A Vow To Protect

Summary: Kaname had always been a curious child deep inside, but never one to truly voice out his musings. Yet, when he catches sight of a silver rabbit, he couldn't help but to follow it up to the third floor of Kuran manor where a door has been left ajar. What Kaname would discover behind that door would it change his life for the better… or for the worse?

Slight romance and OOC!

Disclaimer: Vampire Knight does not belong to me, but the OC's and this plot does. Anything similar to this is purely coincidental.

Enjoy~


Chapter 1 – Discovery

The living room was once again filled with hearty laughter as the guests of the Kuran's, namely the Ichijous and the Aidous had come for another visit. It was a known fact that these three families were close and since there was a Pureblood family in the mix, not even the Vampire Council could do anything about them. Kuran Kaname smiled softly at the sight of his parents' gleeful smiles while they spent their time catching up with their old friends.

"Kaname! What are you planning to do over winter break? Why don't you come over and watch a movie, you too, Hanabusa-kun," exclaimed one cheerful Ichijou Takuma as the boy pranced around the young pureblood.

"I'll go only if K-Kaname-sama is going!" Aidou Hanabusa casted his eyes away as he seems to find the floor all the more interesting to look at, all the while hoping that his bangs helped to shield his embarrassingly flushed face.

Kaname could only blink at Aidou's 'confession' as he had now dubbed it, and he could only nod to his two friends' request. Although of course, he will need his parents' consent before making any sort of decision regarding this matter. "That sounds fun, but I'll need to ask for permission first from mother and father."

Having made up their mind, the first thing Takuma did was cling onto his mother's arm and flashing her his puppy eyes of shimmering emerald that he knew his parents couldn't deny. "Mother, can we invite Kaname and Hanabusa over for a sleep over? Please, please, please?" Soft chuckles could be heard, as this was a common occurrence for everyone present in the room.

"… Alright, but is it okay with you two, Haruka, Juri?" Takuma's mother asked the Kuran couple, although she already had inkling to what the possible answer was. Those two were different from the other purebloods that only strived for power. They were strong, but never power hungry and they always encourage their children to enjoy themselves as much as possible.

"Of course it's fine with us. I'm so glad that Kaname has such amazing friends." Juri clapped her hands together, ecstatic that her little boy was slowly growing up, "Oh! Kaname-kun, how about you take your sister, Yuki, with you boys?"

Upon hearing her name, Yuki blinked up at her mother with sparkling brown orbs before swivelling her head to face her brother and the other two boys shyly. Patiently, she waited for their response.

Kaname smiled gently at his beloved little sister that he had sworn to protect, giving a small nod as he spoke, "That would be fine, right guys?"

Takuma nodded vigorously while Hanabusa had a mad blush dusting his cheeks as he mumbled a soft, it's fine to the stunned, but happy girl. Kaname and Takuma inwardly smirked, sharing the same thoughts, 'Looks like Hanabusa has a crush on Yuki.' Unknowingly, Aidou Hanabusa had placed himself in a precarious predicament of merciless teasing from his two best friends.

The four kids promptly dashed in excitement towards the TV room where it was littered with gaming consoles and doll houses – to sum it up, it was like any kid's paradise. In the midst of playing tea party with Yuki and watching Takuma and Hanabusa grapple for the remote, Kaname's keen hearing had picked up on the hushed whispers and the urgent tone in the adults' voices. 'Is something wrong?' Kaname wasn't one to pry on matters that pertained to the business association his parents owned, but the way they spoke had worry lacing through their words and so he strained his ears to listen to the conversation.


"Juri, how is he? Has he been eating regularly?" Hanabusa's mother fretted worryingly as the image where beautiful lilac eyes had glazed over into a dull hollow mauve. It was terrifying and saddening at the same time to witness a teen, at the ripe age of eighteen, lose everything the boy had once held dear in just one night.

At the mention of him, Juri let out a defeated sigh, "He barely touches his food except for the meat and the new blood tablets that Haruka has been working on isn't working on him. He coughs them back up like it's poison to his system…" Haruka gently placed a reassuring arm around his wife, calming her trembling form.

"Deep wounds heal slowly, especially one so emotionally scarred like his." The grave tone in Haruka's voice was unbefitting of the Kuran head, a contrast to his usual calm and cheerful demeanor.

"He's… a strong boy. His control is admirable, but this isn't healthy for him. Akatsuki and Ruka are restless lately as it is already this time of year again. Perhaps they should arrange for a meeting sometime?" Lord Aidou frowned as he relayed the messages from his nephew and niece.

