Takuma landed on his feet with a hard thump. He'd grown considerably in talent and agility since childhood and he managed the jarring impact skillfully, absorbing it cat-like with his legs and letting them give at just the right moment, tucking and rolling on the rain soaked lawn to dispel his momentum without major harm. No human could have pulled that off, but fortunately, Takuma had his vampire resilience, grace and instincts to help him.

Still, the distance he'd fallen had been considerable and his legs burned. His right ankle had not taken the stress well and it screamed pain at him when he scrambled quickly back to his feet. Looking up through the sheeting rain, he could see dark heads silhouetted in the bright yellow square of his window high above, looking down at him with shock.

Yeah... he couldn't quite believe he'd done that either.

Already soaked to the bone even after only a few moments of exposure, Takuma broke into a limping run towards the other end of the house. The smell of Aido's blood grew stronger as he reached them and he saw the blond vampire curled on his side in a swiftly growing pool of crimson. The ice had almost all melted away under the onslaught of the rain now. Aido was lying very, very still. He looked dead.

The hitokiri looked up as Takuma approached. The one standing over Aido with a stained saber was in the middle of nudging the downed aristocrat none too gently with the toe of his boot to see if there was any response.

"Lord Ichijo, you should not be out here, there has been an incident. It is not safe," one of the men said, breaking away and heading over as soon as they recognized Takuma. Takuma wrenched away angrily and shoved him aside, trying to get to Aido.

"You idiots, what have you done?" he raged, raising his voice above the storm as he dropped to his knees in the icy mud by Aido's side. "This is Hanabusa Aido! He's a noble class and my friend! How dare you touch him?" he raged, rolling Aido onto his back and checking quickly for a pulse. He couldn't find one, but his fingers were trembling so that it was hard to be certain. Aido's overcoat had fallen open and his pale blue, rain soaked shirt beneath was quickly turning crimson from a gash across his side and two deep, penetrating wound to his chest and stomach. Rain pattered and rolled down Aido's pale face and closed eyes, clinging to his long dark lashes. Blood trickled slowly from the corner of the young noble's mouth, diluted by the falling rain. This was not good.

The news did not seem to upset the expressionless hitokiri. They were trained personal assassins from birth. Rank, class and creed did not matter to them. Only serving and protecting the interests of their master, the senior Ichijo, mattered to them.

"He was an intruder and a known associate of those who wish your family harm. His life was forfeit the moment he set foot on these grounds. We had our orders. Come with us, Master Ichijo, you are not supposed to leave the house." The hitokiri vampire was aware that somewhere in the fight, they'd lost one of their intruders, and he was anxious to begin searching. They had strict orders from the elder Ichijo regarding the younger Ichijo and would need to see Takuma back to the 'safety' of his rooms immediately.

Takuma, seething and horrified, held onto Aido's wet coat tightly, refusing to budge as the hitokiri tried to pull him away. Enemies of your family... how many of his friends had been classed as enemies of his family? How many of them had possibly already been killed while he was away and knew nothing about it? What had happened to the world, that it should go so suddenly insane?

The hitokiri were insistent and not above getting rough with their young 'master'. They jerked him upright and Takuma swung out, struggling and trying half-heartedly to push them away. A rough blow caught him in the face and he stumbled, surprised and caught off guard as they seized him and dragged him back towards the house. Somehow... he'd naively not expected them to react or to treat him like this. But they were going to take him back to his prison, going to leave Aido to die here in the darkened garden...

A bright bolt of lightning struck the man who'd hit the young noble, felling him with a cry and making everyone spin to see what had happened. Takuma stared, pale faced and wide-eyed. He hadn't meant to do that... he hadn't even realized he'd summoned the power until too late. Everything was happening too fast and he felt like he was spinning out of control. Executing Level E's on Kaname's orders was one thing; they were nothing but dangerous animals. These men... like the ones in the tower... these were vampires who had served his family for generations. What was he doing?

The hitokiri knew. They knew he was responsible and in an instant, everything seemed to change. They could not kill Takuma, he was one of those they were sworn to protect and their own lives would be forfeit, but he was a threat that needed to be neutralized until he could be safely secured. They converged on him before he'd managed to throw off his own shock and Takuma struggled blindly, panic clutching at him. Everything seemed to be happening either too fast or two slow and he felt the sharp, sudden pain of a blade slice through his shirt and across his shoulder. It wasn't a deep cut, but it was intentional. Takuma was well aware... the blades of the hitokiri were poisoned.

The pain finally jerked Takuma out of his shock and with a sudden surge of fury he threw off the men holding him, glaring at them with stormy eyes. Perhaps for the first time in his life, Takuma Ichijo actually looked like a vampire.

Lightning seared the sky, forking down with deadly, precise tongues of death to touch each and every hitokiri standing in the garden before they even knew what hit them. Takuma watched them stand there for a moment, like blackened statues in the rain, frozen in time and unaware of their own deaths. Then they toppled and fell silently to the ground.

