The Devil's Dance

By Eternity Crystal

It was a cold, wintry night. The stars would've been breathtaking if it weren't for the city's artificial light drowning it out. As most cities are, the streets were bustling, filled to the brim with people. However, it was almost midnight, and that meant most people should've been at home in their beds. People being the key word there. The so called "people" on the streets tonight were not human, they were demons.

Demons were not all nocturnal; in fact, they preferred being out in the daytime, so they had more access to humans to tempt and kill and eat and all manner of things. There was a specific race of demons, Hollows, which were nocturnal and they were the vilest of them all, and had been for untold centuries. To make things worse, Hollows had bred to make more demons that were even more dangerous. Arrancar were the most deadly. They looked the most like humans without a glamour, and they were most certainly attractive, luring their prey in with their looks only to ravage them later. They were also patient with their prey, waiting until the opportune time to do unspeakable things.

Most demons didn't have the patience to wait to kill or eat humans, they just dove right in. Arrancar, however, had tons of it. Whether it was built up over time, or whether it was just their nature, or because of their good looks, nobody really knows. The important thing was, it was kill or be killed with them. Avoiding them was easy, if you didn't wander the streets at night. However, if you caught the attention of one of them, daylight wouldn't save you. Once an Arrancar started a hunt, they never slept until they were finished with you.

That didn't mean, however, that all was hopeless. There were ways, people, to combat demons. Otherwise, the world would've been overrun already. There was an organization called the Gotei Thirteen, comprised of thirteen divisions each specializing in demon hunting. Each member was called a shinigami, and it was their job to rid the world of demons. All of them had rigorous training to take down these filthy creatures with the upmost discretion. Most didn't even know they existed, most didn't even know demons existed. Well, until it was too late, anyway.

And it was on this chilly, dangerous night, that one particular shinigami, a Kuchiki Rukia, was out hunting. She had an assignment to crash a ball set up by the elite demons, even by the king of all demons, the very Devil himself. It was dangerous, extremely dangerous, but Rukia was one of the best operatives the Gotei Thirteen had. Her division, the Thirteenth Division, specialized in Hollows. They were the best equipped to deal with such abominations, and tonight, at this ball, there were going to be a ton of them.

Rukia stuck to the shadows as she walked, blending in so that none of the demons noticed her and a fight broke out on the streets. Repairing buildings that were sure to be damaged if a fight were to happen was too much of a hassle, especially on a night like tonight. Also, she was pretty sure the demons wouldn't want a fight to break out either, lest they get in trouble by the upper echelon of demons swarming the place that night. After all, it would ruin their party. Still, she was always cautious.

She wanted no unnecessary damage done; the only destruction she wanted to happen was at that party, nowhere else. Even then, she only wanted the demons and the Devil to die, not the building. But she knew that in a crowd, the building was bound to come down anyway. Just as long as it got the job done, Rukia supposed she didn't really care.

After two hours of walking, Rukia finally caught sight of the building housing the ball. She stopped and stared for a moment, her face expressionless. It was quite large and had ornate, foreign architecture, probably dating back to the Renaissance. To be expected, since this shindig was being hosted by the Devil. It would make sense that the place would be visually beautiful and expensive.

Done staring, Rukia glanced around quickly to find a secluded place to change. She found a closed alley, and quickly set her bag down and began stripping. Her usual black garb was abandoned for a deep indigo ball gown that matched her eyes, and a pair of high heels she knew were going to kill her feet later if she didn't get this over with soon. She was going to miss her combat boots. Rukia placed her zanpakuto, a special sword that only shinigami wielded, into her bag and stashed it behind the garbage cans, where no one would find it. It was too large for her to conceal, even in this large gown, and awkward to take out even if she could hide it. However, she removed other weapons from her bag and strapped them to her legs and other places of easy access.

Now prepared for the job ahead, Rukia headed over to the entrance to the ridiculously fancy building. Usually for jobs this dangerous, there was always back up, but this ball was invitation only and they had only managed to snag one from the last few Hollows they killed. Rukia, being the best operative besides the captain of her division, was the logical choice to infiltrate the place alone. Still, she had called for others to be on standby should anything go disastrously wrong.

Rukia walked up to the main door, which was still open and had a Hollow standing there, checking for invitations. She flashed the Hollow a charming smile and handed over the invitation. He took it, looked it over, and gave her a nod, his face disgruntled. It seemed like he'd rather be inside than out in the cold waiting for people to come. Whatever, it wasn't her problem.

