Chapter 3:

The beeping of heart monitors and the steady breathing coming from the prone body on a luxurious bed was the only sound that could be heard in one of the bedrooms inside a mountain castle. Beaten and bleeding from almost every body part, that prone body was found leaning against the tree to a mountain estate isolated from every part of society. Isolated but not without keeping up with the times, the owner was a vampire of legends; she entered the room glancing over the precious boy unconscious in her home.

When she found him, she could hear cries of worry and predators enclosing the space between them. The boy briefly looked in her eyes but gave up hope upon sensing her presence. That expression of hopelessness struck a cord in her, she wouldn't let this child be harmed no longer. She had heard about children giving up on life easily but never truly believed it to be true. It unsettled her to know that the world was in so much distress that even the children could no longer be what they were, children.

The mountain mistress carried the boy back to her home just as swiftly as she had gone to see what creatures were on her land. He stayed in one room unmoving for his injuries too great to heal without tons of rest. She watched over him, not letting anyone know where he was or that she had him until she had completely reinstated herself to society. A society she once helped create, now crumble as distrust and deceit were no longer around each corner but in every word spoken.

Being a true blood had many benefits but even more down sides in a world where those envious of stronger vampire than themselves held most control. That was to change, now that she was here, order rules would be reinstated and so would equal grounds and opportunities. All that would be done just after that boy of hers woke. She wanted him, his loyalty, his smiles, to be an older sibling the child obviously needed but never asked for; she would give him the world if it meant his happiness.

She brushed her hand through his silver locks as he lay there unmoving. Most of her affairs were in order, all she needed was to hear what actually happened that night she found him. Once that was known a visit to the Hunters' Association would be next on her list of things to do. She left the room to go back to her desk where coffee and cheesecake would be waiting for her. Bank accounts and all business her family owned were in for an overhaul. Many workers of horrible work ethics were fired and others rewarded for their loyalty and consistency.

She had seen many Ages of history, all have been record by her bookkeepers, but never had she needed to step in like she had to do now in order to save her race from becoming nothing but humans with slight supernatural abilities. She sighed as she lowered her head to read more of the many useless rules that vampire council had made just for making restrictions on pure bloods. Control that's all everyone wants, well that and money; for you don't need power if you have control, power's gained easily with control.

Sheets ruffled as that prone body decided to move, the beeping on the heart monitor picked up, a nurse on call to watch him ran into the room expecting a heart attack or heart failure. The nurse found the boy sitting on the bed observing his surroundings.

"Your awake," The nurse shouted and the boy winced as he turned his vision to her.

"Vampire," He croaked.

"Here, you'll need some water before you can speak properly," She said with a small smile, "The mistress is going to be glad that your awake. I've never been so scared in my life when she brought you home. I thought she was bleeding but it was you, though I was still worried if you would make."

The nurse started to rattle on and Zero just listened as she spoke to get information on the one who saved him. All he could remember was fleeing to the woods after being attacked by vampires. He couldn't remember where he was going or why, but he knew it was over something important.

"But I've never seen the mistress so distressed. Especially today, she says that vampires are going to be extinct if she didn't do anything now. Plus with what she said about those hunter weapons those hunter are using. I can't believe someone tainted the crystal, now those poor hunters have weak weapons that are harder to control." She stated, "There, checkup all done, I'll go get the mistress."

"My weapon?" Zero said before she exited. The blood Rose where was she, he needed her so he could...

"Don't worry I'll tell the mistress to bring it, after all she upgraded it for you with a pure untainted crystal. You'll like it ... I think" and with that she left. Zero sat propped up against a few pillows waited to see the one who saved him, the only picture that came to mind was of that girl he thought he seen just before he passed out. He could hear quick light steps moving towards his direction. The door to the room swung open then a girl, that girl he seen jogged into the room.

"Ah she wasn't lying this time," she said breathing deeply. "That was a good amount of effort."

"My weapon?" Zero said, no thanks he just needed to feel protected. So the girl did save him. He remembered her and the mountain side. Also Kuran … Kuran's warning over what he was doing. He was doing something dangerous.

"Oh can I have your blood?" She said right after he asked for his weapon. Zero tensed as she moved closer. "Oh, right, I don't want it to drink, no it's so I can finish your weapon, I would never take from an unwilling participant." She stated coolly.

"I fixed your weapon ... um can you walk yet or ..." She trailed off. Zero moved his legs to side of the bed and he stood but was a bit unstable. He watched as her eyes moved around the room as if in thought.

"Good enough, if you would grab my should then." She said as she moved in front of him and turned her back.

"Your too trusting," He said putting his arm over her shoulders since she was the perfect size to help him without him being bent.

"I'm not, it's just that there's really nothing you can do that I won't recover from." She stated, " I'm not like those other pure bloods you've encountered, no I'm far far older, than their ancestors."

Zero only had one thought as they walked, who was this girl?

Step by step they made their way two a hallway that looked dusty. Zero looked at everything, the tapestries that many antique collectors would die for, how the walls looked more solid than most of today's houses, and how everything seemed old but was more advanced then anything he's ever seen.

