Ch1 6 years later

I'm sitting on the back of one of my dad's trucks, watching the road, I'm so glad we moved to the boonies, more room to run, more room to be me. I'm wearing a pair of cut off jean shorts and a magenta flannel over a tank top and my hiker boots.

The car finally pulls out as my Uncle climbs out and I run up to him for our hug as he spins me around.

"Tess my little Mei, its been so long I should of made time to visit sooner, you've grown so pretty. You have your mother's face but your much taller.", he says as he finally sets me down as the other car door opens up and I look up to meet a very familiar but cold pair of purple eyes and the silver hair that fills most of my sleeping hours.

I've spent endless hours drawing that face and those eyes and for the first time it was here in the flesh and blood.

"Oh Tess this is my Son Zero.", says my uncle getting him a glare from the hot guy in a t-shirt and jeans.

"I told you I'm not your son!", he says angrily. I let my smile take over and walk over and offer my hand to shake.

"It's a pleasure to meet you Zero.", I say as he takes my hand looking me in the eyes as if he's just noticed me for the first time as my parents come out and exchange pleasantries with my uncle.

It's like electric when he touches my hand.

Later we're inside and he and the adults are having tea while I'm in my room hiding my sketchbooks out of view, if he sees my drawings now he's gonna think I'm a stalker.

When my phone vibrates I look at it and sigh, of all times to have to go hunting for vamps. I grab my shotgun case and throw it on my back and hook on my ammo belt, while I grab my sighs and a few knifes to be ready.

I double check the location and see I'd get there at a good pace driving. I enter the kitchen where everyone is as he looks and meets my eyes again.

"Dad, I'm splitting just got notice of a hunt so I'm gonna take the truck.", I say as I get ready to go.

"Maybe you should take Kiriyu-Kun with you.", he says as I meet the silver-haired hunter's eyes.

"Uncle Kai, you guys are on vacation, and I doubt Zero wants to be volunteered to go hunting with someone he just met.", I say smiling as I walk to the door and take a deep breath opening it up to head out to the truck, as I get ready to open the door a pale hand covers mine and I look over to meet those eyes.

"I'll come, but don't get in my way.", he says coldly.

"It's my hunt Zero, if I was gonna be in the way I wouldn't have got it.", I say rolling my eyes as I go to open the door but he holds it shut. He's lucky he's cute and I'm holding back.

"Your Uncle seems to think you need my help."

I place my hand on his grinning in a naughty way, I use my strength an peel it off the truck before surprising him and twisting his arm behind him and pinning the shocked boy to the truck.

"Look here, don't ever accuse me of not being able to handle my hunts", I say as he tries to struggle but I exercise some of my strength to keep him there. "Now if you wanna help, get in the truck and be my guest", I say letting him go as I move him out of my way and I open the door and shove my gun under the seat while he hops in.

Zero's P.o.v.

I rub my wrist as I hop in the truck next to the irritated huntress while she starts up the motor and the truck roars to life. She feels so familiar, somehow I feel drawn to her but I can't explain why. When I heard she was going on a vampire hunt I nearly offered to go until the Headmaster suggested it.

But she had declined anyways.

I felt myself running out the door after her to stop her, but then I had to go and insult her, and I could see a little hurt in her eyes, but I ran my mouth again, to which her pinning me to the truck was not expected of her, she's a lot stronger than she looks but she's not a vampire.

I watch her as she keeps a serious face for a few while she drives for a few, and I realize I'm already missing the smile she'd had a little bit a go. "Sorry.", she says finally breaking the silence staring straight ahead. "Last time a hunter I was partnered with said I was in the way he attacked me from behind with enough force to knock me out and nailed me to the tree. When I woke up I'd began to cuss him out as he laughed until the pureblood who made the vamps we were hunting snuck up on him and ripped him apart.

The cackling bastard used me as a juice box for a month or two afterwards until I was able to escape with my life before he fled the country. I shouldn't take my anger with him out on you it's not fair to you."

"You don't have to, I shouldn't have been rude.", I say squinting do to the light. She reaches over and opens the glove box a moment pulling out a pair of those safety glasses that protect the eyes from uv rays throwing them to me. "Here your eyes are starting to register the light sensitivity more due to the changes in your body.", she says grabbing a pair of shades off the visor and throwing them on.

I open them and throw them on thankful . "How'd you know.", I ask as she takes a swift turn up the road. "you mean about the elephant in the room.", she says before looking at me to smile " don't worry no one told me, I can detect it. And please don't deny it, I can detect when your lying. " she says looking ahead again.

