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Bloody Nurse

Chapter 17

Aidou paced the length of the corridor leading to his bedroom. For all his hard work and subsequent punishment, there was very little he accomplished. And he wasn't thrilled about that.

He lifted his head and saw Kain walking towards him. He frowned.

"Hanabusa," Kain said in greeting.

Aidou only lifted his chin proudly, turned on his heel and began waling away.

Kain sighed and scratched at the back of his neck. "You're still mad about that, huh."

"Of course I'm mad!" Aidou spat, spinning around to face the other vampire. "You left me hanging in there for thirty hours!"

Kain lifted his hands in a placating manner. "What did you want me to do, go against his orders?"

Aidou stomped his foot. "No! I… Urg!" he got out, starting to walk away again, only to turn back around. "I don't know," he spat.

"Maybe you should have figured that out before getting angry with me."

"It's just…" he looked to the side, chewing at his lip. He sighed dramatically, reached over and grabbed Kain by the upper arm. "Come on," he said, dragging his friend towards their bedroom door. He pushed him inside, looked both ways around the corridor, then ducked inside the room and closed the door behind them.

Kain regarded him quizzically. "You're acting weirder than usual," he observed.

Aidou walked over to his bed and sank onto the edge of the mattress. "Yeah, well, I have my reasons," he said, staring at the floor.

Kain put his hands in his pockets and leaned his back against the wall. "Care to share?"

Aidou sighed again. "I'm getting to that."

"Does it have anything to do with the stunt you pulled with Yuuki Cross the other night?"

Aidou scrubbed his hands over his face. "It has everything to do with that," he admitted.

A pause.

"Don't tell me," Kain began, "you're in love with – "

"No!" Aidou whipped his head up to look at his friend in alarm. "Absolutely not! For crying out loud, what gave you that idea?!"

"Well, it would explain at least some of your stupidity regarding your evening trysts with her…" he trailed off.

Aidou sent him an icy glare.

Kain lifted a fiery eyebrow in response.

After a beat, Aidou sighed again and leaned back until he was lying flat on his back on top of the covers.

"Akatsuki, have you ever wondered about their relationship?" he asked, staring at the ceiling.

Kain cocked his head to the side. "You mean Kaname's relationship with the Chairman's daughter?"

"Yeah…"

Kain seemed to think about it. "Not particularly. He saved her from a rogue vampire and brought her to the Chairman when she was but a child. I suppose he saw her often, while working on creating this joined Academy. In a way, she represents what he and the Chairman always strove for, doesn't she – for vampires and humans to get along, to co-exist peacefully. He saved her life and showed her kindness. It's not difficult to guess why she'd admire him for that."

Aidou was still lying on his back, arms spread wide. "That's what I thought, too. But then I really thought about it – why would a pureblooded noble, the king of purebloods, be interested in the life of one human girl?"

Kain shrugged his shoulders. "He saved her life."

"Yeah, yeah, I know," Aidou said impatiently, waving a hand in the air. "But I'm willing to bet she's not the only one he ever saved, not the only victim of this endless war between our species that ever crossed his path. So, why her?"

Aidou sat back up and continued. "And then, almost two weeks ago, the blood-call. It's something so rare, so beyond our own will… What were the chances that Kaname would find that in her? Why now?" he asked, looking at Kain.

Kain shrugged again. "Blood-call only happens when both parties are mature."

Aidou got to his feet quickly. "Sure, yeah, we all know that, but what's the probability of it happening between a pureblood a random human? The only human he dotes on, no less?"

Kain thought it over. "We were all told that the blood-call cannot be created, influenced, or ignored. Not consciously. Their long-term proximity would not have been an important factor. So the probability of it happening between them was…"

"Exactly," Aidou said, walking towards a window. "So low it shouldn't have even existed."

Kain pushed away from the wall and crossed his arms. "What are you implying, Hanabusa?"

Aidou leaned his forehead against the window pane. "They must be connected, somehow."

Kain remained silent behind him.

"I'm trying to find out how."

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Yuuki sat in the middle of Kaname's enormous bed, dressed in one of his crimson shirts, the black silk sheets pulled up over her crossed legs. She was alone. For now.

After Kaname left her in the closet to get dressed by herself, something she was incredibly grateful for, given the recent development of his behavior, she gave herself a little pep talk.

Make memories. Take what you can get. Be selfish. Grateful, but selfish. Come Monday, everything will return to normal.

