Warnings: Angst, and OCs.

Author's Note:

I'm late. Damn late with my updates. I know.

This is what my blocks do to me now.

Making me do late updates. :'(

Anyway, I had been stuck on writing this chapter for a LONG time, so please forgive my spastic changing of writing styles in here, alright?

Alright. Moving on!

Kuroshitsuji © Toboso Yana

Vampire Knight © Matsuri Hino

Fan-Fiction Plot and Original Characters © Kuro Nightroad/ Me

My Dear Butler, Now and Forever

A Kuroshitsuji and Vampire Knight Crossover

Prologue—Part Two

"A Fork in the Road"

No matter how much kindness I receive,

If I don't know warmth,

Its not that simple to feel.

Its the distance of our hearts.

Tsumetai Heya, Hitori—Mikako Komatsu

His first impression of hospitals was terrible.

The smell of antiseptic was strong, giving the young brunet a horrible headache as he followed his childhood friend through the endless hallways of the hospital. It was supposed to be some sort of exploration adventure, though the thirteen-year-old highly doubted there was anything worth exploring the place for.

However, in spite of his doubts, Kaname went along with the idea nevertheless. Whether it was out of good-willed consideration for their friendship, or because of the way he was raised, Kaname had always been the kind of person to accept Takuma's suggestions with dignity and never complain. That is, unless they were potentially crazy and dangerous ideas the blond would always somehow manage to conjure up whenever he gets into one of his more-than-just-eccentric moods.

So marks that day, a fortunate day where Kaname silently thanked the heavens for not letting Takuma have the guts to attempt any outrageous stunts in the vicinity of his sullen grandfather—Asato Ichijo.

An exasperated sigh was heard from his left, prompting him to look up at the third member of their unusual circle of friends. With cold disinterest lacing the edge of her words, contradicting her image of an albino bisque doll, Shizuka retorted brusquely—"This is an utter waste of time." Her eyes, the color of cherry blossoms, pinned the brunet in place with a sharp gaze. "Kaname, talk some sense into him."

The brunet felt a bead of sweat forming, meeting the expectant gleam in the her eyes with an expression of doubt. "You do realize he is not the sort who would change his mind based on a mere couple of words." Shizuka huffed, puffing her modest chest out with her hands on her hips as though she were scoffing at his statement.

"At the very least, he listens to you." She swiftly countered, the subtle implication of her next words "compared to me" went unspoken but hung firmly in the air nevertheless, dreadfully obvious to Kaname's chagrin. He casted a brief glance over to Takuma—who currently stood a few feet away from them, charming the few nurses gathering with his bright smiles and small talk.

Shizuka followed suite, the both of them now staring at the blond unabashedly—a small wonder of how long it would take for him to notice the attention lingered at the back of their minds. He soon raises his hand in a polite wave to the older women, his demeanor of a pretty boy brimming with sunshine and flowers even as he returned to their side with a small apology.

However, despite the apology, Shizuka felt her patience wear thin at that moment.

With a pointed look and a condescending toss of her silver pigtails, Shizuka clicked her tongue. "Would you wipe that unsightly look off your face, Takuma. I have about had it with your frolicking mannerisms."

"H-how mean!" The blond exclaimed in mock horror, and promptly attached himself to Kaname's arm. "Kana! Kana! Shi-chan is sooo mean to me!" He continued his dramatic wailing and crocodile tears. "I am merely obeying my grandfather to greet everyone here as a future sponsor, and yet she speaks of me so harshly!"

With a roll of her eyes, the silver-haired girl of their group retorted nonchalantly. "Don't be so dramatic, I'm just getting started." The ghost of a smirk played on her lips as Takuma, while managing to keep himself from looking positively mortified, paled slightly. Amidst their amusing exchange, Kaname chose to keep silent and watched.

"S-Shi-chan?" The blond almost squeaked.

Shizuka didn't deign to reply, and took a step forward towards him.

"I-I'm sorry…?"

