So here's where, in both the original and this version, things started getting a little more serious. Warning: This isn't exactly the most lighthearted story ever.

Chapter 8: Back To School

Cari's alarm clock beeped loudly and obnoxiously. She groaned and sat up, turning the alarm clock off. She hated waking up in the mornings. Especially early mornings. Not that she hated the morning itself. She loved mornings. She just didn't like having to get up. It didn't seem to make a lot of sense, but it was how she seemed to function. Her friends never understood it, but then she didn't, either.

She stood up and stretched a bit. Yawning, she went over to her dresser and grabbed the clothes she'd set out the night before and got dressed. It was a black t-shirt with lightening bolts she'd gotten from Larxene, and a pair of knee length, slightly worn, blue denim shorts that she didn't wear much.

Grabbing her things, she made her way out to the kitchen. She smelled some coffee and wanted it. It was the first day of school, and unlike break, she needed it to help her wake up. Or she would be quite grumpy, and very likely to fall asleep again. That was the last thing she needed or wanted right now.

A lot of people had seen that, and didn't always know what was going until a little too late. That time usually came when she snapped at them. Either that or she actually fell asleep during class or before the bell, making her late. At which point, no one who got involved was happy and she would risk a detention if she caught the wrong teacher. Contrary to popular belief, she wasn't teacher's pet.

She got to the kitchen and went to pour herself a cup of coffee. "Morning, Dad," she said, now sitting down at the table.

"Morning," said Vexen. He sat at the other side, reading the paper. He put the paper down. "More blood found in the forest. A deer was found dead and drained of blood. Know anything about it?"

Cari frowned. "I don't," she said. "I didn't go hunting last night. So that wasn't me. Whoever it was, though, was careless. It could have been the one who attacked me, or it could have been someone else."

"Well, whoever it was, they've created a potential problem," said Vexen. "You'd better be careful you don't slip. God only knows what could happen if word got out."

Cari sighed and sipped on her coffee some more. "I know," she said. She didn't need to be told twice. She knew if someone found out, the consequences could be dire. "If I'm not careful, it could cause a potential war. And quite frankly, I don't think anyone wants that." Most definitely not for what could be the hundredth time in all of written history.

"I'm glad you understand the situation," said Vexen. "Just act normal, and don't draw too much attention to yourself."

Cari couldn't help but smile and roll her eyes. "I know," she said. "Act like I'm still human. Seriously, it doesn't take a genius to know that. You'd have to be completely brain dead first." She gave a small, confident chuckle. "And while people can be idiots, I should think they're at least concerned with keeping any secrets they may have."

Vexen raised an eyebrow. "You seem incredibly confident," he said. "I hope your new abilities haven't gone to your head."

Cari tilted her head musingly and gave a slight smirk. "They haven't," she said. "Mom would probably scold me if they had."

Vexen sighed. "Just be careful," he said.


Smiling, Cari entered the school to find an arm around her shoulder that belonged to a pink haired boy. "Morning, Cari," he said, smiling calmly.

Cari rolled her eyes and gently pushed his arm off her. "Yeah, morning Marluxia," she said. "Looks like you missed me."

Marluxia laughed a bit. "We all did," he said. "Why did you just call most of us?"

Cari shrugged. "I just wanted some time more or less alone," she said. "I didn't have much of that at camp. So I mostly just stayed home."

"Ok," said Marluxia. He sighed. "Hey, I heard there's a new girl in town."

Cari frowned and raised her eyebrow. This could have something to do with last night. "Really?" she asked. "That's interesting. Do you know anything about her? What she looks like or a name?"

Marluxia shook his head. "No, sorry," he said. "I just heard she was new."

Cari sighed and smiled again. "Ok," she said. "No problem. We'll probably meet her later. Because something's bound to happen. Knowing how all the crazy shit's attracted to us." She turned and walked towards the cafeteria. "Now let's go. I bet everyone's waiting for us."

