Disclaimer : Vampire Knight isn't mine. I'm sure you've known it.
Warning : The timeline story begins a few weeks after Shizuka Hio attacked Cross Academy.
It's a cursed object, and he doesn't mean to touch it. Zero knows what curses can do, and he knows this curse is the culprit of vanishing people right out of existence, not the level Es.
Zero stared hard to the rune carved gold ornate that attached to a stone-made building, hidden in a cave that located in Kuran Clan region. He got the information from the documentations he could get, which is to say hardly at all. Just from some incomplete reports in Hunter Association library and some old article clippings. There's a rumor of riches – buried treasure bullshit that he knows better than to believe. But between the rumors and the news about many hiker disappeared, he decided to trust it.
He also knows that it's not because of the cave itself. Surely there has to be something in it, because sometimes there are people who go in and still come out again.
So, Zero comes to investigate, carrying a full duffel on his shoulder – stocked with food, water and medicines, and of course his Bloody Rose – because if he's going to get vanished somewhere, he prefers to be prepared to survive wherever that happens to be. In his experience, people never just disappear, they must be go somewhere else.
The cave is wider and more moss than he expects, which made him wonder if the building in front of him is a tomb because the building looks ancient. The flashlight sits warm and heavy in his hand, steady as his eyes traces the runecarving on the gold ornate along the walls.
Now, what should he do?
Because as far as he knows, there's no way to stop an ancient curse. He can't eliminate the curse or purify it until it's harmless. All he can think of is to demolish this building in ruins and burying it. Jeez... the plan's too tempting, because he can see that bloody Kuran's face in shock when he found out that his ancestor building in ruins, but he also realizes that Hunter Association will never appreciate it, plus that will make the Vampire Councils more wanted his head.
If he could touch the runes, maybe he could find and locate weaknesses in the letters.
He's still busy thinking it through when the ground shakes violently. It's not enormous tremor, not even out of the ordinary from what he knows of the area, but it's enough to upset his balance, and make his hands touched the golden ornate. The flash of gold appeared, blinded his vision, and for an instant burning sensation enveloped his body before everything goes black.
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BOULEVARD OF THE BROKEN DREAMS
© Scarlet Natsume
Vampire Knight © Matsuri Hino
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Prologue
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He wakes disoriented, his head throbbing painfully behind his eyes. Cold air blows breezy sweep of his body, while he's trying to see in the blinding darkness. His back aches where he lies, he groans loudly as his hand touched a small stalagmite that digs into his ribs.
Oh, God... what happened?
He moans as he sit up, stiff and aching, and wishes that he still had his flashlight so he could take in his surroundings, the place still dark even with his vampire vision. The air is cold and humid, tickling his skin like an electric shock. For a moment he can't remember why that might be.
He thinks back and tried to work his memory back to now. He remembers Hunter Association gave a mission to him, left Yuuki deal with the Day Class students, remembers the level Es attacked him along the way.
And finally he remembers the cave, the gold ornate and a rune-carved building, and an earthquake.
"Fuck," he mutters.
He was about to stand when a cut of light suddenly across his vision, ruining his night vision and making his violet eyes squint in narrowed glare. He holds one hand out to cover his eyes, but the shielding effect is minimal.
"Who are you?" The voice sounds dangerous, low and rumbling, and a little bit familiar.
Zero doesn't answer, he stills busy to protect his eyes from the light.
"You're not supposed to be here," says the voice again, followed by several approaching footsteps and then stopped.
Zero no longer sees the light in his face. He blinks, and realizes that the light is a torch. He scanned his surroundings, and with a jolt he realizes they're exactly the same. Same stone walls, same humid air, and when he turns his back, he sees the old building still stands majestically.
"Damn," he mumbled quietly, before startles as a warm hand closes around his shoulder.
"Don't go near it," says the voice, which he convinces is the voice of a man. "Come on, let's get you out of here."
Zero feels his body lifted, making him gasp loudly. "Wha... what are you doing?" he asks in a voice that's almost lost.
The man chuckled. "Finally you're talking. I almost think you can't talk." Zero's eyebrows twitch. "The blood is smells strong, it means you hurt. Can't a gentleman give assistance to people who in pain?"
"You can pull me up, and let me walks following you," Zero hisses painfully.
The man chuckles again. "That's not good, because your body is too weak to even to stand."
