I've decided to stop giving excuses, things always get in the way of my updating, and my procrastination doesn't help, so I should just accept it and move on. Just know that no matter what I will finish this story, I will not give up as long as you guys are there to read it. Granted, I won't fault anyone who gave up a long time ago, hehe.

Disclaimer: Nope, don't own Vampire Knight. If I did, well it would never get updated.

Death is not the greatest loss in life. The greatest loss is what dies inside us while we live.

-Norman Cousins

Sayori stood outside the acadamy, wind rustling in her hair. Had it really been no more than a week since she left? She felt so different, as if she'd been gone for a few years. So much had changed, and yet, to an outsider, everything was the same.

The only difference being, of course, the small charm hanging off of her bracelet. Her Hunter Badge, not that they'd know that. No, they'd have no clue what Yori had to go through to be allowed that badge. Or the meaning of the badge in general, the 'honor' associated with it, as the association liked to claim.

"Oi Sayori, hurry up!" Zero called over his shoulder striding towards the academy at a rather brisk pace. He was determined to arrive before the Day class awoke, as he could already invision the teenagers endless questions.

"Ah! Zero-san, slow down!" Yori, whisered trying hard not to wake her fellow students, "I can't walk that fast, my legs are too short."

"Then run."

Yori just shook her head at Zero's anticts having grown reasonably comfortable with his rude exterior. It was bearable, after all, because she knew that wasn't his true character.

No, his true character was the one he showed her on the last day of her 'exam' when he thought she wasn't going to make it. When he thought she was going to dissappear. Leave his life. Die.

"Don't give in Wakaba!" Zero screamed from his place on the belocony, knuckles bleeding white as he clenched the metal banister, "you said you could do this, so don't you dare give in!" Yori heard more than saw Zero, not that she could understand what he was saying. Not while she was being forced to face the demons of her past; her memories of her family.

She couldn't understand a word of what Zero screamed, but it still warmed her heart that he took the energy to scream at all. After all, he's not exactly known for his strong showing of emotions. Perhaps it was this that gave her the courage to face the truth. The truth that he, her father was dead, the truth that her grandmother couldn't protect her, and that, yes, her mother-

"Sayori, you're daydreaming again."

-hated her.

"Wha? Oh! Sorry Zero-san, I was just thinking back to-um, never mind." Zero cast Yori a confused look before turning to the Chairman. Yori assumed they'd entered his office sometime during her flashback.

"We have returned headmaster Cross," Yori muttered bowing respectfully.

"Yeah, we're back." Zero drawled eyes trained somewhere to the left.

"We~ll that's just wonderfull!" The Headmaster beamed, "and just in time too!"

"In time?" Yori pondered, out loud.

"Yup, the Night Class will be arriving in a few hours." Headmaster Cross said as if he'd just announced the weather...though Yori doubted talk of the weather could ever garner such a reaction as theirs.

"Yuki's coming back!" Yori mumbled in glee, smiling lightly to herself.

"...they're coming back?" Zero spat in disgust, a grimace painting his face.

"Why didn't you tell me!" They both, questioned.

"W-well," the chairman muttered, eyes darting to Zero in mock fear, "I couldn't very well reach you at the 'super secret' Hunter Exam."

"Bull-shit." Zero spat out, "your still a chairman, however reluctant the council is about it. You could've gotten a hold of us at any time."

"Yes, but I didn't want to distract Yori-chan..."

"I wouldn't have been distracted," Yori stated slipping on her icy 'professional' persona, "I would've probably fought harder knowing Yuki was waiting for me." Yori felt Zero stiffen beside her but kept her eyes trained on her Headmaster...and Chairman now, she supposed.

Sighing, the Headmaster mumbled, "everyone's a critic," before looking between Zero and Yori, and answering, "I didn't tell you because, honestly, I didn't know. Relations are still tense...for obvious reasons," at this the chairman glared meaningfully at Zero, "so we couldn't come to an agreement about this until you two where already on the plane back."

"Okay," Yori called, stepping between Zero and Headmaster Cross, "so what arangments have been made?"

"I am s~o glad you asked, Sayori dear!" Cross sang, back to his happy facade, "we decided to allow the Night Class to hold a party 'introducing' them to the Day class this Friday!"

"Wait, WHAT!" Yori and Zero yelled simutaniously.

"You know, you two really need to stop doing that, people will start to get the wrong idea if you keep at it," the Headmaster chuckled. His chuckle increased into a full out laugh at Yori and Zero's light blushes.

