Chapter 5

"Crimson Garden"

"Shizuka…" Zero whispered; his tone hot to the touch. His blood was boiling with fury, his lust for blood unabated…his desire to kill Shizuka interminable.

Zero squirmed against the chair - the thick leather straps bound him down roughly. His skin bruised and cut through as he pulled on the straps forcefully; his whole body – trembling like a broken wound up doll.

"Zero… I told you to rest up and let yourself calm down…" The silver-haired pureblood calmly implored. Her voice was of tiny silver bells – very delicate and ringing, as if it didn't want to leave your ears and be ever unknown. Zero felt like she was blowing cold wind in his direction every time she parted her lips to blow out that voice…

Shizuka sat back down a wooden chair. "You wouldn't last long with Kuran's blood… Only my blood, my blood could satisfy your thirst." Shizuka smiled slightly.

"You monster!" Zero spat, his eyes charged with scarlet yearning. "Where's my brother?!"

7:40 AM the clock light flashed brightly.

Shizuka stood up from her chair and leaned close to Zero, her breath brushing his lips…

"Ichiru… Ichiru was but a frail, scared little lamb at first… Didn't spoke a single word to me until the following year I've taken him in. But the next thing I know he offers his blood and body for me to do as I please… Do you get that Zero? He's safe and sound; I've never touched him or his precious blood." Touching Zero's cool, blanched cheeks with manicured fingertips, Shizuka curled Zero's chin closer. Zero writhed underneath the cold touch.

"Your heart is beating faster Zero… Are you afraid of me?" Shizuka asked, thick moist air dampening the room.

"I'll never be afraid of you…" Zero harshly croaked, his fangs bared.

"Good… Now drink…" Shizuka ordered, her voice calm and clean of any sarcasm. Pressing Zero's face into her pale neck, Zero stuttered.

"I said I don't need your blood! Give Ichiru back!" Zero's teeth clashed temptingly against Shizuka's creamy white skin.

Zero's head throbbed of growing agony, the desire for blood drying the very flesh of his throat and mouth. He was withering, withering to an inescapable Level E. He could hear Shizuka's very veins flow with rich red blood; hear it pump faster and faster in anticipation…

"Aargh! Ah…"

His tongue involuntarily slipped past his lips and lapped the smooth plane of Shizuka's neck; the tip of his razor sharp fangs digging in and breaking skin.

'Yuki…' The thought burned his mind as his teeth sank deeper; stamping him yet again of the fact that he was just a pathetic, bloodsucking vampire succumbing to the temptation of mortal sin. He deserved to die...a slow agonizing death. He wanted to die and believe his existence hadn't been entirely wasted.

But, what was that feeling? When you feel like holding onto something? Something that makes you feel so horrible, yet so alive at the same time? What is that feeling when someone makes you smile yet insane? Zero wanted to know, and yet the answer rang like bells in his hollow mind. All the answers lie in her:

Yuuki

Warm tears - from which he didn't know where - came. Bursting forth from his scarlet pupils and soaking his icy cheeks. He was sucking Shizuka's blood violently, taking it in by the plenty. His bestial side couldn't stop indulging every drop he tasted; he couldn't stop even if he wanted to. His whole insides burned with the want and craving of its progenitor's blood.

"Zero, you poor child… You and Ichiru both… I pity you." Shizuka cooed, her voice softening.

Zero didn't relent from taking Shizuka's life source until the blood itself seeped out from his mouth -running down in crimson, enthusiastic little drops in his limp and bony chest. When his aching thirst was completely filled, he released his fangs none too gently and made a tiny gash in the pureblood's immaculate skin. Zero's eyes returned to its lavender pools almost immediately, and yet it drooped hopelessly like wet clay– as lifeless as a corpse staring out to the heavens. His rough breathing ceased, and his skin somehow earned back its healthy glow.

Shizuka touched the spot on her neck where Zero's fangs staked its claim; wiping the remaining blood with her thumb and licking it clean. She looked passionately at her little servant.

"Zero must you hate me? Join Ichiru and me as we travel the world in search of the remaining fragments of good in this damned world…" Shizuka lightly grasped Zero's freezing hands, deep mauve eyes piercing his very being.

Zero twitched in uncontrolled anger, yet refrained himself from flicking the hand away.

"No…thank…you." Zero slowly growled, still shaking from guilt.

Shizuka smiled sadly. "Ichiru doesn't want you back Zero. He'd told me how he really felt about you – and it's not something you'd want to hear."

Zero stopped for a moment. "You're feeding me lies…" He retorted sharply, blocking out the sympathetic look on Shizuka's face.

"Don't believe me if you will, but I'd presented you the chance to come with us. What is there left for you to hold onto in this place?" Shizuka softly walked behind Zero and loosely dangled her arms across his bare, shaking chest.

"Yuuki" He said it even before his mind processed it.

"The Kuran princess…" Shizuka murmured.

"K-Kuran…You mean to tell me. Yuuki's a Kuran?" Zero's head throbbed as swirls of loathe and anger mixed in to his unstable system.

"She has been for the 5 years you've known her. Kaname simply 'awoke' her from her slumber. Don't you just love her?" Shizuka grinned, resting her chin in Zero's neck.

A pureblood vampire… Yuuki was a pureblood vampire. It was bound to have surfaced during the last 5 years he'd known her…and if he'd known this before – 1, 2, 3, 4 years ago…then what? Would he have shot her? Staked her? Beheaded her?

No… It wouldn't have changed anything. He would have said some spiteful things to her and run off, searching for a way to cure her, to help her live her precious life while he hunt down the rest of the damnable nocturnal beasts. And when the time came that he degraded himself to the beast inside of him, he would pass his gun to Yuuki in his last bit of consciousness and plead her to kill him for his sake; no for her sake… Of course she probably wouldn't, and he wouldn't get the cure he'd set out for, and everything that is right now would have still happened. But he won't ever, ever be able to truly hate her or kill her.

"So what if she's a Kuran? I-It's better that way… At least she lives a life of nobility, not like some scumbag like me." Zero's expression didn't match his heated tone.

"Oh, Zero. The ever hero you are." Shizuka stepped back from Zero, a smile still gracing her pale lips. Toying with him hadn't been enough, but she did learn something from the bitter hunter…is that he hadn't been entirely a waste. She saw potential in him – many wonderful things that are within him.