Takuma took a step back.

"Stay right where you are, Takuma."

Two steps forward.

"Can we talk about this?"

Two steps back.

"No."

And Takuma took off running, a trail of endless apologies echoing in his wake.

The brunet looked over to Shizuka, who slowly took her time rolling up the long sleeves of her frilled dress. "Are you not running after him? He's already turned the corner." Kaname asked, rather stumped at their current situation for lack of a better term to describe it.

The silver-haired girl turned on her heels, throwing a brief glance over her shoulder. "Why should I have to run after him when I already know where he's heading?" Kaname didn't miss the mischief in her eyes as she walked off casually in the other direction, humming a lighthearted tune that spelt nothing but trouble for the blond in just a few moments—not counting the running start Shizuka just gave him.

Now left standing there in the middle of the corridor by himself, Kaname could only opt to wander around for the time being. Takuma can handle himself, he reasoned inwardly. He wasn't keen on getting involved and possibly traumatized a second time for his sake. Despite having spent most of their long years growing up together, Kaname decided it wasn't worth risking his sanity to save Takuma from Shizuka.

Because an irritated Shizuka, was a terrifyingly tyrannical Shizuka.

Whisper. Whisper.

He looked up, eyes settling on a pair of nurses a fair distance away—clutching their clipboards tight to their chests, and shifting gazes cautious of their surroundings as they conversed in hushed whispers. Their efforts were for naught, however. Kaname could hear parts of their conversation as clear as day, being a vampire though young as he may be.

"…poor thing…in critical condition…"

"…shielded his…when…he's only…"

The conversation faded away as they left the corridor, and Kaname approached the room they previously occupied. He glanced at the bronze plate, oddly intent on committing the number to his memory. A strange feeling swept over his being, beckoning him into the room. Kaname held his breath, slowly reaching a hand out to open the door. His eyes widened.

The interior was bare, save for the lone bed and its patient who laid there deep in slumber. Carefully, the brunet inched closer until he was right beside the bed and stared in awe—captivated.

A head of silver that reflected the light of the morning sun. Thin, delicate brows as though drawn on skillfully with an experienced hand. Long lashes that fluttered like feathers with every brief movement. A sharp nose, and shapely lips the color of a perfect pink set in a peaceful expression.

The boy was beautiful. Like an angel—Kaname thought. An angel casted down by the Heavens, surely.

With a wary hand, he dared touch the fair skin before him. His fingertips tingled with warmth as they brushed the boy's cheeks, and he quickly withdrew his outstretched hand. As though a lump had lodged itself in his throat, he could not bring himself to speak. He could only marvel at the thumping of his heart, the feeling unlike anything he had ever felt before.

The drawl of the afternoon bell soon came, but Kaname couldn't bring himself to leave just yet. Wine red eyes continued to gaze at the boy, his fingers running through soft locks. Shuffling footsteps then echoed outside the door and Kaname only had enough time to retract his hand as the door was pushed open. He blinked, no less surprised by the visage of the boy at the door than he was abashed at being caught intruding on what was probably a private ward.

"Who… who are you?" The boy was a carbon copy of the other, eyes wide with fear and suspicion. Amethyst eyes darted between the bed and the brunet in apprehension, his frail stature trembling in growing agitation as he questioned again. "What do you want with my brother?"

Kaname looked from him to the comatose boy, his voice a soft murmur that affirmed his assumption. "Twins…" And not just a mere pair of twins, he belatedly realized—twin hunters.

It was a rare sight in the current times, so rare that it was an age-old vampire folklore told by elder vampires to the younger kindred. Ironic, but the brunet wouldn't deny the fascination upon hearing the tale from his great-grandfather before his untimely death a few years back.

"I am…" He began, trailing off in quiet contemplation as he casted one final glance to the angel. His gentle gaze then met frightful eyes once more. "My name is Kaname Kuran, what is yours?"

