I could come up with a load of excuses why it took me so long to write this chapter but I won't bore you with thw details, I just want to say to all those who continue to review, fav and follow thanks for the support :D

Bloody Rose

"It's an easy mission he said" the young man crouched behind a broken wall drawing his gun as another vampire charged.

"It's only a few level E's, nothing you can't handle on your own he said" with a slight tilt of his head he avoided the incoming punch from the wild level E, before swiftly ending the creature with one clear shot to the chest.

"I don't have time to deal with small fry, it'll be good practice for you he said" sarcasm dripped heavily off every word as the hunter continued to voice his thoughts while simultaneously putting another four level E's out of their collective misery.

His morning had started off fine; heading to the associations headquarters he had met up with his Shishou and they had received their orders to eliminate a small group of vampires that had fallen to level E, nothing unusual there. It was when they were leaving the building that his Shishou had received a call; knowing that his Master wouldn't take too long he had walked ahead, a few minutes later his Shishou caught up with him but the man's features had darkened and his face was set in a scowl. His Shishou then proceeded to tell his young student that something had come up and had quickly given several excuses before disappearing. Unable to argue he had then arrived at the designated area to find what the association had described as only a few level E's had turned out to be an entire dilapidated school full of the bastards.

If he made it out of here alive, he would have to pay the Intel department a little visit. He would be sure to redefine a few of their definitions including their definition of what true suffering meant.

Sighing he took out two more vampires as they lunged for his throat.

Looking to his left he could see a cracked column that seemed as though it would provide good cover; leaping out from behind the broken wall he rolled to avoid a clawed hand aimed at his chest when another group of level E's attacked him, rolling across the floor he fired three shots. Two of the vampires were instantly reduced to ash but a third was only wounded, it now lay curled on the floor clutching the right side of its chest, an unholy howl escaping through its gaping mouth; one more shot from the hunter as he landed on his feet and the screams were brought to a sudden stop. The pack of level E's didn't so much as blink as another of their number fell.

Crouching behind the column the young hunter took the time to reload his hand gun; with a satisfying 'click' the new magazine locked into place. He would be lying if he said he wasn't slightly enjoying taking out his frustrations on the horde of vampires, which all but blindly continued to race down the corridor with the intent of ripping him to shreds, but even he had to admit that eventually their superior numbers would overwhelm him.

The long corridor they had chosen to corner the hunter in gave him the advantage; the narrow passage forced the vampires to group together making it so much easier for him to pick them off one by one.

Releasing a long suffering sigh the young man checked his gun one last time before leaping out from behind his makeshift cover, not a moment too soon as mere seconds later the column disintegrated in a cloud of dust; the result of a well aimed and powerful punch. Using the dust cloud as cover the young hunter rushed the group of vampires; it was a slaughter, driven by pure instinct the vampires could not co-ordinate their attacks and in such close quarters they were as likely to hit each other as they were their intended prey.

When the last vampire fell, the young man wasted no time running down the derelict hall. Dodging piles of rubble that looked as though they once belong to the collapsed ceiling, he briefly took the time to wonder why level E's always seemed to gather in abandoned and derelict buildings; maybe they did it on purpose for the spooky atmosphere. Turning the corner at the end of the corridor he arrived at what he assumed had been a library, judging by all the overturned and rotted bookcases.

In the brief lull of battle he took stock of the injuries he had sustained thus far; apart from a few bruises and scrapes he appeared to be fine but his main concern at the moment was how much longer he would be able to keep up this pace. For the last three hours he had been running through the maze like corridors and rooms of the school, every time he turned a corner or found a new room there was another group of level E's waiting for him. Even with all the training he had endured there was still a limit to his strength and he was afraid to admit that he had almost reached it.

Hearing the approach of the next wave of level E's he searched for an exit or a good place from which to ambush the approaching horde. The windows that dotted the room would have proven a great escape option, had he not been on the fourth floor, but at the sound of the level E's growing closer he was actually starting to consider jumping as a viable escape plan; until he looked again at the many bookcases dotted about the room, one was already situated close to the door. Getting behind the already precariously leaning bookcase the hunter braced his shoulder against it; the sound of rushing footsteps and savage snarls grew louder but he waited. As he expected the first of the vampires stormed into the room without any hesitation, they didn't even notice the book case until it was too late. With a great heave the hunter rammed the bookcase with his shoulder; even with their superior speed and strength two of the vampires were trapped under the fallen book case while another three had slammed against a wall trying to avoid being trapped. Standing atop the bookcase the hunter quickly fired two shots straight through the wooden panel beneath his feet; instinctively he ducked and rolled as one of the vampires who had avoided being trapped launched an attack at his exposed back. An enraged growl escaped the level E as it faced him but then it noticed the smoking gun, it turned just in time to see the remaining two vampires who had entered the room with him collapse into dust, before the thought to run could even enter the vampires' mind the sound of a shot resounded throughout the empty room.

