Takuma had retreated back into the library, fully motivated once more to search for a cure for the scar. Shiki had seen the shining determination in his eyes and the way he squared his shoulders. He wouldn't be seeing him for some time then. Once Takuma was as determined as this, he would not stop until he had found what he was looking for.

That left Shiki in his room, staring blankly at the floor.

He hated being left alone now.

When was he going to black out next? What would he do? The questions kept circling his head restlessly, haunting him with the memories he had of what he had done at the Coronation.

He was also panicking. The feeling was back- someone was watching him. In fact, Shiki was almost sure that that someone – Rido – had seen Takuma trying to cure him with Kaname's blood.

Shiki glanced over at the mirror.

He was far enough away from it that he couldn't see the details of his reflection, only his dark auburn hair and pale skin. He looked enough like Rido, which spooked Shiki.

Rido had seen Takuma try to cure him with Kaname's blood.

He had seen it fail.

Shiki could imagine Rido laughing at them right now, if he had seen the way Takuma's face had fallen at Kaname's rejected blood trickling out of the needle wound.

He grasped the edge of the mattress, using it to hoist himself up, and sauntered over to the door.

This could be a risky move. It would be a stupid move to let himself roam free in the castle- it meant Rido was also free to roam the castle. But Shiki could not bear to stay in the room a moment longer. His mind was muddled and he simply couldn't care about considering all the consequences of his actions, with all the worry crashing on him. It was driving him mad. Especially when he glanced back at the mirror he was sure he'd seen Rido in before. If Rido could see him through it, if he was watching him right now…

All sensibility seemed to have fled Shiki's mind. He had to get away.

So he walked, out of his room, down the empty corridors of Kuran Castle. The excitement from days ago at being in a castle had worn off long ago. Now the castle didn't seem so grand or welcoming. He couldn't see the paintings, for their skilled artwork, but felt the portraits' eyes staring down at him, scrutinising him, and it was as if they whispered "traitor, traitor, traitor" with every step he took.

To Shiki, the castle was suffocating, confining. He felt his feet move faster, faster, faster down the corridor, until he was almost running. Running away from Rido's gaze.

He staggered around a corner, bending forwards to hold his knees as he panted.

To his surprise, he felt a cold breeze drifting by. The refreshing chill was so unlike the coldness Rido carried with him. It was safe, and exhilarating- a gateway to the outside world that Shiki had been shut from for so long. He was drawn to it, like a moth to a flame.

The breeze came from an open window, Shiki discovered. The window he didn't even know opened, at the end of the corridor, above a table with an elaborate flower arrangement on it.

Shiki shivered as a particularly strong gust of wind blew through his thin shirt, and made his way towards the window. The blue moonlight also made him shiver- it transformed the castle into hues of cold black and navy, harsh outlines of pale blue where the moonlight chose to linger.

He leaned his hands on the table, resting his weight on it and closing his eyes. The cold was certainly enjoyable after staying in his stuffy room for so long. Even as it whipped his spiky hair against his cheeks, he smiled.

When he opened his eyes, Shiki stopped smiling.

He narrowed his eyes, squinting at a figure, down in the courtyard. The figure was facing away from him, but Shiki could pick out that it was a man from his broader shoulders, and he was carrying some sort of package in his arms. The man glanced up at the window, exactly at where Shiki stood. Could he see him? Shiki could certainly see the man. He didn't appear big from this distance, but Shiki could tell by the ease he carried the package that the man was quite large. The man sneered at him, and then turned away.

Suddenly it occurred to Shiki that the window may have been opened by a thief. He leaned further forwards, preparing to launch himself out, when he froze.

That wasn't a package in the man's arms.

It was wriggling, and from the moonlight, he could see delicate, long hair hanging down from one end. It was auburn hair, burning red in the light.

It was Yuuki.

Shiki's breath caught in his throat as he struggled to take in what he was witnessing. Yuuki is being kidnapped, do something! He tried to scream for help, or at least move. But his fingers only tightened on the table, they locked there, holding him from pouncing over the table and windowsill. His mouth snapped shut, preventing him for calling for the staff, the guards, anyone to stop the figure, who was running away.

He was screaming inside.

The figure disappeared into the shadows of the courtyard, one last flick of Yuuki's flaming hair before it also disappeared from view.

Then the spell lifted, and Shiki found himself shuddering and panting again, as though he'd run a mile. He gaped at the place where the kidnapper had stood. Why hadn't he been able to move? He could have cut the kidnapper off and saved Yuuki!

