Ch. 7: Blood Bonds

"Damn it." Squall leaned his head back against the wooden wall, listening to the noises he heard outside. He could tell there were at least three people by the sounds of boots, and one dog that he knew was Angelo. The door began to creak, causing Squall to look up in surprise and move quickly away from the wall as the piece of wood was moved aside, revealing the same vampiress he had met earlier that day. One green eye peeked out at him from the side of the door frame, moving away slightly to reveal her other blue one.

"You're… you're a Knight, aren't you?" She asked, as if forgetting that she had gone for his throat only mere hours ago. Her face was downcast, as if apologetic. "My apologies… I had no idea… just a hunch, really… until Rinoa told us. Even then, we had quite a bit to discover, ourselves." She smiled a bit, looking at Squall with her telltale teeth showing through.

"No need to be sorry." He muttered bitterly, turning away from the woman's strange and bicolored gaze.

"…I think there is. I used to be a Knight, myself." This brought Squall's head up, looking at the summoner with confusion as she continued to look sullen. Suddenly, as if she just remembered, Yuna said, "Oh! And Rinoa's waiting out for you in the main room… you'd best hurry." She swiftly left, not giving him time to react or ask questions as she swept out of the room.

"…" He knew he had no choice in the matter this time, making sure to take his Gunblade with him as he cautiously left the room. He was greeted by several faces, some of which he recognized. Angelo continued to lie in her bed, turning to almost smile with her canine face as he approached, her pink tongue lolling out slightly as she lay in her whicker basket, snuggling in her soft pink blankets. Yuna was standing by the room he was once in, closing the door softly as he exited while the SeeD's back was turned. The few new faces that he saw came in two forms; one male, and the other female.

The first was a man with brilliant blonde hair, sticking out this way and that in haphazard spikes that continued to seemingly reach out from his skull. His blue eyes seemed to glow a slight green, like the color of sifted through leaves. He held a rather tall figure, but was not overly muscular or intimidating as he leaned against one of the walls. His crimson sash ran across his face, masking his nose and mouth as the tattered, blood-red cape lay out behind him. His black outfit adorned his skin, with his brown leather boots and golden clawed gauntlet finishing his dark and bloody appearance.

The second was a woman with long, brown, silky hair that ran down easily to her waist, with only the end tied with a crimson rubber band. Her white sleeveless shirt covered her chest and the upper part of her abdomen, with brown leather straps and silver clips holding the outfit together with her short pants, which barely covered her upper thighs. Her brown eyes gazed with an almost entertained look at Squall, who, uneasy with the expression, proceeded to ignore it to the best of his ability.

The last figure in the room was a face he could not see, her back turned away from him as she gazed out the barred window nearby. The panes revealed the countless stars in the night sky, sparkling like diamonds against the dark curtains of the night. Rinoa slowly turned around, her raven hair sweeping behind as she smiled at Squall… for once, with slight, almost alien warmth. She did not hesitate to walk up to the man, who likewise did not hesitate to step back.

"Why do you run? Why do you fear? There are so many things I don't know, Squall… and so many things that you do not, either." This caused the teenage mercenary to stop, and ponder her words while his eyes quickly scanned the room. He had not noticed before that his exits were blocked; the bars over the windows were made of pure steel and diamonds' dust, and could not be bent or shot through with the likes of the Gunblade. Yuna stood before the door he had once exited from, and Cloud blocked the front door that led out of the small enclosure. Tifa stood behind Squall, slowly approaching him. He barely heard her breathing and soft steps behind him before her muscular right arm clasped around his neck, with her left bracing against her right arm to keep her grip steady. She felt the muscles of his neck and shoulders tense in surprise before feeling them ripple beneath her flesh as he struggled to escape from her steel grip.

"His pulse… so fast and so strong, Rinoa. He fears us… but is angered by our actions, as well." Tifa mused, watching as the SeeD, despite his strength, could not break free of the cold hands of death. Taking a different approach, he grabbed the gunblade from his waist before simply thrusting it out behind him, feeling the girl flinch in pain, but not cry out, as he felt calf and leg muscles tore apart before the steel. Her leg buckled slightly, but the torn and shredded muscles did not bleed as she tried her best to support both his and her weight upon her wounds. He knew the lapse in strength wouldn't last, twisting free briefly before having another set of hands to contend with. Cloud had him by the wrists before he could react, forcing him to drop his weapon by harshly twisting his wrist, raising the mercenary's arm until his knuckles touched his skull. Cloud's other arm held Squall's against his side before pulling it back, momentarily dislocating his shoulder. Squall grunted in pain, and fell forward slightly as his knees buckled, but gave no other hints towards his discomfort as Yuna quickly healed Tifa's wounds. Squall sat there, watching as the strange-colored muscle and flesh seemed to knit themselves together, braiding unused blood vessels in networks of capillaries as they snaked through the sinewy muscle tissue. Afterwards, the flesh seemed to reach over, covering the open flesh like a tent before seamlessly reuniting itself with the other side. Cloud had his foot on Squall's ankles to prevent further let movement as Rinoa approached. As soon as she arrived, Cloud had jerked him back to a standing position by releasing his large, leather boots from the SeeD's leg and using the man's arms to haul him upright.

