A/N: Oh man, I can't believe how long it has been since this story has last been updated but thanks for keeping up with me this far! I made this chapter with ten pages in one day, so hopefully you'll take the time to enjoy it. And on another note, since summer is only about one or two days away and I get to stay home tomorrow (which means it's only one more day away for me), I'm thinking of getting started with the next chapter to this story very soon, as in tomorrow-soon but...it may not be posted tomorrow. Give me some time and it may even be twenty pages! Okay? Yeah? Good!
Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Knights.
Warning(s): OOC (Out of Character - Zero's going to be a bit angsty and Kaname's going to be irritating, and also in this chapter, Yuki is going to be pretty angsty as well so be prepared), typos (inevitable), boy and boy pairing (Zero and Kaname), cursing (maybe not in this chapter but will have some in future chapters), and A/U (Alternate Universe - Zero is a student and Kaname is a teacher).
Being Mortal
Type: Alternative Universe
Summary:
From one lifetime as a vampire hunter to the next lifetime as a regular high school student with no memories of the last, the ex-hunter finds himself in a relationship of student to teacher with his old rival.
Pairing: Zero X Kaname
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Three: Yuki Cross
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Desire was what made him human. Hatred was what almost left him for dead.
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He hated everything.
Zero Kiryuu glared down at his empty bowl, pretending that it caught on fire somehow. With his hands clenched into tight fists, he looked up at the sounds of feet shuffling down the stairs. He saw Yuki. She was in her pajamas already, and a book was tucked under her arm. Glancing at the clock in the kitchen, he noticed it was only seven thirty in the evening.
How strange.
"Why so early, Yuki?" he asked, staring back at the bowl.
She looked at him and grinned widely, "I thought I might get you to read a really long bed-time story this time. And I mean really long, Zero!"
The boy smirked, clearly amused, "Not a chance, Yuki. You're going to bed at nine, no buts, got it?"
Yuki crossed her arms and grumbled in a childlike manner. The silver haired boy could tell that he just ruined her little plan. He sighed softly to himself when she just stood there on top of the stairs and pouted at him, thinking changing her expression would really get him to change his mind. In truth though, Zero was only following the orders of his step-father with that one little rule because he owed him. If he wasn't there, Zero wouldn't have been in this very house, with the little sweet girl he had come to cherish.
In fact, he may not have even been alive at all.
So he just couldn't let Yuki break the one and only rule his false father, their father, put up. Not even for the little child he adored and maybe even envied. The girl's wide eyes followed his sudden movements when he crossed the room to stand in front of her, "I'll read you only one. It can't be too long though so save the book for later, okay?"
She looked away, clearly unhappy with his deal but nonetheless, she nodded slowly, shooting him a long side-ways child-like-glare that he was used to, "Fine but I won't like you tonight."
Zero frowned in return but nodded as well, as if agreeing with her, playing along. He was, after all, her older brother. If he didn't play with her, who would? If he wasn't there, who would be? The silver haired teenager took hold of the soft, small hand that was very like the little girl and smiled, "Okay. You don't need to like me tonight. I completely understand that."
She made a face at him before changing it abruptly to a thoughtful frown.
"Oh. Zero," he looked down at her as they walked up the stairs.
"Yes?"
"How was your day?"
He sighed heavily, thinking back on the events that had occurred. Silently letting his mind wander away, the boy almost stumbled on the stair, not entirely paying any attention to his surrounding. That earned some giggles on Yuki's part.
"Annoying…"
"Huh?"
"You asked about my day. My reply is: it was annoying."
"Oh."
The younger sibling let out a small huff of a sigh and then stared down at the floor, seeming to contemplate something that only she knew. It made the older boy feel helpless, for once, not knowing what to do when forced into a situation where he didn't know what the other was thinking. He was also not going to ask since it would make him feel even more helpless for not being able to predict his supposed sister and that in turn, would damage his pride.
"I wonder what my mother was like."
