Well, here it is! My new fanfic: Burichi!
Please make sure to read the "Author's Notes" at the end of the story.
Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach.
Remember to leave a review! Your thoughts much appreciated.
Death and Strawberry I
Thin clouds floated past the crescent moon in the Friday sky. The streets of Karakura Town's residential area were empty and void of life. Many houses had darkened windows, where the only signs of sleeping patrons were the parked cars in the driveways. It was the witching hour, a time of strange and mysterious things happenings; dangerous and supernatural events that may herald the dawn of change. A black swallowtail butterfly with blood-red designs fluttered vibrantly in front of a short, lithe woman in black garments suitable for nobility, both suddenly appearing in a puff of black smoke. She stood on one of the many lightposts that held the thick wire lines which supplied the town with power, gazing into the distance with her scarlet-red eyes.
"It must be around here." She muttered.
Briefly closing her eyes, a stoic expression appeared as if she was mentally searching for something. As if trying to calm her mind, determined to remember something she might've only recently forgotten.
"I see." her eyes opened, "I can feel it." She disappeared leaving faint wisps of smoke behind.
It was after dusk, the sun already below the horizon. The evening twilight had just ended, revealing a lone girl walking the silent street, hugging herself while nervously glancing around, moving in small, hurried steps. She was a beautiful high school senior, her body showing heavily accentuated curves, even through the thick, expensive coat that covered her entire body including her hooded head. She kept herself within the lighted areas of the streetlamps, her movements reminiscent of a late night movie murder victim. She turned into the next corner with her head down, not noticing the four men at the end of the street. These men wore stereotypical gang member clothing, some with ring piercings found on their ear, nose or eyebrow. One of the men pointed at the incoming female figure -alerting his cohorts of her presence- then proceeded to viciously lick his lips in anticipation, his gold tooth gleaming. Halfway down, she raised her head to check her position but instead found herself staring at the wall of grinning men awaiting her arrival. Now aware of the men, she froze, trying to gather her thoughts, contemplating on her next action.
Should I turn around run back? Should I walk by and pretend not to see them? Should I cross the road quickly and pass by them on the other side?
Her hesitation caused the men to make the bold decision to slowly advance on her. Crooked and rotten teeth bore wide grins, their breath putrid and foul from excess intake of cigarettes and alcohol. She backed away in small steps, still petrified that she got caught in such a dire situation.
"Headin' somewhere darling?" a rough voice came from behind her.
A cry escaped her lips as she jumped in shock.
"Y-Yes, I-I'm j-just about to l-leave." She stuttered, "S-Someone's waiting f-for me." She attempted to walk across the street, only to be blocked by a burly hand.
"They can wait a lil longer." He grinned, clearly finding pleasure in her discomfort.
Glancing towards the four incoming men, she instinctively took a chance, ducking under the man's arm and sprinted across the street. All five men immediately bolted after her, adrenaline rushing through their veins.
They were predators. And this was their turf.
The chase exhilarated them as much as the capture of their prey.
They quickly caught up with her, eventually surrounding her. Grinning grandly, the rough-voiced gang member pulled the hood from her head, revealing her terrified blue eyes, trembling pink lips and cascading blonde hair. Their eyes bulged, visibly feasting on their catch. Never had they caught such a rare gem. The tallest of the group eagerly reached his hand out to grab her hair, but he promptly slumped to the ground unconscious, revealing a teenage boy behind him with his hand in mid-air, poised in a judo chop position where the man's neck had been. He was wearing a grey high school outfit with thin crimson designs, a single strap school bag slung over his shoulder and he had an irritated expression on his face. Some of the others quickly pulled out knives and faced the newcomer with hostility.
They were predators. And this was their turf.
Anyone who challenges such should be quickly disposed of. The existence of their prey was instantly forgotten. Protect turf first. Hunt later.
"Leave." The orange-haired teen commanded. "Get outta here before I lose it."
"You suddenly appear and knock over Yama-bro, plus you want to us to get outta here?" exclaimed the rough-voiced man. "What are you thinking? You wanna die? Huh?"
The tall teen raised his hand and scratched the back of his head, gazing away from the scene as if bored, like he couldn't afford to waste his time.
The rough neck grit his teeth, visibly displeased. He erupted in a fury, fist raised to punch the kid into the next world.
"Say something you-" his sentence was interrupted by a foot to the face, blood spewing from his nose. He fell on the spot.
"Toshi-bro's down!" the remaining three exclaimed.
They were predators. And this was their turf.
If there is a threat, eliminate that threat. Attack in groups. Attack unfairly. Eliminate by any means necessary.
