A/N - WARNINGS! can be found in Chapter 1! And I still haven't heard back from Matsuri Hino about my rights to Vampire Knight.

I made a fatal mistake when I wrote chapter 3 a while ago. Somehow i copied all of Chapter 2 and pasted it on 3 and didn't notice until i was about to update! I was so upset with myself I've yet to write Chapter 4 and was thinking of giving up on the story as a whole. I'm sure many of you know what it feels like to have all your hard work go to waste. I want to take a moment to thank all my reviewers; without you this chapter would never be up. I think they're the reason I mustered up enough will power to write it all over again. . . .Im posting this now unedited because i can't stand to wait any longer for future mistakes! So do me a favor and overlook the ones you find, my mind was a mess when I wrote this.

Chapter 3

He wasn't hungry. Didn't have much of an appetite these days. If it were up to him he'd stay in his cell all day, for all of his life, but protocol required him to go to supper. When a guard came banging on his cell bars, he knew he wouldn't get away with refusing to go. Maybe if he were his old self he would have at least put up a good argument towards dining with the rest of the bloodsuckers. Not anymore.

Still, he was a little startled to find the time breeze past him. There wasn't a single clock in sight. He could have sworn Kaito had just led him to his cell.

Kaito. He didn't have to read the Night guard's nametag to know it was his old childhood friend. A familiar ring of tone and he assumed it was him. A single glance affirmed it was Kaito Takamiya. He would have never known the passionate Vampire Hunter to have switched fields to a vampire prison's guard. The two had been so out of touch in the times. Kaito in turn was probably wondering what the previous hunter was doing in the renowned vampire prison known as Night Prison . . . or not.

He didn't make much of familiars when he saw the ex-hunter. Maybe it had something to do with his own indifference towards the older male. Maybe he'd known all along he would end up here. Doesn't matter though. It's what the convict wanted. He'd heard that the guards don't know what the inmates are in for right away. Only the warden knows each and every reason for every vampire. Either way, the silver haired vampire never plans on informing his old acquaintance.

Him or anyone else.

This guard wasn't as patient as Kaito; he up and left as soon as the vampire stood from the bed and was out of sight within seconds. Walking out and towards the stairs, he had no choice but to look forward. Without the direction of the guards' voice and steps, he'd have no way of knowing where he was going. Though he wasn't paying attention in the least during his 'tour', he still caught wind of the building's design; he at least knew what floor he was supposed to go to.

There were so many cells on his floor -as he recalled on the seventh and sixth floor as well- he noticed there were no vampires in them. No wonder the guard seemed ticked after catching sight of him. He must have been irked about finding one still there.

When he reached the stairs he heard a parade of footsteps over his head. He paused for a moment. There sounded to be lots of commotion above him. He periodically looked up. He could briefly see all other four floors through the gap presented in the ceiling center. The rails made it difficult to see much (as did the distance) but sight of males running about on each floor met his enhanced sight. He really didn't want to do this. The last thing the old him wanted of life was to be in the same dining quarters as that of a vampire. But that him was gone; he didn't deserve wants anymore, let alone needs.

With this thought in mind he put one foot in front of the other at the pace of a snail. It wasn't so much on purpose, just out of reflex. He wasn't in any hurry for eating on a missing appetite either.

He left his floor and was in range of the seventh floor. Looking forward, through his peripheral vision he saw a few of the floors occupants. His senses screamed vampire and alert, but he wasn't much for listening to them as well. He proceeded as vampires joined him on the stairs, not caring much for their blatant stares.

This continued as he made his way up to the fifth floor. As he followed the crowd of inmates towards large open double doors there were one too many eyes on him. Passing every floor more and more vampires joined him on the stairs, all of which stared at him. Be it scrutinizing, curiosity, irritation, leery or plain lustful, he felt too much attention he thought he was worth. More than once had he come in contact with the cold blooded. Some slightly grazed him while others touch lingered.

He didn't know what to make of these. His instincts roared to life within but his body shut them down. He stayed impassive about it all as he passed the crowded double doors. Finally he had personal space as he'd entered a massive room.

