Six Years Later
In the darkest confines of the Kuran manor the young princess sat on the basement floor; sobbing.
Kaname watched her from the shadows, his own heart breaking from seeing his wife in this state.
She'd sensed him and only sobbed harder.
Three years. Her mind taunted.
It had taken her three years for her to conceive a child with her husband, an heir to all the Kuran name had to offer, and it took her only three seconds to lose him.
Him.
It was a male.
The miscarriage had been a sad, dark day in the Kuran household and the rest of the world had been affected as well. Everyone had been so excited for the newborn prince or princess to arrive, but once a maid who experienced the bloody scene got free, everyone knew.
And they were thrown a party to commemorate him.
Throw a party for my son's death.
Miscarriages were rare among vampires. Even though children were more of a human affair they were quite important to society so their kind could live on. And even though that balance was dwindling, miscarriages weren't the most common of cases.
"Yuuki…" she sunk further into the corner, trying to become one with the wall so that she wouldn't have to face him, she'd done well to avoid him for this long. Mother and Father had guarded the basement door to be sure Kaname didn't get in, he must of taken a different route.
"The door was locked for a reason." Another sob shook her and she tried to sound angry, but she couldn't. Once Kaname's arms wrapped around her she embraced him back, barring her face in his shoulder.
"I…can't…Why did that have to happen?" She wailed like a child, her memory haunted by the night of her unborn child's death.
So much blood…Animalistic tendencies arose within her at the sight of it all. Rich, young, royal Pureblood blood. Monster. Monster. Monster! Your own son!
"Things like this happen." Kaname spoke after a long silence.
Though he'd never be able to tell her the truth.
~X~
Hours later the couple was surrounded by their friends and many other Nobles.
The ballroom was casted in a sinister and ominous darkness as the clad black guests watched the royal couple with a look too disappointed to be sympathy. The only noise in the room was the sounds of footsteps and whispering behind gloved hands.
Though Yuuki could hear them.
And in truth they didn't care.
Two young women took up their places beside the Lady Pureblood as her husband was whisked away by the Elder Council. One of them brushed her shoulder against Yuuki's, the strange moment of contact comforted her and she glanced at her friend.
The sculpture of perfection that was Ruka Souen looked tired. Knowing the secret that everyone in the room was dying to know must be killing her. An unbearable weight as everyone thought up possible assassins or things the carrier of the child could have done wrong.
"Is it me? Or is it so loud in here?" Yori whispered.
"This is supposed to be a wake not a wine social." Her husband added bitterly, running his finger through his blond hair. "It makes me ashamed to be a Noble." He said loud enough for a gossiping pair to hear. They blushed and scurried away.
Yuuki felt herself slipping into the darkness again, feeling the plaguing need to just cry, as Kaname had let her.
But she couldn't.
She was in public.
Sometimes she just wished she was born human. They got to let all their emotions out wherever they were.
"It's so sad…"
"…she probably was moving around too much…"
"I can only image how Kaname-sama and Yuuki-sama must feel…"
"…she won't be around much longer…
"…the Elders will defiantly…"
"Sara Shirabuki will…"
Yuuki's hand became tight fists and she bit into her lip, her face blushing red at her growing anger. Breaking away from her friends she headed in the direction Kaname had left in.
"Yuuki," they called after her, but she ignored them.
She wanted to leave.
She wanted to leave right now.
She raised her hand to knock on the wooden door, but froze when she heard the voices on the other side.
"Yuuki-sama's miscarriage was a tragedy." Her eyes flashed crimson. Doesn't sound like you think it's a 'tragedy'. She tried to put a face to the voice but couldn't. Although she'd only met the Elders once she was sure she'd remember such a…grave sounding voice.
"Ichiou, you brought me here to ask me what you already know the answer to." Kaname's voice touched her ears and Yuuki shivered at his tone.
"He will change your mind." Someone whispered within the room. Probably in the back?
