At Last, I Have Found You

By JennyJeannette

This is my first ever AU fic for Vampire Knight, and hopefully it actually ends nicely unlike my many other unfinished stories. *shakes head in pity* This is also my first yaoi fanfic, so please brace yourselves for sappiness and really corny romance moments. Also, if you are not a fan of boy x boy relationships, I recommend that you do not read this fic. There's also some cases of abuse, so please don't read if you don't like that. In this universe, Yuuki was never born a vampire, and she's always been the daughter of Cross Kaien. Also, this takes place before Cross Academy is created.

Credit goes to IncaGold27, whose story "Devil's Pawn" inspired me to write this one.

I hope you all enjoy and please review! ^-^

I don't own Vampire Knight or any of its characters—this fic was made mostly for fun. :)

Chapter One: The Escape

Young Kaname gasped as he watched his father's disintegrated body collapse onto the snow-covered ground. Shortly after, the wind carried the piles of dust toward the forest, leaving Kaname completely alone with his attacker. Kaname glared at the older vampire, clenching his fists and forcing the air pressure around them to build, determined on making the bastard explode.

Rido smiled menacingly, his mismatched eyes glowing with lust. He took a step towards the boy, licking his mother's blood off the back of his hand. Kaname's stomach churned, his eyes smarting as he recalled how brutal his mother's death was. He quickly regained control, making his right palm face Rido, forcing his power on him. In the time it took Kaname to summon his power, Rido was behind the young pureblood, his arms around his small waist, and his lips at his neck.

"I came here for one, and get two in return," Rido whispered. He slowly licked a trail from Kaname's ear down to where his neck met his shoulder, and sank his fangs into the skin. Kaname screamed, wriggling in his arms, but Rido refused to let go. It wasn't long before the youth fainted in his uncle's embrace, overcome by all the grief and pain he'd suffered in just one evening.

When Kaname finally gained consciousness, a new pair of eyes was staring at him. The owner of these eyes had his lips set in a smirk, and somehow he knew that this man wasn't any better than the one who had taken his blood the night before.

Kaname's eyes shot open, his breaths coming out in pants and his body covered in cold sweat. He almost didn't realize where or what time he was in, but when a stinging slap hit his bare back, it all sank in. He winced as he acknowledged the man standing behind him; whip in hand, lips spread in a horrifying smile.

"Awake now, Kaname?" Ichiou asked before giving his back one last slap, causing the pureblood to surge forward in pain. Yes, I'm awake! He wanted to scream, but he knew his aching body wouldn't allow it. He felt the weight of a garment over him, and he realized that Ichio had flung his discarded shirt at him.

"Now you know," the noble started to say as Kaname buttoned his shirt back together, "not to speak during a Council dinner without my permission. If it happens again, I assure you, Kaname, that session will be far worse than this one." He reached forward and cupped the younger vampire's cheek, rubbing his thumb over Kaname's cheek bone. Kaname snapped his head away, his shirt on now, and headed out the door without another word.

Three years. Three years he'd been living here, and he'd done nothing to stop the unfortunate encounters with Ichiou.

Kaname shivered involuntarily. And he'd let them happen. He was in a stage of weakness and vulnerability, so he couldn't do anything to stop them. Kaname's frame shook as he walked down the hallway and to his room, where he sensed the presence of another blonde vampire from behind the door. He sighed, knowing that Takuma was bound to ask questions after being gone for three hours. He opened the door slowly, his patience thin.

"Kaname!" Takuma stood up from the foot of said person's bed, his green eyes wide with worry. Kaname ignored his greeting and walked straight into the bathroom, leaving the door open. He went to the sink and turned the water on, washing his face. When he saw Takuma's reflection in the mirror, he said without turning around, "What is it, Ichijou?"

Takuma frowned, his eyes sad. "He did it again, did he?" he whispered.

Kaname didn't answer, his eyes fixed on the water streaming down the faucet. When he felt the tears start to form, he splashed his face with more water, hoping the other vampire wouldn't notice.

