Grr, finals today. Why am I not studying then? Oh well.

Thank you readers for motivating me! Almost done. And oh, also would be best to read my last note at the end.

For now, ENJOY!

Chapter 25: Family

"Have you pondered about eternity, Kanim?"

"Eternity?"

"Yes…do you know? Have you lived it?"

"Lived forever? Yes…I have…"

"What does it feel like, Kanim…this eternity?"

"It feels…nothing. Nothing at all. Nothing left about time to which I can connect myself. There is no past, or present, or future. An endless string…perhaps existing, perhaps not."

"But you are…content. If that is the feeling you can name now, then is it true?"

"It is. It most undoubtedly is."

"Have you found her, Kanim? Have you found the one you have been looking for?"

"Yes…yes I have."

"I have as well, Kanim. And I am more than content."

"Yes, me too…I have found her at last. I have found you…Amirah."

"Then that, my love, is our eternity…"

XXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXXX

The afternoon sun seeped clusters of lit patches through the closed window and on to the bedroom floor, and a faint howl of the distant train meshed soothingly to the warm stillness that came over the McDellan household. It was not long until Kaname found his eyes open partially, still lost between a dream and reality. He had been talking to her again, just like many times before, questioning and discussing about ambiguous and grander things; questioning about the thing he had lost in the void of forever.

It was not just her, but Yuki and even the woman who was his companion in the early days of being a wandering pureblood had been in his dreams, asking him many things that had no single answer. Why didn't eternity grant him the knowledge of everything? To know the absolute truth of everything questionable? Was that not true power: absolute wisdom?

Of course, he thought, that even as an immortal, that true power was never to be his, or anyone's. Life was endowed to everyone, humans and vampires alike, to ask questions and find purpose to one's existence. If all were answered, there would not be a purpose to live. Perhaps that was why he chose not to give up his life when most other purebloods did. Perhaps he knew that it was not his time to die. There were too many questions left unanswered, too much work left undone. And if he understood anything about the spontaneity of life—about change—then he knew that nothing from the past remained the same. Each second in time brought changes, erasing the old for the new. Everything moved forward, and that plus much more to time was what made it so mysterious and fascinating. Kaname wanted more time to ponder these things, but for now, all that mattered was the woman who slept soundly before him; the woman who had once walked endless stretches of sand with him; the woman who gave meaning for him to live on longer.

"Amirah…" Kaname reached out to move some strands of hair away from her face, letting his fingers stroke her cheek lightly. He must have been sleeping for hours after they returned from the main house, and Almira had not opened her eyes since. He knew that she was alive, for her chest heaved up and down ever so calmly and her body was tucked comfortably under the blankets. Kaname sat next to her side, realizing that he had fallen asleep on the floor with his head against the mattress. His hand felt somewhat warm, but it was probably because he had held Almira's hand the whole time they slept.

The silence within the house continued on. Kaname wondered about the others, Yuki especially. Where were they now? Perhaps sleeping also. They did, after all, have an overwhelming night, something that was going to change everything in the future. He tried to imagine the reaction of the vampires once they became introduced to the new presence in their domain. There would be quite a bit of controversy. The council would not be happy; the hunters would oppose it undoubtedly. Almira, the new vampire, uncertain in a new world-anything could go wrong. But it was a worthwhile risk, because he had many things left to amend, and starting with her, he planned to set his past and future straight.

And with that thought, he felt a squeeze of his hand and a low moan escaped Almira's lips. He looked to see her expression change slightly, and her eyelids fighting to open.

"Amirah," he whispered softly. "Are you awake?" His voice brought about a small smile on her lips, and just as slowly, she flickered her eyes open, the same cerulean shade that belonged to the girl of the desert.

"Kanim," she paused to think what to say next. "Please…forgive me..."

Kaname leaned closer with a look of surprise. "Why are you apologizing?"

"For making you do this to me. For them…the elders to hurt you in such a terrible way," she gazed at him in worry. "I let you risk so much in that cave, but I thought...I thought this was the only way."

