A/N: It's been a while since I've put one of these out, not necessarily a bad thing but alas a break is not meant to be forever, my brain has been flooded with a few new plots that won't leave me alone so here we are with the 12th part to this series. Do y'all hate me yet because if so I really don't blame you but I also can't stop it. I'll be coming out with the next chapter of MNIZ soon but I need to clear the plot fog before I can have cohesive ideas for chapter what like 14 or 15 now I don't even remember. Forgive me, my brain is on a roll tonight since we just started allowing our doors to stay open until midnight once more which means less sleep and therefore my brain has no filter. So! Here we go onto part 12! As usual please let me know what you think about the teasers is you have any thoughts I'd love to hear them and I will catch you again soon. Enjoy!
Number 93: Summer Villa (explicit content warning, this is a trauma recovery story and will dive into the topics of sexual assault/rape, recovery, relapsing, and moving forward. This is not pairing centric although they may be included at a later time)
Just as he had been told, the Kiryu villa was beautiful, though he had no idea why a family of four needed six stories he was glad they had the room to fit everyone, neither Ichiru nor Zero offered explanations to the reason behind the vast well-manicured property or the house's seemingly untouched beauty. Neither of them had been there since the age of seven and the home was not cared for by maids or butlers yet it was spotless as Kaien walked in the front door. The floors were so clean they resembled crystals, the walls and furniture fit the Kiryu color schemes of light grey, whites, silver, lavender purples, blue, and steel. Only the wood differed, rich dark wood stood out against the stark white carpet and crystalline tiles. Cross and Touga were the first to arrive with Ichiru, the night class arrived shortly after, with Sayori. Kaito and Zero mentioned something about going on a brief ride before they would meet everyone else at the house so the rest of the group took their time exploring their rooms and getting settled. "I still can't believe Zero never talked about this place, it's gorgeous! I would have killed to come here if I had known!" Yuuki marveled over the space, dancing barefoot around the open floor in a new white sundress she had bought for the special occasion.
"It is very nice, your family is very...clean feeling," Sayori hummed toward Ichiru who gave a slight shrug.
"You can thank Zero for that," came the simple reply but before anyone could ask what that meant exactly he had left for his room. Nothing much had changed, he noted, except that their bed had been updated from a queen to a king mattress, the mirrors on the wall got taller and the closet slightly larger. They never kept many decorations or posters but a few picture frames on their dresser, one of two smiling identical faces and another of them with their parents, looked like they had been washed and polished. Ichiru let out the sigh he had been holding since their arrival, he knew it was a good idea to come back, there was a lot he had missed about this place, and yet he couldn't help the twinge of guilt in the back of his mind. He knew Zero only agreed because he had asked, practically begged, him to come along. He knew there was still leftover pain. If he was being optimistic he would say coming here was the only way to hopefully help his brother heal those emotional scars but he knew it was going to be a long and trying journey to do so. "Sorry, ani, it's going to be a hard two weeks for you. I only hope it'll help in the end," he found himself whispering to the picture frame as though it could hear him. Tossing his bags to the floor he gracelessly fell onto the bed he had shared so many summer nights with his brother. Their scents heavily intertwined throughout the room, he duly noted he could even scent some very stale traces of their parents whose bedroom used to be one floor below, that room would now either belong to Cross or Touga, it was time to move on. Time to heal. But, of course, that was much easier said than done. Trying to push away the more troubling thoughts to the back of his mind, the younger Kiryu allowed himself to breathe in the familiarities that would eventually lull him to sleep.
Number 94: To Touch The Moon (Eventual KaZe, one-sided OCxZero, mentions hints of past abusive relationships, OC involvement not centric. This is set after the whole Rido incident-ish)
Summary: Kaname had always admired from afar, like many others he knew it was damn near impossible to get close to the silver-haired adolescent. It didn't stop him from fantasizing about it, what it would feel like to run his fingers through those silver locks just once, what did his lips feel like? Was his skin soft or as rough as his outward demeanor? Kiryu Zero was as untouchable as the moon, but that didn't mean Kaname wouldn't try.
