I don't own Kingdom Hearts, but if I did, Sora would totally be all mine...haha. Story is mostly original, but it is inspired by Vampire Knight. I hope that you guys enjoy. Reviews and criticism would be appreciated.

NOTE: The first section of every chapter is usually told from Kairi's POV, whereas the rest is in the third person. "Stained by Sin" is only the working title. Hopefully something better will come to me.

Summery: Sora disappeared from Kairi's life for unknown reasons. A year later, he returns to her and Riku with little to say about his absence. Blood, lust, fear, secrets, friendships, reunions, and promises change their lives.


7. The Renegade's Eyes
~ Hitomi no Kakera

I prepared myself for the worst. To have her fangs pierce my skin and siphon blood to satisfy her hunger. To feel my very life escape my breath with every amount she stole from me. To lose consciousness only to meet my fate as the "human bride" of someone named Xemnas.

"Let her go."

Sora's voice? It couldn't be, but when I opened my eyes, there he stood some distance away with the Keyblade in hand, the only thing I could really make out in the darkness.

The two vampires released me and I fell to the ground, feeling all sorts of filthy things scattered on the floor touch my bare legs.

"That's some power you've got there," the male commented. "No wonder Xemnas is after you too."

Xemnas. There was that name again. Who could this person be? What kind of power would he be after? What kind of power does Sora possess?

"Of course," Sora concurred, bringing his blade through the two vampires. Well, that was what sounded to happen. "It always leads back to him."

"Sora?" I called out, afraid of the darkness surrounding me. "Sora, where are you?"

"Kairi," he appeared at my side, my shadowy prince of light, "are you okay? They didn't hurt you, did they?"

"I'm fine, now that you're here." I was starting to feel light-headed again. I was so close to death earlier, its kiss mere inches from my neck. It seemed like at any moment my life could be taken away so easily. Compared to Sora, my existence was fragile, easily broken.

"What did they do to you?" he questioned, supporting me as I started to sway. "What did they tell you?"

"Things I don't understand. Something about a human bride to someone named Xenmnas." I tried to make sense of what I could remember. Who was this Xemnas person? Why would I become his bride? What did they mean by "human" bride?

"Is that all they told you?" he asked. There was a strange urgency in his voice. I wondered why he was so apprehensive about them telling me things I didn't understand.

"I-I can't remember," I told him, searching my mind for anything else they might've said. They didn't say anything other than what they said to Sora, which brought up the questions I had earlier.

"That's good," he stated, the apprehension in his voice gone. "Maybe Xemnas' hold won't activate this time."

"Who is Xemnas?" I blurted out. "And why is he after you?"

"Dammit," he whispered under his breath. "Why did they have to say too much?"

"Who said too much?" For some strange reason, my body tensed as Sora took my shoulders in his hands.

"Kairi," his voice changed suddenly, deep and more vampire-like, "you need to forget everything that happened tonight after you met the two vampires. If you try to recall tonight's events, all that happened was that you fainted." His eyes glowed crimson, just like the eyes of a thirsty Renegade, like the eyes of the rats when light found them.

His voice was something I couldn't resist, like the sweetest temptation for the sinful soul. His command filled my mind, hypnotizing my will. Slowly before my eyes, I relived the past ten minutes in reverse. The individual links of time broke as each scene occurred, separating from my chain of memories. I could feel that those pieces of memories were somewhere inside my mind, just lost somewhere.

Then everything went black.

-----

"What are you doing here?" Riku asked Roxas as he rushed past him.

"Chasing after a vampire," he answered, pointing to the night sky. Blades of light surrounded the airborne vampire, slicing through it as Roxas brought his hand down. Smoke filled the sky as the vampire's skin burned from the light blades.

"Nice work," Riku commented, pulling out his Way to Dawn, "but let me show you how this is really done." He pulled the trigger, sending a well-aimed bullet at the creature's head. Dust-sprinkled from the sky, raining down upon the building. "Now that's getting the job done."

"How vulgar," Roxas remarked, crossing his arms across his chest.

"Where's Sora?" he asked, placing his gun in its protector.

"Isn't he with you and Kairi?"

"Damn!" Riku turned back to the building, remembering that Kairi was somewhere still in the building. "I forgot about her. She must still be in the factory somewhere!"

"So you left her alone?" Sora questioned, landing beside him after leaping out a window with Kairi in his arms. She lay unconscious, her head leaning on his shoulder.

