Cliché

by Insanity-Plus

Is it cliché of me to say that my life has been ripped from me? Too generic of any person to loathe the situation that was forced upon them? Well, if it is, then I guess I'm a damn walking cliché huh? IchiRuki. WerewolfXVampire Fic. R&R!

I have been working on this Fic for over a year now. I kept leaving it, and coming back, and leaving it again. But, I have finally finished it! I hope you guys enjoy my hard work!

Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach or any of the characters associated with the Anime/Manga. They belong to Tite Kubo and Shonen Jump Magazine. Please support the official release.

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Is it cliché of me to say that my life has been ripped from me? Too generic of any person to loathe the situation that was forced upon them? The life that once was has now been twisted into something different and unwanted. Well, if it is, then I guess I'm a damn walking cliché huh?

Screw it, I'll say it whether or not you want me to: The life I once had was taken forcefully away from me. I'm Changed, and I hate it. The life I had before wasn't perfect, far from it, but it at least was better than this. This...hell. I hate what has happened to me, and I'm pissed to say that unfortunately it likes me. Likes me so damn much that it keeps throwing in twists and turns that just make my life a greater hell.

You're confused I bet. I'm being somewhat mysterious and brooding. So what? In my head, where no one listens or judges me, I can act any way I want! But, just because I'm such a nice guy I'll explain my life-story to you in explicit detail, because I know that's what you wanted me to do. Because that's what's expected of me.

To start off, let me introduce myself: My name is Ichigo Kurosaki. I'm almost twenty-six. My hair is orange, eyes brown, and I'm not human...saw that coming? I bet you didn't. Bet that took you by such surprise that you shit your pants. I know that's what I did when I found out what I was. And then I vomited, because I could smell it as if it was shoved up my nose and into my brain where it festered and rotted. Gross right? Yeah, try living that moment for yourself.

What happened to me occurred about three years ago. I was at the wrong place at the wrong time, as the saying goes. At the stroke of midnight I was on my merry way home from a party my old friend Inoue Orihime was throwing to celebrate her girlfriend's- yes, lesbian. Be quiet you perverts- Karate championship victory. I'll admit I was a bit hammered, and wasn't exactly paying attention to where I was going. I thought I was on the straight track home, but really I was six miles away, heading in the wrong direction. Had I not drank that last beer, had accepted that ride home from that nerd Ishida who was too scared to take a sip, I might have just gone home, passed out, and heard the load of it from my sister Yuzu. No, instead I was on my drunken way to disaster.

My kind have a certain form of synesthesia. Synesthesia is this neurological condition where certain senses can translate their format with color. For me, I can determine certain smells as colors. Some are obvious, like dirt is brown, water is a flowing blue, and wood is beige. That night, had I had the synesthesia, I would have seen red wafting before my eyes like the lava of a lava-lamp.

Drunk and stupid, I stumbled uncoordinated towards a scene I had only ever seen on TV. There was blood everywhere, staining the concrete of the road with splashes of crimson. That was the first thing I registered: The red and smell of copper and iron. It all made my already dizzy head swim. I had looked up and saw what looked to be a form in the midst of all that blood. Though, I couldn't tell for sure, for the figure was distorted by both my fuzzy vision and by the odd shape I thought I was seeing. The person was twice the size I'd ever seen anyone, and their shape seemed off. Disproportionate. I had tried to stalk closer to verify what I thought I saw, but didn't make it very far before something smacked me right into my right side like a bullet.

Now, it's right here where the memory gets a bit hazy. Most of what I remember is just blinding darkness and white hot pain. I remember fading from consciousness while I lay on my back staring up into the clouded night sky. I'm sure I caught a brief glimpse of the thing standing over me, but I can't say for certain because it could have easily been a hallucination. But to this day I swear what I saw was the true definition of a monster.

I won't explain that just yet, because that would ruin the story! Right now I'm content in keeping you in the total dark. Because I'm allowed to be an asshole from time to time. What has happened to me gives me a right to tell you to suck it and get lost. Hell, for what I've endured, I should get free burgers or something!

But that's another thing. It's a secret, what I am. We're not allowed to tell anyone who or what we are and who or what we do. It's against our sacred law. A law that, unfortunately, I am bound to not only follow- but to enforce it. But that's later.

