"Rido has finally shown himself" Kaien strode briskly into the room, his typically cheery face was straight and serious. He walked to the desk where Zero already sat, lost in thought, and took a seat in the Headmaster's chair. "The Association thinks that he's readying to launch an attack now. Hordes of vampires in the area have been converging towards the forests surrounding Baylor Cliff and the Association has called all available Hunters to arms." Kaien looked closely at Zero, "I know that Rei has stepped away from duty, but this situation may concern her far more than you know. Will she really not join the Hunters again? And do you know where she can be found?"
Zero looked up and met Kaien's concerned eyes. He knew that Kaien only cared about Rei's welfare, and he could sense that something big was coming, but it had been two days since he had left Rei in that cottage and she hadn't responded to his attempts to contact her. When he had given in this morning and finally returned to the cottage to find her, he had found it abandoned. The truth was, he once again had no idea where Rei was. Reluctantly he went ahead and told Kaien as much. Carefully leaving out the intimate details of the last time they had been together, Zero confessed that he wasn't even sure where to look at this point. The alarm on Kaien's face at this news was evident, and Zero was immediately attuned to it.
"Do you really think she's in trouble? And what would it have to do with Rido?"
Kaien had moved to throw on his jacket and was heading back towards the door. He called back to Zero over his shoulder "Yagari is headed to the bluffs by the Cliff. It's an old Ancient vampire stronghold, we believe Rido's powers will be the strongest there and there's a good chance thats where he will go first. See if you can find Yaguri there. I've got to meet with the Association, I have a very bad feeling about all of this". With a grim look Kaien spun through the door of the office and was off in a flash.
Zero, who had initially been in Kaien's office awaiting Yuki, stood, ready to follow. He'd find Yuki first and then head to the bluff in search of Yagari. If Rido had returned, then Yuki would surely be in danger. He had to make sure she was safe and then he would go to find Rei and secure her as well. As he turned to the door he saw Yuki standing there, pale in the doorway.
"Did you hear?" Zero asked as he rushed over to her. Yuki nodded. "Yes, Rido is back. At least it sounds like this time the school will be safe".
Zero smiled tightly, sure that would be her first worry- not of her own safety but that of the students at Cross Academy. "Yes, the school should be fine, but it's you that I'm worried about. Where is Kaname? You should remain with him until Rido has been dealt with"
At the mention of Kaname's name, Yuki looked up at Zero and burst into tears, grabbing him close and burying her head in his chest. "Oh Zero, Kaname… He.." her body wracked with sobs she couldn't get the words out. His heart tightened and Zero gripped Yuki tightly trying to console her. "Tell me, what's going on with Kaname? Let me know".
Yuki looked up at him with tear-filled eyes. "He knew that Rido would come back and he's working with the Association. Once they have ensured that Rido has been killed he plans to take some kind of new drug that they've created which will turn him into a human." Yuki looked up at Zero with pain in her eyes "That isn't the worst part, he believes that like me, he will lose his memories as part of the change, and he's agreed to it!" Yuki collapsed into Zero's arms sobbing helplessly. Zero was at a loss of words. What could Kaname be thinking? Obviously he knew what this would do to Yuki? Hadn't he just beaten her down with guilt about leaving him alone for so many years after her memories of him had faded? Would Kaname really put her through the same thing?
Zero gathered Yuki into his arms and set her on the office's couch. He wiped her face and peered into her eyes "Hey, maybe there's more to this than you realize, huh? Kaname is always thinking 5 steps ahead, he must have a reason or a plan. I know you love each other", Zero swallowed hard at having to say the words out loud, but he pushed through for Yuki's sake "I'm sure there must be something else at play here. Maybe trust him and try to talk this out with him?"