Kaname did not answer. He did not know what to say. Her guilt seemed too absurd, and to apologize for something that she had no fault for, for something that he felt extremely grateful for, bore no forgiveness. What choice of words could describe his feelings so thoroughly? How could he not teasingly punish her for thinking of such unimportance when they had managed to succeed so much more?

"I promised you that day...many many years ago, that I would come back to you in some shape and form. And I have." Kaname kissed her fingers. "Even without realizing it, something, if you want to call it fate, brought us together. But it took much work and a great deal of convincing in your part to let us remain together, to be what we wanted. Do you honestly think that I will regret any of it?"

Almira nodded slowly. "You are right...but it feels so strange." She observed the pureblood before her, the man who held the most power over the vampires looking completely different than when she had first seen him. "It is strange knowing that we were once who we were…I remember, mere nomadic people. But now you… you have more authority and power in your hands than any human could ever imagine. Power of the gods. If only...if only our tribe knew then what would become of us."

"No, you can't compare me to the gods," Kaname continued. "I am only powerful in the eyes of those less powerful. But I am still weak in the hands of eternity. But it does not bother me…I feel better knowing that my human life has not completely abandoned me; that there is a part of me that I can still justify." He felt the cold undead part of his chest. "Even as a pureblood, there is still a place within me, within all of us, that is human. We were born from them, and no matter how much time passes, their presence will still remain, whether visible or hidden."

Almira cracked a smile in the process. "Oh Kanim, even if you did not remember your past, that still does not rob you of what you choose to be. I have been told that humanity is a state of mind, not a species. We monsters need to understand that, and so should the humans." Almira looked down at herself, noticing her physical changes for the first time. "Though I will not lie…being a vampire feels so hollow and cold. I do not feel like I am in my mother's body anymore, and I see and sense things differently, although not too much. But what is most troublesome…" She covered her throat.

"I understand. You need blood…more often now than you did as a werecat," he instinctively raised his nails to prick his neck, but Almira stopped him.

"Please, that is not necessary. I need to learn…to…" But the crimson liquid had already started trailing down his collarbone, and with a terrible temptation she had not felt before, Almira moved forward and cleaned it off. Even then, she found her teeth bite into his neck once again, and she crawled into Kaname's lap, feeling the sensuous touch of his skin against hers.

"Don't hesitate. The first few days will be painful…but I promise it will subside." Kaname closed his eyes as he thought about the night before; the long night trapped in the nebulous abyss, lost between illusion and the real.

And it made him wonder—think about what had occurred, and what they were left with, for the first time. "Amirah," he whispered, "how much do you remember of…what happened in the cave?"

Almira quickly looked up as she wiped the blood from her mouth. "What happened…?" She furrowed her eyebrows in hesitance, and Kaname could tell from her expression that there was much that she wished to forget, or avoid discussing.

"I see. It seems that Katra did not erase my memories or yours. Aido and Eden are the only ones who don't seem to remember anything."

"What do you mean? Are you saying that…mother…" Almira flinched at the thought. "Sorry, Katra…you are saying that she did this on purpose?"

"I remember everything they told us. Everything they made us see of that time. And I changed you...I didn't forget that as well."

"Yes, I remember too," Almira thought. "But I don't understand...the last thing she told us was that we would have no memory of what happened in the cave after we left. We would forget everything, she said, so no one will find out. And yet…"

"And yet we both know what had led us there and what occurred before the transformation. We both know…about our lost past together." Kaname stated plainly without raising any signs of surprise. "But I think that maybe…she thought it was for the best."

Almira searched his eyes. "Why would she do this?"

"Amirah," Kaname took a deep breath without looking. "Before we left that cave, Katra came and spoke to me. Just alone, separated from the other elders. Possibly even secretively if that was her intention."

"What did she say?"

"She said…" Kaname fought through several accounts in his mind to retrieve the last piece of a crucial moment that was left behind. Within those moments of reliving forgotten times, of delving deep into the true face of the elders that was kept secret from their descendants, he had not imagined the end to come out as it did. Right when he found himself lying in the cold darkness, feeling the heavy weight in his core that had put Almira, Eden, and Aido asleep around him, Katra had descended to see him alone. Poised majestically in the silk-stained cloak, she had woken him first, bearing the face not of an extremely powerful being but of yet again a simple nomad of the desert.

