Chapter 15:

"I can't help but feel a little concerned. After all, our enemy has already proven how shrewd he can be."

"As do I. Yet, we gain even less if we were to stay here." Ai nodded as she sipped the last bits of her tea. "Not to worry though. I will ensure my presence is difficult to detect. I understand your concerns about having me be there personally, but I will see to it that I don't draw unnecessary attention."

"How will you manage that?" Came a vampire with toffee coloured hair, a striking similarity to that of Ganju Kain's.

"Big sis Ruka, I have my ways." Ai smiled in response, causing the Noble vampire to sigh in response.

"Quit taking this so nonchalantly!" Came a blonde haired vampire with a moustache upon his face. "Geez, why is it that you always give so much trouble? You're just like your mom!"

"Relax Hana…" Ai teased Hanabusa Aidou by the nickname she had given him when she was a toddler. "But if you are so worried, perhaps you should have Sayuri and Hinata join me? I'm sure the two of them would love to be with their cousin again. Speaking of which, how goes that side of your family? Are their children doing fine? Last I checked, Sayuri just got engaged and Hinata had expanded your family's business."

"That's beside the point your majesty!" Hanabusa Aidou replied in exasperation. "You should remember that you are the pinnacle of the Vampire race as a whole. People will not take too kindly of you just waltzing off."

"I am aware." Ai nodded. "But rest assured, I will maintain contact with the senate. You will help me there, right Hana?"

"Of course." Hanabusa nodded. "Then, am I to assume you will also be bringing the head of the Kurenai clan as well?"

"I was worried about sis Maria, but she insisted." Ai nodded. "After all, it's been awhile since she's seen her grand-daughter."

"And the other accompanists?" Ruka asked as she went through the list of individuals. "You are only bringing five knights with you excluding Ren."

"He selected them himself." Ai replied. "I have every confidence in their abilities. As for the others, I'm sure you'd be fine with such a familiar bunch?"

Ruka looked over to Hanabusa as she skimmed through the list again. "Very well." She nodded. "I don't find any areas of concern. I doubt that the Hunter Association will take too kindly to your snooping around though."

"Not to worry." Ai said. "I have ways of dealing with those old geezers, and Kirihara can help with that as well." Now Ai leaned forward, her normal teasing face replaced with a serious expression. "Now, let us get to the real reason why I called for you two…"

"Have you heard? The Kuran queen has moved up her visit to Cross Academy. She just sent us a notification on why." A grim looking man sat at the head of the table with a deadly, crooked sword laid out before him. White hair ran down his head as he eyed the piece of paper on his desk with his left eye. He could not use his right eye considering a vampire had sliced it out during a hunt in his earlier days.

"More problems for us." Replied a man with spiky black hair who wore nothing but a leather jacket over his top. He had also contrived to leave it unbuckled, exposing his muscular frame and the huge wolf tattoo drawn over his torso.

"Calm down Zen." Said a man who slung a huge Claymore behind him. "Remember, both we and the monarchy have jurisdiction over the school. Their visit is not something we can prevent."

The one called Zen frowned. "Tsk, I still don't like how that queen just moves around however she wants. If she just wants more security at the school she could always just ask us! Instead she decides to make her way here personally?"

"That is because she personally wants to address the fact that a Pureblood bit a human at the school. Even if the change was only temporary, she wants a full account of what happened." Replied the man at the head of the table. "Simultaneously, she requests that we focus on our hunt for James Ridley."

"What the hell?!" Zen exclaimed as he turned to the white-haired man. "Where does that vampire get off ordering us around? Marcus this is complete bull!"

"Zen, relax." Came a woman seated opposite him. "Remember that we are in a truce with them."

"Yumika, aren't you too passive about this?" Zen growled. "We are not one of those Vampire Knights! We exist as an entity meant to maintain the balance between humans and vampires. If we let vampires just push us around, where does that balance go to?"

"Balance is maintained by both sides doing their part." Replied the Hunter named Yumika. "The queen wants to find out the circumstances Marcus has mentioned. Our duty lies in finding the source of these plots against the academy. The true issue is how the Kitsuke boy will move in the near future.

"True." The man with the Claymore nodded. "Now that we have confirmation that James Ridley is associated with the Kitsuke massacre, it is only worrisome that he may take matters into his own hands."