Yuki looked conflicted, she stared up at Zero, something that she obviously wanted to say to him but seemed unable to get out. Suddenly she looked away, turning her head towards the floor "I don't know. I don't understand anything anymore. I just know that something dangerous is coming and the idea of losing Kaname over it is.. is… more than I can stand right now." Suddenly her eyes widened and she looked toward Zero with fear in her face. "Rido really has returned. I can feel his presence"
'Rido?' Zero thought. 'Already? Wait Rei… I was supposed to get to her before he could arrive, I've lost time!' A wave of panic and foreboding washing over him, Zero shot to his feet pulling Yuki up with him. "Look Yuki this is really dangerous and I can't explain but I've got to hurry and find Yaguri right now. Where is Kaname now? I'm going to take you to him as quickly as I can and then I've got to go. I promise to help you sort all of this out later, okay?" He pulled her to him and hugged her tightly. "You'll be okay and I know that Kaname will make sure you're protected". Without giving her a chance to answer, he took her hand and tugged her out of the office, running into the corridor and directly into Kaname himself.
Kaname looked darkly upon Zero, his eyes flashing angrily to Yuki's hand within his. Zero scowled at him, but had no time to engage in his petty jealousies. "Here," Zero said stiffly. "Watch over Yuki. I'm sure you know that Rido is here, I've got to go take care of him". Kaname stared coldly at Zero, placing an arm around Yuki's shoulders and solidly pulling her into him and out of Zero's hands.
"Yes, Zero, I trust that this time you will finish this job that you so thoroughly botched before, and Yuki will have to worry no longer." Without waiting for a reply, Kaname turned on his heel and with Yuki in tow, swiftly took off down the corridor, leaving Zero looking after them in seething frustration.
"Ugh. I've got no time for him. I've got to find Yagari and stop Rido, right now." Moving as quickly as he could, Zero set off for the bluffs, hoping that somehow Yagari could help him stop Rido, and that stopping Rido would help save Rei from whatever trouble Kaien believed her to be in. 'Hold on Rei, and stay safe. I will protect you too'
"Have you ever heard of the Souma clan?" Yagari's good eye peered through the hanging brown locks covering his face, to look closely at Zero. Zero thought about it, "Souma…mmm…Wait, do you mean the legendary Souma? The Hunters of old? The ones that were on caliber with the Kiryu?"
"Yes, those Souma" Yaguri answered
"They died out centuries ago"
"Not quite" Yaguri said, turning to stare at the scene unfolding before them. "That's what's been told, but the truth is a bit different. In truth, the last of the Souma technically died only a few decades ago. Many of their clan did die centuries ago and so at that time the remainder went underground. They operated as Hunters undercover for centuries. Still one of the deadliest clans, with a secret power passed on only within their bloodline. Just another one of the Associations "secret" operations" Yaguri shifted forward, his eyes still deadly focused ahead "The Soumas continued to operate in secret until about 50 years ago, when Rido finally located them, and over the next few years made it a course of action to wipe their remaining bloodline from the face of this earth, and he succeeded… mostly". Yaguri gestured his head to the woman fighting ahead of them. "That woman there is the bastard child of one of the Souma's black sheep. He had tried to escape the family and his fate, but was later found and dragged back. Unknowingly to the rest, it was not before he had impregnated his lover. While his lover wasn't a hunter, she was an extraordinarily smart and quick-witted woman. He had told her everything about who he was and his family and she knew what would happen to her and the baby if they ever found out. Though the father's status in the Souma family was high, he was still an outcast and only dragged back because no Souma was ever allowed to leave. As his child, born both from a common family and out of wedlock, their baby would have been shunned and the child's treatment within the Souma clan would have been worse than cruel. So after he was caught, the lover disappeared and kept her and her child in obscurity. Raising her far out of the reaches of Rido, the Association, and anyone else who might possibly want any stake in her life. Not even the Soumas knew she existed". Yaguri let out a dry laugh "She raised her to be smart, wary, and dangerous enough to be able to protect herself, but imagine her shock when her precious, sheltered daughter still decided to become a Hunter… though even the Association didn't know her background when she joined their ranks. Only a select few of us know even now. Myself, Kaien, another senior who will remain nameless, and now you. The short list of those who know who she truly is, and of the real power she possesses." Yaguri scratched at the back of his neck. "Even funnier than that- of all the Souma before her, this "bastard child" shows stronger traits of their power than has been seen in their lineage for many, many generations- she's one of their most powerful.."
