Akane had been in the shower longer than she'd realised. The sun was high in the sky when she left the bathroom. Hanabusa's probably gone to bed, she thought, feeling guilty for making him wait for her a second time. She was tired though and decided, a good days' sleep might make her feel better about telling him what she'd decided, about her future. She still didn't want to hurt him or sound ungrateful for everything he'd done for her, so, maybe it was for the best that she takes a day to get over what happened with Zero, before confronting other issues.

Mind made up, Akane opened her door with the full intention of falling flat on her bed asleep. But her bed was already occupied. Aido lay sprawled out on her white covers, deep asleep. He was still in his uniform, just his shoes had been removed and left neatly by the bedside, so he could pull his feet up. Akane had stopped at her door, surprised to find him in her room. Did he wait? That idiot! she thought fondly as a small smile spread across her face.

As she walked into her room and placed her toiletries on her dresser, something at the corner of her eye caught her attention. She looked up and saw a large raven sitting on her windowsill outside, looking into the room, seemingly, watching the scene with interest. Akane cocked her head. Something about the raven was strange. It just stood there, staring at her through the glass, its eyes, red and wide. The questions regarding Maria and the hidden happenings at the school suddenly popped into Akane's head.

Akane had read that some Vampires (Purebloods mostly), could either enlist the aid or transform into animals. Birds, wolves, bats, dogs, cats, all variety of creatures had been catalogued. Was this bird here because a Vampire was spying on her right now? An uncomfortable feeling settled over Akane, causing her to frown. Deciding to leave Aido asleep, Akane quietly shut the door, and then walked down the corridor to the other side of the dorms, to Kaname's room.

Kaname was still sitting in his chair, contemplating his conversation with Aido and his plans when Akane's scent strengthened at his door. She knocked.
"Come in, Miss Nakamura," he called, sitting up a little straighter. Akane walked in. She had a slightly ruffled expression about her and eyed his window as she situated herself in one of his chairs. "What can I do for you, Miss Nakamura?"
"There's a bird on my windowsill." To say Kaname was surprised and confused by this, was an understatement. He stayed quiet, hoping the perplexed look he wore was enough of a hint for Akane to elaborate further. "Did you put it there?"
"Miss Nakamura, why…?"
"It's not an ordinary raven," Akane interrupted. Kaname leant forward, now interested that he had a clearer understanding of the situation. Shizuka was watching his progeny. She was probably going to make her final gambit soon. At the ball, perhaps, he thought.

"It's too still and too focused. I've read about Purebloods using animals to watch over their enemies without being detected, or even, transforming into them themselves. So, is it yours, or is there another Pureblood in or around the academy?" Kaname leant back in his seat and crossed his legs with a frown. Akane watched as her master debated with himself whether to give her an answer or not. While he did, Akane thought of the attack on Zero. He was a fully trained Vampire Hunter. Some Level E, C, or D Vampire probably wouldn't stand a chance against him. But there had been no mention of a rogue Vampire getting into the grounds, and everyone was accounted for all evening, except for two people.

"Did you attack Zero Kiryu?" Kaname's dark eyes flicked to Akane. "I found him on my way out of school this evening. He was pretty torn up and would have taken hours to heal on his own. The Day Class could have found him and gone into hysterics." Kaname shifted forward in his seat again, a stirring of anger beginning to bubble in his gut.
"I did not cause those injuries… Why do you say, 'would have', Miss Nakamura?" Akane stiffened, reddening down to her chest. Kaname's face was as placid as ever but she saw the burning in his eyes. Kaname watched as Akane glanced away, blushing uncomfortably as she left him to realise the implications of her words himself. To say he was angry was an understatement, though he couldn't comprehend why. I suppose it's natural to be possessive of my progeny while she's still so young? he rationalised, calming himself.

