Title: The Trouble with Looks

Chapter Two: Challenge

Author: yukohakubi

Pairings: CloudxReno, RudexVincent later on (main pairing)

Warnings: MxM (but that's why you're here, ne?), blood, vampire stuff, and AU.

Disclaimer: C'mon, you know the drill. If I owned FF7, I wouldn't need such things as college. Okay?

Rating: T for now, may go up later.

Summary: Vincent Valentine has always been teased about being a vampire because of his elongated teeth and ruby red eyes. However, he doesn't even believe in the creatures as anything more than urban legend, and is biologically human. Rude is a real vampire who's not changed enough to despise sunlight yet, but is still very protective of his turf. When Vincent moves into a new apartment, it unknowingly causes trouble in the local hierarchy, because even vampires think Vincent one of them. Rude is forced to take action, only to find an aloof human.

"Speech"

-Telephone conversation-

'Thought'

-…- scene change

Vincent groaned as his sleep was interrupted by some very insistent knocking. It wasn't right that he should have visitors at all, especially if it were another chipper one like Yuffie Kisaragi.

"Viiiiince! Rise and shine, sleepy head! It's 9am already, you should be up and moving!" Yuffie called, banging on the door all the while.

Rude materialized behind her, in the soft shadows that filled the hallway. "Half-blood." He greeted solemnly.

Yuffie jumped, and slammed her back into the wall when she saw Rude. "What are you doing here? During the day, even?!"

"…"

"Err…okay. Uhm, bye!" She said, with a little wave as she darted away.

Rude reached for the doorknob without so much as a second glance at Yuffie's hasty retreat. This guy had to be scoped out NOW, hiding from sunlight or not. Before he could rip the door from its hinges, it swung back, clutched in the hand of the very person Reno had warned him of the night before. A very traditional vampire, this guy, probably so pureblooded that anyone he turned would lose any and all humanity. But in this light, he did look rather human, even with his pale skin. His over-large t-shirt was slipping down a narrow shoulder, and his hair was mussed from sleeping with it loose. Rather pretty, a probably snooty pureblood.

"…Can I help you?" Vincent asked, peevish now.

Didn't people have any respect for anyone's rest any more?

The bald man narrowed his eyes at Vincent from behind his sunglasses with a tentative snort. A few seconds more of glaring, and Vincent shut the door in the man's face, locking the deadbolt firmly before he retreated into his apartment. Outside, Rude pressed the open palm of his hand against the door. Bending his fingers just enough to put them on their tips, he extended his claws into the heavy wood. He twisted his wrist once to the left, and then once to the right, to leave deep scratches. Underneath it he dented the door with the heel of his hand, leaving just enough of his scent to let the vampire know who was challenging him. By the time the deadbolt clicked, he had been whisked away in the shadows.

-…-

"Hey, Vince, you awake now?" Yuffie called, with a tentative knock to the door.

Vincent was quicker to answer the door this time. He flipped the deadbolt to the side, and then pulled the door open. "Yuffie."

"Ah…what's with your door?" Yuffie asked. She bounced a little bit on the balls of her feet, but kept avoiding his eyes.

"There's nothing wrong with my door." Vincent replied.

"Uh, Vince, you might wanna look outside, then." Yuffie said, backing up to allow her neighbor the room to walk out into the hallway.

Vincent immediately facepalmed. "I may as well go ahead and move out already…"

Yuffie grabbed hold of his shoulder and turned him with more strength than a person of her size should have possessed. "Don't you get it? If you run away, he'll just come after you! You were the one to invade this territory; you can't run out on a challenge!"

There was muffled thumping on the stairs behind the two, and suddenly Reno was there to grab hold of Yuffie's arm. "Ah, ah, ah, Kisaragi, you're not allowed to interfere. Even if HE isn't in Rude's jurisdiction, YOU are, and you have to abide by his laws." He turned to Vincent. "What's the matter, pureblood? You act like you've never seen a challenge mark before."

"…I haven't." Vincent blinked at him a couple of times, and then gestured at the door. "I have to ask what you mean by pureblood. I've…never heard the term before."

"You must have lived a pretty sheltered life, then." Reno told him, with a wave of his hand. "Ja, pureblood."

-…-

"You really are a human, aren't you?" Yuffie asked when Reno and Cloud had left. She scuffed her heel along the carpet, and twiddled her thumbs behind her back. "I mean, all vampires know what a challenge mark is, even a half-blood, like me."

"I don't believe in vampires." Vincent said shortly. "They're fairytales. The people who claim to be vampires are suffering from that strange virus."

"Virus?" One of Yuffie's eyebrows shot up into her bangs. "You actually believe those harebrained rumors that…oh, what's-his-face, uhm, Hojo! You don't believe those stupid rumors he spreads, do you?"

"I have it. That's why I look the way I do." Vincent replied.

"I think your mom hit you over the head one too many times as a baby, Vince. My dad's a vampire, and those "virus" people are just vampires who refuse to drink blood." To prove her point, she grabbed hold of Vincent's hand and attempted to sink her fangs into his palm before he yanked it back. "Oh, come on, I can't turn you, and I can only drink about half a pint!"

Vincent backed warily towards his door, to the pistol he kept in the drawer of the corner table. Yuffie caught him again, disarming him with that sweet smile of hers.

"Teasing! Look, I can't help you with the challenge, but I can at least explain what it is." She told him.

Vincent pulled his hand free and pointed at the door. "Kitchen. Tell me there."

-…-

"In every part of the city with a vampire population, there's a higher ranking vampire who controls the territory. Here, it's a changeling called Rude."

"Changeling?" Vincent asked.

"Someone who was human once. You met the landlord's lover, Reno? He's a changeling. He's not part of the local hierarchy, so Rude never bothered him because he wasn't after territory." Yuffie began, but then she shook her head. "You're distracting me! Anyway, since someone thought you were a vampire, they told Rude. Rude is the master of this neighborhood, and he thinks you're trying to challenge him for it."

"I'm a human. This matter could be easily resolved." Vincent pointed out as he leaned back against the counter.

"Uh uh, not quite. He'd lose face if it was found out that he challenged someone without any real proof that they were a vampire. It's probably Reno's fault! It always is." Yuffie replied. "But Reno kind of…had to report you to Rude, if you look like a vampire."

She began to look around suddenly, uncomfortable shivering even in the warm room. Worrying her lower lip with small fangs, Yuffie darted to the door without so much as a goodbye. Reno was standing in the door to his apartment for just a moment before he melted away into the shadows, sticking his tongue out and serving Vincent a melancholy look.

'Why is everyone still against me?'

-…-

Sorry if this chapter is still rather short, I hope to make them longer as I go.