Chapter 13: Shrouded Memory

The slim crescent moon was high in the dark sky, with midnight approaching fast.

Yuki followed Kaname to his dorm at Cross Academy, stealing furtive glances at her surroundings. Although she had been watching Yoko for around a year, she had never spied on the Moon Dorm. She had kept her area of surveillance contained to wherever Yoko frequented and had kept away from the Moon Dorm because that was where Kaname was, and he had already caught sight of her familiar once.

As it was the weekend, many Night Class students had been lolling around the foyer and other shared places. When Kaname walked through the front doors trailed by Yuki, with Takuma and Senri after her, the students present had been somewhat startled. Many eyes widened and there were a few hushed gasps.

Their dorm president's coat was stained with blood, and he was followed by an unfamiliar person, whose clothes were also splattered with blood. They could sense she was a pureblood, and students started whispering and speculating, with a few braver ones approaching Takuma the vice president to inquire what had happened.

The normally jovial blond had been uncharacteristically somber and responded telling them not to worry and to continue with what they had been doing prior. As Takuma dispersed the curious students congregating below, Kaname led Yuki to his private quarters, located on the topmost floor.

Yuki's clone now sat fidgeting on a luxurious red sofa. Kaname had excused himself to go change, so she took the opportunity to scan the room. To her right was a large, dark-wood office desk with piles of paperwork and a lamp with a stained-glass lampshade – it seemed her brother was a very busy person.

There was a large bookcase against the wall in the corner near the desk, filled with thick and difficult-looking books. On the coffee-table in front of the sofa was a chess board, with pieces still arranged on the black and white squares, as though he had given up in the middle of a game.

What struck Yuki most was how spartan the place was otherwise. The room seemed devoid of personal touches. There were no photos nor paintings adorning the walls nor the furniture. Back home, her mother liked having paintings embellish the walls, with a preference for landscapes. Even Shizuku's office had its share of elaborate tapestries and paintings.

Perhaps her brother had a photo of their deceased parents somewhere? A part of her desperately wished to see their faces, the two that had brought her into this world.

The only decoration in her brother's room was a houseplant in a corner near the windows. It seemed to barely hang on to life, lacking vitality compared to the plants at her home. Her mother loved her plants and tended to them like they were her children. On several occasions Yuki had caught her mother whispering to the bonsai trees as she watered them. Although Yuki did not know much about her brother, she highly doubted he talked to his plants.


As Yuki ruminated on the bleak state of his living quarters, Kaname reemerged from his bedroom, now wearing a black button-down shirt and black pants. At the sight of him, Yuki straightened her back and forced her hands to stay still on her lap. Although the sofa was more than large enough for the two of them, he strolled over to the desk instead and leaned against it, silently observing her with his arms crossed.

Yuki wanted to return his stare but found him too intimidating, so she looked at the collar of his shirt instead. Her mother had always told her she needed to be calm and composed, for they were purebloods and any sign of vulnerability would be exploited by others. Yuki doubted she had to be wary of her brother but wanted to show him she was a proper pureblood too, thus she tried her best to look calm and waited for him to speak.

Kaname's eyes roved over the petite girl, taking in the sight of her light brown hair and those large brown eyes. Although this girl lacked the bold and confident aura, her physical resemblance to Juri was too strong for it to be coincidence.

"Who are you?" he asked simply, although he already had a good hunch of her identity.

Yuki swallowed and finally looked him in the eyes. "My name is Yuki Kuran, I am your younger sister and Yoko's twin."

Her confirmation sent waves of emotion crashing in Kaname's mind. Relieve was the major feeling, followed by happiness, confusion, and a bit of wariness.

He was relieved, feeling as though he had been absolved of a heavy sin. Juri' s beloved daughter who he thought was lost forever was right before him. He wanted to touch her and make sure she was not an illusion, that this was not a happy lie his mind was telling him. However, he held back, because he did not want to scare her, and because he was wary. Experience had taught him to be suspicious of good news.

