Apparently deeming the bright spring sun too hot and therefore too hard to bear, Yuki lay in the shadow of one of the larger cherry blossom trees, eyes closed and limbs spread out carelessly. The breeze occasionally ruffled her hair, causing her to flinch when it tickled her face, but it also brought the welcomed cool to rescue her from the hot, heavy air. Moments like these, Yuki thought, should last forever. The unusual still of the Academy, the absence of the usual stampede of fangirls, the ability to just lie there and relax. As she lay, listening to the steady pulse of blood in her ears, her thoughts turned to Zero. For a moment, her stomach clenched painfully. As nice as it was to pause and forget everything, Yuki knew that she couldn't push Zero out of her mind completely. Even now, right this second, he could be lying on the floor in agony, paralysed with the ever-stronger thirst for blood. At this thought, Yuki pushed herself up on her hands and shook her hair clean of blossom. How could she have been so selfish? She was Zero's protector, this wasn't the time to laze about and leave him. She struggled up to a standing position, intent on searching the grounds until she was by Zero's side.
