A/N: Well, this one-shot came up because I wanted to take a "small break" from the usual angsty shit I write. ٩◔‿◔۶ So. without further ado, here you go~! Merry Christmas and a wonderful, happy new year. (ノ◕ヮ◕)ノ*:・゚✧

Disclaimer: Do not own Vampire Knight, unfortunately.


The Wrong Kuran

"Can I have Kaname's hand in marriage, Mr. and Mrs. Kuran?" His proposal was straight to the point, without being blemished to imperfection, and with his head bowed, he knelt in front of the shocked Kuran couple, silver strands falling over his cheeks; concealing the red stains of embarrassment. If his parents were alive and had seen him like this, he would surely not have lived to see the next daylight.

They were probably rolling in their graves at this moment, but oh well, anything in the name of love.

The silence was rather long; suffocating, and Zero was beginning to think that the pureblood couple was plotting his demise for daring to voice out such an outrageous proposal, but to his fortune, the iciness (from the lack of words) in the atmosphere was broken by Mrs. Kuran's words – her voice sweet; yet adorably hesitant as she gazed him with sheer confusion in her eyes.

"You want to marry our Kaname-chan?"

Zero gave a swift nod without thinking the doubtful query twice. After all, he risked his life to come here for that purpose only. He simply could not go back. It would make him a less of a man, and even lesser of a hunter – certainly a characteristic that he was not looking for.

"Do you love Kaname, young Hunter?" Mr. Kuran interjected, his perfect complexion marred with a frown, eyeing the young man with skepticism. Well, this kind of thing usually did not happen. He might as well give the hunter the benefit of a doubt for his bravery – the human deserved that much.

"I love Kaname with all my heart, Mr. Kuran!" His head snapped up with urgency, and Zero looked directly into the pureblood's eyes, profound earnest brimming in the depths of his amethyst orbs. Kaname Kuran was a person he dearly loved more than anyone else in this god-forsaken world (even more than his twin brother), and he would be damned if he allowed his future father-in-law to doubt him even for a second.

It was simply unimaginable!

With a defined eyebrow arched, Haruka nodded slowly, slightly taken aback by the confession. It was rather evident (despite his chagrin) that the young hunter was serious about Kaname, and he could not decide whether he should rejoice ( because his son found someone that loved him deeply) or be anguished (because that person happened to be a male and a hunter at boot) by that knowledge alone.

The vampire society was quite welcoming and open-minded when the topic homosexuality was concerned. Therefore, the fact that this young human was a male posed no real threat to them (unless Kaname was the only Kuran – thank goodness that was not the case).

The real problem with this dilemma that the man was a hunter. Intermix marriages were never taken well by either of the communities (until this day), and the couple could be easily ostracised by their peers if such a union took place. It was rather disheartening that a backward, conservative mindset like theirs was still prevalent in this day and age, but the animosity between vampires and hunters was not something that could be effortlessly vanquished by 'small talks'.

It needed more effort, and this was where he, Juuri, and Kaien made their grand entrance on the platform – to establish a world where both humans and vampire could co-exist, a place where both parties would not hate one another – simply because they were born in different races, and a haven for those poor, unfortunate souls that were forbidden to love someone who was not the same kind as them (a category which his son and this hunter had already taken a part of).

Damn it! His ideal wishes (and world) might be far from the actual reality – and it might never even happen, but Haruka would not give up without a fight. It was the least he could do for his beloved son.

But the doubt (if this hunter was worthy of Kaname) still clouded his judgment of the man. He needed to test him out – and as fast as possible.

"Young hunter," Haruka started again; mahogany eyes smoldering, "I hope you have realized that Kaname is a pureblood, a Kuran, and you are a nothing more than a mere hunter. Even if we happen to accept your proposal, the vampire and hunter society would never approve of your marriage. Are you even prepared to face such difficulties in the name of love?"

Zero nodded again, his eyes determined, a warm smile gracing his lips, "Yes, I am. I have thought about it day and night, and that is why I am here now. I am prepared to go to the ends of the world if Kaname is with me. I cannot imagine my life without her, Mr. Kuran."

