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Disclaimer: I no ownie... Disclaimer: Me no ownie...

AJ: So what's going to happen this time around?
Tenoko: If I told you, there wouldn't be any point in reading the chapter, now would there?
AJ: Point taken, point taken...

AJ:... Can I at least get a hint?
Tenoko: No!

Cursed

The elder of the two Masters sighed in annoyance, causing the younger to look up in curiosity,
"Something troubles you?" Sephiroth asked, quirking an eyebrow.
Ansem whirled around, stalking the length of the grand hall in the castle.
"It's this human business with Riku. I sent Squall to take care of the matter-"
"But Riku is protecting the boy from us, is that right?" He asked, not sounding surprised.
Again, the older man sighed heavily, nodding his head,
"I don't understand it! In the good old days, we only used humans for a good meal, but this new generation of vampires... they're becoming friends with them or falling in love with them- Riku is even on good terms with a group of slayers for crying out loud! Honestly, I don't know what things are coming to."
Sephiroth chuckled,
"I warned you they would be a handful. Riku's loyalties lay more with the humans then his own kind, you've known that from the beginning."
"Yes, yes, I know... I just," He shook his head, "I never expected for things to go this far. Next thing you'll know we'll have humans all over the place that know about us." He cut Sephiroth a look, "And you can only guess how long we'd last after that happened."
Sephiroth waved him off,
"Would you relax? Do you really think such a small boy is any cause of alarm? Are you really so afraid of a human boy?"
The muscle in Ansem's jaw flexed in agitation,
"No, I am not afraid of that whelp. But this entire thing could get out of hand. Riku is willing to turn against us in order to protect the boy-"
"I believe he's smitten with the human." A new voice stated, causing a slow smile to creep over Sephiroth's real features,
"Ansem, you'll find that I take every precaution to keep your fears from becoming a reality." He motioned to a figure in the shadows, a blond stepping out into the light, "I had Cloud watch Sora and then tail Squall in order to intervene should things come down to a sprawl, after Squall left he stayed until Riku left as well."
Ansem turned to the blond expectantly,
"Well, what have you to say?"
The ex-soldier glanced once at his superior before turning to the head of their league, placing his arms behind his back,
"First, the slayer trio known as YuRiPa came to check in on Sora after his run in with Riku in the public park. Sora and two other girls, from what I've seen are living in an abandoned church and living off the streets as pickpockets. The girls made certain Riku had not harmed the boy in anyway and then warned him t be wary of Riku, that should he be back in a corner he would turn on Sora to preserve his own life. Paine warned him not to confuse Riku with a friend, that he was a vampire to the very end, and that if for some reason Sora did become a vampire, they would take care of him as well."
Ansem nodded impatiently,
"Yes, yes, summarize, summarize..."
Cloud glanced at Sephiroth again, who nodded, and the blond continued,
"That evening Squall approached Sora; Sora saw through his disguise, Riku intervened, and then Squall left. Riku and Sora talked for a few moments, and Riku explained some of our rules and some of the situations with certain vampires that are in similar situations as they are in now."
"Having a relationship with a human, I'm assuming?" Inquired Ansem, causing the stoic man to nod.
"How ironic that Cloud here happens to be one of them..." Drawled the man with unearthly beauty, a cruel smirk twisting his lips. "How is your little pet by the way? Airi wasn't it?"
"Aeris." Corrected Cloud, glaring threateningly at the other man, "She's fine." He spat, "And I trust she's to remain that way."
Sephitorth's smile was wicked,
"Honestly, Cloud, do you think I have time to toy with some spineless female? A human female no less? Why you waste your time on her is beyond me." Cloud opened his mouth to argue and Sephiroth waved him off, "But no matter, continue with your report."
Cloud set his jaw, and turned sharply to the oldest male in the room,
"They talked for a few minutes more and then..." he hesitated, causing Ansem to face him in exasperation,
"Yes, what is it?"
Once again Cloud glanced at Sephiroth,
"He kissed him."
Ansem ran his hand over his face with a growl; Sephiroth waved Cloud away,
"That's good, leave."
Cloud bowed slightly at the waist, his eyes lowered,
"I take my leave of you..." he whispered, disappearing into the shadows.
Ansem turned to Sephiroth,
"What are we to do? Another vampire has fallen for a human!"
Sephiroth shrugged,
"They've only known each other two days; it's most likely to be purely lust. I highly doubt anyone could fall in love in two days." He chuckled, "Especially since we are in fact talking about Riku. Can you even image him falling in love?"
Ansem smiled, shaking his head,
"No, I suppose not. It was his lack of heart that got him in his current state."
Sephiroth summoned forth a glass with a thick red liquid in it, swirling the liquid around in the glass absentmindedly,
"What do you say to as merely a warning, we put him on restriction from crossing over into the Aboveground; make him have to stay Underground for...three months?"
Ansem sighed, shaking his head as he took a seat in a luxuriously decorated chair,
"I just don't know. He hates it here. What would we do if it caused him to retaliate against us further?"
"We would punish him further. Simple." Stated Sephiroth with a careless shrug.
Ansem turned to Sephiroth with a quirky smirk,
"You are heartless, aren't you?"
"If I'm not, it's certainly black." He replied, causing them both to laugh.

