I was supposed to be away that night," Kaname continued with the quiet determination of one who had a difficult and unpleasant, but unavoidable task ahead. His audience listened silently. "It was my parent's anniversary, so the idea was to give them some time alone. I'd already spent the day with some family friends, the Kimuras, and was to spend the night as well, returning home in the morning. It was not uncommon for me to do so. I knew few children my own age who were not either frightened of me or obsequies to the extent of unbearable. The Kimura family lived very nearby and they had a little girl. She was much younger than I, but ever since she was born I had enjoyed playing with and babysitting her because she was too young to care that I was a pureblood or a Kuran or to even know what that meant. I could be myself with those people. But that night I... I'd left a book I was reading at home. It was only a short distance away, so I just slipped out for a few minutes to run home and get it.
"I saw a car pulling out of the drive and heading away swiftly just as I arrived. I knew something was wrong. I could already smell blood. I followed the scent quickly into the house, to my parents' bedroom..." Kaname's eyes were getting blanker and more distant by the moment, as if utterly denying expression to any emotion brought on by the memories he was reliving. "My father and mother were both lying on the bed, it was drenched in blood, as was the whole room... My father was already dead. My mother..." he paused a moment. "My mother was still there, barely. I tried to save her, tried get her to drink from me, to restore her, but she was too weak. I was young, I did not understand that not all wounds could be healed, and she was already too far gone to be saved by the time I arrived. There was no time to call for help, even had I been thinking clear enough to do so. She died as I held her, mere moments after I found her. She was... she had been..." there were some words relating to his mother that Kaname still could not speak, out of respect and out of grief, so he simply continued.
"I dressed her in her favorite dressing gown and smoothed her hair... I could not leave her as she was. I remember very little after that. My memory of the time following that discovery is... unclear, muddled. I should have contacted the authorities then but I..." Kaname sighed softly. So many things he should have done differently, but he'd been scared, horrified, heartbroken, confused... and considering who he'd seen drive away, he had had no idea who to trust.
"I vaguely recall running from the house. I do not know where I hid or for how long. But I must have run back to somewhere near where I had been staying before, because eventually Mr. and Mrs. Kimura found me. I'm certain they were deeply concerned. I remember nothing until I was at their house again. Mrs. Kimura was holding me, calling my name. I was already washed clean of blood and dressed in fresh clothes. It was a strange feeling, as if I were living a life other than my own, as if I were caught in a dream I could not escape."
Zero looked out the window, a small shiver tracing down his spine at the words he was hearing, and the feelings, the memories they invoked in him. Blood... his parent's bodies, fallen together... watching them die... the daze he'd been in for days, for weeks afterwards, the daze he was still in when he met Yuki and she started taking care of him, coaxing him back to life... it was eerie and unsettling, how deeply he related to what he was hearing.
Kaname was still speaking. "At first I could not speak, but finally... I told them what had happened. They went quickly with me back to my house. They did not want me to go back with them, but I would not abide being left behind. So they left their daughter with a neighbor and we went. It was almost dawn by then. We found my parents, as I had left them. The authorities were immediately called for, but the sun rose before they arrived and my parents' bodies returned to dust. When the enforcement officials finally arrived, an inordinately long time later, I told them what happened, and the Kimuras told what they had seen... but it didn't seem to matter. The investigators' minds were already made up from the moment they arrived. It was as if they were merely going through the motions by being there. I remember not being able to understand what was happening. The death of two purebloods... it should have inspired grief and anger, determination to get the one responsible. But the Council ruled it a suicide before the blood had even started being washed out of the bedroom.
"Considering who I had seen driving away from the house I began to suspect that there was a complete cover-up occurring. It was my uncle I saw fleeing that day, although aside from the Kimuras, I told no one. It was obvious that either those controlling the Council already knew, or at any rate, would not believe that which they did not want to believe. My parents had not been friends of theirs, no more than I have ever been. My Uncle had always been much more aligned with their way of thinking. It was better for them, to have him as the Kuran heir. Even as a child, I understood these facts. So I never told anyone else that I had been at the house that night. Those eyewitnesses that the report referred to earlier were of course the Kimuras, and they did indeed see that my mother's necklace was gone. They saw and reported a great deal more than that as well that the authorities simply edited out of their statements for them. It didn't matter what they said, you see – they had no weight, no voice in the vampire world. My parent's friends, into whose care they would so often entrust me... were human."
Kaname's gaze slid to Yuki and for some reason she felt a strange shiver course down her spine. Her gaze was riveted on him as he spoke.
"At that time, those humans were the only ones who believed me, who knew the truth. In an ideal world I would have been allowed to remain with them, as I wished, but I knew that would never happen. Most considered it an absolute scandal that I was staying with them even temporarily. Although many lauded my parent's 'noble' ideals of keeping the peace, few approved of their regular interactions with the human world, or of the way that I was being raised. At any rate, it was certain that as my only living relative, my uncle was going to claim guardianship of me – he, whom I was certain had murdered my parents. Through me, as legal guardian, he would gain control of all my parents' holdings, estates and power and thus put the finishing touches on his plan. I could not abide it. I could not abide that he was gaining everything from my parents' death, I could not abide that he was still drawing breath. I did not care what happened to me. I did not care about anything." Kaname looked weary. "I went to his home, to kill my uncle," he said quietly. There was no remorse in his voice at the coldblooded admission, just... weariness. It would have been so much simpler if he had either succeeded or been killed in the attempt then.
"Things did not go as planned... it was almost I who perished. In the end, however, I succeeded... partially. There was a fire and my uncle was trapped while I escaped. Rido did not die, but he was left severely injured, in a deep, coma slumber in which he has rested since that time, until now. That was something I discovered later, however. At that time, I thought he was dead and I thought that was the end of it... but I was wrong on all counts. I was not as careful covering my tracks as I should have been. As a result, blame for my actions fell upon the Kimuras, with whom I had still been staying. I should have realized that could happen, that it could appear the trail pointed back to them but I... overlooked that possibility." Kaname's eyes darted for a fraction of a second towards Zero. It would not be the last time he would make that mistake, which he felt was an unforgivable lack of learning from the past on his part, but at least Kiriyu... he'd been able to protect.
