Next chapter! Good to see so many of you are eager to find out what happens next.

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From there, our relationship really began to improve. Telling each other our names created a certain sense of trust, and with that established, it was easier to get along and talk to each other. We did spend evenings reading Harry Potter, but I also managed to get in a few minutes of conversation each time. I got it in parts, but I managed to learn from her where she had come from, and how she had become a vampire. (I could have asked Lea to look her up, but didn't for three reasons. One, he would be curious as to why I was doing that, two, he might recognize her as the woman who'd kidnapped Hayner, and three, I was more interested in hearing it directly from her.)

She had indeed lived in Minnesota, as she had mentioned in our first meeting, in a small town near St. Paul. She had been adopted by a slightly older couple, and didn't know who her birth parents were; they had picked her up from an orphanage when she was fourteen months old. She had been brought up well—went to college in Illinois, then came back to St. Paul and had worked as an assistant to the manager of a clothing store until she was twenty-six, when she had become a vampire.

Unfortunately, her memories of that experience were hazy, to say the best. "I don't know what happened," she said one night, "but I can't remember exactly how it happened. All I can recall is walking home from work one night…and maybe hearing a man's voice? Then I turned around, and don't remember anything else."

I nodded. "You were probably hypnotized right after you turned around." Memories of being hypnotized fade a lot quicker than normal ones, so she would have been much less likely to remember being hypnotized over twelve years ago than a normal memory from that time.

"Yeah, I've figured that out. But I don't know who it was." Her face darkened. "Or why he decided to condemn me to this eternal life of being forced to drain the blood of others and being an outcast of normal human society."

I blinked. "What do you mean?"

But she wasn't quite ready to expand upon that. Still, it gave me a better insight into her thoughts; she didn't like being a vampire, not at all. But where did that come from, exactly? Was it just how she viewed herself, or was there something else that had prompted those types of thoughts?

Work didn't keep me too busy. We followed our client's wife on Saturday after her yoga class, and she was, indeed, going to meet with someone—but it was for a job interview, not an affair. We did decide to continue to tail her until she returned to her home, however, just to make sure we knew what she was doing. Good thing we did, too—as it turned out, after she came out of the interview, she ran into the guy that she was having an affair with, completely by coincidence. As it turned out, actually (as he found out when he confronted her, and later told us), she had been looking for a job because she had anticipated breaking up with her husband, and wanted to make sure she had something to fall back on. The client was upset, and we felt sorry for him, but he did pay us well, and was rather polite. And, after that, we went back to quietly waiting for another case.

In the meantime, I filled in Donald and Goofy about how things were going with Kairi. Her having a name seemed to give her a more human personality to Donald, and he wasn't as opposed to me keeping her in my apartment. That's not to say he wasn't still wary, though, and didn't trust her very much. Goofy, on the other hand, was glad that I had managed to start getting along with her, and was eager to see what would result. He was also a lot more patient than Donald when it came to waiting for her to tell me about herself. (Fortunately, it was me that had to directly deal with her, and not Donald.)

The pair of them also helped me to get more blood for her. On Saturday, before concluding our case, we went out to a farm and finalized the sale of a cow that we had been negotiating. I won't go into the details of what happened next, but let's just say that I wouldn't have to worry about getting more nourishment for Kairi for a while. And at least she liked it better than the squirrels.

That Sunday, we encountered a bit of an unforeseen complication. I was reading to Kairi when I heard a knock on the door. "Damn," I said, getting up. "Okay, hold on for a moment."

"I can't exactly leave, can I?"

"No. Don't say anything, either; it might be—"

"I get it, Sora, I'm not going to call attention to myself. I don't think it would be ideal for you or for me if you were found with a wanted vampire in your apartment."

"Exactly." I went to the door and opened it to see Riku standing there. "Riku! What's up?" I asked.

"Hey, Sora," he said. "Do you still have that copy of An American Werewolf in London that I leant you?"

"Oh, right." He had leant me the DVD a while back, and I had yet to return it. "Hang on a sec, let me get it for you."

"Kay. Mind if I come in?"

I hesitated. "Well, it won't take long. I'll just pop back in, get it, and give it back to you."

"But I can't come in?"

"Well, do you need to?"

He blinked at me a couple of times. "Sora…what are you hiding?" He looked at my arm. "Does it have anything to do with that? I don't think I've seen that bandage before."

Damn, he knew me too well. "Who says I'm hiding anything?"