The Hunter stood there for a moment, listening for any sounds that might give away the vampires position. After several moments of hearing nothing he allowed himself to fall against the wall, his shoulders slumped as he took great gasps of air but he kept a tight grip on his gun, never letting his finger leave the trigger.

He was so tired; in three hours he had encountered at least seventy vampires, how he was still on his feet was a complete mystery to him. He ran a hand through his sweat drenched brown hair and started to slide down the wall to a seated position however stopped when the sound of creaking wood reached his ears.

He remained perfectly still, holding his breath and slowing his heart rate the young hunter waited, preparing to move at the slightest noise. Minutes passed and nothing happened, no sound, he couldn't even sense anything; the only movement in the room was the slight shift of the piles of ash scattered about the room as they were caught by a breeze.

Slowly letting out his breath he sank back to the floor briefly allowing himself to relax.

It was a mistake.

In a shower of dust and debris a clawed hand punched through the wall just by his head and before he could jump out of the way had grabbed him by the shoulder and ripped him back through the wall.

Coughing he groaned as a sharp pain ran through his chest but he wasn't given any time to recover, the moment he began to regain his breath a sharp kick was delivered to his side causing black spots to swim in his vision as the power of the blow forced the air from his lungs. Blinking he concentrated on the cracked ceiling above him as he tried to get the world to come back into focus, but it didn't matter how long he lay there. With each breath he took blinding pain would shoot along his left side; the ribs that he was sure had cracked on his way through the wall he was now convinced were broken.

The sound of creaking wood alerted him to the presence of another in the room; unable to turn towards the sound for fear of causing more damage he slightly tilted his head; he didn't have to look far. Barely tilting his head to the right the form of a man came into view, the man leaned against the wall opposite the young hunter casually wiping dust off his fine suit as he eyes studied the young man with what appeared to be vague interest.

Seeing that he had caught the young man's attention the vampire began to walk towards him. Each step was slow and measured, as if trying to draw out the young hunters discomfort and apprehension. It didn't work, the young man simply turned back to staring at the ceiling trying to calm his breathing and ignoring the agonising twinge that ran through his chest.

He listened as the footsteps continued to slow as they circled him, finally stopping when the vampire stood to his left. Now that he was closer and the dust from the collapsed wall had settled the young man was able to make out some of his features; spiky red hair that fell to his shoulders and surprisingly clear blue eyes which held no trace of blood coloured lustre, this vampire hadn't fallen to level E.

To his great annoyance the vampire began to chuckle, his posture careless and relaxed as he stood looking down at the prone form of the hunter, his mistake.

With one swift motion he flipped his hands beneath his head and with little effort tossed his legs in the air, catching the vampire in the jaw as he span, in seconds he had landed on his feet the gun still tightly gripped in his right hand now pointed at the disoriented vampire, a smirk twisted on his face as he gently pulled the trigger.

Instantly the smirk vanished when a level E came out of nowhere to take the shot, before he could let off a second round he found himself grabbed from behind; one level E on each arm and another with its arm tightly wrapped around his neck, forcing him down, forcing him to kneel before the other vampire.

As tired and now wounded as he was there was no chance of him being able to fight off the vampires, it still didn't stop him trying, cursing and struggling he tried and failed to wrench his arms free but to no avail. He finally stopped fighting when the blue eyed vampire began to speak.

"Well this is unexpected" he all but gloated "I was under the impression that our little gathering was receiving a visit from the famed Toga Yagari" he smirked drawing closer to the young hunter, "imagine my surprise when instead I am faced with his apprentice."

The young man's eyes widened in shock before he could school his features, but thanks to the vampires damn heightened senses he caught it and the smirk that plastered his face only widened.

"Yes, that's right, I've heard about you, Takamiya Kaito" he almost sang the name, "the hunter who killed his own-"

He didn't give the vampire the chance to finish; with a sudden surge of adrenaline Kaito was able to rip his right arm free from the vampires grasp raising his gun to aim at the vampires all too smug face. Even as he had been dragged through the wall and kicked across the room Kaito had refused to release the death like grip he held on the gun and he was now being rewarded for his stubbornness. The other level E's that still held him moved to restrain him trying to force him down but he had already lined up the shot, all that was left was for him to pull the trigger but he faltered, his target had vanished.