He suddenly frowned as the girl turned to face him with another dazzling smile of hers.
"What do you mean?" he slowly asked, unsure of how to react to her question.
Her smile didn't fade, however.
"You were thinking if you should ask me, right? I know you, Zero. When you're curious about something, instead of asking like a normal person, you'll sit quiet and pretend to be uninterested."
The boy grumbled, inwardly surprised, "How would you know? Are you stalking me secretly?"
She giggled.
The silver haired boy's eyebrow rose slightly. While Yuki was young, naïve and adorable, lately she seemed depressed so it was a rare sight to see her laughing like a normal little girl. Sometimes he would trail behind her from afar when she was caught up with her friends and never once, in the past three months he kept watch of her, had he seen her just as happy and carefree as she was at home.
Or at least as she was today.
But what made today so special?
He pursed his lips tightly as she continued to laugh; unaware of the awkward silence her false brother was feeling.
"I'm glad you're happy, today, Yuki."
She smiled at him, and walked down the hallway toward her room with the older boy following behind, "Yeah, yeah. Something good finally happened at school today."
"Oh?"
"Those bullies who kept picking on me are transferring schools. Both of them are."
Zero sighed, "I'm sorry."
"What…?"
"I'm sorry I'm never there for you, Yuki."
He leaned heavily on the door as she walked in to grab a random book from her bookshelf. Yuki sighed and shook her head, "And I'm sorry I'm a little smart for my age."
Zero stared at her in surprise, "What do you mean? Why are you sorry for that?"
"Just because."
"Just because?" Zero echoed.
Yuki nodded, as if that vague answer was so obvious that even a toddler could understand it. She didn't elaborate any further and being the overly protective brother but also Zero at the same time, the teen didn't have the heart to pry into her affairs. He let the subject slide as they made their ways onto her bed. It was still pretty early according to Zero for a bedtime story so they just sat and talked.
Sibling to sibling kind of talk.
An older brother to younger sister talk.
Their kind of talk…
And usually with such conversations, Yuki was the one who led the conversation, always answering Zero's questions as the boy sits there and stares up at the ceiling thinking of what to talk about when it was his turn.
"…and when they normally make fun of me, I don't say anything to the teachers. I mean I could if I wanted to…"
"…but why didn't you?" Zero asked quietly.
Yuki looked him straight in the eye, casting a sad smile at the same time, "…because I'd like to think people can change by themselves, that they can change without me tattle-telling on them."
Zero clenched his fists.
He didn't like how his sister would just sit there and take in their mockery and threats and harassment just because they were stupid. That was the last thing he wanted to happen to her.
"I don't understand you sometimes, Yuki. You're smart, you really are. People shouldn't make fun of intelligence. It's not your fault they're stupid. Gods, that's just how wars get started!" He said through tight lips.
Yuki only smiled, "I know you would have settled it through a fist-fight…but that's how wars get started."
"But you should have at least defended yourself! Did they hit you? Did they?"
He couldn't hide the concern and hatred. He almost bellowed the questions at her and although she didn't look phased by it, her body shook slightly. The teen stood up and glared heatedly at the floor.
"They did, didn't they?"
The brunette stilled, "Maybe."
"What? You're kidding me! I was right!?"
As quickly as he stood, he darted forward and grabbed the child's arm, almost twisting it in his own fear and concern. He rolled up the girl's sleeve and nearly dropped it in surprise. The boy saw scratch marks all over her arm and almost up to her shoulder. Deep red gashes filled other places and some seemed as recent as the other day. Although most of the cuts had dried up and others were bandaged, there were still a few that Zero could tell weren't washed properly and seemed ready for infection any day now.
It was quite a sight to see on his little sister.
"Are you stupid?"
She almost whimpered as he pulled her arm toward him in a mixture of anger, sadness, guilt and a loving bond only a brother and sister could share. The boy tumbled over the bed as the body of his sister flung herself onto him, trying to pry her arm loose from his grip at the same time of the collision but Zero didn't let go, not by a long shot.