Takuma felt dazed, numb... the quick-acting poison he'd been subjected to was already working at him, but that wasn't the reason for his reeling state of mind. Who knew it was so disturbingly easy to kill so many in a single instant? To snuff lives out like twisting the wick of a candle? A strained, wild hysteria bubbled in the back of his throat like a laugh and it made him choke. No time. No time to stand here and contemplate what he'd done. The die was cast and he had to move swiftly.

Stumbling back to Aido, Takuma bent and scooped him up in his arms. He was relieved to feel the faint, barely discernable brush of the other's breath stir against his neck as he cradled him carefully. Aido was still alive, if barely. But he was badly injured, and he'd been poisoned much more heavily than Takuma had been. In small doses, the hitokiri poison wasn't deadly. Not to vampires anyway although it probably would have been to humans. In small doses, like the one they'd administered to Takuma, it acted like a powerful sedative. Aido... Takuma didn't know how much of the poison he'd absorbed through his grievous wounds. Takuma's fingers wound tighter around the other vampire's form as he limped away as swiftly as he could, bearing the weight of the other.

Takuma knew he had very little time before the drug knocked him out. He had to try and get both of them away and safely out of reach before he crashed. He hated to cut and run, knowing that there were likely others still in danger, knowing that somewhere around here Kaname might be in danger too... but there was nothing he could do about that. His strength would soon fail him and if he simply collapsed here, Aido would die and Takuma might never see freedom again.

He could not try to navigate the cliffs in this weather, not with the burden he bore and the dwindling time he had left. But this was his home, and Takuma knew every inch of it. He knew where he could go, where even his grandfather wouldn't be able to find him. It was his private place that no one knew. He'd never even taken Kaname there, although they had shared almost everything else.

Around on the other side of the house, there had once been an old well. It'd fallen into disuse centuries ago and been covered over, a large gazebo eventually being built above it. But as a child, Takuma had discovered that if you slid aside the loose panel in the back of the gazebo and crawled far enough under the close, blanketing darkness underneath... you would find the lip of the old well, it's original cover having rotted away, its invisible shaft disappearing down into the earth below.

Trusting the rain to wash away their scent and any trace of their passing, Takuma slid aside the loose gazebo panel and crawled underneath, pulling Aido in with him and replacing the paneling behind them. Inside, he could hear the rain drumming on the wooden floor of the gazebo above, dripping down in muddy little droplets through the invisible cracks in the tightly fit planks. The underneath of the gazebo seemed significantly smaller since the last time he'd been in here as a child, but Takuma managed to wiggle his way to the entrance of the old well shaft, dragging Aido behind him.

The old ladder he'd left hanging from the lip of the well was still there. It took a lot of work to maneuver down with Aido slung over his shoulder, but as they disappeared further and further into the dark stillness of the well, and even the sound of the wind and rain faded away to muted murmurs, Takuma at last began to feel a small sense of safety and sanity returning. This had always been his secret refuge, and returning to it now calmed and stabilized him.

The well was not as deep as it had originally been when it was dug. It had filled in or collapsed years ago and now only went down about thirty or forty feet. But it was plenty far down enough to not be spotted from above, even if someone thought to look under the gazebo. Here at least, the rain did not penetrate except for an occasional drop or two.

The bottom of the well was padded with now somewhat musty pillows and blankets stolen over the years from the house and Takuma bet he probably even had a few... questionable... magazines stored down here somewhere still. He settled Aido carefully on the pillows and sank down to sit beside him with his back against the wall. The poison in his system was now well and truly starting to take effect and Takuma pressed his face into his hands, trying to clear his head.

It was pitch black down here at the bottom of the well, but after giving his eyes a minute to adjust, Takuma could see well enough and he bent over Aido, unbuttoning the other's shirt to better reach his wounds. The well was not large, and Aido had to lie with his legs bent, practically resting on Takuma's lap so they could both fit – again, it had sure seemed bigger to him as a kid – but it was dry and safe down here at least.

Takuma was worried about how much blood Aido was losing though. The poison on the blades that had injured him also seemed to be preventing his wounds from clotting and closing as rapidly as they should. Takuma dipped his head, quickly and gently licking and caressing the unconscious vampire's wounds in order to urge them to stop bleeding. Then he tore strips off the bottom of his own wet shirt and bound up the injuries as best he could. In the darkness, Aido still looked deathly pale and he was barely breathing.

"Don't die on me, Aido... Kain will never forgive me. I don't want to have to be the one to tell your family," he murmured. His vision was starting to swim. "Hey... come on Hanabusa... if you die, I'm going to let Rima's little sister have all your books..." he threatened faintly with a small smile. Aido was particular about the covers of his books and magazines. Although he himself routinely treated them carelessly, he didn't like it when anyone else bent them too much or rolled the edges.

There was still no response from the unconscious vampire and Takuma finally just propped Aido's head up on a pillow and leaned his own aching, swimming head back against the old stone wall behind him.

When Aido woke up... when not if, Takuma wouldn't let himself think if... then they would have to figure out what to do next. A lot would depend on how much Aido's body was able to heal itself, and Takuma swore he would do whatever it took to help. But right now... right now, consciousness was fading, and blackness darker than that of the well they took refuge in swirled up to claim Takuma.