In a burst of speed that was impossible for a mere level E or C class the vampire had moved to stand directly in front of him and now held a tight grip on his free wrist. Suddenly all of Kaito's focus was on his wrist and the searing pain that was shooting up his arm. That was all the distraction the level E's needed to force him to the ground, his arm twisted behind his back and his face pressed to the dust covered floor by a clawed hand on the back of his neck.

He didn't cry out even as the pain running up his arm intensified, he refused to give them the satisfaction; all he could do was grit his teeth and stare at the vampire, the strength of his anger reflected in his eyes easily masking his pain.

"You're not a C class vampire, are you?" He tried to keep his voice even as he asked the question but the pain made that impossible.

"No I'm not."

With a quick jerk the vampire twisted Kaito's wrist, the only sounds to follow were a sharp crack as Kaito's wrist was broken and the resounding clatter of the gun he held finally falling to the floor.

"You are a tough one Kaito san" the vampire sighed as he grabbed a fist full of Kaito's hair giving it a hard yank so that the young man was forced to look up at him. "The last hunter I had the pleasure of meeting was screaming by now" the sick little smirk that was really beginning to work on Kaito's last nerve was back, "but then again I suppose you should be different having been trained by Yagari."

"So tell me Kaito san, where is this famous Shishou of yours?"

Kaito simply glared, one arm held firmly behind his back and the other now useless still held in the vampires grasp meant he could do nothing against the vampire.

Having not received an answer from Kaito the vampires annoying little smirk began to falter, the glacial blue eyes which had glowed with slight amusement now narrowed and grew dark as Kaito remained quiet.

Releasing the grip he held on Kaito the vampire took a step back and gave a slight nod to the level E's restraining him. Suddenly hauled to his feet Kaito was slammed against a wall, his head giving a sickening crack as it collided with the exposed brick work. He could feel the two level E's stiffen as they caught the scent of his blood but for some reason that escaped Kaito they did not fall prey to their instincts and attack him. The third level E was not so lucky, the moment it laid eyes on the warm blood soaking Kaito's hair and trickling down his neck it was lost; he could see the struggle of the creature as the red glow that had overtaken its eyes grew brighter and its fangs became more prominent, any minute now those fangs would sink into Kaito's exposed neck.

Unexpectedly just as the level E looked as though it was about to lose it he was grabbed from behind, clawed nails digging into the flesh of its neck.

The vampire stood behind the level E his blue eyes taking on the slightest tinge of red. Kaito watched as the level E crumpled to the floor its hands reaching for its neck as it thrashed and screamed in pain, after a while the screaming quietened and the thrashing turned into the occasional twitch as the level E pitifully crawled towards the vampire.

"S-Sosuke sama" the plea came as a whisper and yet to Kaito's ears it sounded more painful than the screams that had filled the room moments ago. With a final thud the level E collapsed to the floor, its body slowly disintegrating into ash.

Kaito looked on stunned; he had seen many aristocrats during his time at the association whether it had been during one of their various meetings with that decaying council or one of the many different parties he had been forced to play guard at. Even with their exceptional powers aristocrats were not meant to have this kind of control over any vampire, let alone level E's who were the most volatile and wild creature's imaginable, that kind of power belonged firmly in the hands of the purebloods. To Kaito's eyes it only meant one thing, whatever 'Sosuke' was after he was either working for or had a seriously powerful pureblood backing him.

Kaito's trail of thought was quickly derailed as Sosuke began to speak once more "well seeing as you're still conscious Kaito san I suppose I should introduce myself." He gave a bow that could only be described as mocking "my name is Koyama Sosuke, it is my humble pride to be in the service of one illustrious master who would simply love to have a small discussion with your esteemed Shishou" the fake manners did little to hide the malevolence that swam in his eyes, "all I need you to do Kaito san is tell me where your dear Shishou is. I mean no offence but the thought that you managed to incapacitate so many of my subordinates all by yourself is rather laughable."

It was Kaito's turn to smirk "If by 'incapacitate' you mean that I managed to reduce over seventy of your level E's to dust than you would be correct."

"Only seventy?" the vampire seemed to contemplate Kaito's answer.

That was a statement Kaito hadn't been expecting, what did the bastard mean by 'only' seventy? Before he could stop himself he was asking the question.

