Kaname awoke from his slumber in the middle of the night. By the moons shadows he guessed that he'd slept a few hours at the least. So for his time it was about mid-morning/early-afternoon. It took him two more seconds to discover that his mate was no where around. Releasing a small sigh, he pulled himself into a sitting position before swinging his legs over the bed. His mind was still partially cloudy from his nap, thus it took a moment for the Pureblood to gather his thoughts before his stood. He ventured from the room, following the faint noises from downstairs.

Upon moving closer, he discovered it was the kitchen. Pots and pans were being moved around and occasionally crashing. He saw the cause as he entered the doorway; Yuki, with an adorable apron tied around her waist, was attempting to cook another meal. Looking closer, he noticed a plain book. The kanji's for 'Cook Book' or closest equivalent to it, were etched on front in fading gold letters.

"Ok, lets see.." Yuki muttered to herself, clearly oblivious to the other Pureblood's presence, "Ok... Oil is in the pan... um... one ginger root in long slices... check... hmm.." her fingers scanned the list until she found the next item "Ah-ha! '1/4 pound thinly sliced lean pork' " she read off quickly before heading to the fridge to pull out the package of pork that Aido had bought for food. Half skipping, Yuki made her way back to the counter, quickly unpacking the meat and setting it on the cutting board to chop.

Yuki hummed happily to herself as she worked. The tune was cut off by a sudden yelp as her hand slipped and cut her finger. It wasn't more than a deep cut, but it started bleeding a lot. Half a heartbeat later, Kaname was beside her, his vigil at the door forgotten as he gently raised her finger to his lips, wiping away the blood with his tongue. "Perhaps you... should be more careful, Yuki" he murmured when he was done.

Yuki's wide eyed shock gave way to a sudden -and rare- burst of genuine anger. "Kaname! What were you doing there? Don't sneak up on me like that!" she yelled. The second the words left her mouth she regretted it. They'd been simple enough questions, but they way she'd said them... to Kaname of all people. Tears brimmed in her eyes as she watched him stand in shock. His hand had paused mid-air, on its way to cup her cheek gently.

Yuki felt terrible. How could she have said something so mean when he only cared about her? Unbidden, the tears began to slip down her cheeks. His warm skin interfered with the trails of tears, brushing the salty liquid from her cheeks. Daring to meet his gaze, she looked up at him. His eyes had softened, telling her it was alright, he knew she hadn't meant it.

"K-Kaname... I..." she whispered, her voice cracking from the tears.

"I know.." he murmured gently "Its alright" the sheer venom in her words was what had made him pull back. However, if he'd remembered correctly, mood swings were a frequent side effect of pregnancy. He had been fairly young when Juri had been pregnant with Yuki, but he remembered Juri snapping at Haruka and then sobbing about it for hours. He supposed it was just a sign that her pregnancy was progressing. Cravings...that, he wasn't fully sure if he wanted to see. Juri's he didn't think had been that bad, although he wasn't quite sure. He'd never had to put up with it since he was either in bed or busy.

Snapping out of the memories, he gave his beloved another tender smile "Don't worry...I know you didn't mean it..." he assured her. "It was an accident..Nothing more"

Bitter scents bean to attack the noses of both vampires. "Yuki... did you turn the pan with the oil on?"

"Huh?" Oh! The sauce was in it!" she frowned, scrambling to the stove to shut it off. The sauce had mostly evaporated and the remainder of it had burned, resulting in the bitter scent.

Kaname's lips formed an upset, yet almost amused smile "Its not wise to heat up a skillet with only liquid in it.." he chuckled softly. Though it was quite amusing, she'd made quite the mess. He guessed though, that Aido would be on the scene any minute to discover the cause of the noise and the scent of something burning.

Quick pounding on the stairs announced the Aristocrat's arrival, along with the three others.

Aido stared slack-jawed at the mess before him and the sheepish looking Pureblood Princess -well, Queen- smiling nervously. He quickly recovered himself and bowed to the couple "Please, allow me to clean this up" he said politely.