The glow of high moon gave the grounds a type of dangerous ethereal luminescence, a phrase that fit well with the Kuran name, dangerous yet loved, beautiful yet beastly all at once. Very few beings could withstand the impact and power of the Kuran name alone much less the prince himself but tonight no such intimidation was necessary, it was a clear evening with no trouble on the horizon. The all too familiar buzz of a party going on downstairs in the ballroom continued to lap at Kaname's ears. The occasional tingle on his skin reminded him that many hunter families were also present in his home but non-threatening. This party was one of many hosted in order to allow vampires and hunters to mingle peacefully and everyone with or without a name was present. Even one Kiryu Zero, though once subjected to the former perfect's constant glares and verbal assaults even he had made a sort of peace with the nobles and the other hunters followed easily in his footsteps. If they were smart about it Kaname was sure the hunters and vampires could grow a tight bond and work together in any time of struggle. A much easier feat with a revised council and new leadership among the association. He was surprised at first when the silver-haired elite declined leadership of the hunters but understood where Zero was coming from. They had only just gotten over having a corrupt hunter-turned-vampire as a leader and it was best to give the position to someone with far more respect amongst all generations. Not that the Kiryu name did not have respect, Zero was all but worshiped as much as the prince himself when he walked into the room, but unlike the Kuran's the Kiryu clan always preferred to keep their lives out of the spotlight. Having the world's attention on him for so long made Zero apt at conversing in any given situation but the pureblood could sense the immediate relaxation when he was with smaller groups of familiar hunters or vampires. Preferring to rely on what he already knew than learn how to trust new beings. Even now, from his balcony, Kaname watched as the decorated hunter escaped from the crowds into the gardens to be alone for a while before he was inevitably noticed and called on once more. He would have let the hunter have a moment to himself, but Kaname yearned for a conversation with him for no real reason so he let his instincts guide him. Leaping from the deck gracefully he landed without noise on the ground and approached the hunter before he too was noticed by someone. "Kuran," his name was said more in greeting than anything before he got within two arms' length of the elite. It wasn't unexpected but he did occasionally miss the ability to surprise the hunter as he did often when they were at the academy.
"After all this time you are still so distant with me," he mused in an effort to get under the silverette's closely guarded nerves.
"Consider it custom rather than distant," came the easy reply with a slight smirk when the younger turned toward the pureblood, for reasons unknown the vampire could feel his heart stall a moment before he brushed off the phenomenon and huffed in amusement. He didn't mind playing these games with the hunter, they were pointless and a bit childish but the two spent so much time being cordial it was nice to let the facade drop every now and then.
Number 95: Untitled (Pairings not decided at the moment will deal with self-harm but I'm going to keep it a little more non-traditional from other depressing fics, this will center more around mental illness than it will romance, consider yourselves heavily warned this will not be an easy read if you are triggered by eating disorders and explicit mental strain this is not for you. This one, in particular, is also very close to my own personal trials so please be kind when commenting)
In the early hours of the morning, with the night class was back in their dorms and the day class still well asleep until dawn, one would expect the academy to finally become peaceful. It was for most of the students, a time where there was no screaming, no pestering, a time of leisure and relaxation. At least, for all but four, Kaito cared not about what Kuran Yuuki was up to standing on her balcony at three-thirty in the morning with a pensive look on her face, nor did he care that her brother soon joined her seeming to be looking for someone. What he did concern himself with was that of a certain absent hunter, missing wasn't quite the right word. He knew where Zero was, the silver-haired ex-human hardly cared if people found him, but Kaito found that even he was growing weary with how often his partner would skip out on the academy. As though he no longer cared for the duties he once respected. The sigh escaped his lips before he could stop it as he hiked through the forest until he happened upon the familiar yet deserted dome. There were very few that knew of this place, he only had the privilege of the knowledge after he had become concerned enough about Zero's disappearances that he questioned their former hunting master who came clean after a lengthy one-sided argument. Since then he often found himself in the peaceful deep green trees, the greenery cleared only when one approached the doors of the built arena. Pushing open heavy stone slats amber eyes searched the inside until they found what he was looking for. In near darkness, save for the moonlight shining in through a few windows, standing in front of a natural landscaped course was Kiryu Zero. Wearing nothing but a thin long-sleeved shirt and jogging pants, Kaito pushed down the instinct to throw a jacket over those shoulders and force the younger to accompany him back to the school as he knew it would only end up in a long fight that he didn't have the energy for tonight. Instead, he made himself as comfortable as possible in the designated waiting area and watched.
