~Picture above is how Serenity is pictured when she was 8 years old.~

Level A purebloods are not the only purebloods that exist. They are not the most powerful either. There are Level S purebloods, which are known to be the most powerful in the entire vampire race. It is rumored that if a Level S pureblood breeds with any kind of vampire, even a Level D, the child will be born a pureblood vampire. If a level S pureblood vampire breeds with a Level A pureblood vampire, then the child will be born a Level S.

Level S purebloods can do many things that a Level A cannot do, for they are rumored to be descendants of divine beings. Therefore, they don't not follow the rules of the Senate.

There are six known remaining Level A families and five known Level S families. Many decades ago, each Level S family chose a Level A pureblood family to be their protectors, and ever since then, it hasn't changed.

There is the Sora Empire, the empire that rules over the four kingdoms. This empire is not really in the sky; however it is hidden deep within the mountains, surrounded by fog. This empire is ruled by the elegant Level S Tsukiyomi family. Their representative when it comes to meetings outside the kingdom is Serenity Tsukiyomi, the Sora Empire's only princess. As the most powerful Level S family, they control their lust for blood and when needed, they take blood from their protectors in order to not hurt the citizens of their kingdom. Their signature power is lightning and their protectors are the Kurans.

Then there is the Mizu Kingdom, one of the four kingdoms. This kingdom is hidden in the ocean, surrounded by water. This kingdom is ruled by the Level S Kuroki family. Their representative is the kingdom's 1st prince, Azusa Kuroki. Only aristocrat vampires, Level A, and Level S pureblood vampires can see the kingdom. Their signature power is water, and their protectors are the Hanadagis.

Then we have the Hi Kingdom. This kingdom is always under high temperatures as the kingdom itself is hidden deep within a dormant volcano that hasn't erupted for over 20,000 years. This kingdom is ruled by the merciless Level S Ryuzaki family. Their representative is the kingdom's 3rd prince, Satsuki Ryuzaki. Citizens of the Hi Kingdom can handle temperatures that go up to about 102 degrees and all of their residences are equipped with air conditioners that can go as low as to about 30 degrees. Their signature power is fire, and their protectors are the Shotos.

There is also the Kaze Kingdom. This kingdom is located not too from the Sora Empire. As a matter of fact, it is the closest kingdom to the Sora Empire. The kingdom is located in a forest near the Sora Mountains. This kingdom is ruled by the peaceful Level S Shiraishi family. Their representative is the kingdom's 1st princess, Rina Shiraishi. Here, the citizens are known to be very calm and relaxed, and tend to control their lust for blood when around humans. Their signature power is wind, and their protectors are the Hios.

Finally, there is the Tsuchi Kingdom. This kingdom is located within the Tsuchi Mountains, making this kingdom the farthest from the Sora Empire. It is ruled by the forceful Level S Reizei family. The citizens here like action and fighting, so they have a fighting competition every year to see who is the most powerful. Their representative is kingdom's 2nd princess, Aiko Reizei. Their signature power is Earth, and their protectors are the Shirabukis.

-Backstory-

~12 years ago, Serenity Tsukiyomi's PoV~

Denka= honorifics used for his or her highness

It is a beautiful full moon tonight. It was shining beautifully in the sky, and it never ceased to amaze me. I was in the castle's garden making flower crowns, which is something that always helped me pass the time away, since I really don't bear many responsibilities at this age...

By my side stood my assigned protector, Rido Kuran.

"Serenity-denka, do you not get tired of making flower crowns every evening? Would you not prefer to sharpen your powers or even go for a walk around town?"

"No... I'm fine here. I do not wish to leave this castle if my powers are incomplete. I would rather stay here." I answered him.

"You realize that is why I exist here, right? I'm here to protect you, Serenity-denka. No matter what danger you face, I am here to protect you from it. Anyways, we need to get to the throne room, my siblings and nephew are coming later tonight. Shall we depart?" He said, holding out his hand.

"Fine...." I said as I put the flower crown in a safe place, then taking his hand.

