A/N: After finishing with the Iron Fey Series Ice and Summer Would Suffice, I decided to take a break from writing the continuation. And after weeks, and weeks, and weeks of being brain dead (not literally), this idea just popped up in my head. What if Zero became the Vampire Hunter his family is renowned for, but soon discovers a pregnant Yuuki, dying? OC, people!

Zero: Let me guess, I get to act here, too.

Me: Yup!

Zero: *sighs* Got it. Caeli13 does not own anything but the kid of Yuuki. In addition, a bit of other OCs out there.

Blood Act

Kiryuu Zero woke up with a start. His head spun wildly at the sound of his front door knocking and annoyance cascaded through his expression. Groaning heavily as he rose from his bed, ruffling his silvery hair with his slender yet masculine fingers, his purple eyes darted towards the clock.

Who the hell would want me up at three in the morning? This better not be the pathetic chairman, or my master, he groaned inwardly.

Just for safety, Zero walked towards his cabinet and took out his weapon: the Bloody Rose, a weapon that can kill vampires the instant the bullet pierces their skin. This weapon looked pretty much like an ordinary .45 calibre pistol, but the fact that the hunters infused magic upon the very core of the weapon made it even more frightening in reality.

Silently, he walked down the steps of the stairs. The scent of blood rushed through the air, and it was no scent he could ever forget. He rushed quickly and opened the very boundary he had and his eyes opened widely.

"Yuuki?!" he yelled, holding the pureblood princess within his grasp.

"Zero," she said, gasping. "Kaname...traitor...nearly killed –," she coughed out blood nd Zero quickly yet gently grasped her within his arms.

"You'll be fine, you squirt," he tried to say reassuringly.

Yuuki whimpered and Zero placed her on the sofa. He took off his shirt and used the cloth to cover up and wipe away the blood that slowly spilled.

So much blood...

"Do you have a knife?" Yuuki asked.

Zero held her hand and nodded. He doesn't know why Yuuki would need such a thing, but he still went for the kitchen and hunted down for one. He quickly returned to her side and gave her the object she asked for. To his surprise, Yuuki stabbed herself on her stomach. Her eyes squinted with pain but that seemed to have not stopped her from pulling out an object within her stomach. That object resembled a little baby with blood-lusted eyes and brown hair that resembled Yuuki.

"Take care if her," Yuuki begged.

"Yuuki, what...?"

"She's my daughter," she coughed out more blood, "and Kaname's. I beg of you."

He took the child numbly from her grasp. As a hunter, two things battled within his inner thoughts. He would look after the child and seal away her vampire abilities, or would abandon the child somewhere, or maybe, kill it.

Yuuki, who could have known what he was thinking, grasped his arm with her already fading hands and begged, "Please, Zero! Protect her from the world and ensnare her with whatever warmth you have...for...me..."

And just like that, she faded out of her existence. Ashes to ashes, dust to dust, she faded into the form of a vampire who has lost her life.

Zero spat angrily, "Pathetic pureblood." Bitterness encompassed his soul. "Why didn't you heal yourself? You're a pureblood, am I correct? You could have done a better job at healing than any of the vampires out there."

He didn't notice how his tears slowly streamed down from his eyes as he held the newborn closely inside his arms. It slowly dawned upon him how much he has to shoulder on, now that the child he held would be under his care.

The baby yawned and squinted her eyes again. She let out a giggle as she tried to reach out for Zero's face.

Zero smiled softly, "You need a name." Zero walked towards the window of his home and gasped silently at the sight before him. The child truly did look like Yuuki, with her round eyes and brown hair. Her pale skin emphasized on her heritage as a vampire, but, that didn't change the fact that she is Yuuki's daughter.

"Yukina," Zero said finally. "From now on, you are... Yukina, Kuran Yukina."

The baby smiled and yawned as if understanding what he just said.

"Yukina," Zero smiled even more, repeating her name again and again as he cradled the girl within his arms while rocking her gently back and forth, humming her to sleep.

"Oyasumi," he smiled Good night

The years of raising Yukina were truly a huge challenge for the hunter. Aside from balancing his job 'studies', countless of sleepless nights engulfed his life. The baby was energetic, per se, especially at night due her bloodline as a pureblood. It took all the patience he could muster just to be a single parent.

On the day of her fifth birthday, Yukina's vampirism was sealed away by Zero. Under no circumstances was he going to be lax about her budding abilities as a pureblood. With this done, Yukina grew up into a normal girl, free of worries and sorrows.

"Zero? Zero? Zero!"

Zero jumped from his position and fell on the floor while the newspaper and pen tumbled down together from his chest. Yukina's chocolate brown hair swayed smoothly behind her as she shook her head fervently. Her hands were behind her as if she was hiding something, but Zero didn't bother asking her the question, being distracted by his own emotions.

"What?" he asked, irritated at the sweet thirteen year old.

Yukina blushed a deep scarlet and showed him a notebook. He got up from his position and took the book from the child's blushing vigor and scanned what she has written.

What is with the answers? he asked himself with amusement. This is so like Yuuki...always making mistakes in math. I guess have no choice but to teach this prototype carbon copy of hers. He picked up one of the fallen pens he had along with him.

