Tenth story in my series of short stories with various VK characters. Independent from the previous nine. :D

#: 10
Title: Parting gift.

Characters: Zero, Kaname, Yuuki.

Disclaimer: I don't own Vampire Knight, this is a fanfic written for fun and for love of the series. I'm not making any money with it.
Warnings: Deathfic. Also, spoilers for chapter 35 or the manga, and mentions of Rido.

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This was it, he thought as he felt the dry, dusty ground drinking up his blood avidly as it seeped from his broken form, blooming into a rapidly growing pool of crimson around his soon-to-be lifeless body.

This misery will finally be over.

His silver eyes stared partially unseeing at the stormy sky above him, wondering if it was still this world or if it was hell already. Surely he'd go to hell, wouldn't he? After all he did, all that happened… Ichiru and him were both cursed, and would probably be together in their final destination, but the way Zero viewed things, Ichiru might still have a chance, even despite the betrayal of their family – he didn't.
The way Zero saw it, he stole it all from Ichiru and caused the whole wheel of tragedy to set itself in motion. If somebody was going to hell, it was him.

He was glad he could do at least one good thing before he died. Rido was dead, by the combined efforts of Kaname and him, and so Yuuki would be finally safe. They had both been badly wounded, but Kaname's pureblood healing had kicked in with the usual speed, and he stood up fine after the battle, wounds closing already as if nothing had happened. Zero was not so resilient, for which he was actually grateful, as it meant the end of this horrible curse would finally come. Yuuki will be happy with Kuran. There's no need for me to exist in this world anyway.

Except that things were far from being as simple as they were in his ideal vision. That was the way he had hoped things would end. But reality was not so perfect. Yuuki wasn't happy, she was torn between her feelings for the both of them, and she was trapped in her human vision of things, refusing to accept her vampire nature and denying herself her love for Kaname, for the sake of human preconceived ideas and taboos that didn't apply to pureblood genetics.

And when the hunter fell, there was no perfect ending as he had envisioned it, no final moment where everyone could turn their backs and forget his accursed existence, as he had hoped.

Instead, he heard the desperate cries of Yuuki, as Kaname picked her up gently and carried her away from the gory battlefield. She had no care for the fact that she was wounded too, or that she was weaker than Kaname and thus needed blood and immediate care for her wounds. All she could think of was the dying hunter on the ground, and she cried out his name over and over, begging him to stay alive.

But it was much too late, Zero's body was broken beyond repair even for his vampire healing, and his mind was slipping away. He was much too tired of living, of this bloodthirsty curse, of depending on everybody's blood, either taking it by force from others or feeling horribly indebted to those who offered it. He would not take from Yuuki again, and he didn't want to owe anything more to Kaname.

He wanted out, he couldn't stand one more second of this bloody agony. He only forced himself to live this far so that he could fulfill his chosen duty of protecting Yuuki to the end. She was safe now. He was no longer needed.

He just wished he could die without her grieving him, so that she would not suffer. But not even that last little wish would be granted.

His eyelids grew heavier and heavier, until they fluttered closed, all his senses fading progressively, the sound disappearing first. He couldn't hear Yuuki anymore, he couldn't even smell the blood in the air anymore –blessed feeling of finally being rid of that horrid stench that had clung to him from the very day Shizuka tore his life apart.

Only the feeling of his blood leaving his body, staining the ground all around him was still present, as he grew colder and colder.

And then, the unexpected feeling of careful hands on his shoulders, someone kneeling next to him, gently propping his head onto their leg, and fumbling around pulling aside what tattered shreds where left of his shirt, uncovering his chest as if there was any chance of repairing the damage on it. Who had returned to the battlefield? It was nothing but a waste of time, they should just leave his carcass where it lay.

He thought he had completely lost his hearing already, but he must have been wrong, unless the voice he heard now was in a dream. Pulling together the last remnants of what little strength he had left, Zero opened his eyes weakly to see who was talking to him. It had felt like Yuuki, for a moment, but it wasn't her. Kaname was leaning over him, holding him.

"Kiryuu… this is a gift only a pureblood can give."

The words came through to him muffled and indistinct as if the two of them were both under water, but Zero heard the pureblood clearly, even if he didn't understand what he was saying. Kaname's face was filled with an immense sadness, but a grave determination shone through. He pulled the hunter's broken body towards himself, as if into an embrace. Zero would have stiffened if he still had any control left, but as it was, he could barely widen his eyes in surprise. What games was Kuran playing?!

