A/N: You guys who liked this get another update because 1.) I am currently obsessed with this idea, 2.) I want to practice on first person point of view writing and this is the ideal story to work on at the moment, 3.) I am currently in the process of the next chapter of Hunter and Prey, meaning the chapter is not done yet (sorry!), and 4.) I am too lazy to work on the new stories. So yep, mainly because I am really getting into writing this story up and thanks to you guys as the readers/reviewers, I have this chapter finished. Now moving onto the chapter!

Disclaimer: I do not own Vampire Knights, only the idea for this fanfiction.

Warning(s): A/U (Alternate Universe), First Person POV (Zero's and always will be Zero's), boy and boy pairing (Zero X Kaname), cursing, OOC (Out of Character - Maybe Zero since it's his POV and I can't write first person POV), and typos (I didn't mean to if there were any errors - spelling/grammar wise).

Grim Prince

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Summary:

AU: Zero Kiryuu was just an average student until the fated day when he was hit by a car. Now he found himself without a body, stuck in between the living world and the dead. Then the soul keeper shows up. Zero X Kaname

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Mission 2: Anger

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"Grim Reaper?"

I stared at him incredulously, letting the foreign words roll off my tongue in disdain, as if tasting some sort of odd flavor for a new brand of ice-cream. He looked back at me with that frown in place, looking weird on him, on a man I deemed an angel. And then his lips curved upward, slowly but steadily until it was that same controlling smile I witnessed only a few seconds ago. He noticed my stare, I was sure of it. I could sense his amusement, as if I was just another entertainment to him, something that held no meaning and I probably didn't matter to him. After all, I was dead. I was so plain dead, just a spirit without a body. How can I matter to anyone?

I lost everything.

"Yes. And I guess I don't have to state it since it must be obvious to even the likes of you," he whispered the words as he looked pointedly at my own body, at the dried up blood on my shirt, at my pale face, at my healed hand that was just bleeding moments ago and also, he seemed to be seeing beyond me at the same time, through me.

And at that same moment, I wanted to bring pain, to let him know I was in pain, still in pain and he was only making it worse. Was it his job to annoy, to irritate, to make the spirits he had to take away want to hate him, to kill him? Because I was starting to hate, to wish he would go away, to wish he'd just get on with it and stop taunting me with those damn cursed eyes of his.

Why did this man, this total stranger make me feel so small, so outrageously inferior?

"I already know," I grunted out.

But I couldn't say anymore than that, couldn't continue the obvious words, the obvious fact. I just couldn't bring myself to accept the fact I was no longer who I used to be. I wasn't happy back then but now? Now, I was even less happy. And the man before me made things a lot harder, a lot more troublesome. He pressed even more, wanting – no, enjoying, the fact that I was still lost in denial.

"Yes of course. You already know. I apologize," he looked at me with that unreadable expression and I relaxed, thinking he wouldn't say, wouldn't push me further down the path I refused to travel but I missed that dangerous gleam in his eyes, "I guess there's no helping it if you wish to stay in denial."

He shrugged and I stared at him, again through my silver bangs, daring him to utter those words, the words of my nightmares, of the plagues. And yet, a part of me wanted to him to say, to tell me, and to crush my only hope to stay sane. Why? I didn't know, still don't know. It was just there, a small feeling, an unrecognizable feeling.

Then he continued, watching my helplessness with the sneer I grew to hate, "You are dead, Zero. You know that. You already did. And yet," he edged closer, shifted through the air and I swallowed hard, thinking it was dangerous to be near him and I was right, positively right, "And yet, you wish it wasn't true. You're in denial. I can't make you think this is not a dream, I can't crush your one and only hope if you wish not to see it, but I'll state it right in your face."

He was in front of me with that sneer on his angelic face and even with that, he still looked so broken, so fragile. His words had no effect on me. I was already dead. I was already crushed. I was already broken. So what could a few more words do to me, what could the truth do to me when there was nothing left to hurt, to break? I was already dead, physically and maybe even mentally.

I reached out for him, ached to touch him, to touch anything, to know and remember how it felt to be human, to be there and not be transparent. I knew I was only dead for a few hours, I knew that and yet, and yet I wanted to believe I was still the human who had just returned from the grocery store, still the human who had no clue that his death would be today. He stared at me with that sneer gone and surprise in place, in tact. And I only smirked coldly, icily; letting my hand touch him, feel him.

