Title: Fish Tales
Pairing: ZeroXYuuki; minor KanameXYuuki
Warnings: Violence and death in the first chapter. More violence in later chapters?
Summary: Zero is a merman, who has harborred a secret crush on Princess Yuuki Cross for years. When he finds out that she has been engaged to Prince Kaname Kuran, he seeks help from Shizuka, the sea witch. He must win Yuuki's heart in a week or he'll lose both her and himself. Zero's a purty mermaid. ;o You know you wanna read it. Zeki.
Disclaimer: -Insert witty comment about how I don't own Vampire Knight here- I think it's pretty friggen obvious by now that I've stolen the plot from The Little Mermaid, which I don't own. 8D Sorry for not giving credit earlier.
A/N: Hey guys. Guess what happens next week? Yeah. School starts. Due to my procrastination with summer assignments (and Sailor Moon dvds, which is why I didn't update last week) this chapter almost didn't make it out at all. I'm hoping to post another one before the irregularity of school kicks in, but I'm not making any promises.
Chapter 3 - The Big News
Zero showed up the following day, as promised. Again they talked about both of their worlds, learning more about each other's lives. Yuuki asked if they could see each other again, and of course, he agreed. Soon, it became an everyday occurrence, almost a tradition. Years rolled by, and they grew to be the best of friends. However, one day, their peaceful existence as shattered.
"Zero" a sixteen year old Yuuki started. "I'm getting married."
Her hair was much shorter than when they'd first met. She had traded her long, flowing hair for a much more efficient, shoulder-length cut. Her body had, of course, grown too, taller and more curvature. However, with all the changes she had gone through, she still had the same, wide, brown orbs that held child-like curiosity and innocence deep within their depths.
On the other hand, Zero had stayed mostly the same. The same silver hair styled exactly in the same way it had been on the day they had met. The same guarded, distant, lavender eyes, and the same silver fish tail, albeit slightly brighter since these were apparently his "prime years". That phrase almost made him want to snicker. If attending his penultimate year of merschool with insane, giggling mermaids was as good as it was going to get, he wasn't sure if he wanted to see the rest of his life.
In fact, the only thing that had really changed in Zero's appearance was his physique. He had become fairly well-toned due to his admirable fighting skills. In the years since his parents' death, he had risen to the top of his self-defense classes, which was probably why school seemed too have a sudden abundance of "insane, giggling mermaids". However, long ago Zero realized that there was only one female on earth for him, and she wasn't part fish.. That's why when Yuuki Cross told him the news, it seemed like a daggar had sliced through his heart.
For the first time in a long while, Zero Kiryuu was devoid of a witty, sarcastic, or smart-aleck quip. Without his brain even fully processing the word, it slipped through his mouth, "What?"
"I'm getting married," the brunette repeated, simply. She should be squealing and jumping for joy. A woman usually dreamed of marriage since they were a small girl, and announcing it to her best friend was one of the best parts. For Yuuki, the whole ordeal seemed awkward, maybe even sad. Was it because her best friend was a boy? Was it because she was so nervous? She loved Kaname. She was certain of that. She had had a crush on him for as long as she could remember. She always felt safe with Kaname, and he was always so polite and kind to her, which would usually send her into a blushing, stammering mess. Zero made her feel just as safe though... She shook her head slightly to clear out such thoughts. Zero was a friend. Of course she felt safe with him. Friends and family were suppose to make you feel that way, and none of them made her feel the way that she did when she was with Kaname. Besides, it was an arranged marriage. Everyone wanted this to be, and she wanted it too... Right?
"When? To who?" Zero asked incredulously once the initial shock had worn off.
Yuuki once again shook her head to clear away her worries. "Sorry. Could you repeat that?" she asked, sheepishly.
The merman sighed and rolled his eyes. She was spacing out now of all times. "When and to who?" he reiterated, much more slowly.
"Oh! Next week to Kaname Kuruan!" she exclaimed, putting a bright, happy mask back on her face.
"A-A week!?! To HIM!?!" the silver haired man shouted, eyes nearly popping out of his head. Yuuki had brought the prince to the beach once, and they had not like each other one bit. They had spent half the time sending death glares at each other. Kaname had spoken civilly to Zero, mainly (at least the merman assumed) for Yuuki's sake, but he seemed to be sending out some serious "I'm better than you" vibes all over the beach. Then, after that one meeting, the silver-haired male had been forced to endure countless rants of how kind, merciful, and polite the great "Kaname-Sama" was. Honestly, the way the girl talked about him made him sound like a god.
"Yup!" Yuuki piped up with a nod and a smile. "The marriage has been arranged for years, but it's finally going to happen next Friday! Isn't it great?"
Zero felt nauseous. For years? "Yeah. Great," he managed to choke out, not thinking properly again. Years? Years. A sudden hint of venom laced his voice. "I guess you finally get the man of your dreams."
Yuuki frowned, a blank look on her face besides the down turned lips. "Huh? Zero? What do you mean by that?" She grabbed his hand and he immediately ripped it away, much like the first time they had met.
"It's nothing. I think I'm going home for the day. I'll see you tomorrow." With that, he crawled back into the sea, leaving an oblivious Yuuki staring after him.
"Zero..." she sighed. Standing up, she began the long, tedious walk back to the palace. There were wedding preparations to be made.
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A/N: I apologize if this is a little short, and that Yuuki's being forced to get married at sixteen. I didn't really want to bump up the ages. So... 8D I think you should review. Please?