FicWad

Disclaimer: Me no ownie Disclaimer: Me no ownie.

AJ: Promise me.
Tenoko: No.
AJ: Promise me!
Tenoko: I can't promise you something like that!
AJ: Then I'm going to start a strike! NO ONE READ ANY OF TENOKO'S FICS!
Tenoko: AJ! All right, fine! I'm not promising, but I'll try not to end this chapter in a cliffhanger.
AJ: (/hugs/) You're the best! /EVERYONE READ TENOKO'S FICS/!!
Tenoko: Ahem.
AJ: AND REVIEW!!!

AN: -------- = Change in scene.
TTTTTTTTT = change in POV

Cursed

A deep frown adorned Ansem's face as he observed the younger man before him,
"Someone else was lying?"
Sephiroth replaced the book in his hand and reached for another one,
"I'm only speculating. It could have been a big misunderstanding. Or Riku's fate could have been warranted. We won't know until I find all the records on the subject."
Running a hand through his silvery hair, Ansem shook his head,
"I'm confused. Say we find out that Riku was wrongfully cursed, what can we do about it?"
Sephiroth paused, frowning,
"Nothing. There's nothing we can do, it can't be undone by us."
"Then why find out? Surely you don't plan on telling him the truth, he would start an uprising!"
"Heavens, no, I don't plan on telling him." Exclaimed Sephiroth, sending a look heavenward, "But if my hunch is correct, we have another vampire to deal with and should be more lenient towards Riku."
"Why? He's a vampire now, after all, there's no need to change the rules for him because he was wrongfully made one. His fate is no worse then those who became so as victims." Ansem argued, and Sephiroth nodded.
"Perhaps you're right."

TTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTTT

Sora gasped as he saw Riku step out of the shadows in the park, his eyes beckoning for Sora to come to him.
"You guys, I'll catch up with you later." He told the others over his shoulder.
"Where are you going?" Kairi demanded, and he turned to her, shaking his head,
"No where, I just need some time alone, that's all."
She frowned at him, but nodded as Yuffie was calling to her. Sora turned and hurriedly jogged over to where he'd seen Riku standing.
"Riku? Are you-mmf-!" His sentence was cut short as Riku appeared in front of him suddenly, and pulled him into a searing kiss that made Sora dizzy. The brunette attempted to calm the desperation he felt coming off of Riku as he kissed him, to relinquish his fears and doubts that clung to him like a bad dream in the darkest of nights. Sora was left breathless when Riku finally released his ravaged mouth and took him into his embrace as he had only earlier that day, clinging to him almost like a frightened child, afraid and yet relieved to no longer have to face the darkness alone. "What happened, Riku? Are you okay?"
"Don't let go." Riku begged, squeezing him tighter, "If you let go, I'll wake up and this will have all been a dream." His voice sounded so strangled, so forced, as if he were on the verge of tears.
Sora held onto him, offering comfort the only way he knew how at that moment,
"I won't let go." He promised him, before shaking his head, "But this is real, it isn't a dream. I'm as real as you are, and I'm right here."
Wrenching away from him suddenly with his back turned, Riku shook his head,
"I must sound like such a fool to you."
Sora shook his head, taking a step closer to him,
"No, I just don't totally know what's going on. I want to help, but I can't help if you won't tell me how."
"There's no help for the damned." He told him cynically, causing Sora to frown,
"Don't say that... You aren't 'damned'. The damned are those without any hope for redemption, those completely devoted to the darkness, but you... you're different. You may be surrounded by the darkness, but you aren't apart of it. There's a light shining inside you, I can see it."
A sad smile crossed Riku's lips as he finally turned to face the brunette, shaking his head,
"How can you make it so easy?"
Stepping forward to embrace him again, Sora chuckled,
"You've asked me that before, and I still don't understand what you mean." He leaned his head against his shoulder as Riku rested his chin on top of his head, holding him gently, "I make you forget what you are, your past, your pain... but I'm only being me, what else is there for me to be? All you can be is you, and I don't have any complaints about that." He lifted his head to grin at the taller male, "It's you I like."
Smirking again at the innocent boy before him, Riku dipped his head to capture the brunette's mouth with his own.