"I would never have allowed a miscarriage of justice like that to stand uncontested, but everyone already considered me a disturbed child who wasn't quite right in the head after my parents' 'suicide' and my word carried little weight for anything. Even had I confessed to my Uncle's death, I am not sure I would have been believed. The council could not have afforded to permanently lose the last Kuran heir at that time and I would likely have ended up a prisoner in some kind of secure institutionalized mental care facility until I was 'better'. As it was... things simply happened too fast. The Kimuras got wind that they had been targeted. They took their daughter and fled.
"I myself was in hiding elsewhere and knew nothing of what was happening for some time. As soon as I found out, I tried to find them. They felt like all that I had left of my family. I wanted desperately to protect them... but in the end, it was the same as with my parents. I was too late. It was winter by then; the family had fled to a remote cabin in the mountains, far from the rest of the world. But it wasn't far enough. When they disappeared a pack of mad Level E's had been sent to hunt them down like dogs at the Council's bidding. Crazy as they were, they were quite effective. They got there before I did. The family fled again, but they didn't get far. They were cornered on the edge of a sharp drop-off and killed before I could reach them. They were so torn apart... I thought the whole family was dead. I killed the ex-humans who had done it, but one ran off. I chased him further down the mountain to the bottom of the short cliff we had been on before. But he was insane, he wasn't running from me, he was following the scent of blood to another victim. The little girl had survived. She must have fallen or been shoved off the edge of the drop-off as her parents were being killed. The snow was deep, and she was small and light, that's the only reason I can guess that she wasn't much harmed by the fall. The ex-human tried to kill her, but for once... for once... I was not too late..." Kaname swallowed quietly against the constricting tenseness in his throat. His gaze was still locked on Yuki and she appeared frozen as she stared back at him, her eyes wide, almost as wide as they had been on that day...
"I killed him before he could hurt her, and..."
"...saved me," Yuki whispered quietly. Her face was very pale, her mind almost frozen in shock. She felt like... she should remember, like Kaname's words should bring a hailstorm of memories with them. But her mind was still blank. She still remembered nothing. Yet deep inside her, the pureblood's words hit a deep, inexplicable cord and she knew that this, at last, was the truth. She'd expected this story to be about Kaname's parents, about his past... she hadn't realized she'd be finding out the truth about her own as well, or how intertwined the two were.
Zero, Aido and Takuma were all watching Yuki and Kaname in surprise, if not outright shock. Today was a day for revelations it seemed and the whole story certainly answered a lot of questions on many scores.
The only one who seemed unsurprised, although uncharacteristically sober and quiet, was Chairman Cross.
"You knew," Zero said quietly, not sure if he was surprised or angry as he turned a confused glare on Yuki's adopted father. "You knew all this, didn't you?"
"Not... all..." Cross hedged slightly. "Not all at once, anyway, but yes... enough of it," he conceded quietly. No reason Kaname had to bear the burden of telling this difficult story all by himself. Cross knew that Kaname looked at what had happened back then and saw only his own mistakes and shortcomings – things that he now, as an adult, would have done differently. The pureblood didn't seem to appreciate that he had only been the equivalent of around 10-11 years old when all this was occurring.
"I had also been a friend of Kaname's parents. I owed them my life, actually. I did not know your parents Yuki, but when Kaname brought you to me... you needed more than a place to stay and a family. You needed somewhere to hide, where you would be safe from any who might still seek your death on your parents' account, until enough time had passed that no one would care anymore."
"I didn't take your memories from you, Yuki," Kaname said softly, his gaze asking her to try to understand. This was not the way or the manner in which he would have chosen to finally tell her about her past, but then, nothing in life had ever turned out the way he would have wanted or chosen. "I admit that I would have, at least of your parents' deaths... but it was not necessary. From the moment I found you at the bottom of the drop-off in the snow, you didn't remember anything, not even me, although I had been in and out of your life since you were born. Perhaps you hit your head in the fall, but I tend to think that the sheer trauma of what had happened was too much and your mind simply blocked it out. All things considered, I thought it was best... if it remained that way. I am sorry, Yuki. I know it does not mean much, but I did not mean to destroy your family through my own shortsightedness." He did not expect her to forgive him for what he'd done, or for keeping it from her for so long, but as painful as it was, there was some relief in the telling – in finally letting the truth, damning as it was, be known, even if she did come to hate him now that she knew. Kaname may have made mistakes and miscalculated badly, but he'd done everything he could to protect her and give her a happy life since then, to make up for what he'd cost her. He would continue trying to do that until the day she died, if she let him. He owed it to her. She was his last link to a more innocent time, to the only warmth, the only love he'd ever known. Perhaps it had been wrong of him to hold onto her so tightly, to continue looking to her for the simple acceptance and affection he got nowhere else. But he needed that light in his life... and he hadn't known how else to fulfill his vow to take care of her.
Yuki was silent. Her mind was spinning and she really wasn't able to absorb everything that was being said. It all started seeming unreal, like some bizarre, dark flight of fancy. She'd known that whatever happened had to be pretty bad, she'd known that there had to be some reason Kaname just happened to be on the mountain that day. But somehow, she still hadn't been prepared for the truth of it all. Kimura... that had been her family name? Her parents... what had they been like? They sounded nice, from what Kaname said... why couldn't she remember them?
Kaname dropped his gaze and looked away, not daring to try and interoperate Yuki's silence right now. He'd known... known it might change things between them.
He had so many conflicting feelings running through him right now; he couldn't afford to focus on any one of them for too long. Now, of all times, he needed to be clearheaded and at the top of his game. It was the only way he could hope to try and grab hold of the unraveling pieces of his life and counter the machinations Ichijo and his Uncle had set loose against him. Ironic... that he'd escaped being Rido's ward, only to end up as Ichijo's. Of course... much as he'd despised old Ichijo, Kaname hadn't realized the old Aristocrat been so connected to his Uncle until recent events proved that they must have had a history together going back to before the death of his parents.
"The past... is the past. I regret it, but I cannot change it. Now you all know what has happened, and the kind of opposition we're up against. You can decide accordingly, if you wish to risk the possible price of continuing to be associated with me. This is not something that can be covered by duty to blood alone. You have all done much for me already, and I cannot guarantee how this will end," Kaname said quietly, his voice calm and distant again as he shifted back to the present, needing to focus on that, not on the way Yuki was staring down at her hands as if reliving that moment in the snow over again and trying to come to terms with the fact that her savior had also been the cause of her need to be saved. Zero moved over and squeezed Yuki's shoulder softly, supportively.
