what. His body felt like he was beginning to freeze, but he could still feel himself sweating.

He used the last of his strength to open his bleary eyes. At first everything was a blur of colors, but slowly it began to clear. The person above him inhaled sharply and caressed his cheek one last time.

"I'm so sorry. Please, try to forgive me."

And suddenly he recognized the voice. Finally his dizzy mind found the clarity to realize who it was cradling him. His eyes cleared up, and he locked gazes with the face above him. He saw the deep mournful eyes, and the tears falling down the graceful cheek. There was also blood, dripping from their mouth . . . and nose. . . Even in his messed up state, the fact that they were bleeding scared him.

The person let out a small sad smile. "Goodbye, Zero."

And then his world went black.

"Three of his ribs are broken. He has a fracture in his right arm and several deep cuts on his left shoulder. We removed two bullets in his leg and one in his right shoulder. His wounds were bleeding profusely, but we managed to close them. Didn't even need to stitch them up; they should be completely healed in a few hours," the woman reported calmly.

Yagari snorted. "Oh that's all? For a second I thought he was actually hurt," he retorted sarcastically. He scowled darkly and turned his head to the side, averting Cross' glare at him. The doctor said she had to list a few minor injuries, not that she would be listing a fucking book of wounds.

"They are a lot better than the originally reported. The squad who found him said he was barely breathing; to have him brought to the hospital in this condition is - in absence of a better word - a miracle." She caught the discreet relieved look from Yagari and Cross' sigh of content. "You two must've been praying really hard," she added as an afterthought.

A silence enveloped the room. If only the women knew how they were practically on their hands and knees hoping Zero would feel better.

"How long was he . . . asleep?" Kaien asked quietly, breaking the silence. He glanced over at the figure lying in the bed, at the face that was calm despite his injuries. The doctor followed his gaze and arched an eyebrow.

"Asleep? More like in a coma. And from the looks of it, he was unconscious for almost a month. When they found him he was severely unnourished. We have no idea how he lived lying there for days, but he did." There was another moment of silence as they processed the information. The doctor used this as an opportunity to scroll through her reports again. Yes, it truly was strange. The medical squad that was exploring the area in search of survivors concluded Zero must've been laying there for at least a few days based on how little nourishment his the body had and how dehydrated he was. But he was alive; in the midst of dozens of dead bodies, he was the only one breathing. The fact that they couldn't wake Zero up no matter what they tried scared them at first, but they quickly came to the conclusion that he must've been in some sort of coma. He was kept in that state for three weeks until the rescue team came and drove them back to Cross Academy.

"He should be fully functional and conscious in an hour. His body is just shutting down for a bit so it can recover naturally. We have a few painkillers to give him after he wakes up, so he should feel little to no pain," the doctor said calmly, and then raised her eyes from her clip board to look at Kaien. She saw the way he struggled to keep up right, but that there was an undeniable exhausted vibe seeping out of him. He'll wake up soon, and I will make sure that the nurses call you first thing."

But Kaien shook his head quickly. "No," he said firmly, "I want to be here when he wakes up."

The doctor, more or less expecting this answer, only sighed disapprovingly but didn't protest any further. She faced Yagari, who was standing a few feet away from Cross, and arched an eyebrow in question. But he merely shook his head in agreement. The doctor shrugged and finished writing the last few things on her paper, making sure to keep it as up to date as possible for the two obviously worried men.

"You can go if you want. You know I'll make sure he's okay," Kaien muttered quietly to Yagari once he figured the doctor wasn't paying any further attention to them. He knew Yagari would merely shrug him off in front of a stranger.

The hunter scolded and turned away. "What makes you think I want to leave so bad?" he grunted out bitterly. He knew Cross didn't mean what Yagari himself was assuming, but he was too tired to think correctly, let alone form them into words.

