A couple of weeks passed after the information filled meeting between Maya and Zero, and things between them had cleared up significantly. All that Maya was worried about now was when Kaname was going to make her do something out of the blue, against the Association or otherwise. It was a constant thought that agitated her. There was no such thing as 'peace of mind' anymore.Maya flinched when a hand came into her peripheral vision and she grabbed it, reacting on pure instinct. 

"Daydreaming again?" 

Maya looked at her older brother Kaito, who had wandered up the sidewalk without her noticing. She had been trying to get a bit of a tan while the weather was decent, unlike the scorching humid days that had surrounded the city for the past month. She let go of his hand. "Sorry. I thought you had a full day's work today?" Kaito and Maya lived in the same apartment complex near the edge of town. She'd stopped living with Kaien after half the school had been demolished and the vampires had left, there was no reason for her to be there anymore. 

"Nah, got finished early." He held out a stack of letters. "Here's your mail." 

She took it the stack and quickly shuffled through it and stopped with she got to a pristine black envelope with silver writing. "What the heck is this?" She asked, holding it up.

"Got one too." He replied, flapping the letter in the air between his fingers. Maya sat up and flipped the letter around to see a gold wax seal on the back. Picking it off, she pulled out a single, stiff card. "The head of the Ori family invites you to attend the Summer Solstice Ball, to be held at the Ori Family Estate on June 27 at 9 PM. Please call to confirm your attendance at the earliest convenience."

She looked up at Kaito, who raised an eyebrow, glancing down at his own unopened envelope. "The Ori Family? Isn't that..."

"A Pureblood Family," her brother confirmed. "Any idea why they invited us?"

"I have no idea."

_________________________

Maya and Kaito were sitting across from Kaien in his office at the Association.

They watched as he pulled out a similar letter from his desk drawer for them to see.

"But why us?" Maya questioned. "We're hunters."

"You are," Kaien confirmed, "But Maya, any pureblood acknowledges you as the head of the Takamiya clan because you are a dire-wolf, a pure blooded creature in a sense. Anyone with a lineage like that is that if they are of any importance. You are both invited to show your support to the wishes of the group that wants peace and prosperity."

Not this stuff again...she thought. 

Kaien continued. "Both of you should attend. I will be there as well as a guest. I am good friends with Isaya Shoto who will also be attending and I would like it if you met him. This is a chance for you to form alliances with others. It's rather handy-"

"I will never become friends with a pureblood vampire again. I've learned my lesson." Maya snarled, her canines sharpening just slightly. 

Kaien took off his glasses and rubbed the bridge of his nose. "I didn't say you had to become friends with any of them, Maya."

"Alliances require trust, and I will not put my life in those bloodsuckers hands." She replied, leaning forward, her hands gripped the thin wooden arms of her chair so hard that they began to crack and splinter underneath her fingertips. "They have killed everyone I have cared for. Ichiru was the latest gravestone and I'm not letting it happen again. Not to Zero, not to my brother, or Yagari, or even you."

"Then just attend, sis. You don't have to do anything. I'll be there, and we can be bored and antisocial together. Let's just get it over with." Kaito said. Maya sat back in her chair and tsked, staring at the desk in front of her with a look that could kill. "I want to be there as much as you do, which isn't at all."

"Fine. I'll go, but I won't stay for long." As long as her brother was there, she would retain her sanity. 

She called the Ori Household later that day, keeping her tone as light as possible.

"This is Ori."

"Ori-sama, this is Maya Takamiya. I received your invitation in the mail yesterday."

"Oh! I presume that you are calling to confirm your attendance to the Solstice?" said Ori on the other end of the line, it was light and friendly, with no malice or hate. 

"Yes, I'm calling to confirm on behalf of my brother and me."

"Good, good!"

"I was also wondering if Kuran-sama would be attending tonight, out of curiosity."

There was a chuckle. "You are not the first to have asked me about Kuran-sama. I'm afraid he'll be too busy to show himself, which is regrettable."

"Oh, that's okay. I'm sure he will attend another sooner or later." She replied, hiding a sigh of relief. "Sorry, but I do have one last question. What exactly am I to wear?"

"Anything that suits you. The women here do like to show off their best dresses. The night brings out our time to shine."

Maya bit back an impolite snort. That was such a vampire-like thing to say. "Thank you, Ori-sama. I'll be sure to keep that in mind. Have a good day."

"You too, Takamiya-sama. I look forward to finally meeting you."

__________________________________________________________

"I think you took that pureblood's word to seriously." Kaito said, staring at her as she sat at the vanity in her apartment. She looked back at him through the reflection of the large mirror in front of her while pushing diamonds into her ears.

Maya shrugged. "We have the money, and if I'm going to hate being there, I might as well make it fun. I want to show off. Can I not do that?"

Kaito returned an equally careless shrug. "Go right ahead." She saw him slip on his suit jacket and adjust his black tie while finishing her hair. It was up all the way and pinned in a stylish messy bun, a few loose pieces of hair and her bangs hung free. Standing, she checked the clock on her wall. 

"We should make it just before nine." She said, slipping on her white three in heels. With these, her dress was less likely to brush the ground, but it didn't seem to do much good. They drove to the Ori Estate, and Maya couldn't help but be impressed by the size of the place. There were already over two dozen classic cars parked outside. 