"You don't know?" when the condescending little smirk made another appearance Kaito started listing the top ten ways he'd like to knock it off the bastards face. "Well since you seem to have been so greatly misinformed allow me to enlighten you" Sosuke said as he backed away from Kaito to casually lean against the opposite wall "the seventy vampires which you seem so pleased about being able to destroy were less than a forth of the forces I have based here" at this Kaito couldn't stop the slight eyebrow raise that gave away his shock. How had the association been so misinformed and where were the other three hundred and thirty or so level E's, while he mulled over these thoughts Sosuke continued to speak "the two level E's that are restraining you are some of the few I have remaining so you can stop playing the fool and tell me where Yagari is."

Kaito couldn't help but wonder at how much of an idiot the vampire before him was, either that or the fool was so confident in his own abilities he had no qualms about revealing that almost his entire force had been destroyed, which was something Kaito didn't even want to begin thinking about. No it was much more satisfying to think of Sosuke as an idiot and apparently he wasn't alone in that thought.

"I can't believe he just said that out loud" Kaito's head shot up as he heard the new voice, but it was a mistake. No sooner had he moved than the room began to blur and spin, tightly closing his eyes he tried to take deep breaths in order to fight off the vertigo, with his eyes tightly closed Kaito had to rely on his hearing in order to judge what was going on around him.

"I know it almost sounds like he's bragging" the same voice spoke again, which was weird Kaito thought as the guy just responded to his own statement. "Is this the guy we came here for?"

"Well he fits the description; red hair, blue eye and sadistic grin that makes you want to slap him" the new voice answered his own question again.

"I was actually quite dubious when we were given that description but now that I see the guy…I really do want to kill him." Kaito was starting to think that he had either hit his head harder than he thought or the guy that had barged in was insane.

"Killing is quite a step up from just slapping him" the voice sounded slightly amused.

"Can you blame me?" this time he took on a slightly bored tone.

There was a pause in which Kaito pictured the voice considering his answer.

"No I can't…can I have the first punch? That smirk is really starting to piss me off."

By this time it seemed that Sosuke had finally managed to regain his wits as he took the opportunity to interrupt "As fascinating as your discussion is, who the hell ar-"

A sudden crack resounded through the room and soon after Kaito heard the sound of a body landing heavily on the ground, before Kaito could process what had happened he found himself no longer restrained by the level E's, so sudden was his release that he couldn't catch himself before he fell to the floor.

Taking a chance and praying he didn't pass out from another bout of vertigo Kaito slowly inched his eyes open as he painfully tried to raise himself up from the floor. On one shaky arm Kaito managed to lift his chest from the floor as he tentatively opened his eyes, two blurred figures stood before him, the only definite feature he could make out was that they both had silver hair; everything else appeared unfocused. Whether that was because of his head injury or because the two men were moving so fast Kaito couldn't tell but with a single move both figures had reduced the attacking level E's to ash.

By this time Sosuke had managed to pick himself off the floor but it was clear by his stance and how he leant against the wall that the single hit had caused him some serious damage, even better news he was no longer smirking.

The two figures stood shoulder to shoulder in front of Kaito with their backs turned to him. The figure that stood to the left began to walk towards Sosuke quietly muttering as he drew a slip of paper from his coat, as he grew closer Kaito could see Sosuke features beginning to darken, his face morphing into a mask of horror when the man continued to walk towards him.

In what could only be described as an act of sheer desperation Sosuke launched himself at the approaching figure his left hand cloaked in red lightning, a feral snarl reminiscent of the level E's he had once held command over tearing from his lips. The man didn't even try to dodge as the aristocrat aimed to rip out his throat; he didn't have to. As soon as the vampire had moved so had the man who had been standing before Kaito, savage lightning clad claws were intercepted by dual kodachi, caught by surprise Sosuke had no chance of defending himself as a brutal kick was delivered to his chest sending him reeling back into the wall. Before he could move to recover the silver haired man mercilessly sunk his blade into the vampires left shoulder pinning him to the wall.

"We're supposed to take him alive." The young man holding the seal which had now begun to radiate light sighed.

"I didn't hit anything vital, he'll live" was the curt reply.

When Sosuke moved to try and remove the blade the young man ground his heel into the hilt of the kodachi causing the blade to embed itself deeper in the wall, all Sosuke could do was grasp his shoulder and try to quiet the gasps of pain that escaped him. Each time he went to grab for the blade the silver haired man would simply apply more pressure causing the kodachi to appear to glow as it gave off small purple bolts of light. Kaito knew that only vampire weapons would react like this, but that begged the question; how had these men managed to get their hands on them, not only that but the seal, which was now being placed on Sosuke causing him to pass out was obviously a hunter spell.

