* It takes a lot to write Vampire Knight and Fairy Tail, that's why I don't own either one of them.

Lucy POV

It was a difficult to keep what happened to myself when I returned to the party. Takuma and Hikaru had been in a panic looking for me when the gun had gone off and they couldn't find me. When Takuma saw me, he wrapped me in his arms and hugged me so tight that I thought I might burst. Despite needing to tell Lord Kaname what had happened, I let myself linger. Meeting the vampire hunter had terrified me more than I had let on and I needed the comfort more than I could even tell.

After a while, my boyfriend must have been able to tell that I needed some time to myself and instructed me to go back to my room and rest. I nodded before giving him a final squeeze and making my way through the party guests and toward the dorm. Luckily, I would have to walk past Lord Kaname to go inside. Unfortunately, there were too many ears to overhear what had transpired, so I gave him a look that told him that I had something to tell him as I walked past him. I knew that he caught my look when he gave me a nod.

I was in my room for a couple of hours before I felt the presence of the pure blood vampire on the other side of my door. I opened it before he even had to knock.

"Lucy, is everything alright?" He asked me.

"I don't know," I told him honestly as I stepped to the side to invite him inside. We sat on the couches in my room and quickly got down to business. "What do you know about a vampire hunter named Yagui?"

"He is currently the top hunter in the Hunter's Association. There is hardly a single person out there that can match him in the way of skill or determination. From what I've heard, if a vampire is put on his list, then that vampire will be dust within a week." He raised an eyebrow to me. "I'm guessing that you are asking this for a reason."

I nodded. "The gunshot you heard was from his gun. He shot Zero in the shoulder. He's alive and Yuuki wasn't harmed, but I have a feeling that the hunter might have killed him if Headmaster Cross hadn't interrupted or if I hadn't been there."

The vampire was quiet for a moment before he spoke again. "Did he see you?"

My eyes dropped as I nodded again. "He knew I was there and he could tell that I wasn't a human or a vampire, but he doesn't know exactly what I am. I had to use my whip but I didn't use my keys. He also said that he has the right to kill me since I'm an 'unknown.'"

"Under normal circumstances, that would be true. But you are under my protection and if he were to try to harm you, he would suffer my retaliation."

I couldn't help but smile. I'd had a feeling that he would say something like that. It made me feel better knowing I hadn't lied when I told Yaguri that.

"Do you know why he's here?" Lord Kaname asked me.

"From what I could gather, I'm pretty sure it has to do with Zero and it wasn't resolved. What should I do?"

He stood from his seat and smiled down at me. "Continue on as you have been. You have nothing to fear from him or the Hunter's Association."

"Okay, I trust you." I said as I stood from my seat and walked over to open the door for him. "Enjoy the rest of your night Lord Kaname. It goes without saying that I promise to keep this between the two of us."

General POV

The following night, Lucy was cautious with what she said to Hikaru and Takuma. When they asked her directly all she could tell them that it was something that she'd discussed with Lord Kaname and that it had been resolved. That seemed to placate their curiosity, but she noticed how they kept a closer eye on her as they made their way to class that night. She also noticed that Yuuki was alone in keeping the Day Class students back on their way out.

I hope Zero is okay. I know that he's a vampire and fast healing is part of the package, but that was a hunter's weapon and any injury from that would take longer to heal.

By the time they got to class, Lucy couldn't hide how exhausted she felt anymore. I should have just stayed in my room, but that would have worried Takuma and Hikaru. And Lord Kaname said it was best to just follow my usual routine, so that's what I'm going to do. When the door opened, Lucy was expecting the usual professor. When she saw who it was, she couldn't keep her breath from hitching and her grip tightening on Takuma's hand.

Takuma noticed the change in Lucy almost immediately. Her grip tightened to the point where it was almost painful, her scent turned almost acidic with fear, and her eyes widened as they locked on the man who entered the classroom. He could tell that the man was human, but he could also smell the lingering stench of gunpowder and blood. The man's scent, and the fact that Lucy was scared, set him on edge. Glancing out of the side of his eye toward Hikaru, he could see that the brunette was in a similar state of unease as he moved closer to Lucy. Neither one of them would allow any harm to come to her.

Lord Kaname walked into the classroom a moment later. He walked past the black haired man with the eye patch without sparing him a glance. The man practically glared at him with his blue eye before setting his book down on the desk.

"I'm Toga Yaguri, and I will be your Ethics teacher starting today. Before we start," he lifted his chin higher, glaring at everyone in the classroom. "Hello, vampires."

Lucy heard multiple scoffs around the room and saw many eyes glow red, almost in a threatening manner. Not wanting to seem scared, and not knowing what else to do, she propped the elbow of her free hand on her desk, rested her chin on her knuckles, and gave the hunter that same confident smile that she had given him the night before. All the while, keeping her death grip on Takuma's hand, the contact giving her some strength.

"Yaguri?" She heard Ruka say. "That's the name of the best vampire hunter working right now, and this guy's our new Ethics teacher?"

"So he's responsible for last night's gunfire," Aidou commented, looking somewhat bored.

