Many thanks to Hino Matsuri for the brilliant manga and characters (which I do not own - go figure), and many thanks to BlackenedWing, YenGirl, Sagakure and many other brilliant fanfiction writers for the concepts of blood bond and other useful things to know about the Vampire Knight universe which have grown to be "almost canon" and as such form the basis on which I elaborate in this story.

Sayori Wakaba felt useless, and it irritated her no end.

Rushing out of the Sun Dorms she stopped momentarily as the cold bit lightly on her cheeks, cooling down the shameful red in them, and her fists squeezed on the ham of her coat as she fought the anger within.

It was herself she was most angry at, granted. Back to square one, back to that childhood's trauma of her father leaving them once he knew her mother was not going to give him a son. That whatever he was stuck with – forever – was just this one "useless girl". She thought she was way beyond this. Truly – she was… And to be brought back full circle seemed just so damn unfair… damn that… vampire… to rub it home for her…

Looking almost unseeingly around herself she was aware for the first time just what a shambles the formerly peaceful Cross Academy looked like – what with Moon Dorm gone – leaving a wide gaping hole of snow and rabble clearly visible from here, and the whole southernmost side of the Sun Dorm blackened with soot…

Somehow she couldn't bring herself to really care that that was exactly the side where Yuuki's and her room has used to be… somehow the fact that all her meager belongings were gone with the fire didn't quite register… not as something important… The important thing being that – whatever follows – it certainly didn't look that the school would survive the blow… didn't look that there would be any studies going on here – at least for some while…

And all her carefully built up self-esteem, all the identity she has build for herself within these walls – this cool and detached and no-nonsense identity of the class's best student…

and add calm and considerate and an excellent listener for good measure…

just went "puff"…

Her step quickened as she headed towards the woods surrounding the dorms and away from the site of disaster she couldn't remedy… away from the sight of suffering she couldn't help… After all she was told to "go take a walk… or something"? Good idea, thanks for suggestion… thanks so much!

Truth to be told… her persona has started to crumble weeks before then… week after week she was aware that something troubled Yuuki… her dear room-mate, her very precious friend – whose personality, spontaneous and upbeat and somewhat naive – so very opposite to Yori's own – was the only thing that prevented Yori from slipping entirely into the "ice queen" mode, and reminded her that just like Yuuki she was but a teenager and it was supposed to be fun to live and study here… well, week after week she knew something troubled Yuuki… all the times she seemed pale and depressed, or would wake up screaming from a nightmare, or would beam with such false happiness something was decidedly fishy about it… and yet, however much Yori tried to pry her friend to open up for her – Yuuki just shrugged it off, refusing to rise to her probing... making Yori feel…

useless as a friend…

in mild but annoying way…

And then came the revelations of this morning… and the thing that she actually, perversely felt immensely relieved – first when she herself had gathered up the courage to go and search for Yuuki, finally driven more by an urge to ascertain that her friend was alright, and not by her own – somewhat desperate – need to be needed, need to be relied upon, selfish need to be trusted, where she herself never trusted anyone enough to speak of her needs… She suspected though that the Chairman had known it from the beginning, she suspected that this was indeed why he roomed them together – knowing that she would always provide the grounding voice of reason where his own beloved adopted daughter had none whatsoever, knowing – perhaps- that Yuuki's genuine liveliness and unreserved affection will let Yori relax into a mellower mold.

Yes, she did feel perversely relieved… what with brief but intense first fear of the vampire attack… what with – staggering – revelation that Idol-sempai together with the rest of the Night Class, and Yuuki's beloved Kuran-sempai included were actually vampires themselves… part of her still danced a happy dance at the thought that this new Yuuki, this powerful and undeniably alien creature that she'd become on the outside – was still her Yuuki on the inside and desperately needed to be accepted as such! Oi yey… as if she could not accept her – vampire or not? Of course she did…

And some somber, some entirely self-analyzing part of her admitted that it was a step in the right direction, a step up at last…

Step up… and then another step up… and then the whole stairway down…

She noticed with a start that her feet were inadvertently tugging her up the slope of the valley, to the little outhouse whence she was dragged unceremoniously by one Hanabusa Aidou, fangirls' favorite, mischievous playboy and… vampire… presumably – to save her from the… "battle"… that was about to ensue…

She could so good recall the way her mind had worked back then and her body cringed in an almost physical reaction – Gosh, her the pitiful human… (the word slipping out more derogatory out of her lips than ever a vampire would use it) …so ignorant, so presumptuous, so naïve…

Resolutely, Sayori turned at the right angle from where she was going previously. No, she was not going in this direction – not literally, nor figuratively… Maybe later, once her feelings of guilt and inadequacy have settled a little… maybe not at all…

It took her another five minutes to wander to the clearing around the lake that she aimed for – one of her favorite places in the entire Academy grounds. In a warmer season she would go here just before the curfew, to sit a little alone… save in the place not disturbed by the squeaks of fangirls gathered around the Moon Dorm gates. Here – where only birds squeaked and the water reflected the setting sun, and the shadows gradually lengthened… and she could be at peace before it was time to return to dormitory and call it a night.

