Edited on 7th of May 2013.

Where the Tiger Lilies grow

A Vampire Knight x In The Forests of the Night crossover

by Miarath

Risika meets Zero Kiryu, set years later after Cross Academy.

It's set in same universe as my other story, Darkest Salvation, but takes place a bit earlier.

Beware that this is rather sad.

Disclaimer:

I don't own neither of them. 'Vampire Knight' belongs to Matsuri Hino and 'In The Forests of the Night' belongs to Amelia Atwater-Rhodes. No profit is made out of this.

-x-x-x-x-x-

"Tiger, tiger," I hummed it in my thoughts.

I was happy for once, happily prowling this new jungle of mine, Japan.

"So beautiful here." I purred.

But also dangerous, but so was I. I felt alive with this feeling, so alive that it no longer mattered that I wasn't, that my heart didn't beat.

"Burning brightly…" It seemed to whisper, deep and low – like a promise, or maybe a warning, a threat to those, who were careless...

Essence of dangerous beauty, it resonated in me. I closed my eyes for a moment and took in the scents of the night, tasting and relishing it: the exotic scents and feeling of life all around me. It was familiar – and yet so very different from what I known before; weird that such a place of high technology had such a sense of primal wildness to it.

Everything was just as it had been since I arrived here. Actually Japan was kind of refreshing compared to my old hounds. I smiled at this, really smiled, cause I was happy.

It was exciting too, with all this foreign culture and wild animals. They have quite a few here around, more than I had expected. Even their big cities were full with them, wild things, hiding among ignorant humans – not that that was really that surprising.

Humans never watched, really watched – but I did.

I always do, watching I mean.

Watching while I go, listening all the same, because I am.

I was walking now, walking own four paws, until I noticed that the trees were changing, getting taller and more prominent. There's also something that looked like well-tended lawn here, almost like in a park.

So this was a park, wasn't it? It looked much wilder than any park I've seen before. Well, it was just the perfect place to prowl the night. These trees looked ancient and there's just the hint of wild animals there, those you don't expect to find in any park. It didn't feel like one at all, more like jungle masquerading as a park for lack of description. I didn't sense any humans here, too, strangely enough for this being a park – if it was one.

It was dark and mysterious, just like I.

It felt like home and I loved it.

I purred and loved the resonance with this night's song.

Ah, yes it was so beautiful. Beautiful enough that I decided to visit it many times.

So, where am I, right, everything was as usual. I had already sated my hunger and was wandering around.

Everything was like the nights before. That was until I spotted him.

I hadn't noticed him at first, for he was so quiet - so still.

I wasn't sure he was alive at all.

Yet, there was a heartbeat.

I found myself staring at him, frozen in place by the sheer surreal feel of this situation.

He looked normal, but he smelled wrong.

I wasn't sure what he was at all. He looked human but for strange silver hair and eyes.

The hair was mostly hidden, since he wore a hood of some kind.

But what made me truly freeze was the sadness he was omitting. It was so thick I could taste it on my tongue. I reminded me of a thick black fog that made it hard to breathe.

It was a good thing I hardly needed to breathe anymore.

So, I remained still. Strangely I didn't want to intrude.

I turned back to my human form, as I didn't wanted to scare him.

I felt him inhale sharply.

He had noticed me but didn't turn around.

He turned his gaze to his right hand.

There was a flower in it.

A lily? Yes, it was a pure white lily, perfect in its details.

"She protected me." He said suddenly and moved a bit sidewards.

"There was statue there, a grave?" I wondered and realized that was where his sadness came from. He had lost someone he loved.

I took a closer look and gasped.

It was no human; this stature was about, but a horse; a white horse.

"She was a horse?" I heard myself whisper.

He turned to me and smirked sadly.

"Oh, yes, she was." He said and shrugged. "I think most students are happy she's gone."

I tasted poisonous bitterness in his words.

"They didn't like her?" I asked with a growing curiosity in my voice.

"No, they feared her." He explained and kneed down to lay down the white lily.

"They called her Evil Lily."