Zero shifted his gaze from Yagari to Rei. He had always known there was something special about her, but never had he imagined this. The Souma were folklore. An old tribe of hunters that dated back as far as the Kiryu, they were said to have been just as strong and dangerous and maybe even more-so due to a special power they supposedly possessed. The details of this "power" was just myth, with the stories ranging from the outlandish to the impossible, and the actual truth never known. Zero watched Rei in amazement. He'd worked side by side with her for years and while he knew her skill was extraordinary, never would he have imagined that she hailed from a family of hunters with a history as long as his own. Without taking his eyes off of her, he questioned Yagari, "What exactly is this special power?" He wondered if he'd already seen it and not known…
Yagari sighed, "Few have actually seen it in reality. I understand that the usage of it can severely damage their bodies and potentially even cause death. For that reason it's not often used. I understand though that it involves their life energy… and their hair. We know of Rei's power partly through her bond with Maiden's Revenge. What she's able to do with her weapon is partially based on the power of her Souma blood. Similar to how your Kiryu cursed twin blood gives Bloody Rose extra power for you, it does the same for her. However the Soumas somehow have another connection through their hair. It's the reason that Rei grows hers so long. It's never been cut, and I believe that it's not allowed in Souma tradition."
'Is that so?' Zero thought. He remembered again Rei's lithe figure laid nimbly on her bed. The first time he'd ever seen her hair down, her wavy black locks draped loosely over her body, spreading over the bed. He'd stroked it lightly as she slept, before he'd crept out and left her for good…. Shaking that vision away, he turned his sights to her and her hair now. As he and Yaguri had approached Rei, trying to get to her as quickly as they could, he had seen her from afar. Seeing her beautiful jet black hair, down again for only the second time in his life, it flew around her as if dancing in the fight alongside her. Flowing and snapping through the air as she masterfully cut through the hordes of vampire soldiers that Rido had sent for her. He had wanted to get there and help her, but he recalled being momentarily suspended in awe at the beauty of the scene it presented. It was something to behold- graceful and elegant, her fighting was precise and dangerous, her moves darting and targeted, the hair flying like a black cape, contrasting against the dusky sky, both protecting and following her every movement. She was stunning.
However as Zero and Yagari watched her now, her movements came to a halt, the flowing sheet of midnight hair fell gently down around her and settled. Letting out his breath, Zero yelled for Rei's attention. "Rei, there's a barrier, you've got to destroy Rido's barrier, let us in so we can help…."
Rei looked up in the direction of Zero and Yaguri. Zero couldn't quite make out the expression on her face. He knew she was exhausted, he had just watched her fight what seemed like a hundred vampires, and this was what he saw after they arrived- who knew what had come before they even got there- but the look she gave now was both sad and… determined?
"I can't" Rei replied. She looked towards the left and frowned, sadness clouding over her eyes. "Can you feel it?"
"He's coming" Yaguri said solemnly. Rei nodded. Zero quieted his body, he could feel a cool chill and a pull of something from inside him. As he looked over the horizon he could see what appeared to be a hazy darkness growing ever closer. It was moving quickly.
Suddenly Rei coughed, a splash of bright red blood coming up and staining the ground in front of her. She fell to one knee and caught herself with one hand, heaving heavily.
Zero startled , "Maiden's Revenge. Rei, why didn't you use her? You could have easily finished them all, you wouldn't have taken so much damage!"
Rei grimaced, "Maiden's Revenge." she said darkly, "…you mean this thing?" She reached behind her and held out the weapon in her hand, holding it as if it were something that would burn her hands. "Hah" she snorted, "Apparently it no longer wants me. It's refused me" Rei hung her head and again coughed, blood spurting from her mouth.
"What do you mean?" Zero asked. Yaguri stepped forward, "I've never heard of such a thing, what are you talking about?" he questioned.
