A/N: Onto Chapter Two. This one should help you out with the plot line some; it explains pretty much everything that is going on. You'll soon understand the meaning of Lesser and Full, and the rivalry between the Shifters and the Vampires. You'll also learn what exactly they are. Haha.

It's midnight right now, yet I feel slightly excited. I really like how my first chapter laid out, it went smoothly, and I'm hoping for a good second chapter. I have to say, because I didn't in chapter one, that there are some couplings in here, and I'm not sure who will be with who so far… I have a feeling there may be more then one undesired coupling, and more then one desired coupling, and they may all change around, so stick with it and read folks, there's more coming. ^^


Reno was sitting in a red chair, a comfy one, with brown wooden armrests and a red footrest beneath his outstretched feet. Sora was sprawled out much the same across from him a few feet away, a coffee table between them. The room they were sitting in was semi-circle shaped and had large windows circling everything except the back wall, which went in a straight line before connecting with them.

Reno gently rested his hands behind his head, unable to rock in this chair, but content all the same. He eyed Sora before cracking a small smile, looking away before the brunette saw him studying. "So Sora, why haven't you been busy lately? I know for a fact there's got to be something going on… What are you hiding?" His tone was playful, but he was serious at the same time. What could be going on that would keep Sora away from the border for so long? "You really want to know Reno?" Reno hadn't seen Sora's head move as he'd turned to look, had barely seen his lips move. It was more of a mumble; he was amazed he'd heard at all. Sora wasn't usually so subdued. He was so interested in the reason now… He nodded his head. "Yes, I do…"

Finally Sora turned to him, narrowing his eyes slightly, a very serious look too his face. "You have to promise me you wont tell anyone, not even Demyx. I don't know why I'm trusting you so much with this, perhaps because I've been wanting to tell someone for a while now, but you have to promise me Reno." Without hesitation, Reno saluted him, not thinking about the dire consequences of his actions that would befall him later. How in the name of hell was he going to keep a secret, especially from Demyx?

Sora must've taken the salute as a yes, because he folded his hands in his lap and sighed. "Well… I was off, doing a border check alone… I hadn't changed, I was still like this…" He brushed both hands down his clothing, portraying he hadn't yet transformed into his other form. "I could see someone hiding behind a tree. It was dark out, the sun had yet to rise, and I was foolish… I… he stepped out from behind the tree, and I… Well, I was instantly incapitated Reno… I'm not sure how, I've never succumbed to a vampire before in my life. Since becoming a Full Shifter anyways… I just…" He stopped short, pulling at his brunette spikes, eyes closed. Reno waited patiently, trying to understand what Sora was telling him. "It was love. And I knew it too, but I did nothing too stop him…" Reno was instantly intrigued even more. Any talk about love and stuff like that, and he wanted details. "Wait, you fell in love with a vampire? Whom, I'm guessing you've never met before?" Sora looked him squarely in the eye, hands falling too his armrests. "Don't make a joke out of it Reno. It's serious business. I'm not supposed to fall in love with one; I know their tricks, their powers. They are seducers, more beautiful than even you can know, and their full-growns are dangerous. They rarely show themselves, and when they do, they are hard to resist. I've spent so much of my life resisting them though; their powers usually don't work on me. But… It seems that this one, was different…" Reno raised an eyebrow. "Different? Who was it?" Sora waved a hand flippantly before resting his chin on his palm, gazing out the window into the sky. "Never mind, you wouldn't know him. You've probably never even seen him." Reno, silenced, nodded once before taking up a position much like Sora's. He knew that this vampire must have been pretty powerful to be able to seduce Sora, Sora wasn't the easiest guy to do that too, but he still wanted to know more about it.

"Sora, what did it look like?" Sora turned to him, looking surprised. His mouth was parted slightly, and he blinked a few too many times as though he couldn't believe Reno had just asked him that. "W-well… He was… He was h-handsome… Beautiful, with silver hair and he had faded green eyes… And he was muscular, and he had a perfect jaw line, and-" "And I'm guessing he was just perfect all around…" Sora nodded, blushing slightly, covering his cheek with a hand as he rested the elbow on the armrest. Reno smiled.

So, Vincent must've taken Sora off work because he knew that this silver-haired beauty was going to get in the way of Sora's duties… Reno couldn't help but think he was genius that he had figured it out all by himself.

"Well, I don't blame you. I've seen some of the Lesser 'Pires over there… I could almost feel myself drooling." He chuckled a little, but when Sora only gave him a weak smile, it faded slowly, ending with a small sigh. He looked down for a few seconds, gathering his thoughts, and then looked up at the brunette again. "Thanks for telling me, I had been wondering." Sora glanced out the window again; nodded once, let his eyes wander the many clouds. He'd always been intrigued by clouds, how were they so free to wander? Reno finally quieted down and left Sora in peace, leaning himself back in his chair before closing his eyes.


Demyx could feel himself changing, not only because he could see it, but because it hurt. Quite badly.

He grunted, lowering his head, his eyes still closed. He could feel his bones working themselves into place, and he nearly cried out. He'd been told that the more you worked on shape shifting, the less it began to hurt. He wondered how long that would take, because at the moment he was in a living hell.

