Vampire Knight Chapter 72 - SCANLATED!

First topic message reminder :

Yeah I translated chapter 72 myself and thought I would share it, it is the first time I have made a scanlation so sorry if it is not perfect

Press spoiler to view chapter

Spoiler:

And what's that he diserves? A girl in love with someone else? Yori might be boring, but she is interested in Zero, whereas Yuki and Maria are in love with Kaname and Ichiru.

When was Yori ever interested in Zero? O.o Whenever they've interacted, they always talk about Yuuki. Not a good sign, lol. It's not canon that Maria loved Ichiru either, we're only shown that she cared for him and wanted to know what happened to him when he disappeared. I'm not sure if I believe she's in love with Zero either, but if she were my point was it'd be a whole lot more interesting than him being with Yori. Giving a guy in a love triangle his lost love's best friend is just wayy too cheesy. When I say I believe he'll get what he deserves, it's because I haven't given up my faith in zeki yet. On the contrary, I feel that there's alot of build up to them, especially now with this chapter (ex. Yuuki clutching her throat after seeing Zero's neck and her glare at Maria's question), but I won't be discussing the LT. Not saying you shouldn't like ZeroxYori, by all means, I just don't fancy them myself as Yori to me have no interesting traits, I don't see an exciting relationship happening between them. Just my opinion.

Howl4fun wrote:

And what's that he diserves? A girl in love with someone else? Yori might be boring, but she is interested in Zero, whereas Yuki and Maria are in love with Kaname and Ichiru.

When was Yori ever interested in Zero? O.o Whenever they've interacted, they always talk about Yuuki. Not a good sign, lol. It's not canon that Maria loved Ichiru either, we're only shown that she cared for him and wanted to know what happened to him when he disappeared. I'm not sure if I believe she's in love with Zero either, but if she were my point was it'd be a whole lot more interesting than him being with Yori. Giving a guy in a love triangle his lost love's best friend is just wayy too cheesy. When I say I believe he'll get what he deserves, it's because I haven't given up my faith in zeki yet. On the contrary, I feel that there's alot of build up to them, especially now with this chapter (ex. Yuuki clutching her throat after seeing Zero's neck and her glare at Maria's question), but I won't be discussing the LT. Not saying you shouldn't like ZeroxYori, by all means, I just don't fancy them myself as Yori to me have no interesting traits, I don't see an exciting relationship happening between them. Just my opinion.

Well, we have 5 chapters, where Kaname is missing and there is no Zero-Yuki interaction showing any kind of interest (on her part), so I don't see any Zeki coming, but that's just me of course.
I'm just saying that even if I'm a Yume-fan I like Zero very much to say that he deserves to be totally and completely loved by a girl without any shade in their love. I think that everyone deserves to be faithfully and completely loved by his partner. And with Zeki that's never gonna happen.

libra wrote:

Howl4fun wrote:

And what's that he diserves? A girl in love with someone else? Yori might be boring, but she is interested in Zero, whereas Yuki and Maria are in love with Kaname and Ichiru.

When was Yori ever interested in Zero? O.o Whenever they've interacted, they always talk about Yuuki. Not a good sign, lol. It's not canon that Maria loved Ichiru either, we're only shown that she cared for him and wanted to know what happened to him when he disappeared. I'm not sure if I believe she's in love with Zero either, but if she were my point was it'd be a whole lot more interesting than him being with Yori. Giving a guy in a love triangle his lost love's best friend is just wayy too cheesy. When I say I believe he'll get what he deserves, it's because I haven't given up my faith in zeki yet. On the contrary, I feel that there's alot of build up to them, especially now with this chapter (ex. Yuuki clutching her throat after seeing Zero's neck and her glare at Maria's question), but I won't be discussing the LT. Not saying you shouldn't like ZeroxYori, by all means, I just don't fancy them myself as Yori to me have no interesting traits, I don't see an exciting relationship happening between them. Just my opinion.

Well, we have 5 chapters, where Kaname is missing and there is no Zero-Yuki interaction showing any kind of interest (on her part), so I don't see any Zeki coming, but that's just me of course.
I'm just saying that even if I'm a Yume-fan I like Zero very much to say that he deserves to be totally and completely loved by a girl without any shade in their love. I think that everyone deserves to be faithfully and completely loved by his partner. And with Zeki that's never gonna happen.

