Thoughts on Why Kaname is in Love with Yuuki
*puts on rose-coloured Yume glasses*
In order to understand why Yuuki is such an important person to Kaname, we have to question why she is so loveable. How is it that he is so swept up by her innocence, love, and devotion to him?
Throughout Vampire Knight, Yuuki has shown that she loves and cares for Kaname. Her whole world revolves around him, and his, around hers.
Let's not forget that during his early years, ancestor!Kaname's memories were sealed. For all intents and purposes, he was a child himself. So how could a mere child fall in love?
If we look at all the flashbacks of Yuuki and Kaname's time with Haruka and Juri, they were truly happy. Imagine days of reading books together, playing with each other's hair, pledging their devotion, sharing each other's life energy ... it must have been pure bliss. In Kaname and Yuuki's lives, those memories are some of the happiest they possess.
Fast forward to when Yuuki becomes Cross' adopted daughter. Despite her lost memories, they continue to share the same strong bond and mutual love. There is that same adoration, that same innocence. Every time Yuuki sees him, we see pure joy on her face. And that joy is mirrored in every inch of the panel Kaname appears in.
By then, Kaname has regained (all?) memories of his ancestor past. And in Yuuki's world, Kaname is no longer her brother but her saviour. So what does he continue to see in a little human girl who looks up to him and absolutely adores him?
We see a girl who accepts him despite her immense fear of monster vampires. She could have stayed afraid of him when she realized what he was. Instead, she overcomes that and surprises him (and the Chairman) with the beautifully simple 'Ka-na-me'.
We see a girl who trusts him with her very life. She recognizes him as her protector and her 'safe haven'. She finds comfort in his embrace, in his gentle caresses. It is from him where she initially finds the strength to suppress her nightmares.
We see a girl who is so inspired by him and his actions that she strives to become like him, to be worthy of his approval. She recognizes the good in Kaname and wants to uphold the ideals of pacifism that he and the Chairman share. She carries that same idealism when she becomes the healing force and the anchor in Zero's world.
And finally, we see a girl who is so utterly devoted to him that even after witnessing his betrayal and deliberate triggering of her fear of vampires, she continues to love him despite herself. It's as if her very heart and soul was predestined to love him.
(Interestingly, these are the same traits and characteristics that Zero recognizes in his own experiences with Yuuki.)
Now consider the present storyline. Yuuki now knows that Kaname's hands are 'tainted'. She realizes the significant role he has played in Zero's miserable life. She knows of the havoc he has wreaked on the Vampire Council. She is now becoming aware of the other 'sins' he has committed.
Yet despite the enormity of these revelations, she continues to accept him and to trust him. She is still inspired by him, is still absolutely and utterly devoted to him. She wants to stay by his side, to be on his side.
And this love is reciprocated: despite the enormity of the revelation that she also hungers for another man's blood, Kaname continues to accept her, to trust in the depths of her feelings for him. She inspires him to be good and he is still absolutely and utterly devoted to her. He wants to spend the endless days of eternity beside her.
Some may not find that romantic at all, but I certainly do!
*cuts what has become a ridiculously long essay*
*pastes continuation of ridiculously long essay*
Yuuki is the one person who has striven to understand Kaname for who he is. Not only for what he is, what he can do for her, or what he can do to her. She has bestowed upon him that greatest of gifts: her unconditional love. (Likewise, she has bestowed upon Zero this same unconditional and unwavering support.)
tl;dr? Understand why Zero loves Yuuki, and you will understand why Kaname loves Yuuki.
"A Yuuki who is not filled with love is not Yuuki at all". The beauty in this statement is that Kaname recognizes this in her. He understands her strengths, her weakness, and appreciates both. He knows her so well.
It is Yuuki who inspires Kaname to be a 'good' vampire. He, too, wants to be worthy of her. He wants her to accept him, to trust him, and to love him. He wants her to understand him.
At the same time, he wants to protect her, to shield her from the dangerous, outside world. There's natural selfishness in him that wants her to love and trust him, and only him and not give in to the heavely temptation that is Zero *lol*.
Inevitably, these strong passions collide.
Kaname is driven by the contradiction of wanting to protect the most precious person in his life and, at the same time, letting her make her own decisions, her own mistakes. He cannot pass on to Yuuki the hundreds and possibly thousands of years of disappointments that he himself has gone through. (Well, he sort of is doing just that in the latest chapter, but I digress.) She has to learn those lessons herself in order to become a stronger and wiser person.
Others will see this tug-of-war in him as some sort of defect in his character, but I see it as natural. Human, even.
Whatever Kaname's internal struggle, the ultimate evidence of his love for Yuuki is in his actions. She has the freedom to grow and mature as a person. He does not take that away from her. He yields the final decisions to Yuuki; in a battle of wills and desires, it is hers that takes precedence, and I suspect, will always take precedence.