With a wry grin, Rei stumbled up to a standing position and held the gun up in her hand. "It will still shoot" she said, firing a bullet off into the trees, "but it will not merge with me and it will not share its power…look, no matter what I do, she won't connect to me any longer. It's as though she doesn't recognize me". The gun which would normally light and transform when in Rei's hand did not change at all, it remained a normal gun and did not react to Rei's call to its name or her attempts to engage it. Rei's face was crestfallen. She let her head fall forward, her dark hair cascading over her face, hiding the tears rolling down her dirt stained cheeks. She looked up and the look on her face pained Zero. He understood the connection between Rei and Maiden's Revenge. He shared a similar bond with Bloody Rose. How would he feel if he were to lose that? Even Yagari appeared puzzled. "What did you do?" He muttered, "This is an extremely rare occurrence…" Suddenly Yagari stopped his pacing and he looked directly at Rei.
"Rei" he called for her and she looked towards him
"Have you been bitten?"
Rei's mouth opened at his words.
"…by a pure-blood I mean? Is it possible that you are turning?" Yagari leaned forward, his face deathly serious as he watched Rei's reaction to his words. At these new words, Rei clasped her lips shut and briskly shook her head, looking away from Yagari's piercing stare.
Zero turned to watch Yagari's interrogation, his blood running cold. His eyes widened as understanding came to him. Rei must have understood it as well. Maiden's Revenge had stopped responding to her after her night with him.
Had what they did together broken Rei's bond with her weapon? The Maiden was an anti-vampire weapon, and technically Rei had not just given herself to a vampire, she had lost her maidenhood to one and willingly given him her blood. This was his fault.
Zero took a step back and stumbled backwards landing on the ground. He placed his head in his hands and thought hard. Shit. He hadn't wanted to regret that night. Rei said that she was okay with it, and it really had been comforting for him. Just one night of relief, of forgetting. Was this the price that she would pay for giving that to him? Her price for loving him?
With panic in his eyes, he looked out towards Rei, desperately trying to figure out how he could right this wrong for her.
"No, Yagari. You know I haven't" Rei replied coldly
Yagari didn't seem convinced. "In the few cases I've heard of this happening, it's had to do with the weapon's owners –"
"I said I haven't!" Rei fell to her knees bracing both of her hands on the ground in front of her and screamed the words at Yagari. "You and I both know that there is no way I could ever be bitten by any vampire unless I voluntarily did so! A pure-blood might be different, but even so, for them to do it would cause me severe damage or even death! Do you see ANY signs of that?!" Rei began coughing heavily again, the blood falling to the ground in streams between her open hands beneath her.
"I said that I didn't!" She cried out, her tears now falling and mixing with the blood pooling below.
Zero's chest was pounding and his heart ached watching Rei. He stepped to Yagari and put a hand on his arm. "That's enough. There has to be another reason, right?"
Yagari said nothing, but turned to look at Zero, his eye assessing him coolly, before he sadly turned his attention back to Rei.
Rei had stood again, her back now turned to Zero and Yagari, her shoulders heaving as she struggled for breath. "I can't release the barrier" she called, without turning around. "Yaguri, please give Kaien my thanks. After my mom…The two of you have done so much for me over the years, I don't know what I would have done without you." She paused briefly, " I'm grateful to you as well Zero" She said, still facing away. "Thank you for everything. Honestly". Turning swiftly she gave a quick glance back and catching his eyes, gave him a soft smile while tossing the Maiden's Revenge through the barrier. Just as quickly she turned on her toes and began moving towards the black shadow that was rapidly approaching, but not before Zero could see the tears glistening in her eyes as she spun around.
