The next day, Itachi returned to his previous hideout to collect a few things, and when he walked in the door, he found a familiar face waiting for him.

"So, when were you planning on telling me that you were starting a rebellion against the Eidolons?" his younger brother demanded, blocking the entrance hall with his arms folded over his chest, and piercing the elder with an offended look.

Itachi wasn't immediately forthcoming with a response, lips compressing as he looked over his companion with an impassive expression.

Sasuke hadn't changed much since they'd last seen each other; he was a little taller, and dressed a little more conventionally, but, otherwise, the same as ever. That was interesting, considering how long it had been.

"It's been a long time, Sasuke," he voiced his thoughts aloud by way of a greeting, deliberately disregarding the other's question.

Sasuke rolled his eyes at the typical lack of response.

"I don't believe that's an answer to my question, Itachi," he pointed out, his calm tone at odds with the sharp look in his onyx eyes.

Itachi met his gaze without blinking, lifting his shoulders slightly in a shrug.

"I wasn't the one who started this, but I decided to be a part of it because I had to-but you don't," he stated simply and unapologetically, his thin features remaining completely blank.

Sasuke shook his head.

"You still could have at least sent me a message or something, since it's been like what? Nearly a year since the last time we saw each other?" the younger shot back indignantly.

"I told you, Sasuke, your brother doesn't like bringing you into these things unless it's absolutely unavoidable," the voice of the night goddess spoke as she materialized out of the shadows to stand between them.

Both Uchihas turned toward her, Itachi arching a single midnight brow.

"I expect you were the one who told him about what we're doing with Hiwatari," he surmised in an almost frighteningly mechanical tone.

Tekla, however, seemed completely unaffected.

"I called him," she admitted honestly and without remorse. "I thought he should know, and I knew you wouldn't tell him yourself."

"Even if she hadn't told me, I would have found out sooner or later," Sasuke declared matter-of-factly. "Word's gotten out about your little showdown at Miyori street last night, and people have put it together about your rebellion; the general consensus is that you're going to fail."

"Well then, the general consensus is wrong," Tekla commented firmly, hands sliding into the pockets of her coat. "We have some of the Eidolons' most powerful enemies on our side, as well as one of their members and the legendary Vampire Lords."

"Well, I'll give you one more: I'm going to help," Sasuke started to offer, but Itachi cut him off.

"No," the elder said, an awful sort of finality in his tone.

Sasuke's head snapped toward him, nostrils flaring in obvious irritation.

"Why not?" he asked furiously, eyes blazing. "They owe me something, too, you know; they owe me for using me against you, and then, turning you into the monster who tortured me for all of those years. IF anyone's got a reason to be a part of this rebellion, it's me."

"Sasuke, this isn't-," Tekla started, but the younger Uchiha pressed on before she could finish, still addressing his brother.

"Come on, Itachi. I know the only reason you're trying to keep me out of this is because you want to protect me. But I can handle myself, and I want those bastards to pay for what they did, not only to me, but to you."

Itachi merely stared at him, giving him the peculiar sensation of being x-rayed; however, if he was uncomfortable, he didn't show it.

"It's not my decision," the elder stated finally after a long pause, tone flat and emotionless. He took a deep, slow breath before adding, "If you really want to be a part of this, you'll have to ask Hiwatari; he is the one leading this crusade."

Sasuke snorted at that, but, before he could comment, Itachi had already disappeared around him into the upper level of the building.

The younger Uchiha sighed, then, turned to Tekla. "Do you know where this Hiwatari is, then, so I can talk to him?"

Tekla inclined her head.

"Yeah, I can take you to him," she replied, beckoning him to follow her back out the door.

After leaving the still tied up and unconscious lamia in Kai's quarters-along with the mysterious substance Kaname had given him, the Panther went searching the compound for Kaiba.

He found the white dragon in a study at the far end of the middle floor, sitting behind a desk with a laptop open in front of him, his lean fingers tapping rapidly on the keys. He paused, however, when he saw Kanda entering.

"So, how did your attempt to take out the Noah of Wrath go?" Seto asked by way of a greeting, arching one of his thin bronze eyebrows.

"Che, I didn't come here to give you a report," Kanda snapped, a stern expression spreading over his pale features before he elaborated. "I don't trust Uchiha."

