Disclaimer:: I do not own Vampire Knight, or its characters. The serires was written by Matsuri Hino. I only own my OCs and my plot.

[1] Intruder

T h e night was silent and held a foreboding stillness in its air as the prefect patrolled the school grounds of the Night Class. Zero Kiriyu did not have the chance to skip his duties tonight for his partner, Yuuki, was in bed resting with a cold. She had insisted that it was nothing, but her father, Chairman Cross, had begged her persistently to stay in bed for her own good, leaving Zero no choice but to patrol the grounds himself. His head tilted back to lean against a wall as he closed his eyes. His attempt to relax was cut short as a hair-raising wail reverberated in the trees nearby. Startled into alertness, the white haired boy rushed into the mass of trees following the horrid sounds.

Not much farther into the forest, the wails had been replaced with terrified screams of fear, causing Zero quicken his pace. His head whipped around in an attempt to find the search of the screaming. It was no use. The wails and screams echoed off the trees, making it just about impossible to trace the sounds to their source. Frustrated, the boy was prepared to go running off in one direction, when, a blur of movement at the corner of his eye caught his attention just as the screams suddenly quieted.

Without a moment's hesitation, Zero turned to face the cause of the wails.

Two forms were at the scene: One was unconscious- a female day student- her limp form sprawled on the leafy ground, blood oozing from two places in her neck in thick other hardly appeared to be human. She was perched above the unconscious girl, red liquid staining her lips and face. Scarlet hair framed her face and stood out in all directions, giving her a wild, animal like appearance. At Zero's arrival, she jerked her head up in a fierce manner, baring her crimson-stained teeth, as she locked her eyes onto him.

The creature seemed to be a Level E, but if it had been one, it would've leaped at Zero by now. On the contrary, it remained in a crouched position, intently observing the boy with its savage eyes.

Though confused as to what the creature really was, Zero reached into his uniform pocket and drew out his gun. The creature's blood-colored, glowing red eyes seemed to have no emotion other than pure animal instinct as her gaze followed his weapon. Disgusted, Zero aimed the gun at her head and as he was about to pull the trigger, a hand reached out and grasped his arm in a firm grip. Startled by the newcomer, the pale haired boy turned his head, his gaze shifting from the Level E like creature to the newcomer.

"Kiriyu, I think it would be best if you would let me handle this situation," The voice was calm, though it seeped with a hate towards something other than the 's eyes narrowed slightly at the Dorm Leader of the Night Class, Kuran Kaname. He opened his mouth to question the Pureblood, but didn't get his chance to argue. Impatient to get back to her meal and growing irritated of the two, the wild vampire launched itself onto Kaname, snarls ripping from her throat, fangs ready to tear.

Taken by surprise, the Pureblood was knocked onto his back. "GO KIRIYU! RUN!" He bellowed to Zero. "Leave this to me!" Reluctant, Zero lifted up the injured student, and rushed out of the trees.

As soon as the prefect was safely out of the woods, Kaname took hold of the girl by her shoulders and wrestled her to the ground. She put up quite a fight, slashing at his face with her nails, but, being a Pureblood, he was stronger. He pinned her down to the leaf-littered soil, holding her by the throat with one hand. With his free hand, he reached towards the girl's head. A violet light soon began to illuminate his hand and slowly, the female's struggles died down and her eyes drooped shut.

Sighing heavily, Kuran removed himself off of the girl and crouched down at her side. His eyes were locked onto her wrist where something was lacking. The vampire cursed under his breath, then without deliberating his decision, he lifted the girl and carried her towards the dorms.

---

Kaname stood beside the long couch where the female creature lay, his head swimming with memories, and his thoughts, disorderly. His companions stood around, curious, but did not dare question their leader's decision. Ichijou broke the silence and stepped forward. "Kaname-sama, what are we going to do with her?"

Oblivious to the question, the Pureblood remained lost in his thoughts.

"Kaname...?" The green-eyed vampire called out again, reaching a hand to the dorm leader's shoulder.

This time, Kaname turned and replied. "Hm?"

Ichijou removed his hand and, instead of repeating his previous question, he asked a new one, "What is she?"

