A/N: Hey guys! Thanks for the support so far. Here's a new chapter for ya. Also, moving forward it will all be set in [Present Day] so I won't be adding that at the beginning anymore.

To 'VK fan': I made Haruka and Juri evil in SCL so they could suit my agenda for the story. Everyone in SCL is out-of-character from the manga. I did love them in the manga though and thought they deserved more screen time! But, thanks for the review!

His drive to her house was both exciting and nerve wracking. It gave him some comfort that she had the confidence to provide him with her home address rather than suggesting they meet elsewhere. Yet at the same time, he couldn't help but look in his rear view mirror constantly and make unnecessary turns to get to her place in a roundabout way. He didn't want to chance it in case his mother was having him followed. The last thing he wanted was to put Yuuki in harm's way again, or have her discover the existence of Ai.

Kaname rang the bell and Zero answered. He nodded his head in greeting.

"Just give me a minute!" Yuuki shouted from another room, in a rush to finish getting ready.

"It's good to see you here, man," Zero said, extending his hand out to shake Kaname's. Kaname glanced at Zero's hand, shaking his head with a sigh of relief and pulling the silver-haired man into a hug. "Whoa, okay, it's alright," Zero replied to the gesture, patting Kaname's back.

When Kaname released him and stood back, he cleared his throat and straightened his shirt.

"Sorry, but I'm very thankful and grateful for everything you've done to help me be here."

"Yeah, yeah, you're always so cheesy," Zero waived away, uncomfortable with the appreciation. "I'm glad you guys are reconciling. She's been through some shit, so be sure to make it up to her in the future."

He turned to escort Kaname into their home and to give him a quick tour when Kaname stopped him.

"Wait, I have a question about that, actually."

Zero turned back to him and raised a brow, leaning his forearm against the wall. "Eh?"

"Yuuki's um... well..." He wasn't sure how to say it, knowing that the subject was probably a sensitive one. But he wasn't sure he could ask her directly. "Her throat. I mean her singing. She told me about her allergic reaction and all that but I haven't figured out how to bring it up."

"You mean can she still sing?"

Kaname nodded and glanced around Zero to see if anyone was listening to them. If Yuuki hadn't been able to heal properly through therapy and she could no longer sing again, then he didn't want to ask her and potentially bring up bad memories.

Zero stood straight and sighed, running a hand through his hair as his shoulders dropped a bit.

"Afraid not. She went through therapy and all that, I mean she really tried. It was back during the early stages of her pregnancy." Zero shook his head as he thought of those dark days. "But the damage is irreversible. She has a very small range she can do, but overall no, she can't sing anymore.

"In fact, she probably won't mention it so you don't feel bad, but really any kind of severe pressure makes her uncomfortable. Flying, for example. Or crying, coughing; it all causes her discomfort, but it's not exactly pain, if you know what I mean. Just kinda like..." He waived his hand around as he looked for the right word. "I don't know, man. Just like there's a grip on her throat or something. Although she did mention it getting better as time passes."

Kaname fought back the mix of sorrow and anger, forcing himself to swallow it back and hold it in. He could destroy his parents all he wanted, but it wouldn't bring back what Yuuki lost.

"She was pretty depressed for a while," Zero continued. "Honestly, if it wasn't for Ai I don't think she'd have been able to mentally recover and make it to the point she's at now. She laughs, jokes and smiles, but it's not like before. Well, not until you showed up a couple weeks ago."

"Really?" Kaname asked, surprised.

He was sure that his arrival in her life would have had the opposite effect on her, especially because of the memories that were enticed whenever she looked at him. He recalled a previous conversation they had over the phone, one that made him realize there was only so much he could do to fix things that had gone wrong.

"Can I see you?" he asked.

"I rather not," she replied with some hesitation. "It's just that, I'm not ready. Every time I see your face, I think of your mother and what she did to me."