There was no sound whatsoever around them, just a still emptiness, as if everything had been replaced by a bubble of nothing surrounding the two of them and locking them away from the whole rest of the world. Zero wondered if he had already died and wasn't in the same world anymore. But Kaname was there with him, so that wasn't possible. He didn't know where Yuuki was now, but the knowledge that the war was over and she was finally safe was all that mattered for him. He could finally focus a little on himself, and accept the much welcome death that he so yearned for, to finally be free of the horrible thirst that had been a constant torture, his own personal hell for the past several years. He sobbed softly, but his body didn't have the strength to move anymore, so it came out as mere little choking breaths of abused lungs that were about to cease functioning soon.

And then, a warm drop of something fell on his cheek. He couldn't smell it to identify what it was, but it rolled down onto the corner of his mouth and he somehow tasted it. Kuran's blood?

Another drop then, and another. A succession of them, picking up speed, until rivulets of blood started pouring down onto Zero's broken frame.

"Ku…Kuran…" But he didn't have enough strength to speak more, to ask what was going on, what in the world was the pureblood thinking, or doing.

Kaname's arms were still holding the hunter tightly against his chest, but their grip was slowly weakening. Despite his fading perceptions, Zero could feel the pureblood's body trembling slightly, either from effort or from pain. They sank down, Kaname's legs giving way and shifting onto a sitting position, still holding the hunter. Zero was surprised to notice that he could open his eyes without effort now. His body was shaking slightly too, fighting between the clutches of death and an immense power that was filling him, seeping straight from the pureblood's rapidly flowing blood.

"Kuran… what are you doing?!"

He could speak now, but Kaname didn't reply, just holding onto him as tight as he could, as if he feared his grip might slip otherwise. And the blood, the blood was everywhere, the world was turning red as far as Zero could tell.

"Kuran, let go!! Let go now! What are you doing?!"

"Ki…ryuu… Yuuki… Yuuki chose you. This is my parting gift…" The pureblood choked, a trickle of blood coming out from the corner of his mouth as he coughed, his arms convulsing against the hunter's back as he tried to find enough strength to finish what he still wanted to say.

"The next time you wake up, you won't remember any of this, but you'll be free from this curse... you'll be free from everything that prevented you from going on living… you… Please… take care of her… for me…"

And then, there was nothing but blood, a world of blood, everywhere, swallowing the sky and Zero's mind alike.

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The silver haired boy struggled in the middle of the crowd, trying to get closer to the wall without being rude or push people around. Most the other students ignored him, shoving each other to get closer to the board and get done faster. He was still a bit too shy to do that, especially considering it was his first time in a crowd. Well, that he could remember, that is. Everything was new for him.

He looked at the tall board with the class groups and schedules, running his eyes through the various lists looking for his class number to confirm that his name was in the right group.

He spotted the number he was looking for, and squinted to read the lines that were almost by the ceiling. Ah, there it was. The chairman had told him this would be his class.

He just had to figure out in which building it was. He was a bit nervous, not having yet quite learned the layout of the school before the classes started. Cross academy is so big. I'll never find my way among so many buildings!

He would have liked to wander around the academy memorizing the place before classes started, but he didn't have time to do it yet. It was already amazing he could enroll so soon. The chairman had originally told him he didn't have to start until the next term because he was still pretty much learning how to do everything, even basic daily life things. But it was humiliating to be so dependent, and the boy also felt bad for imposing so much on the chairman, regardless of the fact that the man was now officially his adoptive father.
Cross had told him that he didn't have to worry, and that he always wanted to have children, but still, to open his house so easily to an unknown boy with no memories, and to completely take care of him not asking for anything in return, that chairman really was something. He'd even given him a name, "Zero".
'Because you have no memories or past, so it's a fitting name!' the man had explained with his usual over-the-top cheerful manner.

Strangely, the name felt familiar, and the boy had quickly gotten used to it.

Zero flipped through the notes his adoptive father had given him with all the reminders of things to check and to do to get ready for class, wondering with worry where half those buildings were. I have to pick up my books, go confirm my class schedule…then… ahh!! So many more things!!
He almost regretted having insisted that the chairman don't do it all for him. He wanted to do it himself, but he felt pretty lost at the moment.

