Hey! Hope your day has been going well!

Thank you to those who gave my last two chapters a read, it's really encouraging to know that the audience for Vampire Knight isn't completely dead yet!

Anyway onto today's nonsence

—

The catacombs under the Kurun manner were extensive and labyrinthine. There were the household essentials like a kitchen, dining and living room, bathrooms, and a few bedrooms, all refurbished for when Yuuki was born. But just beyond their little hidden house, there were libraries, one was used as a classroom for the older boys, a records room of past vampire history, and entire hallways filled with paintings of long lost relatives. Rooms that linked back to hallways that went in circles, stairs that when up and down to dead ends. Rooms that were empty, or filled with random junk that never had an understandable purpose. In these hallways, there were over 10 thousand years of family history and Yuuki was free to explore it. To an extent, of course, most of the areas had been blockaded by Haruka or Juri when Yuuki has first learnt to walk, and then very quickly, learnt how much fun it was to run off and make one of her poor family chase after her. However, when no one was looking she would still manage to sneak off passed the barriers and explore.

On one of these days exploring three-year-old Yuuki had gone off in a new direction down more hallways and into yet another library. In her investigation of the room, she had noticed a bookshelf had come ajar, and with a little push, the shelves swung back enough to reveal a dark and dusty hallway. Managing to squeeze into the gap Yuuki followed the hallway as it lead down. The walls began opening up to reveal a grand big door. It was heavy looking and even with the little light that made its way in Yuuki could just make out carvings of daemons and gargoyles on the surface of the wood accented with gold. There was something about the door that was infinitely interesting that even when she could hear her mother's footsteps approaching Yuuki couldn't bring herself to run off again. This would need to be shown to her brothers at the soonest possible time.

"Yuuki what have I told you about running off!" Juris's voice echoed its way down the hall. Knowing it was a dead end the little girl only pouted as her mother picked her up and carried her off. "Come on now, you're brothers will be home soon" to this Yuuki lit up immediately. She couldn't wait to ask them about what the sky looked like tonight and what state the moon was in.

—

It was late but Yuuki had managed to stay awake enough to listen to her parent leave. It was for a business or something, Yuuki didn't care. Once she thought they were far away, she jumped out of bed and raced into the neighbouring room. Spotting her target the little girl climbed onto the bed and jumped onto her brother barely able to contain her giggles.

"Yuuki are you okay, did you have another bad dream?" The eight-year-old boy asked, rubbing his eyes with one hand and reaching out to her with the other. The small girl shook her head but found that she was too excited to talk giggling louder now. Getting into a sitting position Kaname tried to speak as softly as he could to not wake his brother unnecessarily "No? Then what is it?"

Trying to whisper and failing "I found a door!"

Startled by her loud voice he quickly placed a hand over her mouth to muffle her "Hushhh Yuuki, what door are you talking about"

Pulling his hand away and bouncing on her knees with excitement, she tried whispering again "When I ran from Mama it was in a bookshelf farrrr away, Kaname and Hitsugi have to see my door!" The small child clapped her hands in glee, Kaname quickly caught her hands to stop her but was too late, a groan could be heard from the other bed.

"Kaaaannnnameeee, what are you doing I wanna sleep" the other boy groaned into his pillow. Yuuki jumped from one brother's bed to climb into the others.

"Sugi, sugi" she began bouncing knees into the older boys chest "I found a door, I found a door" the boy groaned and pulled his pillow further over his face "It's a secret door a special door" Kaname got out of bed and picked up Yuuki holding her in the air "you have to see you really do it's important!"

Both boys grumbled in unison knowing full well that their three-year-old sister would not leave them alone until they did as she demanded. "Okay Yuuki let's go look at your door" Kaname said as he pulled the pillow off Hitsugi's head.

—

From there the two followed the toddler down the halls, pasted the bookshelf door in the forgotten library and down the corridor which opened up to showcase the massive wooden door. This time a torch was brought so the door could be seen in all its glory and when they were finally in front, it took the children's breath away. They each stood gazing at the intricate patterns and monsters carved into the ancient wooden door. The flickering of the torches light animating the beasts. It was Kaname who took the first step to open the doors handing both the torch and Yuuki's hand to his brother. There was something about this place that held a familiarity to him that was deeply unsettling, like a word on the tip of his tongue, he couldn't quite verbalise it but knew its shape.

Taking a deep breath and trying to save face in front of his siblings he pushed on the door, finding it open with ease. Inside was a massive carved stone room with blood-stained tiles on the floor and ripped-up tapestries on the walls. In the centre of the room lay a black stone coffin covered in broken chains with the lid ajar.

"Hey Kaname" Hitsugi whispered as he approached "Do you think that one of our ancestors once used this room?"

"Maybe, but it's hard to know who. I doubt even mother or father know it could be that old". Despite saying that Kaname knew somehow, that he was lying.

The children spent the next few hours in that room investigating and then talking. It hadn't taken long for Yuuki to fall asleep in Kanames lap as he sat on the cold steps leading up to the coffin. The boys discussed and speculated about who might have used the coffin and how many years they must have slept through, what their lives might have been like and if they too would ever just want to sleep away the years in a room like this when they were old and tired with the world.