Takuma did. He walked the short distance between him and the pureblood, and stood beside him, his eyes searching the other's face. Kaname's eyes were rimmed with red, but the tears had stopped flowing. As he began to read Kaname's expression, he knew the pureblood was deciding on something. He put his hand on his shoulder, saying, "Kaname?"

Kaname flinched at the sudden touch, but he didn't force Takuma's hand away. Instead, he turned his head toward the boy, looking into his deep green eyes. "I'm going to do it."

Takuma was confused for a moment, but then his eyes widened in acknowledgement. His voice came out in a shaky whisper. "Really?"

Kaname nodded, and then eased out of his friend's grip. He walked back to his bedroom, searching for his duffel bag. Takuma watched uneasily from the doorway as Kaname hastily filled the bag, fully intending to carry out his plan. When he saw the pureblood retrieve an airplane ticket from one of the drawers, Takuma finally spoke. "I'll help you."

Kaname looked up in surprise. He didn't expect the noble to want to take part in his escape, but he was relieved that he didn't have to do this completely alone. He zipped up his bag, shoved the ticket in his pocket, and listened for any unwanted eavesdroppers from the outside. When there weren't any, he nodded at Takuma to continue.

Takuma looked out the window, then back at Kaname. Finally, he said, "Grandfather's going out for a Council meeting in a few moments. The servants will be out, but if we move fast enough we can get to the gates without being seen. Do you want me to call the cab company?" he asked, realizing sadly that the purebood was really intending to do this.

Kaname shook his head. "I can walk to the town from there. I don't want anyone to overhear the phone call." Takuma nodded in understanding. The two vampires listened for any sign of Ichiou leaving the mansion, and when they heard the loud clang of the gates closing, they knew it was time. Slowly, Takuma eased the door open, searching the hallway for any signs of the servants or the guards. It was transition time for the guards, so the two teens had only a few minutes to get out of the house before the new guards came. The two ran from Kaname's room and to the main foyer, and from there they exited the house and ran to the metal gates. Takuma explained that Ichiou had always taken the countryside road to his Council meetings, and the road that Kaname would be using was the road leading the opposite direction, to the town. Kaname's hopes went up slightly, but he was not going to let his guard down until he was well out of the country.

Kaname took a step beyond the gate, feeling as if he was taking a step into a new life entirely. He turned around to see Takuma standing nervously, his arms folded across his chest. Kaname smiled, then said, "Thank you, Takuma. This means so much to me. You can tell Ichiou that I was gone before you even woke up."

Takuma nodded and smiled back. The noble had to admit that he was a little disappointed that his best friend was leaving, but he only agreed because he wanted Kaname to be happy. He hoped that wherever the pureblood was going, he would be safe and satisfied.

Kaname watched Takuma, guilt rising inside him. He owed this boy so much. The boy who had become his friend the minute he stepped into the house, the boy who had always come along on his illegal trips to the town, the boy who had comforted him when he thought he was completely alone. Someday, he thought. Someday when I've gained power over the Council, I'll get you out of here. I promise. Kaname awkwardly stepped forward and wrapped the arm that wasn't holding the duffel bag around Takuma's shoulders, patting his back as he did. Takuma blushed and did the same with his arms, telling himself that this was just a guy hug. Just a guy hug, he repeated silently as Kaname let go a few seconds later, smiling. The pureblood patted his shoulder one last time, and then he was gone, already running with vampire speed to the city a few miles away.

…

When Kaname collapsed in the seat next to the window did he finally let out a sigh of relief. He couldn't believe it. He was actually out of Ichiou's hands. He rejoiced at that thought, but there was only one thing worrying him: if Takuma would get punished for what Kaname did. He hoped that the blonde would go along with what he said earlier, but he doubted that Ichiou would believe him. Please don't hurt him, he chanted in his head. He couldn't bear to have something happen to his best friend, he just couldn't.