"No, she was looking for a way out of the building," Riku explained in defense for himself. "We got separated somehow."

"So…ra…" Kairi whispered, pulling at Sora's jacket. "The vampires…they're coming for me…"

"Did you find the Renegade you were looking for?" Sora asked Riku as he held Kairi closer to him.

"No," he answered, "it seemed like the building was empty. Did you find any while you were in there?"

"No," Sora lied. Why make the situation worse than it already was? Best to keep them out of it.

"I guess this was just a wild goose chase to begin with," Riku stated. "Is she okay?"

"Yeah, I think she might've fainted from nerves."

Kairi stirred in his arms, pulling harder at Sora's jacket. She then awoke with a start, looking around at the familiar faces of her friends.

"Are you okay, Kairi?" Sora asked her.

"Yeah," she answered, realizing that she was in Sora's arms, cradled perfectly in the contours of his arms. She felt weightless as he carried her. She liked the feeling of his arms around her, how she fit perfectly against him.

"Thank God," he said, lowering her onto the ground.

"Thanks for finding me," she told him, missing the feeling of him around her.

"We should head back now," Roxas declared, already walking. "The Professor gonna want to know about how we did."

-----

The following week passed by quickly and jobless. The relationship between Sora, Riku, and Kairi had returned to how it had been before Sora left, although Sora still reluctant to allow either of them into his head too much. Both Riku and Kairi noticed that Sora had remained in his room more frequently and he wouldn't allow either of them in. He wouldn't even allow anyone in expect for Demyx, who made a specific threat that scared Sora into letting him in. But Demyx wouldn't say a word about it whenever anyone asked him about Sora's strange behavior.

"Not my place," was all he would say with a shrug and he would turn and walk away, although one could see the faintest glimpse of a smirk on his face.

Demyx being mature was a strange sight and it somehow worried everyone more than Sora's behavior.

But after that week, Sora shut himself in his room less, opting to spend more time with his friends. When his friends questioned him about why he locked himself away, he simply stated that he wasn't feeling well. He was back to his usual happy-go-lucky self, but there was one drastic change in his behavior.

-----

"This makes no sense!" Kairi exclaimed, shutting her chemistry textbook.

"What is it this time?" Riku questioned, looking up from his calculus homework.

"Redox reactions," she answered, dropping her head onto the book. "Just kill me now."

"That can be arranged," Sora told her jokingly. He took her hand and placed it to his lips. "Would you like it quick and painless or long and drawn out?"

"Don't be an idiot, Sora," Roxas said from across the table.

"You're one to talk," he retorted, letting go of her hand. "Here," he slid closer to Kairi, opening her textbook, "let me help."

Kairi was only half-listening. She couldn't help notice how close he was to her now; how he held her waist in his one hand; how he wasn't pushing her away from him anymore.

"It's really a matter of keeping everything balanced," Sora concluded, circling the final balanced equation. "Got it?" he asked, looking at her.

"Yeah," she lied, her face turning red as his sky blue eyes met hers. How embarrassing would've it been if he knew she was paying more attention to his lips than what he was saying?

He stood up, chuckling quietly to himself. "Don't hesitate to ask if you need help," he told her as he walked away.

Riku leaned over and whispered, "I think he knows you weren't paying attention."

"Hey, Kairi!" Demyx called from across the library, only to be attacked by an army of shhhh. "You need to come with me now to listen to our set."

"Do I have to?" she mouthed, knowing he could read her lips.

He nodded viciously, waving her over to the exit. Letting out a deep sigh, she gathered her books and made the walk over to the library's exit. Demyx waited until she exited the library and they proceed to the gym.

"Sora's been acting pretty differently lately, hasn't he?" Demyx stated, placing his hands behind his head.

"Yeah," Kairi responded, "why is that?" They turned into the gym.

"Not my place." He gave his usual answer with his usual shrug. "Now," he declared, "get ready for the melodious rockiness from yours truly." He hopped onto the stage and strapped on his guitar, taking his place at the center microphone.

Kairi took a seat on the nearest bench and pulled out her homework. While listening to the set of ten songs, she tried to remember what bits of Sora's lesson she heard. After about ten minutes of trying, she gave up, focusing her attention on the set.

Demyx's band, Melodious Nocturne, consisted of four members: a drummer, a bass player, a guitarist, and Demyx himself. It was obvious that Demyx was the band's leader and front man. He controlled the stage with how he handled the mic, his voice, and the guitar. His voice was a deep tenor, capable of holding low and reaching incredibly high notes. He had the talent to go far in the music industry. Looks and attitude too.