-----------------

Frowning at the candy apple haired girl across the room, Sora titled his head to the side, curious. She'd been unnaturally quiet since he'd come back to the church, and it wasn't like her to be this quiet, while Yuffie on the other hand was more mischievous then usual, grinning stupidly and winking at him. What was with these two?
"Did something happen at the restaurant after I left?" He questioned, and Yuffie shook her head, wagging her finger at him,
"Uh uh! Guess again!"
"What am I guessing at? Somethin's up, that's all I know, you're both acting weird." He told them, crossing his arms as Yuffie danced her way out of the room. He turned to Kairi, "Is something the matter? You're being awfully quiet. Did something happen?" Again she shook her head, but said nothing. Sora was growing impatient, "C'mon Kairi, enough with the games, just spit it out, what happened? Why are you being so withdrawn while Yuffie is acting like she's about to burst because she knows some great secret."
"We... we saw you."
Sora only offered a blank look of confusion,
"You saw me? Saw me what?"
She whirled around, shoving him hard in the chest,
"With your /boyfriend/!! You left and we followed! You've been acting weird for weeks now, and we were worried, so we followed you! We didn't know we'd find you and Riku making out in the grove! God!" She exclaimed angrily, shoving him away again and whirling around on her heel, her hands coming up to rake through her hair as he stared at her in shock. He didn't know what to say. What was there to say? He was slightly ashamed at the fact that they knew, he hadn't wanted anyone to know, he was suppose to be straight after all, but being caught making out with another guy kinda throws all arguments out the window. She whirled around again, tears hanging on the ends of her lashes, only making him feel guiltier about having kept it from her; he never liked making Kairi worry. "You know, I knew something was up when you hadn't even laid a hand on me once in nearly a month, but /this/? This was not something I expected out of you! How long have you been fucking him? Did you only come to me when he wasn't around?"
Sora's eyes widened as he shook his head furiously,
"Kairi! Kairi! I'm not sleeping with him! I've never slept with him! Yes, we've kissed, but we aren't dating, we're..." He faltered. What were they? Friends, yes. Boyfriends? He doubted it. And they most certainly weren't lovers. Sighing in defeat, he shook his head, "I'm not even sure what we are... But it isn't like you think. Yes, I like him, I don't know why, I can't explain it, he's the first guy I've ever looked twice at, I've always been in to girls, but now..." he shook his head, "Now I'm into him, too."
She snorted, shaking her head,
"I don't believe this!"
He threw his hands up in frustration,
"What do you want me to say? Huh? Look, I'm sorry you had to find out this way, I never expected our relationship to go this way; we were just friends, and why are you so upset? It isn't like we're dating."
She smiled cruelly, a light shining in her eyes that alarmed Sora,
"No. We aren't dating, we're just fucking buddies, right?"
"Kairi..." He sighed, taking a step towards her, but she turned and ran from the room, leaving him alone in silence until Yuffie jumped down from the rafters, giving him an apologetic look as she straightened to full height.
"I didn't realize she'd react like that, I'm sorry."
He glared at her,
"So you just watched that go down when you could have intervened?"
She shook her head,
"It wasn't my place to interfere. That was a fight between the two of you. It needs to be worked out between the two of you."
He ran a hand over his face with a groan,
"You saw us, too, huh?"
She nodded, grinning happily,
"But unlike Kairi, I find it all very romantic. He's like a fallen angel whose soul only you can mend." She sighed dreamily, staring off in to space. "He's so afraid of loosing you, you can tell, it's in the way he talks to you, the way he looks at you, the way he holds you... I mean, I knew he was kind of possessive of you earlier this morning when he looked back and saw you and Kairi hugging. He got this whole jealous 'get away from my man' look on his face, and it was cute. I guessed then that something had happened between the two of you."
He sighed, giving her a defeated look,
"What do I do?"
She smiled, placing a hand on his shoulder,
"First, go to Riku and find out just where the two of you stand since you're not even sure what you are. After that, give it a day and talk to Kairi, she just needs some time to herself to think things through and let it all sink in." She smiled sadly, "I know it's the three of us, but for Kairi, you're all she has. You're the one that protects her and keeps her safe; you're the one who's always kept her safe. I'm sure she's simply scared that if you fall in love with someone and it's not her, that she'll end up alone and in the same situations as before." She shook her head, "I'm not saying I think Kairi's in love with you, at one point, yeah, I think she thought she was, but now, it's more or less that she's simply dependant on you in order to keep her own sanity. You keep the monsters away."
He shook his head,
"It wasn't suppose to be like this."
She chuckled, shaking her head,
"Nothing ever turns out the way we plan. There are no perfect ideas, only perfect intentions."