I remember someone screaming. It was distant, and yet again could have just been a hallucination. But this time I was certain that it wasn't. Out of the dusk came people. People who saw the brutal carnage and called for help. There was a survivor out of the two bloody bodies that lay there that night, and that survivor was me.

Because you didn't know that.

The next thing I know I'm being rushed through a hospital. I remember that specifically because of the yelling. The nurses and doctors were all talking loudly; blurting words that didn't make sense to me. I was gurgling, my head thrown back to see the upside down hallway before me. The drunkenness was far gone, but the haze of pain replaced it quite eloquently. And I thought at that moment that I'd take a hangover over this any day- a reference to my thoughts prior to the party.

Don't get drunk. Don't get drunk. Hangover bad. Was my mantra on the walk to Orihime's house.

The memory doesn't last, for I black out again and don't wake up until days after.

I woke in a hospital bed, surrounded by family and friends. They were all worried about me, and I didn't immediately know why. The events of the other night replayed through my mind, and I panicked. Jumping from my bed, I found pain coming loose from the junction between my shoulder and neck. I was bandaged up like a mummy from the neck down to my waist. I had felt so stiff and groggy. I could taste staleness in my mouth, and smell the tangent scent of the bandages wrapped around me.

Being serenaded by my family and the doctors had been nice. I won't bore you with the specifics of when I woke up. It was really just the cheesy: "Ichigo! You're awake!" and me going all "What happened?" for some time before I could fully remember on my own. What they told me was crap. "Mauled by a renegade bear." Really? I question the intellect of doctors nowadays...

I digress. In the hospital I noticed certain...changes. Waking up feeling so terrible had only lasted for maybe a day. The next day I felt considerably better. And then the next day I felt a hundred percent. And then the next day...I felt more amazing than ever before in my life! I felt reborn, actually alive. Energy coursed through my veins, pumping into every cell of my being. At the very tips of my fingertips was the power to do anything! I could go on to tell you a story of how I scared the hell out of a doctor when he walked in on me just as I counted my two-hundredth push up, but that'd be boring. Right? I thought so.

Needless to say they let me out early for good behavior. My father personally was baffled, being a doctor himself. We owned a clinic, but that didn't mean my old man was a wannabe doctor. He was actually very skilled and knew quite a lot, and he questioned my quick recovery. Said that it didn't seem natural, that the doctors at the hospital must have drugged me with some experimental drug that would wear off soon and I'd drop dead. It was annoying to me at the time, because he kept persisting that I needed to let him run tests. But I denied him the chance, because damn did I feel so good! I was out, against the doctor's wishes, having the time of my life.

I'd cue music for the montage but...no.

Those few days were the best. I was full of vitality and energy, ready to take on the world with a determined look on my eager face. I wanted action, and I got it. The streets of Karakura were a breeding ground for fights, if you go the right way and look the right way. And for someone like me and my brilliant orange hair and near permanent scowl: It was really easy to have someone throw the first punch.

I had always been a good fighter- Karate lessons since I was nine- and I'd always come out victorious. But this was way different. With easy strokes I snapped my fists and pummeled those assholes into the ground and stomped their faces in. Not once did I break a sweat. Not once did I tire. And not only that, I could see and hear so much better. As if my eyes and ears were genetically enhanced beyond their fullest. It was so odd. Thinking back on it I should have noticed that something was seriously wrong with me. Who the hell is attacked and then wakes up stronger than ever? But it hadn't occurred to me that anything was really wrong.

Maybe, if I had noticed and had let my father do those tests this would have been prevented. I regret not letting him preform those tests, because what happens next isn't something your kids should be in the room for.

This is where you find out what I am, and why I am this brooding mess that has nothing better to do than to reminisce about the past.

The full moon was the trigger. I had about a week and a half of that amazing experience before it all went down the drain. It started the morning of the full moon. I had felt a bit out of control, more so than usual. And I realized it. I had strong energy bursts that made me yell out just to stay calm, and I was rocked by terrible muscle spasms that made me cringe and lose motor-control when they happened. It was almost like my body was trying to tell me something, trying to warn me. But I didn't listen, and I refused to let my father know anything was wrong because I knew he'd just go through with those lame tests. And as stubborn as I was I would never relent.

This continued through the entire day, leading up to the night. That's when it happened.

I was out and about, doing whatever it was kids my age did back then. To be honest after everything that's happened so far I can't remember what I had been doing before it happened. I think maybe I was jogging looking for a fight or just out getting groceries. Either way I was out. Which, to this day, I thank God for. Because had I been in the house at the time I would have killed everyone.