Seto's other eyebrow rose to join the first.

"Why?" he questioned mildly, sounding more as if he were wondering why Kanda was confiding in him.

Both answers came in Kanda's next statement.

"Because I know next to nothing about him," the Panther stated matter-of-factly. "Something I thought you might be able to help me rectify."

There was a brief silence, during which Seto steepled his fingers in front of his face and pressed his lips together, as if considering.

"I assume you have an idea of how to go about doing that?" he quipped finally, his light-skinned features still impassive.

Kanda wasn't used to this, having to convince someone to help him do something; he wasn't used to asking for help. But, unfortunately, he needed it.

"Yes. I heard that friend of Uchiha's mention that he used to work for the CIA under the handle Dark Angel, and I thought you might be able to use your computer skills to hack into one of their servers to see what they have on him," he proposed, watching the elder carefully for his reaction.

Unexpectedly, the barest trace of a smile curved Seto's lips at that.

"You're in luck, Kanda; it just so happens that I've wanting to break into the CIA's files for a while, and I've even created device that would imitate the voice of one of their directors." He went over to his briefcase in the corner of the room, opening it and pulling out the aforementioned device before mentioning the catch. "The only thing is we'll have to go to one of their headquarters to use it."

The Panther roamed the deserted CIA headquarters, undetected, with a single purpose in mind: finding the office of a specific director.

"Turn left at the end of the hallway, then there's an alarm that you're going to need to deactivate," a deep, deceptively neutral male voice instructed him through the communication device nestled in his right ear.

"Didn't I already deactivate the fucking main alarm?" Kanda growled irritably, keeping his voice low so it wouldn't register on the security cameras; he didn't trust that they were completely out of commission.

Static crackled in his ear as the man on the other end of the com let out what was obviously an exasperated sigh.

"Yes, Panther, you deactivated the main alarm; this is another one entirely. Remember, this is the CIA we're dealing with here," he explained patiently.

The samurai rolled his eyes as he turned into the aforementioned hallway to find, just as Kaiba had said, another glowing alarm box attached to the linoleum wall on his left.

"Same drill as the main one?" he said, withdrawing an odd-looking inverted screwdriver from one of his robe pockets.

He could practically hear the other man shaking his head before he corrected him in that same infuriatingly calm tone.

"No, this one is significantly more complicated," he declared. "But, if what I know about the Exorcists is correct, you should already know how to deal with it."

Kanda made a soft sound of annoyance, stowing the screwdriver back in his robes before turning his attention to the alarm he needed to disarm.

After a solid minute of scrutinizing it with narrowed eyes, the bluenette realized that he did, in fact, recognize the system-and he knew how to take care of it

He lifted the plastic casing off the keypad, and pressed the pound key twice before entering three simple letters: 'A.I.N.'

Dropping his hand, he looked at the blue screen in time to see two words in large white lettering flash across it "SYSTEM DISARMED'.

At the same time, a laser field in the forthcoming transit flashed briefly into the visible spectrum before dissipating entirely. Kanda took a careful step forward; when nothing happened, he continued on his way to the office at the end.

The door was, oddly, unlocked, so Kanda was able to slip in without a sound; closing the door behind him, he headed straight for the desktop computer sitting atop the desk on the far side of the room.

Kaiba had informed him on the drive over that the computers were voice-activated, but it was still rather unsettling when the device seemed to sense his presence and spoke.

"State your name," it said in a cool, mechanical voice, completely void of inflection.

Kanda exhaled soundlessly, reaching into his pocket again and withdrawing a small recorder-like object that Kaiba had given him for this purpose. He held it in front of the speaker, and pressed the button to activate it.

"Michael Fletcher, CI#148759," a rough, New Jersey accent issued out of the mouth piece, even though it was Kanda standing there.

Kanda waited with bated breath while the computer verified the voice, gripping the device so tight his knuckles were probably turning white under his glove.

Finally, after what seemed like the longest moments of his life, the computer seemed to accept that identity, and spoke again in a lighter, more courteous tone. "Welcome, Director Fletcher. How may I be of assistance?"

The former assassin hit another button on the device, this one allowing him to disguise his own voice to sound exactly like Michael Fletcher's.

"Switch to manual control," he commanded, the software flawlessly transforming his harsh Japanese accent into that American drawl. "And mute all sound."

