FicWad

Letting his boat bump against the dock, he was excited to be meeting with his friends. It was like everyday, but this was the only time he could spend with them. With inhuman speed, he was out of his tiny boat and tying it to the dock and in the circle of lantern light.

There she was, bent beside a lantern, doing work for the school that she and Riku shared. Her auburn hair fell to her mid back--much longer then it was last year--and her blue eyes scanned the the paper with furrowed brows. Riku was bent over her, the look on his face read that he clearly was at a loss as well.

She looked up with that dazzling smile of hers. "Can you help me Sora?"

He had become their private tutor. He crossed to the girl and her scent him him with a passing breeze. So light... sweet... desirable.... A thought crossed his mind that he shook away and felt instantly guilty for thinking. He had been around when she had paper cuts. He was fine, or so he thought. The scent of her blood was intoxicating.

Again, he shook his head to clear his mind as he sat next to her. Riku bent over them and the scent of him overwhelmed the Keyblade Bearer. He had decided what was so wrong about Riku's scent that made it repulsive. He found he liked the scent of creatures who belonged to the side of Light and Riku was still on the border. He was mixed with Darkness and Light, although he had joined the side of good.

As he helped Kairi work through the problem, the light breeze kept interrupting his thought process as it pushed Kairi's scent onto him. Sick. Leave her alone. Don't go near her anymore. It'll be for her own good.

He told himself over and over and over and over...

Riku was amazed at how intelligent Sora had become in just two years. Riku was always better at him in everything. Two examples that came to his mind were that Riku used to be the better student and how Riku was always the better fighter. Now, Sora surpassed him in both.

Sparing with Sora had become one of the few evening activities the trio had. Training Kairi in fighting was another. But, when Sora changed, he had gained incredible speed and agility. He never got tired, so there was Riku's stamina holding him back. And Sora was stronger than any creature Riku had come across... and that was saying something.

Once, Sora decided to test out his newly found strength and... he snapped a tree in half. It was like breaking a twig. He laughed as he got over his shock and pointed to the broken palm, claiming it wasn't his fault. It was the lightening. Yeah, the lightening.

Kairi thanked Sora after she figured out the problem, letting her hand fall onto his cold one as her bare toes dug into the sand at her feet. Riku noticed how she didn't flinch like he did every time she brushed her skin against Sora's. It wasn't out of fear that he did so, it was out of surprise. He was used to Sora's warm body heat, and of course, all humans had body heat that should be felt with the brushing of skin. Sora had none of that.

Riku found himself a third wheel with this action. He crossed to the other side of the circle and pretended to be getting something from his bag. They didn't even notice their own affection for one another. Riku had a sudden urge to turn to both of them and say, "Kairi, Sora likes you. Sora, Kairi likes you. Now go make out or something! Sheesh!" The tension between the two of them was unbearable and he needed to get as far away from it as possible.

"Ugn! I'm done!" came the sound from Kairi as she got to her feet and stretched. Grabbing her books, Kairi made to join Riku with their school bags. Halfway across the circle, she yelped and fell, clutching her foot, face screwed up in pain. Riku was quickly to her side, asking her what happened.

"I stepped on a seashell." she grunted, moving her hands to expose blood-and-sand-covered hands. Riku examined her foot. The cut the seashell made looked deep and painful. It was bleeding profusely.

"Maybe we should get you to a doctor," Riku suggested, noting how that sand would surely cause an infection. "What do you think, Sora?" No reply. "Sora?"

Riku looked over at his best friend and knew something went wrong. Dark blue--no, black--eyes were wide and his nostrils flared. The chest was rising and falling rapidly and fingers were clenching and unclenching at his sides, digging deeper and deeper into the sand. Lips were parted and a tongue darted out to lick those hungry lips as the body was slowly getting to his feet.

"Shit..." Riku breathed. "Kairi, run."

"Why?" she turned around and saw the reason "why" as Sora was slowly advancing on them. She scrambled to her feet as Riku stood before her, Way to Dawn drawn out before him in a sparkle of lights.

"Run, Kairi, get out of here... now." Riku ordered as Sora lunged.

Riku was instantly pinned to the ground as he blocked Sora's advance on the injured girl. Riku looked up, towards her, seeing her running, though limping, towards her boat. Yes, Kairi, get out of here. Sora would never forgive himself if he hurt her.

Sora was about to jump after the girl, his teeth bared and glistening in the lantern light. Riku threw Sora off of him, using Way to Dawn as leverage. He pinned the vampire down with all of the strength he could muster, watching Kairi row off on her small boat.

"Sora," Riku looked down at his struggling friend. "You don't want to hurt Kairi."

"I..." Those dark eyes fell sadly as black met teal. "I want it... it's irresistible."

"You want blood?" the vampire nodded, pleading. What was he going to do...? "Drink mine." He thrust his free arm into Sora's face as the brunette flinched back.

"No, I don't want your blood. It's tainted."

"Tainted...?" Riku repeated slowly as he pulled his hand away and climbing off of him. What did he mean, tainted?

"I only crave the Purest of blood. Yours is swimming with Darkness." Sora explained as he sat up slowly, looking longingly out into the ocean where Kairi was rowing off.

D-Darkness?! Riku abandoned that side a year ago and now his best friend was saying he still belonged to that side?! A sense of panic grew.

Wait, before he panicked, he had to snap Sora out of it.

"You're hungry, right Sora?" Sora nodded pathetically. "You'll do anything to get food, right?" Again, another sad nod. "Then just drink my blood. It's not all bad, is it?"

The brunette thought for a long time before he shoved Riku to the ground, grabbing his wrist, a smirk painted on that pale, evil face.

This wasn't Sora. This wasn't his best friend. This was a monster. Riku watched with horrific interest as those perfectly white teeth grazed his skin, leaving a light trail of some sort of liquid across his skin. Riku knew instantly it wasn't saliva when it began to burn, causing him to hiss in sharp pain at the effect of the substance.

Venom. It was the poison for Sora's victims. In some books Riku read, if the venom reached the bloodstream it could either kill them or change them. Riku didn't want to know what it did. He didn't. He was suddenly regretting his offer to Sora. He thought that maybe feeding would sooth his hunger, but now he was second guessing and Sora was scaring him.

"Your fear is delicious... Riku."

A horrific scream escaped his lips.