When I exited the bathroom, the hallways of the school looked like a dilapidated zombie movie set. Blood was smeared on the walls, and screaming could be heard from elsewhere in the building. How had it all happened so quickly? So quietly?

Vampires. My inner supplied. Some are on the loose.

But why would vampires suddenly be on the loose?

Rogues?

I realized at the same time my inner did. Someone had a vampire army, and had chosen that moment to unleash it on Cross Academy.

I sprinted down the hall toward the noises and was stopped by arms around my waist when I passed a hallway leading another direction.

"Are you insane?" Shiki clutched me tightly to him to stop me from going further. "There are rogue vampires here."

"Yeah, but why?" I asked, relaxing slightly in his embrace. "Isn't the Night Class under control?"

"The Night Class is but this rogue army isn't." Shiki clicked his tongue. I noted idly that one of his fingers was bleeding.

"How many are there?" I asked, almost afraid to hear the answer. I was near-paralyzed with fear for the Day Class. They could be being slaughtered right now.

"They ran by in a pack, about 50 of them. Someone's been busy." Shiki sniffed my neck and then pulled himself away, clearly exercising inhuman self-restraint. I silently thanked him in my head.

"Can any vampire make other vampires?"

"No, only purebloods can do that." Shiki stated in a bored tone.

I gasped. "Is Kaname behind this?" My heart started racing. Surely Kaname wasn't going to go as far as making an army and killing the entire Day Class.

Right?!

I have no idea. I'm not even sure what's going on involves us anymore. My inner was dizzy.

I really hope it doesn't. But either way, now we're trapped in a potentially political vampire issue where nearly everybody we care about's lives are at stake.

"Of course not." Shiki sighed, and then rolled his eyes up to the ceiling, letting me go. "At least I don't think so..."

"He's with Headmaster Cross right now. He showed up to speak with the Disciplinary Committee and left again immediately." Kain's voice came from my side. "I'm sure that if he were running a rogue vampire army he would at least have to be present to do so. Besides, if Kaname was building an army Ichijo would have known about it, and he would not have kept quiet."

"It's Aika Satoshi." Ruka said in a disgusted tone. "I'm almost positive she's the pureblood responsible for this. I caught her ordering one to do something about an hour ago."

"Aika's a pureblood?!" I exclaimed, shocked. My mind went back to seeing her all over Aido, and my chest felt heavy. "Why was she hiding it?"

"Probably to build this army without suspicion." Kain said dryly.

Shiki nodded pensively. "I'm surprised that with her temper she was able to keep from revealing herself this long. The frustration of not being able to just take control of things must have been bothering her for some time."

"Has anyone seen Hanabusa?" Ruka asked worriedly.

I shook my head. "He was in the main ballroom when I left to go to the bathroom..." With Aika... My mind added.

Ruka nodded. "We should enlist his help destroying this army. Before more Day Class students get hurt."

I nodded, not daring to ask about Akane or Rei. I hoped against hope that they were alright, and fought my urge to go and look for them. There was a bigger problem right now.

"We need to find Kaname-sama." Kain said. "He's the only one completely capable of dealing with Satoshi-san."

I nodded again, decided. "Deal with the rest of the Aika's rogue vampires and get the Day Class students to safety. I'll find Aido." I said with a voice stronger than I felt. I had reason to believe I was charging right into danger if Aika was indeed holding Aido or any number of students hostage in the main ballroom. But even if I was, I wanted to see him.

Ruka, Kain, and Shiki eyed me warily, and then nodded in unison.

Kain looked down at Ruka. "You can't fight in that dress."

Ruka huffed. "Of course I can."

"It's floor length." Kain deadpanned.

Ruka rolled her eyes, bent down, and tore a huge strip off of the bottom of her dress, wincing at the sound of ripping fabric. "There." She said, sounding satisfied. "My dress may be ruined but I can fight with it like this."

Shiki shifted his weight, looking uncomfortable in his black suit with white waistcoat. "Can I bite any of you? My powers..." He trailed off.

Kain and Ruka looked at him, and I remembered that Shiki had the power to turn his blood into a weapon. Of course that would mean that he would run low and be unable to fight.

Kain raised an eyebrow. "You didn't bite anyone today?"

Ruka added, "Rima-chan didn't...?"

Shiki sighed, irritated. "She didn't want to be tired for the soirée and to be honest I didn't think I'd have to deal with a rogue vampire army today."

I took a step toward him. "You can bite me, Shiki." I said, deciding that even Aido would understand the urgency of the situation and the need for me to do this.

"Don't." Kain said, pulling me away from Shiki at the same time Ruka said "Hanabusa wouldn't..."

Aido wouldn't what? My inner wondered.

"You can drink from me, Shiki." Kain thrust out his wrist. Shiki made a face.

"It's either this or you go with what you have." Kain continued.

Shiki nodded grimly and pulled Kain's hand up to his mouth. I looked away to give them privacy, though it was hardly an intimate moment.

"What all... powers do purebloods have?" I asked Ruka.

"Many... powerful ones... sometimes even they themselves don't know how many." Ruka sighed. "That's why few vampires will stand up to one. Even purebloods will rarely fight each other because it's seen as a pointless spilling of blood. There are so few purebloods left..."

"Okay, we're done." Kain said. I turned to see Shiki wiping his mouth with his hand and then biting his thumb. "Let's go." Kain, Ruka, and Shiki strode off down the hall and I went the opposite way, back to the ballroom.