A/N: Well it's been a little while since I've uploaded on here, I think it's about time we start to really wrap this story up right? My only notes on these last few chapters are that this story is going to get very ahh fantastical, AU to a limit I'm not sure was the best choice but I don't write my stories my stories write themselves and this is what happened. I apologize if things get a little OP here and there and that I twisted so many original vines that it's kind of a completely different from what the OG knowledge of the VK universe and characters are. Again I apologize for it going so fanatical but it needed to happen for this story to wrap up. Other than that I'm glad to be back and posting, I hope you guys all enjoy. ~Len
Ch. 15: A Plan in Action
'Best to keep clear of her I think.' Aido noted to himself as he looked between the seven hunters standing by the door of the pureblood's study. Four females and three males in total, Zero himself made an even split at eight. 'I wonder if that's significant in any way to the structure of how the TAU is formed or works...' The blond duly wondered to himself.
"Do you have a general plan laid out already?" Kaito questioned though he could guess the answer was yes. Zero was always one to have a plan made before they even went on a mission, his students were doubtfully much different. They were taught by Zero to excel after all.
"Yes we do, likely it will take four days to complete the distraction to the effect that Zero-sensei will be able to leave the compound without any issues. The first two days we will hold a stakeout in order to learn the routine of the Chairman and guards. On the third day we begin a methodical ridding of the guards so by the fourth day the Chairman will need to leave the compound grounds and Sensei will feel safe enough to leave."Another one of the boys explained as he pushed up a pair of metal framed glasses. Kaito raised an eyebrow but didn't question their plan.
"By a 'methodical ridding of the guards' you mean you're going to begin killing them off quietly..." Shiki stated more than asked but the seven hunters nodded to him nonetheless.
"Is that the best way about it do you think?" Ruka questioned, she didn't really want to be involved in hunters killing each other.
"Yes, seeing as that is part of what we do it makes the most sense. It will be the fastest way to get the Chairman to leave the grounds, even if he knows we're there he won't bother trying to go against us. Of course with that confrontation possibility, it would be best for you as vampires to keep clear of the area after the third day." The first girl spoke up again gaining a nod from Kaito as well.
"Where should we go in that case?" Kain asked, turning to look at Zero's students, they held an air of pride and power around them but nothing he could call cocky or boastful. They were simply powerful and mysterious.
"We will have you lead to the estate in order to prepare for when Luna-san arrives. Kaito-san will accompany you there as well. One of us will lead you there and invite you into the estate so you're not killed." Another one of the girls spoke up with a sweet smile. Ruka suppressed a slight shiver at the thought but said nothing. They were working with assassins, some bloodshed was to be expected at some point.
"Very well, I'm sure that won't be an issue, we will do our best to prepare for Luna-san's arrival at the estate." Kaname assured the group with a slight nod.
'Kaname-sama, we have arrived at the location of the compound. Kiryuu-kun has been taken inside as of a few minutes ago.' Seiren's voice sounded in Kaname's head.
'Thank you Seiren, please inform me of any possible changes until I arrive.' The pureblood responded, he didn't expect to get an affirmative; Seiren would do his bidding without him needing to know that. "It seems they have gotten to the compound, Kiryuu-kun is being settled inside no doubt." Kaname announced to the group before him.
"Yes, which means we should go prepare for when we leave tomorrow." One of the girls, with silvery eyes, stated more to the other hunters who nodded.
"I agree, we shall take our leave for the evening, we will meet you all by the gates of the academy at the dawning of the moon." The first girl spoke again, not giving the vampires time to reply before she and the other six students vanished into thin air as quietly as they had entered the room.
"What an interesting group of kids..." Shiki noted, breaking the silence that hung in the air after they had left. Takuma and a couple others couldn't help but agree.
"Interesting nothing! They're little inhumane creeps!" Ruka blurted, she had caught the eye of multiple students and none of them gave her a good feeling. They were so hard to read and the one girl talked like she had been possessed by something.
"I think that's a bit of an overreaction even for you. They're hunters and on top of that they're higher classed than any elite, they know what they're doing and we should be trusting them with everything. They're not normal but you've seen how much they care for Zero, they'd literally flip the world on its head for him." Kaito rolled his eyes, noble vampires tended to be so overdramatic, it would be comical if he didn't have to deal with them on a daily basis.
"Let us all get some rest, after all, we were told to meet the TAU at moonrise so we can leave and get to the compound in a timely manner." Kaname stepped in before there could be an argument started between Ruka and Kaito. Frankly he could see both sides of that argument, and it would do nothing for them to be in a fight as they were supposed to be working together. Without another word Kaito took his leave of the moon dorms as the vampires bowed to their leader and moved to their respective rooms. Kaname stood, glancing out the window one last time to the setting moon and sighed before he too retired for the day.
