*DAMN THEM! They kidnapped me! Tortured me! Told me to stop writing this story but I refused! I may not own Vampire Knight or Fairy Tail, but I refuse to be silenced!

General POV

The ball was just beginning and Lucy wasn't sure if she felt excited or nervous. She noticed that the boys of the Day and Night Classes were wearing their school uniforms while all the girls were dressed up. Lucy was wearing a strapless burgundy dress that flowed to her knees and silver shawl around her shoulders.

For the first song, Lucy took Takuma's hand and smiled up at him. "I already had a talk with the Day Class girls. They know that they can dance with you but if I come over and ask to cut in, then they have to let me at least three times tonight. After all, I want to dance with my boyfriend."

The blonde vampire gave her a soft smile; much different than the ones he would give the other girls as he squeezed her hand. "I wouldn't have it any other way. And I had a similar discussion with a few of the Day Class boys as well."

"Then, I want my first dance to be with you."

The words had no sooner left her mouth then Takuma was leading her to the middle of the dance floor and they began waltzing to the music. They danced for at least four songs before Hikaru came forward to cut in, while hinting that some of the Day Class students were trying to be respectful and were waiting on them to take a break so they could dance with both of them. Lucy giggled as she took Hikaru's hand and began dancing with him.

When that song had finished, Lucy noticed a Day Class girl nervously fidgeting with her fingers as she looked towards Hikaru. Deciding to make good on her promise, she pulled the brown haired vampire over to the girl before taking her hand and setting it in Hikaru's. "Would you mind dancing with Hikaru for a bit? I promised some of the Day Class boys that I would dance with them and I don't want to leave him alone."

The girl's eyes lit up with admiration and joy as she nodded and smiled nervously at the vampire. Hikaru gave her a look that said, 'You traitor! I will get you for this!' To which Lucy replied with a wink before taking the hand of a Day Class boy that was bowing to her and asking for a dance.

After that, Lucy felt like she was playing musical-dance-partnerssince she never seemed to leave the floor and had a new partner for each song. At one point, she had to plead exhaustion and asked to sit for a while. The boys didn't seem to have a problem with that since she ended up sitting at a table with a bunch of them and talking. Every couple of songs, the boys would switch out and she'd have a new group of people to talk to, which kept the night from getting boring.

It was a while later that she finally spotted Yuuki and Zero as the smaller girl straightened up her friend's uniform. When Lucy saw a Day Class boy try to ask Ruka to dance, she knew that the poor boy would crash and burn, even with Akatsuki trying to encourage her to accept. So Lucy excused herself from the table and approached them. She got there just in time to hear Ruka state that she refused to dance with 'some strange boy' and see him practically break down in tears.

Lucy shook her head before turning the most dazzling smile she could muster at the heart broken boy. "Sorry to interrupt, but would you like to dance with me, Kageyama?"

The boy appeared surprised, like he hadn't expected her to even know his name. But then he nodded before extending his hand like a proper gentleman and escorting her to the dance floor. He was quiet almost the whole time, his eyes focused more on Ruka than on her.

"You know, you're supposed to look at your partner when dancing," she chided him.

"I know! I'm... ah... sorry, Ms. Heartfilia. And thank you for asking me to dance." He said, finally looking at her.

"It's okay. I understand that you have a lot of affection towards Ruka, and I won't tell you what to do. But don't let one rejection get you down."

That made Kageyama smile as they continued to dance. During a couple of turns she saw Semri and Rima dancing together, Takuma and Hikaru dancing with Day Class students, and then Yuuki and Lord Kaname dancing together out on the balcony. But just as the song finished and Lucy stepped away from Kageyama, Yuuki ran off.

She was about to go after her to see what was wrong when a certain buzz went through the crowd. A shy girl from the Day Class was asking Zero to dance! Lucy could hear murmurs of "Shindo is so brave," and "Too bad Zero looks so scary. He's pretty good looking if you take a closer look."

