Torn
by R-l8
Summary:
It had long been decided that Prince Kaname and Princess Yuuki were destined to be each other's and live happily ever after. But it's never that simple. Torn takes place in a different world where Vampires do not exist.
Disclaimer:
Vampire Knight and its characters belong to Matsuri Hino. I only own the plot.
Prologue.
The day had finally arrived.
The entire nation was in their highest spirit. The people of the land were in celebration. Finally, the official union of years and years of planning was coming to pass. The two powerful kingdoms that ruled Japan were merging together with the marriage of the Crown Prince from the Kuran Kingdom of the East and the only Princess of the Kurosu Kingdom of the West.
It was all planned the moment the two young royalties first met.
Everything had already been decided.
Chapter One.
16 years ago.
News of the Queen's pregnancy spread widely. The Kurosu Kingdom was excited to welcome a new royalty. The King and Queen were fair and good leaders and their first child would be joining them soon. The people rejoiced, awaiting the baby.
Maybe it was bad luck or timing but the weather took a turn for the worse. The kingdom was drowned in cold weather. It would hail and it was simply impossible to leave the indoors. It had to be one of the worst climates the kingdom had been through in decades.
Alas, the Queen also became a victim to the cold. She became weak while carrying her child and although the doctors had advised her that it was best to not deliver, she had refused. The Queen would not listen or even consider the idea of aborting her precious baby. She had always had strong resolve. Even the King was defeated.
The weather eventually died down and became better as winter passed however the Queen had not recovered fully. Consequently, she completed her final duty as Queen of her kingdom by delivering a healthy baby girl and when of age, the next ruler of the kingdom. She was so pale and so very beautiful just like snow which she was named after. Yuuki. The Princess was named by the Queen herself before she fell into eternal sleep.
A period of misery spread throughout the Kingdom at the loss of their beloved Queen. However this ended when the King only allowed for a brief 3 months of grieving. King Kaien respected and loved his Queen, he knew that she would not wish for their people to suffer and that this would also be for the best interest of their daughter. King Kaien would never love another woman like he did his Queen. He would continue to live for his daughter and his kingdom.
A grand ball was prepared to properly end the mourning and to celebrate the birth of the now six months old Princess. Invitations were sent out and reached as far as the Kuran Kingdom on the opposite side of the land.
The palace ballroom was decorated with violet and white (native colours of the Kurosu Kingdom) silk hanging from the ceilings and decorating the walls. A massive crystal chandelier hung in the middle of the ceiling surrounded by a dozen smaller ones. The crowd were gathered around the room dressed in their best clothes chatting happily to each other. No one was dancing even though beautiful music was played by the talented but small orchestra.
In the middle of the room and a bit behind where the chandeliers hung, laid Princess Yuuki. She was tucked warmly and comfortably in her elaborate cradle, taking a nap. Two maids stayed beside her and tons of soldiers were stationed close by and around the room but nothing too frightening. Every so often, a person or a pair would walk up to the princess and admire her but not for too long. Only a maximum of two were permitted to see her at a time.
King Kaien also stood somewhat nearby his daughter, greeting his guests and accepting sincere apologies at the loss of the Queen and congratulations of the new Princess when the Kuran Royalties, King Haruka, Queen Juuri and their seven year old son, Prince Kaname, made their entrance. People made way as the Royalties met each other and began to converse.
"Father, Mother," the young Prince called out at one point catching the adults attention. "May I pay the Princess a visit?" he asked them slowly, almost shyly, and then looked up King Kaien for permission.
"Why of course, young Kaname-kun," King Kaien smiled.
"Don't forget your gift," Queen Juuri reminded him.
Kaname gave his mother a nod. "Thank you," he excused himself as he made his way to where the Princess lay.
"Thank you for your kind gifts," King Kaien mentioned as they all watched the Prince.
"Don't mention it, old friend," King Haruka replied. "This particular gift was chosen by Kaname specifically for your daughter."
"Oh, is that so!" King Kaien chirped; he had always been a cheerful King.
"Kaname was so excited when we told him we were going to visit the Princess!" the Queen giggled. "Yuuki-chan is very beautiful. Just like her mother."
"Yes, she is," the King smiled sadly.
Kaname resisted the urge to run up to the cradle. He was not a child anymore, he had to act mature. In front of his parents, King Kaien and all the people in the room. Finally reaching the Princess, he stared at the newborn sleeping. He wasn't sure what to do next. She was a new friend, his parents had told him. Kaname wasn't allowed to have many friends so it was obvious he would be excited to make a new friend. He even put in the effort to wear his new clothes! A white suit with black patterns along with a small cape and a hat adorned with a red feather. But she was much smaller than he had expected. In fact, this was the first baby he'd seen.
"She's sleeping," he whispered slightly disappointed. 'What was her name?' He wondered. 'That's right...'
"Yuuki."
Kaname watched as the baby responded to his voice and two brilliant amber eyes stared up at his own dark crimson eyes. Yuuki giggled.
Murmurs spread throughout the crowd after hearing the Princess laugh.
