I don't own Kingdom Hearts, but if I did, Sora would totally be all mine...haha. Story is mostly original, but it is inspired by Vampire Knight. I hope that you guys enjoy. Reviews and criticism would be appreciated.

Summery: Sora disappeared from Kairi's life for unknown reasons. A year later, he returns to her and Riku with little to say about his absence. Blood, lust, fear, secrets, friendships, reunions, and promises change their lives.

NOTE: I'm sorry for suddenly having disappeared. I had late-night rehearsals at school with my musical, but our last show was last Friday, so I'm back and writing! Please enjoy!

8. Secrets Unfold
~ Kodoku~

He staggered into a dark empty room, his walking heavy with each step he took. I followed him into the dark room, standing at the door, the only place where light shone into the darkness. My shadow, the dark reflection of my heart, was at its longest at that place and blended into the darkness with every step I took. My heels clicked with each movement, clicked with each labored breath he gasped. I knelt beside him and touched his shoulder, which trembled under my fingertips.

I was pretty sure I asked him something, but when I saw the red color, the color of blood, in his eyes, it was the only thing on my mind. He was thirsty for blood and his body was violently telling him of this detail. He would continue to suffer, his body tormenting him, unless he drank to quench the thirst.

"Here," I offered, brushing the hair away on the left side to expose my neck. It didn't matter to me that he could hurt me. To watch him suffer from afar and not be able to help him was more than pain enough. To watch him in pain pulled at my heart; his every heavy breath sliced at him inside; to me, it was worse than death to have him suffer alone.

I wanted to suffer with him.

"N-no," he gasped. I could hear how hard he was fighting in his voice.

"Don't argue with me," I told him.

I did not expect what happened next.

All it took was for me to blink. In that fragmented time of blindness, I felt my body be jerked in a direction, which I presumed was toward Sora. My wrists were captured in his hands, locked above my head where I lost mobility of my arms. My feet where knocked out from under me and my knees banged against the tiled ground. When I opened my eyes, I was facing the door with Sora kissing the side of my neck. My skin shivered as his tongue tasted my flesh. I heard his breath catch in his throat, exhaling excitement as he proceeded to pierce my skin.

"Go ahead," I told him when I felt his warm breath cool my skin. "Don't hesitate." I wanted him to bite me, for him to drink my blood, to savor its very taste. If it would stop him from suffering, I was willing to endure a little bit for pain for his sake.

Then something sharp broke through my skin. I bit my lip to suppress my scream. I heard it again, the sound of him drinking my blood. I looked from the corner of my eye. He drank as if his life depended on it, which I guess it did. But there was an air of desperation about how he drank, like he wanted my blood desperately and desperately didn't want it at the same time.

"H-how does it taste?" I asked, hoping he would stop before he took too much. That seemed to work because he pulled away, a lusted look in his red eyes.

"It's the most disgusting thing in the world…" he said, still holding my arms in a locked position. I wasn't sure if I should've been insulted or not. "…because it's the most delicious thing I've ever tasted…it's the only thing that my body craves." He let me go, my hands slapping the ground.

"Are you okay?" I questioned, holding my hand to his bite on my neck to stop the blood from flowing freely.

"How can I be?" he answered, turning his face away from me. "I've hurt you again. I wanted to drink until you were within the last breaths of your life. What kind of horrible monster have I turned into?"

"It's okay, Sora," I explained to him, wiping away the blood that stained his cheeks. The light caused it to glow eerily in the dark and for some strange reason, I wanted to taste it to understand why he craved it. "If it eases your suffering, I don't mind getting hurt." I took his head in my hands and made him look at me. My blood ran on his lips, glowing strangely as the urge to taste it and Sora's lips slowly grew stronger. "As long as I can be hurt when you are, I'll be fine." It didn't matter to me that his lips were stained by a sin we both committed, that my blood was on his hands, that his mark was on my neck. His pain was my pain, his joy as my joy, his sin was my sin. It didn't matter, nothing mattered anymore. I kissed him, tasting how my blood tasted on his lips as he kissed me back.

