Kaname sat stiffly at the head of his elongated dining table. The room, while large and spacious for the small group of vampires occupying the house, had never felt this empty. His dark maroon eyes were constantly drawn to the chair on his right.

Yuuki's vacant chair.

He missed his love desperately. Their separation was a necessary evil, for Sara needed to be under the impression that she held some semblance of power over him. But Kaname had not realized how much pain it would cause him to lose Yuuki a second time, especially since he only just got his sister back.

Kaname had thought he was prepared for this part of his plan. Had he not already done it once? For ten years he waited in the shadows, standing on the edges of Yuuki's periphery vision, watching over her with the then human girl none the wiser. Surely he could manage another two weeks until Sara made her move?

There were too many pieces in motion currently. Too many chances for mistakes to be made. Mistakes that could cost him his Yuuki and their children. Kaname's heart was at war with his mind.

Logically, it would be best to wait until June eleventh or even the twelfth to free Yuuki. As busy as the other Pureblood would be with her party and her plans to challenge his sister for the right to be Queen and after three weeks of no response from Kaname, she would let down her guard, confident in her win. In the long run, this scenario was the better option for Kaname's overall scheme.

He had told Akatsuki and Aidou that rescuing Yuuki was top priority. In a sense it was, because Sara would know something was up if no attempt was made. But Kaname hadn't intended to perform his jailbreak until the other several millennia old vampire was distracted and least expecting it.

But his heart screamed that he had no time to wait. His most recent intelligence said that Sara was denying her prisoner any form of blood. And even if Yuuki had managed to consume blood tablets once, they would not sustain the life growing within her. She needed true blood.

Another point in favor of freeing Yuuki sooner was that Kaname didn't want Sara to learn about her pregnancy. Already the Pureblood's lack of knowledge was harmful to his love. She wasn't receiving the proper care. But it would be disastrous should Sara learn the truth.

He didn't want to think that Sara would be capable of murdering an unborn child. Children were sacred to vampires, so infrequently were they born. The population of born vampires was already on the decline. With families only having one or two children, the children only replaced the adults.

But Sara was unstable. Like Rido. The brunet feared another incident like RIdo happening. She might kill the fetuses because of who they would be; direct blood of the Ancestor.

"My lord?" Hanabusa called out hesitantly, taking a single step inside the door. "Would now be a good time?"

In response the Pureblood rolled up the sleeve of his white collared shirt up to his elbow and extended his arm. Aidou moved to his side, two items clenched in his hands. The first was a small crystal vile. The second a thermos.

Aidou needed to bring Sara Kaname's blood in order to prove his loyalty. Kaname had decided it best to wait a couple days, to make it seem as if the ice wielding vampire had truly stolen his target. It would have been suspicious if Aidou had return with his prize immediately.

And it had to be his blood. Hanabusa had suggested that they supplement his own blood in place of Kaname's, forgetting that the blood of a Pureblood was distinctive. Sara would be able to tell by touch alone when she examined it that it did not hold the power of a Pureblood, and if she couldn't the scent would certainly reveal the deceit. Either way, Aidou, and by extension Kaname, would be tipping his hand too early.

Kaname dragged a fingernail down the length of his forearm from elbow to wrist. Aidou collected the liquid in the vial, and when it was full switched it out for the thermos.

Sara's desire for the blood of another Pureblood was concerning, but it was the perfect opportunity to slip Kaname's blood to Yuuki.

"Go," the brunet commanded softly once both containers were filled. "Make sure that gets to her."

The Aristocrat nodded solemnly, ice blue eyes shining with determination. "We'll get her back, my lord."

"I know," Kaname said, watching the other vampire depart. It was only a matter of when. He would not leave her there longer than she already had. By June twelfth Yuuki would be nearly three months along, and the longer he waited the higher the chances were for Sara to discover the pregnancy.

Kaname had absolutely no intention of letting that happen.

Yuuki grit her teeth against the taste as she choked down another glass of blood flavored water. She had thought, after four days, that it would become easier to drink them, not more difficult. Every swallow served to intensify the burn in her throat, a steady reminder that her body demanding fresh blood and not the synthetic substitute she was drinking.

It was only made worse by the fact that she had to drink a glass nearly every hour to even remotely sate her thirst. She had gone through the first bottle Yori had delivered that same day.

Her former best friend was a topic of confusion for Yuuki. The new Pureblood had no idea what to think of her. It was because of Yori that she was in this situation. Trapped, scared, and alone. But Yori had faithfully delivered a bottle of blood tablets each night, in place of the two humans whose job had been to stock her mini fridge with blood.

Each time she offered small words of comfort. That it wouldn't be long now and 'Yuuki, you only need to hang in there a little longer. Kaname will be here soon.'

She had wanted to snarl at Yori. What would she know about what Kaname was doing? Why had she kidnapped Yuuki in the first place? Why did she suddenly seem to care now? Did Yori realize she had made a terrible mistake and thought that bringing her blood tablets and failing words of reassurance would be enough for Yuuki's heart to break and allow her back in? That she too would be rescued when Kaname came for her?

The door to her cell slid open enough to allow Yori entrance. Yuuki rolled over on her side, putting her back to her once friend. "I don't want any more tablets. I still have a few."

