Vampire Knight - Night of the Masquerade - 87th Night
Sidenote:
This is my first fan fiction, and I hope you all enjoy it! It tells of the events that took place before, and during the masquerade ball that Yuuki and Zero attend.
All dialogues, thoughts, and expressions are what I copied down from referring to the manga, so that means about 95% of this writing is actually what happened in the story, apart from additional details that I had to spend writing, so it would make sense. Enjoy
Part 1:
The air is thick with an early-morning mist, and it feels cool against my skin. The sky is still dark, but shreds of light lick at the horizon. Yesterday was one out of the many times I had left Cross Academy, planning not to come back for a while; but the difference with this time is that I left with Zero.
Little more has been heard other than the constant shuffling of our feet in the dirt, and our own breathing. We have passed the point of making petty small-talk. I sigh to myself and think of how it used to be, a little over a year ago. When we were simply Prefects of Cross Academy, we weren't necessarily the closest, but we weren't acting like strangers - not like we have been ever since I became a vampire.
I sigh again, seeing the thick fog my breath makes in the cool air. Zero's footsteps stop and I quickly realise the familiar surroundings. I look forward, but see nothing past the white mist. However, I can sense that we're here. I can smell the familiar scent of this place that I remember from so long ago. The memory of this place that had been viciously ripped out of my memory and hidden behind a wall as opaque as this mist - the house I was born in. Only until I walk closer do I see the massive building.
We walk up to the grand entrance and slightly push the door open, which is unlocked. After taking a few weary steps into the house, a wave of nostalgia washes over me and I almost don't notice that Zero has stopped walking again. I turn back to face him and he's simply standing at the entrance, not moving any further.
"I'll wait here," he simply says. Looking down, he continues, "it's fine, take your time."
I know better than to say anything else. I'm not in a position to question anything he does anymore, so I turn back and walk further into the house. My house. I hover over to the staircase and walk up them, placing my hand on the railing.
"There's a thin layer of dust," I mutter to myself.
As soon as I say this I remember that Aidou-senpai's father had been the one managing this house. And now he's…. I hold my hand out in front of me, observing the dust particles, and clench it. I thought he was a really kind person. This won't do… there are no clues as to why his father had to meet his end like that… How could Kaname-sama have killed him?
Part 2:
"Zero," I say, walking down the stairs, "I'm done. Let's hurry and g-"
I stop myself when I spot Zero lying against the door, eyes closed. At first I think he's somehow hurt, but as I walk closer, I see the calmness of his face, the serenity of his expression. Zero's… sleeping? I reach my hand slowly over to him…
He groggily opens his eyes, and I instantly flinch back, laughing guiltily. He looks almost as if he's about to smile. Almost.
"You're done?" He asks.
"Yeah," I say, clenching my hands tightly behind my back, "let's go."
We progress outside and I walk ahead of him, refusing to look him in the eye.
"Wouldn't it have been better for you to have taken your time?" He asks.
"Yeah," I say, "next time, I guess. Anyway, this place doesn't bring back good memories. Putting that aside, it's not what you think, it's just that when I remembered the place we have to go to next, I thought we should hurry a little more."
I look back at him, and his head is down, in thought.
"Okay," he says simply.
Suddenly, he grabs me around my waist, flips me up onto his shoulder and starts running. What?
"Zero! Hey, Zero!" I shout.
"If we're going to hurry, then it'd be faster to go down the mountain directly, than to follow the path. Definitely."
"But-!"
"You, who can only walk sluggishly, should keep quiet. You don't even have enough blood to help those from the night class… and the other victims, you've been providing them with your blood, haven't you?"
I don't reply. He knows the answer to that already. He knows that I offered most of my blood to be distributed and used to heal everyone from the effects of the Dark Tablet; the tablet Sara-chan had created in an attempt to subdue everyone into doing as she willed.
He takes a final, large leap through a bush and we're suddenly on a footpath. He places me down gently. I ignore the stinging of the grazes that the bush left behind.
"So… where are we heading to?" He asks.
I point to the train station.
"It'll take us half a day using the high-speed rail of this town to get there," I say.
"Okay…"
We walk over to the station, and I try ignoring the temptation of feeding on the surrounding humans.
"Isaya-san… he was an old friend of my parents. I'm going to get help from him," I mutter.
"The oldest pureblood, Shoutou Isaya, huh?" Zero asks, with neither the sound of approval nor disapproval in his voice.
