The sunlight was abrasive and inescapable. The merciless light half-blinded him, causing him to squinch his eyes in discomfort. It was afternoon and the sun had already reached its pinnacle overhead hours ago, but despite the approaching evening Senri could scarcely see through his watering, raw eyes. Hunched in the shadow against a street lamp, he leaned as far away as he could from the solar onslaught, longingly picturing his dorm room. He hadn't slept very well this morning, and he could feel the fatigue inching up and clouding his brain.
"Shiki-kun, let's go." The vice president´s voice roused him from his half-conscious state. "It went this way."
Sighing, the model followed obediently. Why did he have to accompany Ichijou? There were other vampires, ones better acclimated to hunting Level E´s, that could have done this. Instead, he and his overly cheerful friend had been ordered by none other than Kaname Kuran himself to hunt out the Level E that was running rampant in the town. It was altogether too much of a hassle. He wanted to return to bed and escape the harsh rays of the sun that stabbed needles into his eyes.
"Here, come on," Ichijou urged and he forced his feet onward, rounding a corner. "It's close."
Great, he thought. The sooner they were finished here, the sooner he could go back to bed.
Veering off into a narrow alley, Senri watched a whir of brown fabric and snarling teeth speed down the road away towards two people, one with the distinct scent of a vampire. Senri thought there was something familiar about their scents... Before he could focus on them, however, the Level E attacked. The action happened too fast for his weary brain to register. Before he could move to defend them, a blur of silver sparkled through the offensive sunlight, and the taller of the two victims was shielding the smaller from the Level E with a long metal staff. Immediately, Ichijou intervened, stepping forward and slashing through the gibbering vampire before them. The Level E's brown-clad form began to dissolve into ash that floated away with the breeze, and as it cleared the model realized that the school prefects were the ones who had been attacked.
"Ah, you're Night Class Ichijou Takuma-senpai and Shiki Senri-senpai...!" Yuki exclaimed. "In this sort of place...?"
"It's finished," Ichijou stated, sheathing his unnecessary blade. Honestly he could have just used his vampiric powers, but for some reason he preferred the steel weapon to his own strength.
"You didn't need me at all..." Senri murmured, peeved. He imagined his lonely pillow and blankets awaiting him back at the dorm…
"Why would you come outside the academy to do this sort of thing?" Yuki asked, stepping forward curiously. As she did so, the soft wind brought with it the scent of blood.
"Yuki-chan, please, quickly go back to the academy and treat your wound. It'll excite our senses." Ichijou admonished. "Our noses are incredibly sensitive you know..."
Eyes tracking the growing blotch of crimson on her sleeve, Senri quickly honed in on the delectable scent. Yet, despite the tempting fragrance that assaulted his nostrils and his own vicious hunger, the model found himself distracted by the memory of electric dahlias, instead… He forced his gaze away from the wound, demanding his fangs to retract before either Ichijou or the guardian noticed. He abruptly felt as though he was starving, yet… It was not Yuki Cross´ blood that tested his control.
"Ah...sorry. Such matters...and this vampire in particular...I guess there are still a mountain of things I don't know about." Yuki covered her injury with a hand in an entirely futile gesture, though it was unlikely she knew that.
"Hmm, in that case, why don't you come to my birthday party?" Ichijou asked easily, and the model shot him a sidelong, aggravated look. Ichijou had a bad habit of throwing lavish and nonsensical celebrations for his birthday, but to invite a human to a vampire celebration seemed like the worst idea the vice president had entertained to date.
"What?" Yuki looked puzzled.
"We're celebrating tonight outside the dorm this evening after class. Drop by and I'll try to answer some of your questions then. If it's under Kaname's supervision, I think it will be okay."
"O-okay," she acquiesced hesitantly.
"Great! I can't wait!" The blond grinned at the prefect and waved brightly before gesturing to Senri to follow as they began to retrace their steps.
"Why did you do that?" Senri demanded once they were safely out of earshot.
"It must be hard for Yuki-chan...that's what I think." The vice president shrugged.
"Hard or not…it´s irresponsible to invite her." He sighed. Of all people, he shouldn´t have to scold Ichijou.
"It will be fun," his friend countered.