"Don't struggle so." Rinoa cooed as she approached the still-struggling brunette. "It won't hurt… much." As her face leaned over to stare face-to-face with Squall Leonhart, she was surprised to see that there was no fear in his eyes… rather, a sense of anger and hate that didn't appeared to be targeted at any particular individual. She leaned just a bit closer, her fangs revealed through her smiling expression as she moved forward. Though her lips brushed against his, it was a fleeting touch that resulted in Squall moving his head to the side, moving away from the attempted kiss.

"Hold him." Rinoa spoke. As Squall stared at her pale face, he wasn't sure whether it was a look of amusement or disappointment that played across her lips. Cloud strengthened his grip, holding Squall's right arm up against his back as high as possible without injuring him to keep him steady. Squall gritted his teeth against the straining muscles as his shoulder muscle was pulled taught against the other swordsman's grasp, unwittingly raising his head and revealing his neck to the vampire before him. Another smile crossed her face, one that he couldn't see that was filled with a sense of fulfillment, of triumph.

Squall felt the flash of cold flesh against his neck, along with the sharp nails that accompanied her dead digits. He felt the quick caresses as she ran her nails across his flesh, opening small cuts as they trailed across his neck that leaked small drops of his ruby-red blood. He felt her lips upon his neck, but could do nothing as she drove her sharp fangs into his skin. His mouth flew open in a silent scream of pain as the fiery sensation flew through his body, almost paralyzing him with the lightning that coursed through his veins. He felt as if the wounds were on fire… the fangs felt like foot-long needles had been inserted into his flesh, and were like daggers to his protesting nerves. Rinoa felt the warm, salty blood strike her teeth and gums, relishing the taste as it splashed against her tongue. The crimson liquid flowed freely as she continued to drink, carefully monitoring the amount she consumed as she let her tongue slide over the two new punctures in his neck, feeling the dip in his flesh before lightly sucking on the wounds, letting more blood leak through. After a short while, she felt him stop struggling, seemingly relaxing against Cloud's grip.

She stopped, moving from her feeding ground to look at the SeeD. He had not gone unconscious, but rather had stopped, knowing it was useless to continue struggling against an inevitable conclusion; he had given up all remaining hope of possible humanity. He knew his new fate, his inevitable existence as he saw Rinoa return to her former place. A few more seconds passed before his vision hazed, becoming blurred and details becoming incoherent as he began to lose consciousness. Everything went black in his eyes as he slumped forward, with only Cloud's hold keeping him upright. The vampiress reached up to wipe the blood from her lips, and then reconsidered as she ran her tongue over the remainder of the liquid instead.

Concerned, Yuna scooped up the warrior as Cloud released him, the older man clearly not caring what happened to him in the immediate future. His breathing was steady, and his heartbeat steady but faint against her ears as she held her head to his chest. She sighed with relief as she heard this, looking up towards Rinoa, who was now back to gazing at the night sky, nonchalantly, as if nothing had happened, as if she had never fed.

"Don't you think you…" Yuna began.

"No. I didn't take too much, Yuna. What use is he to me if he's sucked dry?" Rinoa finished for the summoner. She did not turn from her spot at the window, still staring emotionlessly into the seemingly endless sky. She eventually turned, though, speaking to the other girl who stood in the room, her leg completely healed as she walked towards Rinoa.

"Take him to his room, Tifa. He needs rest. Bar the doors… it's going to be a rough night for all of us." Tifa nodded at Rinoa's words, hauling the unconscious body of Squall back to the room that he had formerly inhabited, gently placing him onto the bed and covering him with a sheet. She made sure to bar the windows, though she knew it was in vain, and locked the doors, making sure to padlock them from the other side. She looked back into the room, as if taking in for the last time the sight of this man still alive and breathing.

She exited the small enclosure, placing the final lock in place as she turned around to meet the gaze of the others. Her eyes scanned each before she sighed, muttering a soft, "It is done." The deed done, she walked to her roost, tossing off her boots and flipping upside down into the rafters, where her claw-like toenails gripped the wooden beams. She knew she wasn't going to be able to sleep well, but figured that at least an attempt was in order. Finally bringing out her wings, she wrapped herself in the brown, leathery skin and tried in vain to cradle herself to sleep.

Angelo whined from her basket, lowering her head onto the small pillow that she had been provided. She never liked seeing the siring of others, and this was no exception. Most involved bloodcurdling screams, attempted bribery for life, or cries for mercy, but this one was surprisingly quick and quiet. That made it all the more disturbing for her as she closed her eyes, the silence of the room speaking volumes for her and her master. Feeling as if she owed the man something, she spoke once more to Squall…

Remember the feeling of warmth of life, of heart, of love… remember not only for yourself, but for the one who can't remember herself. Be the eyes to see for the blind, and hopefully, you can become the heart for the one who can no longer see her own. Remember, Squall… remember.

Reviewer Thanks:

Annjirika: Thank you so much for your continual support. .

QwikSilver: Aw, that's sweet! I have a couple more fluff scenes later, but not that many. So don't hold yer breath. ;)

RETARDcupcake