Rido was sleeping, sprawled on his large bed. It was wearying, possessing another's body for so long. But he knew it was something he had to live with, since his own could no longer support his life. It simply meant he required a lot of rest between periods of activity. Shiki's body was not doing as well as he'd hoped under the strain either. Oh, the body was doing all right, for a mixed blood, but it wearied easier and easier lately. His possession was burning it out, his soul a flame too hot for this fragile wax candle to completely endure.

That was why he needed his nephew's body. Kaname was his only pureblood relation, and of course it had to be a relative or the possession didn't work. Once the boy was finally broken and Rido could have a pureblood's body once more with all the strength and power that went with it, things would be different. He would be unstoppable once more.

Rido was awakened from his slumber by someone shaking his shoulder insistently and he scowled as he rolled blearily over to face the intruder, having half a mind to just kill them where they stood for disturbing him before he was ready.

The only reason he didn't, was that he realized that it was Ichijo trying to wake him, and he still needed that old fool for now. "What?" he growled irritably.

Ichijo did not seem to like having to engender his Lord's wrath, but he had no choice. Rido would be much more furious with him if he was not kept informed. "I apologize for waking you, my Lord, but there has been a disturbance. Someone's attempted to enter the grounds. There is no need for concern. My hitokiri are taking care of the situation, but you said you wanted to know if anything..."

Suddenly the house shook as if it'd been struck by lightning and a frightful outcry rang down passage from what sounded like the direction of south tower, where Takuma's room was.

Ichijo looked back towards the doorway sharply and Rido sat up at once, swiftly pulling on his dressing gown. "We'd better go check on this at once. I wonder what your grandson is up to now, Ichijo... I hope for his sake he is not part of this ill advised attack."

Ichijo's expression darkened, but he said nothing as he fell quickly into step with Rido as they hurried down the hall towards the tower. Takuma... if you have betrayed me, I will see you dead...

"Send someone down to check on Kaname and the girl, just to make sure everything is still secure," Rido added as he started up the stairs.

The door of the prison opened and one of the by now familiar dark clad assassins entered to check on the prisoner as commanded. The overpowering scent caused by the amount of Kaname's pure blood that had been spilt in this room masked all others, and the hitokiri, as well trained as he was, could not distinguish that there were three people, rather than two, on the other side of the door until he'd opened it. He was already on the alert, however, because the door had been closed, but unlocked.

He sprang warily into the room, taking in the situation in a heartbeat – the silver haired intruder, the girl free, Kaname, no longer chained to the ceiling. Twin daggers materialized in his hands and he jumped at Zero, but Zero was ready for him.

The ex-human hunter side-stepped with cat-like speed, jumping out of the way and twirling around so he ended up behind the hitokiri, presented with the man's exposed back. Now was not a time for scruples or for quibbling over which way your assailant happened to be facing at the moment. Gun in both hands, Zero took aim and fired, repeatedly. It was just like the firing range, the dark shape of the vampire just like the paper shapes on the targets as Zero accurately placed two bullets to the heart and one to the head. It was not overkill. A single shot was never guaranteed to take down a vampire, even from an anti-vampire gun. But the simple, precise pattern Zero followed did the trick and the assassin lurched, stumbled, and fell dead right beside where Yuki was sitting.

She scrambled back, eyes wide as she managed to find her feet and hold them this time. Yuki glanced up and found Zero looking at her, his silver eyes fathomless for a moment over the smoking muzzle of the gun.

Kaname was looking at Zero too, those unreadable eyes seeming to pierce straight through him, although not with disapproval.

Zero shoved the weapon into his belt, not focusing on what'd just happened, or on the dead vampire on the floor. He'd done it before. It was part of what he had been born to do, after all, no matter what he was now. That meant... it must get easier one of these days.

He grabbed Yuki's wrist and Kaname's arm, dragging them both quickly towards the stairs. "Somebody's got to have heard that. We better get out of here before any more show up, we'll get the cuffs later," he urged quickly.

Kaname had to agree with how unstable their situation had just become and he followed along swiftly, shrugging off Zero's hand. Zero released him easy enough, but kept a tight grip on Yuki's wrist, not about to be separated from her until they were safe.

Kaname's head was spinning and without even the use of his hands for balance it was a real struggle keep his footing steady as they raced up the stairs. But the pureblood forced himself to a swift, punishing pace, adrenaline surging through his damaged body and giving him the boost he needed to keep moving. He'd be damned if he was going to let any mere weakness hold him back now, when escape was finally within reach. And he would not be a liability to Yuki's escape.

Rido's fingers curled on the edge of the broken, open window as he looked out into the blackened night from Takuma's room. Ichijo nudged one of the charred body guards with his foot, a dark, dangerous look on his face.

"There's more bodies down in the courtyard. Possibly those hitokiri you put far too much trust in?" Rido's voice was cold. He didn't look away from the window. He had an inescapable feeling that things were somehow beginning to unravel and he didn't like it. Not one bit. "Even from here, with the rain, I can smell their charred flesh. This is your grandson's doing, I believe. Does he not manipulate energy?" Finally Rido's dark, stormy gaze turned towards his companion.

