I woke to the sound of crying.

"Yagari, what should I do? It's all my fault. I should have told her before. I'm so useless as a mum. How is Saki going to deal with it? She thought she was a Level C for all these years!" Hysterical sobbing followed her words, and I could hear Yagari murmuring to her, trying to console her.

"She needs time to recover," Yagari advised my hysterical mum. Amusement twinged in my mind. It was strange that Yagari, a scary hunter, could console and give advice to someone. He had really changed. "It was probably best she didn't know for all these years. If she had known, she might have given up on life completely. I told you about Zero didn't I? She could have ended up like him."

Mum didn't reply to this, but the sounds of her sobbing slowly died down, until she only gave the occasional sniff and whimper.

"Stay strong, Shina," Yagari encouraged Mum. "Saki will need you for support, and she's been through a lot of other things where she'll also need your support."

"What do you mean?" Oh no. Yagari, don't tell her about Ichiru or Kaname. Knowing Mum, she'll forget the tears and hunt the two of them down with a knife. While I do the same to Yagari.

"Well, she hasn't had a very easy time fitting in with all the other Night Class students, has she?" That was putting it delicately. At least he didn't tell her the truth full on. It wouldn't be very wise anyway.

"I shouldn't have sent her to the academy in the first place," Mum wailed softly. "But I was worried. It had been 10 years since she drank a pureblood's blood. If she lost control like that in the middle of a human school - Think of how many people she could have killed, before she gets killed herself. I thought the academy might have been a good way to keep her safe, and to keep the people around her safe."

"You did your best," Yagari assured her. "And it did help Saki in a way." What way was he talking about?

"She's opened up a bit. Before, she always had a blank mask on, hiding everything. Now, she shows her angry, frustration, even humour sometimes. She's different from the sixteen-year-old girl that first walked into the academy without a purpose. Shina, you did the right thing sending her there. Even if she wasn't completely happy."

Silence followed for a while after that, getting to a point where I was feeling a bit fidgety. Time to 'wake up', I suppose. Letting out a small sigh, I blinked my eyes open, seeing the colours of my bedroom ceiling. Sitting up, I rubbed my eyes, smothering a yawn.

"You're awake," Mum sounded surprised and upset at the same time. I wonder what for.
I nodded silently.

"Saki, I'm sorry," Mum got up from the armchair, walking over to me. "I should have told you before, but I didn't know how."

"It's okay," I said hoarsely. "I don't blame you."

I blame Shizuka Hio.

"I can deal with it."

I'm scared.

"I've lived this long like that. It doesn't really change anything."

I've lived this long on the verge of insanity. I can lose it any minute now.

Almost immediately, something clicked in my head. If I was still a Level D, then it meant I was human, in a way. So how do I have aristocratic powers?

"Mum," I began cautiously. "Does that mean I'm Level D right now?"

"Yes," Mum's voice was almost at a whisper. I could almost hear the cogs ticking in her head. Probably something along the lines of, 'she could become a Level E any minute now,' but that didn't matter.

"Are you going to report me to the assocation?" I wasn't that scared. Actually, I am. What if they classified me as a dangerous vampire, because I already killed someone?

"The association already knows," Mum replied. "They knew that Shizuka Hio bit you, but I told them that you showed no signs of becoming a Level E. I don't know why they hadn't given you a taming mark though." Unconsciously, my hand went to my neck, where a taming mark should have been.

"So, why do they call me a Level C?" Even at the trial, the judge had said I was a Level C. The look on Mum's face had guilt written all over it.

"Mum?" Mum only buried her face in her hands, beginning to cry again. Yagari sat next to her, his arms around her, trying to comfort her. Climbing out of the bed, I reached out to her hesitantly. I didn't understand why she was so upset all of a sudden.

"I," Mum gasped between sobs. "I - I, told them, that your father - and I - we - we managed to catch Shizuka. That we fed her blood to you. I'm sorry. But I didn't want to lose you, Saki!" As soon as she cried out the last sentence, she fell back into hysterics, rocking back and forth slightly.

"Mum," I began uncertainly. To be honest, it scared me to see her like this. Before she was strong, confident, with a smile and bursting with optimism. But now. She looked completely torn and broken. She lied to the association to keep me safe. She lied to me to keep me safe. She gave up so much, just to protect me.

