A/N: When the plot bunnies refuse to leave on their own, you just have to write them down to get them out of the way. This is the sequel to "Snowdrops and Roses".
It's basically a "Rise of the Guardians / Vampire Knight Crossover", but because there is only one character from Rise of the Guardians and practically all of Vampire Knight, I decided to post this one in the Vampire Knight Section.
For those that don't want to read "Snowdrops and Roses" = Vampire Knight is set in the very beginning (episode "Memory of Blood") and obviously AU. At the end of the story, there is also a LotR paraphrase...
Disclaimer: If any of this belonged to me, I wouldn't write fanfiction. I don't earn any money writing this.
Orchids and Lillies
The Night Class already experienced the most peculiar of situations whenever they left their dorms with the Day Class waiting for them. However, today the gates were void of any kind of human life for once. There were no cheers or hysterical screams awaiting them. Even the Dorm President couldn't help but glancing around wonderingly, though it was Yuki's absence that bothered him. Sensitive ears quickly estimated the position of the Day Class including hers. They were out in the field, on the very edges of the Academy's borders and they seemed to be having a wonderful time.
All eyes were on Kaname. It was obvious that the others were curious, but if he decided to go straight for the class, nobody would dare to linger.
Except for Aido perhaps.
Kaname decided to indulge his curiosity and walked towards the cheerful sounds of the Day Class.
"A snowball fight," Aido whispered, practically shaking with enthusiasm, once they left the small assembly of trees. The noble with power over ice had always loved winter, but it seemed like hearing the squeals of the Day Class girls and boys and watching them happily dunking each other in the fresh snow, was a dream come true.
The noble was everything but conventional, but in spite of everything, he'd had a conservative upbringing and snowball fights just weren't proper.
Kaname however saw something else completely.
"A winter spirit," said he. Its appearance was young and male, no older than sixteen, with white and silver hair. He smiled wildly as he watched the members of the Day Class chasing each other with snow in their hands. Standing on a branch of a nearby tree, he was leaning forward, his staff (most likely the source of his power) held firmly in his hand.
"I thought Yuki-Onna forbids other winter spirits to even marginally come close to her territory," Takuma wondered.
"She does."
"Is that Kiryu-kun?" Ruka spoke up, her eyes narrowed, once she'd spied what the pureblood had seen.
The school guardian stood beneath the tree that was occupied by the unnamed winter spirit and watched the others silently. He seemed relaxed and in good humor, not exactly a common sight on the gloomy teenager.
As if sensing that he was being watched, the boy stiffened, turned and marked their presence within seconds. His eyes darkened and his lips moved.
The Dorm President had no trouble understanding what he said.
"Jack, you must go now."
"What? Zero…" the winter sprite looked stricken.
"Remember what I used to tell you about vampires?"
"… Beasts in human form, yes, I remember, but Zero…"
"You told me to run should I ever encounter a pureblood," the school guardian continued.
"For good reason! They are frightening and powerful enough to destroy spirits, and the ones I met were arrogant and cruel and…"
"And one of them just marked your presence," Kiryu-kun finished.
Kaname saw the winter sprite's head whip around and stare at him with ice-blue eyes that were filled with terror and fear.
"Go."
"N-No," The winter spirit called Jack stuttered. "If I run, he'll… He has to hear me out. Otherwise, I won't be able to come back."
"Jack…"
"Look, the purebloods I met don't handle rebellious little winter sprites well… What do you think he'll do?"
"He hasn't eliminated Hanabusa or me so far, so he won't kill you on sight… I think. Just go, Jack, please!"
So Kiryu-kun was worried about what Kaname would do to the winter spirit. Before any of the vampires could do or say anything, a loud 'kyahh!' threatened to rupture their eardrums.
Yuki's head turned around and her face displayed the brightest of red, which contrasted starkly with her snow-covered uniform. The pureblood thought it was precious and smiled a little. She blew her whistle, which rang in the vampire's ears, but nobody dared to say anything about their discomfort in the pureblood's presence.