"Well, you're not letting me in, and you just dodged my question." He grinned. "I'm not known as one of the best detectives in the area for no reason. Now, what is it?"

"It's nothing you need to worry about," I said.

"Why not?" When I didn't answer, he said, "Come on, Sora, we've been best friends since we were kids. What can you not tell me?"

Great, he was playing the best friend card. He had a point, though. I heaved a sigh. "Fine, Riku. But it's secret, so you can't tell anyone."

"Secret?" He was intrigued. "What is this?"

"Well, it's big, so prepare yourself, and try not to freak out." That last part was pretty unnecessary—Riku had the remarkable ability to keep his cool in almost any situation. But I still felt like I should say it, because I knew that he would be pretty taken aback by the situation.

"Can do. What's going on?"

I retreated into my apartment, and he followed. "Right in here."

I led him into the living room. Upon seeing Kairi tied up, he stopped dead in his tracks, staring at her. I think he was momentarily at a loss for words; he remained like that, brow furrowed, mouth slightly open, for a few seconds before turning to me and saying, "Going to tell me why the vampire we've been hunting and looking out for is tied up in your apartment?"

"Of course." I took a breath. "I kinda got curious about her."

His expression suggested that was a vastly insufficient reason for doing what I had done. "You got curious."

"Well, it's not just that. She attacked me—"

"She did what? What am I missing out on here?"

I told him how she had, after luring me to Donald's place, brought me to the alley and attacked me. "I managed to overcome her, but before I was going to shoot her, she seemed to give up, and told me to do it. I…it really intrigued me, so I knocked her out and brought her back to the apartment."

He was looking at me like I wasn't quite all there. "That was what seemed the most logical choice to you?"

"It's not all about logic, Riku. This is what I felt was the right thing to do. I can't really explain it."

He frowned. "Sounds like your kingdom is in danger."

"Thanks for having confidence in me," I said. "My kingdom is fine."

"Can you blame me? You were hypnotized before. Who's to say some of that doesn't still linger?"

Firmly, I said, "I trust my instincts, Riku. Can you not do the same?"

We stood looking at each other for a moment, before Kairi broke the silence. "So…Riku, is it?"

Riku turned his head to look at her. "Great, Sora, now she knows my name."

"It's okay. She knows mine, and I know hers."

His frown deepened. "How do you know hers?"

"She told me."

"She just told you?"

I nodded. "I've managed to build some of her trust, and vice versa."

"Trust? So, what exactly are you planning for her? You're hoping she'll suddenly end her campaign of death because you did this?"

"Yes, actually," I said. "She's been living as a feared creature of darkness for all these years. Maybe a different experience will change her."

He ran a hand through his hair. "Sora, that's not how it works. You've been the hunter for all these years. You've been handed my family's legacy, for God's sake. You can't just turn around and start trying to make friends with these creatures."

I returned his frown. "Why not? If it's the best way to deal with them—" here I broke off and said to Kairi, "not necessarily in a bad way—" I turned back to Riku, "then why shouldn't I try it? They may not be human, but that doesn't mean they're mindless monsters."

He shook his head. "This still isn't right."

"How do you know? Are you the ultimate authority on what's right and wrong? You may have the history of being a 'darkness hunter,' as you call it, but I have the experience."

"So you know more that I do."

"I might."

We stood glaring at each other for a while. Finally, Riku scowled and said, "I'm worried about this, Sora. We can't trust her."

"I have her restrained," I responded. "Besides, I'm not sure as you about that last part."

He gave me a hard look. "Just make sure not to let your emotions get the best of you. Remember how that's ended before."

"I remember my history as well as you do, Riku."

He turned his attention to Kairi. "I'll be paying attention to you. Don't try anything, or it'll be the last mistake you ever make."

She rolled her eyes. "That's not familiar at all. Yeah, I'm not gonna hurt him."

"That's hardly a reassuring statement."

"Well, then, I guess you'll just have to live with the unease, won't you?"

I held up a hand. "Cool down, Kairi. Riku, I understand your concern, but I'll be fine."

He didn't look convinced. "I'll be checking in every so often."

"Fine, if it makes you feel better."

He started to walk out, remembered the DVD, came back, got it, and left. Once he had, I said to Kairi, "Sorry about that."

She shrugged. "I'm not surprised at his reaction. He's your best friend?"

I nodded. "Yeah, we've known each other since we were kids."

"And he knows about me?"

