So, funny story about my camping trip. We had left my house about 30 minutes ago and were on the freeway, when out of nowhere, the clutch on my dads car stopped working completely. We were close to an exit, so we managed to get to a gas station without crashing(Thank god), but we were stuck there for several hours waiting for a tow truck to be free. Long story short, the camping trip is unfortunately canceled and my dad will probably have to get a new car. Anyways, I have no idea how this chapter is going to go. Have fun!

The next few days after the soiree were more or less without incident. We had a full week to settle in before classes began, and so I spent the time being introduced to certain key people in the Night Class by Kaname.

There was the childish Hanabusa Aido and his babysitter Akatsuki Kain, who seemd resigned to his role. Senri Shiki and Rima Toya, who I never saw apart from each other. Seiren, who I was pretty sure was Kaname's hitwoman. And finally, Ruka Souen who I had already met.

These students along with Takuma, who had been avoiding me all this time, formed what was informally known as Kaname's "Court". All of the students in the Night Class were nominal allies and friends to the pureblood, with their families forming what was known as the Kuran Block in the Vampire Senate. But the members of the Court all belonged to especially powerful families within the Block, with many able to boast having a recent Kuran ancestor.

I suppose that I technically counted as a member of the Court given that I spent most of my day within spitting distance of Kaname, and a lot of the Night Class seemed to suppose that too. After a while they collectively decided not to view me as a hunter living among them, but as an enforcer of Kaname's will. Was I really? No, of course not. But Kaname's will followed that of the school for the time being, and I was more than willing to play along. And so, wherever I went there were the constant looks of respect and apprehension, as if afraid I might decide they had gone against Kaname and lash out at them. It was honestly kind of embarrassing.

I had also been asked a few times about what I was. Since I didn't entirely know myself, I alway replied that I was human only to meet disbelieving looks. According to everyone I smelled like a dog, which I didn't exactly know how to take. And according to the filterless Aido, my eyes looked "really creepy". Speaking of which, I was going to need to come clean to Yuki and Zero.

I had asked Yuki and Zero to meet me in my old room. The one in the main house which I used before moving into the Night Dorms. They came in looking inquisitive, with Yuki staring at my eyes. Ah, right. She hadn't seen me without my contacts yet.

"Hey Marcus, what's up with your eyes?" The little munchkin asked. "They're all yellow."

"Ah yes, well… that's a part of what I want to talk with you both about." I said "I've already told Zero about some of this, but you both need to hear it all."

"That's right." Zero said. "You see Yuki, Marcus started to have some scary dreams a while ago. And they turned his eyes yellow." He looked at me questioningly. "I'm guessing there were more changes."

I sent him a grateful look for explaining the easy parts. "That's right. You see… I'm not exactly human anymore" I explained. "My senses are better, and my body is stronger. And according to any vampires I meet, I smell like a dog."

"So that's why you got fat!" Yuki exclaimed accusingly. Zero instantly broke out laughing.

I gave her a deadpan look. "Yuki; I didn't get fat, I got muscular."

"You got bigger, so you're fat." She replied, with a smile which implied she had won some great victory. "Don't worry, my fat doggy." She patted me on the head. "You'll always be my doggy." She then ran off giggling. I smiled at her antics.

Zero calmed down from his laughing and gained a serious visage. "That wasn't all, was there?"

"Yeah." I responded. "But that's something Yuki isn't old enough to know about."

"What thing?" He asked.

"You remember that Level-E I had to kill a while back?" I stiffened, preparing myself to reveal the awful truth. "I didn't just kill him. I ate him."

Zero looked stricken. "Fuck!"

"Yeah." I said. "That's when I gained these changes."

"Did you choose to, or…" He looked at me, pleadingly.

I shook my head. "It was an overpowering hunger. I couldn't control it."

He looked relieved. "Well, you certainly make me feel better about my own issues."

I barked out a dry laugh. "Glad I could help!"

"Anyways," he added, "it looks like you'll get a chance to feed again. This came for you in the mail this morning."

He handed me a letter. It was another hit assignment from the Association.