(This is her dress. I freaking love this dress and wish I could have it.)

"This places reeks of vampires. It's making my nose burn..." Stated Kaito as they got out of the car. Rolling her eyes, Maya picked up the hem of her dress with one hand to avoid getting any dirt on it. Not that she would have if it was any other regular party, but Maya was sure they would scrutinize her down to the last hair on her head. 

Venturing into the home, the followed a couple of Aristocrat vampires who were eyeing them as they walked towards the ballroom, where the voices were getting louder. 

"Are you ready for this?" She asked, taking her brothers arm which he had extended out for her to hold. 

"Never." He said, giving her a half smile before they entered. The ballroom was brightly lit with an open floor filled with vampires. There was a couple of chandeliers hanging from the ceiling and decorative curtains draped along the second-floor balcony. A table of refreshments was placed at the corner of the room as to not get into peoples way. 

"Good heavens..." Maya muttered. The hairs on the back of her neck tingled, and hunter senses soared, telling her to get away, but Maya suppressed them, knowing that there was no danger to be worried about.

"Maya-chan!" came an exuberant voice from the opposite end of the room, her gaze landed on a certain sandy-haired hunter, who was also dressed in a suit and lacked his usual spectacles, his hair was still in its ponytail. She winced, as the sudden loud voice had caused attention to be drawn to the three of them, and she didn't like it. Either way, she raised a hand in greeting and let go of Kaito, who shoved his hands in his pockets. Kaien made his way over and began gushing over her dress. "Oh, my beautiful daughter! Let your father have a look at you!"

"Kaien..." she groaned, feeling her cheeks flush slightly with embarrassment at his antics. It felt like she was being embarrassed by a son she didn't have.  

"Call me father!"

"What? No!"

An approaching figure caught her eye and she turned slightly to greet him, it was Ori-sama.

"You must be Maya Takayima." He said. She nodded and gave a curtsy. "Is that your brother?"

Maya turned, seeing that Kaito was now in somewhat of a conversation with Kaien who had turned into his normal, serious self. "Yes, you must be Ori-sama."

"I'm glad you two could come." He held out a hand and she took it, watching him bring it up to kiss it before letting it go. She held back the urge to wipe her hand afterward, not liking the contact whatsoever, but she wasn't about to show it on her face. 

"Thank you for the invitation." She replied courteously.

He nodded, looking down at her dress. "I see you took my words to heart."

Instead of blushing, Maya felt uncomfortable at the comment, not liking the way it escaped his lips. "I did. If you excuse me, I have to have a word with Kaien."

"Of course, go and enjoy yourself."

Maya turned and walked back over to Kaien, who was now by himself, she looked around for Kaito and saw that he was talking to Yagari. "Yagari is here?"

"Yes," Kaien replied, then blinked as if he remembered something forgotten. "Oh! Can I introduce you to Isaya? He is eager to meet you."

"I'm here. I suppose you can." Maya relented to the eager father figure and had him drag her over to a blond man, hair down to his shoulders. His light hazel eyes landed on the two of them as they approached and she saw him excuse himself from the conversation he had been having with an aristocrat. 

"Isaya-san! This is my adopted daughter, Maya."

"So, you must be the head of the infamous dire-wolf clan I've heard so much about from Kaien here." He said, a kind smile gracing his lips. He shook her hand lightly. Kaien excused himself almost immediately to talk to Yagari. "I knew your grandparents, very lovely people."

Maya's eyes widened. "You knew them?"

"Yes. They were my friends, alongside Kaien of course. The pacifist idea was your grandparents' idea, it sparked what is now a struggle for peace."

"I didn't know that...my parents never told me such a thing. How long did you know them for?"

"A few decades, we helped each other. That's why I wanted to talk to you."

Maya knew that's where the conversation was going and she was still stubborn about the idea. Just because her grandparents had known the man, doesn't mean that it was all sunshine and clear skies like the way he was describing it. "Are you meaning to ask me for an alliance?"

"No, but I did want to let you know that if there is anything you need, anything at all, feel free to contact me. I have far too much time on my hands and would like to get to know you if the time comes. I'm sure you'd want to hear more about your grandparents."

Their heads turned when they heard Kaien's voice across the ballroom. It sounded like he was pitching a small fit. Maya looked back at Isaya when she heard him chuckle. "Cross has always been a bit of a lunatic, I'm surprised you've put up with his antics for so long, even I had to when he was younger and more reckless. How do you manage it?" He asked.

Maya smiled and shook her head. "I'm still trying to figure that out myself." Isaya didn't seem like a bad person, but she still hated the idea of becoming close to a pureblood. Maybe in time if things died down, but would her ideals change with it?

"Well, enough talk. Would you care for a short dance?"

"I..." She didn't want to, but how bad would it look if she refused. He was a respected pureblood, and she could feel the dozens of eyes planted on her who had heard the request that escaped Isaya's lips. 

"You can refuse, but I doubt you'd like the rebuttal of the action from the others." He said, a comical smile appearing on his face. A real blush appeared on her cheeks and she forced it down, and nodded, taking his outstretched hand, hearing some violin music playing from somewhere on a second tier balcony. 

"Lead the way, Isaya-sama."

Author Note: This chapter will be continued in chapter 18

Disclaimer: All rights go to the wonderful Matsuri Hino!