"I don't know, you know like I don't think I could just sleep like that" Hitsugi whispered leaning his head against Kanames shoulder. "Like what if you woke up first and chose to let me sleep forever, or go and die or something. I'd be too scared of never seeing you again…"

"Why would I choose to leave you Sugi," Kaname said as he elbowed his brother with his free arm. "No way am I letting you sleep in and leave me with all the work"

Hitsugi shrugged "But you already do now tho…"

To this Kaname had no reply, he wouldn't choose to leave his family ever, but a small cynical part of his heart knew that he would put the lives of his family over his own, that even dying to keep them safe would make him happy. Eventually, the torch lost its light and the children returned to bed, not wishing to worry their mother when she came home.

The room did not remain dormant for very much longer as the three returned there so often Haruka and Juri conceded to their interest and cleaned the room from blood and dust, laying down some rugs and furniture for them. Very quickly it had become their favourite playroom, very much to their parent's displeasure.

—

It had been nearly 6 months since Yuuki had found their secret room and even though it had a strange air, it drew the children in like moths to a flame. There was something about the centuries of life that got slept away in the coffin that gave them energy.

Today they were bandits and they were on a mission. All dressed up in capes, gloves and masks the three children were tucked away in their secret base, hidden behind a bookshelf in a room whose door was guarded by monsters. They were hard at work planning a counterattack against the monsters of bedtime. The children spent the afternoon laughing and eating their snacks when there was none left Hitsugi slammed his hand-drawn map down on the coffin's lid.

"Come colleges! We must plan our attack" He spoke with a funny gruff voice.

"Yes, yes! Attack 'em' and eat more biscuits!" Yuuki jumped up from her spot on the floor, trying and failing to imitate the same gruff voice as her brother.

"I propose we plan a sneak attack and take them out from behind" Kaname said trying his best to put on a more mysterious voice and hiding his face behind his cape.

"Nah we should rip 'em guts out!" Cheared Yuuki scrambling to heroically stand on the coffin lid.

Hitsugi climbed onto the coffin and pulled out his sword "And eat their hearts!-"

Hitsugis's words started to fade as Kanames vision went white. In the distance but growing louder and closer Kaname could hear the cries of a baby and the dripping of blood. He was in this room but it was darker, damper and colder. In his arms, he held his brother's bloody body, but it wasn't his brother. Into the room burst his mother, but she wasn't his mother and she looked at him like he was something to be feared.

Kaname blinked as his vision turned blood red and he was back in their playroom. He's had visions like this in the past but only in his dreams and few made any sense mostly deserts and crumbling stone buildings, places he knew he had never been. This one, however, felt so weirdly like a memory it made him jumpy. He felt a need to confide in his parents, even thinking of them as his parents now made him feel uneasy.

Not quite leaving his thoughts Kaname turned towards the door but was stooped by a hand on his shoulder.

"Hey where are you going, we haven't finalised our plane yet" Hitsugi had dropped the voice and sounded worried.

This earnest question brought Kaname back to their little reality. "Uh, to spy on our enemies" Kaname whispered pulling up his cape over his head to 'hide'. Hitsugi didn't look convinced but nodded all the same. "Stay here and watch agent giggles until late I return". A strong nod was the confirmation Kaname needed to depart.

As he left the playroom he discarded his hat, cape, and gloves, dropped his smile and found himself feeling more grown up than normal. Upon entering the living room where his 'parents' sat tangled in each other's arms as they shared a book Kaname paused. Maybe he was okay with not knowing who he really was and allowed himself to be happy with the ignorance.

Haruka looked up and smiled at him. "Oh hello Kaname, did you three run out of snacks already?" Kaname didn't know how to reply to his father so stayed silent battling his own resolve to ask about his vision. Perhaps noticing his scowl or the extended silence Haruka spoke again with concern "What is the matter son?"

It was too late to backtrack now Kaname felt and took a big breath before turning to his 'parents' "Haruka, Juri, you have been incredibly kind in looking after me for all these years, you treated me like a son and I am incredibly grateful, my intention is to… to not devalue the love and affection you have shown me but I do need to know, I- I know I'm not your true son, who am I?"

Juri looked as though she were about to cry, and Huruka tensed up whispering towards his beloved "We knew this day would come" in an attempt to soothe her. "Come Kaname and sit here please," the man asked.

—

From in the shadows of another room with their ears pressed firmly up against a vent, Yuuki asked her brother, "Hey Sugi, what's Kaname mean?" A hand was quickly shoved in her face as Hitsugi hissed at her to be quiet. She did without question, and the two children listened to the whole conversation. Neither spoke further but as they were listening the boy began to weep silent tears, and although Yuuki didn't understand what was going on she wiped them away and patted him as best she could. Her brother was so strong in her eyes so Yuuki comforted him as best she could, he didn't need to be so sad because she was there.

Sorry if this chapter was mostly fluff, but I felt I needed some cuteness and relationship-building before the next chapter...

Thank you very much for reading!

Love and comments are very much appreciated 3