FicWad

Disclaimer: Me no ownie Disclaimer: Me no ownie.

AJ: I have to admit, the first chapter wasn't half bad.
Tenoko: It doesn't matter what you think, it matters what the readers think.
AJ: But you got reviews, didn't you?
Tenoko: Maybe I should stick to my regular fics...

Pairings: SxR, SxK(mild)

Cursed

The stone statues watched over them as they stood in the shadows of the massive church, the moonlight streaming through the trees in columns and casting shadows on the marble faces that looked on. The two men stood close together, the taller leaning in to touch his forehead to the other's as he gave a solemn vow, causing his companion to smile softly. It was a moment that was fleeting and brief, but one that they would both think back upon time and time again.
The silver haired male stepped away first, as the younger boy watched him in curiosity and confusion, not sure what had just happened between them. Riku nodded to him once before turning away,
"See you around, kid."
"Do you mean it?" Questioned Sora, frowning, "Or is this really good-bye?" He shook his head, "I can't imagine that you would be allowed to associate with a human, it has to break some sort of rule... that just seems like a line you couldn't cross. One you shouldn't cross."
Riku paused, turning to gaze up at one of the faces staring down at him; a woman with a serene smile gracing her face, one hand reaching out to offer hope and strength to the lost souls that came to her.
"You're right, it's not something we do normally, but then again, we don't normally allow for humans to keep their memories of their encounters with us." He looked away from the gentle woman's face, staring off instead to a gargoyle that leered and laughed at him with dark eyes and a crooked smile filled with pointy teeth. "It would seem I'm breaking all sorts of rules tonight." He sighed, before turning to Sora, "The rules are there for our protection."
At this Sora snickered, raising an eyebrow,
"Your protection? Of what danger are we to you? You're the ones with sharp teeth and a taste for blood." Riku clenched his teeth and looked away, and Sora instantly sobered, looking away guiltily and kicking at the gravel under his feet, "I'm sorry, that was rude. I shouldn't have said it." He looked up, stepping closer o Riku, "You appear to not like the fact that you are what you are, and it might be the same with others of your kind. I keep judging you based on movies and popular belief, and I shouldn't, it's unfair."
Riku met his gaze, a forlorn look flitting through his eyes before disappearing, only to be replaced by his usual cool and unruffled expression, the corner of his mouth curving in a cocking smirk.
"You are probably the first human I've met since becoming this way that is so very... odd."
Sora frowned,
"I'm odd? How am I odd?" He demanded, and Riku smiled,
"Don't worry about it, it's a good thing in your case."
"But how am I odd?" He pressed, grabbing Riku's wrist as he turned once again to go.
Riku paused before whirling around on the boy, pulling him roughly against him, pinning his arms between them as he cradled the back of his head, tilting it back as though he were going to kiss him. The vampire watched as fear entered the cerulean depths once more, though Sora didn't struggle or fight him. His eyes played over Riku's face, trying desperately to see what the other male was thinking, planning, but his eyes still refused to reveal anything, his arrogant smirk forever in place.
Riku's smirk widened to a grin as he felt Sora suck in a sharp breath when he dipped his head and nuzzled the younger boy's neck, feeling his pulse rate increase dramatically. Riku ran his tongue over the spot here he would insert his fangs should he ever make this boy his meal, feeling the shudder that ran through the brunette, he did it again, running his fangs over the sensitive skin, causing the boy to shudder again. Kissing his pulse, Riku raised his head to whisper in the young boy's ear,
"Just as we fear you, never forget you should have equal fear of us..."
He wretched away from him, disappearing in the shadows and into the night...

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT
Sora continued to stand dumbly in the courtyard of the church, trembling in fear and excitement. The entire evening had been full of surprises and since meeting Riku, he'd found himself constantly questioning what was fixing to happen next, nothing could possibly getting any weirder then it had been originally, but the night did not become weirder, only more surreal. Never before had Sora met someone who was as dangerous, and yet made him feel safe like Riku did. At first, Sora had simply been intrigued and wary of this stranger who was so different from himself, but then he found himself more and more drawn to him, fascinated by him. Perhaps it was the daring side of his own nature that wanted to flirt with death, befriend the very creature that could one-day destroy him. Not that he thought Riku would ever harm him, he'd instantly felt a bond with the other male, an underlying trust; he was sure Riku felt it, too.
