Disclaimer: Hino-sensei owns Vampire Knight, not me. I would have temporarily abandoned the present storyline in favor of taking a long trip into the vampire hunting past of Kurosu Kaien!

Chapter 3: Death Wanders Astray

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"Alright, I've had a good half a day of sleep. Now give me back my wallet!"

An irritated Zero paced along the narrow strip of mold infested carpet, now unhappier than ever that he had been dragged to this awful motel. No amount of aristocrat vampire back up power was worth the trouble he went through with this girl. How could someone so old in human years still act so juvenile? Then again, Aidou and Ichijou managed to pull it off.

"Don't be ridiculous, Onii-san." Rin glared up at him from her seat on a neatly made bed. "You tossed and turned all day without a wink of sleep."

Zero's eyes narrowed. "Whether I slept or not is immaterial."

The girl's face darkened, her eyes taking on a blood red sheen. It did not happen often, but every now and then, when her patience was wearing thin, Rin became every inch the fearsome vampire she was. Her voice dipped into a slow, low melody. "Perhaps, but do you seriously want to arrive at the school in the middle of the night when they're all wide awake?"

"Yes," Zero instantly replied. He'd been ready to go since they first arrived at the train station.

Her unwavering stare never leaving the boy's face, Rin continued smoothly, forebodingly, "I realize that I'm not at full strength in the sunlight, so a day kill is out of the question, but barging in the way you're suggesting is stupid."

Her few hours of sleep were not any more restful than Zero's, thanks to a certain grimy bed that kept making noises. Rin could not fathom how anyone slept on these things while every second brimmed with the promise of mice, cockroaches, spiders, and worse venturing out to crawl across any available skin. She was too tired to put up with much more of this.

Reigning in the urge to reach for his Bloody Rose gun as a means of "persuasion," Zero said, "I'm not suggesting; I'm telling. Now give me my wallet!"

The air crackled with tension as the two faced off. That, and the old fire hazard of a lamp in the corner was emitting large sparks.

Correction, Rin was too tired to put up with any more of this.

"Fine," she acquiesced.

Zero caught the projectile wallet aimed straight for his nose and stormed out of the motel room with much hushed grumbling.

Her shoulders sagged, and she let out a giant sigh. That conversation required too much effort. Clumsily lugging her sleep deprived body off the bed, Rin dragged her feet over to the mirror and did a quick once over. When did the lines on her face become so pronounced? Her eyes looked so tired, ready to close forever, but she was determined to see this through.

Tonight, the Kuran would die, and she would save Zero. This was Rin's promise to herself. After all the deaths she caused, life would be her legacy.

Zero unexpectedly flung the door open. "The car is ready," he stated.

Perhaps there's hope for him, yet. Rin mused, a sly smile tugging at the corners of her mouth while her feet worked on autopilot, following the boy outside. He hasn't noticed that I still have his gun.


"KANAME! YUUKI!" Kurosu burst through the Night Dorm doors, shouting with abandon the entire time, his arms flailing through the air like an awkward duck attempting to fly.

He dashed past Ichijou and the others to a room down the main hall and slammed open the door. Once inside, the door slammed back behind him revealing a furious Aidou with a very red nose.

"So sorry, Aidou-kun." Kurosu apologized with an unapologetic smile. Turning around to face the two purebloods, he paid no attention to the short vampire surrounded by angry flames. "Kaname, we have a problem."

The vampire let out his breath in a carefully controlled hiss. "The Night Class has mostly evacuated, and Yuuki is with me. We can't be any more prepared." What else could possibly go wrong?

"What is it, Headmaster?" Yuuki asked gently.

"They're coming," Kurosu said.

Aidou's momentarily quelled angry flames returned in full force. His voice reached pitches audible only to members of the canine family as he screeched, "We already know they're coming! Why do you think we've taken all these precautions, you senile old man?!"

Adorning his serious, hunter behavior like a well worn coat, Kurosu spared Aidou a slight glare out of the corner of his eye and had the satisfaction of watching the proud vampire stumble backwards.

Returning his attention to the important people in the room, he clarified, "No, I mean, they're coming, as in: they just left the train station." Thank goodness for good connections among the transportation workers of this country. He allowed his aching lungs a single deep breath before continuing, "They'll be here by mid-night."

News of this sort was generally met by some sort of dramatic pause, and so it was here, with the exception of Aidou's highly audible gulp. He was by no means weak, and he would gladly fight any who questioned his strength, but Aidou was hoping for an extra day of sleep and a few good meals before squaring off against the latest crazy assassins out for Kaname-sama's blood. Whatever happened to common courtesy?

