All was silent, peacefully calm, this fine evening in the Totori prefecture. The small, humble, two bedroom house looked the way it always did, simple and traditional, but definitely loved. Touches of the family that lived within graced the walls, the furniture, and the entirety of the home. The main entryway was a long hallway, with bedrooms and a bathroom off to the right in a small hallway of their own, the kitchen and the living room at the end of the main hall. A small office was separated from the kitchen by a small doorway. This was the house that the Kagami family had lived in since the birth of their daughter, Akira.

Akira walked into the house with a sense of belonging and a fondness that can only be felt for one's home. She knew and loved this house well, having grown up in it and experienced a great number of things within its walls. Walking in a relaxed fashion, the girl made her way through the hallway, her boots clicking lightly on the wood panels.

"Mom, dad? I'm home," She called through the house. Lights were on, but there was no sound of activity that she could pick up on, aside from some quiet classical music playing that her mother had grown fond of. Perhaps her parents were simply reading or playing another round of chess, their all-time favorite game.

One beat. Two. Another. No answer returned to the seventeen year old girl. When she neared the end of the hallway, a scent began to reach her nostrils. Was that…burning? That was strange, mother never burns things…

Finally coming to a stop in the kitchen, with a view of the living room, her eyes fixed on her parents. Brilliant blue eyes widen in disbelief. Her actions are automatic now, entirely out of her control. She hastily scurried over to her mother's side, kneeling down and turning over the woman who now lay of the floor. Crimson red blood was pooling from the woman's chest, where an obvious bullet-wound resided, staining her white blouse. Blood also dripped from incisions in her neck. Her father looked no better, already pale from blood loss, which was evident from the pool of blood he lay in. His eyes were still open, but unmoving. Her mother was still breathing, so she put her grief for her father in a compartment in her mind to deal with after taking care of her mother.

"Mum! Mum! Talk to me!" Akira pleaded, shaking the woman gently, hoping that there was some chance at saving her. Tears began to fall unconsciously as her mother struggled to breath and to speak.

"Aa…kira, darling? Is that you?" The middle-aged woman asked in a voice no louder than a whisper. Her chestnut brown hair that was usually immaculately placed in an intricate French style bun was falling out in places.

"Yes, mother, it's me. Who did this to you and daddy?" A frightened note had begun to leak into Akira's voice. Her parents had never been hurt this badly and she had no idea how to handle a situation of this sort.

"Your father…he resisted fiercely until the end. They… killed him mercilessly."

"Who killed him? Who did it, mom?"

"Vampires,"

"Akira Kagami-chan, welcome to Cross Academy!" Chairman Cross said fondly, ripping the girl from her memories and already insisting that she, a new student should treat him like family. His trench coat fluttered about in the violent wind as he led her toward the campus.

"Please, call me Akira," she said quietly. She followed after him with a heavy heart, eyes fixed on the ground in front of her, her long auburn hair, inherited from her father blew into her face with the movement of the wind covering her blue eyes, a mirror image of her mother's.

Her mother's chest heaved on last time before falling motionless. She was gone. Both mother and father had been killed. By vampires. Akira, usually able to contain her emotions, broke down on her knees and wept. She should have been there, should have been able to save them. Her sobs grew in intensity as she screamed at the sky.

"I want to thank you, Chairman Cross. I truly appreciate your help," Akira said quietly, staring down at her feet, encased in new warm black boots to keep out the biting cold. She had gotten rid of the pair she had worn that fateful night when her parents died. The blood stains on them frightened and reminded her.

"Of course, your parents were dear friends. And please, call me daddy!" The chairman answered, looking at her with an over-sized smile, though he truly felt a deep sadness and pity for the girl. He had known her parents well. They were good, peaceful people who didn't deserve the bloody deaths fate had dealt them. He had decided after hearing her story that he would adopt her as her own. Perhaps it would heal the loneliness caused by Yuuki's absence. Plus, he had a thing for taking those abused by fate under his wing.