When she walked out into the bedroom, Kaname was nowhere to be found. She turned off the closet light, closed the door behind her, and climbed onto the bed.

Sitting there alone, everything that happened since the moment she woke up had a dream quality to it. None of the things she witnessed seemed real. She never imagined seeing Kaname in such situations. It was bizarre, but true. She's never given much thought to his bathing rituals or shampoo preferences, never pictured him walking into a closet each evening, choosing an outfit for himself. It made him appear more approachable. More…

Human.

Not so different from her after all.

Suddenly, she heard the door opening and turned her head to see Kaname walking in with a tray full of food in his hands. As he reached the bed, the door quietly shut behind him, as if an invisible butler was waiting around to do just that.

His powers. Here was the reminder that they were indeed from two very different worlds.

She sensed Kaname placing the tray on the bed, straightening back up, and looking down at her.

Yuuki tore her eyes away from the door and surveyed the food. She could see a towering stack of buttered waffles, an assortment of fresh fruit and berries, a bowl of white yoghurt, a pitcher of orange juice, a pot of tea, and two teacups and glasses.

Yuuki's mouth watered.

She swallowed and said, "That looks amazing."

She lifted her head to smile at him in gratitude, only to see him frowning down at her. Her smile wavered. "What's wrong?"

Kaname closed his eyes, sighed through his nose, and walked towards the bathroom.

Yuuki watched him in confusion, noticing he was dressed in an indigo shirt and black pants, and that he was, again, barefoot.

When he walked back into the bedroom, he was holding one of the red towels. He made his way back towards the bed, sat on the edge of the mattress and reached around Yuuki with the towel, draping it over her shoulders.

"Are you trying to make yourself sick again?" he murmured, freeing her hair from beneath the towel, and began pressing the damp ends with the terrycloth.

Yuuki sat still but rolled her eyes at him.

He gave her a meaningful look and continued drying her hair.

She closed her eyes and imagined Kaname blow-drying his own hair, in slow motion.

She snorted.

"I'm glad I amuse you."

She opened her eyes and found quiet humor in his. She smiled.

Kaname's eyes fell to her lips at the movement. "Are you hungry?" he asked distractedly, leaving the towel around her shoulders.

Yuuki vigorously nodded her head and turned away from him, evading his gaze. "Very much," she got out and reached over to slide the tray of food towards her.

Kaname climbed onto the bed beside her, reached for the pitcher and poured them two glasses of juice.

"Did you make this?" she asked, popping a stray blueberry into her mouth, savoring the rich taste.

"No," he chuckled, "I ordered."

"Huh. That's definitely an option we don't have at the Sun dorms – oh, they forgot the cutlery."

"I hadn't requested any," he said by means of explanation.

Yuuki clicked her tongued in fake disappointment. "Well. The room service has room for improvement then."

Kaname chuckled again. "There's no need for improvement, they followed my instructions perfectly," he said reaching for a waffle, tearing off a piece, dipping it into the yoghurt, and lifting it towards Yuuki's mouth.

Yuuki blinked at the offered piece in confusion.

"Open, Yuuki."

Her eyes widened and she shot him a glare. "I hope you do- mmm!"

Kaname's eyes danced with mischief.

"What are you doing?" she managed to say over the mouthful, holding a hand in front of her mouth to sustain some level of decency.

"Feeding you," he replied calmly, reaching for an apple slice.

Yuuki chewed quickly and swallowed. As he lifted the morsel towards her again, she grabbed his wrist. "You really don't have to do that, I'm not an invalid."

Kaname leaned closer to her. "What if I told you it's something I've wanted to do for a very long time, would you let me feed you then?" He stared at her lips again and she hoped to anyone or anything listening there wasn't yogurt on her face.

"You've fed me before," he added after a beat. "To quote your own words, would you let me reciprocate?"

Yuuki tightened her grip on his wrist. "That's not… That was a necessity – "

"Don't you need to eat?"

Yuuki peered up at him. He seemed very determined. Ridiculous, but determined. Her eyes dropped to his lips this time.

Make memories, make memories, make memories.

"On one condition," she said, reaching over with her free hand and plucking a strawberry from the fruit bowl. She boldly brought it up to his lips and waited.

Kaname regarded her silently for a while, but then, without averting his gaze, he parted his lips and bit off half of the strawberry. He chewed thoughtfully, swallowed, and leaned forward again to accept the rest.

