~This is a quick update from me as I already had this chapter written. I will from now on be publishing nightly until the conclusion. Thanks for reading! ~

"Oh Kaname, I have simply been dying to see you. How has my baby brother been? I see you have been quite busy." Anastaji turned to face him and saw that he, of course, looked the spitting image of the young man from a few hundred years ago. "But why didn't you ever come to see me?"

They stood facing each other the tension so palpable it put Kaien on edge more than he would have liked. Kaname was not sure whether embracing her would be appropriate or put either of them at risk for a fight. However, Ana reading this clearly on him she knew it was safe to take the first move and she ran into his arms clutching her arms around his neck. She felt so differently towards him than she did feel towards Rido. She could tell her whole world to Rido and it would be safe with him but she would never day be anything more than strong. She could be a child with Kaname because he would never hurt anything or anybody out of purely wanting too. Seeing him again was like being young and fresh. But like children, he was not to be trusted.

He pulled her in tight by the waist and her feet lifted only just off of the ground. She dug her nose into his neck breathing in deeply, a sweeter smell than Ridos, but thinner and less nutritious. "Have you been eating well, Kaname?" They moved away from each other swiftly and had planted themselves on either side of the room giving Kaien emotional whiplash.

"I eat well enough. I don't want for anything." She tilted her neck slightly to the side, her newly short haircut exposing her veins. Reading his split second movements she knew the way his eyes lingered that he was hungry for something.

"I've heard there is a pill, made by the very night class in your academy, Cross. Very impressive." He eagerly nodded his head and looked at her and Kaname. It was clear to him that she wasn't talking to him at all but to her brother.

"Oh yes, thank you. I am very proud of my class. Speaking of my class, I have a disciplinary committee briefing to head too so I will just leave you two youngsters to chat among yourselves." He spoke with positive animation before becoming briefly serious, "I trust you will look after yourselves."

Kaien took his leave with a warning glance and left them alone in the office.

"Are you really that hungry, Kaname?" She shook her head lightly again, following his eyes.

"I am not hungry, it has just been while since you have been around. It is quite unusual to have such a pure scent." They had unknowingly begun to stalk each other, circling slowly around the edges of the office. The glass in the cabinets had begun a gentle vibration and had begun to feel the strain of the battling energies the siblings were throwing.

"You must smell Rido. I would have loved the first blood to have drunk be yours but I know I can never trust you to come through, not for me." A true point of hurt for Kaname was that his half sister was never allowed to truly be part of the family but this was something he never allowed her to know. He would never let her drink until they were both ready. He would wait for some sort of conclusion that could come from their shared childhood. Not until she forgave him for not being the brother she wanted.

"You would not come for me equally, Ana." They had stopped circling and the glass had stopped vibrating. A gentle sadness had filled the room as often it did when they saw each other. They often mourned for their childhood but it was even worse for Ana, whose Hanadagi blood allowed her far more easily to slip into depressive moods. Hanadagis by nature were reclusive and very easily troubled by the past. She had the fiery Kuran blood that allowed her to push through but she couldn't feel truly at home in either of her families.

"It is nice to see you, Kaname. You are beautiful as ever."

"You are always radiant, Ana. I am sorry I could not come when you woke up." She nodded to him and they both sat down, looking each other over in silence. In another life and born of another mother they would have been the closest people in the world. "I must tell you that you will be seeing Yuki soon and that I wish you to please be kind to her. It may seem like a lot to ask but she is fragile and afraid, I do not want her to come to any harm."

"I won't touch the girl. I won't speak to her." They nodded to each other again.

"Another thing, she had a friend named Zero. He, unfortunately, if a Level-E and at some point soon will need to be controlled. I want you to stay away from him too, we shan't be needing any help." Kaname felt that he needed to say this because he knew exactly how Anastaji was, she would want to help. Her history with Rido meant she had become protective of the weaker of the species and didn't like to see them suffer. She also had a special rivalry with Shizuka Aoi and would love to take what was hers. The long and exhausting past of Vampire meant that there were always unsettled scores and things were never as simple as they seemed.

"I don't really need to listen to you, but I will respect your wishes for as long as I see it important. How is Shiki?"

"Shiki is well, he is still with his companion. I think it would be good for him to see you again. I'm sure you would wish to see him, he was your favorite." Ana smiled softly to herself and thought to Shiki as a small boy. He was so much smaller than his Dad and so much sweeter.

"I would like that very much. How is Takuma?"

They spent a long while catching Ana up on the happenings of the past hundred or so years, the mundane stuff Rido would know nothing of. Yuki was still human and Kaname openly admitted his intentions to Ana. Ana resisted the urge to spit and tell him it was a fruitless pursuit but did not want to risk sounding anything like Rido once did. Besides her interests in Kaname were only every purely in powers interest seeing as though they are the strongest surviving Kurans. Yuki was the runt of the litter but Kaname insists that she does not hold it against her. Yuki did always have a sweet disposition and thought Ana would deny it she found herself wanting to be warmer because of her.

"Mind if I stay here for the night? I would like to see how it is to share a house with all of those Aristocrats without incessant nattering from the council." Kaname deliberated for a short while before offering her a place in his room, but only for the one night. They waited for Kaien to return and when he did he did so with a student.

Zero walked in muscles tense and a cold sweat brewing on his hands and forehead. He saw Ana right away as a Vampire of Kaname's caliber and this only sent him deeper into his anxiety.

Kaname shot a warning glance to Ana who knew right away that this was Zero and more than that he was the Kiryu boy. She was fascinated as she sniffed around, memorizing the murky scent of his blood and she could feel he was in pain. She decided that she would pursue him tomorrow as she did not want to push Kaname whilst he was playing hospitable baby brother.

"We were just leaving. Anastaji will be staying at the Academy tonight to discuss matters with me. How are you feeling, Zero?" Ana watched with a tugging smirk on her face as the young white-haired man defiantly glowered at her brother, not saying a word. The poor thing was experiencing all this pain but only had the life experience of his past human life span. He was like a newborn child trying to force its way into birth through unspeakable pains. Ana felt desperate for him, but only for a moment.

She linked her arm with Kanames and they strolled out together. On her way out she languidly ran her fingers along the other boys forearm and felt a small flash of angry as he hastily jerked away. Feeling spurred on by the challenge she eagerly awaited the morning.

She rested her head on her brother's shoulder as they walked side by side to the dorm together and for a small moment, all was right in the Kuran family.