Slight time skip here, but you'll all forgive me because it means we get to the good stuff. Also, probably due a disclaimer here, so I'm making no money off this because Vampire Knight doesn't belong to me.

This ended up longer than I intended.

Seventeen days had never felt so long.

Possibly because Yuuki was never the type of person laze around doing absolutely nothing all day. As a student, her days had been filled with classes, which she desperately tried to pay attention to, but more often than not fell asleep in during due to her duties as one of two disciplinary committee members.

Though she might as well have been the only one for all the work Zero did. Her partner only showed up whenever Kaname was involved, and only then to tell her brother to leave her alone. Given, the then president of the Night Class checked in on Yuuki once a night, but the hunter would vanish as soon as he told Kaname to get lost.

Of course, needing to patrol the grounds for the first two hours the Night students were in class didn't help matters. It really was unbelievable how many girls (she did find it odd that it was never the human males sneaking out to get a glimpse of the female vampires) would blatantly ignore school rules. The really unbelievable part of it was that Yuuki spent more time in detention than they did, and she was doing what Kaien asked of her.

Once the truth had been revealed, the brunette's schedule was even more hectic. Thankfully, she didn't have to worry about her disciplinary responsibilities. By that point Zero had stepped up, a result of Kaname threatening him probably now that she thought about it, but Yuuki couldn't find it in herself to care.

Tomorrow would be the twelfth of June, and Yuuki was so overjoyed she could have gotten up and danced.

Honestly, the lack of anything to do was more torturous than Sara depriving her of blood. It was an unending stretch of hours that blurred together and allowed her imagination to run rampant, dreaming up all the horrible things the lone Shirabuki could be up to.

Speaking of the woman currently holding her captive, Sara had stopped coming by altogether. So Yori had kept her word, smuggling in a white pill bottle of the red colored tablets nearly every day. It was a necessity at the rate Yuuki was consuming them.

The Pureblood had tried to stretch them out so they'd last longer, but the synthetic blood didn't satisfy her thirst. So, where she was able to drink them, they had little effect, thus she needed to dissolve as many as six tablets in her water at a time.

She still hid a handful from each bottle in the hole she tore in her pillow, for the rare day when Yori was too busy with Sara to attend to her. There had been four such times so far and it had nearly depleted the vampire's stock of blood tablets.

The delivery of her blood tablets was still a key part of her Plan B, which was both simultaneously more achievable, because Yori would be easy to subdue if Yuuki couldn't convince the other girl to simply let her out or leave the cell unlocked, and more unappealing for that reason, because it would be Yori that suffered the consequences of her escape.

Yori hadn't shared any more information, though she consistently reassured the female vampire that everything was going according to plan. But Yuuki was unbothered by that. She hadn't expected her friend to be able to tell her more than she already had. It wasn't how Kaname-onii-sama operated.

Only he knew everything; he held all the cards close to the chest, never letting on even a hint. Everyone around him was given bits and pieces so they could perform a role Kaname had already laid out for them. Kaname's greatest strength was his intelligence. Her brother could strategize, move people around, and manipulate events similar to a general at war.

The fact alone was why Yuuki wasn't feeling anxious. No matter what Shirabuki had planned for tomorrow, she knew Kaname was prepared. He had already brought about the deaths of both Rido Kuran and Shizuka Hio, and it was very likely that Sara was going to end up the same.

In retrospect, she had the easiest job. The damsel in distress usually did. After all, she only had to wait patiently to be rescued.

Still, Yuuki would have slipped away if not for her brother's plan. As much as she trusted her brother, it was still Yori's fault she was in this predicament, and she was unsure if she could believe the normally loyal and caring girl.

It was rather ironic, seeing as 'Yori' meant trust. Her and Yuuki had been best friends since junior high. Close enough that Yuuki didn't want hide the truth of who she was. Letting Yori in on the secret was one of the first things Yuuki had done after Rido and Shizuka had been dealt with.

Unless this was part of brother dear's plans, too. A childlike voice sang in the back of her mind. Yuuki wanted to ignore that thought, wanted to be firm in her knowledge that Kaname would never use her like that.

She was his sister, fiancée, and lover. Mother of his child. Yuuki might have been able to come to terms with it afterwards if it was just her at risk, but it wasn't. Her left hand came up to settle lazily on her slightly protruded belly.

She blinked at the light fluttering sensation she felt, jerking upright. Wide brown eyes marveled down at her growing baby. Muscles tight with anticipation, Yuuki waited for another flutter, but none was forthcoming.

It was the second time she thought her child might be moving within her, the first time had been just after Aidou let slip to Kaname that she was pregnant. But, when the minutes trickled by without a second occourence, the Pureblood decided she must have imagined the movement, consoling herself with the fact that it was too early for the baby to moving.