"Miss Nakamura?" he called reassuringly. She turned to him but kept her eyes on her hands, clutched in her lap. "You did nothing wrong in helping Zero. I'm sorry, I didn't think about the consequence of the Day Class finding him in such a state before I left him to recover."
"You knew?" The accusation in Akane's voice was wounding. He watched as her eyes teared up and felt his heart clench uncomfortably at the betrayed look on her face. "You knew he was hurt, and you left him there? Did you know he couldn't stomach the Blood Tablets as well?"

She was angry, her tone harsh and unforgiving as Kaname sat, unmoving. He sighed.
"Yuki became involved," he said. "I had to erase her memory and get her back to her dorm safely." Akane sat scowling, arms crossed, as her master offered up his excuse.
"And then what, you came back here? You didn't think the headmaster would like to know about his adopted son, lying, bleeding and in pain, alone somewhere? That he'd feel more comfortable resting in a bed to heal in his own time if needed? Have you lived so long, that you've forgotten how to care?"

Kaname's eyes widened, revealing the first true look of shock on his face. But Akane stared, unblinking, her scowl, still in place.
"Yeah," she said sarcastically. "I know. I've known from the beginning." Kaname could say nothing but look on in amazement and slight panic. If Akane knew who and what he truly was, she could scupper his plans in an instant! "I don't know everything you have planned, and frankly, I don't want to know. But it's frightening to me that after just a few centuries, I could turn into this! Leaving someone I know, hurt, without a second thought," she said in disgust.

Akane looked away, for which Kaname, was grateful. That look on her face reminded him of the woman he'd known so long ago. The disappointment Akane wore, was the same as his old friend, and it stung. He couldn't say, 'I'm sorry', it would be meaningless at this point. His decision to leave Zero after his confrontation with Shizuka, not only lead to his progeny having to lower herself to feeding a Level E in the making but also reveal his cruellest and coldest nature to her. He despised Zero. Honestly, he was envious of him for feeding on Yuki and spending so much time with her while he could not. He belatedly realised; he had never wanted Akane to realise that about him.

After sitting in tense silence for a few minutes, Akane decided to call it a day, and leave her master to his thoughts, with the hope that what she'd said, had resonated. Just because he's never been Human, it's no excuse to act so inhumanly.
"Good day, Kuran," she said while standing. Kaname stood but let her walk out the room unescorted and without waiting for his reply.

When Akane re-entered her room, the raven was gone. The turn to Zero during her discussion with Kaname, throwing it from her mind. Aido was in the same starfish position on her bed, quietly snoring away, his mouth open and his head thrown back. The sight caused her to giggle. She tiptoed into her room after locking the door with a little click, drew the curtains, then gently pulled on the sleeve of Aido's blazer, attempting to get it off, so that he might sleep a little more comfortably.
"Hanabusa, help me out here," she whispered and was amused to watched as the Vampire turned with a groan, lifting his arm for her. Eventually, she got the blazer off and persuaded the sleeping Aristocrat under the covers. She shimmied in next to him and watched as he settled against her. Akane chuckled again as he held onto her like a plush toy, nosing her with a goofy smile on his face before sighing and falling back into a deep sleep. Akane forced her eyes closed, unwilling to think of the events of the day. Overall, it had been one of the worst days of her life, and she was eager to dream of unfathomable nonsense to escape for a while.

Yuki woke with a start on Wednesday. Her heart was racing, and all morning she felt like she was forgetting something very important and voiced this concern to Sayori.
"Well, we do have our final exams in Chemistry and Mathematics today. Did you study?" Yuki gulped and eyed the students passing her, hoping not to bump into her class rep.

The day went on and her exams were sat, but all the while she had this sinking feeling in the pit of her stomach that something was very wrong. Zero never showed for school? she realised, absentmindedly, as she gazed around her classroom during her Mathematics exam. Exams are important, he wouldn't miss them. Eventually, the school day was over, and everyone was walking back to their dorms, tired and drained after the long day.

