Tifa groaned as she woke up in a pitch black room, the dimensions of which she could not calculate. She attempted to move her arms, finding them bound behind her back with rope as she sat on the gritty floor; whoever captured her wasn't taking any chances, her feet bound in rope as well. She tested her restraints for naught, and she leaned back on the wall with a frustrated huff.

Something warm moved next to her hip and began squeaking; her eyes widened and she tried to punt the creature away with a wiggle. It did little, but the creature scurried away as if acknowledging her discomfort. Tifa sighed, then after a moment tried her restraints again. She could feel the rope around her legs give ever so slightly under her jeans, and she fumbled with her boots in an attempt to slip the rope off. If she couldn't get her hands free immediately, at the very least her legs could put up something of a fight.

She froze as she heard heavy footsteps, first from above her and then from what sounded like rickety steps. Her eyes still couldn't make out anything in the dark, but her ears could make out the sound of shuffling fabric and heavy boots coming closer and closer. Finally her abductor stopped in front of her and seemed to kneel, studying the awoken hunter. She looked away, knowing it was a vampire; there was no body heat felt and no breath heard.

Tifa felt a cold hand reach out and softly turn her face back to look at them, and she glowered defiantly at whoever it was. "You work for the church." It was more a statement than a question, the male voice strong and quiet with a slight accent to it.

She didn't respond, not having any words for the abhorrent creature that studied her in the darkness. Her feet wiggled subtly, the rope loosening ever so slightly.

"Not gonna talk to your host?" Again she didn't respond, and a sigh passed the vampire's lips. His hand fell away and she was certain he would strike her, but nothing came. A moment later and an icy finger touched her neck, causing her to jerk; it looped around her necklace and pulled the ring out from her jacket. "Hm."

"Don't touch that!" she demanded.

Tifa felt her captor rolling the silver ring about with his fingers quietly, ignoring her for a moment as he studied it. "Why don't you want me to touch it?" More glowering. "Is it special to you?"

"What does it matter to you?" she retorted.

"I'm just curious."

Tifa sighed harshly, slumping back onto the wall. "Cut the crap. What are you gonna do to me?" She thought it best to get to the point as she wriggled her wrists a bit, a slight loosening of the rope felt.

"Dunno yet." He softly dropped the ring onto her chest. "You were out causing trouble tonight."

She felt a flash of anger at his statement. "You blood sucking creep, I'm the cause of trouble?"

The vampire chuckled dryly. "That's not a very nice thing to say." Tifa wondered if her captor was being condescending towards her, and it only helped to enrage her further. "You're lucky I got to you first. The other one would have just used you to replace what you killed...After draining you for every last drop of blood you had, of course."

Tifa sneered despite the considerable amount of fear she felt. "And I should believe that you won't be doing that?"

"No." he said quietly. "I'll figure something out, I'm sure...Either way, your vampire hunter days have effectively ended."

Her eyes widened as he said those chilling words; she was truly unsure what he would end up doing to her. A meal later in the week, a servant that does as he commands, or perhaps he would 'play' with her until he was bored. If this was the end of the road, she wanted to go down fighting and not as some pathetic shell. The rope on her arm loosened more as she rubbed.

She felt the vampire sit down next to her, leaning on the wall. His shoulder rubbed on hers and she recoiled as best she could without losing balance. He paid no heed and went to studying her ring again in silence as she huffed, still fidgeting; she was certain he would notice but he seemed to ignore her attempts at freedom. "Obviously you don't think much of vampires, but...do you think we're just soulless husks?" His voice was quiet with a childlike curiosity. "That's what I've heard."

Tifa hadn't expected a vampire to ask what their hunter thought of them, but she supposed if you had one at leisure, there was time for talk. It caught her off guard, but with her current predicament it wouldn't hurt to humor him a little. "...Maybe trapped, corrupted souls. Souls that just want the taste of blood to warm their dead bodies for a little while." Not quite the whole truth, but enough. She paused. "Do you...feel anything?"

"Feel?"

She nodded, genuinely curious despite her anger. If he was willing to talk, maybe she could find answers to questions she had since Zangan trained her as she loosened her bonds; it isn't like a vampire hunter would get a chance to do this very often at all. As if she had much time left on this world, she lamented to herself. "Emotions. Besides maybe anger...I've seen that."

He shifted slightly where he sat, and she felt his eyes on her. "We don't lose them at death. Some grow distant from them, though. I hope I never do." The vampire rolled the ring still in his fingers, as if contemplating something. "Do you think this is a nice ring?"

"I'm wearing it, aren't I?"

He snorted. "Is it the wrong size?"

Tifa brought her brows together. Why did this stranger care? "I don't want it to break on my finger, so I keep it around my neck." she said simply. 'He's getting too personal.'

"Hm. I was worried I bought you a ring that didn't fit, Tifa."

Her glower turned into a look of shock. "...Cloud?"

A small, humorless chuckle left his lips as he again released the ring. "You've grown, after seven years...I almost didn't recognize you."

