Snowflakes

❅~ 1 ~❅

{a/n:} Ah, aren't AUs the greatest. This one is based off a lovely prompt from the blog OTP Prompts, which you can find in the external link. You can also find the exact prompt I'm using in the description. Thanks, and enjoy this monstrosity of a story. 

There's a feeling you get every time you stare out a window; with the right scenery staring back, it makes the experience much more enhanced. She loved resting her elbow upon the sill, and opening her eyes as wide as they could be, so all the light floods in. Her eyes follow each object as it appears and disappears out of frame. The carriage hits a snag in the road occasionally, messing up the mesmerizing routine of her irises, but it passes without incident. 

Today the scenery was frosty and grey. It had finally snowed last night, thank lord, she had gone so long without seeing a snowflake fall from the stars. It was her favorite weather. Originally, she hated it, for as a child it brought her memories of those scary vampires from the outside. Spending your whole childhood in isolation was not ideal, nor was spending your first moment outdoors in the freezing cold and in fear of your life. But Kaname was there, he protected her, and as time passed snow stopped reminding her of fear and instead of love and hospitality. 

Now, though, snow reminded her of a bittersweet nostalgia. Ever since "that day." Instead of playing in the snow with eccentricism, she'd rather look out the window and admire it. Although, the pain wasn't enough to drown out its beauty. The poetic beauty of watching a symmetric shard of frozen water surrender to gravity and pile onto earth. 

Yuuki. Her name did not mean "snow," but the fact it sounded so similar always pleased her. 

"Forgive me, but which turn to I take to the Kuran manor?" 

She snapped out of her scenic trance and took a moment to actually absorb what she was looking at. "Oh, uh, go left, uh... three blocks ahead,"

"Thank you very much, my queen," the carriage driver replied, tightening the reins and letting out a chilly breath. 

Yuuki gandered back to the window, not before adjusting her coat. The blizzard was getting more intense now; she was shivering even with a sizeable amount of layers on. The sun had disappeared behind the horizon and darkness blanketed over the thick layer of clouds. It was only going to get colder as the night went on. She took a moment to think about the coldest it could possibly get before sunrise, though spending her life around a warm fireplace left her unable to. Maybe your fingers and toes would even fall off, she thought, as the carriage swerved from side to side. She didn't know, and she had no intent on finding out.

Okay, maybe she did have a bit of curiosity, but it wasn't enough to warrant-

BA-DUMP BA-DUMP.

Suddenly, again throwing Yuuki out of a trance, the carriage driver let out a wild shriek. He hopped off his seat and sprinted to the back of the cart, leaving Yuuki behind to do nothing but panic. She couldn't hear over the increasing winds. Was a wheel broken? Was a horse injured? Did they hit something? Sliding on her gloves, she decided to find out herself. 

Through the barrage of snow, she could make out the driver's black uniform behind the carriage. He was hunched over, clearly looking down at something- wait, they had to have hit something. 

"What is the meaning of this?!" Yuuki said, almost on impulse, violently shaking the figure in front of her. 

"I didn't see the ice. I couldn't have seen the ice. And, and- I slid out of control, the horses went wild, and he was just trying to walk across the road, and- my queen, I am so, so sorry."

A gust of wind came and went, leaving her able to see the object of interest.

A tall boy, wearing a battered coat and slacks, was lying limply across the stone pathway. He was pale, likely from the cold, and had blood stricken across his hands, body, and face.

"Oh my... dear Lord Jesus...." Her eyes welled up, and granted, that happened often, but in this moment her tears were ones of genuine grief. Her tastebuds were slightly enticed by the sight of so much blood, and she cursed herself for it.  This boy has been wounded at your hand, and you have the nerve to thirst at this? She lost her composure, collapsing to her knees. This boy's death was in vain, what could you possibly do about it?

At that thought, her mind drifted for a moment, but was brought back when she saw the victim's chest rise and fall. "HE'S ALIVE!"

Almost as if against her will, she sprinted for the limp body and carried him to the carriage.  "Driver! To Kuran manor, and quickly!!"

Though it was only a short distance, that ride felt like a lifetime. Yuuki placed herself on the floor so she could lay the boy across the seating. His lips were starting to get a blue pigment, and he was covered in snowflakes; his face somehow managed to have a pained expression through unconsciousness. She hadn't realized how cold he must have been until now. Maybe his fingers and toes actually will fall off. Hitting herself in the head for such a distracted thought, she tugged on her scarf, feeling the yarn's texture graze the back of her neck and be replaced by cold air. 

"This will help, here," she untangled and unrolled her garment. At full width, the scarf was still narrow, but anything was better than nothing. Especially in this case. She stood up, and with a graceful flick of the wrist, laid the makeshift blanket across him.

He looked up at her for a moment, a look she couldn't discern from confusion, gratitude, frustration, or some kind of sarcastic mix of all three. As his eyes closed, he cringed again- no, more like an intense shiver- and covered his shoulder with a bloodstained hand. 

She wasn't quite sure what else to do, but had to do something. 

Her mind wandered back to a moment from her childhood. Kaname was in the living room, reading a book, a sullen look across his face. She knew something was wrong.  Yuuki couldn't remember the specifics of their conversation, but could clearly remember stroking his head, repeating 'good boy, good boy...' and he smiled. It seemed like letting him know that she was there, was really the key to unlocking his smile. 

 And as that memory played, she reenacted it. Yuuki slid off her gloves. 

There was a hesitance in her hand as it graced the boy's scalp. She reached at first, then staggered back... but she felt a loss of control in her hand, and tenderly latched on. His hair was unbelievably soft, and white; it felt like snow itself. Her fingers interlaced a couple of strands and let them run across her skin. It was cold. And wet. But that didn't stop her from going back again, and making sure he knew that she was there, creating a stroking pattern in her hand, though she was careful not to go too fast and accidentally pull. He let out another stifled breath. This time though, it was longer, and sounded less like a desperate need for air. He even smiled a little. 

And she smiled back.   

"It'll be okay, I promise... it'll be okay."