Call their love what you will, but Kaname Kuran is head over heels madly in love with Yuuki Cross. Always have been, and always will be. <333
*tune in maybe later for thoughts on why Zero Kiryuu is madly in love with Kaname Yuuki Kuran*
In order to understand why Yuuki is such an important person to Kaname, we have to question why she is so loveable. How is it that he is so swept up by her innocence, love, and devotion to him?
Throughout Vampire Knight, Yuuki has shown that she loves and cares for Kaname. Her whole world revolves around him, and his, around hers.
Let's not forget that during his early years, ancestor!Kaname's memories were sealed. For all intents and purposes, he was a child himself. So how could a mere child fall in love?
If we look at all the flashbacks of Yuuki and Kaname's time with Haruka and Juri, they were truly happy. Imagine days of reading books together, playing with each other's hair, pledging their devotion, sharing each other's life energy ... it must have been pure bliss. In Kaname and Yuuki's lives, those memories are some of the happiest they possess.
Fast forward to when Yuuki becomes Cross' adopted daughter. Despite her lost memories, they continue to share the same strong bond and mutual love. There is that same adoration, that same innocence. Every time Yuuki sees him, we see pure joy on her face. And that joy is mirrored in every inch of the panel Kaname appears in.
By then, Kaname has regained (all?) memories of his ancestor past. And in Yuuki's world, Kaname is no longer her brother but her saviour. So what does he continue to see in a little human girl who looks up to him and absolutely adores him?
We see a girl who accepts him despite her immense fear of monster vampires. She could have stayed afraid of him when she realized what he was. Instead, she overcomes that and surprises him (and the Chairman) with the beautifully simple 'Ka-na-me'.
We see a girl who trusts him with her very life. She recognizes him as her protector and her 'safe haven'. She finds comfort in his embrace, in his gentle caresses. It is from him where she initially finds the strength to suppress her nightmares.
We see a girl who is so inspired by him and his actions that she strives to become like him, to be worthy of his approval. She recognizes the good in Kaname and wants to uphold the ideals of pacifism that he and the Chairman share. She carries that same idealism when she becomes the healing force and the anchor in Zero's world.
And finally, we see a girl who is so utterly devoted to him that even after witnessing his betrayal and deliberate triggering of her fear of vampires, she continues to love him despite herself. It's as if her very heart and soul was predestined to love him.
(Interestingly, these are the same traits and characteristics that Zero recognizes in his own experiences with Yuuki.)
Now consider the present storyline. Yuuki now knows that Kaname's hands are 'tainted'. She realizes the significant role he has played in Zero's miserable life. She knows of the havoc he has wreaked on the Vampire Council. She is now becoming aware of the other 'sins' he has committed.
Yet despite the enormity of these revelations, she continues to accept him and to trust him. She is still inspired by him, is still absolutely and utterly devoted to him. She wants to stay by his side, to be on his side.
And this love is reciprocated: despite the enormity of the revelation that she also hungers for another man's blood, Kaname continues to accept her, to trust in the depths of her feelings for him. She inspires him to be good and he is still absolutely and utterly devoted to her. He wants to spend the endless days of eternity beside her.
Some may not find that romantic at all, but I certainly do!
*cuts what has become a ridiculously long essay*
*pastes continuation of ridiculously long essay*
Yuuki is the one person who has striven to understand Kaname for who he is. Not only for what he is, what he can do for her, or what he can do to her. She has bestowed upon him that greatest of gifts: her unconditional love. (Likewise, she has bestowed upon Zero this same unconditional and unwavering support.)
tl;dr? Understand why Zero loves Yuuki, and you will understand why Kaname loves Yuuki.
"A Yuuki who is not filled with love is not Yuuki at all". The beauty in this statement is that Kaname recognizes this in her. He understands her strengths, her weakness, and appreciates both. He knows her so well.
It is Yuuki who inspires Kaname to be a 'good' vampire. He, too, wants to be worthy of her. He wants her to accept him, to trust him, and to love him. He wants her to understand him.
At the same time, he wants to protect her, to shield her from the dangerous, outside world. There's natural selfishness in him that wants her to love and trust him, and only him and not give in to the heavely temptation that is Zero *lol*.
Inevitably, these strong passions collide.
Kaname is driven by the contradiction of wanting to protect the most precious person in his life and, at the same time, letting her make her own decisions, her own mistakes. He cannot pass on to Yuuki the hundreds and possibly thousands of years of disappointments that he himself has gone through. (Well, he sort of is doing just that in the latest chapter, but I digress.) She has to learn those lessons herself in order to become a stronger and wiser person.
Others will see this tug-of-war in him as some sort of defect in his character, but I see it as natural. Human, even.
Whatever Kaname's internal struggle, the ultimate evidence of his love for Yuuki is in his actions. She has the freedom to grow and mature as a person. He does not take that away from her. He yields the final decisions to Yuuki; in a battle of wills and desires, it is hers that takes precedence, and I suspect, will always take precedence.
Call their love what you will, but Kaname Kuran is head over heels madly in love with Yuuki Cross. Always have been, and always will be. <333
*tune in maybe later for thoughts on why Zero Kiryuu is madly in love with Kaname Yuuki Kuran*