AUTHOR'S NOTE:
SUPER, MEGA, EARTH-SHATTERING SPOILERS AHEAD.
If you haven't watched the ending of the VAMPIRE KNIGHT GUILTY or read up to VOLUME 8 use the magical thing called the back button and TURN AWAY NOW unless you want it to be ruined!
This can be read on its own, but it is actually a prequel/companion piece to my other story, Moon Dancer (which I haven't forgotten about – don't worry). It will have Haruka x Juri, Yuuki x Kaname (just cute family stuff since they are kids).
My knowledge of the characters is based on what little I know from the episode(s) Juri and Haruka were in, online summaries/information from the manga at encyclopedia sites, hints from the anime, and on little tidbits from the fanbook. So, if you read something that doesn't seem canon, please humor me.
I suggest watching the episode "Spiraling Recollections" if you need to refresh your memory. Really pay attention to how Kaname and Haurka word things about his past. Key scenes to watch are when Kaname speaks to Zero just after Yuuki's awakening, right after Haruka is stabbed, and when Kaname, Takuma, and Ichiru are speaking in the Moon Dorm next to Rido's coffin.
RATING WARNING: for older/mature teens. No lemons or descriptive limes are present, but adult situations are implied. Otherwise, kisses of varying degrees, embraces, and caresses will be ahead. Fluffiness will abound, like a cotton candy explosion (KERBOOM!). ^_^ A horrific scene will be mentioned, but won't go into detail. Rido being Rido - enough said.
STANDARD DISCLAIMER:
I do not own Vampire Knight, nor do I profit in any monetary way from this story. It is written for my and other's enjoyment, and I am taking creative liberties with the characters. The only character that is mine is Ms. Himura. Vampire Knight and Vampire Knight Guilty are property of Viz Media and Matsuri Hino. Support them buy purchasing manga and dvds legally from your favorite retailer! The rating is posted above, and I cannot be held responsible if a reader who is too young reads this story without permission.
Chapter One: A Bittersweet Decision
On a warm summer night, with the pink hues of daylight approaching over the horizon, a beautiful woman sat looking forlorn on her canopy bed. For the last half-hour, she had been trying to pour out her thoughts into her leather-bound journal in order to make some sense of what she was feeling. For a pureblood, that was nearly the only way to voice their private thoughts, unless they had a companion. For her thoughts, though, she wasn't sure if she wanted to speak to her husband about it, yet.
Seeming to get no where in her writings, she placed her secret keeper in the end table next to her, pulling up her knees to her chest as she hugged herself. Her long, flowing, slightly curly auburn hair fell down like a waterfall on her back. Her equally red-brown eyes were hooded in deep thought, hidden behind her unruly bangs that were brushed so often away by her loving husband.
Feeling too troubled to sit still any longer, she picked up her delicate, white-laced ballet slippers and put them on with care. As she stood up from her four-poster bed, her white dress that she always favored swished behind her with every step. She walked over to a clearing in the room, seemingly kept void of objects for just such an occasion. Listening to music in her own mind that she recalled from the many balls she had attended, the young-looking woman began dancing to the music.
She possessed the skill of a prima ballerina as she moved gracefully around the room, appearing like a goddess clad in the purest white that glowed with colors of the approaching dawn. Her steps were light, barely making any sound on the wooden floor. Her steps were taken with purpose, yet with a little more extra care so as not to wake her possibly sleeping child down the hallway where her husband, Haruka, was. Ballet had been a joyful hobby of hers that she had perfected over the centuries, with her other favorite past-time being playing the grand piano that was next to Kaname's room.
A bedtime ritual for them had become reading a story to the young boy they called their own. These stories were read by Haruka most of the time, like this morning, as father and son bonded over discussing the children's literature with a seriousness that was almost humorous. Recently, Kaname also began sharing his father's love of chess, so Haruka would set aside time every day to play the old game of strategy with the astute young boy before he went to bed. Juri loved her son dearly, and hoped that he would have a happy future, as it was elusive for pureblood vampires.
Her dancing intensified in focus even more as she thought of this bittersweet decision – a decision to discuss having another baby after having lost their first in such a horrific way. Kaname, their son, was technically adopted as their second child, even though he shared the same name as her first-born.
