Title: Stained

Author: CometheDawn

Rating: T

Pairing: I don't know yet. But there will be one...or two.

Summary: What if Kaname wasn't the one who saved Yuuki from the vampires that snowy winter evening? How much would life have changed?


"Snow. White snow. What is white? What is snow?"

Zero walked into his bedroom to find Yuuki draped across his bed staring off into space uttering nonsense while Ichiru stood leaning against the wall, looking at Yuuki as if enraptured. Zero briefly shook his head and wondered if the two would become any stranger as time went on.

"What the hell are you two doing?"

Yuuki blinked and looked at him with an innocence that he knew just wasn't there. "Zero?" She questioned turning her head to face the hunter.

"Are the parental units with you Zero?" Ichriu asked completely ignoring Zero's question although this wasn't all that unusual. Ichiru was a master at evasion and an even bigger pro at getting his way. Zero shook his head. "No, now what the hell are you two doing this time?"

Ichiru blinked at Zero's hard tone. Zero could tell just by the look on Ichiru's face that he thought he was being too serious. He got that complaint from Ichiru and Yuuki so much that it was annoying but typical. "Being theatrical. Want to join us?"

Zero scowled. "Don't you two have anything better to do?"

"Sorry, Zero. We're not hunters. Just regular teenagers. We do weird stuff." Yuuki said sorrowfully-but not really.

Zero ran a hand over his face and moved towards his bed pushing Yuuki off with one hand and ignoring her shout of 'Hey!' as she fell to the floor. He took her place on his bed crossing his legs at the ankle and putting his hands behind his head.

"That was so mean, Zero." Ichiru said holding out a hand to Yuuki to help her up and then jerked it back just as she was about to grab it.

"Ichiru!" Yuuki whined and Zero chuckled. "You two are such jerks!" A voice interrupted Yuuki just as she was about to tell the Kiryu twins more about themselves.

"Zero, Ichiru, Yuuki we need the three of you to come in here please."

The trio glanced at each other curious about the serious note in Akari Kiryu's voice. Akari Kiryu was only serious about three things-her job, her food, and her children. Not necessarily in that order. So either they were going on an assignment or one of them were about to get busted for something that they had been trying to keep swept under the rug.

Ichiru reached for Yuuki pulling her to her feet and filing out of the room after her.

Something in Zero's gut began to churn. Somehow he knew that as soon as he walked into the room with his mother his life was going to change. He wanted to grab Yuki and Ichiru and tell them not to go but that wasn't an option. This was their parents-well, his and Ichiru's but Yuuki was family as well.

When they finally entered the room Zero's gaze was immediately drawn to his father who studiously avoided looking him in the eye then he looked at his mother who only had eyes for Yuuki. And then his gaze landed on the third member in the room. He recognized the man from somewhere but he wasn't sure where until Ichiru leaned close to Zero and whispered not so quietly, "Hey Zero isn't that the weirdo that sometimes came around when we were younger?"

Zero eyes widened briefly in recognition and Akari scolded Ichiru for being rude but at his immediately contrite behavior his mother immediately softened. Zero rolled his eyes. Ichiru got away with murder since he was sickly. Had Zero made that remark she would have beaten him within an inch of his life even though he was bigger than she was.

"What's going on Mama Kiryu?" Zero turned and looked at Yuuki who immediately sat down. Ichiru sat down next to her which was often the case and Zero opted to lean against a nearby wall and fold his arms over his chest. Sometimes Zero felt like he was the one who wasn't really a Kiryu and not Yuuki. Ichiru and Yuuki were damn near inseparable. Although he didn't mind. For some reason the void in Ichiru's heart seemed filled when his parents brought Yuuki home that cold winter night so long ago. For a long time Zero had felt that Ichiru was drifting away from them. All that changed when Yuuki joined their family. Zero would never be able to voice how grateful he was for that.

She had been in a nearly catatonic state when she arrived at their home. The only words she would say was something scary tried to eat her. His mother told him later on that they had been sent on an assignment. An unusual number of level E's were concentrated in a particular area and they had been sent to eliminate the threat. They had found Yuuki there wandering around in the snow and had killed an E right before it attacked Yuuki. They had no idea how she ended up there alone and apparently abandoned but they brought her home anyway and this is where she had stayed ever since.

Ichiru was the first person she spoke to and for a long time he was the only one. Zero didn't know what they conversed about. All he knew was that one day she was silent, the next she continuously trailed in Ichiru's wake looking at him as if the sun rose and set with him, and after that she was talking-incessantly. Sometimes he wished she never started talking. He often told her so which had led to many wrestling matches-that she lost, of course. Still, something about her provided Ichiru with something that his own family couldn't-self-worth. Yuuki needed Ichiru and vice versa. Well, that was the case when they were younger. Now, they both seemed rather independent-except when they were annoying him.