I don't answer - I'm too occupied with the sight of all these… tasty-looking people. I change the subject, thinking of his reaction when he first saw me eat the blood tablets. I don't want him to realise how unbearably thirsty I am.
"Um, thanks for being concerned about me before, but I'll eat these blood tablets anyway. I'm not thirsty right now, but I just want to make sure. Sorry for making you misunderstand, a vampire's nature can be pretty decent sometimes."
I don't want him to find out that I actually have insufficient blood right now. He looks back at me with no expression. He's so hard to read, he may or may not believe me, and even if what I just said meant nothing to him, I will not admit my weakness right now. I feel troubled that Zero's acting the same as before.
Part 3:
The lights of the tunnel outside the window blur past as we move at high speeds. The train is uncomfortable, but it will have to do. For now. In the past… how did I talk to Zero? I feel a pang of sorrow for having forgotten the small things that made me happy. We sit in silence as I bite on my blood tablets.
"Zero…" I ask.
His eyes are closed and his head is resting in his hand, leaning on the armrest.
"I see, that's right." I purposely say out loud. He's not tired because he's sleepy. He's tired because he hasn't had enough blood for a while. I don't even know how long, but the look on his face is only so familiar to me. I reach over to abrubtly close the blind allowing people to look into our carriage.
I lean over him and grab his jaw into my hand, tightly. His eyes fly open and I can tell he's deciding whether or not to fight back.
"How long," I ponder, "have you been unsatisfied? I know about it, even though you try to hide it. I'll give you my blood, because your wound is healing too slowly…"
My eyes flick over to the wound Kaito-san left on his hand. Kaito-san had used the Chairman's anti-vampire sword to attack Zero, and his only reaction was to catch the razor-edged blade in his hand.
"STOP IT!" Zero flings his other hand forward, the impact pushing me to the wall on the other end of the carriage. I brush myself off and stand back up to ask him a question.
"How exactly did you endure your hunger for a whole year? I heard that you can now eat blood tablets, but… when I recall the satisfaction from drinking blood, I already understand that it's really painful to abstain from it."
He stays silent for about a minute, just remaining still, looking at me with pain in his eyes. He then looks down and answers back, so quietly that I barely hear.
"When night falls," he says, "and I head out to hunt vampires, I occasionally drink their blood… until Kaito returns from the look-out. I drink their unpleasant blood. Their dirty blood filled with insanity."
"So," I breathe, "if that's the case…"
I don't know what else to say. All I can do is stare at Zero, who - for the first time since I became a vampire - is showing an emotion other than hatred and disinterest to me. If there were a name for a face that displays sorrow, guilt, hatred, and worry all together, it would be used to describe what his face is showing right now. I stand there, lamely, not knowing what to do. It's so rare for him to even open up to me, I've forgotten how to react.
"No," he says, more to himself, "it's got nothing to do with you."
"Sorry, looks like I was misunderstood as well," I say, laughing off the silence like an idiot.
There should have been more words after that. It's as though we've put a mask on our hearts. The both of us acted as though nothing had happened. I slide back onto the seat and lie on my side, the old leather emitting an unpleasant smell and making an uncomfortable bed.
"Wake me up, all right?" I say, my voice groggy with fatigue.
"That's if I don't oversleep." Zero sighs, also sounding tired.
Part 4:
We finally got off the train. It's late in the afternoon, and the sky is beginning to become more yellow in colour, though the sun is still strong. With my umbrella tightly in my grip, I am walking down the street with Zero, who's following silently. Asking him if he wanted to share the umbrella was out of the question.
On the seemingly empty street, a single hooded figure approaches us, and we both simultaneously stop. Under the hood, I can see it's a light-haired vampiress.
"As a messenger of my master, Isaya-sama," she says, formally, "I have brought a written invitation for you. This evening, we have invited you, a pureblood, and other nobles to a masquerade ball."
The holds both of her hands out, which contain a rolled-up parchment, with a ribbon wrapped tightly around it, and a large, round stamp sealing it.
Part 5:
Night has struck and it is the time of vampires. I arrive to an ancient-looking mansion, noticing the vines crawling up the brick walls. The windows have been conveniently tinted black, so as to prevent sun from coming in - or humans from seeing what goes on inside. I wrap my cloak tighter around my neck, shivering, even though I don't feel cold. I walk up to the door, which, just as I touch the knob, opens slowly.
"Milady," says a voice, "is the dress alright for you?"
Isaya-san steps in my view from behind the door, dressed in a classic-looking suit. It must literally be hundreds of years old.