Thankfully, Kaien just smiled wearily and put his arms up in a joking surrendering gesture. "You haven't slept in a few days; I just thought you needed to relax for a bit. I've never seen you this tense," he said, concern creeping into his voice. It was true that Cross accidentally dozed off for a few hours, but always up to find Yagari staring blankly at a spot on the wall, his face sullen. It looked like he hadn't even had a blink of sleep since Zero was found in the woods. Kaien suspected that the main reason Yagari didn't sleep was because of his guilt, and that if he fell asleep Zero wouldn't be alive when he woke up, and that he'd never be able to repent. But Cross didn't dare voice it, knowing how sensitive his friend was to those sorts of emotional topics.

But Yagari more of less seemed to catch on to his trail of thoughts and his scold deepened. "Don't get ahead of yourself," he grumbled. "And of course I'm tense. My former student was found in the middle of a battle ground half dead, and now he's in a coma. It hasn't exactly been the best week."

Kaien stared at him sadly, knowing his way of trying to bitter about the situation was his way of covering up the hurt he was feeling. But he didn't want to press any further in fear he might get Yagari really angry, so he just smiled tiredly and glanced at the doctor. She was peeking over her clip board, obviously eaves dropping, but quickly looked back down at her paper when she saw she had been caught.

She coughed slightly to break the tense atmosphere. She glanced up at the clock to see it was getting late, and she began picking up her stuff.

Kaien and Yagari made their way to their spots on the chairs in front of Zero's sleeping form. The small scraping sound of the chairs filled the quiet room, along with the beeps of the heart monitor. The only true sign Zero was still alive.

It wasn't right, having machines breathe for him, and for a small beeping sound to be the only thing to prove he was still with them. There were wires that seemed to sprout out his arms, blood flowing from the bags of blood that hung next to him to him, keeping him alive. He knew that fact kind of disturbed Yagari, but Kaien didn't mind. Especially because Kaien knew where the blood was coming from, but he decided to not tell Yagari because it would probably anger him even more.

But despite the blood, Zero was still deathly pale. But instead of making him look disturbing, it gave him almost a surreal glow. Something that made him look too delicate to touch. It scared Kaien more then he'd admit to see the strong and stubborn Zero so weak, so fragile.

When Cross and Yagari had first heard the news about Zero, they had insisted on going to where they were keeping Zero in the woods. But since the place was still considered a battle zone, the pair had to wait pins and needles until Zero was finally moved to a hospital nearby. It's been a few days, but neither of them have left the hospital since, unless it was to hear reports from the doctors about Zero's current state or for Kaien to fill out some paper work in Cross Academy. For the first few days, the doctors didn't tell them anything since they were still trying to figure out what happened themselves. All they were told so far was that it was a miracle that Zero was alive, and that was all.

Suddenly, both hunters sensed a presence at the entrance of the room. They didn't even need to look up to see who it was. Yagari frowned deeply and his shoulders tensed slightly, but he didn't say anything. Kaien smiled warmly at the figure, welcoming him in.

Kaname Kuran stepped inside the room, making his way to the two hunters in smooth strides. He didn't need Cross's encouragement to enter the room, but he appreciated the gesture. He knew Yagari didn't welcome him. In retrospect, he probably detested the thought of being anywhere near the pureblood. But the hunter stayed where he was, scolding at the bed sheets, and ignored his presence as best he could.

Kaname took a seat next to Kaien, leaning back against the chair. Cross could tell Kaname was beyond tired, but of course the pureblood didn't dare show it in front of anyone. He kept his demeanor impassive, staring at the boy sleeping on the white sheets. The luminous fluorescent lighting illuminated the bed and the person in it. Despite everything, it made Zero look more like a sleeping angel instead of an injured vampire in a coma. It was better to think of the former, it was a more serene thought.

"How are things at the academy?" Kaien asked, more out of habit than anything else. Since the treaty was created, Kaname had to take charge making sure everything went smoothly, and that the Hunter Association didn't try to take advantage of the situation. Cross had to deal with a bit of paper work, because he owned Cross Academy, the only co-existing school that was created so far between humans and vampires. And that's where the first battle sprouted, so he had to deal with a few legal things, but nothing that took him too far away from where Zero was. Kaname, on the other hand, was left to represent the co-existent part of Cross Academy, as he was the only pureblood there. And he was a Kuran. He had to attend many affairs to seal the treaty and make sure nothing back fired and starting another catastrophic war. It was a very tedious and tiring task that unfortunately kept him away from being with them at the hospital, but Kaien understood it was essential as his part to ending the war, as much as it seemed to kill Kaname.

