Yuuki Cross stepped out of the vehicle, thanking her driver for opening the door. The skirt of her dress was bunched in her tight fist as she walked to the door of the Kuran mansion. Butterflies fluttered in her stomach as she thought of seeing the new Kuran for the first time, and she felt like she was going to pass out.

So very unlike her. A feeling so strange for a pureblood vampire.

The guard at the door nodded once and motioned for her to step through the open entrance. Juri Kuran greeted the young brunette with a smile.

"Yuuki!" she embraced the younger girl. Yuuki was momentarily stunned, but then she relaxed. Of course Kuran-sama would be like this; it was the night that her granddaughter was being introduced into society. "I am so glad you made it!"

Yuuki smiled warmly at her old friend and queen. "I wouldn't miss seeing the newborn pureblood princess."

Juri chuckled and pulled Yuuki after her, into the large ball room. Many lower class vampires stopped dancing and bowed to their queen and her guest, offering respect to the two purebloods.

"I see you have already snagged Yuuki." Haruka stood before them, a smile on his face. He embraced Yuuki like a long lost relative, someone who lit up his world every time she entered the room.

Yuuki stepped back and curtsied slightly. "Where are the newly-made parents?" She asked quietly, still flushed from the show of affections from her king.

"Look behind you." Came a familiar voice. Yuuki turned around, a wide smile on her lips.

"Kaname!" she opened her arms and the prince gave her an affectionate hug. Leaning back, she looked to either side of him, aware of the absence of his wife. "Sara-sama?" She questioned, removing her arms from around him.

"Straightening his jacket, Kaname returned the mask to his face. "Taking care of Lilah at the moment." He informed her.

Juri chuckled from behind them. "That child has herself a pair of lungs. I have not seen such a Kuran since Rido was born."

Yuuki raised an eyebrow at the queen's words. "Well, I cannot wait to meet the little princess."

"And I bet she cannot wait to meet you." Sara said politely, coming up from behind Kaname. Yuuki watched as the blond placed a possessive hand on Kaname`s arm, smiling lovingly up at her husband. Kaname returned the smile, love filling the air around them.

A stab of jealousy went through Yuuki. 'I will never have that.' she thought to herself as she watched the married couple.

"I think it's time to bring Lilah out, Kaname." Haruka`s voice piped up. Kaname looked at his father and nodded. Sara smiled at Yuuki and her in-laws, then she and Kaname, hand-in-hand, made their leave.

Yuuki felt a pair of hands clamp down on her shoulders.

"You will love her, Yuuki." Juri whispered in her ear. The pureblood queen dragged the brunette near the entrance, giving a very stern order for her to stay there. Yuuki sighed, ignoring the shocked looks of the lower class vampires around her.

She glared at the ground, regretting ever accepting the invitation and coming to the ball. Her head snapped up a few minutes later, a shiver going down her spine.

Something is not right...

She turned and watched as a figure walked through the door, head held high in barely contained ignorance. The woman was very beautiful, long silver hair flowing gracefully down her back. The stranger caught Yuuki`s eye and smiled a wicked, up-to-no-good smile.

Realization hit Yuuki like a ton of bricks. She opened her mouth to warn of the intruder, but the blaring sounds of trumpets filled the room. She closed her mouth and stood there, sweating with fear, not daring to make a peep as the royal family re-entered the ball room with a little pink bundle snuggled into Sara Kuran`s arms.

Juri caught Yuuki`s eyes, then flashed a glance at Haruka. The two shared a puzzled glance, silently pondering over the fear on their friend`s face. Haruka shook off the image of her face and walked to the head of the room.

Yuuki ignored his introductory speech, and instead watched the young witch. As if sensing her gaze, the intruder turned her face to Yuuki`s.

The young pureblood watched as the witch`s lips moved, forming a silent spell.

"Stop!" She screamed, lunging for the woman. Instantly, she dropped to her knees as a sharp pain entered her skull. She held her hand, screaming in true agony, as the lights and windows shattered around her.

"Yuuki!" Juri cried. She lifted her skirts and ran to the young woman, only to be stopped by the same pain crashing through her skull. Haruka stood where he was, dying to run to his wife. He knew, though, that if he made a move, he would not be able to protect his son and his family.

Sara sobbed somewhere behind him, and Kaname turned his head slightly, ordering her to hush. He stood in front of his wife and child, shielding them with his body. He looked on, helplessly, as his old friend and mother lay crumpled in a screaming heap.

The witch spoke aloud now, her hand raised. With ease, she slammed a barrier into the male purebloods, knocking them away. Haruka and Kaname watched in horror, held by a binding spell, as the silver haired woman walked toward Sara and Lilah.

The blond woman cowered over her child, and then screamed in agony as she was forced back. Lilah fell to the ground and let out a loud wail.