Zero opens his mouth to argue, but he sighs instead. He's too tired to argue with this person. He keeps silent and looks at the faint silhouette that seen in the dim light. Bright orange light of sunset from the cave entrance makes his eyes narrows, he turns his face, and see the faces of the person who rescue him.
The man looks familiar now that he can see him – his dark brown curly hair and his eyes, his warm face with pronounced smile lines. Zero tilts his head, his familiarity niggling his memory, but he can't put a name.
Before an image of his enemy as well as his love rival through his mind, makes his eyes widens.
Kuran.
Oh, shit! Why that fucking Kuran here?! Oh, yeah, of course, because this territory is owned by his family. But still! Why Kuran left Cross Academy to be here?! As far as he knows there's no problem or whatsoever that disturb Vampire Council. And it's not possible - impossible, even - that Kuran comes only to save him.
Wait.
This man is not Kaname Kuran. This person has a very weird pair of eyes. Zero feels a bit amazes to see the man's two different eye colors; one red like blood, while other deep blue. Heterochromia Iridium. Very rare to find a person that has dual eyes color, he had only seen it once when he was a child, his grandfather had Heterochromia iridium too.
He feels tired again. His mind keeps screaming. Don't sleep! Keep awake! Pureblood! Danger! Yet his eyes getting heavy, it doesn't take long time until he gives up and buried in slumber.
0*************0
Light seeps through the window spreading on his eyelids, waking him up from a long sleep. He stretches his sore hands, flexing his stiff shoulders, his violet eyes stares at the beautiful decorated ceiling.
'Where am I…?' His eyes narrowed to the ceiling.
"Ah... the sleeping beauty has awake from his slumber apparently," A familiar female voice sounded in his ears. His eyebrows twitch as he turned in disgust.
"Who the hell do you call sleeping beauty, Yuuki-" He paused as his eyes freeze to the woman that is standing in the doorway.
Not Yuuki! His mind yells silently. The woman is very similar to Yuuki, from her face, height, and even her eyes. Although they have the same brown hair, this woman has long hair, besides his instincts screams "pureblood". Yuuki is a human.
The woman giggles as she walks in, carrying a tray with a glass of water, medication, and a bowl of soup with a spoon. "How do you feel now? I was surprised when onii-sama came home with you in his arms."
Zero silent for a moment, his mind races as he see the woman who is similar with Yuuki. Who is this woman? Why is she so alike with Yuuki? There's no way this woman is her family, Yuuki is a human while this woman is a vampire, a pureblood nonetheless!
"I feel like a big rock banged my head, and then stabbed me on my stomach." Zero says with sarcasm.
Oh, wait. That's not a metaphor, but it's a fact that really HAD happened.
She giggles again as she put the tray on the drawer, her hand reach towards Zero. "You have to eat, and then drink your medicine. Here, I'll help you to sit."
The woman's eyes widens as she felt her hands slapped. "Don't touch me, vampire." Zero hisses, before he forces himself to sit.
For a moment she looks hurt, but it's not long before her expression become gentle again. "Do not say that, you're a vampire too, right?" She picks a folding table – while ignoring the glare from her guest – and she set the table in front of him, before she put a bowl of soup and a spoon on it. "I'm Juuri. What's your name?"
Zero's hands squeeze the blanket that covered him. Juuri...? There is only one person he knows who named Juuri, and that's from Kaien's stories, but... it's not possible. "Zero," he mutters, stares at the soup in front of him.
Juuri's unaffected with his cool demeanor. "Hi, Zero-san," she says, smiling. She sees Zero doesn't touch the soup."The soup isn't poisonous, you know. Why would I bother to treat you if in the end I want to kill you?"
Zero bites the inside of his mouth, his hand hesitantly grabs the spoon. He took a sip of soup, and sighs softly as he feels warmth spread in his throat. Zero glances at the woman that sitting next to him. "Are you... are you a Kuran?"
The woman blinks. "Well... how do you know?"
'I'm right.' he thought. "The only pureblood family that has hair color just like yours is Kuran Clan." Zero furrowed his eyebrows. The person who's sitting next to him is Juuri Kuran! But that's impossible, because Juuri has gone, as Kaien said once.
The woman laughs. "Ah... it seems so easy to identify my family."
Zero stares toward Juuri. This woman, even her laugh is like Yuuki's.
Juuri stops laughing, sigh out of her mouth. "Do you remember what happened to you?" she asks.
The silver-haired man paused. "That's none of your business."
