A/N: Yeah… I own Kingdom Hearts. Squall's in my closet, Yuffie's searching for Materia, Sora's in my backyard, and who knows what Cloud and Aeris are doing in the spare bedroom… the funny noises scare me, though. o.O Okay, not really. I don't own it, okay! None of the characters, with the exception of a few, will recognize each other through the course of the story.

An important note: This story is based off of Annjirika's story, Midnight Moonlight. It inspired me, but there are a lot more differences than you think. Thank you! Read on…

Ch. 1: Wings of Darkness

Darkness engulfed the once-lively city, drained it of its life, its energy, its former glory. Esthar stood in desolation, the once bustling city now a silent ghost town, its buildings naught but a former shell of themselves. Though it was larger than it had been only a few years ago, death seemed to make its home in the city that now engulfed the continent. It was there that the Knights had gathered, and it was there that they hunted their quarry. Transportation through the tunnels was now a walk instead of a ride, for all power was out in the ghost town. It had been attacked, they'd been told, by a mysterious… 'infection'.

Stormy blue eyes gazed out at the desolate area as the black-gloved hands pushed the man's dark brown bangs back away from his eyes. Squall sighed, his black leather jacket and similar-colored apparel almost impossible to see against the darkness of the town. As he walked, he heard the familiar, soft clinking of belt buckles tapping against each other. His father's cyberpolis was dead, and he knew it… he didn't know why he bothered coming back, considering the fact that he didn't expect to find anyone alive in this town, anyway.

Squall had just gotten lost on his way out, that was all. Needless to say, he wasn't sure why he had come in the first place… he figured that his father, Laguna, hadn't gotten out unscathed from this death-plagued city, and had probably been 'infected' or killed on sight, if he was lucky. As for Squall himself, he'd been attacked twice, and it seemed that his luck wasn't getting any better. He only had one weapon other than his gunblade with him… and knew well enough that the ones he had been ambushed by were too quick for the likes of his blade.

A flash of white was all that warned him of her approach, jumping away as she saw the pale skin and emerald eyes rapidly approaching with a mouthful of pearly white, razor sharp fangs. Sighing, he held the sterling silver cross before him, watching as the vampire hissed at the scarred teen with a sense of vile distaste and frustration. It could not touch him, so the vampiress stood before the SeeD, smoothing out her blonde hair and beginning to speak.

"I do hate food that fights back. Be a doll and drop it… or else…" Her mouth opened wide again, revealing the sharp fangs that gleamed through the night. Truth be told, it was a rather convincing threat. She leaned in close enough to the point where Squall could smell the blood on her breath and see the stains that adorned them. However, he was content as he realized how fearful the beast before him was of the cross, and suddenly thrust it out before him. The woman hissed and leapt back.

"Vile thing." She flinched slightly, the blonde vampire hissing once more as she shielded herself from it, her red nails gleaming and sharp like a cat's claws. Her green eyes, though dull with the unmistakable mark of death, seemed to have a strange swirl in it as her eyes met with his, showing nothing but emptiness, and revealing an insatiable hunger.

"Why don't you share that morsel, hm…?" A woman with shorter hair than the last emerged from the shadows of a nearby building, dressed in a blood-soaked, formerly white summoner's robe, the otherwise brilliantly ornate folds of the material reaching down to her ankles. Her hair was a dark brown, reaching almost to her shoulders, and her voice was softer and calmer than the last. She didn't appear harmful at first, but her fangs that were revealed when she spoke told otherwise. As with the last, her eyes, one blue and one green, were glazed over with the familiar insignia of death. She grasped her staff, though it was clear that she would only use it for defense. Her teeth were her real arsenal…

"…Perhaps. But remember, I found it first. Though I prefer humans…" The first one pouted and spoke once more as she scowled at the other girl with discontent, as if jealous of her. Squall's face showed confusion at her last sentence. He was definitely human… he'd lived 18 years, and knew damn well that he was what he was.

"But you do know that I'm stronger, Rikku… let me get the first bite." The former summoner hissed, her eyes glowing with anticipation as she moved forward, fangs bared and ready, only to have Rikku whine once more about how she had found her prey first. She backed off, but not without a few screeches and attempted scratches at each other's throats.

