Disclaimer: I don't own any of the Vampire Knight characters that would be appearing in this story. This fanfiction is only done for fun and entertainment. =)

Summary: AU. Fifteen years ago, a mysterious silver-haired young man appeared at the Kiryuu residence. He becomes Ichiru's brother and the family's sworn protector. Now, a resident at Cross Academy, he brings with him secrets that would tear Kaname's world apart forever.

Full Summary: Fifteen years ago, Zero mysteriously appeared at the Kiryuu residence and befriended a three-year old Ichiru. His close bond with the young child prompts the Kiryuu couple to adopt him as one of their own. Several years of peaceful existence was then shattered by a pureblood named Hiou Shizuka. With the death of their parents, Zero takes Ichiru to Cross Academy and promises his younger brother that he would take care of everything including their revenge against the pureblood. There he meets Kuran Kaname, another pureblood vampire. That fated meeting starts a chain of events that would unravel everyone's secrets as past enemies resurface, manipulations abound, and allegiances tested.


Immortal Guardian

00

In the End is the Beginning


"Nii-san may not be my biological brother, but he means the world to me. He's the only family I have left and I won't allow anyone to take him away from me."

Ichiru Kiryuu


"Ichiru-chan's gotten too attached to his big brother, doesn't he? I've never seen him happy like this before. He smiles and laughs a lot more now than he did in the past, Shirou."

"It might be because he's never been loved like this before, Madoka. We've been too strict with him ever since our other son died before he could be born. As the sole heir to the Kiryuu name, we trained him so hard to become a vampire hunter. He must've noticed how different we acted from normal families. We've been so aloof with him, only spending time with each other to train. He must've craved this kind of loving attention. After all, he's only a child."

"I guess we made a right decision to take Zero-kun into our household even though we never really knew him that well. That child could be so tight-lipped about his past. It's not like I care about the fact that he's never really from this world or that he's older than what his appearance shows. He's still my son."

"He'll come around eventually. You know how he is, stubborn to a fault. You nagging about the issue won't make him change his mind."

"He inherited that from you, Shirou. You're both so stubborn and secretive. I only hope that he didn't inherit any of your less acceptable characteristics."

"The way you talk about Zero-kun shows that Ichiru-kun isn't the only one attached to him."

"Well…Zero-kun's pretty much the kind of young man I want our child to grow up to be. I hope Ichiru-kun learns from his example. The last thing I need is to have another you, Shirou."

"Come on, I'm not that bad."

"I won't be forgetting any time soon what kind of teenager you were. A lot of our friends consider it a miracle that I chose to settle with you and have a family. You know, I just realized that our family is complete now. We finally have our two children and each other. I don't want to lose this happiness."

"We won't, Madoka. I swear to you that I'll do my best to protect our family no matter what."

- xXx -

A man who looked to be in his early thirties with silver-amethyst eyes and long silver hair, sat behind a mahogany desk crammed with various papers and documents. His attire consisted of a simple black long-sleeved shirt and denim jeans. He was too intent on perusing a particular paper that he failed to notice another presence joining him in the room.

"Overworking yourself like this all the time isn't good for your health, Tou-san. You should seriously stop being so stubborn and at least take a short rest. You already look dead on your feet."

Kiryuu Shirou looked up from the document he was reading when he heard the familiar soft voice say those words with a hint of irritation. He smiled warmly as he gazed at the hooded stranger who appeared from out of nowhere and was currently standing in front of him.

He remembered back then that he used to flinch or jump in surprise every time his eldest son appeared in this same manner. It wasn't a common occurrence for someone of his caliber to be caught off guard so easily. His son seemed to have no notions of privacy when it came to this household and always entered the room unannounced with absolutely no care in the world.

His son was clad in an all-black ensemble like always. He wore a long-sleeved shirt, pants, and ankle-high lace-up boots. His hands were encased in leather gloves and finally, a trench coat with a hood. The large hood was currently pulled up and cast his face into the shadows. On his neck was an intricate amulet on a silver chain necklace that fell to his chest.

It was a sigil.

A crest that symbolized his son in the world he belonged in.

To the untrained eye the crest looked like a sunburst of golden wire. But the design was in fact an image of a tree, the roots and branches intertwined to form a never-ending circle. The dark blue stone set in its trunk symbolized the tree's heart.