"Miss Cross?" a voice called to Yuki and Sayori. They turned to their class rep, standing behind them with anime tears streaming down his face. "I've just found out the results of the final exams for the first five subjects." The girls shared a look before giving their obviously distraught class rep their attention again. "As I predicted, our class did the poorest!" Yuki winced. "Cross!"
"Yes!" she squeaked as he rounded on her, pointing his finger furiously.
"I was told, you merely wrote your name on the answer sheet for your last exam and left the rest blank!" Yuki flinched and stepped a little behind Sayori as the taller boy berated her. "Because of you, our class must do the preparations for the ball!" and he ran off screaming, "If I don't get to dance with Lady Ruka, it's all your fault! Oh, if only Kiryu had shown!" The girls stood dumbstruck, as did many others for a few seconds.
"Yuki?" Sayori asked. "You did study, didn't you?"
"Yeah, Zero taught me last night," but after that… what happened?

Sayori shrugged and yawned before she continued walking with the guilt-ridden and preoccupied prefect. She glanced about at the faces around her, smiling and waving at the ones she knew until she spotted something white standing near the riding corral.
"Oh, it's that Night Class girl again?" Yuki looked at where her friend was gesturing and saw Maria Kurenai watching them from beside a tree. No, not Maria, Shizuka! How did I forget? Immediately, Yuki started towards the Vampire, leaving her friend to walk back to the dorms alone.
"A prefect's work is never done," Sayori commented as she walked away. 'Maria' moved from the tree she'd been leant against and walked away, moving around the deserted enclosure.

Yuki quickened her pace to catch up with her, calling out to get her attention.
"Miss Kurenai! Wait!" 'Maria' kept walking, heading to one of the function buildings off to the side of the school. "Miss Kurenai!" Yuki called again as she caught up with the Vampire.
"Oh, Yuki!" 'Maria' greeted in her sweet bell-like voice, a dainty smile on her face as she turned to the prefect. "Isn't this the ballroom, where the party will be held next weekend?"
"Don't play innocent!" Yuki said coldly as she grabbed the girl's arm and swung her around to face her. "Where is Zero? What did you do to him!"

For a moment 'Maria' stared at the Human, then her face morphed into a cold expression, and when she spoke, her voice had dropped to a dull yet mocking monotone that Yuki had never heard before.
"He's fine… for now." Yuki's frown hardened as the Vampire moved in closer. "But soon enough, he will fall to Level E, and no longer listen to reason," she revealed in a whisper as she stroked Yuki's terrified cheek. "I know how to save him." Yuki gasped, her eyes widening into an imploring look as the Vampire moved even closer, holding her face in both hands. "We'll make a deal. In exchange for saving Zero's mind, I need you to do something for me, something only you can do, Yuki."

Sometime later, after performing her prefect duties at the changeover alone, Yuki stumbled into the ballroom to help with the start of preparations for the upcoming ball. The class was to start by organising the decorations and selecting teams, then try at getting the ceiling decorations done before they needed to head back for curfew. As both Zero and Yuki were members of the same class, they had been allocated an extra hour only, to help with preparation. By the time she arrived, the decorations had been organised and the teams were being chosen. Zero, still hadn't shown.

Zero had gone to his room in Kaien's house to sleep after cleaning up the mess his blood had made in the hall. He'd slept for a few hours, but then woke with an incredible hunger. Immediately, the ghost of Akane's blood on his tongue came to mind, and his head pounded painfully. She'd tasted incredible, divine even, but her blood was a dangerous thing. After drinking it and settling into his sheets, he'd felt calm, collected, like himself again. Not chasing away some nightmarish craving, just at peace. That kind of feeling could become addicting, and as much as Zero wanted to feel normal again, he couldn't justify fulfilling that desire, with the memory of those tears in her eyes.

Akane had been scared for him, of him, but still helped him the only way she knew how. She'd paid a price for that, however. As a Hunter, Zero knew the intimate meaning of Vampires sharing blood. Usually, only families and loved ones fed on one another, the reason was, it could reveal emotions you had for the individual, to you and who you were feeding. On the very rare occasion, Vampires had even been privy to the memories of each other, when participating in the act. It was one of the highest gestures of trust, devotion and love a Vampire could show to another.

