Kaname didn't even bother to fight back his anguish as he thought about what she had said. As he examined his past actions with a critical eye, there was no denying that she was right. Just as Rido had been right. All the pain he'd caused that could have been avoided. Perhaps he wasn't the force of good he'd believed.

Though he was loathe to admit it, somewhere he had crossed a line that he hadn't seen at the time. He wasn't even sure how long ago it had been. Everything he had ever done, no matter how abhorrent it appeared, had begun with the best intentions and had seemed the best course of action at the time. It had all seemed so noble. Originally, he had meant to make the world safe for humanity in the face of the danger that the Level E's posed, no matter the cost to himself. He had given them everything and was even prepared to give them his life for the cause. But then she'd died in his place.

With a wry laugh he realized that it should have been his first clue that his goals were not as selfless as he'd believed. When she sacrificed herself in his place—condemning their daughter to a life of pain, hatred and darkness in the process-he hadn't felt relief that his aim had been met. No, he had felt rage that they had allowed her to make that sacrifice for their sakes. If it wouldn't have made her death futile, he would have destroyed the weapons made with her heart's blood then and there. It was only for her memory that he joined the war, relishing in the death and destruction, knowing he was doing her will.

He should have known then that he could only cause pain to those that he loved but he hadn't realized it. Instead he had taken a lover to continue his line to help keep the order he had worked so hard to achieve. In some ways he had failed her more than his first love. He'd never loved her. Not like she had deserved. Instead, he'd kept her bound to him out of obligation and watched, over the countless years that followed, as she suffered from his indifference. He should have realized something was wrong with him when she didn't even try to stop him from going into hibernation: should have known that he had crossed a line somewhere between using his life doing what was right and . . . just existing for the sake of existing.

It had almost been a relief when he suppressed his memories after Rido woke him. It had been nice to be able to go back to living rather than forcing himself to exist by sheer force of will. And then the memories had begun to surface and his life was misery again, the innocent child once more lost to the ancient monster. But then . . . then Yuuki had come along and his life had meaning that it hadn't had in millennia. She was such a bright, tiny thing and she had held his heart from the moment she first smiled at him. He swore to himself that he would do everything he could to ensure that her carefree, innocent smile never faded.

He had had help; Juuri and Haruka loved her and sheltered her from the world. But then Rido came and suddenly he was all she had left. It was no longer possible to keep her hidden. She had to go out in the world and he knew that it would destroy her. She was human. Perfect and not driven by the same base urges as Purebloods but that perfection came at a great risk; she was mortal. Her life was as fragile as spun glass. He swore to himself that nothing would ever break her.

Perhaps that when he had crossed the line. Maybe he had lost himself in his desire to protect her innocence from the darkness. In trying to make the world safe for her was it possible that he had done the very thing that he had been trying to prevent from happening? Had he taken her smile from her?

He glanced up to see her face, wondering if he would see hatred there or would it be anger or even pity or love. He was surprised to see a mix of wariness, fear and what was almost hope. He hated the fear and wariness. She never should have felt those things towards him if only he'd done things right. The hope also made him uncomfortable. He wasn't sure if he deserved her hope.

"Where did I go wrong?" Kaname asked, his voice smaller than Yuuki had ever heard it. He sounded so lost her heart nearly broke and her conviction that they could never be like they were wavered. If he could feel remorse, then maybe there was still a chance for them.

"I . . . I never meant for us to come to this. Everything I've ever done . . . it-it's never been for me. First it was for humanity, then for you, but it has never been for me. When did I cross the line from stopping the darkness of this world to being the darkness?" he asked, his wine-colored eyes begging her for the answer.

"Kaname," Yuuki breathed, her eyes filling with tears at the desperation there. He sounded so heartbroken and she felt her anger evaporating. He was so broken by what she had said to him. Perhaps he hadn't been thinking correctly. She dropped to her knees beside him and pulled him against her, his head resting on her shoulder. She was even more shocked when she felt his tears moisten her neck.

"How did it come to this? When did you come to hate me so?" he breathed, looking up at her with tears clinging to his lashes. "Was it the senate, Sara, or was it just now? When was it?"

"I don't hate you," she replied sadly, her voice little more than a whisper. "I don't think that I have it in me to hate you. But . . . there is a side of you that frightens me, Kaname. What you were going to do . . . you were right, you know. I can't understand why. . . no, how you would have wanted to kill them all. I will never understand how easy it is for you to take a life. And I'm glad. I never want to become so cold. So unfeeling."

