A/N: Howdy folks. I have a couple other stories for these two on my AO3, but I thought to post one I wrote recently here. :'P

This will contain SPOILERS for the ending of Vampire Knight Guilty. Read at your own discretion.

Pairing: Noctis Lucis Caelum x Zero Kiryu.

Enjoy ~

no matter what (i will walk beside you)

Everything is over. Rido will no longer terrorize the worlds, both human and vampire, and things are how they should be.

...For everyone else, at least. However, for a certain vampire hunter, nothing will ever be the same.

Zero looks out at the sunset, fingers lingering over where Yuuki punctured his skin with her fangs. He didn't want to believe she was a vampire, but he can't deny what lies in front of him. The woman he swore he'd do everything for, the one he would've died to protect, is now the very thing he hates.

Sighing, Zero turns, intent to go back and do what he always does. He doesn't expect to see Noctis a few feet behind him, looking out at the same sun he was.

"What do you want?" the hunter snaps. His heart sinks lower in his chest when the other male looks at him with sadness lingering in scarlet depths, and a sigh floats off his lips. "Sorry, Noct. I don't mean to take my anger out on you."

"It's alright, Zero. I know you're hurting," Noctis says, a small smile lingering on his face. He moves and sets a hand on his shoulder, massaging the muscles with a gentle touch. "I know you would have done anything for that girl."

"That's what makes it hard. She's… she's so damn accepting of the fact I'll hunt her down one day! I thought she'd put up more of a fight and be the Yuuki I knew! But… I guess she was right; the vampire Yuuki devoured the human one I once knew." Zero lets out a shaky breath and leans against the other. "I wish..."

"You wish things could go back to normal. You wish you weren't used as a pawn for the Kuran family, and you wish you could have had a chance at normalcy. Am I getting warmer?" Noctis questions, sneaking an arm around the hunter. He rests his chin against silver locks and traces circles on Zero's back. "You're not the only one. I'm sure everyone involved will never forget."

"How are you so knowledgeable?" Zero mumbles, gripping the prince's jacket. "It's annoying."

"I've been around for a long time… much longer than you can imagine."

"...What?"

Suddenly, Zero feels it. The presense of an arrogant pureblood. He pulls away, as if electrified, and stares at Noctis, disbelief on his face. "You're… you're like them!"

Noctis smiles, although it's a sad one. "I'm sorry, but I had to protect you… you and Ichiru. Hiding my true self from you was the only way I knew how to."

"Protect us? Look what happened to Ichiru! Why didn't you protect him from that bastard?!" Zero yells, anger burning within his core. It's bad enough Yuuki turned out to be one of those… things; now the one he trusted above everyone is as well? "I'm going to be sick."

Zero leans over the balcony, stomach clenching as he dry heaves. He feels Noctis's presense behind him as the pureblood rubs circles on his back, and even though he wants to tell the older man to fuck off and leave me alone, the hunter doesn't have the strength to. After it's over, Zero kneels on the ground and trembles. "I can't believe this…"

"Forgive me, my treasured boy. Hurting you is the last thing I meant to do," the prince whispers, pulling Zero against him and kissing the side of his head. "I tried to get to Ichiru in time, but I wasn't fast enough. I found him… but he didn't want me to heal him. He wanted you to devour him and become stronger."

The hunter blinks in confusion when he feels tears hit his face. What the…? In all the time Zero knew Noctis, he never once saw him cry. Sighing, he wraps his arms around the prince and holds him close. "I'm sorry… I'm sorry, Noct. I know how much you cared for him."

"Ichiru was like a son I never had," Noctis murmurs, tightening his grip on Zero. "But what hurt the most was hearing your cry of agony when you realized what he wanted you to do. What he did was cruel, but it was needed." The pureblood pulls away and stares in the ex-human's eyes. "Ichiru's death will be a burden I shall carry forever."

"Why…?" Zero whispers, eyes widening a bit when Noctis's gloved hand strokes his cheek. "Noct?"

"I will carry the weight of his death, so you do not need to, Zero," the prince answers Zero's unspoken question, wiping away a tear that started its descent down the hunter's cheek. "It'll be alright."

"How can it…?" Zero looks away, grinding his teeth. "Nothing will ever be the same."

"Perhaps not, but maybe you can walk towards a better future," Noctis says, leaning his forehead against Zero's. "You won't walk it alone… never alone. I'll always walk beside you, even if you don't want me to."

Zero reaches forward and brushes back Noctis's blue-gray hair. "Why do you devote yourself so much towards me? I don't… I don't deserve it."

"You don't have to carry so much sorrow on your shoulders, Zerorin. Let me carry some of the weight as well." Noctis leans forward until their lips are a hair's breadth away. "I'll always be with you. If you don't believe in anything else, believe in me and what I say."

The hunter feels their breaths mingle, and it's hard to tell where his starts and Noctis's begins. On impulse, he closes the distance between them, and smiles inwardly at the surprised noise the prince makes.

Zero's fangs come out of their own accord and he bites down on the pureblood's bottom lip, a tiny moan escaping from his throat when the taste of Noctis's blood explodes on his tastebuds. So much better than Kuran and Yuuki's… and I never thought I'd think that.

He blinks at the possessive snarl Noctis emits, and his fangs retract, only to have Noctis do the same thing to him. Eyes widening, he winces at the pain mixed with pleasure, as well as the sounds of Noctis gulping down his blood as if it's an exotic wine.

After a moment, the prince pulls away, tongue darting out and licking the blood off the side of his lips. Zero can't help the urge; he leans forward and licks the blood Noctis missed, causing the pureblood to chuckle a little. "What's so funny?" the hunter mutters, but it comes out amused more than irritated.

"You're so… adorable."

"...Shut up."

Fin.