They rough housed a lot. Yuuki was a girl but the fact that she had been raised with two boys made her a bit rough around the edges. Although that didn't mean she didn't use her femininity when she thought it would help her get what she wanted.

"We need to talk to you all."

"Perhaps it would be best if-"

"No, Cross. We're a family. We'll tell them all here together, now." Haro spoke up knowing exactly what his suggestion would be.

"You guys are kind of scaring me." Yuuki stated. "What's wrong?"

"Yuuki," Akari began, "Your family has been found."

Yuuki stopped breathing. Her first memory was of Akari and Haro Kiryu saving her from a vampire that tried to eat her. Anything before that she couldn't recall. She hadn't even realized that she had a family that wanted her or was even still alive given the number of E's Mama and Papa Kiryu had said were about the night they entered her world.

"My family?"

"We are Yuuki's family." Zero said harshly taking a step closer to the Yuuki who was trembling fiercely at the pronouncement. Was this what change smelled like? He wondered. He didn't like it. The scent of it weighed heavily upon his senses and he sought to throw his new burden off his shoulders.

"Zero, hush, let me finish." Zero scowled but otherwise listened to his mother's words. "As it stands all that remains of your family is a brother. You have an older brother Yuuki."

"A brother?" Yuuki glanced out the corner of her eye at Ichiru who had stiffened imperceptibly.

"Yes, and he'd like to meet you." Cross stated.

"Kaien!" Akari scolded. "Don't push." He had just told them recently that Yuuki had family and that was hard enough to deal with and now he was forcing a reunion.

"I'm not pushing, Akari. I'm just stating the facts. He's been looking for her a long time."

"How…how did you find me, how does he know who I am? It's been so long…"

"Actually, I have been friends of your family for some time. It was I who identified who you are."

"But how?"

A sad smile crossed Kaien Cross' lips. "You look like your mother. I could almost mistake you for her." Yuuki would wonder about that smile at some later date but today she just wanted to stop the world from spinning around her.

"What happened to my parents?"

"They were murdered." The occupants of the room-with the exception of Kaien, all froze at the additional presence in the room. Yuuki knew without even looking that Zero's gun was in his hand and pointed at their new visitor.

He was tall and his coffee colored tresses brushed his shoulders. His eyes were a rich brown although they held a world of sadness in them. His frame was lean and graceful but the thing that stood out most to the occupants of the room…was that he was a vampire.

"Yuuki?" He said looking directly at her. Time froze for her. She wasn't sure if she could breathe or move. It was like he was holding her captive with only his eyes-eyes that looked so like her own. This vampire-he was beautiful. He looked nothing at all like the vampire that had haunted her youth. No, he was something else entirely. She suddenly wished that she had listened to Zero when he rambled on and on about the blood-sucking fiends, then she would be more prepared for this encounter. She was sheltered and she knew it but she had never done anything to discourage it-in fact she encouraged it because it made her feel loved. More than anything she craved the love of the Kiryu family.

His pale skin looked smooth to the touch and his lips were a pale pink. He took a step closer to her and Yuuki heard Akari yell at him to stay back. Twin blades appeared in her hands and Yuuki had no idea where she pulled them from.

"He's not here to harm anyone. Please just listen." Cross said rising to his feet. Everyone heard him but no one looked him. They all knew there were those out there who believed in that coexistence between vampires and humans was possible but no one that lived in that particular household were one of them.

The threat in the room was the vampire who's power felt heavy against their senses. It took priority over everything.

"How dare you bring this into my home Cross? I thought I could call you friend!" Haro said harshly and yet he never took his eye off the vampire.

"Please, settle down, Kaname means no harm."

Settling down seemed liked the last thing they were going to do. Akari and Haro were poised to attack and Zero's fingers were itching to just shoot and if they did then there would be a blood bath in their home and Yuuki did not want that.

Yuuki rose to her feet. "Mama Kiryu Papa Kiryu I thought this was about me and my past. I'd like to know what happened to me and my family. If these people can tell me then I'd like to listen." Her words were like magic diffusing most of the tension that had filled the room. Once everyone had settled down and the new visitor had taken a seat at Kaien Cross' side the room grew quiet. It wasn't a comfortable silence and Yuuki turned her head towards Zero finding that he still had his Bloody Rose gun aimed at their visitor.

"Zero!" Yuki admonished.

"Say what you will Yuuki but I will not let my guard down-not even for you." Yuuki looked at Akari and Haro who clearly looked like they weren't going to discourage Zero in the least. She heard Ichiru chuckle at her side and she scowled at him and then elbowed him in the ribs.

Yuuki was still trying to calm down when he asked, "Don't you remember me Yuuki?" Yuuki stared at the face that was gazing at her earnestly, imploringly and remembered nothing. "I do not know you."

"Kaien just tell us what's going on!" Akari said her frustration becoming evident.

"You are my sister, Yuuki." Kaname said, "I've come to take you home."

And then all hell broke loose.