It was true that he had a strong resemblance to his parents. Looking at the three Kurans, there was no doubt that they were related. Although he could fix the wrongs and harm his parents had done and created, there was no fixing his face. Short of getting plastic surgery, that is...

"Yeah, really. So thank you, Kaname. And thank you for not pressuring her."

"I would never," he immediately replied. "I understand that she needs time. Honestly, so do I." He thought back to his reaction a year ago at the hotel. "I'm not good enough to face her as a man yet."

Zero disagreed, patting him on the shoulder and ushering him away from the entrance.

"No, don't think that way. I dated a girl once for a couple years. I trusted her and she cheated on me. I left for a convention for a week but came back early because I was sick. Caught her in bed with her ex. It was a total mess. So seeing your girlfriend in bed, naked with another man, can fuck with anyone's head. It's the shock, ya know? Luckily for everyone involved in your situation, it wasn't what it looked like."

Kaname appreciated Zero's words and condolence. He felt somewhat relieved that he wasn't viewed as a monster by Yuuki's friends. It wasn't just Yuuki he had to win over, but Zero and Hanabusa. They were her family and he had once considered them his friends, even if it was for a short while.

Gazing around the large and spacious house, he saw the influence that each of them had. The large, black, leather couch in the main living area screamed Zero, but it was softened by Yuuki's style with pink, daisy-shaped throw pillows. The oddly shaped body pillows covered in rainbow-colored feathers must have definitely been Hanabusa's.

There were a few toys strewn around the floor. He had accidentally stepped on one, which made it immediately light up and start playing a musical chime. Ai's presence was also there with them. His dark thoughts bled away and were replaced by images of Ai. The short time he was able to see her in the parking lot was appreciated, and although Yuuki had sent him some pictures through texts of her, it wasn't enough. He wanted more.

"Where's Ai?" he asked Zero, who was showing him the kitchen.

The space was huge with a large island. He was surprised that they had moved into such a large house, but it seemed appropriate. They were three adults with their own lives. A section of the kitchen was designated for Ai's things; bottles, bibs, formula. He pictured Yuuki getting a bottle ready for Ai, rocking her back and forth and talking sweetly to her. He kept forcing himself to not picture Yuuki singing to Ai, as he was sure she wasn't able to do that.

Yet he had a feeling that she would have, or she would want to. That fact made his eye twitch, knowing that she couldn't. For the hundredth time since he found out, he wanted to strangle his mother to death.

"Ah, she's with Hanabusa in the other room. He's keeping her busy while Yuuki finishes getting ready."

"Can I see her?" he asked. Although Ai was his daughter, he wanted to do things right. The part of him that wanted to bust the door down and see his daughter whenever he wanted was shoved down by the even larger part that wanted to make sure Yuuki was okay with everything.

"Ha!" Zero scoffed. "Damn, she's got you walking a tightrope. Sure, let's go."

"Hey, don't say that about Yuuki. She's got her reasons and I respect that."

"Yeah, yeah. You two need to kiss and make up already."

"I'm working on it..." Kaname grumbled under his breath. He wouldn't mind kissing her or making up with her in all sorts of ways, but he kept his lewd thoughts to himself. He was, after all, still undeniably attracted to her.

They entered a smaller room that had been converted into a playroom. There were all sorts of vibrant colors splashed across everywhere. Epic murals depicting anime characters and animals he had never seen before were beautifully crafted into various scenes, almost playing out like a comic book across all four walls.

Stuffed animals, dolls and action figures of anime characters adorned multi-colored shelves. Cubes were stacked on top of each other and filled with children's books. A large area rug in the middle of the room had long threads and looked incredibly comfortable and soft. There was a rocking chair in one corner of the room and a lamp hanging behind it, as well as a crib nearby.

Ai was sitting in a bouncer, eyes wide and alert, as she watched Hanabusa acting out a scene. She may have only been two months, but she definitely seemed more aware of her surroundings than he thought was normal for an infant. Or maybe he was just boasting to himself since he was so proud to have her as his daughter.