"Yep. He's familiar with the world of darkness that lies underneath ours."

She snorted. "Being a bit dramatic, aren't you?"

"Maybe."

We returned to our routine, and finished Harry Potter and the Chamber of Secrets right after dinner. I was just about to get out The Prisoner of Azkaban when Kairi voiced a question. "So, you're used to dealing with…different creatures?"

I nodded. "That's right. It's a large part of what I do."

"Why do you do it?"

I paused. "It's…a bit of a long story."

She grinned wryly. "I'm not going anywhere."
I hesitated. "Okay," I said. Hopefully, telling her would help her to understand me better, and we could get to know each other better.

I set the book aside, leaned in, and began to talk. "I was actually born in Northern California. My parents, Ventus and Xion Parker, took very good care of me, and we lived near Riku and his family, so we got along with them well, too. I had good friends, good schooling…it was a great life. I even had a little sister, Naminé."

"Pretty name," Kairi commented.

I nodded. "Yeah. She was really sweet."

Kairi frowned. "Was?"

I sighed. "Well, like I said, my life was good, but good things don't always last." My mouth set into a grim line. "One day, my world was completely torn apart. I was only fifteen at the time, and didn't take it well."

"What happened?"

I paused for a second, then said, "My family was killed by harpies."

"Harpies?"

I nodded. "Apparently, we had offended them somehow, when they were disguised as normal humans, so they retaliated by attacking my family. It might not have ended so terribly, but my dad, not knowing what the hell was going on, fought back, and killed one of them." I paused. "As you may know, harpies' fury is legendary. After my dad did what he did, nothing could stop them from slaughtering him and his wife." I tried to keep my voice steady. "They carried off Naminé, and probably have killed her, too."

"What about you?"

"I wasn't home at the time. When I got back, I couldn't believe what had happened. Fortunately, Riku and his family had heard the disturbance, and were there at the scene. They kept me from losing my mind entirely."

"Wow." She paused. "That's terrible." She glanced down at my mother's necklace. "I can see why this is so important to you."

"Yeah. No denying it was hard to go through."

"What happened after that? Did you know who it was that had done that to your family?"

"Not at first; I had no idea. But Riku's dad could tell."

"How?"

"His family has a long history of dealing with supernatural creatures like that. He had told Riku and his wife, and had meant to keep it a family secret, but after what happened, decided to include me into the loop."

Kairi nodded. "Seems reasonable."

"Right. Anyways, when I found out, and after I got over the initial shock and despair, I became bent on revenge. I vowed to hunt the harpies to the ends of the earth if I had to."

"Did you?"

I shook my head. "No. At least, not then. Riku's dad told me not to. He said that it wouldn't do any good; that without proper preparation, I would search for years with no success. But since I wouldn't be deterred from wanting to go after them, he agreed to teach me how to hunt the supernatural: how to recognize them and how to deal with them. He had originally planned to pass this on to Riku, but Riku didn't have as big of an interest in it as I did.

"So, I learned from him. I studied a comprehensive guide on supernatural creatures—which I still have today—and absorbed all sorts of knowledge about them. I practiced with weapons, for the day when I would need to fight one, or several, as the case may be. He taught me how to think creatively, in order to deal surreptitiously with these creatures. He basically took me as his protégée, and I intended to one day do what he did. And I do—he was also an investigator, who dealt with strange and unusual cases.

"Finally, one day, when I was eighteen, he got a case involving a werewolf, and brought me along, making sure to instruct me in all the right techniques, and what to do given any situation. I was both excited and terrified; we would finally be dealing with creatures that, for the first fifteen years of my life, I hadn't believed had existed. And we would be helping to make a difference, to improve or even save someone's life."

"Noble even at the tender age of eighteen," said Kairi. I looked up at her, and she said, "Sorry. Keep going."

"Well, he took me out on a night when the moon was big, but not full, so the werewolf wouldn't be at its fullest power. We found it, cornered it, and defeated it, knocking it unconscious and bringing it to a private place, where we waited for it to turn back into a human. Mr.—Riku's father didn't want to kill it, since it was a human that probably didn't know what it was doing.

"Eventually, it reverted back to its human form, and he immediately wondered what he was doing there. We explained the situation—mostly Riku's dad, though. He at first didn't believe us, but we eventually managed to convince him. He was pretty horrified at what he had done, but we assured him that, as long as he stayed out of the moonlight when the moon was more than three-quarters full, he shouldn't revert back to a werewolf. Riku's dad gave him his number, in case he experienced any more memory loss and transformation. So that was my first experience with a true supernatural creature."

