Chapter 8

-Disclaimer: The Maiden of Autumn owns nothing.

For the Night Class, the classes were nothing special. The only deviation from schedule was introducing Vincent to the instructors, and getting him set up with everything he needed. The instructors, who all either knew about the vampires, or were vampires themselves, had already been alerted by the Chairman to not give anything out about the true heritage of the Night Class.

Midnight lunch, too, was uneventful, with Kaname's going to eat outside, and they ushered Vincent through the line as quickly as possible before he could see what the red liquid truly was. It was all well, though. Vincent chose water anyway, and they all sat on the tables that were outside.

The moon was nearly full, and it shone down softly, bathing everything in silver.

Vincent sat outside, picking at the food on his tray. He was sure it was delicious, but he just didn't feel hungry. Surprisingly, he wasn't tired, either. The moonlight reminded him of the silver hair of the prefect, Zero, he had met earlier, bringing his thoughts back to the teenager again and again.

His whole appearance and coloring was unique, more so than Vincent's. The only thing remarkable about him were his crimson eyes, compared to the prefect.

As he mused over the prefect, he failed to notice the few other pairs of eyes that had fallen onto him. He was sitting in the moonlight, and the vampire's sensitive noses detected an increase in the alluring smell lacing Vincent's blood.

Kaname's eyes were locked onto him, frowning as he studied Vincent. He was a mystery- some things he did and said didn't make sense. Back in the library, before he had woken up, the boy had murmured, "Chaos."

One of the words tattooed onto his back.

He idly twirled his fork through his fingers, thinking. What could it mean? Or, was he just reading too much into it?

And what did the words on Vincent's back mean? The rebirth of the Planet lies on the wings of Chaos's destruction...

The Planet… could it mean the Earth? Earth had many names, but he could not recall it ever being addressed as 'the Planet.' The rebirth of the Planet- could it mean some sort of Armageddon? And what was Chaos?

The wings of Chaos's destruction… call him paranoid, but a winged creature named Chaos certainly sounded like some sort of demon. And destruction…

Was the meaning of the words some kind of prophecy that the world was going to be destroyed by a demon, and then be reborn? Because that's what he was getting. And if it was a demon, the red and black of the cross made sense, even if the cross itself didn't.

Red and black... the colors of Vincent's eyes and hair. Coincidence, or was it just a color scheme?

And why was there a tattoo of this on his back? Did he just think the words seemed interesting when he received the tattoo, or was there a purpose they were on Vincent's back?

He chuckled as another thought came to him, drawing the attention of those sitting at the table. Or perhaps he was just thinking too much into it, and it was just some tattoo.

"Kaname- sama...?" Ruka was sitting in front of him with a concerned expression. "Is there something the matter?"

Ruka- God, she was getting on his nerves. He knew she was infatuated with him, but didn't she realize that he only had eyes for Yuuki? Another name flashed to mind as well, but he shoved it away, shocked that it had come up. He stood up swiftly, raising an eyebrow as he gathered up the contents of his tray. The others were done as well, he could tell, and Vincent had been picking at his food for the last 5 minutes, though he didn't know exactly why he had picked up on that. "Does laughing give some sort of indication that there's something wrong, Ruka- chan?"

"No, no!" she hastily backpedalled, trying to come up with some sort of explanation. "It's just that- well, you don't laugh very often. I was merely wanting to know if there was something the matter that caused you to laugh."

Kaname hummed in response. "No, there's nothing wrong." He picked up his tray and left, the others doing the same thing.

Something kept niggling at the back of Vincent's brain, something that he had forgotten. He spent the rest of the night trying to remember what it was.

It wasn't until the class of History and Mythology that he remembered.

The instructor was talking about Greek and Roman gods, and Hades, the god of the underworld, came up. "His realms were guarded by a three- headed dog, famously known as Cerberus…"

Cerberus! He sat up straight as the name made him remember. Wasn't that the name of the gun they had found on him? Although, what he was doing with it, he didn't know… He needed to get it back from the Chairman.

