Chapter 1 – Turning Point
"I am done hesitating."
The voice that used to calm her nerves whenever she was nervous or unsure of herself had now sounded so foreign to her.
"I have decided once to stay with you..."
The gentle eyes that she once knew very well were now icy cold as they locked eyes with each other.
"...but now, I am going to pursue my original goal."
His warm hand that usually patted her head and twirled her long hair, was crackling with electricity as it held on to the anti-vampire saber. The very same saber that had just been used to behead the head of the Aidou family.
"I am sorry ... and thank you, Yuuki."
In the blink of an eye, the man who she thought she could finally face as an equal was gone before she could comprehend what had happened. Even as she watched the devastated Hanabusa kneeling before the ashes of Lord Aidou, her mind was a blank sheet with just a single word written on it.
Why?
After everything they had gone through, after all those misunderstandings and doubts, and after he revealed his past as an ancestor to her, they had both agreed to start over their relationship as lovers from the beginning. Yuuki thought they could finally start moving forward together from that point onwards.
So, why? Why did Kaname had to do this?
Why did he have to kill Lord Aidou and made himself an outlaw?
Why did he had to leave her behind?
Was everything he told her about starting over a lie?
No!
She refused to believe it. There must be a reason.
Without a word, she turned and ran out of the Hanadagi estate. Kaien Cross had called after her, telling her to stay. However, she was so oblivious to everything around her at the moment, that she didn't hear him. All that was on her mind was to catch up with Kaname.
With nothing but Kaname's fading scent in the air to lead her way, she continued running with all her might, praying all the while in her heart that she could somehow caught up with him.
It can't end like this! It can't!
Alas, her prayer went unanswered as she eventually lost track of his scent in the woods. With her only lead gone with the wind, Yuuki stared upwards listlessly. What was she supposed to do now? The only chance for getting her answers were gone. The only way to clear up his name and the misunderstandings between them ... gone.
Kaname's presence is so far away that I can't even pursue him anymore.
While she was so focused on chasing Kaname, she hadn't felt anything. But now that her objective was gone, the fatigue from running at her limits was finally catching up to her. Her knees had buckled under her, which led to her body dropping to the ground unceremoniously. With her vision fading in and out, Yuuki wondered if this was all just a dream. When she wakes up, would Kaname be sitting by her bedside to greet her?
Even though a part of her already knew that wouldn't happen, the other part still continued to hope for the impossible, anything to escape this dreadful reality.
Kaname, why?
As her consciousness faded away, a single tear trickled down Yuuki's face.
Having kept its presence masked so well, a hooded person had slowly stepped out from behind a tree and approached the unconscious Yuuki. Kneeling on one knee before the unconscious girl, the person took the opportunity to have a close look at her. Noticing the fresh trail of tears on her face, the person could only sigh.
"Finally… it is time."
When Kaein Cross finally reached the location where he had sensed Yuuki's presence, he was shocked to find that all that remained there was the girl's sling bag.
The Kuran princess was gone.