Once the computer went silent, Kanda set his fingers to work; he moved the cursor over the screen, clicking on the 'Personnel' file he found hidden in the start menu. An extremely extensive list began to upload, but, before Kanda could read any of the items on it, a second window popped up, declaring in bold, all capital letters: 'FILE ENCRYPTED. PLEASE ENTER AUTHORIZATION'.

"Kaiba," the Japanese man hissed out of the corner of his mouth. "There's an encryption here."

"Give me a minute," Kanda was treated to a faint rustling noise that lasted about 30 seconds before the white dragon supplied the solution. "Try 12/31/64."

Kanda raised an eyebrow, but obeyed, inputting the unfamiliar date on the keyboard and hitting the enter key.

The encryption block vanished almost instantly, and the list finished uploading, displaying the aliases of all of the CIA's members.

"I'm in," he told Kaiba lowly, beginning to scour the list for the name he wanted.

Luckily, there was a search bar, so Kanda was able to type in the specific alias he was looking for, and then, click on the only result.

He spent nearly a full minute, scanning the contents of the file for the Dark Angel. "What the fuck?" he said when he was finished.

"What did you find?" Kaiba questioned in his ear, sounding uncharacteristically concerned.

Kanda shook his head in disbelief. "Nothing," he said flatly-and that was the truth. Because, below the alias at the top of the file, the only other thing written on it, were two words:

'STATUS: DECEASED.'

He'd come here for answers but all he'd gotten were more questions; this time he was going to have to go straight to the source

"There's something you're not telling everyone."

Itachi didn't even move from his current position-sitting in a leather-backed chair in the center of his quarters with his eyes closed-when that low, harsh Japanese accent punctuated the silence. He didn't have to-he'd known this was coming.

"There are a lot of things I'm not telling anyone, Panther; to which are you referring?" he said dully, eyes veiled by his pale lids so it was impossible to tell what he was thinking.

Kanda didn't step out of the shadows, preferring to observe the Reaper from a distance while he expressed his grievances.

"Your past with the Vampire Lords: how did you get them to join Hiwatari's crusade? And why is Kaname Kuran is apparently risking fighting his own kind by protecting me in order to keep a promise he says he's made to you?"

The Reaper rose from his chair, finally opening his eyes; they were changing, obsidian irises bleeding into crimson, and pupils spinning, sharpening into two black blades.

Kanda started at the sight of those eyes; he knew them, the same way he knew about the Uchihas. It was the Mangekyo Sharingan, a power only those Itachi's bloodline could possess-and that would only be awakened through the act of killing one's best friend.

Before he could react, Itachi was right in front of him, and, even though they were same height, the other man loomed over him, those inhuman eyes consuming his vision until they were all he could see.

"This isn't something you want to pry into, Kanda," Itachi warned softly, black blades continuing to oscillate in an almost hypnotic manner as he looked down at Kanda, like he was straight into his core, and Kanda had to suppress a shiver-though he somehow managed not to let it show.

"Actually, yes, it is. So, how about you stop fucking around and answer my question-unless you want me to bring this whole 'secret identity' schtick of yours crashing down," the Panther retorted, using his irritation to cover how unsettled he really was by Itachi's stare.

The corners of Itachi's mouth twitched, as if to suppress a smile. "You're really not in a position to be threatening me, Yu."

A gloved hand closed around Kanda's throat, and he was pinned back against the wall, his feet dangling above the floor and his vision blurring as his air supply was caught off.

He glared into those swirling crimson pools, trying to keep his focus as black began to encroach on his eyes.

"Put. Me. Down," he commanded hoarsely with as much authority as he could muster while hanging from Itachi's hold like a rag doll.

Instead of releasing him, the grip on his throat tightened, and he gagged as a dark, sepulchral voice suddenly filled his head. "Would you like me to tell you about my past, Panther?"

It was a question, but the tone in which Itachi said it made it sound like a threat.

The lack of oxygen was making it difficult for Kanda to think straight, but he forced himself to concentrate and answer. "You know I do, asshole."

Kanda felt his heart skip a beat when Itachi lifted him higher off the floor, causing him to choke. "You may be strong enough to escape the Eidolons, but not even you can escape Death."