"Raawwr~~!" Hanabusa shouted. "The dragon was maa~ad. 'Aah~!' the knight screamed, just barely missing the dragon's firey breath. How could he defeat such a large and powerful beast? The knight didn't know! But then, from the corner of his eye, there was a twinkle from a stone. It was the stone that the princess had given him earlier. 'That's it!' the knight yelled! 'I got it!' So he—" Hanabusa screamed like a girl when he turned and saw Kaname and Zero watching him.

Zero started laughing while Kaname rubbed his ear, trying to calm it from the piercing shriek.

"Dude, how do you even get that high pitched?!" Zero spit out through fits of laughter.

"Don't scare me like that, you ass!" the blonde shouted, grabbing a stuffed animal and throwing it at Zero. "And what is he doing here?!" He pointed at Kaname.

"He's here to see his kid. Duh."

"Oh. You're not here to see me?" Hanabusa asked, sliding up to Kaname and tracing a hand across his chest.

"Some things never change," Kaname chuckled, swatting Hanabusa's hand away.

"Hmph!" Hanabusa pouted and crossed his arms over his chest.

Kaname was in awe of the room, but first thing first, he walked to Ai and knelt down in front of her, placing a hand on the side of the bouncer. She looked up at him and smiled, melting his heart and making him want to kiss her cheeks and hug her and smother her with affection.

"You don't need anyone's permission to hold your daughter. Go ahead," Zero encouraged.

Kaname didn't want to piss Yuuki off, but he caved. She was just too cute! He unbuckled her from the bouncer and carefully picked her up, amazed by how small and light she was. She instantly started smiling and making grunting sounds. He smiled in return, cradling her close to him. Without realizing it, he immediately fell into a bouncy, rocking motion.

"She likes you," Yuuki's voice interrupted them.

Hanabusa screeched again and jumped, holding his hand to his heart. Zero shifted against the wall and pretended to melt into the floor, keeping his back to Yuuki and his head looking away. Kaname stood frozen in the middle of the room with Ai in his arms, staring at Yuuki. He became nervous, trying to figure out the right way to apologize so as not to anger her.

"Would you people stop scaring me!" Hanabusa yelled. "And you!" he pointed to Zero. "Why are you hiding in the corner all of a sudden?!" He started to mimic Zero in a voice that sounded nothing like him. "'She's your kid, do whatever you want' is what you were saying not even a minute ago and now look at you!"

"Uh... I can explain," Kaname started, enjoying the fact that Ai was holding onto one of his fingers and jerking it from side to side.

"You guys are so ridiculous," Yuuki said, laughing at all their reactions. "What do you take me for? Some lunatic? Oh gosh, I wish I could have recorded your expressions."

"Wait, you're not mad?" Kaname asked, scared to feel relieved but still hoping.

"Of course not!" she yelled with a smile. "Watching the four of you is funny."

"Oh, thank goodness," Kaname sighed in relief, feeling weak in the knees.

She was wearing jeans and a shirt, but he could tell that she had blow dried her hair, which was probably what took her so long. Her long hair was straight and looked soft. So soft that his fingers twitched to touch it and run through it. Her make-up was minimal, but her pale pink lip gloss somehow made her lips seem pouty and it made him almost zone out, the desire to kiss her building inside him.

He glanced around the room again, trying to distract himself.

"Uh," he stuttered, caressing Ai's hand with his thumb as she still held his index finger. "This room is amazing. How'd you do the walls?"

"It was mostly Hanabusa," Yuuki provided.

"Really?" He turned to Hanabusa. "How'd you do that?"

"Ha! I'm an artist, you know!"

"Wow, you're pretty good."

"Don't compliment him too much. It'll go to his head," Zero chimed in. Hanabusa grabbed another stuffed animal and threw it at him, though Zero was prepared and caught it easily.