His hand. it's freezing cold... Why do I have a sense of distrust for this man? He's my protector. I should be the one trusting him, but for some reason I just cannot. I feel like his words and his time of voice don't speak the truth...

The both of us entered the castle and made our way to the throne where my parents, Eiji and Sakura were waiting for me. I made my way to my throne. The order of the thrones was my father, my mother, then me, which was to the far right. Rido stood beside me, with both his hands behind his back to my right.

"Your Majesties, they have arrived." A servant stated.

"Send them in." My father ordered.

The double doors opened, revealing Haruka, Juuri, and a boy that I haven't met before. He.. looks my age. He looks kind of cute... I looked at a different direction with a small blush on my cheeks.

They all bowed down, then looking up at us.

"Emperor Eiji, Empress Sakura, and Princess Serenity. It is a pleasure to be in your presence once again." Haruka said confidently.

"Us as well. Who is this boy? I have never seen him before..." My father stated.

"Ah, yes. You haven't met him before... This is our son, Kaname Kuran. We have our daughter Yuuki as well, but we believed her to be too little to attend these kind of meetings." Juuri answered.

"That is no problem at all. It is a pleasure to meet you, Kaname-san." My mother said with a kind smile.

Ahh, I'm too nervous to even talk!

"It is a pleasure to meet you as well, your Majesties." Kaname answered.

"Introduce yourself to him. Serenity." My mother whispered.

I looked over at Kaname and held back my nervousness, then smiling at him. "Nice to meet you. My name is Serenity Tsukiyomi. It is a pleasure to meet you, Kaname."

"A pleasure as well, Serenity-denka."

"You may all stand now. Relax. Anyways, now that the introductions are cleared, there is a reason why I summoned you all here today." My father said, clearing his throat.

"What is the reason, Your Majesty?" Haruka asked as the three of them stood.

"I understand it is too early for this, but I think that we do need to talk about Serenity's future. She is the only heiress to the throne as Empress. We need to decide soon who is going to be her emperor consort."

My eyes widened. Isn't it too early for that?! I'm only 6 years old! Why are they already talking about my marriage?!

"Someone from the Ryuzaki family? They do have a son that is only a year older than Serenity." Father said.

"I don't think Serenity should marry someone from the other four kingdoms. Remember, whoever she marries, she will take that man's last name as her second last name. And plus the Ryuzaki family is too...how should I explain this...?" Mother answered.

"Rough around the edges?" Juuri said with a small laugh.

"Yes. I do not wish to have a family like that." My father stated.

I then looked over at Kaname shyly. He wouldn't be bad. Honestly... I wouldn't mind marrying him..

I noticed that Kaname looked over at me with a kind smile, but I quickly looked away with a blush.

"How about this? When Serenity turns 18, she can marry Rido. This can benefit your family by having a Level S child born in the Kuran family." My mother said.

The Kurans stayed silent, looking away.

Ew, no! Not him! First of all, he's creepy, and second, I don't trust him!

"What do you think about it, Rido?" My mother asked.

"Doesn't matter to me. I can marry the Princess when she turns 18." Rido answered with a smirk.

"And you, sweetie?" My father asked.

I stayed silent. I don't want this man to be a part of my future!

"I don't think Serenity wants this..." My father said, scratching his head.

"No! I don't. Don't decide who I should even marry, when I'm not even close to the age!" I said angrily, standing from my throne, leaving the throne room.

"Wait, Serenity!" Mother called out to me.

I continued running out from the room back into the garden of flowers. This is stupid! Is that the reason my parents called them here?

I thought these things to myself as I looked to the vast mountains in the distance.

"Serenity-denka? Are you alright?" I heard a voice call from behind me.

"Kaname..." I ran over to him and hugged him tightly.

"It's okay.... it's okay." He said softly, bringing his hand down my hair.

"I don't trust him either... I do not want you, a noble and gentle princess to be with someone like him..." He said softly.

"I want you to be my protector, Kaname... I don't want to be near that creepy man." I said, now knowing what to do.

I took his hand and pulled him towards the throne room.

"Kaname, you brought her-"

"I, Serenity Tsukiyomi, hereby assign Kaname Kuran to be my protector!" I interrupted in a loud tone that echoed throughout the room as I held his hand tightly.

