Obsession
Disclaimer: these characters, world and more than likely the entire concept is not my idea. I'm not doing this for profit in any way.
I'm sorry if some of this isn't correct, I've tried to research all the creatures I've put in this story but every site has a different opinion/information. If what I put is wrong just give me a bell and I'll try to fix it up best I can.
Obsess v.tr. (often in passive) preoccupy. Haunt; fill the mind of (a person) continually. based on Latin obsessus 'besieged, possessed' obsessive adj. & n. obsessively adv. obsessiveness n.
Obsession n. 1 the act of obsessing of the state of being obsessed. 2 a persistent idea or thought dominating a person's mind. 3 a condition which such ideas are present. obsessional adj. obsessionally adv.
This had happened on the outskirts of Timber, my journey starts here. While my tribe may have been located in Winhill, it was not uncommon for us to branch out into other areas. I had been gone for roughly 10 years when it happened; travelling around was something that I loved, if I could honestly say that I knew what that was. It was something that I had a passion for anyway.
Timber was a town filled with many different creatures; somehow they had found a way to live together in harmony. This was and still is very rare. I would like to say that it is because of a mutual dislike for one another but the truth is humans don't accept anyone else. It is in there nature to be prejudice; humans hate what they don't understand but for some strange reason in Timber things were different. It was a place they humans and any race could live together in harmony.
I thought I might find solace there; since Laguna had taken my life away I hadn't been able to find comfort anywhere.
I immediately went from a promising future to a lifeless shell of a thing. It's not an easy transition. I was fairly young at 200 years and still trying to get over it, the only place that I felt I belonged was Winhill, until I saw her that day. Something came over me and I knew that I had to find her, no matter how long it took.
Once it happened I went back to Timber, ready to pack my stuff and wait down by where I saw her until she came back.
Squall ran through the busy streets of Timber for two reasons. One, he had to find the girl he'd seen and two; the sun was beginning to rise.
He could see steam rising underneath his clothes and even with his unnatural vampiric speed he couldn't run fast enough.
Realising that he couldn't reach his quarters in time he dived under a balcony, rays of sun streamed through the cracks and ever time one touched him it was like being on fire.
"Oh my gosh! Are you ok?" Squall heard from above him.
Through the cracks slipped a tiny human looking creature with sparkling wings. A fairy. It wore a tiny yellow dress and had light brown hair that flipped out at the sides.
"I need to get home." Squall panted.
"Of course," she replied.
Fairies didn't generally fear vampires, their speed and size made it hard for vampires to suck them dry. When they were full size they had formidable magical skills that most creatures steer clear of.
"Let me help you, you can trust me." The fairy continued.
While Squall wasn't exactly the trusting type, he couldn't stay where he was so he saw no other solution.
With that the fairy disappeared. Squall's hope left him at that point; he was going to die… again.
But clouds began to form in the sky, Squall knew enough about fairies to know that this wasn't there doing. Fairies were powerful but not that powerful. There were only a few creatures that strong.
Within seconds Squall saw sparkles glittering towards him quickly. A full sized fairy lay next to him.
Fairies could shift size to accommodate whatever activities or mischief they were getting up to at the time.
Fairies were an enigmatic race, some were playful and amusing, others mysterious and reclusive.
"You should be fine now." The fairy puffed.
Squall thanked the fairy and began to leave but it appeared that this fairy wasn't going anywhere in a hurry.
"S-so where, where do you live?"
Squall rolled his eyes, knowing where this was leading. He didn't understand why though, surely this fairy would have a colony somewhere around here; they didn't usually go far from there home.
"Where is this leading?" Squall enquired.
He tried to say it as pleasantly as his tired body could muster but it was 5:30 in the morning, he was exhausted.
"Oh nowhere," she sighed.
She shrunk back down to her original size and trailed about a metre behind Squall. It was a bit hard to be discrete when you're a fairy though, there's a tiny twinkle that follow them everywhere they go. Barely audible to humans, to Squall it was like an orchestra at his back.
"Fairy…" Squall warned.
"My name isn't fairy! It's Selphie."
And that's how I met Selphie, one of the few people in my long life that wouldn't screw me over. She was kind, gentle and above all trust worthy. It wouldn't be till later that I would learn why she clung onto me that day. Apparently her colony was nearby but she had been ostracized being a little bit too promiscuous with the chief's son. She was what one might refer to as "lower class" in the fairy food chain. I couldn't understand why they wouldn't just let the two be but instead of have scandal within the fairy hierarchy they thought it would be easier just to get rid of Selphie.