"But she wasn't evil, not to you." I said slowly. I didn't know why I felt compelled to comfort him, but I did. I stood just a few feet away from him, but I dared not to touch him.

"No, she wasn't." He laughed, it sounded worse than the smirk before. All wrong, there was no feeling in this laugh - only emptiness.

"Bad tempered and wild but never evil." He whispered and I could see the remnants of tears.

But the tears never came.

He said in a hoarse voice. "I trusted them but they killed her.

He growled. "She didn't deserve this."

His eyes were distant. It was clear to me that he was far from here.

And suddenly I felt being pulled in. He was broadcasting.

I saw a tall building. It looked like a school or something like that.

And then I saw people, young people all dressed up in black and white, students. I was right; this was a school. I stood in a hallway. Some of the girls were talking in muffled voices.

I became tense. This didn't feel right, yet it looked like any normal school girl thing. But - but there was something in their voices.

Suddenly they stopped, stared at me and walked hurriedly away. I realized he must have glared at them. Well, they deserved it, I thought. The girls hadn't looked exactly nice.

"Zero?" I heard another girl's voice and turned around to see an auburn haired girl. She was slightly shorter then me. "Everything okay?"

"I don't know." I heard him reply to her and the image turned blurry.

Then I heard his real voice, pulling me back to the present.

"They came like thieves. Poisoned the thoughts of anyone. Dropping hints about things that was no one was supposed to know. They were making our life a living hell…."

He shivered.

He had pulled me in again.

There was a new image. No people this time.

It looked like the inside of a stable and there was a single white mare. This must be her, I thought, for I felt her fur beneath my fingers. It was all soft - and warm.

I took a good look at her.

He was right, this horse was wild. True, she wasn't a predator like my Tora had been but she sure wasn't prey. I could see a wicked sense of intelligence there.

Suddenly we weren't alone anymore and I could feel the mare tense.

She stood now in front me - I mean him. It was obvious she was shielding him.

She bared her teeth and flattened her ears. Actually it was rather impressive to see her rear up like tidal wave you can't possible want to face, if you had any common sense left.

Even a fool would have seen the warning, would understand that she meant business.

Well, they did not.

There were two of them and they had guns. I could see a strange fire in their eyes, fanatical hatred. I shivered. They reminded me of the witch trials in Salem so many years ago. The people there had have the same glint in their eyes. Why did they hate him this much? And, yes it was obvious the hate was directed at the silver haired boy. I didn't understand it. Not now and not back then.

I heard shots - and smelled blood. I shivered some more for it felt so real.

I felt nauseous - it felt strange for I almost had forgotten how that felt.

I felt his pain, his anguish and confusion? I didn't understand the latter at all.

"She died for me." I heard him say - and pulled myself from his memories.

I had no business there.

Our gazes met, finely and I swallowed. Something had changed.

"You wear her colours." I said finely. My voice was strangely soft.

"Huh?" He looked utterly confused - and strangely adorable.

I smiled and gestured to his hair.

He followed my gesture and gasped. His hair, it had turned white.

"How?" He mouthed in wonder.

"I don't know." I shrugged. "I don't know what your kind is able to do."

Yes, I know he wasn't exactly human. His scent was to far off, too wild for human.

I tilted my head and concentrated.

"But mine certainly can do this." I smiled, knowing that her stripes where back in my hair.

"Tiger." He whispered, clearly being startled by this. His eyes widened for a second and narrowed finely.

So, he had noticed what I was, at least.

"Yes," I agreed and grinned and raised a brow.

"Lily." I heard him say and smile, still sad but real, accepting his loss at last.

It was a true smile for the first time since we've met.

I smiled back and turned around to close my eyes once again.

I walked away on four paws.

Be well my Tiger Lily.

Author's note:

This was kind of inspired by a certain song, called "Where the wild roses grow" from Nick Cave & The Bad Seeds feat. Kylie Minogue.

At least that's where the title comes from.

Oh, yes, and the part with "Tiger, tiger" is from "Tiger, tiger burning bright" from William

Blake, as hooloovoo-too pointed out. Thanx anyway for that note.

Hope you did enjoy this, even if it's sad.

Miarath