"Never mind us," Zero growled, "what's this about a dance?"

"What's this," Yori interupted, "about a dance in two days?"

"It's too dangerous!" Zero seethed.

"It's too soon!" Yori pleaded.

"We don't have time to set up a protection detail," he continued.

"We don't have time to set up a party, period."

"WE AREN'T PREPARED!" they ended together.

"It has all been taken care of," an eerily familiar voice called from behind the two prefects. Within a second Zero had drawn is gun, bloody rose, and pivted on the spot. Aiming his weapon at the newcomer.

"Kuran." He spat, anger flashing in his eyes.

"Zero!" Yori yelled, stepping in his line of fire, "put that away!" Yori watched warrily as Zero reluctantly lowered his gun to the floor.

"Zero?" a second voice called, stepping out from behind Kaname. "I didn't know you two were on such familiar terms Yori-chan," Yuki called playfully to her best-friend. "To be able to call Kiryuu-san by his first name, he must care about you."

Yori noticed the lack of familiarity Yuki used when talking about Zero, she treated him almost like a stranger. Glancing in Zero's direction Yori noticed his tense postion and the fact that he hadn't put Bloody Rose away, only pointed her at the ground.

"Like I said; people will get the wrong idea," Headmaster Cross interjected playfully successfully defusing the tense aura that had been engulfing them all.

"It's not like that Yuki," Yori mumbled, smiling shyly at her best friend. Still a little floored at how beautiful being a vampire had made her.

"Hmph," Zero grunted before storming out of the office.

"Probably went to train," Yori stated while watching Zero's retreating back. Before shaking her head and turning to the two Pureblood Vampires. "Um...if you don't mind me asking, what do you mean; you have it all prepared?"

Yori had directed her question to Kaname as he had made that statement, but instead Yuki answered, "oh we have the party all planed already. That's been ready for ages, you know vampires can't enter anywhere without a party, they're very Elizabethean like that."

"So the party's prepared?"

"Yup!" Yuki smiled, nodding.

"...and the protection detail? Zero, um I m-mean Kiryu-kun, was worried about that."

"I've offered some of my men to help patrol, but the chairman insisted that Kiryu-san and you need be the only one's inconvenienced." Kaname added helpfully.

"Did he now?" Yori questioned dangerously, turning to give the Headmaster her special glare-of-death, promising some sort of retribution.

"But of course I insisted that they should assist regardless, so you shall be accompanied with Aido, Cain and Seri. They are all quite capable and should make you're job that much easier."

"Thank you," Yori released a tensed breath sending a smile towards Kaname, before a thought hit her. "Wait a minute...I thought you guys weren't supposed to be arriving for a few hours yet."

Kaname nodded, "I had some pressing things to discuss with Headmaster Cross, and Yuki was adamant about accompanying me, something about 'catching up' with a friend of hers?"

"Moe," Yuki pouted, "you don't have to tease me just 'cause I wanted to see Yori a day earlier! Come on Yori," Yuki mumbled while grabing Yori's hand and dragging her from the office, "let's let these men talk about their boring stuff alone, we have a lot more important things to talk about."

"Like what?" Yori called nervously.

"Well, Kiryu-san and you for starters," Yuki chuckled before turning out of earshot of those still in the office. Kaname closed the door to the room before turning to the Headmaster.

"So," Cross started, "what's so important that you couldn't risk waiting another 3 hours?"

Kaname seemed to stare meaningfully into the headmasters eyes for an eternity before opening his mouth and muttering, "it's about the party..."

"Okay, spill," Yuki said as soon as Yori and her where out of ear-shot and in their own private hang-out by the horse stalls. "I want to hear everything about you and Zero."

"Zero? What happened to 'Kiryu-san'?" Yori mocked.

Yuki just rolled her eyes exhasperatedly, "Kaname gets jelous really easily, so I can't call him 'Zero' infront of Kaname...not that Zero would want me to call him by his first name anyway..."

Sighing, Yori prepared herself to slip back into the role of comforter. The best friend that was there whenever Yuki needed to vent or whine.

Yuki, however, suprised Yori by sobering up almost immediatly. Yuki turned to Yori a mischieveous glint in her eyes, "so?" She pressed.

"So?"

"So?" she continuned unabashedly, "how did you and Zero end up together?"

Yori blushed a brillant red before shaking her head vigurously, "i-it's not li-like that!" Yori stumbled out, embarassed. "We've just become closer with him helping me train and stuff..."