"Sure." His tone was laced with sarcasm. "I guess she´ll take the place of your cake this year?"
"Shiki-kun! No one will harm her. At least, not with Kaname watching."
"Sure," he repeated, unconvinced.
Although uneasy by the prospect of having a human attend this evening's celebration, the mahogany-haired vampire quickly forgot his preoccupations with every step that brought him back towards the dorms. His bed was beckoning, singing a lullaby that drowned out every other thought. He idly counted the steps it took to return to campus. He couldn't wait to fall back asleep...
Rima gazed around the elaborate banquet prepared for Ichijou's birthday. It was all...so very troublesome. Her own birthdays came and went without remark or celebration, and that was how she preferred them. Although, she knew the blond vice president felt entirely the opposite. Swirling her glass of champagne, the model thought longingly of her bed and sketchbook. She wanted to finish the design she'd been working on for a new dress...
"The prefects..." Beside her, Shiki glanced off through the darkened trees. A moment later, she picked up the approaching scents. What were they doing here? Surely Ichijou hadn't been misguided enough to invite the ex-human and the annoying Yuki Cross...
"Are they coming?" Rima asked, not bothering enough to turn around and look for herself.
"To do what?" Shiki mumbled. "They shouldn't be here."
The blond model shrugged. At least, their presence would be...interesting. A vampire party seemed dreadfully boring after all, especially as all of the guests were noble and adhered fairly strictly to the politics of their society. Rima herself despised all of the soirees and social events she was forced to attend, although she knew Ruka in particular would have disagreed until she was blue in the face.
"Over here. Vice President Ichijou, I brought two people here," Kain's deep voice rumbled, and Rima turned to see the vice president exuberantly greeting the prefects.
"You came, Yuki and Kiryuu-san. Tonight is my birthday party! Isn't it fun?" Ichijou gestured grandly around at the celebration. Rima rolled her eyes. Fun, yes. If one considered a political night of food, drink, and pureblood supervision to be fun...
"Well... May I know how old you are?" the Cross girl asked, obviously ill-at-ease. Rima couldn't blame her. She was, after all, the only human in a vampire congregation...and her scent was rather appealing, besides. Fortunately for the petite girl, all of the Night Class were well-fed on the repulsive tablets.
"How old...in terms of human years or vampire years?" Ichijou-kun inquired.
"Vam...vampire?" Cross-san was at a loss.
"I'm 18 already, I'm an adult now. So, for a present I'll accept Yuki's kiss." The vice-president winked.
"An old pervert to the core..." Shiki muttered.
"He wasn't ever intending to tell her how old he actually is..." Rima mused, sipping her champagne with vague amusement.
"Ah? Oh, I didn't come here to play! I'm here as a prefect to ask about what happened earlier tonight! I still cannot pretend nothing has happened, leaving school grounds is against school rules... No, compared to this..." Yuki Cross trailed off, frowning.
"About that vampire... It's alright, ask away. Everyone here already knows about this," Ichijou said.
"Is this about that Level E?" Rima asked.
Shiki nodded. "Ichijou-kun thought she should know more because of Kiryuu..."
The model glanced at the hunter. He seemed to be in full control of himself now, but how long would that last? Without pureblood, Level E's quickly descended into madness. Regardless, she didn't think it was necessary to bring the prefects here tonight. She didn't understand her friend. And, listening to him drone on about the vampire pyramid, she felt abruptly uninterested in the celebration.
"Is this a birthday party or a lecture?" she muttered, placing her empty glass down on a table and sighing.
Shiki shrugged noncommittally, eyes slate grey and unfocused. Lips arcing downward, Rima observed her fellow model for a moment. He hadn't touched a morsel of food tonight, either, except the tidbits she'd passed to him, and even his champagne was scarcely sipped. The muted golden light from the candles and lanterns decorating the area illuminated the contours of his face, and she was stricken again by just how shallow and flat his eyes could be. Even though she knew it was not always so. Even though she had spied other emotions concealed and glimmering there, like hoarded jewels, beneath the lackluster surface. Even though, occasionally, just every once in a while, she caught the blue flicker of emotion there. Those emotions, however, precious and infrequent as they were, never lingered, and cold apathy always rose up to snuff them out again within the blink of an eye. Those glimpses of sapphire, of aquamarine, of azure, they captured her interest in spite of herself.