The dining hall was three times the size of his floor. Assuming it was the largest floor, this room was twice the size of the eighths floor width. It was an ordinary cafeteria: the tables were rectangular and long and many in numbers with two benches on each side. Trash bins were scattered about the room as were several guards; they stood rigid against stone walls. The kitchen was behind a long counter where food was displayed. Few men in red wearing hairnets could be seen behind serving the main course meal out to fellow inmates.

He felt the room silence just a tad at his presence.

There was an obvious empty field of bodies around him, and he lavished this. On his long walk to the cafeteria he was almost skin-to-skin with vampires. He enjoyed the slightest bit of personal space. He didn't stand there for long. Once he saw where the line started he made his way there. He almost made it until a large hand rested on his shoulder.

"Aye bud. Need a friend?" the implication was kind, but the tone was distrustful.

He slapped it off instinctively, continued making his way towards the line. "Ohhh" coed the voice behind him. The hand appeared with its twin, this time turning his whole body around. He came face to face with his assaulter. "No need to act coy." He darkly chuckled.

Lilac eyes had but a moment to observe the leery man. Obviously this vampire was older, but like all seducers of the night, he held a sort of appeal to his graying hair and towering figure; how his brown eyes held a tint of red as they looked him up and down, disturbing lust clouding his vision. "Well ain't you a sight for sore eyes." He breathed over the younger boys face. He tightened his grip and growled. There was a crowd gathering and he like the attention. He definitely had to be the first to taste this rare beauty.

"How 'bout spending your first night with-" and then he was thrown over the 'rare beauty's' shoulder. Silence ensued the room besides the slightly panting man and grunts of pain from the now flat-against the floor vampire.

Again the paler man made his way towards the line. He felt all eyes on him as he walked, a pant or two escaping his lips. The Hunter charms did good to withhold his vampire and hunter abilities. He was lucky he mustered up enough strength to toss the heavier man over his shoulder but he wasn't about to show it.

"You bitch!" growled the indignant vampire. He heard shuffling behind him and stopped on his tracks but didn't bother glancing back.

On his feet again the angered vampire's cronies came to his aid. "When I'm threw with you you're going to wish I fucked ya'!" he spat. He marched towards his prey until an ominous presence was felt. He steps grew heavier and heavier as the presence grew closer and closer until he stilled completely. The room was dead quiet now besides the steps from the foreboding person.

A taller, leaner figure passed the distraught vampire and his cronies. At the sight of the brown haired, well-built powerful figure did they begin breaking sweats.

It came to a standstill next to the new prisoner. There was a fleeting moment where he simply reveled in the shorter male's presence. Brown curls swayed slightly as the baleful figure finally turned towards that of the now cowering vampire (his cronies long lost). Dark mocha eyes pierced into his soul as he ordered "Leave." His voice deep, strong, ringing with authority. The crimson hue in his stare promised remorse if otherwise.

Tension was felt in the room as the gulping vampire lingered in his spot. He risked a glance at the silver haired male but couldn't meet his lilac eyes, they were too busy studying the floor. 'This isn't over punk.' He assured himself. Straightening his back a little, he dusted off invisible dirt form his jumpsuit and turned on his heel.

He had barely made it out the wide double doors when the room started again, carrying on as they had before.

Crimson eyes looked back at the figure beside him. Silver locks curtained the violet eyes he seek. The leaner man stood there, eyes towards the floor refusing to acknowledge his presence.

"Kiryu." A twinge of guilt started in the pit of said person's stomach but he had to stomp on it quickly before it grew. Now was no time to be reminiscing. Feigning indifference, lilac eyes grazed up and soon enough met with the crimson hue of his savior.

III

"I hope we have meatloaf again today!" a voice rang with cheer. Various forms of agreements echoed throughout the enclosed room and an ear splitting smile graced said speakers face.

