Author's notes: This is a plot bunny that has hatched into my brain and refused to be blocked from my mind. Sara, I have noticed, doesn't get much attention and whenever she does, it's sometimes in a negative way. This story is based on my strange affinity for ironic twists and pairings-that-never-were. I also had a Kaname/Yuuki story that I had planned to post first, and this one would come later, but my creativity then consigned all of its resources to this story instead.
Time line: This story is supposed to take place after chapter 45.
Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Knight.
Summary: There are two maxims that govern any world. One is that for every emotion, there is another that is opposite and equally powerful. Love and hate; Anger and fear, happiness and sadness. The other is that between those two emotions lies a very thin line that distinguishes them.
The Thin Lines
Chapter 1: The Gilded Cage
She was perfect, wasn't she?
As Sara sat before her vanity, she looked at herself. An angular yet cherubic face, flawless alabaster skin, bright almond-shaped dark blue eyes, and a cascade of silvery-white curls down her back met her gaze.
Aside from her pulchritude, she had been raised as any dignified pureblood should be: since she was young, she had been trained in traditional arts such as voice and dance, had studied under a multitude of tutors who all said that she was intellectually precocious, was a connoisseur in art and fashion, had been taught to play various instruments since she could hold the bow of a violin in her hand, had good connections in the vampire social world, and had all of the qualities of a refined lady.
But all of that had apparently not been enough to sway Kaname Kuran.
She remembered their last rendezvous, at the gala.
"We purebloods have to stick together." Sara said, reaching up to touch his cheek.
She had hoped to find a gleam of difference in his eyes, to give her the faintest hope that they would one day bring their clans into alliance, but his aloof demeanor did not slip an edge. His hand came up and pulled hers away.
"Indeed." He said politely.
His lips did not make contact with her fingertips as he "kissed" them, as it was proper conduct in their society that a female pureblood is not kissed by anyone other than her fiancé.
When he let go of her hand, he excused himself to greet the other people.
Sara's eyes wandered to the upper floor, where they glimpsed a pair of wide eyes glance at her before disappearing. Moments later, Kaname went upstairs and through the same door that the voyeur had gone through and stayed in there for quite a time.
Sara felt bitterness prick at her soul because of the memory, but quickly quelled it; she had no reason to be jealous.
As she found out later, the girl was Kaname's sister and the two had been betrothed since they were very young. They had chosen each other and the continuation of a pureblood line was all but ensured.
Still, where would that leave her?
Aside from the Kuran clan, very few other vampire clans could boast that they had a male pureblood to…give her.
Perhaps there would be a special disposition and Kaname would marry both her and Yuuki; it wouldn't be the first time that this occurred among purebloods; according to her father's history tomes, Purebloods repeatedly committed the human taboo of incest and, although not all humans completely condemned this practice, polygamy to keep their bloodlines pure and their race alive.
But, they would be married in name only; they would do their duties and be courteous to one another, and that would be all.
Sara then considered her father for a moment; he was pureblood and male, except that after Sara had been born, he had had no other issue. Sara was now the only vampire, or human for the matter, who knew why. If anyone else found out, despite their lineage, neither her nor her father would ever be able to hold their heads up again in the Vampire society. After all, Purebloods were known for—no, it was actually an expectation for a Pureblood to have such a 'talent'—their fertility…
Sara looked up at her reflection and chided herself for thinking about love in a marriage of convenience; for those like her, there was limited to no choice on the matter. Their way of life must be preserved like their progenitors and for their progeny.
Besides, what was love worth in comparison to the future of her people and what an advantageous marriage could bring to herself and her family?
Outside the Mansion
He could smell how close she was; all purebloods must have a distinct smell to them.
Zero looked up at the balcony, where rays of light perforated the transparent curtains. The female pureblood was close. He knew that it was a female because her scent was distinctly feminine, almost like that of Yuuki's—
Zero stopped; willing himself not to think about her.
For him, it had come slowly; creeping silently and he found himself fighting his feelings towards her more and more strongly as they grew together. His efforts were inefficacious and wound up hurting only himself; when he found out the truth, it tortured him, taunted him. He had made his promise to kill all purebloods, but to kill her was tantamount to killing a mockingbird.
In the end, he couldn't bring himself to do it and Yuuki had chosen her brother and fiancé anyways.
"And I'll keep running…to give you a reason to live." Zero smiled ruefully; that was something that he would have expected Yuuki to say, it was so in her character to be that noble and subtly polyamorous girl who pulls out of any situation unscathed by making everyone "happy."