It was just silent. No response...

"Kaname, do you accept that?" My mother asked.

"Yes. I will be happy to serve Her Highness." Kaname said with a smile.

"All right then. Rido Kuran, you may step down as Serenity's protector and return to your normal life." My father ordered.

I sensed such an anger from him and I know that he is doing his best to hide it.

"That is fine. It was a pleasure serving you, Serenity-denka." He said with a final bow, leaving the throne room.

"Can I say something, Emperor Eiji?" Haruka asked.

"Of course."

"But I think this is something that Serenity-denka and Kaname should not hear." Juuri said.

"All right then. Kaname, can you and Serenity leave the room?" Father asked with a smile.

"Of course. This way, Princess." Kaname said, holding his hand out to me.

I took his hand and smiled.

Compared to Rido's, his hand is so warm...

"All right." I said, following him out of the throne room.

"What do you think they are talking about?" I asked Kaname as we walked through the hallways of the castle.

"Beats me... If they asked me as well to leave, then it must be something they don't want me to hear."

~Third person PoV~

After Serenity and Kaname left the room, Haruka then spoke the words he wanted to say.

"Rido is not to be trusted." He stated.

"And why is that?" Eiji stated, raising his eyebrow.

"He killed our son not too long after he was born. No. He sacrificed him with the original intention to devour him. Instead, he devoured the child and awoke the ancestor. The Kaname that stands before all of us now is the ancestor that currently has no memories of his past." Juuri stated.

Both the Emperor and Empress' eyes widened when they heard the news.

"All this time... Our daughter was at risk?!" Eiji said, his eyes widened.

"So that is why you were against Rido being Serenity's protector." Sakura said.

"Yes... but we know Rido well. He wouldn't have made such a quick move like that to kill her. His intention is the same as before. He wants to devour Serenity-denka to gain even more power."

"I knew something was suspicious about him... That is why he continued to ask about training Serenity at such a young age..."

"That is why we told Kaname to watch her from afar, to hide his presence so that neither Serenity nor Rido was able to sense him." Haruka said.

"You two did an excellent job in sending Kaname to watch over our precious daughter. I know he's still Serenity's age and all, but he's doing good in taking responsibility at such a young age."

"He is the heir to the Kuran family, after all. Ever since our daughter was born, he's smiled more."

Eiji smiled. "I wish our daughter would smile more... She's been so quiet these days in the gardens making flower crowns..."

"I'm sure being with someone her age can change that." Haruka responded.

"Yes..." Sakura answered.

The four of them just stayed there, sitting in silence and not knowing what is to come in the next two years.

~Two years later, Serenity Tsukiyomi's PoV~

It's been two years and Rido hasn't showed his face ever since. Kaname has taught me how to use my powers well, and now I can use my powers to my advantage.

"Kaname, this way! The Amanohara festival is about to begin!" I said excitedly, making my way to town. It was a breezy cold snowy evening, and the red moon was up tonight.

The town always has these fun little festivals every year to celebrate the founding of the kingdom. Kaname always helps me sneak out of the castle to go there.

"Hehe, I'm coming, Princess." He said with a chuckle, catching up from me.

"Hey! I told you not to call me Princess! Call me Serenity!" I said with a pout.

"Forgive me, Serenity. I just feel like it is disrespectful of me..."

"No, it isn't! If I say it is okay, it's fine!"

He sighed and smiled. "All right then. I'll try. I cannot make any promises though."

"Okay, then..." I said.

When we made our way to the festival, I looked around excitedly looking at the shining bright lights and everyone was at their stands, selling all sorts of interesting stuff. After Kaname and I got this interesting type of snack that is shaped like a fish and sat down at a fountain, I heard a conversation between two Level C vampires.

"Hey, isn't that Serenity-sama?"

"Yeah. And Kaname-sama is with her as well." The other person replied.