As long as I could remain by his side, nothing else mattered.

-----

Roxas walked into that room, looking for Sora and Kairi when they didn't return to the ballroom. It was understood between him, Naminé, and Riku to let Kairi and Sora to themselves. But when half an hour passed and they didn't return, the trio began to worry. They knew about how Sora's body wouldn't accept the blood tablets, that his body would somehow only desire true blood.

They weren't worried about what Sora could do to Kairi, even though he could hurt her. Kairi was a strong girl who could handle that type of situation. But Kairi could've been Sora's breaking point, the one destined to be his prey, the person whose blood was the only thing he would drink.

In the dark room where the only light was from the open door, Roxas didn't find anything. As he turned to walk out of the room, a tantalizing scent caught his attention. He then noticed the single spot of dried blood on the floor, glistening in the light. Kneeling beside it, he licked his finger and wiped it across the floor, taking come of the blood on his finger. He couldn't resist the urge for blood once the scent was there. It didn't matter that it was on the floor, he licked it off his finger, savoring the sweet taste he had refrained from for years. Before he bent over and licked the rest of it off the floor, Roxas regained himself, restraining from doing anything he deemed humiliating.

Then a thought about the taste of the blood struck him. That the blood wasn't human…it tasted like the blood of a Superior status vampire. The only other blood that vampires sought other than humans. If indeed Sora lost all sense and bit Kairi, did that mean Kairi was a vampire? Or did Sora bit a Superior vampire instead?

"Roxas?" Naminé's quiet voice floated in the room from the hallway. Her shadow stood at the door. "Did you find them?"

"No," he stated, walking out of the room quickly before Naminé could catch the scent of blood in the air. "Did you?" He didn't want anyone else to find out that Sora had bit someone, if that was the case. But questions would definitely arise if the Superior blood was found.

"I didn't find them," she replied, following him as he proceeded down the hallway. "Riku doesn't know here they are either."

"Do you think he did it?" Roxas asked her, his voice low as his eyes watched Riku come down the hallway toward them.

"I don't know," she answered, also keeping her voice down. "Part of me wanted to say no, but something deep inside my mind tells me otherwise. It's not saying yes, but it's says that there's a strong possibility he did..."

"I think they might've left," Riku told them when he walked up to them. "It's not like them to just disappear without telling anyone."

"Maybe they wanted to be alone," Naminé suggested.

"That's probably it," Roxas agreed, his eyes flickering back into the dark room, remembering the blood stain, how it tasted. "Maybe we should just let them be for the night."

"Yeah, we probably should," Riku agreed, proceeding down the hallway back to the ballroom. "You guys can leave if you want. I'll stay and keep an eye on Demyx for the rest of the night."

-----

"Kairi, what's taking so long in there?" Sora asked, banging the back of his head on the door as he leaned against it. Impatiently, he hit his knuckles on the wood and slid to the floor.

"Okay, okay," Kairi answered, opening the door. Sora fell back onto the tiled flooring of the bathroom. He sat up, ignoring the ringing sound in his ears. Kneeling quickly beside him, Kairi questioned if he was hurt. "Sora! Are you alright?"

"I'm fine," he replied, rubbing the back of his head. "I would be better if you had warned me that you were going to open the door."

"How was I supposed to know you were leaning on the door?" she retorted. "Besides, you were the one who was rushing me." She stood and turned away from him in mock anger.

"Okay, you're right about that," he relented, helping himself off the ground. "But that doesn't explain why you took over twenty minutes in there?"

"Excuse me for being a girl," she responded as a matter of fact. "And I had to wash the blood out of the ends of my hair," she stated, holding up a damp strand of her red hair to prove her point.

"Oh…yeah, I forgot about that," he said, recalling that it was his fangs which left her with those markings on her neck. "I'm sorry."

"You know, I really missed you," she told him, turning around to face him. Her ocean green eyes looked into his, locking into a gentle gaze. "I still really miss you."

