827I apologize for lack of grammar check. I still do not have Microsoft Word. Don't you miss when that program was free?
To my dear and faithful readers . . .
At least, those who are left.
It has been nearly 3 years since I last updated this story with an author's note and a bonus chapter, and the time has come for things to be done.
Yes. This is the note. THE note. The dreaded note that both fanfiction writer and reader must encounter at some point in their lives. I remember my first Author's Note of bad news. It was a Naruto fanfiction trilogy that ended just before it was supposed to and it bothered me for weeks. I can only hope that you will not share that pain with this.
So, to get things over with, I am confirming that yes, this is the notice of discontinuation for Rina Tomonaga. And let me start off by saying that this was not an easy decision, partly because it is my first and most successful story and partly because in the very beginning of its development I had promised that I would not become one of 'those' authors who would abandon their fanfictions. Promises mean so much to me on a personal level, which has kept me hanging on to this for so long in the first place.
I love this fanfiction. So much that it hurts, because it was my first and Rina is my baby and Zero is still my ultimate favorite anime character but as they say, all good things must come to an end. Life moves on, and so must we.
I'm pretty sure I'm only doing this now because I'm confident that other's have moved on. Those who have traveled with me in the new realm that is fanfiction in our tween years and are now living our lives both online and off with most of our mistakes made and corrected. That's what this mess of a story was. The story that holds all of my mistakes and helped me learn and grow in my own writing. I know I said I probably couldn't continue this story because Vampire Knight's path prevented me from doing that, but then people reminded me that this is a fanfiction and I can do what I want. That said, Vampire Knight itself has, honestly, personally offended me with its ending. Childish, I know, but I just can't do it anymore. It's terrible. And now that I think about it, the overall writing, the plot, and the treatment of the characters were written poorly. Suffice to say, years after its end I'm still holding a bit of a grudge. Not to say that I'm perfect, this story turned out to be a mess - albeit, a slightly good one - but still a mess.
(But I will always love Zero. I have a very sexy poster of him hanging in my bedroom that I got from Comic Con just last weekend. I am not ashamed.)
But the main reason I've finally come to terms with this discontinuation? It's hurting me. This fanfiction has been hanging over my head and is actually affecting my ability to work on other projects because of it. It's stressing me out just thinking about it and I just feel so guilty for leaving it for where it is.
So for the sake of my health, and my sanity, I am taking it off. I hope you all understand.
HOWEVER, I will not be removing this story until January of 2016. This is to insure that everybody, and I mean everybody, who has stuck around has had the chance to read my continuation below. And that, my dear readers, is the good news.
I have taken the time to write out what would have happened to our group of silly, little misfits. It turned out longer than I thought it would, and even though I may not remember every little detail, as I began to write it all out, I started to remember some of the major events.
And so, I leave this gift for you:
Rina Tomonaga
The Climax (This part is hastily written, but I couldn't remember what happened in the manga compared to what I planned to happen in the fanfic, so things are little twisty-turny)
Rina has been through a lot, and continues to have nightmares about the night she killed Shizuka and wonder just how Akuro could be her daughter. With a bounty on her head for the murder of a pureblood, Zero makes it his mission to protect her and she is unable to leave the academy. I think when we left off, Zero was angry at Rina because he felt she was hiding something from him, and eventually Rina admits that she's not psychic, and begs Zero to just let this one secret be hers until she's ready to tell it. Rina learns more about her background in the Vampire Knight world, noticing that her 'life' in the anime world and her 'life' in the real world do not match up. She learns that she was a character who was originally written into the plot of Vampire Knight, but was taken out after further editing of the story as Yuuki was a more likable character to work with. Due to some scientific mumbo-jumbo, the dimensions between fiction and non fiction are breaking down, leading her to travel and live an entirely new life in the real world after taking the body of stillborn baby. She is informed that she is not the only one this has had an impact on, and others are living in similar situations as hers (A reference to my Fandom Paradox, which includes Guardian of Fire and AWAKE).