"Give the Maiden to someone who can make good use of her for me!" Rei called out as she stepped forward. Zero and Yagari watched helplessly as she reached for the jagged dagger that she always wore on her right thigh. Deftly Rei pulled it from her holster, and as Zero drew closer to the barrier he watched as she gracefully grasped her long shimmering hair tightly at the nape of her neck and with a quick sharp slash, so fast and so skilled that an untrained eye would have missed it, she slipped the dagger straight through her locks cutting the entire length off. Gasping, Zero heard Yagari, grumble "hmm" next to him. Without skipping a beat, Rei lifted the remnants of her hair and nonchalantly tossed them to the side. The wind eagerly picked them up scattering them easily and blowing the strands through the air where many landed outside of the barrier. Stunned, Zero looked at the long strands of Rei's silky hair that laid strewn on the ground around his feet, slowly he picked up a nearby bundle and gathered it in his hands, looking up to keep his eyes on Rei and the black shadow that was surely none other than Rido.
As he watched, he felt the air around him begin to heat up, it was minor at first, just a bit of warming, but it rapidly began to grow hotter and hotter and the air picked up until he felt as if a fiery furnace were blowing in front of him. He stepped back and peering through squinted eyes he could see Rei, she looked… healed? There was an aura about her, surrounding her skin in a cool blue-purple tint that seemed to make her glow. He guessed this must be the Souma special power. 'So Yaguri had it right about the hair after all'. Cutting it seemed to have released something. He could feel a shift in power and the amount coming from Rei was terrifying to him, he suddenly understood why Rido and the pure bloods would have been so consumed with destroying the Souma bloodline. This type of power could surely destroy them, even without the use of an anti-vampire weapon. Entranced he leaned ever closer, unaware of how close he had come until he felt the sharp jolt of the barrier against his forehead. "Agh!" He groaned as the shock sent him flying back. The power of this was surreal- things could apparently come out of this barrier, but there was no way to to get inside. Rido's power was unnaturally strong even now. Zero sat up in time to see the black shadow materialize behind Rei and then suddenly take form in the shape of Rido, quickly wrapping itself around her.
Rei found herself startled by Rido's quick movements, but not completely unaware of his presence or caught off guard. She knew he was coming, but his usual tactic was more aggressive, and how naïve of her, but she'd fully expected him to come at her head-on. No matter. She'd take this as a testament to how truly scared of her he must be.
"Rido," Rei gasped, as he stiffly wrapped his arms around her from behind, pinning her arms to her sides. " I must say I didn't expect a stealth attack from you. Did you not want to face me?"
Rido snickered in her ear, "You are a fun one aren't you? Let's just say that even with that new little haircut of yours I'm still pretty turned on and I thought we'd have a little fun first before I finished you off" Squeezing her tighter, he slowly ran his tongue along her exposed shoulder and up her neck. Laughing in her ear he teased, "I must say this was so much easier than I thought it would be. Turns out that tracking you down was far more difficult than taking you down. I mean with the extraordinary chain of events that I had to orchestrate in order to find you- for the last Souma, I really did think you would put up a fight. What a let down… All the warriors in your family- you should have seen the way the others went down fighting. If they could see you now, and how easily you were overtaken, I think they'd be glad that you didn't take up the family name. How embarrassing"
Rei stiffened in his arms. The thought of so many family members having their last moments at the hands of this monster made her bristle with rage. She was also pretty sure she understood now how he'd found out about her. For so long, the accident that had killed her mother had plagued her and suddenly she began to sense Rido's hand in it, in more ways than one. Enough. It was time to end this for good. The power that she had unleashed by cutting her hair was not infinite. She only had a short amount of time and it was rapidly dwindling. Enough playing around, Rido's time on this earth was at an end.
Rido slid one of his hands up the back of Rei's skull, ferociously grabbing a fistful of her now shortened hair. Whispering into her ear "Any last words?" before he forcefully yanked her head to the side exposing her throat to him.
Zero was back at the barrier again, this time yelling in vain for Rido to release Rei. His heart was in his throat and he couldn't breathe. Frantically he turned to Yagari, who stood there characteristically solemn. Yagari watched intently and without emotion at the scene unfolding before the two of them.