His thoughts were interrupted suddenly when the crowd stopped shoving each other around and instead moved aside, parting in an organized manner among admiring whispers and delighted little squeals.

"It's Kuran-sama from the Night Class!"

"Such beauty! There's no one in the Day Class who could rival such loveliness!"

"If only Kuran-sama would look at me!!"

The Day Class students were entranced, girls and boys alike blushing and ogling in worshipping admiration as the powerful figure in a pristine white uniform walked through the crowd and approached the board, movements graceful and fluid.

Oh wow. Someone from the Night class. I thought they only had class by night?

Zero hadn't even seen any of them yet, he just knew from what the chairman told him that they were elite students.
And that person wasn't just any of them, but the Moon Dorm president, and Class president of the Night class. Zero watched in admiration and his face colored when he realized that he'd been caught staring --Kuran looked at him and smiled warmly, stretching a hand towards him.

"The chairman told me you would be getting ready today, so I came to give you a tour of the school and show you the places you'll need to go to before classes start."

Zero's jaw dropped, about the same time the jaws of all the other students in the crowd did the same. They stared at him with envious shock, and it took him a certain time to get over his surprise and take the offered hand, shaking it while he ran his other hand through his hair, trying to shake off his nervousness.
"Ah, I'm so sorry for the trouble! You didn't have to! I... I'm Zero Cross." He wasn't quite used to his full name yet, simple as it may be. Most of the time, he just stayed inside, so he only got to hear the chairman calling him by his first name. This was his first time introducing himself to someone.

"It's no problem at all, I'm delighted to get to know you. The chairman told me a lot about you ever since he took you in." Kuran's delicate lips curved upwards into that warm smile again, and Zero couldn't help but stare once more.

"Oh, did he? I... I remember he told me that the Kurans and him go back a long way."

"We do indeed." She was smiling, but her eyes had a deep sadness in them, that flashed for a moment then was hidden just as fast. "You probably already knew, but since we hadn't been introduced yet, I'm Yuuki Kuran."

"I'm pleased to meet you, Kuran-sama." Nervous as the boy may be, his manners were perfect – the chairman had taught him well.

She chuckled softly and held onto his elbow, pulling him away from the board and guiding him towards the exit, the crowd parting for them with looks of adoration towards her and of envy towards him as they passed.

"Just call me Yuuki, please! Come on, I'll show you the place. I'd very much like if we could become friends."

Zero was amazed that a person like that would be so warm to him, when the other students didn't seem to find anything out of the normal in him – they weren't mean, but none had acted like he was anything above the ordinary, just another random new student.

Unless the whole Night Class was as unexpectedly friendly as she was, but he doubted it was the case.

But the surprise quickly gave way to a comforting warmth, and a strange feeling that he didn't have to worry, that he could just let go and trust that person, as if he'd known her since always. So he just went along, listening to her explanations and taking the first steps into his brand new life.

For the first time since he woke up without his memories, he didn't really worry much about the fact that he didn't have a past, since the future ahead didn't look so bad.

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;-; OH, DEPRESSING FIC. I can't believe I wrote a Kaname deathfic. T-T

I usually mostly ship Zero x Kaname, but I also love the trio together and various combinations of them with Yuuki either in het or bi situations. XD;
Kaname is so devoted to Yuuki and so unable to live without her that I think he might have done something like that, if he thought Yuuki preferred Zero, and he wanted to give him a chance and save him from the level E stuff and all, for Yuuki. ;-;
Assuming that ritual works on non-purebloods, which we don't know. XD;;

The second part was just going to be an epilogue of a few lines, but it ended up growing longer. The apparent normalcy of it bugs me a bit because it's a slow down after the dramatic first part, but I meant for it to be bittersweet and make the realization of Kaname's sacrifice sink deeper for us.

I hesitated between making the second part the way it became, or having a memory-less Zero being attacked by a vampire and rescued by Yuuki. XD; lol Then the mirror dynamic with Kaname & Yuuki would have been perfect.

And yes, Cross & co. wiped out everybody's memories about Zero so that he could start with a clean slate. I'm thinking the Day class would be needing a general memory wipe after the whole battle nearby etc anyway, so yeah. XD