Well, it's great that you like Zero at least ^^

libra wrote:Well, we have 5 chapters, where Kaname is missing and there is no Zero-Yuki interaction showing any kind of interest (on her part), so I don't see any Zeki coming, but that's just me of course.
I'm just saying that even if I'm a Yume-fan I like Zero very much to say that he deserves to be totally and completely loved by a girl without any shade in their love. I think that everyone deserves to be faithfully and completely loved by his partner. And with Zeki that's never gonna happen.

I second that (except the part liking zero). since kaname left, zero talked with yuuki twice and he wasn't friendly at all. the first time he said "that was my prey" and he added words what hurt yuuki and the second time he added a fierce look with his words.

zero deserve to have a girl what is thinking only at him, he doesn't need an indecissive girl. maria can be a good choice for him.

You guys do get that yuki still thinks about zero even when she is with kaname, so zero deserves a girl that thinks only of him, how about kaname? The fact that she never removed the bracelet proves she still thinks of him.

Howl4fun, of course I like Zero a lot.

rumland I think the answer to your question about the bracelet is given by Hino-sensei in this last chapter. She will use it if Zero falls to Level-E (and that's because she respects him a lot to use any other PB ways tha he won't like).

Yuki is totally in love with Kaname. She loves Zero as her childhood friend, that's why was so difficult for her to quench her thirst, but she says that she loves Kaname aaaaaall the way. What more could he need?

aya-chan wrote:

zero deserve to have a girl what is thinking only at him, he doesn't need an indecissive girl. maria can be a good choice for him.

aya-chan I very much fear that Maria is only seeing Zero as a substitube of Ichiru.. I wouldn't like that

Howl4fun wrote:It's not canon that Maria loved Ichiru either, we're only shown that she cared for him and wanted to know what happened to him when he disappeared.

That's written on fanbook.
Maria's taste in Men: "Ichiru"

libra wrote:

aya-chan wrote:

zero deserve to have a girl what is thinking only at him, he doesn't need an indecissive girl. maria can be a good choice for him.

aya-chan I very much fear that Maria is only seeing Zero as a substitube of Ichiru.. I wouldn't like that

from my part zero can have any girl he want, he can have even all sara harem if this will make him happy. all i know / want is i don't want zero with yuuki.

Howl4fun, of course I like Zero a lot.

Heh, I said that because most yumes I know hates Zero, but it's always nice to meet more who don't

That's written on fanbook.
Maria's taste in Men: "Ichiru"

I think it also says that Yori is engaged.

Oh, alright. I think she might still like Zero however, seeing as he's so alike to Ichiru, though it could easily be taken as her simply wanting him as a replacement. But if she should turn out to genuinly like him, and Zero also possibly moving on from Yuuki then who knows? I think some kissing/biting scenes between them would be really hott

Well, yes, Yori is engaged but she doesn't know her fiance. It also says that her taste in men is Zero and Yuki divided by two. And of course she is a human.
Anyway. Whatever... Yes, some biting will be nice, but I'm afraid that Zero will not be so calm about a vampire hitting on him

Well, yes, Yori is engaged but she doesn't know her fiance. It also says that her taste in men is Zero and Yuki divided by two. And of course she is a human.

Lol, yeah so her dreamguy would be someone a mix of Yuuki and Zero XD I'll wish her luck in finding that person, haha.

Anyway. Whatever... Yes, some biting will be nice, but I'm afraid that Zero will not be so calm about a vampire hitting on him

Hmm, well it's ultimately purebloods that Zero hates. He's no fan of vampires in general, but he can get along with them now, for ex. Aidou and now Maria, he doesn't mind being with or talking with them. In 51 he also said "There are vampires that aren't our enemies...". Though of course, being friends with vampires and being in a romantic relationship with one is two very different things. I'd reckon his first reaction to a confession from Maria wouldn't be a good one XD Though I doubt he'd do anything to harm her, he knows she's one of the "good" vampires, so he wouldn't exactly point his gun at her or something if she approached him. Maybe say something like "I don't get close to vampires" and walk away. He also knows she might have been precious to Ichiru, so that's another reason why he wouldn't "do" something to her. Overall, he knows she's nice (as long as she's not controlled by a pureblood.)

