Pearly white teeth snatched up the two unsuspecting victims. Green and orange eyes instantly snapped open. Both Ansem and Sephiroth were trapped in the jaws of a huge, black dragon.

The dragon's eyes were red with glowing, green pupils. Its scaly skin was leathery and stiff. Giant claws jetted from its paws, and curly horns grew from the top of its stout head.

"Sephiroth, you idiot! I told you to keep watch!"

"Well I was tired! And besides, you're not the boss of me!"

"Oh, shut up! This is no time to be arguing!"

A few shots of red energy beams flew at the dragon. The black dragon growled and dropped Ansem and Sephiroth. To make matters worse, the dragon fell and lay dead on top of the two.

Ansem's eyes opened slightly. He was wrapped in black silk sheets and his head rested upon a feather pillow of fine quality. His eyelids felt heavy. Ansem fought to keep them open, just a crack, but couldn't. Something was making him feel drowsy. He would want nothing more than to drift away and be in slumber for the rest of his life. Never again to feel pain.

"Ansem, come on, wake up!"

I am awake…

"Shenter, he's not waking up!"

But I am awake… Ansem protested in his mind.

"He's not breathing, either!"

None of the voices sounded familiar to him. The name 'Shenter' seemed so natural, but he couldn't remember who this 'Shenter' was. He was so snug and relaxed. Why open his eyes? It was paradise for him. So sweet…

"I'll get him to wake up."

Ansem's happy bubble popped right there. He knew that voice. That stupid, annoying, childish bastard.

Sephiroth. No. I am awake. Leave me be! He felt his hair being moved.

"Leave me be…" Ansem mumbled.

"What are you doing, Sephiroth!? Don't!"

"Shut up. Do you want him to wake up or not?"

And then there was a pain so unbearable his eyes shot open and his lungs filled with air. His neck felt like it was on fire. Then the pain suddenly stopped. His eyes closed halfway again, but he wasn't in the same condition as before.

Shenter sighed in relief. "You're all right…"

"Of course I'm all right. There was nothing wrong with me to begin with," Ansem said, closing his eyes. "Where are we?"

"Jedea." Shenter said, closely examining Ansem's neck. Shenter then went to dumping some chemicals onto Ansem's neck.

Ansem winced slightly as it burned. "What's wrong with my neck?"

"You were…bitten…"

"By what?"

Shenter shifted uneasily and looked at Sephiroth.

"By a Mako Beast." Sephiroth finished. Shenter raised a slender brow in response, but remained hushed.

After a few moments, Shenter had finished cleaning the wound and placed a sterile band-aid on Ansem's neck to top it all off.

"I think Ansem's asleep now," Sephiroth said, going to a bookshelf in the bedroom and examining the books.

Shenter shifted again and watches Sephiroth. "Why did you bite him, Sephiroth? Are you…"?

Sephiroth turned around and looked at Shenter. "Am I what?"

Shenter moved his sapphire eyes to the wood floor. "…A vampire…"

The other man had no emotion in his face for a moment. Then he sighed. He looked at Shenter. "Yes, I am. But I'm not about to bite you. I can control most of my urges. But at the inn…I couldn't. So I stuffed the body in closet. She was banging on the door right before she died and Ansem opened it. And then I accidentally made the innkeeper a vampire."

"Oh…I understand now."

Sephiroth shook his head. "Don't worry. There aren't that many vampire's left in Gaia."

Shenter sat beside the slumbering King Ansem. "Have you always been a vampire?"

"…No. I was bitten when I turned 15."

Watching them from a dark corner of the room was a pair of yellow, gleaming eyes.