Thumps and shattering sounds woke Zero up, dragging him back to consciousness and reality.

Reality.

Where he was locked up in some place where no one would ever find him.

"What are you doing?!" The shout came from right outside the door, and Zero heard crackling right after, followed by the sounds of shattering.

"Get the door open!" Zero vaguely recognised the voice, a sound which brought him back to his days in Cross Academy.

"It's locked," a second female voice replied bluntly. It was just as familiar as the other one, and despite searching his mind frantically for who it was, Zero couldn't place a name.

"Don't shatter the handle!" The female screeched from outside. "We need to open the door with it. It swings outwards, for goodness sake!"

"But it's locked!" The first voice, a male, protested. "And it's hard to freeze metal!"

"Then don't freeze it," the female replied scathingly.

A pause.

"Are you in there, Zero?"

Zero sat bolt upright, and immediately recoiled as his ribs and head ached.

"Yeah," he mumbled out a reply through the thick fog of pain.

"Can you open the door?"

"There's no handle on the inside," Zero replied, not bothering to check. He'd already tried many times. Bringing a hand to his forehead, he tried to listen to the reply.

"Freeze the handle," the female ordered her companion.

"But you just-!"

"Freeze it."

Her chilling words were followed by a pause, before a sharp crack echoed through the door, and immediately the door opened, pushed by Zero's weight as he leaned against the door.

"Ow," Zero moaned quietly, lying on the floor, half in and half out of his prison. To his surprise, the brightness outside was just as dim as the lighting inside. In fact, there was no light at all, only his vampire eyes keeping him from seeing only darkness.

"Get up," the female voice ordered him. The two of them stood behind him, out of his line of sight. Sitting up with a stifled grunt of pain, Zero turned to face them as he got up.

He knew these people. One was a young woman with pale brown-blonde hair and light amber eyes. Her companion was a young man of similar age, with icy blue eyes and blonde hair.

"Aido, Souen," Zero growled a greeting.

~~~

"We have no idea whether they are Hunters or vampires," Kaien paced the room thoughtfully. "Could they be normal hu- No, they wouldn't turn to dust. Maybe..."

"You're making me dizzy, old man," Yagari's eye followed Kaien as he turned around for the fiftieth time. "Don't waste your energy."

"But we have no idea who the attackers are," Kaien replied, reaching the end of the room and turning once again. "All male, wielding various Hunter weapons. Then they turn to dust."

Yagari opened his mouth to reply, but a single knock on the door made him pause.

"Yes?" Kaien called out tentatively. It was the middle of the night, and not many people were at the association this late. Most were at home, or out hunting Level Es.

"It's me," Adrianna's voice replied calmly, muffled from the other side of the wooden door. With quick, hasty steps, Kaien unbolted the door, letting his unofficial secretary in.

"He's not home." Saki spoke before Adrianna could report. It was a statement, not a question.

Inclining her head in agreement, Adrianna began to speak.

"I don't think he's been home since the afternoon," she added. "No coat, no signs of a meal. He must have eaten out at lunch...or been kidnapped before then."

"Are the kidnapping and attack related?" Yagari questioned thin air, moreso to himself than anyone else. "Maybe that Ereon guy..."

"Speaking of which,"Kaien intervened, looking to Adrianna. "Are you sure you know nothing else about Ereon?"

"Nothing," Adrianna replied calmly, walking past Kaien to begin sorting papers. "I don't think he is associated to the Association in any way."

"He is, now that he's started making moves against us," Saki grumbled audibly as she sat back in the armchair with a sigh.

"We can't assume Ereon's the one behind this all," Yagari reasoned. "All he's done is perhaps steal Shina and scare Kaien and Zero."

"Well, we had reason for that," Kaien objected, rising to his defence. "Zero's bullets and my sword barely did anything to him. I think Saki might be right, he is a very suspicious figure."

Before anyone could reply, another knock came from the door.

"Is it really that late?" Yagari asked in exasperation, getting up to open the door. "Why're there so many people here?"

"They're only the second one," Saki pointed out as Yagari opened the door.

"In the middle of the night," Yagari replied, looking at their visitor.

The light in the office spilled out onto the hallway, illuminating their guest and his features.

Black shoes and white pants. Black dress shirt. Glowing red eyes.

The atmosphere in the office changed immediately as all four people registered Kaname's presence. Adrianna stiffened, and Saki sat up in her seat, her hands clenching.

Kaien was the first person to regain composure.

"Kaname," he bowed his head in a gesture of acknowledgement. He seemed unfazed at the appearance of a pureblood in the Hunter's quarters. "It's not often when you visit."

"My apologies for the unexpectedness," Kaname returned Kaien's greeting. Saki still hadn't said anything. Neither had Yagari or Adrianna.

"Is there any particular reason why you're here?" Adrianna folded her long fingers in expectation. "Lord Kaname?"

"You'll be glad to know I've already noticed the signs of a rebellion," Kaname replied, still standing and unmoving, his eyes flitting carelessly around the room, barely noticing Saki and finally settling on Yagari. "We have Zero."

"We?" Kaien pulled up a chair. "Have a seat, Kaname."

"Many of the previous night class still follow me," Kaname replied, taking Kaien's offered seat, a plain wooden chair that didn't look the least bit comfortable. Kaname showed no signs of discomfort as he sat on the flat wooden boards.

"So you found Zero with their help?" Kaien asked, settling back into his chair. The idea of Zero being safe now clearly settled his earlier panic.

"Hold on." Saki had finally spoken. She sat straight upright, her mouth tight and eyes narrowed.

"Did you kidnap Zero yourself or did you rescue him?"

Why she was asking such a pointless question, Kaien had no idea.

"I saved him," Kaname replied airily without turning, one hand reaching into his pocket. Saki's lips tightened and she looked away, her fists clenching.

Feeling the atmosphere tense, Kaien nervously raised a fist, coughing into it awkwardly.

"So many aristocrats are on your side?" It was then that Kaien realised how much it sounded like he was talking war plans.

But then again, this was war.

"All of them follow me, as far I'm concerned," Kaname replied, hooking a leg over another. "The question is how many of them are truly loyal."

"There's also the question of other pureblood vampire clans," Yagari pointed out. He was now sitting in his previous seat, in the opposite corner to Saki. He, unlike Saki, was staring at Kaname's back, where the pureblood sat in the middle of the room, facing Kaien. "Kuran might possibly be the highest rank there is in the vampire society, but if half the other purebloods decided to oppose, we would have a problem."

"Some of them are aware of the increasing rebellion," Kaname replied evenly. "And many of them do support it. You've probably already figured out that they're not that fond of Hunters. There are only six clans now. The Hanadagi clan and Isaya are still sleeping, and the rest, I doubt they would choose to side with the Association. Ouri would probably stay neutral, though."

There was a silence in the room as all three men digested this information.

"So it's not looking good then," Kaien finally commented, trying to imagine having to fight off 3 different pureblood clans.

"I agree," Yagari leaned back against his seat, a crinkle in his brow as he clearly imagined the problems this caused.

"Should I take you to see Zero, then?" Kaname stood up. "He hasn't been filled in, so I would rather explain it to all of you at once."

"Wait, where's Saki?" Yagari interrupted, turning everyone's gaze to Saki's empty armchair. 

"She left a while ago, just when we began talking about sides and purebloods," Kaname replied unwaveringly, striding to the door. "I'll take you to where Zero is."