However, she was so distracted by the idea that her baby might be kicking that she forgot about Kaname's possible involvement in her kidnapping.

When the door first burst open, startling the vampire from her boredom (she had heard the racing footsteps pounding against the stone in the hallway, but Yuuki was certain that whoever was scurrying about in such a rush was not coming to visit her), her first thought was that Kaname's plans hadn't involved a literal breakout.

She was of two minds when she recognized the figure puffing in the doorway as Yori, with a garment bag of all things clutched in her grip.

On one hand, she felt relief, because it meant that the plan was unchanged. Yuuki actually knew very little about her brother's plan to spring her from Sara's imprisonment, but was certain Yori creating a racket and drawing attention to their getaway by running around and throwing open doors wasn't part of it.

On the other, she was more than a little curious as to why Yori was so frantic and the story behind the dress bag.

So she asked. "Yori, is the plan to sneak me out in a dress bag? I think that would be rather noticeable." It wouldn't hurt to phrase it in such a way that she tricked Yori into revealing something about Kaname's plan.

Brown eyes blinked at her, clearly confused. "What? No," she said as Yuuki's words finally filtered through. "I'm really sorry, but we don't have time for questions. You have to hurry."

Yori's face shone with earnestness as she unzipped the plastic dress bag and revealed the flowing purple dress she had worn at her first vampire ball.

Yuuki had had enough. The thirst in her throat was unbearable. She longed to see sunlight again never mind that she was a vampire and that it would cause her a lot of discomfort. She wanted to be back in the Kuran Mansion with her brother. Her time locked in this cell was stressful enough, Yori's vague reassurances fell hopelessly short, and she wasn't going to put up with this anymore.

"Just what is going on here?" snapped Yuuki. "I'm not doing anything without an explanation." To further emphasize her point, the vampire crossed her arms and took a seat on her bed, leveling an impatient glare at Yori.

Yuuki looked on calmly as her friend tugged her bottom lip into her mouth.

"We really don't have time for this," Yori muttered, nervously turning to glance over her shoulder and down both ends of the hallway. But the Pureblood remained impassive. Half a minute later Yori broke.

"Sara's birthday gala is tonight. The entire vampire nation expects you and your brother to be there. All we have to do is sneak you inside."

Pleased with her answers, Yuuki took the dress, slipping on the soft fabric with a little aid from Yori. The plan was surprisingly simple, but no less brilliant. Once Yuuki had been spotted and counted amongst the partygoers, Sara could not deny her leaving at the end of the event. Not without making a scene. Even if Sara did anticipate that Kaname might make a move tonight while she was preoccupied with her celebration, she probably wouldn't think to look amongst her guest.

"Don't forget this."

Shaking hands wrapped around the familiar rod shaped state of Artemis. Yuuki deftly attached the leather bands around her right leg and instantly felt more at ease. It was no small amount of comfort to have her one of a kind anti-vampire weapon where it belonged. She felt more prepared and protected now that she had it back.

"Come, quickly now!" Yori urged, leading Yuuki through the basement. There was a figure waiting for them at the base of a set of stairs, which undoubtedly lead up to the first floor. However, it was not her brother, as Yuuki had been so desperately hoping for.

Still, she stomped down on the bitter feeling of disappointment and offered Akatsuki a warm smile as he held out an arm for her. It would have been suspicious if Kaname arrived and then vanished, so sending the orange haired Aristocrat in his place was sensible.

Slipping in unseen was remarkably easy. She and Akatsuki hovered in the shadow of the ballroom's doorway, and when the music reached a crescendo and the mass of vampires within were flowing by in twirls of bright colors, her escort grabbed her by the hand, laid the other on her slim waist, and smoothly inserted them.

Yuuki stumbled a little, unused to being on her legs after her time confined to one room, but Akatsuki prevented her from falling and steadied her. He didn't let her go when the song ended, instead leading her around the dancefloor a second time.

"Is he here?" Despite there being more than enough noise to mask their conversation, Yuuki's question was soft spoken.

"I will return you to him momentarily," he answered.

"Thank you."

"Your thanks are unnecessary. Even if I were not duty bound to assist I would have," Akatsuki said evenly.

Yuuki shook her head, looking up at her much taller dance partner with so much gratitude that he froze momentarily, surprised. "Not for what you've done for more," she explained, "but for supporting Kaname. You and Aidou and all the others have stood by him and his dream of peace with humans. He was so lonely after that night. I can only imagine how he was this time, with me sequestered away where he couldn't keep an eye on me. So, thank you."

Akatsuki Kain couldn't stop the small smile from forming on his normally harsh face, nor did he want to. He had loyally followed Kaname because Ruka did, but always hoped that someday he would come to believe in the man himself.

