Author's Note:

Hello all. Thank you for putting up with the long waits between chapters. Unfortunately, I am currently embroiled in my University studies and thus, have had less and less time to commit to this tale.

Still, I have no intention of letting the story end like this and I hope you will all be patient with me as I try to balance my time toward both this and my studies. Do bear with me during the long periods of little activity in this regard.

Sincerely yours,

Jdbl00d

Chapter 10:

"Over there! I've spotted him!" The male Hunter shouted, firing his rifle at the roof. The shape that now flitted up upon the tiled surfaces snarled and twisted away, barely avoiding the bullet's path.

"All units! Be advised, target is headed to sector 4." His partner shouted into a walkie talkie as they continued their pursuit. "Target is believed to be much smarter than usual. Engage with caution!" Acknowledgements came over the communication line as they continued the hunt.

"Seriously, what the hell is up with all these Level E vampires?" He grumbled between large inhalations of air, holding his sword up to allow better movement. "They seem to be acting way smarter than they usually are."

"Who knows?" The other responded as he reloaded his rifle. "Though it makes me wonder if those Purebloods have anything to do with it."

"You think they're breaking the treaty?" He asked.

"Who knows?" Came the standard reply. "I'm not too conflicted if they did, but I'd rather not tangle with a Pureblood. Lord knows the Kurans aren't going to take that lying down."

Suddenly, a few shapes darted above them. They halted their tracks, surprise coming over their faces.

"Wait, more of them?" The one with the rifle gasped. His partner was suddenly alerted to another message on the walkie talkie.

"We have knights out here!" Came the message. "Orders?"

The Hunter pair looked at each other, surprise still evident on their faces. "Maintain pursuit." The sword Hunter ordered. "Do not obstruct the knights. Target may not be alone at this stage."

The pursuit went on for the next ten minutes, with the Hunter team occasionally catching glimpse of their target and the Vampire knights darting across the roofs. However, just as they were about to apprehend their target, a thick fog closed in, cutting off their vision. By the time it had disappeared, their target was gone.

"Her majesty won't be too happy about this Valsh." The male knight spoke in a hushed tone. "That's the second time this one's gotten away."

"Soiro, let me worry about that." The female knight named Valsh replied as she took out a mobile phone that had miraculously remained pristine. She dialled a number, waiting for only ten seconds before the call was answered.

"Lady Valsh, what news do you bring?" Came the voice of Klein, the Kuran head butler.

"Mr. Klein, our target has fled once more." Valsh reported. "However, based on some papers we managed to pick up from his estate, it appears he is headed toward Cross Academy. For what purpose, we still do not know. To that end, we will be continuing our examination of her home."

"I understand." Replied Klein. "I will deliver this message to her Majesty and Master Kiryuu."

"Soiro," Valsh addressed her partner as the call ended. "Tell the Hunters to meet us at that shack. We may need a bit of their expertise here. I'll be heading there for the moment." At a nod, both vampires went on their separate tasks.

A few days later:

Anju finished what remained of her Curry Udon, carrying the empty bowl and used utensils back to the disposal racks. She glanced a few tables down where Ichigo was finishing his own meal. Although she saw it was good that other students were nearby, she couldn't help but feel that it was because Misaki was right beside him.

Just a few days ago, she had promised to do anything in her power to stop Ichigo's thirst if it ever flared again. At the time, she had told no one of the promise for fear of people asking as to how she was going to live up to it. At this instant, the memory of him attacking her was enough to make her cold with nervousness.

As of now though, there was little to do, as for some reason Ichigo's thirst was being suppressed. Anju once again calmed down after reminding herself that the chairman and Akira were doing all they could to prevent Ichigo from aimlessly attacking the Day class students.

Still, it bothered her that she had made such a promise. If Akira found out, he would vehemently try to stop her from doing anything that would risk her own life. Still, Anju rather such drastic measures to be taken if there was no other choice.

Anju went back to sit beside Hibiki. Lunch break was still on for another twenty minutes, so she figured it'd be good to kill some time till classes started again.

"You doing okay Ann?" Hibiki spoke into her ear as softly as possible. Anju yelped slightly as she jerked away. Hibiki's stealthy invasion of her privacy scaring her.

"Um, uh…" Anju stuttered for a moment before replying. "Y-yeah. Totally fine."

"Really?" Hibiki answered with a deadpanned look. "You seem pre-occupied with some things."

