A/N: Thanks to everyone who reviewed!

Disclaimer: I own Mae, Lydia, and Emanuel, the rest belong to their respected owners.

CHILDREN OF THE NIGHT: CHAPTER SEVEN

Riku was afraid that Sora would shut his front door in his face. Riku had knocked on the door willing to further explain and apologize, hoping that somehow it could be reconciled and things would be (almost) back to normal. But the look on Sora's face was colder than even the one he had given him at the lunch table that afternoon.

"What do you want?" he said, his voice like a sharp knife cutting through Riku's soft skin. He flinched, and put his hand on the door so that if Sora shut it, he would also break Riku's fingers.

"Sora, just please listen to me." He pleaded.

The boy in front of him kept his face straight and serious. "I'm listening." He said calmly.

"Can I come in?" Riku asked. Sora shrugged and swung open the door, leading Sora down the hallway he knew by heart, even though today it was dark. He knew the exact spot where there was a burn in the carpet, the exact place where you had to watch out for the candlestick hung on the wall.

Sora's room was just like Riku remembered, just the way it had been the week before when he had come over and played video games with him. There was the disaster of a bed, with heaps of mismatched pillows and blankets, the walls covered in ancient action hero posters, the black dresser covered in video game boxes, dirty clothes, and wrappers. Sora sat on his bed and Riku found his usual place on the ragged blue chair, which was worn in from him lounging on it so much, only this time it was different.

Riku swallowed hard, and began to explain. "I lied to you, Sora, and I'm sorry, but I was afraid to tell you."

Sora nodded but didn't look at him. "There's…something…that's happened to me, and I don't know if I can tell you yet, but I just don't want to lie to you anymore. You're my best friend, you deserve to know."

"What is it?" Sora asked softly.

Riku shook his head, not knowing what to tell him. "I'm…I'm sick, Sora. Really, really sick in a way that you won't understand. I've changed and I didn't even want it to happen."

Sora's face turned from hesitant to extremely concerned. "Will you get better?"

Riku shook his head, trying desperately not to look at his best friend. He refused to cry in front of Sora, because he had always been the stronger one. And now Sora had something on him, Sora didn't have to kill to survive, Sora didn't have to live his true life in secret.

Sora crossed the room and forced Riku out of the chair, wrapping his arms around him in a brotherly hug. "You know I'm always here." Sora said, and it comforted Riku, yet worried him at the same time. He still excepted the embrace, holding Sora around his bony hips and letting his breath fall on the smaller boy's neck.

Sora suddenly pulled away, looking a little confused. Riku kept his hands on his hips but wondered if Sora was getting freaked out by Riku's sudden closeness.

But he didn't pull away. If he were disgusted, he would have pulled away. The look of confusion remained on his face, which was leaving Riku far more confused than Sora was. He wondered what would happened if he leaned in…

Sucking in his breath, Riku slowly leaned in to Sora, watching as Sora's eyes fluttered closed. Their lips came together softly, so that they almost weren't even touching. Riku put his hand on the back on Sora's neck and deepened the kiss with his tongue. Sora's mouth was soft and warm, and he kissed back before suddenly yanking himself away.

Riku immediately knew that the kiss had been a major mistake. I didn't mean to do that…he thought, but it was too late.

Sora stepped away from him, nearly falling over as his legs hit the bed. His hand was at his mouth, touching it with the tips of his fingers as if he wasn't sure what had just happened.

"Sora, I…" Riku said, holding out his hand to him, though he knew it was no use.

"Did we just…?" Sora stuttered, his hand falling from his lips.

Riku didn't know what to say. He didn't know what to do or how to explain himself. So he kept silent and waited for Sora to react.

Sora's jaw dropped. "I can't believe you just kissed me! Tell me that didn't mean anything!" He ordered, his voice raising. Riku worried that someone would hear him yelling and come to see what was going on. Although Riku doubted anything in the world could make that moment worse.

"Sora, I've wanted to tell you something for a while…" Sora waved Riku's pleas off.

"Tell me that didn't mean anything!" He yelled again, his face turning a horrid shade of purple. Riku felt his face heating up, his eyes swelling, threatening tears. He was being rejected by the one person that mattered to him. But he kept a straight face, determined to take it like a man.

"Sora, I've been meaning to tell you that I love you. I really, really love you. I want to be with you." Riku explained quickly, his words running together in an awkward way. But he couldn't have cared less. To him, he didn't even care if Sora loved him back anymore. As long as he knew.

Sora couldn't even speak. It was like he had so many words dying to come out that his throat had sealed itself off. Riku! His best friend! Sora wasn't gay! He could never be, not for anyone, especially Riku!