I could never understand why the son didn't stand by her, Selphie was one of the loveliest creatures I have ever had the pleasure of meeting and he should have been honoured that she was interested in him.
Selphie was a helpful ally to have though; she knew a lot of creatures, some good and some bad. I found out that she had found her friend the wind element, a creature that owed her a favour. It blew along an overcast, not enough to make my journey home completely painless but enough to make it possible.
Squall turned down a dark alley, Selphie still following close behind. She had chatted with him most of the way, making his walk a little less monotonous. Stores were beginning to open and Squall could see a group of elves marching carelessly through the streets, laughing joyfully.
Squall envied them, they were free, and he felt like a prisoner. He was a prisoner to his thirst, his species and to the light.
"We should hurry, these clouds wont hold long." Selphie warned.
Squall didn't reply, not feeling the need to. A few moments later he was opening a pair of double doors that led to stairs that cascaded down into the earth. It had been abandoned years ago by a group of Dwarves so apart from the fixtures and furnishings being most inconvenient it was a pleasant enough place for a vampire to camp out in.
"You don't have a watcher." Selphie stated as she flew around the room quickly.
A watcher is a common term for a human basically enslaved by vampires, most clans have them, the name made it fairly obvious what they did, they watched. Should a waring clan or a vampire hunter come around then a watcher would alert all sleeping vampires before any harm could be done.
"I'm alone." Squall declared.
He sat down on the stone steps, looking around his damp and musky dwelling. Once you got to the bottom of the stairs there was an arch doorframe that led to a cave looking large room. In the corner it had a basin with running water, a soggy blue towel was draped across a metal bar that hung beside it. In the far corner was a black coffin with silver handles, Squall's 'bed', inside was a beautiful crimson inner that Squall found quite comfortable. When he had first begun sleeping inside it he had found himself more than a little claustrophobic but had grown not just accustomed but fond of it. Other than that the room was rather empty, something Selphie commented on with both amazement and shock.
"I travel light." Squall replied to her outburst.
"I think I should move in, give the place a more homely feeling." Selphie announced.
"I don't think so." Squall said curtly.
He began walking tiredly towards his coffin, longing for slumber. He needed to rejuvenate for tomorrow night, he hadn't fed tonight and his body was feeling it. Even Selphie was beginning to look like a meal at the point and she was less than 5 inches tall.
"I do, you need a woman's touch."
"Hopefully by tomorrow night I shall have it." Squall yawned as she climbed inside his coffin.
"Don't worry, when you wake up tomorrow night, there will be some major changes around here…"
These were the last words Squall heard before he fell into a deep sleep, the kind that only a vampire can know about. His dreams were terrible though, they always were. It was widely thought that vampires didn't dream, Squall couldn't speak for the rest of the vampire world but he certainly did, every single night.
Now usually I would've stayed awake to protest Selphie's decision but I was so tired and by the time I realised what she had said I was already asleep… if that makes any sense at all.
When I woke up I didn't even notice these changes. Selphie had been very discreet about moving in. to this day it kind of reminds me of the way bees move into your backyard, you don't know their there until your basically standing on the nest.
Squall's eyes shot open, he scanned the inside of his coffin and had a peculiar scent stuck in his nose.
'Selphie,' he thought to himself.
He opened his coffin lid and looked around the room, the place wreaked of fairy.
"G'night!" Selphie's voice said excitedly.
Squall's eyes shot up above his coffin; hanging above it was a small brown hut. It resembled an over sized nut and had Selphie's head poking out from the middle of it.
"Why are you still here?" Squall growled.
He really didn't have time for this. He had to get his stuff together so he could leave and find that girl. He had to; it was all he could think about. Every time he closed his eyes he saw her face.
"You said last night that you'd have a woman tonight." Selphie stated.
"I don't have time for this." Squall snarled as he exited his coffin.
He headed towards the lonely basin on the other side of the room. Squall ran the tap and cupped some water in his palms; he splashed it on his face and looked up at the broken mirror above it. No reflection, he wished he could see what he looked like for a second, to remember how he looked.
"I thought I could help you, you can't bring a woman back to this." Selphie laughed.
"I don't plan on staying in Timber." Squall replied.
He didn't either; his plan was to get the woman from yesterday and retreat back to Winhill. Although Timber was welcoming he knew that there were still vampires in this town that probably didn't want him hanging around. Vampires were far too territorial to tolerate him for long.
"Well whatever, I can help you." Selphie said as she flew around the room.
"Fine if your going to hang around you can at least be quiet." Squall sighed.
It wasn't in Squall's nature to cave but he couldn't stand her constant backchat, he wasn't terribly used to it. There weren't too many creatures that would answer back to a vampire.
