A/N: Hey guys! Thanks so much for taking an interest in this fic! I'll be honest: I've been pretty damn prejudiced towards Vampire Knight for YEARS, and I've never had the urge to read the manga OR watch the anime (I- I still don't, actually…). I mean, I freaking hate stupid love triangles in shoujo manga, and ESPECIALLY when at the top of said love triangles loftily sits one wide-eyed, empty-brained, saccharin sweet female *hint hint nudge nudge* AND YET. And yet I have YouTube to thank for randomly suggesting to me the video of That One KaZe Scene™, and now I'm in this hell. Jesus Christ. I swear, after that life changing experience I've hurtled through KaZe fics faster than you could say "Kofi Annan". So yeah. Now, I haven't watched the VK anime, and I've only read the first two chapter and the multiple omake chapters of the manga, and I don't think I'm continuing it, to be honest. And I have mainly ONE reason for that- I BLOODY HATE YUKI! (No pun intended.) I hatehatehate her. I can't stand her. I could write an entire fucking essay on why I can't see her stupid face, but that clearly isn't the purpose of this fic, so I guess I'll keep it short- she hurt Zero. I swear, the entire VK franchise actually revolves around the idea that Zero should be perpetually fucked-over by the entire universe. Seriously. My son honestly doesn't deserve any of the shit he goes through. I mean, I really wish VK had a slightly different premise- one in which, instead of fighting over a daft bitch (excuse my French), the king of vampires (Kaname) and the president of the Hunter Association (Zero) work together to achieve their shared dream of co-existence (and maybe fall in love along the way lol).
Sweet lord I talk a lot.
At any rate, enjoy!
Summary: Years after the battle with Rido, Zero is now the president of the Hunter Association, his hate towards vampires sufficiently quelled and affections for Yuki all but gone. Now, when the Vampire Council as well as the Hunter Elites make Kaname and Zero work on a mission together, Kaname starts to feel things for the silveret that he should not be feeling. And when an old enemy emerges once again from the ashes, Kaname finds out that his chess game now revolves around an entirely different queen.
Disclaimer: (These things are so utterly pointless…) I don't own Vampire Knight. Most of the information in this fic are either of my own creation, or derived solely from the VK Wiki and other KaZe fanfics, so things may not be according to the original material. If you DO notice anything wrong, don't hesitate to tell me! (Good lord I hope none of the characters are OOC… TOO OOC...) Also, English isn't my first language- so if you see any mistakes, feel free to point them out! (I haven't written anything serious in a long time, so my writing is pretty shit as of yet…)
1.
All airports, Kaname observes, as the french lady at the gate checks his boarding pass, are one of the same. A sense of melancholy always clings to Kaname whenever he is at an airport. All of them have their staple ingredients: tiles and carpets and restaurants and walkways; restrooms and newsstands and lounges and fluorescent lights. No sense of time without a watch, and only two ways to go: In, and out. One might argue, but the destination never mattered much to him, honestly.
Listless. Isolated. Detached. That's what he's always felt at airports. It shouldn't matter to him, really: after all, hasn't that always been the way he's lived in a millennia? Powerful, yet alone?
"We've veen vwaiting for you," the lady's voice snaps him out of his contemplation. Kaname smiles politely at her as she tears the stub off his boarding pass, looking up at him through sparse yellow lashes.
"Je regrette d'etre en retard. I apologize. We were a little set back, is all,"
"Of courze."
Clutching her boarding pass to her chest, Yuki flushes crimson from her position next to her brother. It had been her fault, actually- she'd woken up half an hour late, wrapped in her silk nightgown and furiously cramming toast into her mouth with Kaname himself neatly dressed in red shirtsleeves, ebony blazer and slacks, waiting at the car meant to take them to Charles de Gaulle Airport. When she'd dressed and finally got down, luggage in tow, he'd been checking his watch. She'd apologized profusely on their way there, and Kaname had merely given her a waning smile and said, "Just be careful next time."
"Have a safe flight!"
Kaname gives a charming smile; it doesn't reach his eyes. "Merci."
Guiding Yuki by her shoulder, the elder Kuran steps onto the plane, the door closing behind him. Silently, they slip into their assigned first class seats- Kaname takes the window, whilst Yuki takes the aisle. Previously, Kaname had thought she would prefer the window seat but no, the aisle was best for her, she'd told him with flushed cheeks, for the food was easier to take from there.