"Do I?" Anju grinned sheepishly. "Well, I suppose it's, um, it's the upcoming tests in Mathematic class we have coming up! Yeah!"

Hibiki's response was to constantly stare at her. After a whole twenty seconds of staring, Hibiki finally responded. "Ann, you suck at lying."

Anju's head dropped in shame. "Ugh… Is it really that obvious?"

"Not to everyone, but perhaps it is to me." Hibiki nodded. "So, what's really bothering you?"

Anju racked her brain on the best way to answer. She really didn't want anyone to find out about the conversation between her and Ichigo, but she didn't want to lie to Hibiki, considering it wasn't going to work at all.

"Well, it's just…" Anju began to explain, though with no clue as to how she should start. She didn't need to however, as Hibiki solved that problem for her.

"It's about Ichigo isn't it?" Hibiki concluded.

Anju sighed. "It's that obvious huh?"

"Well, I'm sure everyone is worried about him. After all, he was attacked by a vampire and then got turned into one. I'm sure he's more worried about attacking the Day class students than the Day class students are." Hibiki answered.

"True enough." Anju nodded. Still, she wondered if Hibiki knew how much more serious it was had she known that Ichigo risked turning into a savage and mindless creature with nor form of self-control whatsoever. Anju had kept that to herself, deciding the burden of such knowledge was not meant for anyone else till the time came. But she also wondered, when such a time did come, would it be too late?

"Anyways, I suppose the only thing we can do is support him the best we can." Hibiki said as she stood up, getting ready to return her dirty utensils. "And to not get too close when he's feeling out of it."

"I mean, it looks really uncomfortable when he gets, you know, thirsty." Hibiki added.

"Yeah…" Anju nodded in response.

"What's it like anyway?" Hibiki asked. Though Anju knows it was purely out of curiosity, she wondered if it would be a good idea to answer truthfully this time round.

"Imagine your throat being on fire." Misaki answered from behind the two of them. Anju and Hibiki turned sharply to see a sombre look on Misaki's face. "Scratch that." Misaki made a correction. "Imagine a hot iron bar shoved down your gullet."

"Uh, Misaki…" Anju gulped. "That's a bit too graphic, don't you think?"

"I know." Misaki nodded. "But the fact is that's how serious it can be. Some of these Ex-human vampires find the sensation so unbearable they become little more than rabid beasts. Others find suicide a simpler path."

Silence permeated between the three of them as Misaki's words sank in. Anju didn't look back up. It was still too much to take in all at once.

"Ichigo's stronger than he looks though." Misaki nodded with a wry smile. "I can't vouch for his behaviour, but he wasn't raised to be someone who'd just lay down and die."

"Yeah." Hibiki nodded. "Misaki is right there. Remember how he scared off a bunch of rowdy Second years? He almost got himself sunk in detention because he went and picked a fight. Thankfully, Mr. du Coteau was there to soften up the situation."

"Wow." Misaki's expression now showed nervousness. "He's that bad even to the senior students?"

"Totally." Hibiki nodded. "That's why he never gets picked on, and why no one tries to approach him."

"Not the sociable kind huh?" Misaki grinned, which now caused Anju herself to smile. Anju looked over at Ichigo, who was quite oblivious to the conversation taking place. Suddenly, at the corner of her eye, she spotted Lionel Ford marching his way through the cafeteria. The students gave him a wide berth as he slowly walked up to Ichigo. They briefly stared at each other before Ford handed Ichigo a brown envelope with a black tape on it.

Anju blinked as Ichigo left his seat and hurriedly made his way out of the cafeteria without bothering to clean up his place.

"Hey, what was that all about?" Anju asked as she turned to Misaki, a look of complete shock crossing her face as soon as she beheld Misaki's dread filled expression.

"A Hunter Order?" Anju gasped as soon as Misaki explained.

"Yeah." Misaki nodded. "Usually, Hunters get their orders from the Association that way. It contains loads of info on their next 'mark'."

"What kind of info?" Anju asked, curiosity getting the better of her.

"Level status." Misaki answered. "Number of attacks, personal history and information. Danger levels."

"What about danger levels?" Hibiki asked, now getting absorbed into the conversation.

"Well, basically the threat level of the target. You remember that black tape on the envelope?" Misaki asked. Anju and Hibiki thought for a moment, their memory serving them well enough. "Those tapes depict how dangerous the target is. Green is the lowest, followed by yellow, red and then black for the most dangerous rogue vampires."