Trying to avoid these thoughts, Kaname looked around the airplane. Earlier, he'd made sure that there were no vampires following him, because if there were, they'd probably be followers of Ichiou trying to get him back. After he checked again, he pulled a brochure out from his pocket. It was a brochure to St. Joseph's, an orphanage which resided in Breckinridge, Colorado. Kaname knew that since he was free, he could go anywhere he wanted, but Ichiou could easily find him if he didn't stay in one place. He opted out for St. Joseph's because the reviews online had called it "an exceptional place", and also because there was no way that Ichiou could trace him there. Kaname wasn't really hoping to get adopted; he just needed a place to stay until he became old enough and strong enough to take care of himself.

When the pilot finally announced their take-off, Kaname closed his eyes and earned his much-deserved sleep.

…

Kaname had been in the air for two days now, and when he finally landed in Denver, Colorado, for the first time in his life, he was unsure of what to do. He knew that St. Joseph's was all the way up in Breckinridge, but he had no idea how to get there. When he first arrived, he wandered around DIA—Denver International Airport—at least a hundred times, trying to get an idea of where to go. Finally, he decided that it wouldn't hurt to ask someone for help. Surely, Ichiou couldn't have followers here, right? Kaname had doused his pureblood aura in the airplane just to make sure, but any vampire could tell he was Kaname Kuran even if they only caught a glimpse of him. Kaname walked to one of the help desks by the baggage claim, disconcerted that nobody was at the desk. A few moments later, an auburn-haired woman with hazel eyes came up to him and sat down in the rolling chair, her face brightening a little when she took in the beautiful figure before her. "Can I help you?"

Kaname smiled at her, then asked, "Are there any tour buses here?" He was surprised at how fluent his English sounded, since his parents had him learn it a long time ago.

The woman smiled back and gestured to the glass doors that led to the parking lot. "They're all waiting out there. Any specific location?" Her eyes looked hopeful as Kaname understood what she implied in her question.

"Breckinridge," he answered quickly, feeling a tiny bit uncomfortable. The woman shrugged as if to say, "Well I tried," and dialed a number on the telephone sitting next to the computer. She exchanged a few words with the person on the other end, and when she hung up, she said, "That would be Bus No. 7. Would you like me to take you there?" This time, the woman's question was a professional one, so Kaname nodded and followed her outside. He had to admit that he was a little nervous, for he had never traveled outside of Japan before. Before his parents were murdered, Juri had always talked to him about wanting to go to New York, but they had never gotten to it. Kaname shook his head sadly as he recalled that memory, knowing that it would never happen now.

The woman gestured to a tall, blue and white bus which was parked on the curb, the driver probably waiting for a few more people to get on. "I hope you enjoy your stay here in Colorado." She flashed glossy white teeth at him, and Kaname nodded and gave a small grin. He climbed up the few steps and handed the driver the correct amount of money, then found a seat somewhere in the middle of the bus. He pressed his cheek against the window, feeling the chill of November seep into his skin. From what he saw online, he'd always believed that Colorado was beautiful in its own cold, calming way, but now as he experienced it for himself, it was even more amazing. He closed his eyes and fell asleep soon after the bus began to move.

…

Kaname woke up to the feeling of his ears popping. He opened his eyes and stared in awe when a snow-covered mountain came into view. He admired its beauty and majesty and wished that Takuma was with him now, so he didn't have to gape at its beauty alone. He decided not to go back to sleep, and when he stared at the window some more, he could see that gas stations and restaurants were starting to pop in every few miles or so. Kaname then concluded that they were getting very close to Breckinridge, and his stomach tingled in excitement. He looked around him and saw that almost everyone was asleep, with the exception of the driver and a girl on her laptop sitting at the front of the bus. His gaze shifted back to the window, and for the next thirty minutes, he wondered at the beautiful landscape until the bus reached its first traffic light in a long time. A few blocks later, the bus pulled into a roundabout before stopping, the driver's voice over the intercom waking up all the sleeping passengers.

Kaname slung the duffel bag over his shoulder as he followed the line of passengers out of the bus. When he stepped out into the cool air, he felt all the stress seep out of him as he exhaled. He walked away from the roundabout and found himself on a crowded sidewalk, people in coats and boots trying to get to their respective locations. Parked cars covered almost the whole street, and on both sides of the road, were stores lined up side by side, most of them souvenir shops. When Kaname shivered, he finally realized that he didn't have a coat or proper shoes for cold weather on, so he found the nearest clothing store and went aside.

