Author's Notes: Take a little bit of fluff, add back stories of the three Night Peoples and you get this chapter and the next! Enjoy! And… yeah. Sort of playing with my own views on Vampires, Weres, Witches, and other junk. A million people can write vampire stories and they can all have different characteristics. The Vampire Diaries Vampires have rings that let them go out in the sun. Twilight Vampires sparkle in the sun. Some Vampires can't come in contact with garlic, crucifixes, wood, or silver. Some have to sleep in coffins; others don't have to use coffins or don't sleep at all. Some are born or can give birth. Others can only be turned. Some turn into bats. See? Lots of possibilities.

Unlimited Addiction
Chapter 7: Unexplained Truths

It was almost eight and Sora was bored. He'd been lying on the bed in his temporary room for a while, staring at the ceiling and thinking. His mind was moving a million miles a minute and wouldn't let him sleep. Selphie would probably be pissed. He wasn't napping as directed.

I wonder what this city is like. Where is it? How do they keep out the humans? If they do… why would they let me in? Who is this friend of Sel's? What is she? What is Sel? Why won't anyone give me real answers about these races? Has it really only been five days since I met him? Where is he now? Is he worried? About himself? About me? Is he really the last one? Why can't I stop thinking about him? What is it about him? He must be lonely…

Sora sighed deeply as he rolled over and gently stood up. The house was quiet as he stepped out in the hallway. The only sound that came to his ears was that of water as he passed the bathroom. Aerith must be in the shower. He thought as he tiptoed down the hall. No sound came from Selphie's room as he passed.

Silently, he slipped inside the door and down the dark steps that lead to the vampire's dungeon-esc room. He had only been in the hallways twice, both times to leave. He vaguely remembered it when it was dimly lit. In the darkness, it was completely foreign.

"Sora…" The voice filtered through the darkness softly, a hint of amusement on it. "You can stop trying to sneak. I can hear you."

Sora stopped and bit his lip. Now that he was there, he was hesitating. He wasn't sure what made him want to come down. And to make matters worse, the vampire knew he was there. He couldn't just turn back now. He was stuck.

"You came this far. You might as well come in. I heard you tiptoeing all the way down here."

Mentally cursing himself, Sora continued down the dark hallway. His fingers ran along the length of the wall, helping to trace the path. He slowed as he started to feel a bit disoriented. The door should have been there, somewhere.

"Two steps forward and then to your left. There's a light switch about a foot inside the door, on the wall to your right."

Sora followed the instructions as given and shielded his eyes when the light blinded him. "Riku?" Sora blinked as his eyes slowly focused.

"Bed."

Sora turned at the voice and sucked in a breath.

The vampire lay on his back on his bed. His long, silver hair splayed around his head. It practically glowed, illuminating him like a sadistic halo. His shirt had been discarded and the loose black pants he wore hung low on his lips. His toned torso moved with each breath and his right arm was slung lazily over his eyes.

He's paler. Sora thought, staring. He's beautiful. He frowned at the thought.

Riku's lips curled into a smile as he sensed the brunet. "Take a picture, it'll last longer. Although on second thought, it wouldn't work, would it?" He chuckled softly at his own attempt at vampire humor.

Sora shook his head, confused. None of the words registered in his head. "What?"

Riku's smile spread. "It's not polite to stare."

"Oh… sorry." He hoped vampires couldn't read minds. Could they? Could he?

Riku sighed softly and his chest stilled. "Sora… I'm a little… on edge right now… and you standing there, fidgeting, isn't helping me any."

"Sorry." The brunet muttered again. "I… wanted to apologize for earlier." The words came out slowly.

"Don't. It was my fault."

Sora shook his head. "No… it was mine. I… wanted you to… I wanted you to... bite me." He felt vaguely vulnerable admitting it. "I liked it when you did it before." He stepped closer to the bed.

"Sora…"

Another step. "I wish you hadn't stopped."

"Your arm…"

Sora smiled. "If Sel's friend can help me… you can slam me against the wall anytime you want."

A small sigh was emitted from the vampire. "Speaking of Sel…"

"I wasn't speaking of Selphie." Sora frowned and moved his hand to his hip. "I was talking about…"

Riku held up his hand to stop him. "Before you get any closer, you should know that Selphie's pretending to sleep right now."

"Pretending to…" Sora glanced around the room but saw no one.

Riku lifted his arm to point at the chair on the other side of the room. "Chair."

Sora turned to look and saw, for the first time, the extremely fluffy gingered colored thing on the chair. "You have a… cat? Is it a cat?"

