Ren-sama's Note:

Hi, guys~! Thanks for the wonderful reviews in the last chapter!

Aww… It's too bad some of you got disappointed at Zero in the last chapter. However, I really just can't imagine him killing his co-hunters without remorse just for the sake of his own survival because he was just that kind of person. Anyway, I hope he can make it up to you guys in this chapter~!

Enjoy reading~! ᶺoᶺ

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Chapter 33

Zero's eyes widened.

Ichiru's presence suddenly got weaker before it totally disappeared.

"Ichiru!" Zero immediately did his best to run to the south at full vampire speed despite the fact that he was still badly hurt.

Wounds created by hunter weapon often take a long time to heal. And if silver was used, it could end up killing even a half-pureblood vampire like him. He was really glad that those bullets were red. He now wondered if that hunter would still have fired the bullets at him if they were silver.

He was much slower than he usually was because of the pain still raking in his body so he arrived at the scene only after several minutes had already passed.

The place smelt of burnt woods and grasses just as several bodies of hunters were sprawled on the ground. It seemed three more hunter reinforcements aided the five hunters who pursued Ichiru for there were already eight hunter bodies on the ground. They were all bloodied and some of their limbs even looked burnt. Kyou and Shin were also there.

"Don't worry… I didn't kill them…" Zero's gaze darted towards the direction of the voice and saw Ichiru lying on his back on the ground. He was bloodied and obviously having a hard time breathing. "I wanted to… really. But just imagining… nii-san's face when you see them… I couldn't do it… I couldn't… because you finally said… you don't hate me…"

"Ichiru…" Zero immediately knelt down and looked at the full extent of his brother's wounds. He tried to be as professional as possible. He didn't want to break down in front of his brother.

Ichiru was hit with silver bullets. None of them were shot in his torso but silver bullets were still very deadly. Zero could also feel the remains of hunter charms used on his brother's body. The older twin immediately worked on taking the bullets out while incanting counter-charms. When his younger brother gritted his teeth in pain, the hunter immediately apologized and resumed in taking out the bullets in a more gentle way. "I'm sorry, Ichiru. I'm so sorry."

Ichiru looked at his older brother's eyes, so similar to his own and yet so different. He then gazed at Zero's face… his nii-san's expression barely concealing the pain and worry. And Ichiru knew he had to say what he had wanted to say all this time. He wanted Zero to hear him out, even if it turned out to be the last words they would exchange as brothers. "Nii-san… I want to tell you something…" He started, his voice hoarse and trembling from so much pain. He could feel his consciousness fading out and he knew he needed to hurry up.

He immediately shook his head when Zero acted like he wanted to argue. "I hated you, nii-san… and yet I love you at the same time… …because you're my brother… the one who steals all the attention… and yet the one who loves me the most… also the one I love the most…" He closed his eyes and gritted his teeth to prevent himself from feeling too much of the pain.

"Ichiru, there's no need to talk about it now." Zero voiced softly when he finally finished whispering the counter-charms. "We can talk all about it after you've recovered from these wounds."

But Ichiru still shook his head. He needed to say it now… or he might never have the chance to say it again… "No, nii-san… please hear me out…" He pleaded. "I… I'm a coward… I'm sorry if I didn't tell you I was alive… I was just… really scared that you would find out… about what happened that night ten years ago…" He panted a little but he resumed talking after some seconds. "I wanted to just hide from you… It wasn't my intention to reveal myself… But I didn't want the Association to use you any further…"

He remembered vividly how he planned for Shizuka to bite Zero in that particular mission. It was in order to wake up his brother's vampire side. He wanted Zero to realize that he was hunting his own kind all this time. "I knew Shizuka would be charmed by you, just like everyone was, and she would not drain you of your life…" He chuckled a little. "I was right…"

"Ichiru…" Zero wanted his brother to stop talking and simply focus on healing himself. It's because it felt like Ichiru was… Zero gritted his teeth in frustration. He was scared… He was terribly scared… because it felt as if Ichiru was finally saying goodbye… And yet, his brother's unwavering gaze prevented him from saying anything. He could only listen as his heart was starting to break. Please… He didn't want to lose his brother again…

"I wanted you to notice me too, nii-san…" And so he appeared in that mansion back then with Rido Kuran when it wasn't even supposed to be part of his plan. "I wanted you to seek me out… to need me too…" And yet, he knew that even in his deathbed, there's no way he could voice the next few words out.

