A/N: The usual disclaimer, I don't own VK and any of the characters blah blah blah. I don't have a fixed point in the story arc for this, but it's sometime between the 5th and 6th book really (this may be changed later)

Chapter One- I will be the death of you

Oh, how I wished to lodge a bullet into his skull. Various doodles of his bloody demise danced over the page I should've been taking notes on, but I didn't care, and my classmates knew better than to question why I was drawing such explicit pictures of the death of someone they all adored.

And at this precise moment in time, running on barely two hours sleep, I'd turn the gun on every single one of my damned classmates, too. Every single one of those idiot girls was mumbling and giggling behind their hands about how 'perfect' the Night Class supposedly is. I would think they'd at least begin to notice the warning signs indicating that I was more sleep-deprived than I normally was; that is, I was extra grumpy and the chilling glare, one that could so easily pin a Day Class fan girl in her place from just a glance, was permanently set in to my features.

Oh, and during these moods (which were becoming more frequent and therefore more unpleasant. I wonder why, Yuki?) my desire to go on a homicidal rampage rose exponentially, and my tolerance for those…fan girls dropped below zero.

But could I catch a break?

No way in hell.

As if the fan girls weren't 'kya-ing' enough about the beasts in the Night Class, I had the extra pleasure of sitting next to the class rep, who was practically having kittens trying to get sensei's attention.

And who was sensei's attention on instead?

Me.

Yet another idiot who hasn't managed to work out that I fully intend to carry out the warning behind each and every glare, should I ever have the chance. Sitting in a stuffy classroom at ten in the morning is not my idea of fun in the least, and I would prefer not to be harassed by questions so I could at least have a nap. Is that so much to ask?

"Kiryu, can you-" Obviously so.

"No." There are some moments I wished the Bloody Rose was more than an anti-vampire weapon. My fingers clenched reflexively and I started to reach into my pocket at being the centre of focus. I covered my mistake by pretending I was retrieving a pencil. Not that any of these idiots would notice if I pulled the Bloody Rose out anyway. They'd think it was fake or a replica or something.

"Not even-" Sensei tried desperately to keep his composure under my cool and distant gaze, eyes burning into him as if I could see into his soul.

"Nope."

"I know you can d-" He started, frantically scrabbling to keep me interested in his stupid lesson. Of course I could answer the question if I wanted to. There are a lot of things I could do if I were to be so inclined. I could answer his stupid math problem with ease, in fact, but the main point here is I don't want to.

"And I'm out of here." I stood, the sharp screech of my chair across the floor set against a backdrop of gasps and Yuki's indignant exclamation of my name.

Normally, I'd just get up and leave without any prior indication of my intentions, but I had to shut sensei up somehow. And sometimes a dramatic exit was all that was needed to make things a tiny bit less monotonous.

Besides, all the ladies just love a rebel (note the sarcasm. I shuddered at the very thought of anything to do with them).

I still prefer the company of those sheep to the bloodsuckers tucked away in their beds asleep right now. It's a slim difference however; some may call me a misanthrope, and I am quite inclined to agree with them.

Except the fact I don't hate everyone…

Sleep. Sleep sounds like a good idea right now. And nothing was going to stop me from that.

Luckily today wasn't too sunny, but it wasn't completely overcast either; a light breeze stirred and danced with the freshly shed cherry blossoms. Even I had to admit that was kinda charming and…sweet…I guess…

I shuddered inwardly at the thought. No. That's not me. I don't go around describing things as…kawaii. That's Yuki's job. You know, being a girl and…all that…

I reached the stables much quicker than I'd expected, but a putrid smell hit me full in the face before I'd even set foot inside the door. What most are entranced by, I find throat-chokingly gag-worthy. How ironic, considering that I probably smell like that. One thing I do know though, is I do not reek of arrogance hidden by a perfect porcelain mask like he does.

"Come out, vampire!"

The Bloody Rose had been drawn and primed in an instant. But he was quicker, and I'd been disarmed before I even had time to blink, swiped out of my grasp the moment I'd pulled it out.

The chain, thankfully, had kept the weapon from being flung too far away, and I soon had it back on my hand and trained on the Pureblood's forehead, trigger finger poised.

"Very threatening," Kuran snickered, not intimidated in the least, like the others were every time my gun made an appearance. He knew I couldn't pull the trigger no matter how badly I wanted to. His dark eyes flickered as he smirked at me, daring me to just do it. That was one of the many things that got on my nerves about him; the way he could make you look like a fool without having to do anything, his regal aura maintaining his dominance in every situation. I was the only one that managed to see through the way he manipulates and toys with peoples' emotions, yet he still makes me look like the bad guy in all of this. Damn you, Kuran.

Besides, it would take more than one shot to kill him anyway, and he would've ripped me apart before I could even follow through the first shot with multiple others. The only moment I'd be able to expose him for the monster he really is, would be the moment before my imminent death. How unfortunate.

