A boy awakens in a hospital and realizes that he can see red lines where no one else can.  He's met later by a woman who calls herself a muse.  Much later, Shiki Tohno attends high school and begins the process of moving to his sister, Akiha Tohno's, house.  Talk is rampant at school about a vampire like murder and the students are warned to stay in at night.  He meets a girl named Ciel who appears to be his friend although he cannot remember her.  He is also amazed that his friends Arihiko and Satsuki also know her.  On his way home from school he sees a blonde woman and kills her violently.  He awakens in his sister's house thinking the whole thing must have been a dream.  He meets his sister and is given a maid to help take care of him.  he's also informed of the strict curfew on the house.  He sneaks out to get some magazines since there is no TV and on his way back a man falls on him.  He notices that he has marks on his neck as though he was bitten by a vampire.  He is then attacked by a girl with a triple sword that looks a lot like Ciel.  He passes out and awakens back in the house.  He cannot find any mention of the murder in the paper and so goes on to school.  On the way he sees the blonde woman whom he dreamed of killing sitting on a playground swing.