Disclaimer: I don't own VK.

Standing outside the Chairman's office in the Association, Yuuki could feel her thoughts colliding and scattering like the colorful patterns of a kaleidoscope. She couldn't seem to focus on any one thought for more than a fleeting moment before it bumped into a million others and shifted altogether to something new. There was too much inside of her right now, too many emotions... Was it possible that she would lose her brother today?

She squeezed her eyes shut. She didn't want to follow that train of her thoughts to its end. Even if it was a decision Kaname-sama had made...somewhere, somehow...it was a decision he had reached because of her actions. She couldn't shake the feeling that this was her fault, but neither was she going to turn back. There seemed to be no where for her to go, and for now all she could do was wait. It made her heartsick.

A hand rested on her shoulder, and she glanced up into violet. She felt her thoughts focus back to the moment, and she gave him a tight smile. Her nerves were showing through, but there was nothing she could do. Normally, she would have smiled and pretended everything was alright. Now, however, now that she had seen into Zero's heart and he had seen into hers, and after all of her pretending at the mansion that had led to so much suffering...she didn't want to pretend anymore.

"The Chairman is waiting," Zero told her, to which she nodded. She let him lead her into the office, drawing strength from his presence.

Apart from herself and Zero, she also saw that Yagari and Kaito had been gathered in her adopted father's office. The two hunters gave them a brief greeting, and then before anyone could speak or distract her from what she wanted to know, Yuuki asked, "What exactly is this furnace that Kaname-sama wants to sacrifice his heart to?"

The Chairman smiled at her wearily. "I understand your feelings, Yuuki. Unfortunately, we have no choice but to wait here for Kaname-kun. To answer your question, it is where the weapons that can kill even purebloods originate from. The furnace where the 'parent' was melted in. The ancestor threw her heart into the furnace and gave the hunters weapons and power. All of our weapons are forged from it."

"The ancestor..? Then, like Kaname-sama?" She frowned. She really knew so little about vampire history.

The Chairman and Yagari exchanged a glance. Then Kaien spoke, "Yes, precisely like Kaname-kun, Yuuki. The ancestor's heart grows weak, though. We have noticed this, and been at a loss for what to do."

Yagari added, "It was obvious we would need another pureblood heart, but we weren't sure of a solution. I'm sure Kaname knew that."

"Which is why we should let him just do it," Kaito muttered from the back corner of the room.

Yuuki glared at him angrily. "We can think of another solution." After a pause, she asked, "Why would the ancestor do that, though?"

The Chairman nooded. "From hearing Kaname-kun talk, she was very idealistic, much like yourself. She did it so that the purebloods wouldn't be all-powerful, and there would be balance between humans and vampires. It all happened so very long ago, though, and Kaname-kun has never been very forthcoming with the details."

Before she could ask any further questions, a hunter she didn't recognize ran into the office suddenly, announcing, "Kaname Kuran...he's coming."

Distantly, Yuuki heard someone shout, "Shoot him now!" followed by "No, wait! I heard from senior hunters that we should just let him pass through."

"He comes..." Kaito glanced at the office door, as though he could see through it and to the entrance of the building.

There was the sound of a commotion, followed by more shouting, and Yuuki sped out of the office. She felt Zero's presence behind her, and beyond them she knew that the Chairman, Yagari, and Kaito would be following.

At the entry gate of the Association stood her brother, holding an unconscious hunter by his collar. Her feet thudded to a stop, eyes widening. Dark eyes turned to face her, fathomless and murky. Zero stopped beside her, and a few moments later the other senior hunters had arrived as well. Beyond the entry gate, a few hunters shifted anxiously. It was clear they disapproved of their orders to permit a pureblood into the Association, especially in light of his actions.

The dark haired man dropped the limp body of the hunter and answered the question she was asking him wordlessly in her mind, "I wasn't given the proper key to enter this place..."

"Kaname-sama, why are you doing this?" she demanded. "I won't permit it."

"Yes..." he trailed off, then, "the one to be blocking my way would be you. I knew that all along."