"It's okay, Mum," I reached over to wrap my arms around her. "I'll be fine. Thank you for going through all that pain, just for me. I never knew." 

I never knew.

I was blind to the world around me.

Blind to everything Mum did to protect me.

I should have realised.

The doorbell rang, cutting through the sorrow and realisation of the situation.

"I'll get it," Yagari stood up. He made a small gesture to my mum.

Take care of her.

I crouched there, keeping my arms around Mum, while I heard Yagari's footsteps go down the stairs, marching over to the front door. The door clicked open, and voices began a conversation. After a couple of lines, Yagari called up.

"Saki, come down here for a second, will you?"

"Coming," I called, before looking back down at Mum, who had calmed down, and only gave the occasional sniffle every now and then. "Mum, I'll be right back."

As I walked down the stairs, I felt dread clench in my stomach. Who could it be? it couldn't possibly be the Hunter's association - If it was, I was dead meat. No kidding.

As I reached the bottom of the stairs, I could see Yagari standing in front of the open doorm, but I couldn't see whoever it was at the door.

"She's here," he was saying to whoever it was. My senses tingled. I thought I could sense another vampire outside. I might have been mistaken though.

"Hello, Saki," a voice greeted me as I looked through the open door. A slender, silver-haired girl stood at the door, her pale purple eyes expressionless.

"Seiren?" I blinked at the older vampire. "What are you doing here?" She didn't blink.

"I came to bring you back to the academy." Any kindness she had shown me in class was gone. All there was left, was a hardness and coldness, revealing nothing of her true emotions.

"Now?" I glanced at the stairs leading to my room. "I thought I had a couple of days."

"Lord Kaname wasn't expecting you to take much time. He's left for the Aido mansion, with some of the Night Class." She reminded me of a robot, the way she talked, showing none of her thoughts.

"Can I come back in a couple of days? There's some things I need to fix up here." Fix up. I made them sound like a rundown car.

"It's not for me to say," Seiren replied. "Lord Kaname asked that you come to the academy as soon as possible. It wouldn't be wise to disobey him." Disobey him? If I could, I would disobey every single thing he asked. If I could.

"Then I'll come to the academy in two days," I replied promptly. "It's only two days, I'm sure he could wait." I have to clear things up with Mum anyway.

"Very well," Seiren turned to leave. "Do you want me to send someone to pick you up?"

"Um," I hesitated. "Okay." I really wasn't planning on walking to the academy. 

"Would you like to come inside?" I wasn't that keen on it, but common courtest demands it. Seiren shook her head, to my relief.

"I have to go now." She walked off calmly, her stride even and collected.

"She's a strange girl," Yagari commented, closing the door as Seiren left our house. "Isn't she Kaname's bodyguard?"

"You could put it that way," I replied absently, my mind wandering to search for a reason as to why Kaname would want me to go to the academy so soon. "I'm going to check on Mum." Wandering back up the stairs, I couldn't hear a sound coming from my room. Was Mum okay?

Immediately i sped up, running up the stairs as fast as I could. What if Mum did something to herself in there when she was alone? There wasn't a sound coming from my room, when there should be a sob or so. Was she okay?

"Mum!" I burst out, swinging the door open. "Are you o-"

Mum lay on the floor, a peaceful expression on her face. Her chest rose and fell softly, as she breathed. She was asleep.

"Phew," I slumped onto the floor in relief. Now I was getting paranoid. Mum wouldn't do something like that I'm sure. She went this far to try to protect me - she wouldn't give up right now would she?

"Is something wrong?" Yagari appeared behind me. "I heard you call - oh."

Yup. Oh was right, I thought drily. I get paranoid and think that Mum's done something to herself and it turns out she's asleep. 

Walking over, Yagari scooped up Mum with ease, carrying her in his arms. Mum's head lolled back as she continued to sleep, not even disturbed by the movement.

"I'll take her to her room," Yagari said, brushing past me. I caught a glimpse of Mum's face as she was carried past, and I realised how tired she looked. Shadows drifted under her eyes, and faint lines creased her forehead. She had aged so much over the past year.

"You can start unpacking if you want," Yagari called back softly. "Seeing as you'll be staying here for a bit."

"Yeah," I automatically began to unzip the bags I had carelessly thrown onto the floor.