A/N: Okay, so a lot of you guys have asked for a sequel to Fallen Petals, in which we have a happy ending. O.O I have to admit, this idea intrigued me, especially because I hadn't even considered it myself. At first I wasn't sure what to do, but after talking to my friend, I got quite a bit of insight as to where to take this story. I also would like to give a special thanks to fujoshii92, whose suggestion heavily influenced this story. Admittedly, it also gave me an idea for making this a multi-chaptered fic, but I'm not sure. We'll see what happens. Without further ado, I present to you, Mending, the sequel to Fallen Petals.

Kaname sighed deeply, running his fingers through his hair. As usual, he was the picture of perfection. His dark wavy hair was soft and slightly damp from the shower water; his warm brown eyes reflected strength and calmness; his lean body exuded grace and confidence. On the inside, however, he was a mess. Though he usually was when received this sort of news.

It had been over three years since he and Zero had last seen each other. Even though he'd managed to remain calm the day Zero had called it quits, he was anything but on the inside. His head spun and his heart throbbed painfully at the memory.

"Goodbye, my Zero," the pureblood whispered, a dazzling smile on his face. Zero's sparkling eyes glistened with sadness and confusion. In that moment, Kaname wondered if his speculation was right. Maybe Zero really was afraid. Even worse, maybe there was nothing Kaname could do to quiet those fears. Gracefully, the vampire walked away.

Behind him, he could faintly hear his beloved crying, and his soul ached at the thought. However, a sudden pang of anger blasted threw him. Why did Zero have to do this? If it brought him so much pain – no, if it brought them so much pain, then why?

'He should have known better,' the pureblood thought bitterly. He didn't feel like being around anyone, so he trekked deeper into the forest. 'How could he doubt my feelings for him? After everything we've been through, doesn't he know that I'd never leave him? That I'd never want to leave him?'

His aura turned dark but he did nothing to rein it in. He was alone, so it didn't matter.

He was alone.

His eyes stung and something wet hit his cheek. Thinking it was rain, Kaname turned his head upward to the sky. The clouds weren't dark and gray as he'd been expecting. On the contrary, the sky was a clear, inky black. Moon shone brilliantly, without even a single cloud to obscure its radiance.

Kaname continued walking and tried to ignore the fact that his vision was blurry. He didn't acknowledge the tightness in his throat. He blocked out the over-whelming ache that just seemed to consume. The vampire prince stopped in his tracks. He couldn't help but mumble the words that were spoken to him just yesterday.

"It's an ache, a loneliness. We were just desperate to find someone to understand, to fill the void."

The dejected pureblood couldn't help but chuckle bitterly. It would seem that Zero was right.

As much as he'd tried, Kaname hadn't been able to cast aside the feeling he'd held for his unwilling hunter. He still cared about and still loved him deeply. It was because of these unyielding emotions that he'd been forced to resort to stalking.

Of course, Kaname himself refused to think of it as stalking. He was merely keeping tabs on Zero's whereabouts and safety. Unfortunately, this only hurt the vampire further.

Within weeks of their parting, Zero began rising quickly within the Association's ranks. He was their top hunter and even those who hated him for being an ex-human held a grudging respect for him. Zero was force to be reckoned with and this became known when he'd single-handedly taken out a group of vigilante Level C's, who'd been holding a few nobles and two young hunters hostage. His colleagues either thought he was brave…or pretty damn stupid.

Because of his amazing performance on that mission, Zero was always given the most difficult and dangerous jobs. Sometimes he had a partner, but most of the time he was sent into the lion's den alone.

Kaname hadn't been the only one to pick up on this; Yagari and Cross immediately noticed as well. They fought hard, desperate to end this unfair treatment. Everyone knew it was because Zero was a vampire. However, the president had been quick to pass it off as practical; Kiryu was an excellent hunter. It would only be natural to send him on the most dangerous missions, right?

Begrudgingly, Kaname had to admit that it was a cunning strategy. If Zero got killed in battle, so what? It was one less vampire to walk the earth, one less liability. And if he took out other vampires as well? So much the better. After all, would anyone care if Zero died? Would there be anyone left to mourn him?

The pureblood himself had also secretly tried to stop the president's method. He wouldn't stand for anyone putting his love's life in danger. Sadly, as a vampire, Kaname had even less influence on the Hunters Associations goings-on's. This recent mission Zero had been given, however, was unacceptable.

Recently, there had been many rumors of kidnapping and illegal prostitution in the vampire community. A nameless aristocrat had been trafficking fellow vampires. It hadn't gotten much focus amongst the vampires until a noble had been taken as well.

Tsukiko Aido.

With Aido family frantic and desperate, other vampires quickly became involved, Kaname himself included. Other aristocratic families panicked, terrified that one of them would be next. Kaname, as the vampire king, had to act quickly; he began investigating the situation himself. This was where things got weird.

He sent in a few spies to investigate, some of his best people. Forty-eight hours later, they all turned up dead. Each body had been completely drained of blood.

At this point, the Hunter Association had not been actively involved. They'd been aware of the situation, yes, but hadn't yet done anything themselves to fix it. However, just a few weeks after Tsukiko's disappearance, humans were being taken as well. And scarier still, half of the humans taken had been hunters.

This was where Zero came in.

"You have to infiltrate their ranks, find out what's going on, who's behind it, and how they're doing it. You also have to free the hostages and, more importantly, kill whoever the hell is behind this mess," Yagari concluded. Leave it to that bastard of a president to force me to be the one to tell him the mission.

"Oh, is that all," Zero parroted back sarcastically. Inside, he was an anxious bundle of nerves. This mission did seem rather daunting. "Do I get a partner for this one?"

"No," Yagari stated through clenched teeth. His brusque tone reflected exactly how he felt about that.

Cross chimed in, "But Zero, we can fight this. This mission is too dangerous for you to do alone. The president should honestly know better."

Zero smirked, "He does know better. He just doesn't give a fuck." The silver-haired hunter grabbed the file containing the mission's details. "When I get back, I expect a huge victory party." If I make it back… With that, the twenty-year-old left.

Kaien stared at the door, a sad expression on his face. "Kaname-kun's not going to like hearing about this."

"Tch. Kuran already knows," Yagari lit a cigarette. "Hell, I think he knew even before we did."

"I don't like this Yagari."

"What, you don't think my stupid apprentice is going to succeed?"

The former hunter sighed, uncharacteristically upset. "No, I think if anyone can figure this out, it's Zero. But…I don't think he's going to make it back alive."

A/N: So, based on the way this chapter ended, I am clearly making this a multi-chaptered story. YAY! This plot was too interesting for me to pass up and…I think I'm gonna write a lemon for this story O.O

So, tell me what you think! Oh, before I forget…

Disclaimer:

Zero: Heartache-chan, the evil fangirl, does NOT own Vampire Knight

Anyway, please please PLEASE review! I love hearing from you guys. I promise this story will have a happy ending! Because, let's face it, Kaname and Zero are meant for each other!

SEE YA NEXT TIME!