It had been one bad dream after another, an endless stream of nightmares that refused to leave him in peace. The sedatives he was made to take had helped initially, enough to numb his thoughts and pain when he slept but the more he recovered, the more his dosage was reduced. He had pleaded several times with them, begging them not to lower his dosage any further, but they never understood—they couldn't understand.

They couldn't possibly understand. That his young impressionable age and fragile state of mind left no room for solace every time he closed his eyes, trying to shut it out. The mangled bodies burned into the back of his eyes. The screeching voices like a demonic hymn in his ears. And the stench. That horrible stench of blood and flames choking him as though he were drowning.

He held his head, curled into a ball by his brother as he groaned in pain. His mind crashed onto him like waves on a shore, reminding him. Taunting him with the reality that his world was shattering.

"Ichiru… you probably won't understand but…"

The boy remembered clear as day, his godfather's weary expression as he struggled to speak with a strained voice.

"Zero has…"

He could feel the dread rising like a shadow waiting to swallow him.

The man pulled his lips into a tight frown, shaking his head before looking at Ichiru again.

And all the hope he held in his heart faded.

"Its been a year, and Zero still hasn't woke up… The doctors…"

It was unbearable. So unbearable that he could cry.

He trailed off, sighing deeply in resignation.

But he wouldn't cry. He wouldn't break.

"We have to let him go, Ichiru."

Because no matter how much he cried, his brother wouldn't be there to comfort him this time. His brother. His dear, dear brother who protected him and got crushed in his place when it should have been him.

It should have been him in a coma right now, and not his brother.

That was the morbid point that his thoughts always circled back to every time he stood by his brother's side and held onto his hand, praying that he would wake. That he would wake and tell him everything was alright again. That he would never leave him alone like their parents did.

Click.

"You are early today." He greeted quietly, his eyes never leaving his brother's face to see who it was at the door. Ever since a few days back, there was only one person other than their godfather who would come visit him and his brother like this.

A melodious chortle reached his ears.

"Yes, well. My lessons finished earlier than expected today, so I thought it would be nice to spend a little more time with you and your brother, Ichiru-kun."

He looked up, tired eyes of amethyst fixated on the brunet—a pretty, pretty brunet. The prettiest Ichiru had ever seen, in fact. Where his mother was beautiful for a woman in her… particular line of profession, Kaname was too beautiful for a boy near his age.

He looked just like a porcelain doll, Ichiru had recalled commenting to him some time after getting to know the brunet. And Kaname only laughed, his flattered laughter ringing like tinkling bells in the younger boy's ears.

He shook his head back to the present. "I'm sorry, what?"

Wine red eyes looked to Ichiru in concern. "You look awfully pale, did you not sleep well? Is there anything I can do to help?"

"…If only," Ichiru laughed bitterly.

The expression on Kaname's face seem to fall further than he thought possible, looking even more troubled than before. How amusing. Ichiru forced a smile, and tried to stand but stumbled into the brunet's arms instead.

"Ichiru-kun!" Kaname called out, the panic in his voice quickly fading when he realized the boy wasn't in any discomfort. He heaved a sigh in relief but soon grew concerned again when the latter gripped his arms tightly.

Mumble.

"I beg your pardon?"

"Would you really do anything to help me?"

Something wasn't right. That much Kaname was certain of, but he couldn't bring himself to disappoint the young boy then.

"Of course."

"Then take my brother away from here."

Kaname paused, unsure if he had heard the words right.

"Take him away or they are going to let him die!" Ichiru blubbered uncontrollably, his voice hysterical as he held onto the brunet desperately. "They said that Zero is never going to wake up!"

Kaname froze, eyes wide as he looked over to the bed in sudden understanding. Although he had only met them recently, it had already been a year of hospitalization for the pair of brothers. And one of them had yet to wake from his comatose state.

"He will wake up! I know he will!" Cough!

The boy collapsed to the ground, struggling to breathe through his coughing fit and tears. "Ichiru-kun, calm down." Kaname rubbed his back gently in an attempt to comfort him. "Calm down. I'm here, I'm here."