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

Riku sat on the roof of the castle, glaring out at the bleak world before him. He hated living Underground, it was a realm parallel to that of Aboveground, other wise simply known as Earth. It was the same planet, but with so many different dimensions with so many different interconnected lives. And he was trapped here. For the time being, at least. It was most likely because they were still pissed off at him for having made a promise to a human, for not erasing his memories, for endangering the rest of their kind. But of what threat was Sora to them? Should the humans find out of their existence, they need only escape to the Underground for protection; humans could not cross over between realms. They'd done so in the past, they would most likely have to do so in the future, it was hardly the crisis they made it out to be.
Riku frowned, eyes scanning over a small rural village not far away. He could see where having to remain Underground for around a century or two could be quite inconvenient. The number of humans here were far less then that of Aboveground, and though these humans knew very well of the vampires existence, as they did rule over them, they were of no threat to them. It was the few numbers of humans here that was the concern of the elders; after a hundred or so years, surely their numbers would all be depleted and they would have to capture more and bring them here. It was something they found themselves having to do every turn of a century or so, with such primitive technology, even the common cold could take out a startling number of people.
Riku's own village had been not bigger then this one...
He snorted at the thought, shifting so that the village was no longer in his line or sight, no longer a reminder...
"You have a glare that could Sephiroth's." Cloud stated, as he and Squall stood before the younger boy. Riku frowned at them,
"What are you doing out here?" He questioned, and the two men took seats on either side of him.
"We came to see how you were handling restriction. It isn't easy when you hate the Underground, is it?" Questioned Squall, glancing at the younger boy.
Riku sighed, shaking his head,
"I don't understand why they put me on restriction. Yes, I refused to erase a human's memories, and yes, I challenged another vampire who came to take care of the job, but big deal, it's not like that's anything to worry about."
Cloud allowed his gaze to travel the wide open plains,
"They're worried you're going to fall in love with the human."
Riku laughed,
"I've known Sora two days! Besides, when have you ever known me to fall in love?"
"Well, it's your affection for the boy that has them worried." Squall repeated, and Riku frowned,
"What 'affection'? We talk; I keep my promises not to hurt him or erase him memories, yeah, there's a lot of love there."
"I followed him, kid." Stated Cloud, and Riku turned to him suspiciously,
"What do you mean?"
"The next ay after you met, I was told to follow him, see what all happened. The girls came, Squall came, and you showed up, Squall left, you stayed..." He glanced at the silver headed boy, "I'm sure you remember from there..."
Riku set his jaw,
"I see." He stood to his feet whirling around to face him angrily, "What the hell is your problem, man?! Why do you have to interfere? So I met a human and became friends with him, so I like him, big deal! Do you have to spy on me like I'm some sort of criminal? It's not like he's my lover!" He pointed to them, "It's the two of you whose relationships break all kind of laws."
Squall sighed, shaking his head,
"I think they're afraid you'll end up like us, and fall in love with this human."
