Akane was spared company for the entirety of Tuesday and left alone all Wednesday morning and most of the afternoon, but at 4:15 p.m. Aido knocked on her door. There was no response to his calls, no reassurance was offered for his concerns, but he left her, regret still weighing heavily on his heart. All remained quiet for Akane until, in the early hours of Thursday morning, as the Night Class returned from their night at school, Aido knocked again. Once again, he went unanswered.
The girl hadn't left her room since Ichijo had left her there and could think of no valid reason to leave it. Hunger didn't bother her anymore. she hadn't felt the need to use the toilet yet and even if she could do with a shower, she just couldn't pull herself from the warmth and comfort of her blankets and pillows. Although, the bags under her eyes as she stared listlessly at the ceiling dried tear tracks down the side of her face and a few forgotten books on the bedside, table that had failed to distract her from her grief, showed the bed had been little help in lulling her to sleep.
The thirst, however, was a now, familiar ache seeming to come from the very pit of her soul. Even with the blood tablets taking away the need to feed, the want for blood, his blood, was always at the front of her mind. She just couldn't shake it! It'd been thick, and warm, like gooey hot chocolate, filling her far more completely than a good meal ever had. Like she'd been an empty vessel all her life and had finally known what being filled felt like after drinking his blood. It had consumed her!
Akane had caught herself, on more than one occasion, basking in the memory of his blood that had cooled her sore throat, how blissful jolts of energy had coursed through every nerve in her body. She'd had to restrain herself from shivering in pleasure at the mere thought of it. It had been an exhilarating experience.
The taste of Kaname's blood had been strong, like a stiff drink. It hadn't been an overly bitter taste but possessed not a hint of sweetness. She could liken it more to biting into an overly ripe plum rather than a juicy strawberry, not that his blood had tasted like either. It was a difficult thing to put into words.
Akane remembered being anchored to his wrist as if there wasn't a force on Earth that could drag her away. It had terrified her the moment the thought had surfaced. From the moment that first drop of blood had touched her tongue, she'd fought the feeling. Her head had swum disorentatingly after she was finally able to wrench herself away, but the rush from his blood had only increased, coursing through her veins like a speeding train. She'd had to screw her eyes shut for fear of throwing up at the disorientating feeling.
She'd barely heard Kaname's concerned voice at her ear. But, from the moment she'd opened her eyes, her senses had been bombarded. Every scent, every sound, every tiny twinkle from the light bouncing in through the window, all of it had suffocated her. For Akane, agonising minutes went by before she could open her streaming eyes again, finding Kaname kneeling beside the couch, worry etched across his handsome face.
She'd been staring into his rich-brown eyes when a sudden and almost overwhelming urge to flee compelled her to move away from him. A quivering hand had risen, reaching out for help to stand, knowing she would have fallen had she tried to scramble to the door alone.
"How do you feel?" The gentle tone and concerned expression caused an unwelcome flutter in Akane's heart, but the fleeting sensation was railroaded by the need to be out of that room, and away from the Pureblood. He's dangerous! She'd nodded, not trusting her voice, not even sure she could use it at that moment, as she was so overwhelmed.
Kaname had guided her gently to her feet and waited until she stood steady before walking her to the door. He held one of her trembling arms in one hand while his other wound around her back, ready to catch her should she fall.
"Aido will be your guide through your integration into The Night Class, but I wish for you to feel you can come to me if you want to," he'd said earnestly, as he opened the door.
Akane's eyes focused quickly, as her other senses built and surpassed her Human levels within minutes, and just kept building. So, when the door opened on Ichijo, still waiting patiently to take Akane to her room, she'd had to stop herself from flinching. She'd known he was stood there she'd smelled him. The door had provided a barrier, but no longer. His scent and those from all the Vampires inside the dorm were so strong, so intense, that it made her nauseous. God! I'm gonna be sick on his shoes! She'd fretted at the time.
"This is Takuma Ichijo, he's the Vice-President of The Moon Dorms. If you need anything and are unable to go to Aido or myself, Takuma will be more than happy to help," Kaname supplied as he handed her over to the cheery blond. "He'll show you to your room. Good night, Miss Nakamura." She'd nodded, gingerly accepting the arm Ichijo held out for her and shakily stepped up to him. He easily held her upright even with her unstable legs, as her queasiness only increased, but she forced her stomach to cooperate.
"Ready to go, Miss Nakamura?" Ichijo's happy smile and too loud call weren't helping her mood or throbbing head, but she accepted his help as he walked her away, where she could practically feel Kaname's eyes boring into her back. It was petrifying! Her senses had been returning, re-booting themselves, along with something else, something she shouldn't have.
She remembered turning her head slowly, looking back at the Vampire that had turned her, her Master. Their eyes had locked, and at that moment, with Ichijo explaining about the classes Akane would be attending, once she was ready for school, she knew, Kaname Kuran was terrifying.
Akane had quickly focused her attention back on the energetic Vampire, enduring Kaname's eyes until they turned a corner. That entire meeting had consumed her every waking thought. No matter what she did to try and block it out, whether it be with books, or just tried to grieve, that moment, when their eyes had locked, remained in sharp focus.
A sudden, insistent knocking at her door startled her out of her musings. She lay on her bed, clutching a pillow to her chest and stared at the door blankly. The knocking was still going, far more impatient than any of the earlier interruptions had been, accompanied by an aggravated voice that had Akane's expression darkening and her mood souring.
"Nakamura! Open the damn door, or I'm coming in!" Aido threatened, growling at received no reply, again. He ground his teeth and balled his fist as he banged on and yelled at the girl on the other side of the wooden barrier once again. "I mean it, Nakamura! I'll open this door and drag you out if I have…" A pat on his shoulder broke his passionate declaration.
Aido spun on Ichijo with a scowl. The older Vampire's expression only served to deepen his glare. He wore a placating grin while patting his shoulder again in a condescendingly assuring manner. He gently nudged Aido out of the way and lightly rapped his knuckles against the door.
"Miss Nakamura? It's Takuma. Is it alright if I come in?" Silence, then the lock on the door clicked. Ichijo turned to Aido with a triumphant smile, receiving an angry grimace in reply.
Akane sighed at realising Ichijo had now, joined Aido in his attempt to coax her from her room. Standing from the bed, she ambled to the door, sighing again to prepare herself for seeing him again, then reached up and unlocked the door. It didn't open right away and Akane wasn't going to stand and wait for them so climbed back onto her bed and settled herself into the corner furthest from the door, as the Vampires stepped into the room.