He pushed her off of him onto her stomach, slowly but with such a great force, it left her dizzy and dazed before sitting on top of her back and twisting both her arms behind her so he could examine both of them properly. As he inspected her other arm which was covered in red marks as well, Yuki let out a cry that sounded like a wounded animal, kicking her feet out from beneath him in a futile attempt to force the silver haired teen off.
"I can take care of myself!" She sounded shrill from beneath him.
"From the way your arms look, it's obvious that's a lie," he deadpanned.
"I can take care of myself!" She repeated, her voice going up into higher octaves as her legs flailed out and her arms tried to break loose.
"Get off me!"
"No."
"Why not?"
He could easily tell he was agitating his sister with his overly-protective brother act but what else could he do? He was not going leave his sister to deal with problems such as these anymore. He could not. He would not. And he wanted to make sure he got that very point across to Yuki right then.
"I will not get off of you…until you tell me the whole story." He looked into her messy brunette hair as he elaborated, "Tell me the whole story with every detail from the beginning. Understand?"
"No. I won't. Now get off me!"
He sighed. Then a thought occurred to him almost at once and he stood up, quickly and quietly but still having a full death-grip on her arms as he stomped over to her bathroom, dragging her along behind him. When they were both in front of the mirror, he searched for the cabinets, found them and tugged them both open before grabbing the container with the bandages. Zero didn't say a single word as he turned the cold water on in the sink and splashed them on his free hand.
Yuki was deathly silent as well when she noticed her older brother's intentions. Even after she yelled and screamed at him for being concerned, he was still dressing her wounds. Even after she tried getting her way, tried getting him to break the one rule that had kept him at this place ever since she could remember, he wasn't deserting her as a brother. She didn't understand Zero. She couldn't.
He was too complicated, too emotional, too brotherly.
He was too Zero.
And when he finally finished rinsing her arms and dressing the wounds, she could feel herself whimper and then she did the one thing she kept telling herself never to do ever since the bullying started.
She broke down and in front of him, the elder sibling.
"It's okay to cry sometimes, Yuki," his voice was gentle, and yet commanding and she let herself sob even louder, harder into his comforting shoulders.
"Why? Why are you like this? What if I say that I really meant what I said at the stairs, that I hate you?" she asked through sobs.
His eyes widened slightly, became suddenly glazed and unfocused, as he looked pass her shoulders. He knew that she was only asking that as a "what if" question but to think that his younger sister would even think of that almost crushed him. But Zero was the older brother, her only sole comfort when his step-father wasn't there making things better in his own strange way and he couldn't let her know that he was secretly weak.
He would not let her know that he only relied on people's thoughts about him to stay the way he was, that his life was already dead to him.
He wouldn't.
He refused.
And although his breathing was raggedy and his hands trembled as they clutched her head and ran through her soft brunette hair, he spoke with more determination and bravery than he felt at that moment. It almost convinced him that he was alright and that they'd make it through together and that her words haven't cut through his walls protecting him from an emotional breakdown as well.
He would not cry in front of her.
He would not cry when he was comforting her.
He would not lose her.
And he would not lose himself anymore than he already had.
"Even if you hated me, I'll protect you. I'll always protect you from harm, Yuki. From now on…that's a promise," Zero whispered into her ear and finally she stopped crying long enough to move her head so she could focus on him.
"Even if I'm miles away?" she asked softly.
"Even if you're miles away," he confirmed.
"Even if I'm an ocean away?"
"Of course, Yuki. I'll find you easily," he nodded, a smile forming itself onto his lips.
She looked at him, suddenly with child-like suspicion, "How?"
"We have a brother and sister bond. I can feel you in my heart," he gestured at his chest.
"Oh, okay."
"Go to sleep now, Yuki. You look tired."
"I'm not really…"
Yuki didn't even finish the sentence as her head began to droop down and her grip on his shoulders loosened, "Okay…maybe I am. Just a little. But Zero…"
"Yeah?"