Only one thought was racing through Kaito's mind as the two men turned towards him; who the hell were these guys?

Kaito's vision had finally cleared allowing him to watch as the young man with slightly shorter silver hair pulled his kodachi free of Sosuke's shoulder allowing the aristocrat to crumple limply to the floor. Wiping the blade on Sosuke's once pristine jacket the young man walked away leaving his twin (the guy couldn't be anything else, apart from the hair style and the clothes the two were carbon copies of each other) to finish restraining the unconscious aristocrat.

He was walking straight towards Kaito when he stopped suddenly, turning to the right he bent and picked something up; when a stray beam of light was caught and reflected by the elegantly crafted barrel briefly revealing the engraved words 'Bloody Rose' Kaito knew what it was.

"That's mine" the words escaped him as a choked whisper before they'd even fully registered in his mind, for a moment he thought that the man hadn't heard him but then the young man turned.

To Kaito's great regret his little statement seemed to have caught the attention of the other twin as well, who had just finished placing a series of paper seals around Sosuke's wrists and ankles. Rising the man moved to stand next to his brother, after a moment a look of recognition seemed to flit across his face "nii san, is that…"

"He looks a lot like him" the older brothers' face remained a stoic mask as he answered but Kaito could see the same recognition held in both pairs of amethyst eyes.

He was about to ask who they were and why they were here, you know the usual mundane questions that every confused victim ends up asking when the older brother closed the distance and crouched down in front of him.

"I'll be taking Bloody Rose as payment"

The last thing Kaito saw before his world went black was a well aimed fist coming straight towards his face.

Walking down the pristine corridors of Cross Academy Kaname Kuran shielded his eyes as the late afternoon sun filtered through the many windows that lined the hall leading to the Headmasters office.

It had been in the early hours of dawn as he was returning to the dorms with the rest of the night class that Yuki had stopped him. Refusing to meet his eyes she had bowed deeply as a charming blush painted her face, quickly stuttering out that the Headmaster would like to see him that day if it was convenient for him she gave him one of her trade mark smile as she lightly fiddled with the white prefect sash that adorned her sleeve. The fact that quite a few members of the night class had stopped to observe the scene was not lost on Kaname, most notable of which were the poorly concealed glares from Ruka and the mischievous grins sent by Aido. Thanking Yuki he promised that he would make time for the Headmaster that day before he casually lead the night class through the gates to the moon dorm, only pausing for the briefest of moments as the heavy oak doors of the gate slowly creaked shut to catch a glimpse of Yuki running back to the main school building.

Now standing before the ornate doors that opened to the Headmasters office Kaname listened as he heard the soft murmur of voices on the other side.

Knocking once he entered the room. The Headmaster was seated behind his antique mahogany desk his usual scarf wrapped snugly around his neck, half moon spectacles resting halfway down his nose, his hair tied back in a messy ponytail and a cup of freshly brewed rose tea clasped gently in his hands for all the world looking no more dangerous than a door mouse. His companion on the other hand gave a very different impression; leaning against the wall, his arms tightly folded across his chest Toga Yagari seemed to emit darkness from the small corner of the office in which he stood, his distinctive long trench coat and the leather case that never seemed to leave his side propped against the wall beside him, the smell of blood and ash that clung to both was hard to ignore.

The image would have given any other vampire; even a pureblood pause, but years of dealing with the man had made Kaname all but immune to his intimidation tactics.

"Ah, Kaname kun thanks for coming" the Headmaster greeted when Kaname quietly shut the door.

"Of course Headmaster" as Kaname walked to stand before the Headmasters desk he could feel Yagari's lone eye following him, with a slight nod the young Pureblood acknowledged the hunters presence, drawing some satisfaction from how the prestigious Hunters eye narrowed ever so slightly at the gesture.

Looking nervously between the two Cross cleared his throat in an attempt to bring Kaname's focus back to him "I'm sorry to have called you here on such short notice Kaname kun."

"You would not have called me had it not been important" his eyes quickly flicked back to the dark figure in the corner that was now staring out the window, "though I do hope Yagari sans presence here isn't your answer to our previous discussion on problem students within the night class." The wry smile that Kaname wore seemed to be wasted on Cross as the colour quickly drained from his face. Yagari however pick up on the sarcasm; judging by the small grunt he gave that could have been mistaken for a laugh and the fact that the killing intent that had been filling the room since Kaname entered started to ease slightly, only slightly.

"Don't worry Kuran, I am not here on business and lucky for you my execution list is empty right now" he turned away from the window to face Kaname "but if the Night class is causing problems I'd be more than happy to add a few names to it."