It hit me about three blocks away from my home. A shuddering pain, a sudden start. My whole body began to burn intensely, as if set on fire. I screamed, for a moment actually thinking I was on fire, and went down to the ground. The ground was cold, and I tried to press myself against it as much as I could while rolling around in an attempt to cool off. And then, before I knew it hit me, I felt pain rush through my veins and straight into my head. It centered in the middle of my body, and then latched out dragging every cell of my being into it, expanding to engulf me in this ball of pure agony.

And...sorry yet again but I don't remember too much. What I do remember is writhing on the road in the dark and screaming my head off. The pain was spreading to specific parts of my body, intensifying for what felt like ever in my arms, legs, chest, head, and spine. All of my joints popped and cracked and broke, and I was reformed monstrously. I felt as if being pulled from all possible angles simultaneously while being stabbed through a hundred times over. Pure pain was that moment, and I thought it'd never end...

But it did. Quick and sudden: The pain ended. Everything stalled and I was free from the torment. But, at the same time, I was done with the world as well. I fell down into a sleep that held no dreams. And I think that was a blessing, for what I did that night would have haunted me for the rest of my life had I remembered it.

You probably can guess what I am now, but I won't say it just in case you're an idiot and don't. You'll see, just wait and listen to my story you impatient bastard!

That morning I woke up in a ditch; exhausted and sore as hell. I felt a hundred times worse than I had when waking in the hospital. I remember looking around, dazed and confused and groggy, wondering what the hell had happened, when a van skidded to a halt at the top of the small hill that I lay in. The doors slid open and I feel panic clog in my throat as three large men dressed in black leather come filing out.

My body didn't listen to my mind as I tried to stand and run, or at least fight the men surrounding me. I made to a slight hobble before they grabbed me by the arms and hauled me up into the back of the van. I was thrown hard onto the van floor and it was there that I first discovered something very important...

I was stark naked.

Now, there have been times I'd image myself naked in the back of a van, but none of those times did my fantasies involve a bunch of guys in leather, my entire body being numb- though that one wasn't too far a stretch- or me not knowing what the hell was going on- again, not a stretch, and there was suppose to be a girl here too. What a rip.

I had been yelling at them for a whole twenty minutes before they kicked me and told me to shut up. This wasn't right, I had told myself, I had been feeling so strong the past few days and now I could barely move; and at such a crucial time. Any other day I would have killed these bastards. But right then and there I had been so weak and tired I barely thought about how I had gotten naked and how I ended up in a ditch some place I didn't know.

They drove me to a building some place out of town. I didn't know where exactly out of town, I just knew we weren't in Karakura anymore. So me and Toto were lead down the yellow-brick concrete and tossed into the building like a sack of potatoes. I was gaining back some mobility, so I could sit up and cover myself when I discovered I was in the middle of a large group of people all looking at me. They were amused by my dirty state, and all I could think of was what I'd do to them all once I was able to move properly.

My thoughts, as pleasant and friendly as they may be, had been interrupted by a man standing over me. This man, who I would forever know as Urahara Kisuke, was a tall, blond haired man in a long green coat and clacking sandals who wore a striped bucket hat over his eyes. He had smiled down at me, and welcomed me into the pack.

Yes.

Pack.

My name is Ichigo Kurosaki, and I'm a werewolf.

Cue everyone saying Hello Ichigo.

From that day forward I was integrated into this pack. I had to move away from my family, because werewolves didn't exist and I couldn't be around people who may follow and discover what we were, and be taught how to manage this condition.

A thing you should know about werewolves is that we aren't completely controlled by the tides of the full moon. The first Change is really the most involuntary one. It's a sign that the werewolf genes have fully infused themselves into your DNA. After that first moon we can transform any time we want. And it's a lot less painful too, I may add. It's a quick explosion of heat and pain before it was done and you had full control over this beast form where everything is sharper. Your judgment is clouded a bit, but that was really the worst of it.

Changing is controlled by your emotions, they taught me. It was another reason I had to leave. Breaking up with my girlfriend in a crowded area would make me suddenly shift into this seven-foot tall monster that would kill everyone, and we didn't want that. A bad grade in class could spell the end for my peers, or at least their sanity.

