At the end of the night class, Zero reported to Cross's office to receive his orders. Once he arrived, Toga was sat in Cross's chair.
"Where's Cross?" Zero asked curious, it was unlike Cross to not be around. It was Cross who had asked him to come to the office at this time.
"He got called to the headquarters. He will be back soon; they wanted an update." Toga explained simply, lighting a cigarette as he did. Zero hummed and nodded before taking a seat. Cross would be rushing back; he wasn't someone who liked being late.
"Do you have any idea what I'm going to be telling Akari?" Zero asked after a short silence. Toga shrugged.
"Cross didn't say much, Kaname hasn't been much of a help. He has kept going on about how she needed to separated from Rido, not kept with him."
"Understandable." Zero answered and Toga sat up straight, listening to him closely. "He isn't good to her. Also, I think that without Akari, it would make him more unstable."
"That may be true, but it would also make him even more unpredictable. With her there, we at least have an insight and possibly a heads up if and when he will attack." Toga counted, as he did, Cross entered. He quickly got out of the seat before Cross noticed. "How did it go?" He asked once Cross sat down.
"Fine." Cross huffed before frowning lightly. "I thought I told you to stop sitting in my chair." He then grumbled to Toga who simply shrugged back at him. "Now, we have a few details we need to iron out before you leave." Cross added, his attention now on Zero. Zero nodded in agreement. "First of all, is there any gossip in the moon dormitory that you can tell Akari about?" He asked as he relaxed into his seat once he had pushed Toga out of it and then wrapped his blanket around his shoulders.
"I've only spoken to Kaname. The rest keep their mouths shut when they see or hear me coming." Zero explained, his arms firmly crossed over his chest. Cross hummed in response, his face changing into a thoughtful expression.
"What has Kaname told you?" Toga asked curiously, it could be information that they could use against Kaname if he turned on them.
"I asked him why he thought Akari was weak when she can clearly fight him without getting injured. Kaname told me that she was emotionally weak around Rido, she would do his bidding so to speak…"
"Is she doing his bidding now, with the letters, I mean." Toga interrupted Zero. Zero shook his head and let out a grunt of distain.
"No, I believe she has come to realise that Rido isn't that man she thought he was. However, she does still love him and is struggling to walk away from him. So, instead, she chose to help us in this manner." He explained, he was annoyed that he had to justify her actions to them. She has always been kind to them, even letting Cross keep her remaining tuition fees as a donation. She never had to be kind to them then or even now but she had. She had even help him and told him the truth. She told him the truth in the web of lies that Kaname and Cross had created about Yuki. He was also sure that either Cross or Toga knew his twin was still alive, it felt like they had done nothing but betray him. Akari had opened his eyes to the world and he was thankful to her for it. She had even told him that she wanted him to remain a vampire hunter, she supported his choices, despite her own motives.
"Are you sure that she's not tricking you?" Toga asked, that was Zero's last straw. He stood up quickly and growled at Toga. Toga had gone to reach for his weapon, confirming in Zero's mind that he was not welcome within the vampire hunter community anymore.
"Do you really think I would hurt a fellow hunter!?" Zero spat out in rage. Cross had stood up too, ready to pull Zero back. He knew that Zero's temper could be uncontrollable when he was no longer able to channel it calmly. Toga calmly moved his hand from his gun and put his hands up, level with his chest. He was trying to show that he meant no harm, the movement was merely a reflex.
"You know that's instinct Zero. I would never consider hurting you unless you were attacking someone." Toga explained but Zero growled again. It felt as if because he was now a vampire he was no longer trusted. When he was Level-E, they watched him like a hawk and he could understand that, he could have lost control at any second and be unable to do anything about it. But now he had full control, Akari had taught him ways to help him ignore the smell of blood. "Remember when you ended up in the pool with Yuki, I had my gun to your head. I didn't shoot you." Toga stated calmly. "I warned you, snapped you out of it. But if it was anyone else Zero, I would shoot them without warning, without a chance to regain themselves." He added, his hands at his side and a hardened expression of his face. "I trust you to control yourself Zero, even now. I trust you because I taught you, because Cross raised you. I trust you because every cell in your body is committed to being a vampire hunter." He said as he stepped forward, almost becoming toe to toe with Zero. Zero himself had started to calm down, he did remember that night, it scared the hell out of him. He made him remember to fight his urges, it made him fight harder to control himself more.
"I'm sorry." Zero finally spoke. "I just want to be accepted back into the association, I want to prove that I'm no threat to them or to humans." He added and Toga patted him on the shoulder.
"You were never kicked out of the association; you are and always will be a vampire hunter." Toga stated, giving him a small smile. Cross had now relaxed and moved back into his chair, his blanket back over his shoulders. "And when I ask about the possibility of you being tricked by Akari, it's not an attack on your judgement or her." He then added, hoping to clear the air on that subject.
"I know, but I can't help the reaction. Kaname suggested that it may be because we're related at some point. Crazy idea really, my family have always been vampire hunters." Zero told them as he sat back down in his seat.
"Impossible, you know he's only winding you up. What else has Kaname said to you?" Toga asked after another short silence filled the room, bringing them all back to the reason why they were here.
"That he finds Akari irresistible and that she would make a perfect queen." Zero told them, his face looking bored.
"Only thinking about what's between his legs then." Toga grumbled; it was almost quite enough for the others not to catch what he said. Almost. Zero grunted in annoyance whereas Cross gave him a disgusted look.
"Toga! Don't be so vial!" Cross told him off like a child. Toga rolled his eyes and ignored him.
"He also said that even though the two of them wouldn't be in love with each other, Akari knows what her status means and what she should expect from her life." Zero continued what he was telling them after Toga's interruption.
"In other words, once Rido is gone, he will have an arranged marriage to Akari whether she likes it or not?" Toga more or less stated and not asked.
"Yes." Cross answered for Zero who was now clenching his fists tight.
"Their world is fucked up." Toga then said, shaking his head.
"Language!" Cross snapped in response of Toga's choice of words.
"What? I'm sure Zero knows and has heard worse." Toga pointed out. "You can't shelter his little ears forever, besides he heard me swearing all the time as a kid." He added, Cross frowned and shock his head in disapproval.
"I will not have such language spoken in this school. I wish to keep this place clean of those words." Cross told him and Toga once again rolled his eyes.
"Sure, whatever you say." Toga gave in with a sigh. He wasn't in the mood to be arguing over swear words. "Anyway, does Akari know all of this?" He steered the conversation back to what it was meant to be about. Zero nodded and sighed.
"She knows and I doubt she'll let it happen. She would be happy being single if she didn't have Rido." Zero told them, leaning back in his seat. Both Toga and Cross were curious as to how Zero would know that she would be happy being single. They wondered just how close he and Akari had become.
"OK, how about you tell her that Kaname is planning the moves he'll make once he has killed Rido. And that we are making a plan to attack once we have more information on Rido's numbers so that he can outmatch him." Cross told him; Toga nodded in agreement.
"Also, tell her that we haven't been willing to share much with you because we are worried that you are a double agent. And that we are testing you to see if the information we have given you now will cause movement within Rido's forces." Toga added on for Cross, they wanted to limited information to appear as a test of loyalty. If Rido made a move once Zero went back, they would assume him to be a double agent. If nothing happens then when Zero come back, they would share more with him. The longer Zero comes back, the more information they would give him. This meant that Rido may be more willing to send Zero back, thinking he would get more and more information each time.
"OK, I'll leave now, I hope I see you Monday morning." Zero told them before rushing out of the door. He wanted to check on Akari, had been wanting to do so all week. He hoped that Rido had been kind to her while he had been away.