"I'm here now, aren't I?" he said, placing his fingers on her shoulder. "Right by your side."

"Yeah, but…" she paused, trying to find the right words, her eyes searching. "…you've changed. You're different."

"Different?" He scratched the top of his head, wondering what she could possibly mean. "How?"

"You're so distant and cold now," she saw his expression change into a look of minor shock. She elaborated, "Face it Sora. When I first met you, you were so warm, open, and happy. But ever since you've come back, I feel like I don't know you sometimes."

"Well, I guess you're right about that," he agreed, dropping his hand from his head. "I have changed. I'm a vampire now. I'm no longer human anymore."

"I don't care about that."

"You don't understand what I'm going through," he stated. "You don't understand how hard it is for me to be around you. How thirsty you make me feel. How much danger you're in when I'm with you."

"Then explain it to me," Kairi told him, walking closer to him. "Tell me about what happened to you so I can understand." She moved her hand to his lips, parting them with her fingers. His fangs were bared. She touched the sharp tip of one. "Tell me about the you behind these fangs."

Sora took her wrist, holding her hand in front of his face. He smelled the rich tempting smell of her blood in the air around them. She had cut herself when she touched his fangs, a single drop of blood forming on her finger. Instinct took over and he opened his lips. He looked at her, silently waiting for approval. She nodded her head without hesitation and he placed her finger to his lips. He licked off the blood and drew a little more, restraining from allowing his animalistic instincts to take over by letting go of her wrist. He wiped his lips with the back of his hand, looking at her with curious eyes. The eyes he met were full of curiosity, her green eyes wondering along his face, searching. His lips broke into a smile and so did hers.

"Come with me," Sora told Kairi, opening the window to the warm night air. "I'll tell you everything, just come with me."

Without reluctance, she placed her hand in his and he pulled her out into the moonlit night.

-----

"Where's Sora and Kairi?" Demyx asked Riku as he started packing up. The night was nearly half over when the ballroom emptied out. "What about Roxas and Naminé? Did they leave already?"

"I guess they all did," Riku answered, his eyes watching the door. He had a feeling that something wrong had happened.

"I'm guessing you know that Sora bit Kairi a couple weeks ago," Demyx stated, packing his guitar. "You're thinking he did it again, aren't you?"

"The first time was in inevitable. He hadn't tasted blood yet. His body wanted it and it drove him to bite her." Riku shifted his eyes from the exit to the smirk on Demyx's face. "There's no way that he would allow himself to drink her blood again…" he trailed off, afraid to find the taboo thought.

"But what if Kairi's offering it to him?" Demyx asked him. "Sora wouldn't dare touch her again, but if she offers, if she tempts him, it just might break his will. She just might be his weakness."

"That's what I'm worried about."

"Good," Demyx agreed. "I would be too if I were you."

Demyx's statement struck odd with Riku. Does this airhead know more than he lets on? he questioned silently. "Why?" he asked aloud, "Do you know something?"

"Not my place," Demyx answered, grabbing his case as he shrugged his shoulders. Heading for the exit, he smirked a smile no one else could see.

-----

"Is something bothering you, Roxas?" Naminé questioned him. "You've been quiet for a while now."

"Nah," he answered. They were back at the clinic, in his room. He was reclining on his bed while she sat across from him in a chair, drawing. She put down her pencil and pad on her lap, looking at the blond haired boy in front of her.

"You're lying," she stated, getting up and moving to sit on the edge of the bed.

"No, I'm not," he replied immediately, a habit he developed when anyone accused him of lying when he actually was.

"Yeah, you are," she countered. "But that doesn't matter. I just remembered something."

"What would that be?"

"That's there's this hole in my memories."

"But you never forget anything," Roxas stated, sitting up in surprise. "Your memory is your gift as a Noble vampire, just like mine's the ability to physically manipulate light. There's no way that there could be a hold in your memories."

"But there is," she touched the side of his face. "See for yourself."