"Kaname-kun," her adopted father interjected suddenly. "Let's speak of this privately, in my office."

The pureblood's eyes flicked to the Chairman, but he gave a gesture of acquiescence. "Alright, although it's too late, I fear...my descent has already begun..."

Quickly, Yuuki spoke, determined for his attention, even if only for a moment. "Many innocent people have been hurt by you, Kaname-sama, and had their lives taken away. And you're getting further away...but..."

Now that she had faced her brother more squarely, and accepted the truth, she understood better than ever that Kaname-sama had been the source of so much suffering. Zero had been freezing in the cold darkness that her brother had forced upon him. Now, however, she could see that Kaname-sama was confronted with that same darkness, a darkness that she caused him by choosing another path. It had been her this time, not her brother, who had been the one to inflict suffering. Her rejection of his love had undoubtedly caused him pain. If he had abandoned himself to it, it would be so freezing cold that he wouldn't feel anything. If it were to melt, it would only start hurting. Perhaps it was because of that cold, that desire for a numbness to protect his aching heart, that he thought he had no other choice than to end his own life.

She met her brother's eyes. "Even so..."

"I won't be stopped," he cut her off, predicting the direction of her words.

Her eyes sparked. No matter what he said, she couldn't let him do what he intended to.

Before their conversation could go any further, however, the Chairman interjected, "Come, Kaname-kun. Let's speak in private."

The pureblood nodded, sweeping past Yuuki without a second glance. She bit her lip, looking after him as he and her adopted father entered the office. The door shut behind them with a definitive 'click,' effectively shutting her out.

"Good riddance, I say," Kaito mumbled in an aside to Yagari.

With a sharp intake of breath as she did her best to ignore the hunter, Yuuki approached the office door and leaned her ear against the thin crevice that separated it from the frame. She concentrated on the sounds coming from the other side of the door. At first, she could hear nothing except the swish of Zero's clothes as he moved to stand beside her, but then she could make out the barely audible voices of the men within.

"Are you sure this is what you want?" she heard her adopted father ask.

"Yes. I've already made my decision. I won't be dissuaded now," Kaname responded. His words were so quiet that she almost didn't hear them.

"And what of Yuuki?"

There was a pause. Without realizing it, she was holding her breath.

"Yuuki has her life to lead, and I have mine. This is the choice I have made." Those two phrases seemed to cover her skin with frost.

Her heart felt very full and very heavy, dropping down to support itself against her ribs. It seemed as though he had already cut all attachment to her with a steel blade. Perhaps he was capable of such a thing, but not her... Surely, even if he had buried it within himself, he still must love her...

The cacophony of her thoughts caused her to miss what was said next. She caught the end of what her brother was saying, in answer to a question the Chairman must have asked.

"-because I still love her, even now. I have loved her for thousands of years, and I will never forget the day she gave her heart to the furnace. You cannot hide from me that she weakens. You need another pureblood heart...and for the love which has withstood through all this time, I would follow her legacy and put her spirit to rest."

Yuuki was stunned. His words could only mean one thing: that the love he had mentioned to her before was for the ancestor whose heart powered the furnace and the hunter weapons even now. Her brother had mentioned being in love before, but to another of the ancestors of the vampire race? Had the love that she had shared with Kaname-sama and their engagement merely been a distraction for him then, a sedative to keep him happy, to keep him from mourning over his past love? She shook herself mentally. Regardless of his reasoning or his past, nothing would change her resolve to keep him from sacrificing himself.

For a few moments longer, however, she remained rooted in place, mind churning again and again over this information. She really knew nothing about Kaname-sama. Even though she had drank his blood, even though she had felt the force of his emotions, he had somehow been able to hide from her. She never knew what he was thinking, what exactly he was feeling. He was like some dark, evasive entity that she could never grasp. And yet, she refused to believe that he was entirely beyond her reach. She had believe that there was still hope, that he could still be dissuaded. Certainly, her adopted father wouldn't permit the path Kaname-sama had chosen, either...

