Senri had previously contemplated motives for approaching Shiro as he had. He was still curious as to what caused the marks on her wrist, and he wanted to find out. As they sat there, talking about nothing in particular in favor of establishing familiarity between them, Senri edged closer and closer to Shiro. He threw his arm around the back of the couch above her shoulders to allow him closer. He needed to see her wrist. Soon enough he found her to be leaning into him, and, oddly pleased with the outcome, he slowly reached for her wrist.
"Senri, what are you doing?" she asked abruptly, moving her hand away from his impending grasp. Senri stopped short and looked at her blankly.
"I want to see your hand," he said simply. Shiro raised one eyebrow and reluctantly placed her hand in his outstretched one. An odd request, she thought. Senri turned her palm over in his grip and spied the bite marks. Bingo.
"Who bit you?" he asked. Shiro grimaced at the question and shrank away from him. Senri, however, had other plans. He motioned for Rima to block her path of escape from him. With the help of Rima, he caged Shiro in between them on the couch and forced her to look him in the eye. She was afraid, he deduced from the look in her blue eyes, but of what?
"What are you talking about?" she chuckled nervously, trying to evade his gaze, but in vain. "I haven't been bitten."
"Who bit you?" Senri urged again. His voice did not rise, nor did he move to threaten her as any other vampire would have, but he merely intensified the effect of his gaze. His stone blue eyes could intimidate anyone with their intense absence. Shiro hesitated, and eventually gave in.
"I bit myself," she replied in a small voice. It was not entirely a lie; technically she had bitten herself. Senri was perplexed; she bit herself? What kind of human would do such a stupid thing? And what for – what did she stand to gain?
Senri let go of her hand and took her chin in his forefinger and thumb instead. He searched her eyes for any hint of mistruth, but found none.
"Why? You're not even a vampire; why do such a thing?" It was the next question that begged an answer. Shiro moved away from his touch and established some room away from him. She had stupidly allowed Senri to affect her so, and had nearly sacrificed her secret to him because of it. It would not happen again. If Senri and Rima discovered too much, they would lose their lives to Kuro's hand.
"I was curious," she replied. A futile excuse: hollow and unconvincing. Senri frowned. It was a lie, obviously.
"No you weren't. Why?" he called. Shiro jumped as Rima's hands gripped her shoulders.
"Tell us the truth," the latter pressed. Shiro cringed and wriggled out of her grip. She didn't want to tell them, she didn't want them to die because of it. Where was Kuro?
At that moment, Kuro threw the doors open and stormed towards them. He grabbed Shiro's arm and pulled her away from Senri and Rima, glaring at the both of them. Shiro had been so loud in her thoughts that Kuro had heard them, an unusual feat considering that their thoughts were one of the only aspects that were kept private between them.
"What were you doing to my sister?" he growled furiously. He was angry with them for alienating his sister and nearly forcing her to give up their secret. Kuro's eyes burned red with fury as his power began to summon around him. Telekinesis.
"She claims to have bit herself," Senri replied, unfazed by Kuro's impending wrath. He had seen worse from Kaname. But what Senri did not know was that Kuro was the perfect opposite of his sister, and the only thing opposite of a hunter was a pureblood.
"Stop Kuro. Do not expose your power now. You'll destroy the mansion," Shiro warned. Do not expose our secret, she meant. But Kuro could not calm himself. He exuded fury and power, and soon Senri and Rima were surrounded by the ominous aura of majesty – the very kind that radiated from Kaname.
"No…" Rima murmured. "It can't be!"