Crimson Chains.As Shizuka slowly dies at Ichiru's side, she recalls Ichiru visiting her body when she first took over Maria's body. Not wanting to turn him into a vampire, she tells him about her past engagement to a Pureblood vampire. She once turned a human into a vampire and became very attached to him. Ichiru drinks Shizuka's before she turns to dust. Zero rushes into the room, and Ichiru relates the hatred Zero feels for him before he leaves. Zero collapses shortly afterwards due to his thirst for blood and is taken to a secluded underground area by Yagari. Akatsuki arrives with Yuki. They see Kaien standing in the room over the dust that use to be Shizuka's body. He tells them that Zero was badly injured, and he was taken to the medical clinic at the Hunters Association. Later Akatsuki tells Kaname that he believes that Zero killed Shizuka. Kaname acts sympathetic about Shizuka's death. This bothers Hanabusa greatly because he knows Kaname killed Shizuka. Hanabusa later explains to Akatsuki that the man Shizuka turned and care about greatly was executed by Zero and Ichiru's parents because he was on the list of vampires to be executed by the Hunter's Association, yet he had not fallen to Level E status. Meanwhile, Yuki asks Kaien about Zero's condition, and later confides her guilt about Zero's pain to Kaname. Kaname goes to Zero, who is on the verge to becoming Level E, and forces Zero to drink his blood to alleviate his madness, claiming that keeping him alive is for Yuki's sake.