The words warmed his uncertain heart, and despite himself, Haruka's lips curled into a wry smile. Well, well, the hunter was rather smooth with his words, but Haruka did not let the fact faze him in the slightest. He needed to interrogate the man further (how could he hand his son over to a stranger just like that?) to see if the human was deadly serious about Kaname, but before he could even open his mouth to speak again, Juuri had unceremoniously interrupted him by darting towards the man and engulfing him into a warm, tight embrace, her mahogany orbs brimming with happiness.

"You love Kaname so much, young human. I can see it in your eyes. Please always keep our dear child happy. You have my approval!" Juuri beamed a broad a smile, wiping her eyes with the back of her hands. She could detect (her special specialty) that true love was what this hunter felt for Kaname, a feeling so rare; so pure and so hard to find in this day and age that it made her swoon with elation. How could she even dare to reject someone that wholeheartedly loved her son for who he actually was? It would make her a terrible, terrible mother!

Haruka sighed, the corner of his eye twitching. Juuri was being Juuri (again) – clueless and not thinking of the repercussions. They could not allow the hunter to marry their son without inquiring him until he could not handle the pressure and break down, but his wife seemed to be far entranced by the charming hunter to even think properly.

Fuck it to hell and back!

"Yes, I will keep Kaname happy until the last of my breaths, Mrs. Kuran," Zero promised; voice soft, violet orbs brimming with happiness, as he hugged Lady Kuran tighter, his warm smile never leaving his lips.

He had finally done the impossible – he was going to be betrothed to Kaname...!

"Doesn't their love remind you of ours, Haruka? Give him your blessings already!" Juuri turned her head to the side, a wide grin plastered on her face, and eyed Haruka intently, daring him to say no.

Haruka shifted his gaze to the wall and crossed his arms over his chest, huffing. "Maybe." He had realized a long time ago (through painful experiences) that when his wife was dead set at something, it would probably have to be the end of the world for her to change her mind.

She was that stubbornly annoying (sometimes) – not that he would ever let her know. He valued his life, thank you.

"Haruka..." Juuri warned, her tone threatening since she did not find her husband's answer satisfactory in the least. He could be more understanding about this situation, for Pete's sake!

And that was the last straw for Haruka.

With a heavy sigh (and heart), he gave a nod of his head, eyes narrowing down irritatingly at his wife, who shot him an amused wink, before turning towards the hunter and patting him on the head, "See, even Haruka approves of your proposal."

Zero shot the pureblood a skeptical look, knowing that was not the case, but even then, he bowed his head, feeling grateful for the reluctant acceptance nonetheless.

"Thank you, Haruka-san."

His future-father-in-law seemed to be doubtful of him (Zero did not blame him, he could somewhat understand), but he promised that he would get the approval of the man as soon as possible. He considered himself a good man, an accomplished hunter, and soon-to-be an exceptional husband. Therefore, it should not be too hard for Mr. Kuran to accept him entirely, right?

Even if it were challenging, Zero would try his best – for Kaname, and for himself.

"I will never stray away from Kaname's side. I will always take care of Kaname to the best of my abilities. So, Haruka-san, please do not hesitate to entrust her fully to me, I beg of you!" Zero added, his breaths ragged for talking too fast, and bowed his head again, lower than before, hoping against all odds that his words would get through the pureblood this time around.

It was all or nothing – he had literally laid his heart on the table. What more would it need for Mr. Kuran to be conceived of his love for Kaname? Sigh. This was seriously beginning to tire him out.

There was a long, suffocating moment of silence, but soon enough, it was broken by a deep, withdrawn sigh, as Haruka nodded, his lips curving into a small smile. Maybe he was being too hard on the hunter. After all, who was he to stand between his son and his lover's happiness? Maybe it would take him some time to wholeheartedly accept the human, but if Kaname had chosen him as his mate, then there was no reason to defy his wishes. His son was intelligent, wise, and old enough to make his own decisions. Things might not work out in Kaname's favor, but people learned from their mistakes, didn't they? Their arms would always be open to welcome Kaname back if the marriage fails, but for now, he would never be able to forgive himself if he snatched his son's happiness away from him.