"I'm a manga artist, baby! Zero and Yuuki have known each other since they were kids, but I met them at a convention once looong, long ago. I'll uh," he walked around Kaname and stood behind him, placing his hands on Kaname's sides and whispering into his ear, "show you my private collection of art later."

"Oh my gosh!" Yuuki squealed, covering her cheeks. She winced, which made Kaname's flustered smile falter. Was it because her throat hurt? "You can't show him those pictures! It'll ruin him!"

"Oh, no. We're going to have fun. Next time you come over, it's going to be fair game."

"Speaking of, I think we should get going so we're not late for our appointment with your father," Kaname said, taking a step away and trying to escape Hanabusa's sticky web of perverted thoughts.

Yuuki urged him to follow, allowing him to hold Ai longer until they reached the car seat. He carefully placed her in the seat and had her buckled in no time. When Yuuki didn't seem like she was going to reach for the handle of the car seat, he smiled happily as he picked it up himself. He wasn't going to complain and point out that she had previously told him that he wasn't welcome in their lives. He was taking everything she was offering, spending as much time with her and Ai as possible and doing the daily things any parent did.

Though he didn't see it as a tedious task. It was all so new and fascinating to him. He felt like he had to make up for missed time.

Once they were settled into her car, Yuuki drove them to her father's house. The ride there was mostly quiet at first, though it was somewhat awkward. It didn't feel like the comfortable silence they used to fall into when driving to places. They were both too aware of each other.

"Are you okay?" he asked her.

"Mmm," she replied, keeping her eyes on the road.

He tried to sneak in glances of her without making it obvious. She had lost whatever baby weight she may have gained because she was still slim and petite. His eyes traced her brows and straight nose, smooth cheeks and the soft curve of her neck, the muted lines of her jaw all the way up to her full lips.

Ahh... her lips... he thought to himself.

No, no, don't start this again.

He shook his head instead to try and clear his wayward thoughts. But then he realized how close she was to him, their elbows almost touching as they both rested on the armrest between them. He could feel her warmth against his skin. Twitchy fingers made him want to reach out and hold her hand.

Instead, he made a fist and placed it into his lap, trying to put some space between them so he would behave.

"I'm just thinking," she added, almost to herself.

"About what?"

A small smile graced her lips. "About how cute it is seeing you with Ai. It... seems so right."

He couldn't tell if she was actually talking to him or to herself. Her voice was soft and it seemed like she was in another world, though her reflexes and instincts were sharp and focused on her surroundings as she drove, her eyes flicking from the rear view mirror to the road in front of her.

Her words rang true, though. Being with Ai, interacting with her and holding her, seeing her smile up at him, it all felt natural. With as adorable as she was now, he started to wonder what she would be like growing up. Disobedient eyes landed on Yuuki again, admiring her beauty and her serenity.

If Ai grew up looking anything like Yuuki, then he would have his hands full killing off potential suitors. If she grew up to be just like Yuuki, a free-spirited woman, then he would have his hands full cleaning up after her and picking her up from the police station. But what if she took after him? His thoughts went back to his childhood, trying to pick out memories that would present problems for him if Ai followed in his footsteps.

Yet the more he thought of it, the more he realized that his childhood was rather mild; full of tutors and special classes to groom him into a business man. His parents had prepared for him to take over Harukan when he became older. He tried to think of family outings or vacations and sadly couldn't think of anything. If he had time off from his private school, it was spent with tutors instead. He frowned, disappointed to think that he couldn't think of any fun times.

His thoughts were disturbed when Yuuki nudged him with her elbow. He looked up at her and noticed her watching him.

"Huh?" he asked, looking around to see that they were parked in front of an elegant house.

"You zoned out. You okay? If you're nervous about meeting my father, then we can do this some other time."

He gave her a smile. "No, no, I'm not nervous about that. I've met him a hundred times already."