Aido and Takuma gave Kaname's question about 0.5 seconds of thought.
"Kaname, I can't undo whatever part my family, my grandfather, has played in all this, but I've already made my choice. There is no going back for me, but even if there was... I would still choose to stand by you, whatever happens," Takuma said quietly. He felt he had a lot to make up for, even if he had not been involved.
Aido nodded his agreement fiercely. He'd once vowed to try to protect Kaname, and he would hold to that. A dart of worry pierced his heart for his family, his sisters... but he tried not to think about that. If Kain had been taken, then the rest of his family was already in danger, no matter what he did. The best thing he could do for them was to stick with Kaname and trust that if anyone had a chance of sorting this mess out, it was him.
Kaname had perhaps expected such a response from those two, but it warmed him a bit nonetheless and he gave Takuma and Aido a quiet smile and a nod. The response that surprised him, though, was Zero's.
The ex-human looked up from where he stood with his arm around Yuki's shoulders and fixed Kaname with a strange, intent look for a moment. He should have felt angrier than he did, about all that had been revealed. About all that had been kept from them, from Yuki. He was worried about her silence, about how she was taking all this. But... it was as if he couldn't find the energy to be too angry - not now, not knowing how much everyone involved had suffered. Perhaps too, it was that familiarity he'd felt, knowing that Kaname and Yuki had also been forced to see their parents die, unable to stop it, even if Yuki did not remember. He realized that knowing that pain himself, he would not have wanted her to remember. He would have wanted to protect her, to give her a new life, would have... oh crap, he would have probably done the exact same thing Kaname had done. That was not something Zero wanted to admit, but deep down he knew it was true.
After a moment, he gave a small shrug. "Hey, I'm the ex-human who is supposedly in cahoots with you already according to that report... might as well be in trouble for something I'm actually doing, huh?" he said quietly, with attempted carelessness. The slight double-take Kaname did made him feel unforgivably like blushing for some unfathomable reason. Zero scowled instead. It wasn't as if they really had a choice after all, right? They were all in this up to their necks already whether they liked it or not after their last little adventure. And of course, he had to protect Yuki too, who would continue to be a target as long as Kaname's enemies saw her as his weakness... Zero's mind quickly tallied up a perfectly logical list of reasons why he was intentionally involving himself. Reasons that oddly had little to do with what had first prompted him to open his mouth.
"Though our options right now suck. I'm sure your uncle and whoever's in on this with him don't have to be geniuses know this is one of the first places we're likely to turn up," Zero added, seeming to feel the need to be pessimistic, although he made a good point.
A faint (slightly irritating, in Zero's opinion) smile was still playing indefinably at the corners of Kaname's mouth as the pureblood looked at him. "Yes, I'm sure they are having the place watched. They may already know we are here," he said calmly. "Which is why we cannot afford to remain much longer." Kaname would not put the school at risk. Even if it was not able to serve its original function right now, he would see the other students, and the future possibility of the dream it represented, protected.
"I know a few places you could hide..." the Chairman suggested thoughtfully. He'd not spoken before simply because he considered it a given that he would continue to be on Kaname's side, no matter who that made as an enemy. After all, he'd already known most of what had just been told, and he knew that the pacifist ideals he shared with Kaname and Kaname's parents were influential triggers for everything that had happened and was happening. It was all well and fine to have a dream, but it was worthless if you weren't prepared to fight, even to die for it.
Kaname's gaze shifted to him. "Good, then take Yuki there. Keep her safe. They tried to use her to get to me once; they will try again if they can. Get Yagari to come and run the school for you, he will be able to protect the day class students should any action be taken against them, but I doubt that with all of us out of the picture, the Council or anyone else will bother with the other humans here."
Cross and Yuki both started to protest, for different reasons, but Kaname shook his head, sliding off the edge of the desk and standing. His gaze now was clear, hard and focused.
"No. I am sorry, Yuki. I know you wish to be involved, but it is too dangerous and you are not well." His gaze shifted to Cross. "And no, I will not hide. There is no time for that. Ichijo and my Uncle have made a vital mistake they do not yet realize. I must take advantage of that while I can." Kaname was in full swing command mode now, taking over the situation and issuing orders as came so naturally to him. It was his nature... it was also his defense against those things he could not afford to feel.
Yuki set her jaw and looked away. She was not happy at the idea of being taken away and protected while Kaname and Zero and everyone else was facing danger. She was still reeling from the previous bombshell. She had so many questions tearing through her...
"Which means...?" Zero prodded for a little more information about what exactly the pureblood was obviously planning.
"Which means I need to break into Ichijo Enterprises' Corporate headquarters," Kaname replied evenly. "Knowing Ichijo, it is there, rather than at his house or anywhere else, that he will be keeping anything he holds most dear. He believes the complex impenetrable. So that is where he will be keeping the 'evidence' that he and my uncle are doubtless responsible for leaking to the press. Rido's influence is still limited while he continues to live through Shiki's body, so no doubt he has Ichijo pulling all the strings for him."
"Stealing the evidence isn't going to undo the damage that's already been done," Zero pointed out, perhaps enjoying playing devil's advocate a little too much.
Kaname didn't seem to pay much attention, there was a strange intensity burning behind his eyes. "True, but that evidence may tell an entirely different story than they imagine," he said somewhat cryptically. "The tape is of little importance. There were no security cameras in the private areas of our home, and none of the other footage showed anything useful. Rido had been to the house many times, I'm certain he knew where the cameras were and how to avoid them. I was not aware that that footage of me even existed until now. Ichijo was already head of the Council at that point, whoever found the tape must have given it to him, and he held onto it. My mother's necklace, however, is another story. That must have been in my uncle's keeping, somewhere. The marks on her neck indicated that it had been ripped off of her. I searched for it everywhere after she died. If Rido were wise he would have destroyed it, not kept it as a twisted memento. His error is our gain. I must get my hands on it, immediately." Kaname did not bother clarifying any further, not yet.
"When do we leave?" Aido asked, but Kaname shook his head.