Anju's felt an icy chill run down her spine. "Then…"

"Honestly, I have no clue what the damn Association is thinking." Misaki growled. "Seriously? Sending a teenager to handle a vampire of that level? That's just asking too much! Hunters at our age should only be given at most Level Yellow vamps to take on."

"Can't we stop them?" Hibiki asked. Despite not having much of a relationship with Ichigo, she too cared deeply about him. "Won't he be in danger?"

"I'm afraid not." Misaki shook her head. "I don't have the power to change the minds of the Association heads. If anything, I can only complain about it. And we all know how well complaining works."

"Tell me about it…"Anju nodded recounting thousands of times she had called him out on so much of his rather undesirable behaviour. No changes though as far as she could see.

"Well, he ought to have at least some backup." Misaki nodded. "If he at least has an experienced Hunter with him, then I'm not making any noise."

"Well, I'm sure they're not that irresponsible right?" Hibiki asked.

"Who the hell knows…" Misaki frowned. "Sometimes those old geezers leading the whole Association do the strangest and straight up incorrigible things."

"Well, I suppose this means he won't be joining us for prefect duty." Anju sighed. "Time to let Senior Dunois know."

"God, I swear that punk is straight up useless sometimes…" Isabelle growled.

"Well, he doesn't have much of a choice." Anju replied as they walked to the Moon dorm. "It's his duty as a Hunter."

"Doesn't make sense why they have to get him to do this stupid job on a school day." Isabelle scoffed. "Whatever, let's go do our damn job."

"Man, she's pretty hard to please huh?" Misaki smiled sheepishly.

"Nah. She just isn't good at blowing off steam." Anju shrugged as the gates of the Moon dorm opened. As the first few vampires filed out amid the keening squeals of the Day class students, Anju suddenly noticed something.

"Hey, where's Shinji?" Anju asked Misaki. Misaki looked at her questioningly before turning to survey the scene. True enough, the Maroon haired boy was nowhere to be found. To emphasise this, his fans were also disappointed and wondering why he hadn't shown up yet.

"Yeah." Misaki nodded. "That is rather strange. He's usually with Emi, but now she's alone. Something's not right." At once, she walked up to the blonde haired vampire and began asking.

"Where'd Shinji go?" Emi reiterated Misaki's question as Anju closed in on the conversation. "Um…" For the first time, Anju was quite surprised at the female vampire. Emi rarely hesitated when it came to answering question, especially when it came to her lover.

"How should I say this..." Emi frowned, pondering her choice of words.

"Shinji is currently handling some Knight business." Akira said as he approached.

"Knight business?" Anju blinked. Then, she thought back to the time in the cafeteria, where Lionel Ford had passed the black taped envelope to Ichigo. "Is it the same as Ichigo's?"

The two vampires now looked straight at her, making Anju feel slightly overwhelmed. Akira then glanced around to ensure no one was listening before leaning in, with Emi and Misaki now appearing to stand guard. "Anju…" He whispered slightly. "For your sake and the sake of the other students, please do not let anyone know about this discussion."

"Okay…" Anju nodded in response, understanding the seriousness of the matter.

"At any rate," Akira nodded as he began his explanation. "Recently we heard that a rogue vampire was heading this way. It was by the order of my mother that we help handle the situation."

"Will he be okay?" Anju asked quietly, which made Akira laugh slightly.

"He'll be fine." Akira smiled. "My cousin may seem a bit aloof at times, but he is quite the fighter. And if my hunch is correct, then you needn't worry about Ichigo either."

"Really?" Anju asked.

"HEY CROSS, SHIBA! GET YOUR BUTTS BACK ON YOUR JOBS DAMMIT!" Came Isabelle's angry shout.

"Gah!" Anju flinched as her senior reminded her-harshly-of her prefect duty.

"You might want to get back to your duties Anju." Akira smiled. "Ichigo wouldn't want you to skimp out just because you are worried for him."

"I suppose you are right. Hehe…" Anju nodded.

"He's stronger than you think." Akira replied as he walked away. "Have faith in him."

"Seriously, why the hell am I with you?" Ichigo groaned as he scanned the meandering crowds. To the left his partner, so to speak, gave a long drawn out yawn.

"Because," Shinji replied. "Firstly, I'm a Knight, which means that I must respond to official orders from the Queen. Secondly, I'm also a Noble, which means that I have to watch over you considering your status as a vampire. Thirdly, I really felt like ditching school today and I just got a good enough reason."