"You all relax, there's no need to worry." Yaguri continued, though the smirk remained on his face. "Today, I am fully qualified and certified to be a legitimate teacher for this class."

"So then, you've come here to spy on the Night Class, have you?" Kaname commented, not even bothering to look up from his book at first. "Or maybe the real reason you're here is so you can try and kill one of us, Mr. Yaguri."

Lucy took comfort in the fact that Lord Kaname didn't seem phased at all by the hunter's presence, as well as the fact that Takuma and Hikaru were by her side, and seemed poised and ready to attack if the hunter made a single move against her.

"Well now, hello Kaname Kuran," the hunter said, closing his eye. "Regrettably, my execution list is completely empty right now." Then he looked over at the pure blood with a glimmer of amusement. "But if you find my lecture boring and you fall asleep, I may very well add your name to it."

The reaction was almost instant. Ruka, Aidou, and Lucy, despite her own fear of the hunter, were on their feet and facing the hunter in defense of the pureblood.

"How dare you say that to Lord Kaname!"

"Ruka, just relax. Okay?" Akatsuki said, trying to keep the blonde from letting her temper get the better of her.

Takuma, worried about Lucy drawing attention to herself, used his grip on her hand to pull her back down into her seat. Despite his worry for her safety, he was still proud of her for wanting to stand up in defense for Lord Kaname. There were very few humans that would dare to stand up for a pureblood against a hunter.

Lord Kaname closed his book as he looked over at the hunter. "I will try to be careful, teacher."

Yaguri scoffed at the vampire's words. Despite his words, he wasn't really interested in the pureblood or even killing him. It was the blonde girl that he wanted to figure out. She had been quiet so far, sitting between two other vampires as if it were the most natural place to be... Almost made him sick just thinking about it.

He was sure that he'd surprised her when he first entered the room, but then she started smiling at his as she propped her chin on her hand and silently watched the battle of words between himself and the vampire. The only time he had gotten a rise out of her so far was when he mentioned adding Kuran's name to his execution list. The fact that she rose to the defense of the pureblood like some of the other vampires bothered him.

She's not a vampire, but she acts as though this is where she belongs. I'd say that she's under their control, but I doubt that would be possible. That girl has enough power in her to fight it off if their control slipped for even a moment. I'll just have to bait her a bit more, see what else I can find out. Yaguri smirked inwardly as he kept his expression unchanged and leaned against the wall with his arms crossed over his chest.

"For this session, we are going to discuss truth and secrets. This being something that all beings will experience in their lifetimes no matter what they are," he began. "Is it ethical to keep these secrets? Or are these secrets seen as lies and those who hold them should bring them out and tell the truth? After all, certain secrets are necessary for the survival of our world. The secret of vampires itself, being the grandest of all."

"If you are suggesting that vampires come forward and reveal themselves to the humans, then you must have taken a blow to the head on your last hunt," Aidou commented as he leaned back in his chair.

"Of course not, that is a secret being kept for the safety of the populous rather than the individual. It is a case where the truth is more harmful than the secret, so the secret must be kept. However, there are times when new situations come forward and it could be seen as dangerous for them to be kept secret. For instance," Yaguri opened his eye and looked directly at Lucy, "a being with strange abilities that has never existed in this world before."

It took everything she had not to squirm under the gaze of the hunter. Instead, she stared right back at him, the confident smile never leaving her lips. She didn't have to look to know that the rest of the Night Class was shocked by this and also unsure of what to do. Thinking quickly, the mage came up with a ploy... and hoped with everything she had, that the hunter would fall for it.

"I see what you mean," Lucy said, willing her voice to sound uncertain. "There are certain things that must be shared with the authorities to gage whether or not they are safe for the public. But just like the secret about vampires, it should only be shared with those who are worthy of that knowledge. To be fickle with such a secret and tell too many people would put the public in danger. Isn't that correct, Mr. Yaguri?"

The hunter mirrored the blonde's confident smile. "Of course, Lucy, wasn't it?"

"That's right," she said, letting her expression drop slightly, appearing unsure of herself. "And I do agree with you, Mr. Yaguri. Not only would a secret like that be difficult to keep, it would also be dangerous for that individual since... since he or she might not be sure where to turn to."

"As you stated, Lucy. It would be best to tell this secret to an authority figure."

She nodded, in agreement, keeping her face down to hide behind her bangs. She could see the confident look on the hunter's face and could tell that he was falling for it. "And the higher the authority, the better. Right?"

"Of course." Yaguri stepped away from behind the desk and towards Lucy. She didn't mean to, but she couldn't help but shrink away from him and closer to Takuma. The blonde automatically wrapped his arm around her shoulder as Hikaru growled beside her in warning. This didn't phase the hunter as he continued his approach until he stood on the other side of the desk.

"And all of this, it isn't only for the safety of the public. It is also for the safety of the individual." Yaguri continued as he stood before her. "People can be extremely narrow minded when faced with something unfamiliar and potentially dangerous. Take vampires, for instance; if the world were to find out that they were real, it would lead to the human taking up arms to destroy every one of them. If the individual is harmless, then that person has more to fear from the public than the authorities and should turn him or herself in."