Because I've spent every waking hours just to prove myself to you…

Instead, he said the one thing he wanted Zero to hear. "I want you… to stay alive, nii-san… Stay alive for me… for oto-san… and for oka-san… alright..?"

"Yes, of course." Zero's voice was barely a whisper, but it still made Ichiru sigh in relief.

And then Ichiru closed his eyes just as everything around him turned black.

"Ichiru..? Ichiru..!" Zero tapped his brother's face gently, wanting him to wake up. "Ichiru, please…" When Ichiru didn't respond, Zero tried to shake his shoulders a little harder. "Ichiru!" He was barely controlling himself. His whole body was trembling from so much pain and desperation and he was already on the verge of losing it. And yet, Ichiru remained motionless.

"No, no… please…" Zero was scared to find out but he still slowly lowered his head towards his brother's chest. He was scared to find out… But he still wanted to hear his brother's heartbeat… He wanted to make sure Ichiru was okay… "Please… I don't want to lose you anymore…"

He closed his eyes and he let out a soft sob. Tears fell down from his eyes one by one and he trembled uncontrollably as he hugged his brother to his chest.

He could hear it… He could hear Ichiru's heartbeat! It was faint… but it was there. He sobbed harder, both in the sudden flood of relief and for being thankful. Ichiru was alive…

He slowly wiped away his tears when he felt his other companions approaching the two of them. It seemed everyone was okay… He let out a soft sigh of relief. They're all okay…

After a few more seconds, Aido and the others already appeared before him. They were surprised to see Ichiru bloodied and unconscious. Not to mention the fact that there were faint traces of tears on Zero's cheeks.

But then the teen looked up at them and let out a small smile. "He's alright." He sounded so relieved that they couldn't help but feel relieved too. Aido exhaled the breath he was holding while Ruka gave Zero a smile. Yoru also looked better. His knees almost gave out when he saw the younger twin bathing in his own blood.

Kain, on the other hand, remained worried. "You're both severely wounded." His eyes gazed right into Zero's amethyst ones. It seemed he was more than convinced that he was stating a fact.

"Hmph." Aido was the one who reacted. "…Says the idiot who was staggering while he runs."

Ruka immediately growled at him, as if Kain getting wounded was an insult to her. "It was only because he kept on protecting me unnecessarily! It wasn't because he was weak, you idiot!" And the two of them would have already started their verbal quarrel if Zero didn't give them a glare.

"I'm sorry but… we need to leave." Yoru voiced quietly. He knew that his companions still needed a lot of rest but they were pressed for time. "There might be more reinforcements coming."

Aido and Ruka wanted to growl at him for even daring to demand them. They were especially irked since Yoru was directing his words to Zero of all people. However, they refrained themselves since they knew he had a point. And although Zero still seemed too weak to move, it would be disastrous if ever more hunters were to hunt them down.

"Need some help?" Aido was the one who offered but it was Kain who approached Zero first. Together, the cousins helped carry Ichiru while Zero did his best to stand up without collapsing. He already felt better but it didn't mean he wasn't in pain anymore.

Their movements were much, much slower than their previous speed. Three of them were severely wounded while Yoru and Ruka were also injured. They would need to get away from the place as fast as possible. However, they had not yet covered a considerable amount of distance when they all realized the same thing. The one thing they dreaded the most was coming – hunter reinforcement.

"How lovely." Aido voiced sarcastically just as all of them stopped running.

"This is the worst." Yoru voiced as they all felt the unmistakable hunter presences approaching them at such a swift pace. And there were three of them.

"Elite hunters, right..?" Kain voiced just as he swore inwardly. "This is so not our lucky day."

But then those hunters suddenly stopped, as if wary of their sudden halt.

Zero's eyes widened when he recognized the presences of the two hunters at least half a kilometer in front of them. The other one was someone he only knew the face of but he could also recognize his presence. "Wait." He voiced as he tried to feel their auras. That's odd… Their auras didn't feel like they were hunting… "Matsuno and Sakai."