"But not as my father. You've met him as Kaien Cross, owner of Kurosu Industries."

Her words were like being doused with cold water. It was true, and now that she had worded it that way he started to wonder how to act in front of the older man. He couldn't go in annoyed and trying to manipulate the situation to get rid of him since he was the competition; he was trying to get him on his side.

"Uh..." he hesitated. "I'll be fine, I'm sure." He didn't feel confident, but he could at least lie about it.

He removed his seatbelt and opened the car door, not wanting to think about it. Yuuki allowed him to take Ai while she took the diaper bag and his suitcase. Going through the gate and up the small steps, she entered the code on the keypad and they entered enemy territory.

Kaname shook his head.

No, Kaien isn't the enemy anymore. He never really was. Father and Mother are the enemies.

Inside, the entrance was blocked off from the rest of the house with a traditional fusuma door. As they were taking their shoes off, he heard Kaien's voice call out from somewhere inside.

"Oh Yuu~ki, my dear! Are you finally here?! With my little Ai?! I baked cookies!"

"You did tell him I was coming, right?" Kaname whispered to Yuuki, staring at her with wide eyes. Surely Kaien couldn't have been that happy to meet him.

"Uhh... I may have left that piece of information out..." she shyly answered, a blush kissing her cheeks.

He stared at her, incredulous, as he tried to think of ways to explain himself to Kaien and why he was there. Ai made a giggling sound and he looked down at her. She stared up at him with a smile and a part of him wondered if she was enjoying his eminent demise.

"Just, it'll be fine!" Yuuki whispered back with an encouraging smile of her own. Were both Yuuki and Ai trying to kill him off?

She slid the door open and stepped up into the house. The smell of freshly baked cookies wafted into the air, but he was too distracted by staring at Yuuki's ass. Ai's giggling coo interrupted him and he looked down again, noticing that she was still smiling at him.

He narrowed his eyes at her and whispered. "Are you enjoying yourself, Missy? You like seeing your daddy tortured by both mommy and grandpa?" She jerked her arms around as she made sounds at him, too content and happy to care about what he was really saying. He sighed and shook his head, caught up by her adorable face.

Looking past Yuuki, he could see a warm and welcoming home. There weren't harsh lines and cold pieces of furniture like his parents' home. There were picture frames everywhere showing off Yuuki at various ages of her life, their family, people he didn't know and probably would never meet. It was the total, complete opposite of what he was used to. Did his parents even have a photo of him hanging somewhere?

He thought of it, and after mentally scanning the entire Kuran mansion, he came to the conclusion that there were no family photos anywhere. Not in the kitchen or living rooms, not in his father's home office, not in their bedroom. No where. The only thing that hung on the walls at their house was expensive pieces of artwork.

He held the handle to the car seat as he tried not to get depressed by the major differences in his and Yuuki's lives. He tried not to think about how blinded he was growing up and how he should have been aware of how cold and detached his parents really were.

"Ah, my beautiful daughter and granddaughter are here!" Kaien's voice interrupted.

He looked up, noticing Kaien walk in with a large smile on his face and an apron hanging from his neck and wrapped around his waist. It was such a shock to see Kaien like that. He was used to business suits and fake smiles. In fact, he'd never even seen his own mother wearing an apron. The image was messing with his head.

"Oh? And we have another guest, I see? A Kaname Kuran?" Kaien asked, the smile still on his face.

Except the smile turned from a warm and welcoming one to a cold and deadly one. His walk towards them stopped short as he made a beeline to the living room area next to them. He went to the wall and grabbed his katana from the mount and unsheathed the sharp and deadly weapon.

"Daddy!" Yuuki shouted, dropping the bags and holding her hands out to her sides. She kept herself in between him and her father.

"Move aside, my precious daughter. There's a bug that entered my house and I must kill it and set it free." He held the sword in front of him, settling into a battle stance with the frozen smile still on his face.

