Monster Part One

Disclaimer: Of course, Vampire Knight and none of the characters belong to me. But enjoy all the same :)

The fading daylight signalled the vampires' awakening. Whilst Yuki Cross struggled to hold back the lines of excitable fan girls, who seemed to be more unruly tonight than ever, she failed to notice the absence of two notorious adversaries. The crowd had seemed to double in size, and so had the workload. It was a stifling and moist summer evening, the sort of weather no one wanted to be running after excitable teenage girls in. Yuki wasn't the type to complain, so she simply swiped her sleeve over her sweating brow and continued to herd the Day Class into one area so she could keep a better eye on them, blissfully unaware of what was occurring elsewhere at the academy.

Zero Kiryu was still out-cold. Kaname Kuran was not; he stood gazing out his window at the ever-darkening sky, as ruthlessly watchful and distanced as he had ever been. Aware the other vampire would be waking up soon, confused and disorientated (though Zero always was, according to Kaname) and demanding answers to his predicament, the Pureblood readied a flawless answer to every question the vampire could, and more than likely would, throw at him.

He was ready for anything.

But he was not ready for the gun barrel pressed to the back of his head, nor was he ready for the strong voice, so laced with hatred, commanding him to kneel, and to be quick about it, too.

"Awake so soon, my love? Are you sure you don't want to rest a little longer?" Despite the atmosphere of pure, unadulterated hatred coming off the vampire hunter, Kaname Kuran couldn't help but smirk at the switch in power, his voice absolutely laded with mocking sarcasm.

"Couldn't wait to see your face, my darling," Zero snarled back, just as mocking as the Pureblood had been. The mouth of the gun kissed him harder.

"Oh, do allow me to stand Zero-chan. Kneeling isn't a very becoming position for a Lord."

Zero chose to ignore the taunts, much as he wished to slap the arrogant Pureblood or, better yet, pull the trigger and silence this asshole once and for all.

He was so much absorbed in that particular and wonderful dream, he almost failed to notice Kaname trying to subtly get to his feet.

Unfortunately for Kaname, he'd been a fraction too slow; Zero's foot made swift contact with his ribs. But that slight irritation wasn't what made him sink back to his knee, obedient as a common household pet.

No. It was the sound of Zero cocking the Bloody Rose that made him reconsider his course of action.

So he'd have to be far more accommodating than he'd wished to be. What a pain.

"No, I think this is a much more fitting position for you, Kaname-sama."

"Well, this is quite the role reversal." Given the dangerous circumstances Kaname was in, for they both knew it would only take a little more aggravation for Zero to pull the trigger, the Pureblood Lord should've kept his mouth shut. But he couldn't. Taunting Zero was just that much fun. He was a most pathetic being, the way the ex-human lost himself to anger so easily. Barely worth a microsecond of Kaname Kuran's precious time.

There was more to it than that. Much more. Of course. What had Kaname coming back to mock Zero time after time, when they could so easily ignore the other's existence? They would only see each other during the switchover, and even then no eye contact or acknowledgement was needed.

So what kept Kaname returning, after all? His desire to control, complete manipulation and domination of everyone around him? No, it went beyond that simplistic and one-dimensional explanation as well.

And last night? Well, that was-

"Teme!" Zero cried out as a sudden icicle of pain lanced through him, running along his spine and down to his- No, he wouldn't ever begin to consider that. He'd slept awkwardly on his back and jarred the nerves somehow, that was all. It'd just taken a shift in weight to cause the pain.

-that was a different story altogether, though just as unexplainable. Kaname, still kneeling on the floor at his arch-rival's complete mercy, allowed himself a small smile of satisfaction at Zero's pain, it was sure to be aching somewhat now, things had been rather…Rough. He was certain, however, that Zero's memory of the previous night's events was clouded, if not completely obliterated altogether. The Pureblood, on the other hand, remembered everything in fine detail. It's not something he ever wanted to forget, either.

Zero tried to adjust his footing in order to make the ache go away, but now he'd been awakened to its presence, he was hyperaware of every twinge and discomfort throbbing within him. It was becoming increasingly difficult to focus on the vampire at his feet, and the reason Zero had commanded him to kneel in the first place.

"Ah-What did you do to me?" The silver-haired teen managed to grunt out through gritted teeth, rather struggling with forming a coherent sentence; he was far too busy trying to deny the existence of the epicentre of his pain. Just a result of an awkward sleeping position, that was all.

Kaname laughed, a clear, eerie sound that was so out of place in current circumstances. How long would it take him to find out? Zero was (supposed to be) rather intelligent, so he should of figured it out by now. He must be in denial, then. Oh well. It didn't worry the Pureblood too much, what Zero did or didn't think. His opinion of the Vampire Hunter would never change, though he was sure he could trick Zero in to thinking otherwise. Kaname didn't care. He was just a pawn, that was all. A means to an end.

And Zero absolutely hated him for it. Of all the ex-human vampires he'd met during his lifetime, he'd never met one with such a frenzied hatred for their own species as Zero Kiryu. No one would ever dare point a gun at a Pureblood, much less a Kuran. But Zero…Perhaps he'd descended into a level E already. Such a shame.

"Answer me, baka!" Zero was getting increasingly agitated (his fangs were sure to be bared in desperation, Kaname thought) but all the Pureblood could do was laugh; quiet at first, barely audible in fact, but as the other vampire's frustration mounted, Kaname's mocking laughter grew louder in response.

"Turn around so I can see your face!"

"As you wish, Zero-sama." He was almost crying with laughter now, and to Zero he seemed quite maniacal as he sat there on the floor, in a laughing fit over what appeared to be nothing. But it wasn't distracting enough to allow the mocking suffix go unnoticed. The Pureblood would pay for the humiliation.

Irritated and at the end of his tether, Zero tried to ignore Kaname's unhinged state but, when the maniac continued on for a prolonged ten minutes (though it seemed treble that to the irritated Hunter), he finally lost it completely. He thrust the mouth of the gun into Kaname's open, laughing mouth and the Pureblood instantly stopped his insane noises.

But his garnet eyes danced with silent laughter and mocked Zero still. Kaname raised a suggestive eyebrow; Role reversal indeed. The silver-haired vampire growled in an animal-like frustration and pushed the gun harder down the Pureblood's throat, but the latter did nothing, not even wince.

So Zero pulled the trigger.

A/N: This is my first Vampire Knight fanfiction, so I hope my characterisation isn't too far off as I haven't read the manga yet, only watched the anime. This story is made up of three parts; the other two should be up in a matter of days.

Reviews are most welcome :)