"You can't damage me anymore. Death is the worst punishment possible, is it not?" I asked softly, not really caring for an answer, only looking for a reaction, any reaction, "When someone dies, they can still feel. They are confused, they can move. They think they're still alive; they roam all over Earth for eternity until someone like you comes along and yet, at the same time, they feel different. They feel dead and don't know why. That's the worst, is it not, Kaname Kuran? To feel like you're alive but in reality, losing yourself to insanity slowly, as you witness your loved ones die one by one when you don't age, cannot age at all."

I watched him through glazed eyes, thinking I had won, that I had finally taken all the words out of him. But I was wrong, so dead wrong. He was not done, he was not through, I achieved far worse than nothing, I had lost and he suddenly sat up in, stilled like a statue and I looked at him in confusion. And before long, I was on my back, floating in the air and in complete mercy of that devilish angel.

How could I have made such a mistake?

I never felt fear; I never felt an ounce of terror shake through me like it did then, now. His eyes, his light red eyes were a dark crimson and his playful smile turned into a chilling, a crazed smirk. He looked like the devil, he looked so inhumane, so not how an angel was like and more of the sinister Grim Reaper that was told in tales. All he needed was that infamous scythe and he could probably, would most likely send me to Hell.

His pale hands gripped my shirt collar and I looked on in fear, in dread. I was already dead. I was dead, dead, dead. There was no way someone could harm a ghost, a spirit, right? It was impossible and yet there I was, lying on my back in the hands of a crazy Grim Reaper, fearing for my life after my life. It made no sense, no sense at all.

"You think death is the worst punishment? You really think that, Kiryuu?" His eyes flashed dangerously and I tipped my head to look up, to see any of his old personality on his face, in his eyes. I spotted none. He was gone. He was mixed in the crazy personality that was here right now. Why did this have to happen to me? I was dead. I was really dead. He couldn't harm me anymore than that killer down there, that drunk did to me.

And yet I felt myself shake. Why was my body betraying me? Why at a time like this?

His face moved closer to mine, inches apart and I gritted my teeth to try and prevent the fear from swallowing my entire being. I was not afraid, wasn't supposed to be afraid of this man. He couldn't do anything to me, nothing at all. One of his hands moved away from my shirt and grabbed a fistful of my hair, my silver hair.

"You know nothing, Kiryuu. Death is nothing compared to my own pain."

I gasped in shock as the hand tightened and started to pull, to twist the strands of hair. Why was this side showing? He was a Grim Reaper, I knew but it still took me by surprise. And I still didn't understand how a spirit like me could feel pain, could still bleed. It wasn't right. It just wasn't. And this man, this devil who hides behind an angel mask, he was so arrogant; he wouldn't be able to understand my own pain.

Something worse than death?

It was impossible.

There couldn't be a worse fate than that, than to have people go through you as if you're not really there, to watch your family move on with their lives when you can't because you're already dead. What's worse than a life taken away from you, from me? There was no worse future than having no future at all. It was impossible. I refused to accept that the man who was touching me with those cold hands could have a deeper pain than I had.

It was supposed to be about me.

I was the one who was robbed of his life only hours ago. He was supposed to help, be my mediator, that was his job, wasn't it? So why wasn't he helping me? He was only making things worse, even more out of control.

"There can't be something worse than death. You're just lying, trying to make me feel small like you always seem to do," I shoved him off, fingers and all and pushed myself to a sitting position.

He had no right. He had no right at all to tell me that I was in a better situation than he was. He was supposed to guide, supposed to help spirits like me, so why was I different from that exception? What did I do to get his hatred, his disdain?

He kept looking at me like I was nothing, like I shouldn't have existed. What gave him the right to seem so high, to seem like the king? He smiled bitterly at me, looking down at his hands as if he thought they weren't his. So what if he was the Grim Reaper, it meant nothing to me just as, I'm sure, I meant nothing to him.

"You think one measly death will change something, will change my opinion about you worthless humans? Whether it's the death of a human like you, a plant or animal, they're all the same," he whispered and then looked at me with haunted eyes, "Do you truly believe you're more important here? You humans torture each other all the time, commit suicide, set wars…what's so important about you when I guide hundreds everyday?"