They taught me how to Change at will, how to transform whenever I needed to in a pinch. It's convenient, but really I don't like doing it as much as the others. When I fight, I like to stay in my human form as long as possible before it was abundantly clear I had to transform.

Another thing I was taught was how to use a gun. I was to join a special faction of the pack who specialized in exterminating enemies. Apparently, and you may be shocked by this, the werewolves have been fighting an ongoing war with fucking vampires for over six hundred years. Have you seen Underworld?

Vampires were real too, why wouldn't they be? I mean, werewolves are roaming the earth, why not the undead? Makes perfect sense...

I hate this. This is my life now: Beating the hell out of grocery store managers so we could eat, moving from town to town every time someone gets noticed- which happens a lot more than you'd think- fighting the other werewolves every time I look at them weird, stealing guns and other explosives, and killing blood-sucking leeches before they kill me. This is what I am now, a vampire-hunting werewolf who lived in hotels and warehouses.

I'd be lying if I said I didn't have some pride in what I was. Being a werewolf isn't so bad, when you look at it from a certain perspective. I am stronger, faster and sharper than I ever was before. I could jump over a five foot high fence with leg power alone, rip through it if I wanted, smell the last thing you ate, practically taste the last person you had sex with. Because my senses are beyond anything you could imagine. That was a perk, but it just wasn't worth it if everything else had to come alongside it.

Urahara, the Alpha of our dingy little pack, always says we're the next step in human evolution. That was why vampires hated us so much. Because they were dead, perpetually stuck in the same place for thousands of years. Never changing, never moving forward. We werewolves on the other hand are alive, can move in the sunlight, and die naturally- though a werewolf's life-span is a very long one. Urahara is almost two hundred years old! And he doesn't look a day over forty.

I honestly believe we aren't the next step in evolution. We're monsters, aberrations. We are the worst of human and animal, in between, stuck in a state of neither one. If it wasn't for the vampires keeping us so close-knit what would we be like? We'd be killers, that's what. It's in our nature to destroy, to kill and devour. If we didn't have the pale night-walkers to keep us occupied we'd have gone on sprees until eventually the human race either went extinct or we were wiped out.

It's not a pretty thought, so I just think of something else when it comes to mind.

I have nothing left of my old life anymore. I got to keep nothing. I wasn't allowed to run home and pick up some clothing before we embarked on this terrible nightmare, I was naked when I was brought to that fateful warehouse, so I didn't even have clothing to remember my old life by. I have nothing left but the orange of my hair, the amber of my eyes, and the memories in my head.

My name is Ichigo Kurosaki, and I am in hell.

–

Today is no different. I'm out on a routine hunt. We had gotten word that there was a vampire coven residing here, and that they had already killed two other packs already. They needed to be dealt with before they took the life of another.

I always think of it that way. They feast on humans to survive. They drink blood to sustain their immortal existence. So when I go in there, guns blazing and blood flying, I don't imagine that I'm doing this for the benefit of the pack. I'm doing it for all of man-kind.

I slide along a building wall, the darkness shrouded around me like a haze. I can hear my gang moving around as well, their positions scattered so we had this group of vamps surrounded. We were converging on an alleyway between two large stone buildings. I wasn't sure of the name of the city we were in, I just knew it was big and not in the same country as my home. We were in London, a place sacred to all werewolves for it was here in Europe that the moon took over the human soul and deviated it from its natural order so that it may change into a beast. I had never been here, and never thought I would ever. But here I was, by golly.

We could hear muffled screaming coming from the alleyway. The vampires were feasting, a time when they were off their guard. We had but a small chance to cleanly take these ones out. We needed to start small, kill the few who strayed from the path of their coven until we had them on the ropes and we could ambush. It has worked every time I've been involved. Says something, huh?

The smell of blood hit my nostrils and I knew this was it. As one we moved into the alley and pulled out our weapons. Silenced pistols with silver casing bullets. Silver didn't hurt us, it hurt them.

There were four of them, two men and two women, feasting on the bodies of an unlucky couple out on a romantic evening. I saw the blood oozing from their necks to the ground beneath, and their wide eyes looking about in complete fear. The man spotted us first, his eyes still alight with life, and he tried to cry out for help against the hand that was muffling him. I heard his cry, and I answered.

They didn't see us coming. We were in the alley and firing in seconds. We killed the first two before they even realized we were there. I raised my gun and shot the third directly in the head, between his glowing red eyes. His body fell as blood splashed outwards behind him, the bullet strong and precise. I felt no satisfaction watching him die.