One of Yuuki's fingertips accidentally grazed against his lip in the process. Her only thought was that she might have bitten off more than she could chew. No pun intended.

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They silently took turns feeding the other until all the plates were cleared. Yuuki noted, to her amazement, that she didn't blush once throughout the endeavor. She gave herself a mental pat on the back and looked at her fingers smeared with butter and bits of fruit. Yet another line crossed, one she didn't even know existed.

With her peripheral vision, she saw a hand reaching forward and taking one of her hands by the wrist. She followed their joined hands with her gaze as he pulled them forward. Before she could even blink, he adjusted his hold and brought one of her fingers towards his –

"W-wait! What do you think you're doing?" she asked in a panicked voice.

He paused at her outburst. "Cleaning," he replied evenly.

"Oh no, I don't think so," she exclaimed with disbelief in her voice.

"It seems our opinions differ on that matter."

"Wait," she said again, almost reaching out with her other hand to stop him but thought better of it, not wanting to get anything dirty.

He parted his lips again, pulling her hand closer.

Yuuki acted.

In a show of impressive dexterity, she quickly detangled her legs from the sheets and planted one bare foot in the center of Kaname's chest, pushing against him. "I said, wait!"

Kaname's eyebrows lifted in surprise.

"You're crossing too many lines here, too quickly. I can't… keep up," she huffed out. "I'm trying my best not to feel embarrassed but you're making that increasingly more difficult with every step you take. I… We can't do this. It's not necessary, not worth it, because come Monday… Come Monday, I'll return to being a guardian keeping the Day Class students in line and you'll return to being…you, with your own set of responsibilities, so going through this," she jutted her chin in the direction of their joined hands, "will have been completely pointless, and useless, and just another thing we'll have to hide…"

Kaname stared at her, all traces of humor gone from his eyes, lowering their hands from before his face.

"Come Monday?" he echoed calmly, placing his other hand over the top of her foot, anchoring it firmly against his chest. "You seem to be operating under the misguided impression that there is an alternative universe you can return to."

Yuuki tried pulling both her foot and her hand out of his grasp, to no avail, almost losing her balance in the process.

"It might seem sudden and foreign to you, Yuuki, but believe me, there are thoughts I've been entertaining for a long time, not making them a reality in fear of bursting the protective cocoon I've helped spinning around you, however I've changed my mind and I'm willing to cross every single line, as you put it. With the blood-call incident, I was already decided, even before you got sick, even before you were awakened to the pull of blood yourself."

Yuuki didn't understand what he was saying. Being on the receiving end of info dumps has never been her forte. "What cocoon? What do you mean you decided…?" She stared at him apprehensively.

He let go of her hand and instead took hold of her other ankle. Pulling both of her legs around his waist swiftly, Yuuki suddenly found herself straddling his lap, elbows braced against his shoulders, keeping her still dirty hands rigid behind him, stupidly refusing to stain his pristine shirt.

As if he deserved that consideration.

Her mouth hung open with evident surprise, her eyes level with his.

He didn't say anything, only gazed into her eyes.

She was sure she had questions, she should have questions, but again she was thwarted by her brain's inability to function in close proximity to the pureblood. She felt his hands resting at the small of her back, gentle but immovable.

"Kaname-sama…" she whispered, urging her brain to come up with some reasonable response to his actions.

Hearing his name, Kaname sighed softly, closed his eyes, and leaned his forehead against hers.

Yuuki remembered this. She remembered this from before, when she was much younger. Kaname used to lean his forehead against hers, patting her hair gently in the process. But, the way he was holding her now was vastly different…

Her heartbeat sped up, bringing at last warmth to her cheeks and ears. She too closed her eyes and listened to her heart thumping against her ribcage. Staying still and silent like that, she could have sworn her heart had an audible echo. No, it was a different rhythm. A different… heart. She could hear two hearts beating, one fast and urgent, the other strong and steady. Kaname's heartbeat?

She opened her eyes and looked down at the expanse of pale skin that was revealed at the unbuttoned collar of Kaname's shirt. Her focus sharpening, she could see a soft throb beneath the skin. Yuuki swallowed against the sudden tightness in her throat. It felt as if she was going to cry, but she didn't feel sad, only confused. And wanting. Wanting what?

Mad with thirst…what does it feel like?

