Chapter 9:

The gunshot rang through the air, scaring the bats off.

"The heck?" Ganju recoiled in surprise, leaving Gabriella to pout at the interruption of their little romance.

"C'mon…" Ganju said to her, helping her to her feet. "I think Akira wants us back there."

Anju breathed in shock. "A-Apprentice?"

The man snuck the rifle back under his cloak. The way he did so indicated he had held and fired that rifle with just one hand, something that was greatly reinforced with how he spat out his old cigar and plucked a new one out of his pocket with his free hand and placed it in his mouth. With the same hand, he pulled out a lighter and set the cigar alight, the spark of flame illuminating his face just enough for Anju to make out the scar that ran under his left eye.

"Hello Ichigo…" The man replied. "See that the change occurred when I wasn't looking."

Ichigo's only answer was to grip the wound tightly with his hand while gasping in pain. Anju now realised that the gun had to be an anti-vampire weapon, which is why Ichigo's natural regeneration abilities had been nullified. After a few breaths, he spoke. "Ford… I…"

"So, you know why I'm here right?" The man called Ford replied.

"To check up on me?" Ichigo growled in a rebellious tone. "Same old worrywart."

"A worrywart that can kill you right now." Ford spat back in response. "I thought the few years here would have taught you how to be a lot more cautious."

"Shut the hell up." Ichigo snarled. "I'm not anyone's property."

"Doesn't mean I can't do anything to you." Ford said as he pulled out the rifle once more. "Remember, anyone can kill you given the chance. Even an old mentor."

"Wait!" Anju cried, putting herself between the two. "Please, don't kill Ichigo."

"Step aside little lady." Ford said.

"Please…" Anju continued to beg, her arms outstretched as if to prevent him from getting closer. "Don't kill him."

"I said step aside miss." Ford growled. "After seeing what he almost did, I'm not taking any chances. Before he turns into a monster, I'm going to put him down. Even you understand this, right Ichigo?"

Ichigo looked up, a pained look on his face. However, he still had a defiant gleam in his eyes. "As much as I know you are right, I still have things I need to do here."

"Like what?" Ford asked.

"I still have a chance." Ichigo growled. "I just have to find the one who bit me. That'll be the first step to rid myself of this curse."

"And what's the chance you do that before descending into madness?" Ford shouted back, implying how ludicrous he thought this was. "Can you even hold it off till then? Can you stop your own degradation? I'm not taking that chance Ichigo. Not when you are around hundreds of other students that you could suck dry any day."

Ford now raised his rifle, his free hand now pulling Anju away. Just as he was about to pull the trigger, an unseen force knocked his rifle upwards, the shot now discharging skyward.

"Cross…" Ford breathed as he lowered his gun.

"Lionel Ford." Chairman Cross nodded as he sheathed his katana. "It's been a long time. I'm sure you have a reason, but could you please not brandish your weapon so frivolously? Violence is strictly forbidden in the academy grounds and I especially do not want to disturb the sleeping students." He now turned to Anju, giving her a stern look. "Anju, please bring Ichigo back to the house, and prepare his blood tablet solution for him."

Anju nodded, helping Ichigo out of the pool. Supporting him with her hands, they hobbled back toward their home.

Cross now turned to his former colleague. "Ford, let's have a talk, shall we?"

"Damn. You guys always get into all the commotion, don't you?" Misaki remarked as she made for the front door.

"Well, never like this." Anju groaned as she saw her friend off. "First its rogue vampires and now its former master hunters. Normality is starting to fade away more and more by the day."

"Well, when you hang out with vampires, normality isn't very pronounced." Misaki chuckled. This saying reminded Anju of her evening within the confines of the Moon dorm, where the vampires' behaviour was much less restrained. She remembered Akira's words, a caution to how his world could either be one of peace or one where death could be the most lenient consequence of misplaced trust.

"Anyways, how is he doing?" Misaki asked, looking toward the stairs and gesturing to the floor above.

"He's calmed down somewhat." Anju answered, looking backwards and up to the second floor. "I suppose he just didn't think he'd see his old teacher so soon. And, I suppose I never expected to…"

"Well, you haven't really known everything about him with regards to that." Misaki replied empathetically. "This is just something from a hunter such as myself. Give him some time. I'm sure that he'll open up, eventually."

Saying her goodbye, Misaki walked out into the night. Anju watched as she headed back to the Sun dorm. The minute Misaki had been swallowed by the darkness, Anju turned and went back to her room. With the appearance of Lionel Ford, the chairman had taken leave to his main office in the academy, leaving the two of them alone. Shutting the door behind her, Anju now collapsed into her bed, exhaustion claiming her.

I feel so helpless… Anju thought to herself as she buried her face into the pillow. What can I do, for Ichigo, for Akira?

