Tomato Juice

Summary: AU Akane Tsunemori, vampire hunter, is given a mission to rescue Kougami Shinya, a veteran hunter, from a den of monsters. So why is this 'vampire' so friendly and carefree? "At least act like a monster so I don't feel guilty shooting you!" Akane/Shusei

A/N: I've written an ungodly amount of one-shots for this series so I buckled down and decided to attempt to write a full story. Please review and tell me what you think! Thank you and have a great day!

Chapter 1- Garlic, Crosses, and Coffins

"Go to Heaven for the climate, Hell for the company."

Akane Tsunemori cursed every god she could think of (and even those she couldn't) for sending her on this stupid mission. Save Kougami. Kill the vampires. Burn the nest. But, who was she to deny Sibyl, the head of the hunter organization? She gulped, thinking about the last person who 'defied' (can also be read as failed) her. The rumor was that he was locked in a cage for three years with only bread and water. When Sibyl was done with the torment she apparently threw him to the wolves—literally. Shivering, the girl trudged through the snow, hand placed on the holster of her gun.

Really? Did all vampires have to live in secluded places in god-forsaken woods or on a freaking cliff? They didn't all need to copy Dracula, geeze.

"Why can't I ever find a nest of them in a shopping mall or something…?" She pulled the scarf over her neck tighter, senses on fire. The hand resting on the gun quickly pulled out the weapon, aiming towards a certain tree.

"Come out with your hands up, vampire!" Laughter emerged from the brush, scaring the poor birds sitting in the tree. A pale figure emerged from the shadows, topaz eyes alight with mischief.

"Ah, looks like you caught me, Ms. Vampire hunter. What ever shall I do?" He mocked, hands up in a fake salute.

"Looks like another cocky vampire with a God-complex. What ever shall I do?"

This roused a reaction from the man, fangs bared. "My name is Shougo Makishima, and this," he motioned to the snow, "will be your grave, little girl."

He lunged for the girl, talons inches away from her neck. Akane smirked, pressing the gun against his chest. "One move and I blow out your heart. Tell me who your master is."

"I have no master." The girl twisted the barrel of the gun into his stomach.

"You can't fool me. I know you monsters have a hierarchy. Lie to me again, and this gun will be in your throat."

"I-I'm not lying. We all live together but there is no leader."

The hunter paused, pretending to put the gun back in its holster.

"Wrong answer." A flash of blue emerged from the gun, bathing the whole clearing in a bright light.

"Sorry, miss, but he's telling the truth." An orange-haired youth with amber eyes smiled, gun in hand. Smoke rose from the Dominator, leading towards a gaping hole in a tree. The white-haired man stood shocked, eyes wide in surprise. Unfortunately, for Akane, he was unharmed.

"My Dominator!" She gasped, reaching for the weapon.

"Ah, not yet, miss. I need to make sure you won't blow a hole through my face when I give this back."

"What do you want, my blood, my soul?"

"A promise would suffice." The girl's hazel eyes widened, narrowing quickly. 'What is he playing at? I guess I'll play along, for now…'

"O-ok, I promise to leave the gun in its holster." The man gave a goofy grin, revealing a pair of sharp fangs.

"Here ya go." He handed her the weapon, smiling like a fool.

"T-that's it? You're not going to go for my throat, or feed me to your wolves?"

The man looked surprised. "Why would I do that to a cute girl? Besides, we've got another hunter hulled up at our house. Is it safe to assume you come here to collect him?"

The girl blinked, and then blinked again. "Well, that's part of my mission…"

"Great, we'll escort you there!"

She grew silent, shoving the gun haphazardly in its holster. "I have no say in this, do I?"

"Nope. None at all."

"Fine. Just keep him," she pointed to the white-haired vampire, "away from me."

"You're not a field of sunflowers either, kid."

"Come on you two, cheer up! We've never had this many guests before!"

"You mean live guests."

The orange-haired man punched Makishima lightly. "Come on, you're scaring her. Ah, that's right! I haven't introduced myself. My name is Shusei Kagari and this," he gestured towards the silver-haired man, "like you've probably already heard, is Shogo Makishima."