"My daughter is well trained and has done exceptionally at watching out for him." Yumika stated. "But you know what the Kitsuke's were like. Even she can't hold him down if he decides to go solo."

"Worry not." Responded the man with the Claymore. "I'll have that part under control."

"Very well then." The man at the head of the table-Marcus-nodded. "I leave that to you Kidomaru. As for the rest, you have your orders, so get to them. As of now, this meeting is adjourned."

Henry woke as the rays of the evening sun broke through the gap in his curtains. Silently he got ready, being careful not to wake his roommates, and especially not to wake Emi. He was still trying his hardest to recover from the shock of being nearly frozen permanently. Once he had gotten dressed, he softly made his way to the front door. Quickly, he opened the main doors and stepped out into the daylight.

As one of the few vampires who could actually stand in the sunlight with no form of repercussions whatsoever, he was the only one capable of being the Night class's mail collector. Considering the office only ever opened in the morning they had to rely on him till Chairman Cross found some people who were willing to start a night shift.

Still, Henry didn't find that a troublesome task. If anything, he did like the mail office lady. She was quite stunningly gorgeous, even by vampire standards.

"Hello Mister Oswald." The lady greeted. "You are up earlier than usual."

"Those who take the initiative may find their efforts rewarding." Henry smiled. "And I believe my effort is no less than rewarding."

"Mister Oswald, need I remind you that I am essentially part of the staff of the academy." The lady replied with a smile. "If you were to court me it would look very tragic upon your resume."

"I am still a gentleman." Henry nodded. "Despite all that I have shown, I have a great respect for the rules of the academy."

"I am glad to hear it." She replied, still displaying the same smile. Henry had to admit, it was quite unnerving how nonchalantly cheerful she was all the time. Then again, even humans had quirks that were stranger than strange.

As Henry sorted out the mail, one very conspicuous one caught his eye. It was a black envelope lined with red. Flipping it over, he found the White Rose upon it, the emblem of the Vampire Knights. At this, Henry frowned. Why would the Grandmaster send a letter like this?

"That arrived just over an hour ago." The lady replied. "It was quite a rushed delivery it seemed."

Henry now opened the small letter. As a knight, it was only proper that he read this notice. As he did, his eyes widened. He read it again, his eyes skimming over the letter frantically.

"No…" Henry gulped. "No, no, no!"

"Mister Oswald?" The lady frowned. "Is everything alright?"

"Yes! I mean no! I mean… Oh for the love of…" Henry blubbered as he now grabbed the remaining letters and scrambled back to the Moon dorm. As he slammed the doors shut, he breathed heavily, trying his best to compose himself.

"BIG NEWS!" He screamed, his voice echoing across the entire dorm. "The queen has moved up her visit! She's coming! Tonight!"

In the separate rooms, members of the Night class woke, groaning at the outburst caused by Henry. In one other, a female vampire shredded through her pillow. She woke with a glare as the room slowly became encased in ice.

"Dammit Henry…" Emi growled.

"Senior Akira's mom is coming!?" Anju exclaimed at the Chairman's words. It was their monthly prefect meeting whereby all Day class prefects would be briefed on the monthly agenda.

"Yes Anju." Chairman Cross nodded. "As you know, the recent incident has caused quite a stir among the Hunter Association and the Vampire Monarchy, the main supporting bodies for this school. As such, High Queen Ai Kuran has decided to make her way here as a means of improving the safety of the school. Rest assured she has stated that she will only be spending a day here, and that her presence would not disrupt school activities. However, due to this, the Night classes have been placed on hold so as to welcome her."

"Pretty big deal if a vampire queen is visiting." Isabelle nodded. Ichigo however had remained silent through it all.

"Indeed it is." Chairman Cross nodded. "So on that note, the teachers will be helping to fill for the security on campus along with all of you. Don't worry, you will just be involved in the usual job of ensuring no Day class students are up after hours along with a bit of marshalling duties. Once they arrive, your duties end." Chairman Cross now handed out small sheets to everyone. "Here is the detail of the envoy coming along with her. Do take note of their faces and names as they will probably be staying for a while, so you will need to be ready for their requests if need be."

"Let's see…" Leonardo Cassidy looked through the papers. "Huh… It states a Ms. Maria Kurenai and Mr. Senri Shiki are coming as well."