She smiles. "Oh... it's my business. Because you're in my family's land, and you were found in the tomb of my ancestors."
'Haha... so the building is really a tomb,' He laughs inside. Ironic. Why need a tomb, if vampires just crumble into dust when they die?
"There are cases of people disappearing. The Association sent me to investigate it and to deal with the perpetrator."
"The Association? Are you a hunter?"
Zero raises an eyebrow, as if to say, "You think?"
Juuri covers her mouth with her hand in surprise. "Oh my god..."
Zero doesn't care about her reaction. "After I finished this, I'll go. Don't worry, I will not report you to the association. You've saved my life, after all."
"Wha… it's not that." Juuri laughs nervously. "I'm not afraid because you're a hunter - in fact I myself have a friend who is a hunter - but I'm afraid because the hunters. There's a war is going on, and I think it makes deal with the hunters become not fun." She snorted. "I already assumed that you're a hunter, but I don't think that my guess is right."
A war? Zero blinks. What war? The last time there's a war between the hunters and the vampires was before establishing the Cross Academy. After that, the hunters are there only to 'discipline' the vampires, so they're not hunting the humans – in which he thought it's failure, considering his family killed by a vampire and Zero transformed into a creature he hates most.
But... really?
"What year is it?" he asks as he turns on her with wide eyes.
Juuri cocked her head. "Hm? Nineteen eighty-five. Why?"
Zero choked, he coughs to get rid of the pain in his throat because the soup.
"Eh? Are you okay, Zero-san?" Juuri asked in panic.
"Oh, hell..." Zero whispers and suddenly he wants to go back to that cave and destroy that fucking building. Reactions from Kuran, the association, and the Vampire Council, will be damned.
Yes, he now understands the meaning of the runes that engraved the building.
Juuri blinks. "Ah... it's seems you've realized what happened to you." She grins, ignoring the sharp look from Zero. "So..." she says nervously. "From the past or the future?"
"Future," Zero says while still stares at Juuri.
A sweat runs down on her forehead. "Don't look at me like that. I was also surprised, you know. Your physic similar to Hio, and likely you're not a Hio since you're not a pureblood. And there's a slight smell of human blood and vampire blood in your body, which means that you are an ex-human. The only family or clan whose members have physical characteristics that are similar to Hio Family is the Kiryuu's. We've already investigated that no one in Kiryuu has turned, and considering the tattoo on your neck proves that you've become an ex-humannot recently, so that's impossible the Kiryuu didn't know that one of their member has turned, but there, there's no record of any of their members were changed. Also remember where you found, we assumed..."
Zero raised his hand, cutting her to talk further. "It's enough, I understand." He sighs, his thumb pinched his rim. This woman is not only physically similar to Yuuki, but her fast-talk habits are same.
Juuri just nods, stunned and nervous, her fingers fidget nervously. "Um... if it makes you feel better... Haru-nii already started looking for a way to get you back to your time."
Haru-nii? Zero raises an eyebrow. 'Oh, that's right. Haruka Kuran.'
"Thank you," Zero whispers, while continuing to eat his soup.
Juuri stares at him with wide eyes. Feelings of nervousness and restlessness that had enveloped her disappeared, replaced by a sense of relief. A smile spread across her lips. "You're welcome," She sees Zero nods, and then said with enthusiasm. "I know you're going to need a place to stay, you can stay in here!" She says, delighted.
Zero raises an eyebrow. "Yeah," he says. "It's not a problem."
"Good!" Juuri exclaims, before she stands. "I'll tell Haru-nii that you're going to stay in here!" She walks to the door and opens it. "When you finished your soup, take your medicine! And don't argue!" she says, before closing the door and left.
Zero amuses stares at the door, a little smile spread on his lips before chuckle out of his mouth.
Hell, even her outburst is so alike too.
'But...' Zero sighs, he leans back into the pillows. 'What should I do after this?" He's currently in Kuran residence. He scratches his head. Well... he can only hope that he's in the year before Kaname Kuran born, or it would be very awkward when he return later.
To Be Continue...
A/N :
My first Vampire Knight fanfic in English.
I'm just a beginner in English, so if there are any typo or bad grammar, please… ignore it… or tolerate it… or correct it and let me know through review.
I've heard something about beta reader. Could you tell me everything about that?
And last… please review if you don't mind!
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…..
With crimson camellia,
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Scarlet Natsume.