AN: First of all - sorry for my long silence - both in regards of new chapters and answering/writing the reviews. I was sort of on the move constantly with barely time in between to keep up with RL. Hopefully the situation will improve. *is so sorry*

I seriously wonder if you think this chapter is like "the epitome of OOC-ness". I was sort of going on conclusion that the events they went through had changed everybody - each in his/her own way. Actually it was great fun to try to figure the effect on various characters, but unfortunately - a large part of Shiki's POV that I already have wouldn't fit inside this chapter, and would have to wait till his later appearances to be revealed. So - if you think he is terribly OOC, please bear in mind that he had gone through maybe the most profound experience, and hopefully after I explain it in more detail in the next chapters you will find it easier to believe.

Many thanks to YenGirl for beta-ing me again!

Disclaimer still stands.

Takuma's hand lightly ghosted over the shoulder of the sleeping pureblood. He was standing like this for well over five minutes – reluctant to go, studiously ignoring Aidou, who was making him all kinds of impatient grimaces from the open door of the kitchen.

Why did Hanabusa remain there all that time anyway? Did he really fear that Takuma would attack Kaname for his precious blood? How ridiculous! Instinct or not – the thought of doing that didn't even enter the Vice Dorm Leader's mind. It's just… It was hard to see the pureblood like this – weakened and vulnerable – especially for a friend… If they were friends… Takuma liked to think of their longstanding acquaintance being a friendship, but was it?

True, Kaname seemed more at ease with him, less mindful of his impeccable image and unbreakable composure, and true, the pureblood allowed Takuma a measure of the happy-go-lucky behavior that would've caused his instant displeasure in any other noble – including involving himself in some of the younger vampire's practical pranks. And yes, Kaname trusted him enough to let him in onto the secret of his attachment to Yuuki-chan, if not her real identity…

Ah, exactly!.. Even after all this years there still seemed to be a kind of invisible barrier surrounding the pureblood that neither of them ever attempted to cross. However friendly they were in everyday life (or rather however friendly Takuma behaved around Kaname, and however accepting Kaname appeared towards him) it never touched on the real, serious problems that bothered the pureblood. The plans he made, the enemies he sought to defeat, the challenges he was forced into – in all that Takuma felt that he was held just as blissfully ignorant as any other noble within Kaname's circle, learning of them on the "need to know" basis only at the exact moment that Kaname had a use for himself.

Was it part of Kaname being a pureblood, common for their kind? Or was it him being the millennia old ancestor in the Kuran heir's youthful body – the fact that Takuma still found hard to comprehend? But for god's sake, it was Takuma who held and consoled him in the weeks following what was supposed to be Haruka and Juri's suicide – and Kaname never even told him that they were murdered? He trusted him enough to take him along when he visited Yuuki, but it was not him but Rido that finally revealed the true relations between the two? He gathered everybody under the roof of this school, knowing full well of the danger that was to descend on them at some point – but chose to keep them all, including Takuma, in the darkness till that time came…

But then – was this barrier solely and exclusively Kaname's fault? When asked directly – as Takuma had a chance to witness in the last few weeks – he answered with excruciating and almost shocking honesty – both to Aidou's probing (trust the impulsive Hanabusa to mount a whole research on the matter…) and to Ichiru's parting jibe… Actually – it could almost seem that the pureblood was glad to admit it finally – both the truth about his parents' death and his own humiliating subjugation to Rido…

So maybe it was Takuma's own fault as well – for choosing to remain ignorant? For caring enough to worry when the pureblood seemed preoccupied or depressed and to volunteer eagerly to run the small errands for him, but not enough to venture beyond the impassive façade that Kaname presented to everyone and strive to understand the real person it hid?..

Out of all of them – he was the only one who knew for sure – that Kaname was not invincible, nor unbreakable, so how could he have fallen for the same old tale as everybody – that the pureblood was all-powerful and would solve whatever problems the future brought for them? How could he not have noticed the strain and exhaustion that were slowly eating up Kaname's strength?