"This is my work wing no one comes this way. I keep my main office for social events by my main ballroom. All my windows are on the outer part of my home and then there's this wing completely built inside the mountain so it looks like I only have two wings to my home." She smiled back at him as they stopped in front of a heavily engraved door.

The door depicted a sun and moon as one in the middle and the upper half was night while the lower half of the door was day. Instead of humans or even vampires, there were these giant cat demon beasts. They had two tails, wings that were a cross between bird and bat, then their was their mouths; they had two long fangs and then two lower fangs too. Zero watched as she pricked her finger and smear the drop of blood that formed over the mouth of the beast in the night. Zero could feel his heart rate spike as he watched the scene. The blood, the smell of hers made his mouth water, he could tell just by the smell it was completely on a higher chart than Kurans'. It made his mind wonder about how old she really was while his body seemed to inch closer to her.

He was pulled inside, quickly after ward the door slammed shut, leaving only a small cloud of dust in their wake. She held both of his arms and looked into his eyes.

"I'm sorry, that was completely rude of me, do you need blood? I am willing only to those who are mine ... wait that didn't come out right." She released his arms as she put a finger on her chin to think. "Ah, would you like to become mine?" She asked earnestly.

"Yours as in what?" Zero said, "I don't even know you."

"Oh geez, I seem to have lost my manners, I'm Aurora Fammal a True Blood born in the White Ages. Et tu?" She asked after she bowed formally.

"Zero Kiryuu, the last Kiryuu hunter of today's time." Zero said but didn't bow. This was the princess he was looking for, and she wasn't even asleep. Zero went through all that for nothing. Ah, just her name and everything thing was coming back to him.

"Okay so now you know at least my name and by mine, I mean an apprentice, a loyal friend, companion for parties, someone that I can trust and give trust in return." She stated leaning on a table that was rather neat and tidy.

"So basically you want me to be your friend?" Zero said and Aurora nodded. "Why?"

"I don't have friends for no one this day and age is equal to me in power or blood. Because of that no one is willing to treat me normally. I think it would be nice to be able to argue with someone over nothing for once." She said smiling. Zero could feel the pain that smile held, he knew just how hard it was to keep going when all your fondest memories were a thing of the past.

"Oh yeah, give me your hand." Aurora said pulling a knife off the table as she held her hand out. Zero already use to her somewhat gave his hand without any hesitation which shocked the both of them. She took the knife and slid it across the palms of his one hand before grabbing the other and doing the same. She then guided Zero's hands towards to different coloured metal lumps and his gun, which was in pieces as though she cleaned it. His blood fell slowly over the metal pieces and they absorbed the blood.

"I don't get it." Zero said after using all his knowledge about the crystal weapons. He couldn't believe it.

"Shush, watch me closely." Aurora said before she began to say incantations of spells unknown to Zero but he just knew those spells were complete. After that thought went through his mind Zero knew the spells and charms they used on vampires today were nothing but extremely cheap imitations of the real deal.

Zero's gun rose into the air and meshed together with both forms of metal creating one lump. The new lump pulsed as though it had its own heart beat but as Zero listened he noticed that the metal lump was in sync with his heart beat.

"How is that possible?" He asked pulling on his bangs a bit to calm himself.

"Crystal weapons are meant to be an extension of yourself, they can change forms just like a pure blood is supposed to have different blood familiars they can use. From what I learned of you, you've been able to make even a tainted piece of crystal react for you and you alone." Aurora said, "Amazing if a must say, since in my record that hasn't happened for any hunter in over 3,000 years. You are a pure hunter, just like me and I want to nurture your hunters' true nature to be the best you can be."

"Wait ... back at the ... Shit!" Zero said before he started to pace in the room as he mumbled.

"Is something wrong?"

"How long have I been here for?" Zero asked not really wanting a long answer.

"Seven months and three days as of five hours from now, why?"

"I had a duty that I was doing and then I got that mission, fuck, he's probably dead or dieing." Zero said taking a seat on the floor as he tried to go over things in his mind. "He's completely loyal to the Kuran's even though they left him to rot in a cell by a hoard of hunters who would give their legs just to have a go at him." Zero didn't even get to tell the boy to wait for him to get back, after finding her. He found her alright but not the way he thought he would.

"He's at the Association you say, then I have two questions. One, are you still going to work for the Association even though being my friend is like a full time job? And two, would that boy become mine also?" Aurora asked as she peered down at Zero. She wasn't taller than him but it felt as though she had to look down in order to see anything as though she were a god watching down from the heavens.

"Obviously I'll learn the true history and hunter ways by sticking with you so no more Association, even though I was to be the next head. Plus it'd be nice to follow my own orders for once." Zero replied after a moment of thought, "But I still have to give my last report and then my resignation letter, then wait for two weeks. Plus … um, I was going to try and wake you when you found me."

"Really? Oh, you must have thought I was still asleep. The other members are but I woke up some years earlier. Although it has taken me awhile to get back on my feet from slumbering for so long. Ah, write your report, okay." She said as she handed Zero paper, "And write your resignation letter, then I'll go deliver it today plus pick up my newest friend. We'll talk more once I get back."

Aurora smiled beautifully as she thought about having not one but two friends that she could trust.