"So what's the job?", I ask making her reach into pocket to pull out her cell phone before tossing it to me.

"Last incoming text.", she says as I open the phone to the last text and read the missive that she received from the association. "That's a big job for one hunter.", I say looking over what looks like a possible suicide mission.

"Ya you get used to that, after that witch bit me there waiting for me to turn into a vamp, so they send me on these hoping I'll not come back.", she says sighing, " so they send me on these hoping I'll die or get captured and then no one will come for me."

The vehicle is quiet for a while as she drives when she stops in front of the diner. She hops out of the truck and slings her shotgun as I hop out and keep my hand by bloody rose. We enter the diner where a quartet of vampires is feeding on what's left of the dead patrons as Tess pulls out a Mossberg shotgun.

"Hey didn't you see the sign the diner's closed!", shouts the huntress aiming her shot gun as I pull my gun and aim. He charges us as she fires blasting his head clean off causing him to turn to dust as I fire the bloody rose causing mine to scream, while she charges the next one smacking him with the but of the gun in the face smashing at it while I keep moving and dodging while this one shoots at me.

I finish my first as Tess's second is dust before turning to the last vampire with a inhuman speed as he charges her as she has her sighs drawn he claws at her as she drops down and jams the first manji sigh up under the ribs as he tries to biter her she jams the second up his adams apple into his skull making him explode as well.

"Next stop, there nest.", she says as she walks toward the door. "How did you do that?", I say grabbing her arm eying her praying she isn't the one vampire I can't detect. Her eyes flash a yellow color a second making me wonder if I'd really seen it.

"Look there is a nest of these puppies I have to flush out, so I've got to hurry.", she says "Before they decide this is a multi missive day.", she says under her breath with a sigh before walking out. Outside I spot her crouched down a moment before looking at me as if contemplating.

"I've got the trail to the nest.", she says and begins walking. "How do you know?", I ask as she looks at me. "I know we've just met Zero but you have to trust me when it comes to tracking, I've been tracking my prey for a lot of years and I can track almost anything.", she says and begins walking again and for some reason something in my heart says to trust her.

Tess's P.O.V

Zero I want to tell you everything about me and who I am, but I'm afraid when you learn I'm not human how you'll react to me.

I follow the scent of the level-e's thankful they smelled of so much sulfur which means I've got two scents to go by. We come to the opening of an old mine that's very unstable, and it stinks of vampires.

"We should of brought a flashlight.", he says looking into the unlit mine. "We'll be fine, we both have a form of night vision so we'll be able to see fine.", I say adjusting my night vision as we enter and begin to walk down together. I watch as I start to hear the movement and stay silent as the vampires start to whine due to our scents. I wonder how well Zero's night vision is, these vamps wouldn't see it coming if I shifted and ripped them apart. The vampires began running at us screeching and clawing as me and Zero started to make a work of them, luckily there's only four more and he fires on them as I fight with my sighs knowing my shotgun could bring the mine down on my head.

At one point a vampire was behind me and as I turned around it turned to dust only to have Zero on the other side before nodding at me. I smell the next behind me and I spin into a kick knocking him away before he lets out a louder high pitched screech making me drop an grab my ears from the pain to the high sound.

I don't even notice the stalagmite falling at me or Zero shouting my name before he knocks me out of the way landing on top of me. I see grab his gun a next to me a moment covering his neck as I shoot the chuckle head blowing his face of dusting him as the screeched makes more heavier rocks fall and I flip Zero so I'm on top of him to protect his body from the large amount of falling rocks as they hit my back, and I wince as he gasps surprised a moment before grabbing his gun back and firing at the screeched dusting him, putting us down to the last one. I roll off him as he jumps up and grabs my hand as I'm getting up and yanks me up.

"You ok?", he asks a little concerned. "Yeah yeah, worry about butthead.", I say ignoring my splitting headache. He runs at us as Zero fires again blowing him away.

"I love a man who knows how to control his firearms.", I say staring on as he looks back at me with a smirk. We slowly exit the mine to discover we're walking back to the truck by moonlight.

The walks in silence as I can sense a slight confusion of emotions from him. As we reach the truck he stops me before turning to face me and grabbing my arm.

We study each other a few moments as our faces are dirty and scratched and we're both bleeding a little.