His legs began to collapse, grew shorter, then his arms. His skull was working itself into a cat-like muzzle, teeth growing sharper, longer, his senses suddenly sharpening. As fur crept over his body like a rug, he realized it was suddenly way more muscular than it had been previously, he could feel the different tissues coiling, bending. His ears popped out of the top of his head, black tipped, able to swivel all the way backwards or lay flat against his cranium.

Suddenly there was a sharp pain in his forehead, and he grimaced, feeling it flatten out slightly at the top, dome down, jutting out over his eyes just a little. It was a sharp pain, and he could feel it go all the way too the back of his neck, travel down his spine as it was molded onto his new perfectly sculpted backside. His shoulders stuck out like sharp triangles, but he could feel the power from the new bones, and he opened his eyes, his transformation nearly complete.

As he gingerly stepped forward with his newly formed and oversized paws, he stopped short. His tail stretched out behind him like an extra limb, giving him a sense of balance he didn't feel in his human form. It was black tipped like his ears, and then grew beige and sandy, like the rest of his body. The same color ran over his cheeks, and met white just below his pink nose, a distraction from the black lines that ran down the sides of his mouth.

His vision was suddenly amazing, and he could see details in the forest around him as clear as if he was looking through a magnifying glass. His hearing was triple what he could've heard as a human; he listened to insects moving beneath and around him, birds in many different trees, and the sounds of a waterfall nearby, all at the same time. His smell was so heightened, he thought he wouldn't be able to resist when the scent of a deer wafted under his nose, and he had to dig his claws into the ground too keep himself fixed. Not only were those senses keener, but his sense of touch was greater than ever before. He could practically feel the earth humming beneath his sensitive pads, and at last he flung himself onward with his hefty hind legs, jumping forward three feet in a single push. It startled him, even though this was his customary form and he was in it frequently, how incredible this cat really was. He wasn't sure how well he'd be able to hunt though, because just as the ecstasy of morphing began to settle down, he could feel the pain in his shoulder erupt all over again.

He growled, tilting his head to the side so he could see the extensive cut that ran from the base of his throat to his shoulder, not deep, but long. He'd recieved that in his last fight, a battle scar and a memory.

As a Shape Shifter, if he was harmed in his animal form, he could morph into his human form and he would be healed temporarily. But the next time he morphed back into his animal form, he would be injured again. It took the same amount of time to heal in his animal form as it would any real animal from the forest, which could range from an hour to a week. Luckily he was a fast healing cat, and he reckoned he'd heal in the next day or so.


It was time to get on with business. He was required to hunt for fourteen people, if they were all there tonight, and he was wounded.

"Great.." He thought to himself with a quick eye roll, his tail whipping from side to side in quirky movements. He tuned himself into the forest, remembered his lessons from the other day, think like prey would. Where would he be if he was prey? Somewhere near water probably. He decided to start near the waterfall.

It was a short run to his destination, his back and forelegs propelling him faster than his human legs ever could, and he sat down at the small pool that formed at the bottom and gazed into it. It seemed bottomless and dark, which meant he was fascinated by it from the moment he looked in. What was waiting at the bottom? Had anyone drowned here before? What did it sound like inside? Did the waterfall create music, or was it silent and peaceful?

He bowed his head and stuck out his long pink tongue, curling it back up into his mouth as water pooled into the small dip in its center. After a good drink, he sat up straight again and let his ears pivot, his eyes wander. It wasn't long before he decided to move on, there was obviously nothing here.

As he roamed the forest he continued to stay on guard, his eyes dancing in whichever direction caught his interest, whether it was from a sound or a movement. And soon enough, his patience paid off.

He crouched down low, ears up now, aware that he wasn't quite blended into his surroundings as well as he could've been. The munching sound that came from in front of him grew louder with every step he took, the brown fur that rippled every time an insect bothered it grew more detailed. With one last step he was only a few feet away from the deer, and he opened his mouth, letting its aroma settle on his delicate scent glands. This was definitely the deer from before, and he was about to catch it.

In a single pounce he was on its back, all four paws pressing into its sides, claws extended to keep himself upright. Before he had even caught his balance he dipped his head and sunk his teeth into the startled animals neck, bloodying his fangs as soon as they entered its skin. Then they were off and he was being carried away by the smaller animal, unable to control their direction. He didn't let go of his prey, not even as it stumbled once. The second time it lost its footing though, Demyx was thrown forward, teeth unhinging from the gored neck, preparing to land on all fours as he flew through the air. But as he landed, his shoulder suddenly gave in and his leg collapsed in on itself, sending his face careening into the ground. As he picked himself up and turned around, gasping and growling, he began back in the direction he'd come from, limping now. He wasn't in a hurry, the animal was slowly dying, on its side now, taking its last slow breaths. He'd have to make at least one more kill to feed his Clan, but he suddenly doubted he had the strength. His shoulder was agonizing; he couldn't contemplate how such a small injury could procure these dire consequences.