It seemed like the only bright color that could be found the black-clad young man was his eyes. They were usually silvery-gray like Shirou's but today; they were a bright shade of blue. It caught the warm light of the office so it looked like they glowed on their own. Shirou had noticed since long ago that his son's eye color shifted to different hues of blue depending on his current emotion.

His wife had a field day when she discovered that particular tidbit of information. She had forgone her usual calm and collected persona as she went to many lengths to see how many shades of blue her son's eyes could go. She even commented on how Zero was like a giant mood ring and needless to say, his son wasn't amused.

"Hai, hai. There's no need to nag me about it all the time, Zero," Shirou replied casually as he gestured for his unannounced visitor to sit on an armchair. He placed the document back on his desk and lounged back on his comfortable chair. "I swear that you're a lot worse than Madoka in nagging," he muttered under his breath and hoped that his son didn't heart it. But sadly for him, Zero did hear it.

The black-clad young man sighed in exasperating before settling down and said in a resigned tone, "I would not remind you all the time if you listened to any word I said and I'm sure that Kaa-san is of the same opinion. But again, your legendary stubbornness keeps on rearing its ugly head and you become as immovable as the mountains outside."

Shirou looked outraged and glared at his son. "I'm not that stubborn and I do listen to you, Zero. When have I ever ignored your advice?" he asked in a highly affronted manner and crossed his arms on his chest.

Zero opted to gaze at him pointedly instead of answering the question.

There was a few seconds of silence.

"Okay, fine! I sometimes ignore your advice. But I really need to finish the documents I need to submit in the Hunter Association," Shirou said as he gestured towards the numerous unfinished files sitting on his desk and waiting to be completed.

"Even so, you're tired and cranky and you need to take a rest. Pushing yourself isn't going to do anyone any good," Zero flatly pointed out.

"Am not cranky!" Shirou protested in a childish tone.

Zero palmed his forehead and sighed once again as he came to the conclusion that he wasn't going to win this argument. Time for Plan B.

"Very well. If I help you finish your paper work faster, will you take a rest?" Zero asked and his father's bright smile was his answer. He moved the armchair closer to the desk and reached for the few stacks of paper. He begun working on it and was unaware of the affectionate look that Shirou was currently sending him.

Zero had been the one constant presence in this family. The young man was always there when they need him the most. After eleven years since his arrival, it was safe to say that he too had gotten very attached to his extremely mysterious son.

It wasn't even hard to like Zero. The young man who appeared to look in his early twenties had a personality he could not help but be fond of. He was gentle and quite good in dealing with kids, seeing that he took good care of Ichiru all the time especially when he and Madoka were busy with their job. He was also polite and always there to help fix any problem. All in all, Shirou was quite proud at how Zero turned out to be.

His musings were suddenly cut short when said subject of his musings spoke.

"You shouldn't have to face this problem by yourself, Kiryuu Shirou. You know who I really am and what I am capable of. I'm perfectly competent in dealing with this kind of setback," Zero said, his voice as sharp and cold as a knife edge. His eyes shifted to a midnight blue. It showed exactly how serious he was.

Shirou winced at the tone of voice as well as the form of address. It was times like these that he was starkly reminded of how old his son was compared to him. He followed Zero's gaze and his eyes came upon the envelope containing information about his latest kill – the pureblood woman's ex-human lover. He had a nagging suspicion about the order and was trying to find some details he missed.

"Despite that, you're still my son. I'm not going to send you into danger all by yourself. It's a parent's job to protect their children," he replied in a serious tone. "I don't care if you're not from here or you're far older than me. Nothing would change the fact that you're still Kiryuu Zero. My eldest son and a heir to the family name."

"It's because you're my father that I'm willing to do this. Do you think I can just stand by and let you run headlong into danger by yourself," Zero replied.

"I love you and your brother so much that I'm willing to pay any price to keep you both safe."

Zero's eyes turned to a blue to icy that Shirou swore there were little icebergs floating around the irises.

"What if the price you are talking about is your death?" Zero said, his voice full of warning. "How could you expect me or Ichiru to let such a thing happen? You're just going to throw away your life like it's nothing?"Shirou didn't reply and averted his eyes. It gave Zero all the answer he needed as he continued, "We love you as well. Besides, Ichiru's only fourteen and he still needs your guidance. I can't teach him everything about being a vampire hunter. I'm not even one so how would I guide him on that path."

