Ren-sama's Note:

Thanks for the reviews, everyone! This is the next chapter! I hope you enjoy it! ˆoˆ

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Chapter 5

Zero went back to the Sun Dorm feeling so exhausted and drained. He had never felt that weak in his entire life. He entered from the main door, which was not locked, and saw that everything was dark. Or at least, everything should have been so damn dark but his eyes were seeing everything as if the living room was lit with a dimmer light than normal. He immediately went to the kitchen and walked to the fridge. He opened the fridge and drank as much water as his stomach could carry. Of course, he was not so stupid as to think that the thirst would be satiated because of that, but at least he wouldn't have to think of weird things. Like breaking into someone else's room perhaps, or waking Cross up. He walked upstairs and was about to open the doorknob when he felt that there was someone inside his room. A pureblood..!

He immediately opened his door and found his room dark and empty. And the scent of blue roses was so dominant it was almost dampening his senses. The window was still open and the white curtain was gently fluttering because of the wind. He knew there was a presence of pureblood here earlier but it was now gone. His first thought was the female vampire named Shizuka Hiou. His eyes immediately darted towards the drawer where his Bloody Rose was kept. According to the school law, students were not allowed to carry firearms and other such things so he couldn't carry his gun inside the school grounds during class hours. He walked swiftly towards the drawer and was about to get the gun when to his shock, it wasn't there. His mind immediately went blank in panic, when he heard a voice from behind him.

"Don't worry. I didn't steal it." That cool and cold voice was starting to get familiar to him by now. Zero knew who the person was even before he turned around and glared with all his might. That was the only thing he could do for now because he was basically defenseless.

"Give it back to me." He voiced calmly but with force. The pureblood with chocolate brown eyes only looked deadlier, if it weren't for the fact that he was smiling.

"I merely wish to speak with you." Kaname said casually as he leaned on the wall just beside the window. "And it would be troublesome if you started shooting at me without hearing anything yet."

"Don't joke with me. What do you want, vampire?!" Zero bared his fangs as felt his blood boiling with so much anger because of the annoying situation. He didn't like it when he's in front of a strong enemy and he was not in control of the situation.

Kaname looked surprised for a while. No one had visibly bared their fangs in front of him before. The vampires who were lower to him were much too respectful and submissive to do that and the Level D and Es were much too afraid to do that either. The sight of a hunter baring his fangs at him was something that made his insides shiver in a delightful way. "I only want to say something. It won't be long."

"I don't want to hear anything from you!" Zero growled. "Get out of my room, vampire!"

"You're quite rude for a mere Level D, vampire." Kaname talked back, momentarily forgetting what he was really in the room for. His eyes widened when he saw Zero moved swiftly to attack him. But since he was exceptionally gentle and kind tonight, he let it slide and merely dodged. If it were some other time when he was really irritated, he would've immediately killed Zero for even snarling at him. Basically, it was because of Cross's request that he told his fellow vampires to get away from Zero. The older hunter knew that Zero's blood smelled so unbelievably delicious as a hunter and he continued to carry that same scent even as a Level D. Cross knew that the vampires would get excited at the scent of the young hunter's blood and only Kaname could give them orders that they would definitely obey.

"Don't call me vampire! I'm not one of you!" Zero snarled again as he caught nothing but air. The vampire was once again behind him and he didn't like it so he immediately turned around to face the brunette. He didn't like it that Kaname was somehow invading his privacy just because he was a pureblood and he even hated it when the vampire thought that Zero would obey him just because the hunter was now part of their detestable race.

"No matter how hard you try to deny that fact, the mere presence of your fangs baring themselves at me already counters your every argument." Kaname was starting to lose his patience. He was not a very patient man to begin with, and this damn hunter with beautiful amethyst eyes and delicious blood was starting to test his limit. "Just listen for a while and it'll be over soon. I'll return your Bloody Rose and I'll leave your room quietly."

Zero, who by now knew that he had no chance to win with a pureblood alone and without his gun, just remained quiet. His glare never ceased and his eyebrows remained creased as he stared at the vampire in front of him. Kaname realized that he already had the hunter's attention now and didn't let the chance escape.

"Right now, you're a Level D and will soon start to turn into a Level E. Your existence here is dangerous for the Day Class students." He started and Zero couldn't even think of any words just to counter it. "Normally, the Hunter Seal would have put the vampire inside you to rest. But since you're a hunter yourself, the hunter charm put on you by Cross was being nullified by the same hunter side that you have. It means that although the seal was somehow working, it was only working partially. And that means that you will still turn into Level E sooner or later."