Seiren watched as the Chairman made his way outside of the compound to talk to another hunter, likely hoping to be out of earshot of Zero. Deciding to take advantage and slip around to a small window that looked into the silverette's room Seiren noted the lack of anything decent in the place. The bed, if you could call it that, where the teen was currently laying, was a thick metal slab suspended a foot or so off the floor. The floor itself was a similar cold steel as were the walls and though she assumed there was a door it wasn't openable from the inside. 'He's literally living in a prison cell.' She thought, noting that there had been no food provided either. 'And he's being starved of both blood and regular food.' Really the noble was surprised he could survive longer than a couple weeks without anything. Her eyes narrowed as the teen sat upright and closed his eyes, nearly in a meditative position, and things started to change. The room got darker, Zero himself started to change, silver hair turned black and once lilac-amethyst eyes opened again to be black. A swell of power surrounded the area, sinister power that felt as though it would lash out at anyone that gets close without mercy. "Black Rose..." She whispered, hoping not to catch the attention of the skilled assassin; the being just sat there, however there was a tense air around him. As though fighting an internal battle with someone or something. Deciding it was best to stop peaking, Seiren returned to her perch in the trees to wait for the arrival of Kaname and the others.
"So this is the place huh? Damn, we really are out in the middle of nowhere." Kaito's voice sounded just a ways from the building.
"So it seems that way. We must go find stakeout positions now." One of the hunters announced before the seven of them split up to scout the area.
"Fast workers aren't they?" Aido mused with a flat look.
"They have to be for their job as a unit. Besides, it's best we do this as quickly as possible." Kaito reminded the noble as he set to work on charming his knives.
"What are we supposed to be doing here anyway?" Ruka questioned as she looked around, it seemed to her that the hunters had everything under control as it was.
"Find the spies, and silence them. There will be quite a few since the Chairman is here so frequently. Wipe their memories and get them out of the area before anyone here is noticed." One of the girls, Ruka assumed to be the oldest of the group replied from somewhere off to the side. The rose eyes noble sighed mentally but didn't complain and set off with Rima to search for spies. Kain and Aido paired off as well and headed in the opposite direction as Takuma and Shiki left in another direction. Kaname motioned to Seiren for her to join the search as he took off into the sky.
"Is it really ok just to leave a hunter out like this? I mean they could be attacked and killed out here." Takuma questioned looking down at the unconscious spy below them.
"They're hunters, we're not helpless even when unconscious or incapacitated. In a couple of minutes you'll feel her power create a shield to protect her from any outside threat until she wakes and can return to the association." One of the hunters explained as she popped out of nowhere next to the spy. Takuma had to keep himself from jumping in shock when she started speaking.
"I see, well I suppose it's better than killing them all." The blond mumbled, turning back to ask the girl her name but she had already vanished without a trace. 'These hunters really are something else.' He thought shaking his head slightly.
"I wonder...where Kiryuu-kun stays in this place." Shiki voiced quietly looking at the box in front of them.
"I don't know, it hardly looks like a place that would have any decent living spaces." Takuma agreed as he looked around the grounds. The duo, having not seen any other spies, decided to go back and join the rest of the group who had started gathering together ahead of them.
Zero could feel Black Rose wanting to lash out at the guards that stood by his door. They didn't know they were in serious danger of course and it wasn't like Zero could tell them he had majority control of Silverblood, but parts of him wished he could keep even them out of the way. There was something wrong however, he had spent two days in the compound thus far and for two days he was weakening much faster than he should just from beatings, starvation and constant fighting. 'What the fuck is happening?' He questioned himself as he coughed and laid back down. It wasn't as though he was getting sick, he couldn't after all, but whatever was happening was hindering his ability to keep control over his magic and his senses. 'I need to get out of here soon...very soon before something goes really wrong.' The guards that usually outside his nearly non-existent door he noticed had been pulled away.
"We need to get back to the association for a couple of hours, the spies will tell me if anything changes here." The Chairman's voice sounded, catching Zero's attention.
'If they're leaving I could slip the spies as Luna and head back to the Kiryuu estate.' The silverette decided, closing his eyes and honing in on changing to his pureblood form. Upon reaching that state Luna looked around for the spies and found there were none. For whatever reason they were gone. With a slight smile she looked for the one weak spot in the walls and hit it hard enough to break. Leaving a hole that lead to the underground labyrinth the Kiryuu Clan had created as a way to escape the Compound if it was ever needed.