(As I write this, I realize how complicated that all is, but cut me some slack, I was 12 when I came up with most of this)
When crap goes down at the Academy (when uncle Rido pays a visit with his little level E army but before Kaname turns Yuuki) Zero gets chained up by Kaname who intends to kill Rina. Rina continues searching for Zero and, along with the adrenaline caused by the fighting and the traumatic things she has previously been experiencing, she activates her Trueblood abilities and loses her mind, going on a killing spree and has a big fight scene with Kaname, who has wanted to kill her since she killed Shizuka. Kaname, at a disadvantage because he was previously weakened by Rido, gets pinned down by the level E's now under Rina's control and is nearly killed. That is, until Zephyr steps in.
Zephyr: Her brother who I just got irritated with and wrote out of the story earlier than planned; Was the wolf who was also written out of VK; he returns when all the crap went down in the original plot of Vampire Knight and stops Rina from killing Kaname. Dramatic speech about how she wouldn't be able to live with this, more dramatic speeches about how Yuuki would be hurt and would hate her, yadda, yadda. Rina calms down, but is unable to control herself. Zephyr, because he still wants Rina's forgiveness for abandoning her (really he was trying to find answers about where they really came from, leading him to this world and stuff), gives up his immortality to give her full control of her Trueblooded self. He disappears, but is later found by Ichiru, who then kills him. It is here that it is revealed that Zephyr helped Shizuka plan her own murder using Rina.
Akuro: Smarter than she acts, Akuro works behind the scenes with Yuuki to evacuate the Day Class students safely and away from the war-zone. I don't really remember what else I planned for Akuro but eventually she finds and frees Zero, and Yuuki offers him her blood, which he refuses. Akuro calls him a dumbass and takes Yuuki to search for Rina.
(Skipping ahead, because I don't remember what happens next)
With her personalities, Lina and Rina, fighting for control, Rina wins and confronts Rido, who hasn't the slightest idea who or what she is. Zero fights him by her side with his Bloody Rose transformation and (because I apparently found this so romantic? I was a demented 12-year-old don't judge me) the two kill Rido and devour his heart together. As this happened on the very viewable-for-all-to-see roof, everyone - the night class, the level E's, Kaname, Yuuki, and Akuro - around the area witnessed this. Instinctively knowing this is a show of power and that Rina is the mother of their entire species, the vampires bow down before their goddess and her king amongst the bloodshed. (I'll admit, this last part was partly inspired by Queen of the Damned.)
"Shizuka may have been their queen, but I am their God."
*Meanwhile, Akuro stands there, clueless as to what's going on and stops Yuuki from bowing because she knows Rina would be angry at them both for doing that. Afterwards she openly laughs at a pissed-off Kaname for having to bow down to her best friend. Yuuki smacks her upside the head with a glare.
(Now . . . I did have this whole dramatic thing where, when Yuuki and Kaname run off together, Rina goes with them and erases Zero's memory because she thinks it's be better for him, but now that I think about it, that makes no sense. So as of now, I'm changing it.)
The Aftermath
After the mess is cleaned up, the academy is under investigation and threatened to close down. However, the entire Day Class (who, if you don't remember, were informed of the true nature of the school some time ago) comes to the Night Class' defense, even going so far as lying in their testimonies to keep the secret of the Night Class safe. From then on, the Day and Night classes have alternating days where they mix and learn more about each others worlds. This is how Aidou and Yori get to know each other better and it is suggested they end up together. Yay.
Akuro, the wanderer she is, informs Rina that she'll be leaving because it's time for her to find Nadeshiko - who has been mentioned in previous chapters as Akuro's common caretaker, but disappears on trips often. Rina is upset with this, but she respects Akuro's decision and the two promise to keep in touch (and by in touch, I mean they call/Skype each other every other day, much to Zero's annoyance). A common trope is that Akuro seems to be in another country every time Rina calls her.
Kaname must also leave to deal with the aftermath of the academy, and asks Yuuki, who is still human, to go with him. Yuuki hesitates, not wishing to leave Rina behind. Rina tells her to go, that despite them not being her favorite couple in the manga, that Kaname wasn't as much of an ass as she thought in real life (he's worse, but she doesn't tell Yuuki that). Yuuki turns to Zero - they've been friends for years, and he still cares about her deeply, and the two have a silent nod of understanding for each other's decision.
