This was the second time in my life that I was afraid of sleep, dreams more specifically. The first time was… well it was in another life. As my sister used to say, it's the feeling of powerlessness or rather lack of control in real life that manifests as lack of control in dreams, and she was as good as a shrink. Well she was a biochemist, but apparently her Govt. project involved working closely with shrinks! In this case though, it's not just the manifestation of my paranoia, but I was actually vulnerable to the control of a supervillain in my sleep! Ok, maybe I should dispense with the melodrama and do something about it, get some control back in my life.

So, when I woke up for the umpteenth time to the glare of the morning sun and found myself more tired than ever, I decided not to prolong my suffering and start the morning early.

After my morning ablutions and a session of Yoga, I headed downstairs right on time for breakfast. As the chairman's guest, I usually had my breakfast with him, his adopted daughter and his ward. But this morning was marked by the inconspicuous absence of all but Yuki at the table. She was distracted, well more distracted than usual, didn't even notice me lost in her thoughts. I opened the fridge, deftly ignored the chairman's culinary experimentations and proceeded to make some scrambled eggs to go with the bread.

"I see the others are not here," I said.

"Oh Miss Jane, Good Morning" Yuki said with considerable less enthusiasm than usual. What was going on?

"Ah yes, they are not here today," she said picking on her food. "I mean the chairman is out of town and Zero… well Zero is indisposed." She caressed her neck. There was a bandage there.

Ah right. I forgot, last night was not only eventful for me. Yesterday she found out Zero was a vampire. Though I was a little hurt that she wouldn't confide in me.

"Indisposed, huh?" I said, "Don't worry, I will deliver the food to his room. You have to catch the morning classes, don't you?"

"Oh no, no need" Yuki hurried to say, "Actually he is sick. It might be contagious."

She was awfully eager to keep me away from him. He wasn't having trouble controlling his thirst, was he? Talking about control, I should probably consult the chairman regarding my own situation.

I had avoided the chairman in case he started asking questions about my origin. But now this could not be put off for long.

"So, the chairman was out of town, hun?" I said serving the dishes. "Where could he go on such a short notice?" Where could he go leaving behind his injured and hurt daughter?

"He didn't say," Yuki said, "But I think he got some urgent mail this morning."

"And he left immediately?"

"Yes."

"Must be some urgent mail." Or a summons to the Hunter Association Headquarters. They did summon him to inquire about Zero's condition, didn't they? Looks like, I would have to wait to talk with him.

"Say, Miss Jane," Yuki started, "You teach the Night Class, right?"

"Uh-huh." I said chewing on my food.

"How are they...? In class I mean. Will they accept Zero?" Ah, so that was her concern.

"It's not about whether they will accept Zero, more like if Zero would accept them." I said. "Why? Is he transferring to Night class?" She flinched. Unlike others, I knew the Night Class were vampires. Which meant I also knew or suspected why Zero might transfer there.

"If he doesn't want to go there, you could always ask Kaname not to transfer him there," I said without elaborating on her suspicions.

It's not that I didn't want Zero in Night Class, it's just that I wanted to avoid the fights and ego clashes that would inevitably ensue. I already had my hands full with the vampires.

"Why would he listen to me?" Yuki looked desperate.

Not again with this.

"Yuki, Kaname will always listen to you. Besides, you could at least try."

"You are right, Miss Jane. Thank you!" She suddenly got up and gave me her usual thousand watt smile. Then in Yuki-fashion dashed towards the door.

"Wait a minute, what about your bag?" I shouted after her. "Don't you have class?"

"That can wait, I am going to the Moon Dorm." She shouted back and was gone.

I was done with my breakfast. So I put the empty dishes on the sink and went to have some tea. I preferred coffee. But this place did not have it, in fact, they did not even know about it! So tea would have to do.

xxx

I wasn't looking forward to tonight's class. But like the first outing after a scandal, tonight's class would decide the tune for the rest of my reign, I mean tenure, I meant tenure. Anyway, this meant I couldn't bail on it tonight.

The chatter stopped as soon as I entered the classroom. Everyone was looking at me in askance. Some were smirking and making rude gestures.

