I won't eat. I won't eat. I won't eat the blood tablet.

Those thoughts had been going around my head for so long, it was another part of me. Which was why, when Zero tried to make me eat, I could only resist.

I was hungry.

But I was scared.

The fact that I was keeping myself from attacking anyone, or even taking a blood tablet meant that there was some sanity in me. Even an ounce was enough.

You're going to die, a little voice murmured. So just eat.

It isn't that simple. If I ate, I don't what will happen to me. Would I go mad after tasting blood and attack people, desperate for more? Would I kill someone?

What will happen to me?

"Saki." Zero's still there. "Are you not eating because you're mad at me?"

If I were mad at him, he would be the one starved to death, not me.

"No."

"So why aren't you eating?" Boys are dumb. If a girl doesn't want to eat. Let. Her. Be.

"Go away."

"Okay." His reply startled me. I relaxed, relieved to be left alone for once.

Without warning, the sheets were suddenly pulled back, exposing me to the dim light in the room.

"What are you doing?" I frantically tried to pull the sheets back, or burrow inside them. "Give them back!"

"You can't hide now," a hand held my chin, keeping my head from moving, as Zero snatched a blood tablet, pushing it quickly into my mouth. "Gotcha."

In response, I bit down on his fingers. Hard. His yell of shock rang through the room as he nursed his wounded fingers.

"What was that for?" I didn't respond, the blood tablet that lay on my tongue slowly dribbling its taste into my mouth.

Finally, I began to chew, swallowing down the metallic, disgusting blood, wincing as it washed down my dry throat.

The single tablet made me realise how hungry exactly I was, the dull, empty feeling inside me making me crave more.

~~~

Zero glared at the mutinous girl lying there, as he held his bitten hand. He'd done her a favour, getting her to eat, after all these weeks of eating nothing, and this is what she does?

Annoyed, he turned to leave, getting up from the side of the bed. It was a small hiss from behind him that made him turn around.

Saki was sitting up on the bed, one hand over her mouth, breathing heavily.

It wasn't the fact that she looked like she was going to throw up that worried Zero. Rather, it was the colour change of her eyes as they flashed from dark brown to red.

"Saki?" He reached for her uncertainly, gripping her shoulder. "Hey, are you okay?" He gave her a little shake, when she made no reply.

Saki just bit down on her hand, shaking slightly as she closed her eyes shut tightly. Zero couldn't see her eyes, but he had a strange feeling that they were red.

"Please stop me," he heard Saki's voice, just before something hit him, knocking him back, onto the floor.

Saki sat on top of him, her eyes a violent red as she leaned down to his neck, her hands shaking.

Please stop me.

Her fangs were clamped onto his neck before he could react, but rather than pushing her off him, Zero stayed still, letting her drink.

He could feel his warm blood pouring down his neck and onto the floor, as he stared up at the ceiling, waiting.

When Saki pulled away from his neck, stumbling as she moved away hastily, he knew she had regained her senses.

Putting a hand to the side of his neck, Zero winced as the bite marks stung, pulling his hand away.

"You didn't stop me," Saki had her back to him, as she sat there, her arms wrapped around her legs. "Why didn't you?"

Why didn't he? Zero was at a temporary loss as to why he did that. Why did he let a girl who he had once hated with his life drink his blood?

~~~

Kaien frowned on the other side of the door. He pressed himself against the door even harder, though it wouldn't have helped with listening.

It was listening, not eavesdropping, he assured himself. He was doing nothing wrong, just making sure his children were alright.

Without warning, the door swung open, and Kaien fell face first into the person coming out.

"Zero!" He attempted to rescue the discarded shards of his dignity. "I was waiting for you."

"Were you listening in on us?" Zero glared at the older man.

"No, no, of course not," Kaien waved his hands madly, trying to deny the accusation.

"What did you hear?" Zero shut the door behind him.

"Nothing," Kaien replied, then sighed. "The door's too thick to hear anything anyway."

"So you were listening in," Zero shot Kaien a death glance.

"I wasn- Is that blood?" Kaien finally noticed the red liquid that stained Zero's right shoulder and shirt. "You didn't-"

"It's none of your business," Zero marched past Kaien. "But she's eating now."

"Figures," Kaien decided not to press on the matter any more. "What do you want for dinner?"

"You choose," Zero left the waiting room in a huff. "I'm not hungry."

"And you were just the meal of a vampire," Kaien muttered quietly to the door of Zero's retreat.

Turning around, he opened the door to Saki's temporary room. Sticking his head in carefully, he peered into the room, looking for the young girl.

"What do you want?" Saki had her back to Kaien, curled up in a ball. "I'm sorry for drinking Zero's blood. I broke my promise."

"It doesn't matter anymore," Kaien replied earnestly. "Can I come in?"

"You're already inside," Saki replied, still not looking up. "Go on."

Taking it as a good gesture that she was talking more now, Kaien stepped into the room, skirting the small puddle of blood that pooled on the floor.

"You're still such a little girl," he sighed, crouching down behind Saki. "Why did you have to go through all that?"

"I'm eighteen now," Saki's muted reply came. "And I was sixteen, two years ago. I'm fine. I'm old enough."

I'm fine.

Those two words were the words Kaien had heard the most over his whole life.

I'm fine.

Don't worry, I'm fine.

That wound was nothing, I'm fine.

Really, it's only a small matter. I'm fine.

Even though my whole world is crashing down, I'm fine.

Lies. Kaien could see the lies in those two words as easily as one could see white on black.

"You are not fine," Kaien told Saki urgently, reaching out for her shoulder. "No one runs away from home for two years without a reason."

~~~

The alleyway was empty as Zero marched through, his hands shoved deep in his pockets.

The wall at the dead end of the alleyway looked just like it had two weeks ago. The only difference was that someone sat on the wall, their back facing Zero as he approached.

The stranger's features were hidden by shadow, and Zero frowned, looking closely at the stranger.

"Zero?" The person turned around. They were female, Zero concluded, noting the long hair and feminine shape of their silhouette.

"Who are you?" He asked bluntly, the hairs on his neck standing up as he prepared to defend himself if necessary.

"You don't recognise me?" The person stood up, jumping off the wall to land in front of Zero.

"Shina," Zero recognised the black hair and features of Saki's mother. "What are you doing here?"

"I thought I'll see where Saki was taken," she brushed off his question with a careless shrug. "I heard she was back at the association headquarters though."

"She is," Zero couldn't help but feel suspicious at her lack of emotion about Saki's return. Hadn't she been on the verge of a mental breakdown less than a month ago?

"That's good," Shina smiled. "I guess I should go back now. See you later, Zero."

She strode off, passing Zero as she walked down the alleyway, the same direction he had just come from.

~~~

Sorry for that long wait XD I've been hitting the writer's block more often than I can feel comfortable about, and well, I finally got my butt moving ^,^ Still, I'm writing this as I lounge on the couch at the hotel I'm staying at XD I mean, I'm at the Snowy Mountains right now, going skiing and everything \(^0^)/...I don't think my butt and legs feel the same way though. Snow is pretty temperamental - quick warning, when skiing, icy, hard snow is a pain and nightmare because you skid all over the place and control is about 50% less...in some cases, 99% less. That 1% left is the control that keeps you actually on the snow and away from careening into the bush XD and then you hit the powdery snow and you virtually sink in it. I kid you not. I was virtually skiing under 10cm load of snow - my skis were buried _._as I careen about.

But that's enough about me and my skiing experience. Hope you guys are also in your holidays ^.^ I am, if you haven't figured out already :P
~Evil_Incubator