Lucy shivered as she nodded again and Yaguri held back his grin. He knew that this talk would get to her. She didn't belong in the world of vampires. Possibly in the world of hunter's, if he were to go by the skills she had displayed the night before, and he would do what he could to make her choose the path he was laying before her.

"You're right, Mr. Yaguri," she said quietly, her eyes still hidden by her hair. "And that is exactly why I told the highest authority I know about what I was." Lucy smirked as she looked back up at the hunter, his expression turning from confident to surprised. "As far as I'm concerned, those who are meant to know, do know about me already. And those who are not meant to know, you for example, will not know because you have no actual power over my life."

Lucy let that sink in for a moment. Then, just as he was about to come back with a retort, she kept going. "And if you were to argue that you do have the authority to know, I would say that is no longer my place to decide if you are worthy of that information. It would be up to the higher authority that I told whether or not you should have this information." She turned to look at Lord Kaname. "What do you say? Does he qualify to be on the short list of people who know?"

Kaname couldn't help the small smile that graced his lips. He'd had a feeling that Lucy was up to something when she first spoke up. It was out of sheer curiosity that he hadn't told her to be quiet, now he was glad that he hadn't since this was turning out to be entertaining. "There is a possibility that Mr. Yaguri having this knowledge could be beneficial in the future. But as it currently stands, no. He is not someone that I would be comfortable with sharing this information."

Looking back at the dumbstruck hunter, the blonde couldn't help but shrug helplessly. "You heard him. The higher authority has said that you are not someone that I should share this information with. And, as per your own instructions, the fewer people who know this sensitive information, the better it is for the whole populous as well as the individual."

She could hear the snickers of many vampires around the room as the hunter fumed in front of her. Aidou and Takuma were among the most noticeable and it boosted her confidence even more as Yaguri turned his back to her and walked back to the front of the classroom.

"Be that as it may, the responsibility of the individual outside of the situation can also come into play."

She felt her face drop as she stared at the man. Oh no.

"The ethics of an individual can come into play when he or she becomes witness to something that could be potentially dangerous to the populous. It then becomes his or her responsibility to report such things to a person of authority as well. Whether or not that authority is the same that the 'individual' had already reported to..." His blue eye bore directly into her, as if saying 'you won this battle, but this is far from over.'

Thing's hadn't gone exactly how he had planned, but he wouldn't let her win in the long run. Granted, he had planned on reporting the girl to the Hunter's Association from the moment he had felt her power, but he had hoped to get her to willingly come with him. But if threatening her was the only way to get her to comply, he was fine with that.

Leaning back against the wall behind the desk, he crossed his arms over his chest and pretended as if the whole battle of words with the young blonde hadn't phased in at all.

"So, are there any questions?" He asked, not surprised when no one said anything, before grabbing his book. "Well then, that will be all. Class is dismissed."

Lucy didn't see who threw the dagger. She didn't even know how the hunter was able to avoid the possibly deadly blow. But the next thing she knew, there was dagger piercing the book Yaguri had been holding in front of his face. As he moved it to the side, she couldn't help but notice that his smirk had returned.

"Look, a little welcome gift. You know, I think I'll just keep this. As a memento from the time that I'll spend teaching vampires."

He kept the book in view, as if taunting them as he walked from the room. When the door shut behind him, Lucy let the overly confident facade that she'd been holding slip and nearly went into a panic attack. Takuma wrapped his arms tightly around her as Hikaru stood from his seat, as though he wanted to follow hunter and kill him. Not knowing what else to do, Lucy clung to her boyfriend.

A few moments later, Lord Kaname was standing before her and she looked up. "Do you think he'll tell the Hunter's Association about me?"

"Yes, probably before dawn," he told her, not wanting to lie to her about the situation. "However, it is doubtful that the Association will make any moves on you in the near future. Yaguri will need to give a full report, and that includes that fact that you have told me about yourself and that I have willingly brought you under my protection."

Unable to help herself, Lucy gave a humorless chuckle. "So you're basically saying that they can huff and puff all they like, but they won't be able to kill this little piggy since I have a big brick house to protect me."

"A rudimentary way of putting it, but yes. But for now, I think that's enough for today." Kaname said before looking up at the rest of the class. "All of you will return to the dorm to take the rest of the night off. And do stay inside, I don't trust the hunter not to have an itchy trigger finger after being bested in front of so many vampires."

No one argued or protested as they stood from their seats and began filing out of the classroom. Lucy stayed tucked under Takuma's arm the entire way with Hikaru sticking close to her other side.

A/N: I am so so so sorry about how long it took me to get this chapter posted, but I have a good reason for it. I almost had it finished a month ago, and then my laptop died. And I don't mean bad-battery-died, I mean I had to do a factory reboot and lost all of my work! Then the reboot didn't work and it is now useless.

Needless to say, that put me in a writing funk that took me a while to get out of. Now I'm back in the swing and new stories are coming into my head left and right. I promise that I will have another chapter posted soon to make up for how long it took to post this one!

Warm-Fuzzies and please review! (It's been far too long since I got to write that XD )