Warning: This fanfic deals with Yaoi content, in other words male/male relationships. Torture, BDSM and some rape scenes will also make a few cameos later on. Violence, gore, language… the whole nine yards. If such a thing disturbs you, then do not wander any further.
Disclaimer: Vampire Knight does not, by any means, belong to me. This all belongs to the beautiful mind of Matsuri Hino. If it actually belonged to me… I would have probably killed off Yuuki and let Zero and Kaname live happily ever after… *Hides under a rock.*
Summary: When both the vampire and human world begin to fade into chaos, it's up to two hated rivals to put an end to it. But what happens when something unknown begins to bloom between them? Should they embrace it and let destiny run its course? Or stand up and fight to the very end?
A/N: Hi, hi! Okay, first major fanfic! So here's a little something you should know. Remember the last piece I posted? The one under the name of 'Priceless'? Well, this is the full story. Finally finished editing the prologue and such, and thank goodness for that. I procrastinate a little too much… heh. Chapter came out a bit short, but I think beginnings are the hardest thing when it comes to writing. Anyways, although the main pairing is Zero X Kaname, I will be adding a few more along the way. I'm not very fond of adding Original Characters into my fics, but this was definitely a must; so yeah. Hope it isn't too boring… but I never like what I write for some reason, don't know why, just blame my low self-esteem. LOL!
Song: Probably the most important thing! The fanfic actually made me wage a war as to which song to pick. It was between The Fantasy and Echelon, both by 30 Seconds to Mars since both songs contributed grandly to my muse. Kind of obvious who won. ^.^
~oOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOoOo~
t h e E c h e l o n s
By: LeVampireChevalier
~ Chapter 1: Apocalypse ~
It was so very quiet. Not even the rain that splattered against the glass windows of the classroom made any kind of sound. The very atmosphere was lowered to a physical chill, their breaths coming out in small puffs. A low kind of muttering was finally beginning to break the prolonged, uncomfortable silence. The Night Cass stood scattered across the large room, exchanging weary glances and silent conversations. No one had paid attention to that night's lesson, they never did. Not for the past year at least. Slowly but surely the vampire students began to abandon the infamous Cross Academy, their families terrified of what awaited for them in the outside world. It was better to have them at home, in order to keep a close eye on them than to send them away and not hear from them in weeks. If it were any other time, it was perfectly fine for they all knew that their children were safe, but not any more.
Although their race was indestructible and surreally powerful, that did no help in putting their minds at rest. They knew that somewhere in the near distance an elite group of human vampire hunters were gathering to take back what was wrongfully taken from them. Their freedom.
The Council of Elders had led an all-out, worldwide rebellion against the human race. After months of meticulous planning, they had gathered their very own army of lower ranked vampires and trained them in their most primal of instincts, to kill. Of course, this did not go unnoticed. But sadly enough, the word of one single pureblood was nothing to stop the will of dozens of other pureblooded and noble ranked bloodsuckers.
Kuran Kaname sat by the large window of the classroom, starring aimlessly at the endless, stormy night. It was dead obvious that his troubled aura was the one affecting the atmosphere around them, but there was nothing they could do other than let him be. The whole situation had sent him into an unnatural depression, though he allowed no one to see it. It only served him as a wake up call, to show him that he wasn't as powerful as he thought he was.
"Onii-sama?" The soft voice called him from his dazed state and he turned his head, searching for his lovely sibling.
"Yuuki…"
"What's the matter? You seem a bit… down." Kaname regarded the girl with tenderness in his eyes, trying his hardest to put a smile on his beautiful features. Yuuki's long hair cascaded all the way down to her waist, her auburn eyes tipping towards crimson. He couldn't look at her without noticing the terrible pang of guilt that kicked in his gut.
When the so called rebellion broke out, the Dorm Head had momentarily been blinded by panic and delivered that fateful bite that awoke Yuuki to her true self. It was just another factor to add to his depleting state of mind. It was his fault he had brought his precious princess into this blood drenched war. Still, her impeccable radiance shinned through that suddenly horrifying darkness that had become his world. Puzzling was the only word to describe it, how she could always smile in the worst of situations. Even how she paraded around with her well put Night Class uniform amazed him. But it wasn't the same. It would never be how it used to be.
"It's alright, Yuuki. I'm just thinking…" Kaname said almost wistfully, his thin fingers automatically flipping the page of a book that rested forgotten upon his lap.
"About?" Yuuki asked as she sat on the floor by her brother's feet, resting against his legs like a child waiting for a story. Some things never did change; her immense curiosity was one of them.
"Nothing you should worry about, princess." He said sweetly, his burgundy eyes gleaming softly with the reflection of the lucid moon. Yuuki looked up at him with doubt but otherwise remained silent.
The rest of the students remained in place, some scribbling down in their notebooks, others starring blankly at the darkened walls. Everyone's attention snapped towards the pureblood when a loud sigh escaped him. Even Yuuki was startled at the sudden outburst. From the desk nearest to them, a familiar blonde quickly got to his feet but Kaname gestured him to not make a fuss. "Kaname-sama?"
"Calm yourself, Aidou. I'll be retiring to my room is all." The blonde quickly took his seat with an audible 'huff'. Tensions were running high, and those who were still loyal to the Kuran heir remained in the academy. All of them, for the exception of Takuma Ichijou.
Old Asato had requested for his grandson to not attend the academy for it was too 'dangerous'. Kaname had only scoffed at the thought. Dangerous? The Council was the one full of treacherous vipers. But, perhaps old Ichijou was right. Kaname no longer had the power to protect those around him. Not when the entire vampire world was against him, including the very few purebloods that still roamed the earth. How useless.