The pureblood quirked a small smile, seeing the small worry etched in Cross's voice. He always had a soft spot for the academy. "Things are going better, but the Hunter Association isn't pleased that they're not getting the better half of the deal." Something dark flashed through his eyes. "I guess what comes around goes around," he quoted a bit cryptically, turning his head back to Zero. His hand curled tighter at his side.

"Are things here any better?" he muttered, his voice a little rough. Kaien glanced at Zero and let out a warm smile to reassure Kaname.

"It's the same as the doctor told you this morning," Kaien paused, furrowing his eyebrows slightly, "or night. . .Whatever you prefer to call it," he said, a hint of a joke creeping into his tone. It was always like Kaien, to try to warm up the mood, putting his own discomfort to cheer up others.

"They say he should wake up soon." Kaien sighed and looked at Kaname. "What are we suppose to tell him when he does?" he muttered.

A small smile appeared on Kaname's face, but it was hollow. "We'll make something up," he said calmly. He was too exhausted to make up a rational explanation to Cross.

Abruptly, a small buzzing noise erupted the silence that engulfed them momentarily. Kaname quickly reached inside his pocket and took out the small vibrating expensive phone. His eyes narrowed when he saw the name on the screen, and flipped the phone open to see the text. He frowned deeply and his hand tightened its hold the phone until a small cracking noise made him stop. He let out a small sigh of frustration, but he got up anyways.

He stared at Zero sadly, pocketing the phone. "I have to go. Apparently something of such dire importance that it has to include me has come up in the treaty," he almost growled out, his voice laced with sarcasm and bitterness. He knew it probably wasn't even that big of a deal that it had to have requested an emergency meeting. The Hunter Association has been pulling up a lot of crap just to state it's authority that it could if it wanted to, since they were still bitter of their loss. Kaname knew he could ignore it, but it was his job as the representative as the co-existing vampire community to please the hags and keep them happy. It still hurt, though, that it interfered with him visiting Zero. It made him feel inexplicably guilty for being born the prince of vampires, a Kuran, and for not being able to just keep watch over the hunter, something he wanted to do so badly it hurt.

"We'll watch him," Kaien said, as if reading his thoughts. He grabbed hold of Kaname's wrists, squeezing them gently in reassurance, then let go. Yagari's face scrunched up the slightest bit, pissed with doing anything that would please a pureblood, especially this one, but didn't argue. It wasn't like he was going to get up and leave Zero just to spite Kuran.

Kaname nodded, his eyes silently thanking Kaien. He gave Zero's sleeping form one last long, somber look before turning away reluctantly and leaving the two hunters.

Cross stared at a small patch on the wall. He felt bad that he couldn't take on Kaname's responsibilities, since some of them were technically his. But he knew he couldn't provide the authority that Kaname could - since he was a pureblood it was almost impossible to defy him - and he would call much more support from the vampire community that Kaien couldn't even hope for. He knew it was in Kaname's nature to put the weight of everything on his shoulders because he was a pureblood and that's how he was raised to be, but Kaien knew sometimes it was too much for the young vampire. He still looked at Kaname as the child that no one ever gave him the chance to be, and it saddened him that he couldn't do much more than sit on a hospital chair looking after Zero. But he knew that the pureblood would want him nowhere else, so that's where he stayed loyally.

He stared at Zero, guilty all over again. There was so much pent up guilt inside him, for not being able to take care of the people he considered to be like his children. He felt like he failed all of them, and now they were the ones paying the price of his mistakes.

Kaien shook his head softly, shaking the solemn thoughts out his head. No, sitting around feeling remorseful wouldn't accomplish anything.

He would stay besides Zero until he woke up, even if was the last thing he would do. It was the only thing he could do.

Soon, he thought. Soon . . .