chapter i.
Twins. Two children that they had been blessed with. One boy and one girl. Both impossibly beautiful in their own right as pureblood Kuran heirs, and both born with a hefty weight placed upon their shoulders for the burden that would be their future. But whilst the boy seemed to coo with innocence at his mother who gazed with adoration at her children that she had hoped and dream of, the young girl seemed to be deep in thought, puzzled, as she accessed her surroundings. And perhaps that would have been impossible for any normal child. But Asuka Kuran was anything but normal.
This had been her second chance at a life. A reincarnation you could say. But of a world not such as this. As a young girl she had always been obsessed with Vampire Knight manga, and the anime. But she could have never dreamed of the impracticality of being born into a world such as this. A fictional world. And one that had never included such a being as her. And she had recognised it immediately the moment her eyes set upon her parents — Haruka and Juri Kuran, both ridiculously beautiful pureblooded vampires that she had once only seen upon her screens, but now saw in real life.
But what did this mean for her? Shifting in her crib to look at her twin brother, a small cry of recognition escaped her lips as she realised whom exactly it was. Kaname Kuran. The man she had always admired for his strive to continue the coexistence dream of Haruka and Juri through their deaths, coupled together with his incredible love for his younger sister, Yuuki that had driven him to incredible lengths in order to protect her. Oh, that's right. Yuuki. The younger sister who didn't exist yet. But the one he had been betrothed to since a young age. And the one whom he would sacrifice everything for. But perhaps this could change in this lifetime. Perhaps she could change all the timelines of everyone. For no bloodshed and for a better future.
Well maybe at least some bloodshed. They were vampires after all. "Asuka, sweetie it's time to feed. Are you hungry?" A voice pushing her out of her thoughts, and finally to concentrate more upon her surroundings, she opened her mouth almost as if to reply, only to have it shut again. A newborn, even a vampire such like her would never be able to speak fluent English as of yet. And so instead she chose to let another small coo escape her lips in reply, frustration bubbling beneath the surface at the fact that although she had once been an adult, she was now reduced to child's body. And a world where everything was stripped away.
Asuka couldn't even exactly remember what her last moments as a human had been in her previous life, but all she knew was that she would change things for the better in her current one. For Kaname, for her parents. And for Yuuki. She wouldn't let Rido come inbetween them all. That was her vow. She ached at the thought of what their futures could possibly be. But she knew that she didn't want it to all end in the devastating end that it had at the end of the anime. Wait — who was she forgetting?
Zero Kiryu! The boy who had his positively bright future stripped away from him the moment Shizuka Hio had entered his life. And ultimately through the manipulations of Rido Kuran himself. Another coo escaped her lips as Asuka thought of how she desired to shape his future, and to have Ichiru strong and by his side. Perhaps she could fix his sickly tendencies with her blood, so that the deadly path of Shizuka could be avoided. She would have to see. For now, she would concentrate on her family and more importantly her twin. Her beloved Kaname.
And whilst adoration and love arose at the thought of him, she knew that ultimately his fate was not to be at her side. He would be betrothed to her younger sister Yuuki, and his love for her would always come first. And she would have to accept it. If not to save for further heartbreak later, but also to not disrupt the official timeline further. Her thoughts shifting again as her mother finally put her back in her crib, she reached over to her twin as she looked at his tiny features — memorising each and every part of him, as she vowed silently that she would protect him to her final breath. After all, who had done the same for him in the anime? Sure, he had the nobles such as Takuma, Aidou and Ruka. But none of them had truly known him outside of his façade.
A child that had to quickly ascend to become an adult because of his surroundings. And one who had too quickly play the game of chess against the manipulators that desired to drink the blood that ran through both of their veins. Pureblood. But she would be the sister, the right hand and the defender that he never knew that he needed. She would be his best friend, and as his twin she would be his protector. Her solemn vow. And when Yuuki was finally born into their world, she would protect her to. And her hope for the future was that it wouldn't be covered with such bloodshed and crimson staining like it once had.
I love you.
She did. She truly did. And perhaps one would have thought this bizzare from a young newborn to think to her family that she had barely known. But she did. And it was because of this love that she would strive to change and shape their futures to something different to what they would be.
TIMESKIP
It shouldn't have come as a surprise as they were both pureblooded vampires, but both Kaname and Asuka seemed to easily grasp concepts even at a young age. Both of them excelled at all subjects that they were tutored in and found it easy to come into their abilities when the time came for them to develop. One twin would often be found with the other, both of them seeming to have an intrinsic connection that none other could fathom. Even Haruka and Juri seemed surprised at the depths that each twin would go for the other. Neither liked to be separated from the other for very long. One glance between one another seemed to convey a thousand words, another touch allowing them to express a single thought. And whilst Asuka was protective over Kaname because of the vows she had originally sworn at birth, it seemed that Kaname was a thousand more times protective over his younger twin.