The last time he saw her, she was a baby that had been left to the clutches of Rido. He always assumed Rido had devoured her that night, but here she was alive and well. The cynical part of Kaname could not help but wonder if Rido had spared her to use her as a pawn in some twisted game against him.

Yuki had an honest demeanor but looks could be deceiving…he would need to observe her longer to determine if she was a threat or not. However, even if she were lying and meant to harm him, Kaname would not be able to kill Juri's child – she and Yoko were his Achille's heel, something Rido was aware of.

Since Kaname did not speak but continued looking at her as though expecting her to go on, Yuki started recounting her life story.

"The night Rido oji-sama attacked the Kuran manor, he took me back to his own mansion. He had planned to wait and devour me when I got older, but fortunately his wife fled with me before he could carry out his plan. She raised me like I was her own, taking on the role of my mother and kept me safe."

Kaname listened in silence, but his mind was agitated. All this time Yuki had been alive and safe under the wing of Shizuka. He was thankful to the woman and wondered why she would go against her husband. It would not surprise Kaname if Shizuka hated Rido; that man caused misery even to those closest to him.

Kaname had never met her before since Juri and Haruka had cut Rido's existence out of their lives after the first tragedy. However, he had heard rumors of Shizuka's "mental instability" and how she had been locked up since birth. Clearly, she was quite different than what hearsay indicated.

"We moved around a lot, but eventually settled near a small town where we lived peacefully for a few years. Unfortunately, Rido oji-sama found us there 3 years ago. My mother fought him off, managing to have him retreat with the help of Shizuku. Afterwards, we moved to the mountains, hiding with the help of my mother's distant relatives."

When Yuki paused to take a breath, Kaname queried, "Who is this Shizuku you speak of?"

"Ah," Yuki gasped, realizing she had rambled on without making sure her audience understood her references. "Shizuku is my friend, and he is the leader of the Toma clan."

Kaname arched an eyebrow but held his tongue. It surprised him that Yuki knew another pureblood and the leader of the Toma clan at that. He had met the Toma boy once or twice at some soirees and recalled him to be a rather insolent and immature rascal.

If he were to be fair, many young pureblood males are like that. Like how human males tend to be more immature than human females, young pureblood males are also more immature than their female counterparts. In fact, young male purebloods are worse, given their immortality, power, and pampered upbringing as little princes.

With some amusement Kaname recalled the difficulty some of his friends had had raising their children back in the day. He and his wife had gotten lucky with their son. He lowered his eyes at the memory of his deceased family and friends and shoved those memories away before returning his attention to Yuki's monologue.

"A little over a year ago, I started observing Yoko with my familiars, having found out you two were at Cross Academy. Mother had always told me I had 2 siblings who I would eventually reunite with. I wanted to meet you and Yoko the whole time but didn't know when or how to approach you two... especially considering the situation with Yoko."

A seemingly trivial but crucial point that caught his attention was that she knew she had '2 siblings'…it seemed Yuki was not aware of his real identity.

After her disclosures ended, Kaname dropped his arms and walked over to the sofa. He sat beside Yuki, leaving some distance between them. She looked at him nervously, trying to decipher his thoughts with no luck. His face was completely unreadable like how her mother could be sometimes. That made her more anxious, and she waited with breath held for his response. When he placed a hand on her shoulder she almost jumped up.

"I'm glad you're alive, Yuki." Kaname said gently and finally smiled.

Yuki saw complex emotions swirling behind his eyes but sensed his sincerity and was reassured of their familial bond. She also blushed a little for he was very handsome, and his smile only illuminated his good looks. This was the first time she had been so physically close to a man, almost everyone she knew was female with the exceptions of Maria's father and Shizuku.

Although Shizuku is older than me, he's no man! He's still a stuck-up kid mentally and physically, Yuki thought. She was annoyed at him because it had been months and he still had not replied to her last letter.