This time, my target was a Level-E operating directly out of the town which lay outside Cross Academy. This one had taken a habit of attacking women in alleyways, almost always during the misty mornings. I wasn't given a dossier on this one. Just that the association was sure they were a Level-E given the complete lack of a true vampire population in the town. This was probably due to Kaien's presence, since he was a hunter of no small renown.

This hunt had turned out to be easy, in the physical sense. It had only taken me a while to track this one. It turned out that vampires, and especially Level-E's, had a distinct scent. Usually iron along with something specific to the individual. This one smelled like iron and thick makeup, so probably a woman.

I found this one in one of said alleyways, and I was right, they were a woman. She noticed me as soon as I saw her. She turned around in a fright. It only took her a few seconds to figure out what I was there for. She charged.

As I said. This hunt was easy. She had been slow. No, she hadn't been anything close to slow, I was just so much faster. Before I knew it, I was holding her by her neck, choking her out.

"P-Please!" She sputtered out. Shit, that was like a stab in the heart. Time to end it.

I snapped her neck.

I took a moment to marvel at how easy that had been. I hadn't even needed my weapons. I really wasn't human anymore. Now came the hard part.

You see, I had decided that I would make the effort to learn as much as I could about all my targets. To learn who they were before their human lives turned to shit. I rifled through her pockets and found a wallet. She was one Izumi Saegusa. And she had a family. A husband and two daughters.

"May you find the peace in death, which you never found in life, Izumi."

And then the hunger came.

Fortunately, the hunger hadn't been nearly as bad this time around. Unlike before, I had a bit of my faculties, and as such I was able to get the body somewhere hidden before eating. After that, the body had turned to ash as before. Honestly, the most challenging part about this hunt had been sneaking out of town while covered in blood and viscera. Thankfully my senses told me when and when not to move forward.

Soon enough, I was cleaning myself off in a river in the woods near the Night Class dorms. I was somewhat nervous about the scent being caught by someone, but I figured that they were probably going to smell it on me anyway, and that I would be clean myself before anyone hypothetically showed u-.

*SNAP!*

Well so much for that idea.

I looked up, my face still covered in a large amount of blood. I couldn't see anyone, so I listened out. Ah there, I could hear the heartbeat of someone behind one of the trees in front of me. Thankfully, It was the permanently slow heartbeat of a vampire, not the faster one of a human. Time to play it cool.

"You can come out." I called. "I know you're there."

And what do you know, it was Ruka.

"Ah, Souen." I said. "It seems you've caught me in a bit of a situation."

"I've caught you in a lie, you mean." She said accusingly, and with surprising heat. "You said you were human."

I shrugged. "I was, once. And it's not like there's a word for what I am. Believe me, I've checked."

"Then, you haven't been bitten by Lord Ku- a pureblood?" Ah, she was jealous.

"Nah, I wish the thing that bit me was half as pretty as Kaname." I replied. "I got bitten by a freaky wolf nightmare thing."

She raised a perfectly manicured eyebrow. "Really?"

"Really." I said. "Anyways, can I trust you to keep this secret? I'll talk you up to Kaname if you do."

She looked nonplussed before collecting herself. "Does Lord Kuran know of this?"

I laughed. "I couldn't hide this from him if I tried."

At that, she seemed to destress. "Very well. I suppose I must keep your secrets if Lord Kuran does as well."

I smiled. "Thanks!" I said, as I finished cleaning up. "And if you don't mind me asking, what were you doing in the woods?"

She huffed. "Some of my lessers were badgering me, trying to get an introduction to the Court. I snuck out here to escape."

"Oof that sucks." I responded. "I can try to scare them off next time if you want. I'll even say something about them being unworthy." I offered.

She looked at me intensely, as if reassessing me. "I think I'll take you up on that offer, Cross. Thank you."

I held out a hand. "Please, call me Marcus."

She smiled and took it. "Ruka."

We both headed back to the dorms, talking all the while.

Whew, that took way longer than I thought. I hope the chapter wasn't too expository for you guys, but I felt it needed to be done. Also, if you can't tell the MC's pairing by now, shame on you.