Kakeru Kuran raised his eyes from the field he stood in. He could hardly have thought that in later times, he would become Kaname the Ancestor; the first of the Pureblood Kuran family. For now though, he was merely Kakeru, enjoying the warmth of the midday sun. The village he lived in was simple and uncomplicated. He was the child of one of the farmers. But he wasn't like them. Kakeru was barely twenty, but he'd known for a long time. He wasn't like anyone in the village; not even his parents. Every person in the village was human, except him. He'd craved blood from a very young age, but he always refused his instincts. If he needed to drink desperately, he found some way to appease his thirst. Mostly in hunting an animal, and drinking its blood once slain. At any cost he avoided the villagers.

Several years before, Kakeru had become to thirsty to wait for a hunt, so he'd drank from one of the villagers. Shortly after, the man had become a being like himself. From another long string of events, the man had gone insane, resulting in his death at Kakeru's hand. He'd never bitten another human since then.

Now, he was trying to figure out what to do next, when a shadow crossed his path. His wine colored eyes followed the delicate female who'd walked past. She was dressed in a simple kimono, a water basin in her hands. Long gold hair fell in cascading waves around her shoulders, showing her pale skin and her blue eyes. Her name was Emiko, the daughter of another village family. And for the longest time, Kakeru had admired her. Every time he saw her in the village, she had a gentle smile on her face, and even helped others when she couldn't afford to.

The village was suffering though a long and harder than normal, drought. The river had shrunk lower than it should, and the rains were late. And through it all, Emiko had shared her own portion of food with orphan children who stayed outside of town. Her already thin frame had shrunk at least a few inches, but not to the point it was unhealthy, well, life threatening anyway. He'd always admired her kindness towards others, even if he'd only spoken to her a few times.

Kakeru watched Emiko vanish over a hill and into the village. Looking away, he returned to his little sanctuary; a small hut constructed in the forest nearby. The inside was sparsely furnished, like every normal home. But inside, he was trying out different things, experiments and theory's he had. Different forms of irrigation for the fields, easier transportation methods. So far, most of them had worked. He checked a few of his smaller models to see how the change of time had affected several of them.

Satisfied his current experiments were going well, he sat down against a free wall to let his mind wander. His middle aged human parents were going to want him home around dark, that much he knew. They had always thought he was a little strange. At least in the way he always slipped off to be by himself and create his experiments. His mind wandered to Emiko. Just the other day, he'd seen her give her food away again. It was a hot loaf of bread that she'd just bought, Even from a few stores away, he could tell how hungry she'd been, but she gave it to the children instead.

He reached into his shirt, pulling out a small bag of coins. His parents had given him a few coins each time they could. They always told him to buy something for himself, but he never did. He saved it. But he'd just decided to spend it. He pushed himself up, using the back wall as a guide. The small bag in hand he left the hut, heading through the forest on the small path he'd forged. He headed for the market, looking for the rough baker shop. Emiko was nearby, to his pleasure. She was offering scraps of her own kimono to an injured child, binding the little boy's leg.

A wave of sympathy for the child, and the scene before him, swept over him. Instead of buying the one loaf, like he'd planned, he bought two. Kakeru wasn't one to become shy easily, and for that he thanked his father. Many people thought they were both shy, but they weren't. Both spoke when needed, and spent the rest of the time observing.

Kakeru knelt by Emiko and the child, offering one of the large loafs to the child. A smile possessed him as he watched the child take it and devour it hungrily. The other loaf would go to its owner once the child had gone.

Emiko looked at the handsome man beside her and blushed. She'd seen Kakeru around the market before, but he'd never said much. The village always spoke of how strange he was because he did things differently. But she thought he was fascinating. And she knew he was kind, and seeing him give the loaf that he spent his own money on. Her stomach grumbled a complaint, but she ignored it and smile as she finished wrapping the child's leg. "There you are" she smiled "Be a little more careful where you walk, alright?" The child nodded and left, his mouth full of fresh bread.

Emiko turned to Kakeru and smiled "That was sweet of you to do that for him"

Kakeru smiled his kind smile, offering her the other loaf. "I couldn't stand by and see someone hungry" he replied gently. He watched her pale hand take the loaf, her surprise evident. "And for that reason, I truly admire how you give your own food to the children"

Emiko blushed even more, feeling the bread warm her hand. "As you so elegantly said, Kakeru, I can't standby and see someone hungry"

Kakeru smiled and rose from his crouch, offering his hand to her. "In that case, would you join me for a picnic?"

"I'd love to" She smiled, slipping her free hand into his. His fingers clasped around her in a strong, gentle grip as he pulled her too her feet.

Kakeru smiled, glad that he'd stored his coins away and saved them. Now it had bought him a meal with Emiko. Even though the meal was still something he planned to buy.

He kindly guided her to another shop, buying a few fruits to sweeten the meal before purchasing a medium roast duck. It was just perfect for two people to share. As they bought their food, it was stored in a small cloth sack for easier mobility with it.

Finally done, he offered his arm to her, smiling at the feel of her delicate fingers clasping around the crook of his elbow. Slowly, he started towards a beautiful clearing in the forest for their meal.