It was just after dusk. Kairi stood waiting at the gates to the county fairgrounds. Icy resolve steeled her for the acting game she would play tonight - with that... vampire. The one who had killed Sora... She folded her arms, waiting impatiently, slipping her silver chain beneath the collar of her bright pink t-shirt. Nearly all the light had left the sky by the time he finally arrived. Despite the fact that it was nearly 100 degrees and extremely humid, he was wearing a light jacket and jeans. His eyes (or at least, the visible one) were hidden behind dark sunglasses - the bright lights of the carnival would have been too much for him, wouldn't they? Of course they would. The fairgrounds were lit up almost as bright as day. "Hey, Zexion!"She called, forcing a non-existent cheerfulness into her voice, smiling broadly at...that, finally catching the attention of the slate haired "teenager" (she didn't know for sure how old he was, but she knew it wasn't nineteen like it said on his ID) He smiled back - not a real smile of course. A smile with his lips closed to hide those horrible, horrible fangs.She placed her hands on her hips and pouted "it took you long enough!" She said.

Kairi could swear he rolled his eyes (though she couldn't be sure) and scoffed. "Do forgive me," he muttered with that usual coldness, the barely restrained sarcasm. "I had things to do before I could come here with you."

She knew precisely what those "things" were. Judging from the hint of color in his cheeks and lips. "Whatever." Kairi rolled her eyes and shook her head, grabbing Zexion's hand (noting instantly that it was warmer than usual and that the claws that took the place of fingernails had been clipped short - though they would be claws again by the end of the night, she knew that.). With the reluctant vampire in tow, she plowed into the crowded carnival.

-

The moment Kairi dragged him into the crowd, Zexion was beset by a violent swirl of colors and smells. Normally, being surrounded by this many humans would make his throat ache with thirst - make his heart pound with excitement. But the bright lights, combined with the smell of carnival food, the sound of so many heartbeats and the blending of so many human scents, his senses were nearly totally overwhelmed. The only grounding factor was the gentle pressure of Kairi's warm hand (could it really be as warm as it felt?).

She dragged him over to the teacup ride. His stomach did so many backflips he was certain he was going to vomit (which, considering he'd be throwing up blood, would be very, very bad.) Then to the merry go-round, and the tornado, and several other rides who's names he could not remember. When they finally stopped and Kairi said she was going to get something to eat, he found that the whole world was still spinning. Why? He thought miserably Why do all of the rides spin!

Zexion had been sitting on his own, waiting for Kairi for nearly five minutes when she finally came running back. With a massive stick of cotton candy.

She grabbed Zexion's hand again.

"Come on!" She said cheerfully. Ah, if only he could tell her just how he felt... But it was so terribly wrong... Not only was he (technically) old enough to be her grandfather... but because of what he had done to Sora...

Normally, he wouldn't have felt guilty in the least about this. He had killed humans before - and did it often. But of course, he wasn't in love with the girlfriends of most of his victims... He couldn't believe how heartbroken she was. Even two years later, he could still see the darkness of loss in her eyes and knew it would never, ever go away.

Although, in his defense? It had been an had been ambushed by vampire hunters - bleeding and severely injured, barely even able to walk. Using the extent of his powers that hadn't been sapped by blood lust, he called out to anyone - anyone close enough and naive enough to listen. It just happened to be Sora. He had been out on a walk with Kairi. He remembered him telling her "Don't worry!" when he went to go answer the call for help, but making her stay back, and walking into the dark alleyway where Zexion waited.

He remembered Sora's horrified expression when he saw the blood. "KAIRI!" He screamed "CALL AN AMBULANCE!" and she ran off to find a payphone. Sora walked closer and closer, "Don't worry! It'll be okay, all right? Don't-"

Completely led by instinct, he dove at Sora, his claws sinking into the sixteen year old's arm. The scream resounded through the alleyway. He heard it clearly, even now. "VAMPIRE!"

But he ignored it, the scent of blood was so strong in the air and he was so weak...His remaining human instinct was easily completely overpowered, completely ignored.