Kaname & Yuuki
The days leading up to the the group's departure are long, tear-filled ones. Rina tells Kaname that despite hating him as a character, she can understand his actions as a person. While she doesn't tell him about Vampire Knight, she does tell him that if he doesn't take the time to actually talk to Yuuki, and tell her everything she should know about her past, that he will lose her. She also tells him not to worry about how Yuuki would react to his secrets, because she truly loves him. Kaname pretends not to know what she's talking about, but Yuuki later tells Rina that Kaname is going to take her to visit an old crypt that belonged to Kaname's ancestors, as he would like to tell her a story about his past. Rina, having read at least up to that point in the manga (Kaname being Yuuki's ancestor-turned-brother), sees this as Kaname's first step. Rina gives Yuuki her (cleared) laptop so they can keep in touch.
Rina also warns Yuuki that despite Kaname only wanting to protect her, Kaname was still manipulative and opportunistic, and so urges Yuuki to keep her knowledge about the Vampire Knight manga to herself.
The day for departure has arrived. Yuuki, Akuro, and Rina all embrace, Rina sobbing dramatically as she will miss her friends and says half jokingly/half seriously, "If you guys go out into the world and die in some dramatic arc, I'm going to be pissed." Yuuki and Zero have a final talk, with Zero asking if this is what she really wants and Yuuki nods, telling Zero to take care of Rina as she is still childish and immature to really do much on her own. Headmaster Cross sobs even more dramatically than Rina, and glomps Yuuki, refusing to let his daughter go.
As Yuuki is distracted, Rina threatens Kaname. "Hurt her, and I will kill you. I'm not kidding. She better be as happy as if she were high and hopping in a field of daisies the next time I see her."
Kaname laughs. Rina does not.
"Seriously. Kuran. I will find you. And I will eat you. That is literally a thing I can do now."
Kaname is no longer laughing.
The group splits.
Zero: "Now what?"
Rina: *shrugs* "I don't know. We can do whatever we want now. Go be emo. Rob a bank. Start a band. Normally, I'd say that I'm so ready to leave this school in the shambles that it is, but I am here on a scholarship for the year. I'd rather not waste it."
Zero: "Is that what you want? To leave?"
Rina: ". . ." she grins. "Let's go make lemonade."
They turn and make their way through the gates and back into the academy. Headmaster Cross is eerily quiet, watching from a distance, and grins to himself.
He knew he made the right decision, bringing Rina back to the world she belongs. Short flashback to Headmaster Cross handing Rina's uncle the paperwork to transfer her to the academy. Back in the present, Headmaster Cross pulls a book out of his jacket: The 1st volume of Vampire Knight, and laughs heartily to himself as he flips through the pages and reads.
Akuro (And...)
Akuro takes her leave, waiting at a train station, wondering where to go next as she has no money and a suitcase full of Jell-O. As she ponders this, she turns and asks Ichiru's opinion on where her friend Nadeshiko has gone. Ichiru, surprised that she knew he was there, asks how he would know anything about a woman he never met. Akuro blinks owlishly at him, and asks why he isn't dead (as Zero had killed him in the manga) and thinks he's a zombie despite his assurances that he's not.
"You look nothing like her." he says, speaking about Shizuka.
"Of course I don't look like Her. I am me. Who else would I be?" replies Akuro. But inside, she thinks about Nadeshiko, and how many times her friend has said Akuro resembles her father. Shizuka's human lover.
Akuro shrugs. She doesn't know the story behind that either. But honestly, she doesn't really care. She has Rina, she has Nadeshiko, and now she even has Yuuki. What else matters?
(I didn't mention this above because I had nowhere to put it, but during Ichiru's brief time attending the academy, Akuro and Ichiru sort of . . . bonded. Well, more like Akuro stalked Ichiru and Ichiru either ignored her or tried to avoid her.)
The two stand in comfortable silence as train after train pass by. Ichiru asks what train she's waiting for. Akuro admits that she hasn't a clue how trains work and Ichiru resists the urge to facepalm. In an unspoken agreement, Ichiru travels along with Akuro, and Akuro forces him into a seflie with her cell phone and sends it to Rina. Rina replies back with a bunch of question marks and exclamation points, but Akuro drops her phone in the tracks just as the train goes by and destroys it.
Meanwhile, Headmaster Cross enters the school kitchen after a reported break-in to find that all the Jell-O had been stolen.