"…Friend or foe?" Aido couldn't help but ask Zero but the latter simply waited as the hunters started approaching again, this time in a much slower pace.

The hunters slowly moved in and everyone looked at Zero then. They wanted to ask him why he stopped them from engaging into a fight but the hunter didn't act like he noticed.

"Those hunters are after us." Yoru couldn't help but voice out when the hunters were already about twenty meters away from them. He readied his gun and pointed it towards the hunters' direction just in case.

"Kiryuu." It was Leon who first showed up from behind the bushes, followed by Tetsu some seconds after. He wore his hunting clothes and equipment and his expression was that of a hunter in a mission.

Zero, however, remained in his position standing on one of the huge tree branches at least ten meters above ground. The two hunters looked up at him, expressions unreadable.

"Don't tell me you got yourself wounded from fighting those hunters?" Tetsu looked in between disappointed and surprised. "You were much, much deadlier when you were just a simple hunter." He then smirked when he heard the noble vampires' growl.

"You defeated them all?" Leon asked Zero in particular. When he received a quiet nod from the teen, he smiled. "Good job."

The other one snorted. "Yo, that's only natural, right? There are two purebloods on their side, not to mention three nobles."

"Listen, Kiryuu." Leon voiced once again, effectively ignoring his rude companion. "I don't know why you were given this particular mission tonight. Or why almost half of the Association's hunters were mobilized against you and your brother. But things are very disorganized in the Association at the moment. There have become two factions of hunters – the Anti-President and the pro-President."

Zero blinked at that. "…What?"

"It means the Association is in turmoil right now." Tetsu was the one who answered. "It was discovered by Yagari-san that the Association is currently experimenting Level Es and training them to become disposable tools to hunt down their own kind. It's sickening, to say the least."

"Hey, why are you both saying those things to vampires?" The third hunter couldn't help but ask. It seemed he didn't know that Leon and Tetsu were the few hunters in the Elite Force whose names Zero knew. And that meant a lot.

The two hunters gave the third one an apologetic look, wanting him to understand. The third hunter, however, was still against it so the two had no choice but to refrain from saying anything anymore.

"So you're..?" Zero asked, hoping against all odds that Leon and Tetsu, at the very least, weren't present in the place just to capture him alive too. And he wondered why they weren't part of the operation earlier. Now he knew.

"We're anti-President at the moment so we'll let you pass." Leon smiled a little. "Also… we're glad that you're alive, Kiryuu."

Aido and the others still looked wary and full of disbelief but Zero already gave a small smile back. "Thank you, Matsuno, Sakai. And…" He then looked at the third hunter, who only glared at him, before he and the others already left the place in speed befitting vampires like them. Yoru could barely follow up.

. . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . .

"It's a good thing he's alive…" Kaien voiced quietly with an almost teary-eyed expression as he looked at Ichiru's unconscious form lying on Zero's bed in the Moon Dorm. "I'm so glad you're all alive." He said as he looked at each and every one of them.

Zero sat beside Kaname in the couch facing the bed. Two more sofas in adjacent to them were facing each other, with a small round glass table in the middle. Aido, Kain, and Ruka sat on one sofa while Takuma, Shiki, and Rima sat on another. Kaien was the only one sitting in a chair by Ichiru's side. Yuzuru was standing behind him with a quiet but worried gaze directed at Zero. Yoru stood on Ichiru's other side and simply fiddled with his clothing. It felt awkward meeting all the Night Class students in such a way so he was not inclined to talk at all.

Yuuki was outside the Moon Dorm patrolling the area together with Yagari. The latter didn't want to be inside a room filled with vampires so Kaien had no choice but to just relay what he wanted to say.

The window was open, indicating it was in the middle of the night. However, none of the noble Night Class students were inclined to go to their respective classes.

Zero and the others arrived just before dusk and all of them were either in need of rest or just too exhausted to even open their mouths. Takuma and the others actually panicked a bit when they saw the extent of everyone's wounds. Zero made Ichiru his first priority and he refused to be treated until Ichiru was treated first. Rima was sent to notify Kaien and Yuzuru of what happened. It seemed the two of them just arrived too but they didn't waste any more second and immediately dashed towards the Moon Dorm.

