"Why is he so heavy?" Zero didn't know the voice. His limbs were like stone and so were his eyelids. He couldn't see anything, but he could feel himself being jostled and thrown as someone dropped him. He hit the ground with a thump and a groan came out.

"He's awake?" A foot prodded his side. "Just as well. I was getting tired of carrying him."

He heard the rusty scraping of metal and felt his arms being grabbed by someone, heavy shackles clicking into place around them. He felt them with his wrists gingerly. They weren't vampire hunter metal, but the very weight of those shackles were enough to drag his already sore arms to the ground. His head felt just as heavy, swimming with distorted pictures and memories of what happened when he was captured.

"Should we chain his legs as well?" One person asked. Zero fought to open his eyes, blinking in the dim light and squinting at whoever had spoken. A kick to his face immediately knocked his head back to the ground, another blossom of pain blooming in his head.

"Don't bother," a second speaker replied airily. "He can't run with those chains on his arms anyway. I'd like to see him try."

"Don't come crying to me when he escapes then," the first speaker retorted, nudging Zero with a foot. "Get up."

Zero hesitated for a second, not wanting to obey his captor, but common sense told him not to aggravate them. He got up slowly, his arms pulled down by the weight of the shackles, and when he was finally upright, he stood, hunched over, his back and arms straining with the weight of the shackles. Just how much did they weigh?

He opened his eyes slowly, getting adjusted to the dim light of the corridor he was in. His captors said nothing, and he took the time to look up, taking in his surroundings, blinking constantly. It was like he was in the passageway of a normal house. The floor was made up of marble tiles, gleaming in the weak light that oil lamps situated at regular intervals around the house gave off. He even saw a small, wooden dresser with a vase of flowers on it, and fought the urge to laugh. He was being held captive like a slave, in some mansion. Why didn't anyone notice?

"Walk." He looked at his captors for the first time, and realised they were identical. A pair of twins stared back at him, their jet black eyes narrowed into glares.

"I said walk!" He followed them, as he was dragged along, feeling humiliated at being treated like an animal. On a sudden impulse, filled with rage, he hurtled towards one of them, the one on the right, knocking her aside with a growl, and flinging his chain-ladden arms into the side of her head. She dropped like a stone, a small gasp echoing from her lips.

Something kicked him in the back, knocking him forward, but he recovered, facing the second twin without hesitation, and ran at her like he did the other one. This one was faster though, as she ducked beneath his hands and delivered a sharp and quick punch to his jaw, making him reel back.

"Pathetic," she curled her lip with distaste. "You think you can escape?" She spun, her leg flying out for a kick, but Zero brought up his arms with difficulty, using his heavy shackles as a shield. She cried out as her leg smashed into the iron chains, and within the split second of distraction, Zero was in front of her, his knee in her stomach.

She stumbled back, and Zero did the same thing he had done to her twin. Using the shackles, he flung them into her face, watching as her eyes rolled up and she dropped to the ground, blood pouring from her nose. The smell of blood was immediately in the air, and Zero looked anxiously down both ends of the hall. If there were any vampires in this place, they would immediately be aware.

He ran off, stumbling with the weight of his chains, in the opposite direction they had come from, in the hope there was an exit somewhere. To his despair, the hall split off into two directions, one leading upstairs, and other downstairs. He gritted his teeth. Upstairs, he decided, loathing the idea of being trapped underground.

He took off, hearing his desperate footsteps thundering upon the marble steps. He must have alerted the whole house by now, but it was too late to change anything. Speed was his only hope for escape.

It was strange. He didn't hear any shouts or cries as more people tried to catch him. In a house that looked like it belonged to a wealthy person, it seemed almost deserted. Where was everyone?

"Trying to run away?" The voice was filled with amusement, and just as Zero turned a corner, he stopped. A man in a thick cloak sat in an armchair in the middle of the hallway, effectively blocking his path, unless Zero managed to jump over the chair.

Zero glared at the stranger, hating him for having to block his path, regardless of his reasons. He wanted to scream and curse him, but that wouldn't help. The man wasn't doing anything, just sitting there, one leg hooked over the other, observing Zero carefully, but his gaze was enough to make Zero's skin prickle.

"Who are you?" He asked instead, flexing his wrists, despite the shackles that chained them together.

"Remember me?" The man pulled off his hood. The familiar face from the alley flashed into view.

"Ereon," Zero growled, taking a defensive stance. "You."

"Oh, you remember me," Ereon placed a hand on his cheek, a mocking sign of embarrassment. Zero thought he could even see a blush on his cheek. Was this man crazy?

"But it's the end of the line for you now," Ereon straightened up, clasping his hands on his lap. "I can't let you escape, unfortunately."

"We'll see about that," Zero retorted, his teeth bared in a challenge. Ereon didn't flinch.

"I thought you two were stronger," he commented to someone behind Zero. "He even got this far."

"Apologies, master." Zero turned to see his twin captors from before. Satisfaction surged through him as he noticed the swelling lump and bruise on the side of one of the twin's head, and the purple, discoloured appearance of the second twin's nose - or what remained of it. At least he had made his mark.

"We'll take him now," the first twin added, lunging at Zero with a speed he hadn't noticed before. Her palm flew into his throat, knocking his head back and she was quick to kick his legs out from under him, sending him to the ground in a heap.

Without a word, the second twin knelt down, her piercing jet eyes glaring at Zero over the discoloured purple of what used to be her noise, roughly clamping shackles around his ankle. They felt just like the shackles around his wrists, but Zero could have sworn she purposely chose shackles too small, so they would bite into his skin. The cold edge of the iron dug into the skin around his ankles, and Zero could feel them weighing down his legs.