Zero & Rina
Many things are set out for their future, and it sure isn't a peaceful one. Now outed as a Trueblood, the creator of all that is vampire, Rina isn't exactly safe from the grubby hands of the Council of Ancients and the Hunter's Association. But Rina's stubbornness refuses to let that bother her, and Zero's knowledge of these two groups manages to keep her out of trouble - just barely.
Once the academy is open and running again, Rina and Zero finish their last-ish year of schooling. Prefects are no longer needed, as the Night class has disbanded and gone with Kaname and Yuuki.
Rina and Zero establish their relationship more, with Headmaster Cross deciding he needed to give the two The Talk about using protection, because he is a responsible adult and that is what responsible adults do.
Rina: "Is he serious?"
Zero: *deadpan* "He's serious."
Little does Headmaster Cross know that the two had already sealed their bond for the first time in the shooting range where they had their first kiss. Zero admits that he's had the experience only once before, but Rina only cares if he has what they need because she does not plan on having kids at 16 (17?) thank you very much.
Life after the academy was difficult in itself, but with Headmaster Cross's help, Zero and Rina move into Zero's old family property under the radar. Rina still suffers from PTSD, but with Zero's love and support it's not as bad as it could be. She reminisces her old life as she unpacks her things that were brought over from America. Zero takes hunter jobs, only to complain that it's too easy when the level E's refuse to fight back. He stopped bringing Rina along because she keeps wanting to "Keep them as pets" - he doesn't know what worries him more, the fact that Rina's morals have altered slightly since her 'transformation' into her Trueblood self or the fact that she was probably always like this. Either way, they are not getting a level E as a pet.
Zero buys her a little black kitten for Christmas, and she finally stops asking. Until Rina decides she wants a puppy. He's still trying to find one that won't bite him.
The Closing of Cross Academy
Life gets weird.
When Kaname takes Yuuki to his old resting place, Yuuki learns more about their past and their family. This is the place where Kaname bites Yuuki and her memories are returned.
Rina finds herself pregnant at the age of 23, which would have been fine if, at that time, trouble wasn't brewing with the awakening of a pureblood who is hell bent on taking the child for himself. A series of events leaves Rina going into labor at the academy with the rest of the gang gathered together for help.
Stuck in the room Zero was once chained in, Rina's only care took the form of Kaname: who had to carry Rina to safety, Aidou and Serin: who took care of any noble vampires in the way, and Yuuki: she smacks sense into Rina (literally) when the latter starts to have a break down that Kaname Kuran is delivering her baby ("ARE YOU KIDDING ME?") and Zero is trapped fighting alongside Headmaster Cross outside ("I WILL PERSONALLY EAT EVERY VAMPIRE OUT THERE ONCE I'M FINISHED HERE IF HE MISSES THIS I SWEAR TO ME!") - Rina has really gotten into this whole 'eating vampires' thing, but only because turning serious situations into a joke is a defense mechanism.
I promise you, she hasn't turned into the type to eat vampire hearts, that was only a two-time thing.
(I like to imagine that Aidou is freaking out over the birth and faints for a few minutes. Kaname rolls his eyes and wonders how Yori put up with this when she was giving birth to their daughter.)
Zero makes it just in time, bloodied and wounded and half consumed by the bloody rose but otherwise okay. Kaname announces it's a boy and Zero sighs in relief that the love of his life, and now his son, is safe. Rina holds the baby, crying over having 'made a thing' that is so squishy and pink and covered in goo but he's beautiful and she is hoping to whatever God is on her side that he has Zero's eyes.
Akuro bursts in with confettie, a kazoo, and a banner saying 'IT'S A VAMPIRE' in giant red letters. No one questions how she does this, it just happens and it's always better to just accept it when it comes to Akuro. The laws of nature do not apply to her.
Headmaster Cross runs in behind her, warning that more are coming and that they have to leave now. There's no time as the vampires are closing in. Rina is unable to move after giving birth and so orders Zero to take the baby and run. Zero refuses to leave her behind, but is forced out anyway. Kaname promises that he and Yuuki will protect her, and that Akuro and Headmaster Cross will distract whatever doesn't come after Zero and lead them away. Rina cries, and is half-convinced that she will never see her baby again.
"In this world, that is just the type of thing that happens."