Kaien's knees almost gave out when he saw Ichiru's unconscious form on the bed and Zero's wounded body sitting on the chair by his brother's side. It was only because Zero gave him a small smile that he somehow managed to still walk closer to the two of them and gave them both a tight hug. Yuzuru gave Zero an earful about the mission and how he didn't even say anything to them. Of course, it went without saying that Aido and the others argued against the brunette hunter for his sake.

And just as everything was getting out of control, Zero suddenly stood with wide eyes and a surprised expression. He could feel Kaname's presence. His knees were the ones which gave out when Kaname entered the room in person followed by a much quiet Seiren. It seemed he also just arrived and immediately went to Zero's room when he felt so many presences there. Everyone greeted him and what happened was relayed to him with Takuma and Aido's help. Kain and Ruka butted in once in a while but everything was told to Kaname in one way or another.

And thus, the current sitting arrangement.

Kaname closed his eyes. Everything seemed too much to take in. He made sure to investigate as fast as possible because there seemed to be something wrong on Zero's side. He wanted to know what it was since the hunter's presence felt so weak and also so strained and disturbed the whole time. To think he almost lost Zero without him being able to do anything…

"I'm sorry, Kaname. I was–" Zero started but he wasn't able to finish it anymore when the pureblood locked him in a tight embrace, making him feel embarrassed since they were in front of everyone. Nevertheless, Kaname's warmth made him feel calmer… a lot calmer than when he came back from that failed mission. In the end, he closed his eyes and let himself be wrapped up in Kaname's strong arms.

Yuzuru, who was already on the verge of throwing up from too much sappiness, actually arched an eyebrow when he saw Zero's reaction. Well… it seemed that pureblood prick had become such an important existence for his kouhai's happiness…

"By the way, what are you doing here? You're not a hunter so why are you wearing hunter clothes?" Yuzuru asked the question silently but everyone still heard him loud and clear. Even Zero and Kaname broke their hug and looked at him.

The brunette hunter was asking Yoru in particular. And then they all looked at Yoru as if they just remembered his presence there.

"Takahashi is right." Aido voiced as he too scrutinized the Day Class student. "You're the person we can trust the least right now."

Yoru sighed as he looked at Ichiru's unconscious form. He might as well start explaining or else he might be already dead by the time Ichiru woke up. "I'll explain all the things I know. So please calm down and don't attack me until I finish." When he received a silent signal from both Kaien and Zero, he started his story.

"The other spy you've all been trying to find this whole time… is me." He said just as he immediately received growls and swearwords from the vampires listening to him.

"You're the spy who let those Level Es enter this school!?" Aido blurted out just as he stood up. His eyes had immediately turned crimson while Ruka and Kain also settled into a defensive mode. Even Kaien and Yuzuru couldn't help but feel alarmed at the sudden revelation.

"Please let me explain first." Yoru sighed and raised both of his hands as a sign of surrender and also to quell the vampires' anger.

"Continue." Zero voiced, looking directly at Yoru's eyes. When Aido and Ruka were about to argue, his gaze turned to them. "We agreed not to attack him until he finishes his story." Technically, only Zero actually agreed to that but their stance still relaxed.

"Tch. Be grateful Kiryuu-sama wants to listen to your story." Ruka gave Yoru one last glare before she and Kain sat down. Aido also looked aggravated but he didn't argue any further.

Kaname actually wanted to clap his hands and praise his lover for managing to calm his subordinates down with just pure words but he refrained himself because the situation didn't allow for it. Aido, Kain, and Ruka were, after all, Kaname's most stubborn noble subordinates. To think that they would listen to his lover just as much as if it was him who was commanding them… It seemed that last mission wasn't a pure failure after all. He was brimming with too much smugness and pride that Takuma couldn't help but hide a chuckle. Even Shiki and Rima looked surprised that their friends were willing to compromise for Zero's sake. Really, what the hell actually happened to that mission of theirs for them to become that attached to the hunter..?

Even Kaien and Yuzuru looked surprised. Was Zero really that influential among vampires..? They never knew that.

Kaien then smiled at Yoru. "It seems you can continue."