Kaname had wanted to take the Kuran private jet back to Japan, but the plan was dashed when he realized that Takuma would be taking it so that he could send the party invitation to Zero as quickly as possible. Zero. The name clasps round his heart like chains, flows through his blood like water, and why wouldn't it? It's the name that he's found in his dear girl's blood since the first time he'd drunk from her, his fangs pressed into her arched neck. Her fingers in his hair, yet her thoughts echoing his name: Zero, Zero, Zero…
And before long, it's the hunter's name that is lodged in his mind, too, raging against the inside of his skull until it chafes bone. Zero, Zero, Zero, Zero…
It wasn't supposed to be this way, Kaname thinks as he flips absentmindedly through an in-flight magazine. He had it all planned, had set the chess pieces so meticulously- use the hunter, defeat his uncle, get the girl. And fulfill Haruka and Juri's plans for co-existence along the way. And it had gone according to plan, too. He's the king of vampires now, and Yuki is by his side, where she is supposed to be, and yet…
I suppose two people could never share the same pedestal…
Yuki isn't catching up. He'd thought she would make the perfect queen, finally adapting to the vampire ways, yet she remains far too human. Hollowly, Kaname thinks that even Zero is ten times the vampire that Yuki is. Pursing his lips, Kaname realizes that despite being his pawn, Zero's the only one to be able to barrel through his neatly stacked chess pieces like a wrecking ball -hell, knock over the entire fucking chessboard- like the unpredictable, stubborn boy that he is. And even now, despite no longer being in his control (though he realizes that he never was, to begin with- not entirely, anyway), his presence still lingers.
Belatedly –foolishly- Kaname comes to acknowledge that he can never actually tame the boy.
As a Pureblood, the thought should anger him. Enrage him. And yet, what his lips press against the back of his fingers isn't a frown, but a smile.
A strange, foreign warmth blooms in his listless heart.
After a few more minutes of perusing, Kaname closes the magazine, slips it into the pocket on the wall, leans back in his seat, and closes his eyes, hands resting in his lap and fingers interlaced.
Yuki, meanwhile, sits quietly in her seat, fidgeting with the hem of her pale pink blouse. The engine of the plane roars to life, doing little to dispel her thoughts. She knows, knows that she's disappointing Kaname with her perpetual clumsiness, by not making a blood bond with him even now… and yet… she can't help it. Even now, as she stares down at her childish converse shoes and then at her brother's shiny, polished oxfords, she realizes just how different they are, and she can't help it. She misses her human life, misses Zero. Misses that lilac gaze, those rare smiles, that divine blood…
And yet, she can't leave Kaname, either. Doesn't have the courage to abandon his safety, his endless devotion to her, his love. It's like he's the shore, keeping her safe and warm, and Zero's the raging waves, churning and churning and lapping at her feet, yet receding just as she yearns to dip her toes in them. And she's not sure what's worse- dying of thirst at land, or drowning in the waves at sea.
The plane jerks forward into a take-off, pushing her back into her seat and pulling her from her thoughts. As the airport lights fall away below them, Yuki looks at the brunet in the seat next to her. Kaname is fast asleep, and she clenches her hands on her armrests, determination making her steel her nerves.
No matter- Takuma will send Zero the invitation, and she will see him then, at the party. And then she will talk to him. Smooth things over. Start anew.
It's not like he still remembers what he'd told her the last time they'd seen each other, right?
...
Polished wingtips click on equally polished floor as Ichijou Takuma roams the halls of the Institution of Hunter Education and Training, eyes alert in search of the room where one Kiryuu Zero, according to his Personal Assistant, is supposed to give the fresh new batch of trainees a lecture on hunter ethics. Takuma smiles at the passing hunters as they stare at him, whilst he reminisces: about Zero from Cross Academy- foul-mouthed, trigger-happy Zero, with his perpetual scowl and congenital hate for vampires.
One would think he would remain unchanged forever.
Flash forward four years into the future, after Kuran Rido's defeat at his hands, Zero is now the president of the Hunter Association, as well as an active player in the game which ensures co-existence between vampires and hunters. Takuma vividly remembers the swearing-in ceremony of Zero as the first ever vampire president of the Hunter Association, remembers being with Kaname at the ceremony as his right-hand man, remembers the flashing of cameras, remembers Touga Yagari and Kaien Cross being present, and proud. Hours later, his news feed would be flooded with the news; the next day, the newspapers -The Daily Moon, The New Moon Journal, Midnight Times, Newsnight, Lunar Tribune, The Lunar Gazette- splashed with headlines. Some from Kaname's inner circle had been shocked (Hanabusa, Ruka), some not (Akatsuki, Shiki, Rima, Kaname). Oh, he still remembers the day…
"What bullshit is this? I can never accept it!"