Ichigo didn't appear in school the following day. Although Anju didn't seem to make such a big deal regarding this, there were plenty of others giving voice to this turnout.

"Seriously, that punk has got some nerve to be absent today." Isabelle groaned as they went on their prefect rounds. Anju kept silent regarding the previous night's antics as per the chairman's instructions.

"And we've got a brand new teacher just joining in impromptu." Isabelle huffed as she continued her ranting. At this, Anju's ears perked up.

"Who is it?" Anju asked.

"The guy's name is Lionel Ford." Isabelle replied, much to Anju's shock. "Oh, speak of the devil, here he is." At this, Isabelle now nodded toward the end of the corridor. Anju now peered from behind her senior to see him walk down the corridor, a bunch of books in his left hand. Many of the other students gave him a wide berth, mostly because he was one scary guy.

Ford then stopped before the two of them, giving a sharp stare at Anju and Isabelle. "On your prefect duties?" He asked, though it sounded like he was interrogating them.

"Yeah, we are Mr. Ford." Isabelle nodded stiffly. "Is there a problem with that?" Behind her, Anju's mind was in a frenzy over the conversation going on right now.

Senior, what are you doing?! Anju thought furiously as her mouth gaped open in absolute disbelief and shock. Right now, tension was high between student and teacher. Anju was suddenly reminded on Isabelle's previously poor discipline records and punk-like attitude. For some reason, Lionel Ford very presence had pressed her aggression switch.

"No." Ford answered. "Just watch it when the sun goes down." With a nod, Ford now resumed walking. Anju and Isabelle watched as he rounded the turn and disappeared from sight.

"Wasn't that a bit too provocative?" Anju whimpered from the side. Isabelle looked at her with a frown before stalking off.

"Tch. I bet that guy's the type that loves to cause trouble." Isabelle grumbled. "You can see it written all over his face. That's not the kind of guy who just walks away from a fight. He's the type that walks away after he's pummelled everyone else to the ground."

"Still, I don't think you should be trying to pick a fight." Anju replied.

"Yeah, yeah, I guess you're right." Isabelle sighed. "Sorry, that punk being absent isn't exactly working well with me right now. What the hell happened anyways?"

Anju fought the urge to spill the truth, knowing that everything that happened last night should have remained confidential. There was no need to let everyone know about the risk of Ichigo suddenly degrading into a Level E after all. "He, he had quite the bad stomach-ache."

"Seriously?" Isabelle almost burst out laughing. "That dude? What, he eat expired food or something?"

"No idea…" Anju said as they approached the Moon dorm.

Akira looked up at the night sky from his desk as thoughts ran through his mind. Despite the rampant storm running through his head, his face was unbelievably calm, like a lion waiting to pounce on his prey. Akira shook his head as a wry smile formed on his face. Why he compared himself to a lion was something he could never figure out for himself. Then again, he wondered what else he could be at times.

The Night class went on as usual, though he was rather surprised to hear from Chairman Cross regarding a new teacher on the premises. He figured the current night faculty was understaffed. Still, a Pureblood wasn't omniscient, which is why the minute the teacher walked in, Akira felt a sense of wariness creep over him.

The teacher went and threw his book down on the teacher's table before striding before the whole class. "Pleased to meet you all." He said sternly. "Allow me to introduce myself, I am Lionel Ford."

At once, most of the class gasped, their eyes instinctively turning red. Even Akira almost lost control of his instincts, his knight training being the only thing that held it back.

"Lionel Ford?" Gabriella frowned. "One of the highest ranked hunters?"

"What's he doing here?" Henry whispered to Ganju, who merely shrugged his shoulders. However, the real problem was the rest of the class who were now starting to get uneasy.

"Calm down everybody." Akira said, standing up. "Good evening Mr. Ford. It may be impudent of me to say this, but are you the one responsible for that gunshot last night?"

"Perceptive aren't you?" Ford nodded. "What of it?"

"Many of the vampires are edgy since then, which begs me to ask, are you in any way a threat to the Night class?" Akira asked, a stern look upon his face. "As a student, I will not lay my hands on a teacher. But as a Pureblood, I will not allow you to harm any of the students here."

"Relax." Ford replied. "Rest assured that I'm only here to serve as a teacher for the academy." At this, he pulled out a cigarette and lit it. "Though if you fall asleep, maybe I could add you to my list as punishment young master Kuran?"

Normally, a remark such as that was not one to bring off a huge reaction. However, considering that it was a conversation between and hunter and a Pureblood vampire, anyone could have known the meaning of those words and reacted accordingly. The reaction of course, was furious growls and gasps that now echoed through the classroom, the target of animosity now being the teacher at the front of the class.