Aido looked genuinely distressed and tried to stop the others. That was weird. Ruka was angry. No wonder there, if she reached the conclusions that everyone else did. Kain had a 'don't involve me in this' look and Takuma looked curious.

Then there was Kaname who was studiously avoiding me by burying his face in the same page for a while! At least one person who was more embarrassed than me. I would take my wins.

"Good evening students," I got down to business fast. "I hope you remember you were supposed to do some home works." I didn't hesitate to meet their eyes. "Or is the reputation of the Night Class about being at the forefront of Education and Scientific Research just hearsay?"

Apparently that got their attention. Multiple hands were raised. Good good! The faster they forgot my misstep, the better for me.

I went to everyone one by one to get their answer and as expected none were correct. Oh they came close. Very close. For example Aido. Apparently he built an iron block with the exact proportions and a known width, then measured the weight of the displaced water by it, then calculated the area with the help of density of water and iron! Kudos to his ingenuity, if not success, since the result was not exact.

"I want the exact value people, not approximations and as promised whoever solves it will get a reward. And let this be a reminder not to underestimate those we consider 'inferior', because it's not our offensive abilities that make us superior, it's our thinking capabilities," I said buoyed by my success. In retrospect I probably shouldn't have boasted. It obviously bruised a few vampire egos. Some at the back looked positively livid. I wouldn't get a dagger thrown at me like Yagari, would I?

Then there was a raised hand at the back. It was Kaname. Really? I thought he was not even interested in the class, sitting by the window looking out for his sweetheart!

"Yes, go on," I said.

He didn't bother to stand up and drawled out the answer and it was correct, the exact value! But that couldn't be true right? There was no way he… it had to be a fluke.

"Oh and how did you get that?" I asked in a deceptively steady voice.

"The basic idea is to divide the area into adjacent rectangles as small as possible and then sum their areas within the limit," he said, "There are shortcuts and rules to calculations, though it would take some time if you want the proofs."

"No, no need," I said. "I got your point."

"So, is it correct?" asked an impatient Aido.

"Yes," I said. Then loudly, "Yes it is correct. The exact value."

What was Kaname Kuran, an inventor now? Though he did invent the hunter weapons.

"So, do I get my reward now?" He said it in a particular way motioning towards my neck and mirth in his eyes, and the class burst out in laughter. Even Takuma was smiling. Aido was snorting!

Unbelievable! He had the audacity to mock me in my class! He was not contrite or embarrassed at all about last night's incident. On the other hand, this tasteless joke seemed to have diffused the tension from earlier. So, I was not getting a dagger at my back after all. Phew!

"Reward was it?" I said with equal jest. My eyes twitched. "How does revoking punishment sound? Any infractions recently that you could think of?"

The class gasped. Apparently, even the sensei was not allowed to scold Kaname Kuran.

"None that I provoked… sensei," he added with a smirk. "Though I would defer to you judgement."

So we were back to that now, that it was all my fault? I decided not to fight on that and started explaining Integration and its various applications to my class. As expected, Aido quickly came to realize the advantages that this would give to his various scientific research and participated enthusiastically.

As I was finishing class, I realized there was another way Kaname could know mathematical integration that was unknown to current mathematicians- if such mathematics existed prior to the Cataclysm. It was not impossible for the Kuran Ancestor to come by it.

xxx

Back at the chairman's residence after class, I came up to a house plunged in darkness. Were they all asleep already? I made sure to take the first period so that I did not miss dinner. By the look of it, I need not have bothered. There was no one in the house. At least Yuki's bag was at the dinner table, which meant she came back earlier and then went out again probably on guardian duty. And judging by the lock on his study, the chairman had not returned yet.

The meeting at the Hunter Headquarters was taking a lot of time. Or was it too far away?

Where was the Hunter headquarters anyway? You couldn't possibly find it in a telephone directory, right? The human world wouldn't know of any Hunter Association. For one, it would be hard to explain what they hunted!

Knowing the location could prove useful though. For example, they would have information about Calix Sanguinis, right? I mean the Vampire-Hunter Treaty mentions them according to Kaname.