"When's the last time you had blood.", I ask looking him in the eye as I sense the struggle in his body begin. I throw my shotgun in the truck and pull him to the back of the truck so I can put the tailgate down then I make him sit on it as I pull my hair away from my neck.

"I won't do it I won't hurt you.", he says looking as pained as I can sense him. "Zero I can sense every emotion that goes through your body, you need blood." I say knowing very well his thirst hasn't been quenched since Yuki from my dreamland rendezvous with him.

"You came all the way out here to help me so let me help you", I say coming in close knowing from his reaction its getting to him. After a short battle within I feel Zero's will break down as he pulls me in closer and I can feel his tongue along my neck before he grazes it with his fangs and sinks into me.

I listen as he drinks and slurps wondering what's going through his mind, as I relax into his embrace as a secure feeling washes over me despite that I have a vampire at my neck.

Zero's p.o.v.

Tess stood quietly with her arms around me as I drank from her, she moved her hand slightly like she was trying to comfort me and could feel my distress at having to do this. Her blood was so sweet, her essence was in there what she was, and in there I began to see one of her memories.

Two young girls one looked like a young Tess and the other a Young Yuki as they went on a playground Little Tess gets off her swing to push because Yuki can't start her swing. "I'll push you.", she says happily and Yuki laugh. "You have a pretty laugh.", says the young girl. I watch as the young girls face turns serious and she stops pushing Yuki and steps in front of her as a much taller level-e vampire.

"What pretty girls, why don't you come a little closer?", he says as she glares at him icily. "My daddy says not to talk to freaks.", she says.

"Why you little brat, I'm gonna enjoy you tasty cousin and make you watch. before I devour you. He shouts his fingers turning into claws as he scratches at them but she grabs Yuki and covers her, as he gets her back side but the little girl doesn't cry out in pain but instead calls out to Yuki.

"Yuki, you have to trust me, run into my house, I'll keep him busy with me." she shouts and gets up and grabs a branch running at him quite fast and jab him only to be rewarded with more scratches, as he picks me her up and throws her into the playhouse. She gets up slower as he comes at her again.

"I'll teach you to interfere with my dinner you little brat.", he says as he lifts her by the shirt and bites into her and this time she cries out from the pain.

"Tess, you bastard I'm gonna rip you apart.", shouts a much younger Kane as the vampire turns to dust to reveal him holding his shot gun behind her, as she falls on the ground. As her father rushes over to scoop the young Tess up carefully she asks "Is Yuki ok."

After a few I feel my self coming too as I realize I'm still drinking from the huntress and stop sucking and clean up the wound licking the holes in her neck healing them up, but I keep my arms around her as she leans her head on me for support, I took a lot more than I ever did from Yuki, but she's still standing and awake. "You feel better right?", she says quietly. And like in her memories she's more concerned about someone else.

"We better get in the truck cab, there's more than one kind of predator In these parts.", she says as she steps back and I hop off the tailgate as I walk with her to the truck door.

"Are you sure your ok to drive.", I say and she nods " Yea I think so.", she says as I help her in.

"Scoot over.", I say and surprisingly she complies with me moving over a little ways so I can slide in.

She reaches into her pocket and pulls out a key chain on a lanyard handing it over too me.

"You should of left me there, I could of killed you.", I say as we buckle in. "I would of stopped you before you could.", she says as I start the engine.

"Besides if the situation were reversed you'd help me.", she says as she pulls out a cell phone and makes a call.

"Yea boss this is Tess, vamps are neutralized.", she says before listening for a few minutes. "No I've got guests at home, and now I'm tired and hungry and that makes me crabby, can't you find another shlub.", she says irritated. Fine!", she says hanging up as she hooks up a Bluetooth headset to her phone.

"Well looks like after we get to the house I'll be leaving you to get some rest.", she says as we drive while her phone buzzes as she looks over the information.

She's apparently tired, and still recovering from my bite. "Are you sure your up to another hunt, I took a lot of blood from you.", I ask as she looks out the window.

"Like I said this is a slow night for me.", she says with a sigh looking up at the stars.," and besides it's orders."

I can't let her go like this alone, and I'm not gonna. "Where is it, tell me where to go." I ask as she looks over at me wide eyed.

"No Zero, your supposed to be on vacation, not being dragged around from hunt to hunt.", she says watching me. "Well if your gonna do something crazy and go on this hunt I'm goin with you, I'm not letting you go alone.",, I say firmly "Now tell me how to get there" I say as she sigh's again nodding her head.