Breathe Me (A Sleeping Beauty Retelling/ Vampire Knight Fanfiction- KaZe)

1. Once Upon a Dream...

A/N: Well some of my favorite VK fanfictions are fairytale retellings, so I figured I'd try my hand. Since I don't want to utterly scar ya'll I will not be working with Grimm's Brier-Rose or Perrault's The Sleeping Beauty in the Wood and uh, definitely not the original Italian tale, I will be basing this story on Disney's version of the tale. Though I do recommend you read those because you will be shocked and appalled. ;) And yes, I recognize I have a VK fanfic obsession right now. Anyway, please leave any questions/comments/opinions in the comments and I will reply. As always, please Vote, FOLLOW, and (!) COMMENT (!). Enjoy :)

Zero had been but a child when the curse was laid down upon her.

"Lips as red as the rose, hair kissed by the moon, she will grow in grace and beauty- but as the sun sets on her seventeenth birthday- your princess will find her blood devoured by the most monstrous of beasts and as the moon takes to the sky- she will die."

Of course, she had never known about the curse- not before the morning of her seventeenth birthday anyway- but she had often fancied a life as a princess and her godfather had rushed to give her as much as he could- lavishing her with tales of knights in shining armor, sleeping beauties, poisoned apples, and of course- a handsome prince.

But she was not to know that she truly was a princess- she was not to know that she would not live past her first night as a woman of marrying age.

So it should come as no surprise that she had led a rather small life- in her soul of souls craving adventure.

Oh wouldn't it be wonderful to travel the world? To travel to the land of silks, to the lands of riches in the south? Where the jewels they summoned from the earth were as big as her head- oh, it could bring a smile to her face just to think of it all.

But she doubted that she would ever get the chance- no, she was just some young peasant girl living a small life in a comfortable cottage in the middle of the Autumn Woods.

"Zero-chan!" Her godfather called in a high pitched squeal, making the silver haired girl laugh quiety and roll her eyes in reply.

"Yes, Otou-san?" She asked, flitting off of the balcony and inside to see Kaien parading about her small attic room, flinging her few gowns onto her bed, eyeing each so critically that she knew he had not heard her refer to him as her father.

She was glad of it- she didn't need to acquire even more hearing damage.

He rubbed his chin thoughtfully before casting a navy colored gown at her head- probably the finest dress she owned.

She slid behind the dressing screen and unlaced her plain corset and taking off her drab dress for the navy gown, sighing as the soft silk tickled her skin.

Kaien cast another corset over the screen and she sighed before donning it- it was far less worn and therefore far less comfortable, but she had learned to never argue with the man.

She stepped out a moment later and slid her flats back on, giving a twirl.

He pulled her over to the full length mirror that sat in the corner, braiding her long silver waves back with violet ribbon that matched her eyes.

Kaien was gentle as he worked and she scanned her features quietly.

She was the fairest woman she had ever met- not that she had met very many women- but the men that she lived with had said as much themselves.

Kaito used to tease her mercilessly about her lips that seemed permanently drawn into a pout, he also used to tease her about the very color of them- a dark red- to which she had thrown a book at him for, calling him a perv for staring at her lips.

He had ducked only to fall back onto his ass and hit his head on the hearth's mantle.

For a hunter he was very clumsy.

But that had been when they were both small- now Kaito had grown into his gangly limbs and if she wasn't sickened by the very idea she would entertain the idea of perhaps marrying herself to him one day.

But no, Kaito was more like an overbearing older brother than anything else.

Zero smoothed her hands over her skirt.

It was a full gown, only cinching in really at the waist with the help of the tight corset- which even she could admit was a beauty to look at.

"Now, Zeroin." Kaien began, "Be sure to be back by tonight- we are taking you to town for your birthday."

Zero rolled her eyes though she was incredibly excited at getting to leave the forest for once.

"What I want to know is why I couldn't have changed later..."

Kaien blushed and she knew then that the thought had not occurred to him.

She laughed and kissed his cheek before holding her arm out for the cloak he held in his arm.

When he handed it to her though, she nearly flinched.

"Is that?"

"Yes, I had it made for you as pay for my last job." Kaien sniffled and she beamed at him.

Prepare for the waterworks.

"Thank you, Otou-san."

He burst into tears and thankfully didn't hug her too tight before wrapping the navy and silver cloak around her shoulders, pulling the hood up to sit atop her head.

"My Zero-chan! So grown up! Touga! Come see our Zero-chan."

"My ass ain't gettin' up for the King himself, let alone that brat."

Zero narrowed her eyes and flitted out of the room, down the stairs and into the small parlor Kaien had crafted for them.

He stared at her with his one eye before his lips teased into a grimace/grin thing.

She'd take it.

"Thank you too, sensei."

"At least you have enough sense not to call me 'Otouto' unlike somebody we know."

Kaito scoffed in the kitchen before coming into the room to oh-so-creepily stare at Zero.

He whistled, "You clean up nice Zero-hime."

She cocked her head at an angle and he held up his hands in surrender, "Oh I definitely meant -chan, I definitely didn't say -hime, no I didn't..."

She smiled and crossed the room, kissing him lightly on the cheek before darting into the kitchen to grab her basket.

"I'll go pick some berries for tomorrow- I promised to bake someone blackberry pie, didn't I?"

She danced her way out of their home, leaving the men alone together in the parlor.

"We should have told her already." Kaito growled out and Touga nodded slowly.

Kaien sighed, "Let her have this time to herself- come next full moon she will be both married and a princess."

Touga grumbled, "To that Kuran brat of all people- of all vampires."

Kaien rolled his eyes, "Touga-kun, they have been engaged since she was born and her brother cannot marry the prince as you well know."

"I've heard tales from town that her brother won't survive the week- his is too frail to be moved any longer." Kaito drawled.

Kaien chewed on his lip with worry, "I do wish we had told her she had a twin of all things. She will be quite put out with us for keeping so many secrets., but I get the feeling that she will be most angry to only be able to know Ichiru-sama for a few days if what Kaito-kun says is true."

They sighed in unison.

Touga smirked at Kaien after a moment, "You do know they'll just redress her when we get to the castle, right?"

Kaien let out a keening moan, "Touga-kun, you would taunt me so?"

Kaito and Yagari merely cocked a brow in response.

A/N: My questions for ya'll this chapter: What are ya'll's first impressions? What are your predictions for how the curse will play into the story? Thanks for reading!