Chapter 1: Snow

The little girl stood amidst the swirling snow, watching the white snowflakes drop into her red mittens and melt into nothingness. It was cold but she liked being outside, it was not often that she was allowed to leave the house. She shivered as the gusts became more powerful and the snow started to fall harder.

Something made her look up suddenly. It was the feeling of being watched, she turned her head and looked around but failed to notice anything out of the ordinary. It was just the trees with their bare branches and their coverings of snow. Upon further inspection, the girl noticed a bat dangling from one of the branches above her. How odd to see a bat in this weather…the child took a small step in its direction. With quick flapping of its wings, the bat dislodged itself and flew off, vanishing into the increasingly heavy snowfall. The child stood peering as far as she could into the direction the bat had flown, disappointed it had gone.

"Yuki."

Upon hearing her name called by the familiar serene voice, the child turned around to see a woman standing some distance away, near the house. The open back door was open, allowing some light to spill outside. The woman's long hair fluttered in the wind as she beckoned for the child.

"Okaa-sama!" Yuki exclaimed happily and sprinted over, the ends of her coat flapping as she moved.

The woman looked at her with a pensive expression before kneeling down and wrapping her heavy shawl tightly around the child.

"I told you already…I am not your mother, Yuki," she said quietly before standing back up.

Yuki shook her head stubbornly and embraced the woman, although she was only tall enough to reach her hip and buried her face into the soft fabric with the familiar scent of cherry blossoms.

"Okaa-sama," she repeated insistently, hugging the woman tighter as if afraid the woman would disappear if she let go.

What a tenacious child, thought the woman. She sighed and patted the child's head.

"Let's go back inside, Yuki."

The child nodded before disengaging her embrace and grabbing the adult's hand. The two of them headed back towards the house leaving behind the growing snowstorm outside.

"Oh Kaname-kun, I am so glad you could make it!" gushed Kaien Cross, formerly a vampire hunter and currently a school headmaster. "Here, let me take your coat!"

The youth with the refined demeanor nodded, "I managed to obtain a day off from dealing with the Senate."

He took off his grey outer coat and gave it to the bespectacled man with the ash blonde hair in front of him. "I would not miss her birthday, no matter how busy I may be."

"Kaname-sama," a soft girlish voice called in greeting.

Kaname turned to face the girl standing to the side of the doorway. She had grown since he had last seen her. Her dark brown curls now extended to her waist and she was almost tall enough to reach his chest. She smiled at him, her light blue eyes wearing a gentle expression that suggested a maturity beyond her years.

That smile and those blue eyes, they always made him feel a bitter nostalgia. They bought back undesirable memories of his failures both from the distant past and the more recent past. She was the only one left now, the other child had long perished. He had to protect her with everything he had, even if it cost him his life. This was his atonement. Feeling a lump rise in his throat, he forced aside the thoughts of the distant past. He smiled back at her and strode over to envelop her in an embrace.

"Yoko," he murmured, feeling her small warmth against him.

Sometimes he just felt so tired, as if heavy invisible weights had been chained to him. Being with her, he felt a little lighter and less alone. If only he could stay like this forever.

"She has been doing very well like I told you in my letters, Kaname-kun. You shouldn't worry so much, she is a very bright and responsible child," Kaien informed the sullen youth sitting across from him.

It was after the birthday dinner, and having helped clear away the table, Yoko had been sent to bed after bidding Kaname goodnight.

Kaname swirled the dark tea in the porcelain teacup absentmindedly.

"Yes, I heard Yoko was doing very well in her studies, being top of the class and all. That is not what has been bothering me though."

Kaien sipped his tea slowly, before setting his cup down on the table to regard Kaname, who appeared to have something on his mind.

"Are you talking about that man? Did you discover something about his whereabouts?"

Kaname curled his free hand into a tight fist at the mention of that man. Whenever he thought about what happened six years ago an ominous rage always surged in him. With a sharp sound, the rim of his cup chipped, a jagged crack crept down the cup, and tea oozed out onto his hand before dripping onto the uncarpeted wooden floor. The touch of the warm liquid pulled him back from being consumed by his rage, reminding him of the necessity of controlling his emotions so to not accidentally injure those around him. He could not put Yoko in danger, and he also did not want her to see him like this.

"I'm sorry," he apologized, with his eyes cast down, avoiding the concerned and pitying look Kaien cast at him.

"What happened that night wasn't your fault Kaname, you need to stop blaming yourself," Kaien shook his head lightly before continuing. "Juri and Haruka wouldn't want you to be consumed by guilt like this".

"If you tell me that, it only makes me feel worse," Kaname replied, a bitter smile gracing his lips.