"I doubt that. Persuasive, he may be, but he can't make me leave my wife." There was a chuckle inside the room and the voice of a teenage boy filled the room with a taunting comeback.
"We shall see."
Everything inside of her was screaming to run.
Who was 'he'?
Another Council dog?
Slowly she backed away from the door.
~X~
Yuuki stared out into the distance of trees and wildlife.
Still, she was stuck at the party and Kaname hadn't come out of that room yet, so she decided to stand out on the terrace until she was sure she wouldn't break down crying.
No such luck.
With the anxiety of the Elders and this party Yuuki forgot what this gathering was for anyway.
Her son.
Shouldn't they be mourning the crystallized shards he'd been deduced to instead of pitying her? Couldn't they all at least pretend to love the Purebloods as much as they said they did? For this one night?
"Yuuki…" Yori's voice rose nervously. She was the only one left to make sure no one came outside because Aidou had been called to the meeting and Ruka's mother wanted to speak with her.
"Um, someone wants to see you…" Anger stabbed at her and she felt the stone banister crack under her hands.
"Send them away." She said as coolly as she possibly could.
"I'm sorry for the intrusion…"
That voice. She turned her head slightly to confirm that Zero Kuruizaki was standing in the archway with Yori.
The moment his eyes locked with hers she felt the chill she'd always had was gone. His hair had grown longer, blowing softly in the wind and obscuring his strange expression.
Compassion?
No, no, defiantly not.
"I came to pay my respects, unlike some people in there..." His voice, just as she remembered it, trailed off.
She turned away and prayed he'd just leave she didn't want to be bothered. He said a few things to Yori and she, reluctantly, stalked away under her master's order. Obviously going to break into the Elder's meeting to fetch someone who didn't have to do everything Zero said.
Even more angry than she was before; part of the banister crumbled under her hands.
"Don't be mad at Sayori, I just want to talk to you."
"Well, I never said I wanted to talk to you." She countered. Zero's voice was still calm and had a soothing ring to it. Like he actually cared what she felt.
"What was his name?"
The question stunned her.
No one, not even Kaname, had asked her that. She'd been playing with names for the longest time for this baby and inside her the perfect name seemed to diminish.
"Keitaro." She said after a long silence.
"Blessing?" Zero asked. She nodded. "Well, I suppose that would be fitting, a Pureblood child is a blessing to have."
"Yes," Especially for me. She restrained herself from adding.
He doesn't need to know.
No one does.
"What are you doing here, Zero?"
"You know why."
Him.
Maybe Zero was the him the Elders were talking about.
Hadn't he done enough to mess up her life?
She tried to be angry, but she found she couldn't. Old feelings were stirring inside he with just the thought of him being here with her. Yuuki faced Zero and noticed that he'd come closer to her, but still was respecting her space. He almost looked nervous.
"I never got the chance to apologize for what happened six years ago." He said softly. "I'm sorry and if makes you feel any better Ruka ripped into me about what happened."
"It does…a little." She admitted. Zero smirked, but didn't continue with the details of what Ruka did. He was about to speak again but she cut him off. "Zero…what happened, happened and there is no way you can change that." She remembered how scared she was when she woke up that morning, how guilty she felt. Feeling like she betrayed Kaname –which she did.
"Are you reassuring yourself or me on that?" He asked suddenly.
She went still and her eyes widened. "What…?"
"Never mind, I need to leave, Sayori will be coming back with her husband any minute now. I don't want to cause a scene…" Starting to back out through the archway Yuuki kept her eyes pinned on him.
"Kaname is down the hall." She said emotionlessly. Zero nodded and turned his back on her.
"You married him right?"
She looked down at the ground.
Why did she feel so guilty?
"Yes, I did."
"Oh," and then he was gone.
Tears burned in her eyes.
Zero…
The dark and seductive Zero Kuruizaki made her feel so…
"Hello, Yuu-ki." A dark voice poured over the syllables of her name.
Whipping around at the sound of it, the Kuran princess locked eyes with the tall, wild haired man standing on the railing behind her.