Summary: He was a pureblood with loving parents and a fated twin brother, a bright, difficult future ahead of him. Now Zero is human and goes to Cross Academy with his sister. But when his past catches up to him, what secrets will he learn? Can Kaname and Ichiru help him survive his true nature? Rating will change. Yaoi. KanamexZero, IchiruxZero
Warning: Yaoi story! The pairing depends mostly on you. Kind of AU and there will be an OC, though she won't be with any of the actual characters since i don't usually go for that.
Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Knight.
A few cracks littered the ceiling on which Zero Kiryu was currently aiming his dulled but unyielding attention. He was sure that is was around five in the morning, seeing as he'd been laying on his bed for a long time now and the sun still hadn't shown itself. He'd never been too keen on sleeping through the night, with the exception of his moments inside the horse barn. Oddly enough, those hours he'd been meant to work making rounds were like sleeping pills to him; not to mention that one haystack in the back of the rundown barn. He supposed momentarily that he should bring a few of those stacks to his room, seeing as this bed was doing nothing for him. Oh, the sun was up.
After a few long moments of idly wondering how long it'd been light out, Zero heard two speedy knocks on the door before it was opened wide.
"Zero! Get up! We'll be late" The frustrated yell urged him to grumble and groan, as per usual. He turned to face the wall and heard the tapping of a foot for a good five minutes, a bit louder each time. He got up a bit, before the stomping could begin, and took a few more seconds before fully facing the other. His amethyst gaze landed on a pair of equally colored eyes, finally finding the source of his current torment. It was a medium-sized girl, her long silver hair stopping just above her hips. She had her bangs cut just above her eyebrows and she sported a small braid tucked behind her ear.
Zero Kiryu's older sister -otherwise named his human alarm clock, was looking at him with as annoyed a face as one could hold when something like this happens every day.
"I don't recall ever asking for a wakeup call." Zero turned his attention to the bathroom; a nice long, warm shower seemed very appealing right now.
His sister just kept smiling somewhat aggressively as she sat down on his bed and started kicking her legs slightly.
"I don't recall you ever not being late to school if I didn't wake you. Honestly, I don't see how you manage to always be late when you live in the boys' dorm, it's even closer to school than the girls'!"
Zero yawned and corrected "You didn't wake me"
He began gathering his uniform and towel, while his sister observed, furrowing her brows. "Not sleeping well again?" She sighed, placing a hand on the mattress and pressing down, observing as the padded cushion filled itself out again slowly. "Maybe we should put you on sleeping pills. And we got you a new mattress too. Therapeutic my ass..." She looked up to see him walking into the bathroom.
Zero heard her quiet down, and turned to look back at her from the doorway. "Thanks, I guess. And I really hate pills, you know that." She smiled as he made a face at the thought of having to drink pills every day and slammed the door quickly, eager to shower and knowing she'd wait for him.
This was a daily routine that both of them were overly accustomed to. Zero and Lila Kiryu had only recently turned eighteen, his twin sister being only a few minutes older than him. Their parents had enrolled them at Cross Academy from the moment they reached the right age, after receiving a very generous scholarship. Though it had seemed outrageous to Zero, considering they lived so far from the school, but their parents were adamant for some reason, insisting they should take the opportunity. So here he was, years later, making his usual morning shuffle into the bathroom.
He got into the shower and let the cold water hit his warm skin, relaxing him completely, and waking him up as much as possible. It only took a few minutes for him to step out of the shower once again and soon enough, the sleepy silverette walked out of the bathroom to find his room empty. 'Hmm… she must be outside' Zero sighed once more and slowly found his way to putting on a uniform. Soon he was walking out the door, with a noticeable frown on his face; one which he felt was a default expression for him.
As the bright rays of sunshine hit him full strength, making him narrow his eyes and his clothes cling a little tighter to his skin, he figured that it was just one of those days. For a moment, he considered just turning around and heading back inside, but thought better of it because skipping school wasn't going to get him anywhere –or so his parents' voices kept repeating somewhere at the back of his mind.
Chairman Cross had just finished a rather taxing amount of paper work and phone calls with a family in record time, if he did say so himself. They had insisted on everything being done quickly and efficiently, so now he was on his way to the front gate to meet them. Kaien's long straw-colored hair had been pulled back in a hurried ponytail, though a few strands still covered his face slightly. And he didn't really mind this, considering his expression was far more serious than he wished for any student to witness.
He made his way to the front gate in a form of speed walk, skipping a few steps here and there. He'd purposely chosen to take the long way to have some time to gather himself, considering the family on the other line had practically pushed him out the door even though they hadn't even gotten here yet. On his way there, he'd gotten yet another call, this one apparently to confirm everything.