The room seemed eerily quiet. She realized she hadn't heard a sound for at least a full minute now. She banged on the door, but there was no answer. She couldn't detect her brother's presence within the office any longer. Panicking, she turned to Zero and asked, "Where is the furnace?"

"Follow me," Zero told her, immediately understanding the situation and starting off down the hall at a sprint. "It's down below."

The other two hunters inquisitively watched them pass before Yagari called, "We'll be right behind you."

Zero led her to a long flight of stairs that curved downward, and she raced down them, skipping every other step. For the first time in her life, she wasn't clumsy. Fear and adrenaline had taken control of her body. She had to get to the furnace in time, before her brother could act. She had to stop him from this madness. She had chosen to live her life as Zero's partner, to be with him and not Kaname-sama, but that did not lessen her love for her brother. She needed to show him that.

The stairs led to another floor of the building, and the hunter directed her once again to another flight of stairs. The door was closed, but she could see that the trap to stop vampires had been set off. A rune had appeared in the wall beside the door, dead and lifeless now. Kaname had already been here.

She flung the door open, and suddenly was met with a flurry of dark, bloody bats that thrashed in the air around her, detaining her. She should have known her brother wouldn't let her pass so easily. With a cry, she forced herself through, slashing them apart with her bare hands. Behind her, she heard Zero's footsteps cease for a moment as he fired Bloody Rose. Abruptly, the number of bats lessened and she found it easier to move onward.

And then, without warning, the bats vanished. There was the faint scent of blood in the air, only a trace, but present nonetheless. It filled her with dread. She rushed headlong down the stairs, the grey walls speeding past with the hunter close behind. When she finally exited the stairwell, she found herself in a dark room, lit only by the orange flames of a furnace against the back wall. Before it stood her brother, a dark, shadowed figure framed in firelight.

"Yuuki," Kaname addressed her, not turning towards her. She saw him place his hand upon his chest, presumably over his heart. "In this life you were the light of my heart, who gave me the joy of being needed once again." He bowed his head. Then, "The time has come. This is the moment when my unstoppable heart is necessary to stop other unstoppable hearts."

Taking a step forward, Kaname touched the brick of the furnace, closing his eyes and drawing a deep, slow breath that Yuuki heard as an audible shudder through his lungs, like the rattle of bones. It was the rattle of death.

"Already..." he murmured, a wistful smile drawing across his mouth, addressing the spirit of his past lover whose crumbling heart was turning to ash within the furnace. "You've already done your best. Ten thousand years is sufficient, so...rest in peace." Upon uttering these words, he sank to his knees, his strength abruptly failing.

"I will succeed you," he whispered, staring into the burning depths of the fire.

With a rip of breath from her own lungs, Yuuki rushed forward. She couldn't hold herself back any longer. "Kaname-sama!" she cried in horror, desiring with every shred of her soul to save him, although the dread that pricked at her nerves shrieked that the deed had already been done.

"This can't be...you... You shouldn't have done this," Zero murmured, taking a few steps forward, nearing the pair of purebloods before he stopped, staring with creased brow at Kaname and the fire within the furnace before him.

"Your heart..." Yuuki said numbly, pressing her hands against her onii-san's chest. The horrible truth buzzed in the back of her mind, nearly overwhelming her.

"It's inside," Zero's voice was barely audible over the incessant static in her ears.

In desperation, Yuuki flung herself towards the furnace, intent upon nothing except recovering her brother's heart, encased in the crackling flames. "We have to get it out!" she panicked, feeling Kaname-sama's arms wrap around her like steel fetters, keeping her still.

"Yuuki." His voice was gentle, fading. "It's melting and then regenerating again and again in the furnace, so it will no longer regenerate within me. It's too late. The core of my life has been shifted to within the furnace. Before long, this body will stop moving, and I will lose my consciousness and live as the many weapons that will be created."

Tears were streaking down her face, hotter than the heat that radiated from the furnace. "No..." she choked. "I don't want you to become like this..."

