The ending was beautiful, from a ZeroxYuuki fan of 5 years. I know some people have been following for 8 years, but it's still incredibly important to me, and since the ending of the anime I watched when I was 12 gave me a psychotic breakdown and made me want to murder puppies, it really could not have been worse. At least in this ending, everyone is happy (I fell in as deep love as is possible with a fictional character with Zero and he really got f**ked in the anime, so that crushed me) and it's not a fairy-tale happily-ever-after ending (I have had nothing but the utmost respect for Hino for not making Yuuki and Kaname's time together a happily-ever-after. Because that never happens in real life. There are issues in real life that need to be persevered through. Yuuki and Zero did live happily together for 1000 years, but Yuuki says they quarreled a lot, which strangely made me really happy. Probably because only equal partners, like Kaname and Yuuki weren't, argue, and like a real-life relationship, they argued and had rough moments, which I can totally see Yuuki and Zero having, but they worked through it for 1000 years and to me that's beautiful.). Zero and Yuuki get to live with somebody they love deeply and Kaname gets another chance at life. He already had his time with Yuuki and it nearly broke her, whereas Yuuki and Zero were best friends that got along very well. Yuuki was not his key to happiness. Freedom from his burdens was.
I feel like these are things people seem to be in denial about:
1. She's Kaname's daughter. Hino's playing halfsies, and loves both pairings enough to make a kid for each, not be so lopsided in choosing a pairing by making two kids for one ship. Plus, when you insert a sex scene in a teen romance, it usually means something. If it wasn't Kaname's daughter, they probably would have just been kissing while she cried. And the daughter would not have that imperial look in her eyes. And if it wasn't Kaname's daughter, she would not call her mum's old lover with no connection to her her father. I mean, if your mother introduced her ex-boyfriend to you, would you go "HELLO OTHER DADDY <3"? Come on guys, she's Kaname's daughter. We Zekis have already taken home enough gold.
2. Zero was not just a fallback for Yuuki. She's really, really loved him. She could not stop thinking about him during her time with Kaname. With Kaname's pushing and Zero allowing himself to be happy, they finally can have a beautiful relationship together.
3. Kaname crossed Yuuki's mind more than once during that time. She really really loved him as well. She probably grieved for a very long time, but she tried to go by Kaname's dying wish for her to be happy and to have Zero at her side. But it wasn't happily ever after for her. She probably missed Kaname like she missed Zero (but I imagine our sweet dependable Zero would have been a lot more understanding and loving when she was pining for him... even though Kaname arranged his family to be slaughtered before his eyes, made him turn into what he hates, and then ran off and slept with the girl he loves... I think Zero would have been kind and understanding and helpful like he's always been, unlike Kaname, who btdubbs also had another person in his heart, who threw a hissy fit and told the girl he's supposed to love that she's horrible and suggested that she suffer for the rest of her life as punishment for loving someone but resisting all her temptations.... I know it may be shocking but I'm not the biggest fan of Kaname)
4. Ummm... how can you guys have followed this series that includes incest for this long and be such puritans? YUUKI IS NOT A SLUT. You know, most people in their lives sleep with more than one person in their lifetime. And when they sleep with someone, it isn't a life-binding contract. Seriously, the slut-shaming of this character is disgusting. I don't even understand how you guys can dislike her for any reason other than her questionable decision-making skills (yea, she kinda dumb). But she's only wanted everyone to be happy, and that's her motivation behind everything she does. She's an idealist and desperately wants there to be coexistence and happiness. And in her .....*cringe* decision-making.... she always did whatever she believed would make both guys happy. Zero told her he never wanted to see her again, which is why she was so okay with leaving with Kaname. She wanted to make Kaname live a happy life as a human, so she erased Zero's memories too so he could live a happy life without her memory as a burden. And she has every right to sleep with her fiancee, and she has every right to live happily with someone else after her fiancee dies-ish. Sex is not a life-long branding. What century do we live in?