Zero knew that he couldn't let his father do what he wanted. He knew that Shirou was far too selfless for his own good. If he acted now, would he be able to do something about the repercussions of that last mission? He had been acquainted with purebloods in the past and he knew for certain that some of them can carry a grudge that would only be appeased by spilling blood.

"I know what you're thinking," Shirou said as he stood up and placed a hand on his son's head, ruffling it lightly. Despite the fact that Zero existed for a long time in those other worlds and was truly hundreds or even thousands of years older, the black-clad young man sometimes still acted like a teenager. And like one, Shirou knew that Zero would do anything for him even if it was irrational. "I don't want you to jeopardize yourself anymore. You were trying so hard to make yourself scarce in order to live peacefully with us. You've managed to hide yourself for eleven years and I don't want it all to go to waste. So whatever you're thinking, Zero, don't do it. Don't hurt yourself for my sake."

"…You're being unfair."

"I'm not. I care about you and I would hate myself a lot if I let you suffer because of me."

Zero sighed before replying, "The same goes for me. But I guess I won't win this one. I know when I'm fighting a losing battle. Just promised me that you'll take care of yourself."

"I promise. And you know that I'm someone who never breaks any promises, right?"

Zero smiled slightly in return. "I know."

"You should leave now before a certain someone starts to sulk. I know that Ichiru's been itching to spend the rest of the day with you. After all, you promised to take him to town today and you haven't at the house lately. He missed you a lot."

There was a light sound of footsteps heading towards the office and Zero stood up preparing to depart.

"We'll come back before nightfall, Tou-san," Zero said softly as the shadows started to gather around the wall. Within a few seconds, there was a doorway. He walked towards it and with a cheerful wave, he disappeared as if he was never there in the first place.

Shirou watched his son leave with a sad smile on his face. Zero had always looked out for their well-being and all throughout the years; he just couldn't stop hurting him. He never really delved into his son's past but he had a nagging suspicion that it wasn't all good. Zero certainly made an impression that he wanted to forget about it as much as possible and contented himself with the present. Maybe that was the past was the reason why Zero acted the way he did. Shirou could see the pain and anguish on those sky blue orbs and he wished he didn't have to add more in there. He knew that his selflessness was at fault and hated knowing that it was because of him that Zero was going to suffer more than he should.

'I try not to think about the loved ones I lost because of my mistakes, Tou-san. I don't want to feel sorry for myself and I don't want others to feel sorry for me either.'

He breathed deeply and schooled his features as he waited for his wife to enter the office. The door opened and he narrowed his eyes when he saw the urgent expression on her face. He instinctively knew that whatever she was going to tell him, it wouldn't be good.

"Shirou, she's starting to move. That woman's going to be here soon. Did you finally send them both away?" Madoka asked as she began trying her long, blonde hair into a ponytail.

"Zero just left with Ichiru and they're on the way to town. They're going to be all right. Knowing Zero, we shouldn't worry about them," Shirou said as he too began to prepare for the confrontation with the pureblood who was heading straight towards them.

Take care of each other always, my precious children…

- xXx -

Kiryuu Ichiru smiled widely as he walked alongside his older brother. He had always been fond of Zero, probably more than his own parents. Ever since he could remember, Zero had been there for him. Always playing with him, watching him train with their father or sitting next to him when he was sick with fever. He knew the truth regarding his older brother but he didn't care about it at all. Zero was his brother. His family. That was all that mattered.

They had left the house hours ago and he enjoyed every second he spent in this town with Zero. He told his brother a few minutes ago that he wanted to try out the new café around the corner. He had noticed his brother's fondness of teas so he thought that Zero might enjoy the place.

As he got closer to the shop, he saw a yellow and blue awning waved over a circle of wrought-iron tables. Despite the cold, people huddled down in seats, drinking espresso, eating, reading papers or books, or chatting. The café's inside dining area looked as busy and full outside. Behind the etched plate-glass window, harried waiters cleaned tables and took orders.

A bell jingled when they entered. Ichiru looked around for a moment before taking a seat close to the window, but still far away from anyone else. His brother took a seat opposite his. It seemed that his brother deemed it okay to pull down the hood of his coat.