-

When Kairi finally stopped dragging him, and his sense finally caught up, Zexion found that she had dragged him into the parking lot. They were completely and totally alone. The human boy inside of him - the nineteen year old child that had been pushed down for so long begged him to run away.

"Kairi, this is deplorably foolish... We have to get back to the carnival-"

Kairi shook her head, pulling a silver chain from inside her shirt. "Don't worry Zexion. You won't hurt me.I know you won't..."

He stood stock still, she stared at him.

"Don't stay over there,please? Just come a little bit closer..." There was a sadness in her eyes that he couldn't put his finger on...
He realized then, that he had been getting closer and closer to her. "This...is not a good idea, Kairi..." he whispered.

She pulled off the silver chain, letting it fall to the ground, kicking it away. It flew several feet then she closed the gap between them.

"Do it." she hissed.
"What?" Zexion growled, about to pull away when he felt her hands grab onto his shoulders. "What the hell are you thinking?"
"Just do it!" Her voice cracked "How could it possibly be any worse than being here, alone, without him!"
His eyes widened. She couldn't... she didn't know! He wanted so badly to believe that she didn't know...

"Why on earth would you say that?" He tried everything he could to sound sincere - to hide that he knew exactly the reason.

"Stop it. Just stop lying!" she pushed him away, tears now rolling down her face in earnest. "You killed him! I know it was you!" she stamped her foot on the ground "Why can't you just kill me too! Are you so cold that you'd let me keep suffering like this?"

He should have known. Of course, she was right... His vampire instincts seemed to leap for joy as he stepped toward her. His heart pounding in his ears, he stepped back toward her.

"Is this really what you want, Kairi?"

"What more can you take from me than this, Zexion?" She spat, venom in every word. Heartbreak in every syllable. "You want it anyway, don't you?"

His lips met her throat, throwing all caution to the wind. But he couldn't bring himself to do it.. Not yet. He laid a flurry of kisses over her neck, a shiver running down his spine when she gasped.

"I love you." He whispered, his lips brushing her throat as he spoke "I'm sorry, so sorry..."

"Stop it." She growled. "Don't say that."

"I'm sorry, I'm sorry." Zexion knew he should draw back, that he should stop then but her scent was everywhere. He could see the pulsing vein in her neck. His throat ached. "I love you." He whispered, now knowing she would never have accepted his confession.Kairi yelped as the fangs sank into her neck, and Zexion barely withheld a moan as warm blood - her blood, flooded into his mouth. She was shaking still, he wrapped his arms around her neck and she shuddered. God, it tasted every bit as good as he thought, felt every bit as good as he had imagined to have her life flowing into him. He didn't want the moment to end, not ever, he wished almost desperately that it would drag on into forever. But it didn't.

"I fucking knew it."

Time stood still. Zexion knew that voice. Riku. Sora's best friend - Kairi's best friend...

A vampire hunter.

"I knew you weren't as good as you pretended to be." That voice was filled with malice, hatred and...worst, resolve.

He pulled away, Kairi clamping her hand over the bleeding wound in her throat, blood dripping from his lips as he turned to face Riku. The silver-haired vampire hunter was advancing steadily. This was bad.

"See...see?" Kairi said weakly, wobbling, trying desperately to stay on her feet. "I t-told you he'd do it."

No. He was not trapped in someone else's web of deceit.

"You said..." Zexion began "You told me to do it!" he cried, looking desperately from Kairi to Riku, wiping the blood off his face. "She practically begged me to! I wouldn't have-"

"Just like you wouldn't have killed Sora, right?" Kairi said bitterly. "He was just trying to help you!"

"It was an accident!" Zexion backed away from them, backing right into a car. Cornered.

Riku was only a few feet away from him, a silver knife in his hand. He scoffed. "An accident? Is that what you call it?" It all happened so fast. Riku ran at him, Zexion hardly even had time to react. A scream caught in his throat when he felt the silver graze his shoulder as he stumbled to the side. There was a loud screech as the knife scraped against glass. Riku let out an irritated growl.

"Hold still!" He shouted, coming at Zexion again.