But trust or not, it didn't explain the adrenaline coursing through his veins, the excitement that had over taken him when Riku had grabbed him and refused to let go. Never in Sora's life had he ever even considered another male a source of attraction, never had his head been turned by one, he'd always been interested in females, their ever appealing curvature and long legs that you wanted to one day feel wrapped around your waist as they clung to your body... Hell, thinking about it now, women still turned him on, but for the first time, suddenly a man had caught his attention...
Perhaps it was his dark, secretive manner that seemed so exciting and enticing. Or maybe the way he moved with the skill and grace of a cat, but the lethalness of any assassin. Or it could have been the deep sorrow that consumed his jade-colored eyes, the longing for something more then he had, for forgiveness of his tainted soul; with his eyes that seemed to see directly into Sora, knowing everything that he was, leaving him open and exposed, completely naked before his eyes. Maybe it was the strong seduction Sora felt coming off of him in waves that had left him with a tinge of disappointment that Riku's actions had gone no further then they did, that he, in fact, didn't even attempt to kiss the young brunette as Sora thought he might. It was an action Sora had found himself longing for, and yet, had it taken place he would have pushed him away. It was what would be expected of him, it was a natural response.
Then why was he suddenly so confused?
He turned towards the abandoned church that was his sanctuary, eyes pleading with the faces that leered down on him. Surely they could give him some form of answer? The statues whose eyes saw everything and lips that spoke of none of the secrets they knew.
"Sora? What are you doing just standing out there?" Demanded Yuffie as she stuck her head out one of the windows on the second floor, "Come inside before you freeze."
For the first time, Sora noted how extremely cold it was getting, the bitter wind tearing through his jacket and numbing his skin. His was cold all the way through, shivering from the very marrow of his bones. He glanced back behind his shoulder, eyes scanning the dark shadows of the abandoned courtyard. Perhaps it had all been a surreal dream, an illusion, a trick of the mind. Perhaps he was going crazy.
He turned and headed into the church, pressing his weight against the heavy oak doors in order to close them against the wind that was picking up in force. Whatever the reason, even as he approached the redhead waiting for him at the bottom of the stone steps, he couldn't erase the image of the man with ocean-colored eyes from his mind. Even as he pulled her into his embrace, claiming her mouth in a searing kiss, he couldn't forget his own excitement that had made him tremble. He tried to forget, only relayed his passion stronger in his attempts to convince himself it was a dream, only pumped inside her harder as he had her pressed into the wall, making her moan and beg for him not to stop, to go harder, faster, oh don't stop, god, don't stop...
God, how he tried to forget...
TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT
Yuna squinted into the sunlight, looking over the abandoned cathedral with mild curiosity. This was where Sora had told them he was living, along with others. What could be so bad in an orphanage that taking shelter in an old abandoned church was a better option?
"Are we going in or what?" Questioned Paine impatiently, and Rikku danced from foot to foot,
"I'll beat this place is like super creepy at night!"
Yuna smirked in amusement at her cousin before pushing one of the heavy wooden doors open enough for them to enter,
"Hello?" She called, her voice echoing strangely off the stonewalls and empty corridors. This place looked more like some kind of castle then a church.
"Hello?" A female answered, a head appearing over the railing above them. The brunette above them smiled nervously, "Um, if you're here because you think we're trespassing, we aren't, we just wanted to see what this place looked like on the inside, we weren't loitering of anything, we were actually getting ready to leave."
Liar, thought Yuna.
Rikku started up the stairs as Paine and Yuna continued to observe their surroundings,
"No, no. We're looking for someone; he said we could find him here. His name is Sora, do you know him?"
The brunette frowned in response as a petite redhead came out to join her, titling her head in curiosity at the newcomers,
"Um, yeah, he's a friend of ours. Did he do something wrong?"
The boy in question appeared then, leaning over the banister, he frowned at the three women,
"You. I didn't think you'd actually come..."
Yuna and Paine followed the blonde up the stone staircase,
"Of course we'd come," Yuna told him. "we promised we would."
The redhead turned to Sora,
"Who are they?"