Akira mumbled a little but didn't answer his request to call him by anything other than chairman. Although he didn't say anything, the Chairman looked quite crushed. She almost felt guilty. Almost.

Her parents' deaths had been at the end of spring, borderline beginning summer. The event had left her feeling weak and defenseless, as well as rising up a desire within her to get revenge on the savage creatures that had murdered her parents.

So she turned to the Vampire Hunter Association. She began training with them two weeks after her parents were buried in the family cemetery, where three generations of Kagamis rested in eternal sleep. Akira worked tirelessly, aiming to become a force to be reckoned with in the shortest amount of time possible. She had to get her revenge before the monsters could ruin the lives of other families.

Two months passed. Akira Kagami made quite a reputation for herself among vampire hunters, having completed the training and become an official hunter in such a short amount of time, a feat few others had ever managed or attempted. A hunter's bow had been hand-crafted for her, as were anti-vampire arrows, and was affectionately named Poisonous Passion, an engraving of a rose trailing down the bow. She was the first Kagami to become a vampire hunter, the first vampire hunter to use an anti-vampire bow, and she intended to bring honor to her family be bringing justice to their killers.

She received word shortly after that she was invited into the elite Cross Academy for her outstanding record. Her parents' connections to the chairman convinced her that the Academy was a good choice for a place to finish her schooling and to bide her time while collecting clues about her parents' murder.

"Ah, and Akira-chan, I forgot to ask you. Have you decided to accept my offer and become a school guardian?" Cross asked expectantly. "Of course, it's a little harder to explain a guardian toting a bow and arrows compared to a gun, but I'm sure I can work it out somehow." He said, his eyes shining mischievously behind his glasses.

"As a newly trained vampire hunter, I would be honored. I will do my best Chairman,"

"Delightful! Our former guardian, Yuuki, recently resigned and Zero-kun isn't the most…shall we say, reliable. Adding you to the guardian team will surely be a huge benefit. I know your parents would be proud!" Cross said, ecstatic.

What a strangely eccentric man. Endearing, but still odd beyond belief. How did her mother and father know him? Regardless, she resolved to carry out her duties as a guardian and as a vampire hunter here to the best of her abilities. Who knows, maybe I will learn something about my parents' killers... Akira nodded her head as her resolve strengthened. She had this under control and was done playing the victim.

"Come follow me, I'll show you to your room. It's not far from the other guardian, Zero's. I'm sure that you will fit right in here at the Academy, Akira-chan,"

She made a move to pick up her two bags, but the Chairman took them from her, saying something about letting 'daddy' take care of it.

As they walked toward the room, she watched the a group of students wearing white uniforms exit a large gated dormitory, with hoards of female students in the black uniforms cheering. A blonde in the white uniform, the Night Class uniform, if she remembered right, locked eyes with her for a moment, just long enough for her to see red shining in his otherwise jade eyes.

She recalled the Chairman telling her about the vampire students; she wasn't an oblivious human, but a hunter, after all. These must be them. One thing's for sure, she thought; things in this Academy would be far from boring with such a close coexistence of vampires, vampire hunters, and humans.

After the Chairman had shown Akira to her room, he left her to unpack and collect her thoughts. The dorm she occupied had a small closet, a corner desk, and a twin sized bed and a small bathroom attached. This room is…so dull. It's almost like it's dead. Better change that.

Unzipping her first bag carefully, she began hanging her clothes in the closet. She had brought very little with her since she would spend most of her time in uniform. She hung her favorite hunter's attire next to the school uniform. It was a simple mocha colored trench coat, but it had a feel to it that made it irreplaceable in her eyes. A functional and flexible pair of dark denim pants and a few simple shirts in various colors were also hung.

Now for the second bag. A set of sheets and a blanket came out first and she quickly arranged them on the bed. Next, she had two picture frames. One was a serious picture of her parents in their more formal attire while the other was a carefree family portrait that had been taken a few months before their death. Carefully, she propped them up on the desk. There, now they'll be able to watch over me while I'm here.