"Sensei is gone, likely headed towards the estate. Kuran-san, it's time you and the others were taken there." The eldest, as the night class learned, hunter of the group of students explained suddenly as she turned towards the night class students.
"And who will be taking us there?" Kaname questioned, after a brief pause Taiyo stepped forward in front of the group.
"I will Kuran-san." He stated after gaining nods from the others around him. "We shall get going immediately, Luna-san will likely be resting when we arrive. Please do your best to keep up." The young hunter added on as he prepared himself slightly. A few eyebrows raised in question at the request of keeping pace but shortly realized that size was quite deceiving as Taiyo took off before them and quickly vanished ahead. The vampires didn't have time to waste and sprinted after the young boy.
'I figured he'd be fast but this is a bit more than just speedy.' Aido grumbled in his head as he kept up alongside Kain and Ruka. Only slightly ahead of them were Takuma, Shiki and Rima with Kaname in front and Taiyo still a ways ahead of the pureblood leading the way.
'Never thought I'd envy the speed of a hunter before, a child no less. I wonder how fast Zero truly is if this is his student.' Takuma wondered as he kept a sharp eye on his leader and the hunter when he could. To his immense surprise Kaito was also keeping pace with them. And he was supposed to be normal in the way of elites. 'Hunters are quite remarkable.' The blonde thought as they kept running in silence.
By the time the group reached the estate the vampires, and Kaito, were breathing hard. With the exception of Kaname, Seiren, and Taiyo who were used to such distances at high speeds the group was collapsed against the gates trying to catch their breath. "I'm surprised you have such low stamina for noble vampires." Taiyo spoke eventually which earned him a few glares cast in his direction. With a shrug he turned and pricked his finger on a small knife, allowing the drop of blood to fall onto a sensory plate which lit up the fence with an electric blue field. "I formally invite the night class of Cross Academy and Takamiya Kaito into the Kiryuu Estate." He announced before the gates opened and allowed the group to enter its grounds.
"Wow..." Rima couldn't help but let the exclamation escape her as she looked around at the elegance of the place. The estate itself was a pure white but when the light of the moon hit it just right it looked as though diamonds covered the entire wall. The steps leading up to golden trimmed with silver were marble and glinted with a soft amethyst tint. The grounds around them were well kept with stone fountains and gardens that stretched for miles. Every inch of grass was cut perfectly, there wasn't a dead petal among the variety of flora and fauna that enhanced the outside.
"This place is quite beautiful." Takuma praised as he looked around again before stepping inside to a hall of pristine beauty. The floors were coated in silver, the walls decorated with roses of lilac amethyst and pillars of opalescent white. Everything was so fitting to the Kiryuu family color scheme it felt unreal. 'Then again, the Kiryuu Clan itself is quite the enigma.' The level B noble mused as he spotted an old family portrait hanging on the wall. The beauty of a Kiryuu was something envied even by vampires who were supposed to be akin to godlike.
"The Kiryuu Clan has put a lot of work into every part of this estate to fit them to an unreal perfection." Taiyo explained as he lead the group through the halls to a staircase that seemed to reach up to heaven itself and was made out of glass.
"I assume Luna-san is at the top of those stairs?" Kaname questioned with a glance to the young hunter. The boy nodded and began to ascend upwards to their final destination.
"While we are here, since we don't know how long that will be yet, you all will live on the third floor from the top. I will show you to your separate rooms before we visit Luna-san." He explained after he stopped and stepped onto a balcony branching off to the left. The others followed and were given the keys to their respective rooms before Taiyo lead them to the top in order to see the pureblood-hunter. Taiyo didn't bother knocking and instead simply opened large silver doors to reveal the expanse of the silverette's room. Off to the very far left, beside a balcony, was a bed which held the pureblood. Her breathing was labored and something about the air around her asked for help, told them she wasn't well and couldn't properly help herself. Kaito immediately went into what Zero called 'mother mode' and checked the vampire's vitals before he moved to the large prominent issued such as the blood-soaked clothing on her arms and torso. The lacerations on her legs and the bleeding indents where she had been shackled at the wrists and ankles.
"Because she wasn't there long the wounds aren't infected or in danger of being lethal, but there are some charms stopping her from being able to heal and there's something else but...I don't know what it is yet." Kaito listed out after a couple of seconds though no one was sure if he was speaking to them or himself.
"What can we do to help?" Takuma questioned immediately once the hunter had finished his analysis.