"Haven't you guys ever pictured her and Kaname-sama ruling the Sora Empire? It honestly makes a great deal of sense. I mean, it was long ago when the Kurans themselves were considered people of the Tsukiyomi family's status. Kaname-sama's grandfather was the King once. Technically, there would have been 5 ruling Level S families and one Level A family that has their own kingdoms. Then the other remaining 5 Level A families would be the protectors of the 5 Level S families. And the Ichijo or Aido family could have served as the Kuran family's protectors."

"But the Kuran family actually were the ones that formed the Vampire Council. So it makes sense they stepped down as a family of monarchs. The Level S purebloods are the ones that that did not accept the idea of creating a Vampire Council so they split off and created their kingdoms. Vampires who agreed with their ideals left with them. Ever since then, the Level S haven't interacted with humans, or even any aristocrats that are outside their respectful kingdoms. That is why each kingdom has a representative to leave the kingdom when it comes to having meetings with the Vampire Council to maintain peace. That's why when Serenity-sama gets older, she will become the Sora Empire's representative."

I looked down. That's right. When I turn 14, I will have to become the Empire's representative and begin to take responsibility. I then noticed that Kaname had put his hand on my shoulder.

"Don't listen to them, Serenity-denka. They are doing that to worry you on your future duties."

"I know that, Kaname! You don't have to remind me twice..." I said with a pout as I took a bite of the fish snack.

"That is called a taiyaki, which is stuffed with red bean paste. It's good, right?"

"Yes, it really is!"

"I'm glad that I'm able to do these kind of things with you, Serenity-denka. It's really fun to be with you like this." Kaname said in his usual gentle tone.

"I know! I'm having fun with you too, Kaname!" I said excitedly.

I actually have feelings for Kaname... But he usually talks about his younger sister Yuuki all the time and every time he talks about her, he's always so happy... I know that he loves her, not me. Right now, he's here with me because he has to... If this wasn't his duty, he would be right now with his sister Yuuki.

"What's wrong, Serenity-denka? You look sad all of a sudden." He asked worriedly.

"It's nothing... Just stuff in my mind, that's all!" I said, trying to force a smile on myself.

"No, you're not alright.... Something is bothering you." He said, bringing me into an embrace.

"No, nothing is bothering me! I just sometimes end up getting like this..." I said, my voice cracking up a bit.

My eyes began to tear up. No...you mustn't cry, Serenity. You should be happy for him. After all, he is just your protector. That is it. He loves that girl.

Both of his hands were on my cheeks as he softly moved my head to look up at him. His thumbs then wiped my tears away.

"Seeing tears falling from your eyes makes me sad as well. A smile suits you more, Serenity-denka. So...smile. For me." He said softly.

Smile for him...

I guess I can do that... So that he doesn't have to worry about me like that.

I smiled genuinely at the warm expression of his face.

"That is the smile that I love to see, Serenity-denka." He whispered, continuing to embrace me.

I gave into his warmth and hugged him back.

I then noticed that snow began falling from the sky.

"Look! It's snowing!" I said cheerfully, breaking the embrace.

"It's really is... It reminds me of Yuuki every time I see it fall..." He said, looking at the snowflakes.

I forced a smile this time. "Really..."

"Yes... Yuuki likes the snow. It is just upsetting to me that she has to be locked in a room with no windows." Kaname said in a distant tone.

"That must be lonely..." I said.

"Yes, it is.., But my parents are there for her, so it's okay. Plus I go to visit a few times and it makes her happy."

The fact that he talks about her so much like she's his world hurts me so much... But if he is happy, then I am happy as well... I'll bottle up my feelings and he will never find out...

I then heard screaming throughout the town.

"I'm going to get Serenity-hime one way or another. And she will become my wife!"

Note: hime- is an honorific for princess.

That was a voice that I had never expected to hear again.

Rido Kuran...

Kaname stood in front of me protectively.

"Serenity-denka. Run. I'll take care of this."

"I can fight too!" I answered.

"You are far too powerful, Serenity-denka. Only use your powers when necessary. Now go! I'll meet you back at the castle." Kaname stated, urging me to go.

"Okay..." I said as I ran out of town on my way back to Sora Castle.

Rido is planning something... And it probably involves me in some sort of creepy way...

~End of Prologue 1~