After she had left, the voices came back; the voices of his parent and of Yagari, his master. "Why didn't you kill her?" they demanded. "You made a promise!" It was her fault, they said, that he had grown weak and was manipulated.
'Stop it. Stop it.' He berated himself. Tonight would be his redemption; tonight, he would prove his valor as a born Vampire Hunter.
Zero turned to the thatch of vines growing on the side and tested them for sturdiness; they would hold him, he could climb up.
As Sara stood up to go to bed, she heard a crash behind her and turned to find a human—no, a hunter—rising from the shards of glass and pointing a large gun at her.
"Vampire!" He tightened his grip on the gun's handle as he spat out the word.
He was here, he was ready to kill, he was going to fulfill his duty.
But suddenly, her bright curls became dark and straight, her navy-colored eyes brightened into a burgundy shade, and she was standing before him; clutching her neck where blood seeped through her fingertips and stained the white shirt under her dark jacket. She leaned against the handle of the stairs and looked aghast; regarding him as what he really was.
"Yuuki—." His grip on the Bloody Rose slackened.
A moment later, just as he steeled his resolve, guards burst in and wrestled to the ground.
"Oh, my lady; forgive me! I—I had thought—!" One of the maids began, but Sara paid no attention.
Two of the guards pulled Zero, who had his hands restrained behind his back, up and turned to their mistress.
"Do not be disturbed; we will remove him and this will not repeat." They bowed before exiting with their struggling prisoner.
As they left, one of the guards stayed behind.
The guard was young and handsome enough; alabaster skin, emerald eyes, and brown hair that curled around his ears. His eyes shone a dark green as he looked from the exiting guards to Sara.
"Are you alright, Sara?" He asked, taking a step closer to her.
"Yes, Colin; I am well now." Sara replied as she watched him come even closer; his green eyes glassed over with hurt.
"Why are you so different to me now? Is it because of those Kurans?" Colin could not keep the spite out of his voice when he mentioned Kaname and Yuuki Kuran. Colin had long considered Kaname an adversary in his…pursuit of Sara, and now there was another pureblood in the picture, drastically altering the status quo.
"Of course not, Colin." Sara said, vexed by his affront of a Pureblood clan.
"I—I apologize. It's just…I care about you." He took her other hand in his.
"I know." Her lips twitched in trying to suppress her smile. She had known Colin for the longest of time; he had been her guardian and as close to a friend as she had known since she was a toddler and he a young boy of seven.
But now, they were grown.
"Colin…" Sara began.
"Yes, Sara?" He leaned in closer.
"Please withdraw from me and release my hands; it is inappropriate for you to be in my chamber at this time." She said, feeling his fingers tighten their grip before reluctantly letting go. He let go and, with a stiff bow, exited the room.
As he closed the door, his features crinkled in anger; she had spurned him.
He was not stupid; he knew that purebloods needed to preserve their line. Did one mistake thirty generations ago still trickle through to his blood? The woman had bewitched his ancestor into fornicating with her, but after generations of illegitimate births and well-planned intermarriages, the blood that flowed through Colin's veins were almost as pure as Sara's. But that one blemish, like one stain of blood on an otherwise perfectly spotless white sheet…
There were others like him whom he could take as a bride, but think of the gains that he could obtain if he married and bred with a pureblood!
"Colin?" Looking up, Colin saw Hana, Sara's servant, in front of him and scrutinizing his demeanor.
"Yes, Hana?" He asked; making sure to keep his voice soft and breathy. He watched as the young woman's cheeks colored and her manner soften; Hana had made it clear that she wanted him for some time now, and she didn't seem to see that he did not reciprocate.
"It is late; you should retire." Hana said and then continued her path down the hallway.
"What of the intruder?" Colin suddenly asked.
Hana stopped; her father had told her not to share that information with anyone. But, the man asking her about it was Colin...
"The other guards have placed him in the dungeon." Hana said after a moment of hesitation.
The young man smirked; he could always count on Hana to tell him what he wanted, no matter how confidential the information was.
Tomorrow, Colin decided, he would go to Sara's father and ask for Sara's hand in matrimony; Sara's father liked Colin, and Colin was sure that one little blemish would not be discouraging enough for Sara's father to refuse.
But tonight, he felt the need to deliver some punishment to that audacious vampire hunter for intruding upon Sara in the sanctity of her room.
I apologize if this chapter is not accurate in any way; where I live, the bookstores only have Vampire Knight volumes up to volume 5 and I have been too lazy to download scanned versions of the later volumes from the websites and read it myself.
Review, please.