Author's note: Hi again! I'm going to have a longer A/N today, even though I really didn't want to do it. I'll try not to make the A/N's long…but I want to get this one out of the way so…

Warnings: boyxboy, messed version of VK, OOC-ness (I try to make them as accurate as possible, but…), and possible spelling and grammar mistakes (I don't have a beta, but if everyone'll be so kind and point out the ones they see, I'll fix them as soon as I'm notified...)

Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Knight. If I did the ending would have been WAY different.

Thanks to: murasaki, 0 for reviewing! Thanks also to babyangelholic, NamikazeMia, ChaoticLabyrinth, Alana Darkfeather for following this story! And double thanks and all the internet goodies I can possibly give to ben4kevin and KavanBurningWings for both reviewing and following! They made my day when school made me want to destroy something. Speaking of which, I have school and I'm sort-of-not-really-but-still-somewhat grounded. I'll try to post regularly, but I'm not really known for that…

A question! I know for sure someone, namely ben4kevin, wanted this to become a KaZe story. I wanted to know if everyone would be okay with his suggestion. I put really, really small hints of KaZe in this chapter just to test how things will be if it does turn into a KaZe story. Tell me what you think!

Chapter 1

Barraging everything with bitter snow and harsh winds, winter was upon Japan, more specifically, the Kuran mansion. To many that weren't trapped in the snowstorm, the view outside the mansion's walls was a winter wonderland; the sky wasn't dark despite of the absence of the sun. To Kaname Kuran, it brought reflection. It reminded him of the night when he lost his parents and Yuuki, and the countless other nights in which he had to hide his grief in order to exact justice. It reminded him of the nights in which Asato Ichijou would try and obtain his blood, and of the nights a myriad of others would grovel at his feet during soirées in order to gain his attention or affection.

He sat at his desk gazing at the item in his fingers, at the white knight. The snow outside also reminded him of his rival and the single person who hated him and had the courage, or foolishness, to show it, Zero Kiryuu. Perhaps it should not have been so surprising, but the snow reminded him of Kiryuu's hair, lustrous silver like the moonlit snow. Thinking of Kiryuu inevitably brought memories of times with him, or perhaps, of him. Memories of Kiryuu's attempt to stab him with a butter knife, of the innumerable times that his gun, Bloody Rose, would be pointed towards Kaname's direction, of the overwhelming anger he felt when Kiryuu first drank from his dear girl. Recollections of Kaname's own first bite, stolen by his enemy, and of the secret relief he felt when Rido was killed, and anger again for Kiryu pointing Bloody Rose towards Yuuki. Though manycould change his emotions, it was his enemy that brought about emotions with depth, even though most of the said emotions were negative. It was intriguing, that his most hated enemy could bring depth in his ordinarily shallow emotions, and made him lose his control. He briefly wondered what the hunter was doing now but decided that he really didn't care, so long as he wasn't dead. The thought of the strong-willed hunter lifeless…surprisingly saddened him.

Needless to say, his younger sister, Yuuki, missed the ill-mannered hunter. It was maddening to Kaname; he finally had what he wanted and needed the most, only to find that his love needed someone else to complete herself. And though it pained him to admit it, even to himself, he also needed the hunter. The hunter made him feel real; made him feel…alive. Kaname inwardly cursed the last Kiryuu. Though the said person did not know of his effect on the remaining Kurans, the fact that he was the cause for their feelings remained. It was another cause for his confusion and displeasure, confusion for he should not feel anything for Kiryuu save pity and anger, and displeasure for what he inadvertently did.

But despite of the unwanted and confusing that the hunter brought to Kaname, he needed to see the hunter again. If not to solve the unusual feelings, then certainly to once again use him in the upcoming game. Kaname wasn't naïve. Pureblood games will never end, not if there was still more than one alive. There were very few who wished to live in peace, and most coveted power, as is their nature. Though he wished for peace, he knew that it would always elude him; regardless, he would do everything in his power for peace to finally arrive and for his parents' dream of coexistence to be realized. He stood up and placed the white knight near his king. Soon, their paths would intersect again.

Slowly, the remnants of unconsciousness left Zero's mind and the chill of the air attacked his skin. He didn't want to stand, despite of the slight discomfort he felt due to his position. But then again, there was something nagging him to stand and remove himself from the doorway of the mansion.

Groaning, he finally obeyed the annoying thing. He wasn't completely awake, but it was impossible to go back to sleep. He stood and stretched, muscles sighing in relief. He looked around, temporarily disoriented. Waking up in the mornings weren't his strong suite, but looking out the window, it didn't exactly seem like morning. Granted, the blizzard hadn't ended and the sun wasn't out. Looking around, he went off in a random direction, deciding to find a bathroom and warm himself up before fully exploring the mansion. Passing through what looked like a living room, a dining room and a kitchen, he finally found a closed door which he thought to be a bedroom. Opening the door slowly, he glanced around at the room, seeing a long desk attached to another one with a computer on it, a book shelf and a couch. He was about to leave when something caught his eye.

Stalking over to the said item on the desk, his eyes widened and he found himself fully awake at the sight he saw. Three brunettes stared back with happy smiles, two of which were familiar, one unfamiliar, but he could take a guess at who it was. It wasn't their faces that caught his attention though; it was because of the smiles on their faces and the aura of complete joy. If Zero were anybody else, he would've gagged, cooed or smiled at the picture. Zero being Zero however, the picture brought a frown to his face. He wasn't used to seeing the smiles on the faces he recognized. It felt weird, like he was intruding on a personal moment of theirs, like he wasn't supposed to see the picture. He quickly replaced the picture back on the desk and was about to leave the room again when a feeling of wistfulness and regret filled his heart. He sighed deeply and went back into the room, deciding to explore it for a little bit and perhaps keep the picture as evidence.

Seeing as there was nothing on either desk, Zero gravitated to the bookshelf. It was a complete contrast to the desks; books filled every shelf from top to bottom. Pulling out a random title-less book, he began to search.