------------------

Riku frowned at Sora as he opened his door to the apartment to find the brunette boy standing on his doorstep looking as though the world had finally come to an end,
"Who died?" he asked softly, and Sora shook his head,
"No one. Can I come in?" Riku nodded, stepping aside and opening the door wider, allowing the disheartened boy entrance. "You don't have company, do you?"
Riku shook his head, shutting the door again and locking it,
"No. Why? What's wrong?"
Tiredly, Sora sighed, turning weary eyes to the older male,
"Kairi and Yuffie saw us earlier in the park. Kairi's... pissed."
"They didn't know about us?" Riku asked with a frown, causing Sora to whirl around angrily,
"Of course they didn't! How am I suppose to tell them when I don't even know what we are? I know we're friends, but friends don't... do the things we do and react the way we do to each other. You're the first guy I've ever..." He let the sentence hang, not sure how to put into words what he felt.
"Kissed?" Prodded Riku, raising an eyebrow, "Liked?"
Dropping his head, Sora nodded glumly,
"Yeah." He raked a hand through his hair, "I mean, I don't know how this works! At what point are we a couple, or are we ever a couple? What are the rules when one person is human and the other isn't?" Riku was strangely relieved he hadn't used the comparison that one of them was dead and the other wasn't, or even brought up the fact that Riku was a vampire. He had, but he'd been tactful about it, and for that Riku was grateful.
Grabbing his shoulders, Riku forced Sora to look at him, watching him carefully,
"Do you want to be my boyfriend? Or do you want for us to only be friends?"
Frustrated, Sora groaned, shaking his head,
"Don't ask me that! How am I suppose to answer that?!"
Riku frowned,
"I thought it was a fairly simple 'yes' or 'no' question."
Sora sighed,
"That's not what I mean! I mean, I just want for us to be together, but I don't want to get you into trouble with the others, and if that means we're just friends, I can live with that, and even if it means I can't ever see you again, I'll come to live with that, but for us to be dating..." He shook his head, "The idea is just still so surreal! You're the first guy I've ever been unable to get out of my head. You're the only guy that I've thought about in ways up until now I've only pictured girls. This is all just so new to me and I don't know what to do or what to say!"
"Say 'yes'." Riku told him simply, shrugging lazily. Sora's shoulders drooped,
"To which question?"
"The one where I ask you to be my boyfriend." He told him with a cocky smirk, and Sora gave him an irritated look,
"Are you asking me now?"
"Yes."
Sora frowned, pouting slightly, before glaring at the silver-haired male,
"Damn you can be irritating sometimes!"
Riku chuckled, brushing his hair out of his face,
"I know, it's part of my charm. So what do you say? Are we official or not?"
Sora shook his head,
"No."
Riku's face fell, and he stepped away from the brunette,
"Oh."
"The only way we can be anything is if you agree to be my boyfriend." Sora told him, crossing his arms over his chest.
Riku laughed, shaking his head, relief and ecstasy flooding over him,
"You're unbelievable. Yes, I will be your boyfriend." He pulled Sora to him, touching their foreheads together, "Does that mean I can take you back to my room and have my way with you anytime I want now?"
Sora blushed,
"No!" His gaze drifted to the couch, "But that couch looks pretty comfortable right about now..."
Riku blinked,
"Are you serious?"
Laughing, Sora shook his head,
"No."
Riku scowled at him,
"Tease."
Sora only laughed harder,
"I know. It's part of my charm."