After the final song, Demyx dismissed his fellow band members and hopped off the stage, strolling over to Kairi while strumming a few chords on his guitar. "What'd ya think?"

"Good job," she complimented, giving him small applause. Hearing the sound of her own clapping made her realize that she was the only one there. "The other girls aren't here today."

"So you've noticed," he stated, strumming as he circled her.

"Why am I the only audience you had today? She questioned, turning her head to follow his movements. "Don't you normally want your fans cheering you on?"

"Normally yeah, I'd have them here," he explained, still circling her, "but this is the only time I ever get alone ever since Sora came back."

"What?" She couldn't understand what he was getting at. Don't tell me that he loves me too?

"Have you asked Sora to the dance tomorrow?" He stopped moving, standing in front of her while still strumming chords.

"Oh yeah, the dance on Friday. Ladies' Choice," she remembered. "I haven't asked him yet."

"Why?" He ceased strumming. "Were you planning on asking me? How sweet. But I'm afraid I'll hafta let ya down on that. I'm playing. No time for us to be together."

"No, I wasn't gonna ask you," she retorted, laughing at the fact. "I kinda forgot about the whole thing."

"Well," he resumed playing chords, "if you're going with Sora to the dance, you'd better be careful. You never know what could happen," he told her cryptically.

"What do you mean?" she asked, trying to understand the warning he gave her.

"Not my place," he answered, walking away. He started singing his song "Lust".

"When I've pushed something to addicting away for too long,/I can't bear it. The temptation is just too strong/I lose all control and the next thing you know,/Lust is all I need."

------

The next morning, Friday morning, was a nervous one for Kairi. Having Demyx remind her about the dance also made her realize that she still hadn't confessed to Sora yet. She planned on asking him days ago, but homework and personal pride kept getting in the way.

"Morning," she told everyone when she and Riku arrived at the clinic.

They all returned the greeting and fell into their morning routine of walking to school. Demyx, Roxas, and Naminé led the way while Sora, Riku, and Kairi followed. The schoolgirls' presence could be heard behind the gates, warning the males to be cautious. Riku proceeded to the head of the group, creating the path. Roxas and Naminé followed, their fingers touching as they ventured into the massive sea of girls. Demyx was next to go, but that morning, he linked arms with Kairi, and pulled her along. Kairi could feel the glared of disapproval from the fan girls. Sora followed, his eyes narrowed on Demyx, feeling jealously and anger swell in his heart. As they safely entered the main grounds, Demyx broke into a run, dragging Kairi along with him.

"Demyx-senpai," Kairi called, trying to get him to slow down, "what are you doing?"

After making an abrupt turn, Demyx slowed to a stop. "It's just too much fun messing with him."

"What…" she breathed heavily from all the running, "what…are you…trying to do?"

"I'm…just trying to give him a push in the right direction," Demyx answered, heading toward his homeroom. "You should get going too. Before you're late."

------

In Algebra III that day, Taka-sensei decided to use the whole period for his lesson, allowing for no time for Kairi and Sora to talk. The hallways didn't work either because every girl in the school approached Sora to invite him to the dance. He declined every single one in a polite fashion. Luckily, in Chemistry, the teacher was out and the substitute allowed from them to talk while doing the assigned worksheet of redox reactions.

"What was with Demyx today?" Sora asked, angling his chair toward Kairi.

"I don't quite know myself," Kairi answered, a little uneasy. "He dragged me to my homeroom and then let me go. It was a little weird."

"Oh." He circled a finished equation. "Did you ask anyone to the dance yet?"

Her hand froze on the equation she was struggling with. The dance was a topic she'd rather not talk about until her pride wasn't afraid of rejection. "Uh…no, not yet."

"You planning on asking anyone?" he responded, drawing an arrow on his worksheet toward himself.

Just ask him, she mentally told herself, Tell him that he's the one you wanna ask. She got her hand moving again. "Dunno," she blurted out.

"Oh." He erased the arrow he drew earlier.

Way to blow it, Kairi. Perfect opportunity and you blew it, she thought, bouncing the pencil on the top of her head. "Who do you think Naminé's going to ask?" she said, trying to keep the conversation going.

"Isn't that obvious?" he answered, marking addition on his paper. "Roxas and Naminé are practically a couple."

"Practically?"

"Neither of them have asked the other out, but yet they're always together. It's always been that way ever since I knew them."