Yoru nodded and looked at them all. "It's true that I'm a spy. However, I'm not the Association's spy but Ichiru-sama's. All of you should have realized by now that Ichiru-sama might be a member of the Association but he is not their ally. That goes the same for me too." He looked at Ichiru again. He knew that their position at the moment wasn't the most favorable – being at the mercy of the Night Class Students – but he guessed that it was still infinitely better than being hunted down by the Association. Now what he needed to do was tell the story without getting killed… It's really difficult but not entirely impossible.

"So you mean you're a third group?" Takuma was the one who asked. "You're not pro-Association and also not pro-Council?"

Yoru's eyes hardened at that. "That's right. We will never…" But then he remembered that Zero and Yuzuru were still part of the Association and he refrained himself from saying anything further. He sighed again as he closed his eyes. It would probably be better to just start right from the beginning and not jump around anymore… "I'm… half-hunter and half-vampire."

"Half-hunter and half-vampire?" Yuzuru asked, arching an eyebrow at his classmate. "You don't look like either of them."

Yoru glared at him for being so rude. "To be exact, my father used to be a hunter for the Association… but he got married into an ordinary woman so his family disowned him."

Zero's scowl deepened at that. Wasn't that just like his parents..?

"Disowning their own family members if they ever did something remotely embarrassing… that's just so hunter-like..." Aido commented offhandedly but immediately chose to stay silent when four sets of hunter eyes glared at him – courtesy of Zero, Kaien, Yuzuru, and Yoru. It seemed even if they hated the Association at the moment, the fact that they were hunters would never change. They still have that much hunter pride left in them.

Ruka mouthed the word 'idiot' just as Kain snickered silently. Aido glared at them both before he pouted and sulk. He didn't mean to offend anyone with that comment. It was just an objective observation.

Yoru cleared his throat at that. "So then… my father got married and he stopped being a hunter. He also stopped receiving missions then. But the two of them still lived happily… ignorantly perhaps, but still happily. At least until he went back home one night with a huge gash on his neck. He was turned into a Level D. That was a few months before my mother had me in her womb."

They all now quite understood why Yoru seemed so attached to Ichiru even if the latter was a vampire. They had similar experience as a child…

"My father wasn't like the other Level Ds." Yoru explained, obviously having a hard time keeping his emotions in check. "He drank from my mother only so he wasn't really that much of a threat to anyone else. However, he knew more than anyone that he would sooner or later become a Level E who couldn't even control his own thirst. He waited until I was six before he started training me earnestly. He kept saying that I would be the one to kill him one day… that I should do my best to remember everything since it would become handy for when he finally loses it. I didn't understand it then. But my father was actually scared of being hunted down by the Association. He wanted his own son to kill him rather than suffer at the Association's hands."

"You mean he had managed to maintain his sanity for more than six years?" Ruka asked in skepticism. For a normal human, it would only take a few months to lose all reasoning and fall into a state called Level E.

"He must have been really good on suppressing charms." Kaien was the one who commented.

Yoru looked at him and nodded with a small smile. "Yes, he had a similar tattoo on his neck as what Kiryuu has." He said as he looked at Zero.

By instinct, Zero touched his tattooed neck while the others looked at him as if they had just seen the hunter charm for the first time. He knew by now that it didn't really have any effect on him since Kaien did it only to suppress his pureblood side from awakening… in vain.

This time, it was Kaname who signaled for Yoru to continue. It seemed the brunette didn't want his lover to be ogled any longer. The Day Class student immediately complied. "Some months after he trained me, he was hunted down by the Association." He gulped down a huge lump in his throat before he clenched his fists tightly. "He hasn't hurt anyone but he was still hunted down… because the Association found it very humiliating for a hunter to be turned into a Level D. Even more humiliating for them was the fact that a mere Level D was using hunter charms and the like to prolong his existence. So… in the end, I wasn't able to fulfill my father's plea."

"So you hated the Association for that?" Kaname asked this time, as if daring Yoru to agree. He knew very well that even if that hunter wasn't drinking from anyone, his existence was still a huge threat to all the people who were close to him. It was only right to exterminate him.