The final vampire tried to turn and run, but one of my cohorts shot her in the knee, knocking her off her feet and onto the ground. The six of us moved into the alley to inspect the bodies of the vampires to make sure they were done.

"The girl is dead." The leader of our little hit-squad, Shuuhei Hisagi, called out as he checked the pulse of the human girl. Her dress was ripped open at the collar, two gnashing teeth marks puncturing her neck as blood pooled around her. The man was still gurgling, alive but bitten. I knew what it meant, so I turned to the writhing vampire girl and stepped towards her.

"I'll take care of her." I said. I hefted my pistol and stood over the woman covered in shadows. I felt numb for doing this, for killing another. Even if she was already dead, I didn't like it. But I had no choice, I'd be killed for treason if I didn't. I lifted my gun and aimed directly at the back of her head, trying to think of a prayer that would calm my nerves.

"Dammit..." I heard her groan. She turned to me as she heard my gun click, and I froze. Her eyes locked with mine and I was stunned on the spot. She was beautiful; absolutely gorgeous. Her skin was a milky pale, smooth and flawless, her hair cascading down about her shoulders in raven locks. Her eyes were an enticing violet, and I was drawn into those eyes. I felt pulled in somehow, as if something just grabbed me and was pulling me down into an abyss. My heart quickened and my eyes widened a fraction of an inch as I stared down at the most beautiful woman I had ever seen.

This was part of their allure, I tried to tell myself. Vampires are naturally beautiful, that's how they lure in their victims to their demise. I tried to look away, to will myself free of her charm, but she just smiled lightly at me, and I knew I was trapped.

In one quick motion she was standing and smacking me hard in the face. She was fast, even with an injured leg that was burning with silver. I fell back, more shocked than hurt by the punch. I recovered just as she turned and made a dash for the fire escape of the building to my left. All of us fired at her as she jumped and caught the ladder, climbing up the bars onto the escape and then making it up the steps to the roof.

"Crap! I got her!" I yelled, running and jumping onto the escape to follow her onto the roof.

"Ichigo!" Shuuhei called after me, but I ignored him. I wouldn't let this one get away from me like that. I had been distracted, and I had to kill her before she killed someone else. That would be on my conscious. And I had enough to deal with on my plate; what with Fernando leaving Alicia for Amanda on my favorite TV show!

I don't watch TV.

I raced across the rooftop, catching her dark figure already two buildings way. I snarled, pumping my supernaturally strong legs to catch up with her. I ran across the building tops, jumping over the distances between them without losing a beat. I realized how movie-esque this must have looked, the hero darting from rooftop to rooftop after the villain with gun in hand, epically set on ending the deaths of many innocents.

How cool would that be?

But, such as life, this wasn't a movie. This was reality. This was a Japanese werewolf with orange hair chasing an injured vampire woman across the building-tops of Europe. Reality.

I fired a few shots, hoping to catch her in the other leg, or maybe even kill her then and there, but she was swift and agile. She moved around in zigzags, keeping her head low and curling into a ball every time she jumped onto the next building. She was elegant, graceful even. I watched her move with confidence, even though she was injured. I was almost amazed by such a performance. But I kept a grip on myself, on this strange reality. I couldn't lose myself in thought otherwise I'd lose her.

I was only half a building away when she hopped down into an alley, her cloak flapping in the wind. I wasn't too far behind, falling through the night air down into the dark corner she was now stuck in. I had her! I would land, my powerful legs absorbing the shock, and pull forth my gun and finish her off with the last of my bullets. I counted the number of shots I had given, and deduced that I had about two left before I needed to reload. I was good at this, as much as I hated it. But if you have to do something you might as well be good at it, right?

As I was about to land and finish her off, she took me by surprise by turning and lunging back into the air at me, her fangs shining in the night and her eyes flashing red. My eyes widened as we clashed and she knocked my gun away before slamming me down onto the ground. I felt the air leave me, and I coughed as I felt my spine jingle like bells at Christmas. She grinned down at me in triumph, and I felt anger rise into my chest. I lashed out, my hand morphing into that of claws, and sliced open her cheek. She flew off of me from the force and I was able to stand.

I focused, forcing my hand to return to normal. I couldn't Change here. I had no spare clothing to slip into once I was normal again. I couldn't parade the streets in my wolf form lest someone see me. I'd be punished severely, even if no one saw me.

