Ch. 6: Reminiscence

Sora, Quistis and Kairi stood by the still-open window, shocked into silence and unable to move from the places where they stood. Sora felt as if a piece of his heart had been torn to shreds as he saw what remained of his vow carried away by their deadliest nemesis. He failed… he failed. Not once, but three times had he let the vampires have their way. Once with Donald and Goofy, once with Squall…

None of them had had the chance to tell Squall about their lost members, and why a mere summoner had gone from their strongest member to one a lost member in less than a few months. She had met them on the streets of Esthar as they had guided the rest of the civilians into the Infirmary, watching as she protected them with spells and reduced the vampires to dust with repeated beams of pure white light, causing the undead to writhe in pain and scream in agony before succumbing to a spell she called 'Holy'. She had smiled at them that day as they ran to get the survivors to their new home.

"What are you doing out in the streets? Only the Knights can fight these vampires. Better get inside." She said, her voice soft and comforting, and yet carrying with her words a sense of sympathy and strength as she saw their situation. Her eyes locked with the Keyblade master's, with one eye dark blue and the emerald green from her mixed heritage. Her hair was a dark brown, reaching almost to her shoulders, and wore a summoner's robe with a white top, outfitted with orchid colored sleeves, a yellow sash with flowers around her waist, and a bottom created with marvelous violet fabric. She held in her hand a rather exquisite rod, with the red and orange extensions at the end looking like fiery wings. Sora looked a bit embarrassed before filling her in as Quistis and Riku shut the doors. Riku was one of the other members of the Knights that Squall had never seen, along with a few others. He made sure to lock the doors before letting Quistis approach this new stranger.

"Uh… we are the Knights, miss." Sora said, a bit bashful as the summoner giggled at his embarrassment. Quistis arched an eyebrow as she walked up to Sora, knowing that he must have embarrassed himself in one way or another to be wearing that foolish grin. Her gaze turned to the newcomer, and she smiled warmly in welcome.

"It's a surprise to see someone of such power against the undead. Are you a Knight, miss?" Quistis asked, her voice curious and full of respect simultaneously. She did not want to pry, but at the same time, curiosity seemed to fuel her to ask at least a few impersonal questions.

"Oh… my name is Yuna. I am but a summoner." She bowed deeply to the rest of them, causing a few 'No, you don't need to do that's and a few 'Nice to meet you's. A smile crossed her face as she said, "Well, it's good to know that the Knights aren't the cold, confident brutes everyone says they are." She paused before quickly saying, "I'm sorry… I meant no offense."

"None taken." Kairi smiled at Yuna, holding out her hand to shake. "I'm Kairi. That's Quistis and Sora." She said after taking Yuna's hand, pointing to each member in turn. They barely even noticed as something swooped down before them, grabbing a hold of Yuna by her slim shoulders. Though shocked, she didn't utter a sound as she quickly twirled around in their grasp, dislodging the person's hands and was soon holding her staff at the perpetrator's neck. The vampire held up his hands in surrender as he saw her different colored eyes seemingly staring straight through him, her eyes cold and merciless in appearance as her eyes met with his.

"Hey, hey, hey! I'm sorry, okay?" He smiled his fangy grin as he ran his hand through his tussled, dirty blond hair. His blue eyes seemed to not ask for mercy, but appeared rather entertained at the girl's reaction to a simple grab. Never had be been shaken from his prey, and from a girl, no less. His yellow shirt had white sleeves and collar, the material ending at his abdomen and revealing his chest. Belt straps were over the shirt but under the white collar, the straps reaching down to form overalls that also served as pants. His black belt separated his finely toned abdomen from his legs, with one of the pant legs longer than the other. Around his neck he wore a charm on a silver chain, with three separate prongs coming together to form a vague 'y' shape on his chest. Yuna kept her staff at his neck, but seemed hesitant about doing so.

"…" She didn't say a word. She felt… something from this man. Just what was it? He was a blood-sucking demon, and needed to be annihilated for the sake of the innocent civilians. So why couldn't she bring herself to cast Holy, as she had done to countless others?

"…does this mean I'm free to go?" He joked, seeing a temporary lapse in her formerly murderous glare. He was a bit taken aback by her appearance… he wasn't expecting to meet, let alone be deflected by such a beautiful looking woman. She seemed to be much more merciful than he expected, though if he had been killed by her, it would not all have been for naught… for he would have died gazing at an angel.

"..." Yuna's staff swiftly left his neck as the three behind her gasped in shock, grabbing their stakes in preparation to complete a kill that she could not make. As she saw them approach, she threw herself between them and their intended target.

"Go!" She yelled, pushing him away from her and into the air as he smiled down back at her from his viewpoint in the sky. A grateful look, one rarely seen on the likes of the undead, was on his face as his eyes met hers. It was like a small glimpse of happiness for the summoner, her heart almost skipping a beat as he left her.

"Thanks, I'll never forget it!" He turned from her and continued to fly off. Though his face was still smiling, inwardly he felt something inside of him begging him to go back. He couldn't understand the tugging feeling he felt in his chest, the strange foreign feeling of warmth spreading through his chest. As his hand swiftly flew there, he felt nothing but his cold, dead flesh.

Goodbye… Yuna thought as the others confronted her, rage and confusion spelled across their faces as she found them staring at her. Her face revealed an expression full of sorrow and apology, as well as a brief look of regret.

"What was that all about! We just saw you toast at least a dozen back with there… and you still let him go. Why, Yuna?" Sora asked her, his eyes pleading with those of the summoner for answers that even she could not give. Why had she been so merciful towards him, when she had not been for others?

"I…I do not know. I am sorry…" Yuna said softly. She was unable to meet their accusing, yet sympathetic gazes towards her as she turned her head. She suddenly felt unworthy of being in their presence, as if she never belonged and never would, now that she had done such. She had allowed one to live when she had his life in her hands.