As always, her actions were for naught and the Night Class approached them eagerly. Before the girls had them cornered however, they faltered in their steps. A very dark glare that bore holes in their backs held them in place as efficiently as a vampire's thrall.
It was almost impressive.
"Go back to your dorms," hissed the white-haired guardian, and reluctantly yet fearfully, the girls obeyed. Meanwhile, Yuki ushered the last of the girls away.
As always, Kaname thanked her kindly and genuinely if only to see her face redden again.
"Kuran-senpai, you should be going to class," rudely as always, the tall vampire hunter approached him. The Night Class bristled at the tone.
"And we will," Kaname replied nonchalantly, "if you are kind enough to introduce us to your friend."
"Friend? Kaname-senpai…" Yuki's eyes were wide and showed her confusion plainly.
Kaname didn't want to leave her guessing, not when everyone else so clearly understood what was going on. This wasn't something that threatened her life or something he had to protect her from. He decided to explain, "For many thousands of years, humans have speculated and, especially in the past, believed in the existence of vampires. Yet, a vampire is real whether or not you believe in them. However, some spirits, those whose energies are bound to human life, are seen and are able to affect human life only when humans believe in them in return. Seasonal human-bound spirits, such as winter spirits, are not seen unless you believe. Why do you think human children have imaginary friends? The older you grow, the less inclined you are to believe in what are considered to be fairytales and just like that, the spirits fade away until they are nothing but a dream. Next to Kiryu-kun stands a winter spirit and, to help you see him, he looks almost like the younger brother of Kiryu-kun."
"His name is Jack Frost," the school guardian bit out reluctantly. He didn't seem to like the idea of keeping Yuki in the dark either.
His thoughtfulness of her and her affection for him were the only reasons why the pureblood even considered including the volatile vampire hunter in his plans.
"Jack Frost?" Yuki repeated, both curious and bewildered. She looked around, obviously looking for the sprite. Kaname wasn't surprised to hear her gasp a few seconds later. "Hello. My name is Yuki Cross. It's a pleasure to meet you."
"The pleasure is all mine," the enthusiastic winter spirit replied with a wide smile.
"The Winter Woman is not known to welcome strangers in her territory," Kaname continued, inspecting their new acquaintance. Almost instantly, the vampire hunter stood in front of Frost.
"Is that a threat, Kuran-senpai?" Kiryu-kun hissed aggressively.
Kuran couldn't help but smile at that. If he'd spoken a threat, not even this unruly, disrespectful ex-human vampire would dare to ask such a question.
Jack Frost however seemed to read his thoughts and quickly grabbed the school guardian's shoulder to calm him.
"I merely came here to visit Zero, that's all, Kuran-san. Spirits usually do not step into the territory of purebloods without asking for permission. Therefore, I am asking you, will you allow me to stay here for a few weeks?" The spirit tried to give the impression of politeness, but was obviously not used to formalities. He was also utterly unable to conceal his apparent fear.
Although Kaname had made his decision within moments, he waited a little longer before he allowed Jack Frost to remain here. The childlike spirit visibly deflated in utter relief.
"Thank you, Kuran-san," he whispered, bowing gratefully.
Unable to help himself, his eyes sought the vampire hunter's reaction, who returned his gaze with a cold gleam and deep-routed hatred, yet he bowed as little as it was polite to do and also gave his thanks.
The sound of a loud whinny uttered by several horses interrupted their little gathering.
"Come on," Kiryu-kun turned his back on them, ordering Yuki and Jack Frost to follow him.
"We must feed the horses. Lilly doesn't like waiting." Kaname heard him say once the fool thought they were out of earshot.
"She'll eat me if I try to enter her stable," Yuki and Jack Frost protested simultaneously.
"Well then, you should stop flinching whenever you see her," he told Yuki, "And you should have known better than to hit her with a snowball."
"I was aiming for you!" Jack protested.
"Winter spirits never miss. They always hit precisely what they mean to."
"Hey, quoting me is not fair!"
Kaname's facial expression showed no emotion, but he had to admit that the interaction between the two lookalikes was almost amusing.
They certainly bickered like brothers.