She remembered the events of several years ago as if they happened yesterday...
The original Kaname, when he was still a baby, was taken from them by Rido Kuran, his uncle. In madness, he took the Kuran child to the resting place of one of the Kuran ancestors who lived over 10,000 years before. Killing his nephew without a second thought, he gave the child's blood to the Ancestor, with the intention of having him devour Haruka so that he could take Juri for himself.
It was a disgusting act that turned her stomach whenever she thought about it, feeling the pain of losing the child she had a connection with that no one could replace. Luckily, instead of Rido's wishes coming to fruition, the Ancestor attacked him, instead, with a bloodlust that was so powerful that he could devour an entire town and still not be satisfied. Drinking as much as he could from him, Rido collapsed onto the ground in weakness.
Not being able to kill Rido because he had woken him from his slumber, the famished Ancestor felt the distant presence of the approaching form of Haruka, who had followed after he sensed that something terrible had happened. Recognizing that he was the father of the child he had just unintentionally killed, the Ancestor reverted himself back into the form of a newborn child before Haruka entered the room. The Ancestor erased his own memories until the time would be right for them to return, and waited for Haruka to arrive on the scene.
With the panicked heart of a worried father assuming the worst, Haruka entered to room to find an incapacitated Rido, and a quiet child that closely resembled his own. The smell of Kuran blood was heavy in the air, which made his stomach churn with a feeling of dread. He found it odd that his baby wasn't clothed in the blue outfit they had dressed him in that morning, and looked around the room puzzled at what had actually happened. At that moment, he saw something that nearly made his heart stop – his son's clothes on the floor a distance away from the coffin that he was standing next to. Being a smart man, Haruka confirmed his dreadful suspicion that the boy in his arms was the Ancestor as he looked into his eyes. The child's orbs were quite close to his own garnet shade, albeit a little deeper, as if he had seen many things, and the baby in this arms didn't respond in the usual fashion to him by reaching for his hair.
Not wanting to break his wife's heart, Haruka decided to go along with the charade by keeping their son's true identity to himself, but that didn't keep his own heart from briefly shattering at the loss of his son. For only the third time in his long, adult life Haruka Kuran cried silent, silver tears as he tenderly carried his new son back to their home.
Taking his time walking back to compose himself, the quiet pureblood arrived back at his estate. Even from a distance away, he saw his wife in her white dress shining in the moonlight. She rushed towards them distressed, and immediately reached for her son. She showered both of them with kisses of relief as her heart stopped racing as if it would explode.
She immediately knew that something seemed off, but she couldn't quite place it. He answered as vaguely as he dared, still telling the truth but leaving out the parts that would distress her. She accepted this, at first, elated to have her family back together, but she very quickly realized that her son was different. A little offended that Haruka would assume she wouldn't know her own baby, she bluntly asked him to tell her the truth. He apologized for being deceitful, choosing to be vague so as not to send her into hysterics, and proceed to tell the horrific scene that he came upon in a voice void of emotion. He was willing to raise the baby as their own, and knew that Juri would never turn away a child, no matter whether human or vampire, but he wasn't sure how to bring it up.
Juri, as expected to be, was shocked, angry, fearful, and terribly sad all at once, but she was also happy that they had been given the chance to raise this beautiful, mysterious child that appeared so much like their own. A pureblood ancestor who was willing to put his trust in them in a child's form so as not to devour whole towns had to be a Kuran that held some of their ideals. From that day forward, Juri and Haruka Kuran, Prince and Princess of the Vampire world, loved the new Kaname with all their heart.
Juri stopped in her movements, staring at the hues of the rising sun through her bedroom window. She saw the loneliness that her dear son tried to hide, which all purebloods had behind closed doors, and she had been feeling the tug of her heart wanting another child. After all the pain she went through, and that Haruka hid from her, she felt as if she didn't have the right to ask this of her husband of nearly 3,000 years. She had been wrestling with the decision for quite some time now, and she was sure that she wouldn't be able to hide it from him much longer.
Absorbed in her own thoughts, she didn't see her chestnut-haired husband enter the room. He quietly walked up to her, concerned that she hadn't acknowledged his presence. Carefully, he put his hand on her shoulder, and she gasped in surprise like a loud noise had suddenly sounded in the quiet room.