It was also in Naminé's gift to project her memories into the minds of others, but only with physical contact. Whoever had this experience felt as if they were really there. Every movement, touch, smell, and sound she had experienced, they experienced.

Roxas closed his eyes, watching a moment in time pass in his mind. He heard Sora say something about taking care of some business, noticing the anxiousness in his voice. Then blackness, just like a curtain dropping on a stage, plunging everything into nothingness. After of few moments of being lost, his 'sight' returned, but the scene has suddenly changed. Sora was on the ground, as if someone had punched him in the stomach. Then his sight returned and he was looking at Naminé.

"What was that?" Roxas questioned, blinking his blurry vision away. "How come there's that gap there?"

"I dunno why," Naminé answered, "and I'm worried about it."

"What do you think happened at that time?" he questioned. "Maybe you were knocked out or something?"

"What happened before and after doesn't match up," she explained. "If I got knocked out, I would've remembered waking up, but no. Once second, I'm talking to Sora and then the next, he's on the ground in pain. I don't remember what happened in between."

"That's strange," he commented, feeling Naminé running her fingers along his cheek.

"Now…" she said, placing her hands on her lap, "do you want to tell me about the blood that you found at the school?"

"How do you…" he paused, remembering that she could sample another person's memory through contact. "It was nothing."

"You're lying," she stated, outlining his face with her fingertips.

Roxas relented, smiling weakly in defeat. He couldn't hide anything from her, as her with him. That was how it worked when they were destined to be together.

-----

Moonlight filled the ebony night sky, casting a silver glow upon everything. The warm wind blew across the black canvas, pushing the few wispy clouds across the face of a full moon. Stars twinkled brightly, scattered across the black backdrop. Some stars clustered together in small groupings while other remained lonesome in their own corner of the universe.

Sora and Kairi were sitting on top of the roof of her house, watching the stars play in the sky. Kairi glanced over at him, noticing how his skin seemed so pale, but somehow in the moonlight, it appeared healthy. The moon reflected in his blue eyes, making them look youthful and happy. His appearance overall was changed, as if the moon gave him back his lust for life, allowing him to return to a worry-free life. She turned and looked at the moon, feeling its light bathe her face with a serene calmness as she curled her knees up to her chin.

"Are you cold?" Sora asked her. "Do you wanna go back inside?"

"No, I'm fine," she answered, straightening her legs. Her flannel pajama Capri's provided enough skin coverage to keep her legs warm. She was feeling comfortable in her just-against-her-skin t-shirt. Besides, the warm air was pleasant whenever it blew across her skin. "Are you comfortable?"

"I'm fine," he replied, loosening the top few buttons of his shirt.

Kairi could see the toned muscles on his chest, amazed at what advantages he gained because of a little vampire blood. She wanted to question him about what had happened to him, why he had hidden it from her, and about what their future would look like. But she kept quiet, knowing it was a touchy topic for him to discuss. To be frank, she was a little scared to know herself.

"You know, when I'm out here in the light of the moon, I feel really safe," he faced her, "I feel good enough to be around you and everyone else."

"Is that because of what happened to you?"

"Yeah, I guess it is," he answered, looking up at the silver moon. "My family was attacked one day by a group of hunter vampires. They killed everyone I held close to my heard; my mom, my dad, and some other family that I really didn't know, but I loved him regardless. I was spared and left for this cursed fate to take over my life."

"Is that why daddy sent you away?" she asked him. "To make sure that Riku and I would be safe?"

"That probably was a reason, but not the main one." He paused. "Do you remember your mom at all?"

"Not really," she pulled her knees back up to her face. "She left when I really young. She came to visit often, but not often enough. And it was because mom and dad were fighting. They loved to see each other when she came back. But I don't know anything about her. Not even what she looked like."

Reaching over and placing a comforting hand on her shoulder, Sora smiled, feeling sorry for the girl sitting beside him. At least he had memories; she had nothing to really remember her mother. "It's okay," he told her, allowing for a pause to fill the gap of time. "But, your mom was one of the reasons your dad asked me to go. He wanted me to find out who killed her…which vampire killed her."

