I must have fallen asleep during the day. By the time I woke up, it was already night and the car had already stopped in front of a large gate. I looked outside and read the name inscribed at the top.

"Cross Academy."

I rolled the windows down and took in a small breath. The cold wind carried with it the smell of flowers and a sense of peace. The cab driver opened the door and waited patiently when I did not move. My eyes were fixed on the intricate symbol at the top of the school's name and I realized that it was a rose.

"Miss Catalina?" he said, disturbing my thoughts.

I closed my eyes one more time and finally stepped out of the vehicle, careful not to get dirt on my shoes. I thanked him and did not glance back when I heard him leave. My attention was focused on the distant footsteps I was hearing from the other side of the gate. And I knew that there were two of them even before they presented themselves to me.

"Hold it right there," said the young man with silver hair. He jumped from a high distance and landed in front of the gates. He was already pointing a gun at me when another figure dropped from where he came from.

"Zero, you should not point that gun so easily," said the girl.

"She's a vampire, Yuki."

The girl he called Yuki paused for a while. She looked at me intently but with the same calm she had shown before. "Announce yourself."

I smiled and stared back into her brown eyes. She's interesting, I thought.

"My name is Catalina, daughter of Lord Mikael from the House of Byron. I came here to enroll as a student of the Night class."

"Night class," she repeated. "Then you really are a vampire."

My gaze turned back to the boy and I noticed the rose tattoo on his neck. He must have felt it for he shifted back a little to the shadows.

"I wonder how he knew I was a vampire so easily," I said a little loudly.

He looked uncomfortable. Yuki, on the other hand, looked thrilled. "I am very sorry, Miss Catalina. My friend here is a little hot-headed for a prefect's job." She slapped the back of his head and they started bickering.

I cleared my throat. "May I proceed now?"

Yuki apologized again before letting me in. "Allow us to escort you to our President," she said. A hint of annoyance was in her voice.

We walked on the pavements without talking and I took the time to observe the surroundings. The school was huge, with two separate dormitories on each side. I could see the lights on the other building, a crescent moon symbol was visible on the the top. The Night Class.

"You asked something back there," Yuki said, turning her head to my direction. "You said, how did he knew that you were a vampire."

"Yes, I asked and he did not answer."

Zero, who was tailing behind, let out what was nearly a grump. But I can sense his blood boiling to some level and his hand reaching slowly for his gun.

"I think he knew because of his training as a vampire hunter," I said, trying to appease his anger. I had no quarrel with him and there was no point in getting into trouble.

"You're right. He was trained as a hunter at an early age but he can also do a lot of things."

"Like what?"

"Well, he can cook delicious food, sew buttons, and the ability to look angry all the time."

"And who are to say that! You can't even fry a fish without burning the kitchen, you flat-chested stupid woman!"

I was genuinely amused by their fight. It was something I had never seen in a while, when friendship and laughter, even fights, come in so lightly.

Zero excused himself after getting back his cool. He said it would not matter if he was present inside the President's room.

"Why?" I said, darkly. "Your confidence in him suggests that the person I am about to meet is probably the strongest vampire hunter in history."

He was quiet.

"Well, I have heard of his skills but I have never tested them myself."

After my ourageous statement, I was half-expecting that he would draw his gun again. But he only raised an eyebrow. Even Yuki was acting differently, like she wanted to leave as well.

"Miss Catalina, please bear with him," she said as she opened the door.

President Cross looked exactly the way he was described by my father. He had long hair tied in a ponytail, and he wore glasses. He was sitting behind a large wooden desk, his serious face resting on one hand. He was intimidating, powerful, one not to be fooled around. Then with his other hand, he took out a small object from his pockets and bright flashes followed.

"Pictures, pictures, ah my dear beloved noble. I cannot help but—"

"Father!" Yuki shouted, snatching the camera away from his grasp. She looked back at me and noticed the funny look on my face. "Eh? Sorry about that. He likes taking pictures a lot."

I composed myself and fought the urge to strike the man dead. "Good morning, President Cross."

He calmed down and sat back on his chair. "Good morning, Miss Catalina. Welcome to the Cross Academy. Please sit down."

"I would rather stay here," I said, suddenly annoyed. I was not warned of his weirdness, only that he was an unusual man. I continued, "If you received the letter that my father sent last month, you must have already been informed of my arrival."

"Ah, yes certainly. Lord Mikael's daughter will be enrolling in my school. No exact date stated and no welcome party advised."

"Everything went well for the most part."

"Most part?" He looked inquiringly at Yuki.

"Zero threatened her," she whispered.

"Oh, I see. Well, if you will excuse my student's brusque behaviour, you will still find that the school is a place where vampires live in peace and harmony with humans."

"The Day class," I said. My eyes turned to Yuki and then back to President Cross. "If we are done talking, may I now go and see Kaname?"

Yuki seemed startled. "Kaname-sama?"

"Yes, the leader of the Night class. May I see him now?"

"Not many people can call him by his first name," she explained rather to herself. But I could hear her words with perfect clarity.

"Except for Takuma Ichijou," I said, smiling. "I used to go to his house every summer and I would see Kamane during parties. That was before his parents were killed and the old Asato Ichijou took him in."

She bit her lips. Apparently, I have said too much. The President seemed cautious for a moment but he let me go in the end.