I looked at the locked door again. Oh no no, I wasn't thinking of doing that! But the ex-hunter was not home, he needn't be angry about what he didn't know? This was the perfect opportunity to raid his office. Who knows what treasure trove that might reveal?

The letter this morning. It might have a return address, an address to the Hunter headquarters or any contact point!

Before I knew, I had picked the lock and gotten inside.

My curiosity had landed me in bigger shit before. When I was a kid, I was told to not touch the fire. You would think any kid would know not to do that. But I had to know, being told no was a red flag to me. The end result was not pretty. One would expect, I would learn. But I guess it was too late for that now. Now that I was in, I better not get caught. With added urgency, I started looking.

The papers on the table and the racks were general administrative papers for the school. The school was registered as "Cross Academy for Students with Special Needs". Hmm. 'Special Needs' indeed!

Oh, the board of directors. Some Satoshi Ichijou. Asato Ichijou's human world alias? So, the senate leader was on the board here. Talk about keeping your enemies close.

There was also Councilor Wakaba, Sayori's father and Kaname Kuran. No wonder there.

Then there were the shelves. Papers regarding donations. Again Ichijou! Ah look at that hefty amount – and with this came school inspection privileges and admission to his most favored candidates, no doubt.

Wait, what was that? These were Night Class admission applications – but was that a Shirabuki? And an Ouri? And a Shoto. Shit! This school was going to turn into a battlefield. I mean what was I expecting? More time, may be! More reason to find that damn letter.

I put the papers down and tried the drawer. There, there it was. The letter inside was missing. But the envelope was dated today. It even read 'The Hunter Association'! Though the next line read 'Wildlife Services', neat deception in case any human came by it. I jot down the address and got the hell out of there. There was a lot to think about.

xxx

The next day, I slept through the morning and skipped the breakfast. Which meant when I came down, Yuki and Zero were already out for class and the chairman… well the chairman probably was in his office. Which meant, this was as good a time to confront him. And oh he had a lot to answer for.

"You seem to be popular with the Night Class!" Kaien Cross said raising a brow. He was at his desk marking some papers. "Here is an invitation to a party at the Moon Dorm," he said presenting me a lavender envelop. It had a cursive scroll outside. It was from the Vice President.

At this point, he caught my hand and started shedding crocodile tears! Tears of joy, as he dubbed them, "I am so glad that someone is taking my pacifist ideals seriously." Do you take them seriously? I mean you are letting in vultures in your school, I thought with spite.

"Cut the theatrics," I said removing my hand from his clutch. "We need to talk."

"We need to talk indeed," he said composing himself. "Care to tell why you were in my office while I was out?"

I knew it! All that theatrics was to catch people off guard. Wily old fox!

There was no point in trying for excuse.

"And a good thing I did!" I decided to go with bluster. "When were you going to tell me that you plan to let other purebloods into your school?"

"The more vampires that participate in this project of integration with humans, the better it is."

"Don't tell me you actually believe that." I said. "You know why they are coming here."

He looked like he agreed with me.

"Kaname-kun approved it." He finally said.

"Did he now?" But why would he? That didn't make sense. This endangered his sister too. The only reason he allowed Shizuka in was because he needed her blood for his Zero project. What could he gain from letting these pureblood run amok here?

"So, you are willing to risk your students because Kaname Kuran asked you to? You do realize that unlike the nobles, these purebloods will not be controlled by him?"

"Which is why the Hunter Association is providing reinforcements. If they want to be on this campus, they have to abide by our rules."

"It's not enough. I need a gun, a hunter weapon." I said. Since I was the one most at risk here, I figured I may as well get a weapon.

"It will be arranged," he said.

"One more thing." Here I debated whether I should discuss my 'situation' with him. "What more do you know about this Calix Sanguinis?" I decided to go with a broad question.

He was silent for a while. "It was the reason for the second Vampire Hunter War," he finally said. What?

"The Hunters gave refuge to a Calix Sanguinis that the vampires wanted. Now you understand why I couldn't interfere in your case."

"So, you are saying you couldn't help me if I had any problem with, say Kaname Kuran?"