I imagine that if he is to work even more with his vampire issues and allow himself to get closer to them, he'll then be able to consider a type of relationship with one if he likes the girl back. It doesn't necessarily have to be a "real" relationship, it could just be him being with a girl to drink blood from, and also help to get over Yuuki. I mean, it'd be cute, Maria uses him to get over Ichiru and he uses her to get over Yuuki, all the same while they also care for each other. Tragic, yes, but alot of couples in VK are tragic. It's a bit farfetched, but w/e, I'm just theorizing. x3

sweetsolace wrote:
also was described in the fanbook as an honest girl

Maria is observant, very perceptive, sweet, generous, honest, honourable, loyal and delicate. I don't take the fanbook as a bible to tell me what the characters are, characters change, especially if they have motive for their actions.

Her approach is sly and provocative and completely ooC and she's baiting Yuuki, if she actually wanted Zero, she would be nice about it, not teasing.

the slight touch of her finger to her lips must've hinted this, I would've considered she was provocative if her eyes showed emotion but it looked more like interest to me
she was nice in her approach, lol, its like she was saying, "hey that object you dropped.. if you won't use it anymore can i have it?"

not just the touch her lip with her finger, the whole scene, her pose, the way she comes up from behind Yuuki and leans in and stands too close. Even from the raws, I could see that Maria was being deliberately coy with Yuuki and taken in context with her words, its clear that Maria is testing/teasing Yuuki.

She's not asking for permission, she's telling Yuuki that she will take/steal Zero. Her words make her sound like a player, which if she is such an honest character, she would not do. And she is not normally, as her parents said, bold, she is polite and gentle.

Plus, what does Sara gain by provoking Yuuki via Maria? She's provoking Zero directly. She wants Yuuki to be on "her side", if Sara wanted to provoke Yuuki, it'd be easy enough to say she was going to look after Zero to piss Yuuki off.

isn't it that Sara is interested in Zero rather than Yuki? Why would she go out and stalk on him like that, commenting on his lust and saying how poor he is. if there's anyone provoking it's sara

That's what I said, Sara is provoking Zero.

Howl4fun I really hope that your theory will come true

I would really like to know how Zekis are seeing a Zero-Maria romance!
I know I would prefer Yori instead, but what would your opinion be?

Knightmare wrote:

sweetsolace wrote:
also was described in the fanbook as an honest girl

Maria is observant, very perceptive, sweet, generous, honest, honourable, loyal and delicate. I don't take the fanbook as a bible to tell me what the characters are, characters change, especially if they have motive for their actions.

Her approach is sly and provocative and completely ooC and she's baiting Yuuki, if she actually wanted Zero, she would be nice about it, not teasing.

the slight touch of her finger to her lips must've hinted this, I would've considered she was provocative if her eyes showed emotion but it looked more like interest to me
she was nice in her approach, lol, its like she was saying, "hey that object you dropped.. if you won't use it anymore can i have it?"

not just the touch her lip with her finger, the whole scene, her pose, the way she comes up from behind Yuuki and leans in and stands too close. Even from the raws, I could see that Maria was being deliberately coy with Yuuki and taken in context with her words, its clear that Maria is testing/teasing Yuuki.

She's not asking for permission, she's telling Yuuki that she will take/steal Zero. Her words make her sound like a player, which if she is such an honest character, she would not do. And she is not normally, as her parents said, bold, she is polite and gentle.

Plus, what does Sara gain by provoking Yuuki via Maria? She's provoking Zero directly. She wants Yuuki to be on "her side", if Sara wanted to provoke Yuuki, it'd be easy enough to say she was going to look after Zero to piss Yuuki off.

isn't it that Sara is interested in Zero rather than Yuki? Why would she go out and stalk on him like that, commenting on his lust and saying how poor he is. if there's anyone provoking it's sara

That's what I said, Sara is provoking Zero.

yeah but the fanbook lays out base truths at least that Hino made for her story. It's up to you to interpret a character, I'm not saying you should believe the fanbook or dab it as a bible either but hey, the matter becomes between you and Hino-sensei!

Did you see the raws? maria's sneak was just three pages. the whole scene LACKED the indications of how a tease should be. the expression on her eyes didnt show any emotion, she didn't deliberately sneak behind yuki, she walked into the room when she caught her attention. someone here before said maria's attitude was unbecoming it was because you thought she was teasing yuki when she said that, but what if she's serious of wanting Zero for herself? the attitude she displayed here is new to the readers, but I don't think it's really new, she wants Zero so she's asking for it.

juliet wrote:

It's in Maria's history to have her body occupied by the superior purebloods but in this case, as you say Sara is still awake and walking..so I doubt that she has hypnotized Maria (unless there is a way to charm her and act through her but without changing body).
I do agree that there is a mysterious air around Maria- but she is a vampire- perhaps Hino adds there a bit of an ysterious aura to enhance the scene? This behaviour is indeed strange for Maria but she may have get over her embarassment and just be honest with her desires...