Tifa looked down, doleful. 'It's him...'

"You're after me, right?" The vampire didn't receive a response back, and she sensed him looking into her face. "Hey." he said softly, attempting to get her to speak.

'What do I do now?' He was right next to her, the one she wanted to free from undeath for the last five years, and he had captured her. He won the unspoken game, and she was certain he knew it; he would be well within his bounds killing her, or worse. Tifa's mouth had gone dry, and she wasn't sure what to say. He already knew her intentions. She was at his mercy, and vampires weren't known for that virtue.

He put a hand on her shoulder, and she flinched. "Tifa...You know I'm not gonna kill you. Right?"

"...I don't know that."

"I promised I'd help you out if you were in trouble, remember?" He moved the strands of hair that covered her face, the coolness of his fingers making her brace. "Did you think I'd forget?"

She sighed. "I thought it would be meaningless to a vampire." She still thought that. Tifa squeezed her fists, his voice tormenting her with gentle words.

"I made a promise to you. I intend on keeping it, even if you wanna kill me for no good reason."

"No good reason? I've seen what vampires do plenty of times. The things you do to people..." She turned away, the thought of him of all people devolving into a wicked nightmare tormenting her.

"Is that why you want to kill me? I don't have a choice but to hunt, Tifa." Was that hurt in his voice? "It's not like I've changed that much in five years..."

Tifa looked back and slowly shook her head. "Cloud wouldn't do this." She moved her arms as much as she could, the rubbing sound of rope against fabric coming from her back.

"Tifa wouldn't be looking to jam a stake in my chest." He retorted.

She sighed heavily. "You died..."

Cloud scoffed. "You don't have to tell me, I experienced it. It wasn't very pleasant." He was studying her again in the dark, the occasional squeak of a rat breaking the silence; Tifa assumed the critter was near or on his knee. Of course the dead would have the company of vermin. "You're one of the last people I'd want to hurt, Tifa." she heard the soft shuffle of fabric as he moved his leg in the darkness. "And because of my promise, you have to stay here for now."

She struggled against her restraints again, frustrated. "How long?"

"Until I know what to do with you." She heard more squeaks and then a quiet grunt, as if he was acknowledging the rat. He stood up and moved back a pace.

"What, are you going to leave me down here, then?" Maybe she could get this rope off after a while if he left, she thought. Still, Tifa felt indignant that he of all people would keep her in such a place all day, or possibly longer. What if it was just a trick? It would be easier to turn her into a servant and collect the information. 'What is he really up to?'

"No. I kept you down here in case you got out of your ropes before I reached you, I didn't want to go searching for you in the house. Or have you destroy the room right off the bat." He bent down and scooped her up and gently slung her over his shoulder, then walked back the way he came. Tifa prayed the old steps wouldn't give out under their combined weight. "But, now that we talked a little, I should take you to a nicer room...and you seemed to have calmed down a bit."

"I'm honored." she said in a withering voice, earning her a small chuckle from her keeper. "I'm guessing the rope stays on, doesn't it?" The rope on her legs loosened little by little as she kicked her foot gently in a bored manner. She glanced about, waiting for the darkness to open up so she could see her surroundings better.

"Until I can trust you." He came to the top of the stairs, a small and dim light coming from their left; Tifa looked around and noticed they were in a dark kitchen. The hum of the refrigerator and the sound of her captor's boots on a linoleum floor caught her attention. "I'm as thrilled about it as you are, but I'm not stupid."

She agreed, he wasn't stupid. He knew well enough she was a danger to keep alive in his lair like this. Tifa still desired escape, however. She doubted very much that she could fight him right now, but there was a small chance she could escape his clutches, and it was a chance she would take. This wasn't quite the boy from Nibelheim...but she wasn't quite the girl from Nibelheim, either. It hurt terribly to think about it.

"Tifa?"

"It's nothing...I'm fine." she lied. He grunted, unconvinced. Tifa picked at the rope binding her arms, wondering if she could squeeze them out of the binds. She couldn't trust him as much as she wanted to, his tone of voice and actions almost convincing. But, there had to be a reason for holding her besides her supposed safety. He was a vampire, and Zangan taught they always had ulterior motives. Perhaps it would be some sort of twisted pleasure to the vampire to make her open up, pretending truly care before completely destroying her. To add to her worries, the room he transported her to might be impossible to break out of if he wasn't keen on taking his chances with her.

The room they entered was ancient looking and poorly lit, a dull lamp the only thing lighting the space. The floors were dusty hardwood and the furniture simple, two couches, several bookcases and a table. Tifa wondered if there were windows beneath the heavy looking, dark colored curtains or if the vampire had boarded them up to keep the sun's light completely out of his den. He moved on towards another staircase, this one less rickety to her relief.

"...This place must have been pricey." the woman joked as the rope holding her legs drooped just enough...

"I guess I need to work on remodeling the place." As he came to the hallway the rope fell off his captive's lower limbs, causing him to gasp a confused query before Tifa used her freed legs to trip him; she used the momentum to roll him on his back before his confusion could melt into focus.