Kaname stepped closer to the knocked out form on the sofa and studied her face. Her short scarlet hair was cast out on the sofa around her face in an unkempt and unruly mess. The skin around her lips had not been cleaned and was stained with dried blood. He reached a hand as if to stroke her cheek, then, remembering the seven pairs of eyes on him, pulled his hand back. "She's someone with a misfortunate past," He answered, "and has to suffer for the reckless mistake of someone who was once close to her."There was an awkward silence for a moment where every other vampire in the room had their eyes on their superior, wondering how he knew this girl. Repeating Ichijou's earlier question, Aidou took a step closer to the Pureblood and asked, "What are we going to do with her then?"

Seeming to be troubled by his thoughts, Kaname put a hand to his face, heaving out a sigh in the process. Giving their Dorm Leader time to think, the members of the Night Class remained silent and patient.

Finally coming to a decision, the Pureblood said, "Ichijou, please go to the Chairman's office and tell him that I will be over to talk to him tomorrow. I'm sure that Kiriyu has already informed the Chairman on the situation in the forest, but let Chairman Cross know that I will still go over to the office to let him know what's happening here."

At this order, the blond vampire nodded and in a few swift strides, he was out the door and shutting it silently behind him without question to the order.

"What about the rest of us?" Aidou asked.

The Pureblood glanced briefly at him before turning to the sofa and saying, "Get going to class, of course." In a smooth, fluid movement, Kaname had the limp form in his arms and was carrying her up the stairs.

Reaching his room, he turned and pushed the door open with his back then rested the girl onto his bed. His eyebrows pulled together in an uneasy manner as he reached towards her neck where two small scars lingered. As his cold fingers brushed against her skin, she stirred, but did not wake.

"What am I going to do with you?" The Pureblood contemplated. He turned to the bathroom and came back with a damp cloth. Seating himself on the bedside, he began to wipe off the dried blood. "There." Kaname said, once her face was ridden of any traces of blood. Once again he looked down at the girl's wrist where there were small scars that criss-crossed around it. He held it delicately in his hand as he traced the marks with a finger. A small frown began to grow on his lips. "This is a problem. I wonder how you lost it...?" The vampire stood, pulled a small wooden box out from under his bed, then sat back down beside the girl.

The box was small and had metal decor, framing its edges and corners. Otherwise, it was very simple. The letter 'A' was carved in calligraphy at the top.

"Ah," Kaname said, lifting up the lid of the box, "here we go." In the metal framed wooden box was a thin silver chain. He pulled out of the box and held it in his palm. At the center of the chain was a peculiar locket with several tiny points extending out of it. Kaname opened it with his thumb. Then, bringing his index finger to his lips, he bit down on it with a fang to draw blood and held it over the bracelet to fill the small locket with the red liquid. "Aren't you lucky that we had two of these made?" He smiled humorlessly as he fastened the chain around the girl's wrist and cleaned off his finger.

Kaname shut the lid of the box and tossed it carelessly back underneath his bed. He pushed himself up, and leaned on the post of the four-poster. His eyes never left the girl's face. When he looked at her, those auburn irises were endless. There was so much guilt behind them.

A soft knock on the door disrupted his contemplation and caught his attention. He turned

to face Chairman Cross, standing in his doorway.

"Ichijou came to talk to me," He said, as the dorm leader motioned for him to come in, then turned once again to the girl.

"Do you know who she is?" Chairman Cross asked.

Kaname turned his full attention to the Chairman. "Do you remember Miss Kurushii-sama?"

The Chairman nodded. "Ah, yes. The famed hunter of her time." His gaze shifted over to the figure on the bed. "What does she-..." His voice trailed as realization hit him. "Is it her?" He asked, not seeming completely convinced.

Kaname nodded.

"How did she get here?" Chairman asked, confused as to what the creature in the forest had to do with this girl being here.

The dorm leader let out a shaky sigh. "She was the creature who attacked the student in the forest."

Chairman Cross's head whipped towards the pureblood, his eyes wide. "What? You mean she isn't human anymore? Is she... Level E?" Although he trusted Kaname's decisions, his tone was disapproving.

Kaname shut his eyes and struggled with the words. "In a sense, yes... but she's not completely..." He exhaled, distressed.

The Chairman interjected, seeing the vampire's troubled state. "Say no more. I trust you, Kaname-kun, right? We will make arrangements tomorrow as to what will happen to her. As for now, I need you to come with me and modify the Day Student's memory of this night."

"Of course." Kaname nodded slightly as he faced away from the bed and followed the Chairman out of the room, locking the door behind him.

A/N:: Please feel free to review! I'd like to hear people's thoughts/opinions on my writing.