"There's something about you that I can't place my finger on. I want you to live on, and see how things fall into place… You're more than a hunter – and you have a gift inside you." Shizuka kissed Zero on the lips before disappearing in the dark once more. She would release the defiant servant, and observe. Maybe things would be more interesting in the vampire world from now on. Letting him loose should stir something, anything.

Zero blinked his eyes, the binds lying loose beside his freed reddened wrists. He was free and well. It almost came across as a blessing as he was staring at his own imminent death not too long ago.

Shizuka's presence had vanished, and he was too tired to think about anything else at the moment. For now he's free, and he should do something about it. Zero stumbled out of his cot and slipped his hands forward the rusty knob, jangling it open.

"Yuuki, I'm coming…" Zero's breath suddenly came slow, and then slower…soon his ears were filled with hollow and muffled screams.

The last thing he saw before fading was a nurse screaming bloody murder, filling and ringing his ears…

"What should I do?! DOCTOR!" the nurse frantically called out.

8:04 AM

The transformation has not been stopped.

It was embarrassing to think that her brother would bathe her, but Kaname had offered it gently and politely. They weren't kids anymore, and Yuuki protested that she could clearly bathe on her own, but she was met with nothing but a smile and a towel. Her resistance was futile.

Yuuki sat in Kaname's bathtub, filled to the brim with hot water and some fancy bath salts that smelled vaguely of flowers in funerals. His hand held a soft soaked sponge, running it through her chest and back. Yuuki blushed as she stole a glance to Kaname, his face warm and familiar, but through and through a cold glass. His eyes wore a hard but worn expression, as if he was thinking about something else. Absentmindedly he continued to stroke the sponge in her thighs, still marked by the blood she'd consumed.

"You're ought to be more careful about your menstrual cycle. Do you regularly schedule it?" The question was abrupt, and Yuuki flustered from the personal inquiry.

"I…forgot about it." It was hard speaking straight to your brother when he's bathing you.

"How could you forget it? You're a lady are you not?" Kaname pressed calmly, squeezing the sponge with soap.

"Well…" Yuuki sighed, biting her lip. She was just naturally clumsy, so things like forgetting about her period was completely natural.

"Never mind, I shouldn't have asked of you." Kaname's eyes had never looked so distraught, yet he kept it all in a thin guise of serenity. It was cracking – just a bit, and once again Yuuki's heart clenched.

"I'm sorry Kaname…" Yuuki murmured, closing her eyes. "It's my entire fault, isn't it? Had it not been for my clumsiness you wouldn't have had the urge to-to take me."

"I would have taken you sooner or later Yuuki. It's just that your blood enticed me too much to resist to it any longer. Just like you are now… But I will hold my temptations aside and will help you as any kin would. I am the one who is at fault, so do not blame yourself." Kaname's eyes never wavered; his posture unnaturally stiff and rigid, as if he is holding his entire body back.

Yuuki was silent. She wanted her brother. Is that wrong?

She wanted to kiss him like she did before, but now it would take her a miracle to ever be that capricious again.

No, she couldn't do that. So she did what she always did, and hugged him. Her damp and dripping arms encircled his neck, as her bare chest pressed against his. He was unnaturally warm, though that maybe because she was cold from the water. Yuuki just wanted to console him; it had been instinct.

Maybe, just maybe she could see him smiling again. Just like before.

"Welcome home Kaname!" Yuuki's face exploded to a smile so radiant that it lit the whole room. It was winter and the much needed warmth was a refreshing feeling for the pureblood.

Kaname smiled back mildly and the air immediately changed to that of cheerfulness and delight. He took off his coat and gloves and shook off the white powder of snow still melting in his hair.

Yuuki's 10-year old self scrambled towards her first and foremost favorite person, holding up proudly the cookies she'd baked earlier. She made sure they were warm and fresh from the oven – perfect for a cold day of winter.

"These are especially for you Kaname!" Yuuki eagerly exclaimed, gleefully watching as Kaname picked up one of the more favorable ones.

There was a crunch and a swallow, then a smile, and a pat. Nothing more could have made her happier than when she earned his smile. Warmth emanates from deep inside her every time the pureblood showed kindness. He was only ever like this when he comes to her home, but once he steps out of the gravel walkway he wore the same bitter mask of expression he always does. She knew she didn't do her job of making him happy properly, which worries her. She knows she needs to try harder.

Kaname had done a lot for her; it is the very least she could do.

Yuuki only reached up to Kaname's waist, so she embraced her arms around it, pulling him into a tight hug. He smelled of musky vanilla intermingled with fresh book paper – a familiar, homely scent to her nose.

Kaname lingered around her for a minute longer than usual, and finally pulled away from the hug.

"So what's today's fairytale, Kaname?" Yuuki asked brightly, staring up at him with her glowing chocolate eyes.

"Actually it's going to be a collection of poems. I'd think it would be a nice change from fairytales for once."

They entered the living area and Kaname sat down one of the musty crimson sofa – his favorite chair – by the lamp. He pulled out an equally musty, small leather-bound book and Yuuki concentrated hard to read the English title.

"Edogaa…Aran…Po…"

"Edgar Allan Poe" Kaname patiently corrected, patting Yuuki in the head.

Yuuki grinned cheerfully, "Is he a fairytale author?"

Kaname quirked his lips up in a half-smile, "No, he's a poet and a short stories writer. His works arch mostly to horror and of psychological nature. I think his works are most intriguing."

"Horror? I-Isn't that s-scary?" Yuuki trembled and crawled over Kaname's lap. "I don't think I will enjoy such stories." Yuuki protested, muffling her mouth in Kaname's vest.

Kaname chuckled lightly and held Yuuki so that she faced him. "Every fairytale has its horrors, Yuuki: the witch in Snow White, the evil stepmother of Cinderella, and the big bad wolf in Little Red Riding Hood. So you see fairytales and horrors aren't so far apart." Kaname delved within her innocent, glistening eyes which shook with wonder.

"B-But fairytales are different! They have beautiful princesses in gowns, and lovely princes in horses! Horror is horror…full of…bad things with bad people. Vampires are horrors – they are bad. They hurt innocent people…"

Kaname's eyes shone with a blank stare. That statement crippled him. He is viewed as a horror to many people; he couldn't deny that…even to Yuuki. But it did stung, especially coming from someone you love.

Yuuki immediately sensed the unease and gripped Kaname tighter, "Of course, then there is you Kaname – a kind, and gentle vampire. I wish more of them could be like you. There is no horror in you." Yuuki kissed Kaname on the cheek, which bit her lips with a chill – but she didn't mind. Kaname's heart lightened, "Thank you, Yuuki." It was a cleansing effect she had on him, something that he couldn't explain further nor explain – she just always does.