It would make him a heartless father, and that horrendous title was the last thing he wanted, but even if he had reluctantly approved of this, there still was this nagging voice in the back of his head that made him question the reason why Kaname had never mentioned this young man before.

'Most probably because he was scared since his lover was a human; a hunter and you might not have approved of their relationship.' His inner voice reasoned with him, and Haruka, without a second thought, nodded to himself, extremely satisfied with the answer. That must have been the reason. What else could it be? After all, if it were him, he would have been terribly petrified if he told such news to his own father.

Kaname should consider himself lucky to have an open-minded father like him. Hmph.

Although, even now, there was another small, tiny thing that still seemed to bother Haruka relentlessly.

"Young hunter, I will entrust Kaname to you, and I dearly hope that you will keep your promise and never leave Kaname's side."

Zero gave a determined nod, his features softening. "Yes, Sir. Thank you." Mission accomplished – finally.

"But I have one more question to ask you..." Haruka trailed off, not knowing how to put his inquiry into words, and Zero shot him a puzzled look, an eyebrow raised inquiringly.

"Ask me anything, Mr. Kuran."

"Why do you keep mentioning Kaname as a female–"

"Father, I apologize for barging in without knocking, but we have to leave immediately for our meeting with the Vampire Council..." The supposed lover (future spouse) of the hunter barged into the room, dressed in a black suit and red tie, and stopped short in his tracks (and words) at the scene unfolding before him.

What the hell was going on here?

"Son, why haven't you informed us about him before–" Haruka began, but yet again, was rudely interrupted – this time by Zero, as the hunter got on his feet and was not standing right in front of the object of his 'affections'.

Haruka crossed his arms over his chest (again) and huffed in annoyance, his lip sticking out in the slightest pout. Did no one want to listen to him?

"Hello, Sir." Zero greeted the pureblood with a soft smile, offering his hand for a shake. "It is nice to meet you. My name is Zero Kiryuu. And I am here to marry Kaname."

"..." There was a rapid succession of blinking (he had never blinked so many times), before Kaname stared at the hunter, dumbfounded, "I beg your pardon?"

"I am going to be betrothed to Kuran Kaname." Zero repeated, smiling broadly, "I have Haruka-san and Juuri-san's permission to do so! Can I have your blessings too, Sir?"

Kaname shot a bewildered look towards his parents, who in return, send him an equally puzzled one.

The brunette shifted his gaze back to the hunter, his brows furrowed together. "... You want to marry me?"

It was the hunter's turn to look confused now. "Not you, Sir. I want to marry Kaname!

"...So you want to marry me?"

"I am pretty sure that you are not deaf, Sir. You heard me clearly. But since I am rather a kind-hearted person, I am going to repeat myself. The reason I am here is to marry Kaname, and not you."

"...So you are here to marry me then." He was probably sounding like a broken record on repeat – but could anyone blame him, given the sheer bizarreness of the situation?

He hoped not.

"I am rather surprised to meet a deaf pureblood in this day and age." Zero shot the man a condescending look, his impression clearly not amused, "You keep repeating the same thing over and over again. Are you that desperate for love?"

If Kaname were a typical comical character, a vein would have constantly been popping on his forehead (indicating his flourishing annoyance), but since that fact was sadly not the case, the regal pureblood could do the one thing that was strictly prohibited within their kind.

He cursed.

"You little-illiterate arsebadger! You are nothing but a wankstain, do you hear me?!"

And the hunter, with that stupid, dumbfounded look on his face, only managed to raise an eyebrow inquiringly, "Are you complimenting me?"

"I was cursing you! Cursing!"

"Next time, curse me in a language I can understand. Okay? Okay." Zero responded, hiding his yawn behind the back of his hand; eyes roaming around the room to spot his special person (and avert his sight from the eyesore of a pureblood). His conversation with the I-know-it-all egotistical shit of a vampire was making him sleepy, and tired, and extremely irritated. Therefore, the desperate need to have a single glimpse of his sunshine, Kaname, should not come off a surprise, right? Speaking of her, where in the world was she, anyway?

"Mrs. Kuran, is Kaname not home? Should I come at a later date?"

A deafening pause issued, before Kaname snapped; voice exasperated. He had enough of this!