Two of them charged towards the boy with knives flashing.
Sidestep.
Parry.
Punch to the face.
Dodge.
Knee to the chest.
Grab.
Chop to the throat.
The two thugs sank to their knees, crashing to the ground, out cold.
They were predators. And this was their turf.
However, if everyone falls, and only one remains, he is no longer a predator. He is the prey. And prey can only do one thing.
The last thug turned heel and ran.
The boy watched him sprinting away, not bothering to chase him down. When he turned to greet the girl however, she was already gone.
He ran until his lungs gave in. Never looking back, never hesitating. Blindly running away from the orange-haired incarnate of justice. His head spun, rapidly trying to make sense of the evening's events. There was no way that happened!
Yama-bro
The image of a giant of a man, well over six feet, with broad shoulders and strong muscle hands falling unconscious on the ground flashed in his mind.
Toshi-bro
Once again, he heard the sharp crack and saw blood spewing from the nose of the rough-voiced man after receiving a direct stomp in the face.
Mit-bro and Jin-bro
His mind replayed the barrage of attacks from the youngster, resulting in the complete and total defeat of the last two rough necks.
Such irrational violence, from a high school kid at that! He thought, I've never seen such a thing before!
He grit his teeth.
I'll make sure that kid doesn't live to see the rest of the month. Yes. That kid will be dead soon.
He began laughing manically as he headed towards the mob boss' residence. Once he tells the boss everything, the kid would have to look over his shoulder for the rest of his short, arrogant life.
At three blocks away from the residence, he saw a figure in the distance. As he got closer, he began to see the detailed outline of a woman. She stood in the middle of the road with her eyes closed. He slowed down, eventually reaching a walking pace, the features of her face becoming clearer and more definitive.
She was simply stunning; high cheekbones, firm lips and slender figure. Her black hair beautifully framed her face, falling at her shoulder with a few locks perfectly placed between her eyes. She was surreal, as if drawn from an artist's imagination, her beauty far surpassing the girl he saw before. She was several inches shorter than him with delicate features. She was the perfect prey.
All thoughts of his former gang mates forgotten, he gave in to his sick, twisted desire. He smiled to himself slyly, walking directly towards her, anticipating the fun he planned to have with her. Every step he took, felt lighter and more energized. He imagined the touch of her skin, imagined having his way with her. When he was three steps away, she slowly opened her eyes. He saw the unnatural crimson glow emanating from her eyes, and he froze. Literally. There was nothing he could do. He couldn't move a single muscle, even the wicked grin was left on his face, when his mind was in shock. Fear bloomed from his chest, and his heart stuttered momentarily. She glided toward him in one smooth, graceful movement, coming to stand still directly in front of him. Her head barely reached his chin, her face directly in line with his chest.
Without lifting her head or making any other movement, she spoke in a soft, crystal clear voice.
"Kneel."
Thud!
His legs buckled under him and he fell on his knees.
Wait! He tried to scream. Stop!
She raised a hand and grabbed his hair.
Please! No!
She tilted his head to one side, exposing his bare neck just as sharp fangs slid from her upper jaw.
Noooooooooooooooooooooooooo!
She sank her fangs into his neck, drinking her fill of blood while venom seeped into his circulation system.
Gah! Urk! The pain was unbearable, but he could not move. He felt the deadly venom slowly making its way to his heart. He knew death was coming. The tremendous blood loss left his last thoughts hazy, as his mind lazily flickered through the fondest of his memories.
She continued feeding.
It felt like fire was burning through every blood vessel by the time the venom reached his heart. The moment it drained into his blood-pumping organ, it felt as if he was struck in the chest by lightning. His heart made one final beat and his body went slack.
The mysterious scarlet-eyed woman flicked her tongue over the puncture wounds, her saliva closing it up. Then she let his head go, allowing his dead weight to carry him to the ground. Her lips formed a satisfied smile and she vanished, leaving the pavement smoking where she had stood.
Author's Notes
Some time ago, I had this crazy idea to retell the entire Bleach story where Shinigami are Vampires, Hollows are Werewolves, Quincy are Elves, Fullbringers are Shamans, Orihime is a Mage etc.
This story has a darker feel to it and will more or less follow the canon storyline with some additions of mine.
It is still a work in progress, I'm not entirely sure how I'll be able to successfully do this and make it relevant, plus, I don't know how you, the reader, will receive it.
So, I've only written Chapter 1 in case I've wasted my time doing something totally crazy that no one will read. XD
Now I'd like to ask everyone who has read this chapter to please leave your thoughts in your review.
I'm in desperate NEED of some feedback.
Should I continue with the story? Or completely scrap this project?