Yeah, I was thinking the same about Sara...she's still awake but could it be she possesses a power that enable her to control someone from distance?(it's probably far-fetched but still why not?)As you said, charm her prey and hypnotize her into doing this and that. It would explain Maria's strange behaviour...Sara is certainly aware of Zero/Yuuki past relationship, I wouldn't be surprised if she were to use it against them.

Yuuki faces the problem that she is very hungry at that moment..and the tablets are not giving to her any pleasurable feeling or taste, like Kaname's blood did. Hino delays the phrase "unpleasant" puting the last word there, after Maria's question, playing a bit..but it's clear that this is about the tablets.

Yuuki should be angry that Maria disturbs her with such an unimportant matter.and since when is Yuuki the one to give her blessings to other vampires choices?
But to be fair, Yuuki has to better warn Maria that Zero is not Ichiru and his predisposition towards vampires is not the best. If Maria approches Zero with such intentions, she is also risking her life.

In Yuuki's position I think the most sensible thing to do is to tell her to stay in line and behave as best as possible at least in the school's grounds..vampires should not give rights to the hunters that they are causing problems..I think Yuuki's position allows to Maria to tell her that..to be cautious of her manners and attirude towards Zero, Zero hates vampires...

Hum, I disagree with this but it's just a matter of interpretations after all. It's due to our different ship we'll say
My opinion is almost the same as Knightmare on the matter but I totally respect your views on this . Nevertheless, it's very interesting to see how a scene can have different meanings depending on which person is viewing it. Only time and next chapters will prove if we're right or wrong, I'm looking forward to it

lol, Zero is not that scary, is he? I trust Zero on this, he won't harm her, he knows she is a good vampire after all.

@Libra
Maria is cute and all but I'm not too keen to pair her up with Zero or to pair Zero up with anyone for that matter. I'm one of those who think that Zero as a bachelor is a lovely thought...finding happiness, like I said previously does not mean being paired up, there are so many other ways to achieve it. Zero finding his path in life is more important and if it's not meant to be with Yuuki, he can always in the future (something that won't be seen in the manga of course) find love.

Yuuki should be angry that Maria disturbs her with such an unimportant matter...

libra wrote:
I would really like to know how Zekis are seeing a Zero-Maria romance!
I know I would prefer Yori instead, but what would your opinion be?

Well, didn't I just give my opinion? XD

Howl4fun wrote:

libra wrote:
I would really like to know how Zekis are seeing a Zero-Maria romance!
I know I would prefer Yori instead, but what would your opinion be?

Well, didn't I just give my opinion? XD

You did
What about the others???

libra wrote:

Howl4fun wrote:

libra wrote:
I would really like to know how Zekis are seeing a Zero-Maria romance!
I know I would prefer Yori instead, but what would your opinion be?

Well, didn't I just give my opinion? XD

You did
What about the others???

Just replied to you

libra wrote:
I would really like to know how Zekis are seeing a Zero-Maria romance!
I know I would prefer Yori instead, but what would your opinion be?

for me,i don't really like the whole maria-zero idea (just my opinion ).something about that picture just isn't right
but maybe that's just because i'm still hoping for a zeki ending
i do prefer maria over yori, because it's more interesting.

roronoa-zoro wrote:

juliet wrote:

It's in Maria's history to have her body occupied by the superior purebloods but in this case, as you say Sara is still awake and walking..so I doubt that she has hypnotized Maria (unless there is a way to charm her and act through her but without changing body).
I do agree that there is a mysterious air around Maria- but she is a vampire- perhaps Hino adds there a bit of an ysterious aura to enhance the scene? This behaviour is indeed strange for Maria but she may have get over her embarassment and just be honest with her desires...

Yeah, I was thinking the same about Sara...she's still awake but could it be she possesses a power that enable her to control someone from distance?(it's probably far-fetched but still why not?)As you said, charm her prey and hypnotize her into doing this and that. It would explain Maria's strange behaviour...Sara is certainly aware of Zero/Yuuki past relationship, I wouldn't be surprised if she were to use it against them.