"No." Riku said flatly. "I hate cats. But yes. It's a cat. Well… sort of a cat. More of a glorified puffball." He muttered. "Shedding fur all over my shit."

Sora seemed to ignore the distaste in Riku's words. "Awe! It's cute! Does it have a name?"

"Her name is Selphie."

"You named your cat after Selphie?"

Riku sighed as he lifted the arm from his eyes and sat up. "I don't have a cat." He repeated, pulling his knees and leaning his elbow on them. "Come on Selphie. Help me out. I know you've been dying to show off. I give you permission."

The fluffy puffball of a cat lifted her head lazily and with a yawn, slipped off the chair.

"Here kitty, kitty." Sora seemed to ignore Riku's words again as he bent down to run his fingers along the fluffy back.

Riku smiled warmly as he watched Sora. Oddly enough, an intense calm passed over him. He liked the feeling. There was something about this naïve kid. "You should probably stand back."

"Why?"

The vampire lifted his arms and motioned for the brunet. "Just come over here for a minute."

"No." Sora stuck out his tongue. "You'll bite me, you pervert."

Riku laughed. "Just a moment ago you were practically begging me to."

Sora stuck out his tongue a second time in answer.

"Just come here. I'm not hungry at the moment anyways." It was a lie. He was insatiable. But he could control himself. At least he hoped so.

With a hesitant look at the cat, Sora backed up. He still wasn't sure why he had to. His eyes were still on the cat as he sat on the edge of the bed. "What? Does she do tricks or something?"

"Just one."

The cat's lips twisted up in an impossible way. It produced an eerie smile. She started by stretching her legs. Her front ones out in front of her and then her back behind her, one at a time. Then she arched her back and twitched her long, fluffy tail. Much like an animal shaking itself dry, she shook herself and planted all four paws flat on the floor.

Sora watched, still unsure of what was so special around a stretching cat. And then his eyes widened.

Sickening pops were heard as her joints popped out of place and her bones began to expand and shift. The long ginger fur along her body began to shorten and took on a peachy, skin tone color. Her ears slid down her head as the fur on her head remained, darkened a bit, and grew longer. Her tail disappeared, her claws extended into fingers, and her size went from that of a tiny fluffball to a grown person. She continued kneeling on the floor as the yellow fabric of her dress stretched over her.

Only about a minute had passed from when the tiny fluff ball stood there to when Selphie stood up, brushing the back of her hand against her forehead in a very cat-like gesture.

"Shit." Sora breathed out. "Now it all makes sense."

Selphie beamed as she gave her hips a shake and let out a giggle.

"So… what are you?"

Selphie looked at Riku without answering.

Riku shrugged as he pulled himself further back on the bed and leaned against the headboard. "You might as well. You already told him too much earlier."

Her nose wrinkled and she let out a laugh as she sprang on the bed. She landed in a weird crouching cat-like position where Riku had been sitting. "Oh you little ease-dropping sneak! I knew you were listening!"

"I can't help it when you all are so loud. And yes. I am upset with Aerith."

She stuck out her tongue as she crossed her legs and relaxed. "Okay… so… uh…" She scratched at her neck as she looked at Sora. "So… I'm a Shifter, someone who can turn into an animal at will. Not to be confused with Weres because we are as different as night and day." She added quickly. "Except for aging I guess. Both races reach adulthood somewhere between sixteen and eighteen. Usually that's when we choose to stop aging. See… we can control how fast we age after we reach adulthood. But we can't go backwards, of course. Me? I chose to remain eighteen and beautiful forever." She smiled and batted her eyelashes.

Riku rolled his eyes and shook his head. "Did anyone tell you how modest you are?"

"Shhh!" Sora hissed. "Don't interrupt. I want to hear more." Now that someone was finally talking, he didn't want any interruptions.

Selphie smiled as she nodded. "Anyways… Shifters are born. It's a dominant gene. Any offspring with one shifter parent will be one. Shifters can change into any animal at will, like I said."

"Any animal?" Sora repeated.

"Any animal we've come into contact with. It's sort of like… I touch an animal and I imprint its DNA. Then at any point in time, I simply picture it in my mind and boom."

"What kind of animals?"

"Any. Insects, reptiles, marine life, wild things. I even have a few dragon breeds, a unicorn, phoenix, griffin…" She counted them off on her fingers. "Probably just about anything you could think of."

Sora's eyes were wide. Unicorns were real? How do they hide dragons? "How many?"

"842." She said with a nod.

That time Sora's mouth dropped open. He couldn't fathom a number that big.