"Yuuki, get back!" Kaname shouted as well. He didn't want a dangerous weapon pointed at Yuuki, even though it was technically pointed at him.

"No, it's fine!" Yuuki told him from over her shoulder. "I can protect you!"

"No, it's not fine!" he retorted. "God, and you said I haven't changed? What about you? Would you just let me handle things for once? You don't always have to try and protect me!" He grabbed her arm and pulled it down, then shoved her behind him and handed Ai off.

He turned to look at Kaien, finally able to put himself in between his family and the sword. He felt more relaxed, even with the sharp point inches away from his heart.

"I'd bow to greet you but," he looked down at the katana, "I'm not ready to die yet. I have things I need to accomplish first."

Kaien's expression softened and changed before he lowered the point to the ground.

"What are you doing here?"

"Well, I wanted to meet with you and talk to you. I didn't think Yuuki would surprise both of us like this."

"I baked cookies for Ai," Kaien announced as if he hadn't almost shoved a sword through someone's chest.

"Daddy!" Yuuki huffed. "I swear, between you and Hanabusa Ai is going to be malnourished. She can't have cookies yet!"

He waived the sword around as he started bickering. "Maybe not now but you can save them later for when she can!"

Kaname took a step back to put more space between him and the blade.

"I'm not saving cookies for months until she's old enough to eat them. How gross!"

"You're gross!" Kaien shouted.

Kaname frowned and looked at the man. Was this really the same person that owned a business, stole clients away from his father, and was also a skilled professional in the business world? He was acting like a child with his own daughter.

"Um," he tried to interrupt. Did Kaien not care that he was there anymore?

"Yuuki, the bug in the house is talking again." Kaien smiled at Kaname.

"Stop it. He has things he wants to talk to you about or something."

"I don't speak bug language."

"Daddy..." Yuuki growled. "If you don't play nice, I won't let you babysit Ai!"

Kaien gasped. "You wouldn't!"

"I would."

He put the sword back into its scabbard and mounted it back onto the wall. When he turned back to look at Kaname, he had the same expression he normally did when dealing with contracts. This was the Kaien he was used to.

"Mr. Kuran, how nice to see you again."

"Please, call me Kaname." He finally bowed in greeting.

"Alright, Mr. Kaname."

"No, no," Kaname tried to correct. "I mean just Kaname."

"Okay, Just Kaname. What can I do for you?"

Kaname raised a brow and looked to Yuuki for guidance. She simply shrugged with a smile and left the room with Ai, giving them some privacy to talk things through.

"I'd like to talk to you about Harukan."

"Is that so? Have a seat."

He was ushered into the living room where they sat across from each other. Yuuki brought them some tea and then left again.

"Look, I know you probably hate me. I don't blame you, really."

"I have never hated you, Just Kaname. I like that you put yourself in between Yuuki and Ai when I brandished my sword, and that you didn't have fear for your own well being but theirs. I respect that, and I'm happy to see that you're not like your father. So, why are you here?"

"Do you know what happened to Yuuki?"

"You mean her allergic reaction to the drug she took? I've never been so mad at her in my life!" Kaien growled.

"Yes, except it wasn't her fault."

"What do you mean?"

Kaname fingered the collar of his shirt, unsure of how to say it. He knew that Yuuki hadn't told her father, but Kaname felt it wasn't right. Kaien had a right to know. Especially with what he had in mind.

"You should know that I love your daughter."

"I know, but I'm sorry, I don't approve of you two. I won't be hitting you like your father does, nor will I lock Yuuki up like some cliché princess to keep her away from you, but you don't have my approval. It's not because I dislike you, Just Kaname. In fact, I've always liked you. I think you're hard working and reliable and capable.

"And I'm sorry about the pain that Takahashi and I put you through. We weren't aware of the extent of it until well afterward. I heard through other sources what your father has been doing to you this past year as well. A parent should never raise his hand to their child like that. I'm sorry.