"Yagari!" Cross had regained some colour and was now staring sternly at his friend "You're taking things too far"

With another low grunt Yagari turned back to look through the window, his expression hard to read in the late afternoon light, Cross continued ranting "and what do you mean your list is empty; I thought you mentioned earlier you were assigned a mission by the association this morning?"

"Kaito's taking care of it."

It was Kaname's turn to clear his throat. Quickly turning to face Kaname again Cross scratched the back of his head nervously giving Kaname a slightly embarrassed grin "right, sorry…where was I?"

It took all of Kaname's control to suppress the sigh that was threatening to escape, but in a way this conversation was gratifying. So used was he to those that surrounded him either cowering in fear or gazing in awe of his presence, which was…tiresome, to say the least.

In response to Cross's question Yagari finally moved from his dark corner pulling from his coat a nondescript brown envelope which he unceremoniously dumped on the desk in front of the Headmaster.

"Take a look at this." The request was curt but not demanding so Kaname did as asked and picked up the envelope, with a deft motion he sliced the envelope open and removed several photos. For the next few minutes the only sound to fill the office was the shuffling of paper as Kaname quickly scanned each photo. When he had seen the last of them he approached the desk and swiftly arranged the photos into five neat piles.

When he was done he stepped back; Cross took this as his cue and began to explain "those pictures were taken from five different missions that were handled by the association over the past three months. All were supposedly routine hunts, the targets being small groups of vampires that had fallen to level E, but this was not the case." Cross leaned forward in his chair, adjusted his glasses and gazed at the pictures now spread across his desk. "On arrival the hunters assigned were confronted with nothing but abandoned buildings and ash, for the first three cases it was concluded that the level E's had fought among themselves, its rare but not unheard of." Before he continued Cross sifted through the second pile of photos, drawing one from about half way down he slid it across the desk to Kaname "this photo was taken from the files of the forth mission" Kaname took a moment to study the photo closely; it was much the same as the others.

The picture showed the floor of a large abandoned warehouse, fractured light fell from the many ragged holes of the rusted roof onto the dirty concrete floor only for the light to be reflected by the occasional rusted pipe or shard of broken glass. Further study of the picture revealed the shaded forms of old battered crates scattered around the darkened perimeter of the room, in a distant corner an old steel ladder had rusted away to almost nothing, but it was the ash that seemed to cover everything within the room that caught Kaname's attention.

"Seems you've noticed" Yagari spoke from where he now stood behind the Headmaster, in response Kaname shifted a few more pictures on the desk and without looking up he asked "what number of level E's is classed as a 'small group' by the association?"

"No more than ten." It was Cross who answered.

Kaname finally looked up from the pictures to meet the gaze of the two men "judging by what remains there were more than fifty vampires slain in that warehouse." He placed the picture back on the desk and waited for one of the men to answer.

Yagari stepped forward placing one hand on the desk "We both know that had a normal hunter come up against those numbers they wouldn't have stood a chance, even with the power our weapons hold the sheer number in these sorts of confined spaces would have overwhelmed them. The same can be said for the council dogs, their joke of an execution squad wouldn't have lasted two seconds."

Kaname couldn't help but agree with the last statement, though he would never admit it out loud but that wasn't the point right now; he could see where Yagari was going with this.

"You believe this was the work of a Pureblood" it was not a question and by the look Yagari levelled him with Kaname knew he was right, still the hunter chose to answer.

"What else could have done this? Not all Purebloods are as docile as you profess to be Kuran."

In answer Kaname selected one photo and handed it to Cross "since when have Purebloods used hunter seals."

The silence that dominated the room was almost crushing as Cross and Yagari examined the photo. Sure enough they both finally spotted what they (and everyone else at the association) had previously overlooked; impossible to see unless you were looking for it, though even half burned and buried under ash it was still recognizable. The hunters seal lay just at the edge of one of the shafts of light that reflected through a broken window near the foreground of the picture.

"Yagari" When Cross spoke his voice was quiet, almost cautious.

Kaname was not "you believed you had finally found a lead on her" at his words Yagari turned to face him, the calm demeanour the hunter sought to maintain held by a thread, his lone steel grey eye tore into Kaname and yet the Pureblood did not back down "Shizuka Hio, the Pureblood princess known as Kuruizaki Hime. Did you truly think she had finally revealed herself after four years of silence? "

The tension in the room began to rise as the two men faced each other; the atmosphere grew to a point where even the light of the late afternoon sun seemed to retreat allowing the shadows of the room to grow longer and the air to grow colder.