To their surprise, however, Yoru answered correctly. "No, I didn't. I know full well that the Association has the duty to exterminate him. And besides, I keep thinking I couldn't have killed my own father anyway." His expression hardened when he spoke next. "What angered me a lot… was the fact that when they hunted down my father, my mother was also killed unnecessarily. She was just… just trying to protect my father. She didn't mean them any harm…" He gritted his teeth as he closed his eyes. "She wasn't even carrying any weapon…"

Kaien and Yuzuru looked at Yoru then, gaping as if they didn't understand what he just said. Zero's eyes were wide as well. Killing civilians wasn't part of the Association's duty. There was no way they would just kill a normal human.

"One of the silver bullets fired at the two of them hit her on the chest." Yoru opened his eyes once again and looked at the far corner of the room. He didn't want to look at anyone's expression at the moment. He knew what their faces would look like and he didn't want to see it. "Afterwards, I was taken into custody and was trained to be a hunter. Even then I never trusted any of them again. I simply used them to train myself and also to have some sort of security until I can finally live on my own. I still didn't know there was something wrong with me then… at least until I realized that the older hunters looked at me as if I was not human at all."

"It's because the altered genes of your father who was turned into a Level D was passed down to you too." Yuzuru spoke quietly. "So in short, you're not necessarily a Level D but not quite human either."

"That's right. In fact, I can be considered as just a normal human. I don't thirst for blood, I don't have any unusual strength, and I'm certainly not immortal. However, there are some things which I can do that normal humans can't." Yoru smirked at that. "And to think that my first ever mission when I was ten involved a espionage mission for a person called Ichiru Kiryuu." He then looked at Ichiru again before he looked at Zero. "The more I found about Ichiru, the more confused and enraged I became. His background was very similar to mine since I still didn't know then that Shiro Kiryuu was a pureblood vampire. I thought Ichiru-sama was the same as I am." He then looked down at his hands. "I developed sympathy for him… and at the same time, I had this fear building up inside me…"

"You're scared that sooner or later someone else will also spy on you in the same way you're spying on him." Kaname voiced with a cool expression. "Is that why you switched sides?"

"No, it's true that I hated the Association to the core." Yoru answered. "However, I was still dutifully doing everything as a hunter. At least until I was discovered by Ichiru-sama and Rido-sama. I initially thought they would kill me. But it seemed they had long been aware of my actions and were just pretending they hadn't noticed yet. So it meant that all the things I had been reporting to the Association were false since they were simply showing me things they wanted me to report."

"…Very clever." Zero's lips tugged into a small smile as he looked at his brother. He still needed to ask Ichiru about why he chose to be with Rido… but for now Zero was contented to just have his brother again. And then he looked at Yoru. "Or maybe you just weren't very careful in your espionage mission."

Yoru glared at him then. "I was just ten, Kiryuu. Do you even know how scary it was for a ten-year old boy to spy on a pureblood vampire?"

"Speaking of espionage mission…" Kaname chuckled before his eyes settled on his lover. "There was one here who did it almost flawlessly…"

"And yet he still failed the mission in the end." Zero gave the brunette a scowl.

"I remember that one." Aido voiced as he gave a small scowl to Zero. There was no animosity behind the expression so the hunter simply arched an eyebrow at him.

"So that means there was no way you could show your face to the Association again after what happened." Takuma voiced from his seat. Shiki and Rima had long since fallen asleep on his either sides.

"…" Yoru looked down again. "…Ichiru-sama told me everything about the Association's plans and dark side. He made me realize that the ones running the Association are just humans… rotten and greedy humans who could not care less if they lose a few hunters as long they gain what they need in the end. He also told me… who I really am. He was the one who made me realize that I wasn't really a pure hunter… or even a pure human to begin with."

"You became… Ichiru's subordinate?" Yuzuru asked.

"Yes, I did. I was still wary of Rido then but Ichiru was a different kind of vampire from him so he easily gained my trust." Yoru looked at Yuzuru then. "He was the one who taught me a lot of things concerning vampires. I learned a lot from him."

Zero closed his eyes. It seemed everything was falling into place inside his mind and he was a little hesitant to confirm it. But he needed to… "Miura," he called as he looked at Yoru directly. Everyone immediately felt that he was about to ask something serious just from the aura he was emitting. Yoru also already anticipated the question and was ready for it. "Were you the hunter… who shot me in the woods that night a few months ago?" His voice was even and calm, even calmer than usual that it was actually quite intimidating.

