A/N: Okay so here's where I kinda start to mess around with things in the series, remember that OP Zero thing I was talking about? Yeah, that comes into play the most in this chapter and again I apologize for it. Another thing to note is I did make Shizuka, Rido and the Chairman of the association all kinda 'Kiryuu obsessed' but for different reasons than the original manga series (duh). If you don't like that you're welcome to kinda just skip most of this chapter, it does explain a little more about the Compound and why it may not be the best place to be but you'll also get an in-depth look at that later on. I know, I keep saying 'this will be explained later' and 'that'll make sense in later chapters' I promise it actually all really will, just...later on. Anyway, I hope you guys forgive me for my real strong god-modding in this chapter and enjoy anyway. ~Len
Ch. 8: Silverblood
"Zero, it's good to see you so soon after I had Yari give that message to Kuran-san. I trust you know why you are here?" The Chairman greeted the silverette.
"To discuss when I will move to the compound in order to truly start preparing for war." Zero replied as he leaned against the window and let his eyes close. A gesture the Chairman took to mean the boy was relaxed and willing to listen. A phenomenon that didn't often happen.
"Yes, normally you would go to the compound a month before actual wartime but this war is different and you've never awakened to full Silverblood. I would like to send you sooner because of this fact." The elder hunter started as he looked at the younger still at the window.
"How much sooner? I still need to finish preparing the assassins." Zero pointed out opening his eyes and staring back at the Chairman.
"I would like to send you a month early in order to let you fully practice and train with the power of Silverblood. It will give you time to do more missions with the assassins and train them harder. If it is needed you can take the assassins to the compound with you but they will not be allowed to stay overnight." The older proposed though his voice hardened towards the end of his proposition. Zero's eyes narrowed and hardened at the man supposed to be his superior.
"I do not wish to bring them anywhere near that place just as the rules apply to everyone else. It is too dangerous for even them. I will go a month early but the first month I won't be doing hard training and I am going to halve the missions I have now." He replied leaving little to no room for argument as he did with his students.
"If you halve your missions there will only be more work when you come back from this." The Chairman pointed out to which Zero nodded.
"I will do them when I come back then, as far as I'm concerned this meeting is over." Came the answer before the teen walked out of the room and back to Takuma and Kaito who were still waiting.
"Welcome back." Kaito nodded to him to which Zero nodded back and turned to Takuma.
"I believe we're done here, let us return to the academy." He announced, the blonde smiled and nodded, waiting to ask the outcome of the meeting until they were in the car.
By the time the two walked into the moon dorms once again, it was just beginning to dawn and most of the night class was asleep or heading there. Takuma decided to speak with Kaname the following evening while Zero was gone on a mission once again. The two walked up the stairs and headed to their respective rooms with a nod to one another. After he got inside Zero collapsed against the door gasping for air but trying to remain as quiet as possible. 'Why is this happening right now?!' He bit back a silent scream and clenched his eyes tightly trying to wait out the pain.
"Should I go get Kaname-sama for you?" A calm voice sounded causing Zero's eyes to snap open again and stare in the direction of the last vampire he expected to be in his room if any were dumb enough to stay in there in the first place. Gripping the floor and clenching his eyes once again until the pain subsided and he could move again he turned to face the noble.
"Why, of all nobles, are you in my room of all places?" He questioned, though continued to move about and prepare to sleep.
"I was asked to check in on you for Kaname-sama, now are you going to tell me what I just saw or will you be stubborn about it?" Aido questioned back as Zero turned and headed into the bathroom to change.
"It's really none of your or Kuran's business, you can tell him I said that, and I don't need a babysitter." The silverette answered in a low growl.
"Very well, but I can't leave just yet. I have questions for you." The small blonde informed, watching Zero's every move with calculative eyes.
"You can't wait until morning?" Zero sighed as he filed through the stack of sorted missions he put together.
"No, it can't, since you're leaving tomorrow for a mission as I heard Takuma say." Aido answered pointedly. Once again Zero sighed and nodded eventually while he opened one of the missions and signed off on it paying next to no attention to Aido as he read over the given information. "It's true that hunters come from vampires initially right? Like your long past ancestors or something." The noble questioned.
"Something like that yes." Zero mumbled in reply. Aido mentally growled at the unhelpful answer but he couldn't do anything to the silverette without ruining everything for Kaname-sama.