Yuuki smiled, pleasured from the earnest gratitude. Today she'd make Kaname even happier, or at least feel a bit better.

"So…maybe it wouldn't hurt if you read me just a tiny bit of Mr. Poe…" Yuuki's tiny voice rang with hesitance, but with resolution. It couldn't all be too bad.

"Just tell me when it gets too scary." Kaname softly offered.

With a goodhearted patted on Yuuki's head for her bravery, Kaname flipped through the one which he'd initially bookmarked on the worn book. He cleared his throat and started with the "Tell-Tale Heart".

So thus the older pureblood proceeded to tell the tale – with the proper emotions tied in with the dramatized, crazed thoughts of a deranged man – until a squeak halted him from the point when the lunatic was just about to creep into the vulture-eyed victim's bedroom – a head burying deep in his arms where the small book lied.

Yuuki shook determinedly of not hearing anything horror anymore, else Kaname tear her pure heart and break her soul down to cry. Th-This isn't what she had in mind!

Kaname hugged his sister and comforted her enough to elicit a stifled sob from her. "There there Yuuki, it's merely ink, paper, and a little bit of imagination. Do not be frightened so."

Yuuki nodded and willed herself to stop crying. She shouldn't have been easily scared! Quickly she composed herself, letting go from Kaname's arms.

"I-I think that man should find a b-better hobby…stalking someone is not good for the health!" scolded the ever thoughtful Yuuki.

"True but he has been quiet unhealthy for some time now." Kaname grinned, watching Yuuki recover rather swiftly. She looked adorably sweet to the vampire, one that couldn't ever be tainted kind-of-sweet. 'Let's hope it stays that way', thought Kaname darkly. If anything happened to Yuuki it would be because of his fault…his fault.

"Kaname…?" Yuuki worriedly uttered, snapping Kaname back to the here and now. "Is there something wrong?"

And the cycle of worries continues, passing back and forth between the siblings.

"Nothing… How about the fairytale books? Mr. Poe isn't good story time material I suppose." Kaname replied, veering away from further distress. Protecting a loved one should be done silently.

Yuuki nodded enthusiastically, relieved from the change of literature.

Kaname sighed, tucking back the small book he so wanted to continue for Yuuki. Maybe when she grows older and more knowledgeable will he present to her the horror stories he's kept secret from her for so long. Pushing back the excellent poems of Poe, Kaname took the dusty but very-much used tome of Fairytales beneath the coffee table.

"Once Upon a Time in a Land far, far away…" Then the whimsical storytelling began and Kaname's delivery of words with his rich and excellent English soon lulled young Yuuki to a peaceful slumber.

The End was always Kaname's favorite part – reaching the time when the clock stops chiming, and watching Yuuki asleep. There was something relaxing about seeing the vibrant girl in such a calm and tranquil expression – dissolving away his troubles.

He leaned down and kissed her gently on the forehead, bidding her pleasant dreams. The nightmares won't go away, but at least she could still believe in the fairytale he'd created for her.

Kaname held Yuuki as she drenched water against his now thoroughly soaked polo. Her long yet lustrous brunette hair clung onto her skin and neck, and Kaname smelled the peony and lilac shampoo he'd just washed it with. The scent and her skin started to tip off his balance slightly.

"What if I wanted to be with you? What if…turning into this is – is what I wanted?"

Yuuki couldn't stop her heart from beating wildly inside her chest. She didn't deny that when it comes to him she could be stubborn and greedy. Now Kaname – the one she'd always looked up to, was closer to her than ever before – every fiber in her lusting.

He was family, a sibling. But more than that her…

His blood started to call her, from within his skin…the veins flowing, gushing, and pumping…delicious…

First her mind relented, and then her eyes flicked into a horrific color – satiated crimson. Her feelings clouded the better of her judgment.

She wanted Kaname, badly.

Yuuki stretched her mouth wide and pierced the skin blocking the blood from her white fangs. She drank in her first blood from her brother, and she could taste the pleasure warming her tongue. It was bliss, and she felt ecstatic – electricity crackling in her spine. Yuuki latched onto Kaname's shoulder as she slid out of the porcelain tub. Her fingers staking like nails.

The moist, heat, and blood flooded through her senses which drugged her completely. She sucked like a straw in a cold cup of cherry coke. At one point her body quivered and her mind was thrown into a ceaseless void. She slipped away, with a crimson line flowing neatly out of her gaping mouth.

Yuuki heaved heavily, breathing against Kaname's neck. A thin fog mixed into his pale skin – painted with a scar of deep burgundy. Her eyes were filled with sorrow, and she wanted to take back everything she did.

The world never looked so gray after seeing so much red.

"I'm, I'm so…sorry…." The need to cry choked the rest of her words.

It was a sin; a sin especially from vampires to drink blood. She knew that, but her hunger wasn't satisfied. It was also a sin to see her brother as anything more, but her heart was torn.

Yuuki's legs found its will to move up, albeit with a little burden. Just when her other leg followed the other, Kaname held her wrist tight and held her back down.

There was her heart again, pumping with unusual anxiousness. Kaname tasted her tainted mouth and her cheeks rose to a pink hue. She tasted him too and could detect a faint linger of her blood still left in his tongue. It was as if he was testing her – to see where she stood.

They broke away, and Yuuki swam helpless within his auburn and bottomless orbs. Soon she has to resurface, but it sucked her in.

Kaname picked Yuuki up and propped her upright by the foot of the bed – still dripping of water. He walked back to fetch a towel and wrapped it comfortably around her shivering body. He patted her dry with another, and didn't utter a single word.

"K-Kaname…" Yuuki croaked tentatively, eyes downcast to the plush carpeting. What more could be said after the committed crime? Plead guilty? Her defenses were deteriorating. Kaname – In the end – was the judge to every movement she makes.

With a weary heart, Kaname kneeled down in front of Yuuki, taking her hand in his.

"Yuuki… Remember the time when I presented you Edgar Allan Poe? Clearly you detested it because it was frightening. 'Horrors' are vampires. That's what you said. And you weren't wrong… We are beasts that feed in blood. You and I – are monsters. It is simply our unchangeable and perpetual nature – driving our instincts and our lust. It is who we are, or more of what we are."

The words left Kaname's tongue smoothly, leaving with a pause to sink in – but with no hint of bitterness.