The rest of the students watched as the pureblood rose to his feet, and leaving his book behind, headed for the classroom door. Yuuki watched him go from her place on the floor, subconsciously twisting a strand of her hair, worried sick about her older brother. It was so unlike him, to be so disturbed. He no longer smiled the way he used to; that charming glow had faded into a never-ending gloominess. They had all tried everything; Akatsuki, Aidou, Ruka… but nothing was ever enough. Kaname was simply lost within his despair.
The darkened halls held no paranoia for him. Just shadows and tormenting thoughts. He had failed. He had failed in keeping his parent's legacy alive. To bring that elusive peace between humans and vampires to life. His word ignored and forgotten, useless against the Council, useless against the world. It was so terrifying, to just stand by and watch his race massacre and drain everything with a beating heart. To watch the Day Class students… Kaname shook his head, begging to forget that soul-shattering experience.
They had complete control of everything. From the economic system, to food supply. It was preposterous. Every single branch in the government, the security systems, everything that humans needed to survive in society and the world was now under the control of the vampire race. Mortals were now food. Slaves. The world had reverted into it's old century state; where you either had a master or faced death. A place where you had to ask permission to speak, to eat and even breathe.
But there was still hope. As useless as it seemed to be. A small group of humans still lurked in the shadows, the vampire hunters. Waiting for the correct moment to strike… but their numbers were low. They could never take down the legions that were being created. Former-human vampires, Level Ds and Level Es.
Kaname shut his eyes the moment he stepped outside and headed for the Moon Dorms; the cold breeze cutting into his warm skin. Somewhere in the distance a battle was being held, though slaughter was more of a correct term. The very air smelt so much of blood it was almost nauseating. Turning his face skyward, the male took in the unrealistic atmosphere above him. Daytime was basked in an eerie, orange glow, where not even vampiric eyes could see clearly. Nighttime was another world entirely. The moon shone red, be it crescent or full. When the heavens used to shield themselves with their dark cloaks and brilliant stars, they now were a deep crimson.
Everything had stumbled into a post-apocalyptic era. The supernatural had become natural; the unreal had become frighteningly real. There was no possible way to understand how the sky had changed for it was impossible that any being, no matter how powerful they were, could do such a thing. No magic was capable of that. But, of what use was it? Finding the reason for the change of pigment was useless.
The brunette halted when the scent of blood reached him again, but this time it was too strong to ignore. The bittersweet smell danced around him, enveloping his senses and making his fangs throb lightly. It wasn't human, that much he knew, but the aura that accompanied it wasn't as powerful as to be posed as a threat. It was a presence he knew well.
Kiryuu Zero stumbled forth awkwardly from the thick cover of trees, drenched in blood. He limped forward, his left hand gripping his side strongly, the Bloody Rose clenched in his right one. The hem of his dark coat was torn, his cheek scratched. The pureblood wasn't exactly the one the thing he wanted to see when he got back, but it was just his luck to be greeted by him. With a scoff, Zero limped by him, the bit of blood he had left boiling with hatred.
The war had clearly marked the borderline between them, turning them from rivals to downright enemies. Even if Kaname had not participated in the global decision to enslave and/or slaughter all of human kind, he was still a vampire. And a pureblood at that. Hunter versus vampire. It was how it was supposed to be. To top it all off, the blasted leader had turned Yuuki into a leech. Try as he may, Kaname could never justify what he had done to the girl. Zero never truly bough the whole 'being siblings' excuse. He saw it more like a safety policy, that Yuuki would be his no matter what the outcome of the situation was.
"Kiryuu-kun…" The hunter stopped for a moment, slightly turning his head towards the vampire in his immaculate white uniform but didn't speak. He would no longer direct a single word towards the arrogant young man unless it was truly necessary. Kaname remained in silence for a while longer, tiptoeing through their barely existing line of communication. "How injured are you? You should visit the infirmary-"
"I'm fine." Zero spat, cutting him off roughly. The gun rattled in his hand, telling the pureblood that the hunter was far from being fine. He did nothing but watch as the silver-haired male collapsed to his knees, gasping and coughing roughly as he spat up everything that had been in his stomach in the past few hours. Glazed silver-lilac eyes tinged crimson as he gripped his head, fighting back the urge to just kick and scream. He sensed Kaname approach him but he shot him a deadly glare. "Get away from me!"
Kaname halted his advance immediately, not wanting to invade the hunter's space. "You need help." Zero only replied with a sarcastic laugh, struggling to his feet once more. Oh, like he was about to accept help from a pureblood. That was hilarious. Picking up the Bloody Rose, he slipped it in to his shoulder holster and continued to limp back to his room.
He needed no help. He had grown up and faced the horrors of this world without help, what made them think he needed it now? Okay… so maybe Yuuki was always there for him, tending to his invisible wounds and calming his battered mind. But that was gone now, too. Thanks to Kuran. Growling under his breath, Zero spat on the ground at thinking the name.
The hunter was somewhat satisfied that Kaname was suffering what he was suffering in silence. He deserved every bit of it. His own little game had backfired and delved the world into chaos. But he still couldn't help feeling a bit of compassion every time he saw pain in his eyes… Perhaps the weight of the world was too heavy, even for the famous vampire prince…
Burgundy eyes watched the hunter as he disappeared towards the Sun Dorms, jaded and troubled. If only Kiryuu could understand that they both weren't as different as the hunter though them to be. Shaking his head a bit the dark locks fell over his eyes, shielding them from the unbearable brightness as he continued his path towards the Moon Dorms.