"Quiet, everyone." Emi said, stepping to Akira's side and raising her hands. Shinji and Lin Hua also assisted, casting stern looks at the rowdy vampires, though it wasn't exactly calming down anytime soon.

"Everyone, please remain quiet." Akira's voice now boomed throughout the class. Despite not being raised, Akira's voice seemed to reverberate through the class. At once, the vampires obeyed the order from the Pureblood, dead silence descending upon the class.

"That's not a very funny joke Mr. Ford." Emi said as she stood in front of Akira, as if trying to shield him from any threat the teacher presented. "I doubt even the other teachers would approve of such a remark."

"Aidou huh?" Ford replied as he blew out a puff of smoke. "Kuran's greatest ally. Seems apparent that your influence upon the other vampires isn't confined to just your grandfather."

"Emi, please stand down." Akira said. Emi now bowed and returned to her seat. "It seems you do not have a target in mind, and I assume that the chairman has given you the qualifications to teach us. May I ask what you will be teaching us?"

"History Mr. Kuran." Ford replied. "You ought to be familiar with them, but still, you might want to take notes."

"Interesting." Akira chuckled as he returned to his seat and pulled out a pen.

Ichigo looked at the locked iron door. He had to admit, Chairman Cross was prepared for almost anything. He wondered how long this place had been here for him. Ichigo raised his hands, glancing at the shackles on his wrist. A part of him wanted to strangle Ford for this lame treatment while another thanked him for putting him here.

He recalled the first time he met a feral vampire. Back then, he was just a naïve little boy being trained in the ways of a hunter. He could still remember the memory so vividly.

"Master, can't we stop for a bit?" He complained, his breath coming out in huffs.

"Man up Ichigo." Ford replied. "Vampires aren't going to stop while their hunting, so neither should you. Now keep running."

"But I'm tired…" He panted, hunching over. Ford now came over and roughly grabbed his hand.

"I know." Ford replied. "But trust me when I say, nothing hurts more than being unable to save someone from one of those things when we had the chance to do it. You've heard the stories Ichigo, how they hunt and turn us into their own. What if it was your family that was targeted? Do you want to just rest while your family gets attacked by a vampire?"

Ichigo looked up at Ford. "But my parents are powerful hunters. Nothing can harm them."

"No one is invincible Ichigo." Ford answered. "Even your parents may one day die. Will you simply let that happen? Tell me Ichigo!"

"N-no…" Ichigo answered shakily. "I don't want them to die…"

"That's why you've got to get stronger Ichigo." Ford said as he withdrew. "Your enemies will be relentless and ferocious. So you've got to be more relentless than them. And the only way to do that is to keep training. So come on, get to running."

So much for all that… Ichigo thought furiously to himself. He leaned back toward the wall of the cell, staring at his hand once more.

All I have left, is to take down every last one of them…

"And that's all for today." Ford said as he ended the class. "See you lot tomorrow."

The vampires remained seated where they were, the tension enough to strain even the tiniest of breaths. Granted, Ford doubted they would even try to break the façade of politeness and respect that they had shown for the past hour. Akira Kuran was a virtuous man at heart and wouldn't condone any wrongdoings by his own people. Still, for a man who has spent his whole life killing them, he was quite sensitive to hostility.

As he stepped out of the classroom, he turned to see Anju standing in the hallway. No doubt she was on her rounds, but what was perplexing was the fact that she was alone and that she was just standing there.

Walking up to her, Ford shot her a glare. "What the hell are you doing here? This place should be off-limits for all Day class students. Surely as a prefect you understand that, right?"

"Where is Ichigo?" Anju asked him without the slightest hesitation.

"Why would you care about that boy?" Ford asked, continuing to walk down the hall. If he had expected her to be so easily brushed off, it wasn't happening today.

"You didn't answer me." Anju retorted as she followed him.

"And you didn't answer me either." Ford replied back.

"I asked first." Anu said defiantly. "Where is Ichigo?"

"Are you that willing to court death little lady?"

"Ichigo won't hurt me." Anju remained defiant. "I know he won't."

"I can't conclude if your faith is unyielding or if your stupidity is unbelievable." Ford gasped. "What part of him do you think will spare you from his thirst?"

"What part makes you think he won't?" Anju retorted, which now drew a raised eyebrow from him. Silence went between the two of them once more until Ford turned around.

"I have things that I ought to be doing." He said. "We'll continue this in the morning." At once, he walked away, leaving Anju alone in the corridor. Anju stared after him, unsure of her next move. Should she go about on her rounds again? Or perhaps she should go after him and find out answers? She was so deep in thought that she didn't hear the door open.

"Anju?" A voice called. She turned to see Emi and Gabriella hovering by the class entrance.

"Uh…" Anju gulped, unsure of how to respond.