He blinked,
"Huh? Oh! Right, right. Um, Kairi, these are some people I met in the park last night when I was trying to get away from the cop."
"We wanted to make sure he was okay after the little scrape he got in." Rikku assured her.
Yuffie perked up in curiosity,
"Scrape? What happened? Did he corner you or something?" She winked at him, "What's that you always say? 'You're only in trouble if you get caught', right?"
Crossing his arms over his chest, he snorted,
"I didn't get caught. I just got tripped up and he caught up with me, but I got away, no problem."
Yuffie slapped Kairi on the back,
"I told you no cop could keep up with him! Ha ha!"
Kairi giggled in response, still watching the female trio closely, though she remained wary.
Sora turned to Yuna,
"Where's your friend?"
She frowned in confusion,
"Friend?"
"Riku."
The blonde looked up,
"What?"
Sora shook his head,
"No, the other Riku, one 'k'."
All three women glanced at each other,
"Oh."
Rikku scratched the back of her head,
"Um, well, you see... Riku is...- we aren't really...- that is to say-"
"We're more acquaintances than friends." Paine stated, helping out the fumbling female, and she nodded enthusiastically.
"Yeah, we have run-ins, but we don't hang out, ya know?" She paused, placing a finger to her lips; "You haven't seen him since yesterday, have you?"
Sora shook his head,
"If I had, I wouldn't have asked, would I?"
She laughed, scratching the back of her head again,
"No, I guess not."
"So, like, what really brings you guys here?" Questioned Yuffie, and Yuna smiled at her always-direct attitude,
"We came to talk to Sora about Riku."
A frown formed on the brunette's generally cheerful expression,
"What about him?"
Paine hopped up on the banister to sit as Rikku walked back and forth across it like a balance beam, causing Kairi to watch her nervously. Yuna glanced from the two younger females to the boy that was with them,
"Is there someplace we could talk, just the two of us?"
"Or four of us?" Paine questioned,
"You can't tell us?" Kairi asked with a frown, and Rikku shook her head,
"No offense, but it's just something of a personal matter to deal with something that happened last night."
The chestnut haired boy made his way down the stone steps,
"Come on, we can talk in the garden."

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT
The followed him silently out to the garden, complete with hedge maze and statues. Rikku looked around at it all excitedly,
"Wow! It's just like a castle almost."
Yuna and Paine shared a look,
"I was just thinking the same thing."
Sora had a seat on one of the stone benches, Yuna taking a seat next to him, and Paine sitting on the edge of a fountain, while Rikku happily ran through the small hedge maze.
"So, what did you want to talk about?"
Yuna sighed, running a hand through her hair,
"It's not that we're so much worried about Riku hurting you, as we are that one of the others might come after you instead. You see, being able to meet a vampire and walk away from it is something very rare, much less being able to retain your memories of it - which you'll have to explain how you did later. Anyways, what I'm saying is that this whole thing has been like a sort of... security breech for them. They're desperate to protect themselves from humans, though they are dangerous, they are greatly outnumbered. There are less then a hundred of their kind still left, with the progression of the centuries and the advances in technology, they know their time is limited. So for you to meet Riku, find out who and what he is, and then walk away unscathed and still remembering it..." She looked to Paine for help, and the darker woman fixed him with a bored look,
"One of them will probably come after you to eliminate the threat they think you pose."
"How so?" He asked, frowning.
"Either erase your memories as should have already been done or make you one of them." She admitted with a shrug.
Sora raised an eyebrow,
"You don't seem very concerned for my well-being."
"I don't plan on playing baby-sitter, no. If they get to you before we get to them, we'll simply take you out as well, see?"
Yuna shot Paine an irritated look, then smiled at Sora,
"It's not that it's anything personally against you, it's just that that's our job. We'll try to protect you, but if we can't... You understand, don't you?"
Sora stood, nodding,
"I understand. Don't worry, I can take care of myself, even against a vampire."
"Uh, excuse me!" Rikku called, waving her hand to get their attention, "A little help?"
Sora turned to her,
"Which way did you last turn?"
"Huh?"
"Left or right?"
"Uh, left? No, right, right. Or was it left?"
"Left, right, right, left. Repeat." He quirked an eyebrow, "Or you could just jump over the hedges."
She laughed from somewhere in the maze,
"But that would be cheating!"
