AN: Sorry again – still not the explanation – but we are almost there now, blame Yagari and Aidou who oscillated between their trust and mistrust long enough for an entire chapter. Ah, but they were so adorable to write! :)

In regards of reviews – I've answered (or will answer shortly) the few that I have directly. I will return to the forum though if there is more. And – on unrelated topic – I will create a separate thread to answer the reviews for my one-shot "Picture Perfect" in the forum as well – soon, I promise – just so you know.

Thanks YenGirl for beta-ing this chapter!

For disclaimers see any of the previous chapters – they are still the same.

For a brief moment Hanabusa contemplated almost eagerly the possibility of matching his vampire skills against Yagari's hunting ones –

…speak of a sure way to relieve the stress…

There were some sobering considerations though…

For one, the arrogantly self-assured sensei wasn't probably named the number one hunter of his generation for nothing, while Aidou himself - even though he was devilishly proficient with ice…

…if I say so myself…

was obviously not in the finest of forms, seeing as he had just recovered from fairly extensive injury.

For two – he knew he had no intention of killing the teacher…

…just freezing his ass would've been nice though… could've even removed that perpetual smirk from his face…

…especially now when Cain, one of a few people whose opinion could really sway Hanabusa's own beliefs, had developed a sort of grudging respect to Yagari after the battle, where the fire-controlling redhead had at times found himself fighting alongside the master-hunter, and there was no question that it was he who skillfully – if somewhat exasperatedly – insured that the hunters currently on the Academy's grounds stayed well clear of the vampires defending the Sun Dorms both during the battle and after the end of the fight…

That said – no, he had no desire to kill the teacher… he wasn't however sure of the other's intents: standing as he was now, still shrouded by the forest shadows, Hanabusa was pretty certain that Yagari couldn't see him clearly, and he didn't know enough about the way hunter senses worked to guess at whether they allowed Yagari to distinguish between the individual auras of vampires – especially at this distance… and while the teacher could've withhold a deadly blow if he knew that it was one of his night time students – faced with sudden attack by a "vampire unknown" he would surely shoot to kill…

…can't allow myself to get killed by Yagari… that would be just uber-gross… besides – need to find Yori-chan… and Kaname-sama… preferably before Luca does…

Ah, that was truly a sobering thought! He felt the mischievous malice dissipating at once at the thought of his mission. Maybe calling out to let the hunter know he was here wouldn't be too dumb an idea?

"Eh… Yagari-sensei… I am Hanabusa Aidou… I'm just searching for someone… Would you mind lowering your gun?"

"Hanabusa Aidou…" Yagari drolled lazily, giving himself the time to place the name – aha, smallish fierce blonde… one of Kuran's inner circle… wasn't he the one who had sprung so eagerly to Kaname's defense assuming that the hunter either insulted or threatened the pureblood during his first lesson with the Night Class?..

The teacher knew that some of his peers spoke of Aidou as a veritable boy genius, especially in the field of natural science, but – alas! he wasn't teaching natural science, and, after that first encounter, the blonde made a point of skipping as many ethics classes as he could – nor did he make even a perfunctory attempt to conceal his boredom on those few occasions when he attended…

Also, it wasn't hard to deduce from the remarks both Yuuki and Zero (and even Cross – though Chairman's enthusiastic blubbering needed a more skilled deciphering) let slip every now and then – that this particular vampiric teenager was way too full of himself and more often than not – up to some mischievous prank.

Just let him try one on me…

Tackling the impetuous youngster could surely serve as a distraction from graver thoughts and right now he could use one… granted, the said youngster was a level B, but the comparative strength of his aura made Touga sure that he could still… hmm… apprehend him… without too much injury to either of them…

"Come into the light where I can see you, Aidou-kun," he called out, lowering the gun and inconspicuously putting the fingers of his left hand into the sign needed for an immobility spell, as his hunting instincts for a moment blanked all other considerations from his mind… ah, seeing the blonde prankster seething with rage but unable to do anything could certainly lift his spirits…

Come on, try something…

But… to the hunter's surprise, the vampire obediently stepped into the clearing, holding his arms to the sides in plain view of the teacher – a clear gesture of peaceful intent.

As he neared, stopping unthreateningly some ten steps from where the hunter was standing, the merciless light of the nearly full moon revealed to Yagari the unusually disheveled and tired appearance of the young noble... The events of the past thirty-something hours rushed back... and Touga felt guilty for the momentary glee he had felt but a second ago at the thought of hunting the brat.

What do you say… old habits die hard…

And it certainly took a big step to adjust to new loyalties forged in the yesterday's battle… It could've been easier if it was Cain instead of Aidou that faced him now, or that scarily proficient Seiren-girl who had saved his ass when he had run out of bullets and had to reload…

He had not seen Aidou there, but it was clear the boy had taken his share of beating, the faint rosy patches of newly grown skin ran right from under his hairline, down the left cheek and disappeared under the collar of his coat that looked too big, as if the vampire had to borrow it from someone else in a hurry…

"What brings you here, Aidou-kun?" Touga asked somewhat awkwardly still fighting the guilt over his recent hostility.

