AN- Yuuki's POV. Credit for the song lyrics from 'Dear John' goes to Taylor Swift later on in the chapter

Having hastily re-dressed, discarding my tattered white dress on my bed, I now opted to wear a ball gown of deep violet satin, much more to my liking than the dress my mother had chosen. I make my way back down the stone stairs once more. My bloodlust has temporarily been sated by a forbidden form of sustenance, blood tablets. Neither Kaname nor my parents care much for them, and had never allowed me to take them…at least not to their knowledge. As I descend the marble staircase I didn't expect the hooded man to be waiting there for me at the bottom. I am halfway down the staircase when I notice his comfortingly familiar form staring up at me. I feel my cheeks beginning to prickle once more…this person had actually waited for me…even after I had so hastily taken my leave. I become more aware of my body language realizing that his masked eyes are resting on me, and I find myself slowing down so as not to trip in my heeled shoes for the second time this evening. As I near the bottom step he bows to me, holding a hand out….I stare at it for a moment. I'm still wary….the feelings he conjured within me were confusing, frightening….yet somehow exhilarating.

I'm engaged to be married…Whatever this feeling is it isn't right….

However, even with this rational thought on my mind….I take the strangers hand once again. The gloves I have chosen this time are dainty and fingerless. I feel a surge of pleasure run through my being as he brushes his lips against my fingers again. How is it possible to feel this way about someone you know nothing about?

We re-enter the ballroom….my pulse is beating softly in my ears. However, I feel a sense of ease, understanding that they will not recognize me now that I am no longer wearing the dress I had entered in. In this way I am camouflaged from the harsh judgemental gaze of the vampire community. A much softer melody begins to play. The music is slow….the couples dance at a leisurely pace. A woman is singing a sad melody in accompaniment to the instruments. A famous singer in the human world who was of course a vampire. I glance in her direction…I recognize the opening of the song from the media, and suddenly feel a pain in my chest. It is one of those songs that seem to recall all of your painful memories from the outset, from the first few soft notes. It is a more acoustic version of the song I know….but it is much more comforting somehow. The delicate tone of the piano, accompanied by the lilting tenor of a lone violin makes for a more melancholy tone, yet somehow seems to fit perfectly. The man seems to notice my emotional reaction to the opening of the song, and offers me his hand once more. I stare up at him. He doesn't speak a word, merely offers his hand. Finally he whispers.

"Dance with me princess." My heart skips a beat. The words aren't spoken….but rather mouthed, so that they take on an ethereal quality.

Long were the nights when my days once revolved around you….counting my footsteps, praying the floor won't fall through….again

I reach out for him, however I hesitate, my hand lingers just above his. The lyrics remind me of all the heartache that I have experienced recently. The days I have spent grieving for Zero…the nights I have spent trying to repay Kaname for his kindness…Can I really trust this person? Can I trust myself? My heart is still aching, my mind is still recovering…my emotions are scattered like fragments of a shattered mirror…Could this stranger truly begin to fit the pieces back together? Slowly….I take a leap of faith, gently slipping my palm into his. He pulls my body close to his so that I can feel the heat of his being against my own. He leads me slowly, gently. His hand rests gently on my waist. Though the closeness makes me a little light headed, it is by no means unpleasant. His cape flutters slightly as we begin to twirl slowly along with the increasing tempo of the melody. His scent is comforting to my weary senses…We've barely spoken in the incredibly short time we have known one another, yet somehow the silence between us, coupled with the intimacy doesn't feel awkward or wrong. I stare up at his mask; a small smile is adorning his lips. It's barely noticeable…it reminds me of a boy I once knew….

My mother accused me of losing my mind….but I swear, I was fine…

I wonder if my parents have noticed I'm missing. The man's grip on my hand tightens a little. I can hear his heartbeat. It is slightly erratic as if he is nervous…It's almost relaxing, the sound of his fluttering heartbeat, and I find myself pressing my body closer to his solely to feel his pulse rushing against my own body.

You paint me a blue sky and go back and turn it to rain….

For once I am not the only one who is feeling such raw emotions. The fact that this person is merely feeling the all too human sensation of anxiety instead of simply concealing his racing heart makes me feel incredibly at ease. Even if he has no control over his gently accelerating heartbeat, I feel as if he is the first being I have met in this secretive night-time world that is not immune to such pure and untainted emotions. The heat of his body is soothing, and I can feel a soft smile creeping to my lips despite my bid to conceal it. The atmosphere is dream-like in the dimly lit room, it reminds me of the times Zero and I had sat alone in the darkness confiding in one another about our problems. I have never felt such intimacy since those times…not even my fiancé could provide such a feeling of security.

I lived in your chess game….but you changed the rules everyday…

"You remind me of a boy I once cherished and wanted to protect…." I murmur, standing on my toes so that I can whisper in his ear. His lips part slightly in what appears to be surprise…somehow the action seems sensual. His lips are the only way I can gauge his response to my words, and I'm a little surprised as his lips curl into a gentle smile. I'm not sure how to take his reaction, but can only assume it to be a good thing.

Well maybe it's me and my blind optimism to blame…or maybe it's you and your sick need to give love and take it away….

"Oh?...and what happened to him?" He mumbles in response sending a shiver down my spine. There is a hint of something in his voice…amusement almost...not cruel, but clearly intrigued by me revelation. A soft blush colors my cheeks at his question…how do I begin to explain to him? We dance for a moment in silence, our bodies moving closer with each passing moment.