"Yagari, he's going to kill her! Or worse, he's going to turn her, torment her, and then kill her. It will be torture for her..." Zero couldn't help but remember his own ordeal and to watch helplessly as it happened to someone that he cared for, was almost unbearable. "We've got to stop this!"
Yagari turned slowly towards him "How?" he asked, before turning back to continue watching. 'How? How?…How?' Zero's shoulders slumped. He had no idea how, but the idea of just sitting and watching was sickening. He stumbled to his knees, dizzy, his head spinning, the world turning shades of red in front of him, yet he was unable to look away.
"Rei! You've got to fight back, you've got to-"
Zero's pleas were cut off as Rido reared his head back and he brought his fangs down against Rei's bared throat.
Rei peered intensely into Rido's face. She knew that this was serious and she shouldn't enjoy it, but still, she wanted to savor just a small taste of this satisfaction. She wasn't disappointed. Rido's handsome face contorted in confusion. Angrily he pulled back and then lunged down to again bite into her neck. Again, he found that he couldn't.
This time Rei couldn't hold back. She smiled up at the perplexed look on his face, laughter slipping through her lips. "What's wrong, Rido? I thought this was so easy for you? Are you having a hard time getting it up?" She snickered. Furious, Rido removed the hand from Rei's hair and placed it around the front of her neck. Still behind her, he pulled her closer to him, choking her from behind.
"What exactly are you? What is this?" He hissed at her menacingly. Grinning through the pain, Rei lifted her head as much as she could to look Rido in the eyes "Regardless of what you may say, I am a Souma. And this is the full extent of my powers." As Rido squinted his eyes and glared at her in rage, clenching his fingers around her neck tighter, Rei lifted the dagger, still in her hand, but now glowing brightly with the same blue-purple aura that had surrounded her body.
With no hesitancy, she raised the dagger and swiftly thrust it into her own heart. As it pierced her, Zero and Yaguri watched wordlessly as the blade lengthened and the blue-purple tip of it came shooting through the heart of Rido as well, and out of the backside of his body. A look of utter disbelief on his face, Rido's hands fell from Rei and hung limply by his side. "Why?" He gasped, "You're… going to… die too…"
Pushing the last of her powers into the dagger, Rei nodded sadly. "That was destined, but at least I will go knowing for certain that you are finished this time" As the power was released, the dagger disintegrated, dissolving into Rido's body and then surging with a final explosion of energy that left no remains of Rido, and only Rei's battered body sprawled on the ground. Blue sparks from the explosion touched the debris and quickly turned to blue flames, spreading and catching fire to any forestry they touched in the area. All of the energy once emanating from the area was gone. The air, that moments before had been thick with the power of both Rido and Rei, was now noticeably absent of both. Zero could feel nothing coming from Rei anymore and his stomach sank. The only thing in the air now was the rapidly rising blue flames and black smoke.
With Rido gone, the barrier that he had placed began to fall, and the ground on the cliff where he had set the barrier became shaky and loose. As the barrier began to come down, Zero readied himself to run to Rei's side. "Wait!" Yaguri called. "Those flames- you need to be careful…." Zero heard him, but knew that he wouldn't heed the warning. He just had to get to Rei. Yaguri's earlier words were still in his head 'Souma clan members who used their special powers could sometimes die…' Rei had a strong power, and she had just gone up against one of the strongest pure-blood vampires, the one that had killed off most of the other Souma clan members… He couldn't imagine the amount of power that must have taken. But now… he couldn't feel her anymore and his gut told him…. Zero frowned and pushed the thought out of his mind. Never mind what it said, he just needed to get there. The ground out there was also crumbling and falling into the valley below- there wasn't a lot of time. He felt himself transforming, losing himself, he couldn't help it. He tried to pull it back in but couldn't. Gasping for breath and control he dropped to the ground.
"Get it together Zero."
He heard Yaguri's voice near him. Strict and stern.
"Now isn't the time for this"
Zero looked up, his red eyes finding his teacher. 'Breathe' he told himself, 'you have to breathe'. He stood up. Slowly he felt himself coming back. The barrier – the barrier was almost down….Zero tensed ready to go….
