All right, here we go with another chapter! Sorry for the delay; I've been on vacation for the past few days and that kept me pretty well-occupied. Hope the last chapter's cliffhanger didn't make you go too crazy...

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In reality, it was only a couple of minutes before Cloud got to my apartment building, and found me crouched in front of a stirring Roxas. But, to me, it seemed like hours.

I didn't understand. Was that really what Kairi had wanted, or had she just said that to get Sephiroth to spare us? Either way, she was gone. As Yuffie had said, the odds of finding Sephiroth weren't good. Besides, now that he had gotten Kairi, he might be done in New York, and move somewhere else. It would take ages to find him. And, by the time we did, he might have achieved his goal, and turned Kairi into a monster.

I bit my lip, holding back tears. It wasn't fair. It wasn't fair at all. I had thought I could save her. I had thought that I could bring her out of that world of darkness for good. But now, she had dived right back in. And I might never see her again.

"Sora!" Cloud's voice broke through the mist of my despair, but only barely. I forced myself to look up at him, his face wild. "What happened? Where is he?"

"Gone," I managed to croak.

He frowned. "Gone? Wh…what happened?" He knelt down and examined Roxas. "He's still alive," he said. "And he doesn't look like he's sustained any major injuries."

I nodded. "I know."

"Then what are you so upset about?"

I was supposed to tell him? He, the vampire hunter, was supposed to understand the pain I felt after losing an important vampire in my life? He would only scorn me, and antagonize her. I felt my fists clench at the mere thought of it.

Cloud changed the subject. "Sora, where did he go?" I shrugged. "Sora, you're not being helpful!"

I glared at him. He didn't understand…

Or did he? Hadn't he told me that Sephiroth had killed his girlfriend? Surely, that was similar to the pain I now felt.

"Sora!"

I looked up eagerly to see the familiar, friendly face of Goofy. He was standing at the door, panting, like he had just ran all the way here (which I suspected was the case). "You're okay!"

I shook my head. I was not okay.

Goofy frowned in concern. "Is something wrong?"

"He seems upset," said Cloud, "but I haven't been able to figure out—"

"Sora!"

Donald joined the group, entering the apartment after bolting out of a taxi. "What happened? Are you okay?"

"Something's happened to him," said Goofy. "He looks really upset."

Donald looked down at Roxas. "Is Roxas okay?"

I nodded, and Cloud added, "He'll be fine. He'll probably wake up in a few minutes."

Donald frowned at me. "Then what's the problem?"

The lump in my throat was growing bigger, and I couldn't speak. Wordlessly, I stood up, and motioned for Donald and Goofy to follow me. I then pointed to Cloud and then to Roxas.

Cloud frowned. "What's he trying to say?"

"I think he wants us to come with him," said Goofy, "while you stay and watch over Roxas."

I nodded.

"Why?" asked Cloud. "What's he got to say to you that I can't hear?"

"There could be any number of things," said Donald. "We've known him for a lot longer than you have. Just stay here and keep watch."

Cloud scowled at him, but didn't argue.

I led the other two back to my room, taking the elevator, silent all the while. When we arrived, I opened the door, then walked to the couch in a trancelike state.

Goofy spoke. "Sora, what's the matter?" He looked around. "Where's Kairi?"

I sank onto the couch, then looked up. "He took her."

And with that, my self-control dissolved. Tears flowed down my face, and I began to sob. A second later, I felt someone take a seat on my left, and put his arm around me.

"He took her?" said Donald, sounding confused. His voice was coming from in front of me, so I deduced it was Goofy sitting next to me. "Why? What…"

"Hold on, Donald," said Goofy. "Give him some time."

Donald stopped talking, then moved to the couch himself and tried to comfort me, putting a hand on my shoulder. We sat there for a while, silent except for the sounds of my sobs.

Finally, I managed to recover enough to speak. "Thanks, guys."

"We're always here for you, Sora," said Goofy.

"Yeah," said Donald. "It's like the three musketeers said: all for one, and one for all."

I smiled. "Yeah, that's us."

Goofy stood up. "Do you need a drink?"

I nodded. "Yeah, that'd be great."

He got me some water, and I drank it, feeling my throat clear up. "So, what exactly happened?" said Donald lightly.

I took a breath and told them. How, after getting back, Yuffie had called me and told me where Sephiroth was. How I had run down to find the vampiraga in the lobby, who then explained to me how he had orchestrated a plan to "redeem" Kairi. How she had come down soon after and how he had attempted to convince her to go with him. How we both had resisted him…and how, finally, she had agreed.

After I finished, my friends were silent for a moment. Then, Goofy said, "Well, we've gotta find her!"