"There are many things that I wanted to discuss with you, Kanim," She had spoken softly, her voice a mere tinkling breeze in the hollow space. "But I must get to the point right away."

Without moving, without thinking about her intentions, Kaname had listened.

"I understand that tonight's event has planted something in the deep empty chasm of your heart. Something fruitful yet destructive. What has happened was meant to remain in this cave, and yet I am letting it live on outside these walls. A privilege most criminal." She looked at him fiercely. "But you must promise me with every ounce of your soul…that you will not use what you have learned against us. You will not tell a single being about our domain, you will not speak of tonight's affair to anyone, and most importantly, you will reveal to no one, absolutely no one, about who we used to be before we were reborn as immortal monsters."

"I understand." It was all Kaname could say as he came to terms to this newfound knowledge. "You can trust me when I say that I will be the one to handle everything once we return back to our world. I will take full responsibility for my actions, and I will make sure that Almira's true identity never be discovered."

"You will, because I have marked both of you," Katra pointed at Kaname's chest, and immediately he felt a pull that affected him more than just physically. "If anything gets out of hand, you will be the first to know of my intrusion. And believe me, the last thing you wish to welcome to your kind is my graceful presence, although I admit, I am rather keen on visiting after so many years."

Kaname smiled at her baleful words. "We will make sure that does not happen. After being so…confident for entrusting me with this privilege, you need not to fear of any rebellion. That is my word to you."

Katra said nothing—changed nothing in her expression—until she took Kaname's face into both her hands and stared at him with a face so unrecognizable. "Look at you, Kanim. After a million years, you are no longer the orphaned boy who led our tribe through dust and sand. No longer the young man who took my daughter's heart. No longer…the man I saw one last time before you died contentedly on that mountain. No…now you are a leader, a powerful pureblood just like us, feared and revered by your kind. It took ten thousand years as a vampire to remember your human origin. I never expected this day to come. But life works in such mysterious ways, does it not? Even beyond our control."

With a quiver of her lower lip, she continued earnestly. "You have every right to despise me. I would think…that after exposing our vulnerability, you want nothing more than to destroy us. But I know you better. I always knew. And I know that deep inside, even now, you were always a kind boy." She took his hands gently. "But life will go on. The past shall be erased and our history together will be forgotten. I want only you and Amirah to keep these memories, simply because…because…" her voice faded into her hollow breath, and just as quickly, she lowered her head on Kaname's palms, and to his surprise, two teardrops fell softly on his skin. "Please…" she muttered. "Please forgive me…"

He did not move as Katra cried openly for the first and probably the last time. There was a tinge of mercy within every ounce of his bottled hatred for her, and yet he could do nothing but close his eyes and let her weep. He did not want to admit, nor knew how to feel. There was always something about her that was different than the other elders—than her husband and Amirah's father—that gave her the ability to leave the underground and wander the surface; to toy with her enemies; to love her children and grandchildren equally but at the same time punish them in the most brutal way possible.

Yes, Katra McDellan was indeed a convoluted being, but beyond every guise, every malice, and every grandeur, she was simply nothing more or less than a heartbroken mother.

In the end, Kaname could only remember her telling him how to leave the cave, and other things regarding his return to the vampire world. Then she had changed into the form of her Egyptian mau, and disappeared into the darkness. The rest was a simple blur—waking up Aido and Eden and waiting for Iselda McDellan to remove the marble block so they could finally return to the surface.

"We came back early dawn, and this house has not stirred since then." Kaname concluded. "All that waits is for night to fall so we can leave for Japan…as instructed."

Almira could only look towards the ground, thrust between many emotions at once. "The elders did not want us to take their knowledge out of the cave. But Katra did not erase our memories like she said she would…only because she wanted us…to remember her."

There were no words to describe how she felt at that moment, but grieving what could be never returned back seemed pointless. Instead, Almira turned towards Kaname with a look of determination. "After what she has done for me…for us, I would never dream of going against her. It was not for that purpose I chose to become a vampire."