Yuuki was silent…she is a monster. Is she a monster?

All she'd ever been afraid of since she could remember was vampires … She never tried to think of what their situation was, and thought of what they felt– that maybe they don't want to be branded as 'horrors' or 'beasts' or 'monsters'. They wanted to be free, escape that judgment and be accepted.

What would be the reason of the night class then? Yet even if they try to mix in with the humans, they are still viewed in an upper echelon. Prized, fair-skinned figures of adoration…and they don't even have a clue of what their idols feast on – their blood. The irony was almost laughable.

The vampires and the humans are a truly and totally different race apart from each other.

'But I feel as though we all can still be together. We can love, we hurt, and we yearn for acceptance… We aren't totally different.' The thought etched deeper at Yuuki's heart, silently and strongly.

"We are not like humans. We feed and need from each other." The older pureblood continued, looking up at Yuuki with burning auburn irises.

"I understand" Yuuki replied meekly, hiding the conflict bubbling in her gut. 'We aren't monsters, Kaname… We can try to love.'

Biting her lip, Yuuki closed her eyes…once again she failed to make Kaname any happier.

"I hope that you do, Yuuki."

Brushing past her cheeks, Kaname claimed Yuuki's lips in a chaste kiss.

Shiki looked around for Rima – everywhere around the perimeter of the moon dormitory. He had not found her since she had left him to fend on his own against Kaname. It was his fault, and he was afraid that he'd scared her.

'I will apologize to her… She could have all my share of Pocky today.'

Shiki still could not however, dissect of what had happened exactly with Kaname. Right now everything has been upturned into chaos, and that's just the kind of thing he dislikes the most. Fear, confusion, mystery… Nothing was gained but more of it.

Stumbling onto the dormitory lounge, he spotted dozens of the vampire community huddled together – all in dismay and disarray. It was a quiet sight for such an indulgent species of luxury and nobility to look so helpless and piteous. Shiki took a deep breath and sharpened his eyes, spotting Takuma standing idly by a group of classmates. He hastened his step and strode over and between the tired bodies.

Takuma saw the pleasing sight of a friend coming over to him, and pure relief overflowed his system. "Shiki, where have you been?" The blonde prince offered Shiki a cold cup of Light Blood (iced water with 2 drops of diet blood pills), and smiled brightly (genuinely) for the first time today.

"No thanks I'd had my fill. I suppose everyone saw the sight of the almighty Lord. What he'd regally proclaimed?" Shiki's usual emotionless expression tightened to a small scowl. Takuma sipped the Light Blood for himself and sighed, placing the cup back down a table.

"Nothing much, he told us the cut and dry of it: Yuuki and more troubles between the vampire senate. Honestly, I really think all of it is none of our business, it's just more trouble with the purebloods – like it hasn't been hell already… But, well he's our leader, there's nothing we can do but serve him till the end, right…? Cheers!" Takuma's eyes glinted with a soft, suppressed sadness yet his hands held the red-filled cup with urged optimism, held high up in the air.

If it was one thing Shiki truly hated are people that downright lie to themselves. It was pathetic and miserable.

The red-head's anger rose up at his friend's blatant façade, and immediately Shiki's hands took up Takuma's collar in a flash – slamming the noble up against the wall and startling the surrounding vampires.

Takuma's eyes passed through like glass at Shiki's gun powder blue pupils. The blonde fixed his face to a calm, cold look – staring blankly at his pissed-off friend. It was stupid on his part for even sounding the least bit enthusiastic when all events had been otherwise. It was his duty as vice dorm president to act neutrally, and if possible – positively at all times, so as not to disrupt order and peace amongst the tension between the vampire communities. Such was a daunting, very weighing job but in the end Takuma always held out – with a wonderful, perfected smile of his.

"Don't pretend like everything is alright for you Takuma, because this isn't exactly a birthday party anymore. Please, if I've ever been a friend to you…tell me what you're really feeling." Shiki's hands trembled in the sheer pressure of his clutch, and Takuma slowly eased himself down, eventually being freed from Shiki. The two didn't stay at their fights for very long. Something always holds them down –a second nature between the noble friends. They patiently wait it out until the other had calmed down, and the feelings of hatred evaporate like magic.

With elongated breath, the two locked eyes tensely.

"What do you suppose we do?" Takuma asked, eyes casting down at the plush cream carpet.

He didn't directly answer, but Shiki knew Takuma was on his side.

Sapped of vigor and the rest of his deteriorating brain cells, the red-headed noble slouched down on a vacant chair, propping his forehead in his left palm. "We ask questions that we don't know, or we can find out answers for ourselves."

"Shiki, you are not in the proper state to be thinking, your body is in need of much rest…"

"Then what do you suggest we do?" Dodging his friend's wary reminder with a slight quip, Shiki pressed on.

"I suggest we patiently wait, nothing good ever comes from direct attacks."

"I fear most for the welfare of Yuuki…" Shiki muttered, biting down on his lip.

"What of Yuuki by the way? Her blood has been saturating around the air since the commotion started."

"Questions, then comes answers. We don't exactly have the answers as of right now..." Shiki coldly replied to Takuma.

His mind had been clouded of the troubling memory only hours ago…

"Come here a little closer my cousin and give our awakened relative a proper family reunion." Kaname was cradling the other pureblood onto his arms, the one dripping blood.

"Yuuki… She's a – a pureblood." Shiki muttered absently, drawing blood from his thumb.

Rima watched as Hanabusa finished off the 20th day class student – his meal.

Throwing off the dead body without the slightest regards, Hanabusa chuckled as he looked back at Rima – swiping off his tainted mouth and flicking the blood towards her mouth.

"You're hungry, no? I mean…after watching those poor girls scream and beg you for help to 'save me'! 'Save me'! Hell is it awful and very tiring! What a bunch of whores they were anyway – practically willing to be raped in the beginning – only to find out… I'm not as charming." A sinister grin leeched out of Hanabusa's mouth, eyes still dark red.

Rima refused to move, her whole body rooted to the ground.

"Now now, Rima, do not be so cold to me. I can feel your hatred creeping from all the way here you know. You'd think I was the icy one around here, but look at you." Hanabusa chuckled scornfully, slipping his finger into Rima's lips. "You're colder than me."

Rima obediently licked Hanabusa's finger, which earned her an encouraging coo from the blonde. She wanted to bite it off.

