Notes: I'd like to thank all of my reviewers for their lovely comments. I would address people personally, but I'm not technically allowed. Anyway, this chapter is an important one, and so I feel I should include a warning.

WARNING: The dream sequence (italisized) in this chapter contains an ephebophilial sex scene, preceded by a brief scene of necrophilia. You've been warned.

Anyway, I love feedback.

The First Day: Evening

Sora opened the door to his apartment. He instantly regretted it.

"Hi, Yuffie," he said as though this happened every day (it was really only every other day or so) and tried to block the scene in the living room from Kairi's view long enough for Yuffie to put her top back on and for Cloud to stop laughing.

"Hey, Sora!" shouted Yuffie enthusiastically as she bounded off of Cloud's lap and over to Sora, enveloping him in a tight hug before noticing the other girl. "And who's this? My name's Yuffie Kisaragi! This is Cloud Strife. Will you be staying for dinner? Are you a friend of Sora's? Is your hair dyed?"

Kairi extended her hand warmly and tried to maintain eye contact with the ever-moving young girl. "My name is Kairi Yamato, and Sora invited over for dinner tonight, if it's all right."

"Fine by me," said Cloud, who had risen from the couch and advanced to shake the outstretched hand that Yuffie was incapable of staying still long enough to grasp. He grinned widely at Kairi and Sora. "You know, Sora, it's good to see you with a girl your own age. Hanging around Yuffie turns you into an old man before your time."

Yuffie punched him playfully before taking Kairi and leading her to the couch. "C'mon, I can't talk about girl stuff with those two! Where are you from? When did you get here?"

As Yuffie distracted Kairi with useless banter (or maybe she was just talking normally), Sora and Cloud conversed in hushed tones.

"Larxene will be coming over, too. Listen, try not to scare her, okay?"

Cloud looked at his friend like he was insane. "You know, this is the first time a 'friend' has come over to our place. You nervous?"

"A bit," Sora replied truthfully. But why? "You wanna take Yuffie to get the food?"

"Sure," Cloud agreed, holding his pleased smirk until Sora had turned away. So he's finally found someone he likes. Slowly, another thought hit him. Oh, shit. Well, better leave them alone for now. Hope the couch doesn't get stained. "Yuffie, let's go pick up dinner."

"Whaaat?" whined Yuffie. "But then when will I be able to explain the theory of relativity?"

"Um, later. C'mon."

"Okay!" She waved goodbye to Kairi and Sora, and darted out the door, leaving Cloud to hastily run after her. Kairi laughed as the door swung shut on its own weight.

"They seem like a lot of fun."

"Well, I'll say one thing, life's never boring." When you kill people for a living, it rarely is.

"So, you going to show me around before those two get back?"

"There's not a whole lot to see, but yeah, follow me."

In truth, aside from the fact that the place was very clean and that they had a lot of semi-expensive furniture, there wasn't anything terribly unusual about Sora's home. Nevertheless, Kairi was completely engrossed, and took every opportunity to make Sora talk about some random picture or room, just so she could hear his voice.

Yuffie's voice fit her personality well. It was high, but not shrill. It had a lot of energy, and she couldn't possibly imagine it being a voice that had tasted sorrow or despair. It was a voice that could tire you out by listening to it, but it was a good kind of tired.

Cloud's was deep and sounded like someone who was already tired. He sounded like a man who wants to lie in luxury, but isn't truly permitted to do so. He seemed happy, but his eyes were shadowed with the look of someone who doesn't sleep as much as they should.

Kairi hadn't yet met Yuffie's lover, Larxene, but imagined that her voice would be similar to Yuffie's: energetic and eager.

Sora's though, was almost impossible to describe. It almost reminded her of Roxas, but she was pleased to find that it brought none of the irritation that she normally associated with Roxas. Sora's voice was that of someone who was not tired, but exhausted. Someone who was unsure of the future, who relied on the past. Kairi's instinct for reading people by their voices had rarely been far off the mark, and she reflected on what she had been told about Sora Hikari before coming to this city, what she had expected him to be like, and what she thought of him now.

While thinking of all this, she kept her attention clearly focused on what Sora was talking about. It wasn't as though it was something important (it was, in fact, the story of how Cloud had gotten superbly drunk one night and jabbed a screwdriver through his pillow, convinced it was a panda), but something about him commanded her attention all the same.

Was it his eyes? His face? His sublime voice? Or what she could only refer to as an aura? Whatever it was, Kairi was sure that she liked being in its presence.

"Dinner!"

Sora bowed and offered her his arm, which she laughed and took. They strode to the dining room, where Cloud and a blond girl were setting up silverware, and Yuffie was drinking a suspicious liquid heartily and talking ad nauseum.

"And then they made me their chief," she concluded, setting down her empty glass. She turned to greet the newcomers. "Hi, guys! Kairi, this is Larxene. Larxene, this is Sora's friend Kairi."

Since Sora had mentioned Larxene's sexual preference earlier that day, it took Kairi a decent amount of willpower to avoid switching sides then and there. Larxene was obviously older than Yuffie by a few years, but she carried herself with a perfect grace that almost no one in this day and age has. She walked over to Yuffie and shook her hand, saying that it was lovely to meet her. Kairi nodded and returned the sentiment, unable to keep her eyes off the other woman. No wonder Sora almost slept with her!

