Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Knight.
Chapter Three
When Kaname rose the next afternoon, he was pleased to see Kain and Aido were both up and moving about. Predictably, Aido was complaining about the dryness of his hair, not that the average human would be able to see through a vampire's allure in any event, but it was the principle of the matter that bothered the noble. Kain was looking a little more ruffled than usual even considering his normally messy look. The fire-user was even less accustomed to being burned than his ice-manipulating cousin.
Kaname spent most of the night looking for Zero without betraying his intentions to the rest of the Night Class. Takuma informed him that the requested documents were on the way and Seiren reported no suspicious activity around campus. That was the most any of the vampires referenced the previous night's encounter. The ex-human did not appear in any event. Rendering Kaname's watchfulness useless.
Instead of returning immediately to the Moon Dorm with the rest of the Night Class, Kaname decided to visit Headmaster Cross first. He suspected that the sight of so many vampires might have intimidated Zero and prevented him from seeking out Kaname.
Kaien and Yagari were waiting for him when he arrived. The prefects were busy with their morning duties, so Kaname took the time to explain what had happened the previous day.
"No one was seriously injured?" asked Kaien.
"Kain and Aido were unconscious for some time, but they had recovered by the evening," said Kaname patiently.
"Why didn't you tell us about your encounter immediately?" demanded Yagari.
Kaname frowned at his tone. "I needed to soothe the Night Class." He shifted his gaze Kaien. "You did agree to give me authority over the vampires on campus."
"Zero was a hunter, and if he has degenerated to a level E, then he is our problem, not yours," said Yagari roughly.
"Calm yourself," snapped Kaname. He waited for the hunter settle back into his chair before he continued, "I do not believe that Zero is a level E. I do not know how he held back the transformation for so long. What can you tell me about the Kiryu Clan?"
Toga frowned into the fireplace. Of all the living hunters, he had been closest to the deceased Kiryus. He had even been permitted to train Ichiru and Zero. Their sudden deaths and the unexpected loss of his students had been hard for him.
"The Kiryu was a very old clan of vampire hunters. They had existed in their current form, much longer than the current Vampire Hunters' Association. From what I learned when I investigated the records, the Kiryu evolved at a parallel track along with several other clans and did not ally themselves with the Association until the other hunter clans had died or been assimilated. As a result many of their techniques and methods were taught exclusively to the clan members and were considered unusable by the Association at large," explained Yagari.
Kaname and Kaien both stared at him in surprise. Yagari ignored them by staring pensively at the floor.
"I had no idea the Kiryu were at odds with the Association," said Cross mildly.
"They weren't at odds exactly," protested Yagari. "They were just separate. The Kiryu did things differently. It made for some rocky relations with the Association, but that was centuries ago."
"What do the Association's records say about the abilities of the Kiryu?" asked Kaname. "I did not expect him to be able to take down two nobles in a single blow."
Yagari sighed, removed his hat, and ran a hand through his hair. "Like I said, the Kiryu were separate. They took missions from the Association but did their own thing. I only worked with them a few times in the field and most of what I saw was enhanced spell techniques and excellent aim. All the Association's records have to say is that "the Kiryu possess clarity of sight" whatever that means."
"You seem to be well-acquainted with the Kiryus' files," said Kaname gently prodding.
"When they died, the house was very well protected. Even a pureblood like Hiou shouldn't have been able just to walk in the door. I was looking for someone that might have had a grudge against the Kiryu," admitted Yagari.
Kaname said nothing. He had suspected as much. What the hunter told him was really not that different from what he himself knew of the Kiryu. He would have to look through the records Takuma would provide. Perhaps there was some mention of them in the Kuran archives. He had never paid much attention to vampire hunters after their creation. Kaname only sought to manipulate them as he did the Council of Elders.
Toga's mood had darkened as he discussed the deaths of his friends and a potential betrayal by the Hunters' Association. The idea that Ichiru had been the one to condemn his family to death had by no means provided a silver lining to the situation. Kaname took the opportunity to leave. He would let Kaien console his friend with happy memories.
On the way back to the Moon Dorm, Kaname expected to be confronted again by Zero. However, the boy remained conspicuously absent. When the dormitory came in sight, Kaname could Seiren and Takuma waiting for him near the doors. They both relaxed when they saw in arrive unharmed. Apparently, he was not the only one expecting a repeat of the previous morning's performance. Kaname was oddly disappointed by the missed opportunity to study the unusual ex-human. He forced himself to remember that random attacks were not pleasant and that the boy would show up for his gun eventually.
The rest of the week continued much the way of that first day. There was no sign of Zero anywhere and business among the Night Class continued as normal. Ruka, who was surprisingly good friends with the girl-prefect, Saboten, said there had been no sign of the rogue anywhere on campus. His own brief discussions with Yuuki implied the same, though Cross' adopted daughter always insisted that she was doing her best to protect the Night Class. Aido eventually stopped complaining about his ruined hair and moved on to regular topics.
The only noticeable difference among the Night Class was that several of the more military minded students had begun practicing combat exercises. As they were very discrete in their practice, Kaname allowed them to continue. It was ludicrous to think that the nobles would see any fighting in the near future, and Kaname found himself saddened by the idea. But as practice made them feel safer, the pureblood was willing to encourage it.
Kaname was supremely grateful for whatever soul invented the computer. The amount of information the Senate possessed on the Kiryu was staggering. Records of battles between the hunters and vampires had been recorded as long as the Senate had existed. Many of the noble and pureblood houses had contributed their own observations about the hunters in order to better serve the vampire race. If Kaname had been sent the original records, he would have been driven out of his rooms. Instead the information fit neatly on a single thumb drive.
