Wakaba General Hospital

It was a few weeks since the end of the Battle of Castle Kraven. Misaki had known that she would be relegated to mostly communication duties during the fight, but that didn't mean she had been spared from the carnage and death that had occurred.

After the battle, Akira and Ichigo were called upon to report to both Queen Ai and the Hunter Association High council, alongside the Vampire Senate and various representatives worldwide as well. Being the most knowledgeable upon the Kraven clan's Project Paragon, they had to brief everyone on what they had found. However, another disturbing revelation was the existence of the anti-vampire terrorist organisation known as Helsing. To think that there were Hunters who existed purely to eradicate vampires was an atrocious thought to Misaki. In this day and age, it seemed unfathomable that humans would simply hate vampires without any reason.

It's not just Vampires now. Looks like humans too have got a long way to go. Misaki sighed as she walked to the administrative desk. The vampire clerk looked up as she approached. "Good day madam. Can I help you?"

"A visitor's pass please for Ms Anju Cross, Ward 43, Room 14." Misaki said.

"Just a moment." The clerk nodded as he swivelled around. "I would need to hold onto some form of identification please."

"Hold on." Misaki said as she dug through her bag, presenting her Hunter license. "Will this do?"

"Perfect." The clerk replied, handing her a visitor pass. "Please be noted that visitors must vacate by lunchtime to allow the patients an undisturbed mealtime."

"Understood." Misaki nodded as she walked toward the elevators that served the entire hospital. Wakaba General as it was frequently called was a very successful hospital founded by the Aidou group. She wasn't too versed of its historic roots, but she did know it was named after the first wife of Hanabusa Aidou, Emi's grandfather. The hospital further served to represent the union of human and vampire societies, catering to both peoples. Still, there was of course plenty of patient care and safety rules that needed to be followed. Specifically, vampire patients were in separate wards with humans in others. Also, ensuring no one was around during mealtimes save for authorised staff was paramount considering the typical 'food' vampires would require.

The lift now came to a halt and Misaki stepped out. She headed down toward her destination, stopping at the single room. Her heart beat quickly as she reached out for the door. It had been weeks since she had seen her friend. After Anju was brought back, she had fallen asleep completely. Even when the news came days later that she had woken up, it was still not possible to see her as there were plenty of medical and physical examinations to be done.

"Why can't we see her yet?" Hibiki had said when Hanabusa Aidou personally came to bring them the news of her admittance over two weeks ago.

"Please just hear me out." He replied. "Whilst right now she appears healthy, the fact remains that, although temporarily, she was fused with the consciousness and blood of a powerful Pureblood vampire. Such an event is unprecedented and frankly, many are concerned over what this means for vampires and humans alike. We need to perform quite a number of medical tests just to find out if she has changed in any way."

"What do you mean?" Laura Rosen asked.

"I heard that Lady Yuki had exercised a good amount of her Pureblood abilities through her body. Mr. Adiou replied. "After accounting for that, for all intents and purposes, we aren't sure whether we can classify her completely as a human. We need to find out if she has retained anything pertaining to a vampire's existence within her body."

Misaki snapped herself back to the present. The tests went on as scheduled and finally ended just yesterday. With the news that Anju was now cleared for visitors, plenty of people had made plans to see her, her classmates being the first to do so. Misaki now slid open the door and walked inside.

"Hello Misaki!" Hibiki smiled, hefting the flower vase. It seemed she had recently made a change to the water. Looking around the room, she recognised Laura Rosen, Gerald White and Frederick Zito gathered around the bed. She also saw some goodies left by the table, candies and chocolate among the majority along with a variety of get-well cards surrounding them.

Anju was sat upright in the bed itself, actively chatting with the others. She finally turned her eyes to Misaki with a bright smile upon her face. "Hello!" She greeted cheerfully.

Misaki smiled back. "Same to you. How have you been?"

"Tired sometimes." Anju replied. "But mostly bored. Mr. Aidou says I can't quite go out right yet, but I should be okay from tomorrow on. It's quite stifling to be in this bed all the time."

"I know that feeling." Laura nodded. "I was stuck in a hospital bed for months when I was younger."