"Oh," she said, finally achieving an answer and checking it with Sora's. "Think Riku's been asked yet?"

"Probably," Sora figured, working on his final problem. "But isn't he going to be like a guardian or something?"

"Yeah, I'm supposed to be on watch too, but that doesn't mean that we can't enjoy ourselves." She circled one her finished answered. "Has anyone asked you yet?"

"Just about every girl in this whole school," he answered, drawing an arrow in Kairi's direction. "But I'm still waiting for the right person to ask me."

"Really?" she asked, putting down her pencil and leaning closer to him. "Do you have this person in mind?"

"Yeah," he placed his pencil on the desk and turned to her. "I do."

"Do I know her?" she questioned, placing her hand next to his.

"Yeah, you do." His fingertips brushed hers before he firmly took her hand in his. He moved his chair closer to hers, their knees touching slightly when he settled back into his seat. "You're both pretty similar, practically the same person."

"And you said that she didn't ask you yet?" She closed her fingers around his, placing her head gingerly on his shoulder, taking in his scent.

"Not yet." He placed her hand to his chest, where she could feel the steady beating of his ever-slowing heart. "But that's okay if she doesn't though."

"Why?"

"Because I've got you by my side right now," he opened her hand, "what more do I need?" He took her fingertips to his lips, kissing them tenderly, tasting each fingerprint. His lips were soft against her skin, the feeling lingering as he kissed each individual finger.

Then the whole class, or at least the girl population, gasped loudly, startling Kairi into a sitting position. Sora jumped, falling out of his seat and collapsing on the floor, the chair landing on top of him.

"Kozo….uhh," the substitute checked his seating chart, "Sora, are you okay?"

"Yeah," he stood up, placing the chair back where it belonged. "Just fell out of my seat." He sat down in his chair, showing that he was okay.

Kairi resumed her worksheet, only having completed five of the fifteen equations in the last twenty-five minutes. The rest of the class had completed the work, that's how the girls had been watching her and Sora.

"Do you wanna go to the nurse's office?" the substitute asked him.

"I don't think I need to go," Sora replied, "but I'd like to use the bathroom if that's okay?"

"Go ahead," the teacher responded, returning to the newspaper he was reading.

"Arigatou," he said, leaving the room carrying his school bag over his shoulder. Kairi noticed the tight hold he had on the handle.

He didn't return to class till the very last minute, which the teacher didn't question him about. He was the first one out the door. Kairi didn't get another chance to see him until lunch. She wondered why he had been behaving so sporadically.

"Hey Kairi," Naminé greeted her, creating space for her to take a seat. "Haven't talked to you all day. How've you been?"

"Pretty good," she answered, taking a bit out of her veggie wrap. "You?"

"Same here," Naminé replied, pushing the food around her plate.

"Are you going to the dance tonight?"

"Yeah."

"Who with?"

There was a slight delay in her answer. "Roxas."

"So you asked him?"

"Well, no, but it just seems natural for us to go together." Naminé changed the subject. "Did you ask Sora yet?"

"Not yet," she replied, her face turning red. She quickly took a bite of her wrap, noticing how Naminé hadn't touched her food yet. "Do you guys need to eat?"

"We don't need to eat," she took a bite of the salad she prepared, "but we can. If we do, it's best for us to stay away from meat. It reminds us too much of blood."

"Your life seems so easy," Kairi commented, taking a sip form her milk. "You don't have to worry about eating and drinking. Sleep isn't a necessary either. Do you guys get hurt?"

"Yeah, but it takes a lot more to hurt our kind," Naminé explained. "Mere paper cuts and kicking a chair won't really bruise us." She smiled, although there was something forced about it.

"But you'd trade all that just so you wouldn't need to drink blood, wouldn't you?" Kairi concluded.

"Yes. Although it doesn't seem like it, I have to restrain myself right now to not drink your blood. To drink anyone's blood," she stated, a sad smile on her face. "The thought of wanting to drink anyone's blood scares me. I don't want to hurt anyone, but in my thoughts, people are always harmed."

"I never knew it was that hard," Kairi said, feeling sorry for believing that a vampire's life was so easy.

"That's because I make it look so easy," Naminé joked, smiling genuinely. "Let's talk about something else for now. What are you going to wear tonight?"

"I forgot a dress!" Kairi exclaimed. "What am I gonna do? There's no way I can get one this late."

