His deep and reserved voice almost put them to sleep. Yagari's lectures were never pleasant. Night class lasted eight hours out of a twenty-four hour period, and it was the part of the day they hated the most. The only people that had stopped attending classes were Ruka and Senri. It was evident to a certain bunch Ruka was in pain over Kaname's decision to have the human as a lover; and even though Yuki had made it clear she no longer wanted the relationship, it was apparent Kaname chose not to listen. Sending the same two people to guard her, asking her to join him on walks. She refused everything, claiming grades were her main priority at the moment.

However, everyone noticed Senri's rather surly behavior; his sudden overflow of pride. Lord Kaname never said a word about that. "What do you think his problem has been lately?" Rima asked Takuma. Takuma sighed. "Well...I wouldn't know, Rima. Maybe you should leave him be for now," he replied. "...I just don't get it. He doesn't even look the same," Replied muttered as she looked out the window. "Yeah? And what about Cross? She's been acting pretty weird lately," Akatsuki chimed in as he walked over, "I walked by the dorms today and she was just sitting at the window in a daze. She took one look at me and shut the blinds."

"Yuki's just a little bit confused, I'm sure. After her...'incident' and all," Takuma said. "Then what about the drugs? I heard she was taking ecstasy or something," Rima replied. Takuma was silent, slowly turning his gaze back out the window. Everyone exchanged glances. "Regardless...I heard there's been more than one murder on campus. And it wasn't just a few vampires. One of them was a therapist or something," Akatsuki sighed.

"Yeah. Who do you think it is? I heard Senri talking. He thinks it has something to do with the disciplinary girl's high withdrawal," Rima said. Kaname looked at the group out of the corner of his eye and suddenly stood, leaving the classroom. "Rima!" Takuma snapped as he watched Kaname leave. She only shrugged.

Zero took his first few steps out of the organization since that morning. The sun was setting, the sky turning orange and purple; he smiled a bit. He knew she'd always liked the way the sky looked at this time of day; she had a photo of it hanging on her wall at one point as a little girl. He missed that little girl...always smiling and laughing. It was like she was devoured by this silent and strange new skin of hers. He shut his eyes as he swung his bag over his shoulder and looked to the sky once more. Footsteps pounded behind him as they raced up the street and stopped beside him. "Kiryu," Kaito said. Zero frowned. "What is it?" he asked. Kaito extended a small pouch to Zero as he looked at him. "Cross left it here a few weeks ago.

I was waiting for one of you to come back in and get it," Kaito said. "Yuki?" Zero asked with a puzzled look. Kaito shrugged. "Yeah. She's been missing all her training sessions. Where she been?" he asked. Zero frowned as he turned to his partner fully. "What do you mean 'training'?" he snapped. Kaito copied his expression as he crosses his arms. "She didn't say anything? She's been training with us since this Autumn," he told Zero. Zero looked down at the pouch then back at Kaito. "Let me see the record," he hissed.

There was a clap on the desk as Zero dropped the files on the Headmaster's desk. "Yuki Cross, n.d., trainee" was printed across the front in red ink. Kaien frowned as he looked up at Zero. "I don't understand, she never said a word about this and neither did any of the association members," he said. Zero shoved his hands in his pockets as he pointed out her application. "For four months. No weapons, just self-defense and physical combat," he read. "What would she need to protect herself from? Is this why she turned in the artemis?" Kaien pondered. Zero sighed and rubbed his forehead. "I wish I knew. Should I talk to her?" "No...let me. I've been looking for answers anyhow. And on that note send her in," Kaien sighed.

It didn't take much longer for Yuki to appear in the doorway, as if Kaien's word alone was what summoned her. She stood leaning against the closed doors of the office as she looked back at Zero whom had just turned to it. He jumped a little as he saw her deadened gaze set straight into his own; the bags under her eyes were dark than ever and her skin a pure white. It was like she was halfway dead. "Oh...Yuki," Kaien said as he stood. Zero looked over at Headmaster slowly as Yuki did. "Would you have a seat? I would like to speak to you about something," he began.

"When did you start training?" Zero spoke, before she could sit. She looked at him and with a small and tired tone said, "Training?" "Yes, it was brought to our attention a student of Yagari's has been mentoring you," Kaien stated. She leaned on the chair arm as she blinked slowly, making it seem like it was almost painful. "I did it to do it," she said bluntly. "You trained as a vampire hunter, Yuki! It's a big deal so don't pretend it's not! You could get hurt, not to mention without the artemis-"

"I'm not weak, okay Zero!" Yuki suddenly snapped, cutting Zero off, "I'm just as capable of taking care of myself as anybody else." This caught them off-guard; it was so unlikely for her to raise her voice. And she sounded tired...not like she had lost sleep...but almost like she had never slept a day in her life.

She sighed heavily as she grasped her temple with the tips of her fingers. "I just came here to ask if you've seen my journal anywhere," she croaked. The Headmaster looked at Zero and then swallowed as he adjusted his glasses. "No, I'm afraid I haven't. But Yuki...you have to understand we're just worried. You've acted out so much lately, we're afraid there is something you haven't told us. That was the purpose of the Shrink..." Kaien replied.

She scoffed as her tangled and fully grown out hair fell over her shoulders. "Well, haven't heard from him. I think I might have been too much for him, too," she sighed. Zero growled under his breath and she slowly looked at him. "I don't want to talk anymore. I'm going back to my room," she muttered as she stood. Zero followed her out as Kaien pleaded her to stay a little longer. Out in the hall, Zero quickly grabbed her arm and pinned her to the wall, causing the above light to flicker. "What?" she huffed.

"I don't know what the hell is going on with you, but you better snap out of it. Kaien isn't the only one who's sick of it. I am too. I am sick of hearing you pacing in the middle of the night, crying over your drug withdrawal, and your sarcastic tone. What happened to your smile? Your kindness and your self-respect?" he hissed. She shook her head tediously as she took the small pouch from his hand that Kaito had given him, looking up at him. "I've become a sick cause, Zero. If you don't like it, don't hang around for it," she said, pulling away. Her wrist was jerked to his chest as she looked back at him, when time stopped. His cold lips met hers, her hands gripping his shirt, his arms around her tiny waist. Good...it felt good.

Her eyes shut and sparks flew; the hallway lights had blown a circuit.