"Don't worry, vampire. I'll kill myself before I let you hunt me down." Zero interrupted. "And if that's the only thing you want to tell me, sorry but I already know that. I'm a hunter and I know that the charm placed upon me can only work on certain levels because my hunter blood is nullifying its power. But there's something you don't understand, vampire. It is this hunter side of mine that also prevents the vampire side from taking over my body."

Kaname smiled. "Since you already know a lot, then we can now talk about more important things. Have you tried the blood tablets?"

"I did, and I have no intention of taking anything like that again." Zero answered casually. "Now, if you don't have anything to ask anymore, hand over my gun."

"It didn't work huh…" Kaname simply mumbled, more to himself than to Zero. And that act annoyed the hunter even more.

"My body can't take it! Happy now?! Hand over my gun to me!" He shouted. He didn't like it that Kaname was so damn thinking like the problem was for him to solve when it wasn't any of the damn pureblood's business if he drank any of those disgusting pills or not. He hated it that that vampire was mulling over the matter like it was some game to prove his wit. Damn vampires!

"Then you do know you have no chance of surviving if you continue like that." Kaname, realizing he was really irritating the hell out of the hunter now, said seriously. "You can have some real blood. And I mean vampire blood. That way, you can live longer and become stable." The hunter only got more irritated that Kaname was repeating the same conversation he just had with Cross. It didn't feel irritating when it's Cross who was lecturing him about life, but when it was this pureblood, he just couldn't help but be so angry he could hardly contain himself.

"You, a vampire, have no right to lecture me about survival! It was your race who destroyed my life in the first place!"

"Be careful, hunter. My patience isn't that long, and I'm starting to lose all of it just by talking to you." Kaname grew colder than earlier. "Basically, what you're saying is like blaming all humans and calling all of them murderers just because one of them killed another person. What a pathetic way of looking at things."

"Don't compare yourself to humans because you are far from being one." Zero blurted before he could even think twice. He didn't like it that the vampire was talking in a logical way, a way that he couldn't argue. And that fact was making him even more irritated. "And don't so fucking threat me just because you're a pureblood!"

"I'm not comparing myself to such scum like you humans, and I'm not threatening you, you narrow-headed idiot." Kaname sighed as he tried to calm himself down again. Cross would get angry at him if the Chairman knew he was so damn close to tearing this hunter guy's throat. The hunter was gorgeous and delicious-looking, but that's all there was to him. His attitude was the worst and his temper was even worse. He would never let a guy like Zero in his circle of vampires, not in his entire life, even if that's a request from Cross.

"I don't want to be called an idiot by a non-human entity." Zero uttered, also calmer than earlier. "And I don't want to drink anything like blood either, especially coming from you and your little circle of friends."

Kaname's eyebrows creased at that statement, but then he snorted in annoyance. "Who do you think you are, huh, hunter? I'll have you know you don't have a choice in this matter. It's either you drink blood from the vampires, or you leave this school and return to your Association to be hunted down by your own kind." He actually smiled at his last statement even though he knew Zero would be greatly hurt by his words. And true to his assumption, the look on Zero's face made him realize that he's gone overboard. But he didn't know Zero personally and he didn't care what happened to him, as long as Yuuki's safe.

"Don't worry about that, vampire." Zero answered after a while. His voice was a lot different than earlier. "I won't drink from anyone, not from the students and certainly not from the vampires whom would rather kill me than let me taste their blood."

"I don't give a damn about your words, hunter. We both know we don't trust each other." The pureblood answered more roughly than he intended. "The moment you lose control, your words will be nothing and you will not even recognize your own parents once you become a Level E. That's why I'm giving you a chance to stay here. If you will not drink anything and you still don't want to leave, I'll make you leave forcefully." Zero gritted his teeth at the statement. He knew Kaname was not joking because of the extremely hostile aura that he emitted. But aside from that, the word 'parents' was just too much for him at the moment and he didn't know what to do.

He realized that from the time he was turned, not once did he think about his parents. They must be crying in their graves because of the humiliation he brought upon their name. They were such great hunters and he tainted their existence by becoming something they hated. His parents, they would never forgive him… They would never, ever forgive his deeds… And for him to forget about them for such a long time, he didn't think he would be so hateful as to do something like that. It was an even graver sin than forgetting his Bloody Rose.