"I feel," he reminded her quietly. "Pain, anger, betrayal, rage. Are these feelings less valid than peace, forgiveness, or joy just because they are darker? I feel these things, Yuuki. They took my love and then my child."

"They didn't do it, Kaname," she said firmly, pulling back to look at him. "None of them were born when all of that happened. None of them knew the truth of your origins to return her to you even if they'd known she existed. I understand why you'd feel betrayed by the Organization, but these Hunters, they're innocent. Can't you see that? "

He paused for a moment. Most of him, his rational mind, knew she was right, but the rest of him-the pained lover and robbed father-wanted blood and vengeance and for them to feel even half the pain that he felt. He looked at Yuuki, his eyes begging her to understand why he had to do it.

"Kaname," she sighed, cupping his cheeks and placing her forehead against his own. "Killing them won't bring her back," she whispered. "I'm sorry. I know how much she meant to you but this will accomplish nothing. Don't you understand? All killing them will do is make you a fugitive. It won't make you feel better, it won't fix anything. You'll only be more alone and full of pain than before."

"What would you have me do, Yuuki?" Kaname sighed, not missing the way her voice broke at the end. "They. . . We can't just let them go."

"We can," she replied, looking at him with tears once more. "It's the right thing to do. Let them leave. They're no danger to us. Let them leave and you come home. With me."

"You said there was no future for us," he argued, shocked that she'd changed her mind so quickly, some dark part of him whispering that it was only a ruse to get him to cave to her will.

"I was wrong," she muttered, her burgundy eyes boring into his, no hint of a lie in them. "I don't think it could really ever be over between us. There are some things you do that I can't condone but you . . . I've seen your kindness Kaname. As much as you said you don't feel it, I've seen your love. Felt it and not just in the physical sense. I know you can show love and mercy. Everyone here, even you may not know it's there, but I do. Prove me right. Let them go."

Kaname sighed, resting his head on her shoulder and breathing in her familiar scent. He knew there was no way she could force him to free them, he could take his vengeance and his daughter and leave. He was the most powerful being in existence. Her prediction of fugitive status meant nothing. Even if they sent the entire world force of the Hunters he could vaporize them before they could so much as blink, let alone pose a threat. But was it worth it?

While no true dangers could be forced on him for his vengeance, there would still be repercussions. Everything he'd worked for for the past ten years would be destroyed. All his work towards coexistence, him killing these Hunters, unless he killed everyone else there, would destroy his hard-bought trust. And Yuuki. He had no doubt that he would lose her if he sought revenge, she had made that patiently clear. But in the end it was his decision alone. So, was vengeance worth it? Were the wrongs of the past worth the possibilities of the future?

"Go," he said, his voice choked. "Go," he repeated more loudly. "Leave. Though you don't deserve mercy, I grant it. Go, and unless you come in peace, never again darken this door, nor approach my sister or myself. If you ever march on us in search of battle, know this, no force on this earth will save you a second time. Am I understood?"

They exchanged glances, knowing that it was too good to be true, yet unable to keep from hoping.

"Am I understood?" Kaname repeated, his tone more forceful than before.

"Yes," the most senior member of the Hunters who had attacked the school said. "We understand and thank you for . . . for your. . . your generosity." It took more tries than he'd have liked to get the words out, though he did know it was only Kaname's generosity that allowed them to keep drawing breath.

"Thank Yuuki," Kaname replied coldly. "If not for her you would have been dead before you could beg." With that, he turned and walked back towards the school, the discussion over, stopping only to gently take his daughter's arm and bring her with him.

Yuuki watched him walk away for a moment before she turned back to the Hunters. "Collect your dead," she said simply. "And may their blood on your hands serve to remind you that all violence brings us death. We would have worked this out peacefully had you only allowed us to try. All of this," she paused, gesturing at the bodies behind her and tears filling her eyes, "it was senseless." She seemed to lose her ability to speak, instead shaking her head sadly and followed Kaname back to the house.

With the purebloods gone, the remaining vampires began to disperse, seeking out family and mourning their own losses as the Hunters collected theirs. Though the battle was over, neither side was certain they could claim victory.

ooODoo

Sorry this took forever I just really lost the drive for this fandom for a while. You can thank Darth-Taisha for this update as they reminded me that there's only a bit left and that people are still reading.

Sorry again,

Stickdonkeys