It all came to a head as a fissured crack split the Headmasters desk, scattering the pictures and other documents that had been littered across it surface. A small drop of blood escaped the shallow cut that now marred Yagari's face just below his left eye.

The only sound to fill the office for the next few moments was the light sound of the scattered papers settling to the floor; Cross was left at the side of the room his gaze flitting between the two men as they continued to stare each other down.

With a sigh Yagari finally spoke, his voice surprisingly calm "it would seem that my visit here today was unnecessary, sorry for wasting your time Cross" with that the tension that had filled the room ebbed away as Yagari retrieved his leather case before moving to exit the room.

He stopped as he reached for the handle, turning to face the wall of the office to the left of the door and placed his hand against it before drawing his arm down in a dismissive gesture. For a moment Hunter runes streaked across the walls lighting the office with an eerie silver glow but they soon vanished; the light fading only to reveal the now darkened ruins crumbling from the walls and scattering to nothing.

When the walls were clear of runes Yagari allowed his hand to drop, walking once more to the door he kept his back turned to Kaname but paused just before he opened it.

"Next time Kuran" with that Yagari quietly exited the room, the soft click of the closing door echoing through the quiet office.

Sure that his friend had left Cross allowed himself to let out the breath he'd been holding; eyeing his ruined desk in dismay Cross collapsed back into his chair, which was still in one piece luckily, before allowing his eyes to drift to Kaname who was now casually leaning against the wall.

"Was that really necessary?" Cross asked in a dry voice.

In response Kaname allowed himself a small shrug. Having regained some of his composure Cross was now circling his desk picking up the assorted papers and checking to see if the desk was salvageable, by the resigned look and occasional headshake it would appear that it was not.

It grew clear that Cross was not going to be the one to continue the conversation and so after a few more minutes filled with the sound of shuffling papers Kaname asked "you still have no intention of telling him?"

Cross froze where he knelt picking up the last of the pictures.

"…He's not ready."

"You would rather have him continue to believe that Shizuka Hio has murdered the Kiryu twins instead of revealing that for the last four years you have been working with the Pureblood who murdered your comrades."

A small mumble escaped Cross but he did not turn to face Kaname.

Unable to hear what Cross was saying he was about to walk closer, but before he could Cross suddenly stood. His back was still turned to Kaname but his voice was clear and very, very cold. "That woman was never my comrade."

For once Kaname was truly surprised; in all the time he had known Cross the man had always been a pacifist, hardly ever speaking ill of anyone, on the occasions that he did he was calm, collected and above all else reasonable. In this instance, merely from the sound of his voice it was clear that Kaien Cross was anything but calm.

"I take it when you say 'that woman' you are referring to Kiryu Saika."

At the utterance of her name Cross finally faced Kaname, slamming down the collected papers he adjusted his spectacles so they reflected the light in the room effectively hiding his eyes, in a very quiet voice that cut cleanly through the still air he told Kaname what he thought of Kiryu Saika.

Kaname had heard many tales of the Kiryu clans' prowess, their nobility, their honour and above all their unwavering loyalty; from what Cross was describing Kiryu Saika was a very different creature.

"That woman was more blood thirsty than any level E."

…

Once Cross had finished Kaname waited for a time, what Cross had told him revealed much about the association's animosity towards the Purebloods; it also explained why so many had chosen to ally with the council, but this was a thought for another time. For now Kaname's concern rested with Yagari and what length the hunter would go to in order to find the Kiryu twins.

It could definitely be said that Toga Yagari's day was not going well; first the lead he had finally found turned out to be yet another dead end. Second the new Hunter spell he had been working on and set up in Headmasters office without Cross or anyone knowing had proved less than effective against Kuran; not only had the Pureblood been able to move freely he had also been able to access his powers with apparent ease. Finally Yagari had returned to the association empty handed and drained only to be informed by that insipid excuse for a President that his idiot apprentice had yet to return from what should have been a simple mission.

This was the reason Yagari now found himself standing at the threshold of an abandoned school looking for his incompetent fool of an apprentice.

He took a moment to survey the area, scanning the grounds with a wary eye looking for any sign of motion, but all was quiet. Satisfied that there was no vampires in the immediate vicinity Yagari closed his eye took a deep breath and concentrated; for a moment he simply stood there, the only movement that of his coat as it swayed in the light evening breeze.

Standing there, his eye closed and brow furrowed Yagari contemplated the strange stillness that the building emitted; for all its imposing form with its towering walls and shaded widows, for all its grandeur with its gothic architecture and impressive grounds the school was still desolate. Whether by sight or sense Yagari could not detect anything, whatever had happened here was long over.