"But at least you are back." Gerald said. "Everyone has been worried about you after you left with those vampires."

"I have Yuki to thank for that." Anju said. "She endured everything for me and even made it so that my body wouldn't suffer from long-term disabilities. Though I must admit, there were some trying moments that I'd rather not go into."

"I don't think anyone wants to know." Hibiki said. "But if I'm being honest, what exactly did it feel like to have a Pureblood's consciousness within you?"

"It was weird at first." Anju said. "She would sometimes just show up without any warning or be this extra voice in my head. Most interactions with her were in private; she wasn't very keen on exposing herself so openly. Now that she's gone though, I feel like a part of me is missing, or at least a part that I have become dependent on."

"It's not easy." Misaki nodded. "From what I heard from the chairman, Blood Conscience is a power that fuses a Pureblood's very existence with someone. No one knows anything about this because it has never happened before."

"Yeah. Mr Aidou said something like not being sure of any long-lasting effects." Anju said. "I was bonded to her for so long that I must have gotten used to it…"

"What was it like?" Frederick asked. "Watching a Pureblood have power over your body?"

Anju thought for a moment. She hadn't experienced it herself, but she was aware of everything that had happened when Yuki assumed control over her body, though it took a while before Yuki was able to allow her to see things from a third perspective. "I don't know how to describe it exactly. Whenever she took control, it always felt weird at first. Like, it was as if I was watching everything happening like a movie before me. Then at times, it felt exhilarating, especially when Yuki was flying. I can't believe she actually made wings to do that."

"And at other times it felt terrifying, because I had to see what she went through in my place." Yuki breathed as she recollected the horrible procedures done in the labs. "Yuki did her best to block out all the sensations, but I still saw everything that happened. I saw her experience wounds on my body and saw her heal them too. It was so much that I still find it hard to wrap my head around it all."

"Purebloods have vast amounts of raw power." Misaki said. "And from what I've heard, Yuki is one of the strongest vampires to have ever existed. Whatever powers she had are leaps and bounds compared to others of their kind."

"What else happened?" Hibiki asked, no getting intrigued. "Did she do any cool things? I saw at one point Senior Akira was able to command shadow creatures. Did she do that?"

"Um…" Anju frowned. Her mind now remembered how Yuki attacked Ichigo, using her teeth to bite into Ichigo's neck to drink blood. Anju remembered being horrified at the scene. Well, almost horrified was the better description. Still, it wouldn't do good to explain that. Having to drink blood tablets was one thing, physically sucking the blood out of another being might be too much for her friends to handle at this point. "She did loads of stuff. But that was because she was fighting a lot."

"Oh… yeah…" Hibiki nodded. "That's not ideally something you want to remember."

Suddenly, a chime sounded through the room. Misaki now looked at her watch. "It's lunch time. We have to make our way out now."

"Right." Gerald nodded. "Hospital policy. We'll be back tomorrow, okay?"

"Sure." Anju smiled as she waved. "See you!"

"Wait, I almost forgot!" Hibiki asked as she stood up. "Um… It's about Cassandra…"

Everyone went silent as the topic of the Kraven vampire was finally brought up. "I heard that she left her family and sides with us now. But really, what is going to happen to her?"

Anju frowned. The day she woke up, she had asked Hanabusa Aidou as well about Cassandra Kraven. The only thing the vampire could disclose was that she had been placed under high guard. Based on everything that had been going on, it was inevitable that she would stand trial for what had happened in the recent months. "I don't know. I haven't been able to see her since. But I really hope she is ok…"

Cassandra peeked outside the small window at the door to look at the guards outside. One of them looked back at her, their eyes locking for a brief few seconds before she shrank away.

It had been a few weeks since she had left the old castle and followed everyone back to Cross Academy. Of course, she had known that the minute everything was sorted that she'd be imprisoned. After all of her contributions and affiliations with the group that had attacked and kidnapped humans, it was only natural.

Still, she figured that the room she currently lived in was a little too nice to be considered a prison. Although small, it had the necessary facilities and furniture to function as a small house. She wondered what exactly Queen Ai had to do to get a rather nice place like this. Barring the numerous guards, Cassandra figured she could live here without too much problems.