His eyes twinkled. "My dear, I couldn't create a diplomatic situation. However, Kaname Kuran is also a student here. Do report to me if he broke with any of the rules here."

"Now shoo! I have work to do. A very troublesome person is coming. I need to prepare." He said absently.

"Oh, and Jane," he called out after me. "Don't tell Yagari anything. That guy, stay away from him."

xxx

Of course, if Cross asked me to stay away from him, I need to know why. That endeavor proved to be more troublesome than anticipated. Not only was Yagari troublesome, but apparently illusive as well. From the time of his arrival at the wee hours of morning when everyone including myself was asleep till now I couldn't find him anywhere in the campus. Though he did take the morning class, Yuki confirmed. It wasn't until late evening though that I got to meet the infamous hunter.

All day long I was debating if I would go to Takuma's birthday party or not. And when it was too late to be fashionably late I decided that maybe I should go. There was free food if nothing else and it would be better than the chairman's fare! The shirt dress should do. It hugged my curves, yet was loose enough to be comfortable. I guess Yuki's tastes were better than the chairman's. And there was a hat too.

"Nice hat!" A tall guy with handsome curls and a hat was by the main door. He had an eyepatch. The illusive Toga Yagari!

"Yours too," I said.

"I was looking for Zero," he said.

"What a coincidence! I was going there too," I said. "Why don't I show you to him?"

"So you are Toga Yagari," I said as we took the well-lit cobblestone paths and the not so well-lit moon-lit short cut to the Moon Dorm.

"I don't believe we have been introduced," he said.

"Your reputation precedes you, Mr. Hunter" I said. "I am Jane. I am a teacher here."

"That doesn't explain why you know of Hunters." He had a frown as he considered me, then noticed where we were headed, "and why we are headed towards the Vampires' Dorm."

"I am going there because I was invited to a birthday party-"

"Cut to the chase. Who are you and what do you want from me? I have already met Cross's daughter and you are not her."

That was Yagari. Always straight to the point. I considered how much to tell him.

"I am just another poor soul here rescued from vampires," I said. Why did the chairman warn me away from him? For that matter why should I avoid a hunter? He was no threat to me. I was a human. In fact, considering every other vampire was more of a threat, being around a hunter was the safest bet, notwithstanding his thorny attitude!

"So, you are the Calix Sanguinis." He huffed. So, he knew, huh?

"The Association president wants me to keep an eye on you. Any idea why?" Wouldn't I want to know?

"Is that so? Could you arrange for a meeting with him? May be we could find out." I wanted access to the hunter records, especially the Vampire-Hunter Treaty. There was no way the chairman would allow that if I asked him.

His frown deepened. "We shall see," he said.

We arrived at the party soon after. It was held at the moon dorm lawn, just by the lake. I had worried that the vampires might be hostile to the hunter. But everyone's attention was riveted to the dorm portico where Kaname Kuran was holding his court. Yuki was seated by his side in an ornate divan. Zero was standing nearby looking displeased. Apparently the spectacle was over, but the interest remained.

Soon I was distracted by the delicious aroma wafting around and decided to sample the delicacies on offer, till I got interrupted by someone… err Takuma Ichijou, the host of the party. I should probably greet him.

"Miss Jane, thanks for coming to my birthday party." He had a big smile on his face. "How are you enjoying the party?"

"Err… I am doing well," I said shallowing the cake and surreptitiously putting the other two down.

"The other day we were all impressed by your class. Aido couldn't stop talking about it. In fact, even my grandfather was impressed." he said.

"You don't say?"

"He thought your theories could be useful in a few of our companies. How open are you to a collaboration? I could schedule a meeting with one of our lead scientists." So, that's the reason for tonight's invitation. And here I thought we were close.

"You would arrange a meeting, not your grandfather?"

"Ah, grandfather is always busy with Senate matters," he scratched his head. "So, I have to manage the day to day issues at our group companies."

"Really? What about your parents?"

He blanched. The smile fell off from his face and he clenched his fists.

"Are you all right?" I asked.

"No, it's nothing," he said.

"It's just that my parents are ill," he said when I prodded for more.

I never heard of vampires being sick, except for the rare ones like Maria Kurenai and they were shamed and hidden by their families. Though that would explain.