"Not we," Kaname corrected. "Getting into Ichijo's private office will be difficult and dangerous. One or two might hope to accomplish it, but any more than that and the risk of discovery becomes too great. Besides, I need you and Ichijo to find where Kain and Ruka are being held and free them." Kaname needed as many playing pieces as possible for moving forward, but... it was more than that. He was very worried about what might be happening to those two considering the ruthlessness of their enemy. Many would see that as weakness... he wasn't supposed to care about his pawns, it would slow him up and make complications. But... they were also his friends.
"They're being held in the main detention facility in the city," Cross put in, having already dug around to find that information as soon as he'd learned of the arrests.
"Good," Kaname nodded, giving a 'there you go, your job just got easier' gesture to Aido and Takuma. Actually, that was good news to a certain extent. It meant it would be doubly hard to try and break them out, but if they were in an official detention facility that meant that the level of inquisition they went through would at least have some limits... even if not many. For Ruka's sake though, they were important ones.
"Kaname... tell me you don't mean to go to Grandfa... Ichijo's office alone," Takuma said quietly. He would follow the orders he was given, but he knew the kind of high security trap his friend was going to be walking into and was worried about Kaname. He wished that he might still have been some use in that regard, but he knew that by now his grandfather had certainly erased all clearance he had ever had from all their properties. Takuma would in fact be a liability in such a situation because too many people would recognize him instantly and, sadly, he also had no doubt that his grandfather's assassins were going to be actively searching for him. You didn't cross the Ichijos and live. Even if you were an Ichijo.
Kaname shook his head. "No, I won't quite be going alone." A faint, somewhat wry smile crossed his face as his gaze turned across the room... and landed squarely on Zero.
"Kiriyu will be accompanying me."
"What?" Aido exploded despite himself. "Why him?"
Zero's eyebrows shot up. Actually, he kind of seconded Aido's question but he didn't say it, merely shooting Kaname a quizzical look. Surely, for something like this, shouldn't Kaname have wanted to take one of his loyal to the bone noble-class cronies along?
Kaname shot Aido a slightly amused, slightly irritated look at being questioned... although to be honest it wasn't like it was an unexpected reaction. Zero didn't seem the logical choice, but Kaname had his reasons. Not all of which he was prepared to share at this moment.
"Ichijo and Rido seem to have taken an interest in using hunter technology and anti-vampire devices that they get around themselves by using special binding charms. If we encounter anything of this nature, it would be swiftest and most advantageous to have a hunter along to deal with them," he said simply, giving part of the truth.
Aido didn't look happy but he heeded Kaname's warning look and said nothing further.
"All right then, it's settled. We should all leave as soon as possible," Kaname wrapped things up.
Zero was leaning against the wall, watching him. It was interesting, how Kaname could walk into a room, start laying plans and giving orders and everyone just did what he said. Even Chairman Cross in this case. It kind of irritated Zero, but at the same time it intrigued him too.
"Thanks for asking if I wanted to help you break into Fort Knox, by the way..." he commented to Kaname as he pushed off the wall.
Kaname merely leveled Zero with a mild, slightly amused gaze. "You volunteered," he said with a look that was an almost smile, before he turned his attention to some last minute details with Chairman Cross. Kaname needed to make sure he and Yuki were going to be as safe as possible.
"Kaname, what was... is... my name?" Yuki's quiet voice interrupted them. Cross and Kaname immediately fell silent and both sets of gazes turned swiftly towards her. Kaname's eyes were incredibly gentle as he regarded Yuki, one hand hesitantly sliding out to cup her cheek. At least she didn't pull away. She was watching him intently. "I want to know," she whispered. "I want to know who I am."
Kaname heard Cross swallow silently beside him and knew the human was looking away. In some ways, Kaname knew Cross had feared this day too. Kaname knelt in front of Yuki's chair so he was eye-level with her. He took her hand in his. "You are Yuki, the gentle princess, and you always shall be," he whispered softly.
"But..."
Kaname cut Yuki off with a shake of his head. "No, I am serious. Your name was Yuki. I... I thought at first maybe we should change it, for your protection, but Cross didn't think it was necessary. He said... it fit you too well."
Yuki bit her lower lip and nodded slowly.
Finally Kaname rose back to his feet, bidding her a quiet farewell. He could not afford to linger, no matter what he felt. Time was already slipping away too fast. It was a hard parting though. Yuki was so quiet... Kaname had no idea what was going through her mind, or what she thought about what she had learned.
But as he started to turn away, Yuki rose a bit unsteadily from her chair and wrapped her arms tightly around his waist, hugging him from behind and burying her face against his back. "Come back safely," she whispered softly. "You and Zero... just come back safely."
Kaname gently wrapped his arms around over hers and gave a small squeeze. He hoped they would. He truly hoped they would. Kaname's gaze slid across the room, but Zero was gone.
Kaname turned and gave Yuki another little squeeze before releasing her. The Chairman edged closer and carefully wrapped an arm around her shoulders to support her. She was still quite weak from the gas exposure she had suffered.
"Protect her," Kaname softly charged Cross, although he knew it was unnecessary for him to say it.
The Chairman smiled gently. "With my life."
Kaname saw Yuki wind her arm around her adopted father's back, leaning into his support, before the pureblood turned away and headed for the door. Aido and Takuma followed. Zero was waiting for them outside, arms crossed, leaning against the wall and looking the other direction.
Kaname regarded the tense set of the other's shoulders for half a moment. "Aren't you going to say goodbye to Yuki?" he asked, quietly and perhaps a trifle coldly.
Zero's eyes were decidedly cool as he looked back towards the pureblood. "Why bother? You already did, didn't you?" It wasn't like it was easy for Zero to watch Kaname and Yuki together. He didn't know or understand yet what this weird draw he kept feeling towards the pureblood was either and he wasn't sure he liked it.
Kaname shot Zero a dark look. Don't hurt yourself and her just because you're mad at me. "Don't take for granted that there will always be another chance to do things left undone." Kaname's low voice was almost angry, although he had no idea why he was quite so upset. "You don't think she's going to notice that you left her without a parting?"
Kaname turned on his heel and strode away to get ready. "She cares about you, Kiriyu," he said quietly as he disappeared down the hall. Kaname had no idea why he'd said that. He should be jealous of the fact that Yuki's heart was still so divided between them; he had been for a long time, but for some reason now... he...