Well, that, and he wanted to check in with Kaien and tell him that he had settled in with no problems. Kaname was sitting to the left of him, and he leaned over, and tapped him on the shoulder. He had been told that if he needed to leave at all, all he needed to do was inform Kaname. "Hm?" Kaname hummed, tilting his head back.

"I just remembered that I must go talk to Chairman Cross. May I have permission to do so?" Vincent whispered. The teacher was still talking, and he didn't want to draw any attention to them.

Kaname nodded. "Of course," he murmured. "The teacher shouldn't notice, just leave when his back is turned."

"Thank you, Kaname- sama," Vincent breathed, and sat back, waiting for the right time to leave.

Kaname held back a shiver as Vincent's warm breath ghosted over his ear- it was a sensitive place, and Vincent's breath had tickled it a bit. He heard the chair behind him scrape quietly, and watched out of the corner of his eye as the black- haired figure made his way silently over to the wall, and followed it down to the door, slipping outside.

With a sigh, he turned his attention back to the instructor, feeling somehow… lonely. He had been intensely aware of the ravenette sitting behind him, and his mind had drifted away from the instructor and onto the boy, listening to his breathing and pondering the meaning behind the tattoo.

He frowned suddenly. His thoughts were slowly being taken over by their newcomer; shouldn't he be thinking about Yuuki?

This mysterious new student was getting to him, he decided. He needed to figure out why he was here- maybe the library would have some sort of answer. Mind made up, he sat back, and returned his attention to the instructor, unconsciously deeply breathing in the lingering traces of Vincent's scent.

It didn't take long for Vincent to reach the Chairman's building, slipping inside after seeing the door was unlocked, and slightly ajar. Not wanting to disturb anything if the Chairman was already engaged, he quietly went to the door leading to his office, and pressed his ear against the door, hearing voices.

"I believe that if the youth of today can grow together with open heart and inquiring minds we can finally build a bridge whereby our two races will be able to live together in harmony!" That was the Chairman's voice, and he sounded really, really enthusiastic about something.

But what was he going on about, with the talk of living in harmony and two races living together? Racism, maybe? Eh, whatever. Kaien Cross had seemed a little off his rocker, even if he was extremely kind. The next words spoken mirrored Vincent's thoughts almost perfectly.

Another voice that sounded familiar spoke, sounding exasperated, over the Chairman's voice, going on about the purpose of the Night Class. "I'm going on patrol. This nut is all yours, Yuuki."

Footsteps were heard coming towards the door, over a girl's exclamation of "Hey!"

Vincent's eyes widened, and he scrambled backwards, standing away from the door, trying to appear as if he hadn't just been eavesdropping. Just in time, too, for the doors burst open and a familiar figure came out, slamming the doors behind him. He paused, rubbing his temples. "What a nut…"

His eyes lifted, and he saw Vincent there, standing quietly. He recognized the distinctive red eyes- they were hard to miss, and even harder to forget.

Zero's first instinct was to tell him to get back to class, but something stopped him. Perhaps it was the way he had not simply ignored or glowered at him earlier that evening, after helping Vincent, like most Night Class would. It made him feel a bit more inclined to be friendly. "What are you doing out of class?"

Zero saw the crimson eyes blink, and he indicated with his head towards the office. "I need to talk with Chairman Cross."

"Hmph. And the instructor just let you leave?" Usually, they were stricter about letting students leave the classrooms. Especially if they were new, and especially if it was their first night.

An uncertain expression flashed across Vincent's face, and he shifted, black bangs coming down to flop into his eyes. "He didn't exactly let me leave… I left after Kaname- sama gave me permission."

Zero raised an eyebrow. "Kuran let you leave?" Hm, his talk with the Chairman must be important... Suddenly, his sensitive ears picked up Yuuki's slightly raised voice, and the sound of a window opening. Looks like she was going to make one of her dramatic exits through the window.

He nodded his head towards the door. "Yuuki's probably gone by now- you can go inside." He turned to leave, when he heard Vincent say his name.