Sadly, most of the information pertaining to the Kiryu were records of losses. Most vampires close enough to observe their abilities close-hand ended up dead. Kaname resigned himself to a long search through the files. He spent most of his free time on the project as there was so much information and ended up falling asleep much later in the morning.
After a week of this behavior, Kaname had almost resigned himself to the idea that Zero had been frightened away for good. He had eaten an early (for the humans) breakfast with Yuuki and Cross and returned to the Moon Dorms using the path where he had first discovered Zero. As usual, he stopped by the cherry tree where the boy had slept and saw no signs but his own. He reached the Moon Dorm in time to greet Shiki and Rima as they left for a photo shoot. He read through a few more accounts of vampire encounters with Kiryu clan members then decided to call it a night and prepare for bed.
Kaname was just drifting off to sleep when the door to his balcony unlatched and started to swing open. He snapped awake instantly and jumped out of bed. He strained his eyes against the mid-morning light. The curtains billowed in the breeze. He smelled the sweet scent of a spring morning and the sharp, bitter smell of an angry ex-human. Zero was silhouetted in the sunlight. Kaname growled in mild exasperation. Of course the boy had chosen a completely inappropriate time to confront Kaname again.
"I want my gun," said Zero.
Kaname sighed. "I don't suppose you can say anything else."
Zero remained silent and still refusing to rise to the bait. Kaname glided to his dresser, carefully skirted the patch of sunlight not blocked by Zero's body, and removed Bloody Rose from the top drawe He turned around holding the anti-vampire gun and just managed to catch the former hunter taking an unconscious step closer. He wondered if the boy had unlocked the weapon's true form. Kaname had not seen it ages.
"Give it here," said Zero menacingly.
Kaname was nonplussed. True, Zero had been rather forceful in demanding his gun back, but even he had not dared to order a pureblood. Rather belatedly. Kaname noticed that Zero was once more suppressing his aura. It had to be something he could consciously control. It also explained how he had avoided attention all week. Kaname wondered if his unusual defiance could be contributed to Zero's stubborn nature, or if he so rarely felt like a vampire that he did not act like one.
"I am not about to give Bloody Rose up to you just like that," said Kaname icily.
Zero snarled but did not move any closer to Kaname or the gun. Some part of him still must have feared the pureblood. Idly Kaname considered keeping the weapon until Zero broke and attacked him for it.
"You're not going to just give it away?" probed Zero.
Inwardly, Kaname smirked. The boy was intelligent enough. He might have been brilliant had he not been subjected to the damning effects of a pureblood's bite. He would never be able to follow a pureblood's machinations to their conclusion.
"Let's make a bargain," said Kaname.
Zero took two cautious steps forward presumably to better see Kaname's face. His eyes were bright red, and there was deadly, calculating glow in the depths. Had Kaname been a lesser vampire, he might have shivered. Instead he felt a cold thrill of terror rush through his veins. He had seen that mad light in another's gaze, that of Shizuka Hiou.
"What sort of bargain?" asked Zero.
"You tell me why you came to Cross Academy, and I will give you Bloody Rose," said Kaname. Silently Kaname added, and kill you if necessary.
Zero narrowed his eyes. Against the back drop of bright morning sun he looked more real, more solid, less like an ethereal being of night. He looked how a hunter ought to look. Not a bloody-minded creature consumed by rage, but a sun-touched Knight burning with righteous fury.
"Okay," said Zero cutting through the vision.
Kaname blinked slowly then stared at him expectantly. Zero looked uneasy, but eventually his expression resolved to steady blankness.
"When I heard about this place, I wanted to see it for myself."
"That's all?" blurted Kaname.
"A place where humans and vampires live in harmony?" said Zero sarcastically.
Kaname's brain shifted back into gear. He supposed anyone with a knowledge of vampires would be interested in their little project. Humans would be hopeful and vampires disgusted. Hunters, for the most part, were distrustful. Kaname wondered which category Zero fell into.
"What are your intentions?" demanded Kaname harshly.
"I just wanted to see," snapped Zero.
Kaname sighed and tossed Zero the gun. The boy deftly snatched Bloody Rose from the air. He quickly checked over the gun, including the cartridge, which Kaname was surprised to see was loaded with real bullets. The weapon did not need bullets to kill vampires. In fact, they usually got in the way.
Zero started backing out of the room.
"Wait," said Kaname.
Zero paused, startled and suspicious.
"You could stay here," offered Kaname.
A curious expression crossed the ex-human's face. It was simultaneously yearning and hunted. He started to sink, an instinctive choice to bend his knees in preparation to run away. Kaname silently despaired of getting to hang around for more than the barest conversation.
"I'm dangerous," said Zero quietly.
"You would, of course, have to stay in the Moon Dorms," said Kaname.
Zero gave a look that conveyed exactly how much he thought of that idea. It also suggested that putting him with the vampires would make him no less dangerous.
"I'll think about it," said Zero.
Kaname saw his eyes were pure lavender. The human in Zero wanted to stay. The hunter noticed Kaname's attention and his eyes flickered back to red as fast as someone flipping a switch. He straightened and back out of the room. Zero closed the door, perhaps to add an additional barrier between the two of them. Then he leaped off the balcony and sprinted back to the woods.
Kaname let him go without a word. He knew Zero would contact him again. That expression had promised Kaname as much.
End.
A/N: Thank you so much for your reviews. I hope you enjoyed this chapter. As you can see, I've done a bit of world-building regarding the Kiryu. Nothing should be too obtrusive.
Please review. Thanks for reading.