"Anyways…" She continued, interrupting his thoughts. "Like I said… we can shift into any animal at will, as long as the space is adequate. Like… if right at this moment I tried to become… say… a blue whale… well… I'd kill myself and destroy this house before I got very far. Also… the time it takes varies on the size difference as well as the familiarity with the animal and sometimes emotional stress. My personal choice, of course, is a cat. I spend most of my life nowadays as a normal, everyday fluffy cat."

"Much to my distaste." Riku chipped in.

She continued on as if the vampire hadn't interrupted. "So I can shift into one instantly. But if I were to shift into a… say… Saint Bernard dog, it would take a few more minutes." She leaned back slightly and rocked back and forth. "Let's see… what else?"

"Wereblood?" Sora suggested, thinking of what Selphie mentioned earlier.

"Oh yeah. Wereblood. Because Were transformation is dependent on the phases of the moon, their blood sort of incapacitates us. It makes us unable to shift until the next full moon. For someone who depends on the ability, it leaves us vulnerable."

The brunet nodded slowly. "What sort of contact? Like… what happens if you just get it on your skin?"

"It has to get directly into our body, like though a cut or a bite or something. Just plain skin contact, while not recommended, isn't a direct cause for alarm."

Sora nodded slowly. "Now… about Weres…"

Selphie nodded. "First off… Weres are both made and born, though the gene is recessive so both parents have to be Weres. And the gene doesn't kick in until the kid hits puberty. If a were attacks a human in their hybrid state, if the human survives, it becomes a were."

Sora looked confused. "Hybrid state?"

"Oh yeah…" Selphie tilted her head to the side, thinking.

With a smile, Riku leaned forward. "A bit scatter brained?"

She glared at the vampire. "No!"

"She should have started by saying weres have different breeds." Riku pulled his legs up under him, crossing them as he leaned forward. "The most common is the werewolf. Second is probably the werecat. But there are also others you don't hear about so much in stories. Rabbit, bird, pig, snake…"

"I've personally only met a handful of werewolves and a werecat before." Selphie said, interrupting.

"They do exist." Riku continued. "But they only transform into that animal and a hybrid version. And they can't do it by choice. Once a month, on the full moon, they transform in the hybrid. Usually a terrifying, half animal half human creature. The monsters they use in the movies are pretty close. Some can't remember or control what they do. Some can. The full moon phase can't be avoided. Even if they are inside or underground or as far from the moon's light as they can get, they'll still phase."

Selphie nodded. "The rest of the time, if the moonlight touches their skin they transform into the full animal. This phase can be avoided by staying clear of the moonlight."

"So… say a werewolf goes outside during a quarter moon. He spends the night as a wolf. But if he stays inside the next night or if there is no moon or the weather blocks it… he remains his human self."

Sora waited a moment after Riku finished, making sure the two were done. "Wow!" He breathed out, shaking his head. "What about shifter blood with weres? Is there a reaction as well?"

Selphie nodded. "Until the moon affects them, it gives them the ability to change at will, like shifters."

"Weird."

"Very." She nodded. "Many Were's buy shifter blood for sport."

Sora was silent for a few minutes, thinking over everything he had heard. It all sounded like a story, written by a fantasy writer for entertainment. But… "So what about you Selphie? Where do you come from?"

Selphie looked at Riku and he sighed. "Okay." He shook his head. "Fine."

Sora leaned back on the bed, getting more comfortable as Selphie relayed her story.

"My beginning is not a happy one. But how many of us can really say our childhoods were perfect? I was born into a small tribe of Shifters. Really small. And a really long time ago. My father was… something of a recluse. As soon as he reached adulthood, he moved to the outskirts of the tribe land. During his self-induced exile, he'd often venture far. One time, he ventured too far and got lost." She laughed and shook her head. "Yeah, a shifter getting lost. My father wasn't the brightest. But anyways… he was found, near death, by a human tribe. My mother, I was told, was beautiful. Dark skin, long ebony hair, green eyes…" She sighed. "They fell in love fast, despite their differences. Dad was content to live with her people forever.

"My older sister, Quistis… she was born shortly after they married. Me? I never knew my mother. She died giving birth to me. When we started shifting… dad took us back to his shifter tribe. He was certain we'd be welcomed, that they could help him… But the tribe elder… he knew with one look that we were half-breeds. Even though the shifter gene is dominant, back then, marrying a human was treason. We were treated like filth for several years. Until I turned thirteen. The elder decided, despite my lineage, I was 'good breeding stock.'

