A/N: I may have promised to not start a new VK fanfic till I finished another but apparently I break promises to myself as often as I do about uploading regularly lmao. Anyway, this is Heartless, and it is roughly inspired a YA Fantasy novel I recently read called Forest of a Thousand Lanterns by Julie C. Dao. It is INSPIRED, not based on in any way. I highly recommend the book, it was fantastic and if you regularly enjoy east asian fairy tale retellings you'll enjoy it as it is an east asian retelling of the evil queen myth from Snow White. But anyway, Heartless- I have almost twenty chapters already outlined, so I have an idea as to what is going on in this story. But to be honest, I think this is a story best experienced with very little synopsis revealed. If you have any questions, either PM me or leave them in the reviews under usernames and I'll get back to you ASAP. I plan on marathon writing this story and focusing on it until either I get burned out on it or have fully written what I had outlined. As for my other VK stories, I will be uploading the last chapter I have prewritten of The World soon, and I will be outlining my other stories more so I have something to write after I get burned out on this one. I will probably hop to writing The Tower again after this one because I have some chapters already outlined, unless ya'll really want me to do another story. Anyway, sorry for the long A/N! Enjoy :)
Zero took slow even breaths as she sensed Kuran draw closer- the moon rising out from the horizon's edge as day shifted to night in full and the vampires were released from the Night Dorm to stretch their legs across the Academy grounds without fear of encountering a stray Day Class student- no, all of their human peers would be either in bed for the night or going out for a fun night in the neighboring town- Kurosu City.
Not her though- she would be stuck on Academy grounds to keep the vampires in as much line as possible.
A part of her scoffed at that- as if she cared what the vampires chose to do!
In truth, she didn't give a shit if the Night Class slaughtered the Day Class or vice versa- but she reminded herself sternly that while she didn't have to care in actuality, she had to at least appear like she cared about maintaining vampire/human relations at the school.
Well, not for very much longer- but she couldn't allow herself to become lax, she couldn't allow herself to reveal her cards before she laid down her play in full at the perfect moment.
No, she couldn't ruin what had been years in the making on all of their parts.
Kuran's, Okaa-san's,, Otou-san's, Ichiru's….
She had a duty to her family to do her best- no, to do better..
She would not fail, she refused to.
But you have been- you have been a hopeless cause every time Kuran so much as steps within ten yards of you.
Zero shook her head, as if to disagree, long silver hair dancing in the breeze briefly as the scent of spiced apples drew nearer and nearer.
I will not fail. I will not fail. I will not fail….
She had been sinking in his presence more and more as time passed and the years droned on at the Academy. At first she had wanted to hate him- had tried to convince herself by putting on an act of it. One that she had to continue to this day even though she had long ago realized that she had never hated Kuran Kaname. She had craved to- had been repulsed by his arrogance, his gall to behave as if he were a god made physical.
But that had changed as she would watch him from afar- how he cared for sweet, delicate Yuki- how he had made it a point to never disappoint the petite brunette who everyone could tell adored him as her savior.
Zero hadn't realized it until the beginning of the term but she wanted him to look at her that way. She wanted more than that in all honesty- she wanted him to be her savior- she wanted him to take her away from the awful legacy she had bourne in hiding since birth.
A legacy which grew heavier as the days wore on and her birthday drew closer- the day she would begin to awaken- when her father's power would take firm hold of her soul and wretch it away from the light she had tried so hard to cling to.
Her mother's legacy would also be awakened soon, though probably not until winter began to chill the air.
That legacy she did not mind- no, she craved that legacy, the one that would make her even with the one she had begun to love.
She whipped around to face him as she felt his fingertip glance across her cheek- a caress too sweet, too kind, to have truly been meant for her.
She had the sneaking suspicion he had been playing with her intentionally, had been toying with her emotions for some ulterior motive.
She had kept up the act as best she could but Zero had always known that he could see beyond what she chose to reveal, could see further into her than anyone else had dared and so they had fallen into a amicable relationship where harsh barbs were exchanged more so than any pleasantry, where they both knew the other was hiding things, but not the true extent of what lay hidden beneath their unknowing treads.
"Kuran," She growled in warning and he cocked a brow at her.
"Kiryu…" He mocked, his tone as sharp as any hunter's blade
His eyes were dark tonight, the warmth of the deeper red wine shade obscured by a never ending chasm of dark chocolate.