"Good eye Mr. Cassidy." Chairman Cross nodded. "Those are Gabriella's and Shinji's grandparents respectively, and are also part of the vampire senate."

"Holy heck…" Isabelle blinked. "We got loads of big shots turning up huh? Even got a guy called Vincent Oswald coming."

"Yes, Sir Oswald is the vampire ambassador from the European covens." The Chairman replied. "He is therefore the point of contact for all the European vampires here, as well as the one managing their study permits."

"Hang on, we don't have to wear suits right?" Isabelle frowned. "Those are always tight around the neck."

"Rest assured, there is no need to stay formal. Your usual uniforms will be fine." Chairman Cross said. "Just remember to familiarise yourself with the list and there should be nothing left to worry about. If there are no other questions, you are dismissed."

The prefects now got up, getting ready to begin their afternoon classes. As they did however, Chairman Cross called out again. "Anju, a word if I may…"

Everyone stared as Anju turned back to face the Chairman. They all stared quizzically as he motioned for them to leave. As soon as the doors closed, he looked up with a stern look. "Listen, I think you already know this, but Queen Ai is also coming here for a chance to talk to you. You are closely tied with what happened during the dance."

Anju frowned as she unconsciously raised her hand to neck, the spot where Akira had bit her. The marks were no longer visible, but she still swore she could feel small bumps where the fangs had pierced her skin. "What does she want to talk about?"

"Just a small check-up." The Chairman nodded. "The pact that the Monarchy has with all the human governments is that only under the circumstance of saving a life will they allow Purebloods to bite humans. Despite this, you are the first case where such action was necessary. Added to the fact that Akira and his friends cured you almost immediately, well let's just say they aren't very sure what form of side effects there could be. Queen Ai just wants to see if there has been anything off lately."

"So it's just to see if I'm still normal?" Anju asked.

Chairman Cross nodded. "Quite so. It is nothing serious, just a small talk with her and a few of her envoys. I will be there, so you can relax. Besides, I know Ai Kuran quite well. She won't put you on the spot for something this serious. She might appear playful at first, but that's just what she is like."

"I understand sir." Anju nodded. "If there is nothing, I'll head for my classes now."

Chairman Cross nodded as she left the office. The minute the door closed and he was left alone, he strode to the bookshelf he kept at the corner of his office. Taking out an impressively thick dictionary, he placed his hand on the cover before pulling the cover open to reveal a separate book concealed within the hollow interior of the dictionary. Unlike its pristine hiding place, this one was brown and worn out with age. Slowly, Kirihara Cross took out the book and flipped through the pages, his thoughts growing deeper with each turn of the page.

Night had fallen. It was by far the most uneventful evening Ichigo ever had. There was no one fawning over to see the Night class since all of the vampires had remained within the Moon dorm, so the prefects had no worries on controlling the rabid crowds of Day class students. Still, that did not dispel their alertness. Being the oldest of the prefects, Leonardo Cassidy was stationed at the entrance along with Mr. Du Coteau. Despite the assurances that the vampire teacher would handle talking with the guests, he was still instructed to carry his anti-vampire baton with him for self-defence.

Soon enough, he saw the lights of the cars approaching. Leonardo marvelled at the Limousine that now pulled up along with an escort of two black cars. He reasoned that the queen was in the exquisite vehicle. As he checked the vehicle plate numbers for any discrepancies, he overheard the vampire teacher conversing with some of the occupants of the vehicles.

"I understand Sir Kiryuu." The vampire said to an unseen person. "Rest assured, Chairman Cross has made the necessary arrangements."

Leonardo paid this no heed as he checked the last car. As he did, the window slid down to reveal a ginger-haired woman with cerulean blue eyes. Her hair was tied up into two pigtails at the sides of her head and Leonardo could now catch the branded choker upon her neck, leading him to assume she was a very influential person.

"Hey Senri, this kid gives off a vibe like Ichijo does." The woman said to an unseen figure to her right. "Somewhat caring, but also fiercely loyal." Leonardo now froze as he realised the woman was evaluating him, and how her evaluation was near the mark.

"Rima, it isn't polite to pry into someone's life." The one named Senri replied. "Besides, he hasn't seen vampires like us before. It could unintentionally spook him."