"You won't kill me," Kanda choked out with false confidence; truthfully, he had no idea if the elder would really kill him-he didn't know enough about him still, and he was too hard to read for Kanda to be able to tell.

Itachi seemed to sense the uneasiness he was trying to hide, and his eyes spun faster, pulsing like they had a mind of their own as his voice once again permeated Kanda's head.

"The King and the Knight are far more than my allies; the promise and ties between us go back nearly a decade."

As he spoke, Itachi's grip finally loosened, and he dropped the samurai back to the floor, where he collapsed gracelessly.

"Why ask the King to protect me? Why, when you don't even know me?" the other man asked sharply as he hastily worked himself into a more dignified position.

Itachi turned away from him, letting the black seep back into his irises and making his pupils return to normal.

"Oh, I know a lot more about you than you might think," he said enigmatically, not looking at Kanda as he swept a hand through his thick black bangs. "And, like I said, you may be strong enough to escape the Eidolons, but Kuran isn't protecting you only from them-he's protecting you from yourself, too."

Kanda's arm fell of his upraised knee, and his onyx orbs bored holes into the back of Itachi's head as he fought to conceal his shock; whatever he'd been expecting Itachi to say, it definitely wasn't that.

He swallowed hard. "What?"

"You heard me," Itachi stated flatly, apparently unwilling to repeat himself.

Kanda huffed.

"I heard you, I just-what the hell are you talking about?" the panther growled, folding his arms across his chest.

The Reaper was not immediately forthcoming with an answer this time, his silence cold and foreboding-especially considering the situation.

"The abilities that made Hiwatari seek you out for this crusade also makes you a danger; it can turn inward and destroy you," he explained quietly, still not turning around. And then, he did. "Now, the Vampires are also required to defeat the ghosts, so, I suggest you not refuse the King's help. He is not your enemy-and neither am I."

Kanda's eyebrows shot up.

"I'm sorry, did you not just threaten me? Because I don't think that's something a friend would do," he retorted sceptically, tone dripping with irony.

Itachi shook his head.

"I'm not your friend, either; I just don't want to see you destroy yourself."

"Is that because it's me, or because you just want to get rid of the Eidolons?" Kanda shot back, forehead creasing slightly.

This time, his only response was silence, and Itachi simply staring at him from behind his row of thin, charcoal lashes. But that wasn't going to work for him.

"I'm waiting," Kanda spread his arms in a gesture of impatience, pushing himself to his feet and leaning back against the wall.

Itachi inhaled deeply, closing his eyes again so Kanda couldn't gauge his emotions. "That's all I have to say to you, Panther. You can go."

The finality in his tone made it clear that he was done giving answers for one night.

Kanda rolled his eyes expressively.

"Fine," he sighed, throwing his gloved hands up in surrender, slipping his black Aviators back over his eyes and pshing himself off the wall. He turned and walked over to the door, but when he reached it, he stopped and cast a last look over his shoulder.

"You say you're not my friend, so why do you care if I end up destroying myself?" he questioned lowly, brows still furrowed.

Itachi kept his eyes closed, waiting until Kanda had already opened the door and was halfway through before declaring in an undertone, "It's not you I'm worried about."

Kanda let out another quiet scoff at that cryptic statement, walking out the rest of the way, and slamming the door shut behind him.

And, as soon as he was gone, Itachi dematerialized as well.

Kaname had known this was coming; he knew that Zero had recently overlooked the turning of a human, and he knew there was only one person who could make him do that.

And he knew it was going to be his turn next.

He didn't bat an eyelid when the hooded figured suddenly materialized in his path on the way home, nor when a familiar low, mellifluous voice punctuated the air.

"You and I have matters to discuss, Kuran."

Kaname halted, piercing the shadow with an unreadable stare.

"Yes, I believe we do," he agreed in a deceptively calm tone, maroon eyes boring holes into Itachi's face, their expression equally blank. "Zero told me what you had him do-and I can guess why: the Hiwatari boy trying to get revenge on the Eidolons and you adding us to the list of souls he puts at stake in order to get it."

Itachi lifted his chin, black coals swirling darkly beneath the rim of his hood.

"The two of you are necessary in order to defeat the ghosts-and to protect one of the others: he is a danger unto himself, and, if someone isn't watching him, his power could turn inward and destroy him, and everyone around him."