"Yuuki," he repeated as the first sparks of his dying body begin to float upwards. "Do you know what you gave me when you were just born? You were a ray of light... The only warmth I felt... But...I lost myself to desires, and I made mistakes. I couldn't stop myself... To shake off those contradictions, I imposed unreasonable demands on you, and I took away the smile that radiated from the bottom of your heart."

"Kaname..." She clutched at his arms, face turned away so he couldn't see how the sobs contorted her face.

"At the very end, I even revealed my past to you, to gamble if you'd reject me or not..." He gave a dry, brittle laugh.

"Don't say that it was all a mistake," she managed, though the words fell thickly from her lips.

"All that I've done were my choices, not yours. And I don't regret them." His arms squeezed around her, already absent of the strength he had used only moments previously. The sparks began to increase in number. His body was crumbling away before her eyes, and she was helpless to stop it. "But," he continued, "all that I've done thus far, and all the sins I've committed...I have to atone for them. That's why, Yuuki, don't struggle to stop me."

The weight of her emotions was crushing. She felt as though her entire chest was being compressed with a pressure so intense that she could barely breathe. "I don't want this," she repeated, her voice shaking. Despite all that he had done, despite all the pain he had caused her and Zero, along with many others, despite all that, she couldn't accept this. She couldn't accept that she was going to lose someone she loved so much, a friend, part of her family, her former lover... "I can't imagine a world without you in it," she rasped, voice cracking now. "I don't want to know it..."

"Yuuki." She felt the weight of his head as it rested against hers. Her eyes, so fogged with tears, could still see in blurry detail how his fingertips were dissolving into the air as tiny fragments of light. "It's not that I didn't receive any happiness. You gave me a lot."

Her fingers gripped harder into his arm, as if through her iron grip he could remain in this world with her.

Behind them, she heard Zero say with a trace of surprise, "The Bloody Rose is dying... Should I be thanking you?" There was a pause, and then in a low tone he said, "But...I will not forgive you for giving Yuuki such sorrow."

"That's fine," the pureblood replied, still a trace icy towards the hunter even now. "I won't ask for forgiveness. I only ask that you take care of her, as I won't be able to any longer." The last words came as a whisper, tossed away by the heat of the flames.

There was a cracking sound, and suddenly, Yuuki felt the arm that held her give way. She shrieked out her brother's name, spinning around as if to save him by the force of her embrace, but before she could even get her arms around him he had already shattered into crystalline motes that drifted through the air on a wind she could not feel. Before long, even those motes had faded into nothing.

For a moment, all of the air had been slashed out of her lungs. She felt as though her insides were bleeding. The world was unsteady as a loud buzzing filled her ears. Gone. Kaname-sama was gone... Gone... The tears wouldn't stop falling. She hadn't been able to do anything. In the end, she hadn't been able to do anything but watch as her brother threw his life into the flames and his body dissolved.

In the midst of the darkness, she felt a pair of arms draw her close, and she pressed herself against the familiar form. She inhaled deeply, taking in the familiar, beloved scent. Trembling, she pressed her ear against his chest, listening to the steady beat of the hunter's heart as she sobbed, feeling broken and helpless. She needed to feel the force of his life. She needed to know that she was not alone, because at that moment she felt so terribly empty and lonely. The only person, the only thing in the world right now that could comfort her was the man who held her now.

"He said he will succeed her will..." she mumbled into Zero's chest. She felt his hand move upward, stroking her hair. She allowed herself to be comforted, still shaking and weak. Her chest continued to smash together with terrible force, sending pain rippling through her limbs. Her brother was dead...

In that moment of aching, crushing sadness, however, she incredibly found reasons to smile. "He must have loved her a lot..." she whispered, "in the end...he sacrificed himself so that she could rest..." In the end, he had chosen the ancestor over her, and the next life over this one. That, at the very least, gave her some comfort.