"Yeah, probably," Marluxia said, following Cari.

Cari and Marluxia made their way to the cafeteria. It was rather crowded right now. Though, she wasn't surprised. It was always that way. Even when it wasn't the first day of school. All the same, though, it tended to make things difficult when looking for someone—or even a group of people. So it took a couple of minutes to look around and find their other friends, and Zexion and Xigbar, all sitting around their usual table. Of course, someone was missing.

"Hey guys," said Cari. Everyone looked over at her. "Where's Demyx?" For that matter, where was Yuki?

They all shrugged. "Don't know," the spiky-haired blond boy said. "We were hoping you'd tell us when you got here. Yuki called to say she'd be late and had told Demyx to come on ahead."

Cari shrugged. "Hope he gets here soon, then," she said. "I haven't seen him in over two months."

"Yeah, just like you haven't seen most of us in over two months," said the black-haired girl.

Cari sighed. "Hey, that's what I get for letting myself get caught sneaking out, Xion," she said. "And after getting back from camp, I didn't want to see everyone all at once."

Xion laughed. "Well, I guess I don't blame you, then," she said. "It sounded like you became quite popular."

Cari frowned. "Yeah, well, I don't like being the center of attention," she said. "It makes me uncomfortable."

"Because you're a little shy," Zexion said, having snuck up behind Cari and hugged her.

Cari blushed and looked up at Zexion. She smiled sweetly. "And a little too easily embarrassed," she laughed. Zexion leaned down kissed her, making her blush even more. "Zexy, we're in public. Everyone saw that."

Zexion smirked. "Why do you think I did it?" he said. "You're mine. I want people to know that."

The magenta-haired girl giggled. "Aw, now isn't that just adorable?" she gushed.

"K-Kairi!" Cari whined, blushing even more.

Kairi laughed. "Well, it is cute," she said. "You two are just so right for each other."

"I'm glad you two are finally together," said Marluxia. "You wouldn't believe how much Cari kept talking about you, Zexion."

Zexion blushed a little and looked back down at Cari. "How much do you talk about me when I'm not around," he asked.

Cari pouted. "Marluxia, that was so not called for," she said. "You're so going to get it one of these days." She looked back up at Zexion and smiled sheepishly. "A lot. Hey, I've liked you since I was in the fifth grade."

Xigbar watched as everyone continued to tease Cari and Zexion. He wanted to join in, himself. But he was watching Cari's expressions and gestures. She seemed different today. She was still herself, but she acted a bit different than before. The signs were few and very subtle, but they were still there. She had only seemed a bit surprised when Zexion hugged her. And her expressions were slightly different from normal. She definitely seemed more confident.

And she also had a surreal aura. Something not human. She was different. She had definitely changed since the day they spent with their friends at the beach. She'd definitely become paler. You could just tell when she blushed. There was an even more distinguishable difference in her skin tone. You would think that going to a summer camp, she'd be a bit more tanned. And she looked even more graceful and beautiful. Something like a model.

There was only one explanation he could think of. She must have been turned into a vampire. While it seemed absurd, it made sense, too. And so that camp must not have been wholly punishment for her trying to sneak out for a midnight walk.

In fact, it was highly doubtful that she did get caught trying to sneak out. It wasn't like her to let that happen. She was undeniably sneaky. And a pretty decent liar as well. Not to mention it would explain the article in the paper the very next day. As well as how they hadn't even solved the case yet. No one was missing because the girl who was attacked was standing right before them all getting embarrassed.

Cari looked at Xigbar. He wasn't saying anything at all. And that was quite unusual for him. He always had something to say, regardless of what might be going on. But he was just watching them this time. No—he was just watching her. It was like she was some sort of lab specimen. And it made her slightly uneasy.

And in truth, he now seemed different. Not different like her, but still, different—like he wasn't purely human. He definitely didn't smell it. He was different from everyone else in the group. And that he was watching her must have meant that he knew she'd changed.

