No money is made from this fic - it's purely for entertainment. Vampire Knight belongs to Matsuri Hino.
SPOILER WARNING for recent manga chapters.
Also, this story holds both KxZ and some KxY content. If you don't like yaoi, stay away!
Rated T for angst, mature themes, language and some violence.
This story begins just before the events of chapter 50 of the manga, and splits off-canon from there. I think the new arc holds so much possibility, and I wanted to play with it a bit.
If this sucks, please don't roast me ^^; Constructive criticism is, however, always appreciated.
I know it's short, but this is just a prologue.
Full summary:
Kaname and Yuki have been living in the Kuran mansion together for a year.
Zero is hunting vampires for the association by night while attending Cross Academy by day.
However, Kaname has some regrets about using Zero as a pawn, especially since Yuki still pines for her former friend and Chairman Cross tells Kaname of the way in which Zero now lives. Kaname decides to try and make amends for his past sins against the silver-haired hunter – but soon his attempt at absolution takes him down a dangerous road of immoral longing and treacherous deceit instead.
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For Whom The Bell Tolls
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*~ Prologue: Means To an End ~*
Kaname Kuran sighed softly, staring unseeingly out the window of the small, grubby diner. It was a seedy sort of place, but therein lay its use. No self-respecting vampire would be seen dead in a place like this – and right now, Kaname didn't want to be seen.
Since Rido's defeat and the elimination of the Council, the young pureblood was all but a fugitive. Rumors that he was insane and on a murderous rampage were rife, as was speculation about what really happened at Cross Academy. Seiren had brought him reports of the gossip, keeping him in touch with the outside world after he had gone underground. Some theories – that he'd used the school as a training ground to raise an army of nobles specifically to eliminate the Council – were laughable, others – that he'd gone into hiding after eloping with a mysterious female pureblood – far too close to reality for comfort.
A year had passed since Kaname and Yuki had fled to the Kuran mansion. A year during which most of the malicious gossip had finally died down. It was now safe for Kaname to venture outside on occasion, if he was careful, and he'd been using the opportunity to begin moving pieces into place. The vampire world was in anarchy, leaderless and still suffering the after-effects of the former Council's evil plans. Large numbers of Level E vampires roamed the streets, remnants of Rido's blood-soaked desire for power. The Hunter Association had been cleaning up the stragglers, but it had taken longer than expected – some of the E's had banded together in small packs and entrenched themselves in defensible locations. Many hunters had lost their lives trying to root them out - yet more blood on Kaname's hands. He knew it was not technically his fault, but that didn't make his guilt any less real. In actuality, it was what had brought him here today.
He was going to take the first steps towards clearing his conscience and his name. He had thought about this long and hard, and there was no other way. As much as he would love to just take Yuki somewhere remote and peacefully spend the rest of eternity out of the spotlight, he knew now that to truly start making amends he would have to set aside such selfish desires. The vampire world needed a leader, and once again, Kaname would sacrifice his happiness on the altar of the greater good.
The creak of rusty hinges pulled Kaname from his dark musings as the diner's grime-encrusted door swung inwards. A man entered, dressed in a long, tan trench coat. There was an indefinable air of mystery about him, but it was rather offset by the fluffy cream scarf wrapped around his neck. Kaname permitted himself a small smile. Some things never changed.
Having spotted him, Kaien Cross made his way over to the small table, smiling brightly as he took the seat opposite the pureblood.
"Kaname! It's so good to see you… you're looking well. How is my little Yuki?"
Kaname's heart warmed slightly at the fond, fatherly way Cross referred to her. "She's fine. Still adjusting to everything, but fine. How are things at the Academy?"
"Not quite the same without you of course, but the students are doing well."
"I'm pleased to hear that," Kaname said sincerely. "I trust Kiryu is managing to keep the day class in line on his own?" It was a subtle way to ask after the prefect. Kaname hadn't seen him or heard of him since leaving the Academy, and wondered how the ex-human was faring. Granted, the silver-haired teen probably still wanted to kill him on sight, but a year put many things into perspective. The pureblood knew that despite Zero's cold promises, the ex-human would never be able to hurt Yuki, and thus there was no need for Kaname to destroy him to keep her safe. In fact, Kaname had often thought of the cruel way in which he'd used Zero to eliminate Rido and then stolen Yuki away into the bargain. Sometimes he almost wished there had been another way, but he knew he'd done the best he could with the pieces he'd had available at the time. Still, he hoped Kiryu had not suffered unduly and had managed to move on with his life.
Kaien's smile had faltered though. "Zero no longer lives on campus. He has a small apartment in town."
