Okay, so much for a one-shot... .

I had so many reviewers asked for a continuation and I guess I really did leave a lot of unanswered questions. So I suppose I'll go ahead and make more for this story. I had already been thinking of it. I will admit that I hadn't expected Sai to be so liked though. But it's all cool. I like him too.

I will warn that the hunters here and in my other story, Blood Secrets are the same, so Zero will eventually become a trueblood/pureblood. Reading Traditions would be helpful in understanding terminology and interactions but it's not necessary.

Other than that, you all should know that Yuki will be a pureblood in this story. Please don't hate me for the differences you'll find, I just don't want to write the same story twice essentially. So I have to change some things up along with what's already different...

On another note, while Japanese words usually have more than one meaning I'll give you the meanings I chose for the names I'm using (some made with the help of my friend Ssree):

Kensei (Power) Sai (Companion)

Kukori (Black Energy) Kiba (Fang)

Ayame (Iris)

Hide and Seek

~*O*~

Kaname sat at his desk, glowering down at the papers before him. Takuma worried for the papers' safety- that was important paper work... But he knew why the pureblood was so upset. Friday night they had learned that he and Zero were married and though the hunter had seemed upset that they knew, he appeared to accept it. He'd looked his usual sullen self when the vampires had returned to the dorm. It had taken them a whole day to realize that the hunter had made a run for it. That had been nearly a week ago and they had found no sign of the silvette.

It was worrisome that they could not find him, more so since Kaname was not taking his disappearance well. Honestly where could the hunter have gone? They had already checked the nearby towns and had found signs that Zero had passed through a couple of them, but the boy was smart and was using cash so he couldn't be traced. It was truly frustrating to the nobles, who wanted to give their pureblood what he was searching for. Each had their own view on the situation though.

Kaname was worried because he knew the bond was still incomplete. Zero may have said it would take years to harm him but the vampire wasn't willing to take the risk. Besides, he may not be ready to accept that he felt anything more than attraction for the hunter but he was known for being possessive and that silvette was now his. Akatsuki and Takuma were worried for Kaname's sake as well as Zero's safety- though Takuma was more worried about Zero than the others. Hanabusa wasn't just concerned he was back to being a bit jealous as well. As well as upset that the hunter had dared to run away from his beloved pureblood's attentions. Akatsuki was again trying to settle him but he was having a harder time considering he was still trying to help find Zero.

All in all, things were not going well at Cross Academy. Yuki and Kaien were also searching, and they had even managed to get Toga's help but the silver hunter was stubbornly keeping just out of their range. Frustratingly enough Sai had vanished too. It was hard to tell if he'd taken off and Zero had chased after him or if Zero had dragged him off when he made a run for it. If it was the former, then Zero may come back as soon as he'd caught the other hunter. But from the trouble they had finding the silvette coupled with the information they had gathered on him- Sai was with Zero and was helping him hide. It was hard to tell if the other hunter was helping willingly or if he was being forced into it by Zero.

Whatever the situation was between those two it was certainly making Kaname's jealous streak flare painfully for everyone else around him. The pureblood was not pleased with the thought of his mate running around with another and had seriously contemplated locking Zero up in his room as soon as he was dragged back to the academy. If given the chance he probably would do it even with Yuki telling him it was a bad idea and why. He'd just have to set up a few things to make sure the hunter couldn't escape...

~*O*~

Kensei Sai sighed as he pulled his hair back. The hunter was debating if he should just cut it, but Sai kind of like it as it was. The black hair came just below his shoulders, and had three blue streaks on both sides of his head that he let dangle free because they matched his eyes. Behind him, still sleeping on the one bed in the cabin they were renting, was Zero who had used a hunter charm to become female. The owner of the cabin thought they were a young couple on vacation or honeymoon- he hadn't been listening to her babbling close enough to tell. He'd been preoccupied with wondering if Zero was going to kill him first (for having told Kaname about the marriage) or if he would live long enough for the pureblood to murder him when he found out Zero and Sai had been sharing a bed.