Yes! Do it Zero! This girl might not be Yuuki or me but she seems like a sweetheart and I think that's just what you-

"Sorry, but I can't dance and I'm busy. Excuse me," the silver haired boy said before walking off.

Lucy was shocked. She knew that Zero could be cold at times, but to turn down the poor girl in front of everyone at the ball was just plain cruel. That had her fuming at her friend, but she had damage control to do first. Going over to Shindo, she gave the girl a hug before stepping back to look her in the eyes.

"You are a brave girl, not many would be able to do what you just did, not even me. And don't let his attitude get to you, I'm probably one of his best friends and he was nicer to you just now than he is with me most of the time. He's just being a jerk, a real man accepts when a girl asks him to dance, especially a girl as cute as you."

Just as she finished speaking, Hikaru came up beside them and bowed to Shindo. "Excuse me for interrupting, but may I have the next dance?"

The shy girl's cheeks flamed red as she nodded and placed her hand in Hikaru's. The vampire gave Lucy a look that she doubted anyone other than her would have noticed. It said 'Don't worry, I've got this,' and Lucy smiled in appreciation before hurrying in the direction that Zero had gone, intent on ripping him a new one.

Just as she was approaching the balcony, she felt a flux of power that forced her to hesitate, recognizing it as Kaname's. Takuma didn't seem to notice her as he approached the pureblood.

"What is it Kaname?" He asked him with a smile on his face. "You lost your temper. What happened?"

"I want someone to tie me down, so I don't do anything rash."

"Of course, Kaname."

"Lucy, I have a job for you as well."

The blonde wasn't surprised that the pureblood had been aware of her presence. She stepped forward and offered him a slight bow. "What do you wish of me?"

"Follow Yuuki and Zero. Make sure that no harm comes to her."

"I will, and Zero?"

"If he cannot protect himself in this battle, it would be better for him to perish so he will not pose a danger to Yuuki in the future."

Lucy glared at him for that. Hemight not care for Zero, but she did and she would help him so that both of them could protect Yuuki. "Either way, I need something with their scent so Night can track them." Her eyes strayed to the floor where she saw an arm band, quickly recognizing it as belonging to the Disciplinary Committee. "Like this," she said as she picked it up.

Kaname stared at the armband in her hand before holding out a second one. "This one belongs to Yuuki," he told her.

"Thank you, this will be better. I have a feeling that if I find Yuuki, I'll find Zero too." As Lucy turned away from the pureblood, she stood before Takuma. Standing on tip-toe, she gave him a quick, sweet kiss. "Cover for me if anyone asks, but let Hikaru know that I'm under orders from Lord Kaname so he doesn't worry."

"Be careful," he told her, his green eyes conveying just how worried he was.

"I promise," then she was hurrying past him and through the crowded ballroom before anyone could realize that she was leaving.

"Will she be okay?" Takuma asked the pureblood, worried for his girlfriend's safety.

"Out of everyone in the Night Class, there are only two with the ability to face off with a pureblood vampire and have the power to win. Lucy has proven herself to be one of them. And since there is a danger to both Yuuki and Zero, she will be highly motivated to see to their safety."

Can't argue with that. Takuma thought to himself. He'd felt the terrifying power that she held within her when she was angry and had heard from Senri about how she had killed the Level E that had nearly kill her friend after overcoming her own fear. "And who is the second person?"

"Myself, of course."

Lucy POV

I hurried away from the ballroom and out the front door, this was the direction that I was sure Yuuki had taken. When I away from any prying eyes, I pulled out the two keys that I knew I would need to summon. Luckily, it was the 4th of the month and the spirits that I needed were available. "By the power of the Jade Emperor, I beckon you to my side, Horse and Dog of the Chinese Zodiac!"

The two jade green circles lit up the darkness as Arion the horse and Night the dog appeared in front of me. Night bounded forward to lick my hand while Arion knelt in front of me.

