*Shizuka's Flashback*

Cherry blossoms floated down onto the ground like pink snow, falling on top of each other and spreading out on the ground. A tall woman wearing a white kimono with a purple obi and a bell attached to it which jingled with her slow, gentle movements walked across the cherry blossom covered grown, silent tears falling from her eyes which were the same colour as the cherry blossoms, her moonlight coloured hair swaying in the gentle breeze.

Hatred and pain consumed her, hatred towards the Kiryuu family and the Senate; and pain at the loss of her lover and her dear sister she had not seen in three thousand years. She had plans: to find her sister when she got out of her prison and introduce her to the Ex-Human she fell in love with so that they could live happily ever after, but that dream had been shattered when her lover had been reduced to ash, his hand still in hers at the time.

Sakiko, I hope we can meet again in the future, Shizuka Hiou thought as she came to the edge where the trees stopped. Beyond thr trees sat a two story house with a dead sakura tree off to the side. Shizuka lifted her hand and drew it towards the edge, where the shadows stopped and the sunlight begun. But as soon as Shizuka's hand went into the sun light something burnt her skin, flaring the flesh off her fingertips. Shizuka quickly drew her hand back, the burnt fingertips healing quickly and leaving her fingertips looking as if nothing had happened.

"An anti-vampire barrier," Shizuka muttered, turning away. "Of course."

She walked across the edge of the barrier, staying in the shade of the trees and came by the Sakura tree that was outside a window by the house. Shizuka jumped into the tree and as soon as she sat on a branch the tree begun to bloom.

A few cherry blossoms blew around, the window by the sakura tree opening with a loud creek. A silver haired boy stepped onto the balcony, his eyes connecting instantly with Shizuka's. Shizuka recognised him as one of the twin sons of the hunters.

"So, we meet again," Shizuka comments emotionlessly, trying to collect herself in front of this human child. Pureblood vampires shouldn't cry in public.

"Why are you crying in a place like this?" the young boy asked, noticing her falling tears. "Did something sad happen to you?"

"What about you? Why are you crying?" Shizuka questioned, noticing the tears gathered in the boy's eyes. The boy gasped and bought his finger to his eye, feeling the wetness that was gathered on his fingertip. He had not known that he was crying, and before he realised it he was crying harder.

Shizuka felt not pity for the boy, but understanding. He was just like her, she realised.

"Are you lonely where you are now?" Shizuka asked, earning a surprised look from the boy. "Will you help me in exchange for me helping you?"

"What is it that you need?" the boy asked.

"I need to get passed the anti-vampire barrier," Shizuka explained. "I need you to destroy it. Can you do that?"

"Sure," the boy agreed. "I'm Ichiru Kiryuu, by the way."

"Shizuka Hiou."

*End Shizuka's Flashback*

*Sakiko's Flashback*

Zero had stopped shaking after drinking Sakiko's blood. Instead he had slumped forward in exhaustion and shock at what had happened that day, falling into Sakiko's arms.

"There, there," Sakiko cooed, stroking Zero's hair. "It's all over. I'll look after you, I'll protect you."

Sakiko looked around at the blood soaked room before her eyes landed on the two bodies that had been drained of their blood, a sigh escaping her. She knew that the hunters will be coming here to investigate any time soon, and if she didn't leave now they'll no doubt mistake her for Shizuka like Zero had and execute her.

Sakiko wrapped the ends of her obi around Zero and stood up slowly, and after making sure Zero wasn't in an uncomfortable position left the house. Not a minute after Sakiko made it passed the tree line the hunters arrived, going into the house. Sakiko turned away from them and left the scene.

Sakiko didn't exactly know where she was going but she ended up back at the tomb she had created for herself three thousand years ago. She frowned, placing Zero in the coffin and walked around, running her fingers across the damp walls. She flung a surge of power at the candles, lighting them up one by one and casting shadows around the room, giving it an eerie appearance.

A groan caused Sakiko to walk over to the coffin, where Zero was stirring. Zero blinked up at Sakiko and he reared up in fright, his eyes wide as he stared at Sakiko, who instantly knew what was going on with him.

"Shh, it's OK, I'm Sakiko, not Shizuka," Sakiko cooed, wrapping her arms around Zero and pulling him up against her chest. "I won't hurt you, I promise. You have my word."

"W-where are we?" Zero asked.