Assured that there was no need to be cautious Yagari walked straight up to the entrance and kicked in the front doors; what he was confronted by was not an entrance hall but a battle ground. Ash covered the floors, stairs and many of the barely standing walls which were either plastered in scratches or riddled with bullets, as he advanced along the deserted corridors he was met by more scenes of battle the only constant became the coat of ash that covered every flat surface.

For over an hour he checked the building, searching room after room, slowly piecing together what had happened. It wasn't until the third floor that he found the first traces of blood. Yagari had entered a classroom that was much the same as all the others he had already seen, he was about to exit the room when a falling drop of red caught his eye, curious he stuck out his palm; after a few seconds the next drop fell almost dyeing his brown leather glove black. Looking up Yagari could just make out a series of fissure cracks that ran along the ceiling, he watched almost morbidly as more blood slowly dripped from the ceiling…from the floor above. Standing there and allowing the meaning of the growing pool of blood at his feet to sink in would have taken too long; before Yagari realised he was already running down the corridor he had just walked along, reaching the stairs he barrelled up them two at a time, having made it to the fourth floor his speed only increased as he rounded the corner heading straight for the room at the end of the hall. Throwing the door open his eyes met a scene he had hoped he would never have to see again; there in the middle of the room, in a ever growing pool of his own blood lay his apprentice Takamiya Kaito.

For a moment, as Yagari stood there watching the scene he could have sworn that the hard wooden planks of the floor melted away to be replaced by blood drenched snow, that the walls receded to reveal a ring of bare trees standing sentinel to the cold snow covered clearing. Shaking the ominous vision out of his head Yagari ran to check on the young man, kneeling down beside his apprentice and turning him over Yagari couldn't help but wince as he took in the damage. A deep cut on the side of his head had bled heavily almost dyeing Kaito's hair red, the first signs of a deep purple bruise were beginning to show along his chin, his breathing was uneven and shallow leading Yagari to believe he had at least a few cracked or broken ribs but the worst injury by far was Kaito's right arm. Black and purple bruising enveloped his wrist where the swollen joint was obviously broken, however the broken wrist could easily be overlooked when compared with the ragged wounds that ran from his wrist to just below his shoulder, none of the gashes that wound their way along his arm bled but this was only due to the extreme heat with which they had been inflicted. Yagari barely touched Kaito's arm and the young man jolted awake, a hiss of pain escaping his gritted teeth before he could stop it.

"Sh…Shishou" he tried to sit up but another hiss of pain escaped him the moment he started to move.

"Don't move baka, you're already going to be laid up for more than a week with that arm" he lightly placed an hand on Kaito's good shoulder and gently forced him back down, it wasn't too hard considering how weak Kaito was at the moment.

Grabbing his leather case Yagari flung it and quickly retrieved the field med kit he had stored within it. Ignoring his apprentices' weak protests he quickly bound the ruined right arm and proceeded to do the same to the head wound even though it had already stopped bleeding.

Throughout the process Kaito tried to keep quiet but the occasional exclamation or profanity could not be helped whenever Yagari tightened a bandage. Once he was done Yagari moved to Kaito's less damaged left side "can you stand?" his voice was quiet as he asked, as if he was trying not to damage his students wounded pride further.

In response Kaito placed his hand on his Masters shoulder and used it as support as he unsteadily made his way to his feet. He leaned heavily against Yagari his breath ragged and his right arm hanging uselessly at his side, but he was still alive and that was all that mattered.

Adjusting his hold on Kaito as he picked up his case Yagari walked towards the exit anxious to get Kaito some proper medical attention but he stopped just before he reached the door and quickly searched the room, not finding what he was looking for he turned to his exhausted student "where's Bloody Rose?"

At his question Kaito tensed and another cry of pain escaped him as his wounded body protested the action but he still managed to answer the question; "they took it."

"The vampires?" Yagari asked confused, he had never heard of an incident where a vampire had taken a Hunter's weapon as a trophy.

With what seemed like a great effort on his part Kaito looked up at his Shishou "No, those guys weren't vampires… I don't think" his eyes began to close again as the pain and the exhaustion in his body began to take its toll, but Yagari needed an answer.

Shaking Kaito gently at least to keep him conscious Yagari waited for an explanation, what he heard nearly made him drop Kaito "they took it… that silver haired bastard and his doppelganger."

Anymore answers would have to wait as Kaito finally succumbed to his exhaustion despite Yagari's protests for him to stay awake.

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