She never came this way in winter though… but the morning was sunny and crisp… and she hoped that some of the peace – some more somber and bittersweet peace could still be recaptured here… and she needed the equilibrium back before…

…before she stopped short, just turning around the boulder for the sight of another person already there…

The vampires! Have they just conspired to haunt me now?

Well it certainly seemed the case, as the person in question – sitting mute on the shore, has presently straightened lightly, and she stifled the cursing recognizing him as none other but Kaname Kuran himself…

Yori felt ridiculously cheated – once again. It was just one of those days, right? And what exactly high and mighty pureblood was doing here?

And what am I to do?

She suspected that the dark haired vampire knew she was there since… since she first had chosen this road instead of up-valley one.

So – should I go down and talk to him? Or should I leave him and go somewhere else?.. Oh whatever… but just standing here is stupid…

As she mused over her options though, she was gradually becoming aware of something slightly odd about the sitting figure. Something just a little, almost imperceptibly off… the very stillness of it, as if the Moon dorm president feared her coming nearer, or… feared that she would fear to come nearer, both possibilities equally off character for the usually imperturbable pureblood…

But then she knew he wasn't that imperturbable, didn't she? The look on his face as she saw him the last time inside the Moon Dorm, with Yuuki defiantly declining to leave with him – was one of such sad turmoil, such desperate desolate tremulous hopeless longing, she couldn't believe that when he spoke to Yuuki his voice sounded as softly warm and detached as ever before…

Was he sitting here because Yuuki there was keeping a vigil by Zero's bed? Did he know about it? Or was he hurt in the battle? Granted, according to her recent "crash course of vampire society" - purebloods were supposed to be those all-powerful, invincible creatures, but maybe that too was a lie – just as his cool "nothing can touch me" attitude proved to be? And having seen the shear scope of destruction the battle left in its wake – she wondered if someone could live through the thing unscathed… outside of stupid protected ignorants – humans – like herself…

Asking can't hurt you, right?

Only she wasn't so sure how to ask it. It was one thing to offer her ear and shoulder to Yuuki (not that it worked either), but to approach a pureblood vampire offering help?

"…wrong!.. You should fear us, Sayori-san… us of the Night Class… and moreover – the other vampires, God forbid you ever meet one…you catch us off-guard, we can suck you dry before we even will be aware that it were you…" – the remembered caution rang in her ears.

That was another consideration… But it was Kaname Kuran. Yuuki's Kaname… and whatever the relationship stood now between the three of them - Yori just knew that Yuuki would never forgive her if she left him here alone without so much as a word…

AN: This chapter is more of Yori's POV, and I'm going somewhat AU from the manga, where it is clear that Hanabusa had taken her no farther than Day Class dormitory. But I like the notion of Yori not being confined with the squeaky fangirls, and learning more of vampires in the process. And of course – the battle I picture here is much grimmer, hence the extent of demolitions and injuries (though the Moon Dorm destruction is canon). I'm also afraid that my Yori is somewhat OC, and has definitely her own set of issues, further influenced by what she witnessed in the last pair of days.

Before you ask – there will be continuation of Yori's remembrances of that day in further chapters, and it will be dutifully explained exactly who and why told her to "take the walk". And there will be more of Kaname too, though he will be mostly viewed from others POVs in the nearest chapters. And – despite the obvious HanabusaXYori pairing (though still in a tentative way) – Hanabusa Aidou is not the other one of the two semi-main characters I asked you about (not that anyone harassed a guess anyway) – but that would have to wait till the next chapter, which – in turn – will have to wait till I find myself with web-access from India – where I'm leaving to in… about thirteen hours from now.

So – sorry, but the next update won't be till maybe Tuesday (because if I do not find the connection till then – I'll just go raving mad for the inability to watch the new episode, lol).

Oh, and it would be nice to find some reviews when I'm next among the (living) web-surfing *wink wink*