I'll look back and regret how I ignored when they said run as fast as you can…

"That person…he…he died….a year ago…..it would have been his birthday this evening…." I confide in him, my voice faltering a little as I speak of Zero….this man….This man…his scent matches Zero's almost exactly…His touch sets my senses ablaze just as Zero's had….I grip his hand tightly in my own, the hand that rests on his shoulder…I am tempted to move it to his hood….to pull away the disguise and see who this person is….however the moment is so romantic I daren't ruin it…however crazy thoughts manifest themselves in my mind….this person…

Dear John, I see it all now that you're gone, don't you think I was too young to be messed with, the girl in the dress cried the whole way home…

"It's intriguing…you look a lot like a girl who was important to me…" He breaths, leaning down so that I can hear him as the sound of the violin escalates and becomes more complex with the melody of the song. He withdraws only slightly so that our faces hover inches from one another. His hand is gliding around the length of my waist, pulling my body into his. His face lingers close to mine. Our breathing is heavy with anticipation, and as his chest rises and falls, I can feel the warmth of his breath against my lips, causing my body to shiver with pleasure in response. I can feel his lips almost touching mine, but not quite, as if he's teasing me….and perhaps had his own heart not been racing as rapidly as mine, I may have merely thought he was toying with my emotions. I swallow, my throat is still parched and hungers for sustenance despite the blood tablets…

Dear John, I see it all now it was wrong…don't you think seventeen's too young to be played by your dark twisted games when I loved you so…

"Did….did she also….pass away?" I question, attempting to delicately approach the subject….although somehow I feel as if I already know the answer, such a thought causing shockwaves through my mind, body and soul. He recoils a little, as if the question frightens him…The smile dissipates, and is replaced by a melancholy look. The air around us is static. No one else matters….there is only this man and I in the room right now. Anticipation. Frustration. Piecing thoughts, memories and ideas together….

You are an expert at sorry and keeping lines blurry…never impressed by me acing your tests…

"….I was lead to believe….that she left me for someone else….." He finally utters, a hint of disgust clearly present in his tone, though it softens as he finishes the sentence…My eyes widen beneath my mask, and I feel my blood turn to ice. I swallow heavily….my tongue feels almost numb as attempt to pry further…yet I'm almost too afraid to hear his response. My mind begins to create ridiculous ideas as this man allows me to peek into his world….a flashback….that night at the train station….Zero had never showed up….supposedly because he had fallen to level E…

I'm shining like fireworks over your sad empty town…

"…You….you don't believe she did…." I frown at this, my head is spinning suddenly, particularly as the dance becomes more involved. His heart is calling to me, pulling me closer. My chest constricts tightly, as if it is being pulled tightly by the man's words. I feel my body falling, and cling tightly to him for support, only to realize he is moving my body with the music, dipping me so that my head falls back ever so slightly. The frenzied beating of my heart intensifies as his lips brush gently against mine in the strangely nostalgic moment. It's barely a kiss as he pulls me back into a fully standing position, yet my face flushes from the contact and I feel light headed. I almost forget our conversation as his pale lips part to speak once again.

Dear John….I see it all now that you're gone….

"I did….though now I'm not so sure…" He finally replies, spinning me gently. My legs tremble, my arms tremble, my heart is breaking….I can barely stop myself from tearing the mask from his face, however, somehow, I dig deep within my soul and find the strength to continue the conversation….as if this isn't the moment I've been waiting for, for so long.

Don't you think I was too young to be messed with?

"What…changed your mind…?" I murmur, my voice barely audible, although my faltering tone seems to reverberate across the vast walls that surround us. His grip on me tightens almost protectively, and a genuine smile forms on his lips, sending a wave of emotions through me, from my head to my toes, this man's smile touches me, as if his happiness is contagious.

"An irritating man told me….that she had spent the entire year grieving my absence…." The words are whispered, we're so close we aren't even moving anymore. My heart stops at his words, and I feel a stabbing pain in my chest. My thoughts are whirring in my head…..Kaname had told me that Zero….was dead….but what if….someone had told Zero that I had changed my mind….given him reason to doubt…..

I see it all now that you're gone….don't you think I was too young to be messed with…

"Because she thought I was dead." He finally finishes. I stare up at him in disbelief. Tears blur my vision, and desperation prompts me to abandon my composure…I claw at the hood he is wearing, however he pulls me close, his hands gliding up my back to my neck as he presses his lips against mine, almost hungrily. His mouth opens capturing a loud sob that would otherwise have been emitted. His fingers entwine themselves in my hair as he cradles my head, and I finally tear back the hood, my own fingers greeted by a shock of silky silver strands. Suspicions confirmed, I finally allow myself to throw my arms around his neck, and I kiss him back as I have wanted to for over a year. His lips are soft and comforting, and amongst the gaggle of dancing Aristocrats, our reunion seems like a small insignificant thing. No one bats an eyelash at the two passionately embracing teenagers. No one realizes that the young woman in the hunter's arms is the vampire princess, nor do they realize that the silver haired man is the hunter society president. For the first time in our lives, our identities don't matter. The masks we wear allow us a few precious moments of solitude, we aren't enemies, we aren't princess and knight, or vampire and hunter…we're just Yuuki and Zero….two best friends who fell in love…who were cruelly torn apart by prejudice and class divide….two lovers finally reunited

The girl in the dress…..

Whatever had been the cause of our separation, although I had my theories…..we could deal with that later….at this moment we enjoyed being

…Wrote you a song…You should have known.