"Don't feel too bad…" Kairi said, sympathy leaking into her tone as she stepped closer to her. She could relate; she'd let a few go, though those were on accident, not a deliberate release. Her gaze turned to Quistis and Sora, pleading for mercy on the girl's behalf. The look on Yuna's face showed pain, disgrace, and sorrow; expressions that Kairi never wanted to see on anyone's face.

"What's done is done." Quistis said, sighing. "It's a bit much to ask after what Sora said to you…" She said, shooting a toxic glare towards the brunette boy, "…but I would like to try, anyways. Would you, Yuna, like to join us as one of the Knights?"

"M…me? Even after…?" Yuna stuttered, a bit taken aback. It was what she had come here for in the first place, to rid the city of the evil that plagued it, but never considered them to be so forgiving towards her initial transgression. So much for first impressions, on her part. She smiled softly and said, "Thank you; I'd love to."

"Well, then it's settled!" Sora said, his head now leaning back against his arms as he stood, stretching while still standing. He smiled at Yuna. "I'm sorry about that… I just… oh, never mind." He sighed, hanging his head and arms down a bit before looking up again, his traditional silly grin spreading across his face.

"It's okay." Yuna smiled, her eyes closing as she giggled softly against her hand. Her eyes opened as she briefly nodded before following she followed them to their main home, the small, one room complex across the street from the Infirmary.

It was there that she had spent several months, eliminating countless legions of the vampires that infested the city like termites in rotten wood. And yet, Sora, Kairi, and Quistis had not seen that mysterious vampire that had been uncharacteristically shown mercy.

Little did they know that they had met each other many times behind the Knights' backs.

Yuna was in charge of getting supplies and food for the civilians; a task far more difficult than it sounded and not to have its complexity and danger underestimated. She had met the mysterious being many times, who always had the food she needed in tow. She had walked with him all the way back, with him leaving only to prevent from being seen. They carried on pleasant conversations, from blitzball, which he was surprisingly knowledgeable at, to pets, moogles, and Pinnochio, which they both got a good chuckle out of. Talking about the weirdest things seemed to inspire humor, even to one who no longer lived.

However, she was taken aback one day; as she met the man, he directed her to a dark alleyway rather than take her straight back. Slightly nervous, she trembled slightly… though she felt comfortable around him, there was a certain fear involved; he was taking her somewhere they'd never been before. Softly, he pushed her shoulders against the cold, concrete wall, almost flinching as she whimpered softly against the temperature difference of the hard material. His face went close to hers and he asked…

"Yuna… I must know. Do you… do you love me?" He had felt the feelings emanate from her before like waves of light, swarming around him, wrapping around him before leaving as fleetingly as they arrived. His eyes were pleading with her, for he felt the same way towards the one who stood before him. He knew his methods weren't exactly elegant, but had never had the chance to experiment with anything else before, and therefore had no idea as to how to go about it.

"…Yes. I do." Her eyes filled with tears of joy as she saw the relieved smile that appeared on his face as he drew her close, hugging her tight against his cold flesh and feeling her warmth against him. His hand reached towards her, using his thumb to wipe away the crystal tears that fell down her cheek. She closed her eyes and began to whisper towards him.

"But…" She said, feeling that he was pushing her away slightly, only to bring her back with his hands on her shoulders rather than around her back.

"I don't…" She whispered, gasping slightly as his cold fingers briefly touched the sides of her neck.

"Even know…" She gasped, feeling the coldness of the digits stay there, slowly caressing her warm neck, feeling the pulse beneath rattle the pads of his fingertips as he continued to do so.

"Your name." At that, she felt the hands cease their movements. As she opened her eyes, she once again saw his.

"Would you be willing to spend… eternity with me, Yuna?" He asked, his hands moving across her neck once more while awaiting her answer.

"…Yes." She said, after only a brief second of thought. He drew his face close to hers, smiling softly as he shivered against the cold hands that touched her cheeks. His lips fleetingly met hers, brushing against them briefly with hesitance. As she felt this, it was she who initiated the kiss, pulling his head close to hers with her hands behind his back. She felt his cold lips and tongue against her own… a new feeling, to be sure. Without warning, he pulled away, hearing her whimper in remorse as his lips left hers and darted downward, with his cold face soon nestled at her neck. The feeling of his breath hitting her flesh sent shivers down her spine as she felt the cold, strong hands hold her neck gently but securely in place.

"My name is Tidus, Yuna… and I'll always love you. Remember that." With that, she felt a searing pain as the fangs drove into the thin and fragile flesh of her neck, gasping in pain as her eyes grew wide in shock. Soon, she closed them, feeling only slightly more at ease after the initial puncturing; the pain was still there, but the shock had worn off. She relaxed her body in his grasp and stopped clenching the back of his shirt as she got used to the new sensations, feeling his head crane forward slightly to meet her slightly falling neck. She felt the blood leaving her, felt the suction from his mouth as it left, and his cold tongue lapping up the last bits that leaked from her wounds. As she lost consciousness, only one thought ran through her mind.

True love only comes once, and blinds the mind's judgment when it arrives… Have I done the right thing in choosing eternal, forbidden love?

It was the following night that Yuna ambushed the group, having been invited in by the rest of the Knights into their home, as they had always done. If it had not been for Kairi and her cross, and Sora noticing the two red piercings now adorning her neck, then they would have lost more than one Knight to the undead. As she left, a sense of lamentation stayed behind as the two vampiric lovers leapt from the roof of a nearby building, hand in hand as they vowed to spend all eternity in each other's arms. The Knights could only look on, never fully understanding the underlying meaning of the whistle that pierced through the silence of the night.