Warm air pushed against his face as Kaname pushed the door open, hearing jingling bells from above him. The girl at the counter smiled warmly, her eyes tired and her face looking bored. He went through the aisles and swiftly picked out a coat and a pair of boots his size before setting them on the counter beside the cash register. He was glad he wasn't the only one underdressed—the cashier girl had a blue tank top on; the kind people in California usually wear. Her brown hair was tied into a ponytail, and she barely offered him more than a look of acknowledgement as she scanned his items and printed out a receipt. "Have a nice day," she said before going to clean up some fallen clothes in one of the aisles.

"You too," Kaname said, a little too late. He shrugged into his coat but kept his shoes in his shopping bag, holding it on the same arm where his duffle bag hung. He went outside again, brochure in hand, following the directions to the orphanage. He got there in only a matter of minutes—it was surprisingly close to the town. As he stared up at the nice, clean building, he wondered how he was going to get himself in. Usually, adults would send the children in after having found them somewhere, right? Kaname didn't know.

After contemplating for five minutes, Kaname finally walked up the few steps leading to the polished white door, and nudged it open. He found himself in a lobby with a small sitting area, brown walls, and many pictures hanging on them. After seeing nobody at the front desk, Kaname went towards one of the walls, examining each picture. Most likely, the children in them were members of the orphanage, and as he perused them one by one, he noticed that the faces in each picture were the same, except that their owners had been growing taller and older from one picture to the next. At the very last picture, most of the kids in it were now teenagers, and Kaname assumed that they would be the people he would have to live with. Before leaving, he noticed one teen in particular. The boy had unusual silver hair, violet eyes, and a face so pale that Kaname had almost believed he was a vampire. Kaname looked intently at the boy, mesmerized by his eyes, when a voice called out to him from behind.

"Sir? Are you here to adopt?"

Kaname turned around, eyes shifting to the blonde woman sitting behind the desk. She must have gotten to the lobby a few seconds ago, or else Kaname would have noticed her. He walked toward the desk and said, "Actually, I was wondering if I could sign in."

The woman arched an eyebrow. "Sign in? As in live here?"

Kaname nodded, feeling stupid. He had no idea how to do this, and yet when he planned for this months ago he thought he was quite ready. He looked down, running through his options, wondering if he should tell this woman the whole story, or just part of it. Before he could speak, though, she asked, "How old are you?"

Kaname looked up. "Sixteen."

The woman smiled, probably feeling pity for the boy before her. "What's your name?"

Kaname thought about whether he should create a fake name, or just give out his real name. He decided that since he never told Takuma about where he was going, Ichiou would never know, so he answered, "Kaname Kuran."

The woman's eyes widened. "Kaname Kuran?"

Kaname froze, wondering if this woman somehow had any connection to Ichiou, and he kicked himself inside for being so stupid. Instead though, the woman looked around the room, probably for eavesdroppers, before leaning towards Kaname and asking, "Are you a vampire?"

Kaname felt himself turn pale, but he relaxed a little when the woman chuckled to herself. "So you are. Don't worry, I'm not a hunter." She smiled before saying, "I'm not a vampire either." She could tell from Kaname's face that he was confused, so she said, "How do I know? Well, when I was twelve years old, a long, long time ago," she made a "Whatever" gesture with her hand before going on. "My sister Kathy and I came across this beautiful man when we were playing in the park. He noticed us staring at him, and as he began walking toward us, I told her that it'd be better if went home. But before we could even take a step, the man was right in front of us, his eyes blazing red," her voice emphasized on the 'blazing', "and fangs coming out from his gums. We were so scared we couldn't move, and before he could take a bite out of us, a bullet came from out of nowhere and shot him in the chest." She shivered as she remembered the incident more clearly. "The guy turned into dust, and behind him was a man holding a gun. Without even thanking him, Kathy and I just started running, screaming until we got into the house and locked the door." She smiled at Kaname once more. "I already called the man with the gun a vampire hunter, because he'd killed a vampire. That was the only time I'd seen one, until now."

