As anyone who has read anything I have written on this site may know, I am painfully slow with my updates sometimes. This story is no new matter. It has been a highly delayed project, pushed behind my other stories, which in turn are put behind a great deal of my other works. I have been trying for months to get together just this brief introductory chapter. I would like to share that this story was not my idea. Actually, it was a request sent to me by another user of fan , whose username is MotorMaster. I am doing the writing, but beginning concepts for this story and the development of the characters throughout the plot were not my idea, though I will contribute to the planning of the rest of the plot, but only time and progress will tell.

Disclaimer: Neither MotorMaster nor I claim the rights to any of the characters in this story and acknowledge that they, and Rosario+Vampire, are the property of their owner Ikeda Akihisa.

The room was a familiar, eerie white, glowing with graceful, all consuming, and radiant tension. With a sniffle the young boy brought the foul scent of sterility into his nostrils, and felt it burn his nose. It was, in it's own right, a fouler smell than ash and coal, burned into memory, intensifying the seclusion that he felt. The clock ticked away, echoing across the silence of the waiting room. No one else was there for it was very late. No one kept him company, merely a distant nurse watched over him remotely from a window, keeping watch while his parents were occupied. His mother was deep into labor, giving birth to the child that would be this one's brother.

"Oh god!" cried the woman from the bed in an almost bloodthirsty tone of violence. She crushed her husbands hand with near superhuman strength, empowered by her distress. From the look in the man's eyes it was almost difficult to discern who was suffering more; every ounce of her physical distress was reflected in the fear in his eyes. In a way, it was beautiful, seeing the two suffer together. The doctor delivering the baby noted upon it, so often he would hear the woman denounce her husband with derogatory names, often calling them "bastard", but such was not the case now, and it was almost remarkable to see.

But remarkable or not there was no ignoring the loud cries accompanying the miracle of birth.

Back in the waiting room the little boy stared absent mindedly at the clock. He was only four years old, and didn't really have a grasp on time just yet, but it was not necessary to read a clock to know that he had been in the same unhappy room for a very long time. He sat fixed in his chair, swinging his legs back and forth, humming a little to himself as he did, trying to fight his boredom and the short attention span that comes with being a four year old at the hospital.

After a very lengthy wait, the nurse who had kept her ever mindful eye upon the boy finally called him over. "Hello there little guy." She said with a smile kneeling down to look at him as she spoke. "Would you like to go see your mommy and daddy now?"

The child nodded his head quickly, clearly excited to end his imprisonment in this foreign place. The nurse took him by the hand and began to walk him to the back of the hospital, where his mother had just finished giving birth to his brother.

He was brought into the room. The first thing he felt was anguish to see that this room was not a far cry different than the place he had previously been, but his bitter discontent was replaced quickly with concern when he saw that his mother was laying there in the room, looking worse for ware. But what was most perplexing was that despite her worn condition, and tired face, she wore a strange smile, unlike one he could ever recall seeing before. It would not be for many a number of years that he would see this expression on any other woman, but in that instant he would come to see that it was a smile that only a mother who has just brought her baby into the world would wear.

"Tsukune," his mother began in a weary, but not raspy voice, "would you like to come see your baby brother?" Again Tsukune nodded quickly, not fully understanding what was happening, but only all the more curious for not knowing. His father smiled lightly, both pleased that the strain of labor had left, and that his eldest son seemed eager to meet the newest addition to their family. Bending down Taka Aono grabbed his son under the shoulders, helping him up onto the bed with his mother.

Looking down at the baby, Tsukune asked what is a typical question of children when they see a baby. "Can I hold him?" Kasumi Aono looked happily down at her son, clearly finding his desire to hold his brother adorable. "Okay Tsukune," she replied, "but you have to stay here on the bed with me while you do."

Mrs. Aono passed the tiny infant to her son, directing his arms to form a cradle to support the baby. For a few moments, Tsukune held his little brother in his arms. "His name is Alex." Kasumi whispered, her voice sounding restrained slightly as a few tears grew in her eyes at the sight of her two children together. "Alex." Tsukune parroted back in his childish tone, seeming somehow approving of the name.

Tsukune smiled, rocking back and forth a little on the bed, Alex ceased crying, lower down to small whimpers. With an almost painful look he let out series of small coughs, gagging a little as they grew more aggressive. With a loud wail that resumed his previous cries, Alex let out one final cough, sending a small wave of blood splashing out onto his chest.

Kasumi's eyes widened. "Alex!" The nurse looked over, gasping when she saw the baby in Tsukune's arms; quickly lifting Alex away from the bed and leaving the room with an ill foreshadowing haste. Moments later she returned to the room, opening her mouth to speak, but was quickly cut of by Kasumi.

"What's wrong with my son?" she said loudly, the tears which see had withheld in her eyes in joy just moments ago now rolling along her grief stricken face. The nurse made a quick reply, trying to attend to the mother's concerns as quickly and delicately as she could.

"Don't worry miss, we're going to run some tests on your new born to see if anything is the matter, please try not to worry." Kasumi just stared down at her feet. The last thing she could do was sit calmly. She thought to herself that the nurse must not have children, for if she did she would know that nothing sets to rest a mothers worries except affirmation that her children are well. "I promise this won't take long miss." the nurse said, with wavering uncertainty, as she left the room.

It seemed like hours before the doctor came into the room. Kasumi never moved an inch, rooted in the same spot with an unyielding expression that told the world everything and nothing of her thoughts. Mr. Aono stood leaning in the corner, looking sideways out his eyes; glancing up at the ceiling occasionally, in order to hide his face, as if enduring some great shame.

Finally, after an uncertain amount of time, for no one had been intent on watching the clock, the door creaked open. There stood the doctor in the hallway. He spoke without hesitation, his voice sterile, and free off hesitation, and simply said, Mrs. Aono, I'm afraid your son has cancer." and then he walked away. So cold and unfeeling was his tone, and he so easily walked away.

Kasumi let out a loud wail, tears unimpeded by her eyelids now flying from her eyes. "Oh god!" she proclaimed in a muffled sort of scream. Tsukune began to look fearful, and crawled over to his weeping mother. Though to young to grasp the reasoning, even an infant understands pain when it is present in their parent.

"Mommy." he said over her sobbing. Tugging at her shirt he continued, "Mommy what is it? Why are you crying?"

Tsukune's father picked him up, pinning his son's chest to his face. And though he could not see his fathers face, he could feel his chest moving upward in sharp, silent heaves as he was carried from the room.

I do apologize for how very short this chapter is; it's intention is only to get the basis for the story created. Future chapters should be of greater length, but I hope that this short installment has at least peaked some interest.