Even when faced with that impossible choice of keeping loyalty to Kaname or going (if in appearance only) against him so that he could (maybe) protect Shiki – the choice had seemed an easy one for the Vice Dorm president – surely Kaname could take care of himself, when Shiki apparently could not… Maybe because one always looked strong… and the other - weak…

Only in the end – instead of shattering Shiki, the experience made him calmer – more self-assured and decisive than ever before… and Kaname ended up by that lake – alone… defenseless… dying… if not for a human girl and a hunter… and thank God that it was Yagari-sensei and not some other hunter, who would've rather finished a helpless vampire than try to save him despite the odds…

Lowering his head in his self-imposed guilt, Takuma completely forgot the simple fact that at the time of Kaname's worst predicament he himself was barely recovering from grievous wounds – kept alive only by the generous amount of Shiki's and Rima's blood. That did not matter – in his heart of hearts he was deeply sure that there should've been something… anything… that he could've done differently to help prevent Kaname's current collapse. And because he hadn't thought of this thing back then, because indeed he had only added to the pureblood's burden by betraying him… reluctantly and not in earnest but betraying him nevertheless…

Could Kaname truly forgive him for that? He seemed to – at least that was what his words back at Ichio's study implied. And it was the only thing that made Takuma feel a little better about the whole matter – that and the solemn decision to protect the pureblood whatever the cost now – as befitting a friend…

Shaking himself out of his gloomy considerations, Takuma straightened the blanket over the tossing Kaname one last time and walked to the kitchen.

He and Hanabusa were the only two waking presences in the hut. The master-hunter had left to the main grounds soon after their arrival, and Yori-chan – fairly exhausted by the day's occurrences, dozed comfortably in the recliner, warmly tucked under something that looked suspiciously like the coat that Aidou had been wearing earlier, though for the life of him, Takuma couldn't remember the impetuous blonde passing anywhere near to her. Then again – he wasn't paying too much attention to notice it…

Proof apparent of that fact was that Aidou was no more standing in the door waiting for him but sitting at the kitchen table idly swirling the blood tablet solution inside his glass, letting it spill over the edge then freezing the drops in the air and catching them one by one, which was just a way to busy his hands obviously – it didn't look like he intended to drink the concoction any time soon.

The angry welts of his burn have all but faded, but the blonde still looked tired and solemnly serious sitting there – something that tugged painfully on Takuma's heartstrings – where was the impish Idol-sempai that the Day Class girls had so adored? It seemed that they all were changing – as if now that the period of artificially prolonged childhood had ended, they were growing up at an increased rate, and it filled him with a faint nostalgia over the lost innocence of their previous carefree life.

"Took you long enough…" Hanabusa grumbled half-heartedly when Takuma lowered himself into the opposite chair. "Thought I'd have to drag you away lest you stood like that for the whole night…"

Takuma sighed.

"None of us expected this, right? He always seemed like he could take the world on – single-handedly… Or was it only I who was so blind?"

"Duh… no," Aidou shook his head ruefully, "what irks me even more… you wouldn't know, since you'd been unconscious at the moment… but after he came from the Moon Dorms, carrying Kiryuu's body, it was pretty obvious something was wrong with him – not physically perhaps, but he looked… troubled and preoccupied… and yet he told us that he was fine and to leave well alone – in different ways to each - but in essence, yeah, he told us that… and we believed him, as the good little nobles we are… and nobody even thought of following him, nor even worried too much… though in retrospect it was – as I said – obvious he was anything but fine…"

Though the guilt and exasperation on Hanabusa's face matched exactly how Takuma himself had felt just a few minutes ago - it was somehow harder to see another one torture himself with the same fruitless thoughts of "what if".

"Well, Yagari-sensei seems sure that he will recover completely…" He said reassuringly. "We should be thankful to him that he took good care of Kaname in our stead."

"And to Yori-chan… It was her who had found him initially…" Hanabusa nodded, a slight somewhat rueful smile that passed over his lips and a well (but not quite) hidden warmth in his voice when he said the name reminding Takuma about the little puzzle of the coat the girl was covered with, as well as something he overheard earlier, and – hell! – it just seemed too good an excuse to tease Aidou and a nice way to lighten the gloom that the pureblood's current state had immersed them in.

"Speaking of whom…" He started, the impish twinkle in his green eyes making him look more like his former self. "What was it that Master Touga was cautioning you about with regards of Wakaba-san, before he left to replace the blood-tablets that you have stolen?"