"Of course, the other vampires will not let their blood be taken by a hunter." Kaname broke the silence when he noticed that the hunter in front of him was on the verge of breaking apart. Zero was looking down and his eyes were not focused, just staring into the empty space. His expression was so pained and sorrowful that even Kaname felt some pity for him, though the pureblood had no idea what was going on in his mind. It was Kaname's voice that brought him back to reality again. "And for that reason, you can just call me whenever you're hungry. I'll be the one to give you blood."

The shocked expression on Zero's face was so gorgeous that Kaname would have smiled if it weren't for the fact that what he just said was enough to make a normal vampire faint.

Although he wasn't that familiar with purebloods, Zero knew that their blood was so precious that drinking their blood was almost like a sacrilege. But he, as a hunter, couldn't grasp the generosity and the favor the pureblood had just offered him.

"You? What a laugh." Zero said after a while, only he wasn't laughing but glaring. "Why would I do that? And why would you do that? You want something in return, right? I'm telling you I won't do anything in return so don't bother."

"Let's just say I need to protect someone, and you're sane existence is needed for that person's protection." Kaname answered immediately. "I only need you to exist, stay sane and satiated, and not attack anyone in the Day Class. That's the something in return that you don't want to do."

"What person? You mean Cross?" Zero asked in annoyance. "So damn vampires can also think like protecting someone?"

"Don't look down on me or you'll be killed by us one day having that regret." Kaname said. "And that person's not Cross."

Zero thought about it for a while. He certainly didn't want this vampire to have any kind of advantage over him, and he receiving blood from the pureblood was certainly an advantage for the vampire. But at the same time, he would be more stable to do his mission, and then after that, he could die… If it wasn't for his mission, he wouldn't have had any second thought and he would've immediately refused the obviously scam offer. If all he needed to do in return was to live with his sanity intact and not attack anyone, then he could perhaps manage…

"I…" Zero started. "Fine."

"You seem so eager to live." Kaname said. "Is there any particular reason?" Zero would have thought the pureblood was just curious, if it weren't for the awfully serious expression he was wearing. Kaname Kuran was getting suspicious of him…

"You're the one offering me this non-sense…" Zero tried to focus only on his annoyance and not on his panic. He didn't want the pureblood to notice anything, especially not now that he was still in disarray and hadn't started yet. "And now you're asking me why I'm accepting it?! Who do you think I am, some random toy you can play in your hands?!"

"There's no need to get so worked up over simple things." Kaname was about to unbutton his shirt when Zero glared at him.

"I take back what I said." Zero spoke. "I don't agree! You can chase me out of this place all you want, but I will not agree!" And immediately after he said that, regret overcame him fiercely. He wished he just agreed and didn't talk anymore. Now, he lost his chance to actually accomplish his mission. It's all over now.

"I'll come back next time and I'll ask you again." Kaname said before his gloved hands reached inside his dark coat and brought out the Bloody Rose. He put it on the table and then he was gone.

Zero sighed in relief as the vampire's presence vanished entirely. At least, it seemed like Kaname would try to persuade him again. Then his chance was not so lost after all. Next time, he would definitely grab that chance and accomplish his mission well.

His eyesight darted on the heap beside his bed and found that it was his torn out tuxedo. And with this, he immediately remembered something even more important. He sprinted towards the tux and rummaged its pockets. He sighed in relief when his hand found it, only to be doubly disappointed when he realized it was still soaking wet and was already broken.

"Damn… Master will get angry…" He uttered as he stared at the mobile phone he was holding. Yagari and Yuzuru promised to call him the moment he arrived, but since he walked under the rain and even got attacked by vampires on the way, he totally forgot to at least ask Cross if the school had a phone or something so he could call. And what if Yagari was worried and tried to come here?! If Yagari or even Yuzuru saw him right now, that would only mean one thing…

"I'm dead…" He mumbled again. He decided to just change clothes and go to bed immediately. He didn't even look at the clock anymore as he closed his eyes. The thirst was preventing him to sleep at first, but soon his exhaustion and fatigue immediately got the best of him and soon he was quietly snoring.