Kairi seemed to be quite invested in my story. "So, how did you come to be an investigator in New York?"

"Well, I ended up going to UPenn, which was in another metropolitan area. But while I was there, I began to see all sorts of other supernatural cases. Without my mentor to guide me, I was less certain, but he encouraged me to try to deal with a couple on my own. My very first solo case dealt with a warlock, one of the students who, as I found out, was using magic to convince teachers to give him good grades, get girls to sleep with him, and make himself seem more handsome and appealing. Basically a huge charisma increase."

At the word "warlock," I noticed Kairi's face darken. "Something the matter?" I asked.

"Hm?" She blinked, and lost her dark look. "No, I'm fine. How did you deal with the warlock?"

"Well, I followed him to where he performed his magic, a secluded area in the basement in one of the buildings. He drew his magical circles, designs, patterns and whatnot with chalk, but right when he began chanting and casting his spell, I dashed in and smudged some of the chalk, negating the effect of his spell. Luckily, he didn't notice, probably because he was so wrapped up in chanting, and since his spell was invisible to himself, he didn't know that it had been disrupted." I grinned. "So it was a nasty shock for him when, the next day, he was turned down by both a professor and a girl. I guess he thought something must have gone wrong with the spell, so he returned that night to do it again, but I was waiting for him. I told him I knew what he had been doing, and if he didn't stop, I would take his book of spells, so he wouldn't be able to use it anymore.

"Well, he clearly wasn't happy, and at first refused to do as I said. But then, he decided to trick me, and promised to stop. Unfortunately for him, Riku's dad had given me some basic training in detecting lies, so I was able to sniff out his deception. I told him I didn't believe him, and wanted to take his book. Well, he decided to fight me for it." I grinned again. "But, again unfortunately for him, I knew how to fight, and overpowered him and took his book. He made a couple of attempts to get it back in the following days, but one of them, which involved holding me at knifepoint and trying to get me to give it back, was witnessed by a security guard. He and I were brought up before a disciplinary council, and I had to come up with a likely-sounding story that explained what had happened. Eventually, he was kicked out. And so I was the victor.

"And I kept going. The more success I had, the more confidence I gained, and the better I was able to do it. After college, I moved here, and set up my own little business. It got bigger after I met Donald and Goofy, and introduced them to my line of work. They joined me, and we've been fighting the darkness ever since."

"Donald and who?"

Oh. I hadn't told her their names yet, had I? "They're my partners in the investigative business."

"Ah. One of them the one I tracked to his house?"

"Yeah. That was Donald."

"Who's the other one? Goofy, did you say?"

"It's a nickname. He's a very fun-loving, sometimes silly guy, so we call him Goofy."

"Seems a little condescending."

"He doesn't seem to mind."

"Hm. Well, how exactly did you meet them?"

"I'd met them in a restaurant, and we had gotten around the meeting up for dinner a couple of times a week. Then, one night, when I was taking another case—another werewolf case, actually—I was eating dinner with them when I saw the guy I was supposed to be investigating, and went after him. They didn't know what was going on, but I dashed out of the restaurant, and they followed me, to see me confront and fight the werewolf.

"Well, after that, I kind of had to tell them what was going on. And they were actually interested in it. So, since we were already friends, I sort of integrated them into my work. And it's worked out really well."

I took a breath. It had been a long time since I had told anyone my full story. "So, that's how I got around to being an investigator who looks into supernatural cases."

She was looking at me, an odd expression on her face. "What?" I asked.

She shrugged. "I guess I'm just surprised you were so willing to divulge all that information. Seems rather personal."

"Well, I am trying to get to know you better. I figured it would do our relationship good to know more about each other."

She still seemed slightly bothered, but nodded. "Well, thanks for telling me."

"Anytime."

I was just getting up when she said, "Wait, what about the harpies? Did you ever find them?"

I blinked. "Uh…" It wasn't a memory I relished reliving.

"Don't want to tell me?"

"I mean…"

She shrugged. "Well, if you can stand not pushing me for information, I suppose I can do the same for you." She grinned. "But hopefully, I'll find out one day."

"Until then, then."

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So, there's Sora's back story (or at least, most of it). What did you think? A little too out there, or did it fit well?

And I'm not done with back stories just yet...Tune in next time!