Kaname nodded. "I underestimated Katra. If I did not realize it before, I realize that now. I just hope her punishment is not too severe." Almira raised a brow in confusion, but he quickly answered with a sigh. "I'm afraid…even if her last intentions were meant to be secretive, the other elders would find out for sure. She knows she will be punished by her lord for defying his orders…and yet, that was one sacrifice she wanted to commit for us. In the end, the duty to clean up any broken remains would be hers, and hers alone."

Almira looked towards the closed window, noticing the seeping light move more randomly across the floor. There was a slight quiver in her voice, and Kaname knew she felt helpless. "Is there…nothing we can do?" He did not respond. "So that is it, then? Her place will always be within the wicked circle of those men, pushed around by their power, confining to no one her pains. There is nothing we can do. There is nothing we can do, right? " Almira tried to wipe the moisture from her eyes. "I wish…I wish there was something…"

She paused just as quickly, realizing that she was swerving off course to what could not be undone. "No. That is not for us to decide." she repeated to herself. "Katra was right. Life moves on. Life will move on…and however difficult, I will try to look ahead from now. I just have to be strong. And wise, just like my mother, Catherine and…Katra McDellan."

Kaname smiled before leaning forward to plant a kiss on her lips. "You already are."

He wiped her face dry with his fingers, and after breathing a small thank you, Almira took the initiative to massage through his hair before letting his head sit comfortably on her shoulder. "I love you so much…" She held him close and without any hesitance, rubbed her cheek against his dark brown locks. The feeling never felt so relishing, and this moment, out of every other time they had been lost in each other's arms, held no consequence. They could love each other without regret, without guilt. Almira had no reason to pull back anymore, and she gently pushed him on his back to be on top; to take control of something she could not before.

Dipping forward, she swerved her lips against his neck. Kaname did not hesitate, because he knew she wanted his blood more than anything. Her fangs, however, never met his skin, and he felt teased at her intentional aversion. Slowly, she trailed her tongue against his vein areas, and just when Kaname braced himself for the prick once again, she immediately brought her face up and kissed his forehead lightly.

Kaname opened his eyes to watch her smiling down at him. "What? Were you expecting something else?" She asked cunningly.

"Are you still not thirsty?"

Almira laughed lightheartedly, making her look exactly how Kaname had remembered her as a human. "You are mocking me."

"I am teasing you, yes, but certainly not mocking," Almira said. "Truthfully, it is hard to resist not to devour you. I can't seem to stop this...craving. But this is my first step to try."

Kaname looked at her, questionably but amused. "Try what?"

"To see you as my lover and not as food. If I have to live with you, I must learn resistance and control." She caressed the side of his face. "And when I look at you, Kaname, and think about Kanim, I want nothing more than to cherish him like a mother. Play and tease him like a friend. And like a lover, be lustful and loving. I want to be everything that changes and shapes you as time passes, to make you content but also keep guessing for more. Eternity is forever, but let me try...let me try and make it as fulfilling as possible."

Kaname simply smiled. "It is hard to believe...that I am talking to the same person who used to be fearful of her life and everything around her. I feel as though I am talking to Eden."

Almira blushed. "I...don't want to be a whiner."

Kaname was the one to laugh. "I suppose she introduced you to that word?"

"I am afraid so. But her scolding gave me a chance to open my eyes," Almira continued. "What she has taught me may prove well for your benefit...especially since the vampire world tend to be, how you say, dark and gloomy."

"What do you plan to do?"

Almira grinned once more before lowering down to make their noses touch. "Be your witty little gypsy girl."

Her words were suddenly followed by muffled voices on the other side of the door, followed by a knock.

"It seems we have been caught." Almira finished teasingly before pulling herself away from Kaname. "Come in."

"Almira." The first words that entered came from Iselda herself, who leaned her head forward through the door as quietly and gracefully as possible. "Oh Almira, thank goodness you are awake. We thought—"

"Almira!" In less than a second, another figure dove swiftly past Iselda's hip into the room. With a face brighter and healthier than ever before, Eden McDellan stood up to her full height in great wonderment.