A knock soon came from the door. "Come in." Cassandra said. The door now opened as Beatrice walked in, a fresh change of clothes in her hands. "Right on time again Beatrice. Are you sure you don't have an internal clock programmed?"

"Well, maybe I simply have a good sense of time." Beatrice chuckled as she left the new clothes on the floor whilst picking up the old ones. "How have you been Milady?"

"So-so, I would say." Cassandra shrugged. "It hasn't been unpleasant, though it is terribly boring at times. I'm not allowed outside until Queen Ai says so after all."

"Perhaps I will try to bring you a book the next time I visit." Beatrice said.

"Actually Beatrice, I was hoping to have some classical music on hand." Cassandra said. "Queen Ai was kind enough to provide a music player for me, though I've already gone through most of the songs. I'd like an additional perspective in that regard."

"Consider it done milady." Beatrice nodded. The maid now frowned as she spoke again. "Pardon my impudence, but what of your sisters?"

Cassandra looked down, clenching her hands as she knew all too well what Beatrice meant. Leaving the family had just made her an enemy of her siblings. She was sure that Irina and Lucretia would treat this act as the ultimate treachery against them. Katarina was the only one she wasn't sure of. True, they had their differences in opinions, but Katarina was still the older sister who looked out for her even after their mother had died. Still, it wouldn't be out of place if her older sister took a great offence at her betrayal. "I don't know Beatrice. I'm more than certain that we will have to face them one day. But at the same time, I hope that I can at least reason with Sister Katarina. She was the closest sibling I ever had."

"Excuse me for saying, but Lady Katarina does have a rather savage streak…" Beatrice stated. "I fear she may not choose to listen to you when such a situation presents itself."

"Regardless Beatrice, I have to try." Cassandra said. "Grandfather is just using her in the way he used me. I can't… I won't let him do as he pleases with our lives. Even if I must battle Katarina, I have to tell her everything I learned from Yuki Kuran."

Beatrice nodded, knowing there was no stopping Cassandra. "Then I shall stand by you milady, as I have always done."

"Thank you Beatrice." Cassandra smiled. "I'm truly glad you are around."

Someone knocked on the door. The two of them turned to see Ren Kiryuu walk in, along with a Vampire Knight. "Cassandra, I am here to inform you of the matter regarding your trial date."

Cassandra nodded. "Yes, this was an eventuality. Say what you must Lady Kiryuu."

"You know, after everything that has happened, my sister is prepared to grant you amnesty for your actions." Ren said. "It is not your fault that you were unaware of your grandfather's schemes."

"And yet, I still aided in them." Cassandra said. "I appreciate her Majesty coming forward to defend me, but it is only right that I answer for my actions. My mother taught me that at some point." She now fingered the ruby necklace that she still wore. "I ought to at least do that to honour her memory."

Ren nodded. "Very well. I shall relay this message to my sister. We will ensure a fair trial, you have my word."

"Thank you very much." Cassandra said. "Now then, shall we get to the matter at hand?"

Castle Kuran

"Outrageous…" Lionel Ford breathed. "Just when vampire criminals weren't enough, now we have rogue Hunters to deal with?"

"It would explain some of the vampire murders that have taken place in the past." Yumika Shiba said. "But if so, then this organisation has been around for a good amount of time. We may be talking decades of activity if this is the case."

"Helsing." Marcus Corbin frowned. "What do you think of this Queen Ai?"

Ai pursed her lips, looking at the rest of the senate and the Hunter Inner council. She too was quite disturbed by the report that Akira and Ichigo had just given. From the secretive Project Paragon and its products, its nefarious purpose and now the existence of an Anti-Vampire terrorist organisation. "If anything, they are a force to be reckoned with." Ai nodded. "They have already proven themselves capable of permanently scarring vampires as seen by the appearance of some within the Kraven clan. Worse of all, we have no idea what sort of numbers they exist in. We may be talking about a major organisation spreading far and wide across the globe."

"Just like Mortis and his clan as well." Akatsuki said. "It seems we will need to spare some effort into finding any information we can regarding Helsing."