Hanabusa's yell punctures through the air in the dining room. He tosses the graying pages of the morning's paper that have the words: "VAMPIRE SWORN IN AS HUNTER ASSOCIATION PRESIDENT" emblazoned across the front in big fat bold on the dining table, looking absolutely revolted and scandalized at the news. He's sitting at the dining table in the Kuran manor with the rest of Kaname's inner circle, who all have different expressions crossing their faces at his outburst: Akatsuki, Shiki, and Rima look utterly expressionless, almost bored, thinking the blond's reaction to be childish. Takuma himself merely raises an eyebrow, amused, and for the first time, the genius noble is grateful to Ruka, who is the only one out of them all that seems to agree with his sentiment, her brow furrowed and lips pulled back in a displeased scowl as she glares at the headline.
Kaname, who was quietly sipping his tea, lifts his lips from the pale china, flicks his cool gaze to the tossed newspaper, The Lunar Tribune, and murmurs, eyes back on the amber liquid, "It isn't that surprising, if one thinks about it."
Hanabusa's head snaps up in his direction, as does Ruka's. "Kaname-sama?"
Settling the cup down on the bone-white saucer, a delicate clink resounding in the quite air of the room, the Pureblood steeples his fingers together, chin turning away toward the window, a faraway look in his eyes, and voice soft, yet firm, almost as though in reverence, as he says, "It is without a doubt that Kiryuu-kun is a formidable hunter. It was only a matter of time before he had been chosen for such a prestigious position of which, I think, he is entirely deserving."
Ruka stiffens, shocked, and Hanabusa bristles in indignation, voice rising alarmingly, almost to a shout. "But Kaname-sama-!"
The chair gives a minute screech as the Pureblood abruptly pushes it back and stands up. "Enough."
Instantaneously, Hanabusa's mouth snaps shut, gaze dropping down to his own teacup. He bites his lip, ashamed at having displeased his leader.
"If anybody needs me, I shall be in my study. Seiren,"
Stepping out of the shadows, the violet-haired vampire appears at the Pureblood's side, as though by magic. "Yes, Kaname-sama?"
"I have documents that need to be delivered. Come with me."
"Of course."
With that, Kaname leaves the dining room, Seiren trailing behind him, a quiet, reverent shadow.
Yuki, erstwhile, had been ecstatic, yet wistful, stroking the grainy picture of the silveret on the morning's paper in quite melancholy, her breakfast forgotten. Takuma's eyes had softened at her in understanding- after she had chosen the Pureblood over Zero, their relationship had been strained.
Takuma snaps out of his thoughts, feet halting abruptly at the sound, the voice, which floats into his ears from a few rooms away. A voice he knows all too well, a voice that had snapped at him and his companions a thousand times, back at Cross Academy. He hastens his steps, then, and finally, finds him inside a lecture hall, hunched, intimidating, over a podium, in the middle of his speech in front of thousands of uniformed young males and females. Actually, Takuma thinks as he peeks inside the room, he's probably at the end of his speech, if his wish, delivered in a monotone, for the trainee hunters to have a fruitful year is anything to go by. But then there's a pause after the words, and the blond turns to actually look at the silveret, and he realizes that his violet eyes are trained down on a piece of paper, index finger tapping on the edge of the dias.
He looks to be mentally debating something.
Then, abruptly, Zero folds the paper in half and stuffs it inside the breast pocket of his shirt, bringing the microphone to his mouth, and Takuma belatedly realizes that oh, he's not finished and that oh, he's abandoned his script.
Nobody else seems to notice, though.
"Attention, please."
Takuma marvels at how just with two words, the hunter becomes the focus of the entire room, all chatter dying as every head in the lecture hall turns toward the podium. The blond leans forward as far as he can without trying to be seen, curious about what Zero has to say.
"As you know, both my parents, Ryunosuke Kiryuu and Sakura Kiryuu, were killed by a vampire. More specifically, a Pureblood."
A pause, in which Takuma stares at Zero's shockingly calm expression.
"That… That was the night I was turned. I had hated vampires ever since then, for nearly four years. For the destruction of my family at the hands of a single vampire, I blamed the entire species for the majority of my life."