But more than that, the man who was beside her now, the one whose arms encircled her with love, gave her much-needed comfort. She wasn't alone. And Kaname-sama wasn't entirely gone. Her eyes turned to the fire, and she felt the tears stream down silently now, rather than in hiccuping sobs as they had before. His spirit would live on, wouldn't it...?

She pushed her face against Zero, and with trembling hands, brushed away her tears. A few still leaked out of the corners of her eyes. She still felt the sadness worming its way through her heart. But she was done crying. She had been crying for far too long, and she had allowed too many things to happen around her. She wouldn't permit these things to go on any longer. It would be her, Yuuki Kuran, who would decide her fate, and her, Yuuki Kuran, who would protect those she loved, so that she did not have to lose anyone else. And who knew, maybe someday it wouldn't be Yuuki Kuran anymore, but Yuuki Kiryuu...

With a sudden, unbidden smile, she turned her face upwards. She wanted to see the violet and silver colors which had painted over her entire landscape. She saw Zero's eyebrows push together in worry. His hands rose, cupping her face, thumbs drying off the last of her tears. He didn't say anything. She knew he didn't know what to say, but his heart was undoubtedly full, all the same.

"I'm okay," she told him. It was a small lie. Right now, she didn't feel okay. She felt as if she was standing on a precipice, about to tumble off the edge. But seeing Zero...she knew that she was secure, standing there. She wouldn't fall, not with him beside her. And that was enough, because she knew that she would be okay. She would never stop being sad for this moment; she needed to mourn her brother for a long while still, but... But... She would be okay.

Zero leaned forward, pressing his lips against her forehead for a moment. Then, standing, he offered her a hand, which she took, and helped to draw her to her feet. She could hear the sounds of the other hunters approaching, and caught the scent of Aidou's blood. So he was here, too... Her adopted father must have sent someone to get him earlier. Quickly, she scrubbed at her eyes with the back of her jacket sleeve, and sniffled. Her fingers threaded themselves unconsciously through Zero's, an action she only realized she had done when she felt his hand give hers a squeeze. Then, giving the hunter a tremulous smile, she faced the entrance to the room, ready for the arrival of the hunters and the blond vampire.

The hunters entered the room now. The Chairman's face was one of grief. He seemed far older in this moment than she remembered him to be. "So it's done," she heard him murmur, and Yagari put a hand on the other man's shoulder. Behind them, Aidou had stopped dead in his tracks, his own face expressionless, eyes as numb and empty as she imagined hers were.

"Kaname-sama." She saw his lips mouth the words, and couldn't even imagine what sorts of thoughts were running through his head right now. Her brother had been his king...and the man who had murdered his father. She saw the blonde's fists clenching and unclenching, the only betrayal of his emotions in that moment.

After that, the next moments became a blur. The Chairman was hugging her and crying despite his efforts to contain his tears, Yagari was patting her shoulder somewhat awkwardly, Kaito had disappeared, and everything was jumbling together, along with their words. Aidou was rooted in place, but before they left the room, she thought to reassure him.

"I'll take care of everything, senpai," she told him.

He turned to her, seemingly in a daze. "I have to go home for a while." The words seemed like echoes, thoughtless. He was lost in his thoughts.

She gave him a quick hug and nodded. "Okay, but I need you to come back. I'll need a vice president for the new Night Class."

This time, his eyes focused on her, and he managed a smile. "I'll try not to keep you waiting long."

"Take your time," she answered.

Her fingers encountered the hunter's again and, with more strength than she would have expected herself to have in that moment, she began to walk forward. That was the only direction that she could walk, and she would do it with Zero by her side.

AN: To all those who love Kaname- I'm sorry... He had to go. To all those who hate Kaname- I'm sorry... I'm sorry you had to suffer through that cheese but at least he's permanently gone now! WOO! -dances- AHEM. It's not like I've wanted him to go since day 1 or anything... Admittedly, I pictured Yuuki chopping off his head but...eh, I guess this will do. (Kaname fans, don't kill me, ILU).

EM SO YEP YEPPERS THAT WAS DEPRESSING. And we're not done yet. Another chapter still coming. 8D