Moonless: Vengeance Of A Broken Heart | Vampire Knight

V I I I

The night was silent. Only the sound of wind filled the area, with the occasional nocturnal critter hiding in the woods surrounding the Academy. Quiet and undisturbed, just how Zero liked it. So much so that he sat on the flat roof and rested a bit.

They were supposed to meet with Mizuki, but she was nowhere to be found. Yuki was worried.

"Should we go out and look for her?" Yuki asked, anxiously pacing the length of the roof, keeping a lookout for Mizuki. "It's already been an hour, and she hasn't come."

"Go ahead," Zero said, shrugging his shoulders. His indifferent tone made Yuki frown at him with her fists on her hips as she turned her whole body to face him.

"You know, you're making me mad, Zero!" she fussed. "Ever since Mizuki got sick, you've been moping around school and slacking on your duties. Mizuki won't scold you for it because she's been gone for a while, but I will."

Zero wasn't listening to her, but she continued.

"I know you've always been a block of ice in talking with us, but I'd think after all this time of treating you like family, you'd show us a bit of emotion," she said. "It's almost like we're walking on eggshells around you and expecting you to walk out on us whenever you don't like something you hear."

Zero scoffed. "Why should I when everything I say doesn't matter?" Yuki stared at him with a raised brow, confused by what he meant. "Us being here, being Guardians, is the core of my attitude. I say the idea behind this whole Academy is a joke, that it's ground for the vampires to suddenly decide they don't want to do this anymore and slaughter the student body. In return, I get lectured and gained up on why I'm wrong. You always say I'm being the 'Same old Zero', and I get punched in the arm for it."

"But..." Yuki said, hesitating.

"Let me guess," Zero said, standing to his feet. "That would never happen because Kaname would never let that happen!" He scoffed when she made a face, showing that he predicted precisely what she was thinking. "How about you think long and hard about what happened Sunday? If those bloodthirsty creatures follow orders so well, that vampire scum wouldn't have attacked Mizuki."

Zero passed her, reaching for the trapdoor that led inside.

"Where are you going? Are you going off to fall asleep somewhere again?" she asked.

"Where do you think I'm going?" he scoffed. His response was low, but loud enough for her to hear. "I'm doing my duty."

"But nothing's going on," she said, trying to follow him. "The Night Class is in class; there is no sign of fangirls. It's a peaceful night."

"With you saying that alone, it's clear you're not cut out to be a Guardian, and I'm sure Mizuki would agree with me. You can't relax because everything is quiet," he said, going down the ladder. "That's what the predator wants you to do."

Once she was left alone, Yuki let out a sigh.

"I shouldn't have said anything," she thought, turning to the end of the balcony and looking out into the empty courtyard.

She thought of Zero's words and couldn't help but feel insensitive. She knew exactly what he went through, yet she only assured him that the beings who killed his family were to be trusted.

Yuki then thought of the incident that happened on Sunday with Mizuki. A horrible event that she couldn't deny had frightened her when she heard the news and had seen Mizuki bedridden afterward. She knew there were still vampires that weren't as kind and gentle as Kaname or as bright and welcoming as Takuma, but it was her only way to forget that monsters like that existed and nearly took her life when she was so young.