And supposing I did manage to wound him fatally, that would buy me no more than five minutes before the entire Night Class was on me like a pack of snarling wolves. It didn't matter that I was…like them, I'd been a nuisance to them from day one (which I'd fully intended of course), and Kuran most of all, who despised me just as much as I despised him. There was no doubt about the fact that if he didn't care for Yuki more than he wanted me dead, I'd be six feet under right now.

If I'm going to die, there's no way it will be at the hands of him.

So, in short, I'd have to wait to kill Kuran. I'd have to carefully choose my moment, the time I'd be tottering on the precipice between level E and a shred of sanity. I'd make it look like an accident, perhaps. Naturally, I'd still be torn apart, but I suppose that would be much quicker than waiting for Yuki to gather up enough strength to end my misery.

I've probably thought about this far too much. Probably. I have a tendency to obsess, a result of my Hunter upbringing; every plan should be flawless. Be prepared for the unexpected.

But they weren't.

"Shouldn't you be asleep?" I sighed, eying the vampire grudgingly, taking in his ever- immaculate appearance. But was that straw? What could he possibly-

"Yes, and so should you, by the looks of things." What the hell did the damned Pureblood mean by that? Is there something wrong with my appearance? Now I sound like a fan girl! Dammit!

But there was something in his voice that I couldn't let go unnoticed; the lack of malicious undertone in his voice. Has the sunlight gone to his head? He sounded…weary. Or maybe my ears are deceiving me, I am exhausted. Yeah…That's more likely than Kuran being…nice.

"That's what I'd planned on. Get out of my way." I demanded, staring him straight in the eyes, unflinching. Kuran may feel like being friendly, but there was no way in hell I was going to return the sentiment. I really can't stand his 'I'm better than you and you know it' attitude.

The Pureblood simply smiled, a small twitch of his thin lips upwards, and didn't move. "Ever so charming, Kiryu. I do wonder what Yuki sees in you…" he murmured with a sideways glance at the gun that was still trained on him. I'd tensed at the subject that was sore for both of us, and my finger tightened around the trigger, the gun held with more intent than before. He loved to play such games; I didn't.

"And put that thing away. People will think you're…over-compensating." I narrowed my eyes; he smirked. There are no bounds to the idiocy of other people it would seem. And being a Pureblood does not make you immune to being an idiot, either.

I hate everyone.

"It's unlike you to be crude, Kuran," I all-but-snarled, eyes narrowing. "I thought that was beneath you?" Was that even a good question to ask?

A flicker of amusement and mischief lit up his disgustingly red eyes. "It most certainly is." But his expression contradicted his words, showing there was something he'd left unsaid. What have I got myself in to? I just want to sleep!

"Whatever. Do what you like. I don't care anyway." I told him nonchalantly, as if I could stop the damned vampire from doing whatever his heart desired in the first place.

"Don't you? Could've fooled me." Oh, how I hate that smug expression. I wanted so badly to reach forward and slap it off his face.

Instead, I bit back my sharp retort, knowing that no matter what I did, no matter how hard I tried or how fast I ran, Kaname Kuran would always be one step ahead of me. Always.

"No reply, mm? That's so…unlike you." The hint of a purr in the vampire's voice just served to make me madder. If he's not careful, one of these da-

Kuran had had enough of talking to me it seemed, and he started to walk away. As if I'd ever stop him. I feel as if every second I spend with him, he's inwardly laughing at me, the conceited-

"Well, I'll see you around…Zero."

"Don't be so familiar with me, like you're a friend!" He'd tested my patience and like a length of string with too much tension, I'd snapped. Seeing the Pureblood's amused expression quickly brought me back to my senses. There was no winning with him; everything I do he seems to find amusing, like I'm a little puppet to be played with. His level of contempt for me was similar to that of a child. How can someone, God knows how old he is, be so damned immature?

"Ah, I see I've touched a nerve." He smiled a graceful smile, reminding me much of Takuma Ichijo's common, friendly expression, but I knew Kaname Kuran was nowhere near that sincere. Hidden motives, no doubt. "Anyway, I really had better get going now- looks like the sun's decided to make an appearance."

He was right; the cloud cover that had been so thick before was starting to disperse, and the first few brave rays of sun had made their way down to Earth. I winced- it was probably a good idea if I got inside too.

I retreated inside the stables, but stood guard at the entrance, watching Kaname Kuran's retreating form through narrowed eyes. Just what was he doing over here in the first place, and so early in the day, too? There was something highly suspicious about all of this; it didn't add up.

As I settled down next to Lily for a much-needed nap, one simple phrase would not leave me alone;

I will be the death of you, Kuran.

R+R, people. Also, chapter 2 of Monster will be up as soon as I get over my block for it. In the mean time, I've been drawing VK fan art of Zero and Kaname (message me for the links to the pictures). Thank you ^-^