The smiling Kaname was very different than the one who had looked coldly at her butterfly a year ago. His smile reminded her of the rare occasions her mother smiled, amused at something Yuki had done. Those smiles were always fleeting, disappearing as fast as snowflakes melting away. When her mother smiled like that, Yuki felt as though she were glimpsing her mother as a young girl, before she married Rido oji-sama.

She smiled back; glad she was finally acknowledged as his younger sister. Now it would not be so awkward between them…

Seeing Yuki relax and drop her guard around him, Kaname finally broached the topic he wanted to make clear even if she might be displeased.

"Yuki…you're aware Yoko is living as a human now. Even if the two of us reunite, we cannot insert ourselves into her life more than we already have. You can't let her know you are her older twin and must maintain some distance from her."

Yuki's expression faltered momentarily; the joy she felt at being acknowledged by Kaname as family was slightly dampened. She had known already she could not reunite with Yoko so easily since her sister was now human, living in a separate world from them. That was part of the reason she had hesitated to approach Kaname and reveal herself.

She nodded and murmured, "Yes, I know. I won't do anything to upset the life she has now."

Kaname removed his hand from Yuki's shoulder, satisfied with her answer. For now, he had heard enough from her, and needed to talk to Shizuka next. He had to confirm whether Shizuka was on his side or if she had her own plans that would make her an enemy, even if she had raised Yuki. The long life Kaname had lived and his time as the first king of vampires had instilled in him a deep suspicion of others. He needed to ascertain where Shizuka stood and to do so he had to meet her in person.

"Yuki, I want to meet Shizuka-san."

Yuki stared at him startled. She realized she should have predicted this but felt a little tentative about his request. Although they were siblings and he had accepted her, they did not know each other much given all their years of separation. Logically she knew Kaname would not hurt her and her mother, but a tiny part of her was reluctant to let him meet her mother, who still had not fully recovered after the incident with Rido oji-sama 3 years ago.

Yuki did not like this wariness, it seemed ungrateful and overly paranoid. There was no reason to hesitate, they were family after all. It was out of character for her to be so distrustful, but a tiny part of her could not help remembering how Rido oji-sama was her biological parents' brother and he had still betrayed them in the end. In her biological family's case, blood was not always thicker than water…

Kaname looked at her with a gentle and reassuring smile, waiting patiently for her response.

Yuki reasoned with herself…even on the off chance that Kaname onii-sama had ulterior motives, her mother was still much older than him, and thus stronger, even if she was slightly weaker than her past self. Having come to a decision, she met his eyes and nodded.


When Yoko opened her eyes, she saw an unfamiliar ceiling. Turning her head to the side, she saw her father asleep on a chair pulled up to her bed. Looking around at the furniture and medical instruments, she realized she was in a private hospital room. A vase filled with a bouquet of daisies, lilies and lavender flowers was on the bedside table. A pastoral landscape painting graced the wall facing her bed.

Judging by the light streaming through the half-drawn window blinds, it was after noon. She wondered how long she had been unconscious. More importantly, she wondered how she had ended up there. She recalled going to town with Zero and Ichiru to buy groceries, standing outside the pharmacy looking at the autumnal foliage, and going to the farmer's market but not much more.

For a second, a startling image flashed in her mind.

In the image was a stranger, his eyes glowing red and his face contorted maniacally as he bit the Artemis rod and clawed at her. She tried to pursue the strange memory, but felt her mind slow down, as though a heavy fog had settled over it, impeding her thoughts. Perhaps she had hit her head and was suffering some aftereffect? She placed a hand on the back of her head, feeling for a sore spot but failed to find any.

She examined herself for injuries, looking for clues that might tell her why she had ended up at the hospital. Her left arm was bandaged and as she lifted it, she felt a dull ache. Based on the sensation of tightness around her upper right leg it seemed her leg was also bandaged. It did not feel as though her bones were broken in those places though…

Her movements awakened the headmaster, who blinked and rubbed his eyes before turning his attention to her.