The raven hunter was no fool, he knew how territorial vampires could be. Hell hunters could be possessive too and most he knew would be pissed if their mate ran off and slept in a bed with someone else without a really good reason- even if nothing happened. Sai silently left the room and went to get something to eat from the refrigerator. Grabbing some apples and peanut butter the teen moved into the living room to watch some television while he thought about his situation. A week had passed with them on the run and though it had been quiet he had no doubt Kaname would find them eventually. He didn't personally know the pureblood but he suspected he wasn't the type to just let his mate go. Not with what he'd overheard in the classroom before Zero had taken off.

"You are mine regardless..."

Yea, definitely not getting away from him Z. He just had to convince his alpha of that. Which so far hadn't been working. Damn. Sai slumped back into the chair, thinking over his limited options. Zero's father had been the alpha of the pack before him and Sai's father had been his second in command. As second to Zero his loyalty was to the silver hunter, even if he hadn't Awakened yet, and the silvette had put a gag order on him. The only way he could break it without going against Zero's command was if the Hunter's Association gave a counter order. Knowing that, Zero had made sure that the Association couldn't find them either. The only two options were to convince Zero or make a big enough mistake that they would get caught. Unfortunately the second option was too close to breaking orders for Sai to be comfortable with it. So how did he get Zero to realize that they had to go back?

The shifting of Zero's aura caught Sai's attention enough for the taller hunter to look over... And regret it instantly. Zero had come out of the bedroom wearing nothing more than one of his white button up school shirts with only the bottom half buttoned to make room for his female chest, silver hair swirling way past his hips and draping into his face. Sai held back a whimper at the maiming he'd suffer for witnessing that if Kaname ever discovered it. The raven hunter turned his eyes to the ceiling wondering what he'd done to deserve his fate.

When Zero walked into the small living room to see what his traveling companion was up to he found the other hunter staring up with a curiously tormented expression on his face. Odd, I haven't done anything to him yet. Zero thought as he moved over to the couch, swiping an apple on his way. It had taken some time to get used to his female body and even now he had to remind himself to be careful as he rested on his hip and curled his legs under him. He didn't want to flash between his legs to his friend, who looked tortured enough already.

"Hey, Zero... When I die, will you tell Kukori Kiba to stay the hell away from my sister, Ayame?" Sai's intense blue eyes never left the ceiling.

Zero cast a curious side glance to his companion. He was familiar with the name of the other alpha, and from what he remembered of the other male they were likely to get along now as well as they had as kids if Kiba hadn't changed. Meaning there would be a whole lot of collateral damage when that conversation took place. "Who says you're going to die?"

"Z, when Kuran finds us and discovers that we have been sharing, not only the same living space but the same damned bed, my life is over... painfully so." Zero was really beginning to wonder what was so fascinating about that ceiling.

The silvette couldn't help but glance up and then back down at his friend a couple times, trying to discover what held Sai's electric blue gaze so intently. A slight frown marred his now delicate features as he thought about what Sai had said. Sai had been trying to convince him not to run since he'd told the other his plan and dragged him along. This sudden change from resistance to resignation threw him off, but the Kensei Hunter knew how stubborn Zero could be so it shouldn't be too shocking. Still, he had a bit of a point.

The Kiryu Hunter bit into his apple while he watched the TV. It really wasn't fair for him to be doing this to the other, but Sai was a member of his pack- and one he'd been relatively close to as a child- as well as his second so that meant he would've been able to find Zero with a relative amount of ease now that those ties were rebuilding. With those facts named, it made sense for him to accept that Zero wasn't giving in and was taking him along for the ride. On the other hand, Kuran wouldn't let him just walk away. Something he'd made obvious when he'd declared Zero his. So running really wasn't going to solve anything, was it?

Shit! They were going to have to return to the academy. Well, Zero supposed he could deal with it. He'd had the last week to think about things, with Sai helping by trying to convince him to go back. He wondered if he should just head back or if he should call ahead and let them know. The first option meant that he'd have to face their rage without a buffer. The second allowed them to cool down before he got back. Of course, if he called the school, there was a chance that Kaname would come and get him anyways. Sighing the silvette stood to find the phone in the little cabin, he didn't bother to negate the charm- the Chairman was a hunter as well so he'd understand without explanations.