I thought possessing someone can only happen between blood relatives? that's why rido could possess shiki and shizuka to maria

@maria asking for zero

can it be possible she's not teasing her and seriously wants Zero for herself? she would be more in character that way. and it probably doesnt have so much to do with romance, perhaps she sees that her family/cause would benefit from Zero so she asked for him

sweetsolace wrote:I thought possessing someone can only happen between blood relatives? that's why rido could possess shiki and shizuka to maria

@maria asking for zero

can it be possible she's not teasing her and seriously wants Zero for herself? she would be more in character that way. and it probably doesnt have so much to do with romance, perhaps she sees that her family/cause would benefit from Zero so she asked for him

1. until now the characterss what possessed someone else body was rido - shiki; shizuka - maria. and in both cases they were relative.
it is hard to believe maria was possessed by sara when she talked with yuuki.
in the worst case she was manipulated, but she doesn't look like this at all (she still has that shine in her eyes).

2. it is possible for maria to want zero for herself (from different reasons) and she doesn't tease yuuki at all.
maybe she see ichiru in zero, but this is not my problem, it is maria / zero problem.

aya-chan wrote:

sweetsolace wrote:I thought possessing someone can only happen between blood relatives? that's why rido could possess shiki and shizuka to maria

@maria asking for zero

can it be possible she's not teasing her and seriously wants Zero for herself? she would be more in character that way. and it probably doesnt have so much to do with romance, perhaps she sees that her family/cause would benefit from Zero so she asked for him

1. until now the characterss what possessed someone else body was rido - shiki; shizuka - maria. and in both cases they were relative.
it is hard to believe maria was possessed by sara when she talked with yuuki.
in the worst case she was manipulated, but she doesn't look like this at all (she still has that shine in her eyes).

2. it is possible for maria to want zero for herself (from different reasons) and she doesn't tease yuuki at all.
maybe she see ichiru in zero, but this is not my problem, it is maria / zero problem.

Yuki got shine on her eyes sometimes doesn't mean she's possessed.

Maria completly looked innocent when she asked Yuki, its possible that she just wants Zero, lol, after all she probably got the hots for him after Ichiru died. its not the end of Zeki. Yuki didnt even answer yet, but I personally think maria is picking the wrong moment lol maybe the taste of the tablets will affect her answer

I'm interested in seeing Yuuki's reply to Maria in chapter 73 That's probably going to be an awkward conversation, especially with Yuuki's current mood after taking the blood tablets But even if Yuuki said no (which wouldn't really make much sense because she doesn't really have any claim to Zero anymore, as Maria knows) I don't think Maria would just back down that easily.

Either way, whether Maria was just teasing or was manipulated into baiting Yuuki or actually does want Zero for herself, I'm curious as to how this is going to play out So its likely that Maria might actually make some sort of an attempt to approach Zero in future chapters, which I'm definitely looking forward to But like a few of you have already said, I seriously doubt that she's going to just run at him with 'you are MINE, I have PERMISSION!!!!!'

As funny as that would be to see Zero's reaction to that (along with Kaito's since he almost seems to be surgically attached to Zero's side nowadays, not that I'm complaining ). Maria will probably try to be a little more subtle, judging by what we've already seen in chapter 72 where she just quietly watched Zero from afar. But so far I'm kind of stuck as to how she'll go about this if her goal really is to get closer to him I can't imagine it'll be easy for the poor girl, since the only outsider who has ever really managed to break through Zero's defenses is Yuuki, and that took a while and was mostly because of Yuuki's caring nature (and that was also before Zero's demeanor became even colder and prejudiced against vampires like he is in the second arch). So as fun as it is to think of a relationship with Zero/Maria, I don't really see this happening At least, not right now. If Hino is planning to take this further, then its probably gonna take a while Hino likes to draw out the suspense across many chapters, I think. Kaname's been pretty much out of the picture for the last 4 months and we still can only speculate as to what he's up to

About Maria I’m not convinced from any option yet. I mean her interest in Zero could be genuine cuz except from the fact that he is Ichirou’s twin she also was possessed by Shizuka who had feelings for Zero too … maybe as Maria lived/felt Shizuka’s emotions something grew inside her as well.