He needed to focus on what he was doing and what gear he needed to gather up. There was much to be done and not much time to do it in.
Aido and Takuma had watched the exchange silently, obviously considered this whole situation awkward and quickly scuttled off to take care of their own preparations as soon as Kaname left.
Zero stared after Kaname for a few long moments, then turned and slid silently back into the other room. One thing the pureblood had right, he supposed. Life didn't always give you a second chance for anything.
"I saw a car pulling out of the drive and heading away swiftly just as I arrived. I knew something was wrong. I could already smell blood. I followed the scent quickly into the house, to my parents' bedroom..." Kaname's eyes were getting blanker and more distant by the moment, as if utterly denying expression to any emotion brought on by the memories he was reliving. "My father and mother were both lying on the bed, it was drenched in blood, as was the whole room... My father was already dead. My mother..." he paused a moment. "My mother was still there, barely. I tried to save her, tried get her to drink from me, to restore her, but she was too weak. I was young, I did not understand that not all wounds could be healed, and she was already too far gone to be saved by the time I arrived. There was no time to call for help, even had I been thinking clear enough to do so. She died as I held her, mere moments after I found her. She was... she had been..." there were some words relating to his mother that Kaname still could not speak, out of respect and out of grief, so he simply continued.
"I dressed her in her favorite dressing gown and smoothed her hair... I could not leave her as she was. I remember very little after that. My memory of the time following that discovery is... unclear, muddled. I should have contacted the authorities then but I..." Kaname sighed softly. So many things he should have done differently, but he'd been scared, horrified, heartbroken, confused... and considering who he'd seen drive away, he had had no idea who to trust.
"I vaguely recall running from the house. I do not know where I hid or for how long. But I must have run back to somewhere near where I had been staying before, because eventually Mr. and Mrs. Kimura found me. I'm certain they were deeply concerned. I remember nothing until I was at their house again. Mrs. Kimura was holding me, calling my name. I was already washed clean of blood and dressed in fresh clothes. It was a strange feeling, as if I were living a life other than my own, as if I were caught in a dream I could not escape."
Zero looked out the window, a small shiver tracing down his spine at the words he was hearing, and the feelings, the memories they invoked in him. Blood... his parent's bodies, fallen together... watching them die... the daze he'd been in for days, for weeks afterwards, the daze he was still in when he met Yuki and she started taking care of him, coaxing him back to life... it was eerie and unsettling, how deeply he related to what he was hearing.
Kaname was still speaking. "At first I could not speak, but finally... I told them what had happened. They went quickly with me back to my house. They did not want me to go back with them, but I would not abide being left behind. So they left their daughter with a neighbor and we went. It was almost dawn by then. We found my parents, as I had left them. The authorities were immediately called for, but the sun rose before they arrived and my parents' bodies returned to dust. When the enforcement officials finally arrived, an inordinately long time later, I told them what happened, and the Kimuras told what they had seen... but it didn't seem to matter. The investigators' minds were already made up from the moment they arrived. It was as if they were merely going through the motions by being there. I remember not being able to understand what was happening. The death of two purebloods... it should have inspired grief and anger, determination to get the one responsible. But the Council ruled it a suicide before the blood had even started being washed out of the bedroom.
"Considering who I had seen driving away from the house I began to suspect that there was a complete cover-up occurring. It was my uncle I saw fleeing that day, although aside from the Kimuras, I told no one. It was obvious that either those controlling the Council already knew, or at any rate, would not believe that which they did not want to believe. My parents had not been friends of theirs, no more than I have ever been. My Uncle had always been much more aligned with their way of thinking. It was better for them, to have him as the Kuran heir. Even as a child, I understood these facts. So I never told anyone else that I had been at the house that night. Those eyewitnesses that the report referred to earlier were of course the Kimuras, and they did indeed see that my mother's necklace was gone. They saw and reported a great deal more than that as well that the authorities simply edited out of their statements for them. It didn't matter what they said, you see – they had no weight, no voice in the vampire world. My parent's friends, into whose care they would so often entrust me... were human."
Kaname's gaze slid to Yuki and for some reason she felt a strange shiver course down her spine. Her gaze was riveted on him as he spoke.
"At that time, those humans were the only ones who believed me, who knew the truth. In an ideal world I would have been allowed to remain with them, as I wished, but I knew that would never happen. Most considered it an absolute scandal that I was staying with them even temporarily. Although many lauded my parent's 'noble' ideals of keeping the peace, few approved of their regular interactions with the human world, or of the way that I was being raised. At any rate, it was certain that as my only living relative, my uncle was going to claim guardianship of me – he, whom I was certain had murdered my parents. Through me, as legal guardian, he would gain control of all my parents' holdings, estates and power and thus put the finishing touches on his plan. I could not abide it. I could not abide that he was gaining everything from my parents' death, I could not abide that he was still drawing breath. I did not care what happened to me. I did not care about anything." Kaname looked weary. "I went to his home, to kill my uncle," he said quietly. There was no remorse in his voice at the coldblooded admission, just... weariness. It would have been so much simpler if he had either succeeded or been killed in the attempt then.
"Things did not go as planned... it was almost I who perished. In the end, however, I succeeded... partially. There was a fire and my uncle was trapped while I escaped. Rido did not die, but he was left severely injured, in a deep, coma slumber in which he has rested since that time, until now. That was something I discovered later, however. At that time, I thought he was dead and I thought that was the end of it... but I was wrong on all counts. I was not as careful covering my tracks as I should have been. As a result, blame for my actions fell upon the Kimuras, with whom I had still been staying. I should have realized that could happen, that it could appear the trail pointed back to them but I... overlooked that possibility." Kaname's eyes darted for a fraction of a second towards Zero. It would not be the last time he would make that mistake, which he felt was an unforgivable lack of learning from the past on his part, but at least Kiriyu... he'd been able to protect.
"I would never have allowed a miscarriage of justice like that to stand uncontested, but everyone already considered me a disturbed child who wasn't quite right in the head after my parents' 'suicide' and my word carried little weight for anything. Even had I confessed to my Uncle's death, I am not sure I would have been believed. The council could not have afforded to permanently lose the last Kuran heir at that time and I would likely have ended up a prisoner in some kind of secure institutionalized mental care facility until I was 'better'. As it was... things simply happened too fast. The Kimuras got wind that they had been targeted. They took their daughter and fled.