"If you are looking for Ichigo, he's currently in the Moon dorm." Emi replied, though Gabriella shot her a strange look.

"What?" Anju blinked. "What is he doing there?"

"Sorry Anju." Gabriella answered. "I'm afraid you aren't meant to go there right now. It the rules we are meant to abide by."

"Though we could bend the rules just this once?" Emi winked.

"Uh…" Anju frowned, unsure of how to respond.

"No one will be looking." Henry whispered from behind the two girls. "You have our word on that."

"Might want to get going." Emi smiled.

Anju then turned and ran as fast as she could toward the Moon dorm.

It wasn't long before she could see the cues left to her by the vampires. Emi had kept a slight bit of the path she was meant to take covered in shimmering ice. When it looked like she was about to get lost, a bat or two would fly by and guide her in the right direction.

It wasn't long before Anju found a small ruined tower in the woods. Although the tower had been damaged and overgrown with vines, the door that stood there was brand new. Anju pushed lightly at the door and was surprised by how easy it was to open. She descended the stone steps that she found into a chamber filled with all manner of opulent robes, polished armour and weapons lined on racks.

Anju gazed in wonder at the sight. Why was something like this hidden in the school? She looked upon a longsword that was hung upon the wall, its scabbard beautifully crafted with a polished ruby at the pommel. Upon the hilt, Anju could now make out the name written on the blade. Akira Kuran.

She now realised this was the lair of the Vampire Knights. Looking to her right, she could see a whole bunch of rooms lined with iron bars. Within one, a very recognisable figure was there.

"Ichigo!" Anju cried as she ran to his cell, pressing against the bars to get a look at him. "I found you. Thank God…"

Ichigo however, did not answer. He merely took one glance at Anju and then shifted his head down.

"Is everything okay? Anju asked. She soon regretted her question when she saw the chains his hands were shackled to.

"Why are you here?" Ichigo finally asked.

"Huh?" Anju responded, unsure of what else to say.

"Why'd you come here dammit!?" Ichigo snarled, which made Anju leap back slightly.

"I-Ichigo…" Anju stammered with a terrified look. Ichigo saw her face and once more his face fell.

"Why did you come here? Why did you come and find me?" Ichigo asked.

Anju didn't know how to respond. She merely sat down, leaning on the bars of Ichigo's cell.

"I'm a monster now Anju." Ichigo breathed. "I couldn't even hold my own thirst in the minute I smelled their blood. I almost attacked you again and I couldn't even choose my blood tablets instead. Do you get it Anju? I can't change this fact. I can't even try to resist it anymore."

Anju stared as Ichigo finished his lament. She watched at how his situation had changed him. The Ichigo who was so rough, headstrong, determined… All of that was gone now. Now, only a shell of his former self was left. He seemed devoid of hope now, with no one to accompany him except his own guilt.

"So is that it?" Anju growled. Ichigo could now swore she was genuinely getting angry. He straed back at her and her eyes were hard and cold. Yup, she was definitely angry.

"Just being unable to stop yourself and now you've given in to despair? Is that how you were raised Ichigo?" Anju's voice was getting louder now. Due to the silence, her voice was now reverberating throughout the room.

"Anju…" Ichigo began, but Anju stopped him once more.

"The Ichigo I knew wouldn't let something as stupid as that get to him!" She was practically screaming now. "He wouldn't give up so easily just because he failed once! What happened to the boy who kept staying with the horses no matter how many times they threw him off? What happened to the boy who worked hard to be at the same level of education as the rest despite getting in halfway through term?"

"It's not as simple as that Anju!" Ichigo roared back. "Something like this, you can't understand how much of a burden it is!"

"I can!" Anju retorted, tears gathering in her eyes. "My parents were killed by vampires too! I know what they're like. I know what they can do. Even so…" The tears were falling freely now. "I… I don't want you to just give in. Don't seclude yourself like this Ichigo. Please…"

Ichigo's frozen expression now melted as Anju broke down and cried. Here she was, the gullible and innocent girl who didn't know better, even if she were confronted by the most monstrous thing in the universe. Heaven forbid the day she would become as bitter as he was.

Ichigo sighed, realising that she was right. He had given up. He had let himself get consumed by despair and resignation without even trying to put up a fight. What the hell kind of hunter was he then?

"I can't promise anything." Ichigo replied. "But if it's worth anything, I'll do what I can to keep going. But if I think anything is going to happen, you'll know where I'll be."

Anju's crying stopped as she turned to look up at him. "I can't promise anything either. But I'll try to help you. I'll try to keep your thirst in check. And if I have to, I'll do everything in my power to stop you."

She spent a few more minutes with him before she felt it was time to go, the memory of their dark promise lingering in her mind.