Ichigo glared at Shinji. "Seriously? You expect me to believe the third part?"

"You don't have to." Shinji shrugged. "I just explained it as best I could."

"And you are a damned prefect for God's sake." Ichigo muttered under his breath.

"Well, I'm not a very good person either around this time." Shinji replied, stretching his hands upwards. "I don't do well with pulling off an early wake-up. However, I am the best at this little job."

"At hunting these guys down?" Ichigo asked. "Last I checked, every single one of you Knights was as good as the other save for that Pureblood."

"Not the hunting part." Shinji shook his head. "I mean I'm the best at being the people person."

Ichigo frowned, knowing there was no arguing with that. "So, should we get to work? This guy isn't going to just walk right up to us after all."

"You got that right." Shinji nodded, hefting a rather large suitcase in his right arm. "Just remember to not get too into it. There are loads of things I need to do with this one."

It was at least an hour before they found the traces, but Ichigo responded quickly as soon as the scream tore through the air.

Ichigo rushed down the alleyway to find a woman collapsed on the floor. Examining her neck, he found the tell-tale pricks upon her neck.

"It was recent." Shinji said immediately behind him. Ichigo looked at him, wondering exactly how quickly he had gotten here. "He can't be too far off."

"He'll be heading somewhere that no one can find him." Ichigo nodded. "Plenty of abandoned houses around here to hide in."

Shinji nodded in agreement, something else now occupying his thoughts. "We'll get a crowd soon. Go after him. I'll handle the local police."

"How do you propose I find him?" Ichigo asked.

"I think you know." Shinji answered. "After all, the trail is still fresh. And I did make sure your appetite was sated before getting out here, so you shouldn't risk hurting anyone. I wouldn't suggest it otherwise."

Ichigo scowled as he realised the truth of Shinji's words. Despite his current condition, he had to admit there were a few perks that came with it.

Life's a bitch that way. Ichigo vehemently thought as he got up and followed the scent of freshly spilled blood.

Ichigo now traced the scent to a run-down building. The smell of blood had led him here, and he was sure now more than ever that their target had decided this place to be his hidey hole.

Ichigo pulled out his pistol, ensuring the magazine was full before walking inside the ruined structure. As far as he knew, this was just another Level E that had to be put down. However, the Association had seen it fit to give him a black danger level. Ichigo couldn't help but feel that something was very off. Level E's were the equivalent of beasts. How one could be this dangerous was something he couldn't comprehend.

Ichigo took caution with every step, not wanting to risk giving himself away on the creaky wooden floorboards. With his training in mind, he ensured every room he walked by was clear before going on to the next. He kept his breathing still and quiet so that in the instance his target would attempt to get the jump on him, he would at least know. This was what he was trained for, to be a Hunter.

And the prey? The most dangerous creature to probably exist.

Something creaked above him. Ichigo suddenly stood still, daring to turn his head upward. The ceiling was also made of wood, though some parts were obviously rotten with age. As he stared, he saw the small bits of sawdust falling from the planks.

Ichigo now aimed upwards and fired. A guttural snarl was heard as his target now ran, the planks creaking violently as more sawdust fell on him. Ichigo gave chase, determined to not let him get away.

Ichigo eyed a flight of stairs up ahead, taking the steps two at a time. As he rounded the corner, he could see a figure running up the stairs to the next floor. Ichigo continued his relentless pursuit, catching sight of the vampire. As soon as Ichigo reached the third level, he spotted his target now charging straight down the hallway.

Ichigo pulled out his pistol and fired, the bullet now grazing his target's shoulder. With an inhuman scream, his target spun before collapsing on the floor. Ichigo now stared straight into the beast's eyes, which glowed a bloody red.

"End of the line monster." Ichigo said, keeping his pistol aimed at him. "You die today."

"Hehe…" The vampire chuckled. "I think not. Also, just asking, if I'm a monster, what are you?" Ichigo bit down hard on his lip, unwilling to answer.

"Hehe." The vampire continued ranting. "You a former human right? So you obviously know what happens to you after so long. Ever felt that burn in your throat? Imagine that going on every day, every minute, every second. Imagine that being the only thing on your mind, like an itch you can't scratch, like being suffocated."

"Shut up." Ichigo growled, walking closer to him. "I am nothing like you."

"Huh." The vampire said with a thoughtful look. "You're right. You aren't as careful as I thought you were."