"Haruka...you startled me. Did you get Kaname to sleep?" she asked, trying to distract her husband from her obviously troubling thoughts.
Haruka recognized her dodging, yet chose to play along for the moment. "I'm sorry to have frightened you, and yes, I did get him to sleep. It took a little longer tonight; he was determined to finish our game before bed," he said with a slight smile.
The kind-hearted vampire smiled a true smile as she giggled at her son's determination. She enjoyed teasing the straight-laced personality that he was already developing at such a young age. He was certainly taking after her husband more than herself, but that wasn't too surprising.
"Well, did you finish your game?" she asked with a twinkle in her eye.
"Yes, as a matter of fact we did," he said as he began readying for bed. He slowly unbuttoned his silk shirt as Juri began removing her slippers.
"Who won?" she asked.
"I did, of course, but Kaname will probably be near the level to be challenging to me within the year," he said proudly. Vampire children, especially purebloods, were known for being exceptionally smart when compared to humans of the same age, and Kaname Kuran was no exception. He had absorbed his father's love of planning and strategy, both in games and in life. For a pureblood, it was an essential skill to have in order to keep those that would hurt them at a distance. Haruka knew that part of it could be because of Kaname's past knowledge from so long ago seeping out, but he chose not to dwell on it.
"Oh! When he does we will have to throw him a tiny party. Just the three of us, with cake and ice cream. What do you think?" she asked excitedly, momentarily forgetting her troubles.
Haruka raised an eyebrow as he changed into his pajamas. His lovely wife enjoyed doting on their son to tease him, when it was obvious that he was a little irritated. Yet, she persisted, saying that deep down inside he like it, and that he needed to loosen up anyway.
Juri, already in her sleepwear, sat down on the bed and knew exactly what her husband was thinking. "Oh, come now, Haruka. It wouldn't be as extravagant as you are probably imagining. If our son does something special, I want him to feel special. That's all."
"Yes, but you know how he doesn't like being the center of attention, even between us. He'd just be happy with a pat on the back," he replied, joining her on the soft mattress.
The usually cheerful vampire crossed her arms in mock anger as she let slip what she had been thinking about. "That is no fun! Kaname is going to grow up to be a stuffy, boring pureblood that doesn't know how to have a good time. He's already a little lonely. How do we expect him to find someone of his own to love one day?" Her warm eyes widened a little as she realized what she had done. Yes, deep down, she wanted to speak to him about this, but she didn't know how to begin the conversation.
Haruka, having listened to his wife's plans with his eyes closed on the bed, suddenly opened them and sat up at his wife's divulgence of information. He quickly deduced that this would lead him to be able to figure out what had been plaguing his wife's heart for the last several months.
"Juri...?" he asked, hoping that she would continue.
"Oh, you know me. I'm just rambling nonsense, ha! Let's go to sleep," she said, trying to make the conversation go away for now. Earlier, she had been hopeful that it would come up, but when it actually did, she became insecure about her question, again. Not wanting to face her husband's inquiring eyes, she turned her back towards him and feigned going to sleep.
Haruka, wanting to address the problem now, wasn't going to let her get away so easily. He laid down next to her and cradled her back to his chest. He wrapped an arm around her tiny waist and placed his head in the crook of her neck, with his mouth just next to her ear. "Juri, you cannot bring up such a subject without discussing it further. I know that something has been bothering you for a while now, especially with you dancing and playing the piano at odd times. As your husband, I would like to know what it is so that I can help you," he said quietly.
She leaned into him slightly, wanting to feel as close to him as possible in the dimly-lit room. With the curtains drawn around their bed, it was as if they were in their own private world. "It's just, I don't know if I should. It will just cause you grief. I've just been in a rare mood lately, thinking silly thoughts, so don't...Haruka?" she asked as she felt his tongue on her lily-white neck.
"If you do not want to tell me verbally, perhaps I can find out by searching your blood. Besides, Kaname took some energy from me before bed," he said with his eyes glowing slightly.
"I thought you looked a little drained," she said as she gave him a better access by tilting her head more into the pillow. "I don't want you to have to resort to asking my blood like a newlywed couple, though. I'll tell you while you drink since you are so hungry," she offered, closing her eyes while Haruka restrained himself from biting.
