The next day, Zero arrived at the gates of the academy. He wasn't sure what he should be feeling, his emotions were swirling around in a mixture of anger, sadness and guilt. He looked around as he was led to Cross's office, a lot of the damage to the academy was being repaired, most of it nearly finished. Zero wasn't sure how Cross was going to receive him. He had gotten annoyed by the lack of information that he was given by them. He just hoped that from now on, they would all be honest with him.
"Zero! My boy!" Cross greeted him with a smile as he entered the office. He grunted as he was met full force with a tight hug from Cross. He ignored the man and gave Toga a short nod, a small greeting. "I'm so glad to see you!" Cross's excited voice echoed in Zero's mind. "What have you learnt from Akari, from your mission?" He then asked. This was what Zero had failed to tell Akari. He hadn't gone straight to her after killing his twin. Shizuka was already dead when he got there, he had no idea who had killed her. But he was thankful that he didn't have to face her again, as much as he wanted his revenge, flashes from that night still haunted him. After all of that, he had gone to Cross, his second father, even if he didn't want to admit it. Toga had decided to send Zero to Akari as an aid and to find out if she really was their ally.
"Rido is hard to predict. Akari has a better understanding him than anyone else and can guess his motives but there is never a guarantee that she will be right." Zero told them. He didn't know if he should mention Rido's behaviour or not. Cross and Toga both noticed Zero's reluctance to add more.
"What else?" Toga pressed, his voice clearly stating for all of the information. He wanted to know what was going on.
"I believe Rido is abusing Akari but she won't admit. I've seen him go to lay his hands on her but he always catches on that I'm watching and stops. I have caught him with his hands around her throat but she denied it when I questioned her. She terrified of him. I think she knows more but she's so scared of him that she can't say anything more." Zero finally spoke up with a sigh. "I just don't understand why she doesn't just fight him; she is more than capable."
"Now do you see why I 'pulled that stunt' as you so elegantly put it?" Kaname's voice suddenly appeared, Zero hadn't heard him enter or even seen him in the room beforehand. Cross sighed and sank back in his chair, he hadn't expected to hear such news.
"I thought he was in love with her, all our intelligence work points to him being head over heels with her." Toga said, he didn't show any emotion towards the news he had been told. Zero knew that Toga wasn't happy about any form of violence towards women unless the situation was life or death with a female Level-E. But by that point, they were no longer women, men or children. Toga wouldn't condone violence towards Akari, unless they were fighting as vampire and vampire hunter. These were Toga's only exceptions, to defend one's self or others, human or vampire.
"Rido doesn't know what love is or how it works." Kaname stated. "He may be in love with her and not know how to love her. The only thing Rido knows is violence and sex." He added bluntly. "Or he doesn't love her and is using her for any number of reasons." He then added, his voice almost become a growl. Kaname's mind had wondered to a place he never wanted it to. All he could imagine is Rido using her as his toy and to have his child, a child that would keep his legacy alive.
"For now, we continue with our plans to gain as much information as possible. We will only interfere if we know her life is in danger. But I think we all know, Rido isn't going to kill her." Toga stated, he wanted the intelligence gathered. He wanted to know attack and defence strategies, times and dates of possible attack and the numbers of followers. He wasn't interested in the private lives of the purebloods.
"Easy enough for you to say!" Kaname snapped at him. "She has been putting her life on the line for us! If Rido founds out, he would kill her before we could even blink. He demands loyalty, anything less is a death sentence." He added, his fists clenched at his sides.
"This is why I got Zero involved." Cross spoke up, hoping to defuse the situation. "With Zero in the picture, any information leak would be attributed to Zero, not Akari. If Rido suspected Zero then he would come here and Akari would still be able to contact us while Rido focused on Zero being the traitor." He went on to explain.
"So, I'm just a sacrificial lamb?" Zero almost snapped at Cross.