Kaname was surprised at how much information the woman had given him, and he barely even knew her! All he could do was nod, and the woman laughed at his reaction. She stood up from her chair and faced Kaname, her blond head a solid foot shorter than him. She held her hand out for him to shake. "I'm Nancy, headmistress of St. Joseph's."

"You teach here, too?" Kaname couldn't help asking.

Nancy nodded. "We only teach to those who want to learn here. Most of the kids go to school at the high school a few streets over, but I think it's better and safer over here." Nancy let go of Kaname's hand and sat down, shuffling through piles of paper. "I don't mean to push, Kaname, but can you tell me how you became an orphan?"

Kaname looked down again, his brown bangs covering his eyes. He didn't have to worry about his answer being too outrageous, for Nancy already knew of the existence of vampires. He was glad that she didn't know anything about purebloods or the Council, so it would be easy for him to tell her. "My uncle killed my parents," he said. At her questioning look he added, "He was after my mother's blood."

Nancy was only okay with this because she knew the boy was a vampire, but if it were any other human, she'd probably be nervous already. Kaname watched as she wrote a couple of things on the form, humming as she did. When she stood up, she gestured for Kaname to follow her through a hallway which led to a large, white room. At the far back of the room was a giant glass window that had a nice view of a mountain. The window covered much of the wall, and the white light from the cloudy sky and the snowy mountain shone over the many scattered leather sofas and coffee tables. The room was empty of people except for the two of them.

"This is the library," Nancy declared, gesturing at the bookshelves and sofas. "You can come here when you're not in school and before bedtime." Nancy took him into the next room, which was actually a large cafeteria, with wooden lunch tables and benches all aligned in rows. "This is the cafeteria," she sang, patting one of the tables as they walked along. "We serve three meals a day, but if you ever want a snack all you have to do is ask Shelly, our cook. She's usually in the kitchen." Nancy pointed at a wooden door on the farthest wall to the right.

Nancy opened another door, and Kaname wondered briefly at how big the building actually was. Nancy caught his attention by picking up a crumpled paper from the floor and throwing it into the nearest trash can, frowning as she did. "This is the school room," she said. Kaname looked around curiously, marveling at the number of desks and chairs in the giant room. "There are three other ones," Nancy went on. "In the morning, the elementary students occupy the rooms, but after lunch, the high school students come in."

Nancy put her hands on her hips and smiled. "Well, that's the last of them. I'll show you to a room once I find a boy who doesn't have anyone to share theirs with, 'kay?"

Nancy took him through yet another door, and they both entered a room that looked much like a foyer. The floor was carpeted, and there was a whitish-gold chandelier hanging from the ceiling. The room was white, much like the rest of the building, and at both ends of the room were staircases that led to opposite directions. "That one over there," Nancy pointed to the staircase at the right end of the room, "leads to the girls' dormitory. The other one leads to the boys' dormitory. Boys are never allowed to enter the girls' dorm, and vice versa. Understand?"

Kaname nodded, feeling smaller than he actually was. He hadn't expected the orphanage to be school-like, but he liked the fact that he'd still be learning even if he didn't have Ichiou's tutors with him. Nancy took him up the staircase that led to the boys' dorm, but she stopped abruptly and looked at Kaname with stern but yet warm eyes. "Kaname, this rule applies to you and you only." She took a deep breath, looking apologetic. "You are never allowed to drink anyone's blood, or to harm anyone here. Ever." Her serious face faded away, and she smiled once again. "Is there anything I can do to sate your thirst?"

Kaname nodded and told her the story of how he and Takuma created these pills called blood tablets. Though they weren't as strong as regular blood, they were enough to keep you in control for a week or so. They'd tested the pills on themselves, and they proved to be highly convenient.

Nancy thought for a moment, then said, "We have a fully equipped science lab here. Do you think you could make some for yourself?"

"I can," Kaname replied. In his haste to get out of the Ichijou house, he had completely forgotten to bring the tablets along with him. Therefore, he was glad that he had another means of getting blood without having to kill an innocent human for it.