Yukina shyly set beside her foster brother as he explained everything to her.

"But, Yagari-sensei did say..." she explained her own point of view.

Zero shook his head and replied, "He's teaching you the hard way, Yuki. Besides, this part is easier to understand, no?"

Yukina shook her head and smiled goofily.

I ruffled her hair a bit and she took an offensive pout towards my said action.

"Go do your homework, sweetie," I smiled affectionately and she saluted, saying attentively, "Yes, Vampire Captain," and marched off as I snorted at her words.

Vampire, huh? He thought more to himself as he went to pick up the fallen newspaper and placed it neatly on the living room's table. It had been years since he was turned into a true vampire by drinking Kuran Kaname's blood that contained Hio Shizuka's, his sire that was killed by the said man he drank from. Since then, he retained the seventeen year old look he had and never did age.

And Yukina asked me the question why Yagari-sishio aged so well and I didn't, he mused, recalling how that little girl became frightened of him when he revealed the fangs of the very creature he hunted and despised.

He climbed up the stairs and headed for the room at the very far corner of the hallway and slowly took a peek at the girl lying on her bed, surrounded by her plush toys. She was on her stomach, madly glaring at the notebook while saying, "Yep,", "No, this is not what Zero taught me a while ago!" to "Why did the answer – really! This is infuriating!"

Zero slowly slipped away and chuckled to himself. Truly, home schooling Yukina was a good thing. She could learn at her own pace, which was quick and sometimes infuriating.

Heading for his room, Zero inhaled deeply and rubbed his temples. Being Yukina's foster brother was indeed infuriating, especially when you're starting to grown emotions for your very own ward, and in that case, Zero's heart was already being entangled by the sweet child's smile that melted away the coldness he has.

He laid silently on the bed, his arms under his head while the sun began to set. Soon, he would be leaving for work, and Yagari would be there to come along and look after the little princess.

A few minutes later, or so it seemed, Zero's phone rang. Irritation marked his face as he headed for the line. He was feeling tired and the lack of blood pills had been a disadvantage for his own thirst. By the time he reached for the line, he answered with a very irate voice, "Kiryuu Zero speaking. May I help you?"

"Baka deshi," Yagari's deep voice spoke in the other line, "I can't come over today." Stupid student

"Huh?" Zero replied, starting to fume up. "What do you mean you can't come? You said so yourself that you would volunteer and look after Yukina yourself since yesterday."

"And I just said I can't come," Yagari stated in a very curt tone. "Instead, I have asked Cross to –"

Zero cut Yagari instantly, "Anyone but him. His stupidity would flow over to Yukina."

Zero could swear that he heard Cross Kaien's voice in the other line, saying something about dresses, tea parties and the entire girl things that made Zero flinch and arch an eyebrow.

"Would you rather have Kaito do it?" Yagari asked, hearing a retaliation at the other line.

Zero stiffened. Kaito was, in fact, the last person he would have to take care of a sweet and endearing girl like Yukina. In fact, he was the last person he would get along with and if it weren't for the fact that he was also a member of the hunter's guild, he would have wanted the very man dead on the ground.

But on the bright side, Kaito does have a way that could train future hunters.

But Yukina is a pureblood...

Zero shrugged off his thoughts and decided on the case. "Very well, as long as Kaito wouldn't lose his head on my girl, because if it's the chairman, he would fill her head with stupid ideas. It would be a much better choice to have Kaito's common sense over the chairman's air headedness."

Yagari sighed. "Very well. But he wouldn't like it." Yagari dropped the phone and Zero did the same as he headed off towards Yukina's room. He knocked against the wooden door gently and a squeal of "Come in!" could be heard.

He entered the room that contained the girl hugging an anime plush toy Zero bought her last Christmas.

"Yukina?" Zero asked.

Yukina sat up properly and cocked her head to one side, "Whatever happened, I didn't do anything yet, I swear."

Zero shook his head, "Nothing happened, sweetie, but," he walked towards the bed and sat beside her. Yukina made a tiny space so that Zero could rest on the bed himself as he said gently, "Yagari-sensei isn't coming over to take care of you."

Yukina nodded with understanding, but Zero understood the girl's inner workings.

"No, I'm not leaving you here alone," Zero nodded warningly as Yukina frowned, "and I have an old friend coming over. His name is Kaito. Do you remember him?"

Yukina's from deepened and her brows furrowed. Light instantly filtered through her eyes and she said, "Is he the one frowning all the time?"

Zero nodded.

Yukina made a rude face and said, "I never did like him. He's arrogant, Z-kun, and if I am with him, the place here would look like an area landed with hurricanes and tornadoes," Yukina looked around her room, sounding a bit nonchalant but actually fuming.

He ruffled her hair and smiled as lightly as he could. He had years of practice with and this would be one of those days when he tries to calm down and understand the child.

"Just be good, okay?" he slightly pleaded, can't even believing it himself, "Kaito isn't as lenient as I am. He's very strict, very professional, and he has a tendency to be rude all the time, but he'll get better if you actually listen, okay?"

"Yes, Zero," she said, hugging him. She looked up and said with a smile this time, "And would you promise me to buy a chocolate? I want some now, even if it's not my birthday."

He smiled, "I'll see what I can do."