"By the jaws of great Merlin what's-his-name, I can't believe it!" Eden gaped at Almira's new features. "You're ten times more beautiful than I thought you would be!"

"Oh silly, come here," Almira laughed as she pulled Eden into a tight embrace. Her presence brought a whole new warmth to the room that Almira did not want to let go.

"Eh, eh, don't bite me. Don't bite me!" the young werecat hesitated near her ear. "You already had your share of Eden chow when your soul was in my body."

Almira quickly brought her head back to look at her face to face. "Eden, what makes you think I will do that to you? And after everything you have done for us…not just standing up to the royal heads, but providing us courage. You reminded us about our roles despite every consequence, and if it weren't…if it weren't for you...I would never have gotten my own body, and…Master Kaname and I would not have gained more than we could imagine."

"You are a true leader, Eden McDellan." Kaname smiled as he ruffled her short lavender hair, making Eden purr in embarrassment.

"I can't agree more." Iselda slowly walked next to the bed, and behind her Caleb stepped into the room with equal contentment. "I wish we had more time to celebrate, but it's best to keep this matter hushed from the public."

"Oh but I wasn't the only one who took a grand leap of faith. Let's not forget our little stud here suddenly gettin' the hots for my best friend who just few hours ago miraculously beat death to the floor!" Eden cooed as she shook her eyebrows up and down at Caleb.

"Oi, let it go…" He blushed with a sigh.

"But that was some kiss, that was!" Eden stood up to use her typical dramatic gestures. "Hours waiting in the hospital, Evonlea almost at her end, old doc giving us the cold eye, and abra cadabra, ten minutes later, not only is she breathing normally, she's looking at us as if she was never blind in the first place! Whew…let me tell you, Caleb, you really caught yourself a good one."

Almira laughed delightfully, but at some point she had to stop and think. Instinctively, she gave Caleb the weary eye. "Cyrus, but she is… human isn't she? You know we—"

"It's okay. I'm only going to date her for the time being. Both of us know our place, and that's how far it will go." Caleb looked down before continuing. "I do want to get to know her more. But when the time comes for her to settle down, to age and start a family…I will let her go."

Iselda smiled sadly as she rubbed his shoulder. Even when her nephew was capable of having any woman for himself, she understood his necessities. What Caleb had been through was not something many would understand, and it hurt her to think that he was still deprived of his ideal companion. "It's okay, dear…the right one for you is still out there. For now, Evonlea is a good choice. She is a bright girl and a wonderful friend. If she is the one to make you feel at peace, then by all means, keep her close."

"She will be very fortunate to have such a refined gentleman by her side." Almira smiled, making Caleb blush another shade of red.

"Yeah, and be the luckiest little lady in town." Eden giggled.

Kaname took his chance to stand up and look across the room. "I'm pleased that things turned out well. And before I forget, I want to express my sincere apologies for ever bringing danger to your kind." He continued. "But as you know, our stay here will end tonight. We need to return back as soon as possible to avoid further disputes."

"Oh, Richard has already got that taken care of, Lord Kaname. He is out making flight arrangements with Heinrich right now." Iselda added quickly. "Also, before I forget, your sister and companions want to speak to you in the hall. I think they felt it was too rude to crowd in here altogether."

The mention of Yuki Kuran instantly diminished the momentary peace he felt and brought about an overwhelming feeling of guilt. She was not forgotten during his affectionate exchange with Almira, but seeing that sweet face in his mind was a torture when questioning her role in the present. How would Yuki see him now? He remembered feeling her presence at one moment within the cave, when he sensed that she was in danger. Even after sending a piece of himself to guard her above, he did not want to think that she had come close to surviving an attack from those werecat guardians. There was no excuse for him to ignore her all this time, or abandon her when she did not do so to him.

If anything, he had to talk to her; be there to hear and fulfill her final decision.

"Thank you." Kaname looked at Almira, who understood instantly. "I will be right back. Please take this time to exchange other pleasantries, for it may be the last time Almira would ever be close to her real family."

