Moonlight's Blessing

By sorrow angel

Pairings: Kaname/Zero

Disclaimer: None of the VK characters are mine, except the OCs

A/N: Found this really, really, really old chapter sitting in my computer... so I thought to just go ahead and post it.

Pain was not an emotion anyone wanted or enjoyed experiencing. It reached out like vines and wrapped itself around the heart, tearing people up emotionally, as if someone was slowly ripping their heart apart piece by piece, ensuring that the pain was never forgotten, to be forever imprinted in one's mind. It could easily consume the life of someone, until it was all they could feel and find their life filled with nothing else.

Yuuki was not used to such an emotion, not having experienced them this strongly until she met Zero again. Even when she was still a child and her parents were still alive, she was constantly being basked in love and happiness, being treated as something precious by her parents and brother.

When her vampire genes were sealed and she was adopted by the Headmaster, the hunter treated her as if she were his own daughter despite his constant silly actions. Her meeting with her brother and Zero just seemed to light up her life, filling it with more colours than it already had. She was more fortunate than any girls her age, having a childhood friend who was protective of her and a brother whom she liked and was liked in return.

Everything changed with the return of Rido Kuran. Her vampire genes were awakened and she finally found the brother whom she had forgotten, but at the same time, she lost her friend by becoming the very creature that he hated.

It hurt every time Zero avoided looking at her, as if he could not stand the very sight of her. She knew he hated vampires ever since he was bitten, but she never thought that she would be at the receiving end of that emotion. It hurt her but her brother was there with her, it was the comfort she had. Things got worse when Zero took the fatal attack meant for her during the fight against Kuran Rido.

She was certain that her heart had stopped beating when that happened, to see so much blood on Zero, flowing out of him like there was an endless supply of it. Despite the fatal wound that the hunter received, she refused to believe that he was dead without see the body. She knew she was deluding herself, to believe that he would survive such a serious injury but she could not, would not believe that her friend would be dead.

Yuuki pulled out a photograph from the drawer, carefully hidden between pages of a book to ensure that it wasn't destroyed, as if it was some secret that was only known to her and no one else, and gazed at it with her wine red eyes. The photo was taken by the Headmaster when she was still human back at Cross Academy; she was staring directly at the camera with a bright smile on her face, as if no troubles could touch her, and Zero on the other hand, was looking pointedly away from the camera, awkwardness practically vibrated off him. It was not one of the best photos taken but the moment it represented could not be replaced.

Tears welled up in her eyes and Yuuki tried, but she could not stop them from rolling down her cheeks like pearls from a string of broken necklace. She made certain not to let any sound make it past her lips, well aware that anyone in the mansion was capable of catching it with their sharp hearing.

She did not want to be caught crying, especially by her brother, for a reason she wasn't sure was welcomed. Kaname and Zero had never been on good terms back at the academy, but now Zero had a child that belonged to her brother, that meant the relationship between the two most important people in her life was not that bad, right?

Looking at the printed memory in her hand, Yuuki hurriedly brushed away the tears that had fallen onto the photo away with her fingers, afraid that the unwelcomed moisture would damage it. She always thought she was strong enough to fight and protect others, but she had been unceremoniously proven wrong time and again.

She could not handle herself when going up against regular Level Es when she was still human, she could not hold up against Kuran Rido when he attacked Cross Academy and instead, Zero was always the one protecting her and ended nearly dying for her.

Suzuki Hiroko had slapped the harsh truth right in her face, opened her eyes and forced her to see the things that she had been blind to; she was weak, she always had been. Her own wishful thinking that she was helping Zero had been hurting him and she wasn't even aware of it, and every time he rejected her 'help', she thought that he was being stubborn... how wrong she was.

The other pureblood had been unforgiving but Yuuki knew that what she said was no less than the truth. What really shook her were the words that Zero's son had said, the hatred and disgust in those violet eyes that were so much like the ex-hunter's. It was as if Zero had been the one sitting in front of her and spitting those words with such venom.

Yuuki squeezed her eyes tightly, hoping that by doing so, she would be able to block out the unwanted pain, and brought her knees to her chest, wrapping her slender arms around them. Her tears were damping her silk nightgown but the vampire showed no sign of acknowledging it. The photo that was dangling from her lax fingers fell onto the bed silently, basking in the glow of the moonlight as the Kuran princess drowned in her pain.