The snow was falling and he was walking on the snowy pathway together with an older man. His little strides were making little prints on the snow and he was enjoying watching them. The man with him had fierce hunter eyes and shoulder length light brown hair. This man, Zero knew, was a very important hunter. The man noticed that Zero was looking at him and when their gaze met, the man's eyes turned really gentle.

"What is it, Zero-kun?" He asked. Zero was holding the hunter's big warm hands with his little fingers.

"Are you stronger than my father, Kaien-san?" He asked and the man whose name was Kaien chuckled.

"Zero-kun, your father and I use different weapons and have different styles and way of fighting." He explained. "Your father uses guns and I use sword. That's why I cannot really say who is stronger between us. Why do you want to know?"

"Because the stronger is who I will be when I grow up…" Zero answered shyly and he looked down. He was a little surprised when Kaien suddenly carried him.

"You don't have to be anyone else, Zero-kun. When you grow up, you just have to be Zero, and everything will be fine." Kaien smiled and Zero also smiled shyly. The snow didn't feel cold anymore as Kaien's warmth seeped from his hunter clothing and warmed Zero. He circled his little arms around Kaien's neck and the two of them walked away.

His eyes slowly opened and the light stung so he closed them again instinctively. "Cross..?" He shook his head, shaking away the feeling of drowsiness too. His eyebrows creased when he tried to think of why he would dream of his childhood together with Cross. He just personally met the man yesterday morning and the dream just didn't make any sense. Well, that's why they were called dreams…

His body still felt quite heavy from lack of sleep and from lack of entirely something else. He could feel his throat burning so early in the morning. The thirst was so intense he knew he wouldn't be able to leave his room like that. He tried to sit and saw in the corner of his eyes a bottle filled with those annoying pills. He stared at it for a while before he stood up and changed his clothes. He was just in time to wake up because his first day of mission, and school, was about to start. He took the bottle and opened its lid. The shining red pills looked so attractive, very far from how it actually tasted. Although he told Kaname he had no intention of ever drinking the annoying things again, he knew that he had no choice but to do so lest he wanted to lose control. He took three of it and immediately went to his bathroom to drink from the sink. The taste was so awfully terrible that he wanted to just throw it up immediately. But he knew that act would drain him more. He just hoped his stomach could hold on until classes finished.

After making sure that he wouldn't throw up blood, he immediately left his room with the bottle in his pocket. He went down the stairs and saw Yuuki preparing meals.

"Ah, Zero-kun! Good morning!" She smiled sweetly and he immediately saw that her eyes were of chocolate color. He was surprised for a while, especially when he remembered his dream. He had totally forgotten all about her existence during the chaos last night. But right now, he just didn't have any time for petty things such as love. He needed to complete his mission, with or without that damn pureblood's indirect help.

"Good morning." He answered casually and he noticed how she looked at his neck again.

"Uhh… Is your, uh…" Yuuki hesitated to ask because she thought it was a sensitive topic for the hunter. "Is your neck alright?"

"Ah, yeah." He answered. He was also shocked when he saw the tattoo-looking seal on his neck. It wasn't that big last night and now it had grown bigger. But he was somehow sure it had grown stable. What he needed to do right now was to talk to Cross about many things.

"Ah, good morning! Yuuki! Zero-kun!" Speaking of the devil… Zero would recognize that voice from anywhere. He turned around only to be hugged by Cross tight. He froze from the contact and before he could even react, Cross had already let go of him and proceeded to hugging Yuuki.

"Chairman!" Yuuki scolded, blushing a little. "Show more discretion towards Zero-kun!"

"Ehh?!" Cross pouted. "But Zero-kun is such a lovely child…"

Zero remembered his dream and he now thought if that was merely a dream or if that was a memory of long ago. Such times didn't exist in his mind now. They were deeply buried within him, sad and forgotten, only finding freedom when he's asleep. "Chairman Cross…"

"Hmm?! You really don't like it!? The huggy huggy thing?!" He asked, totally pouting.

"Ah, no. I want to talk to you… about things." Zero reddened as he answered. He was embarrassed at being asked such an awkward question.

"Oh." Cross's serious expression made him relax a little, although still entirely flushed. "You can come to my office after breakfast."

"Ah, yes." He nodded kindly and Yuuki smiled. She was now sure Zero was not that snobby of a person. He was just the introverted type who was easily embarrassed when dealing with non-hunter topic and non-hunter things.