Riku snorted,
"Don't be ridiculous." he shook his head, "Why bother to fall in love with a human when we're going to outlive them?"
"For the chance to be happy at least for a little while..." Admitted Cloud quietly, eyes closed.
Riku plopped back down in between them,
"But why did you have to tell them what really happened? I mean, you could have lied."
"I have to protect Aeris." he told him, eyes opening, "If I don't do what Sephiroth tells me, she'll die." He shook his head, "And not even to become one of us, she'll simply be dead, and I'd never see her again."
Riku shook his head,
"She's going to die one day anyway... why try and avoid it? It's only going to make you suffer longer. You suffer knowing the day is coming; you suffer when it comes, and you suffer after she's gone... What's the point in making you go through so much pain?"
"It's like we said earlier, the time you have together is what makes it worth it." Squall stated. He glanced at Riku, "You want to go Aboveground?"
Riku fell backwards to lie stretched out,
"Anywhere is better then being stuck /here/!
"You want to see /him/?" He pressed, causing Riku to sigh and sit back up,
"Yeah. I like being around him. He makes me forget... I want to forget."
"Maybe he's the one who could save you." Cloud offered off handedly.
Riku shook his head,
"I doubt it." He snorted, "We're all cursed, and yet there is one person for each of us who can save us... I think it's merely the master's way of tormenting us further, dangling a carrot in front of our faces, you know? They're destined to live forever with no source of redemption because they sold their souls for eternal life... what other purpose have they now but to torment us, who are merely cursed, with the possibility of redemption?"
"If it isn't true, then what is there to hope for?" Asked Cloud soberly.
A grey cloud of somber silence had settled over them as they sat there together on the sloped roofs of the castle.
"I'm suppose to continue following you when you get off restriction." Cloud admitted quietly.
Riku hugged his knees to his chest,
"Really?" Cloud nodded, "So, you'll betray me to save your own human?"
"As it stands now."
"He did promise Sephiroth to tell what goes on between the two of you..." Squall added casually, causing Riku to slowly straighten, turning to Cloud,
"The promise thing works between us as well, doesn't it? We have to stand by promises made even to other vampires, don't we?"
Cloud nodded,
"We have to stand by all promises, even those made to creatures such as ourselves."
"I know I can't ask you to not spy on him or me, since you already gave your word to Sephiroth, but promise me you won't tell him what you see. And promise me you won't tell him that you made this promise to me." Riku told him desperately. He shook his head, " I don't admit to being in love with Sora, because I'm not, but I do want to be able to see him, for us to be..."
"Friends?" Questioned Squall; Riku turned to him,
"Does that sound childish?" He snorted, shaking his head, "I feel so utterly stupid saying it, but, yes, I want for Sora and I to be friends. I want to keep my promises to him and to Rikku. I'll protect him at all cost."
"Why are you so ready to risk yourself for the sake of a human?" Questioned Cloud, and Riku sighed, looking away,
"He makes me forget... forget who I am, what I am, and what I've done... It's the first time..." He frowned, his brows drawing together, "the first time in so many years I've ever been able to forget... I want to stay with him and pray to God I don't ever remember again..." He looked up at Cloud, "So? Do you promise?"
The blond man gave a solemn nod,
"I promise."