"That would be lovely, hopefully it will bring back some life into him. He deserves so much more and I'm sure Akira wouldn't be happy if he knew this would happen… But he should have known… a broken blood bond can drive the other into extreme depression or descend into madness." Juri's voice was quivering at the last word as she drew in a shaky breath to calm herself, trying to erase the images of the silver haired teen desperately trying to end his own life more than once.

"Juri, believe in him, I'm sure he'll pull through eventually. If he didn't, he wouldn't be Zero, would he?" Lady Ichijou smiled while taking her friend's hands into hers, hoping to relieve some of her worries. They all wished for the old snarky Zero to return, for the fire to burn brightly with determination in his lilac orbs.

Hidden in the shadows by the staircase, a lean figured leaned against the wall, taking in all the words that had been exchanged. Not lingering for any longer lest he be caught, he fled back into the shadows along with a silver ball of fluff trailing at his heels.


Kaname had excused himself from the tea party as he silently dwelled on who this 'Zero' character was in the kitchen. He couldn't hear everything as Yuki had at one point started wailing after Takuma accidentally knocked over their table after tripping over Hanabusa's leg. Something caught Kaname's keen eyes that lurked from the shadows around the corner, but there was no one there. 'Am I seeing things… I thought I glimpsed a silver rabbit there…' He was soon snapped out from his thoughts when he heard his mother calling to him to join them at the front door to bid the others farewell. He took one last glance towards the shadows before walking to where the others waited. "I'll see you soon, Takuma, Hanabusa."

"Of course we will! Good night, Kaname and you too, Yuki-chan." Takuma smiled adoringly at the cute younger sister of Kaname before he left with his parents, waving back at them with a bright smile adorning his face.

"I'll see you soon, too, Kaname-sama." Hanabusa bowed slightly before the blond faced the girl with a rosy blush adorning his cheeks, "And you too, Yuki. Goodnight and sweet dreams." Just as he was about to leave, Yuki ran up to him and hugged him tightly before planting a small kiss on his cheek, rendering the blond speechless and flustered. Kaname watched on in amusement, who knew just a hug and kiss from Yuki could shut up the constantly chattering Hanabusa. A sudden yawn caught the attention of both adults and Kaname as a tired, yet extremely adorable Yuki rubbed her eyes, trying fruitlessly to stay awake, but it was the girl's bedtime after all.

"Alright, princess, time for bed." Haruka let out a soft chuckle as he easily scooped his adorable daughter into his arms while Juri couldn't help but whip out her camera to take pictures of the two as she suppressed her squeals. Kaname and his father had to sweat drop at her antics, whenever it came to Yuki she just couldn't hold back. "Don't sleep too late okay, Kaname?"

"I won't father. Have a good night." He gave each his parents and Yuki a hug and a goodnight kiss on the cheek before retiring to his room for the night. However, Kaname couldn't stop letting his mind wander to the silver rabbit he saw lingering in the shadows of their home. He did not recall ever keeping animals in there home and since it was decided that he won't get his much needed sleep until his curiosity was satiated, he pulled on a black cloak and left his room quietly.

Each step he took, the floorboards creaked eerily in the enormous mansion and in this case, it wasn't helping him in any way as he was trying to be as quiet as a mouse – literally. 'Now where should I start looking?' Just as this thought passed through his mind, he could make out the shape of a glowing animal at the end of the corridor. It was none other than that silver rabbit he was looking for. Without a second thought, Kaname ran as fast as he could – and as quiet as possible – using his vampire speed to catch up to the bunny that was bounding away towards the staircase that lead to the third floor. As he was about to take another step further to head up the stairs, the words his father told him years ago echoed clearly in his head.

'The third floor is off limits.'

Throwing caution to the wind, Kaname took steady steps up the staircase to the waiting rabbit at the top, wondering if it was indeed a wise choice to not heed his father's words. But he was curious and once he was at the top, the rabbit was glowing ominously brighter under the moonlight that crept in from the pristine glass window. A flicker of movement caught the corner of his eye and successfully brought him back from his train of thought as he gave chase the bundle of silvery fur down the hall to the very end of the unlit hall where a door was left ajar. Like it was purposely left open, waiting for someone to finally discover the hidden treasure found deep within the castle. He observed his surroundings carefully before peaking his head through the opening and the sight before him had his breath caught in his throat.

TBC


Hey, Akira here! This is my first VK fanfic so I hope you liked it. I know it may be slightly OOC for most characters as this IS an AU story so please bear with me. Let me know what you think by leaving a review or if you got ideas for improving my writing/for the story. Thank you and I'll see you next time! ^^