~~~

I sat outside the headquarters, on the side of the building where I was almost completely certain no-one would come. It was dark, it was a very small space, where I had tucked myself in between two sections of the wall that jutted out. A tall fence blocked one side of the building, so to leave, I would have to go through the building and come out - unless I wanted to climb the fence. 

I sat on the ground, my legs stretched out as I leaned back, trying to understand the feelings that tumbled around inside me. When Kaname came in - I couldn't breathe. I couldn't do anything. I just froze. I don't know why. He used me once, I get it. I'm scared of him. But it's been two years. Two years. I should have gotten stronger. I shouldn't be scared anymore. 

I shouldn't be afraid.

Is it because he's a pureblood?

Is it because he still looks like he could easily grab me and force me to do his bidding?

Is it because I actually haven't gotten stronger?

"Why?!"

My outburst was accompanied by a shower of white sparks as I brought a fist down on the ground next to me. I wasn't leaning against the wall anymore. I was bent over, my chin on one knee as I tried to control my breathing, fighting the wave of madness that threatened to send me into a fury of fear. I blinked, trying to clear the haze in my mind as I swallowed, no longer trying to sort out my thoughts, but pushing them away and forcing my mind blank.

Finally, I sighed and brought my knee down, straightening up to sit in a loose cross-legged position. Closing my eyes, I brought a hand up, feeling my light power swaying as I breathed in deeply.

Breathe in.

Breathe out.

Opening my eyes, I pointed a finger and began to trace shapes in the air. The shapes had no particular art to them, just glowing swirls and circles that faded a few seconds after being emitted. It calmed me and I even began to enjoy myself slightly, watching the lines that followed my finger as I continued to draw, playing with the light and amusing myself.

"Enjoying yourself?" The question made me jump and the light disappeared soundlessly as my focus wavered. Immediately I looked around. Something about the voice was familiar, and it came to me less than a second later.

"Ichiru!" I was up on my feet immediately, peering into the darkness, looking for the familiar silver hair. Silence was the only thing that replied, and after a few more moments of searching, I bit my lip and sat back down. 

Of course I had been imagining things. There were times when I heard Ichiru talk to me, even a flash of silver hair in the corner of my eye. It always seemed so real, and every time, it created a surge of hope inside me that somehow, somehow, Ichiru was alive, that the night at the academy had been a nightmare, something I imagined. But every time, it seemed so painfully obvious which one was actually a dream and which was reality.

Time to go home, I told myself abruptly, trying to change the topic for myself. I had no interest in seeing or meeting Kaname anymore. I would cut all connections with the association. If the war that Kaien had talked about ever actually happened, I would take no part in it. I owed them nothing. No loyalty. Nothing. I was only one person, anyway. It didn't make any difference to them, either way.

Standing up again, I dusted myself off quickly, heading back into the building as I did. 

~~~

Forgive me, my amazing readers. I haven't uploaded for a lifetime (I'm sure you guys hate me). But here's a nice, long chapter ^^ What'd you guys think of it? Zero's nice and safe once again, but now Saki's decided to disappear once again (well, not entirely, Kaien still has her address, lol). Either way, she refuses to take any part in it. Are you guys happy Kaname and the Night Class are back? Even though they're technically not the Night Class anymore ^^". Please comment and vote, and thank you a ton for reading! I promise I will update more regularly, since it's the holidays now ^^

~Evil_Incubator