"I'm Akane Tsunemori."

"Nice to meet you, Akane-chan!"

The girl eyed the two warily, staying as far away as possible as they walked deeper into the forest. She lagged behind, listening to the two talk about normal, every-day things.

"It might have been better if they just killed me…" She muttered, shuffling through the flurry of snow. She shivered, warming her hands with her breath. The temperature had dropped considerably, causing the girl to curse herself for leaving without a thicker jacket, or at least gloves.

"Ah, are you cold? I forgot humans are more sensitive to the cold than us. Here." He handed her his black coat, laughing at the girl's bewildered expression.

"What? It's not going to turn into a bat or something. It's just a piece of clothing."

"I-I wasn't thinking that!" She blushed, pulling the heavy wool coat over her lithe form. An almost inaudible "thank-you" passed her lips. The vampire grinned. "No problem."

"This is your home?" She asked incredulously, staring at the mansion.

"Yep. Shougo inherited it from his folks. Come on, I'll show you where Ko-chan's staying."

"Ko-chan?"

The man stood, confused. "Kougami Shinya. That is who you came looking for, right?"

"Y-yes. I just… never mind." 'He gave Kougami a nickname. Next thing you know he's going to tell me he doesn't drink blood.'

"Kougami! You're ok!" She rushed to the man who was lounging on the couch, book in hand. His leg was in a cast, bandages covering most of his torso and arms.

"What happened? They didn't…" The girl looked at his neck, surprised to see no puncture marks.

"I was told to exterminate this nest. On my way here though, I was attacked by a pack of wolves. Kagari said he and Makishima keep most of the wolves on a short leash. He assumes they were another vampire's familiars, sent to scout the area. I thought I was done for but then old man Masaoka appeared out of nowhere. He ordered the wolves to leave and he did first-aid. I passed out and when I woke up I was here."

"Masaoka?"

"Ah, you haven't met everyone yet? Ask Kagari or Shougo to show you around."

"You address that monster by his first name?" She sat next to Kougami, staring at the fireplace. The flames warmed her chilled body, allowing her to relax—slightly.

"He's a bit rough around the edges but he's got a great taste in books. He also has a human friend living with him here as well. I think his name was Choe-Gu Sung… Anyway, he's not that bad, just stuck in his old ways. He thinks vampires should rule over humans."

"You've got to be kidding me."

"He feels like the hunters have suppressed the vampire's natural lifestyle. He's only allowed to kill bad people; thieves, rapists, murderers."

"What about everyone else?"

The large wooden doors creaked open, revealing an older looking man. He walked up to the pair, waving.

"Kougami, I'm glad to see you're ok. I was worried for a bit."

"Hey pops, thanks for stitching me up and all."

"No problem." He smiled warmly, directing his attention to the girl.

"How rude of me. I'm Tomomi Masaoka. It's a pleasure to meet you."

"N-nice to meet you. I'm Akane Tsunemori."

"Well, missy, please don't take any of my 'children's' reactions too seriously. They're good people, if not a little stubborn and reckless."

"Talking about us again, Masaoka?" Kagari walked into the room, hands in his pocket.

"It's almost time for dinner. Please, stay the night and we'll direct you to the shortest path out of the forest."

"Ok." Kougami smiled, chatting with the younger man.

"Are you an idiot? Asking us to dinner means we are the dinner, Kougami!"

"Calm down, Tsunemori. Like I said, they're different."

The girl pinched the bridge of her nose. "You're too trusting. It's going to get us killed. Fine, stay here, get eaten alive, I'm going back to headquarters."

"Wait—" Kagari grabbed her wrist.

"Let go."

"No." His grip tightened.

"Tell me, Akane-chan, why did you become a hunter?" His eyes flashed crimson, the once care-free look on his face replaced with one of fury.

"So, you've finally shown your true colors, vampire?" She reached for the Dominator.

He grabbed her other wrist, face twisted into a malicious frown.

"I wasn't going to be mean. But, I've changed my mind. Why did you become a hunter?" Each word was drawn out, punctuated by the flash of fangs.