Squall tore off his shirt, replacing it with a white one and a long black trench coat.
"Why do vampires do that? If you cant smell them you can tell its them by the way there dressed." Selphie giggled.
Squall glared at her and watched as she morphed into human size. She was very beautiful but most fairies were.
"Why are you here? Don't you have a colony to terrorize?" Squall snapped.
Selphie looked downheartedly at the floor. Squall suddenly felt bad for asking, he first thought that something terrible must have happened to them, such things had happened but it took a powerful creature to do such a thing. Most likely a sorcerer or sorceress but it was quite out of character for them to do such a thing.
"They don't want me anymore. I was going to go to Dollet before I ran into you." Selphie said quietly.
"… Fine you can tag along but if you get in my way then your gone, got it?"
"Woohoo!" Selphie squealed, she shrunk back down to her original size and flew around the room excitedly. "You won't even notice I'm here, I promise."
I wish that I could say this was true but Selphie was a bit hard to ignore. She was the least of my worries though; the being I would meet next would prove to be much worse…
Squall walked purposefully through the forest, Selphie trailing behind him. He could hear various animals walking through the forest, some humanoid some not. A particular group caught his attention and he was suddenly filled with dread. It was a herd of Centaurs.
"So where are we…"
"Be quiet." Squall interjected.
He crouched down and put his head to the group, listening to the steady rumble of the herd as they trotted.
They couldn't be any further than 100 metres away at this point and Squall was getting anxious. He doubted they would welcome his presence.
"Hide Selphie." Squall hissed.
She gasped and crouched below a nearby mushroom, the twinkle that followed her ceasing when she stopped moving.
"You're on my land vampire."
Squall turned and came face to face with about 5 centaurs, all holding weapons of some kind. Centaurs were noble creatures, if they were in a town they were usually of power in government, whether it be mayor, president or an advisor of some kind. They were wise beyond most other creatures and were known for there strength in war and intellect.
They were also very beautiful; the one who had addressed Squall was a tan skinned centaur with a dark brown body. It had wavy black hair and held a spear in its hand.
"I'm sorry, I was merely passing through." Squall said, bowing his head slightly.
It wasn't usually in him to bow to any one but he was largely outnumbered and doubted that the centaurs would have any qualms about killing a single vampire.
Squall noticed to the centaurs left was a female of the species, she had long hair the covered her breasts and no weapon, in her hand instead was a leather bound book. She turned her gaze away from Squall when he looked at her. She had delicate features and deep brown eyes.
"What about the fairy?" the centaur enquired, pointing at the mushroom that Selphie had taken refuge under.
"She's with me, we didn't know that we were on your land." Squall stated.
Selphie peeked out from under the fungus, her playful green eyes staring at the herd. She quickly flew up onto Squall's shoulder, she may have been of lower class in the hierarchy of fairies but if Squall and the centaurs began to fight then she knew that Squall would need her.
"It matters not to me vampire, but beware ghosts have been inhabiting these woods of late."
Squall nodded, it was valuable information to have. With ghosts usually came banshees and demons, if they ran into either of the latter monsters then they were in trouble.
"Thank you, I shall heed your word." Squall replied.
With that the centaur's left, Squall thought there passing had been strange. Centaurs looked down on other creatures, labelling them as menaces or idiots, it was unusual for them to give out any helpful information when in the wild.
"Wow, you can be friendly after all." Selphie giggled.
Squall didn't answer, more worried about running into any of the unholy beasts the centaurs had warned off.
A Banshee would have no affect on him, he was already dead but Selphie would have problems and Demons were a pain in the behind for anyone. Depending on which one they may or may not run into. They varied from playfully annoying to down right evil.
They ventured on, Squall's eyes darting around their surrounding area for any signs of anything suspicious. He was afraid for Selphie, he'd only known her a short amount of time but he felt he could trust her and he didn't want to see her hurt.
He watched as a deer ran by, scared of something. Selphie continued her mindless chatter; obviously oblivious to the danger she was in.
"Ich kann Sie sehen."
Squall lifted his head, he looked at Selphie and noticed that she was once again completely oblivious. She continued flying ahead, the twinkle that followed her everywhere getting quieter and quieter.
"Selphie get here now!" Squall barked.
She was by his side in seconds, her usually cheerful face now covered in concern.
"Cover your ears and get in my pocket." Squall ordered.
"Why? What's going on?"
"Just do it!"
It was mere seconds after Selphie was inside Squall's pocket that it appeared. Well it might have been there all along but it came to Squall's attention at this point.