"I'll contact Stefan and Francois. Hopefully they will be able to find results." Ai said. "Make no mistake however, the threat of Mortis Kraven is still very much our primary issue. The Darkstalkers are trying to acquire whatever data we can from the remains of the laboratories found in Kraven castle as we speak. Hopefully at least, the full details of Mortis's project will come to light."

"What about our captive?" Rima asked. "Has he talked at all?"

"No." Ai shook her head. "He proves to be very stubborn. Should he remain uncooperative, then I will entrust his interrogation to you, Sir Marcus. As long as you can assure that he won't be killed."

"You have my word that Franklin Lestat will remain alive until there is no longer a use for him." Marcus nodded. "He has committed heinous crimes against vampires and humans alike. Nothing but the death penalty should await him."

"Mortis Kraven, James Ridley and Helsing." Kidomaru nodded. "They are our primary targets in the days to come. I'll pull whoever I can among the Hunter's Association to investigate into Helsing. Maybe Zen would have fun coming along with."

"The hell?" Zen grumbled. "First you leave me out of what appears to be the most dangerous vampire raid in history and now you pull me out to find rogue Hunters? Totally killing my vibe here."

"Quiet." Marcus frowned. "This matter concerns worldwide security. At least take it seriously."

"Well, we have pretty much covered the main issues that we need to address in the coming days." Senri said. "Now then, what are we to do with Cassandra Kraven?"

"She has agreed to be tried." Ai said. "Although I must submit to this senate that I proposed she be granted amnesty for her actions."

"I support that as well." Kirihara Cross spoke at last. "During my time in Romania, I saw first-hand how her actions saved countless lives. With this in consideration, I believe that she should not be condemned for her previous actions."

"Innocent or not, she still holds responsibility for her actions." Marcus replied. "She has put innocent lives at risk. That is what we of the Hunter council feels."

"Most of the vampire senate feels the same way." Ruka nodded. "Her actions had caused the deaths of several vampire students. This is something we cannot overlook."

Ai sighed, knowing that all arguments brought before were sound. "Very well. Ren has also informed me that she understands this and is ready to accept the consequences. All I ask is that she be judged fairly."

"Of course." Ruka nodded. "It shall be so."

"Now then." Ai nodded. "Our next step is finding out countermeasures against Project Paragon. Akira and Ichigo have already reported all their findings about the monsters we faced. And they were only the weaker ones."

"We'll focus more on our weaponry." Marucs nodded. "Next time, we will be ready for those creatures."

"We will need to scour the globe." Ai said. "Find Mortis's labs and production facilities; burn them to the ground along with getting whatever information we can regarding his plans. If Mortis truly intends to create another body for himself, then I can only assume that nothing good will come of it should he succeed."

"We'll work on organising raiding parties." Ford said. "In addition, I suggest also improving security at Cross Academy. We have plenty of Noble vampires there that could be prime targets for Mortis."

"I believe Kirihara should be left to decide that." Ai nodded toward the Chairman. Murmurs of agreement sounded throughout the room, all knowing that if anything, Kirihara Cross was the most trusted with the school.

"Well then, if there is nothing else, then our meeting is adjourned." Ai said. The room's occupants now filed out, their tasks for the coming conflict clear.

"And what about Akira and Ichigo?" Chairman Cross asked. "Should we speak with them?"

"Not now." Ai said. "They deserve to rest after everything that has happened. Though, I can only sense much trepidation for them both in the days to come. Just when I thought they gave enough trouble already…"

"Ichigo has seen the face of his prey now." Marcus nodded. "His hunt will only end when Mortis is dead. In fact, he recently came to me, saying he wants to advance his training…"

"Akira as well." Ai nodded. "He believes he will need more strength for the coming days." Ai sighed as she leaned back in her chair. "Seems like things are going to get busier for our young warriors."

"At least, with Cassandra's defection, our enemy has lost a good amount of their strength." Kirihara nodded.

Ai frowned, uncertainty gnawing at the back of her mind. "I truly wonder about that…"

Mortis stared at the crimson liquid within the vial that James had brought to him. "This was all you could acquire?"