Yoru was ready for it. But the chill that ran down his spine was still very difficult to suppress. He gulped as he resisted the urge to take a step back. Zero could really be very scary sometimes. Even more frightening than Ichiru could ever be.

Zero remembered that night as if it was just last night. He could never forget the intense pain and humiliation that he felt as he was helplessly plunged from one chaos into another. Even in his dreams, the scenes were still as vivid as if he was actually reliving it. His only consolation from that was the fact that he had been a vampire all along.

Kaname and the others also knew how much Zero suffered because of that night. Even while he was in pain… even when he received contempt from his co-hunters and deep humiliation from everyone who knew him then… he still continued doing his duty as a hunter.

Kaien and Yuzuru also felt the change in the atmosphere and they were surprised how the vampires' aura had all become very deadly. The two brunettes' hunter bloods were blaring a really loud alarm at the moment. Kaien had also seen the extent of his nephew's pain and suffering because of what happened. It was too traumatic of an experience to be appeased by a mere apology. Even Yuzuru wouldn't be able to blame Zero if his kouhai were to suddenly lose all his control at the possible wrong answer coming from Yoru.

They just hoped nothing bad would happen.

"…Yes, it was me." Yoru voiced without hesitation. It would only put him into a more difficult situation if he were to try to worm himself out of that one.

Zero's breath hitched as his eyes turned into glowing crimson orbs. Kaname's aura darkened a lot just as his eyes turned into glowing crimson too. And then everybody's eyes also glowed, as if ready to attack any time. Even Shiki and Rima woke up from the sudden strong killing intent. They didn't know what was happening but their eyes also glowed, as if swayed by their companions' aura.

"Oh shit." Yuzuru mumbled. He could feel the hair on his arms and nape standing out from the heavy vampire atmosphere. Even he wanted to take a step back and get ready for defense.

"Zero-kun," Kaien tried to call Zero out but it was no use. The older twin and Kaname remained in their seats but all the other vampires in the room stood up and faced Yoru with the intent to kill. It was the most frightening scene any of them had witnessed in their life.

Yoru gulped and braced himself for what was to come. He could almost hear the sound of his erratically beating heart and he was so sure the vampires surrounding him could hear it too. He was trembling from head to toe and it was hard to focus his gaze on them because of too much fear. He even wished that Ichiru would at least wake up so he could escape his current situation. But it was no use. His knees were on the verge of giving out because of too much pressure and he found out he could hardly breathe. His hands had become too clammy and his mind was going blank too. Oh, Kami… he didn't want to die just like that…

To their surprise, it was Kaname who spoke next. "Why did you do that?" His expression was cool and his voice was calm but his aura was still very dark and deadly. His eyes were still glowing too.

Yoru sighed. He really thought that question would never come anymore. "I… I want to tell everyone that I did not do it simply because I wanted him to suffer or the like." He tried to clench his trembling hands into fists as he continued. "As I have said, I became Ichiru-sama's subordinate. Thus, I became a double-agent. The Association thought I was spying on Ichiru-sama's activities but it was actually the other way around. I was already reporting the Association's movements to Ichiru-sama and Rido-sama. Back then, Rido-sama still didn't know that Kiryuu was alive… But in one of Kiryuu's missions, a noble subordinate of Rido-sama was involved and he reported to his master about what happened. When he confronted Ichiru-sama about it, he had no choice but to tell Rido-sama."

Instead of continuing to feel anger, Zero felt more confused at Yoru's story. Rido didn't know he was alive..? Ichiru had no choice but to tell him..? What was that supposed to mean? His eyes returned to their original amethyst hue and everyone else's eyes did the same.

Shiki and Rima blinked as they looked at everyone in confusion. Takuma seemed to have realized he was already standing and he looked at Zero and Kaname for confirmation. Seeing his leader's crimson eyes made him understand what was happening. Aido, Kain, and Ruka were also taken out of their trance when their eyes returned to their original color. They also looked at Zero and Kaname then.

All they remembered was feeling intense rage and killing intent for Yoru because of what he did to their leader's mate. They did not remember ever standing from their seats. It seemed they were just a few seconds short of attacking the Day Class student… and possibly everybody else who would've gotten in their way.