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

Sora sighed glumly, hands shoved in his pockets as he walked aimlessly through the park. It had been a month since he'd seen Riku, perhaps it was the last time he would ever see him. He'd seen Yuna and the other girls at least once a week, but no sign of Riku or any of the other vampires. Perhaps Squall had really been telling the truth when he'd said they planned on dealing with Riku as well on his contact with a human. What was so wrong about it though? Why couldn't a vampire have a relationship with a human, one that didn't revolve around the human becoming the next meal?
Sora snorted, he was being an idiot. What was he thinking, thinking it was okay for a human and a vampire to be friends? Vampires preyed on humans. Sora was basically on the menu, why should Riku waste his time with him?
Picking up a stray stick, he hurled it away from him in aggravation. Even though he knew Riku was a vampire, and he knew he shouldn't hang around him, YuRiPa warned him to remain wary of Riku and keep his distance from him, the other vampires seemed to think the same thing. There were certain rules to the whole interaction between human and vampire, and breaking the rules came with consequences... But why couldn't they break the rules? According to Riku, other vampires had, they had lovers who were humans, Squall's girlfriend was even a slayer! Heck, even that guy Seymour had an obsession with a human slayer, so what was wrong with Riku and Sora being... what friends? Yeah, they were friends, on some level or other, but...
Sora paused, running a hand through his unruly hair. Riku had kissed him, and he'd allowed it, even kissed him back the second time. Kissing, at least like that, was not something friends did. He began walking again. But then again, he slept with Kairi on an almost regular basis, and they were friends. In that case, the sex was merely for the sex, they were 'fuck buddies' so to speak. Using each other to calm their own sexual desires. He'd even slept with Yuffie a couple of times, though she was more interested in some mysterious guy neither Kairi or himself had ever met, some guy by the name of... Vincent, was it? Vincent Valentine? Yeah, he was pretty sure that was it.
Shaking his head, he sighed in frustration, stopping for a moment to even see where he was. Great. The cemetery on the outskirts of town. He considered turning and leaving, the cemetery was a less then cheerful place to be, especially after hours... He paused, a cemetery was probably an ideal place for a vampire to hang out, not that he believed they were sleeping in coffins underneath his feet, but this place wasn't very populated at night, you never even saw the watchman, so why wouldn't a vampire take refuge here, knowing he wouldn't have to worry about running into any humans?
"What are you doing here?" Paine questioned from behind him.
And then again, cemeteries were probably the first place slayers went to find targets.
He turned to face Yuna and Paine, glancing around when he noticed the blonde was not also in tow,
"Nothing. Where's your cousin? Rikku?"
Yuna pointed behind him,
"Meeting a friend."
He quirked an eyebrow, glancing over his shoulder,
"In a cemetery?"
"The friend is dead." She stated, and he frowned,
"Then wouldn't it be more appropriate to say she's 'visiting' a friend?"
"The friend is undead." Paine clarified, earning a glare from Yuna.
"Oh." His frown deepened, "But you're slayers..."
"We knew him before he became a vampire." Yuna told him,
"He was Rikku's boyfriend. His name is Gippal." Added Paine, earning another glare from Yuna, and an elbow to the side. "What? He was going to find out sooner or later. What's the deal? He knows about them, knows some of them have relationships with humans, he's friends with one himself so I hardly think he's shocked."
"My cousin's relationships are none of his business." The brunette told her shortly.
Sora shook his head,
"Riku never mentioned Gippal. He told me about Cloud, Squall, and Seymour, but he didn't say anything about anyone named Gippal."
Yuna crossed her arms,
"He probably doesn't know him. Gippal's new to them, so it can take a while to meet everyone, depending on where you get stationed."
Frowning, Sora's brows drew together in question,
"Stationed? Do you mean like in the military?"
She nodded,
"It's something like that. You start out in one area, where you are being trained by a more experienced vampire, and then you are re-stationed somewhere else where you are supervised, and finally you get to go where you want, but you still have to report into your branch clan master for the okay."
Sora quirked an eyebrow,
"Riku told me there were a lot of rules, regulations and traditions for them... I guess I just didn't realize how much."
Paine shook her head,