"I myself was in hiding elsewhere and knew nothing of what was happening for some time. As soon as I found out, I tried to find them. They felt like all that I had left of my family. I wanted desperately to protect them... but in the end, it was the same as with my parents. I was too late. It was winter by then; the family had fled to a remote cabin in the mountains, far from the rest of the world. But it wasn't far enough. When they disappeared a pack of mad Level E's had been sent to hunt them down like dogs at the Council's bidding. Crazy as they were, they were quite effective. They got there before I did. The family fled again, but they didn't get far. They were cornered on the edge of a sharp drop-off and killed before I could reach them. They were so torn apart... I thought the whole family was dead. I killed the ex-humans who had done it, but one ran off. I chased him further down the mountain to the bottom of the short cliff we had been on before. But he was insane, he wasn't running from me, he was following the scent of blood to another victim. The little girl had survived. She must have fallen or been shoved off the edge of the drop-off as her parents were being killed. The snow was deep, and she was small and light, that's the only reason I can guess that she wasn't much harmed by the fall. The ex-human tried to kill her, but for once... for once... I was not too late..." Kaname swallowed quietly against the constricting tenseness in his throat. His gaze was still locked on Yuki and she appeared frozen as she stared back at him, her eyes wide, almost as wide as they had been on that day...
"I killed him before he could hurt her, and..."
"...saved me," Yuki whispered quietly. Her face was very pale, her mind almost frozen in shock. She felt like... she should remember, like Kaname's words should bring a hailstorm of memories with them. But her mind was still blank. She still remembered nothing. Yet deep inside her, the pureblood's words hit a deep, inexplicable cord and she knew that this, at last, was the truth. She'd expected this story to be about Kaname's parents, about his past... she hadn't realized she'd be finding out the truth about her own as well, or how intertwined the two were.
Zero, Aido and Takuma were all watching Yuki and Kaname in surprise, if not outright shock. Today was a day for revelations it seemed and the whole story certainly answered a lot of questions on many scores.
The only one who seemed unsurprised, although uncharacteristically sober and quiet, was Chairman Cross.
"You knew," Zero said quietly, not sure if he was surprised or angry as he turned a confused glare on Yuki's adopted father. "You knew all this, didn't you?"
"Not... all..." Cross hedged slightly. "Not all at once, anyway, but yes... enough of it," he conceded quietly. No reason Kaname had to bear the burden of telling this difficult story all by himself. Cross knew that Kaname looked at what had happened back then and saw only his own mistakes and shortcomings – things that he now, as an adult, would have done differently. The pureblood didn't seem to appreciate that he had only been the equivalent of around 10-11 years old when all this was occurring.
"I had also been a friend of Kaname's parents. I owed them my life, actually. I did not know your parents Yuki, but when Kaname brought you to me... you needed more than a place to stay and a family. You needed somewhere to hide, where you would be safe from any who might still seek your death on your parents' account, until enough time had passed that no one would care anymore."
"I didn't take your memories from you, Yuki," Kaname said softly, his gaze asking her to try to understand. This was not the way or the manner in which he would have chosen to finally tell her about her past, but then, nothing in life had ever turned out the way he would have wanted or chosen. "I admit that I would have, at least of your parents' deaths... but it was not necessary. From the moment I found you at the bottom of the drop-off in the snow, you didn't remember anything, not even me, although I had been in and out of your life since you were born. Perhaps you hit your head in the fall, but I tend to think that the sheer trauma of what had happened was too much and your mind simply blocked it out. All things considered, I thought it was best... if it remained that way. I am sorry, Yuki. I know it does not mean much, but I did not mean to destroy your family through my own shortsightedness." He did not expect her to forgive him for what he'd done, or for keeping it from her for so long, but as painful as it was, there was some relief in the telling – in finally letting the truth, damning as it was, be known, even if she did come to hate him now that she knew. Kaname may have made mistakes and miscalculated badly, but he'd done everything he could to protect her and give her a happy life since then, to make up for what he'd cost her. He would continue trying to do that until the day she died, if she let him. He owed it to her. She was his last link to a more innocent time, to the only warmth, the only love he'd ever known. Perhaps it had been wrong of him to hold onto her so tightly, to continue looking to her for the simple acceptance and affection he got nowhere else. But he needed that light in his life... and he hadn't known how else to fulfill his vow to take care of her.
Yuki was silent. Her mind was spinning and she really wasn't able to absorb everything that was being said. It all started seeming unreal, like some bizarre, dark flight of fancy. She'd known that whatever happened had to be pretty bad, she'd known that there had to be some reason Kaname just happened to be on the mountain that day. But somehow, she still hadn't been prepared for the truth of it all. Kimura... that had been her family name? Her parents... what had they been like? They sounded nice, from what Kaname said... why couldn't she remember them?
Kaname dropped his gaze and looked away, not daring to try and interoperate Yuki's silence right now. He'd known... known it might change things between them.
He had so many conflicting feelings running through him right now; he couldn't afford to focus on any one of them for too long. Now, of all times, he needed to be clearheaded and at the top of his game. It was the only way he could hope to try and grab hold of the unraveling pieces of his life and counter the machinations Ichijo and his Uncle had set loose against him. Ironic... that he'd escaped being Rido's ward, only to end up as Ichijo's. Of course... much as he'd despised old Ichijo, Kaname hadn't realized the old Aristocrat been so connected to his Uncle until recent events proved that they must have had a history together going back to before the death of his parents.
"The past... is the past. I regret it, but I cannot change it. Now you all know what has happened, and the kind of opposition we're up against. You can decide accordingly, if you wish to risk the possible price of continuing to be associated with me. This is not something that can be covered by duty to blood alone. You have all done much for me already, and I cannot guarantee how this will end," Kaname said quietly, his voice calm and distant again as he shifted back to the present, needing to focus on that, not on the way Yuki was staring down at her hands as if reliving that moment in the snow over again and trying to come to terms with the fact that her savior had also been the cause of her need to be saved. Zero moved over and squeezed Yuki's shoulder softly, supportively.
Aido and Takuma gave Kaname's question about 0.5 seconds of thought.
"Kaname, I can't undo whatever part my family, my grandfather, has played in all this, but I've already made my choice. There is no going back for me, but even if there was... I would still choose to stand by you, whatever happens," Takuma said quietly. He felt he had a lot to make up for, even if he had not been involved.