Feeding on a Human is just food, a master or progeny, just to strengthen a bond or as a supplement. An act, like the one that took place between him and Akane, he recognised as an act of compassion, and he'd felt her conflicting emotions as he drank. She was worried he wasn't healing fast enough, that he was in pain. Questioning who had done this to him. Those worries, coupled with the dread of realising she found him attractive, yet hated the face he wore, had caused him to see such a dark pit of fear in her mind, that he even struggled to get out. He didn't understand why she felt that way about him, but now that he was awake and reliving the events, he would have done anything to remove her face from his mind. It made him feel so much more of a monster, because he still wanted her blood, whether she cried or not.

Eventually, Zero pulled himself together and left the house. He needed blood. His hunger was too raw, too insistent and he still needed to get Akane's taste out of his mouth. When he found Yuki, she was in the ballroom, directing a classmate on a ladder in hanging ceiling decorations. He had already recognised the lingering scent of Shizuka in her stolen body when Yuki spotted him by the door.
"That new student came here, didn't she?"
"Zero, is that blood?" Yuki asked tentatively, eyeing his ruined uniform, that he hadn't changed out of. He ignored her question and walked towards a set of doors, leading to the backroom, and checked for Shizuka inside.

"Must have been a fight," Yuki heard one of the boys say as she hurried after her companion worriedly. She closed the door behind her and watched as Zero searched the ladies' room on the other side of the room.
"Zero?" she called again. "Whose blood is that?" Zero closed the door to the restroom and turned back to his companion.
"Weren't you there last night?" he asked confused. He could have sworn he'd heard and scented her during his fight with Shizuka.
"Where's 'there'?" Yuki asked. Her memory was still fuzzy. She knew who Maria was to Zero and that they spoke last night, but she couldn't remember when or where that had happened. Zero watched her for a moment, frowning. He correctly surmised Kaname had interfered, brought Yuki back to her dorm and modified her memories.
"Ok. Never mind then. Make sure you stay away from that Night Class student," he warned as he went to brush past her to go back into the ballroom. He had intended to feed, but the look of worry on Yuki's face just reminded him of Akane's expression from last night. Shizuka's scent being fresh near Yuki also lent itself as a distraction.

Yuki reached out and stopped him as he was about to open the door. When Zero looked down at her, he saw as her eyes travelled over the tears and blood on his uniform, the colour draining from her face in concern.
"Zero! Are you ok? You're hurt!"
"Leave it! It's fine, it's healed already," he said, pushing her hands away from him. He stood looking off to the side. Funnily, a small part of him felt like he'd betrayed Yuki by drinking Akane's blood. He scolded himself for his sentimentality. Get over it! She only did it because she knew you needed help. Huh? Zero's eyes widened as he realised Akane knew he was a Vampire living amongst Humans.

While he was quietly debating how she had found out, Yuki was watching him thoughtfully as he frowned.
"You don't look fine, Zero." She looked away as Zero's eyes turned to her from the side, almost glaring. She discreetly checked the door to the ballroom and the room they were stood. One way in, and one way out. "You know," she began, quietly, nervously. "You can do whatever you need to." Zero watched her as she tilted her head to the side and back, exposing her neck as she held back her hair. "Go ahead, you can take some, just don't spill too much."

She was surprised when Zero suddenly pinned her against the door, his fangs, already embedded in her flesh. He didn't even hesitate. Have you been pushing yourself this far, Zero? Zero gulped down her blood slowly, he wanted to saver it. Yuki tasted nothing like Akane to Zero. While Akane's blood had quenched his hunger and calmed his mind for a time, Yuki's drove him to madness! He starved for her blood, craved it. He simply needed to have it! But Akane's face and the memory of her taste kept resurfacing. Go away!