"Zero- kun, I just wanted to thank you again for your actions today." Vincent was giving him that same small grateful smile as earlier, his hand poised on the doorhandle.

"It was my duty as a prefect." Zero's response came automatically.

Well, it was true. He hadn't even known who the student was when he stepped in between him and the crowd of girls.

"Still, thank you." He turned to open the door, but paused. "Do people… ever find your eyes odd?" Vincent was looking at him with an uncertain expression on his face, hesitancy in the crimson eyes.

Zero leaned back against the wall, crossing his arms. "I've never cared if people have or not. And even if they did, they won't say it out loud- for obvious reasons." The girls at the Academy were all scared of him, and as for the boys here, well, he didn't interact with them. He had no need to- Chairman Cross and Yuuki were the only people he needed. Yes, Kaien was a nut, and not altogether mentally stable, but still. He treated Zero like a son, took him in after-

Stop there. Not going down that road again tonight.

Vincent nodded, his features evening out. The silver- haired prefect obviously didn't care to talk about it, and no doubt had other places to be. Best if he left him alone. "I see." Vincent turned the doorknob and went inside the office, leaving Zero alone in the hall.

Zero gazed at the door incredulously. What had that been about? Why the hell would people find his eyes odd? Shaking his head, he pushed himself away from the wall, and was just about to walk out, and meet Yuuki for their nightly rounds, before something stopped him, and he glanced back at the door.

What could the new student want to talk about with Cross? It made him curious, and he was tempted to listen, just for a second. The sudden arrival of this Vincent was somewhat suspicious- usually, there were notifications, and a limo or two arriving with lots of luggage when a new Night Class student enrolled here.

Vincent had just shown up out of the blue, it seemed, and it was all a rather odd situation. Glancing around, he crept to the door, pressing his unpierced ear against the door so that it wouldn't make any noise.

"-classes going, Vincent- kun?" That was the Chairman. Asking him about classes was nothing surprising. For all that he was a bit off, Cross was a caring man, and a bit of a softie. Actually, scratch that. A huge softie.

"They were fine." Vincent's quiet, smooth voice filtered to his ear, and he pressed a bit closer- the boy's voice was a bit hard to hear.

"I'm glad to hear that… And your… memories, have you remembered anything as of yet?" Memories? What the hell was Cross talking about? It seemed as if it were a sensitive subject, as the question was asked hesitantly, tentatively.

Vincent sighed from within the room. "Nothing. It's still blank. Everything… there's nothing there." There was silence for a moment, and then Vincent quietly asked, "Do you think they'll ever come back?"

"In these cases, it's hard to tell. When we found you, there were no injuries on your body- no lumps or bleeding on your head to signify memory loss from head trauma." Cross's voice turned lighter in a desperate attempt to dispel the somber atmosphere. "I hope you do get them back, though. I'd sure like to know how the hell that dent in the woods got there!"

There was a pause, and then Vincent said slowly, "I left… a dent? In the ground? God, how the hell did that happen?" What he was really asking was how he survived, and with no injuries, no less, but Kaien understood.

"I don't know, Vincent. I really don't know." There was the sound of papers being shoved away and an old leather chair creaking as Kaien sat back. "But, I know you didn't come here just to discuss this. What did you really need?"

"Cerberus," Vincent answered immediately.

"Cerberus… oh! That! I have it in my drawer… I'll give it back to you, but you can't let anyone see it on you." A drawer was opened, and the sound of something metal sliding against wood could be heard. Zero heard Vincent get up, and walk quietly over to the desk. A jingling sound, like that of a chain, sounded, along with the sound of metal hitting metal.

"Thank you, Chairman. And don't worry, I won't anyone see it… it's just… it's a link to my past." There was a pause, and a few clicks that Zero recognized as coming from a gun. A gun? "I… don't exactly remember this, but it feels familiar." There were a few more clicks, and a pause. "It means I'm making progress, right?"

"Of course! The fact that it feels familiar to hold it again, even if you don't remember using it is wonderful!" Zero heard Kaien laugh, and then it died down, to a moment of silence. "Vincent… I don't want you to worry. Whether or not you regain your memories, I'll be here to help you every step of the way."