He didn't want their friendship to go bad, but this had changed things. It had changed them, and nothing either of them could do or say would change it back to the way it was.

"You…you can't love me, Riku. I can't love you that way back." Sora croaked, his voice not his own, not hardly. He watched Riku's face pale and harden, like a wax statue.

Riku waved him off. "I should have known." He said, and he turned to leave.

He walked so fast that Sora had to run to catch up with him. "Wait! Riku!" he called, and Riku stopped, his eyes glazed. Sora had never seen him cry, and even now, the stubborn Riku had returned, refusing to let the tears leave his eyes.

"Does this mean we aren't friends anymore?" he asked, even though he knew the answer.

"If I want to be friends with you, would you feel comfortable?" Riku asked. He seemed to stumble on every word.

"…Not really." Sora said, feeling bad for it, but knowing that he needed to tell the truth.

Riku shook his head and gave him a weak smile. "I guess that answers your question, then." He walked out of the house, tears flowing from his eyes the minute he had turned away, and Sora didn't stop him.

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That night, Kadaj and Yazoo held a meeting for the Children of the Night in an old abandoned building. They had gone around town asking shady people if they knew of any Children, and if they did, they gave them a card inviting them to the meeting. If they were lying…they would end up on the menu.

Kadaj, Yazoo, and Riku had dressed their best for the occasion in matching black tuxedos with crimson ties. Riku was the only one of the silver haired trio that was less than enthusiastic about the meeting.

He was still hung up about Sora. Everytime they had seen each other in the hallways, Sora had looked away quickly as though not wanting to catch Riku's eye. Sora had obviously told Tidus about what had happened, because neither of them sat at their old table anymore. Riku sat alone, with occasional visits from Kairi and Mae, who were officially the cutest new couple at school.

Riku feared for Kairi's safety, but didn't dwell on it. The only thing that bothered him about Kairi and Mae being together was that it made him feel worse about his own failed relationships.

As Kadaj and Yazoo set up the building as though they were decorating for a party, Riku slumped around, refusing a drink of anything, alcohol or blood, if they offered it so him.

Kadaj was arranging wineglasses on a dirty oak table. He cast Riku a glare and growled at him. "Would you mind not moping around like a girl on her period and give us a hand?"

Yazoo laughed, elbowing Riku in the ribs. "Or at least look happy to be here."

Riku watched them as they set up the room wistfully, wishing things had happened differently. It was out of the question for him to even pretend to be happy. He had never felt so horrible in his life.

"Fuck you." He muttered.

Kadaj crossed the room to him, tipping his chin up with a finger so that Riku had no choice but to look him in the eye. "You feeling bad for what I've turned you into?" he said, his voice, soft, delicate, and yet still venomous.

Riku shook his head. "My life doesn't revolve around that." He muttered.

Kadaj slapped Riku with the flat of his hand, his movement so quick that Riku was stunned even after it had happened. His face stung. He realized that Kadaj was more of the enemy than the savior.

"Don't you ever use that tone with me again. Don't forget that I'm your Elder. You're nothing to me, I could put a stake through you before you even realized you were fucked." He snarled, then walked away, back to arranging the wineglasses.

Riku looked pathetically to Yazoo for some sort of support, but all he found was a smug grin across his face like he found situation hysterically funny, he just didn't want Riku to know.

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Mae hadn't wanted to go to the meeting for the vampires of New Orleans at first.

Of course he didn't. See those monsters again? Possibly witness more unnecessary human torture? No thanks, not for him. Riku had invited him, out of courtesy. Mae could see it in the kid's eyes that he still had good in him. He hadn't been completely corrupted by those immortals yet, but in no time it would happen.

Mae decided to go ten minutes after the meeting had technically started, as he eyed the clock in his bedroom, sprawled across his bed, with Lydia on the floor doing the same. Lydia had fed for the second time just an hour before, and had shared with Mae. They were full of blood, not wanting to be, knowing the criminals they were for doing it, but happy to not be thirsty anymore.

"There's a vampire meeting down at that old building on the end of the street." Mae mused, not caring if Lydia was listening or not.

He saw her sit up through the darkness. "Why don't we go? I'd love to meet some more vampires, maybe make some friends? Why didn't you tell me about this?" She said excitedly, waving away a lock of golden hair.

Mae shrugged. "The vamps that are holding it are the disgusting creatures that sired you and left you for dead." He said carelessly.

Lydia's face drastically changed. "Kadaj?" she asked, although the name hardly left her lips, she mostly only mouthed it.

Mae nodded. "Yes, him and the other two bastards."