"But isn't that what saved you once?" Rima asked back. "I mean, it's only because I can notice these things that you managed to break your father's hold over you."

"Please don't remind me…" Senri sighed as they wound the window up. "Something from over a thousand years ago shouldn't be at the forefront of my mind…" Soon enough, the window blocked out the conversation between the two, but Leonardo's mind was spinning. To think these vampires were that old made him wonder what sort of ties they had to the monarchy.

"Mr. Cassidy, we are done for the night." Mr. Du Coteau said as the cars drove by. "Thank you for your hard work."

"No problem sir." Leonardo replied. "I was just wondering, the two vampires in the last car, who are they?"

"Ah, you must be referring to Sir Senri Shiki and Lady Rima Toya." Mr Du Coteau nodded. "Yes those two are somewhat strange, of nothing else."

"Senri Shiki and Rima Toya…" Leonardo frowned. "Could it be that…"

"Yes." The vampire nodded. "They are the grandparents of Mr. Shinji Shiki and also alumnus of this school."

"Incredible." Leonardo blinked. "Super seniors to us then…"

"Indeed." Mr Du Coteau replied. "But despite the years that have passed, I cannot help but feel that for them, this school hasn't changed a bit. For better, or worse…"

"Wow. They are all pretty dolled up huh?" Isabelle said as she looked through her binoculars. Patrolling the side of the building overlooking the Moon dorm, she now caught a glimpse of a vampire female in a beautiful gown. "Guess they wanna look good before a big-shot."

"It's a queen they are greeting, and a Pureblood at that." Ford stated from behind her. "They do their utmost to look presentable at the very least. But to me it's still the same as stupid grovelling."

"Anyways, how in the world did I get stuck with you Mr. Ford?" Isabelle asked, evidently annoyed.

"Blame the Chairman." Ford replied as he lit a cigar. "I don't really know why he saddled me with you, but at this point, I've learned not to ask him things like that. There's really no damn point."

"Something we can agree on…" Isabelle said as the cars pulled up by the gates. She watched as the door of the first car opened to reveal a male. He moved to the trunk of the car that had now been opened.

Isabelle watched as he reached in and pulled out a wheelchair. "What the hell does a vampire need a wheelchair for?" She wondered to herself.

Within the Moon dorm, the activity was bustling. Some vampires went over again and again their attire, hoping that there were no creases or crumples upon their clothes. The girls fretted over their makeup, checking every now and then to ensure their make-up was still properly done. All in all, it was a silent kind of chaos.

"Good grief, it's just a welcome reception…" Ganju frowned. "Keep fretting over things and soon enough it will come true."

"Though the opposite can also be possible." Henry nodded as he pushed his glasses up.

"Does my collar look crooked Emi?" Shinji frowned. "I'm probably just imagining things, but I want to be sure."

"It's fine Shinji." Emi said as she studied him. "Don't worry about it."

Gabriella was the only one not concerned about her attire, though she did not do a good job of hiding her flustered emotions. One had to wonder what had flipped the vampire to this extent. Every now and then Ganju would check on her, only for her to wave him off, assuring she was fine.

"There is no need to worry everyone." All turned as Akira made his way down the stairs with Lin Hua following behind. "My mother isn't going to be too concerned about such details. Besides, I doubt she is going to be staying too long here. I'm more than certain that she has more important business with Chairman Cross." As soon as Akira reached the landing of the stairs, the doors of the Moon dorm opened. All the students turned to see the envoy enter the dorm.

The first to catch their attention were the Knights. Dressed in their regal attire of white cloaks adorned with red and gold trimmings, the five of them were awe-inspiring in their own ways despite the weapons they wielded. Following behind were the senators, dressed smartly with suits or beautiful dresses, accompanied by their personal butlers or secretaries. As soon as they entered, they knelt before Akira, save for one that was bound to a wheelchair.

"Hello Prince Akira." Came the first knight, a vampire with his hair tied into a ponytail and two swords slung on his belt.

"Sir Soiro." Akira nodded. "I'm glad to see you are well."

"You honour me with such words sire." Soiro replied. "I am glad that you are well."

