Yuki Kuran

Yuki Cross (黒主 優姫, Kurosu Yūkki) was born as Yuki Kuran (玖蘭 優姫, Kuran Yūkki) on March 29th. She was the main protagonist of the series and the adoptive daughter of the headmaster of Cross Academy. Yuki was a first year student at Cross Academy and a Prefect/Guardian. Yuki carries the anti-vampire weapon, Artemis. Towards the climax of the second arc, Yuki is revealed to be a Pureblood Vampire, and a member of the Kuran family and Kaname's younger sister. Yuki is also known as the youngest of all Purebloods.

Personality
Yuki is generally a cheerful and comedic girl. She is considered as a poor student because she dislikes studying and falls asleep in class, reason being she stays up all night monitoring the school grounds and night students. She exhibits a strong attachment to her close friends. Her indecisive nature and reticence can be attributed to her insecurity regarding her missing history. Prior to becoming a vampire, she had a fear of vampires which meant she rarely left the Cross Academy grounds on her own, because of the attack. She always maintained that Kaname was different to the other vampires until she witnessed him biting Ruka, but she refused to allow it to change her love for him. It did however, cause a distance between the two and revive her old fear of vampires. Yuki doesn't like to reveal her fears and wears a smile over her face instead. She is intensely protective over Zero.

Following her re-awakening as a pureblood, Yuki shed the fears she once retained, but her personality has not changed much and when a situation asks, she can put in an authoritative face as is expected for a pureblood princess. Yuki's overwhelming fault is the tendency to burden herself with guilt over her ignorance when she learns the sufferings of other characters that they have kept secret.

Hino Matsuri described Yuki as the character who possesses her justice side. She acknowledges that Yuki is the healing and soothing character in the story.

Appearance
152cm (4'11"). She was described by the Day Class boys as being stupid; but one who eats well and considered "really really cute" by a few (including Hanabusa Aido). When she was human, she had shoulder length hair, Yuki transformed when she re-awakened, her hair growing hair and possessing a more mature look. She closely resembles her mother, Juri Kuran, so much so that Rido Kuran confuses Yuki with her mother.

Background
Yuki was approximately 5 years old when Rido Kuran attacked the Kuran family seeking to take Yuki. To protect her daughter, Juri sacrificed herself to seal Yuki's vampire side and erased her daughter's memory. Yuki's first memory is that of Kaname saving her from a vampire. Yuki grew up as a human in the care of Kaien Cross, who also adopted her. Kaname stayed as a presence in Yuki's life whom she constantly looked forward to seeing and missed leaving, falling in love with him.

Yuki, as a child, had troubled nightmares nightly until Zero Kiryu joined their household and Yuki formed a strong attachment to the boy. Yuki's relationship with Kaname became distant after she witnessed his vampire nature as he fed on a vampire classmate and also as a human, Yuki believed she had no chance with Kaname and began to distance herself from him, but her admiration and longing for him remained and chose to believe that his interest in her was the result of seeing her as a pet or similar.

Powers
Yuki posseses uncontrolled telekinetic powers, breaking windows on a few occasions when experiencing strong emotions. In 68th Night, she expresses such a strong desire to pursue Kaname that she grows a pair of wings on her back made of blood that resemble butterfly wings. In 69th Night, Yuki appears to exhibit the ability to interfere with memory blocking through touch as she absorbs memories from a catatonic girl and awakens her.

Relationships
Kaname Kuran
 * See Main Article: Yuki & Kaname

Kaname and Yuki have a complex relationship. To Yuki, Kaname was her brother, fiance, senpai and finally her ancestor. Kaname has meant so much to her. He saved her from a Level E when she was young. Kaname had spent the past 10 years watching Yuki and ensuring her safety and innocence above all else, however Kaname had to change Yuki back into a pureblood vampire when Rido returns to the school. Yuki leaves the school with Kaname and lives with him as his lover at their family home. Following Yuki learning about Kaname being the ancestor, she asks if they can start over with their relationship, to which he agrees, but Kaname leaves her in choosing to carry out his plan instead leaving Yuki stupefied as to why.

Zero Kiryu

 * See Main Article: Yuki & Zero

Zero becomes Yuki's childhood friend when he goes to live with Kaien at age 11. After Yuki discovers he is a vampire and needs blood, she pledges to help him and keep him from running away. Zero cares about Yuki a lot and craves her blood. They part ways after Yuki is reawakened as a pureblood vampire and they defeat Rido together, but Zero declares they are enemies and vows to kill her the next time he sees her and Yuki promises to run from him forever. A year later, he meets up with Yuki and saves her from a pureblood vampire.

Sayori Wakaba
Sayori Wakaba is Yuki's best friend and often times she call her Yori-chan. Yori often worries about Yuki and her duties, telling her she needs to rest and jokes about her being a vampire. Yori knows that Zero has feelings for Yuki and ask her about them, but Yuki most of the time has no idea what she's talking about. When Yuki is reawakened as a vampire and vanishes for several days, Yori is worried and tells Yuki that no matter what they will always be best friends.

Plot Overview

 * Main Article: Plot Summary for Yuki Cross

Yuki discovers that Zero has awakened as a vampire and is struggling with his blood lust, so she allows him to secretly feed on her blood. Yuki promises to be his ally and that she will kill him if he becomes a level E vampire. When Shizuka Hio offers to save Zero at the price of Yuki's humanity, Yuki agrees, though is stopped by Zero. When Yuki's memories begin to resurface, Kaname bites Yuki to reawaken and reveals her true nature as Yuki Kuran, a pureblood princess. Together with Zero, she kills her uncle Rido, but Zero tells Yuki he intends to kill all purebloods including her and Yuki counters that she will always run to keep him alive. After a year of struggling with bloodlust, she admits to Kaname that she has a partial bond to Zero in her heart, but requests to stay by Kaname's side regardless. Following the murder of a vampire at the peace ball, Yuki vows to kill any pureblood intending suicide, to prevent the sacrifice of others. Yuki is saved by Zero after she is injured by another pureblood. Kaname finally who he really is, allowing Yuki to absorb his Kuran ancestor memories. After Yuki awakens she asks Kaname if they can start over again and he agrees, but is confused when he kills Nagamichi Aido and leaves. She vows find out Kaname's reasons.

Trivia

 * Yuki's last name, Kurosu is the Japanese pronounciation of the English word "cross." However, kanji has a different meaning, kuro meas "black" and su means "master": "black master." The kanji of her real surname Kuran, is a combination of the old fashioned way of writing ku, meaning "nine," and ran, meaning "orchid": "nine orchids". Yūki is a combination of yuu, meaning "tender" or "kind", and ki, meaning "princess". Interestingly enough another meaning of yuuki ( 勇気, yūki) is "courage", whereas Yuki can also mean (雪, yuki) "snow" as well.
 * Officially romanized as "Yuki" in Viz media publications and Chuang yi publications. Fan translations usually use "Yuuki".
 * Kaien knows Yuki's name beforehand, he says to Yuki that Kaname told him that all girls are princesses and thus will name her Yuki and she is Kaien's 'gentle princess.'
 * It is mentioned in the Fanbook that one of Yuki's favorite foods are spicey ramen and parfaits.