"So she was killed by a vampire?" she responded, blinking the tears from her eyes. "Why? What did she do? Why my mom?"

"I don't know," he lied, hoping that keeping the painful truth hidden from her was the right decision. "Are you okay Kairi?"

"I'm fine," she answered, wiping the tears that escaped her eyes. "If my daddy sent you away to find out who killed her, then why are you back? You just told me you don't know who did it?"

"Because I missed you and Riku," he told her, carefully editing the truth before he told her too much. "Besides, I'm not afraid of your dad."

"What about Roxas, Naminé, and Demyx?" she asked, changing the topic of conversation. "How do you know them?"

"I met them half a year before I left," he replied, recalling human memories. "I was wondering around at night, lost in some dark alley. I don't know what Roxas or them were doing – I think they were looking for someone – but they found me. For some strange reason, they helped me. I didn't know they were vampires and I guess they didn't know I was a human.

"Roxas and I got to talking along the way and we became fast friends. Sometime later that night, we were attacked by a bunch of Renegades who were looking for me. The three of them saved me. After that Roxas asked why I didn't run, knowing at that point I was human. I told him that I had to thank them for saving my life. Vampire or not, they stopped me from being killed. I guess we've been good friends after our acceptance of each other."

"Did they know about how you were attacked?" She was interested in how Sora became what he was. Who changed the outcome of his life? "Do you know who changed you?"

"No, I don't know who caused this change," he lied, burying the painful memories. "And I never met up with Roxas, Naminé, or Demyx until half a year ago. I had no idea what they would've thought of me if they found out what happened to me."

"I guess everything turned out alright in the end," Kairi commented. "You're back home with all your friends."

"Yeah, everything did turn out alright in the end," he agreed. A pause followed, filling the air between them. "So…" he said, "what's going on between you and Riku? I didn't think that much would happen while I was away."

"Don't be an idiot, Sora!" she retaliated, shoving him so he lost his balance and tipped to the side. "I guess maybe you haven't changed all that much if you're still the idiot that I remember."

"Hey!" he retorted. "I take offense to that," he joked. "I might as well just leave you up here and return to the clinic."

"Fine," she stated, crossing her arms across her chest, "go ahead and leave."

"Okay." He stood up, went to the roof's edge, and leapt off, landing with a small thud on the grassy lawn below.

Footsteps then silence.

"Sora?" Kairi called out, unfolding her arms. "Sora, were you being serious?" No answer. "Sora, I was only joking. Come back." She stood up and uneasily made her way to the edge, looking at the ground thirty feet below. There was no way she could make a jump like that without breaking something. "Sora, come back! I need you!"

"You called?" he answered, appearing behind her on the rooftop. He lifted her up into his arms and stepped off the roof. Landing softly on the small balcony outside her room, he lowered her to her feet and watched her climb back inside the window. "Who's still an idiot?"

"You're still an idiot," she stated, "but that's what I love about you. The fact that you're my idiot."

"I guess I can settle for that," he answered, placing his hand on the balcony railing. "Night."

"Night."

Sora waited until she closed the window and turned out the light before heading back to the clinic.

-----

The weather took a turn the worst the next day. Most everyone was still asleep, their body drained due to the late night the day before. The sun remained hidden behind thick gray clouds that appeared suddenly, as if it wanted to keep the day from coming. The air was damp and warm, foretelling of the impending rain. It was silent throughout the hallways of the clinic, only the sounds of pencil against paper drifting into the calmness behind closed doors. The professor pulled an all-nighter, trying to finish his paper about new research he had been developing. His irritated remarks could be heard as Riku passed by his office.

"Morning," Riku said, opening the office door. "Up late working again?"

"Yeah," Kaito answered, scribbling furiously. "I need you to work tonight."

"Where's Kairi?" Riku asked, taking a seat in front of Kaito's desk. "Shouldn't she know too?"