It looked up at him from its crouching position, a subtle smirk on its face. It didn't look like what Squall would classify a demon as but he remembered that they were shape shifters and to not trust his eyes at this point.
But then again he hadn't really had any previous encounters with demons so he couldn't really say what one would look like.
It had long brown hair, tied up at the back in a loose ponytail.
Its clothes were exactly the great fashion of the time; crimson velvet waistcoat was buttoned up around his upper body with a white long sleeved shirt underneath. The collar stuck out a little too far and the sleeves were rolled up. He had black dress pants on but no shoes and a cigarette dangled limply from his hands. He had an eerie aura that hung around him and his aqua green eyes stared intently at Squall. Squall tried to stare back with the same intensity but failed to do so, it was as though the very stare was messing with his head.
The demon sniffed the air and smiled, showing pearly white canines that were almost identical to Squall's.
"I smell… undead." He said softly.
"What do you want demon?" Squall snapped.
"Whoa whoa whoa, enough with the formalities." The demon laughed, bringing his hands in front of his chest and pushing out.
Squall could feel the power, the air that swept past him by this simple movement and he knew that if worst came to worst this demon would, to put it simply, kick his ass.
"Who are you?" Squall enquired.
He knew the demon would never tell him his real name; he just didn't want to go round in circles about why he didn't want to be called a demon. Some demons were funny like that.
"That's a long story."
"I'm not going to play this game for long, what do you want?"
Selphie's head peaked out of Squall's pocket, her curiosity getting the better of her. I would come to learn this to be one of Selphie's faults and it would get me in trouble on many occasions.
The demons eyes darted down immediately and for the first time in the short conversation that Squall and he had had he seemed entranced.
Ok this is where I learned what Mr Demon was all about, women. It was his weakness. Well considering the fact that of all his sins lust was the one that he valued highest it was no wonder.
"I won't answer any of your questions, you pathetic undead corpse." The demon laughed.
Squall glared angrily at the demon, he wasn't used to such disrespect from anyone.
"But your fairy friend on the other hand…"
Selphie looked up at Squall, he could tell that she wanted to. Selphie could handle herself but Squall felt protective of her.
Before Squall could even put two cents in Selphie had flew out of the pocket and grown full sized.
The demons eyes widened and a smirk replaced the malevolent smile that he had worn before.
"So uhhh, what's your name?" Selphie asked, a nervous smile playing on her lips.
"Irvine, you can call me Irvine Kinneas."
Squall knew that wasn't his real name, he just wondered why he'd choose something so boring. Demons couldn't really tell someone there real name, at least that's what he'd heard.
"Now I ask you a question, what is such a pretty young thing such as yourself traipsing around the woods with a vampire?"
"We're on a mission to find a girl. Squall met her yesterday and had been obsessing over her ever since."
'Why does she have to tell people,' Squall thought to himself, rubbing his eyebrows in hidden frustration.
"A nymph perchance?" Irvine enquired.
Selphie shrugged and glanced at Squall, he didn't really know either. He didn't know what she was; she definitely wasn't a human though.
"Well if it was your out of luck. Banshee's scared most of them off. I think most of them headed up towards Dollet."
"Don't believe a word he says, you cant trust him." Squall seethed.
Irvine stared at Squall blankly, the kind of look you give someone when you know that you should recognise them but cant but a name to the face.
"Oh please, I'm not the one running round the woods chasing people who aren't even here. I thought you vampires were smart."
And that's it, that was how I met Irvine Kinneas. He too would eventually join me coming in and out of my life till he deemed it time to travel along side me. Of course by that point I had a whole gang of creatures coming along with me but they would come later. At this point it was just me and Selphie and I liked it that way. If I hadn't been so obsessed with that woman I might have considered Selphie, she was a nice enough girl and definitely a looker but now I cant see me going there.
I suppose she reminded me of the little sister I used to have.
"Squall! Squall! I found a fairy colony!" the little girl said excitedly.
All Squall could think was that if his father heard her speaking so loudly she'd get the cane.
The girl had long brown hair tied up in a blue bow atop her head. A matching dress that had dirt stains all over it.
Squall wondered why his mother bothered dressing her nicely; at the end of the day she always came back looking like she'd been in a war.
"Leave them alone, you know they like there privacy." Squall warned.
"Aw c'mon Squall, they're so pretty."
"That's it demon, I've had enough of you. Go bother someone else."
All right, I'm not sure where this is heading but I've roughly mapped out what I want everyone to be. I was originally going to have Zell be the demon and Irvine be a werewolf but I decided against it. Seifer seemed like the likely candidate but I have too big a plan for that SOB.