Heavy with shame, Shiki retreated down the corridor, feeling like a coward, a failure… he yelped with fright as he looked to the side, straight into an open room where a mirror showed him himself. There was no Rido. It was just him.

He stepped into the room, breathing in a delicate, sweet scent, like warmed honey. It was Yuuki's room.

How had he gone past the open door without noticing it? Most of the doors in the castle remained shut. This one had its door bashed in, and it lay on the floor in pieces.

He stepped inside, and then began yelling.

"The princess has been taken! Yuuki's gone!"

For a few seconds there was nothing. Then he heard the sound of footsteps from all the surrounding areas in the castle heading towards the room. Guilt still burned in his stomach as he remembered the moment, the chance which he hadn't taken, where he could have saved her.

What was it that had stopped him? His body hadn't listened to him when he wanted it to move, but he hadn't blacked out. He could hear Rido laughing again, in his mind, and fury filled him for a few seconds, before it was overpowered by shame.

Shiki waited miserably for people to arrive, whilst he did, he wondered whether he could blame Rido for stopping him reacting when he should have, or it was only himself and his own fear which had paralyzed him.

They were woken by the sound of Seiren appearing in the clearing, just a few hours before dawn. Kaname was the first one to get to her, and he grasped her roughly by the shoulder.

"What are you doing here? I told you to watch Yuuki!"

"She's gone," Seiren panted, clutching back at Kaname's hand, "She was taken, before I even got there- I have failed you. I cannot-"

He didn't even bother listening to the rest of her, throwing her aside. She disappeared in smoke, just like when she had arrived, and for a second Zero was horrified, thinking Kaname had killed her and she had been turned into dust.

"I've sent her back," Kaname snapped, levelling Zero with a cold stare. For a moment Zero wondered how it was that Kaname had known what he was thinking. "She will track her down,"

Ruka was waking too by then, from all the noises around her. She took in Zero's worried face and Kaname's renewed pacing- it was like he had never stopped since last night. She and Zero had been ushered to sleep by a pacing Kaname, him never losing speed or stepping beyond the few yards he paced. Was Kaname still pissed at Seiren? She seemed to have missed out on something, and hesitated before motioning Zero over to fill her in.

Once she understood everything, she stood, brushing off her clothes and timing herself before catching Kaname's arm, just before he pivoted around to do another length.

"Perhaps it is a good thing she came now. We've woken early, we could catch them by surprise," Ruka reasoned, knowing that it had been a dangerous move to stop Kaname while he was pacing.

The Pureblood paused, and then nodded.

"Yes, that's true. We're awake now, it's best to start now. We must find Rima and the recruits then,"

Ruka followed Kaname northwards, towards the border (he had slung Zero over his shoulder so quickly that the Hunter hadn't had time to protest, before they began running).

Before they could reach it, they found themselves spotting the recruits everywhere on the forest floor, sleeping, but with Kaname's aura approaching, they quickly woke up. The recruits' awed eyes followed the Pureblood, some of them rubbing their eyes in wonder as though they didn't believe he was there. It was comical, to Zero, who swung on Kaname's shoulder to see the upturned, awestruck faces left behind him.

Kaname drifted smoothly through the crowds, a placid expression on his face as he nodded to his people, even taking a cup of water offered from a middle-aged woman's hands with a small smile.

Ruka followed behind him, and poked Zero in the forehead as he rolled his eyes at the crowd that was practically worshipping Kaname with their eyes.

"Rima," Kaname called softly, looking for the petite ginger-haired girl amongst the people. He was proud of the turn-out. At least a couple hundred were there, he could sense them, and they were spread throughout the length of the border, hidden between the trees.

She appeared at his side, eyes flitted to Zero's behind hanging on his shoulder, but directing back to Kaname immediately.

"Kaname, we've just been staying here. I thought you'd not want us to go in without your permission-"

"Yes, you've done well Rima. Good thinking," Kaname said, reaching over to pat her shoulder, "And now, we must go. We've wasted enough time already,"

"Hai, Kaname," Rima bowed briefly, running away through the trees to wake all the recruits.

Kaname set Zero down, ignoring his highly pissed-off expression. He handed him the water and turned to face the border.

Zero handed the water to Ruka, following Kaname to stand, side-by-side at the border.

From the edge of the forest, he could see the Hanadagi castle very easily. Its dark walls seemed more sinister to Zero than the Kuran Castle's bright, sandy marble walls. The shadow faced them at the moment, with a pink blushed sky showing that the sun was rising behind the castle, casting the inky smudge of shadow that drifted towards the right.