"Don't worry," Naminé told her. "I got you one. I figured that you might've forgotten, so I went head and got you one."

"Naminé," Kairi hugged her friend around the neck, "you're a lifesaver!"

"Don't mention it," she told her, returning the hug.

Kairi let go of her friend and returned to her lunch, noticing how it had been only the two of them at the lunch table. "Where are the guys? Lunch is close to over."

"Oh, they decided to have a boys' day and are eating over there," Naminé stated, pointing to a table not too far from them.

Kairi looked over, noticing how Demyx was watching her. She looked over to Sora, who was glaring at Demyx with a look ready to throw him across the cafeteria. Then he looked over at her, waving to her before he resumed pushing the food around his plate. Roxas was looking irritated as usual while Riku was rather amused.

"They seem to be having fun," Kairi commented, finishing the last of her drink and getting up to dispose of her trash.

"I believe it was Demyx's idea." Naminé pointed out, getting up after Kairi to get rid of the salad she only took one bite of.

"That explains a lot."

-----

"You have thirty minutes to finish your assignment," Axel instructed, taking a seat at his desk. "You can work in groups of only three max. Write all names on each paper. Hand them to me once you're finished." He leaned back in his chair, kicking his feet onto the desk.

Demyx got up from his seat and pulled a chair next to Sora's desk. "So how about the three of us teaming up together?"

"Why not?" Sora answered, moving his textbook to make room for Demyx's book.

"Just as long as he doesn't slow us down," Roxas stated, placing Demyx's name on his paper.

The three worked quickly, finishing the assigned paper within ten minutes. Axel didn't look surprised when the three handed in their completed sheet. He was rather proud and amused, like he was expecting them to finish first. "Nothing less from you three, my special students."

They returned to their seats, but Demyx sat in the chair beside Sora's desk. "So, has Kairi asked you anything yet?"

"About what?" he answered nonchalantly.

"You know," Demyx reclined on the back of his chair, folding his hands behind his head, "about the dance."

"Well, not yet," Sora replied, feeling suspicious about what Demyx was getting at.

"She asked me," he said confidently, smirking. "I had to turn her down though. It wouldn't have seemed right for us to be together."

"Really?" he questioned, defeat in his voice. Maybe she did move on…

"No," Demyx replied flatly, a chuckle on his lips. "It's just too much fun messing with you. You should've seen the look on your face. It was priceless."

"Shut up," Roxas told Demyx, slightly irritated. "You're getting really annoying today."

"Hey!" Demyx shouted, slamming his hands on Sora's desk. "I take offense to that."

"Good," Roxas replied, somewhat satisfied. "That's what it meant."

Axel cleared his throat from his desk in the front of the room. Demyx settled down, afraid of being reprimanded.

"I'm not talking to you for the rest of the day," Demyx told Roxas, folding his arms across his chest.

"I don't have a problem with that," Roxas retorted. "It'd be nice to not hear your voice for the rest of the day."

"I take —" Demyx started, but he stopped when he remembered what he just said. He settled back into his chair. He then remembered something, leaning forward toward Sora so no one else could her. "You know, I've noticed that there's something special about Kairi."

"Like what?"? Sora questioned, making a mental list of all the things he loved about her. It was quite long, practically endless when he really thought about it.

"Did you notice how she's different from the rest of them?" he answered, meaning the human population. "Somethin' about her makes her more like us. I've only noticed recently, but when you compare her to Riku, there's a different atmosphere about her."

"You've noticed too?" Roxas contributed, quietly listening in on the conversation. "It's like she's one of us, but she isn't. But you can't say that she's completely human. There's something so tempting about her…it just makes you want to bite her."

"You guys are nuts," Sora stated, an unseen worry bubbling under the surface of his façade. "Kairi's completely human. What else would she be?"

"No," Demyx responded, "she's human, but there's something supernatural about her. Something about her blood…it's such a temptation. Would you happen to know anything more about that, Sora?"

"Why would Sora know anything about it?" Roxas spoke, their contract of mutual silence clearly broken at this point. "He doesn't even notice it. It's probably something only we Nobles can notice."

"I know differently," Demyx retaliated, drumming his fingers against his neck. "Don't I, Sora?"

The situation was gaining advantage against Sora's favor. Demyx started drumming his fingers on Sora's desk, pressing one hand against the left side of his neck. His fingers twitched slightly, his fingernails digging slightly into his skin at the place where Sora had left his mark on Kairi.