"Speak to me Rima, why are you so serious? Just a little bit of fun won't hurt anybody." Hanabusa brushed his fingers clean against his sullied suit – covered with stains of murder.

"Because I hate you, you're disgusting." Rima replied frankly, looking at Hanabusa clearly.

"I do like it when you insult me – so cute."

"You're just pissed because you can't touch Yuuki."

Hanabusa growled, "I don't need the bitch. Kaname wants to toy with her, fine by me. I at least want to entertain myself while I can."

"You know that's not true. You know her scent has changed." Rima blankly responded. Her stiff foot shifted underneath the head of a day class female student – dead, obviously. Blood seeped out from the body, which caused her dry throat to tighten further.

Hanabusa paused for a moment and observed Rima struggling to stay composed, he smirked. He bent forward and licked the dead female's dripping neck beneath her.

"Yeah she's transformed; or more accurately – awakened."

"Hey, let me out of these cuffs." Rima's eyes reflected the sun glinting from the shed's window.

"I suppose I kept you enough for long, huh? I do wonder though, Yuuki being a pureblood… It was to be expected. Kaname's actually not that hard to read you know – yes he oozes nothing but magnanimity and mystery, but once you get through all that physical part, and just – just read his eyes then you begin to get somewhere…" A pause, which lingered longer than it should have, occurred, then with a short puffed breath –without warning – Hanabusa collapsed in the ground.

"Are you kidding me?!" Rima groaned, squeezing her small hands out of the tight ice cuffs. The sun was hot – it felt like it was going to melt her skin off like wax.

"Senri…help…me."

Hanabusa, his body no longer able to stabilize his systems from the overdose of both blood pills and blood, has officially passed out. Now she's stuck here in a corner shed within the infinite hedge mazes built surrounding the campus.

"I'm screwed…" Rima murmured.

Hell, isn't everything screwed now?

"We're in a lockdown as I've previously thought." Kageyama, president of the Day Class, reported to the frantic and apprehensive Day Class mass.

Everyone was quiet, it was disturbing in a way that you know something bad is on its way, and there's no way out. The news that they just heard is proof of that.

"Just talked to Headmaster Cross and he says we're to stay here until told so. So everyone get comfy!" Kageyama ordered; wiping his glasses as calmly as his shaking fingers could possibly can.

"What I don't understand is why!" One first year girl screamed. The shrill scream of her voice resonated fear and desperation. Everyone looked at her.

She grew hesitant, but might as well say what everybody else is thinking.

"Our friends are missing! And you keep telling us to stay calm and comfy?!"

"I am TRYING to keep stability in this situation. Now, I have received orders, and everyone will obey to it! You and everybody else talk quietly amongst yourselves or else stay quiet!" Kageyama's face was blown red, and his eyes glinted with fierce resolve. This wasn't easy on his part, it was straining and difficult. Imagine trying to suppress all fears bottled up in a small, too small a room with nowhere to go and nothing to do.

So no one could really blame the first year girl for acting out. Everyone was on edge.

The girl who screamed out looked at Kageyama, at first irately and rebelliously, but then her muscles relaxed, dissolving to suppressed guilt and eventually back to loneliness.

"Thank you" Kageyama replied softly, fixing his perfectly placed glasses.

"Kageyama-kun, do you know where Yuuki is?" Sayori elected this time to finally confront the class president. This question was very important to her, and depending on the answer, she might not be able to handle the "situation".

"Last I saw of her was yesterday at class. I'm sorry Sayori. Over 21 people are missing, including Yuuki. We aren't sure what's happening out there but we're in here in a lockdown. The best we could do is to stay here and listen for further instructions." He looked at her as if to wish he could have said something else, but Sayori already turned away. She couldn't bear having any more pity.

"I understand"

No she didn't. Her friend is missing and so are 20 other students. That she could understand. So how could she possibly stay calm and sit still?

Sayori bit her lip and walked out back to her room.

She would handle this herself, even if no one will.

The first thing Zero remembered was Shizuka – no it was Yuuki – but it was definitely…Shizuka's face. Calm, with false endearment wrapped around those deep mauve orbs of hers… It was also smooth, pale, and very cold… Yuuki's would have had warmth or some sort of halo about her, but this was one was most definitely cold.

"You're okay for now" he heard. His ears were ringing like bells.

An undeniably dark pit of thirst was growing inside him – began swallowing the whole sensation of his tongue, teeth, and throat… It was black, and oh so strong… Zero was going to explode if he didn't receive blood right this second!

His body decided to move on its own and it began to violently lash out – hands first, then arms, while his head and mouth were shaking – sending drool flying all over his chest. They couldn't restrain it any longer.

While in his mind – his mind – was quiet, peaceful…imagining Yuuki…and not Shizuka.

Damn that woman.

"He's not going to make it! No matter how many of these shots he takes his body keeps rejecting it!"

"Damn it she escaped!"

Kageyama warily peered over the window, calculating the 2-story height of the building.

"She jumped… She couldn't have gotten far! Hurry! Find her!"

While her classmates were out looking for her, Sayori was already hobbling – injured – in the forest. Within the dense canopy of trees, hiding and fleeing.

She hadn't the slightest notion of where she was heading, but her bruised feet kept her in the path of the Night Class "Moon" Dormitory. Her instinct nudged her to go there, because Yuuki might be there.

'So is this how I handle the situation?' Sayori thought to herself rather bitterly.

She was bleeding, frantic, and very much disillusioned. How could she possibly be of help to her friend when she herself is in dire need of one?

However with all of those thoughts still circling around her mind, she continued onwards. Somehow, someway she stumbled onto…

"Zero… Zero! Zero it's me Sayori! Where's Yuuki?" Her voice sounded raspy to her but she yelled out as loud as she possibly could.

His eyes locked onto her quickly, too quickly – like a hungry predator locking onto its only prey. It sent chills running down her spine.

Sayori couldn't even take a step forward as her eyes processed the gleaming fangs protruding from Zero's mouth – that's it, her muscles were frozen, and she couldn't command her body…

He was exactly a predator.

'Zero… What exactly are you?' Dozens of questions and thoughts went through Sayori at once that she felt like she could faint from it alone.

"Y-You're a vampire aren't you… Are you the one hurting Yuuki and all those other Day Class students?"

She watched Zero not moving, just observing her. Sayori knew that he had become very dangerous, but finally her leg muscle loosened and she took a step forward.

Zero growled at her, bared his fangs in all its glory. Go away! Take no step further!