"We're going to need bandages, someone run a warm bath, she'll need a new set of clothes, some water and food as well. Until she is able to heal herself we can't afford to let her out of the estate." Came the ordered response; the vampires started moving in a frenzy, compelled by instinct to help a fallen pureblood, in order to get all Kaito had requested.
"I'm going to set some charms around the house to keep the smell of blood nonexistent in more than just this room." Taiyo announced before he left the room and his beloved Sensei.
'What the hell did that bastard do to you to make you so weak?' Kaito questioned sadly as the cloth he was using to clean the pureblood was soaked once again in her rare crimson lifeline. The vampires had insisted on watching Kaito tend to his friend, he let them help wrap all of her cuts and gashes if just to make the process go faster. Taiyo walked back in as Kaito was laying Luna back down on clean sheets in her bed. The young hunter went to the bathroom and got a comb he knew his Sensei liked before sitting at her bedside and beginning to comb through silver tresses. As a pureblood, Luna's hair reached her ankles and though still toned with muscle her frame was thinned quite a bit. She looked angelic and untouchable in a way most couldn't fully fathom.
"Do you think she will wake up soon Kaito-san?" The question sounded juvenile coming from such an able hunter but Kaito knew Taiyo was quite young and truly looked up to Zero as family. His innocently worried question only confirmed how much the situation was truly scaring him.
"I certainly hope so, but Luna-san also needs quite a lot of rest to be able to heal well. I'm sure she'll wake in a day or two though. She's never been one to stay down long. Even when she should." The older hunter half mused as he continued to watch his friend's face for any unconscious expressions of pain. "Do you know when the others will be back?" Kaito questioned after a brief moment.
"If everything goes according to plan then either tomorrow or the evening after. They'll be making a hologram replica of Sensei and set it up to move and act according to the Chairman. That way Sensei will have a little more time to recover." Taiyo responded without a break in concentration on combing out Luna's hair.
"I see, you guys really did think of everything when it came to helping her out of the compound." Kaito praised as the other nodded and the vampires continued watching in silence. 'I hope you're able to come back to these kids Zero, they really are something special.' He thought with an inner smile. Even with such a simple task like combing hair, so much concentration and care went into every fraction of a moment.
"I believe I will retire for the evening, we shall be up early tomorrow in order to replace those bandages and re-tend to any wounds." Kaname announced to the room before he and Seiren headed for the door with the other vampires following behind after giving nods to the two hunters that seemed content in staying just as they were by Luna's side.
"The hunters are quite attached to each other." Aido observed once the group made it to their floor and were in their shared rooms.
"I assume you have to be with a situation such as theirs. I mean the association Chairman sounds like a real pain to deal with for everyone and naturally you'd need a support system." Kain replied to his cousin as they readied themselves for bed. Aido hummed distractedly in agreement. "What are you thinking about?" Kain questioned, usually when his cousin was lost in thought he was devising a plan for Zero's demise.
"There was something off about the smell in Luna-sama's room. I've smelled something similar before but I just can't figure out what it is." The blond responded clearly still half in thought.
"You're right, there was something strange about the air now that I think about it...I'm surprised you actually called her formally. Even I don't really know how to address a hunter turned level D turned pureblood." Kain mused. The events in the Kiryuu teen's life had honestly confused the living fangs off him.
"She is currently a pureblood and even though he was or...is Kiryuu she still deserves high respect. I believe Kaname-sama addresses her familiarly now too. We should do the same as his nobles Akatsuki." Aido responded so much so Kain wondered if his cousin had been cloned and replaced with a far less judgemental blond.
"Yes, I suppose you're right Hanabusa she should treat Luna-sama as we do any other pureblood. Even if she isn't a full-time pureblood." The older cousin agreed with a nod. It had been a long day of travel, and the next day there was more to do in order to tend to Luna. Even so, there was so much that they were thinking about it was hard for the nobles to actually get a decent night's sleep.
A/N: Alright well there you have it, chapter fifteen! Like I said things get a little wonky and odd and again I'm sorry for it but I hope you guys enjoy this fic honestly and if you have any (helpful) critisizms please to let me know. I do read and reply to every comment I can and I do take everyone's feedback into consideration for the future. Speaking of the future do you think I should keep working on VK fics? I do have quite a few more or I can switch gears and go a different route. Other animes, mangas, different pairings, a heterosexual couple every now and then or some actual smut etc. Please let me know, you help my inspiration a ton and I want to write what you want to read. Until then, I hope everyone had a wonderful holiday and New Years, a good break if you're in school still and some time off with your family and loved ones if you're not. Always rememeber to ~Keep Calm and Fanfiction On~ Len