"I'm glad she'll be attending here- oh no, it has been no problem at all. Ah, actually it just showed me what a great addition she will be to the school, how wonderfully efficient her family is... Yes, of course, I'm on my way- ah, I understand, okay- yes, goodbye." Kaien sighed as he put away his phone. He was walking by the boy's dorm when he saw a familiar silver haired girl sprinting out the front door.
"Ah, good morning, Lila" This got the girl to look his way "Morning chairman." Kaien smiled back cheerfully "Might you be waiting for Zero?" She nodded "Yeah, he's usually late for class and well…he really isn't on the teacher's good side. So I thought I'd wake him."
"Ah well isn't that sweet~…though wouldn't you be waking up too early?" Lila held a sheepish grin at the thought of her very unsteady morning. "Nah I think I took all the morning person out of him since birth, I wake up super early. And, well Zero could be expelled for tha-"
"Oh he won't be" Kaien cut her off with a wave of his hand, "Though we wouldn't want Zero to be late again… Ah! I know what you could get him!" The two continued their talk for the few minutes it took the girl's brother to come out, the chairman being successfully distracted from his important task.
Zero quickly noticed the two standing nearby, having an unusually calm conversation. Kaien looked to the young prefect as he walked to them, grumbling something about school starting too early. They graciously ignored the grumblings and offered up their brightest smiles. "Good morning, Zero"
"Morning Chairman… What are you doing here?" Kaien blinked and went into his usual dramatics, holding a sad expression and whipping an imaginary tear, asking a defeated "Do my students not enjoy my company?" or something of the sort. Zero found himself coming out of his funk just a bit as he chuckled at Kaien's theatrics and his sister's awkward attempts at assurance. Though the chairman snapped right out of his show when a familiar ringtone sprung on loudly.
"Ah! Must be going now! Lila, remember, you have permission after patrol okay?" As soon as the girl nodded, he took off running. Repeating "I'm on my way"s into his phone. The twins began their own way to class as Zero looked at Kaien speed walk away, turning to Lila when he was out of sight.
"What do you have permission for?"
"Stock up shopping in town, you'll see."
"Well look who finally decided to show up,"
Their homeroom teacher said with narrowed eyes and hands placed firmly on her hips, she hated when people were late. Though, obviously, her students didn't feel at all the same. Most of the class perked up at their entrance and a few even watched as they made their way to the seats on a table at the back of the classroom. The teacher began her lesson the very second the Kiryus took their seats, wasting no time.
Zero lowered his head to rest in on folded arms as his half open eyes watched Lila scribble away on her notebook. She'd always been very diligent in classes, unlike her brother, who left her to marvel each semester at how he remained at the top of the class with her. Zero smiled at the thought and burrowed deeper into his folded arms, hiding his eyes. It was likely because of her very detailed notes, which she gave in exchange for math lessons. His sister always said that math is the sort of thing you're born to either be great at or be monstrously depressed at because you suck at it so much. She'd made a point to remind him that she was the latter every time he became especially frustrated during her lessons.
As the classes continued, it all seemed endless for the female kiryu twin and she was hoping she would get to see some action during her prefect duties later today; that was the entire reason patrolling the grounds was her favorite activity. Zero spent nearly the whole day with his ears attentive but his gaze averted, mostly locked on the large windows at the side of their classroom, his mind going over the same thing hers was, though he saw it a bit differently.
He figured, as always, he'd get a headache. His mind reviewed all the stuck up bloodsuckers which occupied the night class, like a sort of roll-book. Both he and his sister knew of their nature and didn't have much of a problem with them. But they would be lying if the horror stories they were told as children every night by their father didn't help decrease their levels of tolerance for them.
They were always kind of cold and very formal with most of the night class. But, with time, the twins had warmed up a bit to some of them. Lila had developed a friendship of sorts with Aido after she harshly rejected his "charm", so he asked if she was a lesbian and she promptly slapped him. Kuran Kaname, the night class's dorm president, had allowed this (seeing as he knew the blond deserved it). Afterwards, he made the poor blond apologize in front of everyone, earning the utmost approval from Zero. Lila, being very quick to tease, reveled in the moment entirely, but soon took pity and said it was all fine. Those two had been great frienemies ever since. She'd also become a bit closer to Rima Toya (Both girls sharing the same short temper and a stunning lack of hesitation for speaking their minds). The silverrette and Akatsuki Kain had come to have mutual respect for each other. Though she became closest to Takuma Ichijou, seeing as he had a smile which, as she puts it, can put the sun to shame.
Zero, on the other hand, had taken a liking to a girl called Yuki Kuran, the little sister of the dorm president, Kaname Kuran. He had been told that she and her brother were purebloods, the highest form of vampire, or something of the sort. He hadn't ever thought much on it seeing as Yuki was a very sweet girl. As for Kaname… Zero didn't get him, Kuran always acted oddly towards him. This meaning that one moment he'd be exceedingly formal and chastising to Zero and the next, he'd be unusually nice; loving even. Often going as far as to have gentleness for him that he had only seen the pureblood have for Yuki. The youngest Kiryu had also grown quite fond of Kain Akatsuki, Senri Shiki and Takuma Ichijou.