Whatever that possessed her mind at that moment, whatever it was, told her – no screamed at her to make a run for it.

She did, and her petite body zipped through the leaves and roots swiftly. A monster was just a few feet away from her, chasing her through the woods.

It sounded like a fairytale almost, maybe like Little Red Riding Hood.

That would make Zero the hungry wolf, and Sayori the lost little girl in the woods.

Takuma followed Shiki as they trekked further into the garden.

Earlier, a series of screams had echoed outside the campus and immediately everyone was put in high alert. Not until Takuma had persuaded everyone that everything was alright and promise that he would check things out for himself, did the vampires actually settled down. Shiki wouldn't have it when Takuma insisted he'd be alright by himself. He had to come along lest anyone would be taking a step outside. Of course Takuma had no choice but to agree then.

Upon exiting, almost immediately, they had smelled blood lingering around the air nearby – which always seems to indicate an unlucky sign – so they decided to sniff around and follow their noses. This led them to their current path: the school's infamous hedge maze.

You either follow one path or else get yourself lost. This place was often the subject of conquest to those with a heart that yearns for a bit of adventure. Once in awhile, Day Class students enter here with a group of friends doing such activities in the night. Yuuki and Zero often had their busiest patrol nights hunting down – what they've nicknamed – the "Hedge Seekers".

"You think they'd be alright, back in the dormitory?" Takuma wondered anxiously. Each step forward was a weight pulling him down on his shoulders; he felt his duty to be needed back in the Moon dormitory.

"Akatsuki and Ruka have the handle of things in the dormitory. We can trust them." Shiki mumbled, pushing aside shrubberies in the path which the intoxicating scent led them in. The more they got closer the more blood there seems to have in the path. This further escalated Shiki's and Takuma's fears.

"Of course" The vice president took a deep, intake of breath and mentally persuaded himself to calm down.

They all felt trapped – nothing to do but to idle around and throw suspicions across each other's face. It was sickening, and on top of it all Kaname was doing nothing – or more precisely is nowhere to be found. Purebloods have the power to do that – just disappear without leaving a trace of their existence.

"Bloody hell…" Takuma whispered.

And literally was it bloody. Finishing their path led them to the Centre Garden (a misleading name as it is not situated in the heart of the maze) or commonly known as the "Victory Garden" of the school…which currently now had become an open canvas – messily painted with the crimson life source. The blood covered an area of approximately 6 yards. A little further up, a trail of more blood was made only hidden by a small bush.

The site was chilling; even to most blood-hardened vampires. The sort of which was like a hunt gone wrong – very wrong… Someone was obviously running away from some type of animal when it grew very violent and attacked at him or her, biting off an organ or two.

Already armed with handkerchief masks, Shiki and Takuma carefully waded through the crimson soaked ground. Each was analyzing the scene, disgusted, but thoroughly.

"These are not too long ago… very recent in fact." Takuma stated, bended over the ground. "The grounds we've just covered were also disturbed highly, rapidly… The chase wasn't for long, but he did try." Takuma shook his head. "Some scuffle occurred afterwards then the tracks disappear...odd."

"Hmm, a level D or E you think?" Shiki squeezed the cloth over his nose more tightly as to stifle the onslaught of fresh scent.

"I'd like to think not, but judging by the chaotic patterns and the marks… Just by its appearance here –" Takuma stopped, distraught. The feeling of utter hopelessness finally had caught up to his glassy façade. It had never occurred to him that the whole school was in danger, nor did the mere thought of beasts – no less! – was out here prancing about the school gardens and feasting on students! He felt dazed, but the sight that was in front of him reminded him clearly that now was not the time to stop and rest.

"More over here… Let's follow the tracks." Shiki remained composed, aside from Takuma which followed behind very regrettably.

"Shiki, you'd think Kaname's the one behind all this." the noble's voice edged in desperation.

"Oh so, you finally begin to doubt."

"No, I'm not just dubious– I'm suspicious! For crying out loud we carry this business on like it is a normal occurrence!" Takuma knew it better to have kept his thoughts to himself, but he was beginning to grow tired of playing the faithful, clueless henchman. He is going to start making things clear or so help himself!

Shiki stopped in front of him and turned around to face him. His face hinted at nothing.

"You want to hear my honest opinion? No, I do not think it is likely to be Kaname behind this…" Shiki paused to gesture around the whole bloody trail they've been following. "He's not one to leave tracks and there is no point to this scenario whatsoever. It doesn't fit well by his cards. Besides, why would he do this? You're closest to him, and you know him more. You know he's not the type of a man."

The last part was more of a comforting statement to Takuma. Shiki knew Kaname was a close childhood friend to him, and all the furtiveness and the secrecy as of late was tearing down that friendship brick by brick.

Takuma nodded silently, understanding.

"I – I just want to know if I'm doing the right thing."

Shiki watched as Takuma quietly strode past him and continued on the trail. It would very well end near by a shed…

"Me too, I want to know as well." Shiki replied quietly, mostly to himself.

With a sigh that only the trees could have heard, Shiki continued and followed behind Takuma.

Only one path was evident right now, and if you wander too far – astray – you'll find yourself lost.

It would be wrong to say that Seiren wasn't actively doing her job of protecting her master.

No, she had been doing her job perfectly fine, up until she realized she was no longer necessary that is.

Yes, without so much as a relinquishing statement, Lord Kaname had sent her free. It hadn't been a contract or a blood oath of some sort, but she knew she had been released.

For one, she no longer felt his presence like she did. His thoughts somehow intermingled with hers from time to time – an indication that they were indeed connected. This had made Seiren – for a long time since serving Lord Kaname – feel safe. It was the opposite if you look at it from an outsider's point of view, but to Seiren that connection had been her identity. It had been her duty as a vampire, a reason to go about living. Before, she'd wanted nothing and was thought of as nothing. She didn't feel anything for anyone. Death could have embraced her and she wouldn't have even noticed.

But then Lord Kaname came, he'd seen her – as lifeless and cold as the wind one night, and decided to give her a gift. It had been her choice. Never before had she felt so alive and needed; to protect someone as lonely and broken as her… It was like looking through a mirror. He trusted her and she'd obey his orders. Sometimes a thought or two slipped out of their connection and Seiren could feel her master's burden. The more she wanted to serve him and protect him – to preserve that human side of him… It was because of that one girl, Yuuki.

The night before, in her eyes, she knew things wouldn't ever been quiet the same. And she was right.

She knew she was lost now. Without a master to follow, what would she do?