He rubbed forming sweat from his brow with his jumpsuit's sleeve and turned to his companion, platinum blond bouncing with his slightest move. The brunette standing to his right continued with their work, folding his own pile of clothes after making sure there were no tears. Jade green eyes that resonated life fell just a tad at the withdrawn smile on the taller males face.

Steeling with determination once again, the blond faced his growing pile of red cloth. Currently he and his friend were working before supper. Both had part-time jobs in the laundry room where they would spend a hefty amount of time folding the inmates red jumpsuits and placing them in their appropriate pile: small or large.

"At last!" He started up again. His friend has been withdrawn lately, only commenting with he felt it was needed, and even then were the words leaving his lips one-syllabled. Well, his blonde haired green eyed companion was determined to get him out of his funk. They'd gone too long for the depression to suddenly hit; there was still plenty to be grateful for. It's not like they were imprisoned.

'Ha-Ha.' The blond dryly smiled at his own joke with a glance at his own red jumpsuit.

"I brought it to their attention at the library!" he continued and smiled again at his friend. "About the manga I requested!" the words were playful but the implication serious.

Mocha colored eyes glanced at beaming jades and their owner smiled a little more with heart. A dark chuckle erupted from deep within his throat and bobbed his adams apple. "And what did they say?" he replied.

It wasn't much, just a question, but it was more than he'd said in the last hour while working. The blonde wasn't expecting more to before mouthing off.

"Well you know how the Hunters are." he didn't bother with the volume of his words. "Still stubborn as ever to give in to our requests." The guards maintaining an eye on this shifts workers eyed him skeptically, their grunts of annoyance falling on deaf ears. "I've tried being patient but it's been nearly two years." he eyed his friend incredulously. "Two years!" the words echoed within the closed off room for all the males to hear. "That's more than I've waited for the release of a new manga!" he waved his hands about in his excitement.

"And still they refuse to order anything I request. Forget about the manga just a bit, they refuse to ship in any new material in that library besides what the warden finds literate!" he huffed.

"Takuma." The friend berated.

Takuma Ichijou sighed. Catching his breath, he didn't realize he was getting carried away again. He tended to do that when it came to negotiating with the guards. The hard-headed uniformed men were so against even considering his pleas. "Sorry Kaname, it's just that," he paused on his folding and pout. "I've just started my last shelf at the library. At this rate I'll be done soon and will have nothing to read for the rest of my sentence." He continued folding.

The brunette said nothing as the blonde went on. "You know, you could possibly put in a word or two, Kaname. You are a Pureblood after all, the most respected by the guards out of all us vampires." his friend mentioned. "They still fear you with all your subdued power. They're not fools enough to know the Hunter Charms only blunt your power. It's not every day a royal vampire capable of breaking out at any second submits to the will of Hunters." He gave the pureblood a knowing look. "That, and you drank all those-"

"All right bloodsuckers! Your shifts over!" announced a guard over the intercom. "Get your asses out of here!" he screeched.

Not needing to be told twice, a horde of vampires made their way towards the exit of the laundry room. The pureblood and his friend stayed back, only to let the crowd diminish a little. Folding his last jumpsuit, Takuma considered his main pursuit of topic. "I'm just saying, not only will it be a donation on your part for the vampire community, but it will also benefit you plenty. Soon you too will run out of what to read!"

The path was becoming clear with a few lingering vampires waltzing out the door so the tall brunette started making his way towards the exit. Tossing the last jumpsuit to the size 'small' pile Takuma Ichijou made his way following Kaname Kuran outside their work room. "You're lucky to have been graced with the privileges all laying in your room, but then I learn you have been blessed by the Gods to have been allowed a library card! I hear only the guards have those."

Walking down the hallway, Kaname sensed his loyal friend on his heels. "I'll see what I can do." He mentions.

"Yes." Ichijou smiled warmly. "It's all I will ask of you Kaname. As you can see I'm quite serious about this."

"I can."