"I am Kaname!"

Zero immediately fell into silence, astonished. What the hell?

"Excuse me?"

Kaname's eyebrow twitched ever so slightly, but he somehow managed to keep his irritation down (only barely so), "I am Kaname Kuran."

The hunter gave him a look that was a half-glare, half-dumbfounded, amethyst orbs bewildered, "You are rather humorous, Sir. If you don't want to give us your blessings, tell us so. But please don't joke around. It's unflattering to someone of your status. "

Burgundy eyes narrowing, pride hurt, Kaname growled threateningly, ready to shred the hunter into pieces at any given moment.

"Why would I kid around about my name? Especially if my audience was a hunter? You have some nerve coming here to marry me without knowing who I was...!"

With his right eye twitching, Zero shot back, a scowl marring his features. "I don't even know you, but I would rather die than marry you. Have you ever looked at yourself in the mirror? Your ego is even larger than my grandma's buttocks!"

"..."

The look on the pureblood's face was priceless, so was the amused snicker from Mrs. Kuran, and Zero, seemingly unfazed by choice of his own words against the all-mighty pureblood, continued, "You cannot be Kaname. Kaname, my Kaname, is a petite young woman with big brown eyes and long, silky brown hair. She is my classmate, she is my love, and she is certainly not you, Sir."

"..."

There was a deafening silence, not because Kaname was at loss of words, but because he was controlling himself from blowing up a certain, annoying hunter into tiny pieces and then feeding the remnants of the human to his beloved shepherd dog, Sebastian.

He was trying extremely hard, nearly even succeeding, but then the hunter had to go and open his filthy mouth yet again,

"Cat got your tongue, huh? If you really want a homosexual wedding with a male hunter, I can probably hook you up with someone, but it's gonna cost you."

Zero made no effort to conceal his smirk. After all, why should he when the pureblood was the perfect target to take out his frustration (and confusion) on? Give him a break, geez.

Not even a second later, the nearby porcelain vase was on the ground, shattered into pieces, and Haruka silently mourned over his favorite possession, hiding his tears with an impassive mask. Out of all things Kaname could have destroyed, it had to be his vase, didn't it? Did no one like him in this house?

With his jaw set tightly, his eyes narrowed to slits, pure irritation had taken a great hold over Kaname (his pride was being shredded into pieces with each second, for god's sake!), but before he could even give the man an earful of his life (and beat the daylights out of him), the pureblood was interrupted by a sudden gasp, following with a query that made his attention perk with incredulity.

"Is, the hunter, perhaps, talking about our Yuki?"

"You took the words out of my mouth, Juuri."

The Kuran couple exchanged looks, knowing fully well that their daughter had caused an enormous blunder – yet again. Could she not live her life (and let them live their own ones) peacefully for once?

"Yuki? Who is Yuki?" Zero asked incredulously, forgetting his annoyance towards a certain pureblood for a second, as he regarded the purebloods with an inquiring look.

But instead of directly answering him, Juri evaded the question by inquiring the hunter with her own one, "Kiryuu-san, do you happen to go to Cross Academy?"

Arching an eyebrow, Zero nodded. "Yes."

"Are you in your last year of college?"

Another swift nod.

"Does 'Kaname's' best friend happened to be Sayori Wakaba?"

Another nod, but this time, it seemed to be somewhat hesitant.

Heaving a sigh, Juri shot her husband a knowing look, the doubts she had been cleared with certainty.

"That's our Yuki."

"It's her, alright." Haruka gave a sigh of his own, massaging his temples with his fingers. Yuki had messed up badly this time. Damn.

"I knew she had changed her name to avoid attention, but I did not know that she had used Kaname's name to do so!"

Haruka shrugged, seemingly used to his daughter's antics. "She used to have a thing for her brother's name, you know."

"True, but still, it's not fair to Kaname..."

"Can anyone inform me about what the fuck is going on here?" Zero snapped; voice harsh and riddled with irritation, as he observed the Kuran couple conversing with themselves. Had they forgotten that he was here? And who the fuck was Yuki?

Wine-red orbs remorseful, Juuri regarded the hunter with sympathy, lips curled into a frown.