Wondering what he meant, Ichigo couldn't react in time as a miniature explosive planted in the wall on his right wet off, blowing concrete and plaster across the hallway and onto him. The vampire now bolted, running to the far window to escape a stunned Ichigo.

"Goodbye pal!" He taunted as Ichgio recovered. "Hope to see you again someday!" With that, he jumped out the window.

At that instant, a chain wrapped around his ankle and tugged him painfully to the floor. He slammed into the ground with a deafening crash.

"Now, now." Shinji said as he held his weapon at bay, keeping the blade close to his body. "I have some questions for you that I want answered."

The vampire growled as he got up, lunging at Shinji with blinding speed. His hands clawed, he swung at Shinji again and again, but none of his strikes made their mark.

It was a powerful gift Shinji had been born with. As the grandson of Senri Shiki and Rima Toya, he was fortunate enough to be gifted with both their natural abilities. Every cell in his body was now supercharged with naturally occurring electricity, energising his body and allowing him to move at incredible speeds even for a vampire Noble.

His assailant growled in frustration, charging straight at him in an attempt to prevent his constant dodging. Shinji braced himself, clinging onto his assailant and letting the current flow. However, his attacker sensed the static almost immediately, wrestling his way out of Shinji's grip.

A small snap sounded off the ground. Ichigo now aimed carefully at the vampire, forcing him away from Shinji. Seeing that it was a losing fight, the vampire attempted to run. However, Shinji was a step ahead. Hefting the sickle end of his weapon to his finger, he made a careful incision, drawing blood. Using his inherited talents, he manipulated his blood down the chain toward the weighted ball. Shinji now threw the chain toward the vampire, wrapping around his ankle, after which he sent an electric charge through the chain via the blood coating the metal.

The electric shock now coursed through the vampire, his cries echoing through the air. A few seconds later, he dropped, completely paralysed. Seeing that he had been neutralised, Shinji walked up to him, placing a foot on his back.

"Now then." Shinji spoked with a cold edge to his voice that was uncommon. "I have a few questions for you. That timed bomb up there? That's not something a Level E like you is capable of pulling off. Which brings up my question, who is helping you all? Level E's being organised like this is unheard of."

Ichigo watched, dumbfounded at the recent revelation. The vampire however, gritted his teeth, refusing to talk.

"Recently, we raided a former residence and found that there were myriad plans regarding Cross Academy." Shinji continued. "Which comes to the next question, what are you up to? Why are you so interested in Cross Academy?"

"Gehehe." He chuckled. "Wouldn't you like to know? The plan will come to fruition. We will see to that."

"What plan?" Shinji growled, obviously getting agitated.

The vampire held his tongue, doing nothing but sneer maniacally at them.

"We're wasting our time." Ichigo growled as he finally put a round through the vampire's head. Instantly, the creature turned into ash, a pained expression on his face the last thing he saw. "Now, will you mind explaining to me about this?"

"This guy eluded our Knights and some of your Hunters a few days ago." Shinji said as he withdrew his blood into his own body. "The search of his residence, yeah I found that strange too, turned up loads of plans. Upon analysis, it appears there is some sort of mobilisation against Cross Academy."

"Mobilisation? What?" Ichigo gasped, completely befuddled.

"And that's why I was hoping to squeeze it out of this guy." Shinji gestured to the pile of ash. "Then again, he only seemed like a usual grunt. He probably doesn't know anything. But what concerns me is that we have no idea if he has accomplices or who he's taking orders from."

"What are you suggesting?" Ichigo growled, utmost self-control preventing him from grabbing Shinji's collar. "Is a Pureblood…"

"I don't know." Shinji replied. "But for now, we best report what we've learned. Besides, you seem to be getting a little out of it."

Ichigo moved to reply, but stopped as he realised his throat was starting to itch.

"This isn't over." Ichigo growled, putting away his pistol.

"Ain't that the truth." Shinji agreed, sheathing his weapon and waking away, letting the remains of the dead vampire to blow away in the gust of the wind.

"We've lost another one sir. Shall I gather more?"

"No need for such things Mr. Ridley. We cannot afford to lose too many before the final push. Continue to monitor the Academy and keep a stricter hold on those Level E's."

"As you desire milord." The one named Ridley replied.

He put the phone down as he took another sip of the red liquid in his cup. "Now then Mr. Kitsuke, how will you entertain me this time?"