--------------

Rikku brought in another blanket for Sora, tossing it on the foot of their couch as she sat down beside him.
"So why are you staying here tonight exactly? You get in a fight with your friends or something?"
"Kairi's mad at me and needs time to cool off." He told her. She nodded in response,
"But why not stay at Riku's? The two of you are friends now after all."
"He's the reason she's mad at me." He told her with a sigh, and she frowned at him,
"Why? What did he do now?"
"She saw him kiss me..." He admitted glumly, knowing full well she probably already knew or would find out eventually. She burst out laughing,
"You're kidding me! Seriously! Oh my God! So what? Are the two of you like dating now?"
"We weren't then, but we are now."
"When did she see you?"
"This afternoon."
"And you started dating after that?"
He gave a nod,
"Yeah. I couldn't explain to her what we were if even I didn't know, so I went over and demanded to know where we stood."
"That's so cute! So what are you going to do about Kairi?" She questioned, hugging her knees to her chest and propping her chin on her knees.
Sora shrugged,
"I dunno. Just explain the situation."
"Leaving out the fact that your boyfriend is a vampire, right?"
Sora rolled his eyes, shooting her a look,
"No, I was going to tell her the truth about everything! 'Oh hey Kairi, by the way, I'm dating a vampire and our other friends Rikku, Yuna, and Paine are slayers, but that's okay because Rikku is dating a vampire as well. Oh, and Cloud and Squall aren't really Riku's cousins, they're vampires, too." He gave her an annoyed look as she laughed, "I can only imagine how well she'd take that before calling up the loony bin to take me far away and lock me in a padded cell."
Rikku continued laughing,
"You have to admit, it is rather funny when you think about it. We're all just rebelling against the system and it's traditions."
"Well, I find it very frustrating."
"So is swimming up current." She told him with a grin, and he only cut his eyes at her again. She paused, frowning at him, "Okay, I know this is kinda personal, but I need to ask. Have you slept with Riku?"
Blushing till his ears glowed; Sora feverently shook his head,
"No! Why do people keep asking me that?"
She smiled,
"Because Riku can be very seductive, even if he isn't trying to be, it comes with being a vampire. They can use seduction as a weapon." She waved her hand, "Well, do you plan on sleeping with him?"
"Am I suppose to? I mean, do people actually plan these things?" he demanded and she chuckled, shaking her head,
"No, I suppose not." Twisting her body around to face him, she regarded him seriously, "But just in case you ever do go that far, don't let him mark you."
Cocking his head to the side, Sora frowned,
"Mark me? What is marking? Cloud mentioned that before, what is it?"
"It's a clear sign to all other vampires that you are taken," Paine stated, walking into the room, "It's a symbol that your lover is a vampire." She sat down on the edge of the coffee table, regarding him solemnly as she attempted to explain things clearly. "You see, Sora, when a vampire falls in love, it's for life."
"The vampire's life, not just the humans." Clarified Rikku.
"But they live forever!" Exclaimed Sora, and Paine nodded,
"Exactly. It's a part of the curse of being a vampire; they fall in love and are then separated from their love for the rest of eternity, because humans have only a limited life span. Vampires mark the one they're in love with as a warning to all other vampires, that should one of them cause any harm to the one who is marked, then the vampire that marked them will kill them in revenge."
"But I thought vampires couldn't kill other vampires." Argued Sora, brows knitting together in confusion.
"This is one of the few exceptions." She told him, before continuing. "There are few things that vampires consider sacred: life, love, and promises. Should any one of these be violated, there is possible grounds for execution."
"But what about marking? How does a vampire mark someone?" Puzzled Sora with a frown.
Paine turned to Rikku expectantly for help and the blonde girl sighed, tilting her head to the side and pulling the collar of her shirt off of her shoulder to reveal clear bite marks.
"They bite you." She explained, "Marking is the insertion of the fangs into the tendon in your shoulder."
Sora stared at the mark with wide eyes, not comprehending anything he was hearing,
"So are you a vampire now, too??" He demanded, standing to his feet in surprise, and Rikku shook her head, replacing her shirt collar,
"No. Marking doesn't involve the drinking of blood; it's simply a bite, that's it. And then it's a sign for all vampires to see that you are the one it chosen to be with forever. A sign that they are in love with you, and it, just like their love for you, will never go away."
"If it's merely like a open confession of love, why is it bad?" He questioned, sitting back down as he pointed to Rikku, "I mean, you're marked."
Sighing, Rikku averted her gaze,
"I'm marked because I was willing to become a vampire in order to stay with Gippal. He didn't want me to become one, but I didn't want him to mark me because I knew what would happen if he did, what could happen."
Sora shook his head,
"I still don't understand, from what you've told me, all that happens is that they're in love with you for all eternity, even after you die, and that you're safe from any attacks by other vampires unless someone feels like dying. I mean, that's not horrible, so why do you act so worried."
"Sora, that's only what happens if you return the feelings. If you are in love with them as much as they are with you." Paine explained, and Sora paused, looking questioningly between the two females,
"W-what happens if you don't return the feelings?"
"The vampire that marked you goes insane." The blonde girl admitted softly, "Their thoughts are consumed with the one they love, and it drives them mad to the point they eventually take their own lives or are killed as an act of mercy so they aren't tormented by the unrequited love for all eternity." She paused, frowning, "It's a lot like Love Birds. When one dies, it's mate simply gives up on life until it dies because it wants to be with it's mate. With vampires, if the person marked doesn't return their love, the vampire still eventually goes insane, but they often take their own lives because they don't want the one they love to be burdened by the memory of them."
Paine touched his knee to get his attention again, and she watched him solemnly, eyes boring into his,
"So now you see why we want you to be careful. It's for your own sake and Riku's."