"Empress! By my honor I have come to serve you as you see fit! What do you require of me this evening? Shall we ride into battle together to strike fear into our enemies? I can see it now! All shall cower as we crest over the top of a hillside with dawn breaking behind us."

"Uh... that's not quite it. I think my friends are in danger and I need both of your help. Night, I need you to track the people who were wearing these armbands, they belong to my friends; Yuuki and Zero." I told the black dog as I held out the armbands for her get their scent. "Arion, I would like you to merge with me so when Night gets moving I'll be able to keep up with him without attracting too much attention."

"Of course, Empress! Stealth is required in this grand adventure and it shall be an honor to have my soul merge with yours."

"Whenever you're ready," I told him.

Arion suddenly leapt straight towards me and I couldn't help but flinch; after all, he was a whole lot bigger than Whisper and I wasn't thrilled with the idea of being trampled. Luckily, that didn't happen. Arion turned into jade green light that flowed into the center of my chest. The feeling of merging and becoming one with him wasn't as shocking as the first couple times, which was a relief and made me think that my body and soul were getting used to it.

Once I felt our souls fully settle with each other, I noticed the strange feeling in my legs and knew that I was probably just as fast, if not faster, than Jet now. Then I looked down to Night and smiled at her. "We're all set, do you think you'll be able to track them?"

"Yes, the girl left a very clear trail and the boy seems to be going in the same direction. I will lead you to them as fast as I can. Since you are merged with Arion, you will have no trouble keeping up."

"Lead the way, I'll be right behind you."

Night yipped in reply and started running away from the school and the Sun and Moon dormitories. I could tell that she was running at full speed but it felt like I was barely jogging to keep up with her. Hopefully, this speed would get me to Yuuki and Zero before Shizuka Hio could do anything to hurt them.

We soon came to a building that had been used as a temporary dorm for the Night Class before they were set up in the Moon Dorm. The same place where Shizuka/Maria was staying. "I know this place," I told Night and Arion. "If this is where they're at, we have to be careful or she might kill them."

When we reached the front doors, I dismissed Arion back to the Spirit World before pulling out a different key. "By the power of the Jade Emperor, I beckon you to my side, Dragon of the Chinese Zodiac!" To my surprise, the spirit that appeared wasn't the large dragon that I had seen when I first made a contract with him, but a small dragon about the same size as Kaa that landed on my shoulder. "Tianlong? Is that you?"

"Of course it is, you foolish girl! I have been watching you from the Spirit World and am aware of the situation. What do you need of me?"

"I need an illusion around Night, you, and myself so we can get inside the building without being caught." I told him, glad that he realized that time was of the essence.

Tianlong closed his eyes for a moment and I felt a flux of magic around us that seemed to linger, but I could just barely sense. "It is done. This illusion shall hide our scents, sounds and life forces from those around us without deterring our own. It can last for up to forty minutes before falling."

"Alright, then we need to get moving. Lead the way, Night."

Although Tianlong had assured us that no one would be able to sense us, Night and I continued to move as quietly as possible through the halls of the building. When I heard Yuuki's panicked voice, I rushed forward to the doorway and froze at the scene in front of me. Yuuki was pleading with Shizuka to leave Zero alone as the white haired vampire fed from Zero's neck.

A wave of panic caused me to tremble as I saw my friend's blood dripping down the pureblood's chin.

"You've tortured him enough! Why are you doing this? Why are you being so cruel to him!"

It was Yuuki's voice that pulled me out of my panicked state. I had to do something to help them, but I wasn't in the best position to do anything. Shizuka was too close to my friends and since Zero wasn't fighting back, I knew that he had to be under that vampire's control. If only it were me there instead of Zero, I already knew that Kaname couldn't control me so I'd be able to fight back...

"Tianlong, I have an idea but we would need to do it quickly and I don't know if it will work, but it might be our only chance."

"Tell me," he demanded.

"I can't be controlled by vampires, even purebloods. If you merged with me and took some of my magic, would you be willing to merge with Zero? It would only need to be for long enough so he could break her hold on him. Please, Tianlong. I'm begging you! Help me save my friends!"

