DISCLAIMER: Loveless belongs to Yun Kouga.

"In an instant, my life just slipped away.
I fought for life the whole time you were holding me down.
You watched me dying.
Holding me down, you brought my rebirth." - AFI, "Exsanguination"

-- Exsanguination --

"Soubi! What happened?" Ritsuka shouted.

He'd just arrived at the park and found Soubi sitting on the ground with Shinonome-sensei cradled against him. The ground around them was splattered with blood. The teacher was clinging to Soubi, crying. Soubi was petting her hair and making shushing noises - apparently trying to comfort her, which Ritsuka found odd since it seemed out-of-character for Soubi to treat anyone with sympathy.

At the sound of Ritsuka's vocie, Soubi looked up.

"I'm sorry," he said. "I wasn't in time to save her."

"What do you mean?" Ritsuka asked, nonplussed. He could clearly see that a fight had taken place - a battle of spells? - but Shinonome-sensei was very obviously still alive and didn't even seem to be injured.

Then Soubi lowered his hand and Ritsuka could see...

Her ears were gone.

Soubi hadn't gotten there in time to protect her from having her innocence stolen by Zero.

-end-

A/N: I tried making a longer story out of this, and it got completely weird. So it will remain a oneshot forevermore.

Reviews are love.