"Train?"

"Yeah, to be a hunter," Yori muttered holding up her braclet to show Yuki her license. Yuki's stunned expression, was expected but still the acknowledgment of her silent betrayel, albeit unwillingly, hurt.

"Oh, wow...Yori, I mean, wow...congradulations!" The pureblood called in excitment glomping Yori.

"Well, that was certainly...unexpected," Yori thought to herself. Yuki continued to look at the licence reverantly a smile on her face, and for the first time since she'd been dubbed a hunter Yori felt pride in her accomlishment.

"Wow, when did this happen?"

"This past week, Zero's been training me with Athena," Yori held up her braclet, "so that I would at least stand a chance in the competition."

"Humph," Yuki huffed, crossing her arms, "he always refused to train me when I asked, and he shot down my application to the association too!"

"Well," Yori started, chuckeling at her friends immaturity, "he wasn't too keen on it with me either, your father and I had to basically force him to let me compete, and he only trained me because I put his pride on the line."

"Wow I've missed a lot," Yuki mussed before shacking her head, the mischieveous look back. "But even if you had spent years of training together that still wouldn't cause Zero to give you permission to use his name, and you're such a stikler for rules he'd have to say, 'you can call me Zero' specifically before you'd even consider it!"

"You can call me Zero," a voice called from the beyond the cold, "...if you want."

Yori blushed at the memory, cursing herself when Yuki instantly noticed. Stupid vampire and her stupid superhuman abilities.

"See, you are together!" Yuki triumphantly called.

Groaning Yori sighed and got ready to tell Yuki exactly why she calls Zero, well...Zero. "No Yuki," she grummbled, "we aren't 'together' we've just...bonded...over one of the events at the exams."

"Really, what happened."

"This really isn't something I want to talk about..." Yori started before noticing Yuki's pout and crumbling, "but it took place during the third stage of the exam...during the hypothetical exam."

Yuki nooded encouragingly waiting for Yori to continue.

"Well; we we're awoken at roughly 2 a.m-the 4 remaining contestants and I-we were told to go into this dark room, and then..."

"Hello...is anyone there?" Yori called while moving through the blackness that cloked the room. "I was told this is where the last Exam will take place." She continued listening helplessly for some sign of life. Nothing.

"Well I guess I'll just leave then..."

"Wait!" A vaguly familiar voice called for Yori's right, "Sayo-lee or whatever your name was."

"Sayori," Yori mumbled annoyed, having figured out who the voice belonged to just as Natsume Hitoriku stepped into sight. "My name is Wakaba Sayori, now what are you doing here?"

"Yeah whatever," Tori called in boredom, "I don't really care about your name, I just wanna know if you caught a glimpse of the time before you stupidly walked in here."

"It's 2, why? And what do you mean 'stupidly' this is where the exam's going to happen, your being here only confirms it."

"2 exactly? I need to know." Tori asked ingnoring Yori's questions.

"No it was 2:14...I think...now about my questions?"

"Kuso," Tori mumbled as she began pacing, or at least Yori thought it was pacing, she couldn't quite see in the darkness. "I'd heard Ebeineigne was a bit of a loose cannon but I never imagined he'd go against the council himself."

"What are you on about!" Yori screamed drawing Tori to a full stop, "I want answers and I want them now, what's this about gouing against the council, and why does it matter what time it is?"

Sighing Tori turned to face Yori, "I guess I'll have to tell you since I don't think the other two are coming."

"What do you me-

"Just don't ask questions," Tori interrupted, "until I'm done, just try and keep quiet, okay?"

Yori nodded he head annoyed.

"Right, well where to start? Okay first, Ebeineigne is the proctor of this years Exam, he's in charge of all of the events and stuff. He's kind of a wack-job but he gets his missions done so no-one questions him. Anyway I think he wanted the third Exam to be a little more difficult than the previous years, but the council probably turned him down, real stickler for casaulties those folk, so he must've decided to start this exam without the councils approval."

"How do you know the council didn't approve it, whatever it is, and that this isn't just the third exam?"

Tori glared at Yori for talking before answering, "because you said that the time was 2:14 there's only one Exam that would need to begin so early, one that needs the natural darkness of the night, and the council would never approve it."

"How do you know?"

"...because my father is on that council and I don't think he fancies me insane."

"What? How do you mean, insane?"

"I mean, Yori, there's only one Exam, one room we can be in and its the Kyoufu, so welcome, welcome to the room of insanity."