Kaname stared at the sleeping figures of his Yuuki and their children. Calm and stoic were often two words used to describe his demeanor, but he felt neither right now.
Fear was the predominant emotion. The same crushing fear he had endured for ten years while his beloved Yuuki was human. Fear that some force of fate would steal them from him despite his plans and contingencies and callbacks.
Kaname's awakening slash rebirth was atypical, having been born a Kaname Kuran and then sacrificed to awaken the ancestor Kaname. But it served as a lesson as to how fragile even Purebloods could be. Rido's second attack had stolen his chance at a family and forced Juri to change his beloved sister into a human.
It had been ten torturous years, only able to interact with Yuuki from afar whilst that mutt Zero lived in the same house.
Kaname would not suffer the same fate twice. He had considerable power in his veins, more than most realized. Transforming his body into a weapon. His ability to control Bloody Rose with his voice. Creating familiars. More importantly, absolutely zero compunction in wielding it however he deemed necessary.
However, the two that truly mattered were his ability to erase memories and his Pureblood power that allowed him to control other vampires. Thanks to the first, Kaname had manipulated everyone into believing that he was too noble to use his Pureblood power, an act which had earned him respect.
The first Pureblood had no feelings of guilt abusing his age, knowledge, and power to protect Yuuki and their children.
As Yuuki's pregnancy drew to its conclusion, he had grown overbearing, as his sister claimed, in his desire to prevent an attack on his family. Shirabuki had shown no qualms killing her fiancé- the former Ori lord—and ending that family line. She craved power but refused to share it, and worse, if her schemes continued, she would ultimately bring the decline of the vampire nation. It was a good thing for him that Yuuki was in the final stages and had craved his blood more than any other. It meant Kaname had an excuse for hovering.
He despised the feeling of vulnerability that he experienced in the moments leading up to this point. He couldn't shake the fear that Shirabuki would launch an attack when the Kurans were at their weakest—not that she was aware of Yuuki's delicate condition.
Kaname was quite unused to so many pieces of his game moving independently. He hadn't anticipated Shirabuki kidnapping his sister. Yori turned out to be a fair actress, rising so high in the other vampire's graces so quickly. When she came burdened with the task of stealing Yuuki from beneath his nose, Kaname had calculated and analyzed his opponent's potential moves and pivoted, allowing Yori to succeed, and thus lure the wannabe queen into a trap.
He originally planned to ignore the woman, even with her proclivity for doubling his workload by creating waves of level E's. She really had no standing amongst the rest of their society. Everyone waited for the day she would follow her parents into obscurity. Even the rabble that was siding with her was only doing so out of discontent for their change in status and lack of power now that the Kuran couple was reinstating the Olde Ways and reestablishing their monarchy.
The twins had been an unexpected wrench in his plan. And, while it had forced him to rearrange his plans, he would never regret their presence. He gently ran the tips of his fingers down pudgy baby cheeks. Soft, supple, rosy. His wine-colored gaze turned to their mother. Yuuki had given birth early on the night of October 9th, and now lay recuperating, having devoured enough blood to nearly wipe out their stores.
Kaname had spent several sleepless nights closeted away in his office as he tried to find a way forward that would finish this fight as quickly as possible. It was all fun and games when she didn't realize just how much control of the gameboard he had nor that she was hilariously outmatched in both cunning and ability. He had been content to play this game between them. Long, short, the length never mattered. Kaname was the first vampire, and he would crush Shirabuki to dust once he finished toying with her. Her only purpose was to prove the necessity of the monarchy. And she had been doing a fabulous job thus far. And then Yuuki had gotten pregnant and suddenly the war was no longer a game. It was a real threat to the family he was trying to build with his darling sister. It didn't matter if they didn't announce the twins until they turned six if the next six years were spent locked in a war of attrition with Shirabuki.
Every minute that she continued to draw breath was a minute his children and Yuuki were in danger.
But Shirabuki had unknowingly handed him the vehicle of her own defeat when she announced her bid for the Right of Contention for all and sundry at her gala. Once initiated, all parties had to follow through. And the results would be final. Shirabuki would not be able to put forth a second challenge or even cry that the decision was unfair.
Expecting fairness from the upper echelon of vampire society was foolish. They liked to preach fairness when they were anything but. Even the ritual combat they were about to undergo wasn't fair, despite its very laws necessitating a fair challenge.
Yuuki was correct in that regard. There was no fair challenge when invoking the Right. Instead, it was about the illusion of fairness, with the expectation that both parties would do whatever it took to claim victory. Then, when the winner was declared, the vampire elite were satisfied that the ruling was fair because it came from the Right which had to be a fair challenge.
Very circular logic that Kaname was taking advantage of to stack the deck in his favor and with each new round his hand grew stronger. There was a delicious irony of being the deciding vote, so to speak as Kaname had they only say.
And, once Shirabuki was defeated, he would gleefully eradicate her existence for daring to steal his love away from his side.
It was time to move his plans into hyperdrive. There was approximately ten weeks until the solstice. Thankfully, as a Pureblood, Yuuki would completely physically recover in a matter of days. They would be stepping up her training now.
She worried endlessly about winning a fight against Shirabuki, but Kaname trusted in his lover. She was more skilled than she realized, and her sudden proficiency of her magical abilities would be quite a surprise for her after the volume of his blood that she had consumed. But, in all reality, Yuuki had no reason to be concerned. She would put on a good show and Kaname would manipulate everything in her favor by directly controlling Shirabuki if he needed to and wiping everyone's memories of his interference.