Eden pouted miserably at the thought as Iselda nodded. "You don't have to ask, Lord Kaname." She sat by her side on the bed to stroke her face lovingly. "You don't have to ask."

Out in the hall, the other vampires, with the exception of Zero, stood politely away from the merriment. Aido was the first one to step forward instinctively while Ichijo simply rested a familiar hand on his shoulder. Kaname could have addressed them with anything, but he chose to walk up to Yuki instead, who, with her long hair covering the sensitivity of her eyes, did not move or look up at his approach.

"Yuki…" He waited. "Yuki, please look at me."

She raised her face, letting her chocolate brown eyes fall steadily on his dark red ones. Neither of them spoke, but Kaname already knew what he wanted to say. Even if it was not enough to have her forgiveness, he still had to deliver it with a smile.

"I cannot call you a little girl anymore. I want to…but you've grown up to be such a brave young lady. I know, because I see that lady before me." There was a slight pause as he chose his words carefully. "I have pondered for a long time whether I was ready to let my little girl go…whether she was ready to leave the nest and be happy on her own. But I was afraid and selfish…mostly selfish. And now…I see that I can't do anything to stop her. If I do, I will be lying to myself once again, and I can't do that anymore. But I need to know from you, directly from you, whether you are ready."

There was no response.

"If you are, I will make sure that you are placed in a comfortable setting with everything to fulfill your daily needs. Kaien and I will arrange immediate protection and security, and just like your mother, you can live within the human environment. Where it's safer, where it's less dark."

"And what if I don't want that?" Yuki spoke up. "What if I want to help Kaname-sama make our world a better place for Yuki to live? Isn't that what you promised me you would do?"

"I did, and I will fulfill it. But the last thing I want is for Yuki to be involved in—"

"Kaname-sama, please…" her eyes held every plead and desperation. "If you really say I am the lady you see, then let me help you. If not just for you, then Almira-san too. I can teach her about our society, our laws…to live like a vampire. I've learned enough from Aido-sempai, I can do it."

Kaname felt a sudden lightness in his chest. "Is that…what you want to do?"

"Yes. Because I care about Kaname-sama no matter what. Because I love him in the most undefinable way possible." Yuki looked down. "You can love...in many different ways, can't you? Iselda-sama taught me that."

"Did she," Kaname uttered softly. He inwardly thanked the woman whom he least expected to give him a helping hand. It wasn't long before when she had looked at him as a foe, treat him as the greatest cause to her debacle. But that had all changed afterwards. There was no denying that she was overjoyed to have her daughter back, healthy and alive, and whatever way she could to express her apology for her earlier brashness, she did so quite conveniently. Kaname felt pleased at the thought.

"That is…" Yuki continued. "If you let me stay with you."

He found her determination great enough to make him pull her affectionately to his chest. In truth, he was not ready to let her go, but it was not for any deceitful purpose than overprotectiveness alone. Even if they could not be lovers, he was still her only family, her present-time brother. And if he learned anything from experiencing the close bond between parent and child, sibling and sibling, within the McDellan household, then he knew that he could not simply abandon her so easily. The vampire world was still unstable, and he had to do everything in his power to give her a happy life, even if it meant hurting her in the short run.

After all, it was for that reason, if not the only reason, that he could not give up his life in the cave, to die peacefully and be taken by their goddess. No, Katra already knew he had unfinished business, even if the other elders didn't, and it turned the tables on them completely. Times had indeed changed from the distant past, he thought, and Almira was the first to open his eyes.

"Kuran." Kaname heard a familiar voice and turned, half-expecting it to be Zero, to face Caleb instead.

"Don't want to interrupt, but I need to speak with you. Kind of important."

"Ugh, can you at least address Kaname-sama more cordially?" Aido huffed irritatingly from behind. "You sound just like that annoying hunter. And I—"

"—have no choice but to deal with it." Caleb finished with a grin. "The pureblood and I are in better terms than we were before, but I miss being a bit intrusive."

