Chapter Sixteen: Hidden Intentions

Kaname P.O.V.

Zero...?

I was laying on the couch, my mind wandering to right before she left. She was acting strange. I bolted off the couch and ran after her, knowing which way she went. I've known her for four years so I had a feeling she wouldn't go back to her dorm. ...Zero!

Zero P.O.V.

"Go ahead and kill me, the one who has made a mistake..." Ichiru said, his voice calm. "Zero...if you can even pull that trigger..." My eyes widened at what he said and I just now relaized that I couldn't, no matter how hard I tried, my finger wouldn't move. "Why are you so surprised? Is it because you can't shoot...?" He took my face in his hands. "Poor girl..."

"Don't touch me..." I growled at him.

"I'll tell you the truth...you can't kill me. You cannot kill me because I am your master. I gave you life as a vampire..." he whispered in my ear. I yanked my arm back and shoved him away. "...you are the first one not to give up...good girl...I'm so glad that I chose you...no matter how I may look, you are so good, Zero...that you can recognize me...me, the one who took you r life as a human..."

"That's right...I never forget. Shion Hio." I could see his real face even though this body wasn't his. "That day your real face was covered with our blood..."

Kaname P.O.V.

I heard voices as I came down the stairs so I followed them until I heard Zero's voice. I stopped outside the door, my back pressed against the wall. I couldn't believe what I just heard. Ichiru is...the vampir who sent Zero down to the path of darkness...he's the one Zero wants revenge against... I peered around the corner, being careful not to get seen to watch.

"...This body is not mine, so I want you to be careful with it..." Shion said.

Zero sensed someone else in the room and she looked up to see a female on the balcony, a mask covering half her face as she dropped a sword over the edge. Shion grabbed it and drew it. The blade of the sword clashed with Zero's Bloody Rose. I had to get in there and stop them. "Zero..." I felt someone grab me from behind and pull me back, their hand covering my mouth.

Zero looked back over her shoulder and Shion used that distraction. "Don't you dare...LOOK AWAY!" He brought the sword down in an arc, the blade connecting with Zero.

...Who is it...?

I heard a familiar voice as I lost consciousness. "...I can never lose you..." Yuki said as she held me up. I'm losing... my strength... "But her...if she is to die here...we don't need her..."

Zero P.O.V.

I stood there panting. My wound throbbing as the blood splattered to the ground in front of my foot. I was able to fire off a shot before he sliced me.

"...as I had thought, it's a bit hard to use a borrowed body..." His hair fell over his eyes. "...I'm disappointed that you missed my heart..." he chuckled as he laced his hand over his side where I shot him. "...but let's continue when our wounds are healed..."

I couldn't understand what he was talking about. "...what?" That's when I felt it. The wound throbbed again, more painfully this time and caused me to double over. "...Ugh!"

Ichiru just stood there, watching.

Ichiru/Shion P.O.V.

"...There are times when severe blood loss causes an intense hunger. You should be careful...the real nature of vampires is savage and cruel." I said and turned around. "The same thing can be said about the hunters...if I may say so..." I left Zero there as she collapsed. I didn't care that I was leaving a blood trail behind.

"Lord Shion..." my companion said, concerned.

I just walked past her. "I'll rest until the next night...Maria..."

Kaname P.O.V.

My eyes flew open and I sat upright, surprised that I was in the room I share with Shiro. What...happened to me...? I brought my hand up over my face. "Huh...? I'm forgetting something..."

-Next Morning-

I sat at my usual spot in class, staring at the front of the room. Zero...why is that Zero didn't come take the exam...?

"...kun." Someone was saying behind me as me and Shiro were walking to our next class. "Cross-kun!"

Shiro touched my shoulder, getting my attention. "The class rep's calling you."

I turned around. "The class rep?"

She did not look happy. "I just recieved the results of the exam and as I had expected, our class scored the lowest!" Her whole body started trembling. "...Cross-kun...I heard that when you turned in your answer sheet all you wrote on it was your name..." I jerked back away from her as she pointed at me. "Because of you, our class has to work at the ball! It's your fault if I can't dance with Ruko! If Kiryu-chan was here...!" SHe yelled as she ran in the opposite direction.

"...Kaname, you did study, didn't you?" Shiro asked as we watched her.

"Yeah...Zero, she tutored me, but..." I trailed off. Last night...what...happened to Zero...after that...? I felt something nearby and both of us looked over to see Ichiru standing there,

"...Night class...it's that boy again..." Shiro said.

I saw him leaning back against the tree. How...could I have forgotten about it...?

"Kaname...?" Shiro yelled, alarmed as I ran over to Ichiru as he started to walk away. How...?! He's Zero's enemy from four years ago...

"Ichiru, wait!" I yelled, hoping he would stop wandering around until we reached the main hall.

"Kaname, is this the hall where the ball will be held?" He asked, politely.

"Ichiru, don't play innocent..." I grabbed his wrist before he could get away. "Zero...what did you do to her...?" I demanded.

He turned around, looking amused. "...She's fine, for now...butsoon enough," he grabbed my face with his free hand. "She'll turn into a Level E vampire and won't listen to a thing you say...but I...know how to save Zero." He said and I stared at him. "How about we make a deal...? In exchange, I want you to do something that only you can do..."

Zero P.O.V.

My senses started to slowly come back. I opened my eyes and sat up, breathing heavily as his scent was still in the air and I stumbled to my feet.

Kaname P.O.V.

"Hey, isn't it already time for the lock up?"

"Oh, the first years don't know, do they? They go easy on us when it's about time for when the ball is held."

"You should finish what you're assigned to do, fast, and make time to practice dancing. When I was a first year, I yelled that day because I couldn't get the hang of it." The students were saying as they were putting up the decorations.

"Ah!" One of them dropped the roll of tape. "Sorry! Can you get that?" She asked as I walked by.

I knelt down and picked it up. "Here."

"Thank..." She was reaching for it when something caught her attention.

"...Kaname." Zero said, standing in the doorway. "That new student...he came here, didn't he?"

I turned around and saw that the front of her uniform was covered in blood. "Zero..."

"Is that...blood?! Must have been in a fight..." The students murmured.

She opened the doors to the storage room and went in, looking around. "Not here..." She mumbled under her breath.

I followed her and closed the doors behind me. "Zero...whose blood is that?"

She looked over at me. "...weren't you there last night...?"

I had a strange feeling. "Where?"

"Never mind." She pushed me out of the way. "Don't go near him, alright?"

"Are you okay? You're hurt." I grabbed her arm.

"Let go." She said.

"No!"

"It's nothing. I'm fine."

I smiled sadly as she looked away and leaned back against the wall. "...yeah...but...Zero, you don't look fine..." I made up my mind. I made sure the doors were shut tight and put the lock in place. "You can do as you wish, you know?" I undid the buttons on my uniform and took off my tie. "Go ahead, take as much as you want. Don't spill too much." Zero came up behind me and grabbed my wrists, pinning my arms against the doors while our classmates were laughing on the other side. Zero...she's not hesitating...She sunk her fangs into my neck and I clenched my fists. She was driven into a corner that much...I was breathing heavily. "...Zero, what does my blood taste like...?"

She pulled back and turned me around, her eyes glowing a bright red. "...Why do you want to know...?"

I felt chills pass over me. Zero...

"If you want to save Zero, let's make a deal." Ichiru's voice echoed. "Either you give yourself to me or...give me Yuki Kuran's corpse as a gift."