The duo reached the showers in no time considering the laundry room was on the same floor. Ichijou was smart enough to have brought their soaps and a fresh change of clothes ahead of time. It would have been a drag to go all the way to the last floors just to grab them and voyage back up to the fourth floor. They were residing in a corner of the shower room just where the vampire noble left them. Had it been left by some other vampire they'd have been snatched right away but because it was Ichijou Takuma, Kaname Kurans only friend in the entire prison, no one dared cross his road either.

The two parted ways as they went to their designated shower heads. Kaname liked his personal space. Though he had his own cell, he could never truly catch up on his thoughts like when he was showering. Two years in already and he still missed his bathtub. Warm water hit his body and mocha eyes shut off the world as it relaxed his tense muscles. Subconsciously cleaning himself he cleared his mind of all thoughts.

He cleared his mind of wide brown eyes, a hint of honey with the light of the sun, of a small perky nose that tinged pink. He cleared his mind of small pouty lips with the softest hue of pink, of soft round cheeks that blossomed red whenever he was near. He cleared his mind of a small frame, lacking in female physique but feminine and delicate all the same. He cleared his mind of cream colored skin soft as a baby's bottom, of luscious locks the color of rich chocolate. The locks were recently trimmed to delicate shoulder length the last he saw them.

"Kaname. Are you done?"

Mocha eyes opened to look at white tiles, steam and running water curtaining his vision. "Yes." He answered.

He turned the knob all the way to the left and shut off the water. The shower head dripped as did his hair. He took Takuma's offered towels and wrapped one around his waist. Another envious act the Hunters bestowed upon the Pureblood was granting him two towels every shower. Takuma took two all the same, but no one ever questioned it. He then took the next towel and dried his hair.

It was moments like these that Takuma was in awe of his friend. Kaname Kuran had always been easy on the eyes –hell. That was the understatement of the century. The Gods always seemed to have taken special time making the Kurans but the almighty took great pleasure and time making Kaname himself. As time had gone by, the years in prison have done nothing to dull but intensify his beauty.

He'd grown taller than his already 184 cm. since the Academy days and his figure didn't falter a bit. He grew with his body and built up, not enough to be bulky and ripped, but enough where his muscles flexed under firm beige skin as he put on his briefs and wife-beater. His dark brown hair resembled raven locks when wet and stuck to his face and neck while tickling his shoulders. Water dripped down its tips and cascaded down his body while he put on his suit. Long dark lashes framed sharp eyes the color of mocha dark chocolate. His jawline was prominent but not exaggerated, his cheekbones were high but his cheeks weren't hollow, his lips thin but full, and nose straight and long. He was the living embodiment of Adonis. The scene itself seemed to be straight from out of a movie or shoujo manga. It was no wonder vampires practically threw themselves at his feet. With the purebloods godly looks, all inmates considered it a privileged to even be in the same presence, let alone intimate partners. Still, it was a no brainer to him that he would refuse all the prospectors. His heart still belonged to another.

He put on his white shoes and tossed his worn jumpsuit and towels in the dirty clothes hamper. "Let us go." He said. Ichijou snapped out of his daze and smiled his yes. They walked out the showers where Ichijou found many faces following them, many lustful gazes lingering on Kaname's disappearing back. Some were directed at him and he was flattered, but not interested. He made haste to follow Kaname's heel.

They were making their way towards the cafeteria, traveling down the hall to the stairs where they noticed many new faces. "Ah!" A light bulb went off in Ichijou's head. "That's right." Kaname gave him a questionable look before the thought dawned on him. Ichijou explained anyways. "Today's recruit day. Don't they have one every six months?"

The brunette nodded his affirm. "They do; halfway through the year. The place seems livelier every time." His hair was starting to dry and falling into its usual half curls-half waves.

Ichijou sighed, a forlorn look passing his face. "The prey are excited for their fresh meat." He mumbled. He and Kaname saw a few huddled figures on the stairs surrounding a poor newbie. Ichijou was annoyed as they approached the lechery acts. "Really, so soon? It hasn't been a day since the poor guys been here."