"No, we'll speak first. I can wait," he said, closing his eyes to lessen his focus on her blood.
With a slight squeeze of encouragement from himself, Juri began telling her tale. "I love our son so much, as I know you do, as well, even though he isn't really our own. I don't want him to feel alone in the world, or to feel paranoid about finding a wife, pureblood or not. So, lately, I've been having an...urge, I guess, to try and have another baby. A girl that he can trust with his entire being, that way they will have each other to be with, but I was afraid to ask you," she said, not wanting to look her husband in the eye. She could feel his even breath brush her skin as his toned arms held her close to his heart.
Haruka closed his eyes again as a bittersweet smile crossed his face. "Ah, so that is what has been bothering you. I had a feeling that was what it was, especially when Kaname began asking questions about when his sister was coming."
Juri began becoming her usual comedically defensive self when she was found out and embarrassed. "Well, I didn't know how he would react to it, with him being so stuffy, and I wanted to inform him as to what a sister would be to a pureblood, anyway," she said with a slight pout.
He chuckled slightly, reaching up to caress what he could see of her face from his position. "Relax, Juri, I'm only teasing. Even after all this time, you still have trouble bringing up things that bother you so as not to burden me." He looked unseeing at the blue drapes that adorned their bed, thinking deeply about her request. He couldn't help but to ask her something that was bothering him about the whole situation.
"Juri, what if we don't get the daughter that you hope for, and it is another boy? Will you want to try again? That didn't work out particularly well for our family."
She, while taken aback by it, knew it was a fair question. Rido, their older brother, had expected to marry her because he was the eldest. Instead, she fell in love with Haruka, the youngest of the group, after he persisted for quite some time in his pursuit of her. With Rido's heart broken, he was driven to madness, and it led to the death of their first child.
"I don't know. I think it best to worry about that when the time comes and trust that we will make the right decision then."
"Fair enough," he replied, running his hand across her side in a soothing motion, both for himself and for her.
Juri, enjoying her husband's caress, was trying not to become distracted by him. "Well, what do you think? Will you give me another baby?" she asked directly, turned over to face him with their lips mere inches apart.
Haruka paused, looking into his wife's eyes as if making sure that was what she really wanted, and not what she thought she wanted in the moment. Her warm eyes were filled with hope, truth, and a deep longing to bring another child into the sometimes cruel world they lived in. After that had been established, he silently asked himself if he was ready for it. Regardless of what he had shown to his dear wife, he was quite heartbroken by the loss of their true child, but the earnestness in his wife's eyes pushed that away in an instant. He knew that with her, they could overcome anything that came their way, as they already had.
The reserved pureblood leaned towards her and gave her a passionate and brief kiss on her soft, pink lips. "Yes, Juri, we can have another child. Anything, for you."
Elated, she launched herself at him and hugged him fiercely with happy tears. "Thank you, Haruka. Thank you."
Without warning, Haruka used his pureblood speed to move her flat against the fluffy mattress, causing her amber eyes to open with surprise. Leaning his body against her, he nuzzled her neck and prepared to drink her delicious blood, meant only for him, with his eyes now the crimson color of the sunrise.
"Are you prepared to try right now?" he asked, his voice muffled and soft as a whisper against her skin.
Juri giggled, delighted that her husband of thousands of years was still able to take her breath away. "Yes, I am. Many times, if need be."
Entirely absorbed into each other, as true lovers are, both of them felt complete.
A/N: That's it for chapter 1! Do your teeth hurt from the fluffiness? ^_^
Originally, this was only going to be a one-shot, but I think I'll stretch it out another chapter or two to highlight Juri's pregnancy, Yuuki's birth, and little Kaname taking care of baby Yuuki. (So cute!) From what I can tell, there aren't many stories that focus on this.
I'm even planning on introducing super-hunter extraordinaire Kaien Cross when he "meets" the Kurans for the first time! That's right, there will be a little bit of drama, but not so much that it stretches out anywhere near as long as Moon Dancer.
Final projects are due over the next two weeks, so my updates will probably stall for a bit. Once the semester is over, hopefully I can update more.
Until next time, thank you for reading and I appreciate you taking the time to review!