She was quick to recover, and lunged at me before I could reach for my gun. I brought up my fists and decked her across the face as hard as I could, and she stumbled against the wall to my right. I grinned and turned to grab my gun, but she was back up and on me before I could get it.

She linked her arms around my neck from behind and yanked as hard as she could to flip me over her shoulder. I slammed against the ground hard, my head bashing into the concrete to draw blood. I growled, feeling my bones begin to shift as my eyes changed color to a glowing gold. I looked up at her and tackled her from the waist, trying to take her down so I could get the upper hand and pound her face into the ground. But she saw me coming, and send her leg out to knock me off my course. I flew into the wall, again hitting my head. I fell back onto the ground, dazed and confused, and tried to regain my logic. I watched her turn and pick up my gun with a malicious smirk and stand over me, the gun pointed downwards at my head.

"Thought you could get me huh?" She sneered. The three claw marks I left on her cheek were already healing, only a thin crust of blood left. I snarled, angry at myself for not having been more quick in killing her. Now she was gonna win, and kill many more people, all because I had took a second too long to pull the trigger.

At least I was free of this hell...

She smiled, about to do what I couldn't and pull said trigger, but a crack echoed and she yelped out as blood flew forth from her shoulder. She jerked forward, the arm holding the gun going limp and the gun dropping onto the ground in front of me.

"Ichigo!"

I looked up to find my squad atop the building. They had followed, and had saved me from death. I didn't know whether to thank them or kill them all.

The vampire girl growled and ran out of the alley onto the street, her leg still limping and now holding her shoulder. But this time I wouldn't make the same mistake. I would catch her and kill her before she got away.

I stood, throwing off my brown overcoat, and felt the familiar sensation of heat wash over me. I didn't care if my clothes were destroyed, I'd steal some more in the morning, I just needed to catch this woman and rip her throat out. Pain rippled through my body for a full second before I released the tension and Changed.

The world grew sharper, my eyes adjusting to the greater vision of the wolf, and I grew taller. My muscles bulged, obliterating the rags I had been wearing into shredded pieces. Claws snapped out of my fingertips and fangs ripped from my gums, replacing my old teeth. A snout jerked out from my face, and I nearly yelped as I felt everything jerk and replace. And just like that, as quick as it came, the pain was gone and I was now a killer.

I jumped out onto the street, my weight shaking the ground under my feet as I ran on all four legs after the seemingly slower vampire. I heard my group calling after me, but I ignored them as I set my sights on the woman ahead of me and gave chase. She turned to the sound of my snarls and barks and I watched as her eyes widened in shock as a seven-foot, nearly four hundred pound werewolf loped after her.

She sped up, but I did too. We weaved around the streets of London, moving in a blur, playing this game of cat and mouse. She was the mouse, and I was the werewolf trying to kill her. I wouldn't let her go, wouldn't let her be out of my sight for more than a millisecond. I was going to kill her here and now, because I had no choice. She was a creature of the night, a blood demon. I couldn't let such a thing exist when I could make the decision.

If it was up to me none of us would exist.

I was coming up on her. I could smell the scent of blood and graveyards radiating off of her. I could see every strand of hair flying in the wind, see every stitch of her leather cloak as it flapped behind her, hear the pounding of her boots against the ground. I was close, and I'd make the kill.

We came out near the ocean. Railing separated the road from the vast waters beyond. I saw her try to turn onto the main road, but I wouldn't have it. I was tired of this game now, and it was time to finish it.

As she turned and made to run off down the road, I lunged and tackled her. My momentum was too much, and I ended up crashing into her and taking us both forward over the road, over the railing, and down the short cliff into the ocean.

We flew through the air for a split-second before I felt the impact of the water hitting us. I held my breath, the water embracing us in a cold slap. I felt my weight float, and began to flail about wildly in the water trying to breach the surface. I looked over and watched the vampire girl smile and swim off, unaffected by the water. She didn't need to breath, so she didn't have to worry about surfacing to survive. She waved to me and swam off like a bullet through the ocean, disappearing into the darkness.

I cursed and fought my way back up into the air. I sucked in a breath, involuntarily changing back to my human form. I felt the cold sting against my bare chest and arms. The pants I had been wearing were still on me, ripped but still staying. I had been wearing a belt over a pair of raggedy pants that were three times my normal size. They were soaked through now, the cold reaching my legs and turning my whole body into a numb clump of blue meat.