The prefects soon found themselves getting into their usual positions once their classes ended, standing at either side of the night class gates, waiting for them to open. The crowds of day class students were starting to gain their usual sizes. All of them waiting with unconcealed excitement for the exceptionally beautiful students of the moon dorms to greet them on their way to class.
Finally the gates slide apart and the vampires gracefully walk in between the two large crowds, Kaname and Yuki Kuran leading the way. The pureblood princess had a sweet smile on her face as she turned her gaze to Zero.
"Hi Zero, hope you have a good night" The human in question let a warm smile show as the girl jogged slightly to him. "Thanks Yuki, you too" They looked at each other for a moment before she continued onwards with a wave of the hand. For a moment, Kaname held a slight, barely noticeable frown on his face. But Zero saw it just before it was replaced by a polite smile as the pureblood walked to him.
'Oh, so it's that Kaname today' Zero could have sworn he'd seen the pureblood in a good mood when the gates had opened. He considered asking him what's wrong but decided against that; it wasn't his business anyway. At least not while the pureblood was in one of his moods. But he always knew that Kuran would say something to him every time they saw each other. No matter what mood the bipolar pureblood seemed to be in, he'd never pass by him without at least uttering at least five words or more.
"Hello, Zero. Be careful tonight" Ah, there it was. Zero raised an eyebrow at the minimum choice of words; must be some attitude brewing in his head. "Like I'm not always careful?" This made Kuran's smile widen a bit.
'I swear, his moods sway more than anyone I've ever met.' But even as Zero thought this, he knew that it was quite reassuring that even in the worst of moods, his pureblood 'friend-of-sorts' still cared for him. "Of course you are, Zero. Have a good evening." Kaname replied as he stepped away, the flow of students not allowing another moment of conversation, leaving the silverette both wondering if that first part was just some twisted sarcasm, and only momentarily considering the suggestive tenor in that second part. Though Kaname tended to end conversations with him using that kind of tone, so he chose to leave that unnerving feeling alone.
Rima Toya walked to Lila with a curt hello, receiving an overexcited "Hey!" in reply. Rima held a short smile for her good friend and swiftly walked back to her boyfriend's side. He looked at her and she held his gaze for mere seconds before they continued on with the rest of the night class. Shiki's blue eyes looked forwards again, occasionally straying to Rima as they walked.
Once the escort was accomplished, Lila sped off to patrol her side of the school grounds after giving her practiced run down to Zero about not slacking off, to which he'd answered "Well I wouldn't slack off if you wouldn't nag me so much." He admittedly loves to fluster his quick-tempered sister and that had done the trick just right.
One pointless argument later, here he was walking around the woods of the Academy. Zero made sure to breeze through the grounds as fast as he could. The students of the day class had quite a lot of respect for him –or intimidation, whichever works. So he knew they'd think more than twice about going out to sneak a peek at the night-class. As for them, well the Kurans had them under control. The only times they got out was when they didn't go to class in the first place, which would mean that he'd see them very quickly.
He worked to finish a speedy patrol, albeit dutifully double-checking the grounds once again before finally arriving at the horse stable, his usual place to rest. Zero brushed his favorite horse, White Lily, and found his customary sleeping spot on some already softened hay. Ever since his first day of prefect duties, when he wandered in and met the white stallion he now viewed as a friend, he'd always found himself returning.
Zero made himself comfortable and fell asleep almost instantly, much like he was meant to do on his actual bed. He didn't notice the pair of eyes which had been watching him closely throughout most of his patrol and were currently observing him daze off in the darkness. The rather amused and loving gaze subconsciously soothed his way to slumber. "It's nice to finally see you, Zero." The girl held a playful grin and would've approached, had he not startled her by shifting in his sleep. After a moment of hearing him grumble silently, she dashed off into the night, ready to attend the meeting her family had set up.
After about an hour of much-needed sleep, he was woken by his twin sister, who'd shaken him from his dreams, yet again. "Zero, get up…" He looked at her with a groggy answer, as she pulled a few straws from his hair.
"You know, this is little routine's getting to be extremely annoying" Lila simply grinned as she pulled him to his feet.
"Oh, come on. You're supposed to be on duty anyway. The chairman told me to bring you to his office after patrol."
"Cross? What does he want?" Zero said as he was being pushed out the wooden doors. Lila shrugged "He's been pretty stressed lately so I'd say a new student's coming" The twins exited the stable very quickly, bidding quick goodbyes to White Lily and heading to the Chairman's office.