Zero pauses again, breathing in through his nose, and continues, chin tipped high and voice unwavering, "Hate is a disease, and it takes something away from you. And it took something away from me, too- it took away my sight, my freedom, my sense of judgment, clarity. Made me forget the most important thing- that not all vampires are bad. Like humans, like hunters, they're made of both good and evil. Now, it's not my job to dictate your morals or beliefs, but I'm asking you to just think a little before judging an entire species that has more or less the same flaws as we all do, blood-drinking aside."
Soft laughter from the crowd, then quiet again as the trainees become hushed, listening with rapt attention, because apparently, the silveret isn't finished.
"The job of hunters, contrary to what I'm sure has been often told to you, is not to mindlessly slaughter vampires. Our job, first and foremost, is to protect. Whether it be humans, or vampires, we protect- regardless of race or gender or species. I hope you will remember that. So if you're here with a mind to kill vamps for kicks, then I suggest you pack up your gear and leave, because this isn't for you."
Beat. Then, "Of course, if your interest in this job is only limited to the paycheck it provides, then that is another thing entirely." The room erupts into laughter at that, though Takuma notes, with amusement, that Zero isn't smiling.
A round of applause, and Takuma joins in, thoroughly touched and filled a little with pride at how far Zero has come in life. After a quick Q and A session, Zero gathers his papers to leave. The moment he steps out into the hallway, he comes face to face with Takuma in the hall, who is all smiles, sunshine trapped in rows of teeth.
"You're a hard man to find these days, aren't you, Kiryuu-kun?"
Zero doesn't seem surprised to see him, though. Probably noticed my aura, Takuma thinks.
Zero shrugs, starting to make his way down the hallway. Takuma keeps pace beside him. "Depends on who's looking." Beat. Then, covering his hesitancy, he asks, "What have you been up to these days, Ichijou-san?"
Takuma positively beams at Zero's rare, if a bit reluctant, interest. "Oh please, you can call me Takuma,"
Zero doesn't take him out on his offer, though, only silently stares, so Takuma forges on, with a small cough, "I've been handling the Ichijou family business, as well as Kaname's own, after he left with Yuki-chan to visit Europe." He winces a bit when Yuki's name pops up, but Zero doesn't seem to care. Instead, he says, sidestepping a brunet hunter to continue on his way, "So what business do you have with me?"
Straight to the point, I see, Takuma thinks, smiling. He extracts an envelope from the pocket of his overcoat and hands it to Zero. Hitching up a brow at it, the hunter pauses in his steps to survey it properly. The envelope is soft and creamy against his fingers, and when he flips it, his eyes instantly land on the rose emblem on the right-hand corner.
He knows who this is from.
"It's from Kaname." Takuma explains, though he knows he doesn't need to: The spark of recognition in Zero's eyes says it all.
"And what's it for?"
Zero doesn't give anything away with his tone of voice. Takuma merely clasps his hands politely in front of him and says, smilingly, "It's an invitation! It's straight from Kaname, actually, who'll be returning from Europe tomorrow with Yuki-chan. A party has been arranged for the occasion, and you are to attend. Kaname… wishes to see you."
After such a long time?
Zero frowns down at the envelope in his hand, wary, and the thought of having to attend one of the Kuran's glittering black-tie soirees already chafing on his nerves.
He absolutely hates parties.
Takuma, seeing his resigned expression, hastily adds, "Kiryuu-kun, I'm sure you are aware of the joint meeting between the Vampire Council and the Hunter Elites that is to be held in a few days?"
It works; Zero's attention is on him in an instant. "So Kuran wants to discuss the meeting with me?" he asks, incredulous.
Takuma beams at him. "Only one way to find out, right?"
A sigh flutters out of Zero's mouth. "Right." he says, pocketing the invitation. "Bye, then."
"And where are you off to?" Takuma asks curiously, hurrying after the silveret whilst dodging a crowd of hunter students. Classes are probably about to begin, if the sudden surge of young men and women dressed in blazers and slacks hurrying along the halls is any indication.
"Class- I'm teaching a course on Hunter Lineage,"
"Oh." Takuma says, surprised. Just then, they stop in front of a large classroom, and the hunter is looking at him expectantly. Apparently, Zero's reached his destination, so the blond noble simply claps him on the shoulder and chirps, "I'll see you at the party, then!" before merrily walking away, getting several looks from the passing hunters as he does.
Zero's eyes linger on Takuma as he floats away, and when he's gone, he chafes at his eyes with his fingers, contemplating.
