A/N. I cannot claim ownership of the following characters.

Injury

Rima woke slowly. For a moment she wondered about the pain in her side and her overall soreness, until remembering the fight with whoever had possession of Senri's body. She closed her eyes, wishing she could forget for a moment and go back to sleep.

But it wasn't to be, so she got up and dressed carefully, trying not to upset her wound. It infuriated her to see the gash on her side. As a vampire, she was unused to sustained injuries.

There was someone knocking softly at the door. Rima sighed. It was probably Takuma checking on her. She opened it and was surprised when she saw a broad chest were Takuma's face should be, so she looked higher to see Akatsuki standing there. She could guess the question before he asked it, as he visited the room often and always for the same reason, "Is Ruka here?"

She walked away, throwing over her shoulder, "No."

But Akatsuki didn't walk away; instead he entered the room, keeping the door open behind him. "Do you know where she is?"

Rima turned to face him again, "No."

Akatsuki nodded, but then sniffed the air. Rima noticed the red tinge his brown eyes now possessed. "Are you bleeding?"

"Yes." For a wicked moment, Rima thought about offering Akatsuki a taste, just to see his reaction. She figured he would turn her down for several reasons: the dormitory rules against it, the implied intimacy of such an offering, and not least of all, his feelings for her roommate and hers for her fellow model. Though she knew better than to voice such a tease, as it was still possible for him to say yes. He was still a vampire, after all, and fresh blood was nearly impossible to turn down, under any circumstances.

But talking to her, Akatsuki showed no outward signs of bloodlust except in his eyes. His control had always impressed Rima, "Why?"

"I got into a fight."

Akatsuki nodded, not asking for details. Neither he nor Rima were known for their chattiness, and most of their conversations stayed fairly monosyllabic. Rima thought Akatsuki would ask her to tell Ruka he visited should she return and leave, but instead he ventured deeper into the room, looking out her window. "Have you seen Senri since his return? I haven't had a chance yet."

Rima really didn't want to talk about Senri right now, especially not with Akatsuki. "Too busy guarding Yuki Cross?"

Akatsuki sighed. "It appears to be a full-time job, and Kaname is insistent."

Rima laughed shortly. "Make sense considering she's a pureblood."

Akatsuki lowered his head slightly, "And his sister."

Rima was slightly shocked, but only inclined her head to show it. "I thought she was his lover?"

Akatsuki crossed his arms. "She's both. It's not uncommon amongst purebloods." He turned to face Rima fully once again. "How was Senri's vacation? Was his mother well?"

Rima should've known Akatsuki wasn't one to be distracted from his original point. Rima met his gaze coolly, "He's different."

"How so?"

Rima looked away. "He's not himself."

Akatsuki nodded and dropped his arms, seemingly satisfied, though Rima wasn't sure how her vague answer could've done this. He began to walk out of the room, but as he passed, she asked, "Do you want me to tell Ruka you stopped by?"

At the mention of Ruka's name, Akatsuki stopped and spoke over his shoulder. "That won't be necessary." He walked to the doorway before stopping again, "And, Toya, you should change your bandage, I can smell your blood."

Throwing aside her previous caution, she asked, "Would you like to help me, Kain? I'll let you have a taste."

His large hands gripped the doorframe tightly, and Rima worried he might destroy the frame, but instead he let go and strode towards her, this time shutting the door behind him. He looked down at her, studying her for a moment, and Rima wondered if she wasn't playing with fire. She suddenly remembered Kain's ability and covered her smile with a smirk. He asked unflinchingly, "Do you really require such assistance?"

Rima thought about it for a moment and decided she wanted to continue testing Kain's boundaries. "The gaze and wrapping is on the side table."

Not one to back down from a challenge, he instructed, "Then take off your shirt." He turned and went to gather what was needed.

Rima unbuttoned her shirt, but decided against removing it completely. Akatsuki returned and knelt in front of her ignoring her state of dress and began to unwrap her old dressing. When finished, he paused for a moment at her open sore. He closed his eyes, inhaling and exhaling the scent of her blood. He put aside the old bandage on the floor and carefully placed a new piece of gaze on Rima's torn flesh, delicately wrapping the dressing around her torso, working beneath her open shirt. He then gathered her old bandages and rose once again, going over to the wastebasket. He paused for a moment again, studying the dried blood with reddened eyes, before incinerating them and letting the remaining ashes drift to the wastebasket.

He moved to leave again and as he passed her, Rima said softly, "Thank you."

He didn't stop. "You're welcome."

However, Kain paused at the door, hands at his side. "How do you feel about Senri, Rima?"

Toya regarded the back of Kain's head coolly, "How do you feel about Ruka, Akatsuki?"

Without facing her, he opened the door and exited, shutting the door behind him. Rima walked over to the wastebasket and studied the ashes for a moment. She'd never thought of it before, but even such a destructive force as fire left remains behind.