One thing the tribe was obsessed with was breeding. Strong shifter babies kept our species going. If I agreed to marry the elder's son, it would redeem our family status and my father would be welcomed back into tribe society. I agreed." Selphie's gaze clouded for a moment, lost in memories.

"So… wait… you have a husband?" Sora forced himself not to interrupt her while she spoke. It was hard for him. "When you were thirteen?"

Selphie shrugged. "It was a different time then."

"Did you even know him?"

She shook her head slowly. "No. Irvine and I… We first met at our wedding. But back then… like I said… it wasn't about love. It was about breeding. Our tribe matched us because genetically, we would have raised healthy pups." She sighed, wistfully. "Or kitten, foals, cubs… whatever form they wanted to take."

"Did you… do you have any kids?"

She shook her head. "No. We rebelled against our tribe and went off on our own. We were selfish."

"Selfish?" Sora gasped.

Selphie held up her hand. "We left our families, our homes. I left my father alone with my sister."

"So?"

Selphie tilted her head to the side. "Quissy… she doesn't hate humans… not exactly. She hates interbreeding. She hated our mother and she hated our father for falling in love with an outsider. Leaving him alone with only her to lean on… he loved my mother dearly. Losing her destroyed him. Quite literally. He killed himself while we were gone."

"I'm sorry." Sora said genuinely.

Selphie waved his concern off. "It was a long time ago. And in the long run, I know he was happier. Anyways… we finally decided to visit home and Quissy told me what happened. She was so… cold about it…" Selphie shook her head. "We split after that. Irvine and I left the tribe for good. Quissy left as well, to help establish the council."

"Your council, council?"

She nodded. "She's one of the senior Shifters in our government. She works with our leader."

Sora brightened. "In the city? Can I meet her tonight?"

Selphie shook her head quickly. "Oh no, no no, no, no. She uh… won't be there. She spends more of her time in the other cities."

"Oh… well… what happened next?"

"Another unhappy part." Selphie shook her head. "Irvine and I… we left. Left tribe life far behind. We were young and foolish and brash. But it was fun. And then the bastard left me."

"He left you?"

She nodded. "I woke up one morning and he was gone. I tried to follow his scent but… it was muddled and too far gone. So I stayed and waited. Waited and waited and waited. I eventually got careless and found out… I had to leave. I wandered for a while, living in the shadows, so to speak, until Riku came into the picture."

"So wait…" Sora sat up and tilted his head to the side. "You have a husband… and he's still out there somewhere?"

"Maybe…" She said sulkily. "I haven't seen him since. Sometimes… I swear I see him… following me. I'll see his wolfy face in a crowd but… he's never really there." She sighed. "He was forced to marry me. He was never really in love with me."

She was silent for a moment. Sora felt horrible for pushing the subject. He leaned forward and placed his hand on her arm. "Sel?"

She smiled gently and patted his hand. "It was a long time ago. A lot has happened and… I love my life." She rolled over and grabbed his hand. "Rub my belly!"

Riku, silent thus far as he'd heard the story once before, rolled his eyes and kicked her away. "Sel, knock it off."

She whined and rolled back over. "Party pooper." She turned back towards Sora and shook her head. "Honestly… how can you stand him? He's no fun!"

"Selphie!"

"How did you two meet?" Sora asked, ignoring the impending argument.

"Well…"

-X-

Six years had passed since she woke up and her husband was gone. "Happy anniversary, Irvine." She muttered as she lifted the drink to her lips. The liquid burned her throat as it went down. She gagged and shook her head as she set the glass down on the counter. Dropping a coin beside it, she stood up and walked towards the door.

It was nearly midnight and it was dark outside. She rolled her eyes as she heard the tavern door open and close behind her. She knew who it was before she could even smell him. It was the overweight, drunken bastard who'd been on her every night that week when she snuck into town. It amazed her how easily he could find her.

She let out a hiss as she ducked into a dark alleyway. She had no fear of the man, for she knew she could easily take him if needed. But she wasn't a fan of shifting in the town if she could avoid it. Pressing her body flat against the shadowed wall, she held her breath. She could hear and smell him as he stumbled by.

She waited a few more minutes before stepping out of the shadows. A wide smile spread across her lips as she stepped forward. She didn't see the shadow until she felt the stabbing pain in her neck. Great force pushed her down, flat on her stomach on the ground. A knee pressed into her back and arms kept hers pinned. It took about a minute to realize what was on top of her. She just couldn't believe it.