"I think you've struck a broken chord, Demyx," Roxas commented. "How would you know any better than I do?"

"Fine," Demyx leaned back into his chair, folding his arms across his chest, "I'll prove it to you. Sora would know more about Kairi's blood because he dra—Ahhh!" He landed on the floor with a thud. His chair had somehow tipped itself over too much, the balance unsteady.

"You do that?" Roxas asked Sora, who was staring around at the air about his head, trying to look as if he hadn't noticed that Demyx had somehow ended up on the floor.

"I guess my foot slipped," Sora answered, his signature childish grin plastered on his face. He repeated what he had accidently purposefully done, sliding his foot from where Demyx's chair to its resting spot under his seat. "I completely meant to do – I mean, I don't know how that could've happened."

"Way to go," Roxas congratulated Sora, satisfied at the pained look on Demyx's face. "You should've done that sooner."

"Demyx," Axel called from his desk in the front of the class, standing up from his seat, "returned to your assigned seat."

"But they started it," Demyx muttered quietly to himself as he sulked back to his desk. He sunk into it, placing his head on the desk, irritated at his humiliation in front of the class.

Axel resumed his seat, a slight smirk of satisfaction briefly dressing his lips.

------

"You clean up good," Riku stated, walking into Sora's nearly furniture bare room. He took a seat on the messy bed that wasn't made, the only piece of furniture that could support human weight. His only other option was a small wooden table with a desk lamp on it. "Wait till Kairi sees you."

"Where is Kairi?" Sora questioned, walking over to the bathroom with a lilac tie in hand. "I haven't seen her all day since lunch." He turned on the bathroom light, even though he could see perfectly in complete darkness. It was just one of those human habits that he had never quite given up. For once in the past year, he didn't hate his reflection when he looked at it. He checked over his black dress pants for unwanted lint sticking to the material and made sure his white button down was tucked properly.

"She had to guard Demyx, who decided to have band practice before the dance," Riku answered, standing against the doorframe, watching his friend tie the necktie around the collar of his shirt. "I've gotta ask. Why purple?"

"It's not purple, it's lilac," Sora retorted, scaring himself by quoting Naminé when he himself made the same comment. "I dunno why. Naminé gave it to me and told me to wear it." He adjusted the length of the tie while giving himself one last check over in the mirror.

"Got Naminé dressing you now?" Riku commented, walking over to the mirror himself. He also wore dress pants, but of a darker shade of navy blue. His button down was the light tint of baby blue, barely noticeable to the eye and left untucked. His top buttons were also left open, his whole look much more relaxed than Sora's formal attire. "You must really be trying to impress Kairi now."

"Naminé only gave me the tie," Sora stated. "I picked out the rest of my clothes, for your information." He looked in the mirror again and messed with his tie. "Do I look okay?" he nervously asked his friend.

Riku rolled his eyes, amused at how nervous his friend was. Sora had nothing to worry about. Kairi loved him before when they were kids and she even accepted him now when he became a vampire. "What kind of flower did you get her?"

"What? Flower?" Sora froze, remembering that he had forgotten to remember to buy Kairi's corsage. "I completely didn't remember."

"Lucky for you," Riku tossed a small red box at him, "I did."

"You knew I'd forget," Sora said as he caught the box in one hand above his head, "didn't you?"

"Actually, Naminé told me that you were probably going to forget," Riku told Sora. "That girl's got amazing memory. It seems like she'd never forget anything."

"Really?" Sora chuckled, a slight nervousness in his voice. "I guess I'll have to thank her later then." Inside, he hoped that Riku's observation wasn't solidly concrete. He needed for Naminé to never recall that conversation. Because if she did, it would be the trigger for a chain of events he wanted to avoid.

"You ready to go?" Riku questioned, leaning now against the doorframe of the door between Sora's room and the hallway. "We've gotta meet the girls at the school."

"Naminé went with Kairi too?"

"Yeah," Roxas answered, passing Riku as he walked into Sora's room. "She went with Kairi to get ready for the dance. You're lookin' pretty sharp," he told Sora as Sora strolled out of the bathroom.

"Thanks," he replied, messing with his tie again. "You don't look bad yourself." Much like Sora, Roxas had on black dress pants and button-down shirt, tucked. His shirt had an emblem emblazed on his upper back, the detail of his zipper from his usual attire. His top buttons were left opened too. His clothes reflected his personality, confident and cool.

"Ready to go?" Roxas asked, leaning against the wall adjacent to the door.