Reflexively, she passed him a tiny sandwich, which he automatically, mechanically consumed. He was distracted, somewhere far away, and the downpour of grey in his eyes shut her out. She wanted to catch that spark of blue igniting there again, wanted to draw out the smile he had shared with her exactly once. And she had to admit, Senri Shiki wasn't as boring as she'd originally assumed. He was a puzzle box she struggled to solve, and that made him undeniably fascinating, if sometimes frustrating. Certainly, his daily monotony was disappointing, but the bursts of color he showed her were captivating. He was a contradiction and a mystery, albeit a worrisome one, as he wouldn't feed himself properly. With that thought, she passed him a second sandwich.
Her thoughts were abruptly interrupted by the arrival of a sudden, delectable scent that heavily infused the air, dragging down through her nostrils and inflating her lungs. The entire assembly shifted, and immediately dozens of pairs of eyes were trained on a dark, regal figure who had exited the Night Dorm and stood before them on the porch. Kaname Kuran. What a surprise. He usually observed the events from his bedroom, which was honestly where Rima preferred him to stay. Beneath his scrutiny, the atmosphere of party palpably shifted.
"I heard a report today that there was an E class vampire roaming outside. Ichijou and Shiki went to hunt him down at my order," Kaname-sama explained in a low voice, moving to sit on the chair that had been prepared for him on the off-chance that he would attend the banquet.
"Kaname-sama..." The murmur rose in unison from the nobility.
"Kaname-senpai!" Yuki Cross exclaimed in apparent delight.
"That Kaname-sama would actually appear at this meeting...what a rare sight..." Kain murmured.
Rima inspected the sandwich she'd chosen for herself. Actually, her family supported the council rather than the purebloods, although Rima didn't bother with politics. She respected both parties, although it was obvious that the majority, if not all, of the vampires here were in awe of their leader. He certainly emanated charisma and charm, and not just from the temptation of his blood. He was both royalty and the ultimate prey: a strangely compelling combination.
"Is he intending to eat her?" Rima asked idly as the pureblood pulled the prefect onto his lap.
Ichijou, overhearing this, muffled a laugh. "Rima-chan, this is your first year in the Night Class, but Kaname and Yuki-chan have a long history together."
The model raised an eyebrow and repeated her question, "So, is he going to eat her?"
"I think Yuki is the only human completely safe from Kaname," the vice president answered cryptically. A moment later, noting how the congregation had completely lost the sense of the party, he clapped his hands together loudly. "Okay. So mean of everyone to forget... Everyone is gathered here tonight to celebrate my birthday. We must enjoy ourselves properly!"
"Kaname-senpai, we're leaving," the Cross girl stated.
Immediately tuning out of the pureblood and prefect's interaction, she heard Shiki ask the vice president, "Such a big cake...sure you can eat it alone?" She turned to see her colleague eyeing the artfully frosted layers of the confection. It was a massive, multi-tiered affair that made Rima nauseous with a mere glance.
"Would you like to try it? This was made by everybody's effort," Ichijou proclaimed proudly, gesturing to the pasty.
"Let me have your hand, Ichijou-san," the model prompted, passing over the knife.
As the blade exchanged hands, however, the sharp edge must have snagged against the blond's skin, because within seconds Rima could smell the fresh summer flavor of Ichijou's blood. Immediately, all eyes were focused on him. "Ah...I cut myself..." The vice president frowned, though the wound was not deep and Rima knew it would be healed within a moment or two.
"No problem," Shiki commented casually, leaning in to lick the dark liquid from the blond´s fingers.
Rima froze. Her vision tunneled, focusing on the tongue and protruding fangs of her fellow model who showed no hesitation with his actions. His previously dreary eyes were slowly dissolving into hazy red, his expression unapologetic. It seemed obvious that he and the vice president had shared blood before, and that Ichijou's blood was far more appetizing to her coworker than it would ever be to her. But mostly her lungs had halted, her heartbeat had paused, because she was momentarily overcome by an unexpected, unwelcome spasm of jealousy. For a brief interval, she imagined those fangs at her throat, that tongue licking her blood, and then just as abruptly she crashed back to reality, stunned with herself and with the intensity of this new, unexpected emotion.
