Juri Kuran

Juri Kuran (玖蘭 樹里 Kuran Juri), was Yuki's and Kaname's mother and a pureblood vampire who resembles an older version of Yuki. She was the beloved wife and sister of Haruka Kuran and the younger sister of Rido Kuran.

Name
The kanji of her surname is a combination of the old fashioned way of writing ku, meaning "nine," and ran, meaning "orchid": "nine orchids". In her first name, ju means "tree" and a ri is traditional Japanese unit of measure for distance, one ri is about 2.44 miles. The kanji of ri is the same as in Senri Shiki's name. The name Juri can also have double meaning, as Juri is the Japanese pronounciation of the name Julie which means "soft haired" or "youthful", which may refer to her apperance as an young woman.

Appearance
Juri Kuran had the typical ethereal beauty of the pureblood vampires. She had a very strong resemblance with her daughter, Yuki Kuran. She was like Yuki as she had the same eyes and long dark brown hair,typical of a Kuran, but her hair was curlier and messier than her daughter's hair. However, she and Yuki's personalities were quite different. Juri was blunt and outgoing and always spoke her mind, while Yuki was more like her father, Haruka. When she first met Kaien Cross, she acted exactly as Yuki does (in the manga). Yuki is said to be a ray of sunshine so it may be not that her mother's gentle but just that she seems to show her gentler side more with age being the fact when she met Kaien was a couple hundred years ago by his count.

Personality
Juri is described as a cheerful and strong woman who puts her family first. She was mischievous and playful and enjoyed teasing Kaname. Juri was loud and fierce, passionate about things that matter to her as she vehemently objected to Kaien's plan to kill all vampires declaring that not all vampires were bad and physically opposed him. She is described by Isaya Shouto and Kaien Cross as like the very blaze of the sun. Outspoken and high spirited, Juri was dedicated to her dreams of a peaceful existence with humans.

Background
Ten years ago when her eldest brother, Rido Kuran, appeared, she sacrificed her life to suppress Yuki's vampire side and erased her memories. She had wanted Yuki to be able to live happily as a normal human girl. Headmaster Kaien Cross stated that he is in debt to her. When she was pregnant and he had attempted to kill her as a vampire hunter, she had spared his life. Her last wish was for Kaname to look after Yuki.

Haruka Kuran
Haruka Kuran is Juri's beloved brother and husband.

Rido Kuran
Though Rido was in love with Juri and even drank her blood (though it was by force when she cried out in pain for Haruka to save her), its unknown what sort of relationship they had at that time. After he stole her first child, Kaname, away, she harboured a great deal of anger towards him. Rido continued to desire Juri even after her death and sought Yuki as a replacement for her. His attachment to Juri bordered more on obsession than on love.

Kaien Cross
Kaien Cross and Juri met as enemies when Kaien tried to kill her and later, they became friends.

Powers
Juri possesses all the powers that Purebloods, such as immortality and the ability to heal from anything excluding anti-vampire weapon wounds to the heart or head. Juri excels in spells. This futher shown as she was the one to seal away Yuki's vampire side and turn into a human. Juri has the ability to wield anti-vampire weapons and used the Artemis in its scythe form.