Ichijo met and held his gaze squarely, his eyes equally dark. "I have no grandson," he said simply.

"That's your affair." Rido brushed by him, heading for the door. "They must be attempting to reach Kaname. Get everyone you've got to the prison immediately," he ordered calmly, but his fists were clenched knuckle-white as he jogged swiftly down the stairs. "If they've already made a break for it, I want them found and stopped at any cost. Kaname must be taken alive. The girl too if possible. Kill anyone else."

Zero, Kaname and Yuki skidded swiftly to a halt at the end of a corridor, nearly piling up against one another when Zero, who was in the lead, jerked to a halt to avoid sprinting around a blind turn before they knew if there was anyone on the other side. There were shouts and footsteps ringing down all the corridors nearby. Zero could feel the vampires all around them and his heart was pounding tensely as he tried to sense if there were any in the passage beyond. Kaname's presence was distracting. It was hard for him to sense any other vampires with the pureblood's presence flaming in the back of his skull. He feared getting out was not going to be as easy as getting in. The house seemed in a full-fledged state of alert and they were yet a long way from the door he'd come in by.

Finally deciding it was clear, Zero's death grip on Yuki's wrist tightened and he started forward quickly, meaning to make a dash for it while the coast was clear.

Kaname's hands snagged in the back of Zero's wet overcoat, jerking the boy back, and with him, Yuki. Zero tried to pull free, surprised and irritated. "What's your problem? This is the way out, we've got to hurry!" he protested in a low growl.

If he hadn't been in a pretty crappy mood because of how much pain he was in, Kaname would have smirked at that. Instead he just gave Zero a slightly impatient look. "I grew up in this prison Kiriyu; I think I know my way around it better than you do. There's too many people that way, too many passages and opportunities for them to trap us, we'll never make it. There's another way, through the kitchen. This way…" he said, tugging Zero a bit awkwardly for a few steps, as his hands were still trapped in the manacles.

Zero quickly conceded to the fact that Kaname probably knew what he was talking about and followed along with Yuki.

Kaname may have spent only half his growing up years in this house, but during them he had certainly scoped out every possible way to slide out from under the heavy eye of his watchers without getting caught. Chairman Cross's frequent, exaggerated claims of disaster that had always brought him running had certainly been good impetus to remain creative in his escape routes. His frequent disappearances had driven his guardian nuts, but of course, that had been an added bonus.

The day he'd come of age, packed up and left for good, Kaname had thought he'd never have to find himself sneaking out of this house again. Apparently… he'd been wrong.

They reached the kitchens, which rivaled that of most four star restaurants in size and trappings. The main area was bustling with kitchen staff, but Kaname led Zero and Yuki quietly past the main doors around to the second entry near the food pantries. Here, the clamor from the other room was just a distant buzz and there was no one in sight. The three fugitives slipped unseen and unheard down the passage, past the doors of huge walk-in freezers and dry goods pantries.

Kaname's jaw was flexed tensely. It was taking almost his full concentration to keep his vision from doubling and to keep moving. That had to be the reason he didn't sense the danger until it was too late. As he slid by one of the many entries in from the main kitchen, a black clad hitokiri launched suddenly through the opening, crashing into him and slamming the wounded pureblood back against the wall.

Kaname cried out in pain as his raw back was ground into the wall, his vision swimming at the impact and the throbbing in his head whirling unmercifully. His bound hands gave him little to no purchase against the vampire pinning him and before he had a chance to try and regain himself and react, the lethally trained hitokiri had a fistful of the pureblood's hair, yanking his head back and exposing Kaname to the warning blade that was pressed hard against his throat.

Idiot! The thought flashed through Kaname's mind. You're bleeding like a stuck pig… you think there's a vampire in this place that isn't going to be able to smell and track you from a mile away?

Two short, rapid bangs sounded nearby and suddenly Kaname was sprayed with blood that wasn't his own as the hitokiri head jerked to the side, two blossoming holes torn into his skull. The man's hands slackened as he slid away. Kaname didn't have to look to know what had happened. Didn't have to glance over and see Zero standing protectively in front of Yuki with the gun in his hands.

Much as he hated the idea that he might have actually needed help, Kaname couldn't resist a momentary almost-smirk. At this rate, he was going to end up owing the ex-human a debt larger than he cared to carry by the time they got out of here. If they got out of here, of course.

Kaname could hear footsteps, shouting… the scuffle and the shots had drawn attention. They needed to get out of there. But he couldn't move. The spray of blood across his face had been too much for his starving senses and even danger was nothing in the face of his sheer, unbearable need to feed. Half dropping to one knee to catch the falling assassin, Kaname yanked the vampire's head to the side and bit him viciously. It was disgusting… animal-like, to drink from the dead, even if they were only just dead, but right now Kaname couldn't afford to be picky.