"Kiryu no longer attends the school?" Kaname enquired, rather taken aback. He would have pegged Zero as a creature of habit. Then again, without Yuki by his side, the ex-human had probably found it easier to sever all ties.
Cross shrugged and sighed sadly. "He still goes to classes, but every minute he's not at the Academy, he's out hunting. He's crossed more E's off the Association hit list than most of the senior hunters."
There was some pride in the chairman's tone, but it was colored with regret. Evidently Kiryu had not exactly followed the path Cross had in mind for him. The talons of guilt surrounding Kaname's heart dug in a little deeper. Not only had he taken Cross's just-about-daughter from him, but in so doing he'd caused the ex-hunter to lose his adopted son as well.
Judging that the subject was rather sensitive by the moisture in Kaien's eyes, Kaname steered the conversation to safer topics – namely the reason for this meeting.
He soon gleaned that the hunters were in a similar situation to the vampires, with no one person in charge and no natural order of succession. They'd tried to find experienced assistance anywhere possible, even coercing Cross to take a more active role within the Hunter Association. They still held the power of his suspended trial over him, and had now all but forced him out of retirement. Cross himself along with Yagari and one or two other high-ranking hunters were currently acting as makeshift leaders, working together to address the problem of the Level E's. Now that the rogue vampire population was finally being brought under control though, there was no clear way forward and some of the hunters had started forming factions, claiming the time was ripe to start a war with the vampires and eliminate the species. The entire organization was beginning to schism - and without someone to take control, things would only get worse.
Quietly, Kaname presented his plan to Cross. He wanted to step up and lead the vampires as their king. He would promote pacifism and try to realize his parents' dream of peaceful co-existence and acceptance between humans, hunters and vampires. The pureblood could tell Cross liked the idea, but he sensed there was something troubling the older man.
"You think it won't work," Kaname stated matter-of-factly.
Kaien gave a small shake of his head before answering. "The Association will be resistant to the idea. Now that there are several extremist groups within the ranks, they will cause dissent and interfere with your plan wherever possible."
Kaname considered this. Cross was right – it would be impossible to build a peaceful regime while having to watch his back constantly for attacks from zealot hunters. There had to be some way to reunite the Association and stamp out the flames of rebellion. The solution was obviously to find a new President for the hunters, one who would be sympathetic to the cause of pacifism, yet was strong enough to keep the others in line. Cross seemed the ideal man for the job, but Kaname knew he would refuse. He was too caught up in the academy – he would not leave his students. Yagari was also an option, but Kaname didn't know him well enough to trust him. It would be more trouble than it was worth to appoint someone he couldn't control to some extent.
This left few options, since Kaname didn't know any other hunters. Unless… unless he counted Zero Kiryu. At first, this notion seemed so ridiculous Kaname almost let out a snort of amusement. Just then though, the chairman's earlier words came back to him. He's crossed more E's off the Association hit list than most of the senior hunters. Definitely strong enough to lead then… and he had to have garnered quite a bit of respect among his peers, despite the fact that he was also a vampire. He would doubtless be resistant to the idea at first, but Kaname knew where Kiryu's buttons lay and in which order to press them.
"You said Kiryu lives in town now?"
The sudden question caught Cross off-guard. "Er… yes. I own an apartment building, and I let him stay there. It was either that or out on the street, and what kind of father would I be then?"
"Why does he hunt for the association though?" Kaname enquired, "I thought he was hell-bent on destroying every last vampire in existence."
Kaien smiled sadly. "For a time he was… but Yagari and I talked him down. He's less volatile these days, but I still worry for him. He's not the same since…" he trailed off, but Kaname knew what he was leaving unsaid. Since you took Yuki away…
"How is his… condition?" The pureblood hastily amended the last part as another patron walked past the table at that moment. Cross caught the message though, waiting for the man to leave before answering.
"He's able to take the blood tablets now. He doesn't trust himself to live in the dorms though. I think that's part of why we were able to convince him to stick with the association – hunting is a distraction for him."
Kaname considered this. It made things easier that Zero was not yet hunting random vampires, and that he was controlling his thirst. All in all, he would be the perfect candidate. Young, strong and practically living proof that vampires and hunters could coexist. Aside from that, it would make Kaname feel like he could finally give something back to the silver-haired hunter after taking so much away. The two of them had their differences in the past, but most of the tension between them had been as a result of their rivalry for Yuki's affections, and Kaname no longer bore Zero very much ill-will now that they were no longer competing for her. By putting Zero at the head of the association, the pureblood would essentially be making him equal in status, and he could think of no better way to extend a metaphorical olive branch. Fixing Cross with a meaningful look, Kaname smiled.
"I think I know how we can make this work."