"St-tolen? I?"

Ah! Hanabusa was just that predictable! Look at him - he almost stuttered indignantly, the red flush creeping up his neck and face!

"OK, we…" Takuma corrected in a false placatory tone, knowing full well that it would only make Aidou more vehement. "We stole them, and there is no getting away from the fact."

"I," Aidou stressed the word, as if implying that Takuma could think what he liked about the matter, "didn't steal anything! I… borrowed some much needed sustenance temporarily… Besides – Yagari-sensei said there are two full crates at Cross-san's residence. So they will end up even better off then they were before…"

"Anyway," the Vice Dorm president interrupted, satisfied that his younger companion seemed heated to the right condition. "Back to Wakaba-san…"

Frankly, Takuma didn't know much about Sayori apart from the fact that she had always seemed to be at Yuuki-chan's side whenever he'd met them during his rare day time visits. Nor could he imagine just how Hanabusa could have made her acquaintance, but the fact that there was something going on with these two was very much obvious if the blush that danced over the blue-eyed Idol's cheekbones was any indication.

"Ugh…" Hanabusa shifted uncomfortably. "That is… I… ugh… Yori-chan… eh… Yagari-sensei just…" He stopped suddenly, gesturing for silence when Takuma opened his mouth to prod him further. "There is a vampire coming… he's still too far for me to read more about him… I'll go and investigate, and you stay back and guard Kaname-sama and… Yori…"

"It's Senri," Takuma said as a sudden certainty flooded his senses. "He's probably just looking for me, so it would make sense if I am the one to go and meet him," he added hastily as he saw a flicker of displeasure pass over Hanabusa's face. Now he hoped that Aidou was just being cautious for Kaname's sake, and not distrustful towards Shiki because of him being an unwilling host to Rido's consciousness not so long ago – as he wouldn't tolerate if the latter was the case… Rido's doings had nothing to do with Senri! No, of course it wasn't that – after all Hanabusa had left a note for his cousin in Shiki's care…

"And just how pray he would know to come here looking for you?" Aidou asked with a fair doze of suspicion aimed more at Ichijou now. "You haven't perchance told him where to look, have you?"

"If you ever have a double-sided bond, you'd know it is not all that hard to locate your bond-mate…" Takuma made it sound matter-of-fact, where in fact he almost laughed out loud at the shock registering over the other blonde's features. "I'll ask him what brings him here then…"

Privately, as he walked out of the backdoor and made his way around the hut, he couldn't care less what the reason for the maroon-haired vampire's visit really was. Somehow – just by being here – he managed to lift Takuma's spirit considerably. Relieved… yes, now that Senri was soon to be by his side – he felt relieved… marveling at just how different it felt when it was double-sided and when it was really Shiki and not Rido inside his mind on the other end of the bond.

Unbeknownst to Takuma, Shiki was pondering the same thing as he neared the clearing, guided unerringly by the tugging of their bond. It was truly a wonder – this warm and fuzzy feeling of well-being that was brought on by simply being close by. Silently, he vowed to somehow work on including Rima into the same circle – ideally, he thought, both him and Takuma should create a bond with her as well, but if need be - he would at least bond with her alone – or else they would eventually shut her out of their relationship (something that he just plain couldn't allow) – not consciously, but just because the connection that he shared with Ichijou now was so much more profound than the mere friendship the three of them had before.

For example – right now (and he wasn't even close to Takuma yet), Senri's mind was already filling with the echo of feelings that weren't his own – the glowing eagerness caused by his approach by far prevalent in the mix, but if one looked deeper – one could also discern the hints of helpless anxiousness (for Kaname?) and something else that felt like a warm concerned questioning reaching through the bond towards himself.

Ah, Takuma, always worrying for others way too much…

He wished that the blonde would for once stop doing it; he wished that for once he put his own well-being to the forefront… really, he wished…

He couldn't quite place a name on it but the events of the last few days had changed them irrevocably and at least for Takuma's sake he almost wished that it could somehow be undone – not the bond of course, but that faint feeling of sad brokenness that clung to Takuma after his fight with grandfather. At first he thought that it was due to the near mortal wounds, but now his friend had healed and the feeling was still there.