Nancy clapped her hands. "Great! You can do that after school on Monday. Oh, and are you gonna have any problems with the schedule? Because I know that vampires usually sleep during the day…"

Kaname smiled. "I can manage." He didn't care if he had to change his normal lifestyle. As long as he was away from Ichiou, he was okay with anything.

Nancy began to ascend the flight of stairs and once they reached the next floor, she knocked on every door, just to ask if each boy had a roommate. Five minutes later, the pair came across a boy who had the room to himself. Nancy nudged the door open even though the boy inside clearly was not happy at the idea of having to share his room with someone.

Kaname took a long look around the room. It wasn't as big as the one he had in Ichiou's house, but it was a reasonable size to house two people. The walls were covered with posters of Tony Hawk and the band Godsmack and the floor could hardly be seen with the amount of clothes spread all over it. There were two study desks in the room, one used for studying, and the other one apparently used to hold gloves, hats, and scarves, as if there wasn't enough of the floor to go around.

Nancy sighed. "Daniel, this is why I tell you to clean up after yourself. Now you have a new roommate so you have to give him half of the room!"

The boy named Daniel groaned. "Then have him sleep somewhere else!" Daniel had short, light brown hair, and dark brown eyes. He was almost as tall as Kaname, but the way his shoulders hunched made him shorter by just a few inches.

Nancy shook her head and said, "Clean this up." She turned to Kaname and patted his shoulder. "If you have any problems, you can always come and talk to me at the front desk." At this, she eyed Daniel suspiciously before exiting the room, leaving Kaname alone with a complete stranger. The two teens stared at each other in awkward silence until Daniel bent down to scoop up some clothes and throw them into a laundry hamper. Kaname set his bag down on the second bed, which was surprisingly not covered in clothes and trash. He watched Daniel clean for a bit, before quietly saying, "I'll help." The two cleaned in companionable silence until the room looked decent, the only object still covered in garbage was the desk.

Kaname looked at the desk questioningly, but Daniel waved it off with his hand and said, "I'll clean that up later. Thanks for the help." He held his fist out. "Nancy calls me Daniel to annoy me, but really, everyone calls me Dan."

Kaname bumped his fist against Dan's, assuming that this was the natural thing to do. It was, since Dan didn't seem weirded out or anything. "I'm Kaname."

Dan's eyebrows lifted. "Wow. Are you Japanese?"

Kaname nodded. "Yeah."

"That's cool. Hey, wanna head to the library? We could meet up with my friends there."

Kaname rubbed his arm nervously. "But don't we have school?"

Dan laughed. "It's Sunday, man! No school! Come on, let's go. You could leave your coat on the bed."

Kaname did so, and he followed his new roommate back to the library, which was now crowded with people. Earlier when it had just been him and Nancy, the room had seemed really pretty and cozy, but now since it was full with teens and kids, it felt like a madhouse. Kaname tried to act normal as he let Dan lead him through the throng of people, intent on not accidentally stepping on someone's foot. Finally, Dan called out to a group of boys playing Connect Four on a coffee table. They greeted him with "Yo, Dan!" and high-fives, while Kaname stood awkwardly a few feet away.

Dan was laughing when he suddenly remembered the boy he was walking with just a minute ago. "Hey, guys, this is Kaname, my new roommate." Kaname went around fist bumping everyone in the group, his face flushing. He sat down next to a boy with white-blonde hair, who Dan introduced as Ryan. The boys were all about to get into skateboard talk when Kaname felt a certain aura coming from somewhere behind him. He froze in his seat, his fists clenched on either side of his thighs.

It was a vampire hunter aura he sensed. But why would a hunter be here? Kaname turned around, searching for the owner of the aura, when he found himself staring deeply into violet eyes. As his garnet eyes focused on the boy, he recognized him immediately.

It was the silver-haired boy from the pictures in the lobby.

Gah, cliffhanger! Please review and tell me what you think about it, so I know how to go about this as I write chapter two. Hopefully, that will come either later this week or sometime next week. Thank you for reading and please review and follow! ^-^