"Leave her alone!" Haruka hissed from where he was trapped on the floor. The witch only smirked at him, bending to retrieve the wailing child. She spoke to the red, teary face of the pureblood in another language, a spell that would damn her from her people forever.

"With those words," She switched to English, finishing off her spell, "I take thee vary nature away!" she raised the baby in the air, showing her to the cowering audience. "Enjoy your humanity, young Kuran, for your vampirism is mine!" she cackled, placing the baby carelessly at her feet.

She stepped away from the struggling, angry purebloods, and walked through the crowed. She paused, looking back at her handiwork, the disappeared.

Immediately, the temporary magic was gone. Yuuki and Juri slumped to the ground, whimpering. Haruka and Kaname jumped up and ran to the baby and mother.

Haruka checked the baby for any signs of damage, and then went to his wife. Kaname held his family and watched as Yuuki stood up, groggily, from where she had fallen. He opened his mouth to call for her to come to him, but she flashed out of the large room before a word left his mouth.

He sat there, dazed, as Sara sobbed into his shirt, pondering over the emotion he saw in her eyes as she left.

She had looked at him with...

Betrayal.

Juri slowly sat up in bed, ignoring the hands that tried to push her down. She latched onto Kaname`s hand, however.

"Check on Yuuki." She pleaded. Sara stood up from her chair, shaking her head.

"He's not leaving his child." She spat. Kaname glared at his wife until she sat down, a look of pure spite on her beautiful features. Kaname turned back towards his mother and keeled beside the bed.

"I will, mother. I will also take Lilah with me," He shot a look at Sara when she stood to protest. "She cannot stay here. She will be in constant danger. Yuuki is the only person I trust with my daughter's life." he hissed out.

He turned back to his mother, saw her nod.

"I was thinking the same. If you like, send one or two of the wet nurses with her. If I am feeling like this after that witch attacked, Yuuki will probably be feeling worse considering she was under the witch`s spell longer than I was."

Kaname nodded and stood, then walked out of the room and into the nursery. Picking up the child, he ordered two nurses to pack her stuff, then theirs, and report to the Cross manor when they were through. Then he traced to Yuuki`s home without waiting for an answer.

Kaname placed Lilah in one of the rooms, then walked to the bedroom he could feel Yuuki`s aura in. He knocked once, then opened the door quietly.

Yuuki stirred, then turned on her back and sat up. She groaned in pain, resting her forehead in the palm of one of her hands. A glass lamp nearby shattered, sending shards everywhere in the room.

"What do you want, Kaname?" she hissed out. Her head felt like it couldn't support itself, and she wished that her prince wasn't there to see her this way.

"Does it hurt?" He asked quietly, raising his hand to gently brush a loose strand of hair out of her face. She winced at the contact, but shook her head nonetheless. Kaname sighed and sat on the edge of the bed, pulling her into his lap. With a resigned sigh, she rested her head on his chest. "You don't have to act strong in front of me. We both are purebloods, not to mention one of my oldest and very trusted and beloved friends." He rubbed her neck, trying to ease the tension.

She winced and hissed in a breath as he rubbed at a knot. "I'm not that old." she lamely joked. Kaname chuckled a little and continued to rub the pain from her neck and upper back.

"I am sorry I didn't come sooner. I had Sara and Lilah to care for, and mother was harmed, too."

Yuuki raised her head, a sheepish look on her face. "I understand. I guess I should have stayed to help with your mother. How is she?"

Kaname lowered her head again and continued to massage her. "You are worse off than she is, but the physician wants her to stay in bed for a few days." Kaname sighed and got to the heart of the matter. "I also came here to ask you if you would watch Lilah."

Yuuki`s head shot up, sending a wave of white pain through her skull, momentarily clouding her vision. Kaname caught her as she began to fall from his lap and laid her back on the silk sheets.

"What?" she asked her voice raspy.

"The spell that the witch placed on her striped her of her vampirism. I only trust you to watch her and keep her out of danger while I find a way to reverse it."

He hovered over her, waiting for her reply.

He trusts you, her inner voice cooed. She sighed, then reluctantly nodded. Kaname gave her a smile.

"I put her in one of your guestroom`s bed. She is sleeping soundly and will not fall off the bed. Two wet nurses are coming to stay with you, too, so you won't have much to do." He informed her, sitting up. Yuuki caught his hand and smiled weakly at him.

"You have no idea what your words mean to me, Kaname." She whispered.

Kaname just sat there, mesmerized by the tears that misted her wine colored orbs.

-xXx-

Hope you like it! Btw: I forgot something in the first chapter... Disclaimer! I do not own Vampire knight or its characters! Only Lilah and the witch... and the plot... so far...

Please, once again, ignore my spelling mistakes! I was notified that I spelt blonde wrong. Yea…. It didn't come up wrong in spell-check for some reason. Ill go back and change it eventually.