Zero tried not to look disgusted. He, of all people, understood… it was just…

A bullet slammed into the wall by his ear and Zero ducked, grabbing Yuki and pulling her down with him. Their position had been found, and in a matter of minutes they were going to have the whole house down on them. If they didn't already. Pushing Yuki further down the hall, towards what he hoped was a safer direction, Zero hissed at her to find them an exit. He leaned swiftly out around the corner and squeezed off a couple of shots towards the knot of dark clad figures approaching from the kitchen. He didn't hit any, but it made them all duck for cover behind tables and stools. The kitchen staff scattered, the buzz of their chatter and activity erupting momentarily into shouts of alarm and surprise before they either beat hasty retreats or dived behind the nearest bit of cover.

A short, staccato hail of return fire peppered the doorway as Zero ducked back out of sight again, quickly popping the empty clip out of his gun and reloading it. He'd never actually had to do that before outside of the firing range but thankfully his fingers knew the motions and his hands remained steadier than his thudding heart. He'd given them a reason to keep their heads down, nothing more. This was not a defensible position.

They were too exposed here, they had to move. Zero grabbed Kaname's arm, trying to pull him away from his victim and drag him down the hallway. "There's no time! Move it, Kuran, we've gotta go!" he said urgently, yanking hard when Kaname resisted.

The pureblood's head jerked up, mouth dripping blood, eyes just as red. He snarled harshly at being interrupted. There was a wild, feral light in the glare he fixed on the other boy that actually sent a shiver down Zero's spine. This was not the polished, aristocratic pureblood to which Zero was accustomed. In that brief moment, there was nothing at all recognizable in Kaname's dark eyes. Oddly… it made Zero feel… sorry, as well as frightened and irritated. It took some pretty heartless bastards to have forced the pureblood into this state.

Kaname dropped his head back to the dead vampire's neck.

Zero was forced to lean around the corner and squeeze off a few more mostly blind shots to keep their attackers down. They were going to rush them at any moment, Zero could practically taste it and his heart leapt into his throat. Thus far they were holding back, probably more because they had orders to take Kaname alive then out of fear of the rag tag little group opposing them.

Zero didn't have time to argue with Kuran, and he couldn't risk the pureblood going crazy on them now. Kaname was probably going to hate him for this, but that's the way it would just have to be. Reaching down, Zero grabbed Kaname's cuffs.

"Obtempero!" he snapped, initiating the charm on them. The script on the cuffs flashed and Kaname's head jerked up again as he gave a small, stifled little cry of surprise and pain, eyes locking on Zero, first in incomprehension and then in fury.

These were hunter cuffs. They were meant to restrain and control the vampire wearing them. Hunters weren't always sent only to kill vampires. Sometimes renegades needed to be captured alive and tamed temporarily while they were being brought in. Zero was lacking the lead chain that should have been used for this purpose, but as long as he kept his hand on the cuffs, he could force Kaname to obey him. Perhaps only because the pureblood was already so weak, but all that mattered right now was that he could.

"You will get up and come with us, and you're not going to stop until we're out of here, got it?" Zero ordered in a low voice, rising and pulling Kaname with him. Kaname followed obediently, his body having no choice, an almost electric current running through him from the cuffs seeming to practically bind him to Zero in a way he'd never experienced before. As a pureblood, Kaname had bound others to his will before, but he'd never had anything like it done to him. For a fleeting moment, dark, seething hatred pulsed through him towards Kiriyu for doing this to him.

Then the pureblood finally shook free enough from the blood lust haze clouding his mind to become aware of what was happening, of their imminent danger, and his anger cooled reluctantly. Being controlled like this was still completely insufferable, however.

"Let me go," he growled softly, between his teeth as he stumbled along swiftly behind Zero. "So help me… let me go, Kiriyu," he warned.

Zero didn't seem to be sure that was such a good idea. But a sudden, sharp cry ahead of them made the issue moot. Several of their attackers had apparently found another way into the passage from further down, attempting to cut off their retreat and they'd run into Yuki.

Zero dropped Kaname's cuffs and sprinted down the hall. Kaname, everything else momentarily forgotten at the sound of that cry, was right behind him.

Yuki had snatched a mop from where it had been left in a pail of water by someone in the process of cleaning up and was using it to decent effect in place of her usual Artemis staff. Zero tackled the nearest man, punching his knee into the vampire's gut and slamming him upside the head with the butt of his gun. He couldn't risk firing it in these close quarters where there might be ricocheted.

Kaname hadn't had time to get more than a few deep gulps of blood, which as far as his hunger went, was almost worse than nothing, as it wet his appetite and then left it un-sated. But even that little bit did give him a boost and he was moving more sure on his feet as he swung both bound wrists around together, slamming his cuffs and clenched fists upside the nearest vampire's head, hard enough to hear the man's skull crack.

The hitokiri from the kitchen had taken advantage of chance to press in and try to trap their quarry and were now running down the passage toward them.

The three fugitives dropped their last opponent and didn't wait for more to arrive. Yuki kicked over the water bucket she'd gotten the mop from, making the floor a slippery wash of soapy water to slow down their pursuers as the three of them cut out at top speed. They tore down the darkened hallway like the hounds of hell were after them, which, in point of fact, wasn't too terribly far from true.

After a number of twists and turns, they suddenly came up smack against a dead end in what looked to be an old, mostly empty wine cellar that was no longer in use. More modern architecture gave way here to old-fashioned stone masonry, hinting at the constantly renovated mansion's ancient roots that went back well into the past century.

