Author's note: Spoilers ahead for the manga.
Hello, everyone. I wanted to write about an alternate universe where Kaname was born a cis woman, and what would have changed based on that. It will most likely take the form of interconnected drabbles, not necessarily in chronological order. I hope you find it enjoyable.
I own absolutely nothing. The manga belongs to Matsuri Hino. The title is taken from a poem of Slyvia Plath's by the same name. It's actually about a woman who tries to commit suicide and whose life is saved, but I thought the phrase was fitting for Kaname's "resurrection" from the coffin. Some situations or quotes may be taken directly from the manga, because some things simply aren't affected by Kaname's gender change. Please let me know if you would like me to highlight those quotes in bold.
Warnings for homophobia, internalized homophobia and biphobia, sexism and misogyny, and brief depictions of past rape and forced pregnancy, along with the general Vampire Knight warnings: blood, violence, incest, character death, suicide, etc.
While it's not the focus of the story, this fic does deal with somewhat more serious subject material than I've written before. If I write something offensive, please let me know, and if you have any input, I would love to hear that as well.
Contrary to popular belief, Juuri and Haruka did not have a daughter.
That is to say, their firstborn child was a boy. The two of them had lived a long time before deciding to have children, and they were delighted when young Kaname Kuran was born. They immediately adored him, as most parents do, and every protective instinct they possessed protested when Rido walked off with him.
They were right to be worried.
When Haruka at last caught up with his brother and newborn son, he was devastated to find his only child already dead, a victim of Rido's scheme to awaken the Ancestress. He bowed his head in grief, mourning his loss, but a slight noise caught his attention. Dropping the bloodstained clothes, Haruka slowly approached the form lying quietly on the floor; it was a baby.
A little girl.
She was staring at him with solemn eyes, completely trusting in the way that only children can be. Realizing who this was and that she had left herself at his mercy, he did the only thing he could, and took the Kuran ancestress home to his wife.
Juuri was heartbroken at young Kaname's death, but the two of them made the decision to raise the baby as their own. It was soon enough after their son's birth that they had not yet released an official statement about it, and so when it was declared that Haruka and Juuri Kuran had at last been blessed with a child, they told the world of their daughter, Kanae Kuran.
Young Kanae grew up happy and loved, if a bit serious, and her parents looked on her as if she were their flesh and blood.
When Kanae was three, they decided to try for another child. This one was a girl, and she was their secret princess called Yuuki, hid from the rest of the world and the threat of their brother. After the fate of their firstborn, could anyone blame them?
Perhaps there exists a world where Kanae was born a man, and he shared Kaname's name; perhaps there is a world where Kaname never died at all and he truly was Yuuki's blood brother. But those are only maybes, and who is to say whether that would have been for the worse or for the better?
Author's note: Please let me know what you think. The following chapters will be longer and not in this weird narrative voice. It's only like that because it's the prologue.