Hanabusa hesitated… coming here seemed so silly now that he found that the hunter, whose recent presence he had detected on previous visit, had returned to the hut… in fact, he wondered what possessed him to think that Yori-chan would go back to the place where he had left her to hover in fear, the place from whence she was so ruthlessly abducted by that stupid Luca… and Kaname-sama… no, he couldn't pretend now – even before himself – that it was searching for Kaname-sama that made him choose this particular route… and he just didn't know of any other location to start searching for the stubbornly independent girl…

He found himself reluctant to reveal either purpose though, voting for an evasive: "As I said… I was just looking for someone…" that he knew – wouldn't satisfy the teacher even a little.

However, the hunter surprised him by choosing to not probe further into the reasons that brought the vampire so far from the common tracks.

"Did you come from the Day Dormitories?" He asked instead, and when Hanabusa nodded in reply (the new skin stretching uncomfortably with the smallest move and itching anew): "Do you know if Chairman Cross has returned as yet?"

There was some hidden urgency in the question that certainly pricked the noble's impish curiosity… though he thought to himself that the reason for it most likely would turn out something mundane – like Yagari would be simply too eager to relinquish his temporary authority over the bunch of vampire hunters to someone else… wait, wait, it was not as if he was anywhere near where the hunters were right now, so it wasn't that – interfered the incurably logical part of his brain…

Do I smell something fishy there?

"Not that I've heard," he volunteered, eagerly searching the hunter's face for a change of expression. "And I'd say he would turn up at the dormitories if he returned – to check up on Yuuki and Zero – if not on the Day Class…"

Touga smirked – irreverent as it was – the young vampire's estimate of his friend's actions was also dead on spot… but did he wish that Cross was already here!.. God knows, he could do with an advice of someone who would understand the problem as good as he did…

He looked at the Night Class student standing before him… one of Kaname's inner circle… but dare he confide in him?.. one who sprang to Kaname's defense, however misguided that action was… but still a vampire…

And even before he looked – he knew that the noble's gaze was firmly latched to his face searching for some lead to the thoughts he was having…

Dare I trust him?

Dare I trust him?

Hanabusa was all too sure that the hunter would interpret it wrongly if he asked about the whereabouts of human girl, but if she wasn't here…

…and the chances for that are definitely growing thin…

…then he didn't have much time to spend in idle talking. His blood curled as his overactive imagination pictured her falling prey to some level E that miraculously evaded the notice of both vampires and hunters, or freezing to death now that after sunset the air was starting to bite even on his frost-accustomed skin…

"…searching for whom?" He realized that somehow he got distracted to the point of nearly missing the question, and it was pure luck that the last few words that did register were enough of an opening to answer with a question of his own.

"Sayori Wakaba, Yuuki-chan's friend from the Day Class… you teach them as well, don't you? Or is your ethical brilliance reserved for us alone?"

Great… Great, Hanabusa!.. It will just soooo help if you alienate him just as you are really in need of his truthful answer!..

Hmm… it sounded frighteningly like Akatsuki has just spoken inside my head!

Anyway – the damage was done as he saw the hunter tense, his single eye boring into him with obvious suspicion.

"Indeed I teach them…" Drolled Yagari again with that deceptive laziness which Hanabusa's sensitive ears translated as full of hidden menace. "And what the likes of you would want with Wakaba-san?"

"Nothing, absolutely nothing…" (Nah, come on, that's lame, it was you who brought her name up after all…) "Just… maybe you have seen her somewhere today?.. like, when you walked here?"

He knew he was mumbling, but, hell, he could not fully explain his obsession with finding the girl to himself… he hadn't even told Cain that he was going to search for her… what freaking right did this hunter have to question his reasons?

"I'm waiting… Aidou-kun…"

There was no mistaking that what the hunter really wanted to say was "I'm waiting, vampire" and the fingers of Hanabusa's hand prickled with the ice that asked to be unleashed…

…and then all the thoughts abandoned him as the shoulder of the teacher rubbed across the door, creaking it just a tiny bit open, just enough that a whiff of fresh and limey scent that was so unmistakably Yori-chan reached the vampire's flaring nostrils… mixed with the smell that could only be…

…her blood!

He moved without thinking, launching for the door with full vampire speed… only to find himself caught by a spell that sucked half the air out of his lungs, freezing him in an uncomfortable and badly balanced position barely a step away from the master-hunter, who closed the door firmly and turned to glare at the captured vampire out of his single unfathomable eye…

"Well, well… what's the sudden rush, Aidou-kun?"

"Sa…yori-chan…" Wheezed the vampire breathlessly as even his vocal cords seemed numbed and sluggish to respond. "She's inside there… and bleeding…"

"And you want me to believe that you are anxious for her well-being? Or is it her blood you were anxious for?"

The hunter's words fairly dripped with sarcasm, and while one part of Hanabusa's brain made silent promises of freezing the teacher's butt solid the very moment he could break the spell, the other clung stubbornly to the only thing that was important now.

"Is she… is she alright?"

Yagari leaned on the door-frame hiding the sudden exhaustion.