Zero looked at the old, featureless stone walls and empty wine barrels facing them on every side, offering no way out but the way they'd just come from. Trapped.

He rounded on Kaname. "I thought you knew where you were going? This is a dead end!" he snapped, but Kaname had already turned around and was looking back the way they'd come. He was breathing slowly, oddly, like he was gathering himself for something.

"Get back against the wall and keep your head down. Protect Yuki," was all Kaname said in response. His chest was heaving, but his calm, commanding tone was familiar. Zero was surprised to realize that he was actually a little comforted to hear Kaname calmly and irritatingly ordering him around again like normal. It gave him hope that maybe the pureblood did know what he was doing.

Having nothing to lose at this point, Zero grabbed Yuki and pushed her back against the far wall, standing protectively in front of her, not sure what was about to happen. The air seemed to be tingling, alive somehow... or maybe that was just his blood, tingling in response to whatever power he could feel Kaname channeling and summoning up to his call. Zero grit his teeth as he felt the odd weight of pressure building in his head, as if he were diving deep underwater.

The hitokiri appeared around the turn and for a moment victory was written upon their faces as they saw their quarry trapped up against a dead end.

Then, suddenly... the walls started shaking on either side of the passage. The stone actually seemed to liquefy before their eyes, and then the entire passageway exploded in a massive implosion of flying stone, dust and mortar.

Understanding Kaname's words now, Zero quickly turned around as the rolling, flying cloud of debris enshrouded them, pressing himself hard against Yuki, covering her with his body and ducking his head as the wall they were pressed against and the floor beneath them shook as if locked in an earthquake and destruction rained around them.

For a few heartbeats, it felt like the world was ending and Zero was keenly aware of Yuki's heart hammering against his chest.

Then, slowly, silence returned, broken only by the oddly echoing trickle of dust and small stones here and there. Zero pried himself warily away from the wall and Yuki, turning around to see what had happened.

Where once there had been a passage, there was now only a massive wall of fallen stones and ruined masonry, utterly blocking the hall, and having probably done significant damage to the floors above. They were now completely sealed in a small stone tomb about the size of a large closet.

For half a breathless, horrible moment, Zero didn't see Kaname and he thought he was under that mess. Then his eyes adjusted to the darkness of the lightless area they were now trapped in and he saw Kaname, covered in dust and on his knees before the wall of ruin he'd brought down. The pureblood wavered, and fell forward, just catching himself on his bound hands. Unable to support his own weight, he sagged the rest of the way down, his cheek coming to rest against the broken stone floor.

Kaname was spent. Completely. That had been far, far too much exertion for his current state. His head was spinning again and he was so tired. So tired... he just wanted to rest... to sleep for a century...

Strong hands caught his shoulders and drew him back upright. With surprising and unexpected gentleness, Zero settled Kaname against him, careful of the other's injured back, allowing the pureblood rest against the ex-human's chest rather than the cold, debris strewn stone floor.

Yuki was having more trouble with the darkness than Zero and Kaname, but the space wasn't large and she finally found the two of them by feel.

"Kaname?" she whispered softly when the feeling of the hair she'd just touched told her who it was. Her hand slid over and found different hair. "Zero? What happened? Is Kaname okay?"

"He's about had it, Yuki," Zero admitted softly. He could feel the weakness trembling in the pureblood's body and oddly... it hurt. He resisted the very strange urge to stroke Kaname's hair comfortingly in the concealing dark. That would have been way too weird.

"Yuki... there's a cave in, it's blocked the passage. We're safe for the moment, but... we're trapped," he continued, voice still quiet, collected, as he filled her in on what she couldn't see.

Kaname stirred weakly in Zero's arms. "No," he whispered a little hoarsely, shaking his head. "Not... not trapped." He knew he needed to move. It was just so... disturbingly... comfortable resting against Zero's warmth right now.

Finally, Kaname gathered enough strength to struggle up to sit on his own. "There's a passage, a tunnel, right back there. You have to move that big stone that's holding up the empty wine barrel supports and then you see it. I made it... a long time ago..." he murmured, coughing softly. "I don't think they know it's there. They'll think we're either buried or trapped in here, and they've got plenty of time to dig us out." Kaname mustered up a faint attempt at a satisfied smirk. "Should give us time to get clear."

Zero smiled in the darkness, unable to help appreciating the cleverness of the plan. The pureblood could think on his feet, Zero would definitely give him that. Maybe they had a chance of surviving this night after all.

Kaname made like he was going to try and move the stone he'd indicated before, but Zero pushed him back down again, giving him a look. "Sit before you fall. I can get it. We need you able to walk when we get out of here."

The damn stone turned out to be a lot harder to move than Zero expected, even with his enhanced strength. As he heaved against it, sweating and panting in the claustrophobic darkness and slowly depleting oxygen, he didn't wonder that no one had discovered Kaname's little escape hole. You certainly wouldn't have put this much effort into trying to move this friggin' stone if you hadn't known for sure there was something behind it.