He had loved the old bastard, that's why… Or maybe because the old bastard loved him… in his own twisted way… Even if he must've long despaired to turn Takuma into his mold…

It was almost as if their positions were reversed for once. Always in the past, it was Takuma who cared for him and upheld him throughout his weak moments and depressive moods – his eager and cheerful nature making even the darkest times bearable for Senri, and the mile-wide stubborn streak refusing to let the other wallow in self-pity even when he told the blonde to let him alone and find something better to do with his time ("Go read your manga, Ichijou-san… right?"). Now though – it was Takuma who seemed to suffer silently from some hidden hurt he wouldn't talk about; and Senri who finally felt the stronger – the one who should care and uphold the other until it healed.

So he put his arms readily around the taller vampire, resting his head on his shoulder, nuzzling his neck, wrapping him in the safety and warmth that their bond provided, and felt the slight shivers – like those of a cold receding slowly - run along the spine of the other boy and the arms that drew him closer into Takuma's chest.

How many times it was me who felt safe just by falling asleep on the other's shoulder?

But the safety was false, and Cain's note burned as a live coal inside his pocket… A bearer of the bad news, that's what he was… the bird of doom… And Shiki pulled a little away reluctantly – not breaking their embrace – just far enough to be able to see Takuma's face…

"Ichijou-san… is the Cousin really as bad off as Aidou-san wrote?"

It was terribly presumptuous on his part – to refer to the pureblood in such a manner, something just never allowed by the rules of vampire society – for a mere noble to claim a direct relation to a level A, even if everybody was aware that such relation existed… and it was only with Takuma that he at times called Kaname "the Cousin" – just like that – because the blonde vampire was the only one who understood precisely that it was not about self-importance or blood purity, but about the desperate need to belong and to feel connected and to have a family that he could be a part of – where the Shiki clan only ever saw him as the means to an end…

And so he redefined the family for himself – pledging his loyalty to the few people he really cared about in this big cold world – to his mother, and Rima, and Takuma, and tentatively and probably one-sidedly – "the Cousin"…

After all – Kaname was technically his cousin… Even though both him and Takuma knew the hidden lie inside the truth of it – he from his father's memories still lingering in his mind, and the images of Kaname's summoning and enslavement had unsurprisingly been ever present, ever close to the surface of Rido's thoughts… And Takuma… Takuma knew about it too, if the broken whispers of "He's the Ancestor… the Ancestor…" that he had uttered lying delirious with wounds and blood loss upon the Council floor did indeed refer to what Senri thought that they referred to…

Even so… the thing with the families that you yourself chose was that it was entirely up to you to decide who belonged to one… and as far as Senri was concerned – Kaname was still "the Cousin" ancestor or not, and a soft pang passed through his heart when the pained helplessness on Takuma's face answered his question as directly and truthfully as the words never could…

"Then", he said, dragging the folded paper out of his pocket, loathing the necessity to further burden his friend by this new development, "then I think you better read this…"

Cain hadn't written a long note, but rather cut directly to the main point - to the very real danger that could descend on them anytime now… not that night perhaps – the vampire society was not so easy to organize, especially without the Council… but if they felt scared enough – it could be the next night already… or the night after that…

"No! No, they can't do that!" Takuma's cry out was a high squeal filled with shock, loud enough to bring out Aidou and anyone else in the house unless they were asleep. "They can't declare a pureblood mad and murderous just like this!"

Really, sometimes Senri wondered how Takuma could've preserved so much naivety living in the same house that his grandfather, moreover – living all these years alongside Kaname, who was anything but naïve in the ways the vampire world worked, and never learning a single thing in the process. Even Senri, who only could observe the Shikis as an outsider, was not really surprised by Cain's news…

"Yes, they could," he explained simply and patiently. "They could've waited and argued their heads off if it was about some noble, but…" Shiki let the end of the phrase hang in the air – surely it was easy to figure what followed?

But a pureblood on a murderous rampage is too much of a threat for them to ignore... But they didn't know and trust Kaname as the Night Class knew and trusted him…

"But they… they supported him…" Takuma protested weakly. "Only at the last ball, they bowed to him and praised him as if he really was their king… And he did it for them!" His voice grew louder again. "The Council was going to murder us and then go for the Night Class families! We must explain it; surely it would be considered motives enough!"