And there, they remained on the floor in silence for the next few moments as Kaname listened to Ichiru's coughing until it was calmed.

"Kaname…" Ichiru tried again, looking up at the brunet with a desperate plea. "Kaname… please help Zero." He begged, his eyes brimming with hot tears but the expression on his face was resolute. "Turn him into one of you."

The temperature in the room dropped several degrees, almost enough to send a chill down his spine but Ichiru remained stubborn. Kaname, on the other hand, was clearly shaken at the sudden request.

"Ichiru, do you truly understand what you're asking of me?" He asked, hands trembling at the thought of what the boy was proposing to him. And whether it was from excitement or anxiety, he couldn't be sure.

"…I do." Ichiru lowered his gaze for a moment, and he answered most earnestly. "I wouldn't be here if it weren't for him."

He then smiled sadly, looking to his brother once more. "I don't care if he hates me for this, I want Zero to live on no matter what."

For how long had he been drifting in the cold darkness?

He didn't know.

The only thing he knew was that he needed to wake up.

…Wake up? He wondered. Wake up from what?

Was it all a dream? A nightmare? There was nothing around him to indicate that it was either.

He felt numb, and belatedly realized he couldn't move. Strange. He should have been worried—practically panicking in fact, but he wasn't surprised. He had been oddly comfortable.

Was this death? That could explain the bizarre feelings he had.

He tried to close his eyes, but then realized they had been closed too. He tried to sigh—nothing came. Again, he wasn't surprised. His mind briefly wandered to his brother, and he could almost laugh at the thought of what he would say.

Death is a boring thing to be.

Ironic, but it was a pretty accurate description. And he caved, pushing his vague regrets away—ready to accept it all.

Suddenly, there was pain unlike any other. It was as though a pair of knifes were digging into his neck, and he gasped for air like a drowning victim. He desperately tried to claw at it to go away when his whole body ignited into flames, peeling away his skin like an outer layer—exposing him, laying him bare.

The pain was unbearable, so much that he was certain it wasn't death he was experiencing but he didn't care anymore. He wanted nothing more than for it to just stop, and when it finally did—he knew.

He was alive.

"Kaname, is he…?"

A name he didn't know, but that voice. Ichiru. He could almost smile, knowing that his brother was still there by his side. Safe and sound.

"He will be alright now."

Another voice, one he didn't recognize but the hand that touched him was gentle, warm and kind. He tried to open his eyes, forcing them with the conviction that he needed to see them. The person whose touch is so comforting to him.

Everything was a blur to him at first, but a pair of ruby eyes soon came into focus and he felt his heart throb with a feeling he had never felt before.

"Ah, thank goodness." The brunet was beautiful, smiling with an unspoken fondness for him that he couldn't explain. "You're awake."

"Uh…" He tried to speak, but his throat was dry and raspy. The brunet hushed him, shaking his head—telling him that he needed more rest than anything else.

He nodded in understanding, blushing as the brunet planted a chaste kiss to his forehead.

"Rest now, you'll be alright… my dear Zero."

And slowly, he drifted back into the darkness.

Author's Note:

Let's see… I seriously can't remember the last time I updated this story, but I truly apologize for making people wait.

Why, oh why did I choose to be a teacher? Oh, woe is me!

But putting aside my dramatics, university really hasn't been very kind to me and I often find myself much too worn out to do anything else but sleep. Of course, my blocks didn't go away either. Instead, they only seemed to grow bigger and trying to write became even harder than before.

Now, nobody panic. While I indeed do find writing difficult now, I honestly and truly want to finish all my stories I have on here—so there is no way I am dropping them. EVER.

I'll just probably take a… long while to finish them, and I can only hope everyone will stick around long enough for it to end. If you can do that, I will offer you virtual cookies ;)

But in any case, thank you for all the support so far!

See ya beautiful people around :3

~KuroChama