Through the static that filled her ears, she heard Ichijou ask, "You did it on purpose, right?"
"Eh?" Shiki straightened, seeming genuinely puzzled, even as the silver-haired hunter suddenly clutched at his throat and broke away from the celebration, leaving Yuki Cross behind.
"Zero?!" the tiny prefect cried, hurrying after him immediately.
"This definitely agitated him..." The vice president glanced down at his hand, finding it clean and healed already. "Well... Thanks for taking care of my wound, Shiki-kun. I didn't think it would turn out like this."
"You were bored to death in the first place," the mahogany-haired vampire observed dryly.
"No!" the blond denied.
But Rima had had enough. Peeved and throat constricted by sudden, undeniable thirst, Rima turned on her heel and strode away from the festivities.
Alone in the bathroom after the festivities had died down, the taste lingered there. Familiar, undesired, and unavoidable. Glancing up into the mirror, Senri recoiled back from the reflected image. The hollow, crimson eyes. The protracted fangs when he opened his mouth. Inhaling shakily, he squeezed his eyes shut desperately. Just a moment. That was all he needed to erase it again, this terrible bloodlust that gripped him.
He didn't need blood. Those chalky, vile tablets fulfilled that form of nourishment. Yet... Despite that...despite it...his entire body had gravitated towards the liquid the moment that first drop had broken the surface of Ichijou's skin. He didn't like the scent of the vice president's blood...didn't want it...but the result had been determined even before the serrated edge had sliced open his friend's skin.
And it had happened before. And it would happen again. Inevitably. He didn't crave Ichijou's blood. No... Drinking blood for a vampire was far more than a physical desire, and it was that emotional, psychological aspect of it that drove him into fits of bloodlust. It was that side of it that made him cringe away from his own reflection, because it was a sharp, undeniable contradiction to everything his mother wanted. She wanted him to remain empty and he tried, tried so very hard... But then the moments crept up and slid under his skin, slimy and sickly, and he felt alone. Alone, depressed, useless...and starving. Starving for something that before had been vague, shapeless, and now was beginning to take form. If he traced back along the lines of that hunger, if he squinted through the haze of numb darkness, he could begin to outline its form, and he felt as though he was at last stirring, waking up from deep slumber. But to do that would be to destroy both himself and his mother's happiness. He could not awaken. To preserve his mother, all that was required of him was to remain empty, to sustain her with his blood, to utilize his cursed body for profit by leaving himself on display for hours and hours. That was all, and the rest could be forgotten and thrown away.
Sinking down to the floor, Senri was grateful that Ichijou wouldn't be back for a while. He needed time to drive this hunger away. To drive away the specter of his father's ravenous shadow. Rido Kuran...he had perpetually hungered. Perpetually lusted. Perpetually driven himself into obsession and harmed all those around him. Even though Senri had never known his father, those same genetics infested him like a cancer. From his mother, too, the genes he had inherited...they were genes of madness.
Shutting his eyes, he willed himself back into apathy. It was difficult now, becoming increasingly so, the longer he was away from home, the more time he spent by Ichijou and Rima's sides... His fingers curled into a fist. Rima...he didn't want to think of her now. Not when he was trying to suppress his hunger, because her scent incited it and inflamed his throat. What would he have done if she had been the one with the knife..? What would he have done if it had been her blood that had been drawn? Would he have been able to hold himself back from biting her in front of the entire assembly, the prefects and Kaname Kuran included?
The words flashed through his mind again, resonating thunderously in an unforgettable memory, "How contemptible." He really was...contemptible...
He didn't care. That was what he instructed himself. Not to care.
He didn't want Rima Toya's blood. Imagine his mother's reaction if she discovered that...
In fact, he wasn't hungry at all. He was barely even awake, barely conscious.
His clenched fist loosened, the bloodlust receding as abruptly as it had arrived. Sleep. Yes, that was what he wanted to do...sleep. Sleep and sleep until these preoccupations dissipated into nothing. Tomorrow, the memory of such hunger would only be a vague, blurry nightmare that he could brush aside like a spider web.
AN: Oh look, we finally made it to what, chapter 5 of the manga? Haha. #Progress. Woop woop!