"And you want one of us to become his bodyguard," Kaname finished for him gaze narrowing as he took in what Itachi had said.

"The panther is also, as you might know, being sought after by every single one of the Eidolons, including the lamia who turned Kai Hiwatari," Itachi revealed vaguely, lips barely moving. "I think that merits him some special consideration from you, specifically."

Kaname's eyebrows arched at that last part.

"And why is that?" he questioned, his silky baritone betraying none of the consternation he was currently feeling.

Itachi took a slow, deliberate step forward, his face smooth and impassive, like white marble.

"Because Kiryu's already made an Oath of a different kind to me, and I think, given your position, this one is more suitable for you."

It was an unfamiliar feeling, being frustrated at a lack of explanation from someone-usually, Kaname was the one making a person feel that way, instead of feeling it himself. As such, though, he knew that he wasn't going to get any more than that from the Reaper, and even though he was wary of consenting to this, he knew he didn't have a choice.

"I don't suppose you know the name of this lamia?" he replied after a brief pause, affecting disinterest.

The corners of Itachi's pale mouth just barely twitched as he responded.

"Raymond Kon."

As Kanda exited Itachi's quarters, rubbing his throat, he felt even more frustration than usual. He definitely wasn't used to dealing with people whom he couldn't intimidate; he was even less used to dealing with people more closed off and stubborn than he was.

He hadn't gotten what he wanted from the Reaper-and, after the encounter they'd just had, he trusted him even less than before. There was no way he was going to be able to work with him-at least, not until he got some answers.

An idea struck him, then; there was somewhere else he could go for information on Itachi, since the man himself wouldn't tell him anything.

Exhaling heavily, the Panther turned and transported himself out of the compound.

He arrived inside a small, slightly rundown house a few miles out of town, startling the other, white-haired boy there.

"Damn it, Kanda, don't do that!" the younger exclaimed resentfully, holding a hand over his chest in affected shock.

When Kanda didn't say anything, Allen raised an eyebrow, and he dropped his hand, turning around to search the other man's face with a frown.

"You look like you want to ask me something."

"I do," Kanda confirmed in a low voice, inclining his head. He inhaled soundlessly before elaborating, "I know Mikk and the snake told you about the Reaper, and I want you to tell me what they know."

His companion's other eyebrow rose to join the first in bemusement. "Why?"

"Because he's supposed to be a part of this crusade of Hiwatari's, too-and I don't know if I can trust him. There's something not quite right about the way he seems to have power over people like the Vampire Lords," Kanda stated, meeting Allen's questioning gaze evenly. "That enough reason for you, moyashi?"

The shorter rolled his eyes at the familiar, hated nickname.

"More than enough, BaKanda," he retorted mockingly, pausing, and shifting his tone into a more serious one before granting Kanda's request.

"I assume you know he was the snake's most prized pawn while he still worked for him?" he asked; when Kanda nodded, he added, "Well, there were many reasons for that, chief among them being the fact that the Vampire Lords were indebted to him because he helped them claim their thrones and awaken their powers. Since he did that, he can ask as many favours from them as he pleases, and they have no choice but to grant them."

"Moreover, if what Mikk said is true, he was the one to recruit all of the Noah, and the one to convince Orochimaru to murder your parents and go after you."

The silence after Allen finished was incredibly tense; he could tell that Kanda was, understandably seething with mixed rage and horror, and he could see the samurai's jaw working furiously to contain his anger-but apparently, it didn't work.

"I'll kill him," the panther snarled, a vein pulsing lividly in his temple as he whipped around and stormed toward the door.

Mugen rattled violently in its sheath as his hand closed around the handle, but then, he stopped, tilting his head back toward Allen.

"Thank you for telling me the truth, Allen," he stated quietly, before exiting the house again in a huff.

After the door had closed behind him, Allen reached inside his pocket and pulled out his silver Blackberry, pressing and holding the #2.

"Did he take the bait?" a high, breathy voice asked when the line picked up.

Allen nodded, even though he knew the other person couldn't see him.

"He did exactly what you said he would, and if things progress the way they should, the Panther will be yours again before this battle is finished, my Lord."

A sinuous chuckle crackled in his ear.

"Excellent," the Eidolons' leader declared with unconcealed relish.