Zero manages to escape until he runs into the pureblood who started all this trouble. Only able to fight one handed, the pureblood manages to gain the advantage and take the baby. Zero is murderous, but weak and the use of the Bloody Rose is beginning to take it's toll. He's pinned down, and the pureblood laughs that though Zero may be immortal, it'll be hard for him to heal if his head is separated from his body. Before that could happen, however, Ichiru steps in, beheads the pureblood, and takes the baby. He laughs at Zero's vulnerability, and Zero, inspired, manages to fend off the nobles pinning him down. Zero points his gun at Ichiru, who merely smiles and coos at the baby.
Zero scoffs and demand Ichiru to return his son, but Ichiru, unconvinced that Zero is up to the task of fighting and looking after the baby at the same time, tells him exactly that. Rina has made it out of the academy safely with the others, Akuro assured him with a text.
The two can't fight the entire army vampires who are specifically not level E's, and so their goal is to survive and escape. And they do. At one point Zero admits that he and Rina haven't come up with a name for the baby yet because they were at a disagreement. Ichiru asks what that is, and Zero tells him that Rina wants to name the baby after Ichiru, who can only stare at him in surprise.
"She wanted your permission first." Zero tells him after ripping out a throat with his teeth. Ichiru raises an eyebrow, and Zero can't help but shrug. "Says it was a thing her family - her mom's side of the family, did. Name the baby after someone. I tried to persuade her from it, but I have a feeling I'm going to lose this argument. She likes you, although I don't know why, after everything you did."
Ichiru is silent. And though the two will never be as close as they were when they were kids, though they still have bad blood, and will always have bad blood between them, the twins were given this chance for closure. And so they took it. They make it out and bond and fight over how to take care of baby Ichiru Kiryuu until they meet back with Rina and the others and things aren't great, but they're better. So much better.
Headmaster Cross did not make it, sacrificing himself for Yuuki and telling her that despite having her memories back, that she will always be his baby girl and he will always cherish the time he had raising her. His funeral was followed by the closure of the academy.
Rina and Zero's second child takes the form of a dangerous level E vampire, a boy who had been turned at 13 and abandoned by his master. Zero is tasked with taking out the vampire for slaughtering a church choir, but is unable to pull the trigger when he thinks of his own son, the sensitive little Ichiru who came to be as ill-born as his namesake. Zero takes the little boy home, and the child is added to their strange family. Under Rina's influence, the boy is brought back to sanity. He's stubborn and bossy and it takes him a while to warm up to Rina, and she tears up when he calls her 'mother' for the first time. Little Ichiru is quite taken by his new big brother, and takes his first, shaky steps towards him. The boy was given the Hebrew name Micah, which is supposedly the name of the angel of miracles.
Yuuki fights and wins for the re-building and re-opening of Cross Academy, and a statue memorial for Kaien Cross is built in the middle of the grounds. She takes his place as Headmistress Kuran-Cross, and helps develop a new brand of blood tablets that are more effective. Day and Night Classes are mixed with both vampires and humans from all over the world: Vampires who attend the Day Class mostly consist of the younger generation of vampires while the vampires who attend the Night Classes consist of older generations who were previously oblivious about the modern world, either from centuries of slumber or because they avoided human society all together. Toga Yagari, Zero's old teacher, takes Kaien Cross' place as head of the Hunter's Association.
The End
Has Rina Tomonaga ever regretted interfering with a world that maybe she should have left alone? Never. When the world began to get more and more complicated between the world of vampires and humans, did she ever think of packing up her family and returning to America, where her world is apparently unaffected by Zero's previously fictional one? Admittedly, yes.
However, after seeing Zero comes to terms with his past and would rather move on than run away, she decides not to. Rina never goes back to her world. She does keep tabs on her cousin Karin, who cleaned up her act and is now living with Rina's old schoolmate Monica.
Treaties are debated and signed. Battles are lost. Wars are won. Rina finds that there's never a dull day in her life after she made the decision to change it. Life isn't always good, but I think she's made life better. Better than it could be, and better than it should've been. Rina doesn't ever find out how Vampire Knight originally ended. In fact, as a final good-bye to her past, she never reads the manga again. She decided that she will continue to create a new future, and not depend on the old one that is now, merely fiction. Her new obsession is Lina's diary, which occasionally sends her and Zero, and little Ichiru and Micah, on adventures of their own; making new friends, meeting new people, and learning new things.
The world has changed, will continue to change, and whether that's for the better is yet to be seen.