Ichijou passes the scene begrudgingly but Kaname stop a front it. He looks indifferently at the men surrounding the scared vampire in the middle and states "What are you doing in my presence?" The question was cold as ice and enough to send the vampires running. Even the victim gulped in fear and scampered off.

Ichijou walked back to Kaname and pat him on the shoulder. His famous ear splitting smile graced his face. "Come on Kaname, I smell meatloaf. Maybe the Gods favor me too." They descended what was left of the stairs only to hear more commotion.

Kaname followed behind Ichijou who gloated towards the large double doors, vampires making extra care to make their way clear. When they entered the room, there was a large scene towards the lunch line. It perked Ichijou's curiosity but Kaname found annoyance in the blockage. When the room silenced suddenly, Ichijou stopped in his tracks and Kaname bumped into his back.

Questionably looking down at his friend, for once his expression was unreadable. No, more like too many emotions were running through his face. The lingering one seemed to be shock, and this interested him. He looked to where jade eyes stared wholly and his eyes widened in turn.

He stood rigid as a board, and so many thoughts flew through his mind. "It can't be." He thought inwardly. He was staring directly at a male figures back. Currently said male was panting while facing another male lying flat against the floor. "No." That stance was familiar. The way the man's chest heaved in and out. "No." The white gleam of silver hair. The lean figure clutching his side momentarily. The way he walked. It was all too familiar.

The vampire jumped to his feet and screamed obscenities, but Kaname's ears were deaf. He was still staring wide eyed at the retreating figure of the silver haired man. "No." A few other vampires jumped to the scene and they started towards the loner male who in turn stopped his walk towards the line.

"NO." he growled.

He stepped towards the scene, his aura subconsciously putting the room on alert. A few vampires caught wind of him and ran off, but the older vampire once on the floor kept his track towards Kaname's target. Kaname passed him briefly and heard him stop in his tracks. He reached the silver haired male and looks down at him. He wants to see his eyes. All of this could be a lie. None of this could be happening. It all depended on his eyes. But by god, even the way he breathed was like him.

Finally taking note of the scene, he acknowledges the gray haired vampires presence with a demand of its leave. For a moment he stood there, still eyeing the paler boy. Kaname's mind was in turmoil. Did this germ really dare to defy him? Kaname was in such a state he was capable of killing him in his confusion. Before he was able to make true of his promise the gray haired, brown eyed vampire straightened up and marched away.

Finally out of the cafeteria's double doors did he glance at those still observing the scene. Within split seconds did the room look away from him and carry on with their previous activities. There was not a vampire in the room who dared to have that anger directed at them.

Not paying mind to all others, the pureblood directed all his attention to the paler male once again. He seemed to be purposely avoiding his stare. The shorter male faced downwards, eyes downcast. How irritating this was to the brunette who stood there beside him with no acknowledgement.

The mocha haired vampire decided he would continue to stare until violet eyes met his. Two could play this game. Chancily remembering the ex-hunters stubbornness though, he decided against it. "Kiryu." He called out. Silver hair rustled a little as the paler man's head bobbed slightly, just enough to look up. Silver hair curtained a pale face, but his grim expression still showed.

Through a crevice of silver locks did crimson find violet eyes chance a glance at him. They were a soft, light purple with specks of violet –but dull. If he remembered correctly, there was supposed to be a spark of determination and defiance, of life. Why were they so dull and withdrawn and void of emotion? What could have happened that caused the ex-hunter to be as the pureblood failed to make him? A glance at the male as a whole made him question obtaining the answer.

"What's happened?"

A/N - Well there you have it folks. I'm dead-beat tired. I should have been writing an important (and extremely difficult fro me to write) essay due on Friday but couldn't leave my readers hanging. As a fellow follower and reader I know how it feels. I promise the updates will be consistent just this past week has been hectic and everyone knows how life is, plus the whole Chapter 3/2 thing really set me back.

Please R&R! I don't have Chapter 4 written yet but maybe your feedback will give my fingers a life of their own? No? Okay well it'll make me write and update faster. I need that motivation right now, I'm still upset with Chapter 3.

-ColorlessXrainboW-