Aido nodded his agreement fiercely. He'd once vowed to try to protect Kaname, and he would hold to that. A dart of worry pierced his heart for his family, his sisters... but he tried not to think about that. If Kain had been taken, then the rest of his family was already in danger, no matter what he did. The best thing he could do for them was to stick with Kaname and trust that if anyone had a chance of sorting this mess out, it was him.
Kaname had perhaps expected such a response from those two, but it warmed him a bit nonetheless and he gave Takuma and Aido a quiet smile and a nod. The response that surprised him, though, was Zero's.
The ex-human looked up from where he stood with his arm around Yuki's shoulders and fixed Kaname with a strange, intent look for a moment. He should have felt angrier than he did, about all that had been revealed. About all that had been kept from them, from Yuki. He was worried about her silence, about how she was taking all this. But... it was as if he couldn't find the energy to be too angry - not now, not knowing how much everyone involved had suffered. Perhaps too, it was that familiarity he'd felt, knowing that Kaname and Yuki had also been forced to see their parents die, unable to stop it, even if Yuki did not remember. He realized that knowing that pain himself, he would not have wanted her to remember. He would have wanted to protect her, to give her a new life, would have... oh crap, he would have probably done the exact same thing Kaname had done. That was not something Zero wanted to admit, but deep down he knew it was true.
After a moment, he gave a small shrug. "Hey, I'm the ex-human who is supposedly in cahoots with you already according to that report... might as well be in trouble for something I'm actually doing, huh?" he said quietly, with attempted carelessness. The slight double-take Kaname did made him feel unforgivably like blushing for some unfathomable reason. Zero scowled instead. It wasn't as if they really had a choice after all, right? They were all in this up to their necks already whether they liked it or not after their last little adventure. And of course, he had to protect Yuki too, who would continue to be a target as long as Kaname's enemies saw her as his weakness... Zero's mind quickly tallied up a perfectly logical list of reasons why he was intentionally involving himself. Reasons that oddly had little to do with what had first prompted him to open his mouth.
"Though our options right now suck. I'm sure your uncle and whoever's in on this with him don't have to be geniuses know this is one of the first places we're likely to turn up," Zero added, seeming to feel the need to be pessimistic, although he made a good point.
A faint (slightly irritating, in Zero's opinion) smile was still playing indefinably at the corners of Kaname's mouth as the pureblood looked at him. "Yes, I'm sure they are having the place watched. They may already know we are here," he said calmly. "Which is why we cannot afford to remain much longer." Kaname would not put the school at risk. Even if it was not able to serve its original function right now, he would see the other students, and the future possibility of the dream it represented, protected.
"I know a few places you could hide..." the Chairman suggested thoughtfully. He'd not spoken before simply because he considered it a given that he would continue to be on Kaname's side, no matter who that made as an enemy. After all, he'd already known most of what had just been told, and he knew that the pacifist ideals he shared with Kaname and Kaname's parents were influential triggers for everything that had happened and was happening. It was all well and fine to have a dream, but it was worthless if you weren't prepared to fight, even to die for it.
Kaname's gaze shifted to him. "Good, then take Yuki there. Keep her safe. They tried to use her to get to me once; they will try again if they can. Get Yagari to come and run the school for you, he will be able to protect the day class students should any action be taken against them, but I doubt that with all of us out of the picture, the Council or anyone else will bother with the other humans here."
Cross and Yuki both started to protest, for different reasons, but Kaname shook his head, sliding off the edge of the desk and standing. His gaze now was clear, hard and focused.
"No. I am sorry, Yuki. I know you wish to be involved, but it is too dangerous and you are not well." His gaze shifted to Cross. "And no, I will not hide. There is no time for that. Ichijo and my Uncle have made a vital mistake they do not yet realize. I must take advantage of that while I can." Kaname was in full swing command mode now, taking over the situation and issuing orders as came so naturally to him. It was his nature... it was also his defense against those things he could not afford to feel.
Yuki set her jaw and looked away. She was not happy at the idea of being taken away and protected while Kaname and Zero and everyone else was facing danger. She was still reeling from the previous bombshell. She had so many questions tearing through her...
"Which means...?" Zero prodded for a little more information about what exactly the pureblood was obviously planning.
"Which means I need to break into Ichijo Enterprises' Corporate headquarters," Kaname replied evenly. "Knowing Ichijo, it is there, rather than at his house or anywhere else, that he will be keeping anything he holds most dear. He believes the complex impenetrable. So that is where he will be keeping the 'evidence' that he and my uncle are doubtless responsible for leaking to the press. Rido's influence is still limited while he continues to live through Shiki's body, so no doubt he has Ichijo pulling all the strings for him."
"Stealing the evidence isn't going to undo the damage that's already been done," Zero pointed out, perhaps enjoying playing devil's advocate a little too much.
Kaname didn't seem to pay much attention, there was a strange intensity burning behind his eyes. "True, but that evidence may tell an entirely different story than they imagine," he said somewhat cryptically. "The tape is of little importance. There were no security cameras in the private areas of our home, and none of the other footage showed anything useful. Rido had been to the house many times, I'm certain he knew where the cameras were and how to avoid them. I was not aware that that footage of me even existed until now. Ichijo was already head of the Council at that point, whoever found the tape must have given it to him, and he held onto it. My mother's necklace, however, is another story. That must have been in my uncle's keeping, somewhere. The marks on her neck indicated that it had been ripped off of her. I searched for it everywhere after she died. If Rido were wise he would have destroyed it, not kept it as a twisted memento. His error is our gain. I must get my hands on it, immediately." Kaname did not bother clarifying any further, not yet.
"When do we leave?" Aido asked, but Kaname shook his head.
"Not we," Kaname corrected. "Getting into Ichijo's private office will be difficult and dangerous. One or two might hope to accomplish it, but any more than that and the risk of discovery becomes too great. Besides, I need you and Ichijo to find where Kain and Ruka are being held and free them." Kaname needed as many playing pieces as possible for moving forward, but... it was more than that. He was very worried about what might be happening to those two considering the ruthlessness of their enemy. Many would see that as weakness... he wasn't supposed to care about his pawns, it would slow him up and make complications. But... they were also his friends.