"She's not going," Professor replied, looking up from his work. "I want for her to rest tonight. But you won't be going alone. Sora and Roxas will accompany you."

"Is it dangerous?" Riku questioned, worried about the nature of the mission.

"No, it's just like one of your usual missions."

"Then why isn't Kairi coming?"

"Because something could happen to her Riku," Sora stated form the door. "Her life's in danger whenever she's outside at night."

"Danger?" Riku repeated. "What do you mean?"

"It's better if you don't know," Katio responded, returning to his paperwork.

"Kaito-sensei," Riku stood up, slamming his hands on the desk, "What danger is Kairi in?"

The professor remained silent, his hand moving the pencil quickly across the paper. He didn't look up at Riku. Knowing he wasn't getting an answer out of the proessor, Riku turned to the door where Sora had previously stood, but his friend wasn't there.

"Sora?" Riku called, peering into the hallway. The hallways was empty, the sound of footsteps echoing until they slowly faded.

"Meet me back here tonight," Kaito told Riku. "I expect you to be here tonight."

-----

"Kairi, watch this!" Demyx called from his place on the practice stage in his room. He outstretched his hand, his palm open to the ceiling. A sphere of water materialized at his fingertips, brilliantly bending the light as it drifted out of his hand and was replaced by another. After a dozen or so of the gravity-defying water crystals were floating in the space around his head, Demyx picked up his guitar and strummed a note. The spheres vibrated ever so slightly at the sound and then stopped. He looked at her expectantly.

Kairi didn't know exactly how to answer. Sure the water bubbles were nice, but she had seen Demyx make them already. The element of water was under his control, his gift of being a vampire of Noble status. "I think they're nice," she responded, trying to sound sincere. "They're really pretty."

Not noticing the slight insincerity in her voice, Demyx smiled to himself proudly. "You haven't seen anything yet," he proclaimed. "Dance, water, dance!" he shouted in his tenor as he struck a few chords. The water spheres began to zoom around the room, keeping with Demyx's tempo. When he played the finishing chord, the crystals froze and burst into tiny shimmering droplets of water. Each one caught the light, capturing the light's radiance in its tiny structure.

"That was pretty amazing," Kairi applauded, still admiring the captured beauty that drifted to the ground. "You've learned some new things about controlling your power, haven't you?"

"What can I say?" he answered, proud of himself. "I'm just that amazing…handsome…talented…"

"Okay Mr. Talented," she interrupted him, leaning back into her seat, mocking him, "can you tell me why you've having a rehearsal this late at night?"

"Geez Kairi," he retorted, placing his guitar in its case, "it's only 9. Besides, I'm a vampire. I'm most active at night. I thought you would've known that much at least."

"Why do I need to be here then?" she inquired. Something told her that she was missing a mission and she was intentionally not told. To her, it seemed that Demyx was only supposed to keep her occupied.

"Because Kairi," he stepped down from his stage and walked toward her, "this is the only time I get with you anymore. I told you before," he reached out his hand and lightly brushed her hair, "ever since Sora came back, I never get to see you alone anymore." He moved his fingers to just barely touch her lips.

"Don't tell me you're in love with me too?" she replied, pulling her head away from his hand.

Demyx chuckled. "No. It's more like…I'm worried. Worried about the horrible things he could do to you," he brushed the hair away from her neck, "things worse than this mark." He withdre his hand and proceeded to walk back to the stage. "Anyway," his voice was light and spirited again, "do you have any request? I'll play you a song."

Kairi hesitated to answer, her mind trying to comprehend the meaning of Demyx's words. Faintly, she could hear the opening chords for his song "Pain&Kiss," the ballad he had played at the dance.

-----

Riku proceeded down a dark street, the light of a waning moon and those of the street lights illuminating a path for him. The three of them had decided to go in separate directions, each person going after their own vampire. Riku had to check a jewelry store, but to his luck, the vampire fled by the time he had gotten there. Now he had to search the surrounding area for the Renegade.