"My apologies, Kiryuu-san. We had no intentions to exclude you." The pureblood sighed, absentmindedly twirling the lock of her hair around her finger, before she continued; voice soft, "I feel rather despondent to inform you of this, but the Kaname you asked for marriage is actually our daughter, Kuran Yuki."

"And she is engaged. Sorry." Haruka quickly added, brows furrowed together, as he observed the crestfallen man with compassion. The idea of finding that one's loved one was already betrothed to someone else must hurt – damn a lot. Thankfully, he was never in that position.

"..." No words left his mouth. With his head bowed, Zero darted his eyes towards his shoes, fists clenched; jaw snapped tight. In one moment, the life he had imagined; the woman he had come to love, were nothing more than a wistful wish. There was no Kaname, at least not the one he actually wanted.

The innocent looks, the cheeky smiles, the warm hugs – were they nothing more than friendly gestures? Had he read into it something that was not there?

Zero threw a distracted hand into his hand, clenching his strands into a tight grip; groaning softly. Fool, he had been! How could he even meet the eyes of the Kuran family now without feeling the need to be ashamed of being such a moron? He had screwed up big time. Fuck.

"Kaname is available if you wish to give him a chance," Juuri suggested, giving the horrified males a toothy grin; wine-red orbs mischievous. The dejected expression on the young man's face had called out the motherly side of hers, and she wanted nothing more than to soothe it as much as possible.

By the looks of it, her method had actually worked.

Kaname, who had been silently observing the entire exchange with a lack of interest, was jolted back to reality, eyes widening as he regarded his mother with sheer incredulity.

"Mother! I am not a gay!"

"Mrs. Kuran, no! I like women, not stuck up assholes!"

"You know that I can hear you, right?!"

Eyes narrowed, nostrils flaring, the two young men glared at one another, ready to kill with no remorse.

Heated moments prolonged in the tensed silence, and then, with a deathly glare, Zero broke the eye contact, pursuing lips tightly into a thin line. He had enough! Of everything. He was going to the bar and drink his heart out! If someone even dared to stop him, they would surely find a bullet lodged in their heads with no question asked.

To irritate an already irked Kiryuu Zero was like volunteering oneself in a suicide mission. It was simply too dangerous. A certain Kaito Takamiya would know that fact all too well. Bless his unfortunate soul.

"I am going to take my leave, Mrs. and Mr. Kuran. Farewell, and I apologize for troubling you with something of no importance."

This time it was Haruka who spoke, scratching the back of his head sheepishly. "No worries. Take care of yourself, Kiryuu-san." Despite his initial impression of the hunter, he actually felt sorry for him. Poor kid. He did not deserve such a shock.

The pureblood made a mental note to lecture his daughter right after she returned from her vacation – Yuki would certainly not escape it by giving him her trademark, puppy eyes. He would make sure of that, no matter how hard the temptation to give in and push this incident to the dark corners of his head.

He had to be strong, right? Sigh.

Shooting a curt nod towards the bemused Kuran couple and throwing one last glare at the fuming pureblood, Zero stormed out of the door, harshly pushing Kaname to the side (since he was blocking the way, and he wanted to vent out his anger on someone) before getting into his car and driving to the nearest bar to drown himself in own his misery.

On the other hand, back in the Kuran mansion, a certain Juuri Kuran was smiling from ear to ear, "Aw, they already like each other, don't they? Isn't that so adorable, Haruka?"

Haruka gave his wife a bewildered look; a defined eyebrow arched exasperatedly. It seemed that on this very day Juuri Kuran had finally lost her mind. The pureblood almost pitied himself as he grabbed his perky wife by her arm and led her to their bedroom. They needed rest. A considerable amount of it.

The sooner the events of this day were forgotten, the better it was for all of them. Sigh.

But unknown to Haruka, that was not going to happen anytime soon. If only he had spared a single glance back, specifically at their son, Haruka would have certainly given a second thought to his wife's words.

Because, at that moment, a certain Kuran Kaname, lost in own musings, was rubbing his arm (the one a particular hunter had touched), with utmost fondness, as a faint rosy color dusted his cheeks, his full lips curled into an amused grin.