Her feet carried her tree by tree in the woods as if it knew where to go, the wind slipping by effortlessly.

Her mind was now free, blank, and empty…

The woods were just the same, or so she thought, until she heard a plea for help from within the woods.

Zero had bit her, and she was in the ground helpless.

Sayori watched with horror as Zero, or this beast, tear up her Day Class blouse to give his salivating mouth more room to devour.

He had caught up to her within minutes, even though her feet moved as fast as her heart was beating… One moment they were running through the forest, and the next they were in the mazes… The narrow path didn't do much good for escape. She knew that the moment she felt his fingers raking through her shoulders.

She didn't feel Zero ripping open her gut as she had finally fainted from screaming her head off. Zero made sure to silence her quickly. More blood spilled from Sayori, and that was just the intention Zero was aiming for. He lapped it all up and caught it expertly with his tongue. It was all good, so very good…

Next would be her intestines…

*BAM*

What Zero didn't expect next though was a strong, powerful kick from the back. His breath was knocked off and he came crashing away from his meal. A menacing growl ripped out of his throat. He looked at his assailant and she looked back – unfazed.

"You scum" Seiren whispered. She didn't waste time any further as she picked up Sayori and directly headed to the shed which would offer some protection…

'I'll protect this girl'. That would be her new duty.

Kaien Cross wasn't much of an alchemist, but he was sure that the Vampire Hunter's Association's sedative for the "irrationally wild and violent" vampires should have been enough to suppress Zero for another day or so. The development for the cure was on its final stages just before Zero timed his perfect moment to break loose.

"Damn it" was all he muttered, and would mutter.

Nothing goes as planned for him. All he really wanted to do was to watch Yuuki and Zero to grow up to be old, and eventually have little babies of their own; sweetly calling him "Grandpa!" – Oh, the joy! He'd have cuddled them and treated them as much as his own…loving them, protecting them. It's a fairly simple and sensible wish, right?

No…it wasn't, he knew that. He knew no such things would exist as long as you add vampires into the mix. Kaien was weary and he was old. He'd accomplished little compared to the many times he'd failed. This time he'd hoped it would have counted as an accomplishment, but instead it ended up in failure...

'How I need your guidance Juri… Yuuki and Kaname, they have grown so much. Too quickly for me I'm afraid. The tension of Yuuki's reawakening has caused many unexpected consequences. Perhaps Kaname has erred from his decision, but I also know I cannot intercede between the two of them no longer; their choice has always been theirs and theirs alone… So what can I do? How –' in the midst of this rumination, a hand abruptly patted his shoulder; breaking Kaien's flow of thought.

He was met with lazy powder blue eyes. "The cure, it's ready."

Yagari held out a single, sliver syringe in his hand.

His hope fluttering once again, Kaien delicately wrapped his index finger and thumb around the sleek tube with a soft smile. This tiny thing bottled up the future of the entire vampire society.

"A success for once" Kaien cheerily proclaimed. The most bipolar among them all, his attitude quickly shifted from depressed to optimistic.

Quickly picking up his stride, Kaien ascended the stairs and exited the laboratory. The syringe was safely tucked away in the depths of his coat.

The first one cured will be Zero; he will make sure of that.

It was a brief, gloomy reunion for everybody. Not a word of relief uttered.

Everyone focused on the bloody human girl who had her gut ripped open. Takuma was made to handle the immediate emergency care as he knew better, and was actually medically trained before.

Shiki stood by Rima who had been freed from the cuffs, and Seiren guarded over the still unconscious body of Hanabusa.

All waited, and the room was enveloped in serious silence. Only the puffing of Takuma's breath and the drop of his sweat could have been heard.

"It's going to take awhile before she wakes up… She lost a lot of blood, and she is in dire need of a blood transfusion… I have to taste her blood for a little bit to confirm her blood type…" Takuma hesitantly parted his lips to taste the girl's blood when Shiki swiftly approached him and held out his hand.

"Just make sure you don't overdo it. She's lost enough blood as it is." Takuma looked at Shiki and they nodded in agreement.

Having been approved, Takuma quickly suppressed the feeling of craving building from within him, and slowly touched her cold hand. Piercing her wrist with the tip of his fang, a small bead of blood fell, which Takuma quickly licked.

"Her blood type is AB…" Takuma whispered after a moment, placing her hand back down beside her. It had only been a drop, and yet it tasted better than anything else he'd eaten in months. The want was all over Takuma, growing…

Shiki hastily popped some of his blood pills to his friend. "It should help with the temptation."

"Thanks"

Rima observed Takuma taking the pills shakily. She went over to him and helped him ingest the blood pills. Bitter would be a high understatement for what Takuma tasted after the savor of pure, sweet blood.

"Takuma… Are you okay?" Rima queried. She feared for his irrepressible craving. It never entirely goes away… You just had to bury it and bury it deeper until you've forgotten about how the blood melts and burns in your tongue, engraving its unadulterated, delicious taste within the caverns of the mouth, and… But oh, now she was just helplessly carrying on…

"It will have to do… We need to take her down to the laboratory where they have all the medical equipment necessary for her." Takuma hoarsely ordered.

"We can't go. Not until we know Zero's out of our way." Rima stated.

"I'll go. I'm faster and stronger."

Everybody turned to look at Seiren – the almost invisible shadow of Kaname. It seemed almost impossible that the shadow has wretched away from the darkness, but here she is out in the light.

"I-I can stall him for awhile." Seiren hesitantly added. She was unsure on whether or not to continue talking. Everyone was awfully looking at her… Seiren turned away to look at the shed walls.

"Alright, then it is settled. Takuma you will be with me as I carry the human girl – you will be our guard in case of trouble. Seiren you will create a diversion for Zero. And Rima you will carry Hanabusa back to his quarters."

Rima immediately opposed the call of order. The last thing she was thinking of doing was carrying the body of a murderer around, and tucking him back to sleep with his teddy bear.

"Senri, I refuse to help him! Everything that he has brought upon me has been nothing but shame! He drank blood without the slightest remorse from those girls, and yet you expect me to lend a hand?!" Rima still couldn't shake the memory of last night out of her head… All those girls had been begging and screaming for mercy and she was able to do nothing but witness. Her hands shook and she stilled them.

Shiki held Rima and closed his arms around her. Rima buried her head close to his chest. The warmth was soothing.

"I'm sorry you had to go through all that alone Rima… I should not have gotten us separated."