Kaname was without the Night Class uniform tonight- instead wearing a tailored black coat and crimson button up, the collar open to reveal smooth untouched skin along the column of his throat. His pants were finely pressed- a seamless black to match the coat it would seem- his hair was tamed back out of his eyes and she cocked a brow in return.
"Going somewhere?"
"Yes. Some of us have actual responsibilities to attend to."
His cutting words only served to make her roll her eyes- no doubt they were intended to mock her being abandoned by her hunter brethren.
Jokes on him, she wasn't even a hunter technically. Nor was she technically a Kiryu, but that thought would not be permitted to be spoken until the true reveal was made.
He walked forward, forcing her back against a tree, course bark pressing into her back leaving unforgiving imprints.
"But we both know why I'm putting them off, don't we, Zero?"
She frowned at him and he craned his neck down to run his nose along her throat, inhaling her scent abruptly and drawing a gasp from her before she pushed him away.
"No." She said and he chuckled.
"Oh, so are we going to pretend that the last time you fed from me you had to be torn away? Are we going to pretend that you still hate my blood? Are you really going to force me to go back to shoving it down your throat?"
She frowned once more and crossed her arms defensively.
He chuckled and shrugged off his coat and loosened his collar a bit more, running a finger down his collar to tempt her.
It was tempting and that was part of the reason she loved forcing him to imposition her. She bit her lip to steel herself against flying forward and sinking her fangs into his neck- she hated how much she craved his blood- no, she hated how much she craved him.
He watched her with a predatory gleam, his eyes never abandoning her lithe form as he cut into his neck with a sharp nail, his lips oh so slightly upturned in a smirk.
She forced herself to pretend for a few moments longer if only to frustrate him.
She always did this- she needed it. She needed him frustrated and tempting because Zero was a female who craved the rough, the difficult, the primal. She loved feeling him claw into her and seize her like he either wanted to fuck her or kill her and she loved it because in those moments- in those moments, she could feel like she was his and he was hers and that he wanted her of all people.
It was toxic, it was destructive, but she couldn't stop herself from craving it all.
In the blink of an eye she had crossed the distance, her violet eyes turned a violent crimson, her canines sharpened to clean points, her slim but toned form leaping into his arms and forcing him to grip forcefully into her thighs as she sliced into his neck with a practiced dexterity.
Rich, untainted power flooded her senses- so full bodied and so overwhelming she could scarcely tell how long she had been trying her best to devour him whole.
Slowly her awareness crept back in and she could begin to taste anything other than that strength that naturally flooded through him.
Warm spiced apples, creamy milk and dark cacao- she felt herself purr at the onslaught of flavor, clenching her fists into his silk shirt with a moan.
And then it was gone- Kuran tore her away and pushed her back to her feet, her thighs bloody from where his claws had torn into her skin like razor blades, the crimson staining the hem of her plain grey dress dark.
Zero brought a hand to her mouth, glancing away from him as she touched her fingertips to her lips almost unconsciously.
He made no sound as he quickly wiped his blood away with a hankerchief, the clean white fabric left tainted before being quickly burned away by his touch.
Kuran buttoned his collar and shrugged his coat back on, his eyes coming to rest on her and garnering her own glance back at him.
He scoffed, his frustration present but also a hint of amusement coloring his tone.
"Why?" She asked.
She wanted to know why he fed her, wanted to hear him express his reasoning even though she knew it would hurt her immensely- even though she knew it would crush part of what remained of her child-like hope that had yet to fully abandon her even after everything that had happened to her in her short life.
He did not spare her, did not soften his words as he replied back exactly what she knew to be true.
"You protect Yuki and Yuki is all that matters to me."
She glanced away and blew out a harsh breath, turning on her heel and leaving him alone in the forest along the Academy boundary.
His eyes had never looked so dark, so flat, so deadly as they had in that moment and Zero forced herself to push forward until she reached the relative safety of the stables, where no other student would willingly wander, tucking herself into White Lily's keep before she allowed the few tears she had to escape without sound.
I will not fail. I will not fail. I will not fail…
A/N: How did you enjoy the first chapter? What are your feelings on this Zero? Any predictions? Vague feelings? Hopes for this story? Is there anything you really want to see in this story? Tell me below! Thanks for reading! :)