"Yes, I've managed to fit in it somehow!" I say, smiling, "Thank you very much for preparing his suit too."
Zero had been reluctant to wear the suit he was sent, but he agreed it would be better for our mission if we both blended in.
"You are welcome. Where is he?"
"Um, he's faithfully doing his work as we have agreed."
"'Inspecting the evening party'. But that's only until 'that person' appears. This is still a ball, after all. Aren't you going to dance with him?"
'That person', Isaya must have meant Kaname… why did I have to be pushed to such lengths to bring my own blood to justice?
"He refused to dance in the past. And… it's fine. Zero is a hunter. And I'm a pureblood."
"I find it odd that you asked me to lay such a dangerous trap. My friends' children have become the focus of the problem, but I can't help but remain a spectator. May I have this dance, precious daughter of my old friends?" Isaya-san says, holding out his hand.
And so we dance, along with everyone else at the party. He's leading me, of course, because I have no clue what I'm doing.
"Is this your first time at a masquerade?" He asks, wearing his white, intricate mask.
"Yes, it's an odd feeling," I reply, wearing mine, which is similar in appearance, "because I'm hiding my identity. No one has come to give their greetings, so I feel more at ease. But, everyone's really nervous. They are standing ready and waiting for 'that person' to appear."
Part 5:
The view of the garden from the balcony is breath-taking. The moonlight illuminates the pond beneath me, and I watch as leaves gingerly settle on the surface, creating an array of rings that disturb the perfect stillness. Streaks of moonlight get caught in the dewdrops of every plant, making it look as if they are sparkling. I prefer the atmosphere of this serene, black and white dream to the comparatively loud, chaotic reality that is inside. It's nothing more than a temporary escape from my life, a short break.
I sigh quietly. Just as I wonder whether Kaname will come, I hear a footstep from behind me and turn, dreading that it is him. Instead, it's Zero, wearing his mask. I smile in relief, and he strolls over to me.
"What is it, Ze-" I stop as he gently cups my face in his hand. We stand in silence for a moment.
"Isn't it the etiquette to hide one's name when the mask is worn?" He asks as if talking to a stranger.
I hold my hand up, containing my mask, and place it over my face, tying the ribbon tightly around my head. I receive a sense of relief, as if my worries are being hidden, just as my identity is by this mask.
"Good evening," I say, playing along with the game, "it's our first time meeting, isn't it? Who might you be?"
By his lack of reaction, I assume he isn't in the mood for this.
"Just kidding," I say, dumbly.
I look down and to my astonishment, he's holding out his hand. Without hesitating, I place mine in his, feeling the warmth. The feeling of his skin on mine brings a happiness to me, which only makes another hidden part of me feel guilty. But for the moment, I enjoy his presence, and allow this moment to compensate for the distance that's been between us for the past year.
We begin to dance, and memories of our friendship from before flood back in. I miss him, much more than I should admit. I want to be near him, to hug him, and to be close, once again. But we continue dancing, and I follow his lead.
"So you can dance after all…" I say.
We stay like this for a few minutes, and I block out the outside world, the one full of worry, fears, and guilt.
"You're very similar," he says, in his own thoughts, "to a girl who was precious to me, who died a year ago."
"You too," I say, quietly, "you're similar to a guy whom I worried about and wanted to protect, but… hurt instead. But you're a different person, right? He isn't someone who would dance with vampires, after all."
He holds my hand tightly, and I hold back. I dig deep through my memories, recalling all of our precious moments.
The night when I first met him.
The night I hugged and comforted him by the fireplace, telling him it's OK.
The night he held my hand and led me away from the Moon Dormitory after I saw Kaname-sama bite Ruka-chan.
All those days we playfully made fun of each other, which I know he misses equally as much as I do.
Why did it turn out like this?
Zero places his hand on the back on my head, and I grip his shoulders tightly. He leans in slowly and places his lips on mine. The feeling of being close to him -which I've mistakenly hidden away - comes back to me and I embrace his kiss, holding him tighter to me, hoping never to be separated from him. This one moment that I can cherish for a little longer. I close my eyes and we stay like that… Zero… why did I ever have to hurt you?
He pulls away slowly, and I look into his deep, lavender eyes, my hand in his silver-coloured hair. Fondness. This feeling is real too. It's hidden in me; the other half of my heart that belongs to Zero. A dark figure looms at the entry to the ball room, and I spot him whilst still embracing Zero.
Kaname. He saw everything.