The three of them ate breakfast quietly but Yuuki was now more or less comfortable with the silence. Zero ate his share absentmindedly because his mind was now wandering on the things he should do for this day. He needed to see how things were going in the classrooms and he needed to explore different parts of the school grounds in case he was missing something. He needed to see how they taught students or even if the secret about vampires was exposed here. His mind went back to reality when he heard his spoon clattering with his plate. He was already finished eating and he didn't even know what he ate.

"Alright, come with me, Zero-kun." Cross stood up from his seat after a while and walked towards his office. The room was beside the living room. The two of them sat on a chair and Cross looked at him. Zero sighed before he started.

"Chairman Cross, I…" He looked down before he looked at Cross again. "Can I bring my gun in class?"

Cross blinked. He didn't think the serious expression on Zero's face was something like this. He smiled kindly. Zero was really such a cute child. "You know we can't allow that, Zero-kun. But you can bring it during your prefect duty."

"Thank you…" He uttered. He instinctively relaxed and Cross knew the young hunter couldn't help but feel wary because of the presence of other vampires in the area. He sighed. It seemed his campaign for co-existence still had a long way to go.

"Is that all?" Cross asked kindly.

"Uhmm… Do the Day Class students know the existence of vampires and hunters?" He asked again, partly because of curiosity and partly because of his mission.

"Of course they don't." Cross answered seriously. "No one will let their children study here anymore if the humans knew of the vampires' existence. The vampires here know that very well and they are trying to keep their existence a secret from the Day Class students. But there are some of them who are quite troublesome, especially if Kaname is not here. So it's the prefects' duty to keep the vampires' hands off the Day Class students and also to prevent their secret from being revealed. And also, to keep the Day Class students' hands off the Night Class."

"I see." Zero uttered, a little bothered about the last statement.

"But please don't hurt them unnecessarily, Zero-kun." Cross pleaded with a smile. "They are students just like the Day Class. And their parents will be more or less angry if a hunter attacked them in the school grounds. But for self-defense, of course you may take the necessary action."

"I understand. I won't act unnecessarily." He said. He was sure he couldn't keep that promise for very long, especially if someone from the Night Class found him out. He would keep his mission secret, even if he had to kill those beastly students.

Cross handed two pieces of paper to Zero. "By the way, this is the prefect's duty form. And this one contains the school rules and regulations. And…"

Zero, after looking at the papers in his hands, looked at Cross. The chairman looked apologetic when he met Zero's gaze.

"What is it?" Zero asked, curious about what that look could be about.

"Are you sure you don't want to drink blood?" He asked kindly. "I can give you my blood…"

"Chairman, why are you doing this?" Zero asked casually. He didn't even have the energy to get shocked anymore. He was right after all. When Kaname told the same thing to him, he was greatly flustered and somewhat offended. It wasn't like that with Cross, but he's sure that it was doubly embarrassing than when it was Kaname who said it.

"Zero, like I said before, I'm not doing this because I have the tendency to save vampires or people who are turned into vampires. I'm doing this because it's you." Cross answered, and sighed at the confused look on Zero's face. "You… really don't remember me, do you?"

"Have I known you when I was little?" He asked again. Perhaps his dream was not so far-fetched from reality after all.

"Ah, it's almost time for school!" Cross immediately answered. He stood up from his seat and patted Zero on the head. "Sorry for asking such an absurd question. Well then, good luck in your first day of class, Zero-kun!" And then he immediately pushed Zero out of the room and called Yuuki.

"Zero-kun, we need to hurry up or we'll be late!" Yuuki immediately said when she saw Zero. The young hunter had no chance to even open his mouth as she gripped his arm tight and dashed from the Sun Dorm to the inner circle of Cross Academy, the main school grounds.

Yuuki was a bit out of breath when they reached the school building while Zero looked as cool as ever. The students' eyes immediately fell on the gorgeous guy beside her. Now she was embarrassed to stand side by side with Zero. She looked sideways at him and saw to her amazement that he didn't look like he was enjoying the attention at all.

"Tch…" Zero muttered when he saw that every pair of eyes was looking at him with great interest and awe. He was the type who neither enjoyed looking at himself in the mirror in admiration nor was he the type who thought about such 'petty' matters as physical appearance.

"Yuuki!" A girl with short curly hair ran towards Yuuki. And then she immediately stopped shortly after she saw Zero.