His gold-red eyes narrowed on me for a moment before he looked to Night. "Return to the Spirit World, this will exhaust her and she will need all the power she has right now."

As Night disappeared, Tianlong jumped into the air before diving into my chest. The impact forced me to stumble back into the wall. As I felt him merge with me, I realized that the illusion that he had cast was fading away. I could only hope that the three of them were so distracted by each other that they wouldn't notice me.

When Tianlong separated from me it felt like he was pulling a portion of my magic along with him. I could still feel its connection to me and it was extremely painful, but I was somehow able to keep from crying out in agony. That pain increased when I felt my magic connect to Zero. The hold that Shizuka had on him was suffocating and I could tell just how hard he was fighting to free himself before the vampire could hurt Yuuki.

But the connection wasn't enough, Tianlong was conveying that message to me through our connection and I could sense it as well. So I did the only thing I could think of and pushed more of my magic into him to shake her hold on Zero. Just as the vampire was about to bite Yuuki, the hunter's hand shot out and wrapped around Shizuka's neck.

"You can't do it, Zero. Just stay being my puppet for now, alright."

Dammit! That woman's control is harsh, I thought as I struggled to keep myself under control. I could feel her control begin to creep over me and I felt myself begin to panic. I should have realized that danger before, the fact that she had control over Zero and my magic was connected to him put me in danger of being controlled. I had been too focused on saving my friends to take that into account and I didn't know what to do now that I couldn't break the connection without losing Zero.

"You can't even squeeze those fingers around my neck," she taunted him.

'Lucy, cover your mouth.'I heard Tianlong's voice in my head.'I have an idea of how to break the hold she has over him. I can tell that he's willing to do it but because of the connection, it will hurt you too.'

Covering my mouth with both hands, I let my actions be my agreement. Then a gunshot rang out and I held back a scream as pain shot through my left leg. But the control that Shizuka had over Zero was interrupted and I was able to push more of my power into him to keep it from completely taking him over again.

"Don't take anything more away from me!" Zero yelled as he shot the vampire multiple times in the chest.

It must have been the pain that had distracted me. I didn't realize that the masked man was over top of me until my body was moving on its own to avoid his sword. As I rolled away, the connection that Tianlong created broke. He was about to attack me again when I felt the magic around me flux. The man stopped, then looked around in confusion.

"I hid us from him," the dragon whispered from my shoulder. "However, you are low on magic from what we just did so you need to be still or it will not hold."

"Okay," I whispered back.

I felt horrible as I sat there, unable to do anything as the masked man threw his sword through Zero's arm and Shizuka walked past me as she left the room, leaving a trail of blood in her wake. It would be easy to follow as soon as the pain in my leg faded. But even after she had left, the tension in the room remained. Zero slashed at his attacker, revealing the face of the man that I had already suspected to be Ichiru. I was right. Except for Ichiru's slightly longer hair and the tattoo on Zero's neck, the brothers looked exactly alike.

Then Ichiru drew another sword. "Protect yourself, Zero. I'm no longer the old me. The one who followed you around and slowed you down is long gone. You see, Zero, I have been allowed to drink Shizuka's blood."

I gasped at that declaration, just as I knew that Zero and Yuuki had as well.

"The flesh and blood of a pureblood give you special powers and abilities. I know you crave it too, just admit it," Ichiru taunted him.

Just as Zero raised his sword against his twin, Yuuki ran between them and I wanted nothing more than to grab her and pull her to safety.

"That's enough you two, will you just stop it! No matter what, you two are brothers."

As she turned to face Ichiru, his sword was pointed at her throat. "If you get in the way, I will kill you even if Shizuka doesn't want me to-"

"That's enough," Zero growled, his gun leveled at his twin's head.

That didn't seem to faze Ichiru. If he was a vampire, that gun would have killed him in one shot and there was no way that Zero would have missed at that rang... Unless...