Kaname's crimson eyes returned to their original chocolate color too, but barely. His expression and his aura remained dark and suffocating.

Yuzuru breathed out a shaky sigh. He did not know what he would do if everyone were to actually attack at the same time. And at Zero and Kaname's commands too it seemed. He knew there was no way he could defend Yoru alone, especially since he felt a little of Kaien's anger too just earlier. Not to mention that he felt Yoru deserved it too because of what the male did to his kouhai.

"I learned that the Association was planning to get rid of Kiryuu soon and I immediately reported it to Ichiru-sama." Yoru continued, not at all deterred to continue. He knew that what he did might be considered a crime but he still did it with good intentions.

Everyone's eyes widened at that.

"They were… planning to get rid of me..?" Zero voiced, expression portraying nothing but confusion, disbelief, and pain. He then looked down. "I… I don't understand. Up until then, I had never done anything to make the Association even think that way."

"…It was the same reason." Kaien was the one who answered. Everyone looked at him then. "I told you this already, Zero-kun." Zero looked at him in confusion too. "The Association doesn't like it if they can't control their Hunters. It was just like how they used that tragedy to frame me, or how they used Kara's condition to make me hunt her down. I told you, if your parents didn't die that night, the Association would have also used some sort of reason to get rid of them."

"So because he was too strong to be controlled, they intended to get rid of him?" Kaname asked almost venomously. He knew the hunters in front of him weren't part of that decision but it was still really hard for him to not get angry.

"Not only that." Yoru answered again. "It's because Kiryuu is part of their greatest humiliation."

"The Kiryuu family…" Yuzuru voiced. "… a family which consisted of only two adult hunters and two hunter kids. It was the strongest hunter family in history considering the number of its members."

"And all the members are vampires." Zero finished as he closed his eyes. "No wonder."

"They tried to make you into one of them." Yoru continued. "But in the end, they feared your strength and your intellect… just like how they feared Ichiru-sama too. They even went to the point of erasing your memories."

"But Zero-kun is a ticking bomb for them." Takuma said as he nodded. He could finally understand it. "They are afraid that Zero will remember everything one day. And since he had become too strong, it would be too late to do anything then."

"From this last mission we just had, it was proven that the Association simply wanted you twin brothers to wipe each other out." Aido commented. To think the Association was really such a twisted and greedy organization.

"So?" Kaname asked again, reverting the topic back to the incident that night. "What does that have anything to do with you shooting Zero?"

Yoru noticed that Kaname didn't seem to be much of a patient man. It was quite different from how he always seemed so regal and collected. Or maybe he was just furious about what happened… "The mission was actually a trap. The Association had never intended Kiryuu to see Chairman Cross at all."

"So that was the reason why Zero-kun's time of arrival was different from the time I was told about." Kaien was also seeing it more clearly now. So it seemed Yoru wasn't lying after all…

"Kiryuu was to be ambushed by the prototype Level Es before reaching Cross Academy. I was given the mission to injure Kiryuu using the red bullet just as Shizuka Hiou would deliver the finishing blow. It was a black envelope mission." Yoru explained. "It was a trap to get rid of Zero and at the same time give the Association a reason to investigate Chairman Cross and Kaname Kuran." Zero clenched his fists tightly at that.

"So the plan was to apprehend Chairman Cross and frame him for his own nephew's death." Kain said with a bored look. "It was such a cheap trap but it would definitely bring the desired result if the Association would be the one to conduct the investigation."

"Wait, didn't you just do what the Association want?" Aido pointed out with a scowl.

"No, our plan was to use the Association's trap in order to wake up Kiryuu's vampire self. Ichiru-sama said it would be a very risky move since it would make his twin brother very vulnerable at the time but it was worth a try." Yoru elaborated. "My mission was to make sure Shizuka bites you but doesn't kill you in the process. I was instructed to kill her if necessary since it will defeat the purpose if you die in her hands."

Zero heaved a deep sigh at that.

Everything was already falling into place… and yet he felt like it was getting even more complicated than it was before.

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.tbc.

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Ren-sama's Note:

See you again in the next chapter~! I hope you enjoyed it. ᶺoᶺ