"We're in the tomb I've been asleep in for three thousand years," Sakiko explained. Zero pulled away and stared at Sakiko with wide eyes. He blinked a few times as he tried to process her words.

"You're over three thousand years old?" Sakiko nodded. "You don't look that old."

"Oh, thanks," Sakiko says sarcastically. This boy didn't think she would look old and disgusting did he?

"No, I mean I expected a three thousand year old vampire to be extremely wrinkly and have fraying grey hair. You ... you look twenty three years old."

"I'm a Pureblood, we look twenty three forever," Sakiko laughed. "I'm happy about that, by the way. Every woman would want to look forever young and have no wrinkles or aging spots. I remember once there was a human woman who asked me how I have youthful skin and ..."

"You talk too much," Zero interupts her, frowning.

"Oh, sorry about that," Sakiko says sheepishly. "I've been asleep for three thousand years so I have three thousand years of conversations bottled up inside of me. I'm sorry if I bore you with my old lady rantings."

"No, I want to hear more about you," Zero says shyly. "You're going to take me in after my parents' ... deaths?" Sakiko thought about it and nodded yes. "Then I want to hear about you."

"OK," Sakiko nods. "I was born and raised in a cage because the Senate are afraid of my family line. Both my parents were in that cage too and they commited suicide right in front of my and Shizuka's eyes, leaving us with the thought that Purebloods are fated to live a cursed life.

"When I was at least one hundred years old I was somehow let out of the cage but Shizuka-Nee wasn't. I met a Pureblood man named Akihiro and we fell in love and had a son, Asura. The Senate killed Asura and Akihiro because of my family's curse of going insane and I knew that I would go insane without Shizuka around so I created this tomb and went into a slumber. I only woke up yesterday so you'll have to tell me what's happened since then."

"Uh ..."

Sakiko snapped her fingers as something clicked in her mind and she perched on the end of the coffin beside Zero.

"I just had a brilliant idea," Sakiko says, turning her head to look at Zero. "I'm going to find the answer to restore Level Es back to human! I'm a Pureblood; I have the ability to turn a human into a vampire, so I should be able to reverse it!"

"How will you do that?" Zero asked. He wondered why Sakiko changed the subject all of a sudden. This vampire woman is mental, Zero thought with a frown as he watched Sakiko leap off the coffin in a hypo-active way, clicking her fingers. Sparks flared up before fire engulfed her hand, burning brightly as it begun to shaped in the air. The way Sakiko was acting didn't fit with the way he was taught purebloods acted; they acted arrogantly because of their high status, toying with the emotions of humans. But this Pureblood vampire seemed somewhat ... childish. It didn't fit with the way Purebloods were supposed to act.

"Zero, our 'game' starts today," Sakiko declares, turning to grin at the young boy. "Whichever one of us finds a cure to vampirism first will win."

At that moment, everything wrong with the universe changed as Zero felt that all-too-familiar competitive side of him come over him.

"You're on."

Sakiko let the fire ball rise into the air, taking on the shape of a rose.

*End Sakiko's Flashback*

"Hey Zero, how about this!" Sakiko exclaimed, running into Zero's dorm room as if she owned the place. "We make some kind of potion that would cure vampirism!"

"That would work ... if we were wizards," Zero tells her in his usual emotionless voice.

"I have epic super powers," Sakiko pointed out.

"You can't enchant things Sakiko-Sama," Zero frowned.

Sakiko begun to fake cry in mock-sadness. Being in Akira's body didn't make her any less weirder then she already was.

"You're so cruel Zero!" Sakiko wailed, leaning against the wall and moving her dark brown hair over her shoulder. She covered her face dramatically, sniffling as she declared, "the years have changed Zero! Not only has he become a guy a woman would fight for the attention of, but he has lost his sense of humour. I'm going to go sulk in a corner like that blonde guy in that anime Akira forced me to watch!"

Sakiko ran off, leaving Zero staring after her with a blank stare. Zero begun to wonder if Sakiko had bumped her head in her slumber.

"That woman is weird," Zero muttered, pulling his tie off. He didn't notice the group of guys gathered around his door.

"Hey Zero, is your sister single?" One of the guys asked.

Zero shot a glare at them that could melt an ice sculpture, causing the boys to disappear in a flash.

A/N: Sakiko is so much like headmaster Cross in a way. They both can be very serious and badass one moment and become cheery, happy-go-lucky and crazy in another way. Immortality can do that to you.