Chuckling, he shook his head; they were an interesting trio that was for certain.
Yuna turned to him,
"Will that really get her out of the maze?"
"If her last turn was a right." He admitted, "If not she'll keep walking in-"
"Ugh! Sora! I'm walking in circles!!"
"-circles."
"Get me out of here!"
"That would be cheating!" he laughed, turning to the extremely frustrated blonde, who finally gave in and jumped over the hedges. She shook her head, frowning,
"I knew I never should have attempted it, I have no real sense of direction."
"No wonder we always end up getting lost." Mumbled Paine, causing Sora to laugh again.
Yuna stood to go, turning to Sora one last time as she approached the iron gate,
"We'll be checking in on you every now and then, let us know if you see anything, okay?"
Sora huffed,
"Riku promised I'd be safe, right? He never put a dead line on that promise, so as far as I can see, the deal still stands: he protects me or else you get to run him through, right?"
Rikku ruffled his hair playfully,
"He's got us there, Yunie. There was no deadline on the promise."
"Though the consequence was never settled on."
"I think it was understood." Yuna sighed, before pushing the gate open, causing it to groan loudly in protest.
Paine was the last to leave, pausing as she passed the younger male,
"Despite the fact that he promised to protect you, you can't confuse Riku with being your friend. He isn't your friend. He's a vampire, and if push came to shove he would back out on his word and have you for supper, understood?" She turned to him, locking her gaze with his, "If it came down to his life or yours, you would die and become one of them. Do you understand what I'm saying?"
Averting his gaze, Sora stared at the weeds sprouting out of the gravel beneath his feet, kicking at a piece of ragweed as he shoved his hands into his pockets and nodded.
"Yeah... I understand." Just as she reached the gate, he found himself calling out, "So there's no way a human could be friends with a vampire?"
She glanced at him over her shoulder,
"A fish may love a bird, but where would they play? The earth can never truly meet the sky..."

Sora lay on the cold stone of the top story balcony of the church, staring up at the stars. He could climb the tallest tree on the tallest mountain, and they'd never be any closer to his grasp. He sighed, watching as his breath came out in a white puff of smoke, dissipating in the breeze. He probably shouldn't be out there, it was getting too cold at night for him to be hanging around outside, the last thing he needed was to get sick.
"Stay out here too long and you might just freeze like that." A voice chuckled causing him to sit up sharply, whirling around. Riku was sitting casually on the stone railing, his back leaning against a snarling gargoyle. Sora smiled at him, standing to his feet,
"What are you doing here? I didn't think you'd come back."
"I told you I'd see you around." He offered casually, shrugging once as his eyes looked out over the grounds glittered in new frost. "The temperature drops quickly here doesn't it? It isn't nearly this cold during the day here, is it?"
Sora shrugged,
"I guess. It's something I've gotten use to and don't really pay much attention anymore."
Riku turned to watch him, his eyes more distant then they had been the last time they'd seen each other,
"They came to see you today, didn't they? Were they surprised I hadn't erased your memory?"
Taking a seat on the banister, too, Sora shrugged,
"I guess. They brought it up, but then we got off on something else." He laughed, "And poor Rikku was too turned around in the maze to really care. She'd have never made it out without jumping the hedges."
"I see. Was that all you talked about? Did you tell your friends about me?"
Sora frowned at him; he was acting so very distant compared to the night before, almost as if... Sora turned and walked to the other side of the balcony,
"No, I didn't tell them. I wouldn't do anything to endanger any of you, so drop the disguise," He glanced at him over his shoulder, "Because you aren't Riku."
Riku smirked, lowering his head and closing his eyes,
"You're pretty smart." He told him in a voice that wasn't Riku's, his image beginning to waver and fade as he melted into someone else. Silver locks darkened to brown, a long scar crossing over his nose and under his eye, "My name is Squall." Sora whirled around to face him, jaw set,
"Where's Riku? You didn't do anything to him, did you? It was my fault, not his, I made him promise not to erase my memories, so don't blame him, blame me." He shook his head, "It wasn't his fault-"
"Yes/, it is!" Squall hissed, standing to his feet, "For you see, though we are true to our word, we reserve the right to refuse making a promise. We don't have to promise, it's only if we do, that we have to stand by it." His gaze fixed on Sora's as he took a step forward, "And though /he may have promised not to erase your memories, he has no right to speak for the rest of us."