Akira smiled in response just as everyone else in the room knelt before the next figure to enter the dorm. Raising his head, Akira now beheld the woman dressed in a stunning white dress. Flanking her was a man with silver hair tied into a ponytail on her left and a Chinese woman on her right. As she stood before him, Akira himself bowed before her.

"I see you've been keeping busy these past few months." The woman replied, her red brown eyes scanning him from head to toe. "Quite a lot of activity has happened here recently under your watch. It has been quite tedious having to keep up with all you've been doing here."

"I will not deny that times have been rather, trying, as of late." Akira replied.

"So it would seem." The woman chuckled. "After all, I just had to hear about how you went and bit a human girl. You are aware of the pact we have with humans?"

"I am." Akira nodded. "And I definitely remember how only the act of saving a life is the exception."

"You have been taught well." She replied.

"I have good teachers and friends." Akira answered as he straightened up to look her in the eye.

"I am sure." The woman now stepped forward, placing her hand on his cheek. "And more than that, I'm sure I have raised you well."

"Of course you have." Akira said as he reached up to touch her hand. They held the contact for a few seconds before they leaned in and hugged each other.

"It's good to see you again Akira." Queen Ai smiled. "My dear son."

"I am glad you are well mother." Akira replied as the entire room stood up.

"My, you definitely have grown taller." Ai smiled. "I hope everything is well for you. You've been eating and sleeping properly I hope, and you have been managing yourself well? Stress isn't something you can live with for too long after all." This response triggered strange looks from the rest of the Night class

"Of course mother…" Akira replied sheepishly. "Please, don't embarrass me in front of the whole Night class."

"Ahaha, alright, I'll stop. You aren't a child anymore after all." Ai chuckled playfully as she turned her attention to the other Vampire students. "My dear students. I thank you for welcoming me so graciously into your humble abode. As you may know, my visit is unfortunately, not in the best of circumstances. This year will not be a peaceful one as you have hoped for. It will be one of many trials before us, trials that will test our mettle and resolve."

At the queen's words, many students now clenched their hands, registering the full gravity of her words.

"However, tonight is not the time for such things." Ai said. "As we of the monarchy and senate gather here, I implore you youths to indulge us on your every whim. Let us now mingle within the cover of night."

At this, the students applauded, more than happy to have the queen grace them with her presence.

"So it's just a party in there now?" Ichigo frowned as he watched the Moon dorm.

"Mostly a formality." Chairman Cross nodded. "Usually, Queen Ai visits during the holidays where there are no Day class students around. Normally it's to check up with all the students and talk with them on their experience of the academy. But she just hates dreary moments, so she managed to convince the students at one time to make it quite the social event. Since then, such things have been a standard of her visit, and it's a good chance for the Night class to wind down as well."

"She sounds nice." Anju smiled, getting a silent scoff from Ichigo.

"She does." Misaki nodded. "She seems better than those edgy guys at the Hunter's Association. Emi said she is quite relaxing to talk to despite her status. I've never met her in person though."

"Ahaha, you aren't off the mark there Ms. Shiba." Chairman Cross nodded. "But at any rate, you kids should be getting to bed. It's pretty late now, and you have a long day ahead of you."

As the three of them left the Chairman's office, Anju asked Ichigo. "Hey Ichigo, wouldn't it be great to meet that queen?"

"Do what you want." Ichigo snapped. "Just remember, under the veneer of their beauty, something sinister lurks. The guy said so himself. Their world is a place that is merciless, even for them. Think what you will of that queen. Deep down, I'm more than certain there is a dangerous side to her."

Anju sighed as she registered Ichigo's words, knowing that deep down was a darker truth to it all.

Author's Note:

Finally! Finally I can get back to writing this fic! No more assignments getting in the way and no more revision for now!

Once more, I apologise for the long hiatus. It isn't easy to think of new ideas on the fly after all my examinations, but still I thank you for your patience. At this stage, I'm starting up the new arc for Vampire Knight: Judgement, and I intend to bring back some old favourites as you have clearly seen from this chapter. To that end, I will try and capture the essence of their personalities as far as possible. As always, your comments on that aspect will go lengths into better writing this story.

On this side note, I was hoping I did well in writing out the relationship between Ai and Akira. I wasn't sure how to best show the relationship of Queen and Prince but Mother and Son more save through their little conversation together and I can only hope I did a good job.

As always, read and comment on anything.

Jdbl00d