"So ... this is what people meant by love at first touch, huh?"


(A week later)

Ding Dong Ding Dong Ding Dong

The insistent ringing of the doorbell at his apartment startled Zero awake, and with a groan, he wrapped the pillow around his head, ignoring the loud, obnoxious sound once and for all.

After an entire week of constant drinking and indulging himself in his self-pity, a peaceful sleep had finally graced him with its presence, but even now, fate would not let him that pinch of solace.

Was he that cursed?

As if to confirm his query (and mock him for his misfortune), the doorbell rang with more persistence after a momentary pause, and Zero, fed up with the annoying sound in his ears, fumbled out of bed, groggily making his way to the door.

The person behind that door certainly had a death wish.

With a glare so deathly, one that would even scare the notorious dragon away, Zero wrenched the door open, leveling his heated gaze down to the trembling figure of the delivery guy. If the man did not have a good excuse waking him up at such an hour, someone was going to lose his life, and it was surely not him.

The smile died on his lips, and without a word, the man, scared shitless, literally thrust the wrapped package into the unexpected arms, and scrambled down the stairs without a glance back, forgetting to even take the required signature. Why did the boss always sent him to this beast in human form? Were they no other volunteers? If this kept happening, he would change his occupation for good! Forget about the money. It was a matter of life and death, and he had no wish to die a virgin.

Jesus Christ!

An eyebrow arched, Zero stared down at the package in his hands, apparently confused. Was it his birthday? He checked the back of the wrapped box to find the identity of the sender, but when he saw no name, the frown on his features deepened.

What the hell?

For a whole moment, he eyed the decorated package suspiciously, but as the moments passed, his curiosity only heightened, and with inhuman speed (he was not called the 'Human Without Fangs' for no apparent reason), Zero had successfully shredded the ridiculous, bright outer covering into pieces – miraculously, without damaging the contents inside.

But, to his increasing annoyance, the objects in his hands seemed to heighten his profound perplexity.

It was another box, this time smaller and blue, accompanied by an envelope, which bore a crest of a blooming rose, one which he could not simply remember because the storage of information within his head was that awful.

He would not be surprised, if one day, the name that he was given would be forgotten by his own self. Ridiculous, fuck it.

With a shake of his head, Zero cautiously opened the small box – and then a second later, closed it right back, a clear look of horror (and embarrassment) ghosting over his features

What. The. Actual. Fuck.

With distressed, pleading eyes, Zero eyed the letter, begging the inanimate object for some logical explanation for this, and with sheer reluctance, brought the letter close to his eyes, fingers trembling throughout the way, and scanned the contents of the paper quickly, his heart dropping to the pits of his stomach as each ominous letter registered to his brain.

Dear Mr. Hunter,

Take responsibility for stealing my aching heart. You surely did not get a wife that day, but you did get a prospective soon-to-be-your-beloved-husband (a.k.a. me).

Will you marry me? If so, please call me at xxx-xxx-xxx.

I will be waiting for your call with utmost impatience. xoxo

P.S: Did you like your present? I had it specially made for you. *heart*

Your most beloved, good-looking vampire,

Kuran Kaname.

.

.

.

.

.

.

And the next thing the neighbors heard was a series of gunshots in the distance, but they effortlessly ignored it and resumed their activities. After all, this kind of occurrence was considered to be normal for a certain Kiryuu Zero.

Whoever received the man's wrath, they prayed for his safety.


On the other side of the town, a smiling Kaname Kuran was dreamily staring at his phone, humming under his breath, and already making plans for their wedding, while at the same time, disregarding the questionable; suspicious looks sent his way from his overly-curious family members.

He would provide them with answers, soon enough, but for now, the only thing (person) he wanted...

"Don't make me wait for far too long, Mr. Hunter... A man in love can only have so much patience."


A/N: Did you like it? Hate it? (◠﹏◠✿) I actually enjoyed writing this, haha~! Any guesses of what the present might have been? (¤﹏¤)

Anyways, thank you so much for reading this until the end! Feedback/Reviews would be extremely appreciated. (¬‿¬)

Take care, and have a wonderful day/night. (ノ◕ヮ◕)ノ*:・゚✧