"No! I know you could handle yourself with Rido. Akari however, Rido has a hold over her. I don't think she would run from him; she would accept her fate." Cross quickly defended himself. "I would never send you out to be hurt or killed."
"Akari is stronger than you think." Zero snapped, annoyed. His tone had taken all the men by surprise. Kaname eyed Zero with concern, he really didn't want to scaring off another crush while he was trying to get Akari back. Cross and Toga were also concerned but they were concerned about Zero's change in demeanour towards purebloods. Before all of this, Zero wouldn't have cared for Akari, he would have been delighted to kill her. They were starting to wonder what was causing his affection towards her. "She acts weak to keep the peace. Even you know she can fight Kaname. You know she holds back; I've seen the aftermath of your little scuffle." He then added, his voice filling with venom when he spoke Kaname's name.
"She won't fight Rido." Kaname spoke simply. "Like Cross said, he has a hold on her. It's like nothing I've seen before. I know she loves him and she has allowed her heart to rule her head before. She will allow it to rule her again if she had fight him. It would kill her from the inside if she ever hurt him." He then added, a sadness filled his voice. Cross recognised it as heartbreak. He had heard it in Kaname's voice once before, when Yuki was killed. "When I and Rido finally met to fight, Akari cannot be there. She may defend him."
"How will we stop her?" Zero asked, Akari would be a hard woman to stop.
"You, she has a respect for you. I have no idea why but she does." Kaname answered with a snarl. He couldn't understand what she saw in him. But Zero already did, she saw him as a worthy opponent. Someone who would destroy the weak vampires and test the strong. She admired his mental strength as well as his physical strength. Yet he couldn't see why he himself felt the need to lower his guard around her. He never once showed her the same hostility he showed Kaname or anyone else. He knew how it looked but he didn't love her, not in slightest. He couldn't explain how or what it was. "You can lead her away and keep her from getting herself killed."
"Why do you think so low of her?!" Zero finally snapped at him. He couldn't take the insults towards her. Toga stepped between the two vampires, the last thing they needed now was them to fight. Cross sighed and rubbed his head.
"She's weak, she lets her heart rule and that is her weakness. She allows herself to become overwhelmed with emotion like you." Kaname spat back.
"Enough!" Cross shouted. They were sure this was the first all of them had hear shout with such anger and annoyance. They all took note, looking at him as he stood, with both hands on his desk, leaning forwards. His trademark blanket discarded on the back of his chair. "Now is not the time for silly games. The outcome of all of this could very well mean the destruction of the human race. If Rido succeeds the crown then I fear for us all. We must come together to defeat this evil. Our individual opinion of Akari will remain our own." Cross stated coldly. "Now. Zero will act as a teaching assistant and be the acting guardian of the night class. You will ensure they are arrive and stay in class." He ordered, Zero huffed but choose not to voice his objections. Cross then turned his attention to a smug looking Kaname, who clearly thought he was safe from Cross's anger. But he was wrong. "Lord Kaname I would greatly appreciate it if you didn't push Zero's buttons or speak so ill of someone who is putting their life on the line for us." He snapped at the pureblood.
Kaname's attitude and behaviour had been taking a noticeable slide in his time of grief but he enough was enough. He wasn't the only one grieving. Cross had come to love Yuki like a daughter, but it wasn't just Yuki he had lost. He had lost students and teachers he called friends. He had lost fellow vampire hunters who had come to their aid in their time of need. He thought he had lost Zero too for a short time, and in a way he had. It wasn't that Zero had now become a vampire that made him grieve, but he was grieving the boy that Zero was while being proud of the man he had become. Zero's return had given him some much need hope and happiness, it also eased his broken heart as it mourned for those he had lost. "Please leave, both of you." He added sharply, not allowing either one of them a chance to defend their childishness.
Both men listened to Cross, his tone of voice was something neither of them had experienced before. The glare that also graced Cross's face was new to them. They left quickly and quietly, not wishing to incite the man's wrath again. They immediately headed towards the moon dormitory.