"The Council was the only order they knew, Ichijou-san…"

"Hey, what's with the commotion!.. What are you doing here, Shiki, anyway?"

Just as he feared, Takuma's raised voice had drawn out Aidou, sure enough, and Senri dreaded the effect that the message would have on the blonde boy genius, on top of the agitated state that he was already in.

"Here," he took the paper out of Takuma's unresisting fingers and extended it to Hanabusa. "Your cousin sent this."

It was easy to tell the exact moment when Aidou reached the lines that spoke of his father, even though Senri had purposefully turned away to allow him some privacy. The temperature around them seemed to drop sharply and the frost ran up the wall of the outhouse, hanging in massive icicles from the low roof.

"You… you read it, didn't you?"

"Yes," he admitted calmly. "Cain-san said it was mainly for you, but also for anyone involved. He insisted that I read it before my departure."

The red spots flared upon Aidou's cheekbones as the temperature dropped even further, and Shiki stepped forward shielding his bond-mate because it seriously felt they would become an ice-sculpture the moment Hanabusa released his tightly pressed fists.

"We must… must protect him… somehow…" The words came as a low hiss of barely contained temper, and Shiki's heart lurched in sudden sympathy to the vampire he never previously was especially fond of.

Right, Aidou tended to be egotistical, obnoxious and too full of himself, and it all rubbed the wrong way against Shiki's own reticence… But his pain now was real, and Shiki could understand the pain of standing against one's own family all too well… as could Takuma, come to that…

The latter chewed on his lip thoughtfully, as his own shock partially subsided, and he started to sort through the few options that might be of use.

"We could go before the vampire community… to explain about the Council's plans… why Kaname was forced to do that… But most probably they would not take us seriously… We are children to them… And him being a pureblood… they would think that he used compulsion to make us stand by his side… But if… if they come for Kaname…"

"We will defend him!" There was no hesitation in Aidou's outburst, and once again Senri felt a sharp pang of pity towards the blonde.

Being the devil's advocate against one's friends was getting frustrating – yet he had to speak up exactly because he cared for them and cared for Kaname no less than they did… It wouldn't help any if they did not understand the true gravity of the situation that faced them.

"Those wouldn't be level Es and Ds that we'd have to fight…" He started slowly in what he feared would be the longest speech he had ever given to anyone. "They would be nobles like us… only older and more experienced… besides…" Was there even a nicer way to put this? "I used to think…" He struggled for words, but those were never his forte. "I used to think… me and Ichijou-san had it rougher than the rest of the Night Class… being from the pro-Council families and all, but…"

"Are you doubting my loyalty just because… because…" Aidou sputtered, "because I'm a son of a god-damned traitor…"

Oh great… just the effect you aimed for…

Surprisingly (or maybe unsurprisingly at all) it was Takuma's voice that answered quietly, his hand landing gently on Shiki's shoulder, the bond between them resonating with support… and part of Takuma's own inner pain.

"Nobody doubts your loyalty, Aidou… Nor anyone's in Kaname's inner circle… All Shiki's meant was that now we're glad that we had to choose our side way before all this… and that for the rest of the Night Class the choice between their Dorm Leader and their families could be a hard one indeed… especially if they are forced to make one across a battlefield…"

Reassured and humbled by Takuma's understanding, Senri lowered his eyes before adding slowly, "We all want to protect Kaname, Aidou-san… It is only that we should weigh the options carefully to find the best path to follow…"

"You should turn me in."

The voice was quiet, yet all three heads turned around towards the source of sudden intrusion.

Kaname stood in the doorway, the door swinging slightly behind his back on its damaged hinges. His hair was tousled and splotches of feverish red stood bright on his cheekbones against the unhealthy paleness. His clothes looked rumpled as if they hadn't been pressed or even dried properly and he hugged himself tightly, holding the long-coat closed against the cold gusts. Yet his voice sounded as calm and measured and commanding as always when he repeated (as if they were deaf or slow and hadn't heard him first time).

"You should turn me in… it is the only way."