Immediately, a waitress stepped over and took one look at his brother before bursting out into a healthy blush. Ichiru smirked as Zero sighed at the usual reaction. "What would the both of you like to order?" she said as she took out a notepad and pen.

The both of them gave their own orders. With that, the waitress ran off, getting the orders sent out. Ichiru noticed that she was still blushing and sneaking glances at Zero.

It was quiet for a few moments, listening and watching the people that entered and left the café. Some conversations were easy to pick up on while the others were more hushed, whispering among each other like they were sharing a secret. Finally, Zero spoke up, "Whatever you're going to say to me, don't say it."

Ichiru chuckled. "I wasn't going to say anything," he said with feigned innocence.

"I've spent the last eleven years in your company, Ichiru. I know you better than anyone else," Zero stated flatly.

The waitress came back with their orders, placing down a cup of hot tea and a small sandwich on Zero's side and a cup of coffee and cheesecake for Ichiru. She soon excused herself and went to wait on some other tables that had been occupied not too long ago.

"About my request…" Ichiru ventured cautiously. A week ago he had asked his brother to train him as well. He had seen how strong Zero was and he knew since the beginning that his older brother was well-versed in the hunter arts no matter how much he denied it.

"Wasn't Tou-san or that other hunter training you already in the advanced arts?" Zero asked as he took a sip of his tea and found it acceptable.

Ichiru poked his cake as he refused to meet Zero's eyes. "They do. But I wanted to learn more as soon as possible. I mean, I want to be able to help our family as well. Even when we went on missions, you're still the one doing the most. You're the one always in danger…" he trailed off, remembering how often Zero protected him from those Level E's.

Zero looked at his brother fondly, he really missed this kind of interaction. He knew the reason why Ichiru wanted to get stronger as soon possible. Seeing this kind of resolve, he realized that he wouldn't be able to say no to the request.

"All right," he said finally and he watched as Ichiru perked up at his response. "Even if I'm your brother, I won't go easy on you. Prepare yourself."

Ichiru beamed. "Hai, Nii-san."

The rest of the time was spent in small talk and plans for their training. It was during that time that Zero felt a shift in the air. Something bad was happening, he just knew it.

Ichiru saw his brother stiffen and watched as he hurriedly paid for the bill. "Nii-san?" he asked in confusion.

After leaving the café, Zero dragged Ichiru towards a deserted alley as he decided to act on his instincts. Without wasting any more time, he called to the shadows. It congregated towards him and Ichiru. A few seconds later, they were gone.

- xXx -

Zero reappeared along with Ichiru outside their house and he knew instantly that he was far too late to save his parents. He could smell the coppery scent of blood even from this distance. He clutched Ichiru closer to him, silently offering his younger brother reassurance. As he pushed open the door, he was frozen in horror at the scene that greeted him.

Shirou was a crumpled mess on the floor. His clothes were dark with blood and he could see so many scratch marks on his body. Madoka lay face down on the corner in a pool of blood, her throat slit from ear to ear. The wall, furniture and tiles were spattered with deep red stains. The living room looked like a battlefield and on the floor laid his father's prized weapon and his mother's weaponry like knives and needles.

I lost them again. Why do I keep losing them so early like this? I tried so hard to keep them safe and it still isn't enough.

Ichiru's sudden cry of despair brought him out of his unmoving state.

He rushed towards Shirou, the hood of his coat flying back and revealing his features in the light. His short hair was a shade of silver and styled in an untamed manner with some locks falling over his forehead and almost covering his eyes. He was paler than normal and his eyes were currently the shade of lavender with flecks of silver.

He couldn't stop the pain stabbing in his heart as he saw his parents' lifeless bodies. He dropped to his knees beside Ichiru, wrapping his arms around his grieving younger brother. Ichiru reached up and wrapped his arms around his neck, uttering strangled sounds as he buried his head into Zero's neck. His body was a tight coil of pain around Zero and his tears cool feathers on Zero's skin.

Too late.

Those two words kept on repeating in Zero's head and it took all of his willpower not to break down on the spot. He should've prevented this from happening. He already had his suspicions that something was amiss and he knew that his parents would always place the lives of their children above their own regardless of the fact that he could fight well enough on his own. He should've done something. Anything. But it was too late – far too late to change what happened.