He heard the faint echo of footsteps. Looking around him, there was no one on the dead street other than him. The buildings to his right were abandons, left to rot by the unsuccessful owners. There were no homes on the road for several blocks.

But still, Riku continued to hear footsteps other than his own. They started to close in on him until…

The only sound ringing in his ears was the sound of smashing glass. Whoever had been following him had thrown him into a building, through the window. As Riku's head impacted with the wall, several sharp pains ran along his left leg. He shook the pain from his head and reached for Way to Dawn.

But inside the building, he could see nothing. His eyes detected no movement, his ears hearing no sound other than his breathing.

Using the wall for support, he pulled himself up onto his feet. The pained traveled his leg again. He reached down and felt something wet soak through his jeans and even a few tears through the material. "Must've landed on the broken glass," he concluded, fighting the pain as he staggered to the broken window. Each step he took was difficult, a new shock running along his leg.

Then that feeling arose again. The feeling that he wasn't alone, that something was pursuing him. He slowed his breathing, trying to hear for another.

The only sound was that of him connecting with another wall. Ignoring the pain, Riku searched, looking for the other entity. Whatever it is, he thought, it's incredibly fast. The only thing with this speed is a…

He held up Way to Dawn and fired at the first wall he collided with. If glass was embedded into his skin, there was going to be blood. His blood would've attracted a vampire. If it was there, he would know because…

A pained cry filled the room. The bullet hit its mark, or at least wounded the creature. Riku picked himself off the ground and fired again. But the bullets hit the ground, missing their mark. The Renegade was extremely fast, once again knocking Riku to the ground in a matter of seconds.

The situation seemed hopeless. There was no way he could fight that kind of amazing speed. Maybe that's why we hunt in pairs…he thought as he waited helplessly.

"Stop where you are," a voice commanded.

Riku tried to focus himself on finding whoever it was that had come to his aid. But in the darkness, all he could see was two sets of blood red eyes. He supposed one belonged to whomever as helping him.

"So you're the special one among our kind," a second voice spoke. It seemed to be a response to the first. "The Renegade with the power of control like a Superior."

The first voice didn't respond. The crimson eyes just moved silently across the room.

"Not only that, but you haven't tasted blood yet apparently," the male voice of the second spoke. "A year without human blood." He chuckled. "You must think you're so special, so much better than the rest of us."

Something the second voice said struck a familiar chord with Riku. A year without human blood…just like Sora. It couldn't be…He didn't want to believe what the soon-to-be-dead Renegade was saying, but something was telling him to do so.

"Well, you know what," the second voice said, "you're no better than us. You're just a freak given some sort of crazed power for God knows what reason. You're going to end up just like the rest of us. Begging for mercy for this wretched curse!"

"Silence!" the first voice spoke. Riku could hear the power emanating from it, some unnatural power. Then a glimmer of light sparkled. A weapon was now visible to Riku's eyes, a strangely familiar blade. Then the voice spoke again. "Stand at the window." The weapon pointed to the dark night outside.

Without an audible word of protest, the Renegade swiftly stood at the broken opening.

"Riku, please finish him off."

Without thinking, he obeyed the command. He automatically raised the gun, took careful aim, and pulled the trigger. Dust filled the sky in a matter of seconds. Riku turned toward the direction of the red eyes, but they had disappeared. The other presence was still in the room though.

"What did he mean?" Riku questioned. "What is this power of control, Sora?"

"It's something I shouldn't have," Sora answered, his voice normal. "I've been given powers because of my will…those powers of absolute control."

-----

Kairi stared out the window her room, feeling like she had missed out on something in the previous hours. With a sigh, she closed the curtains partially and turned out her lights, climbing into her comfortable bed.

Outside, a dark figure sat on the roof, staring up into the moon's face. He sighed at the lunar marvel, raising his hands to the divine beauty before him.

"So now it begins," he stated. "My role in this prophecy."

So, how's that for a return chapter. Reviews and criticism are always appreciated!!! Next chapter: The Luna-tic Arrives