Things had been so much easier when she was still human, she was so much happier back then...

Leaning back against the couch, Kaname closed his eyes and pressed his fingertips over his eyelids, drowning in the darkness of his moonlit bedroom as he tried to sort out his thoughts. The news that Zero was a carrier, had a son and the child he had seen was the child between him and the ex-hunter were a complete shock to him. He didn't expect, never expected that things would turn out this way. He had been ecstatic when he found out that Zero was still alive, he had no idea how did the ex-hunter survive but he didn't really care, all that mattered to him was that Zero still lived.

He was not naïve to think that he could just go up to Zero and they would live happily ever after, forgetting everything that had happened between them. Things were not that simple. There was too much unpleasantness between them, not forgetting that fact that Zero hated him; something that Zero never bothered to hide ever since he met him.

Kaname could not deny the brief moment of happiness he felt when he found that that he had a child with Zero, to know he had a part of the silver-haired vampire that no one had, not even the sister he loved. However, he was unprepared for the hatred that his own son had towards him. How was it that such a young child could be filled with such hatred, to hate a single person with such passion?

He was not blind to the fact that the child –Yuu, if he remembered the name correctly– did not hate him for not being there in his life, in fact, he would rather not have him in his life, something that hurt the pureblood as it should have, but rather for the pain he had caused Zero. It showed how much that child cared about his father, how deep the bond between them was.

He wanted to be part of that bond, to have the person he loved and his son by his side, but Kaname knew that it wasn't going to happen anytime soon. As long as his son hated him, the pureblood knew that Zero would never be anywhere near him. Even if that wasn't the case, Suzuki Hiroko would never let him near the two of them. She had warned that if he did, both father and son would be out of Japan before he knew, and Kaname did not doubt for a second that she would do as she said.

If it was simply another vampire, it would not be any problem, but this was Suzuki Hiroko, a pureblood who did not view the Kurans as her superior and was capable of going up against them if she ever had that intention. She was not someone who would just roll over; if pushed too far, she would strike back ruthlessly regardless who it was and made sure that they paid for what they did.

Despite that, he was not going to just give up. Kaname opened his eyes, determination set in those wine red orbs. He lost Zero nine years ago and now that he found him, he was going to hold on tight and not let go. He was a Kuran and he would get what he wanted.

Unfortunately, he forgot the fact that the course to true happiness was never an easy one, be it for humans or vampires. He would soon realise that the past never let someone go easily, it would come back to haunt them sooner or later and when it did, he would pay dearly for what he had done to Zero.

Sighing deeply, Kain looked exasperatedly at the blond vampire who had been pacing in front of him ever since their unexpected guests had left and the Kurans had retreated to their rooms. If he didn't stop doing that, Aido was going to wear a hole through the floor of the Kuran mansion and he doubted Kaname-sama would appreciate it.

"Hanabusa, stop pacing. You're making me dizzy."

Aido spun around from his spot and glared at his cousin dissatisfaction glinting in his light blue eyes. Besides the two of them, the only other people present in the living room were Ichijo and Shiki, who was currently asleep, which was no surprise to them. The other three females of the Night Class had gone back to their rooms, not seeing the need to be present.

"Did you see that Kiryu Zero's attitude?"

"I was present, remember?"

"He has no respect for Kaname-sama!" Aido fumed as he recalled the way Kiryu talked to the pureblood. If he hadn't been so shocked at the fact that the child belonged to Kaname-sama, he would have taught the hunter a lesson. "And that kid, he is nothing like Kaname-sama."

He could not forget the fear that ran through his body when he met those violet eyes that were colder than the Antarctic ice, and he believed that the child would kill him without hesitation. "He's basically a mini replica of Kiryu Zero."

If it wasn't for the scent of the blood, he would never have link the two of them as father and son. Of all the people, why did it have to be with Kiryu Zero? What was so good about that Level D?

Kain rolled his eyes, not at all amused by Aido's words. He could probably guess what was going through that head of his. "You're not having any respect now either."

