As soon as Zero was gone, Kaname knew he had to act fast. Lengthening his nails, he cut deeply into the skin of his throat and wrists, needing to make it look like he'd been savagely attacked. He hoped that the freshly spilled blood would also obscure any lingering traces of Kiriyu's scent. He heard Ichijo calling his name and rattling the doorknob, so he got to his feet, planning on walking towards the door. The sudden motion made his head spin, and he realized that he had been drained far more than he'd anticipated, the combined blood loss from Zero's frantic feeding and his self-inflicted wounds making him feel faint. Cursing the ex-human for contributing to this pathetic display of weakness, he attempted to take a slow step forward, but swayed mid-stride. The room seemed to tilt back, his legs betraying him as darkness swirled across his vision and he collapsed.

x--x--x

Ichijo had been in the parlour reading his latest manga when he picked up the scent of Kaname's blood. At first he wasn't too worried, even smiling to himself as he thought 'perhaps Kaname finally got a paper cut from one of those infernal reports he's always writing…' but then Ichijo realised that Kaname was on the third floor, behind closed doors, and for the smell to have drifted all the way down here… He leaped off the couch and hurried for the stairs, nearly running into Aido and Kain who were coming from the other side of the dorm. As they rounded the first floor landing, they were joined in their mad rush by Shiki who had been in his room. "What happened?" he asked as they ran, but nobody answered him. There would be time for talking once they knew Kaname was safe. The irresistible scent intensified as they reached the third floor, and it was nearly unbearable by the time they got to the Dorm President's room. Whatever the cause, Kaname was obviously bleeding profusely. A chill ran down Ichijo's spine as he reached for the doorknob, calling for his friend. The door was locked however, and the knob only rattled uselessly. There was a sudden thump from within, and all four of the young vampires looked at each other, panic in their eyes. Kain grabbed Ichijo's shoulder and moved him aside. "Let me." he said, backing up before rushing forward and kicking the door. The latch broke free, and they all burst into the room.

Inside it was chaos. One wall was cracked and streaked with blood. The floor was splashed with scarlet and looked like something had been dragged across it, and there were spots of blood on everything from the bedspread to the chaise. But none of that mattered. What froze them all in place was the unmoving form of their leader, sprawled almost gracefully in a spreading pool of glittering crimson. Ichijo acted first, rushing over to kneel at Kaname's side, feeling for a pulse and sighing in relief when he found one. Looking up at the others, he gave a nod, then took charge of the situation.

"Aido, Kain - search the grounds, whoever did this cannot have gotten far." The cousins nodded and headed out. "Shiki, help me over here." He slipped his hands under the left side of Kaname's body, and Shiki walked across to the right to do the same. As gently as possible, they picked up the unconscious pureblood and carried him to the bed.

Ichijo began assessing his friend's injuries, while Shiki paced restlessly beside the window, obviously unsure of what to do. There were deep gouges running up the insides of Kaname's arms, as well as down his neck, all of which still seeped blood. This in itself was strange, purebloods had unparalleled healing abilities. "An anti-vampire weapon perhaps, or some kind of spell..." Ichijo muttered, lifting Kaname's chin slightly to get a better look at the damage on his throat.

"Who would do such a thing?" Shiki whispered. Ichijo just shook his head slowly, not wanting to imagine. To cover his growing unease, he looked at Shiki. "Stand guard outside the door. Don't let anyone in here – Kaname-sama would not want them to see him like this. I will tend to his wounds. If Aido and Kain get back, tell them I'll listen to their report later, once I'm done."

Shiki nodded and began walking to the door, then paused, placing a hand on Ichijo's shoulder. "You are truly a good friend to Kaname-sama."

Ichijo kept his gaze on the floor. "If I was, surely I would have been there when he needed me."

Shiki smiled. "Don't you see? He needs you now, and here you are." With that, he left the room.

Ichijo returned his attention to Kaname. The wounds seemed to be healing slowly, and the flow of blood had stopped completely. It was strange, Ichijo had always thought that if Kaname's blood was spilled he would be tempted to taste it, but all he felt now was concern for his friend and disgust at himself for not being able to prevent this. Sighing, he rose and went to fetch warm water and towels. At the very least, he could ensure that if anyone got past Shiki and did walk in here, the dorm president didn't look like a murder victim.


Thanks to everyone who reviewed, you made my day, so this one's dedicated to you!