It finally took both Zero and Yuki to move the stone, but they got it shifted out of the way and a cool, moist blast of air rushed into the small, hot, stuffy space. As Kaname had said, Zero could see a small, dark tunnel stretching away through the thick foundation of the house towards the outside. It was obviously covered in some way on the outside as well, but he could hear and smell falling rain. Apparently it was still storming outside. Great. That was going to make traveling so much fun in their current cumulative condition, but at the same point, it was a good thing too. It would hide their trail and their scent and make them harder to follow. If they could hold onto their head start long enough to lose themselves in the woods... well, Zero was ready to be at least a little hopeful.

Although it wasn't very long, the tunnel was low and narrow and had to be traversed on hands and knees. Zero crawled out first, dislodging the cover on the opposite end of the tunnel and carefully peering out, making sure the coast was clear. Crawling back, he told Yuki and Kaname to follow and crawled back out once more, waiting outside for them and anxiously scanning the area. The last thing they could afford right now would be to be discovered again.

Crawling through the tunnel was hideously painful for Kaname, because there was no way to avoid his back contacting the top as he moved and he had to stop halfway through, resting his head on his hands and breathing tensely through his teeth. He was almost out, damn it. He could not be this weak! A little further and he would taste free air for the first time in weeks.

Yuki sensed when Kaname was no longer behind her and paused, crawling back. She was the only one of them small enough to be able to actually turn around in the passage. She found Kaname by feel and gently brushed her hand through his hair and across his cheek, because that's what she happened to find first.

She didn't have to ask. She knew he was in pain and struggling. She wished there was something she could do, but there wasn't. Reaching down, she twined her fingers with his. "We'll go together," she murmured softly, crawling slowly and carefully backwards down the tunnel so she could keep hold of Kaname's hand.

Giving her small fingers a squeeze, Kaname forced himself to get moving again. He could not bear appearing so weak and useless in front of her.

Zero, waiting impatiently in the pouring rain, was about to go back in and see what was taking so long when Yuki and Kaname finally emerged. Yuki helped Kaname to his feet and then peered, squinting through the rain and darkness to try and make out where they were. She couldn't see much but that they were on the top of some kind of hill with the dark, indistinct shape of rocks around them and what might have been a forest down below.

Zero and Kaname could see more, but Zero had seen the layout of the grounds from below already and Kaname knew them all too well, so they didn't spend much time looking. The rain was still sheeting down unabated and Kaname grit his teeth silently as it beat upon his battered body, plastering his dark hair to his face.

Even after only a few moments, Yuki's thin, pale pajamas were wet completely through and clinging to her, the flimsy fabric made embarrassingly transparent. It was cold and she was starting to shiver. Zero quickly shrugged out of his dark overcoat and wrapped it around her shoulders. It was soaked through, but at least it offered more protection than her own flimsy night garments and it was dark, so it would make her less visible in the night. As Yuki slid her hands through the sleeves, having to roll them up, and tied it around her waist, Zero started stripping off his soaked shirt too, intending to give it to Kaname. It was cold, sure, but he'd be fine. Kaname was hurt badly, and should have something between him and the rain.

Kaname realized his intentions and laid a hand on Zero's arm before he could finish unbuttoning. There was a momentary flicker of something akin to softness in the pureblood's eyes as he shook his head. "Keep it," he said quietly. "It would hurt too much to wear right now."

Zero got the feeling that wasn't the only reason, but he didn't argue.

Despite his pale skin, and the fact that Kaname was half naked, he did not stick out in the darkness as you might expect. Even in his condition, Kaname naturally seemed to blend into the night shadows, as if they wanted to conceal him from all unfriendly eyes. It was simply part of who and what he was.

Silent as ghosts the three friends made good their escape, working their way silently down the opposite side of the back cliff from the one that Zero and Aido had climbed before and disappearing into the wet, dripping forests below. Zero couldn't help looking back over his shoulder as they slid into the trees. He didn't know what had happened to Aido. If he'd survived... escaped... was captured... there was no way for him to know, and nothing he could do about it at the moment.

Sending up the silent hope that wherever he was, he was okay, Zero focused down onto the little group he was responsible for as they set a quick pace away deeper and deeper into the woods. Or at least, as quick a pace as they could manage, considering that two members of the party were beginning to visibly limp.

Yuki and Kaname both had the distinct disadvantage of being barefoot. The sharp rocks on the way down and the rough carpet of the forest floor was not doing them any favors. Kaname was hiding it fairly well, considering he pretty much looked like hell in general. But the farther they went, the more Yuki was starting to significantly slow, her footsteps becoming uneven and halting as she tried to step only on soft places.

After about an hour or so, when the house was well out of view and they had at least a small, relative illusion of safety, Zero finally stopped, giving Yuki a worried look.

Kaname leaned heavily against a tree and closed his eyes. Zero realized with a small stab of guilt that the pureblood had probably wanted and needed to stop a while ago, but he'd never be the one to admit it. Zero supposed he'd have to keep a better eye on Kuran to judge where his limits were right now. Great... why do I end up the pureblood babysitter?