"I guess," Sora responded, his voice uneasy. Why was he so nervous? It was only a school dance. Was it because he now realized his only weakness was the girl he wanted to protect? That his growing need for her was its strongest when she was in his arms? That he wanted not only to have her to be his but to also drink her sweet blood till her very last breath to only want more? She was perfection in his eyes, but she could the one only mistake he made. She could be the one to break his fighting will, to make him cause the one thing that satisfied and hurt himself more than it did her. She was the only person who could bring out the true vampire in him.

-----

"My, my, miss Kairi," Demyx commented as Kairi returned to the school's private ballroom where the dance was being held, "you're looking pretty beautiful this evening. Sora's one lucky guy to get you all to himself all evening."

"Uh…thanks," she said, the thin golden bangles around her left wrist jingling together as she walked. The lilac fabric of her dress clung to her body perfectly, moving with it as she moved. The dress was a halter top with a plunging V-neckline embroidered with silver gems along the fabric's edge. The bottom half was of the same fabric, reaching just below her knee with a slit running up her left front side, ending about mid-thigh. Silver heels dressed her feet, straps crossing back and forth over her ankles. "I didn't think that Naminé would pick something so risky."

"Risky…beautiful…dangerous…" Demyx observed, circling around her. "Now I wish I wasn't playing. If I could get the evening just to stare at you..." he moved closer, taking a strand of hair in his hand. "…to take in your beauty…" he moved closer to her neck, "…to drink in your delicious scent…"

Kairi pulled herself away, protecting her neck with her hand. "Demyx-senpai!"

"What do you think you're doing with my girl, Demyx?" Sora called from across the ballroom.

"Sora!" Kairi said, no longer feeling insecure about the dress.

"What?" Riku questioned. "I don't get a welcome too?"

The two boys crossed the ballroom, joining Demyx and Kairi in front of the stage. Kairi giggled when she saw their reaction to her attire. Riku's eyes widened, but when he realized he was staring, he quickly put his eyes back in his head.

"Nice dress," Riku said, coughing so he could cover his red cheeks.

"Thanks," she answered, smiling at her effect on him.

"You look…p-pretty," Sora stuttered, trying to keep his eyes from wondering to a certain area of exposed skin on Kairi's chest.

"Thank you," she replied, blushing as she watched his blue eyes wonder all over her body. "You guys don't look so bad yourselves."

"That's because Naminé dressed Sora," Riku joked.

"All she did was throw me this tie and tell me to wear it," Sora retorted. "I understand now why it's lilac." It was the same exact color of Kairi's dress.

"Where's Roxas?" Demyx asked, inserting himself into the conversation. "Wasn't he supposed to be with you guys?"

"He went to go check on Naminé," Riku answered, hearing the distant mumble of the school as they approached the building. "Looks like everyone else is here."

"I better get the rest of the guys and start playing," Demyx announced, walking to another room. "They did come to hear my melodious talent."

"I've gotta go stand watch," Rik stated, starting to the ballroom entrance. "You two play nice."

"What's that supposed to mean?" Sora called, but Riku only chuckled and waved at them as he walked away for an answer.

"It's sad that he doesn't have a date," Kairi noted, watching one of her closest friends walk away. A part of her wished that she could ask him, but he already had his mind set on keeping watch, on both Demyx and the school girls.

"What about me? I don't got one either," Sora remarked, his signature grin on his face. "Maybe I should join him?"

"Wait!" She grabbed his hand as he started walking away, pulling him toward her. "You know…I've been meaning…" she couldn't look up at his face, focusing her eyes on the tiling on the floor as she held onto his wrist. "You see…earlier I wanted to ask…if…you wanted to…come to the dance with…me?" She braced herself for his answer, fearing the worst and praying for the best.

"I was wonderin' when you were gonna ask me," Sora replied, pulling out the box Riku had given him. He opened it and pulled out the baby pink rose, fitting it t her slender wrist. "If you haven't quite figured it out, that was a yes."

"Finally!" Naminé exclaimed over the low murmur of the slowly growing crowd. "I never thought you were gonna ask him," she added, a bit more subtly.

"Way to embarrass them, Naminé," Roxas told her, hands in his pockets as he looked around the ballroom. "Half of the room's starin' at them now. Besides, you didn't even ask me, so who are you to criticize?"

"Well, Roxas," Naminé answered, taking one hand in hers as she leaned into his chest, "I don't have to ask you, remember?" She laid his hand across her waist, placing his hand on her hip.