"Now, now, girls… Rikku, Yuna…" Squall paused as a familiar face showed itself to him, revealed by an overhead flickering street light. The blonde, scarred, swordsman who Squall had fought so long ago now stood before him, quelling the argument of the other two while flashing his fangs to his former rival. He still had that long trenchcoat that Squall had always seen him wear, the cross on the back still evident as he had turned around to silence the women behind him. Seifer smiled and laughed at his surprise before saying, "I think I'll have a bite… I have a score to settle with this one."

As Seifer dove for Squall, fangs bared and clawed hands ready, Squall could only shield himself futilely with his arm… he had no room to draw his gunblade, and the shock had caused him to drop the cross. However, a shrill scream of pain followed as Squall clenched his eyes shut… looking up, he saw Seifer's stunned face awash with pain as both Squall and the renegade almost-SeeD looked down at his chest. The stake that was driven through and poking out of his chest cavity rendered his body useless, causing him to yell in anger, pain, and rage as his body turned to nothing but a small, fist sized pile of black ash. Though Yuna and Rikku initially screamed out of surprise and shock, it was quickly dissipated when another figure appeared behind where the body of Seifer formerly stood.

Discontent was the general feeling all around as the new figure showed herself to the rest of them with the stake still clutched in her cold, white hand. Squall considered reaching down to grab the cross, but instead backed slowly towards a nearby building. He took in all the details of this new woman, however, with a certain amount of fear, as was demanded of these undead beasts.

Her hair was as dark as the night itself, with only a few streaks of dark brown in it to break apart the black mass. Her eyes were a cold, dark brown, her pale skin highly contrasting against these features. Her body was clothed with several things… her main outfit consisted of a black, strapless bodice, which was a rather low-riding piece that revealed quite a bit of cleavage to anyone foolish enough to get close. In the center of it was the decoration of a bat, which was cut out symmetrically and held together by the traditional corset laces. Her fishnet stockings were tight on her legs, hugging her every curve as they ran up and down her calves and thighs. For her pants, she wore a swimsuit-like bottom, which immediately went to the stockings. Her feet were embellished with pure black, leather boots, each with a three inch-high heel. Around her neck and back was a cape, whose collars stood up to hug her neck as the cape flowed behind her like large bat wings, almost as if they were ready to take flight. Her arms and shoulders were bare, and constantly exposed to the cold air… though, being dead, temperature had no effect on her flesh. Her eyes were cold and emotionless as she simply motioned to Squall, who stood before her.

"Leave. I won't help you again." Squall was stunned by her words, but did not immediately flee. He was not sure whether or not this new woman was going to bite him the moment he turned around, so, rather than risk his own life, he backed into the building behind him. The other two vampiresses smiled and shrieked with glee as they saw him enter the one-room building, cornering himself like a rat. As they approached the doorway, Squall smiled.

"I'm not going to let you in, you know." He said, keeping the small sneer on his face, all the while loading his gunblade. He knew many legends about the legions of the undead… and this one had saved his life on several occasions.

"It appears that you are smarter than you look, knight. You're not human, after all." The lead one spoke, somewhat surprised by his knowledge, but having no reaction to the duo's attempts at his neck. "How did you know that vampires can not enter a room without permission? Just how much do you know about us…?"

"Just what is a knight?" He snarled. Twice now, he'd been called something other than human. He did lighten up, though, as he spoke to her again. He feared he may have been pushing his luck, but a quick 'whatever' brushed it away from his mind. "Well… I know enough. Now I'm asking you to leave." He brandished the cross he carried before she smiled with a hint of entertainment before speaking again. Once more, her voice was devoid of any emotion; cold, soulless.

"If you do not know, then I will not tell you. I take my leave of you… but remember that I will not be so merciful next time." To Rikku and Yuna she said, "Tell the others… touch this man, and I will have you hanging on a garlic noose for all eternity." She watched as the other two shuddered, clutching their necks before taking their leave. The last thing they wanted was for their necks to erupt in painful boils and sores for all eternity… while not fatal, it certainly wasn't pleasant. As for their leader… she took for the skies, leaping into the air before seemingly disappearing into the night sky.

A/N: This is the worst chapter of the bunch, but there's a lot more to come... feel free to RR, but be nice with the flames, 'k?