-------

Sister Helen was waiting for Sora when he returned to the church the next morning, sitting on a stone bench by the dried up fountain. She was watching the birds fussing at each other in a tree when Sora walked up, his shoes snapping a twig alerting her to his presence. Her head snapped around to face him, her soft blue eyes brightening,
"Sora! I've been waiting on you!"
He frowned at her as he came forward to stand in front of her.
"Sister. What are you doing here?"
She laughed, patting the seat on the bench next to her,
"Kairi asked me to come, she said you had committed some grave sin against God, though I can't imagine you doing anything really wrong."
With a loud groan, Sora dropped his head into his hands,
"Oh my God, I don't believe it! She freaking told on me to a nun! /I don't believe it/!"
The nun beside him frowned suddenly, confused,
"Have you sinned, Sora?"
"Hasn't everybody?" He threw back, and she smiled softly, nodding,
"Yes. It says that we have all sinned and fallen short of the glory of God."* She touched his shoulder, "Tell me, dear, what is it that you've done that Kairi felt your soul was in need of redemption?"
Allowing his head to fall back, Sora stared up at the sky, searching for answers or a way out of this situation,
"I don't wanna talk about it."
Again she nodded, folding her hands in her lap,
"I can't force you to talk about something if you don't want to, but you should know that I'm here if you ever feel the need to get something off of your chest or at a lose for answers."
"Why don't you tell her about your boyfriend?!" The red head demanded, hidden away where Sora couldn't see her. He heard Sister Helen gasp in surprise as he scanned the slopes and windows of the church, searching for the hiding girl. He jumped to his feet,
"Kairi! You can't hide forever! And when you do come out of hiding, I'll be right here waiting! You and I are going to have a serious talk, do you understand me?" he turned back around to face the silent nun, "Look Sister Helen, I'm really sorry she made you come all the way out here, but there really isn't anything wrong, just a misunderstanding between me and Kairi."
She fixed him with a serious look,
"Is what she says true? Are you in a relationship with another male?"
Sora set his jaw, momentarily contemplating lying to the woman, it wouldn't be the first time he'd lied to her, but somehow he just couldn't this time, not after all the nuns had done for them.
"Yes, it's true. We started dating last night."
She heaved a sigh, casting her eyes heavenward and Sora knew she was disappointed in him, but what could he do? It wasn't as if he could go through his life without disappointing a few people.
"Oh dear. It would seem this life has taken a greater toll on you then I had feared."
He frowned at her, raising an eyebrow,
"What? It's not like I'm gay. I like girls, mostly I like girls, up until I met Riku, I always liked girls, and he's the only guy I've ever been interested in."
Again she sighed, meeting his gaze with her stormy gray eyes,
"Child, do you know what comes from having homosexual relations? Do you now how the Lord views it?"
He shook his head,
"Please don't preach at me, Sister, that's the last thing I need today."
She shook her head,