Lydia's head sank. "Well, I want to go, then." She said in a slightly louder voice.

Mae glared at her through the darkness. "Well, you're not going. They're nasty. I don't care how tempting it is to meet other vampires, they'll be there, so there's no telling what kind of human sacrifice there'll be."

Lydia shook her head. "I need to meet more of my kind."

"You've got me."

Lydia reached over and slapped his arm. "No offense, but you're not enough to learn from. I just want to know what I am. I'm going."

Mae laughed at her. "Oh no you're fucking not."

Lydia stood up and put on her coat. "You're not my fucking mother, Mae. I'm going, and you can stay here and mope if you want. This is a good opportunity for me. I don't care if the bastard that did this to me is there."

Mae stood up after her. No way was he letting her go without him, knowing the kind of monster that was holding the meeting in the first place. "Then I'm coming."

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The building was darkly lit with tons of mismatched candles, all melting around themselves in puddles in their holders. There was a banquet by the small makeshift stage at the front of the room, where there was arrangement of refreshments, most of those made from some part of a human.

Lydia walked by what looked like several different types of casserole, her face scrunching up in disapproval. "Those smell really bad." She muttered as they passed them. A tall, beautiful man with what looked like yellow cat's eyes and a neat ponytail of chocolate hair leaned in to her and said with a cunning smile, "It's thigh casserole. Ever tried it, honey?"

Lydia scooted closer to Mae and shook her head.

"I see, a newcomer." The man said with another smile, displaying his quite impressive set of fangs. "I'm Emanuel."

Lydia smiled back, the corner of her mouth twitching, showing her horrible nervousness. "I'm Lydia, and this is Mae."

The man named Emanuel took a scoop of the neck casserole onto his plate and nodded to them. "And you?" he nodded to Mae. "And Elder, or a newcomer as well? Do you have a Master?"

Mae shook his head at the man, noticing the oddly placed crucifix dangling from the man's ear. It swung back and forth as he daintily ate his dinner. "I was sired about a month ago."

Emanuel nodded. "And the one who did it? He didn't keep you for his Childe? That's a little uncommon."

Mae shrugged. "It was a female. Yuffie was her name, but that was in Spain."

Emanuel narrowed his eyes as if concentrating on something. "Cute? Short? Black hair?" he asked, as if he actually knew whom Mae was speaking of. His heart jumped into his throat. Did Emanuel know of her?

Mae nodded. "Why? Do you know her?" he said, trying not to sound too desperate.

Emanuel shrugged. "I don't know her, formally. But I met her earlier this evening. Perhaps you should go to the door and see what you find…"

Mae swallowed hard, leaving Lydia and the vampire Emanuel near the back of the room, pushing through the small clusters of immortals to get to the front of the room, his hands shaking as if he didn't know what he was doing.

Although, truly, he didn't. If he found the girl that had sired him, what would he tell her? Would he be angry towards her, bitter and cold, or try to fight? No, that wasn't like him. Would he just introduce himself as if it were nothing? What was there to say?

And yet there she was, leaning against the corner of the wall, talking to Kadaj himself, with Yazoo beside him, and a dark looking man next to her with his hand protectively on her arm. So there had been a man that night…

He thought to approach her, and he probably would have, were it not for Kadaj and Yazoo standing there, the last people in the place he wanted to see. He thought for a while over whether he should just see if she recognized him as the night went on, but how would he go back to Emanuel and Lydia? Tell them he was too chicken to talk to her?

Taking a deep breath, he walked over to the group of the four of them. Kadaj was the first to notice him approaching. "Mae! Why hello, how are you doing, you saintly little thing? Did you get rid of that vermin you took from me?"

Mae smirked at him, noticing that Yuffie had seen him, her expression turning blank. "She's here with me, tonight, actually. And her name is Lydia, by the way."

Mae turned his glance to Yuffie, as if he had just noticed her standing there. "Well, fancy meeting you here." He said casually, noticing the way her jaw was opened just slightly, as if she had nothing to say.

The dark man, with those deep, black eyes, glared at Mae and then looked to Yuffie. "Yuffie? Do you know him?" He asked.

Yuffie shook her head at first before turning it into a nod, her eyes never leaving Mae. "Yes, we uh, met…once."

Mae smiled at the dark man. "Oh yeah, we met once, back in Spain? I don't guess you were there…" He extended his hand to the immortal. "I'm Mae."

The man didn't except his hand, only stared at him as if he were something that needed to be crushed. "Vincent." He said simply. "Valentine."

Yuffie took Vincent's arm. "It's not what you think, Vincent, it was that night you went off to drink and I just happened to sire him. I didn't have the heart to kill him. Nothing else happened, I swear."