His one chance at escape, Zero sighed inwardly, gone.

~~~

"Here, drink this," a warm cup was placed in my hands. There was no steam, but I could feel the heat radiating out of it as I stared into the dark reflection in the cup.

Yagari had brought me to the association once he found me. I don't know how long I've been in here, but the sky was dark, night-time had already fallen. I couldn't say anything. Did he already know? Did Kaien know? Did anyone know about Shina's betrayal?

Did anyone care?

"How are you feeling?" Adrianna's pale blue eyes stared back at me, the warmth in her words seemingly frozen by the ice I could see in them. I didn't trust her, no matter how much of an asset she is to the association, or how much Kaien relies on her for his paperwork. I didn't like her, and not only because her eyes reminded me of Senri Shiki's eyes when he was being controlled by Rido.

"I'm fine," I mumbled, ignoring the tremble in my hands.

"I found her running away from something, like a rabbit, and in a state of panic," Yagari was telling Kaien. Kaien sat at his desk, looking thoughtful, while Yagari leaned against the wall, looking at either me or Kaien, I didn't know.

I thought about what Shina had told me, before I'd run away. Unwillingly, I remembered Yagari's face when he found me. I tried to tell him, but I couldn't. The words wouldn't come out.

"Saki?" Yagari's face was creased in worry and concern. "What's wrong?"

"No," I shook my head madly, stumbling backwards, away from him. "Mum - Shina. Incombati - No! Hunt - rebel. She's gone - NO! No. No. No." I fell into a state of madness. Repeating the same phrase. Stumbling backwards. Refusing help.

"Saki?" Yagari was in front of me, knocking me out of reverie. Hot chocolate was splattered over my hands, and I could see it staining the carpet as well. The cup was half-full.

"Sorry," I mumbled. "I'll clean it up."

"Don't bother," Kaien waved away my half-hearted apology dismissively. "What happened?"

I hesitated, glancing at Yagari. I didn't want to tell him. I didn't want to be that person to tell him his world was crashing down around him.

"If it's about Shina, I'm not completely blind," Yagari seemed to read my mind. "I can still see with one eye."

"You know?" My voice was hoarse. I couldn't look at him.

"Not the full story," Yagari shifted. "And I'm not blaming you if you tell me."

I licked my lips nervously, staring back at the cup of hot chocolate I'd spilled. The warm brown liquid on my hand had cooled and was now staining my skin a light brown.

"It's complicated," I finally began. "Shina, she -" Unwillingly, my mouth went dry as I thought about what a big change this would mean. I swallowed unsteadily.

"She's planning a rebellion with vampires, to overthrow the hunter association," I finally met Yagari's eyes.

A grim silence fell over the room as the four of us, letting the full impact wash over us.

"I heard something about that." Kaien was the first to break the silence. Adrianna nodded slowly.

"I saw Shina a couple of times with a strange man over the past weeks," she commented.

"A strange man?" Yagari straightened up. I couldn't blame him. "What was he like?"

"I couldn't see much of him," Adrianna replied calmly. "He was wearing a black overcoat, and I couldn't see his face or features." She paused.

"I think she might have called him Eric, or something like that."

"Eric?" Kaien stiffened this time. "Could it have been...Ereon?"

"That might have been it," Adrianna nodded. "Do you know him?"

"Unfortunately. Zero and I met him in the alleyway when we were investigating Saki's disappearance."

"Where's Zero now?" Yagari asked Kaien. Kaien shrugged in response.

"He went off somewhere," Kaien sighed wistfully. "Still so young, but old enough that he doesn't need daddy-kun."

I could have sworn Adrianna gave Kaien a disapproving glare.

"He hasn't been seen since the morning," Yagari commented. "Doesn't he normally come to here at least once before nightfall to check for any requests for eliminated vampires?"

"Maybe he forgot," Kaien mused. Everyone seemed to have forgotten me. Maybe it was just as well.

"I'll go check his apartment," Kaien got up, heading for the door. "He has a cell phone, right?"

"I'll see about calling him," Adrianna replied. "And I'll go check his apartment. You stay here."

"Don't worry," Kaien opened the door. "I won't be long."

"President," Adrianna's voice was chilly, and everyone froze. "You have paperwork, and especially if there is a rebellion going to be happening. You'll have to sort out the whole mess and organise spies and people to gather information."

"Not so loud," Kaien turned around to hush her. "And I won't be long, just en-"

"President Cross," Adrianna's eyes had an unusual gleam, one which I was certain Kaien had also noticed. "I will go in your stead."

I could almost feel the cold wind blowing.

"You're too mean, Adrianna," Kaien pouted, but came into the room nevertheless. It was probably a good decision.

"I want to check the place where Shina last was," Yagari walked to the coat rack, taking his hat and a rifle. Kaien perked up.

"Perhaps I could-"

"Don't even try," Yagari didn't pause. I could feel Kaien's gaze on me.

"Saki-"

"Don't even think about it." I knew what he was going to say.

"She's too young for it anyway," Yagari added to my defense. "And I need her to show me the way." He opened the door, gesturing me to follow.

I put my cup down hastily, feeling the sticky, chocolate coating on my hands tighten. I'll have to wash them soon.

"Why is the world so cruuuueeel?~"

We heard Kaien's final wail as we left the room, closing the door quietly.

~~~

And a nice long chapter for you wonderful readers! That was probably the longest chapter in the story XD I bet it just flicked on your curiosity switch. What'll happen to Zero? Saki? Shina and Yagari?

Hehehehehe!!! Oh, and my exams are over now :P I'm free!!!!! And I'll update much more regularly, I imagine ^-^ Look forward to it!
And don't forget to vote and comment, and thanks for reading!
~Evil_Incubator