"Oh, I am so sorry, how insensitive of me! My condolences."

"Please don't pity me," he said. "They were not born of weak constitution. They got their injuries in the line of service, during the second Vampire-Hunter War."

"Of course." Looks like the old wounds from that long ago war was still alive for some of this long-lived species. No wonder Yagari had such a frosty welcome for his class. Speaking about Yagari, he was speaking with Zero much to the consternation of Aido and some other vampires around.

"Let's not reminiscence about unpleasant things now," Takuma said. "Why don't I show you what my birthday cake is made of? The center is filled with hazel nuts," he winked at me.

So my gluttony has not gone unnoticed. Sure, that means I can dig in. We both went for the knife and as he pulled the handle, my finger was nicked.

Before I could pull my hand back, he caught it. His grip was surprisingly strong. I tend to forget that this easy-going fellow was the most powerful vampire here apart from Kaname. And his eyes were red. In fact, every other vampire in attendance was looking at us.

I was vaguely aware of Zero running out of the party and Yuki and Yagari following after him. Yagari looked back at me as if deciding whom to pursue, then went after Zero. I was a little hurt he would leave me with a bunch of vampires baying for my blood.

The din of the party had stopped a while ago. Suddenly Kaname was there. His back was to me as he caught Ichijou's hand. They had a staring contest for a while.

"Kaname?" Ichijou said as if coming out of a trance. He released my hand.

"That will be all Ichijou, I will take her from here. Control the Night Class." Kaname said. Takuma nodded and then I was heralded out of the Moon Dorm by Kaname.

xxx

"I warned you against coming here," Kaname said stopping just outside the gate.

"I had an invitation from the Vice President and I came with a hunter." I protested.

"Some good that did." He said running his fingers through his hair. He was agitated. He glanced at my injured hand and oh, he was affected.

"I should be going," I said and turned to go, but he caught my hand, the injured one. He was transfixed by the blood.

"Wait a minute," I said. He snatched my hand regardless and put the injured finger to his lips. A pink tongue darted out and licked the blood off. A warm tingle spread out from that spot and shot inside me. This was going out of hand. I should put a stop to this.

Then he put the tip inside his mouth and started sucking and my breath hitched. My protest died in my mouth. He was affected too. His eyes were closed in rapture and when my finger brushed against his fangs, he shivered. In the moonlight, his alabaster profile looked peaceful, vulnerable even. He was beautiful when his piercing gaze was not trained on you, when he was not plotting your demise. Agh! Are you serious? We need to get this under control right now.

As if reading my mind he opened his eyes and let my hand go. "It was to stop the bleeding." He said.

"Right!" I said trying to control my heartbeat.

"The night class is anyway excited." He said defensively. "More blood will provoke them."

Was he talking that shit again? Me 'provoking' him to stray from the path? And after that erotic performance, this was plain insulting.

"Then I would be off," I bit out. "You need not follow me."

"Wait!" He looked uncertain and I have never seen Kaname uncertain. He is used to bulldoze his way.

"I am waiting," I said.

"Say hypothetically, if someone was a danger to others and only you could help them, would you?"

Where was he going with this? "Yes, I guess." I said.

"And if that help involve giving them your blood? What if innocent lives are at risk?" I remembered Zero, but that's not who he was talking about, was he?

"Are you blackmailing me with the lives of the students of this Academy? You have some nerve!"

"You don't understand. The blood tablets don't work for me anymore, you have seen that." He said. "If this doesn't work, I have to leave the Academy and go into seclusion lest I attack anyone. And I can't leave the Academy now, not in this perilous time." That's the Kaname I knew. Appealing from reason, not from emotion.

"What happened to the 'It's not your blood I want'?"

"Clearly that is not true anymore," he said. "I have tried… oh I have tried so hard. For weeks I have avoided you. But the thirst only grew worse. I knew this would happen of course. But I didn't want to give in." There it was again, the stress on how he didn't want my blood. May be I should walk out.