Rukia went inside and walked through the halls, eyes constantly taking in every detail. Hollows crowded the halls, chatting with each other or were "all over each other." Rukia, disgusted by this behavior, but not surprised by it, made her way easily to the ballroom. She stopped at the set of stairs leading down to the dance floor, and luckily for her the stairs had no fanfare as it was tucked to the side of the room. However, a shiver ran down her spine as the sensation of watching eyes caught her attention. She spun around, but no one there was looking in her direction. And nobody on the dance floor was either, as far as she could tell. But the dance floor was crowded and it was hard to distinguish many faces.

Rukia almost convinced herself it was her imagination, but realized it was that kind of mistake that could get herself killed. She needed to be hyper alert, seeing as she was in the middle of the lion's den. She glanced around as she walked down the stairs, trying to ferret out who it was that was staring at her. Depending on who it was, she could lead them away and quietly take them out.

The feeling of eyes on her didn't fade, and she naturally wondered if whoever it was knew that she wasn't supposed to be there, knew that she was a shinigami. Although, until she could confirm that, Rukia wouldn't let herself panic and reveal herself. The longer the sensation of watching lasted, the more nervous Rukia found herself to be. It had been a long time since she last felt that way, and she didn't like it one bit.

"Looking for someone, darling?" someone asked silkily from behind her.

Rukia spun around and her eyes immediately caught onto warm brown eyes. Warm, yet cold. There was something chilling about staring into those eyes. She felt a shiver slither down her spine as she registered that danger exuding from those eyes. And it wasn't just his eyes that screamed danger, but the whole man. He was tall, much taller than her, which wasn't much of a challenge, and he was dressed not in formal wear, but in a pinstriped business suit with a red tie on a black shirt. He was clearly slim, yet muscled enough to appear strong. His posture seemed lazy, but had an undercurrent of danger and power. He had slightly tanned skin that was topped with messy, spiked orange hair. Rukia nearly gulped.

It was Kurosaki Ichigo, the Devil. Sure, she was supposed to find him and take him out, but Rukia had no idea she would find him this fast. Staring at him, she realized she was unprepared to get rid of him. She thought she would have more time to carry out her plan. That, and she hadn't expected the Devil to be so handsome. Get a hold of yourself! Rukia berated herself.

It had only been a few seconds since he had spoken and she had turned around, and Rukia needed to reply lest the reaction be blatantly late. She plastered on a sweet smile, and replied with, "No one in particular. Just thought if I could see someone I recognized."

"Had any luck?" Kurosaki Ichigo asked, his voice smooth as glass. He smiled at her, sweet on the surface, mocking underneath.

Rukia was suspicious of that smile, but kept her face friendly. "No."

"Well, in that case," he bent into a low bow and held out his hand, "would you care to dance?"

Rukia couldn't help the shock that flashed across her face. Whatever she had been expecting as a response, it certainly hadn't been that. Still, it was an excellent opportunity to get close enough to Kurosaki and kill him. Though, she would have to lure him somewhere more secluded once she had a firm grip on his attention. Killing him in front of hundreds of Hollows and Arrancar would cause retaliation and overall chaos. She wouldn't survive a fight with this many strong demons, and she had to kill any and all witnesses.

Putting on a pleased smile, Rukia took his hand, and immediately their hands, clasped in a cup hold, were raised and her left hand rested on his right shoulder, with his right hand on her back, just under arm. Poised and ready to go, Kurosaki led her into a waltz of all things. Well, the musicians were playing a waltz, now that Rukia paid attention. Still, she'd never thought Hollows, least of all the Devil, would actually dance something like the waltz. She'd thought they'd do more sensual dances, like tango.

"Surprised?"

Rukia blinked and looked up at her dance partner, her train of thought halted by the sound of his voice. Kurosaki was smirking smugly, as if he expected her to be surprised that he could waltz. It irked her, that smirk. She put on a strained smile and nodded, but what she really wanted to do was slap him.

"I thought so. But I do know how to be romantic and woo women. Sweetheart, just who do you think I am?"

Kurosaki made a fair point; to be a good womanizer, you had to be romantic in some way, and Kurosaki was the best womanizer. It was in the Devil's nature, after all. It's just Rukia never thought about it that way; she thought it was all about seduction, temptation, and sex, not the least bit of romance and sweetness. Though, for some, romance was the temptation, the temptation that eventually led to other, less virtuous things.