He made his way out of the bathroom and tucked her in gently on her bed. As the brunette haired child snuggled up in the blankets, her eyes began to close as well.
"I don't really hate you."
"I know," he smiled.
"And Zero?"
"Yes?"
"I think it's okay for you to cry sometimes too."
"Thanks, Yuki."
"Good night."
"Good night."
And then they were silent as she drifted off to sleep, leaving her older brother in the shadows of her room as he thought back to the day, to the conversation, to the news of the bullies, to the meltdown and to his own almost breakdown. Usually their conversations ended the same. They were always the same with Yuki leading and ending the conversation and Zero always in his own mind, always somewhere else, trying not to return to the reality that left Yuki with so many scars and him, half sane and half dead.
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"I don't want to die…mama…"
He was scared.
"Get away from me, you beast!"
She was insane, angry and disgusted.
"Why are you calling me that? Why am I a beast, mama? Why do you look so angry?"
He was naïve.
"Y-you…Why do I look so angry? Why do I call you such things, you little devil?"
Her voice was shrill, so high pitched.
"Yes…why mamma? What's going on?"
His voice was a whisper.
"Don't ever call me mamma again! I hate you! I hate you! You killed them! You killed you own father and brother. What do you have to say for yourself, huh!?"
She was gone. Her mind ripped.
"I'm sorry…I'm sorry…I didn't mean too…"
He was sobbing, shaking and whimpering as she lunged at him to strangle him.
"You are so naïve."
Her voice was cold.
"I'm sorry."
He didn't do anything as she shook him like a doll.
"…so naïve, Zero…"
And then everything was dark.
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"I wonder what book Yuki had in mind," the silver haired boy mused out loud.
He had wandered over to the desk and looked through all of the books, a mixture of child fairy tales from Mother Goose and some textbooks that seemed too advanced for an eight year old. His eyes scanned through all the possible books before landing on one with a fairly peculiar title. It was thinner than most of the others and the color reminded him of blood, thick and oozing that made him shiver.
Surprisingly, it didn't have a name or anything on the side like regular books but before he had a chance to pick it up and look, the door burst open and the sight of his step-father made him almost jump.
"What are you doing home so early?"
Cross, his step-father shrugged and smiled, "Nothing. Just thought I'd give you a little surprise."
"And what would that be besides the fact that you're dressed as if you had come back from a formal dance?" The boy glared heatedly at the elder.
"Actually I have and I brought someone who's familiar with you, back with me," Cross gave him a sheepish grin, eyes darting pass the doorway.
"And who would that be?"
"Your homeroom teacher."
"…"
It took him almost one whole minute before those three little words sunk in. And then his eyes widened in bewilderment. Unbelievable. When had Cross met up with that annoying teacher? When did they arrive?
Was Zero so out of it that he had failed to hear the sounds of the roaring car engine and the slam of the car doors that his step-father could sneak up on him like that? And how in the world did the two meet up? No way…there was no way his teacher was here in this very house with them. He refused to believe it. Cross had to be lying, to be pulling his leg.
"Prove it," the silver haired boy crossed his arms tightly over his chest.
The man only smiled and they both peered at the doorway, looking at it expectantly.
First there was silence and Zero thought he won.
Then there was movement.
And finally there was a voice.
"Sorry to disappoint you, Mister Kiryuu."
Zero's breath hitched.
An all too familiar face appeared by the door-way, smirking the entire time as the figure of the man sauntered his way in and stopped short to face the boy.
And Zero froze at the sight of Kaname Kuran, the most annoying teacher he ever had.
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From one lifetime to the next, no one can ever hope to change fate, no matter how much they want to.
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A/N: I hope you liked that. Thanks for the wait and to tell you the truth, I'm already planning the next chapter out. Let me know what you think!
PS: Also have a look at my bio and take a look at the poll on there. Thank you!