"You were unfair Senri." Rima mumbled.

"I know… Want some Pocky?" Shiki retrieved a fresh package from inside his coat and presented it to Rima.

Rima's face brightened immensely, but almost immediately it casted doubts in her mind. "Hmm, are you trying to bribe me?"

"Nope not at all, it's a 'just because I love you' gift. I'll leave it right here for now Rima. We are losing precious minutes for the human girl."

'Yep, totally bribing me' Rima thought without much wit.

Shiki carefully picked up the unconscious body of Sayori and signaled for Takuma and Seiren to get ready.

"Wait, before you go - what of the dead bodies?" Rima looked around the leftovers of Hanabusa's meal.

"We'll figure something out. Right now, we must hurry…lest the girl – dies."

"Okay, but Senri before you go…" Rima quickly approached him and kissed him on the lips. "It's my 'just because I love you' gift."

Shiki quiet tactfully turned around to hide his blush from Rima, and proceeded to step outside the shed door. "Yes, thank you Rima."

"Shiki, we better hurry!" Takuma urged. He didn't want to seem like the cynical bad guy interrupting the two love birds, but a girl's life was at stake. He will not allow this girl's blood to spill on their account with so many lives taken already.

"Right, we're off then."

And for awhile, the danger that awaits them didn't seem to be too frightening after all...for Rima and Shiki at least.

Zero was no longer himself.

Blood had consumed him, and it had eluded him only minutes ago – no, no…not eluded, taken.

Inside him was just full of hot, bubbling anger that for the past 20 minutes or so, all he did was vent – ripping apart bark from the trees until his fingers stung and bled.

He had enough blood on his system that he didn't go entirely crazy, but enough to keep him on edge – ever wanting more, and more.

The side that was the most frightening, the most volatile had won. All rationality erased.

Maybe things would be better off this way; cuz remembering her would still make him crazy – if not – crazier than before. So who's to say Zero wasn't meant to be a beast?

He sucked at his own fingers until the blood ran dry and then slumped besides the tree.

His fangs were larger; fingernails sharper, longer – the whole Level E package. It seems taking the blood of the progenitor vampire hadn't been enough…

A shadow flicked across in front of him, and then a face stopped and stared at him… He saw a smile faintly traced across the stranger's face.

"Ah my dear, older brother… Whatever has happened to you?"

Zero's first instinct was to smell blood, but this thing's blood gave him no appetite. Zero bared his fangs and growled.

"Oh, can't even talk? You know for a Level E, you're quiet tame… Hmm, seems like Lady Shizuka's blood might still have had some effects on you."

Zero felt cold hands touch his face.

"Poor thing… Can't seem to understand why she ever spared you. You're better off dead!" Laughter alongside the tinkling of a bell resonated on Zero's ears.

He felt something prick his skin, and his vision turned blurry and uneven…

"You know why I don't love you Zero? It's because you are strong and I am weak. You made me feel so unworthy that I wanted you dead. But even that won't happen, because Lady Shizuka forbade me to kill you."

Suddenly, the world went completely blank. The haze of drugged-filled thoughts and the emptiness of the mind was a friendly visitor to Zero by now.

"Farewell, brother. Have fun in the next life."

:Coda:

When Zero woke up, he found himself in unfamiliar grounds.

"Zero, Zero! Thank goodness!" Arms that were thin and fragile embraced him tightly in a manner that was familiar.

"Yuuki?" he asked, his own voice sounding vague.

Maybe this was heaven; maybe he was dead after all.

"Yes, yes Zero I'm here." Her tone was hushed, relieved. She had been so afraid since the time they had found him unconscious in the woods. Slow poisoning had been the case. It wasn't fatal, but it had still been very potent.

"Yuuki… Are we dead?" Zero needed to know that knowledge first and foremost.

"No silly, why would we be dead? You're okay now. Headmaster Cross has injected you with an antidote and the cure. Right now the results are favorable. But…" She touched his forehead gently which was hot to the touch – like a burning tea kettle. "You've quiet the fever. That will heal as well so long as you get plenty of rest."

Zero blinked his eyes, and looked hard at Yuuki. He studied hard the parts that have changed... Her eyes were now more knowing, her face didn't glow with as much happiness as she used to, and her hair has considerably lengthened. But the one thing that hasn't changed – that remained– was the part that Zero had clung onto for hope: her warmth.

"You've changed." His lips consciously formed the words that had been forming in his mind.

Yuuki smiled, "Not really. Inside I'm still me. Outside some things may have changed, but I don't feel any different. Anyway, you don't like long hair on me?" Yuuki feigned a hurt look in the implication.

Zero touched a strand of her long hair in between his fingers. "No it's beautiful."

Yuuki blushed; it was the first time Zero had complimented her. It was nice for once.

"Thanks, I um was thinking of cutting it after all of this is over. But looks like I won't have to…"

"Hmm" Zero muttered.

The other knew what the other was thinking about, yet no one had the strength to speak out.

"Well, right now I have to look after Yori, Zero. I'll be back in a jiffy." Yuuki kissed Zero on the forehead and swiftly exited the room.

With Yuuki's presence gone, the air dropped in temperature and was now empty - save for Zero.

He sighed and turned over his body towards the sun-filtered window.

The small kiss he received did not soothe him as Yuuki had thought it did. Instead it brought tears in his eyes.

'Don't take me for a fool Yuuki… You won't be back.'

With that thought, Zero closed his eyes and slipped into – what he had hoped – to be an endless slumber.

A/N: 10,000+ words for this chappie! Woot! I would like to note that this chapter in particular has been in the making for about a year or so. The very first part was written a year ago, then I abandoned it for quite some time. Then in early October, I decided to pick it up again while I was browsing through my documents file with the goal of 10000 words typed. Now, it's late November and I finally accomplished that goal! :D

Story-wise, in the next chapter I would make sure that the main focus would be Kaname and Yuuki - hopefully to smoothen out their relationship, etc. I know I've placed the focus in various sides of the story, and I don't know if the effect I was aiming for failed or not. So, guys I'd love to hear your suggestions and thoughts on the story thus far. I appreciate every one!

Inspirations that I drew for this chapter are: "The Walking Dead" (the idea of "trapping students in a school, trying to survive and rescue friends" just dawned on me and I decided to make that my theme) and Tumblr (during the times where I almost gave up on the chappie, I stopped by at Tumblr and start reblogging like crazy... It definitely helped).

And finally, thanks for reading this chapter! This is Violin signing out.