The moment she realized why he was watching her, she nearly showed her shock. She recognized that scent. She'd learned about it at camp and even met one briefly for a lesson. It was the scent of a Hunter.

This was going to make things interesting, if not outright disastrous. One of her friends was a Hunter. And that meant he was sure to keep a close watch on her. And would potentially making her life more complicated than it already was. After all, he was Zexion's best friend. There was no telling what would happen now.

"Hey, Cari," said Xion. "Are you ok?

Cari looked at Xion and blinked as innocently as she could. "Oh, sorry," she said. "I kind of spaced out for a minute. Sorry." She frowned and quickly glanced down into the hall.

"Is something wrong?" asked Zexion.

Cari looked back up at Zexion and blushed. "I just thought I saw something," she said. She wiggled out of Zexion's arms. "But it was nothing. Now, if you'll excuse me, nature's calling and I have to go."

She hurried out of the cafeteria and down the hall where the bathrooms were before anyone could stop her. This was important. She didn't really have to go to the bathroom for any normal purposes, but she needed to see something. She had smelled blood and felt she needed to know what happened. Something just felt completely wrong, like some kind of force was at work.

Quickly, she glanced around, looking for any signs of something happening. She slowed down when she came to the spot where the smell of blood was the strongest. Unfortunately, it also just so happened to be the boy's bathroom. Well, she had mentioned going to the bathroom, regardless of it having been a lie at the time.

Cari stopped and stared at the door nervously. She had never once been in there. And she never thought she'd have to. At least there was no one around to see it right now. There was no telling what would happen in the bathroom, itself. Or after she got out, for that matter.

Taking a nervous gulp, she pushed the door open a crack. She didn't want to end up seeing some random guy cleaning up. But once she was sure no one was doing anything, she went in to investigate. But looking around, she saw, of all the people it could have been, Demyx leaning up against a wall. He was clutching his neck—the source of the blood—and looked like he was in a lot of pain. His eyelids were closed tightly, tears streaming down his face, and he was gasping. That wasn't a good sign.

Cari froze. The smell was quite tempting, but he was also hurt. And after carefully analyzing the situation, she knew he couldn't lose any more blood. He wasn't in as bad a shape she'd been in. Her neck had been torn up horribly and was bleeding more. It had been a wonder she was still holding out. But he was still in pretty bad shape, none the less.

She slowly walked over to him and knelt down. She was afraid to say something, but she knew she couldn't let things go like this. Or else she didn't know what would happen. "Demyx, what happened?" she asked softly. She already knew, but had to ask anyway.

Demyx slowly opened his eyes to find Cari kneeling right in front of him. She looked very worried. He blinked and blushed when he realized he was still in the bathroom. "C-Cari?" he asked, surprised. "What are you doing in here?"

Cari glanced away for a very brief second. "It's because I got worried about you not being in the cafeteria with everyone else," she lied. "Now what happened here?"

She reached over and gently took Demyx's hand from his neck and frowned. It was covered in blood. And his neck was still bleeding. She let go and he put his hand back on his neck to cover the wound. Someone had indeed bitten him. But had been foolish enough not to heal him. Either that, or it may not have been their strong suit, and were hoping someone else would come and take care of him. Reckless, but nothing could be done now.

Demyx winced at the pain when his hand touched his neck again. "Something bit me," he said.

"I can see that now," said Cari. Her expression became serious. "Tell me exactly what happened."

"I was just going to the bathroom," said Demyx. "And when I was washing my hands. And then something just grabbed me and bit into my neck. It went too fast and I really couldn't tell what was happening. The next thing I knew, the thing was gone and I stumbled back and fell against this wall."

Cari's expression fell. She was going to have to help him, she knew that. She wouldn't forgive herself if she didn't. But she didn't want to completely blow the secret that vampires, among other things, existed. She couldn't take him out of the bathroom as he was. She'd have to heal him herself. She would have to make sure no one else found out, hopefully including Xigbar.