Aide scrunched his eyebrows in confusion, "What are you talking about?"

"Have you forgotten?" Ichijo asked after ensuring that Shiki was comfortable using his shoulder as a pillow. "Kiryu-kun is now a pureblood." As expected, Aido stiffened at his words, like he had totally forgotten about that fact, which he most likely had. Ichijo and Kain were not surprised by it; that was just the kind of person Hanabusa was. "Besides, even if that child looks like Kiryu-kun, he is still Kaname's son."

"But... he was a Level D, how could he end up being a pureblood?" Sagging his shoulders in confusion, all energy seemed to leave Aido once he was reminded that the mini replica of the ex-hunter was Kaname's son. From what he knew, it was impossible for a Level D to go up the hierarchy, much less become one of the few purebloods.

"It's not impossible." Ichijo said, gaining the full attention of the vampires sitting opposite him. "There is a ritual that allows Level Ds to be turned into a pureblood; becoming more powerful and getting rid of the uncontrollable bloodlust, but the problem is that only purebloods are capable of performing this ritual." It was the reason why it was rarely done; they were hardly any purebloods who were willing to perform this ritual for Level Ds, whom they viewed were at the same level as the Level Es due to their uncontrollable bloodlust.

"So Hiroko-sama is the one who performed the ritual?" Kain asked, though he was certain that he was right. It was not all that difficult to come to the rather obvious conclusion. If that was the case, it was very likely that Kiryu Zero was no longer a hunter, especially when even Cross Kaien heard nothing from him.

"I believe so," Ichijo agreed with a nod. "Regardless of how Kiryu-kun became a pureblood, it's an undeniable fact that he is one now." He was feeling sorry for Kaname right now, especially after the rather interesting meeting with the pureblood's unexpected son.

He had been surprised, along with the rest of them, at the appearance of the child they did not know Kaname had, and from the way the vampire acted, Ichijo would say that Kaname had no idea about it either.

Meeting the one he loved and the son he didn't know he had, was one thing, but knowing that his own child hated him was a totally different matter. It must have been difficult on the pureblood, to hear those words with his own ears.

Being Kaname's best friend, Ichijo was aware of the pureblood's feelings for the ex-hunter; how his gaze would always linger on the silver-haired figure, worry when Kiryu was off on an assignment and concerned when he was injured, but he was also aware of the pain Kaname had caused the other vampire. He knew the pureblood did not mean to hurt Kiryu but he could not deny the fact that he did, and nothing Kaname say could erase the pain the ex-hunter suffered, be it physically or emotionally.

Ichijo resisted the urge to sigh, he could already see how difficult it would be for Kaname to win back Zero Kiryu and his son. He was well aware of Kaname's character, the kind of person he truly was and not just the side that he showed to the Night Class, and from what he noticed, that child had no doubt inherited that particular gene from Kaname.

With that vampire child being so protective of his father and hating Kaname that much, the elder Kuran was going to be in for a long ride.

Not everyone was as lucky as he was, to have the one he loved by his side, safe and sound. Glancing down at the vampire sleeping against his shoulder, Ichijo could not help but curl his lips in to a soft smile as his the look in his eyes gentled.

He had been so afraid to lose Senri during the whole Kuran Rido incident, to the point where he did not hesitate to betray Kaname. The pureblood might be his friend but Senri was the one he loved, as long as the noble was safe, he would give up everything. He looked up at the cousins in front of him and wondered how long would it take for Hanabusa to realise Kain's feelings for him.

There was a possibility that it might take a long time, given how dense the blond vampire was when it did not concern Kaname.

There was a slight movement against his shoulder as Shiki stirred, rubbing his eye tiredly as he looked up groggily at Ichijo. He reminded the noble of a kitten that had just awoken, with the dazed look on that adorable face, and the blond vampire could not stop his lips from twitching.

"Ichijo-senpai, it's not done yet?" Sleep was thick in Shiki's voice and he was close to dozing off again.

Ichijo placed his right hand on Shiki's head and ruffled his hair fondly, enjoying the feel of the silky tresses against his fingers. "Nope, it's done. Let's go to bed." A gentle smile graced his features. He could not deny one thing... he was truly lucky.

TBC