He glanced at Kaname from the corner of his eye. His face was stoic, which annoyed Zero, but he was beginning to realise that Kaname shut off his expressions when he was in front of crowds, or people he didn't know (or probably trust). Maybe it was a means of self-protection. Maybe it was just because Kaname didn't want people to think less of him. The prideful bastard, Zero thought with a smirk.

He looked back at the Hanadagi territory and sighed.

"So what are we waiting for? The plan, or at least what you said last night, was that Seiren, you and I would be going into the castle straightaway. But Seiren isn't here anymore,"

Kaname's jaw tightened, Zero bit his lip, he must be thinking about Yuuki. Now that Yuuki was gone, Kaname and Zero both shared this feeling of darkness that settled over them. Their princess, their sweet friend was in danger. It made everything unsettling, everything felt lost to them, even though Zero was trying to grasp to the hope that she was alright, wherever she was.

But this incident couldn't ruin the plan. The whole reason they were here was because of Aidou and Kain. That and the fact that Kaname had to deal with Hanadagi…

"Look, the plan can still work. You can go off to deal with Hanadagi. I'll go get Kain and Aidou-"

"You will not," Kaname's eyes were wide, shocked by Zero, although Zero could barely understand why that was.

He raised an eyebrow at Kaname, "We really need to talk about this 'ordering people about' thing, Kaname. It may work with some people, but you know it won't work with me-"

"This isn't about me controlling you, Zero. This is about your safety, and you promised me you'd stay by my side," Kaname snapped, storming over to stand a little further apart from Zero. How ironic.

Zero didn't let him get far, following him stubbornly.

"What, you want me to follow you everywhere?" He also saw the irony of his own words, but shrugged them off, "What's the point of me coming here if I'm totally useless?"

"You weren't meant to come here," Kaname muttered. Zero almost rolled his eyes when he saw Kaname was almost sulking again.

"What's the plan, Kaname?" Ruka urged, joining them. Kaname actually glared at her, for no apparent reason.

"We've already discussed it. You'll stay here, command the recruits," he told Ruka. "We can take Rima with us," Kaname told Zero, "And you will stay with me,"

Zero scowled but nodded reluctantly, "I'm going to go get a gun. One of them will have one, won't they?" he gestured to the recruits, who were watching him warily, most likely wondering who the hell he was. Kaname nodded, glancing to Rima behind Zero. She swiftly took Zero's arm and went to help him retrieve some weapons from the recruits (who were not likely to part with them for a stranger without her presence).

Ruka shifted her hands to rest on her hips, glaring at Kaname. She still wasn't happy with the fact that she had to stay as a reserve, and not go save her friends herself. But her glare smoothed over as she saw how worried Kaname was.

Not many people knew that the more emotionless Kaname appeared, the more his emotions were getting the better of him. She knew how ruthlessly he had practised hiding his emotions from his face, since he believed (for some reason) that they would show his weaknesses. From her experience with Kaname, she could pick out the squeaky sound of the soles of his shoes pressing against the grass as he stopped himself from pacing again.

"What are you thinking about, Kaname?"

He jerked, clearly he had been lost in his thoughts and she'd startled him.

"I'm feeling the border. It is very different to how it was before. It's sturdier, hostile," Kaname breathed deeply, "He's here,"

Ruka's heart began pounding. Rido was here. He was in the castle.

"Ruka, your job is not only back-up, I hope you know,"

She blinked, looking at him questionably.

"If you see anyone running out of the castle, it is your duty to catch them. Bind them and take them to HQ,"

Ruka nodded. They would be taking hostages then. From the look in Kaname's eye, she knew the hostages would be for interrogation mainly, some for execution, some for meaningless torture, depending on the outcome of the day. Kaname would need to take his wrath out on something, or someone, and it would be better if an enemy he could deal with it rather than a friend.

That was the bitter, heartless way of war.

"Also, if we do require back-up, it will be Rima who will send the signal," he pointed at the sky. Ruka nodded, understanding what he meant. Rima would use her lightning. "If we aren't out by noon, then you will come in and back us up, but everything will be finished by tonight,"

By that, he meant she was tasked with getting the recruits to speed things up if the battle was taking longer than usual.

"Kaname," she began, placing a hand on his, "Is this the start of the war?"

"No, the war has already begun," he said, shaking her off, "Come, we must get started,"