"Well, let's eat," said Cloud. The words were barely out of his mouth before Yuffie leapt to a piece of the meat and started sawing at it furiously, a manic gleam in her eyes as she just barely managed to keep from drooling.

Larxene looked at her like an older sister surveying her young protégé. "Yuffie, mind your manners." Yuffie kept on sawing madly, but slowed down a bit. Larxene smiled pleasantly and shrugged. "Close enough. Come, sit."

Sora offered Kairi a chair before he sat down, which made Cloud chuckle. "Odd. He's never behaved like a real gentleman before."

"Stuff it," Sora growled at him. He was glad that he was facing away from Kairi, because at that moment he was blushing furiously, because he realized that Cloud was right: he hadn't ever really been courteous before, at least not without an ulterior motive to back it up.

Why is Sora so nice all of a sudden? Why doesn't he shoot her now? wondered Cloud as he started eating, chatting idly with Sora, though he was having difficulty as Sora's gaze kept wandering to Kairi. What exactly is he planning?

Cloud mentioned that Sora wanted something elaborate for this girl, thought Larxene as she spoke quietly with Kairi across the table. The redhead didn't say much, because she seemed a bit engrossed with what Sora was saying. Is he acting? Or is he really…attracted to her? What if it's more than that? What if he's…falling…for her?

Damn, this steak is good, thought Yuffie as she shoveled the meat into her mouth, occasionally bursting into the conversation with an optimistic remark about when Kairi could come over again. She really wanted to get to know this girl. I wonder if she likes Sora…heh, I'd love to see the look on her face a week from now!

Sora looked peaceful. He spoke happily. He smiled widely. Yet he was far from it in reality. His eyes kept wandering to Kairi at his side, to her fiery red hair. To her loose t-shirt, to the way her hair fell across her shoulders. His fingers kept wandering to the gun in his pocket. She's right here. No one knew she would be here.

Why aren't I doing it?

Sweat fell from his brow onto his lap as he forked a piece of filet mignon into his mouth and relished the taste. Larxene made some sexual innuendo about Yuffie's love of steak, which Cloud and Kairi laughed at.

That wonderful laugh.

Why aren't I killing her?

He forced himself to laugh to, not too late. It was hard because, well, it was hard. How can she do this to me? Not when Yuffie had stripped and straddled him, this hadn't happened until he wanted it to. Not when Larxene came onto him when they'd first met. Only now, only her.

WHY AREN'T I TAKING OUT MY GUN? WHY AREN'T I DASHING HER HEAD IN WITH IT? WHY AREN'T I ENJOYING HER CRYING IN AGONY? WHY AREN'T I STICKING THE BARREL IN HER CUNT AND LAUGHING AS I PULL THE TRIGGER?

WHY AREN'T I KILLING HER?

Sora excused himself and stood up from the table. He walked into the kitchen and made sure no one was looking at him before sticking his head in his hands.

"What's wrong with me?" he whispered to himself. No reply came forward, and he hadn't really expected one anyway. He knew, though, that there was a way. There always was.

He walked back into the dining room. The table was arranged in such a way that he and Kairi were facing away from the kitchen, and everyone else was facing them. So Larxene, Cloud, and Yuffie saw him there, but said nothing to acknowledge his presence. They sensed what he was about to do.

Sora reached into his suit shirt and withdrew the pistol he had fitted with a silencer earlier that day and stuck into the lining of the suit. He clicked the safety off and aimed it directly at the back of Kairi's head.

That's one way.

Sora breathed deeply.

Kairi laughed again.

One way.

Sora lowered the gun and walked back into the kitchen. He could hear Cloud and Larxene try to pick up the conversation again: they had lost interest for a split second, expecting their dinner to be suddenly covered in gore. Yuffie was doubtless disappointed. She loved stories of his work, and had always wanted to be there when he killed someone.

In the kitchen, Sora unloaded the pistol magazine and tossed it in the garbage can, moving a banana peel to cover it. If he went back into that room with live ammo, he'd do it. He knew he would. His voice came to his head again, unbidden, before a torrential fury, and now an almost pathetic whimpering.

Why aren't I killing her?

Then another voice, a simpler one, one he hadn't paid attention to since that fateful day of the choir.

Because you love her.

The night brought no rest to Sora. He tossed and turned for hours after lying down for the night. He had walked Kairi home and thanked her for coming over. She said that she had had a lovely time and couldn't wait to see him again. She gave him her cell number and told him to call the next evening. All that he could take.

But then she kissed him.

It wasn't much of a kiss. A soft, almost timid, peck on his lips, lips that had felt much more urgent kisses before. It had thrilled him. It had amazed him. It had horrified him. How can I hurt someone like this? Could I really…?

He had no way of knowing that Kairi's thoughts were almost identical.

