I had barely managed to walk downstairs and pull on a shirt before the Chairman nearly toppled over me. "Kiryuu-kun, are you okay?! I came as soon as I heard that you had been attacked! Your wound… let me see it!"

The buttons went flying as Chairman Cross ripped open the shirt and lightly touched at the bandages wrapped around my chest. Feeling my face go warm, I looked away. "Chairman… please…" I muttered.

He gave me a very stern look. "Zero, just let me act like a father for once. You were gravely injured, so I'm just trying to do my part, 'kay?"

Never before had Chairman Cross talked to me in such a firm, yet caring way. With downcast eyes, I could only mutter, "Fine."

Kaname came up beside us, bending down to pick up one of the fallen buttons. "Chairman Cross, that was one of my shirts I let Kiryuu borrow; you know I wouldn't allow for him to walk around with a gaping hole in his old shirt."

Chairman Cross bit his lower lip. "Oh, I'm dreadfully sorry, Kaname-kun. I'll… I'll buy you a new one… or three…"

I looked over to see Kaname shake his head. "Don't worry about it, Chairman. Please take a seat."

With a worried sigh, the Chairman slunk down in a chair. Kaname tapped me lightly on the shoulder. "I'll have Aidou get you a new shirt."

Pulling my shoulder out from under his hand, I slumped back in the seat beside Chairman Cross and growled, "Don't touch me."

"So, Kaname-kun, how is Yuuki doing? Good I hope," Chairman Cross started.

I almost scoffed at his question; since he knew I still had deep feelings for Yuuki, why was he acting so carefree about it?

Kaname smiled lightly. "She's doing fine. Aidou has made sure she's keeping up with her studies. But I'm sure you didn't come here to discuss only Yuuki," he replied calmly.

A grim expression replaced Cross' usual smiling face. "You're right; I'm sorry, I shouldn't have let myself get so off topic." As he said this, he pulled out a small file from the inside of his coat. "This is everything you asked for. Since I'm closely tied with Zero, the Association has been very tight lipped around me. I'll do more digging if I have the time."

Kaname took the file, opening it up like every other pristine pureblood would. It almost sickened me how his fingers gracefully flipped through the pages as if it was out of habit. If it were me, I would have torn that file apart looking for answers.

"This is the 'Jack the Ripper' file?" Kaname asked, his eyes shifting from the pages to Chairman Cross.

"Yes; because no one has yet to I.D. the killer, we don't have any criminal background or witness accounts. The whole case is just… bare." Then he turned to me. "You encountered him, didn't you, Kiryuu-kun? Did you see his face?"

I crossed my arms and looked away. "No… the guy threw me into the wall before I even got a chance to get a good look," I stated.

"Well, that doesn't give us anything to start with, does it?" Kaname sighed as he put the file on the table. "We'll have to wait for another attack."

My lavender eyes narrowed. "I won't allow for that to happen. Five women are already dead; we can't afford to lose a sixth. We need to find out what the hell is going on now."

Kaname shot a quick glare to me. "Don't forget who this person is targeting. I'm sure every vampire hunter is out there right now looking for you. Until we find the real murderer, you'll have to stay here," he said in a dark tone.

When I saw Aidou appear at the entry way, I stood and snatched away the shirt he held. "I'm a vampire hunter myself, aren't I? I still need to do my job." I tossed the de-buttoned shirt on the stair railing and hastily pulled the other one on. Before I reached the door, Kaname had drawn close beside me, his face stern. "What do you want?" I asked harshly.

"Kiryuu-kun, you are still recovering from your injuries. If you move around too much, you may… rip them open again."

At first, I didn't understand what he was getting at, but when I felt his nails dig through the bandages into the wound, it was too late to think it all out. After swiping his sharp nails across my chest and letting me stumble to my knees, he knelt down and whispered, "I won't have you leave just yet. Until you recover, you are completely dependent on me."

"Damn… you…"

I heard the Chairman gasp, "Oh no! Kiryuu-kun's bleeding out!"

Aidou sighed. "I'll get more bandages…" he mumbled before disappearing.

"Kaname-sama, is everything all right?"

Hearing her voice, I looked up to see Yuuki coming down the stairs. She stopped as soon as our eyes met. "Ze…ro…"

With my hand on my bleeding chest, I stood, gazing up at her; our last meeting had not gone well at all, so hopefully this one would be better. "Yuuki… it really is you…"

Her face went beet red. "Kaname-sama, he's bleeding on the wood floor," she stated in a hushed tone.

My eyes widened at her crass comment. Of course she didn't care about the fact that I was hurt and her fiancé decided to rip open my wound again. What really mattered was that I was ruining the precious floor. Although she was my childhood friend, I despised what her vampire nature was doing to her.

Kaname smiled gently. "Don't worry about it, my dear. I'll clean up the mess," he replied softly.

Damn, now both of them were mocking me? I grabbed Kaname roughly by the collar, forcing him into the wall. "Look here, pureblood," I hissed through clenched teeth, "I don't know what game you're playing with me, but it sure as hell isn't funny. You can take your pedigree and shove it up your ass, 'cause I'm leaving this God forsaken house!"

He chuckled lightly, closing his eyes. "My, you really are scary," he stated.

I didn't understand this guy; was he trying to make me angry, or was it his nature to be a prick?

A soft hand touched my arm, a hand I knew all too well. Out of the corner of my eye, I saw Yuuki looking up to me, her brown eyes soft and wide. "Zero, please let go of him," she said in a whisper.

Pulling my arm from her touch, I released Kaname's collar and sighed. Even though our once tight bond had gone downhill, why did her words have such an effect on me? Did I really care for her that much? "Fine, I'll stay, but I want to be kept up to date about the case."

Kaname nodded. "I'll be sure to supply you with everything you need," he said in a strange tone. It must have had a double meaning or something, but I didn't catch it until later.

"Chairman Cross," I started, turning back towards the vampire hunter, "have you heard anything from Yagari-sensei or the others?"

The Chairman tapped his chin thoughtfully. "Well, I haven't spoken with them directly, but rumor has it that you're dead and the 'Jack the Ripper' case is solved. If you're being framed, I don't think another murder will show up on the list."

I lowered my head. "Yeah… if another body was found, that would prove my innocence, and the association never likes to be wrong," I said in a low tone.

Aidou finally appeared from the kitchen, a large roll of bandages in his hand. "Man, it took me forever to find this! Come on, Kiryuu-kun, I'll get you cleaned up."

Before following Aidou, I paused before Yuuki, looking down to her with solemn eyes. "I'm sorry for ruining your floor, Your Highness," I stated before pushing passed her.