At least he could do something about those cuffs. They had enough time now for him to puzzle out how to remove them without hurting the other vampire, he figured. Kuran certainly didn't need any more handicaps than he was already dealing with.

Yuki had sunk down to sit on a broken log, hunched against the pelting of the omnipresent rain, and Zero let her rest there for a few minutes as he moved over to Kaname, reaching for the pureblood's cuffs and studying them again.

Surprisingly, Kaname shook his head and weakly pulled his hands away. "No... for your sakes, leave them," he whispered hoarsely. The pureblood felt like hell. He knew if only he could feed, he would feel better, and the feral way in which he found himself watching the other two as they'd moved through the woods just now frightened Kuran. He had not forgotten how he'd nearly lost it at the taste of blood back in the kitchens. He was dangerous and increasingly unstable and he knew it. He feared what he might do. Feared the thought of instinct taking over and blacking out his reason and his senses, feared the possibility of coming back to himself only to find he'd killed both Yuki and Zero. That was something he wouldn't be able to live with. Ever.

So the cuffs had to stay. It gave the other two a chance if he lost it.

Yuki, who had been watching them, started to protest, but Kaname didn't give her a chance. She was too sweet for her own good. His gaze was fixed on Zero, whom he knew would not object to this precaution.

"I am starving, Kiriyu, beyond what you can imagine," he murmured. "My body and my will are weak. You know what the hunger is like." He held Zero's gaze calmly, although the deep, blood red color of his eyes showed the truth of his words. "I do not wish to harm either of you, but it will only get worse until I can feed. This is for the best. These cuffs are Hunter craft, and you have already demonstrated that you know how to use them to control me." A deep, dark, icy blackness flittered momentarily through Kaname's eyes. He hadn't forgiven Zero for that, but at the same time, at least he knew the boy was not afraid to do it.

"If anything should happen, I know you will not allow me to harm Yuki." Kaname finally shifted his intense gaze away. This had to be the hardest thing he'd done in his life. He wondered if Zero had any idea how excruciatingly difficult it was for the proud pureblood to give over this much control into someone else's hands, especially Zero's. Kaname felt like he'd lost everything, even his pride. But he would do what had to be done to keep the others safe. Even if all he could try to do was to protect them from himself.

Zero stood very still for a moment, watching Kaname through the pouring rain. He was aware how much what Kaname had just done had probably cost the pureblood and he felt a small needle of respect for Kuran that he'd not had before. In truth, Zero had always figured Kaname for a pretty selfish person who used others for his own ends and who substituted possessing people for caring about them. But the choice Kaname had made just now was one that Zero could relate to, one he'd made himself on more than one occasion. To put those he cared about first, to hell with what it cost him. That, Zero could respect.

"No," Zero said quietly, simply. His silver eyes were equally quiet and sincere. It was a promise, not a threat. "I won't."

Kaname gave a small nod. He didn't look back towards Zero again; if he'd had enough strength and warmth to flush at how incredibly humiliating this all was he would have. He didn't, though, so he merely stared away through the falling rain as he tried to gather up some of the strength he didn't have for their next push forwards.

Zero moved back to Yuki's side, sitting down beside her and wanting to see how her feet were holding up.

Yuki tried to insist she was fine, scooting away from him and refusing to pick her legs up, but Zero was having none of it and simply grabbed her ankles as she sat and hoisted her feet up so he could get a look. They were torn and bleeding. Crap.

Releasing her and ignoring the way she was fussing at him for what he'd done, Zero ran a hand through his dripping hair, trying to figure out what to do. Kaname's feet were probably fairing little better, although he knew he'd not be hearing the pureblood complain. That was one definite thing in Kuran's favor, actually (and here Zero was remembering Aido) – Kaname was not a whiner.

They were by no means safe here, and he'd hoped they could cover a lot more ground yet, even if they weren't able to make it off the massive estate completely tonight. But he couldn't ask Yuki to walk any further like that and his shoes were way too big for her, they'd be more of a hindrance than a help.

Reaching a decision, Zero hiked Yuki up behind him, carrying her piggy-back style on his back. She wasn't terribly heavy. Zero figured he could carry her for a good long while like this, despite her quite insistent initial protests.

Once Yuki finally settled down and simply wrapped her arms around Zero's neck, accepting his help, Zero turned and looked thoughtfully towards Kaname, who had reluctantly pushed away from the tree, obviously as aware as Zero was that they needed to get a lot further away before a longer rest was viable.

Zero considered the pureblood a moment. No way he could help Kuran like he was Yuki...but... "Kaname, think you'd fit my shoes?" he asked.

The pureblood smiled faintly and shook his head. "Stop trying to give your clothing away, Kiriyu," he murmured softly, almost fondly. "One would think you're trying to become a nudist."

Zero snorted and rolled his eyes in a well pardon me for trying to help expression. But he'd seen the look Kaname had shot between he and Yuki, and he understood the unspoken. Zero was taking care of Yuki like Kaname couldn't right now – Kaname would not take anything from him that he might need to help in that.

Slowly, the little rag-tag group moved off again in the lashing wind and rain, moving through trees and struggling through dense undergrowth that seemed to go on and on for a black, wet, miserable eternity.