"…Thank you, Chairman Cross."

"Please, call me Kaien, or simply Cross."

"…Thank you, Kaien."

Zero had lingered long enough. Pushing away from the door, he quickly made his way down the hall, and to where he would meet Yuuki for the night patrol- on the roof of the main building where classes were held. His mind kept returning to the conversation between Vincent and Cross.

Vincent... he had had some sort of accident, and lost all his memories. He didn't act like most people suffering from amnesia- he was completely normal…

And that was what bothered Zero. The Night Class had a certain way of acting- they either loved or ignored the attention lavished upon them by their admirers. It was something the aristocratic nobles felt that they deserved. It was their way of life.

The new student, Vincent, however… he didn't act like the rest of them. He had watched as the two Day Class girls had presented him and Kaname with roses- Vincent had been shy, as if he couldn't believe that they were interested in him. Vampires didn't act that way, Zero thought as he crossed the grounds to the Night Dorms.

They were haughty, and looked down on him because of certain… circumstances that had occurred in the past.

And Vincent didn't smell like a vampire. That was the thing that got to him most.

Why in the hell had Kaien put a human into a class full of the bloodsuckers? Although, he had to admit that maybe there was something going on that he wasn't aware of.

He climbed up to the top of the main buildings, where the classes were currently in session, seeing Yuuki was already up there.

How the hell had a human survived a fall that left a dent in the ground? Maybe… after he was alone, he could ditch the patrol for just a few minutes to go find the place Cross had mentioned.

Reaching the top, he saw Yuuki waiting for him, hands in the pockets of her jacket. There was a slight wind on top of the building, making it somewhat chilly. She didn't look up from where she was scanning the windows on the far side of the dorms- Yuuki must not have heard him come up.

He went to the far side of the building, glancing back at a distracted Yuuki. Usually, he would snap at her, tell her to pay attention, but he found he couldn't. Tonight, it would be the pot calling the kettle black, as he had been distracted by thoughts of a certain red- eyed ravenette tonight, and had been late because of it.

Instead, he decided to nettle her about her obsession with Kaname, who he could see was in the window Yuuki was staring at, wanting to alert her to his presence, and honestly? He wanted to see how she would respond. "So how is Kaname Kuran, your hero, doing tonight?"

She jerked around, shocked at the question and by his sudden announcement of his presence. "It-it-it-it-it's not like I was looking at Kaname or anything!" Yes, you were. He's in that window you were staring at. I'm not blind. "Everyone in the Night Class is behaving themselves perfectly tonight!" Thank God for small favors. "And it doesn't look like anyone from the Day Class is wandering around, either!" Ugh, fucking brats. "Looks like we're in for a quiet and peaceful night! We probably don't even need to be here!" she exclaimed brightly.

He remained silent, listening to what she was saying, until she said that. "…I know that." He looked down, not really seeing the gray stones underneath his feet. Instead, his mind replayed the images of the night the vampires killed his family, razing his home to the ground. "The Chairman thinks that the members of the Night Class are pacifists… but I don't believe it," he said quietly, addressing Cross by his formal title. He tended to do so when he was discussing something he thought was a serious issue. "And there is no way in hell," he continued, looking up, eyes growing hard and cold, "That I'm going to let my guard down."

He saw Yuuki gasp, but kept going. "And that's why I just don't understand … how an adult like the Chairman could ever cooperate with them." He turned fully to Yuuki, holding her eyes with his own. "You said it yourself once." He looked away once more, releasing her form his gaze. "The reason why they look like humans … is so they can hunt us more efficiently."

At Yuuki's silence, he sighed, turning away from her. "I'm going on patrol."

"Zero…" He paused as Yuuki said his name. "One thing… what do you think of the new student? You didn't seem to dislike him earlier today." And you hate all the Night Class. The words went unspoken, but Zero could still hear them left hanging in the she had picked up on that.

"He's not a vampire." He left her on the top of the dorms, shocked, and no doubt thinking about some of the same things he had been.