"They're being held in the main detention facility in the city," Cross put in, having already dug around to find that information as soon as he'd learned of the arrests.
"Good," Kaname nodded, giving a 'there you go, your job just got easier' gesture to Aido and Takuma. Actually, that was good news to a certain extent. It meant it would be doubly hard to try and break them out, but if they were in an official detention facility that meant that the level of inquisition they went through would at least have some limits... even if not many. For Ruka's sake though, they were important ones.
"Kaname... tell me you don't mean to go to Grandfa... Ichijo's office alone," Takuma said quietly. He would follow the orders he was given, but he knew the kind of high security trap his friend was going to be walking into and was worried about Kaname. He wished that he might still have been some use in that regard, but he knew that by now his grandfather had certainly erased all clearance he had ever had from all their properties. Takuma would in fact be a liability in such a situation because too many people would recognize him instantly and, sadly, he also had no doubt that his grandfather's assassins were going to be actively searching for him. You didn't cross the Ichijos and live. Even if you were an Ichijo.
Kaname shook his head. "No, I won't quite be going alone." A faint, somewhat wry smile crossed his face as his gaze turned across the room... and landed squarely on Zero.
"Kiriyu will be accompanying me."
"What?" Aido exploded despite himself. "Why him?"
Zero's eyebrows shot up. Actually, he kind of seconded Aido's question but he didn't say it, merely shooting Kaname a quizzical look. Surely, for something like this, shouldn't Kaname have wanted to take one of his loyal to the bone noble-class cronies along?
Kaname shot Aido a slightly amused, slightly irritated look at being questioned... although to be honest it wasn't like it was an unexpected reaction. Zero didn't seem the logical choice, but Kaname had his reasons. Not all of which he was prepared to share at this moment.
"Ichijo and Rido seem to have taken an interest in using hunter technology and anti-vampire devices that they get around themselves by using special binding charms. If we encounter anything of this nature, it would be swiftest and most advantageous to have a hunter along to deal with them," he said simply, giving part of the truth.
Aido didn't look happy but he heeded Kaname's warning look and said nothing further.
"All right then, it's settled. We should all leave as soon as possible," Kaname wrapped things up.
Zero was leaning against the wall, watching him. It was interesting, how Kaname could walk into a room, start laying plans and giving orders and everyone just did what he said. Even Chairman Cross in this case. It kind of irritated Zero, but at the same time it intrigued him too.
"Thanks for asking if I wanted to help you break into Fort Knox, by the way..." he commented to Kaname as he pushed off the wall.
Kaname merely leveled Zero with a mild, slightly amused gaze. "You volunteered," he said with a look that was an almost smile, before he turned his attention to some last minute details with Chairman Cross. Kaname needed to make sure he and Yuki were going to be as safe as possible.
"Kaname, what was... is... my name?" Yuki's quiet voice interrupted them. Cross and Kaname immediately fell silent and both sets of gazes turned swiftly towards her. Kaname's eyes were incredibly gentle as he regarded Yuki, one hand hesitantly sliding out to cup her cheek. At least she didn't pull away. She was watching him intently. "I want to know," she whispered. "I want to know who I am."
Kaname heard Cross swallow silently beside him and knew the human was looking away. In some ways, Kaname knew Cross had feared this day too. Kaname knelt in front of Yuki's chair so he was eye-level with her. He took her hand in his. "You are Yuki, the gentle princess, and you always shall be," he whispered softly.
"But..."
Kaname cut Yuki off with a shake of his head. "No, I am serious. Your name was Yuki. I... I thought at first maybe we should change it, for your protection, but Cross didn't think it was necessary. He said... it fit you too well."
Yuki bit her lower lip and nodded slowly.
Finally Kaname rose back to his feet, bidding her a quiet farewell. He could not afford to linger, no matter what he felt. Time was already slipping away too fast. It was a hard parting though. Yuki was so quiet... Kaname had no idea what was going through her mind, or what she thought about what she had learned.
But as he started to turn away, Yuki rose a bit unsteadily from her chair and wrapped her arms tightly around his waist, hugging him from behind and burying her face against his back. "Come back safely," she whispered softly. "You and Zero... just come back safely."
Kaname gently wrapped his arms around over hers and gave a small squeeze. He hoped they would. He truly hoped they would. Kaname's gaze slid across the room, but Zero was gone.
Kaname turned and gave Yuki another little squeeze before releasing her. The Chairman edged closer and carefully wrapped an arm around her shoulders to support her. She was still quite weak from the gas exposure she had suffered.
"Protect her," Kaname softly charged Cross, although he knew it was unnecessary for him to say it.
The Chairman smiled gently. "With my life."
Kaname saw Yuki wind her arm around her adopted father's back, leaning into his support, before the pureblood turned away and headed for the door. Aido and Takuma followed. Zero was waiting for them outside, arms crossed, leaning against the wall and looking the other direction.
Kaname regarded the tense set of the other's shoulders for half a moment. "Aren't you going to say goodbye to Yuki?" he asked, quietly and perhaps a trifle coldly.
Zero's eyes were decidedly cool as he looked back towards the pureblood. "Why bother? You already did, didn't you?" It wasn't like it was easy for Zero to watch Kaname and Yuki together. He didn't know or understand yet what this weird draw he kept feeling towards the pureblood was either and he wasn't sure he liked it.
Kaname shot Zero a dark look. Don't hurt yourself and her just because you're mad at me. "Don't take for granted that there will always be another chance to do things left undone." Kaname's low voice was almost angry, although he had no idea why he was quite so upset. "You don't think she's going to notice that you left her without a parting?"
Kaname turned on his heel and strode away to get ready. "She cares about you, Kiriyu," he said quietly as he disappeared down the hall. Kaname had no idea why he'd said that. He should be jealous of the fact that Yuki's heart was still so divided between them; he had been for a long time, but for some reason now... he...
He needed to focus on what he was doing and what gear he needed to gather up. There was much to be done and not much time to do it in.
Aido and Takuma had watched the exchange silently, obviously considered this whole situation awkward and quickly scuttled off to take care of their own preparations as soon as Kaname left.
Zero stared after Kaname for a few long moments, then turned and slid silently back into the other room. One thing the pureblood had right, he supposed. Life didn't always give you a second chance for anything.