With a small nod, Yuki excused herself quickly, and Kaname followed the werecat to the edge of the second floor staircase. There was a small look of concern that overcame Caleb's earlier state of embarrassment, and Kaname instantly knew something was wrong.

"You're actually the second person I'm telling this to, the first being Zero Kiryu, but I think you should know more than anyone." Caleb continued. "When we were in Katra's chamber, and my so called brothers attacked us, one of them mentioned something about meeting a man in some pub in Munich, sent by one of your people…Kaien Cross, with urgent news for you. Unfortunately, they had killed the man to find out about our whereabouts, but whatever that news was, it can't be avoided. Zero is already aching to find out what, if anything, has happened. And I agree…the more time you waste here, the more trouble will stir in your world. And consequently, ours as well."

"Vampires get very agitated when their pureblood lord leaves for a long period of time. And Ichijo has already been away far too long from his post as head councilor. The last thing I want is for them to run amuck and cause disturbance to civilians and the hunters." Kaname said. "Very well. We will leave whenever we are ready."

"The sun will go down in a few hours." Kaname and Caleb saw Richard make his way up the stairs unheard towards them. "Heinrich would be pleased to meet you in the airport once it gets completely dark, if that is alright for you and your companions, Kaname."

"Yes, that would be perfect."

"And the circumstances in the royal house?" Caleb cocked a speculating eye. "Has Katra done what she said she would do?"

Richard nodded. "She did, all too easily like always. Luckily, the other guardians who did not join the ten were already hesitant of Heron and Nolan's actions, and they weren't surprised when they met their death. From what I know, Katra told it was her doing, and that simply brought an even greater fear among the werecats." He shook his head in exasperation. "I do not support this kind of authority, but it worked to our benefit this time I suppose. Eden doesn't have to worry about that Loretta girl anymore at least."

"Good, she was a pain in the bum anyway." Caleb said. "Wish I still had Iris to claw her eyes out."

"Okay Cyrus, that's enough with that peasant talk. We don't want to give Kaname a bad image of ourselves." Richard instructed with a finger. "And besides, if you want to hurt her so bad, you don't need a conduit to do it for you."

Caleb was about to comment on his slick inclusion, but he quickly added, "Anyway, there's no time to lose. Must give a visit to my niece-turned-vampire before it's too late."

He bounded giddily towards the guest room, pulling Aido, Ichijo, and Yuki on his way join him.

Caleb could only shake his head as he decided to follow suite.

"Aren't you coming?" He waited for Kaname, but he did not move. "I mean, I understand your concern, but standing around won't solve anything. And figuratively, well...you and the others have somewhat become one of us. Kind of like…family."

A strange but pleasant warmth struck the part of Kaname's chest that he had abandoned so many years ago. Along with the thought of being with Almira for another round of eternity, and of having Yuki help her adjust to the new immortal life, the feeling of mutual acceptance made him the most content he had ever felt in ages. It felt so foreign, so invisible. Alone since the day he had died on that mountain, and alone since the days he had walked as the first vampire, how could he not describe this feeling other than something genuine? Something he felt he didn't deserve? They were forgiving him even after he risked their lives so much, and even then, they did not know half of the type of man he was.

But that part of himself he did not want to reveal in their presence at all, and it never would before the day was over. That was for the future. For now, he could only be in the present: the pureblood vampire, Kaname, and the human, Kanim, together.

To do nothing else, but return back to his princess.

"Family huh?" Kaname formed a smile, watching the sun start to set on the other side of the glass windows at the end of the stairs.

"Yes…then I'm coming."

Woo! One more chapter to go! So I might as well say this now.

Two of my readers asked me if I am going to make another sequel, you know, with Almira in the vampire realm and all. Truthfully, I wasn't planning on it, simply because the canon is at a point where it would be hard to fuse my OC into the plot (since I tend to stick to the original material a lot).

But I do have some ideas to make it work, just that I'm not sure how far the 2nd sequel would go. Is it a good idea? I'm pumped up to write more actually! Let's just see what I can come up with. After this, I'm going to take a break to write my other fanfic. And er…probably do original stuff. We'll see.

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