However, what really annoyed Rukia was not that Kurosaki made a good point, but the way he called her sweetheart. It had a mocking tone laced with a hint of seduction. As if Rukia would actually fall for the Devil's charms. Besides the mocking and occasional infuriating moments, Kurosaki actually was pretty charming…in a dark, evil, I'll-steal-your-soul way. No! I mustn't think like that! He's evil and I'm here to kill him.

While Rukia was struggling internally with herself, she kept her mask of pleasantness on her face and in her tone, and kept up a short stream of conversation with her dance partner. When the waltz music ended, Kurosaki bowed to Rukia again and kissed the back of her hand, his brown eyes locked with her indigo ones. A shiver danced down Rukia's spine, but this time it was a much warmer shiver. Oh no! This is not good. At this rate, I'll be compromised! I need to get this over with quickly.

However, just as Rukia opened her mouth to suggest going elsewhere, Kurosaki tugged gently on her hand and began to lead her off the packed dance floor. He dragged her through crowded hallways until they reached a hallway that was completely secluded. This had been what Rukia wanted, yet she felt like she was the one in danger. Once they were at the end of the hallway that had a dead end, Kurosaki let go of Rukia's hand and spun around to face her.

Rukia froze in place as the brown of Kurosaki's eyes turned cold. She almost took a step back in surprise, but couldn't control the emotion from surfacing on her face. Kurosaki's smile in response was just as chilling, and Rukia's mind screamed 'danger.' Her body, on the other hand, tensed but stayed still. She couldn't tell if her body was getting ready to fight or run.

Focus, she thought as sweat began to form and her heart sped up. Rukia inhaled deeply, trying to push her fear away. Fear only got in the way, and nothing was allowed to get in her way now. Relying on her training, Rukia put a smile on her face. She was about to speak, but Kurosaki beat her to it.

"What are you here for, Kuchiki Rukia?" the Devil's voice was harsh as he asked, smile gone.

Rukia lost her grip on her act, and sputtered, "Wh-wh-what?"

"Oh, come on, did you think I was that stupid? That I wouldn't know who my enemies are? I knew who you were the minute I saw you. You're pretty famous amongst the Hollows."

Rukia's face turned serious, determined, as she replied, "Why did you ask me to dance instead of killing me on sight if you knew who I was?"

Kurosaki raised an eyebrow, as if the answer was obvious, "And ruin my sisters' birthday party?"

"Your…" Rukia trailed off, the news taking her off guard.

"Honestly, did you shinigami do any homework before entering enemy territory?" Kurosaki rolled his eyes. "The Gotei Thirteen is getting sloppy. I mean, they can't even teach their best operatives how to act."

Rukia felt irritated at the jab to her acting skills, but ignored it to address the bigger insult. She boldly took a step toward him, staring him straight in the face.

"In case you haven't noticed, Kurosaki, we've been winning all the fights lately."

Kurosaki's eyes narrowed dangerously, and a venomous smirk crawled its way onto his face. "And in case you've failed to notice, this party is filled only with the best Arrancar fighters, and you're here alone without backup." At this point, Kurosaki grabbed Rukia by the arms and slammed her against the wall. "You may be good, but you're not that good."

That last condescending comment caused Rukia to snap. She, being overwhelmed by Kurosaki's height and strength – which was living up to its reputation – did the only thing she could do to get him to back off; she head butted him. It worked. He let go and stepped back, clutching his nose. Wasting no time, Rukia landed a kick to Kurosaki's abdomen. He staggered back a couple more steps, grunting. She had to admit, he stood his ground well; most of her enemies went flying from that attack and the force she put behind it.

Knowing that this fight wasn't going to be easy, Rukia went for the concealed dagger at the small of her back, barely hidden by her dress that had a low cut back. She then quickly pulled out a collapsible baton from her thigh, hiking up her skirt for merely an instant. All the while keeping her eyes on Kurosaki, who had speedily recovered. He was standing tall and relaxed as if he just hadn't been hit at all and the shinigami presented no threat. His attitude was beginning to really tick her off.

Then he did something that pushed her over the edge. He opened up his arms in a mocking gesture, taunting her to attack him. And attack she did. Kicking off the ground, Rukia raced at Kurosaki in a blur, and made to stab him, but he caught her wrist holding the blade. She then twisted the baton so it rested against her arm and used her forearm to swing up to try and hit Kurosaki in the face. He used his other arm to block the weapon from contact to his jaw, and then wrapped his arm around the baton and yanked. At the same time, Rukia yanked her wrist out of Kurosaki's other hand and jumped back to put some distance between them.