I gulped, "Well mine was by accident! It was an accident. I wasn't supposed to die today; I wasn't supposed to die yet! Give me my life back!"

"You wanted to know what's even worse than death, did you not?" He continued on as if I didn't interrupt, as if I wasn't there and right then, I was getting pretty sick of it. But I found myself still, in his control as he kept going, wanting me to hear him until the very end, "I'll tell you. I'll tell you now. What if, what if you never had a chance to live?"

My eyes widened as I tried to digest that little information and he kept watching me, he just kept watching me. I wanted to say something, to protest, to argue or say anything, but I couldn't. He looked beyond me, eyes glazed in some tainted memory, something that seemed to haunt him but that look was only there for a few seconds and once I blinked it was gone and something unreadable was in its place.

I wanted to shout at him, to tell him to stop looking at me the way he always did but instead, "You never had a chance to live? What do you mean? What are you?"

My voice came out soft and fragile; broken.

"Grim Reaper," was his only answer and then we were on the move again. In the end, he didn't tell me everything, only the parts that seemed necessary, the parts that would finish my ever growing curiosity. At the same time he seemed to have kept me satisfied, all he really did was hide the truth I was seeking, only I didn't know.

I didn't know what truth I was looking for at the time. I didn't know it had more to do with that man, with the Grim Reaper who was so cold, so untouchable, so tainted and so knowledgeable. Was it really worse than death, to be what he was? Was being a Grim Reaper really that bad?

They reap people. They take their spirits out of their bodies and eat the flesh of the dead body to keep their strength up. Was that really true? Were Grim Reapers monsters like in the tall-tales? No, it couldn't be possible. How can this man before me be a monster? He was more described as an angel. He helped spirits, not kill humans, animals or plants to begin with. I stopped suddenly. What about my death?

He stopped as well and looked over his shoulder, "What's the matter now, Kiryuu?"

"Am I really dead?"

I must have looked dumbfounded, must have had an idiotic expression on my face that I wasn't aware of because he only laughed. The sound was fairly melodic, so angelic. How can this man be a monster? As much as I wanted to stall him from my judgment and therefore my after-life or where ever I was fated to go, I also wanted to receive some sort of answer, that my death was just an accident and that my life wasn't completely over. I growled viciously at him and he stopped to look at me before closing his eyes.

We waited there in the air for a few minutes before something flashed, like a blinding light, the one that I saw earlier before he came. His eyes opened to show that crimson red that I grew to hate. Every time it flashed that color, something happened, something bad. And then something transparent, a transparent being formed out of the air in between us. It was a being, maybe a human, maybe not but it wore a dark cloak over its body, over its face and when it spoke, it had a deep baritone voice.

Somehow I wasn't afraid. I was surprised but not afraid. What could be scarier than the demonic angel before me? What could be nicer than the angel guide before me?

Nothing, absolutely nothing.

"Zero Kiryuu," the projection said.

I nodded in greeting, a bit weary. My life was over. My life was over. Maybe if I kept repeating it to myself, I wouldn't end up crazy when I was sent to hell. But how weird can this situation get than it already had? First, I die by a car, a fucking car, just how cliché is that anyway? Then I meet the Grim Reaper himself and he seems more like an angel with an eye surgery because those eyes couldn't be his, they just don't fit. And finally I was sitting in the air and talking to a damn projection of something, a beast or maybe a human but whatever the hell it was, it liked being secretive, liked hiding its face.

So how can things possibly get even crazier, even more senseless?

But then again, this world never made any sense. I mean, how can the death of a seventeen year old make any sense? Wasn't dying at an age of eighty, or even fifty more reasonable? I shook out of my thoughts when the projection spoke in that deep, old and wise voice of his, letting his arms stretch – as much as a projection could be allowed anyway, as he talked.

"You are dead."

The statement was so blunt. It was stated in such a calm manner, I nearly let out a snarl. Why did these damn people keep showing up and try and ruin my life even more? After a person died, couldn't they just be in peace? I was killed by a drunk. I looked BOTH ways. It wasn't my fault! Why did they act like I was wrong, like I set my own death? I wasn't physic! I couldn't have predicted it coming but, but they could.

I rounded on them, snarling like a wild animal, "Of course I am! I'm fucking see through, transparent, a GHOST! But what I'm trying to say here, to tell you guys, is that it's been a mistake, a huge mistake and you've got to fix it."