~*O*~

Chairman Cross Kaien blinked bleary eyes at the ringing phone. He'd only just woken up from his nap- but only because Yuki and Kaname had come into his office to find him asleep there. They had gotten another message from Toga telling them that he'd found another sighting of Zero but the trail had gone cold almost immediately. Finally Kaien picked up the phone to answer it. "Hello?"

Kaname and Yuki reeled back when Kaien stood quickly enough to tip his chair over. "Zero! Where have you been?" The chairman heard Yuki shout something in the background but ignored it. "You're coming home? That's great! Do you want us to pick you up? Are you sure? Oh... Alright. How long until you get back? Okay. No, I'll take care of it. No, none at all. I'm glade you are coming home. We'll see you then. Bye."

"WHERE HAS HE BEEN?" Yuki demanded as soon as the phone was hung up. She slammed both hands down on the desk and leaned froward for emphasis. Kaien took a second to wish his precious children would stop abusing his desk before he looked up to meet her furious eyes.

"That's not important now Yuki. The important bit is that he's coming home on his own." Kaien smiled widely at his seething daughter, knowing that she needed to vent and he shouldn't take it personally. He noticed the scowl Kaname was trying to suppress and thought to mention that Zero was returning with Sai (and as a female apparently) but decided against it. If Kaname was going to be Zero's mate, he'd have to learn to deal with this kind of thing- frequently- on his own.

"When will he get back?" Kaname managed to keep his voice even while he asked the question. Kaien was relatively impressed, though he had to wonder if that calmness would hold after Zero got back.

"Hmm? Oh. Well, it'll be later this afternoon. They never actually left the area, stayed within a few villages around us. They made trips further out to throw us off their trail. Quite cleaver actually- one of the reasons Zero was chosen to be alpha of his own pack." The Chairman nodded to himself in admiration. They really should have considered something like that- like he'd said Zero had been chosen for a reason. Still, they had been worried and hadn't considered that possibility.

"So what? We just sit around and wait?" Yuki huffed. placing her fists on her hips in irritation. It may have been a week since she had heard the news of his marriage but she still hadn't come to grips with it. That didn't stop her from caring though, Zero was like a brother to her and she worried for his health.

"That's exactly what we do. He's coming home. Leave it at that and be glad that he is. If Zero had wanted to he could have evaded us from several more weeks I'm sure." Chairman Cross added a bit of sternness to his voice, something he rarely did. "Now why don't you go take care of the homework you've been putting off while we searched for him?"

Yuki pursed her lips but turned to go do her school work as told. Kaname watched her leave with a guarded expression on his composed face. He knew he'd have to restore his sister to her full powers soon, which would return her memories, and that caused him to worry for her. The pureblood was unsure how she would react to what their uncle had done to their parents. He switched from that train of thought and went back to what had been hounding him since last weekend: Zero...

"I find it odd that he has suddenly decided to come back, thought I am grateful that we no longer need to look for him." Kaname watched Kaien closely for any hint as to what might have changed the silver hunter's mind.

"Hmm. I think we have Kensei Sai to thank for that small blessing. In any case the end result is the same." Cross tipped his head as his phone rang again. "If you'll excuse me, that's probably Toga. I'll need to fill him in on what's just happened so he can head back."

The vampire inclined his head in acknowledgement, turning to leave as the Chairman answered the phone. He had to go back to his office and finish some of his own paperwork that he'd ignored while he sought out his husband. It was getting easier to think of Kiryu as his mate. And he wasn't surprised to realize that it didn't bother him in the slightest.

~*O*~

Zero stepped onto the school grounds wearing the same white shirt he had earlier (still only half buttoned and untucked) with a short pleated gray skirt and a pair of black boots. His duffel back was thrown over his shoulder and Sai sulked at his right as his gaze roamed to take stock of the field. The Kensei hunter had tried to get Zero to change (his clothes, if not his form) but had failed to convince his alpha, something he was sure he'd have to get used to. If Sai was remembering correctly his father had this same problem. Zero's outfit didn't really bother him, considering the hunters' marital practices modesty wasn't big in their culture and indecency really only applied to being intimate with someone you didn't love or trying to steal another's mate. Sai was aware that humans and vampires had different views though which is why he'd tried to talk him out of it.