"I failed to protect what they held dearest," he murmured almost as if to himself, "I was helpless to stop that depraved descendant of mine from shattering their happiness once again."

[Flashback Scene]

The fierce wintry winds were cold enough to chill one to the bone, blowing snow everywhere. In front of an ancient and stately manor located deep in the mountains, a crowd had gathered, standing firm despite the harsh weather. They waited silently for orders from their master, who was standing in front, observing the couple blocking the entrance of the manor.

"I am amazed you were able to escape the guards of the Senate, older brother," Haruka glared down from the top of the stairs at the sight of the man that had once been his respected older brother but was now his unforgivable enemy.

Juri stood behind him, also somberly staring at the man she despised so much. She had trusted him and he had betrayed her trust in the worst possible way.

Rido regarded the two of them from his position a few meters away and grinned darkly, "You shouldn't be surprised, you knew that I would return one day for your princesses that you've tried to hide away."

Upon hearing his words, Juri dropped her cool façade and screamed, "You bastard! Taking my children away again!"

Eyes glowing with fury she glared at him, ready to pounce on him and tear him to pieces. As she stepped forward Haruka blocked her, shaking his head and looking at her with a sad but meaningful expression.

"Juri…let me take care of this," he caressed her cheek softly. "What you wanted to do for the children, now is the time."

The fiery anger was replaced with forlorn loneliness, knowing it was finally time to bid farewell to the one that had been at her side for all these long centuries of her life. With tears stinging her eyes, she rested her head against his chest, feeling his warm, protective arms around her for the last time. Ignoring the crew of assailants observing them in their last moments, she turned his head towards her and drew him into a kiss.

"Having spent my life with you, surrounded by your love and even being blessed with our three children, I am thankful." She smiled at him, her eyes conveying all her sincerity.

She then broke away from him, heading back into the manor after having captured the final image of Haruka smiling gently back at her.

Kaname looked up from the crib he was standing guard over as he heard Juri open the door to the nursery. He had been unsuccessfully trying to soothe the two crying babies lying inside. Juri hurried over and regarded them sadly. She had to make a difficult choice, but there was no other way. Sensing the reassuring presence of their mother, the twins gradually started to quiet down and looked up at her, gurgling happily.

Turning to address the boy who looked like he was only around the tender age of 5, she knelt down to meet him at eye level.

"Kaname…I am sorry. I wanted so much to give you and the girls a normal life in which you all could laugh and cry without care, unrestrained by the conventions that shackle us."

He looked at the gentle woman smiling sadly at him, with a pleading expression in her eyes.

"No, don't apologize," he protested. "You have already done enough, raising me as your-," he was cut off by her kissing him on the cheek.

"You are our son no matter what," she insisted softly then continued. "I wanted to raise my children and live as a happy family until you are all adults, but now I can no longer stay and watch over you all."

His eyes widened at the realization of what she was about to do.

"Please, even though it is my selfish request, watch over both of the girls...even if one of them will no longer be your sister."

"Don't do this, we should escape together for now and plan-," once again he was interrupted, this time by her placing a finger over his lips.

"Please don't stop me Kaname, this is the final decision that Haruka and I have arrived at."

He looked down at his shoes, feeling sorrow he had not felt in a long time, sorrow that he had escaped from ever since he had been reborn as their child.

Juri rose up and looked back at her twin daughters, who looked back at her curiously, unsure what was happening but vaguely aware something was wrong. If only she could do this for the both of them…but it was one life for another, a law she could not change. Steeling her heart, she prepared for her final gift to her youngest child. She could only hope that the child older by less than a quarter of an hour could live as wonderful a life as a pureblood could.

"I'm sorry, Yuki and Yoko…mother can no longer be with you," she whispered as the sealing spell started. She held Yoko's small hand in her grasp, feeling its warmth against her one last time. Kaname looked away, not wanting to see the bloody ending of the sealing spell, his heart aching.

"Please…live on happily…"

With those last words, Kaname heard and smelled the torrent of blood that burst forth followed soon by the clinking sounds of her crystalline remains shattering into a million pieces. He closed his eyes tightly and swallowed the lump in his throat. He then turned back to the crib, looking at the two babies, Yuki was crying inconsolably while Yoko had a dazed expression. He picked Yoko up carefully, this girl was no longer his sister, she was to be a normal mortal from now on. He had to hurry and get them both away from Rido and his henchmen now. In his current state he had recovered his memories but not even half of his original power.