"Okay, you're right about that," he agreed, kissing the top of her blonde head. He admired the girl in his arms, complimenting her repeatedly about how she looked. "You look gorgeous tonight."

"Thank you," she giggled, kissing his neck. She chose a rather simple white gown that draped to her ankles. It had a heart-shaped neckline with thin straps to hold the dress up. The material flowed over her body, accentuating her curves. White heels and a simple elegant gold necklace completed her look.

"Good evening!" Demyx shouted into the microphone, playing a chord on his guitar to catch everyone's attention. "Is everyone ready for the rockin' tunes of Melodious Nocturne?!"

There was an array of approvals from the crowd. In the past five minutes, the ballroom became packed and the main lights dimmed, replaced by small colored spotlights.

"Get ready for a night filled with rockin' songs sung by yours truly, Demyx and the Melodious Nocturne!" he replied, playing the first chords of a song as the other band members soon joined in. He was wearing attire more fit for a rock concert than a semi-formal dance. His button-down was black and he wore ripped stone-washed jeans.

"Come on Kairi!" Naminé pulled her friend into the crowd by the wrist. "Let's dance!"

The boys followed after them, making their way through the sea of moving bodies. Naminé dragged them under a red spotlight, deeming it the "perfect dance spot." The four of them danced together, Riku joining them sometime later for a short while.

Demyx did what naturally came to him on the stage. He owned it, gracing it with his presence as he ripped chords on his guitar while singing into the mic with his perfect tenor. After three or four songs, the DJ took his place while Demyx rested his voice. Regardless of the music, the whole room was dancing as long as there was something playing.

Sora couldn't take his eyes away from Kairi the whole night. He watched how her body moved to the music. Her hips shaking in rhythm to the beat, her hands waving about her like they were separate from her whole being, her feet stepping to the music like a professional dancer in the silver strappy heels. But it was how her hair flung about her neck that captivated him most. With every passing song, his will gave in to his fighting nature, but he kept in mind who he really was. It was easier to enjoy the night, enjoy having Kairi watch him, if he wasn't fighting the nature which had become a part of him. Just as long as he restrained himself from satisfying the strong urge to feed his thirst.

After half the night was lost, Demyx returned to the mic, returning from his third break. "I'm gonna slow things down a bit," he announced as he strapped on his guitar, "with a ballad I wrote just recently. Hope you enjoy."

The dancefloor quickly emptied, only couples remaining as they circled each other. Sora and Kairi looked at each other, wondering if they should. He reached out his hand to her, which she accepted with a smile. Placing his hands on her hips as she wrapped her hands around his neck, they swayed around each other slowly. Having her close to him made his will fall from his grasp faster. Making him more vulnerable to his vampire side. But I was when Kairi placed her head on his shoulder, when he was able to fully take in her scent, when she exposed the flesh of her neck to him, that his will collapsed, that his darker side took control.

"I can't resist that tempting kiss I want to place upon your neck…"

Before his body completely gave in, Sora let go of her, pulling her hands off his neck, and rushed out of the room. Kairi, after shaking off the shock, followed after him, moving only as fast as the heels of her feet allowed.

-----

Sora stumbled into an empty room, breathing heavily as he clutched at his chest. His throat was burning from thirst, stronger than it had ever happened before. After that night when he first tasted Kairi's blood, his body craved it, addicted to its taste. It was the only thing he wanted, the only thing his body lusted for. His eyes flashed the color of blood and an unbearable pain struck through his body. He suppressed the scream rising in his burning throat. But the more he fought the hunger, the more his body fought back. Soon, his eyes were fixed to the red color, the pain continuously pulsing throughout his body. It was too much for him to bear and he relented, allowing for his scream to fill the room, to resonate in his ears.

A shadow appeared in the light from the hallway. "Sora," Kairi said, "are you okay?" She saw him slumped against the wall, his hand grabbing at his shirt as he breathed painfully. Walking over to him, she could hear the clicking of her heels compliment the growing pain in his breathing. She knelt beside him, touching his shoulder lightly. "Sora, tell me what's wrong," she told him, keeping her voice steady.

He turned and looked at her, his eyes crimson red.


Continues in the next chapter: Secrets Unfold.

I'd like to wish everyone a Happy Valentine's Day. Sharing love with everyone out there! Oh, and I'll be taking a brief hiatus so I can get a little further on my writing. Don't worry though, I'll be back soon with another chapter.