"I thought vampire hunter guns were only effective against vampires," Ichiru taunted.

Zero withdrew his gun as he continued to glare at him. "I knew it."

He's not a vampire! He just said that Shizuka had given him her blood but she hasn't taken any from him?Why would a pureblood vampire allow a human to drink their blood when it's seen as the greatest taboo in the vampire world?Andwhy? Why are they so loyal to each other even after his parents killed her lover and she killed his parents?

And then they were fighting. Swords clashed as Ichiru yelled at his twin. I heard the jealousy in his voice as he admitted that even though the vampire had shared her blood with him, she had never desired his blood. He went on saying how he was ignored by everyone but Zero until he met Shizuka, and even then he didn't feel like she saw him.

It was sad really. Living in the shadow of his twin since, if I were to go by what Aidou told me, Ichiru was born frail while Zero was stronger than other hunters. And then he was denied what wanted most while his brother received what he never wanted. I almost felt sorry for him, but I couldn't. Not after condemning Zero to become a Level E vampire since I knew that he must have had something to do with it.

I was so lost in my thoughts that I nearly missed the strange spike of power before it started fading away. I couldn't figure out what it meant until Zero spoke.

"The smell of blood is strong."

Ichiru gained a look of genuine panic as he turned to look at the open door, and unknowingly me sitting on the floor across from them. "Shizuka!" He said in a panic before jumping away from Zero and running down the hallway to follow the trail of blood.

"Is it safe for me to move? I need to follow Ichiru." I told Tianlong, who had been watching the entire scene unfold along with me.

"Don't move too fast and you'll be fine, but I'm not sure how much longer your magic will hold out. If I had done that with any other mage, I'm sure that the stress it caused on your body might have killed them." He warned me.

I forced myself to stand on my shaking legs, glad that the pain in my left leg had faded to a dull ache since the connection between Zero and myself had been broken. "I can make it. Besides, I was given an order by Lord Kaname to protect Yuuki. She's out of danger for now but I want to keep her out of danger, and that means killing Shizuka Hio."

I hadn't gone far when my magic faltered and forced Tianlong back to the Spirit world. I was just about to collapse when I felt someone's arm support my weight. I looked up, not really surprised to see Kaname Kuran standing over me. There was blood spattering his white jacket and soaked into his right sleeve up to his elbow, it made me feel a bit sick to look at it.

"Did you succeed in the task I gave you?" He asked me.

Exhausted, I nodded. "Yuuki is safe and so is Zero for now. But I wasn't able to kill the pureblood, Shizuka Hio. She wants Yuuki."

"She is no longer a danger to Yuuki. I have made sure of that." He told me as he lifted me up into his arms. I was so exhausted that I didn't even bother to protest.

Hearing him say that, I knew she was dead. For the first time in my life, I was glad for the death of another. After all the pain and suffering she had caused Zero and what she had tried to do to Yuuki... and I just knew, she wouldn't have stopped there. She would have tried to kill Kaname and then would have killed all my friends in the Night class because they would have tried to defend their Lord. Her death had saved many lives. And although I never would have agreed to such a thing if I were back in Fairy Tail, that wasn't the case anymore.

I am now a member of the Night Class. A world that is covered in blood and all I can do is try to be a bit of light that gives everyone hope, just as Hikaru said I was. But for that moment, in more ways than one, I would embrace the darkness since it would bring me peaceful sleep that night.

A/N: I really do apologize to all the people who have been waiting for this chapter to be posted. I am sorry to say that I have become a little burned out with this story and it took a major foot-to-booty for me to get writing again. But I'm glad to say that once I started writing this chapter, I got it finished within a day.Then I tried to upload it to the site and it kept failing, took me a while to get it to upload successfully, but here it is!

I really hope that what I wrote fits in well with the original Vampire Knight story and that this chapter lives up to everyone's expectations.

Please let me know what you think, so Warm-Fuzzies and please review!