As Yuki stood there, wincing now and then, as Zero's grip on her wrists tightened and her neck throbbed as his jaws held her still, her constant curiosity began to surface, along with her dizziness.
"What does it taste like, Zero?" she asked. His grip loosened as he swung her around. Yuki leant back against the door, looking up at his bloodstained lips and predatory eyes.
"What's that got to do with you?" he asked her coldly before pushing her against the doors and biting into her neck again. A chill ran up Yuki's spine. This was unlike Zero, he was never cold with her when he drank, merciless with his bite. He was always careful and ashamed of himself, before, during and after. Now, Yuki didn't want him to feel bad about himself when they had to do this, but his coldness was unsettling. Her mind thought back to her conversation with Shizuka a few hours ago. "In exchange for saving Zero's mind, I need you to do something for me, something only you can do, Yuki. I'll save Zero, if you give yourself to me, or, present to me the corpse, of Kaname Kuran!"

For the rest of the week, Yuki and Zero (along with the rest of their class), stayed an hour after curfew to clean, decorate and prepare the ballroom for the party. The weekend, they were given off, told they would pick back up with the preparations on Monday. When Monday came, Yuki was called up to Kaien's office. She walked slowly, her mind filled with conflicting thoughts and emotions. Zero had been less and less hesitant when she offered him her blood and even sought her out to feed once or twice. His attitude during most of his feeds was normal, he was distant, but remorseful, ashamed, and upset. But there had been occasions where he'd just left her after, to clean herself up, as if he couldn't get away from her fast enough. He was changing, and it frightened her to realise it.

Once she opened the door to her adoptive father's office, she was met with him gushing over a photo album with Miu. There were bags, and dress covers lined up by the sofa and draped over the arms.
"Ha, ha! Yeah, she's getting bigger now. Still won't say what they're having. She wants it to be a surprise. Grandmother swears it's going to be a girl though," Miu said cheerfully as Kaien gushed over one of his old students getting married and expecting her first.

Miu's sister, Miki, had been married for a year already. She was 25 and had gone to Cross Academy all her school life. The year she left was the year the Night Class were inducted, so she was sure to ask her baby sister all about the elite and intelligent group of students that had been the buzz of conversation for her final year. Kaien looked up at Yuki and smiled joyously at her.
"Look, look, Yuki! It's Miki! She's having her baby soon. Isn't it wonderful?" Yuki looked at the photograph in the scrapbook. She saw a young woman with long, light brown hair, big blue eyes, and a shy smile on her lips. Her cheeks were rosy as an attractive young man kissed her temple tenderly, while his hand rested lightly on her slightly protruding stomach.
"They're beautiful," Yuki said smiling at the pair.

Before long, Kaien got to the end of the photos and finally explained to Yuki why she was there. The Night Class would have been back at The Mood Dorms for little over three hours by now, but Kaien had given Miu permission to take the dress selections she'd promised Akane to the dorms, with Yuki acting as escort.
"Kaname is already aware and has told Miss Nakamura to expect visitors. He said she's still adjusting to the new sleeping pattern, so it shouldn't be too much of an issue. But you two make sure you leave quickly," he added, sternly wagging his finger. "Akane's going to need her rest. She still has school this evening."
"Yes, Sir!" Miu saluted as she and Yuki collected the bags of shoes, accessories, makeup and dresses, and left the office.

Akane was excited. Anyone could see by the way she paced in the lobby with a jump in her step. Every little sound drawing her eye to the doors. Aido sat in the chairs watching her with amusement. He was exhausted but couldn't have passed up a chance to see what dresses Miu had chosen for Akane to wear to the ball.
"You're going to wear the floor out," he scolded good-naturedly. She frowned at him but smiled, displaying her happiness to get a chance to see her friend properly for the first time in two months. Their time at the changeover consisted of little more than a greeting and a parting. There was just no time for friendly conversation most of the time, and Akane missed it.