"Honestly, I'd thought the Gotei Thirteen's best operative would be stronger than this," Kurosaki said with a disappointed sigh.

"Don't get comfortable yet, Kurosaki-sama, I'm just getting started," Rukia replied through gritted teeth. It was taking all she had to try and remain calm and a clear mind.

"Bring it, Midget," Kurosaki replied, grinning.

Rukia felt a vein throb somewhere. "What did you just call me?"

Before Rukia could even finish speaking, Kurosaki had disappeared. The next thing she knew, her hand that held the dagger was twisted behind her back. That was impossible! He moved faster than she could see, and she could see some pretty impossible speeds. Kurosaki had just used a shinigami technique. What on earth…?

Rukia's thoughts were abruptly cut off as her air supply lessened as Kurosaki's arm wrapped around her neck. Noticing that her other arm was still pretty much free; she elbowed Kurosaki in between the ribs, knocking the air from him in a big whoosh. His grip on her loosened enough for her to twist free and back up.

"How did you do that?" she demanded. How could Kurosaki use a shinigami technique, when he was the devil? Enemy and opposite of all shinigami?

"Do what? Shunpo?" Kurosaki asked casually. A second later, his face grew dark, sinister. "I suppose they haven't told you. I'm not surprised. Probably makes your job of killing me easier."

What? How did he know she was here to kill him? Wait, I suppose I made it obvious. Rukia shook her head. Back to the matter at hand.

"Told me what?" she asked suspiciously.

"Would you believe me if I told you I had my own zanpakuto?" Kurosaki countered her question with his own.

Rukia didn't have to think about the answer. "No."

Kurosaki sighed dramatically. "I figured."

Then, all of a sudden, a huge sword tessellated in his right hand. It was huge, nearly as tall as he, the blade shaped like a kitchen knife, and the hilt had no guard and was wrapped in white cloth that hung at the end. He grabbed the cloth and began swinging it around, the blade swirling in a blurred circle. There was no doubt about it: it was a zanpakuto.

But how on earth did he obtain one? Did he kill a shinigami and take it off him? That didn't make any sense, though. A zanpakuto disappeared when a shinigami did. That implied that Kurosaki, the Devil, had his own zanpakuto. A weapon made specifically for killing demons. Rukia's stunned eyes gazed into Kurosaki's darkened brown ones. His face was deathly serious, and hatred burned in his expression.

"I used to be a shinigami," he said. Rukia's indigo colored eyes widened. "Devil is a title, not a creature, sweetheart. I wasn't born this way. The shinigami betrayed me. After everything I had done for them, all the battles I won, all the times I nearly died, they tried to kill me because I had some demon blood. And they covered it up, like they always do, because they never own up to anything but their success. So I switched sides."

The seething anger pouring out from every inch of him soon sizzled out, and his frame sagged. The first sign of vulnerability Rukia had seen from Kurosaki all night, and to be honest, this scared her most out of everything she had seen that night. And then an aching loneliness filled in, making Rukia's being cry out for him, which confused her. Why would she be feeling this for the Devil? The enemy and the man who had killed countless of innocents.

"Still, I haven't brought myself to kill a single shinigami since then. No matter how much I hate them as a whole; there are still shinigami within the Gotei Thirteen that I care about. I hate them so much, but I just can't kill them."

Loyalty. There was absolute loyalty there, Rukia knew. Something deep inside her wanted to reach out to him, cure Kurosaki Ichigo of his loneliness and sadness. She wanted to make it go away. Overcome with an urge that she had been fighting all evening, Rukia walked over to him, stretched onto her toes and kissed the Devil square on the lips.

Three seconds of surprise passed before Ichigo wrapped his arms around Rukia's waist and dragged her closer to him. The longer the kiss lasted, the more passionate it got until they both had to part for air.

"I've wanted to do that all night," Rukia reluctantly admitted.

"I know," Ichigo grinned. Rukia twitched angrily. "Me too."

End

A/N: I know I should be working on From Hell and Back Again, but I've got the lack of inspiration and motivation to write it. So, instead, I wrote something else. I hope all my readers for that story don't kill me. I'll seriously try to work on it when I can. However, I hope you all enjoyed this story in the meantime.