Kaname smiled back at the innocent sound and remembered his gift. He searched his pocket and pulled out a necklace. He had chosen it himself, he looked at it proudly. It was a pretty pendant made of white gold. It was square in shape but if inspected carefully, a rose could be made out of itshape with a crescent moon in the centre. He held it out to the Princess.
Yuuki's hands reached out the necklace but could not reach them. She giggled as she attempted to reach for it over and over again thinking it was a game. Kaname let out a small laugh enjoying himself too.
The Kings and the Queen paused at the scene and turned to each other with a knowing look and a similar idea crossing their minds as the rest of the crowd cooed at the adorable sight.
And it was decided.
Every fourth summer from now onward, the Prince and the Princess would meet each other in hopes that the two would fall in love.
The Kuran royalties dwelled in the Kurosu kingdom for a week. It would be a shame to travel half way across the land on an exhausting journey just to go back in only just a day or two's time. Their highnesses were guided around the well-kept gardens and lakes that were the defining features of the Kurosu kingdom. The Kurosu Kingdom was proud of their beautiful landscapes. The Kingdom was also located at a spot that overlooked the ocean. It was a spectacular scene.
During their stay, the adults spend much of their time visiting areas and discussing political and economical matters. As well as matters concerning their newest project of a royal arrangement unbeknownst to the two young children. In general, it was a good opportunity to re-establish the good relationship between the two kingdoms.
Kaname on the other hand found himself spending time with the Princess whenever he had spare time. Most of the time she would be sleeping and he would watch her fondly. He loved the way her small hand would cling to his finger and how small her feet were. He would play with her when she woke up and sometimes he would help to feed her as well.
Kaname was also there to witness the first time Yuuki crawled. She had been rolling on the futon when Kaname called out to her that morning. She had pushed herself up and slowly crawled to his end of the futon where he sat. He had not known the significance of the moment until he had told his parents and King Kurosu about it during lunch that day. King Kurosu went into a fit when he learnt he had missed his precious daughter's first crawl! From then onwards, Kaname would stay by Yuuki, wanting to witness Yuuki's first attempts at everything if he could. It was amazing how special Yuuki made him feel over the span of only a few days.
The necklace Kaname had given Yuuki had been placed away securely in a box. Yuuki was too young to wear it. It would be given to her to wear when the time was right. Kaname wasn't pleased to know this though he had no other choice but to reluctantly accept this fact.
Eventually, it was time to leave. Though sad, Kaname was never one to go against his parents wishes.
"You will see Yuuki-chan again," Queen Juuri reassured her son, anguished at her son's painful expression.
"Next time, Yuuki and I will visit you and your kingdom, Kaname-kun," King Kurosu gave the Prince a pat.
"Okay…" Kaname replied sadly looking at the Princess.
Said Princess was being carried by her caretaker and reaching out for Kaname as if telling him to go play with her. Yuuki struggled and made small noises, unable to speak yet, when her caretaker would not let her go. She looked ready to cry in frustration. Seeing how attached Kaname and Yuuki had gotten, the adults couldn't help but grin among themselves.
Kaname walked to her and the caretaker kneeled down as he was too short to reach. "I will see you again, Yuuki," he promised. "Be a good girl and grow strong and healthy," Kaname told her, recalling what his mother would often tell him.
"That's not right, Kaname," Queen Juuri giggled. "Yuuki-chan is a girl, yes she has to grow up to be healthy but being strong is a boy's job. Yuuki has to grow up as a lovely girl," she corrected him.
"Why do boys have to be strong and girls have to be lovely?" he asked.
"So that a strong boy like you can protect lovely Yuuki-chan," King Haruka answered. "Like how I protect your mother," he added, throwing a flirtatious grin at his Queen. The Queen blushed.
"Like father and mother?" Kaname repeated. That made sense. "Then I will become a strong boy and protect Yuuki," he decided as he gave Yuuki a kiss on the cheek like he would see his father do to his mother.
King Kurosu gave out a small squeal. "Kaname-kun, that's too fast!" he said jokingly while King Haruka and Queen Juuri chuckled. Kaname gave the King an innocent and confused look before the carriage that would take them home arrived. It was time to say goodbye.
"When will I see Yuuki again?" Kaname inquired, once they had settled inside the carriage.
"Soon darling," the Queen replied. "Yuuki-chan and her father will be visiting our kingdom in a few years."
"Soon…" Kaname repeated as he looked back at the Kurosu Kingdom. He was already missing the tiny being that he had been spending time with lately. He had had so much fun taking care of her. He could not wait to see her again.
Chapter One end.
Note:
This chapter didn't turn out as long as I would have personally liked but I thought it fitting to end here. Next chapters will hopefully be longer and include much more characters.
The necklace that Kaname picked for Yuuki is the same necklace that Yuuki wears in the original manga/anime aside from the fact that the chain is a simple chain rather than full of fancy shapes.
I hope you enjoyed my first story I have for the readers of and fans of Vampire Knight. This story is inspired by fairytales by the way :)
Reviews and constructive criticism are always appreciated.