A scent caught Akane's attention, and Aido saw as she finally stopped pacing and stared at the door. He sighed with a laugh, got to his feet, and walked to the door. He opened the door just as Yuki raised her hand to knock and grinned down at her surprised face.
"Akane!" Miu cried rushing passed the blond and prefect, dropping the bags she'd been carrying and flung herself at her friend. Yuki smiled and Aido sighed again but began collecting the fallen items and ushered Yuki inside, gesturing for her to follow him and put her heavy load down on the chairs.

Miu pulled back with a beaming smile to her friend, her hands fingering her hair.
"Your hair's grown." She was right. Akane's hair hadn't been cut since before Valentine's Day, now, it reached her mid-back rather than the shoulder blade length she'd been used to.
"You saw me at the changeover every day, and you only just noticed?" Akane jibed back with a grin. The pair turned to the third and fourth wheels, currently waiting patiently to be asked to join the conversation when suddenly Miu gasped.
"What's he doing here?" she said, pointing accusingly at Aido who looked around confused before pointing at himself and cocking his head to the side. "He can't see them!" Miu went on, gesturing at the dresses and mountain of accessories she'd brought.
"Aww, but Miss Miu, I've stayed up to help," Aido complained.
"Nope!" Miu denied unapologetically, folding her arms, and shaking her head. "This is girl time, and besides, I want it to be a surprise."

Aido looked at Akane pleadingly, but she just grinned and waved at him. He slumped and walked dejectedly up the stairs to his room, looking over his shoulder, with the saddest puppy-dog eyes Akane had ever seen.
"Couldn't he…?"
"No! You are not to be fooled by his cuteness!" Miu interrupted. Akane blushed and Aido sighed once more but left with a grin. The girls, eventually, finished their greeting and collected the outfits and followed Akane to her room. Miu gazed about the building in awe. It was a magnificent sight around every corner. A little dark, but that was because everyone who stayed here slept during the day. Who wants bright, cheerful walls when you're trying to sleep? Eventually, the three made it to Akane's room. She held the door for her guests and grinned proudly at the look on their faces when they saw her bed.

"Oh my gosh! You sleep on that?"
"Yep!" Akane replied as she put the bags down on the dresser while Miu put hers on the side of the bed, so she could run her fingers over the butterflies detailed on the bedposts.
"This is amazing, Akane. You're so lucky, you're smart!" she cried happily, but placed her hands over her mouth when she realised, she needed to be quiet to let people sleep. She had no idea she had woken most of the residents on this wing of the dorm.

Akane chuckled, glancing at Yuki. She frowned. Yuki didn't look amused she didn't look anything. Her face was blank as if she was completely lost in thought. Akane raised a brow. Here was the girl that had stood hopping from foot to foot one day, when Akane had been around her friends, her hands on her Vampire Killing Weapon for assurance. Now, here that same girl stood, in a room with a Vampire and a Human, who had no idea about Vampires and she was spacing out?

"Cross?" she called, as Miu began bustling about and pulling out the shoeboxes and accessories. "You ok?" Yuki turned to her with a jump. She had been so far inside her head she hadn't even realised they were in another room. Her worries about her deal with Shizuka and Zero, taking up too much space for her to think of much else.
"Yes!" she answered quickly. "Yes, I'm fine. Just thinking." Akane nodded, accepting her answer. Yuki threw herself into the moment and made sure to keep her guard up for any wayward night students, looking to start trouble. Thankfully, the half-hour, she allowed Miu to spend, went by without incident.

They'd narrowed Akane's dress selection, down to two. A painstaking and frustrating endeavour, as Miu repeatedly tried to get Akane to be more daring with the cut or colour of the dressed. But their selection ended on two full-length dresses. A red one and a green one. Both had sleeves (though, the sleeves on the green dress were longer), and both fit Akane nicely and coordinated well with her natural colours. As they left the dorms, Akane stood at the door waving them off cheerfully. She hadn't given much thought to the ball, but now that the dress had been decided (almost), she was eager to spend quality time with her friends, and not have to worry about being a Vampire for a night. The week could not end fast enough!