Donald blinked, but then his expression became determined, and he nodded. "Yeah! Kairi's our friend! If she thinks Sephiroth is right, then we'll just show her he's wrong!"

"Right," said Goofy.

I looked from one to the other. "You're not worried that she gave up on me?"

"I don't think she did," said Goofy. "I think she was just trying to get Sephiroth to leave you and Roxas alone."

Donald agreed. "Yeah, I'll be that was it. Besides, even if a part of her has given up, we'll show her that she can still be a vampire and have human friends." He grinned at me. "We're not gonna give up on her just yet, Sora."

I sat for a moment, processing these words. They made sense…maybe I had just allowed my fears to get away from me. "You're right, guys," I said, nodding. "And even if Kairi has given up on me, I'm not giving up on her."

"That's the spirit!" said Goofy. "Now, let's go get Cloud's help. We'll need him if we want to find Sephiroth."

I nodded. "Though he might not take too kindly to the idea of me having a vampire girlfriend."

"Who cares what he thinks?" said Donald. "If he objects to it, we'll stand up for you."

I smiled broadly. "Thanks a lot, Donald, Goofy."

Full of a new determination, the three of us went back downstairs. "You're back," said Cloud when we reentered the lobby. "Took you long enough."

I opened my mouth to respond, but Donald beat me to it. "Hey, lay off," he said. "Sora's just gone through a really rough experience. He doesn't need your criticism."

Cloud's eyes narrowed. "I'm trying to be practical here." He gestured to the couch where Roxas had been. "The doorman woke up several minutes ago and fled in a panic, saying something about red eyes. I wanted to go after him, but had to wait for you. Besides, there were a few other hypnotized people to deal with." He gestured to another couch, where two women and a man were propped into a sitting position. "I'm still waiting for them to wake up."

"Good, then you'll have time to hear what happened," I said.

"Yes, that's why I'm still here," he said. "I've been hunting this vampire for over seven years, and I've come as close as I've come to confronting him in the past five. So, what did he do, and why did he leave?"

I faced him. "He took my girlfriend."

Cloud blinked. "You have a girlfriend?" I nodded. "That's odd. Tifa and Yuffie didn't see anything that suggested you had a girlfriend when they looked you up."

"They wouldn't have. She's hardly left my apartment."

The look of confusion on his face was quickly replaced with one of suspicion. "Why do I get the feeling there's something you're leaving out?"

I paused. Here it comes… "She's a vampire."

He froze. "You cannot be serious."

I met his gaze. "I am dead serious. I am in love with a vampire."

He was still for another moment. Then, he punched me in the face, sending me staggering backwards. "What the hell have you been playing at?" he yelled, as Donald and Goofy caught and steadied me. "You've been consorting with the enemy from Day One! How do I know I can trust you?"

Back on my feet, I glared at him. "I have been consorting with no enemy," I said firmly. "Kairi is not my enemy."

"Your vampire girlfriend?"

"The same."

"How can you stand here and claim that a vampire is not your enemy?"

"Because I'm not one of those people who make harsh judgments based on physical characteristics. I'm not one of those people who see someone and hate them because of who they are. I'm not one of those people, who cause more problems than they solve with their closed-mindedness and their refusal to see the truth!"

He stepped in for another punch, looking livid. But, before he could, Donald quickly stepped in front of me, and hit Cloud in the stomach. Surprised and winded, he stumbled back, as Donald and Goofy stood in front of me. "If you want to hurt Sora, you're going to have to go through us!" said Donald.

Goofy nodded. "Sora's our friend. We've stuck by him throughout this entire deal, and now is no different!"

Cloud looked from one to the other, his expression a mixture of astonishment and anger. "So, you've been in on this, too," he said. "I should have known better. You three are useless to me." He turned to leave.

I stepped forward and grabbed him by the arm. "Hold on."

"Don't touch me!" he yelled, jerking his arm away.

I grabbed it again. "I'll do whatever I want. I need to get Kairi back, and I need your help for that."

"And what makes you think I'll give it?"

"Because, working together, we'll have a better chance of finding him than not."

He glowered at me, and opened his mouth to speak, but then stopped. "What?" he said.

I blinked. "I didn't say—"

"Not you! I'm talking to Tifa."

I fell silent, and watched as Cloud conversed with his associate through his earpiece, though I was unable to hear her. "What are you talking about?" he asked. "I thought you were with me on this!" He paused and listened. "Then why…"

Whatever Tifa said next made him blink and change his expression. "What…?" He listened, his expression growing less angry and more surprised-contemplative. "She…no, I…what does it matter? She's dead!" He paused. "It's not…" After that, he didn't speak for almost a minute, and he looked more and more pensive. Finally, he said, "Give me a minute."

He walked towards the door. "Where are you going?" I asked.