"Kaori!" Yuuki smiled. "This is Zero-kun, the new transfer student I was talking to you about." Zero, to her surprise, started walking off on his own. "Wait, Zero-kun! That's not the way to the classroom!" She sighed as she followed him.

Zero, on the other hand, was very sure he could feel vampire presence in the surrounding. There were a lot of students gawking at him in deep curiosity and he couldn't concentrate much. So they were already observing him, huh… And he thought he'd be the one doing the spying…

"Zero-kun…" He felt Yuuki's hands grab his arm softly as she called him. He turned around and saw that Yuuki looked worried and not far from them was the girl named Kaori, who was also looking at him quite meaningfully. "Our classroom is this way." Yuuki smiled at him guiltily when he didn't answer. "Sorry, I didn't mean to make you any more uncomfortable than that…"

"Where's the classroom?" He simply asked, still distracted by the presence which was steadily watching him from afar. How could he start his mission if his every move was being monitored by the enemy? Damn…

"Ah, this way." Yuuki let go of his arm and led the way together with Kaori. Zero walked a little behind them with a surly look on his face.

"Yuuki…" Kaori whispered after she looked back on the new student who immediately glared at her when their eyes met. When Yuuki looked at her, she added. "I think he's a delinquent…"

Yuuki actually laughed at the comment which made her friend blush a little. She answered, also in a whisper. "Ah, sorry. I didn't mean to laugh, Kaori. Although he has that air on him, I assure you he's not a delinquent. He's another prefect, actually."

"Eh?!" Kaori eyed Zero, who was behind them, once again. "He's quite scary…"

"Damn, I can hear them…" Zero thought irritably as he tried to shut the voices out of his senses. Well, it was practically impossible seeing as the school was swarming with noises.

The three of them reached their classroom with Zero being the center of attention. The prying eyes didn't lessen at all even after the teacher arrived and called him to the front. The students eagerly leaned in front to hear him more closely.

"I'm Zero Kiryuu." Zero gritted his teeth. He felt less bad when he was outside because the air carried away the scent of the students around him but now that he's in a tight room packed with students, he really ought to have more restraint and coolness. He wasn't that hungry because of the pills he took earlier but his appetite could not be satiated by that disgusting excuse for a blood.

The students were still expecting him to say something else, but since he was not saying anything anymore, the teacher asked him to just sit on the far chair above. The room's chair was in an ascending manner and there was a stair at the isle. Zero ascended the stair and sat at the very far corner of the room. He was beside the window so he could see the beautiful view outside. There were a lot of trees even in the school grounds.

The teacher started the lesson and soon Zero was listening to everything he was saying. He was not a person without knowledge about what schools taught because he was taught such things by his master. He was one of Yagari's only two students so he was able to learn well without relying on someone else. But the thing he was here for was to see if the teacher was teaching anything hunter or vampire related. He was sent here for a mission after all and he would not idly lose any chance of investigation. But far from his earlier plan, the teacher was actually good at teaching that Zero had forgotten to look for any signs of disclosure about the vampires and simply enjoyed the class. The whole morning came by without much incident and soon, Zero found that the teachers were also clueless about the real identity of the occupants of Moon Dorm.

"I must send my first report soon…" He thought as he walked out of the classroom the moment the bell rang. He knew that he had to make his report soon because it was only a matter of time before he lost all control to even think rationally.

He walked on the corridors, growling under his breath because that vampire presence was really getting on his nerves now. To his annoyance, the sun was at its peak during lunch break and he felt the burning sensation on his skin the moment he walked under the direct sunlight. It felt really uncomfortable but it was at a tolerable level. His skin just felt really hot, that's all. He went in the cafeteria, where every pair of eyes immediately fell on him, and walked towards the counter still wearing a surly expression. He could hear the students' whispers from every direction and it's annoying him even more.

"He looks so gorgeous!"

"Eh? He looks so scary, actually!"

"I like his eyes! They're very beautiful!"

"His skin was so flawless and creamy!"

"His hair looked so soft and smooth! And it's silver! How beautiful!"

"He looks like a leader of some gangster! What's with those multiple earrings on his ears anyway?"

"I heard he will be a prefect starting this afternoon! How scary!"

"Oh, I want him to be mine! He looks so delicious!"

"Can I kiss him..?"

