Yep, Zero has wings. That all gets explained here. And the vampires were out at night, Zero hadn't just woken up from sleep, he was walking on patrol trying to stay awake when he was told to go to the Chairman's office. Sorry for the confusion. This scene takes place late night/early morning...

And Hanabusa got busted so fast because Akatsuki is smarter than most give him credit for.

Revealing Secrets

Zero was drifting, on the verge of sleep but not quite there yet. It was an odd place to be, where your body felt fuzzy and your mind registered what was going on but turned it into something else as it prepared to dream. He was jerked from his near sleep when an aura crept into his room. He was torn between groaning in despair at being caught and growling in frustration at being kept from his sleep. Damn pureblood.

Kaname stood against the wall staring at the figure on the bed, waiting for the hunter to acknowledge him. He'd snuck out of the Moon Dorms as soon as he'd felt all the nobles settle down in their rooms. He needed to talk to Zero. It was important to let the other know just how much he cared. Kaname couldn't bring himself to stand by idle while the one he loved was forced into an unwanted relationship. Finally Zero turned to face him. "We have to talk Zero."

"I don't know what you're talking about... Kaname." It was strange to say his name, he'd always referred to the pureblood as Kuran. But twice now the other had called him Zero instead of Kiryu. The pureblood raised an eyebrow at him and took a step closer.

Zero moved off the bed, angling so he could make a dive for his window and hopefully get away from the vampire. Kaname noticed his intent though, and lunged before he could make his move. The struggle that ensued was quick and silent, ending with them both on the bed. Zero's side was pressed against the pureblood's front, strong arms wrapped around him to keep him in place. They faced each other, one glaring despite his blush, the other calm despite their position.

"What's going on Zero? That night weeks ago, you were in too much pain for it to be the kind the tablets induce. You hid something on your back from me as well. After Yuki's attack you found a way to block the blood bond between us. And now the Hunter's Association is worried about loosing your family's power." The wine eyes held firm against the silent denial, refusing to back down this time. He wanted answers and he wanted them now damn it! It was past time they stopped tiptoeing around.

Zero's eyes closed briefly in defeat before he opened them and took a deep breath. "The hunters are their own race, same as vampires. While vampires have purebloods, hunters have truebloods. My family is one of the remaining trueblood lines. The difference is that our classes are not so strictly enforced. Yes we have truebloods at the top, our own version of nobles beneath them and common hunter below that. There are those that could be compared to ex-humans. Usually those are the ones that survived a vampire attack but lost a loved one and want revenge against your race.

"We are also separated in a similar fashion. Vampires as a whole are made of clans, within the clans are courts, such as the Night Class is to you, at the top of the court are the cohorts who are loyal to the leader of the court, you in this case, called a halo- of all things." He grumbled the last part, hardly believing the vampires' gall of naming their leaders after something so holy. "The halo is a pureblood if there is one available.

"Hunters as a race are broken into tribes, which consist of many packs. The packs are lead by alphas, usually truebloods, who choose a group of our own cohorts that we call a shield." Zero paused, allowing Kaname to absorb everything. Most of this he already knew as he was a vampire himself but he waited patiently, knowing Zero was building up to something he didn't know.

"Back when our races were at war the truebloods were often used as pureblood assassins since we were the only hunters able to take one on in a fight and stand a chance of living. Because we played that role, truebloods were the focus of any vampires counter attacks. In order to protect our families we came up with a Sealing Ritual, to disguise our truebloods as more normal hunters. An Awakening Ritual was used to remove the seal and restore our power. After several generations our bodies picked it up as a natural defense and we were born as average hunters, the Awakening happening when we were older. Sometimes it can happen earlier if it's triggered in some way.

"My Awakening actually started when Shizuka attacked my family, but since she bit me my body was already going through one transformation and could not go through a second at the same time. Once I took her blood from Ichiru and was stabilized as a full fledged vampire, the transformation was complete and my Awakening began. But because I had her blood in me when my Awakening began I am not just a trueblood hunter of the Kiryu family. I am also a pureblood vampire of the Hio line, the Awakening burns away all impurities in the body. Two complete genetic codes in one body at the same time. I don't know how that's possible..." Zero trailed off, looking at Kaname to see his reaction.

The brunette seemed a little lost, trying to take in everything but there was a little spark of mischief that had Zero on edge and brought something else to mind. "The Hio blood is most obvious when I shift into a female. Since my male form is already fixed it had no way of influencing it, but the form I used at the party can be altered since it isn't as set. I thought you would have come after me at the dance.." He trailed off, seeing the smirk on the vampire's face.

"Which is exactly why I didn't." Kaname smiled at the confused look he was given. "If I had persused you as you thought I would, you would have had several escape plans in place to avoid the confrontation. By waiting a few days, I have managed to catch you with your guard lowered enough to be trapped."

Zero glowered, shifting in the restraining grip to test the strength. He could break free but it would cause a mess and a whole lot of noise. "I want to do something. But I don't know if it will work. Attempting it will either drain me or possibly kill me."

Kaname wasn't pleased by that message and let it show on his face. "What are you up to Zero?" His voice was slightly colder, signaling his displeasure.

"I want to bring Ichiru back to life. It's a natural trueblood ability to move death from one place to another. I've kept his body in good condition, so if I get good enough at it and find a place in the woods with enough plant life, I can exchange the plants' lives for his. Essentially anyways." He watched as the frown on Kaname's face became twisted slightly. That wasn't a well know ability he'd just revealed, since letting the vampires know would have meant being hunted down themselves even more.

"And this is dangerous to you because?" Kaname prompted, keeping his other thoughts to himself. It was beyond believable how the hunter could have forgiven his twin enough to risk his life to bring him back. But that was who Zero was...

"Well, too much death can overwhelm a trueblood and kill them. As long as I'm careful about how I do it I should be fine though." Zero explained, worried the other may try something to stop him.

"I believe you will succeed." He smirked. "You are too stubborn to let even death defeat you. But will Ichiru be the same as you are?"

Zero held back a chuckle at Kaname's response. Really he should have seen something like that coming. "No. He will be just a trueblood hunter since he was never turned into a vampire. He did have her pure blood in him but he was never bitten. There is a difference when it comes to the Awakening."

Kaname let Zero go and stood. "Alright. I will leave you to sleep then. And no more avoiding me." Kaname gave the prefect a stern look, receiving a scowl before he left quietly the same way he came.

~*O*~

Yay! The secret is out now. Next chapter!