But the great Kaname Kuran was begging me and I felt powerful after a long time. Though one might wonder if he needed to plead for blood at all, he could simply take it. But Kaname Kuran being who he was, his pride will always stop him from doing that. Either way, I had a chance to bargain. Not to mention I was curious. Curious to see what would happen if I gave into his advances.

"Very well, why not." I said. He looked like he didn't believe me. "But I need a few things in exchange."

"Go on."

"I am not staying in this campus as prisoner. I go out when or where I want to."

"You will be in danger," he hedged. I raised a brow. "Fine as long as you take someone with you and keep me posted… or the chairman," he added.

"I also need access to the Moon Dorm library."

"After tonight's spectacle, coming to the Moon Dorm may not be a good idea."

"Then control your lackeys."

"Fine. Deal." He was rubbing his forehead.

We walked back to my room, well sneaked to the back of the house really, beneath my second floor window. Kaname didn't want to meet Cross and explain why he was here. So, he picked me up and went through the window.

The inside was dark, the moonlight coming through the window the only light illuminating a patch of the floor. And I didn't want to switch on the lights. What we were doing seemed suitable for the dark.

Now that we're about to do it, I felt nervous. "Should I sit or do I need to stand?"

"No sitting is all right," he said. "Though you might want to remove a few buttons, if you don't want to ruin the dress."

I sat on the edge of the bed. He came up to me and sat beside me. This close, I could smell roses and musk. Then he turned me so my back was to him. "Wait, wait," I said. "You would be at my back? I can't see what you would be doing? No way."

"If you want to face me while we are doing it, then you'll have to ride on my lap." He said exasperatedly.

"Bugger off," I said and stood up. "Then we will do it standing up."

"As you wish." He removed his outer coat, walked up to me with intention and backed me to the wall for support. Wow, that was way inside my space. May be letting him do it from behind would have been less intrusive.

"Wait, it wouldn't be painful, would it?" I said.

"No. It wouldn't."

"But last time-"

"Last time I didn't have time," he said looking into my eyes. "Jane, trust me."

I nodded my consent.

Then he turned my head to a side and took a long swipe of the offered neck with his tongue. It felt strange, ticklish. Ow! What was he doing with his teeth? He better bite now before I could bear it no more! As if reading my mind, he bit down. Bit down hard. It hurt, but it hurt good like scratching an itch.

I pulled at his shirt harshly. He moved closer in response. And oh he was hard! Didn't need to know that. Nope. Talk about unintended consequences. If I moved it would only 'aggravate' the situation. Stay still and concentrate on something else, like the noise of the blood leaving my body and going into his, like his mind caught in the trance of it – simultaneously euphoria and bottomless thirst.

Suddenly I could see through his eyes. I could see myself held on his arms letting him drink from my neck. My dark curls though, were hanging loosely instead of in a ponytail and were a little longer. I was wearing a gown? I looked up adoringly and Kaname was reflected in my eyes. Suddenly I blanched. I looked down to see a hand speared inside my chest. It came out with my beating heart in it. This time when I looked up in horror and betrayal, Kaname's bloody face with my heart in his mouth was reflected there.

I pushed him away horrified by the violence of the 'vision'? For there was no bloody hand and my heart was inside my chest only, beating faster than I could keep up.

"Calm down, it's not real." Kaname said. His bloody mouth only increased my tremor. Realizing this, he cleaned it up with his hand.

"How do you know what I saw?" I asked.

For a moment it looked like he would deny seeing anything. "I was drinking your blood. I could see your thoughts," he said.

"What was that anyway? A vision of future? Is that what you mean to do to me, eventually? Get all the power you desired by devouring the Calix Sanguinis?"

"Don't be ridiculous, Jane." He said. "If I wanted that I would have done that when we first met. People were goading me to do just that, if you remember."

"Then why didn't you do it?"

It seemed like he wouldn't answer. "Because I didn't want to do that," he finally said.

"So, my fate hangs on your whims? Noted. Now get the hell out of my sight. I can't bear to see you here anymore."

He looked at me one last time and was gone like the bad dream he was.

xxx

Author Note: Please let me know if I sound cheesy or if the OC come across as annoying. I have no beta reader:(

Sam: Thanks for reviewing the last chapter:)