"I'll be back," was his only reply.

It wasn't for a while, though; the three hypnotized people on the couch had all woken up and (after deciding that they had all, coincidentally, fallen asleep at the same time) left before he returned. "I've given it a lot of thought," he said. "And I've decided to help you."

I felt relieved; much as we had clashed over ideologies, Cloud knew his stuff, and would be exceptionally helpful in locating Sephiroth. "Good," I said. "Thanks."

"Don't mention it," he said. "I've made it my duty to take down Sephiroth, and I intend to carry it out. That your girlfriend was captured by him…well, we'll do what we can about that."

I nodded. "We will."

I filled him in on my conversation with Sephiroth. Cloud was unpleasantly surprised at how much the vampiraga knew about him. "He's been listening in on our conversations?" he said.

I nodded. "He's been keeping track of me ever since the Xemnas affair." I had related the story of how that had gone down.

Cloud's face darkened. "Then we have to assume that he knows everything we've said." He looked around. "In fact, I'd rather not be discussing this out in the open."

"Then let's go to my apartment," I suggested.

He agreed. We headed for the elevator, but as we did, we passed the front desk, and I glanced over, something having caught my eye. It was my mother's silver necklace, which Kairi had taken off before leaving with Sephiroth. I went over and picked it up. I will find you, Kairi, I silently vowed.

We went up and into my apartment, going into my bedroom and talking in low voices for extra security. "However," said Cloud once we had arrived, "even if he does know everything we've said, we might still be able to beat him."

"Why's that?" asked Goofy.

"I've fought Sephiroth once, seven years ago," said Cloud. "Back when he…wreaked havoc on my family and friends." He blinked, pushing the memory aside. "And, as I recall, one of his greatest weaknesses was his arrogance. He is overconfident, and doesn't consider any normal human a true threat." He looked at us. "We may be able to exploit that. If we attack him with enough preparations, we may be able to take him by surprise."

"What kind of preparations?" asked Goofy.

"Well, for starters, silver, and lots of it," said Cloud. "If we want to kill a perfect vampire, we're going to need silver. And fire." He thought. "There's no foolproof plan for killing a perfect vampire. But there are ways to increase the likelihood of doing so." He stood up. "I will gather the necessary materials. Let us meet tomorrow, here, at…" He checked his watch. "Nine o'clock. We need time to prepare, but we need sleep, as well."

"What about finding Sephiroth?" I asked.

"Tifa and Yuffie are already on that," he responded. "They've doubled their efforts, and they're trying some new things, too. With luck, we'll find him within a day or two."

I nodded. "Then let's hope luck is on our side."

"Yes, let's," he agreed. "Because if it isn't…we won't have a chance."

As you might imagine, I had a very hard time getting to sleep that night. When I did, though, I was confronted once again by my old nightmare. Again, I was in the dungeon, facing Kairi, who turned and lowered her hood. "I never asked for this," she said, as she had done previously.

This time, a response came.

"But it has been given to you."

I turned around. There, as before, was the huge shadow with two gleaming red eyes. But, as I watched, it morphed itself into the form of Sephiroth. "And I am here to show you how to claim it." He reached out his hand.

Then, I felt the fear. But this time, I could identify it. Before, it had always been a fear of something unknown, something mysterious, but I could point to its source as easily as I could point to Kairi.

I was afraid of losing her.

I was terrified that Sephiroth would succeed, and turn her back into a malevolent killer. I was scared that all our work would have been for nothing. And I was horrified at the thought of never seeing her again.

That was the fear that had paralyzed me. It wasn't fear for myself, which explained why it was so different and so powerful, compared to the other times I had been afraid. It was fear for the one I loved.

But I would not let her down. I would do everything I could to protect her.

Still dreaming, I clenched my fists. "Get away from her!" I yelled, and lunged at Sephiroth.

I woke up, heart pounding, processing my dream. So, this is what it had led up to. Had this been the case all along? Or had it just evolved with my actual experiences?

It didn't matter. What mattered was that it was right. Losing Kairi was the thing that scared me the most, and I would do anything to prevent it.

I glanced at my clock, which read 2:45. Breathing slowly, I tried to relax myself; I needed more sleep, and staying up would only hurt my cause. But I will be coming for you, Sephiroth, I thought. Wherever you are. Wherever you've taken Kairi. I will find you, and I will save her from you. I allowed myself a smile of grim determination. I am the Darkness Hunter. And I am hunting you.

Luckily, I did manage to fall back asleep, and, when I woke at a quarter to nine, I felt ready. Ready to hunt.

I quickly showered and dressed, and was in the process of eating breakfast when I heard a knock on the door. I opened it, and Cloud came in, carrying a cello case. "A cello?" I asked, raising an eyebrow.