"I offer no excuses for my incompetence." James said as he remained kneeling before him. Mortis frowned as he continued to study the sample of Cassandra's blood James had retrieved. He was still furious at Cassandra's betrayal, his fury only amplifying at the knowledge that Yuki Kuran had completely deceived him. As for how James managed to acquire this sample, even Mortis was no fool.

"Do not degrade yourself James." Mortis said as he set the vial down. "Although I am disappointed in the loss of the Blood Siren, it can hardly be considered your fault. Even I never expected for Yuki Kuran to influence Cassandra so. It is only natural that Cassandra was punished for what she had done."

"I do not deserve such praise master." James replied, inclining his head further.

"But do tell me James, did you enjoy yourself, feasting on my granddaughter's blood?" Mortis asked, his icy tone now cutting through the air.

"Are you going to kill me milord?" James questioned.

"When you first came to me I always knew you were a twisted fiend." Mortis glared. "You don't care about whether your enemy is a vampire or a human. You only care about your own beliefs and desires. You will kill if you must, even if a Pureblood was to die by your hand. Dear me James, of all the vampires in this world, I believe you are the only one capable of such heinous acts against your own kind. Am I going to kill you? I fear that I wouldn't get the chance were I to compete with every vampire in the world."

James remained silent as Mortis admonished him. True, his actions against Cassandra were tantamount to ultimate sacrilege. He had turned his very fangs upon a Pureblood, an act that many in vampire society would abhor him for, maybe even use to justify a death so cruel even the most stout-hearted would weep at the thought. Even more so was that the Pureblood he had bitten was the fabled Kraven clan Blood Siren. He knew how proud Mortis was of his lineage and its talents and no doubt wanted to keep it that way. "How may I atone master?" James said at last, knowing it could very well be his last sentence.

"I'm not going to kill you." Mortis said, blood dripping from his wasted jaws. "Cassandra made her choice, and so she has paid the price. And in technicality, you did retrieve the power the Blood Siren possesses, so our plans can continue as scheduled, though there will be a need for flexibility in our progress."

"But make no mistake, James." Mortis now stood up, and James felt the very pressure of his presence grip his very being. "Should you turn against me in any way, I will see to it that you are not given an honourable death. Your body will suffer excruciatingly at first, before I then shift toward your very mind. You will feel what it is like to have your very consciousness plucked apart into pieces, put together, and plucked apart again and so on. And when I finally decide I have had enough, and provided that you have yet to go mad from that ordeal, then you will finally have a first-hand experience of what happens when I create a thrall."

James's eyes now darted to the thralls lining the dark room, their blank eyes unmoving as they stood slumped over in place. Even James was apprehensive about such a fate. "I understand milord."

"For now, you would be wise to avoid being noticed." Mortis said, sitting down again. "The loss of Lestat means that I will need to delegate all of his prior research and developments to Mr. Romanoff. While his expertise is similar to that of Lestat's, the man is worthless in a fight. I will need you to be his security until further notice. Ai Kuran will no doubt hold nothing back in stopping the final stages of Project Paragon now that she knows of its true agenda."

"As you will Lord Kraven." James replied.

"Also, I suggest you avoid meeting Katarina and her sisters." Mortis said. "After what you did to Cassandra, I'm more than certain they would kill you without a second thought, and I still require you alive Mr. Ridley."

"I understand." James said.

"Now go." Mortis said, dismissing him with a wave of his hand. James immediately stood up and walked away, all aware of Mortis's dark glare boring into his back. James knew that the minute he stepped outside this room, the world he would be thrust into was one who did not care if he lived or died. As of now, the amount of allies he had was significantly reduced. Even the Kraven sisters who were wary of him before could potentially end his life on merely a whim.

"Well then." James said, putting all the facts together. "That whole affair worked out better than I'd hoped."

Author's Note:

And thus the second arc of this chapter has come to an end. Now I can start the final chapter, which I hope will be done within the year. Though with university starting back up again (having to crank it up so that I can finally graduate), I can't promise that I can update this story as much as I'd like, considering I still need to think about how to progress the story and study at the same time. Please bear with me for any long breaks/hiatus's in between.

For now, I hope you've enjoyed this part of the story, and that you'll stay tuned as I work toward its conclusion.

Jdbl00d