Just as I truly believed that those blood-stained curtains of my existence would close for good, my brother had to appear before me. His eyes were sparkling as always, but I saw a hidden diamond of sadness within them. What does he have to offer upon my dying body? I had already pull the slicing metal out, letting the crimson blood run, letting it glisten in the remaining moonlight.

"Oh, Valeria, what brought forth such despair?" The way he spoke made his voice seem slightly mocking, but I knew that wasn't so. His purpose was most surely not to see me die here. The brown cascade of his hair overshadowed half of his face, his black coat a soft material that I could smell faintly as he came to his knees, his hand cupping my cheek that had been scorched with tears.

"Reality." I said in a frenzy of troubled breathing. He looked empathetic, as if he knew how I was feeling. How would he know? He grew up with me, he knew what he was living for, he knew the family we lost. But I couldn't remember anything.

"Those memories are going to cut through your brain like a chainsaw."

Yuki's crude remarks had cluttered my mind long enough. I couldn't comprehend her desire for vengeance any more, nor her heart-wrenching reunion with Zero. But then again, maybe Yuki gave him something that I did not. Perhaps Zero felt complete with her, in a way that his heart felt content with the love and memories she gave him? I wasn't sure, but it didn't matter. Zero was no longer mine.

I always thought that when you fell in love, you didn't literally fall in the hole of love, I thought that it was always a pleasant feeling that never leaves you, one that enabled you to keep from being hurt. But I was wrong...I guess everyone falls in the dark pit of love at some point, screaming out for somebody to save them from the heartbreak.

"Listen to me." Kaname's words were firm, words he desperately wanted to let out. Red liquid continued to run like wet paint along my shattering flesh.

"The clock is ticking." I replied, my attempt at humour failing miserably.

"Yuki may be a selfish girl, and yes I did feed you my blood in the past to protect you from her, but trust me, her intentions are ones that must not be ignored."

What was he saying? Yuki is a menace seeking destruction. Nothing positive will come out of her actions. Is Kaname defending her? Why give her an advantage after giving me his own blood to keep me safe from her evil?

"She's our sister, Valeria. I understand that you loathe her because of what she has done, but I believe that her being the Pureblood Princess may be a way of saving our lineage. Since you do not have the power to rule, she is needed to take your place in order for the Kurans to carry on as a sovereign."

Bullshit. Absolute bullshit. Here I am, bleeding myself dry, and he's giving me a lecture on how much of a 'good' vampire she can be, how much she's 'needed' by all.

"So sucking my blood until death is considered good family etiquette?" I choked out, still on the ground coughing in quivering pain.

"No, I'm saying that she deserves to be given a chance. After all, she has been the lone wolf for most of her indecent life."

No. She was the lone wolf until she met Zero. My Zero.

"Help me. Help us all make things right again." He pleaded, sinking his fangs into his arm and pressing it against my mouth. No, his blood will only heal me and return me to the being that I was, the girl without a soulful higher purpose.

"I-I can't take it. I'm sorry, brother, but this is best for us all!" I stuttered, eagerly hoping that his decision would change. But I knew better. When Kaname said something, he by all means meant it wholeheartedly.

"Forgive me, Val, but I cannot allow you to wither into nothingness." His eyes glowed a purple colour similar to what had beamed from my hand when I attacked Yuki, a circle of light wrapping around my wrists and ankles and pinning me rapidly onto the rocky ground.

"W-What the!?" I said amid the pool of blood that was splashed upon my chest. Pulling away his hand he lifted it to his own mouth, sucking his blood then hovering his body over my own. With his face only inches away, his lips hit mine, the sweet, hot metallic tang filling my mouth, my nostrils, rushing down my throat in a forceful manner. The amount of strength he had to keep me down was unbelievable.

Finally, he released me from his grasp, a smile on his sinister face. Anger boiled on my healed flesh.

"It's a shame that you missed your heart, isn't it? Then your wish would have been granted."

I realised that when I had healed.

"Shut up. I'm already pissed off enough. Why did you just do that? Did us being family suddenly slip your mind?" I asked.

"No, it just seemed necessary."

I hated the fact that a smile was still glued across his scarlet lips. Standing motionless, his burning irises turned coal black, eyeing me with such an intensity that I felt like I was going to faint. On my two feet, I began backing away with my hands across my stomach. No signs of infliction were present. What did he gain out of his? Yeah, sure we were related, but didn't I have a right to free will?

"Answer me, Kaname. What made you want to become my personal superman?"

"I believe we are all on the same side, whether you think so or not. I couldn't just let a girl of royal blood die so quickly."

"Cut the crap. What are your intentions?" I pressed, eagerly awaiting his answer without him beating around the bush.

"I want you to side with me. Forget Zero. We can save our family, destroy the true evil behind the scenes, and reclaim the throne."

The true evil? Isn't Yuki enough to swallow? How would she even agree to us ruling with me still alive and breathing? As for Zero, I could never erase him from my mind, not in this life.

"What evil do you speak of?"

"He is the one who ruined all of our lives, including Yuki. The reason why all darkness has spiralled within us is all because of this one man."

"Who?"

"My uncle, Rido Kuran."