Yuuki had even more hidden inside her pillow. One small rip and she had a nice place to hide some tablets so that, should Yori decided to stop bringing her a bottle, she would not starve. Yuuki placed a palm full of tablets within her pillow from each bottle.

"I think you'll want this, Yuuki," was the rejoinder.

Said vampire bit back a scoff. Of course she didn't want blood tablets. They were a cheap replacement for real blood, not to mention supposedly dangerous for her to consume while pregnant. They didn't care all the nutrients her baby needed.

But Yuuki did need them, because fake blood was better than none at all. She hadn't felt any ill effects from drinking the tablets yet, but that didn't mean she wanted to continue to put hers and Kaname's baby at risk by drinking them like an alcoholic would.

The most wonderful scent permeated the room. Warm and dark and spicy.

"Kaname!" she gasped, shooting off her bed. How was he here?

Yuuki froze when she was not met with the face of her brother. Only Yori, holding a metal thermos from which Kaname's tantalizing scent was originating. It took her all of a second to realize what that thermos held, for the burning in her throat flared.

Before she could think one hand had snatched the thermos from Yori and the other had found its way to the girl's throat. "Why do you have Kaname's blood? What did you do to him?"

Yori's hazel eyes grew round. The shined with genuine terror. Her weak human hands latched on to Yuuki's, but she had not chance at removing a vampire's grip. At one point, Yuuki would have immediately released her friend, hating herself for putting such a fearful expression on her face. But she couldn't bring herself to care.

The human had tried to convince her that her brother would come for her soon, only to kidnap him like she had Yuuki. They had taken his blood.

"Safe."

Brown orbs narrowed. She released her grip slightly, enough so that Yori could breathe comfortably and talk but Yuuki's hand stayed there as a reminder that she could take that breath away again. "What's safe?"

"Kaname-san. He's fine. Sara doesn't have him," Yori spoke hurriedly.

"Then where did this come from? This is his blood!" Yuuki practically shrieked the last two words as she held up the thermos like it was incriminating evidence. "If Sara doesn't have him then why do you have this?"

"Aidou-san gave it to me to give to you. Kaname-san said you needed it."

The Pureblood didn't hear the second half of Yori's short explanation. Her mind was reeling at the mention of Aidou. The blond was in on this too? How could he betray her like that? He was supposed to be Yuuki's protector. Yuuki had thought them to be friends. She trusted him to help her find her feet amongst vampires that would be expecting her to know everything already.

She stumbled back, inadvertently releasing Yori. Why had Aidou betrayed her? Betrayed Kaname?

A pair of warm hands gently cupped her face. Yuuki was forced to look into the heart shaped friend of her onetime friend. "I know this is all confusing to you right now, Yuuki, but Kaname-san insists the less you know at the moment the safer you'll be. I'm still your friend and so is Aidou-san. Kaname-san has a plan. You'll be out of her before the twelfth."

Yuuki slumped against the other girl. The tension she had been carrying ever since she had woken up in Sara's dungeon bleed out. Of course her brother had a plan. He always had a plan. But now she had confirmation of it and an expected time of when it would come to fruition. If she had kept track of the days right, the twelfth was seventeen days away.

"Can you tell me what's going on?" Yuuki shamelessly used her cutest puppy dog face which Yori had fallen victim to many times at Cross Academy. Then she had used it to prevent her friend from inquiring into her injuries or why Yuuki had agreed to be a Disciplinary Committee member.

It was still just as effective. Yori's face softened and she hugged the vampire. "I can't tell you everything. I don't even know the whole plan," she joked. "But I'm here because Kaname-san needs someone to keep an eye on Sara and I was the only one who could get close.

"Now then," Yori said, lifting the hand that still held the thermos of blood, "drink. Kaname-san went to great efforts to ensure you got this."

Yuuki obediently drank, guzzling down the familiar blood. In under a minute she had drained it.

Yori smiled softly as she took the empty thermos from Yuuki. "I have to go now, but I'll be back tomorrow. It'll be blood tablets though."

Yuuki didn't mind. She'd drink a million of those foul tablets if it meant she'd be back in Kaname's arms. Now that her imprisonment wasn't endless, it would be easier to continue her diet of blood tablets. She only had to deal with them for seventeen more days.

"Be careful, Yori."

"I will."

The door closed behind her and Yuuki could hear the key turning in the lock, once more confining her.

In two and a half weeks she would be home.

Yuuki curled around her stomach, hands lightly brushing over the slight bump. She supposed it wasn't impossible to be showing this early. She was two and a half months pregnant, and vampire pregnancies were shorter than a human's. She was probably equivalent of nearly four months, so it was reasonable that she was just starting to show.

The bump wasn't very noticeable anyway. Yori hadn't commented on it and even Sara with her sharper sense had no idea she was pregnant.

"Pretty soon your father will be here," she cooed to the baby. "He'll get us both out of here. Then we'll crush Sara together."

Yuuki had never considered herself a violent person. But Sara deserved her anger. The woman was opposing them for the sake of it. She wanted the power to rule but didn't actually care about the vampires she would be charged with looking out for. She was more concerned with the humans she kept as pets to admire her.

That woman's ego had no place wearing a crown. Sara created Level Es like humans didn't matter. But humans and vampires could get along. Kaien Cross believed it. Kaname believed and so did she.

Yuuki would prove it when she became Queen. Just like she had promised Tamen and the Hunter's Association, she would make it so that vampires and humans could coexist.