Number 96: A Figment of Your Imagination (AU where the night class had not met Zero in person, he doesn't attend the academy as he is a bit older than them but Cross gushes about him every time they talk with the strange headmaster. Some wonder if he is more than a little crazy seeing as this 'Zero' person doesn't seem to actually exist. He is but a rumor, a figment of the man's imagination they assume. Until he isn't. Pairings not fully decided most likely will be a ZeroxKaname and Yuuki doesn't exist)
The patience of all the saints that he could name, which weren't many but surely more than one if he thought hard enough, could not outlast Cross Kaien's storytelling for if they could Kaname was sure the man would be in the church all hours of the day and night alike talking about his prodigal foster son. Each time the vampire prince came to speak with the man, often dragging his most loyal nobles to suffer alongside him, the meetings would somehow devolve into the ex-hunter legend talking about a man by the name of "Zero". Cross never gave them a last name, either too wrapped up in his stories to add one or purposefully avoiding it Kaname wasn't sure but it didn't matter as there had never been a "Zero" in Cross' life that he was aware of. Having known the man for most of his youth and watching the legendary hunter turn into the much softer headmaster of a private boarding high school, he was pretty sure he would have at least seen this "Zero" person if he truly existed. But he had not. No one had. The idea that Cross Kaien had seriously lost his mind had not been entertained the first few times but this was likely the hundredth, more often than not Kaname forced himself to listen just so he could tell himself he was doing the man a favor by letting him live out his fantasies of having a child since he had never had kids of his own to the vampire's knowledge. As he continued to listen evening after evening however he began to wonder how much of this fantasy was actually fantasy. Certainly, not everything was made up because Cross talked about very real happenings in the world around them, somehow he even had insider information to the Hunter's Association which he had left decades ago in order to pursue the construction of Cross Academy. And yet, even as real-world events lined up, there was still nearly no physical evidence of "Zero". It was becoming confusing and very muddled which was why Kaname was glad the nobles were anything but reserved in their commentary on the group's way to the market after bidding the man goodbye. It helped the vampire prince distinguish what was most likely reality and what was certainly a figment of the man's imagination. "He's certainly becoming more real to Kaien-san, he went on for nearly twenty minutes about how "Zero" could glare the room into submission!" Kaname tuned back into the conversation happening around him, mostly between the two most outspoken nobles, Aido Hanabusa and Souen Ruka, and the two most reasonable nobles, Ichijo Takuma and Kain Akatsuki. He and the remaining two vampires usually just listened, only chiming in when they felt it was necessary.
"In a way that could mean "Zero" is more real, if he knows the expressions, his reputation, his aura even...that is hard for someone to make up in their head to such detail don't you think? Maybe Cross-san is basing it off of someone that truly does exist," Takuma interjected a little bit into Hanabusa's rant. That was a curious thought and it was a possibility, Kaien had seen many faces both on and off the battlefield. He could very well be remembering someone else and personifying them in his head as this "Zero" creation.
"But if it was a real person then why fake everything else? Why fake that it's his foster son instead of just giving up real names and details?" Ruka questioned this time, her normally hotty attitude dampened by how much the situation was bugging her. Another curious development the prince had noticed. Soen Ruka really only had eyes for three things, her image, her money, and her desire for the pureblood himself. Others were largely ignored and brushed off, definitely talked down about, and then promptly hated until she forgot about them once more. However, Kaname had noticed after the first few nights the Souen heiress was quite invested in this imaginary being. If he was being hopeful he would wonder if she secretly wanted this "Zero" person to be real in order to attempt courting him instead of Kaname but that was likely wishful thinking. As far as he knew no one was anywhere close to meeting Ruka's standards.