"I can't believe that both of you would pull this stunt on me again. No matter what world I'm in the both of you are always the same. Always trying to protect me and Ichiru even at the cost of your lives," he whispered, sounding more hurt than angry. "It wasn't supposed to end like this, Tou-san. Yours and Kaa-san's life wasn't supposed to be cut this short. You even broke your promise to me, Tou-san. You said you never break any promises…"

Zero knew he should've cried, showed his grief physically just like Ichiru. But no matter how much he hurt, the tears wouldn't come. It had been like that for many years. His tears had been frozen for so long that he finally became incapable of the act of crying.

"My, my. How touching this little scene is," a mocking voice said all of a sudden.

Zero hastily pushed Ichiru behind him as he stood up and stared at the woman who appeared from the doorway. She had long, silver-white hair and eyes that were an unusual shade of pink. It reminded him of the color of cherry blossoms. Her pale, white-colored kimono was stained with blood – his parents' blood.

It took a lot of willpower on his part to remain calm and collected. He knew that it wouldn't do him any good to show his enemy any sign of weaknesses that could be used against him. Also, his anger wouldn't help him in this situation. It never had in the past and he was sure that it was the same here in the present.

"I thought these hunters had no other relative aside from their only son. I wonder who you are; you look far too much like them. The resemblance is quite uncanny though you fell more unnatural compared to them. As if you're not human," she stated with curiosity coloring her tone. Then as if a switch was flicked, her calm features twisted into an angry countenance. "Stand aside and let me deal with that child. I'll spare your life as an exchange." She watched as the man refused to back down. She couldn't help but admire his defiance. Maybe she would turn him and keep him to herself until she grew tired of him. "You're as foolish as them but I like your courage. No one had ever looked at me the way you have. After I kill that brat, I've decided to take you for myself. Or I could kill you too. It depends on my whims." Her eyes bled to scarlet and her aura flared.

Zero's blank expression didn't waver in the face of the pureblood's power. He squeezed Ichiru's shaking hand. Silently telling his brother that he wouldn't let anything happen to him. "I have no intention being your plaything. Nor dying today or in the future. After all, my purpose isn't over yet," he replied calmly. I doubt she could kill me. Many have tried and failed. "Even though you are a pureblood, if you dare touch my brother, I will kill you," he continued in a now deathly cold voice.

The area around them was now filled with tension as they eyed each other with something akin to revulsion and anger. Stormy silver colored eyes glared at bright crimson ones.

In a split second, Zero's eyes flashed into a bright electric blue as his magic detonated in a deafening explosion of white and collided with Shizuka. It blew the pureblood away and she crashed through a large tree and out on the other side in a storm of leaves and splinters. He warned Ichiru to stay put as he went out of the house and stood a few meters away from Shizuka who was steadily getting up. Her clothes and hair were in disarray. She was also scratched in various places but the wounds were healing at a rapid rate before his eyes.

There was a stunned look on her features as though she couldn't believe what happened.

"I am giving you this warning, princess of the Hiou family, the last of your clan," Zero said as his voice took on a hard edge. "You had your revenge against my family, you will leave my brother alone or else I'll make sure you won't live to see another sunrise."

Shizuka started giggling, but then the giggling gave way to full blown laughter. Zero merely narrowed his eyes on the display.

Once she had gotten control of herself, Shizuka gazed at the young man with amusement. Her manner was back to the gentle one from before. "You're quite an entertaining individual. You are not human yet you don't seem to be a vampire as well. I wonder what you are and what secrets you're hiding. Such a mysterious man. Tell me your name and I shall leave that child alone…for now," she stated softly.

"Kiryuu Zero."

Cherry blossoms started to circle her form as she smiled at him. "This won't be the last time we'll meet, my dear Zero." With those parting words, she disappeared as though she was never there.

Zero stood unmoving as he contemplated about what he would do now. He had come to this world on a mere whim. He went to the Kiryuu's to see this world's Zero only to find out that his counterpart had died soon after being born. He was supposed to leave afterwards but somehow, seeing Ichiru as a child prompted him to act irrationally. He remembered so long ago that his younger brother had always craved love and understanding. Something he couldn't give Ichiru before and was the cause of their rift that ended in a tragedy.

Three year old Ichiru looked so lonely that time that he couldn't help but do something just to make it disappear. He introduced himself to the child and that little meeting had started off a series of other ones that ended up with Ichiru becoming far too attached and unwilling to be parted with him. He knew sooner or later he would be noticed by Ichiru's parents, which happened just like he predicted.