"Most of the rules they don't have to learn when they become a vampire, the knowledge simply comes to them through the vampire that transformed them. Now, yes, some rules of etiquette they have to study and learn, but the other vampires help them out."
"So aside from the fact that they have to drink blood in order to survive, they really aren't that bad."
"That, like people, depends on the vampire." Yuna told him, taking a seat on the base of a massive statue. Sora looked up at the white marble statue; it was one of Seraphim, a type of warrior angel, a sword in one hand, and an electric guitar hanging on her shoulders, her long hair flailing wildly about her, as she smirked cockily, her eyes narrowed in a challenge to anyone who would dare stand against her.
"So... vampires don't forget their existence as humans when they become undead, right?" he questioned, turning to look at Paine who was examining another statue similar to the Seraphim. She turned to him casually,
"No, it's like a form of punishment, they remember their lives so they can brood over their mistakes and what got them to where they are, and yet they can never change it."
"There's a rumor that there is a way to save their souls, even if they can't have their humanity restored." Rikku stated as she appeared through the darkness, walking away from the tombstones and graves. She shook her head. "But none of the vampires are even sure if it's true, and there's speculation just as to what happens. Some say that their humanity is restored, some say they are simply able to finally die and rest in peace."
"Aren't they able to do that when you kill them?" Sora asked,
"They die, yes, but they don't always rest in peace." Admitted Yuna. "Some are damned to Hell forever. Others... we believe they find peace, because they wanted redemption and sought after it."
"What do they have to do for their souls to be saved or their humanity restored?" Questioned Sora quietly, a shiver running up his spine as a frigid breeze wrapped around him.
"They have to be willing to give their life in order to save another." A new voice stated, as a blonde man with a patch over his right eye walked up. He walked over to Sora, offering his hand, "I'm Gippal."
Sora shook the proffered hand, nodding in greeting,
"I'm Sora."
Gippal smirked at him in amusement,
"Yes, you're the little human that has Ansem and Sephiroth in quite a stir. They're put out that yet another one of us has taken to a human." His smirk widened to a grin. "They were mad at me to begin with because I refused to turn against my friends." he shrugged casually, "What can I say? I know where my loyalties lie."
Sora frowned at him as Gippal wrapped an arm around Rikku's shoulders,
"But you're a vampire, right? So you... have to survive... the same way other vampires do, right?"
"I survive the same way Riku does. It's somewhat inconvenient, but at least I don't have a bunch of people's lives on my conscience."
Sora nodded,
"Why don't all vampires do it that way?"
"They have to increase their numbers so that they don't vanish all together." Yuna stated. "While some of them only act in a way to sustain their own lives, others act so that they survive and their numbers increase. Riku, Gippal, and the others Riku told you about besides Seymour are the same way."
"Do you have to tell this boy everything about us?" Another voice demanded, and they all pivoted to stare at the top of a marble structure where a spiky-haired blond man was crouched. He leapt to the ground, landing soundlessly on his feet before standing to full height.
"I need to talk to Sora."
"You better not erase his memories, Cloud." Rikku told him in a warning tone.
He nodded to her,
"I won't. I'm simply here to warn Sora about something."
Sora frowned,
"Warn me about what?"
Gippal waved at them suddenly, stepping away from the group,
"Well, I'll see you around."
The three girls waved and turned to go as well,
"Take care, Sora." Yuna called as Rikku waved to him enthusiastically before running after her cousin and friend.
They had all just left him! Alone! With a vampire!
Okay obviously, they knew him and trusted him, and Rikku had said his name was Cloud, which was the name of one of the okay vampires, but still! It was the fact of the matter! The only vampire he trusted at this point was Riku, how could they just leave him with this guy?!
Cloud stepped forward, placing a hand on his shoulder,
"Relax. I'm of no threat to you, Riku made me promise."
At hearing the absent male's name, Sora straightened,
"Riku? I haven't seen him since the night that other guy came to threaten me. Squall, I think his name was... Where is Riku? What's happened to him? Is he okay? They didn't do anything to him because of me, did they?"
Cloud sighed, dropping his hand to his side,
"That's what I came to talk to you about."

TBC

AJ: What happened to Riku? You wouldn't let them hurt him, would you?
Tenoko: I don't know... He did break the rules after all.
AJ: What?! What are rules for if not to be broken?!