"We don't know if Cross-san has ever had kids, like we've mentioned before it's very possible he lost a son a long time ago while still an active hunter and no one knows about it. We only know the parts of his past that he wants us to know, nothing more and nothing less. So if he wants us to know about "Zero" so bad there is probably a reason and a very real connection somewhere in his past." once again Takuma reasoned, ending the discussion for a little while as the group reflected on his words. Kaname had to admit once again his vice president had a good point. As the group reached the entrance to the market Kaname was momentarily distracted by a flash off to his left side, he turned but nothing was there except the buzzing of a moving crowd. Eyes narrowing a fraction he felt as if there were eyes on him, dangerous eyes, coming from somewhere. He moved forward, mentally shaking his head from the idea, he was a pureblood for hell's sake. If there was danger about he would be able to pinpoint it with no problem. As he refocused on the stalls he caught the eyes of someone he had never felt, a young man it looked like though he was covered in a cloak that hid most of his features. Kaname couldn't tell which scent was his but he almost stopped dead in his track when glaring lilac-amethyst hues met his own. An icy shiver crawled up Kaname's spine, his senses now extremely on edge, alarm bells were going off in his head making it suddenly hard to breathe. He felt frozen in place. Limbs too stiff to move yet screaming at him to prepare for an attack of some kind. Whether his body would fight or flee he wasn't positive. But no such attack came. The man lowered his head, shielding those powerful orbs once more, and vanished into the crowd taking all Kaname's energy with him.
"Kaname-sama! Kaname!" when he came to his surroundings had changed, he was laid on his back, the nobles circling him desperately calling for him to return to his senses. Blinking his eyes back into focus he noted they were still in the market but he had been moved off toward the forest's edge. There was no sign of the man but Kaname could still feel that stare burning into him, making him unsure of his body. If he didn't know better he would have claimed it wasn't real. With shallow breaths he nodded to his followers, letting them know he was alright as he began to sit up. Paranoia crept at the edged of his fingers making them twitch but he forced it down, trying to keep himself calm. "Kaname? What happened?" Takuma spoke again, his voice coming in clearly this time. It almost made the pureblood want to laugh, what he just experienced, no, who he just experienced. He wasn't even sure if they would believe him. Swallowing dryly the pureblood took a few breaths and steadied his voice before he spoke.
"Zero."
Number 97: Cabin in the Forest (ShapeshifterxMagicianxHealer AU! I'm experimenting here if you can't tell. ZeroxTakumaxShiki pairing for this one I think, might throw some other chars in at some point but it will center around these three, I expect this one to be fairly short but fun and sweet)
Their home was moderately quiet, except for the occasional squeal of the tea kettles, a few thuds from a stack of books too tall falling over once more, and the grumbling of a flustered magician trying to read through too many old books and scrolls. His partner, a quiet auburn-haired healer that seldom talked but could often be found hovering over platters of sweets from the market purchased in the early morning, was used to this routine. He didn't intervene in the older magician's studies nor did he study much himself, instead he took to pouring the last of the morning's tea into a cup and with a scone in hand made his way to the back porch. There he would sit and watch the activity of the world around them, secluded in the deep forest gave him the freedom to witness the animals at their best. He learned more from the forest, the birds, the bugs, and nature itself than he ever would from books and chemical formulas. That is why he asked to live here, they had moved in a couple of decades ago but the world still felt so new to him, there was always something interesting and different going on. By the feeling of the wind he could tell it was going to be a rough winter this coming year, fall was nearly over and they needed to start preparing soon.