Shirou and Madoka had accepted him after hearing his side of the story. They had a hard time believing at first but after seeing what he could do, they were forced to accept that what he told them was the truth. The two had given him a home and loved him unconditionally. They treated him like their own and he treasured those years.

That was why he now made a promise to them that he would remain in this world and protect Ichiru to the best of his ability. Until the day, Ichiru would be able to stand on his own. He had plenty of time to waste, it wasn't like he could die easily and this would kill off some boredom he had been suffering from.

After all, nothing kills an immortal faster than boredom itself.

He was brought out of his musings when a pair of arms wrapped around his waist. He looked behind him to see Ichiru.

"Tou-san and Kaa-san are both gone. What are we supposed to do now?" Ichiru whispered sadly, burying his face against his brother's back. He was so thankful that Zero would be there for him. He couldn't even imagine a world where he would be the only Kiryuu left.

Zero's eyes softened as he looked at Ichiru. "I'm sorry. I should've been here to protect them from that pureblood."

Ichiru raise his head and gazed at his brother. "It wasn't your fault, Nii-san." Ichiru paused before saying softly, "You won't leave me too, right? You'll stay with me always?"

So different from the Ichiru I knew from my world. I acted the same, an overprotective older brother, but instead of hating me, he loves more for it. I wonder why, Zero thought for a second. He smiled warmly as he stroked his brother's cheek gently. "Of course I promise that I'll always be here for you, Ichiru." Until you find your own way in this world and not need my guidance anymore.

- xXx -

Four Years Later

"Come on, wake up! How long are you planning on staying in bed?"

Zero twitched in irritation and buried himself further into his blankest in an attempt to get back to sleep. It felt far too nice and warm within the covers and he was in no mood to leave the soft confines of the bed. Either way it was a weekend and so, there was no good reason for him to get up early for anything. He wasn't going to waste such precious rest time just to deal with Kaien's morning antics.

Letting out a sigh of relief when he heard nothing but silence, he let himself start to drift back to sleep, pulling the sheets closer together…except the annoying voice came back louder than before.

"Don't go back to sleep! Stop being lazy and let's go eat breakfast! I'm the one who cooked the food so I want you to eat it too! Get up! Get up!"

There was an annoyed huff following those words and then a shove came onto his back. Zero rocked back and forth at the movement, his head swaying slightly from the action. This seemed to wake him up a little bit more before he ignored everything again when it ceased. He stubbornly refused to give in to this person's whims, but when the shove came again and again, to the point of bordering past annoyance, he was sorely tempted to retaliate by throwing a pillow against the offender.

Resisting that childish temptation, he made a grumbling sound and rolled around under the covers to glare at the person who dared to disturb him. Who he saw made him pause for a moment. That long silver hair and mischievous silver-amethyst eyes could only belong to one person.

Kiryuu Ichiru.

His annoying brat of a brother.

"Finally! Let's go eat breakfast!" Ichiru said, his voice laced with obnoxious triumph. His older brother was now awake! He pointedly ignored the glare Zero was currently sending him.

Zero gave up trying to go back to sleep and instead, got up from the bed. He ran his hand through his messy silver hair and gave an exasperated sigh. It was really too early to deal with these tiring antics.

Ichiru chuckled at his brother's reaction. Zero truly wasn't a morning person especially if he stayed up late doing his job. "See you at the kitchen," he said cheerfully as he ran out of the room.

With no choice left, Zero began his early morning routine. Half an hour later, he went down to the kitchen dressed in a simple black shirt and denim jeans. His expression softened at the scene that greeted him. Every one here was just too full of warmth and they chased away the darkness inside of him. It was too different from the place he came from.

He had never known such things before and he found himself wanting this peace too much. That was why he wouldn't let anything happen to these people. He would protect them no matter what happened. Especially from that pureblood woman. Or anyone else who would dare to harm those he deemed precious to him.

He had not forgotten what Hiou Shizuka did four years ago to his family. Her act would never be forgiven and he had resolved himself to dealing with her when the right time finally came.

"Good morning, Zero-kun!" Cross Kaien said in an overly cheerful manner.