Kaname Kuran paused, looked between the projection and me before sighing, as if he was the one who had a long day. He probably knew this was going nowhere. The projected being probably knew that as well because I certainly knew, was tired of it. They weren't going to see my point; they weren't going to change a single thing when they had the power to. I knew they had the power to. After all, if Grim Reapers could take away souls, they could certainly put souls back in, couldn't they? That was their job.

I was sure of it.

"There's no way of changing your mind about this supposed mistake of your death, is there, Kiryuu?"

I shook my head in a firm no, glaring heatedly at the two of them. Between them, I would have to say – no matter how outrageously small he appeared, that the projection of the being before me was in charge of the angel that was my guide, or at least he was in a higher rank. The brunette haired man sighed again and I was seriously getting tired of hearing it, before he stood up, crushed the projection from under his foot – much to my astonishment, and replied haughtily, "Since I'm your Grim Reaper, I'll show you something. It's a power that I only have, that I was born with."

I raised an eyebrow.

What was there to be proud of if you were born as a Grim Reaper? Didn't he hate being a Grim Reaper? I was about to ask about it, to try and push the fact that he was never alive to begin with, to tell the arrogant jerk I had something he could never have but before I could, he shoved his hand in my face, halting me from my ridiculously childish action. I frowned and he looked at me with eyes that had so many emotions I couldn't read, haven't seen before.

"I'll show you that your death was not a mistake, no matter how sad the fact is. It was just meant to be this way, Kiryuu."

And before I could argue that he was wrong, so dead wrong, he disappeared. Just like that, he was out of my sight and then I followed him. How could I describe the feeling, the sensation it gave me when traveling through whatever it was I traveling through? It was a mixture of so many emotions I felt in the past; my longing, my sadness, my little happiness, and now my hatred. And then there was another one in there, in my body that I only felt as I watched the blurs of every color out there swarm through my vision like flitting dreams.

Only it was reality.

And I couldn't even identify the last emotion. It was there and yet it wasn't. It was projected just as transparent as a ghost was, as I was. Then just as suddenly as I had disappeared, that my body had just followed him under its own will, I stopped, the air around me stilled and when I looked around, I was already in a whole new area. Where was I? I didn't know.

He was there, the angel, the Grim Reaper, whatever he was; he was there in front of me with those blood red eyes, with those indifferent eyes, watching me coolly. I stared around the place. It was a familiar street. I saw it before. Then I looked back at Kaname Kuran and noticed his smile, his annoying all knowing smile. That was when my eyes widened in realization. It just all of a sudden struck me.

It was the site of the crash, of my death.

I couldn't believe the fool, to lead me to the site, to the actual site of my fucking accident. He always seemed found the best ways to creep up my skin, to make me want to kill him even more and we only just met. I clenched my hands, "Why? Why the hell are you doing this?"

"Just watch," his quiet voice said.

And I watched. I saw myself. I saw me, just walking at the corner of the streets. I jumped up in surprise, in bewilderment and then my eyes shifted to the other side, to where the car had come from and it was there, driving so fast, over the speed limit. The drunk wasn't paying attention to the road, to what was ahead of him. I could tell, I could really tell and before I knew it, I was flying down to the damn red car, to the car of my murderer.

He didn't deserve to live. Maybe the Grim Reaper was giving me a second chance to live, after all, he wasn't stopping me, wasn't even trying to stop me. I really wanted to kill him, to bring him as much pain as I was feeling right then. And if no one was going to stop me, it was the right thing, right?

When I reached the car, the red top of the car, I floated through it and then I stopped. I didn't know what to do next. What could a ghost do? I'd only go through because I wasn't really there, I was just transparent. But then again, didn't ghosts have powers; weren't they supposed to have secret powers, like in movies, right? I could possess the guy, I thought, and make him run into a building, away from me.

And driven with hatred and revenge, I decided then – decided on my worst choice possible, that I'd kill him, possess him, force him off the road to commit suicide so I could live. He was just trash anyway. What right did he have in the world? And all the while, the Grim Reaper, my Grim Reaper just watched.

He knew what would happen.

But he never told me, never warned me.

I was right next to him, right there floating beside him when that – it happened. My body, out of its own free will moved, no it felt like it was being tugged into his and I couldn't stop. I tried (at the last minute mind you) to claw myself out, to desperately fly back to rethink the situation but I couldn't. My mind was screaming, my hands were swinging, my legs were trying to scramble but my body wouldn't listen. It was like the more I struggled one way; it would struggle ten times harder the other way.