"Tifa!"

She attempted to bound down the stairs as she worked off her arm bindings, almost free. The rope began to fall away as she made it to the last step, and Tifa quickly took in her surroundings; the door to freedom was little more than ten paces away. It was a long shot, she knew; but she wasn't going to be a prisoner to a vampire, even if it was someone she once knew.

Tifa was half way there when a force smashed her against the wall, causing her to cry out a grunt. A strong grip suddenly held her arms in place and she looked up defiantly. Shuddering, she finally saw Cloud; his pale face warped with an irritated grimace, his blue eyes almost glowing as his fangs grew out of his exposed mouth. She struggled against him, but his hands held her firmly in place. He moved in close, keeping her from using her legs again.

"So I can't trust you, even in ropes." The vampire growled. He lowered his head slightly, like a predator about to pounce, and Tifa remembered the corpse that was in the coffin earlier in the night, the gory hole torn into the throat and the clammy white skin of its resident. "I didn't want to resort to this, but it'll be hard to escape when you can barely sit up." His voice was a low and feral hiss, promising her there was no escape from him. The vampire's head sunk further, his lips grazing the skin of her neck.

She gasped as he suddenly bit her neck, crying out from the pain and struggling against him as her blood flowed into his cold mouth. Her head became light and her limbs weak, and the last thing she remembered before passing out was his arms moving to hold her.

Cloud held Tifa in his arms as he finished feeding, taking enough blood from his friend to keep her out of trouble for the next several days if he was lucky. Today, she would be helpless. He sealed the weeping wounds with a lick, then looked at her face; she was so pale, her hair clinging to her face. "Things never end up the way they should..." he mumbled before licking any blood left off of his lips. His panic and irritation had faded into sadness at the turn of events.

He carried her bridal style into the room he chose for her, a small guest room he kept just in case he had to keep someone for the day. He really didn't want to have to bite Tifa, he had hoped she would be reasonable with him. Bindings first, blood last. 'At least she isn't tied up now.' He had thought of unbinding her so she had some mobility in her room if she had calmed down before the end of the night, but she had to be sneaky.

He thought it ironic, the vampire hunter being the devious one. Wasn't it supposed to be the other way around?

Cloud shuffled the blankets on to her after taking off her boots and tucked her in, making sure she would stay warm. He moved the hair out of her face before softly rubbing her cheek, then he gave her a lingering kiss on her forehead. The vampire kept watch, kneeling next to the bed and holding one of her hands for a time, thinking about what he should do with her.

This was his oldest friend, the one that made Nibelheim tolerable. The one he wanted to impress with stories of heroic adventures as he saved citizens from monsters when he returned to his hometown to guard the villagers from Nibel wolves and the rare dragon. The one he gave a ring to with hopes of someday being the one person she chose to be with.

Instead, he became one of the monsters that preyed on the people of the city, and the one person he loved the most, the one person outside of his family he would do whatever it took to keep safe most assuredly hated his guts. But he would try for Tifa, he promised to save her.

Cloud eyed the necklace poking out from the covers, and prudently removed the jewelry so it wouldn't tangle about her neck as she slept. It was a surprise to him that she kept the little ring he bought for her when he inspected the lace of leather on her neck, bringing some small joy that she wore it. He looked under the sleeve covering his left arm, the little bracelet made of deep blue glass beads with painted yellow lilies that she gave him seven years ago always on his wrist.

"Why did you become this...was it my fault?" He was sure it was his fault for sending those letters instead of leaving them in blissful ignorance. 'I really shouldn't have listened to Zack.' He hadn't received a letter from his mother in a year, and Tifa was unconscious on a bed in front of him because she wanted to be a hero.

Just like him.

Cloud stood up and took a final glance at his childhood friend before going down to the kitchen to fetch a glass of water for his guest's nightstand. He checked his refrigerator for any prepared food she could eat; a frown crossed his face when he realized he would have to go out and find something for her. It wasn't as if he needed to eat, he just liked to sometimes, and he was out of supplies. Not that he was ever really good at cooking, but at least he didn't burn water.

Taking the glass upstairs he left it on the nightstand, next to the lamp that rested on the wooden surface. Cloud thought a moment and checked the drawer; there was an old flashlight he brought with him into the house four years ago. The batteries seemed to still work, and he placed it on the stand as well. Checking again on Tifa, he went downstairs to start his short night time journey.

Walking towards the front door with a huff Cloud bent down to rub his servant's chin, the black rat squeaking in delight as his master hit a sweet spot. "Watch over Tifa, Squeak. I'll bring back something for you, too. Okay?" More squeaks. "Yeah, I should have checked the rope, but...Tifa's my friend." Standing up the door opened and he quickly made his way to a store open during these early hours; he only had two hours before he had to hide away from the world. Cloud looked up to the stars that witnessed his oath, and he wondered if they noticed how hard he was fighting for Tifa.

Thanks again to Emerial for beta-reading. Hope everyone enjoyed this chapter!