Kaname nodded and looped an arm around Yuki, guiding her from the room. The smoke had gotten to her and she was coughing, waving a hand in front of her face. Kaname helped her upstairs and into one of the luxurious chairs in the bedroom.

"I've been thinking.." He began slowly, lowering himself into a seat beside her. At her curious glance he continued. "I'm going to speak to Aido and have him change your lessons away from basics and the rules of our society." he paused, waiting for his ever curious mate to chime up. When she stayed silent he continued "Instead, he'll teach you about pregnancy. I doubt the Day Class at the Academy covered more than the basics of the body."

Yuki blushed, nodding a confirmation of his theory. "Yes.. I uh, never really paid attention to that lesson" she chuckled nervously.

Kaname smiled. He sort of figured she hadn't. "I'll speak to Aido about it once the kitchen is cleaned" he said gently, a hint of amusement in his voice. "In the meantime, was there anything you wanted to do?" he asked her.

Yuki paused, trying to think of something "Um.. how about we read?" she suggested. She knew how much Kaname liked to read, and she figured she could find something entertaining to read. She wanted to try something she'd heard about.

He blinked, a small smile gracing his lips "Very well. Did you have something in mind?"

"Uhhhhh..." she got up, heading for his study where most of their books were kept. She browsed over them until she found one that seemed interesting. She plucked it from the shelf and handed it to him."This one!" It didn't occur to her that she seemed like a small child handing a book to her older sibling to read to her. Kaname, however, thought of it instantly. The thought made him smile as he grasped the book, gently pulling it from her grasp to look at the title.

"Sherlock Holmes?" he questioned with a smile, glancing up at her.

She nodded quickly, knowing it was an interesting book. "Come on~!" she whined, grabbing his hand and pulling him back to the bedroom, just like she had when she was a child.

Kaname chuckled lowly, following her. He let her settle on the bed before settling down with her. In the end they wound up lying on their backs, propped against the pillows, Yuki on her side mostly curled against him. Kaname rested one arm around her, pulling her closer so that he could rest his cheek on her head. Before he could open the book though, Yuki spoke up.

"Onii-sama, can you read it it out loud like you used to?" she asked, looking up at him with her doe-like eyes.

"Of course..." he murmured, kissing her head. Opening the book, he began to read to her. His rich voice speaking clearly, taking his time as he progressively lost himself in the story he was reading. Yuki's warm body snuggled against him, shifting occasionally to get more comfortable. Finally, she returned to her first position, resting on her side, her brown eyes reading along with him. Her right arm draped over her hip, her fingers absently stroking her stomach.

Aido had come earlier to tell them that the kitchen was cleaned, though he'd never entered. Kaname had sensed him but continued reading. He smiled lightly as he finished a chapter. Yuki had fallen asleep against him. He closed the book and set it down at the same time that there was a soft knock.

Kaname looked up, shifting Yuki off of him. "Enter" he said lowly.

Aido stepped into the room before bowing politely. "Forgive the intrusion, Lord Kaname, but Headmaster Cross has requested your presence"

Kaname let out a small sigh and got up. "Alright. I'll be there soon"

An hour later, Kaname stood across the desk from Kaien Cross. The normally goofy blond was actually being serious for once. "Kaname, theres been a very serious development. A group of ten Hunters has gone rogue" he slid a file across the desk, exposing a photo of a youth younger than even Yuki. He was about fifteen "His name is Masaru Ranku. He's the leader of the group the Chishi. Their goal is simple, kill all vampires, Purebloods, Level E's and everything in between. They've already killed a few former humans. Their symbol is a Rose bud dripping in the blood of their victim."

Kaname listened silently. If this was true then it would put Yuki in danger. "I see. Thank you for telling me about this. I'll be sure to warn the others." he said calmly, turning to leave. Kaien's voice stopped him though.

"Kaname, how's Yuki been?"

Kaname paused before replying "She's with child.." he said lowly before walking out, narrowly avoiding the Headmaster's happy whining. His thoughts were focused on returning to Yuki. He would figure out how to stop the Chishi before they could hurt the thing he cared the most about.