But the fear the kiss had brought was not only Sora's fear of harming Kairi, but his memory of the first time he had witnessed real depravity in another human being. He had thought of himself as possibly insane, a pariah for society if there ever was one. But that was before he had let Yuffie see one of his victims for the first (and, he was always hoping, last) time. His dreams brought back that night in vivid detail.

Sora smirked as he tucked the hypodermic syringe back into his coat pocket. "It's almost too easy."

"What happened?" asked Yuffie, her face a mask of childish glee and fascination. She had volunteered to act like a prostitute in order to lure the target into the alley, where Sora stuck a needle into his neck. "What was in the needle?"

"Air."

The fourteen year old's eyes widened in surprise and disbelief. "Air?"

"Injection of oxygen into the bloodstream can cause rapid stroke or heart failure." He smiled at her. "Cool, eh?"

"Yeah!" Yuffie agreed, nodding enthusiastically. Sora moved towards the body, but Yuffie placed a hand on his chest to stop him. He looked at her oddly until she explained hesitantly. "I was wondering…can I have the body?"

"What do you mean, 'have'?"

She smiled a bit, and advanced towards the dead man. "If he died like this, then shouldn't it still be like that?"

Naturally, Sora stared blankly at her. "What the hell are you talking about?"

"If he was hard when he died, then shouldn't he still be ready now?"

For once, Sora didn't have a ready answer for her. "I…don't really know."

"Let's check!"

And before Sora could stop her, Yuffie had undone the man's pants and pulled out his penis, which was indeed still erect. "Aw, he's not that big."

"Yuffie, what are you-"

"Please, Sora!" she fixed him with a pleading look while stroking the organ with her left hand. "I've always wanted to do this! Please?"

"Well," Sora rubbed his temples for a moment: he could feel a headache coming on. "Fine. But I doubt it'll work."

"Yes!"

Yuffie stopped stroking the man's penis and quickly yanked off her pants and underwear. She laid the body down on the floor and kneeled over it, guiding the penis into her womanhood. The heat was rapidly vanishing into the night air, and she gasped as the cooling flesh slipped deep within her hot folds.

Sora rolled his eyes and left Yuffie to her business. He could hear the excitement in her voice at first, as a steady stream of blaspheme spewed from her mouth to the dead man's ears. After about a minute, though, she started to sound impatient. After a few more seconds, she whined to Sora.

"Ah, it's not as cool as I thought it would be. He went soft."

"Well, lack of blood flow tends to do that," Sora replied. "You know, what with blood being needed for an erection and all."

"Sora, can we fuck now?"

"Huh?"

Sora hadn't expected Yuffie to want to sleep with a dead body, but he was expecting her to want to sleep with him even less. "But, Larxene-"

"Larxene doesn't mind!" Yuffie hugged him tightly, her hard nipples poking into his chest. "She wants you to join us both one night soon! And Cloud can come too!"

Sora looked down into the girl's eyes. She was so eager, and he could feel her arousal pressing up against his crotch. He sighed mentally and let down his defenses a bit, allowing his penis to get hard. "All right. Lie down."

Yuffie's eyes glowed with excitement and lay on the floor, stripping off her tight shirt and bra as she did. She caressed her small breasts and smiled up at him. "Come on, Sora. Don't make me wait!"

Sora obligingly removed his clothes as quickly as he could and laid down on top of the younger girl, leading his penis into Yuffie's slit slowly, listening to her moan happily and call out his name. He smiled in the darkness and slowly went deeper, plunging in and out of her tight hole.

"Dammit, Sora, go faster!" Yuffie managed to gasp out, moving her hands around his lower waist, pushing him deeper inwards when he thrust forward. "It feels so good, Sora!"

Sora obliged, and concentrated deeply on the feel of Yuffie's hot, wet flesh against his privates. Now that he was going faster, he could distinctly feel his scrotum banging against Yuffie's crotch. He tried to support himself with just his right hand, and used his left to massage Yuffie's buttocks. She moved her torso upwards to meet him with each thrust, and Sora could feel her cervix touching the head of his penis each time he went into her.

Yuffie's breath was coming in short gasps now, and she bent her legs around Sora's waist, pulling him in ever deeper. "Sora…Sora…oh god, Sora, you're so good, I'm gonna come!"

Sora was beginning to breath harder now, and he could feel Yuffie flex her muscles rhythmically, making her pussy even tighter than it usually was. He could feel that his own orgasm was soon to be upon, and made a show of calling Yuffie's name and breathing harder than he really had to.

"Oh god, Sora," Yuffie cried out, "do it, come all over me!"

Sora remembered at the last moment that they weren't using any protection, and he didn't know if Yuffie was taking contraceptives or not, and so he pulled out and felt his penis twitch as his warm semen shot out in five ropes onto Yuffie's stomach and breasts, with the last one going further, splashing onto her face.

Neither spoke for a little while, both trying hard to catch their breath as they stared into one another's eyes.

"That was fun," Sora said finally.

"Yeah," Yuffie agreed. "Yeah, it was."

Sora stood up and offered his hand to Yuffie. "Shall we?"

That had been two years ago, and the memory came perfectly to Sora in his dreams. After waking in the middle of the night, he realized that if this was the effect she would be having on him, Kairi seriously needed to go.