Yuki led me again to the other building but I could tell that she had some questions. I looked at the stars and noticed how dark the night had become. A soft wind blew and her sweet scent wafted on my nostrils. I took a deep long breath, then spoke to her.

"Tell me, how long have you liked Kaname?"

She stopped, shook her head violently, and denied what I had just said. "No. I-I don't like Kaname-Sama. No, I mean, I like him but not like that. He saved my life when I was younger so I owe my life to him."

"Hmm. So I was right. You were the girl he kept on visiting until he settled here."

She looked away but her face was a deep shade of red. We walked again until I saw the familiar gleam in the darkness. A pair of eyes were watching us and I asked Yuki to leave.

"Are you sure you know your way in?"

"Yes, I can take care of myself. I'll be just fine."

She smiled. "You know, you are one of the nicest vampires I had ever met," she said. "I'll be patrolling the area with Zero for the rest of the night." With that, she leapt on the other side of the fence and said goodbye.

I stared at the point where she had left, and for a while, I was also smiling. "When will you come out of there?" I said faintly.

From the shadows emerged a tall guy with blond hair and green eyes. He was not smiling, as he usually does. "Catalina," he said, almost with melancholy.

"It has been many years when we last met, Takuma."

"You refused to see me when you got back." He stepped closer and pushed a few strands of hair behind my ears. "But I am glad to see you tonight."

I touched his cheek lightly and stared back into his eyes. "You know that there is a war coming and Kaname has gathered an army, the Night class. Be sure that you know which side you're on when the trumpets blast."

He sighed. "Let's not speak of ill forebodings tonight. I'll take you to Kaname, and then meet your classmates. They're in the classroom right now. And you also remember Aido Hanabusa? He is also here in the academy."

I said nothing and let him talk about the students. Some I barely remember while the others I do not recall ever meeting. But I knew they were all dedicated to Kaname, but his cause they could not possibly know.

"Kaname," Takuma said. He knocked on a massive door and called again.

"Come in," the voice inside the room said.

Takuma let me in, then left after a few words with Kaname. I stepped inside and came face to face with the man, renowned even in the world of vampires. I inspected him from that distance. He was still handsome, with long hair and dark piercing eyes. He was standing beside a bookshelf but I noticed quick enough a chess board on the table. The King, the Queen, the Knight. Everything is in its place and order. How long will the game take before it reach it's conclusion? Or should I be asking, what was his endgame instead?

"Kaname," I greeted him.

For a moment, I felt the ground shaking and the windows cracking. I kept my calm and spoke to him once again.

"You and my family were never in good terms, with us supporting the Council's faction over the old monarchy. To each his own faults and sins. But I did not come here to destroy that which you hold dearest in your life. I have come here on a request, to aid you in your pursuit."

"To what cause?"

I lingered for a while. "The head of Hiou Shizuka…in exchange for a list."

"And if I refused?"

"You cannot refuse anything as long as it's in her best interest." My eyes strayed away to the window and saw Yuki standing by the fence with Zero. "They look lovely," I remarked.

I felt my cheek cut. Blood dripped down but the wound healed quickly, one of the benefits of being a vampire. I wiped the blood away and exhaled.

"You know that cutting me to pieces would not scare me."

"Because you have been cut before a thousand times, in the laboratory where humans have kept you for experimentation."

I smiled but it did not reach my eyes. "I was betrayed by my human mother. She was a rogue member of the Hunter's Association and my father fell in love with her. She pretended to love him back but when the time was right, she sold me to some humans wielding anti-vampire weapons. And I waited for years to be saved. But no one came. I longed to die so I grabbed a weapon, a sword I recall seeing in some History books. The Kuran sword."

At this point, the room became suddenly dark and quiet, like a storm was brooding inside. "My suicide mission failed but days later, some hunters attacked the place and I managed to escape. I went home to my father, and then I heard about your parents' death. They say that they committed suicide but I thought otherwise. It was the same Kuran sword I held. The same sword I knew the hunters had taken. If you kill Hiou Shizuka, I will give you the name of the hunter who assisted in your parents' murder," I paused, "and the list of all the Council members who supported it. My father included."

The vase on the table erupted, the table crashed and some books fell down.. His eyes were burning red and I could tell, behind the calm exterior, he was already baring his fangs against me.

"Why Hiou? What does she owe you?"

I felt my eyes equally burning with hatred, my teeth gritting uncontrollably. "My mother was the twin sister of the human lover Hiou Shizuka once had. When the hunters killed him, she went rogue from the Association. She wanted to kill both vampires and hunters, so she had me experimented. She created her own group, made them stronger by feeding on my blood."

"But she was found and she fled to the only person she knew will protect her. Hiou Shizuka vouched for her safety as long as she lives. So kill the Madly-Blooming Pricess so I can kill the woman who betrayed me."

"Even at the expense of your father?"

"He had Haruka and Juuri killed. And you know that I love them both."

He said nothing but when I walked out the door, I knew that I just made a deal with the King.

"You know that it's a taboo to kill a Pureblood," a sharp voice said.

I turned to its direction and found a little girl leaning against the wall. She had blue eyes and a black bird perched on her shoulder.

"Maria," she introduced herself.

"Catalina," I said and I walked pass her. "I'd commit a hundred taboos for a chance at my mother," I glanced back and gave her a knowing look, "Shizuka."