"So really, it's not you; it's your parents that I dislike."

Kaname felt uncomfortable and slightly embarrassed. Haruka never made it private or secret and the bruises that he sported were pretty obvious, but to have it called out and known that people talked about it didn't sit well with him.

"Um, yeah..." He let it go, not sure of what to say about it. "I understand that all too well now. I would do anything for Yuuki, which is why I have a plan that I want you in on. The truth is, it was my mother that drugged Yuuki. She didn't take it herself."

Kaien's hand stilled on the glass he was raising to his lips. He stared at Kaname with a deadly expression, one that made Kaname extremely nervous.

"What did you just say?"

"She thought that Yuuki was using me as a way to get information on the Takahashi deal for you."

Kaien placed the cup down and stood, reaching for the katana on the wall again. He grabbed it and started walking to the door. Kaname jumped up and grabbed his arm, stopping him.

"Trust me, I wouldn't stop you if I thought that was the best idea, but simply killing her won't do," Kaname tried to reason.

"Oh? And why is that? She hurt my baby, so I'm going to hurt her."

"Then listen to my plan. It's the only thing that will truly hurt both my father and mother."

"And what's that?"

"I'm going to expose everything illegal and shady they've been doing over the years. Now I know why you never succeeded my father and were always in his shadow. It's not because you're not a capable businessman, but because you always did things right."

"That's true. I'm surprised you see that."

"I see everything clearly now, trust me. Hurting Harukan will hurt them. It's the only thing they truly care about; the power and fame that comes with it."

"But it will also hurt a lot of innocent people as well."

"That's where you come in. I need those innocents secured with a job and was hoping you could support them."

Kaien shook his head and waived his hand. "I'm sorry, Just Kaname, but Harukan is much much larger than Kurosu Industries. I wouldn't be able to absorb all those people with no work or extra income to support their salaries."

"But what if you got that extra work and income by additional contracts?"

"We do contracts every day. I don't see our numbers shooting through the roof suddenly."

"Not yet, but you will. I plan on stealing and negating contracts with Harukan and sending them to you."

"That'd make Harukan go bankrupt."

"Exactly."

"I won't meddle in inappropriate deals," Kaien warned.

"I'm going to do everything strictly by the books. Mr. Shoto is on my side as well, so we'll have legal council and guidance as well. So, what do you say?"

"Hmm," Kaien thought, adjusting his glasses. "While that sounds good to me, and I can see how that would be exacting revenge for what your parents did to both you and Yuuki, I'm afraid I still can't approve of you two being together. I'm sorry, but not as long as you're a Kuran."

"That won't be a problem," Kaname quickly explained. "I plan on denouncing myself as a Kuran and changing my name. After I destroy Harukan and my parents, I will be cutting them completely out of my life."

The clattering of a utensil against the floor interrupted the two men. They both turned to see Yuuki standing nearby with a plate in one hand. She stared at Kaname with surprised eyes.

"What did you just say?" Yuuki asked, in shock. She hadn't heard of what he was planning on doing until then.

"The problem everyone seems to have is that I'm a Kuran and you're a Cross. Right? Well, guess what, Yuuki. I have loved you from day one and the time we've spent apart has not changed that. I told you before: maybe not now or tomorrow, but eventually I will make things right. That means I will be perusing you as a suitor again and I will be a father to our child. And if the only way you and Kaien will accept me and allow me to do that is to not be a Kuran, then guess what? I won't be. I have no problem with that."

"W-What are you changing your last name to then?"

Kaname had thought of that only briefly. The idea of taking Yuuki's last name had crossed his mind, as bizarre as Kaname Cross sounded to him, but he wasn't against it. Besides, he couldn't do that until they were married anyway.

He shrugged his shoulders and stared at Kaien with a small smile when he answered.

"Maybe I'll stick with just Kaname for a while."

A/N: Any criticism, positive or negative, is welcome.

Thank you for reading.