"Do any hunter clans know which vampire lineage they come from?" He continued on.
"Some do and some don't, others would never tell you if they do know." Came the answer along with a shrug, Aido huffed silently and crossed his arms.
"Do you know which clan your family is connected to?" The blonde whispered quietly, not wanting to make the silverette get defensive and kick him out early. Zero put the mission down and looked to Aido with guarded eyes.
"Even if I do know, there's no reason for me to tell you that kind of information." He responded though without anger or a tone of warning.
"What happened just now when you walked in?" His question hung in the air between the two and Aido noticed Zero's body stiffen slightly.
"It's not something easily explained and even if I was awake enough to give you a full lecture on it I wouldn't know how to. Let's just say it's complicated. Are we finished?" The hunter questioned, feeling this would get him nowhere with the other anymore Aido nodded.
"Yes, but only for now, whatever just happened and whatever is happening to you won't and can't stay hidden. Not from a building of vampires. You're not in the day class anymore Kiryuu." The noble reminded as he walked out and shut the silverette's door. Zero leaned back and closed his eyes for a while.
'Believe me, Aido, I'm well aware I can't hide from the night class. But before anyone knows the entirety of my background I will be either at the compound or already in war.' He thought before he collapsed into his bed and slipped into a dreamless sleep.
"So then, what have you all found?" Kaname questioned the three nobles he gave specific tasks to. The other nobles were also in the study room but stayed out of the conversation for the most part.
"I found that while all hunters come from vampire ancestry and lineage it seems that the Kiryuu Clan is the exception. There is no known record of where they come from. In every record, I could find it simply stated the Kiryuus were just there. They simply appeared as what the association refers to as 'true hunters'." Aido started off.
"They just appeared? How is that possible, hunters don't just appear on Earth without some sort of vampiric influence in the past." Ruka pointed out from her place on the couch.
"Either they were, and it is simply unknown what clan they are aligned with...or there is something else in the past that influenced their power and status as these true hunters." Takuma suggested from where he stood.
"What are you getting at Takuma?" Kain questioned as he became interested in the conversation
"As I was researching what little information has been documented on Silverblood I found something that peaked my interest." The noble began, pulling out a few papers from a file folder he was holding. The papers he put on Kaname's desk depicted four different beings. The first was of a man, looking like what Kaname assumed to be one of Zero's ancestors. Even without color on the pictures he could see the silver hair and signature lilac-amethyst eyes. The man stood, in a field of some sort, with an aura of pride and power given to the Kiryuu Clan. "This is the standard form or so the author called it, including this form which presents the clan member as a human with unnatural ability, there are four forms a Kiryuu can take on." He continued as Kaname put up the picture on the board behind him.
"And these forms are? What does it mean for us and the resident ex-human we have staying here?" Ruka pressed further, not that she cared what it all meant but it could be troublesome for Kaname-sama.
"Trust me, it means a lot, that new tattoo that's taking place of the one we're used to is the tattoo of the Kiryuu Clan and marks the beginning of their awakening period. And before you ask what that is, awakening is a period when they come to their full power and can change into all of their forms at will. Which brings me to the first form Zero-kun will most likely be training with." Takuma continued placing a picture on the board slightly above Kaname's picture he placed. This one of a girl, slender and with a fierce look in her eyes. Long hair draped down to her ankles and she looked powerful as any pureblood.
"But that's a girl Takuma, the first image is clearly male." Rima stated in monotone.
"Yes, well, I don't know why this is but in this form they are female. A female pureblood vampire to be exact." He replied turning back to look at wide eyes and a few open mouths.
"A female pureblood?! How is that possible!" Ruka sputtered out in shock.
"We don't know, there's no information on that specific part of all this." Takuma shrugged before putting up another picture across from the pureblood. This one had a rather evil feeling to it even just from the picture. The being was back to being male, but his hair was black, his eyes were black and he had wings like an angel only black and surrounded by falling black petals.
"That doesn't look like something to mess with..." Shiki mumbled from the couch with a couple others nodding.
"It's not, this is what they call the dark side of Silverblood or, in other words, and ultra vampire hunter assassin that can rival quite literally any force. Not much is known of this form but it's largely a power desired by many. He is not partial to either vampire or hunter. Anything or anyone he decides is an enemy he can and will destroy. This form is also known as the 'Ultimate Weapon'. Anyone in alliance with a Kiryuu possessing this power could easily manipulate them into destroying and controlling the world in their favor." Takuma explained in a serious and somewhat small voice.