Number 98: Gunslinger (Another very eventual KaZe where the first meeting is with an aged-up Zero, not cannon. I've been listening to the song "Cattleman's Gun" by Dean Brody a lot lately and if you're curious what the vibe is of this segment I encourage you to look it up. It is country I will warn you but think less bluegrass hillbillies and more shoot-em-up western vibe)
"Is there something wrong? Your attention seems to be focused elsewhere this evening, Kiryu-kun," Kaname couldn't keep the slight edge from his tone, the eighteen-year-old was hardly doing anything wrong but somehow he felt put off by the quiet behavior. He thought he was getting used to this newcomer but maybe he had been wrong. He didn't fully believe in Hanabusa and Ruka's suspicions about their new classmate being some type of spy or a transplant meant to attack them at any given moment but neither could he fully trust the silver-haired adolescent. Zero was not stupid, and there was certainly some sort of training in his past but he had never done anything largely concerning and even Seiren couldn't find anything about his past that would give them any real knowledge. Kaname could tell the documentation had been faked to an extent, but he couldn't uncover what had been hidden. Whoever decided the Kiryu family should remain a secret was clearly very apt at their job and the teen had enough confidence to not care. As expected there was a hint of a smirk that flashed across Zero's lips before those captivating eyes turned toward Kaname at last.
"Only surveying the surroundings Kuran-san, nothing to worry over, though I will say the air is very still this evening," his words were always so cryptic, it made it hard to relax even though his tone was easy and smooth. A practiced one he was sure but that didn't get him any closer to the truth.
Number 99: Struggle of the Century (This is a spin-off idea of a Pinterest post I favorited a while back in which people were saying how they wanted vampires to be a little more realistic and less etherial. Go through more struggles that we experience every day, i.e. not remembering what you did yesterday when someone asks, trying to find your bus ticket in a panic, driving through heavy traffic, etc. so this is kind of more slice of life with a group of vampires that are trying to conform as best they can in a new century so they're not murdered. Zero is a vampire from the current century and though he does help them out it can be hard not to tease a bunch of ancient Elizabethan stuck-ups. It'll be a funny cute, semi-short read)
It was a nice castle...er...mansion? Languish abode? No. Fruitful dwelling? Nope, not that either. Estate. Yes, that is what they called it now, an estate. It was a nice estate they were moving into, a bit different from their last mansion but times were changing and it would be quite strange to see a group of what looked like teenagers to own a mansion so it was decided they needed to downgrade a little and move closer to the ever-developing city. Not too close, that would be too risky, but it was closer. Kuran Kaname, the prince of the vampires, had been pushed by the council to consider the idea after their last encounter with a group of new-age hunters. To say it was embarrassing would be an understatement, regardless of his power and influence the council couldn't have their leader and his most trusted looking like a group of dunces so it was decided he needed to educate himself on the growing, changing, tech-centric, world. He didn't mind it, the nobles varied in their experiences with the people of this century but while a couple spoke out in concern or disapproval they ultimately agreed to follow the pureblood on his quest. He knew it was going to be challenging, everything had changed so quickly they had troubles keeping up, only seventy years ago everyone he saw was wearing flashy, shiny, bell bottom, tight pants, and headbands of too many colors. A trend he did not mind letting pass him by. Things looked like they were going to calm down after that but alas they did not. Too many nights of screaming humans and their long hair, black makeup around their eyes making them effectively look like they were something out of the pre-horror horror genre made it difficult to walk at night. Nowadays it seemed the human had settled a bit in their clothing...expressions much to Kaname's relief, it no longer mattered as much what you wore outside, most everything was accepted by the common crowds all the same. The resident fashion gurus of his nobles, Toya Rima and Souen Ruka, made sure to keep up with the trends so they never looked too out of place. The latter however was often very outspoken of her dislike towards what others wore and had pissed off a few new-age nobles at their last party who told her to stop being such a "Karen" whatever that meant.
Number 100: Untitled (young Zero AU! I know I have a couple of these going already but I wanted to throw this one out there too. Most of my young Zero fics start with Zero being around the age of 8 after his parents' murder or a little older. But what if we went back further, like closer to the age of 3 or 4? Not fully developed verbal skills and a curious mind drawn to danger. No pairings so far but very family-like relationships. I also like replacing Yuuki's roles with Sayori because she's a better character imo so Yuuki won't be around that much save for the beginning but Sayori will be)
"Man it's a cold night, winter is going to be rough this year I can already tell," Yuuki's teeth chattered as she pulled the thin blazer around her shoulders tighter. Really she should have petitioned for parkas as part of their uniform. Sayori hummed distantly from beside her, seemingly unbothered.