Vincent's intense glare lightened, but not considerably. Mae gave a carefree laugh. "Yeah, that was it, she just ruined my life, made me immortal, left me for dead…no biggie."

Yuffie suddenly looked drained and guilty. Serves her fucking right, Mae thought to himself. "Listen, Mae, I needed somebody and you were the only person I wanted to drink from, surely you understand now that you're immortal too…" she explained, her voice faltering several times.

Mae frowned. "Actually, no, I don't understand. The least you could have done would have been to kill me, or waited until I was conscious to at least let me know what the fuck you'd turned me into." He kept lightness in his voice so that the immortal named Vincent wouldn't beat his head in.

Yuffie frowned. "I just…I was thirsty, not thinking, and…well honestly I wasn't very concerned about you. I know it was wrong. I hope you can forgive me." She was so cute that Mae found it hard to hold a grudge, although on second thought a grudge was kind of a stupid thing to hold against someone when you've got a whole eternity to hold it against them.

He gave her a small smile. "Nah, I won't hold it against you. It was a shitty thing to do, don't get me wrong, but it'd be even more shitty if I stayed angry."

Yuffie grinned. "Good! How ya been, kid?"

Vincent's look had softened towards Mae, so he felt more at ease to act himself. "I've been keeping up." He told her with a nod. Kadaj and Yazoo had already migrated away to different immortals to mingle with, leaving just the three of them.

There was a comfortable silence before there was the sound of a bell ringing from the front of the room. Mae looked up to see Kadaj standing at the center of the stage, his magnificent fangs showing through his seemingly innocent smile.

Mae spotted Yazoo off to the side of the stage with his hand around Riku's shoulders. "Hello, vampires of New Orleans!" He said, his voice booming throughout the room. There was probably a little less than one hundred immortals in the place, most of which screamed affectionate catcalls to Kadaj.

Kadaj pressed his palms together. "I'm so glad we can all be here together tonight! When was the last time we have been together with our kind?"

Mae had noticed that most of the immortals here looked like streetrats, disgusting things you would see in the darkness of the alleys and nowhere else. Some of them wore black makeup and peircings; Mae took them to be wanna-be vampires who were in for a surprise when they realized that this was all for real.

Mae had always imagined other vampires to be classy, or suave, with nice clothes, almost like mortals, except more high class. But these were far from it. He almost wanted to believe that all of them were fakers. But they couldn't be, not in this city…

He felt a tug at his sleeve, and looked down to find Lydia, and next to her, Emanuel, the only immortal that looked like he should. Kadaj let out a howl of laughter. "I hope that you all will find each other's company entertaining. And as a token of my gratitude…" Kadaj stepped away, and four enormous immortals, each with wide shoulders and twisted faces, and they carried with them four women.

Mae didn't recognize any of them, but he noticed that they were all wearing a sort of work suit, so they had probably been captured by Kadaj and his giant vampires after leaving work. They each had duct tape over their mouths, and their hands were bound in front of them with ropes. The immortals pushed them forward, so that they stumbled and fell, emitting low, frightened screams.

Mae's breath caught in his throat. They had done nothing to deserve this. None of these vampires were starving, they were doing this for pleasure. For the fun of it. Mae could hardly bear the thought. Obviously, those in the crowd were true immortals, for they did not gasp or scream at the sight of the women, only edged closer to the stage.

"Feast, my brothers and sisters! We are GODS!" Kadaj said, causing an uproar of cheers from the crowd.

Kadaj took one of the women in his grasp and savagely ripped open her throat, her life's blood spilling all over her front. The rest of the women wriggled away, but they knew the end would come without any mercy.

"Not only are we gods," Kadaj roared, his mouth smeared red, "But we are the CHILDREN OF THE NIGHT!"

As if this were his word of consent, the vampires rushed to the stage, ripping at the women with their treacherous fangs. Soon, the whole place was like a massacre. There was blood everywhere, screams of pleasure and torture, everyone slipping in the horrid array of blood.

Lydia turned her head, and Mae took her hand. "Let's get out of here." He said quietly, and they headed for the door.

Emanuel waved them off, blood smeared across his cheek, looking out of place with his dainty etiquette. "Do keep in touch!" he yelled.

As they passed the door, Mae caught sight of Yuffie and Vincent, looking just as disgusted as Mae felt. Mae caught her eye for a split second, and some unspoken thing was said between them, although Mae couldn't be sure what it meant.

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Odd ending, once again. Sorry for the wait, but I've also been working on school, rping, another fic, and an original story. Please read and review!

-Mel