Her own thoughts from a few days ago flew back into the forefront of her mind. She always wondered about it when Zero needed her blood.

Drinking what you desire so much…what does it feel like?

Yuuki's eyelids lowered and her lips parted in anticipation. Of what? Her throat hurt again. She wanted… the pain to stop. She couldn't think, couldn't…

Think. Think, dammit. Questions, you have questions…

Yuuki swallowed against the pain again.

"Kaname…sama…?"

Kaname shifted his head to the side and brought his nose to the collar of her borrowed shirt. "Hmm?"

Yuuki's throat felt like sandpaper.

"What…what does it feel like to be drinking blood?" she asked, her eyes widening in alarm. That was not what was supposed to come out.

At her question, Kaname stilled all of his movements. After a couple of tense seconds, he pulled back and regarded her face silently.

"S-sorry," Yuuki hedged quietly. "I don't know why… You don't have to answer that…"

Kaname took a deep breath. "I don't mind the question," he said on an exhale. "However I feel ill-equipped for giving a satisfying answer."

"Oh," Yuuki said in a subdued manner.

Kaname tilted his head to the side, thinking it over. "There's nothing I could liken it to that you'd be familiar with. All the commonplace and generalized imagery applies, of course – that it is like being left without sustenance for days on end and then finding yourself at a banquet where only your favorite food and drinks are being served… However, craving blood is no ordinary hunger or thirst… It is a craving so deeply engraved into our existence, a beast in its own right, which demands a…a connection of sorts. As if the beast is lonely beyond belief but suddenly, blood is the language that calms it, nourishes it, brings it relief. I told you before, we never drink our own blood as it brings no satisfaction what so ever. It would be like talking to yourself in the mirror…" he trailed off, frowning at his own explanation.

Yuuki suppressed a shiver at a flashback to her own nightmare and thought about his words. "Is that why the one taking the blood can see inside the one who's giving it? Because it is also a kind of communication?"

Kaname's frown deepened. "So, Kiryuu did manage to find the time to share this bit of information during one of his…visits?" The iciness in his voice was unmistakable.

Yuuki took that as a yes and quickly tried steering the conversation in a different direction. "Earlier you mentioned something…a blood-call?" She watched his eyelids slowly droop down as he shifted his gaze towards the collar of her shirt again.

"Yes," he said after a moment.

"What is it?" she prompted when he didn't go on.

"It is what we call…what you were forced to witness here not long ago. An obsession with the blood of…one particular person," he explained hesitantly.

Yuuki blinked at the uncharacteristic hesitation. "Oh. Does that happen often?"

"It is rather rare, in fact."

"Ok…" she said slowly. "And why does it happen?"

His hands shifted at her back but he didn't answer.

"Kaname…?"

"It happens only between individuals that had both reached maturity."

That didn't really answer her question. "Ok, but why? What does it mean when that happens? Why did it happen to you?" Perhaps that could answer some of the strange thoughts she'd been having lately…and dreams.

But Kaname leaned his forehead against hers again and said, "I won't answer that."

Before she could protest, he added, "Yet."

Yuuki wanted to groan in exasperation. "Then when?"

"When you are ready."

"I'm ready now."

"You are not."

"Am too."

"Yuuki."

This time, she did groan. "No, stop babying me!"

"I'm not – "

"Yes you are! 'Yuuki's not ready for this, Yuuki wouldn't handle that.' Such rubbish! You, Zero, the Chairman too… I'm a guardian! So stop treating me like a child, I don't like it –"

Kaname silenced her rant very effectively.

When his lips pulled away from hers, Yuuki stared at him wide-eyed, in blatant incredulousness.

"I do not," Kaname murmured, "treat you like a child."

After that, he leaned forward and pressed his lips back to hers.

His clean pristine silk shirt be damned.

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A/N: Let's all sigh it out: Finally.

A huge THANK YOU goes to everyone who stuck with this story even after my endless break. And a huge WELCOME goes to all of the new readers this story for some reason attracted. (It's because of Kaname, isn't it. He does the attracting well.)

I've received some questions regarding Yuuki's human/vamp situation. I'd hate to reveal too much in one go, but I can tell you that the version of her being a vampire-turned-human with no recollection of her past still stands.

Any mistakes? Faults? Errors? Let me know.

As I said once before, I learn from them. My level of English still isn't where I want it to be, but I'm trying.

Take care,

Matylda