That's why we do not use the spells directly, even those of us who are capable of the technique… They certainly take their toll…

That said – the spell-casting ability was rare enough among the hunters that those who possessed it didn't usually join the actual hunt, spending their days in forging the weapons for their "otherwise talented" comrades to wield… This fate could've been his if he had chosen so, but for the bitter youth he had been at that decision-making time - the "peaceful" occupation seemed but a mockery of the peace his soul really craved… to stay home and let your weapons hunt for you… no!.. If he absolutely needed to kill vampires – he would do so with his own hands and at his own risk…

Another bit of foolish idealism…

"T-tell me… is she alright?."

His eyes returned to the wide blue eyes of immobilized vampire searching for something that would belie the sincerity of what seemed to be his single-minded concern.

"What if I said she was?"

He knew he was being uncharacteristically cruel towards the captured blonde – the unchanged color of those eyes was proof enough that bloodlust was not the reason for his rather sudden dash for the house…

It was the suddenness of the vampire's movement that made the hunter activate his spell in the first place… That, and the fact that he could never guess that Sayori-chan could be so important for the young noble that he would smell her first, and not the… the hunter's other charge…

Must be the blood-letting that distracted him… and then I further "distracted" him with my spell…

But still it was a close call… if not for the spell – and him hastily closing the damaged door - he knew it would've been only moments before the vampiric senses would discern that there was another smell mixing up with Sayori's… and Touga has not as yet decided whether he dared trust the noble or not.

"So, what if I said she was alright?" He repeated gazing at his captive intently as he partially released the spell, granting the vampire some use of his muscles though still holding him stuck in one spot. The blonde changed his pose, gratefully putting both his feet to the ground fully and stretching his back.

"Ouch, that's better…" The look in his eyes though remained urgently serious and resigned. "Let me see her… I need to see with my own eyes that she isn't… hurt badly… and then I will leave. You can protect her… ouch… rather obviously, and I have another task to accomplish tonight… I have strayed from it long enough already…"

"Well…" The hunter felt very tired of handling all this responsibility and decision making single-handedly. "Get inside and see for yourself then… But know I will be watching you the entire time."

Sayori just entered the living room from the kitchen where she washed the cup and put the glass syringe and the needle into the pot of boiling water to disinfect it for further use, when she saw the door open and smiled inwardly on sensei's timing.

Bet he has lingered there to let me finish my task…

…and then her eyes widened when she saw another person enter the room instead… or - as she noticed in another moment – directly before the teacher.

She looked aside, not wanting to meet the eyes of the blonde vampire whose glance seemed to roam all along her body concernedly, as if he doubted he'd find her in one piece.

Like it is I who needs to be worried about…

She felt the color rise high on her cheeks under his silent scrutiny as she stole a sideways glance of her own, and her heart made a painful leap at his tired and all too non-immaculate look… At least he looked considerably better than when she saw him last time… she was sure that that vision would haunt her in future nightmares… the horrid stench of the burnt flesh, the rasping sobs he tried to muffle for her sake… God, she felt so glad he was alright now, she would surely cry in relief… and nevertheless - it stung - that in the state he was then – he still refused the blood she had freely offered – anxious to do anything… anything… to help…

He must've made a few steps towards her, because when she looked up sharply at his loud gasp, she found him standing in the middle of the room, staring towards the bed at its far end – the angry splotches of newly grown skin standing out on his white from shock face.

"Aidou-senpai?.. Hanabusa?.." She started moving towards him afraid that he wasn't as well as she thought initially, but was stopped in her tracks by the cautionary "humph" and a stern look from Yagari-sensei.

So she just stood and watched – reassured but not a little puzzled – as Hanabusa approached the bed – as slowly and cautiously as if he was afraid to find out who its single occupant was. At least his back was tense to the point that it seemed to quiver ever so slightly, and there was no mistaking that his hand shook, when it stretched hesitantly – as if of its own volition – to touch the flushed cheek.

He never made the contact though… instead he turned abruptly with another little gasp, little intake of air – stumbling unseeingly towards the window that instantly frosted as soon as his hand as much as touched on its frame…

"How?.." He whispered loudly – his gaze switching from Yagari-sensei to Yori and back to the teacher. "Uh… why?.. What happened to him?"

"I do not know…" Yagari answered with painful honesty. "I… or rather Sayori-chan here… found him on the lake-shore – already like this. I have a theory… but… I couldn't quite believe what my senses were telling me… Yours are supposed to be more acute anyway…"

"Yes… they are…"

The two blue gazes remained locked as if silently confirming something to one another, and Sayori couldn't stand the sense of gathering dread. What was that wrong with Kuran-senpai to make those two so somber all of a sudden? He seemed to be recovering nicely – as far as she could tell – feverish still, but even fever had somewhat abated when she fed him her blood… His heartbeat was steady and his breathing had grown less labored… and here those two were talking as if he was dying – and that - at the very least…

"Would you mind explaining to me what you're talking about?"

The two men's heads snapped towards her direction as if they had temporarily forgotten that she was there, and it was Yagari-sensei who suggested:

"Let's go to the kitchen and let him rest peacefully. If my theory is right – then it is something that he needs the most".