When she finishing packing, she stepped back to enjoy her work. The room looked much more alive now, with books and pictures on the desk, clothes in the closet, and a bit of color on the bed. Akira smiled, satisfied.

Might as well get cleaned up and dressed for guardian duties this evening… Honestly, she was slightly afraid that things might end badly with her as a guardian. Vampires had just killed her parents, so her emotions could go haywire if she actually came in close contact with a vampire. Hopefully none of them would be stupid enough to push her too far.

The academy's uniform was nice, she had to admit, but she couldn't see anyone defending the Day Class students from the Night Class vampires in it. Skirts were impractical in almost any situation, but especially in the event that a battle could occur. Slipping on the prefect arm badge, Akira headed out the door, refusing to allow herself to over-think things. Perhaps there weren't conflicts between the classes often at all.

There was a fountain outside in between the dorm buildings where she had been told to meet Zero. She could only hope he'd show up on time. She sat on the edge of the fountain for a while, watching the large clock on the Day Class dorm building. It was slightly cold and dreadfully quiet, which quickly began to make Akira feel uneasy. After ten minutes passed, she couldn't take it anymore.

With or without this Zero guy, she would definitely handle her job as guardian. She quickly made her way to the Moon Dorm gates and found a large crowd of Day Class girls crowded around, just as Cross had predicted.

"Excuse me ladies, but you need to return to your dorms," Several girls turned to glare at her fiercely, while the majority ignored her. No one left.

"There will be punishment for those who don't leave now!" She tried again. Still nothing. These girls certainly didn't make it easy for a guardian. And using force to convince them was out of the question, they were only human girls. Akira continued to analyze the situation, trying to figure out the best course of action.

Then, an extremely tall young man showed up, with short silver hair and piercing lavender eyes. He got in front of the crowd and wordlessly stared at the girls, practically willing them to leave. The scary look in his eyes was apparently enough to make them stay away from the gate, but even this guy couldn't get them to leave completely.

Just then, the Moon Dorm gates opened and the Night Class, full of vampires, walked out. The blonde who had locked eyes with Akira earlier came out at the head of the group. From what Cross had told her, and the shouts from the wild fan-girls, this had to be Aidou Hanabusa. Next came a man with a bored expression and bright orange hair, without a doubt, Kain. The girl, Ruka, and the quieter blonde male, Ichijou, followed the two. After them, Shiki and Rima came out, sharing a box of pocky.

During this whole proceeding, the girls went insane and most of the vampires smiled, adoring the attention. Akira watched and analyzed. She hadn't come in contact with vampires in any way other than battle before. These vampire students and their calm human-like actions were totally foreign to her. How could something as savage as what killed my parents act so human?

After the Night Class was finally gone, the Day Class began to disperse, their source of amusement gone, heading back to their dorms in small groups. Akira sighed a breath of relief and disappointment. She was really going to have to step up her game if she was to make them listen to her authority.

"Who are you?"

Akira gasped in surprise. She had forgotten that the tall silver haired guy was still around. She looked him in the eye, a slight scowl of disapproval on her face. What pretty eyes he has…

"I could ask you the same thing, Mr." She said haughtily, placing her hands on her hips and turning her face away from him.

"Zero. Kiryuu Zero." He replied, mater-of-factly.

Straight to business. Serious, this one. "Ah, Zero-kun. I'm Akira Kagami, the new guardian. I hope we can get along." She said, smiling sweetly. Zero 'humphed' and turned his back to her, beginning to walk away.

"Hey! Where are your manners? Not even a 'good bye' or 'see you later'?" She yelled at him in irritation, following closely behind him.

He turned back to her and gave her a heart-freezing glare. Akira instantly shut up. Instead, she decided she would simply walk back with him. He looked over at her in annoyance, but said nothing. Akira was beginning to realize that Zero was a man of few words.