The pain in her neck intensified as the fangs were dug deeper. Damn! This guy has no clue what he's doing, does he? Granted, she had never been bit by anyone except her dad and sister during lessons and play. And her husband. But still!

"Get off!" She hissed, rolling over and kicking as hard as she could.

"Fuck!" Her resistance and strength surprised him as she threw him off. He jumped up, his eyes dark and his lips curled in a snarl.

Selphie pulled herself up and returned the glare.

Her assailant was taller than her and looked about the same physical age. His hair color was indistinguishable under the caked mud and dried blood. His clothes were the same. Even his skin was nearly invisible under the dirt and grime. His nostrils flared and his eyes darted back and forth. He opened his mouth, though whatever he was planning on saying never came. He turned slightly and retched, spilling most of the blood he'd just taken in on himself and the pavement at his feet.

Selphie crouched down, ready to shift, when his sudden collapse stopped her. She eyed his still body for a moment before slowly stepping closer. After kicking him a few times and getting no response, she sighed. "Great! What should I do now?"

Clearly he was a new vampire. Very new by the look him. She got a better look at him as she knelt down. The fangs weren't even fully grown yet. His skin still had some color to it. He still even smelled human. "Practically a baby."

With a sigh, she hooked her arms under his and pulled. He was too heavy for her to move. "Shit." So she did the only thing she could think of. She got on all fours, closed her eyes, and pictured the giant, black jungle cat. The change took a few minutes longer than normal. She assumed the vampire bite and subsequent loss of blood was the cause.

"This would be a whole lot easier if you weren't passed out." She muttered as she nosed the unconscious vampire, flipping him over on his stomach. She stilled as she thought she heard something. When it was quiet again, she stepped over the vampire and bent her neck down. Wrinkling her triangular nose at the smell that clung to him, she grasped his clothes between her teeth and hefted him up easily.

The going was slow as she lived far away from the run-down town and she kept ducking into alleys and shadows every time she heard a noise. But finally, when her neck and shoulders were starting to hurt, she was able to set him down. She shook herself and quickly shifted back into her human body.

She lifted an arm to her neck, massaging the sore muscles gently as she stepped outside. The sun would be up soon. She had gotten him inside in the nick of time. Standing on her toes, she pulled the mass of hanging moss, leaves, and branches that made her make-shift door. It hung down, obscuring the entrance to her cave and blocking out some of the light that was sure to be filtering in soon. Shaking her head slowly, she walked back inside and sat down a few feet from her unwanted houseguest.

"You're filthy." Her nose wrinkled. "Assuming you're still passed out tomorrow night, I'll try and clean you up." She yawned as she laid down and curled up. "When the shops open up, I'll see about getting you something to wear. I may have damaged those rags you have now." She yawned again as she rubbed her head against her arms, getting more comfortable. "Though my brief knowledge of vampires makes me think that you'll either be out for a few days or be ash by night fall… you're… lucky that… I…" Her thought was never finished as she drifted off to sleep.

She woke up before nightfall the next day and was able to acquire some men's clothes. Once the sun set, she drug him to the river, stripped off his clothes, and cleaned him up. Then she dried and dressed him, and drug him back to the cave. He still hadn't regained consciousness and there was no sign of breathing, a heartbeat, or a temperature. But, seeing as how she was dealing with a vampire, she knew there wouldn't be any. The only sign that he was still alive, by vampire standards, was the fact that he wasn't a pile of ash.

She spent the next week watching over him. She slept during the days. The nights she spent hunting for herself and talking to him. She hadn't realized how lonely she'd been until she realized she couldn't stop talking.

"So… we're being chased by this giant, hammerhead shark. I can't even remember what we were… something smaller. Much, much smaller. So we're zigging and zagging all over the place and it's bigger and has home advantage and starts gaining on us. Irvine pulls away suddenly and darts off and I think I'm dead. And then I hear this… I don't know how to describe it. Just this weird sound and I look back and I'm not being followed anymore. There are suddenly two hammers going at each other. And I'm furious! Irvine could really be stupid sometimes. To sneak up on the blasted shark, shift back in his human body, touch it, and then shift again while we were that deep in the ocean… he's lucky he didn't lose an arm or worse." She smiled as she leaned back. "Not that I haven't done worse myself. I probably would have done the same thing actually. But still… it was crazy. But then again… we both were always so…"

"Can you shut up for a minute?"

-X-

Author's Notes: None right now, other than rewriting that back story was difficult. I still don't like it. Maybe I should have cut it out. It was always my least favorite part of the story. But it introduces characters that will pop up later so… maybe needed. Oh well. Skip it if you hate it too.