"Oh, his hunter blood smells so delicious too…"

His eyes immediately widened and he looked around him, trying to know where the hell that vampire was. It was now in the cafeteria as well. He couldn't figure out where the hell that vampire was hiding. It seemed to be good at hiding its presence in a crowd. That damn vampire!

"Oh, he looked this way! How cute!"

"What!? He's not looking at you! He's clearly looking at me!"

"What did you say, ugly!?"

"Oh, gorgeous young man, you're new here, aren't you? What's your order?" Zero turned around and saw the lady at the counter smiling at him. She was plump and looked twice as old as Cross. Only, Cross looked a lot younger than his actual age.

"Ah…" He looked at the foods on the counter and found that his body was searching for something else. But lest he wanted to succumb to the monster inside him, he should eat more human foods and control himself well. "Burger…"

"Why the small appetite, young man?" The lady asked. "Are you not accustomed to the food here?"

"Uh, no…" Zero was a bit surprised that someone said he ate so little. He was used in the headquarters of eating nothing but vitamin tablets and food pills for days when they're on a mission so his appetite was not really that huge. "And… carbonara…"

"Oh? A special order?" She chuckled. "Hey, cook! One carbonara!" She smiled at him again as he handed over his payment. Afterwards, Zero looked at the vending machine and smiled to himself when he saw that there was milk. He immediately put in some coins and bought two bottles of cold milk. The other male students looked at the milk he was holding and laughed to themselves.

"He bought milk!"

"What a baby!"

"Damn them…" Zero muttered as he sat on the far corner. He waited for his order for a while. When it came, he immediately started eating the carbonara followed by the burger. He already started drinking his first bottle of milk when someone took the seat beside him. His hunter senses immediately turned on the alert signal. Vampire! He looked up sharply and saw a pair of blue eyes smirking at him. Zero didn't even need vampire or hunter hearing because the delighted scream of female students at the sight of Aido was so tremendously loud it almost hurt his ears. He coolly stared back at the blonde who seemed oblivious of his surroundings and was obviously annoying the hell out of him. The blonde was wearing their Night Class uniform and he looked really handsome in that white long sleeves. "What do you want?"

"Your blood." Aido smiled innocently before he added in a whisper. "I've had a taste of it, you know. When I licked you last night…" Zero was taught that vampires were awfully sensual beings, but all he could feel right now was deep annoyance at the interruption of his silent meal. He could even feel his skin crawling at the words. He suddenly felt like he wanted to throw up the disgusting pills he took earlier.

"Don't annoy me." Zero answered in an equally quiet voice. "And why are you here? Does your beloved pureblood know you're wandering the school grounds in the light of the day?" And that was another thing that he should report to the Association.

"No, actually, we're not allowed to be here during the day." Aido chuckled as if he was laughing at someone's joke. "I was just trying to pick on the new prefect so I was being naughty. I wonder if you have the audacity to drive me off this school ground right now, hunter."

"Hey, what are they talking about? And that guy was supposed to be a new prefect, right? Why isn't he doing anything about Aido-senpai?"

"It doesn't matter as long as Idol-senpai is here!"

"Yeah, that's right! I would've yelled at that silver-haired prefect if he ever tried to hurt Aido-senpai!"

"It seemed I'm very well liked by most students." Aido took the other bottle of milk from Zero's side when the hunter was distracted and drank all of it. "Yuck, is this what you hunters usually drink?" Zero was about to comment about his milk when he was interrupted by another voice.

"And what do you think you're doing here, Aido-senpai!?" A voice from behind them made them both turned. It was Yuuki, glaring at both of them. "Zero-kun, you should be driving this idiot out of the school grounds right now instead of drinking milk with him!"

Aido actually laughed at this and Zero, embarrassed at being scolded by a girl he barely knew, immediately reddened. Aido licked his lips when he saw the blood rushed in Zero's cheeks. Yuuki pushed Aido out of the cafeteria with all her might but Aido was being playful and was obviously using a bit of his power to stay. Zero could hear many groans of anger and even some shouts because Yuuki was being hard on Aido. Some were even shouts of jealousy because Yuuki always got to touch Aido while they could only look at their idol from afar. Zero, actually pretty irritated at the blonde now, immediately grabbed him on the wrist and stormed out of the cafeteria without another word, leaving Yuuki and everyone frozen in deep surprise.

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.tbc.

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Ren-sama's Note:

Okay, this is it for now! I hope you enjoyed that! Next chapter will be more thrilling! *evil grin*