"That is what the Chairman of the association is trying to bring out through Kiryuu?" Kain stated more than asked but Kaname nodded anyway.
"What kind of war are they fighting to go to such drastic measures as needing that?" Aido wondered aloud, not even he would tease or pick a fight with Kiryuu if he was wielding that kind of power. It would be suicide.
"A group of vampires from a different area than here, though no one knows the full details." Kaname supplied with a mental sigh.
"Vampires from here or not they shouldn't need that much power for a war such as this." Takuma pointed out with a frown. "A pureblood would be more than enough power to end a war with most vampires no matter where they're from unless..." He trailed off and his eyes grew wide and worried.
"Unless what Takuma?" Kaname prompted with a growing unease at the noble's expression.
"What if they don't need that power at all but the Chairman is making it sound like they do in order to get behind the power of Silverblood?" He asked and left the question in the air.
"The Chairman would be able to control everything and anything or anyone he wanted to." Shiki replied solemnly.
"You know, now that I think about it, I once heard Kiryuu asking why he was the only one left alive to suffer from Hio's attack on the clan. Would it not make sense that she too was after the idea that controlling him would allow her to control Silverblood? His parents were too powerful and would never align with a mad pureblood, Ichiru, as we know, was most likely too weak to possess any of the strength she wanted, but she could use him to get to Zero. With Zero being as young as he was she could have easily bonded and put him under her entire control as purebloods often do with human or vampire pets." Kain chimed in after thinking back on all the information he now knew.
"Takuma, what is the fourth form the Kiryuus have?" Rima asked suddenly. The blonde put up the final picture above all the others. Once again it was a man standing there but his hair was light and he had bright angelic wings spread out behind his back. A bow and arrow were in his hands and a sword was attached to his left hip.
"This, the final form, is said to be more powerful than all the others combined. It's called the 'True Form' or so the texts say. The power held is that akin to an all-powerful angel. This power will range and grow depending on which member of the family is descended from which position in the archangel royal family." Takuma replied in awe.
"So that, is the power Shizuka, Rido, and the Chairman of the association are after. If that man gets a hold of Zero's power it could be detrimental to us." Kaname stood but paused when Seiren stepped out from the shadows of the wall.
"If that is the case, then we need to stop Kiryuu-kun from going to the compound for that reason and more." She stated, once again grabbing everyone's attention.
"What are the other reasons?" Kaname asked though he did not take his seat again.
"The compound as we know is an isolated place where the Chairman will 'watch over' the progress of Silverblood. However, that involves nightly beatings, starvation, unusual cruelty and what they call 'breaking spirit'. Meaning that by the time Kiryu-kun steps onto that battlefield he will be only a weapon to be used and in abeyance of anything and everything the Chairman wants. Thus the reason for it being an isolated area no one knows of and the reason the Chairman is the only one who can come and go as he pleases." She supplied, surprising the others with how much she could actually talk in one go. What she said also raised quite a lot of concern about what would happen to the hunter at the compound.
"Do you think Kiryuu knows of the Chairman's intentions?" Takuma asked just to get the question out in the open.
"It's hard to say, Kiryuu is not one to be controlled and we all know that but he may be acting as though he knows nothing in order to play his own game with the Chairman." Kaname replied. "For now we wait and watch, there's nothing we can do as thing are, until we have more information it's best if we act as though we don't know anything." The pureblood decided, to which all the nobles complied.
A/N: Alright well now you know why I apologized in the beginning right? Lol. I forgot for a bit that I had the whole Zero and Aido meeting session in there, that'll continue in a later (there I go again) chapter. Other than that, I hope this chapter wasn't the worst thing you've ever read? That's all I'm going for in this one, the next chapter will feature more of Kaito and Zero's relationship and touch on some of Zero's darker thoughts of himself so just beware of that. I suppose I should just kinda give a trigger warning now and I will at the beginning of chapter 9 (wow 9 chapters...where is my life going?) just to let you all know now because it does come up pretty quick. Better be safe than sorry. That's all for now, thanks for reading I appreciate you all! ~Keep Calm and Fanfiction On~