"Welcome back, Kiryuu-kun! It's been a while since we've seen you."

I smirked as I let myself in and handed Aidou my coat. "Don't get used to me coming here often; I only have a few questions, and then I need to get home."

"Is this about that new case you have, Zero-kun?"

At the top of the stairway was Kaname, who leaned against the railing with one arm. I smiled slightly at the sight of him. "Yeah; I'm guessing Cross contacted you about it?"

He nodded for me to come up and follow him. "Aidou, would you bring my dinner up? Bring something for Zero-kun as well," he said before turning away.

"Hai!"

I followed Kaname back to the study near the end of the house, away from the ears of any eavesdroppers. The only time I had been in this room was six months ago during the Jack the Ripper case, and now I had returned for a newer, more sinister one. "Damn, I never realized how many books you have," I stated, awing at the books that lined across the walls.

Kaname grinned. "Would it surprise you that my family never paid for one book? They were all gifts from groveling nobles," he replied. "They also contain any information you need about ancient rituals."

I shook my head. "Nah, I never was one to read books. I'd rather ask you instead."

"I'm glad you like hearing my voice."

"No, I just like staring at you."

He chuckled as he sat at the table. "Well, then ask and stare away."

I pulled the file from the inside of my coat, laying it out on the table. "The victim was found hung up by the ankles. Evidence shows that whoever killed him ate him as well."

Kaname took the crime scene photos and looked over them, his eyes scanning over anything I might have missed. "Do we know who this is yet?" he asked, looking up to me.

"No."

He sighed, sliding the photos back to me. "You said he had been eaten? There's only one thing that I can think of that would link something like this to an ancient ceremony the purebloods participated in." Then he stood, walking over to a section of books and running his fingertips over the leather bindings. With a grin, he pulled out an old brown book (about as thick as a Bible) and set in on the table before me. "This should help you."

I looked down to the book, my lips curling in disgust. "What? Why can't I Google this shit?" I asked as I opened the fragile book.

"Do you think Google would give you firsthand accounts of what you're looking for?" Kaname asked in return.

My brow furrowed. "Man… you're good…"

The writings in the book were not of any text or language I had ever seen before. Instead of letters I was used to seeing, these square formations lined along the pages in a flowing fashion, almost an unstoppable movement of the pen. My eyes widened as I tried to understand the unfamiliar words. "It's Chinese. This book was written during the times of the Song Dynasty, and was given to the Kuran family over a century ago by the relatives Yu Fei, the author of the Man Jiang Hong."

I flipped back and forth through the book before finally slamming it shut and exclaiming, "I can't understand a fucking word!"

Kaname placed his hand gently over mine. "Calm down," he said soothingly.

Heaving a sigh, I turned the book towards him, saying, "Read it to me."

He smiled as he took the old book and opened it to the middle, dusting off the pages. "Back during the Song Dynasty, China was greatly repressed by the Mongols. A sign towards the enemy was to eat the flesh of the captured enemy people, a sign which expressed hatred. I believe that someone who hates the purebloods has come to take revenge."

My brow arched. "You got all that from a few pictures and little background information?" I asked sarcastically.

Kaname's eyes dulled. "My, you're being awful bossy today," he said in a monotone voice.

"I'm pissed that I still have no idea where you're going!" I stated harshly.

"The victim is Yu Tou Yao."

"How do you know that?!"

Kaname pointed to the close up photo of the victim's skull. "Yao's fangs were broken when she was younger; they never grew back right, so she always had to drink her blood from a glass."

I took a closer look at the victim's pearly white fangs to see that they were, in fact, both chipped. "How did I not notice that earlier?" I said to myself. "What do you know about Yao?"

He touched his fingers to his lips, a sad expression on his face. "She was a frail girl… not even sixteen years old. Her father tried to offer her to me as a bride not too long ago… she was pretty, yes, but for some reason, she couldn't hold blood down like the rest of us purebloods… She was very much like you when it came to blood; she detested it."

A hard pain hit my chest as I heard all this. "So young…" I whispered, lowering my head.

"It surprises me that no one knew she was missing; the Yu family always watched after her, loving and doting on her. She was the apple of her family's eyes."

"If she was so cherished among her family and the other purebloods, why was she killed like this? Why did she deserve to be hung upside down and eaten alive?" I asked.

Kaname shrugged as he closed the book and pushed it towards me. "I don't know. It must be a sign. You identified the killer to be a vampire, right? If he wanted to warn all vampires, he would have come to kill me and not Yao. However, for him to have killed another pureblood… it's a warning against the Yu family."

"This doesn't make any sense…" I muttered. "If she was a pureblood… wouldn't she have shattered into nothingness?"

"Not necessarily," Kaname replied as he stood. "There are ways to make vampires not vampires."

My mind wondered over these possibilities. "Like… like how Yuuki was human for ten years? Could something like have that happened here?"

"… yes…"

None of the evidence lined up… in fact, nothing lined up! The only thing that made sense to me was that a young girl was killed in the name of vengeance. A young girl had her heritage stripped from her and was eaten alive. All for what?

Hatred.

"Thanks, Kaname. I'll give the information to Cross," I said in a low tone.

He patted me on the shoulder, saying, "I know this is hard for you to grasp, but time can only tell. Zero-kun…" He paused to lean down and kiss my forehead. "Don't hesitate to call, okay? I'm here for you."

A weak smile spread my thin lips. "Thanks."

About that time, Aidou came stumbling into the study with food. "Sorry that took so long, Kaname-sama! The cook burned the chicken, so she had to start all over again," he said breathlessly.

Kaname laughed. "Don't worry about it, Aidou-kun. Would you mind setting a place on the table for Zero-kun? He'll be joining us for dinner."

Aidou's eyes widened. "Eh? After I brought the food all the way up here?"

"Yes."

"Actually," I began as I stood. "I need to be getting home. I still have papers due to the Association regarding my last case."

Kaname grinned. "All right. Be careful on the way back; it's late."

"I can take care of myself."