Why?

Then, I heard a voice, his voice.

"SKP One point Nine: Ghost Possession."

I looked up, "What the hell? What are you talking about?"

"Soul Keeper Power. One of them anyway."

I was about to ask him for more details, more elaboration but suddenly, I was pulled straight in. Want to know what it's like to possess someone? It felt strange. That was all I could ever describe it as. It was different from breathing air; it was like trying to talk underwater, words only coming out as gurgles. I felt like I was floating in space. I felt so light-headed.

And when I finally got my act together, when I was finally able to move the muscles of my body, I grudgingly sat up. My head ached badly. It felt like a truck had landed on it and with one of my hands, I touched the crops of my bangs trying to soothe the pain I felt inwardly. Of course that was when I stopped short, well more like froze.

I took a look at my surroundings and realized I was on the driver's seat of the car. But wasn't I just floating a minute ago, was what went through my mind. Of course I was. I knew I was. But that was before my body moved on its own, got pulled in. And then I brought the front-view mirror to take a look at myself.

I stopped short.

Again.

"What the hell happened to my face?"

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A/N: Thanks for reading. Let me know if you liked this chapter. It was a fast (faster than planned too) update because I was really into it. I started this chapter right after I posted the first so I hope you guys liked it as much as I enjoyed writing it. And now to the reader review replies!

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Glozinga:

You are so freaking awesome! I am so glad you enjoy my stories. I'm glad to have such a loyal reviewer like you around. :) Anyway, hope the update was to your liking. Next one might be fast, might not but I'm hoping it is. This story is really catching my attention. Must be the first person point of view thing. I haven't written these kinds of stories (for fun and not for school) for a long time. Ooh and thanks for always reading and reviewing so much! :D

AoiYume-Sama:

Yay! I'm glad you love them (and this story too because I loved writing it for some reason). Yeah, I agree 100. More ZEROXKANAME! More ZeroXKaname! More, more, more! I have about twelve/ten other stories with Zero X Kaname and they're on my bio page. You saw them? So yep, more will be on the way! Thanks for the review!

Oztan:

I'm glad. I hope it keeps getting interesting for you. :) Thanks for the review (and all the other reviews on the other stories!).

XxMissyxX:

Nope, I haven't read it but I will. I'm going to look up the summary and if I see it at Borders, I'll go buy it. Thanks for letting me know about it though and I'm glad you've taken interest in this story. :D ZeroXKaname forever! YAY! Thank you for the review. More updates for this story will be coming in fast (by the way it looks currently).

Wildchartermage:

I'm really glad you liked this story. I hope you keep reading it! Um...to the question about Kaname, yeah I think I'll have him act a bit as a Grim Reaper - with some powers, escorting souls and maybe a twist and such. It'll become more clear as this story progresses. Thank you for reviewing. :)

Emma Stargaze:

Thank you! Hope this is another good chapter as well. I think this chapter was the most fun in writing out of the two of them (though I almost lost this chapter due to a lightning storm but luckily it's Microsoft Word so it was recovered). Hope you review again, thanks!

Xx.Fma-DNangel.xX:

Thanks for the compliment. I'm really glad that you think it's detailed. I tried my best at the first person POV and to be honest, I didn't think it was good enough but now I'm really focused on this story and it's becoming my first priority (as a story to be finished) and I was thinking, maybe this story could start some sort of series. Anyway, I hope you continue to read and review. Thanks!

Katiesquilt:

I'm glad a lot of people are taking interest in this story. Hope you liked this update. Thanks for your time. :)

Angelthewriter:

As you requested, it's been continued. I have no plans on abandoning this story. As a matter of fact, I feel like I'm going to go as far as making a series around this idea (because I'm getting really into it). Thanks for the review!

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Thanks for reading. I hope you enjoyed it. As you've all read, I'm still in the process of chapter 9 of Hunter and Prey but, yeah, I haven't abadoned it either and thanks to the results of the poll, I have no reason to. Just expect an update for that story and this story and perhaps even Being Mortal and the rest of the updates in the near future. I have a ton of stories to work on and yet even more to get started on and posted. Thanks once again and for now, see you all later!