At least he was standing over his quarry, and he sighed and sat down, running his thick tongue over the raw gash. It hurt, but was soothing at the same time, his saliva having healing properties. It was like a salve, and soon was down to its persistent throbbing again, no less, no more. He couldn't do anything about this deer except take it in his jaws and drag it. It was about three-quarters his size, but weighed much less and he easily jumped into a tree with it and laid it on its side over a branch. As he jumped back down and turned to give it one last glance, he licked his lips. He would have to hurry if he was to escape the tenderness in his body, so hurry he did.

It took him another hour to find prey of any sort and kill it, and as he began dragging it back to the deer site he was slightly shocked to find the body still hanging off the branch. He was shocked only because it was unusual that no one else would try and steal it, whether it was animal or vampire. As he dragged the newly killed marmot carcass over to the base of the tree and retrieved the deer's body, he morphed back into his human self again, cringing as the last of the pain deflated. He rolled his shoulders and head, then sighed and stooped down, putting a dead animal over either arm. He could easily carry them back to the beach house, it was only a ten minute walk from his position in the forest at the moment, and he was feeling fine now. No afflictions to tend too, no annoying and persistent temptations to chase after. It was with a smug smile that he made his way back home, and it was with a smug smile that he threw the animals onto the kitchen island with.


"Reno!" He called as he leaned against the island, winded from the short walk there. He had only been asked to hunt, not to prepare or cook, so he believed if he wasn't going to get caught up in it, he'd better escape from the kitchen as fast as he could.

The answering shout came from upstairs, and Demyx suddenly remembered what Sora had said before he'd left. They'd be upstairs waiting. The blonde hurried over to the stairs and swiftly spiraled up them, a hand on his knee as he reached the top, bent over slightly from lack of breath. He walked over to a free chair, there were four in all, one on each side of the table, and threw himself into it, rejoicing the comfort.

"So, what'd you get this time?" Reno asked, happy to have lively company again. Demyx smiled and crossed his arms superiorly. "A deer and a marmot." Reno nodded his head, replicating the facial gesture that sat upon his friend's face. "A deer and a marmot? Wow, that's better than last time. You're getting pretty good." Demyx eyed Sora, who was turning from looking out the window, seeming a bit ruffled. The brunette's eyes connected with blue before shifting away lazily, in a forced fashion. Demyx raised an eyebrow, but didn't comment on Sora's lack of conversation, merely noted it.

"Yah, I guess. I just wish Aerith was back, my shoulder's still cut up." Sora's eyes raised again, this time in a more worried fashion, but this time when Demyx shot him a smile he held the blonde's gaze before speaking. "From which fight?" Sora asked, looking slightly confused. Demyx tapped his bottom lip a few times. "Uh, the one against Ventus…" Suddenly there was a muffled laugh from the opposite side of Sora and Demyx whipped his head in Reno's direction, narrowing his eyes.

"It's not funny Reno…" But he knew that wasn't true. Ventus had the same form as Demyx, which made him Demyx's automatic mentor. It would have been the other way around if Demyx had been older than Ventus, but the situation didn't go like that and he was now the apprentice of a bigger and stronger cougar, just his luck.

"Yes it is Demyx, and you know that." Reno replied, still chuckling. "It was such a sad fight, even I could have done better than that… One swipe and you were down…" Demyx rolled his eyes and propped his elbow up on the armrest, resting his cheek on his hand. He glanced up at Sora, whose eyes seemed to be shimmering. No doubt from withheld laughter, it was to be expected.

"And then you tried to defend yourself, but Ventus barely flicked you and you were down again. He barely touched you…" Reno seemed to be cracking himself up, and Demyx closed his eyes. "Did you want me to come up here so you could make yourself laugh, or was there another reason." "There was another reason." Sora quickly interjected before Reno could reply snidely again, and Demyx missed the glare Sora shot the red-head just before he opened his eyes. "Could you please remind the hyena what that reason was Sora?" Demyx asked pleasantly, sniffing once, examining the cuticles on the hand closest to his face. Reno quieted down a bit before Sora spoke. "We are figuring out what we are doing with our lives today." Demyx nodded as he looked up at his friend, tilting his chin up in a haughty fashion. "Any ideas?" He finally asked, crossing his arms again, sure that Reno wasn't about to make fun of his attempt at a fight with Ventus again anytime soon. "Well, we could always go stir up some trouble." Reno's answer. "Or we could not stir up some trouble and go train or something…" Sora's answer, much more relevant than Reno's had been. Demyx laughed. "I'd like to train actually, sounds like a plan." "Yah, what a plan…" Reno huffed as they all stood and stretched before descending the stairs and entering the kitchen.


A/N: Well, this chapter was supposed to be done on Sunday night, but I got kicked off and then went camping, so seeing as I got back this morning, it's finally done. Yay. I would really like reviews from everyone who reads this, please. Tell me what I'm doing wrong, doing right, what you like, what you don't like. It's all good stuff for me, so write me something.

Also, if you have any suggestions for future plots or anything, feel free to run them by me. I'm open to anything, because I'm not sure how many chapters this story is going to have, and I'm willing to make room for people's ideas.

~Lupae