On the other hand her approach to Yuuki was a bit fishy … at least I was surprised and I can’t dismiss the possibility to have an ulterior motive which about it only speculations I could make …

Also I wouldn’t be so surprised if Maria is sort of “hypnotized” by Sara cuz don’t forget that Sara has taken Hanadagi’s power which we don’t know yet in what could be “translated” but I had my suspicions that Hanadagi’s “special ability” has something to do with “mental/spiritual manipulation” …

juliet wrote: Yuuki faces the problem that she is very hungry at that moment..and the tablets are not giving to her any pleasurable feeling or taste, like Kaname's blood did. Hino delays the phrase "unpleasant" puting the last word there, after Maria's question, playing a bit..but it's clear that this is about the tablets.

Yuuki should be angry that Maria disturbs her with such an unimportant matter.and since when is Yuuki the one to give her blessings to other vampires choices?
But to be fair, Yuuki has to better warn Maria that Zero is not Ichiru and his predisposition towards vampires is not the best. If Maria approches Zero with such intentions, she is also risking her life.

In Yuuki's position I think the most sensible thing to do is to tell her to stay in line and behave as best as possible at least in the school's grounds..vampires should not give rights to the hunters that they are causing problems..I think Yuuki's position allows to Maria to tell her that..to be cautious of her manners and attirude towards Zero, Zero hates vampires...

I second every single word!!!

About the “unpleasant” is obvious that Hino plays there with the word to create more anticipation for Yuuki’s reaction to Maria’s “desire” … and for me it is another brick to serve or feed the long dragged LT … in other words more Zeki fanservice and as I can see her bait was very catchy … and that is bringing us to the next step … what Yuuki will reply to her
If I had to bet I’d say that Yuuki most likely will warn Maria that Zero is not a perfect anymore but a hunter with license to kill (007 haha) as she did on the first day of the NC and that she should restrain herself! <<< I can almost predict how such reaction will interpret from a certain fandom but whateva …

Now about Zero’s bride to be … I see that Hino is opening new promising and multiple options for our dear hunter … Maria or Yori ?

I don’t mind I like both of them and both cases have their advantages … for example it would be a great surprise if Yori’s mysterious fiancé turn out to be Zero!!! I find it very interesting!

Anyway since I love Zero I want him first of all to find happiness because I believe he has a golden heart despite his “harsh” attitude … I know he is wearing a poker face in order to protect his truly sensitive nature and his broken heart. So if Hino is preparing a mate for him I want to be in love with her otherwise I prefer to stay a bachelor cuz a part of his charm is his loneliness and cuz I don’t feel any threat for my ship if he stays without mate.

Kara wrote:I'm interested in seeing Yuuki's reply to Maria in chapter 73 That's probably going to be an awkward conversation, especially with Yuuki's current mood after taking the blood tablets But even if Yuuki said no (which wouldn't really make much sense because she doesn't really have any claim to Zero anymore, as Maria knows) I don't think Maria would just back down that easily.

Either way, whether Maria was just teasing or was manipulated into baiting Yuuki or actually does want Zero for herself, I'm curious as to how this is going to play out So its likely that Maria might actually make some sort of an attempt to approach Zero in future chapters, which I'm definitely looking forward to But like a few of you have already said, I seriously doubt that she's going to just run at him with 'you are MINE, I have PERMISSION!!!!!'

As funny as that would be to see Zero's reaction to that (along with Kaito's since he almost seems to be surgically attached to Zero's side nowadays, not that I'm complaining ). Maria will probably try to be a little more subtle, judging by what we've already seen in chapter 72 where she just quietly watched Zero from afar. But so far I'm kind of stuck as to how she'll go about this if her goal really is to get closer to him I can't imagine it'll be easy for the poor girl, since the only outsider who has ever really managed to break through Zero's defenses is Yuuki, and that took a while and was mostly because of Yuuki's caring nature (and that was also before Zero's demeanor became even colder and prejudiced against vampires like he is in the second arch). So as fun as it is to think of a relationship with Zero/Maria, I don't really see this happening At least, not right now. If Hino is planning to take this further, then its probably gonna take a while Hino likes to draw out the suspense across many chapters, I think. Kaname's been pretty much out of the picture for the last 4 months and we still can only speculate as to what he's up to

But Zero's behaving better with vampires now than he did before (not counting the ones he hunt, of course). In the past, he could barely stand being in the same room as them, now he deals with it like nothing and talks with vampires like Aidou without trouble. With the exeption of Yuuki, it's mainly purebloods that continues to be jerks towards him and that he can't stand in the least. I agree with you on everything else though, I can't wait for the continuation of Maria's supposed feelings for him in 73 (so exciting) XD