He had often been frustrated and confused by his leader's fascination with Yuuki Cross. The girl was a human, and not even an extraordinary one at that, and Akatsuki couldn't understand what drew others to her like a moth to a flame. Aidou had shared their future king's fascination with her.

Yuuki's transformation into the unknown Kuran princess had done little to change his opinion of her. Pureblood vampire she might be, but she still behaved like a human.

Now it was clear that her strength of heart was what ensnared her followers and inspired them. She cared more for Kaname and those that had kept him company over the years, simply doing as he asked, than she did for herself.

"You're welcome, my lady."

"May I cut in? The lady looks like she could use a drink."

Yuuki whirled at the rich voice spoken directly in her ear, and flung herself into the man's arms. "Onii-sama," she whispered, and promptly burst into tears as his arms curled around her and settled against her back, pulling her upper body flush against his own.

She dug her nails into his back, leaving no space between them. She didn't know where her body ended and his began, but she didn't care.

"I am gratified to see you well, Yuuki, my love."

"Me too," she said tightly, accepting the champagne glass he pressed into her hand. "I'm glad all of this is over."

For one moment, the world had righted itself. Both she and her baby were fine, safe and sound in Kaname's embrace, and then Sara's melodic voice rose above the din.

"I thank you all for attending. It has been a most delightful night so far," the blonde smiled graciously. Her light blue eyes scanned the crowd, narrowing when they pinpointed the Kuran siblings. "But the excitement is not over yet."

She looked every inch the reputable, regal Pureblood on the outside, but Yuuki imagined that she felt ready to spit nails with how poisonously Sara was scowling at her.

"I, Sara Shirabuki, Head of the Shirabuki Family, one of the Seven Pureblood families, under the Right of Contention, hereby do declare my intent to challenge Yuuki Kuran, of the Kuran Family. My claim to the position of Queen and Consort shall not be overlooked because of strength of Blood."

It took the tinkle of shattering glass to tear Yuuki's attention from the proud figure of Sara Shirabuki. Distantly, she realized that she had lost her grip on her flute of fresh blood, which she had not tasted for more than seventeen days, and that she was more upset by that than Sara throwing out some kind of gauntlet.

All around her vampires broke out into loud discussions, which were quelled as Sara opened her mouth to speak again.

"Let her come forth, or forfeit her claim," she demanded.

The crowd of vampires between Yuuki and Sara parted before her like the Red Sea. The brunette ignored them, looking beseechingly up at Kaname's face. His countenance was furious. "Kaname, what is she doing?"

"Akatsuki," he spoke commandingly, not answering her.

The orange haired Aristocrat didn't give Yuuki the opportunity to ask again. His arm replaced Kaname's and he was tugging her forward, directing her to stand in front of the other Pureblood. Kaname followed, cutting an imposing figure from his place between the two females, exactly an arm's length from each.

Yuuki would have expected a deafening silence. Even though she didn't understand what was happening, everyone else in the room clearly did. She thought silence was supposed to follow moments like this.

"As the challenged," Kaname spoke directly to her, "you have the rights to set the conditions of the challenge. Be warned, they must be fair to both involved parties."

Fair. What about this situation was fair? Yuuki didn't even have half of an idea of what Sara had just done. She hadn't read anything about other Purebloods being able to issue challenges for the throne. And just what was she supposed to be doing? Picking some kind test that matched her own skill's against Sara's? If that was the case, never mind being fair to her. The woman was over ten thousand years old. The odds were weighted in her favor.

Yuuki's mind raced, trying to find something that would fit. She supposed it would be unfair to have them fight over Kaname's affections, since she held a monopoly on those. Anything that dealt with the human world would be considered unfair because she had been a human for the last decade, and Sara had the upper hand where vampires were concerned.

But what did that leave her with?

Her fingers brushed against Artemis, hidden from sight on her thigh. A fight was considered fair, right? She briefly thought back on the three way battle that had been fought on the rooftops of Cross Academy. Pureblood solved things by fighting. They would both have their own skill and ability. Yuuki believed she stood a chance so long as she wielded Artemis. It was an anti-vampire weapon after all.

"I choose battle." Sara's eyes widened in surprise, not anticipating that response.

Kaname's wine colored irises gleamed a bright red for a split second, and then he turned to look at Sara. "As the one who issued the challenge, it is your right to decide upon the day it shall be met."

The blonde's answer was immediate. "The Winter Solstice."

"Very well. I has been decided. Yuuki Kuran, of the Kuran Family, and Sara Shirabuki, of the Shirabuki Family, shall meet in a contest of battle on December, 21."

In the resulting silence, Kaname swept her out of the ballroom with Akatsuki on her other side, through the front door, and into the limo, driven by Aidou. The normally cheerful Aristocrat wasted no time peeling away from the Shirabuki estate.