This time, the vampire wouldn't be so easily caught, he dove to the left, Riku once again stabbing thin air. Riku spun around as Zexion wove around behind him, the knife swished through the air, connecting with his shoulder. A loud pained cry split the air. Riku yanked the knife back Zexion sank to his knees, blood pouring out of the open wound, grasping at it, his claws digging into his shoulder. God damn did it hurt. It hurt so badly that his head was spinning, he couldn't focus on anything. A boot dug into his chest as he was kicked to the ground, Riku glaring down at him.

"Aren't you going to beg for mercy?" Riku asked "They all do in the end. 'Please, don't kill me. It's not my fault.' Acting like they're not monsters." He scoffed, kneeling down, his knee digging into Zexion's ribs. "Tell me you're sorry you killed Sora."

"It... was an...accident." Zexion hissed. He could hardly draw breath with all of Riku's weight bearing down on him, crushing his lungs.

"It was an accident that you called for help and then murdered him?" Riku spat, his fists clenched so tightly that his knuckles had turned snow white. "You killed my best friend and you call it an accident? Why didn't you run? Why did you play with Kairi for so long?"

Zexion glanced helplessly at Kairi, vainly hoping that she would tell Riku to stop, but the hatred burning in her eyes told him that would never, ever happen. A part of him didn't even care, anymore. A part of him wanted Riku to drive the silver straight through his heart - to put an end to his life. If she hated him, what was there? He had never, ever lost the will to fight before. Always, he'd fought tooth and nail (literally) to survive. Now, he couldn't even summon the will to try to push Riku off.

"I love her." he whispered, so quietly that even he had difficulty hearing it.

"What?" Riku snapped. "Speak up."

"I said I love her."

Riku snorted derisively. "Love? Don't pull that with me. Monsters can't love." He shook his head. "I hope you burn." he snarled, driving the blade straight into Zexion's chest.

There was a sickening squelching sound as the blade sank into the vampires heart. Pain branched through every vein, every nerve of Zexion's body, blood poured from his mouth in a great silent cough, lights popping before his eyes. He was shaking violently, staring at it, then glancing up at Riku,eyes wide. This... couldn't be happening.

-

Kairi watched she struggle, watched the blade sink into the vampire's heart with just a pang of pity when he screamed, the blessed silver penetrating that vital organ. She watched him struggle into a sitting position, scrambling weakly backward when Riku stood. She jumped, when, after that final quiet sigh, the vampire turned to nothing but dust and ash, blowing away in the wind.

For days afterward, every time Kairi closed her eyes, she could see Zexion looking at her with terror in his eyes - begging her to help him. Begging her to stop Riku. She could hear his voice in the back of her head, clearly. "I love you. I'm so sorry. "

Sorry? Could a vampire truly be sorry? Or was he just sorry he got caught? She sat quietly on her bed. She remembered his smiles when they talked, the quiet laughing and...God help her, she felt...guilty. Maybe he had been telling the truth. But how could he have been? He had cried out for help and Sora had gone to help him. She ran back when she heard Sora scream, but had found only a bloodied corpse - wide blue eyes staring forever at nothing. How could that have been an accident? She sighed heavily, covering her hands with her eyes.

"I'm so sorry..." She whispered, knowing no one would hear. A sob caught in her throat. "I'm sorry! I'm sorry! I'm sorry, I'M SORRY!" she cried, tears flowing down her cheeks. She didn't know who she was apologizing to anymore, she just kept saying it "I'm sorry, I'm sorry, I'm sorry!"

Was she apologizing to Sora? Was she apologizing to the vampire who killed him? Was she apologizing to God Himself? Asking Him to forgive her for lying for so long to a damned creature who didn't even deserve the truth?

But he did. He hadn't...lied to her, he had simply never told her the truth. For months before Riku told her, she had thought he was different from other vampires. Some part of her even coming to trust him - maybe even love him. And she had tricked him, just as he had tricked Sora.

So why did she feel guilty? Why did she hear that pitiful sob before he died?

"Oh God, Zexion..." she whispered "I'm sorry..."