He's sure Kaname's wish to meet with him has to do with the Vampire-Hunter meeting. There can't be any other reason. It's not like they are friends, and he's sure that Yuki hadn't insisted to her brother that he be invited to the party- the thread of their relationship had frayed and snapped the moment he had threatened to kill her since her unveiling as Kaname's sister (and fiancé), since the moment she had pressed her fangs into his neck…
Zero instinctively touches his throat, frowning. Are any other hunters coming? No, he's sure it's a vampire-only soiree. Not even a whisper of news of the Kuran siblings' return had reached his years -prior to Takuma telling him, that is- and he's certain that no hunter has received any invitation pertaining to a party hosted by the Purebloods… So he's pretty sure that if he does go, he's going to be the only hunter in attendance.
He could just decline.
Well, he could, but…
A picture of Kaien Cross suddenly pops up in his mind, brandishing an admonishing finger at him. "Not exactly the indication of peace we've been striving for, Zero-rin!" he chides him. Zero clicks his tongue and flicks a hand near his head, as though that will dispel the image of the blond annoyance that calls itself his guardian.
"Kiryuu-sensei?"
Snapping out of his reverie, Zero jerks his head back, only to meet the eyes of one of his students. "You've been standing here for a while now… Are you all right?"
Zero presses his lips together. "I'm fine. Get inside, class is about to start,"
"O-Of course, sensei!" she says, flushing, fixing her dark blazer and uniform slacks on her way in. Making his way to the front of the classroom, Zero silences the chattering students and cracks open his copy of Hunter Lineage through the Ages: From Japan and Beyond. The microphone makes his voice boom and reach the furthest of the tiered desks.
"Open to page 58, people. All right, who can tell me the signature charms of the Miamura clan? Yes, Momo?"
"The Miamura clan has been around since 570 B.C. Their signature charms include…"
Zero's eyes scan the printed text on the page, following the student's words on the paperback, thoughts of the Kurans' soiree now only a vague nagging against the inside of his skull.
…
By the time Zero has finished his classes and practice at the shooting range, it is twilight, the sky marred with swirls of orange, pink, and purple. Stepping out of the shiny grey car allocated to him by the Hunter Association, Zero makes his way up the steps to Hunter Association HQ. Crossing the bullpen with swift steps, he climbs more stairs and slows down only when he enters his office, shoulders sagging with exhaustion and relief as the familiar scent of the room wraps around him. It is a dark, yet pleasantly warm room with reddish-brown wallpaper, a desk in the middle, and a beaten-up, ratty couch off to the side- clearly one of Zero's favorite spots to recline in. On another corner of his room is a shelf that is bursting with books. His desk is stacked with papers ready to be signed, and there's also a telephone and a photo frame on it. In it is a picture of Touga, Kaien, and Zero himself- taken during Zero's graduation from his alma mater: The Institution of Hunter Education and Training (known simply as "Hunter Academy"). Kaien is clutching the boy to his chest with a silly smile, and Touga is looking the other way, away from the blond idiot as well as the camera, one hand holding a cigarette to his lips and the other ruffling Zero's hair- his one true gesture of affection. Zero is frowning, seemingly upset, but his pinking cheeks and gleaming eyes tell an entirely different story.
There's also a golden plaque on his desk, the words KIRYUU ZERO, PRESIDENT etched across it in large, black lettering.
Closing the door with his foot, Zero extracts the envelope from the pocket of his dark slacks. Shouldering out of his coat and tossing it to the couch, then crashing down next to it, Zero loosens his tie as he reads the invitation. In thin, elegantly curved script, it announces the location of the party: the Kuran family manor. At the bottom it reads:
Formal attire required.
Zero snorts, a rush of air brushing his knuckles.
Of-fucking-course.
Looks like he'll soon be telephoning his PA for party clothes.
A/N: Fun fact: This chapter was supposed to be longer! Zero was supposed to meet Kaname in this chapter, but then I realized it would become too long, so I've cut that bit out and left it for the next part ha ha. I'm super duper excited about this fic, because I don't think I've ever written anything this serious (And with PLOT! /Shot) for any one of my OTP's. So I'm kind of nervous, too.I mean, my heart was practically beating out of my chest when I posted this. I'll try to update soon, though I make no promises since I'll be a college girl in a few days! (Pls send help.) Thank you for reading through this crap, then, and if you have anything to say (yelling, screaming, giving pointers and/or constructive criticism), do drop in a review!