Zero noted that nothing much had changed with the man since he met him four years ago. Though he had no right to say such things since he too had not changed at all. His appearance was still that of a male in his early twenties just like fifteen years ago. In terms of clothing, he was more fashion oriented and he tried his best to blend in whereas Kaien seemed to enjoy wearing very odd and outrageous ones like the oversized lion slippers or that frilly pink apron that Zero vehemently refused to wear whenever it was his turn to cook.

"Good morning," he replied as he took a seat next to Ichiru. He turned his gaze towards Yuuki who smiled shyly at him. The petite brown haired girl had always acted that way towards him though he never understood why. She was much more open towards Ichiru and sometimes he could see them arguing about mundane things. He wondered briefly if it was because he was older than her or something about him unnerved her.

"So…Zero-kun, about my proposal from before…" Kaien ventured cautiously after a while.

Zero blinked and tilted his head to the side. He thought about it and remembered the conversation that took place a week or so ago. "Oh, that. Teaching classes at the academy, right?" Kaien nodded in assent. "It's not like I have much of a choice in that matter. Accepting a teaching post would be beneficial for me and besides, I haven't repaid you enough for helping me and Ichiru after that tragedy."

"Are you sure about this, Nii-san? After all, you've spent all of your life trying not to gain any sort of attention from anyone outside our family. If you started teaching in the academy, rumors are bound to spread and it might reach the Vampire Council or the Hunter Association," Ichiru said with a hint of worry in his eyes. His older brother was the only family he had left in this world and he didn't want anything to happen to him. Zero was strong but there was only so much a single person could do against a number of enemies.

"It's fine. This was bound to happen sooner or later. I think that it's about time I step out of the shadows and into the open," Zero replied seriously as he shared a look with Kaien. "Besides, there's no need to worry about me. I can take care of myself quite well. Nonetheless, thank you for your concern, Ichiru."

Ichiru blushed and pointedly looked away.

"By the way, you'll have to meet the dorm president of the night class. Just like in the day class, you'll be teaching them the Literature subject. It might help make your class easier if you establish rapport with Kuran Kaname. After all, the whole night class respects and follows his orders without question. I assume you've heard of him?" Kaien inquired.

"Why would Nii-san have to get along with that bastard? He doesn't need to be friendly with a guy like that," Ichiru stated heatedly. He ignored the indignant look that Yuuki shot him. He had met the pureblood before and sufficed to say, he didn't like the pureblood one bit. That vampire's condescending attitude just rubbed him the wrong way. He couldn't even stand seconds in Kuran's presence without wanting to deck him.

"Language, Ichiru," Zero chided softly. "Yes, I've heard of him. He's quite famous among the hunter community. But this will be my first meeting him in person. I do hope that he isn't like the other purebloods I've met so far."

There was a wicked gleam in his eyes that only Kaien and Ichiru managed to catch. The former sighed as he thought about the trouble that would ensure at that meeting. He had forgotten that Zero had a sense of dark humor that he could never get used to. Now that he thought about, Touga or even Kaito would definitely like Zero. He was hundred percent sure that they would get along nicely.

Meanwhile, the latter only smirked in amusement, trying to wonder how that meeting would play out. Knowing his older brother, it would be far from civil. After all, Zero had a habit of doing whatever he wanted and refused to be tied down by anything. His older brother had always valued freedom. Quite the opposite of the pureblood who was a stickler for rules and regulations. A meeting of two opposites. He definitely wanted to see that.

"I guess I'll find out soon, right? I can't wait to finally meet the infamous Kuran Kaname…"


-chapter 00 end-


Silvermaiden's Notes

Yay! Silvermaiden19 is finally back after a very long break or hiatus! A lot of things happened the past few months that made updating a bit impossible back then so I apologize for making everyone wait for the new chapters. On a good note, none of my stories are going to be abandoned. For those who've been waiting for an update in Final Code and Destiny's People, the next chapters are going to be released as soon as I've finished editing the past chapters. Return to Innocence would be remodeled into a new improved version. And I also have three new stories on the making.

Immortal Guardian would loosely follow the canon storyline but with a few changes (as seen here in the pilot chapter) that would definitely affect the events that would happen in the whole story. The relationship between Kaname and Zero would be an eventual one. I'm quite excited in writing about how they would interact with each other as well as how their relationship would form staring from scratch.

Feedbacks and comments are always appreciated. It would really help me in developing this story and possibly inspiring me to keep on continuing writing this new project of mine. =)