"Zero, you have to wai-"
Yaguri's words fell on deaf ears. The barrier was down and Zero was off. Rei's unmoving body was the only thing he could see, he barely registered the blue flame that touched his leg. It took him longer still to register the fact that he was on the ground and that the world was going black. What was happening? 'Rei?' The pain was intense. Could that be his voice screaming out? 'Rei? What about Rei?' It was the last thought on his mind as he lost consciousness.
"He's coming around, I think"
"Okay, watch what you say, don't set him off"
"Mmm, it will be the first thing he asks…"
"Just be gentle"
"Gentle with what?" Zero asked groggily. His head felt heavy. He felt like he'd just woken from a year of sleep with the worst nightmare. What was happening, where was he? As his eyes adjusted, he could make out the tress surrounding him and the dirt and rocks under his body. He looked up to see the faces of Yaguri and Kaien staring with concern directly at him. Zero's eyes widened. He remembered.
"Rei! Rei! Where is she!? Agh!" He tried to stand up but was floored by an excruciating pain shooting from his right leg. Looking down in crazed confusion, Zero saw that his entire right leg was bandaged from heel to thigh.
"What the hell is this? What happened?" He struggled to recall the details… The barrier went down, he went to get Rei, then…. The flame.. the flame touched him and then…. His eyes shot up and darted around. Where was he? Where was the barrier? Where was Rei?
"Forget it. Explain the leg later. Where's Rei? Did you get her? Is she okay?" He looked expectantly back and forth between Kaien and Yaguri. He didn't like what he saw in their faces. He turned back to the area. "Did you move me? I don't see the area where she was…."
Yaguri sighed "That's because it's gone Zero". Zero's eyes shot back to Yaguri's face. "The ground crumbled and the whole cliff gave way. It all crumbled down into the valley…". Yaguri took a deep breath, and shooting a quick glance at Kaien's troubled face he continued, "Rei's body along with it…." Zero again looked back and forth between the two men's faces. This had to be a joke. No way. "She was right there. What do you mean she went with it? How could that happen?"
Yaguri moved to his side. "Zero, with the flames we just couldn't get to her. I was lucky to get you out. You didn't see the damage that tiny little flame did to your leg. It was a miracle that Kaien got here in time and was able to help stop the spread. Otherwise I think you would have lost the whole thing. It was dangerous"
Zero flopped back into the dirt, throwing his arm over his face. "I don't care. You could have left me there for all I care. I can't believe I couldn't save her…. We've got to get a team down there and search for her. ASAP"
Yaguri cleared his throat. "Look Zero, I hate to say it but…", he glanced quickly at Kaien who was frantically shaking his head and gesturing 'no' with his hands "….but she was almost definitely dead already even before she went over the cliff. But the cliff? The cliff is hundreds of feet above the valley floor. That fall is unsurvivable, period. She's gone mate"
Zero sat up and looked at his teacher, anger and tears stinging his eyes. Without warning, he hauled back and punched Yaguri across the face. Yaguri and Zero stared at each other, neither man saying a word. Finally Yaguri reached over and gently embraced Zero in his arms. "I'll give you some time" He said lowly as he stood up and walked away. Kaien who had watched the whole encounter, stood stiffly by, watching Zero with concern.
"Look Zero, I know that you're dealing with so much right now…"
Red-eyed, Zero looked up wordlessly at Kaien as he talked.
"But Zero, I actually rushed here to talk to Yaguri about some other concerns that have come up and are moving very quickly and are extremely dangerous." Kaien's typically goofy demeanor was completely absent and the serious face he presented to Zero now was devoid of any trace of humor. "In light of everything,I wouldn't even still bring this up if it wasn't massively urgent…" Not taking his eyes off Zero's, Kaien swallowed before continuing.
" The Association has issued an immediate order for the assassination of all vampires, pure-bloods being top priority. With Rido dead and no longer a concern, Yuki is now their number one target"