He was dressed in a gray button up shirt with the top few buttons undone and the sleeves rolled up his forearms. The shirt was tucked into a pair of black cargo pants over a pair of boots similar to Zero's. He also had a duffel bag packed with his things. His hair was the same as it had been this morning, though some strands of black had escaped the ponytail giving him a wind blown look that suited him nicely. He blew a few strands out of his face while he considered the differences between hunter and vampire cultures before he swept a look around the surrounding area.

It didn't escape either hunter's notice that the only people about the courtyard were vampires and that all eyes had turned to them at their entrance. Zero recognized Kaname's cohorts easily. It took Sai a little more time but Zero had given him a rundown on the vampires at the Academy and the halo's cohorts had been among the most detailed. The group didn't seem hostile thought there was a tenseness about them. As the two hunters drew closer to the group they could read confusion in their expressions.

"Zero?" The green eyed blond that Sai had been told was named Ichijo Takuma asked uncertainly.

"Yea. I'm guessing Kaname wants to see me?" Zero glowered at the vampires, the familiar look confirming that this was indeed the hunter that they knew even if it was a female instead of a male.

"Um, yes. Please come with us to the Moon Dorm." Takuma tried really hard to not notice that Zero was not wearing a bra under the white shirt. Not an easy task given the circumstances, but he managed. He turned to head to the dorms, leading the other stumped vampires who all looked like they were still trying to understand why Zero was now a woman. This is not going to go well. Takuma thought as the two hunters followed along as requested, the vampires forming a loose circle around them.

~*O*~

Kaname looked up from his paperwork as Takuma and Ruka entered with Senri and Rima behind them. After those four entered Sai came in next to a female hunter who had Zero's aura, Hanabusa and Akatsuki coming in last. His eyes narrowed in on the uncomfortable looks on Sai and Akatsuki's faces and the horrified embarrassment on Hanabusa's. "There was a problem?"

"Not to my knowledge." The silver female said in a tone that convinced him that somehow this woman was his missing mate. Zero moved closer to the desk while she talked. "The hunter's have a charm that lets us change gender. It's one of the reasons you had trouble finding me. You were looking for a male and I spent most of the last week as a female."

Sorrel eyes followed the long line of shapely leg that was revealed by the short skirt. While he appreciated the view he did not so much like others having that same view. A growl wanted to escape when his eyes rose further and caught the same detail Takuma had done his best to ignore. "So you decided to torment my cohorts immediately upon your return?"

Zero glanced back at the cousins, who had stayed near Sai. "Not intentionally. The three of them were walking behind me on the stairs. Aido and Kain happened to glance up."

"And this bothered them because?" He frowned, having an idea what went on but not wanting to jump to conclusions.

"Hunters tend to not wear underwear. They don't typically survive when we shift shape so they don't serve much purpose to us." Sai was the one who answered Kaname's question, shuffling his feet while avoiding the pureblood's eyes.

Kaname closed his eyes, processing that information while trying to keep control of his aura. He reminded himself that the cousins had seen Zero naked and hunters had different ideas as to decency. Still the idea that the two nobles had seen Zero's bare ass up close and personal tested his temper. His eyes popped back open, sharpening on the raven hunter who had spent the last week holed up with his mate. Hunter nature meant that the Kensei male had likely seen his silvette's whole body, was likely more familiar with it than he was. The growl he'd held back earlier escaped quietly and if the sudden shifting of Sai was anything to go by, the male sensed the growing danger.

Zero cleared her throat and shifted so she stood between the pureblood and the hunter. "I need to go talk to the Chairman and I'm sure Master Toga will be there as well, so if you are done threatening my second I would like to get my business done with."

Kaname inclined his head, bringing his eyes up to meet the silver violet orbs staring him down. "When you are done with that and after you've resettled, we have things to talk through about our situation."

"Fine." Zero gave him the glower that rarely left his face when dealing with vampires before she spun on her heel and walked out past the silent vampires. Sai gave a slight nod of respect to the pureblood before following his alpha out of the Moon Dorm and to the headmaster's office.

Well, that could have gone worse. Sai thought as the doors to the dorm closed behind them with hardly a sound. He still wasn't looking froward to the next meeting though.

~*O*~

Sorry it took so long to get this done, but I hadn't planned on continuing this story. I do like where this is going so far. I will be adding more of course now, but I may not be updating as often as some of my other fics.