Kaname did not allow this shortened timetable to faze him and wasted no time in tossing out more orders. "Aidou, tell the others to get some sleep. We've been up all day, and I don't want anyone facing the hunters without some rest."

"Right away, Kaname-sama." For once, a cooperative Aidou left without comment or complaint.

After the door closed behind the icy aristocrat, Yuuki padded over from her chair to give Kurosu a reassuring hug. "We'll be fine, and Zero, too. Don't worry, Father."

Kurosu stepped back and looked into his precious daughter's eyes with all the severity he could muster. He didn't want to see anyone hurt, but he knew which one of his two children was more likely to listen to reason at this point. "Zero is not the same boy you knew. Be prepared for the worst."

A lone pair of headlights cut through the oppressive darkness of the misty road, and a single engine marred the silence.

Rin squinted at the giant atlas spread across her lap. "I think you wanted that last right."

"No, I want the next right." Zero had been hard pressed to win the driver's seat. Now, his navigation skills were being questioned! Couldn't a guy get some respect?

Rin didn't look convinced. "Have you even looked at the map?"

"I don't need a map," Zero snapped. Was a quiet ride of silent contemplation and meditation before jumping into perilous danger so much to ask for? "I lived here, remember?"

"Yes," she acknowledged, "but you also left in too much of a hurry to pay a lot of attention to road signs, and it's been five years."

The moonlight cast an eerie glow in the dark room. Yuuki's eyes shown blood red. Kaname placed a wineglass of water and two blood tablets on the small table beside her chair. She looked awfully pale, even for a vampire.

"Are you sure you're ready for this, Yuuki?" Kaname probed, concern etched upon his features.

"I'm fine, Onii-sama," Yuuki said evenly.

Kaname was not convinced. He tried to dissuade her from what was sure to be an ugly and painful affair. "You don't have to do this. There's still time for you to leave. Let me take care of the hunters."

Clarity and focus returned to her eyes, and Yuuki turned a determined gaze on her brother. "These aren't just any hunters, Onii-sama. This is Zero. For better or worse, I have to do this."

"Very well, " Kaname conceded. "Just remember that you are not alone. I'll be right there beside you."

Her eyes softened. "I know, Onii-sama," Yuuki assured him.

Kaname pursed his lips, then opened his mouth as if he wanted to say something, but he changed his mind and left the quiet girl to her solitude.

Upon hearing the light click of the doorknob sliding into place, Yuuki dumped the tablets in the glass and downed it all in one go. Please, Zero, don't make me kill you.


"We're lost," Rin stated.

Zero hunched his shoulders down and trained his eyes solely on the road, intent on avoiding the arrogant smirk he knew his partner was wearing. He could not believe they were having this conversation again. "We are not lost."

"It's been half an hour and according to this smart little piece of paper, we are nowhere near the blasted school!" Fifteen minutes following their first exchange on the issue, Rin turned on the overhead light, ignoring Zero's loud objections, and found their exact location on the map within three seconds.

Zero firmly argued back, "I know exactly where we are."

"Will you just pull over and let me find out how to get there?" Rin barked.

Zero waited until the ringing in his ears subsided. Then, he reiterated, "I told you, we're not lost."

Exasperated didn't even begin to cover it. Hoping that it hurt the stubborn mule's ears as much as her last interjection, Rin screeched, "Why do men always refuse to ask for directions?!"

The remaining Night Class members sat or stood around the entry way of the Night Dorm, listening for any sign of intruders. All was quiet. Too quiet.

"That's odd," Aidou remarked.

Partially roused from his sleepy state, Kain prompted, "What?"

Aidou tilted an ear to the door again before facing the gathered company. "They should be here by now."

Each vampire leveled an incredulous frown at the offending boy. Was this seriously one of Kaname-sama's right hand men?

Seiren voiced the group's thoughts succinctly. "Are you complaining?"

A little taken aback by the violent reaction to his simple observation, Aidou chose his next words carefully. "No, I just didn't expect Kiryuu to waste any time trying to kill Kaname-sama after five years of waiting."

The skeptical glares transformed into thoughtful pouts. Oddly enough, Aidou had made a decent point. It wasn't like Kiryuu to waste time. However, there was a new variable in the equation this time that no one knew much about.

Ichijou pondered the probable influence of a highly skilled aristocrat vampire on the vengeful Kiryuu's plans. A moment later, he had his answer. "Maybe they stopped for slurpees," he chirped.

Author's Note:

Well, a big thank you to all my reviewers, alert-ers, favorite-ers, and shy people hiding in the shadows. I hope you enjoyed Chapter 3, and feel free to let me know what you thought!

I just went back to school this week, but if the homework load doesn't build up too quickly, you should see the next chapter in about two weeks. Thanks for reading!