"Cari, that was scary," said Demyx. "That was the scariest thing in my entire life. Will you… help me to the nurse's office?"

Cari sadly shook her head. "I can't," she said. Demyx opened his mouth to protest, but Cari silenced him. "Not like you are right now." She put her hand over his that he held over his neck. "If you'll believe me, I'll tell you why."

Demyx was shaken to his core. He had no clue what was going on. But he knew he could always trust Cari. He had to right now, and there was no reason why he shouldn't. "Y-yes," he said. "Please, tell me."

Cari drew in a deep breath. "Demyx, you were attacked by a vampire," she said. "You will not die, I promise. I won't let you. But you can't leave the bathroom with that wound on your neck. And most certainly not with all that blood."

Demyx stared at her blankly. He was almost too shocked for words. Cari just told him vampires existed, and so solemnly, if sadly, to boot. He almost couldn't believe it—but who would under normal circumstances? Granted that these weren't normal circumstances, so was there any other explanation? There were holes in his neck and he was bleeding. And he quickly realized why Cari wouldn't take him to the school nurse. People didn't think vampires were real.

"What… are you going to do?" he asked. "And how do you know… if vampires really exist?"

Cari froze for a split second, and quickly glanced away and back at Demyx again. "First your neck needs to be healed," she said. She paused. "And… I know because I… Demyx, I am one." She watched as his eyes grew wider in alarm, and then relaxed a bit. He still looked worried, but he was calmer. "I'll explain later, I promise. But only if you swear not to tell a soul."

Demyx nodded slowly. It was quite a bit to take in, but he knew she was telling the truth. "I won't tell," he said. "And that's a promise. How do you intend to heal my neck, then?"

Cari moved his hand and placed her own over the wound. "Basic healing magic," she said. "That's the extent of actual magic we can use."

She focused on sealing the wound, and when she moved her hand, his neck was fine. It took some willpower, but she managed not too lick the bit of blood that was on her hand. It would probably send him running if she had. And that was the absolute last thing she needed. The only thing that would cause was a war in the end.

Demyx's eyes widened again and he gasped as he felt his neck. The wound was completely gone, though it still hurt. "Wow," he said.

Cari sighed. "You'll be lightheaded still, so don't strain yourself too much," she said. "Now we need to get the blood cleaned up. There's quite a bit on your shirt. It's not completely dry yet, so getting it out shouldn't be too difficult. Take it off and clean up yourself."

Demyx blushed. "T-take my shirt off?" he stuttered.

Cari frowned. "How else do you expect to get it clean?" she asked. "Now do it before the blood does completely dry."

Demyx did as he was told and took his shirt off and handed it to Cari. "Here," he said, blushing again.

Cari took the shirt and stood up, also blushing a bit. She offered him her clean hand and helped him up. "Also going to have to take care of the blood on the floor," she said. She helped Demyx steady himself and they each went over to one sink.

Cari sighed impatiently. This was going to be a long day. She just prayed no one would come in while they were still cleaning up. She looked at the clock on the wall. Luckily, they still had about ten minutes until the bell rang. That should be plenty of time to get the blood cleaned up. At least, if nothing else happened during that time.

"So… how are we going to get my shirt dry?" Demyx asked, barely even glancing at Cari. He had to admit to himself—he was more frightened of her now that he knew she was a vampire.

"You'll see when I do it," said Cari. "I swear, when I find who did this, they are so going to regret—"

"Well, well, well, what do we have here?" someone cockily said from right by the door.

Cari and Demyx froze. She cursed her luck under her breath. It seemed to like running on the bad side of many situations. Now she had a Hunter to deal with. And she didn't even know if he was going to be of any help with the whole situation. Either way, this wasn't good. Xigbar was likely to cause some delay and possibly even make them late for homeroom.