Instinctively, Sora backed away,
"S-so what? You erase my memories, is that it? Is that suppose to teach me a lesson? To not stick my nose where it doesn't belong?" he shook his head, "How is that going to work? I won't remember, and so I won't know in the future not to make the same mistake again."
Squall's smirk broadened as he took another step towards Sora,
"That's why we're dealing with Riku, too."
Sora shook his head worriedly,
"But you shouldn't! Isn't it enough punishment that no one except for other vampires and slayers will be the only ones that will ever remember him? And I can't think that a lot of those relationships would be good ones."
Squall paused, frowning,
"Why are you so concerned about Riku? The worst we can do is hurt him, while you on the other hand, we could kill."
Sora shrugged,
"If you kill me, what would I care? I'd be dead, the people to suffer would be the ones that lived and were left behind, like my friends. But Riku... he has to live forever, like some sort of punishment or something, so why punish him further when he's already cursed?"
Squall continued coming slowly towards him,
"I can assure you, we plan on dealing with you both on this matter."
"I wouldn't if I were you." Riku stated jumping down from where he'd being hiding in the shadows on the roof. He landed gracefully on his feet in front of Sora, acting as a living barrier between boy and man, causing Sora to grin,
"Riku! You came!"
Riku smirked at him over his shoulder,
"Of course I did. I told you I'd see you again, and I figured something like this would happen, so I have my other promise to keep too, ya know?"
"It's bad enough you made a promise to a human," Squall told him, frowning as he crossed his arms over his chest, "But also to slayers? You must have a death wish for us or something."
Riku snorted,
"You're one to talk. Your lover is both a human and a slayer, and yet you stand here chastising me?" he demanded.
"What?" Cried Sora, "Can you do that?"
Squall brushed his hair out of his face,
"Let's not bring Rinoa into this, shall we?"
"Why not? Since we're on the subject of breaking rules, I think it's a perfect addition to the conversation." Challenged Riku, cocking an eyebrow.
"I'm following orders," He pointed to Sora, "His memories are to be erased."
"And I'm keeping a promise. I won't let you hurt him or erase his memories." Riku growled, changing his stance; prepared to attack if it came down to it.
Squall laughed,
"You would fight me over a human?"
"You're getting into my business, so yes. He's of no concern to you or threat to you. Leave him alone, and tell the others I said to as well. I'll fight every one of you if I have to."
"The Masters aren't going to be happy about this." He sighed, turning away.
"Would you be happy either if you hadn't had sex in the past five centuries?"
Squall chuckled,
"You better hope they don't find out you said that."
"What are they going to do? Bite me?" He challenged, and Squall waved over his shoulder,
"See ya around."
"You could only be so lucky."
A vortex opened up in front of the dark brunette, and he disappeared into it, as Riku turned to face Sora,
"Sorry about that."
Sora shook his head,
"I'm sorry I've caused you so much trouble."
Riku laughed,
"Are you sure it isn't me causing you trouble?"
Sora laughed as well,
"I guess we're pretty much even then."
Riku nodded,
"Yeah, I guess so." He sighed, his warm breath coming out in a white cloud as he moved to the edge of the balcony, "So the girls did come to see you, huh?" He nodded, "I knew they would. I'm surprised they didn't do a body search to make sure I really didn't hurt you."
"They seem to trust you a lot, I mean, all things considered."
Riku shrugged,
"I guess you could call it trust, but more than anything, they know there are bigger threats then me out there." He forced a laugh, "It would seem humans like me more then my own kind."
"Do the other vampires not like you?" Questioned Sora with a frown, and Riku titled his head back to look at the stars,
"The ones higher up don't, but others like Squall don't really have a problem with me, mainly because now we're in the same boat."
"Are there a lot of you that associate themselves with humans?"
"Surprisingly, yes. There's Squall, Cloud, and Seymour, plus me... Okay, so four isn't a lot, but it is when we aren't suppose to associate with you at all."
Sora frowned,
"So, what? Are they all like Squall? They're in love with a human?"
"Cloud is, her name is Aeris, but Seymour... his attachment is more of an obsession." He glanced at him out of the corner of his eye, "He's after Yuna."
