Disclaimer: Nope, I promise, these don't belong to me. So don't sue.

"Father, you sent for me?"

Yuki poked his head around the imense doors of the throne room, his eyes falling on Kaname, standing on the window sill of a large glass window, staring out.

"Yes." Kaname said simply, not looking at him

Yuki looked around the room, surprised to find it empty.

"Where is everyone?" He questioned "You aren't surounded by your usual guards and assistants and... Mizu."

Kaname chuckled, finally glancing over his shoulder at Yuki.

"Ah yes... hehe... Mizu. Your mother used to comment on it when he wasn't around me to."

"Oh yeah?"

Kaname nodded.

"Yeah. She's always make wise cracks because I spent so much time with him. She thought I loved him."

"Do you?" Yuki asked

Kaname paused.

"In a way, yes." He replied, turning around to face Yuki, still standing on the sill

"But he's not here now." Yuki commented "You're all by yourself.. it's strange."

"I've taken off all my armor..." Kaname murmered distantly

"Huh?"

"Something your mother used to say when we were alone." He commented "That I've taken off all my armor and lowered my defeneses," He sighed "Now that I think about it... we never really had a ton of free time." He chuckled suggestively "Except when we were having... never mind."

Yuki visably shuddered.

"God Dad!" He shouted "I don't want to hear that!"

Kaname smiled sadistically.

"You know, one time I was making love to your mother..."

"Dad!"

"And we were really going at it."

"Jesus!"

"I mean, lamp shattering craziness."

"I'm not listening!"

"And she was screaming so loud that the guards thought there was something wrong."

"La la la la la!"

"So they came rushing in."

Unable to continue, Kaname burst out into laughter.

"I'm sorry!" He shouted, clutching his stomach "I couldn't resist."

Yuki rolled his eyes. He sighed, almost fondly.

'Anyone who didn't know any better would swear we were just fahter and son. Not enemies.' Yuki thought

"Do you want to tell me why you called me here?"

Kaname nodded.

"I want to show you something."

Yuki cocked his head

"What is it?"

Kaname geustered towards the windowsill. Obliging, Yuki walked over to the window and looked out.

His jaw dropped.

He could see Hell. All of it, in its blazing glory. The smoking mountains and towering castles. The giant canyons and dead and barren forests underneat the blood red sky. He could even se the demons around the market place outside the palace, going about their daily lives, children on their hips.

Despite the darkness of it all, he could see nothing but beauty. Nothing but power and strenght... and even love.

"This... is my kingdom." Kaname spoke "Someday yours... if you want it."

"It's..." Yuki spoke

"I know."

Yuki shook his head to clear his thoughts.

"This is Hell... I shouldn't..."

"Love it? Want to protect it? Son, Eiri, it's in your blood to love this kingdom." Kaname said "Just as it was in mine."

Yuki scoffed and stepped down from the window sill.

"Love this?" He asked "A world full of nothing but violence. Of demons and fear and pain? Where everything breaks apart like ashes?"

Kaname paused for a moment before speaking.

"I tried to convince myself of that." Kaname said "I even tried to convince my father. I told him that I hated this world and that he could keep his palace and his kingdoms." He sighed "But he knew... what I know now." His eyes met Yuki's "That we cannot help but love this place. It's in our souls."

"You don't have a soul." Yuki said, turning around

Kaname fell silent, and stepped off the sill.

"Heh." He muttered "That's exactly what my father said. I told him I wanted to leave hell, with your mother. And he said 'Where would you go? What world would take a souless creature like you?'" He sat down on the sill. "A souless demon and an angel. Hand in hand." He laughed sadly "How could I have ever made her happy? What can a souless demon offer her?" He paused "What can a man with no soul offer his child?" His voice trailed off and the room fell silent. Yuki turned to find Kaname with his head in his hands.

"Father?" Yuki asked, "Are you crying?"

"Yes." Kaname spoke truthfully, wiping his eyes "So... to finish the story. Obviously, I wound up staying here. As much as I wanted to run when Father ... died... I loved this dimension... far to much to let it fall to ruin under no leader."

"Kaname?"

Kaname narrowed his eyes, and looked up at Eiri.

"I do... love this world."

"I know."

"And I want to protect it."

"With everything you have?"

"With everything I hve."

Inside, Kaname smiled.

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A.N. I wrote this chapter when I was feeling really random, though I've been meaning to delve a lot more into Kaname's past, and bring up Yuki's mother, so I've been trying to do it in bits and pieces, though I imagine sometime soon I'll have a few full blown chapters, especially delving into Mizu's past and how he came to Kaname. Anyways, thanks for reading. And I promise, Ryu is coming back soon!