"I was wondering what you were doing, Cari," said Xigbar. "Turns out you came here. I wonder… What are you up to? I know it can't be anything normal. Otherwise Demyx, here, wouldn't have blood on his neck."

"What's… going on?" Demyx asked.

Cari put the shirt back down in the sink and started scrubbing again. "Xigbar, I'm pretty sure you were listening to the last thing I said," she said. "So I'd appreciate it if you didn't make any assumptions. And Demyx…just finish cleaning up."

"Ok," Demyx said, going back to cleaning the blood away. He wasn't about to argue right now. Because he didn't know what might happen if he did.

Xigbar stared at Cari blankly, then smirked. "I just want to know what happened," he said.

"Well, I'm pretty sure you can guess," said Cari. "Seeing as how you're a Hunter and all. Demyx was attacked by a vampire. I don't know who it was, but I can assure you, I'm going to find out. So don't think for a damn second that it was me. I'm the one who healed him."

"So you noticed," said Xigbar. He paused to watch her as she worked on cleaning up the shirt. She looked tense. "Are you afraid?"

"A bit, yes," Cari admitted. Of course she was. He was a Hunter—and not all of them had the same views. This was especially hard considering what kind of relationship they had. She looked up at him, so that he could see her scowl. "But since you haven't killed me yet, I feel fairly certain you're one of the more understanding Hunters. Now, if you don't mind, I want to finish cleaning Demyx's shirt. If you'd like to make yourself useful, then clean up the mess on the floor. We can't have anyone finding out what happened, can we?" She didn't mean to sound bossy, but she wanted to get the bathroom cleaned up while no one else was there.

"You know, you never cease to amaze me," Xigbar said, grabbing some paper towels and wetting some of them. He got down and started to clean up the blood on the floor. He might as well help now that he was there—it was a part of the job description. "You're going to have to tell me what really happened later. You know that right?"

Cari shrugged and pulled the shirt back out of the sink and looked at it. She smiled. "Yeah, I pretty much figured," she said. "And the shirt's clean." She looked over at Demyx, who had finished cleaning his neck and was now going to grab some paper towels himself. She frowned. "Demyx, don't bother wasting the paper towels. I'll take care of it."

Demyx looked back at Cari. "What do you mean?" he asked. "How are you going to dry everything?"

Cari sighed and smiled. She looked at Xigbar, who was now getting up. "Floor clean?" she asked.

Xigbar sighed. "Yeah," he said. "And for the record, I didn't clean it because you told me to. I cleaned it because it's part of the job."

"Yeah, ok," said Cari.

Demyx frowned. "You both need to explain what's really going on to me," he said. "Because I'm really confused."

Cari rolled her eyes. "As will be Yuki," she said. She sighed. "And before you even say anything, Demyx, yes, she knows. I'll explain later." She smirked. "At least It's kind of warm and stuffy in here. Makes things much better. You'll see what I mean in a second. You might feel a chill, though."

She tossed the shirt in the air and created a breeze in the bathroom. Wrapping it particularly around Demyx, who gasped in awe, and his shirt, she dried the water away. She found that creating a light wind really helped drying off. It had been particularly useful when she ended up soaked and nowhere near a towel.

Demyx gasped again as he caught his dry shirt and put it back on. It was as dry as when he'd left his house. "How'd you do that?" he asked.

Xigbar smirked. "Control of the air, if my guess is right?" he asked. "That's a rarity."

Cari blushed a little. "Yeah," she said. She looked at Demyx, who's expression was amazed. "Each vampire has a special ability. I have control over one of the four classical elements, air."

Demyx whistled. "That's cool," he said.

"And it also shows a lot of potential," said Xigbar. He looked up at the clock. "We'd better scoot if we don't want to be late."

Cari looked up at the clock as well. "Oh, yeah. Definitely," she said, blushing a bit. "If I get caught in here, I'll be in big trouble."

To Be Continued