At the very moment he reached for Yuki, the doors to the nursery were slammed wide open by a powerful force which knocked him back against the wall. He cursed himself for having failed to notice Rido drawing closer thanks to the distractions of Juri's blood permeating the room and the loud wailing emanating nonstop from Yuki. A couple of lower tiered vampires entered the room and scanned it before being followed by their master.

Rido had been injured by Haruka, as evidenced by a large wound to his abdomen and the shredded state of his coat and shirt. Unsurprisingly it was not enough to kill him. After all, he had gained power after committing the sin of devouring his unsuspecting parents who had been resting in a centuries-long slumber in their mausoleum. That and the fact that he had used a hunter weapon in the fight. Kaname scowled at the cowardly tactic, before staggering to his feet cradling Yoko who issued a weak whimper. He could not face Rido in a duel right now, he had to grab Yuki and flee with the power he had left.

Rido stood at the entrance of the room, assessing the scene before his eyes with sadistic glee in his eyes. Finally, he would devour the remnants of Haruka and Juri's wretched family, bringing the curtain down on these people he had once loved but now hated so much. Kaname made for the crib as Rido was distracted, staring at the blood-soaked dress that Juri had perished in with an almost pensive expression on his face. However, Kaname's sudden movement alerted Rido, who quickly bit his finger, forming a whip with his blood and lashing at the boy, causing him to move away from the crib. Kaname gritted his teeth at the sharp sting of being cut but was relieved to see he had sheltered Yoko from the attack. Damn it, if only he was in his real form with all his powers intact– for him the first ancestor of the Kuran family to be so pathetically helpless against his own crazed descendant seemed a cruel joke played by the gods.

"Rido!" he snarled as he stood back up and glowered at the man a few feet before him. "Don't you dare touch her!"

How he hated his current childish voice, it was an irritating reminder of his sad state.

Rido glanced at him completely undaunted by his warning, and chuckled, "How laughable, the mighty, revered ancestor of our clan reduced to such a state. You can barely protect yourself right now…you should just run away before you lose even that chance."

Kaname felt the beginning of panic at the growing realization Rido was right. He was cornered, with a real threat to his life. The crib was also too far, he would not be able to grab Yuki and make a run for it. Anxiety coursed through him, something he had not felt since the days when he was the ancestor warring against other purebloods. He hated himself so much at that moment for being so deplorably weak he almost would not mind if Rido killed him on the spot.

Kaname had no choice though; he had to survive. Even if he had to live with this self-hatred for the rest of his cursed immortal life, he had to protect at least one of the girls that had been left behind. He cast one final regretful glance at the crib and focused the last of his power into one final attack. He charged at Rido, unleashing the attack which had enough force to pierce through the older man, ripping his abdominal wound into an even bigger bloody mess and knocking him back into a wall. Simultaneously, the henchmen in the vicinity were all thrown back and scattered into ash by the powerful force. He looked back one last time to see Rido already staggering back up, his entrails dripping down, and his lower rib bones exposed. Kaname apologized furiously to Juri, Haruka, and Yuki, and ran with all his remaining physical strength, bursting out of the destroyed nursery carrying the crying baby. The other baby's despondent cries trailed after him, haunting his every step as he escaped into the cover of the snowstorm raging outside.

[Flashback - End]

Kaname was interrupted from his recollections by the feeling of a hand placed on his shoulder. Kaien had moved over while he was distracted and was trying to comfort him. As if he had read his mind, the headmaster sighed and asserted that Kaname had done the best he could given the difficult circumstances. The boy gave up on insisting otherwise and got ready to leave. His ride would be here soon.

As he stood at the door, ready to walk over to the car awaiting him, he turned back to face the headmaster.

"I managed to find out something a while ago. That man's wife escaped from his manor a few years back."

Kaien looked at him surprised, recalling that Rido Kuran had always locked up his wife. She was the one pureblood that had never been formally introduced to vampire society, shrouded by mystery and rumors of supposed insanity.

"Whatever her reasons were for fleeing, he is probably trying to search for her at the same time. With his attentions split, we should be able to buy some more time."

Something in the way the boy had announced the last sentence made the headmaster scrutinize his face. He had been alive for a long time, even if it was only a fraction compared to the boy before him, but his instincts told him that his unease was well founded. Ever since the boy came to him that stormy winter night six years ago, entrusting his only remaining relative to him, the boy had gradually changed. Every time Kaien saw him, the darkness lurking in the boy's eyes seemed to have grown stronger and more desperate, reminding Kaien of himself in the past.

"Kaname…what are you planning?"

The boy gave him an impenetrable look, ignored his question and bid him goodnight.

A/N: Thanks for reading. Any reviews/ favs/ etc. are appreciated.

* I do not own VK, only this fic and the OCs appearing within it.