He would be the one to brush her hair, never allowing the maids to touch one strand of her long brunette hair. He would be the one to offer her energy when she needed. And he would be the one that was her one confidante, her best friend. And whilst Asuka took this all within stride, secretly adoring the attention that she received from her twin, she knew that one day all this would be given to Yuuki. She would have to be wary of how guarded her heart could be to his affections, especially when one day it would not be the same.
"Ne Kaname, why don't you let me brush my own hair?" Asuka asked as Kaname easily batted her hands away from reaching for the comb herself so that he could brush the tangles away. "Because you never do it properly. Plus, if you're so harsh with your hair one day it might just all fall out." He reprimanded with a slight tease as he continued to run his fingers through her hair, enjoying the time that they spent with one another alone like this. He treasured his younger sister, and often found himself searching for her in a room when they weren't by each other's side, finding comfort arise in his heart when their eyes made contact.
She was his best friend, and he truly adored Asuka for each quirk she had, but also for how much she easily seemed to understand him. Sometimes no words needed to be exchanged for her to seem to grasp what he was thinking. And with a single touch upon his shoulder, or squeezing his fingers, she would be able assuage his fears. Perhaps, life wouldn't be so terrible if she were to be by his side forever.
And wouldn't they have forever? As vampires, they were destined to live forever anyways.
"Okay, then." Asuka sighed, letting Kaname win the argument as she allowed her eyes to briefly shut, enjoying the moments she shared with her twin. Time was growing increasingly fast, with Juri already pregnant with her next child, and expecting to have her delivered soon. Yuuki was upon the horizon, and times spent like this would soon be fleeting with Kaname's attention spent doting upon Yuuki. And whilst her heart ached at the thought of not having her twin constantly by her side, she was comforted by the notion that they still undeniably had their twin bond. That was something that no one would ever be able to take from them. That, and the fact that Kaname's happiness would always come first to her.
Selflessness had always been a core trait in Asuka, and this had been something apparent in her first life, and her second; so, it seemed. But none of these thoughts arose as she began to analyse both hers but Kaname's and her parents' futures. Rido would make his reappearance sooner or later, especially as news began to spread of the young Kuran twins that had been born and would make their presence to society soon. He would be the one undeniable factor that could catastrophically destroy any vestige of happiness that any of them had with one another. And it was for that fact that Asuka was on edge.
And whilst Kaname might have noticed the unreadable look upon Asuka's features that seemed to appear when she thought no one was looking, or the contemplative sighs she would sometimes arise, he worried the fact that although he understood practically anything that ran through his sister's mind, he couldn't decipher this. And this thought worried him.
As of lately she had almost become shut off to the world, even to him. She would sometimes withdraw herself away from their parents, and from him. He wouldn't deny a piece of hurt that arose with this action, but he trusted that she would eventually confess the inner turmoil that seemed to boil within her. Noticing in the mirror another of these looks appearing upon her face, Kaname set the brush down as he turned her figure to face him, as he wished that she would share her burdens with him. So that he could solve them for her. Or at least make the burden lighter. "Asuka, you know you can share anything with me, right?" He asked, mentally prodding at Asuka to explain what was going on. But nothing could have prepared him for what happened next.
Taken aback by the words that were suddenly uttered into the blissful silence that had been created between the pair, Asuka turned to suddenly wrap her arms around Kaname's waist as she drew him closer, knowing that she wished she could alleviate his fears and tell him all was right. But it wasn't. And she wished she could share the knowledge she knew of all of their futures. But she knew that it was dangerous. After all, the more people that knew about what she knew, was practically asking for trouble. Even if it was her twin. "Kaname, promise me that we'll always have each other. No matter what. Please?" She mumbled into his neck, burying her face in the crook of his neck as she inhaled his sweet scent that she was overly familiar with.
The one scent that evoked comfort. And the one scent that she treasured above all. "And that you will never hate me." She continued, knowing that one day she might have to make some difficult decisions that he may disagree with in order to preserve the happiness of him, but also the Kuran family. "Promise me." She finally uttered as she felt him initially stiffen under the sudden intrusion of her arms around his figure, then slowly relax into her hold. And perhaps it wasn't for the sudden weight of her thrust over him, but the abruptness of the shift in subject. Kaname couldn't comprehend what was running through his sister's mind — he would analyse it at a later time, but at that particular moment, all he wanted to do was assuage her fears immediately and assure her that he could never, ever hate her. That thought was unmanageable. And that he would always be there for her.
"As-chan, how could you even say that? You know I love you. And will always be your side. Always and forever. And I could never hate you. I promise." He replied solemnly, pulling himself backwards slightly so that he could examine the sorrowful look upon her features, whilst still wrapping his small arms around her neck so that they could remain in contact. "You know that you're my best friend." He continued, his fingers beginning to play with the strands of her hair as he desired over everything that he could decipher the thoughts that ran in her mind so that he could understand why his twin who was right next to him seemed so far away. From him.
"We'll always be by each other's sides."
author note: well welcome to my first story! apologies if there's any grammatical errors, etc! hope you enjoyed this story and didn't hate it. just so you know, in case you didn't get it from this first chapter — this will be an au world of vampire knight, so please don't expect canon things to happen.