"They look just like you, Kaname-nii-sama."
Kaname turned at the sound of his love's voice. She had propped herself against the pillows, warm chocolate eyes shining as she silently observed her family.
He withdrew from the twins' side, joining Yuuki in their bed. His hand trailed from her hairline down the side of her face, cupping the back of her neck to pull her in for a chaste kiss. "I disagree. They look more like their mother."
Yuuki pulled away, twisting her legs over the side of the bed and attempted to stand. She wobbled instantly, only staying on her feet by quickly opening Artemis into full scythe form and using the weapon as a makeshift crutch. She leaned on her faithful weapon as she crossed the room to the crib.
She wasn't strong enough to pick them up yet—maybe after another pitcher or two of blood—but just seeing them sleep side by side filled her with a different kind of strength.
A mother's fierce and unyielding love. She would crush anyone and anything that tried to harm the little wisps of hair atop her children's heads, even her precious nii-sama.
She exhaled slowly, feeling the weight of her realization. If this was how Kaname felt when little Yuuki Kuran was born, she could understand the complex schemes, lies, and manipulations that he had lived and breathed for the last decade.
"Whatever it takes," she vowed.
"Yes, darling?"
Yuuki faced her brother, the love of her life, her most precious person who was now third in her heart. "I will never forgive you for breaking your promise to include me, but I understand now why you would go to such lengths to ensure total victory."
Kaname flinched from her admission. Yuuki had forgiven him time and again for the bits and pieces of the plan he continued to keep from her, absolving him for each piece of shattered trust that had to be rebuilt. Third, fourth, and fifth chances because she loved him wholly and truly believed that he was working towards their shared dream of peace.
She could say it was disheartening that his desire for peace only stemmed from his fear of losing her again, but it wasn't really fair to expect altruism from Kaname when he had never acted solely because it was the right thing to do. His goal had always been creating a world in which they were together forever, so obviously, he needed to eliminate every vampire that posed a threat, regardless of their class or race—couldn't forget the vampire hunters that they had disbanded and essentially set up for extinction. But, to prevent future uprisings, it had to appear to be above board and by the books so that the nobility fell in line willingly and adored them.
Vampires lived by different rules, and for all her hours spent dissecting tome after ancient tome of vampiric policies and culture and lineage, she hadn't truly comprehended it until now.
"They still need names."
Kaname arched an elegant eyebrow. "You haven't chosen any names yet?"
"I wanted to do it together," Yuuki frowned. "Did you not want to have a hand in naming our children?"
"Typically, that honor belongs to the mother. You did all the hard work, my love." He gave her an amused smirk. "Plus, do you want me to name them something like Jun and Katsu?"
Yuuki's response was a vehement shake of her head. 'Pure' and 'Victorious?' Not only were they too literal and a little pretentious in her opinion, but when referred to together they may as well be screaming Kaname's overwhelming victory for centuries to come.
She wanted names they would hopefully feel a connection to, not for the twins to be a living monument of Kaname's accomplishments.
"Asuka, for her," Yuuki decided, gazing softly on her daughter's sleeping form. To fly like a bird in the endless sky. The freedom to choose how far and how high she would go.
Kaname joined her at the crib's side, staring at their son's face as if he would find kanji on him somewhere to clue him in as to what to name him. "Yuuma, for permanence?" he offered.
Yuuki tried the name. "Asuka and Yuuma. No, I don't think that's it."
Her lover offered a few more, like Hiroko for prosperous child or Mine, a resolute protector, but Yuuki vetoed them as well. Hotaru, Ichiru, and Yukio were similarly passed over. Eiji meant strive for excellence, but she thought such a strong name might be burdensome.
"How about Fuyutake?"
"Winter bamboo?"
"He'd be strong and sturdy like the bamboo that survives a cold, hard winter."
"I think that's it," she agreed. "Asuka Kuran and Fuyutake Kuran." Freedom and strength, or resilience. Fitting names both for the bright future she wished for the twins as well as the circumstances that brought them here.
"You don't need to worry about their futures. We're giving them a safer world to live in."
"Are you a mind reader, now, nii-sama?"
Kaname chuckled at her. "I don't need to be. You get the most adorable crease right here," he said, poking the middle of her forehead, "whenever you're worrying about something."
"I do not!" Yuuki immediately protested.
Her brother held out his hand. "Come, let us do something about that worry."
"What-?"
"I believe I promised to help with your teleportation?"
Yuuki's answering grin was a touch bloodthirsty and Kaname adored it. He loved when she got worked up and passionate. "Maybe I should make it a challenge to the death."
"Would it be dishonorable to kill her if it wasn't to the death?"
Kaname was silent for a minute before answering. "The rules aren't set until the challenge itself, but I could leave them vague enough that death would be an acceptable option. Until defeated or unable to continue is my current plan. Death would constitute a defeat, obviously, but that option would put you in danger."
"If I don't you will, I assume?"
He met her pointed gaze head on. "Yes," he answered honestly. "No matter the outcome, I'm not going to leave her a threat that may come back."
"Make it to the death. I'll take care of her."
The pride Kaname felt seeing Yuuki standing tall and confidently taking charge was a heady feeling. Compassion had always been her strong suit. She struggled to eliminate level e's the first time she faced them. Her compassion for both vampires and humans, her dream for peace between the two, even Yuuki's love for him and her desire to stand by his side as an equal. Her transformation over the last year, ever since she bared her neck to him and offered Kaname her eternity was outstanding.
"As you wish, Yuuki."