Sora gasped,
"What?!"
Riku nodded,
"It's part of the reason she works in a group now. Rikku was helping protect her, along with her boyfriend, some athlete name Tidus, and then when he couldn't do it full time anymore, Paine came on the scene. It's part of the reason Yuna and Rikku don't really put all their effort into killing me; I saved her once from him." He shook his head, "The guy's a psycho, we all hate him. If it weren't a crime punishable by death in our world, one of us would have probably killed him ourselves already."
"A vampire can kill another vampire?"
"We're only suppose to in self-defense, you can guess how many times it's happened." He stated with a sideways glance.
"If he's so dangerous, why not help the slayers kill him?"
"Because, helping a slayer kill another vampire is almost the same as doing it yourself." He shook his head, "You wouldn't believe it, but there are a lot of rules and laws of conduct when you become a vampire."
"When did you become a vampire?" Questioned Sora, then gasped, "I'm sorry! I didn't mean- I mean, I shouldn't have, it's just that you're the first one I've ever met, and there's so much I'm learning..." He bowed slightly at the waist, "I'm sorry."
Riku shook his head,
"Don't worry about it." He frowned, looking out across the distance; "It's been... three centuries since I became this way."
"What happened? Did you get attacked?"
"It doesn't matter." Riku stated hurriedly, "Things happened and this is where it got me. End of story."
"I'm sorry." Sora told him softly, coming to stand beside him. Riku turned to him with a frown,
"Sorry for what?"
"That you're so unhappy. You live an eternal life to reflect back on every sin you've ever committed and no matter how much you pay penance, you can never be forgiven of it, can you?"
Riku looked away,
"I don't want to talk about it."
Sora smiled sadly at him,
"It's so strange..."
Riku looked up,
"What is?"
"I look at you," He began, "and I feel as though I've known you my whole life instead of only two days. How can that be?"
Riku shrugged,
"Maybe we knew each other in another life. One where we were both alive. Maybe we were friends." He closed his eyes, snorting, "Maybe we were happy."
"Would that be so bad?" Sora questioned softly. "You talk of being happy as though it's something you truly don't deserve. No crime, no sin is so great that an eternal life of misery is fair punishment."
Riku turned to him, cupping his cheek and running his thumb over it as his eyes searched the younger boy's face,
"Why do you make it so easy?" He asked him softly, his voice a mere whisper in the frigid night air.
Sora smiled,
"Make what so easy?"
"Everything. I look at you and forget how different we are. I forget who I am and what I've done. I look at you and forget everything, except you. You make it so easy to do."
Sora blushed, looking away in embarrassment,
"You make me sound like I'm something special, I'm just me."
Riku made him look at him again,
"It's because you're you that makes you special..." he whispered, leaning in closer and brushing his lips over the other boy's, causing Sora to gasp in surprise at the sensation. Riku paused, a few centimeters between their faces as he waited for Sora to react further, to push him away or something, but he didn't. Riku leaned in and kissed him again, a more intimate kiss this time. Slow and seductive as he cradled the back of Sora's head and wrapped an arm around his waist, pulling him closer, cherishing the warmth his body gave off despite the cold that had wrapped around them both. He didn't attempt to deepen the kiss, instead broke away, leaving a reminder kiss on the stunned boy's lips.
"I'd better go before I get us both into bigger trouble and you catch a cold." He jerked his head towards the door, "Get inside before you freeze." He told him, stepping away.
"But-"
"Go." He insisted, "I'll see you later." He assured him.
Sora nodded with a frown, doing as he was told, glancing back over his should one last time before he shut the door to see that the balcony was empty. He leaned against the heavy wooden door with a sigh, touching his lips with a shiver.
"You're the one who makes it easy, Riku..."

TBC

AJ: Aw!!! Fluff! Fluff all around!
Tenoko: I like romantic scenes.
AJ: I don't care for yaoi, but this is cute!
Tenoko: I'm warming up to the idea more since I've had to read some KH yaoi fics trying to learn more how people seemed to like their stories going. There aren't a lot of good KH fics out there though. I wish I could find some good ones...
AJ: Maybe some of the readers can recommend their favorites.
Tenoko: Now there's an idea...