"When have I ever preached to any of you? I'm simply asking if you are informed on the subject, and if not, I would inform you. How is that preaching? AIDS is known as the homosexual's disease, it's one of the main origins of the disease, and the Bible says that homosexuality is an abomination and a curse, a sin you could be damned to Hell for."*
He sighed, running a hand through his hair,
"Sister, maybe one day I'll think back on your words and change my ways, but right now..." He shook his head looking at her, "Riku needs me as much as I need him. I save him from his demons just as he saves me from mine."
"Sora, you need saving because of this unstable life you live. Look around you." She told him, spreading her hands out, "Were you to have a more normal life with more normal circumstances you would find that you do not require the aid of this boy so much. You would most likely only still be friends instead of participating in this relationship." She took his hand, her eyes pleading with him, "I won't ask you to go back to the orphanage, but would at least consider going into a foster home, or a home for lost boys-"
"No." He told her stubbornly, yanking his hand away, "If we're put into homes, we'll all end up separated and then who would look after Kairi and Yuffie? Mainly Kairi. I swore to her I'd always look after her to make sure nothing like that ever happened to her again, I'll keep my promise or die trying."
She paused, cocking her head to one side as she observed him,
"Perhaps that is it... You've been the pillar of strength for Yuffie and Kairi so long, been strong for them throughout all of this that you've never had the chance to lean on someone else for strength. Perhaps that is why you find yourself in this relationship with this boy, he's the pillar of strength you've been searching for."
He heaved an aggravated sigh, taking Sister Helen's hands and pulling her to her feet,
"You know what Sister Helen, if you think I'm so bad off, pray for me. Pray till the heavens open and I'm given a clear sign of direction, until then, I'll get by however I can and you need to go." He sighed, "I'm not trying to be rude, I'm just trying to survive, and having someone point out everything I'm doing wrong is more than discouraging. I'm doing the best I know how right now, and maybe one day when I know better, I'll do better, but that's not right now."
She smiled at him, respect shining in her eyes despite her disappointment with him,
"You're doing a fine job, Sora, but sometimes we all get a little off the path and need a helping hand to point us back in the right direction." She patted his cheek affectionately, "I'll keep in touch."
He waved to her as she left,
"Bye, Sister." After she disappeared around the corner, he turned back to the church, glaring angrily at the building as he stormed up its stone steps to its massive oak doors. He had a redhead to find...

TBC

These are actual paraphrased scriptures from the Bible, I did not make them up, and yes, according to the Christian faith, they are true.
AJ: Well, that wasn't too much of a cliffy.
Tenoko: I don't want to hear one complaint.
AJ: Somethin' bad's gonna happen now, isn't it?
Tenoko: What makes you say that? Honestly, you have absolutely no faith in me.
AJ: Is something bad gonna happen? I want to be prepared for it if it does happen.
Tenoko: As far as I know, no, but keep it up and I might just start getting some new ideas.