"Ah, Yoko, you're finally awake! How are you feeling? Does it hurt anywhere?" he asked, the questions gushing forth as his forehead creased with concern.

"No, I feel tired but fine otherwise…" she paused. "How long have I been out?"

"You've been unconscious for almost a day now. Zero and Ichiru were here earlier but I sent them back so they can rest and resume their guardian duties."

"Otou-san, what happened? I don't remember getting hurt at all," she asked uncertainly.

Her father narrowed his eyes for a second before smiling reassuringly. "You were in an accident and Kaname happened to be nearby and took you to the hospital."

"…What sort of accident?"

"It was a car accident," Kaname-senpai's familiar voice answered.

Yoko glanced over to the door, where Kaname now stood. He was in a black trench coat and held an assorted fruit basket in one hand.

"You're visiting during the day? I thought you would come at night instead Kaname-kun," the headmaster said jokingly. "Do sit down though, I'll take the basket and prepare some fruit while you two talk. It would be best for you to explain to her what happened…since you were the one who found her."

The headmaster gave the brunet a quick but meaningful look before departing with the gift basket.

Kaname walked over, taking off his coat and placing it on the back of the chair the headmaster had just vacated. He leaned over, arranged her pillows and helped her prop herself up on the bed before finally sitting down himself.

"I was in town running some errands and I smelled your blood. By the time I found you, you were already unconscious and losing a lot of blood. It seemed that while you and the twins separated to buy groceries, you got hit by a car. I rushed you to the hospital immediately. During the accident your head was injured so you might have forgotten the incident, but that's alright. What matters is that you're fine now," he explained.

"A car accident huh?" she bit her lip before asking, "What happened to the driver?"

"The driver sped off; the police are working on the case. You should just focus on recovering."

"I feel like I am forgetting something important."

"It's just your anxiety, don't worry too much, Yoko. You feel fine now, right?"

She looked into his eyes; his thoughts were unfathomable behind his dark brown irises. Sometimes she felt he possessed the gaze of someone who had lived many centuries instead of the gaze of a young man. It was always difficult to read him. Unlike Zero and Ichiru who were predictable, Kaname-senpai was always a mystery. She could never tell when he was lying or speaking the truth.

He spoke calmly and assuredly, but part of her doubted his words. Something did not feel right, though she could not say exactly what, and there was no evidence to support her doubt. She also did not want to argue with him. Kaname-senpai had always treated her well, so even if he was lying, he had his reasons.

"…Yes, I'm a bit disoriented but alright overall," she finally replied still holding his gaze.

He smiled. "That's good to hear. On a side note, before coming in, I talked to the doctors, and they say you can be discharged after two days. They need to monitor your wounds to ensure they don't get infected. You can use this time to rest, take a break from your prefect duties."

"I suppose some rest would be good. It would be tough for Zero and Ichiru to handle those girls on their own though."

"They'll manage," he replied, his smile hardening for a second.

At that moment, the headmaster returned carrying a platter of cut apples and pears. The three of them spent the rest of the visit making pleasant conversation, with Kaname mentioning the current happenings among the Night Class, such as how Aidou had recently submitted a research paper to a prestigious scientific journal, and how another student had been cast as the main lead in an upcoming drama. The headmaster responded with enthusiasm at the news and started rambling about the Day Class's achievements.

Kaname listened patiently, indulging the headmaster while Yoko started to zone out, feeling her eyelids grow heavy. Before closing her eyes, she thought she saw a butterfly on the window ledge. She then drifted off, dreaming an odd but not unpleasant dream about butterflies flitting to and fro amidst a convoluted labyrinth of books.


A/N: Thanks for the reviews, follows and favs. Unfortunately, real life has gotten busier, so I'll take longer to update now. I have the majority of the first arc written but certain chapters are giving me trouble. Rest assured I'll finish the series though.