"You should bring a coat next time, it's only going to get worse," the quieter perfect informed casually, though she was keeping her eyes glued to the edge of campus ahead of them. "It looks like we have an escapee," she added after a few moments as a figure came into view. She couldn't see much detail but it looked like a girl, hunched over as she walked. Another figure approached the girl, coming from the school building, their stark white uniform confirmed that it was a night class student. Sayori sighed in mental preparation as she and her partner approached. The student in question was one Ichijo Takuma, likely sent out by the class president Kuran Kaname to assess the situation. Upon further inspection, Sayori knew why. The young woman was all but drenched in crimson. There was no obvious single injury that was the cause but there were plenty of visible wounds coloring the once pale blue clothing deep reddish-brown. Despite the large amount of blood, the noble vampire looked to be handling himself well so Sayori allowed her focus to center on the woman. Her skin, though discoloring quickly, was flawless and pale, her eyes a brilliant amethyst-lilac even as she likely knew her life was going to end. Sayori's breath caught in her throat when their eyes met. The intensity behind even just a fading stare was immense enough to root the perfect to the spot. The woman then looked down at her arms, a movement both Sayori and Takuma followed that caused Sayori to gasp out loud. A child rested in her arms, either blissfully asleep or passed out from panic or pain they weren't sure but the child was alive and breathing. Takuma stepped forward first, regaining his bearings first, allowing the woman to lean on him for support as he slowly took the child from her weakening grip.
"Name?" he questioned softly while checking the child over for any wounds, Sayori was mildly surprised that the noble took to the stranger's kid so easily but then again he was rumored to be the mother hen of the night class. The woman smiled weakly, lying her tired body on the now red-stained grass.
"Zero," she whispered, eyes closed peacefully, there was no pain shown in her features giving Sayori a good idea of how strong she must have been and therefore the fight she likely put up to protect her child. "The rest of us are gone...it will not be easy for him to understand...please..." she spoke softly but Takuma heard her clearly and nodded. Sayori could only muster up the courage to hold onto the young woman's hand, making sure she knew they were there to help her pass. Only when it was obvious her body had given out did anyone speak or move again.
"We need to tell Cross, I'm sure it will not do well to have a body here when the sun rises again," the blond noble spoke matter-of-factly but his eyes never left the sleeping child in his arms. "I will take Zero to our infirmary and see if there is any concerning damage," he added a moment later, standing from the ground and rushing off toward the moon dorms without any more explanation. Once again Sayori found his actions to be curious, as far as she knew vampires didn't take well to humans. There was something the noble knew that she didn't, she would get answers later though, right now they needed to notify Cross Kaien as he said and figure out what happened.
A/N: I've reached 100 Vampire Knight fanfictions...someone please send me help. What. The. Actual. Living. Fuck. is wrong with me. I'll be totally honest I never really thought I would fall off the fanfiction writing bandwagon exactly but at the same time, I'm a little concerned that there might actually be something wrong here. See, even though I have 100 fanfictions in my head about this fandom it isn't the only one I write for. I probably have at least 8 for Diabolik Lovers (which I would be really surprised if any of you know what that is anymore), at least 20 for Fruits Basket and OHHC, god knows how many for Yuri On Ice, Fairy Tail, and Free! I know I have at least 6 on D. Gray Man, a few on Criminal Minds, and now 4 on My Hero Academia...outside of what is actually posted I am SWIMMING in fanfiction plots alone AND I have my original works on the side. Drowning is maybe more accurate than swimming now that I think about it but it's still okay, I live for creativity and storytelling and I'm going to keep at it no matter what. Outside of that, I will get back two writing on MNIZ soon I promise. I've just been going through some stuff lately and I'm exhausted more often than not during the weeks. Either way, I hope you enjoy this segment, I know I certainly did, as always please let me know what you think and which ones you'd like to see (if any) written in the near to mid future. As per usual I hope you all have a wonderful night/day or whatever time slot you're in and remember to keep writing, keep reading, and live creative. Until Next Time! ~Len