He shook his head. "A cello case." He set it down on my dining room table and opened it.

I couldn't help but stare. Inside was a huge assortment of silver weapons, from bullets to large swords. Even the hilts of the swords and knives were silver. "You've certainly got the equipment for the job," I remarked.

"Of course," he said. "Many of these are old family weapons, used to slay all sorts of vampires."

"And you've used them all?"

"Not all to kill vampires, but I am familiar with each of their uses." He took out a couple boxes of silver bullets and handed them to me. "Take those. If you want, you can take one of the knives, too."

"Thanks," I said, as I began loading the silver bullets into my gun.

"Don't thank me just yet," he said. "These are only tools. They will mean nothing if we cannot use them."

I nodded in agreement. "Have you heard anything from Tifa and Yuffie?"

He shook his head. "No, but they're focused on their work at the moment. They won't tell us unless they're sure they have something."

I frowned. "We can't get an idea of how far they are?"

"I don't want to break their concentration." He sighed. "It's not easy, but we have to be patient."

Donald and Goofy soon joined us, and were also given silver bullets to load and a silver knife. I caught Donald looking longingly at some of the swords, but Cloud, following his gaze, told him that he was best equipped to handle them, and someone who wasn't intricately familiar with them would end up doing more harm than good if they had one. Donald had been disappointed, but backed down.

We spent the rest of the morning going over the best ways to kill Sephiroth. While silver bullets would hurt him, they alone would not be enough. The best way was to stab him in the heart with one of the knives or swords, then, with him weakened, impale, and thus weaken, him further. This could open up an opportunity to burn him, and while we may not be able to burn him entirely, Cloud assured us that he could take care of the rest.

We ate a quick but substantial lunch, and then Cloud tested us on our combat skills. He was a rough teacher, constantly reminding us how strong and fast Sephiroth was, and pointing out the many instances in which we left ourselves open for a fatal strike. I forced myself to keep my patience, knowing that what he was telling us could very well save our lives.

Then, at about four in the afternoon, his phone rang. He got it out. "It's Tifa," he said. "They've either found him or he's gotten away again." He answered. "Tifa."

I held my breath, watching his conversation. "Where? … Are you sure? … Did you see the girl, too? … Could he be baiting us? … Well, we'll show him that he's wrong. … I'm not; I'm ready to take him down." He glanced at us. "They will have to do. … Tifa, if we don't move now, we could miss him again. … If we wait, he only takes more lives and gets more dangerous. Besides, what about Kairi?"

I raised my eyebrows. Was he showing concern for Kairi? How had he managed to change his views so much?

"When is he there, usually? … Then as soon as possible. … We can deal with that."

He turned his gaze to me again. After a moment of silence, he said, "I think he'll be fine. Look, Tifa, we have to get moving. … Right. Of course. I've been training to do this for years. I'm as ready as I'm going to be. … Thank you."

He hung up. "They've found him."

I had guessed as much, but had still found myself waiting with baited breath to hear what had happened. "Where?"

"Long Island." He checked his phone. "They've sent me directions."

"Where on Long Island?"

"An old house at the top of a hill. That's all I can tell you." After another moment of tapping and looking at his phone, he nodded. "Found it. It's about a one-hour drive from here."

"Then let's go," I said.

"One moment."

I frowned at him. "Aren't you as eager to take him down as I am?"

"More so. But we have to make sure that we are entirely prepared."

And so, I was forced to wait as he checked over our collection of supplies: weapons for weakening him, and flammable liquids, matches and lighters to burn him. Once he was satisfied, he nodded, and bade each of us take something, while he grabbed the case full of weapons. "This is it," he said as we prepared to leave. "I hope you all know what you're getting into."

"You betcha," said Goofy, nodding solemnly.

"Right," I said. "We've faced danger before, and while it may not be like this, we're ready." I nodded at Cloud. "And we have your expertise, too."

"Don't rely on me too much," he said. "I am only one man. Together, we are four, and stand a much better chance of killing him. You all need to do all that you can if we want to have any chance of success."

"We gotcha," said Donald, looking nervous but resolute.

Cloud's mouth set into a grim line. "Then let's go."

He turned towards the door, and had started out when I thought of something. "Cloud," I said, a little hesitantly.

"What?"

I paused. "What was it that Tifa said last night that made you change your mind?"

His face darkened, and for a moment, I was afraid I had just made him mad. Then, his expression eased up. "She asked me what Aerith would have thought." With that, he turned back to the door and walked out. "Now, come on. We need to get a move on."

I nodded, and, one hand in my pocket, grasped the silver necklace. It was time. The hunt was on.

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So...big confrontation next chapter. We're almost done.