I thrashed against the water, yelling out for someone to help me. I knew there was no one to hear me, my squad was probably half a mile away and the streets were bare. We were discreet, moving in only when we knew no one would be around to see us killing the vampires. I guess that was my downfall...

I howled out into the night air, the water filling my lungs as I sank. I couldn't swim. Ever since I was a kid I had never been a fan of the water, so it had never come about that I learned to do it.

You would think I'd have learned the doggy-paddle.

I sank down into the dark abyss of the ocean, my cold limbs going stiff and numb. I tried to fight the blackness that was ebbing away at my vision, but to no use. I was falling down fast, and I couldn't do anything about it. I was going to die, this time for sure, and this wasn't because of a second hesitation. This was worse, because it was my stupidity that did me in.

I closed my eyes, the darkness ebbing away at my mind. My lungs were on fire, my chest clenching hard. At least this would be quick, right? Just like falling asleep...

I let it take me- sweet death. This was finally over...this monster journey. I could lay in peace knowing one less creature was roaming this world.

I slipped, the last thing I felt being a strange jerking sensation on my arm...

–

I felt cold...so cold. This was a strange feeling really. Ever since I had become what I was I had been so warm, even in cold temperatures I barely noticed. My body heat was so phenomenal that I could live without a blanket in thirty-degree weather. All I needed was my own skin.

But now...I felt cold all over, and it strangely made me feel...human again. I wasn't heated by the skin of a monster, but frozen by my own humanity. It was comforting...

I felt my chest heave, and the crisp taste of air filling my lungs. I suddenly felt myself laying down on something wet, and hard. I tried to open my eyes, but then I thought I'm dead. I can't open my eyes, but I tried anyway. And, as per command, my eye-lids cracked and my amber orbs caught sight of the glorious moon overhead. I drifted a bit in my own mind, unsure of where I was.

Was I in heaven?

Or hell?

I didn't know. And I guess that too was comforting. At least I wasn't on fire. The opposite really. I tried to lift my hand to stare at the blue flesh but found absolutely no strength in my muscles to do so. I groaned, the sound coming out in a rasp.

"About time you woke up." I heard a voice say. I turned my head quickly, too quickly. My neck ignited with the flame of pain and I seethed in a breath through my clenched teeth. I pulled what little strength I had to sit up and hold the throbbing joint of my neck muscles.

"What...?" I looked around. It was still night, the sky dark and the moon full. I was sitting at a bank by the water, somewhere near the woods. I racked my brain for what happened, and remembered only up to falling into the water. I groaned again and cupped my face in my hands.

I was wet, my bare chest and arms a pale blue. My toes were puffy, and my fingers were swollen from the water. I looked down at my hand and saw the prickly flesh of it. The hairs on my arm were standing out on end, and I was shivering terribly.

And my dick was a good foot up my chest.

"What happened...?" I ground out.

"You almost drowned." The voice said again, and I turned to the source. "I saved your dumb ass."

There, sitting next me, just as wet and pale skinned, was the vampire woman I had been chasing through the streets of London. She was soaked to the skin, her zipped black coat dripping and her hair stuck to her forehead and cheeks. The scratch marks I had left on her cheek was already healing, but was still bright red and smelled of dried blood. She glared at me, as if it was all my fault we were both out here- though, thinking about it: It technically was my fault.

I'm not going to admit it though, fuck that noise!

"Shit!" I yelped, backing up and reaching down for my gun, only to realize I had left it behind when I Changed to chase her. I cursed, pissed at my recklessness, and turned to stand so I could fend her off. She had the upper hand here. I was weak, cold, and weaponless. Not to mention half-naked. Why do I keep getting into situations where I'm bare like this?

At least this time there was actually a hot chick involved...

I tried to stand, but my legs gave out and I tumbled back to the ground, my back being cut and scraped by the rocks of the bank. I seethed in another breath and cursed again under my breath.

"Stay calm you idiot." She said, standing up and glowering down at me. Her violet eyes were bright in the shine of the full moon, and I found myself almost entranced yet again like in the alley, but I kept my composure. I couldn't space out with a vampire standing over me like this.

"Get away from me, bloodsucker." I said with as much venom in my voice as possible. We were enemies by fate. There would be no good thing to come out of this situation. One of us will die. It was just how life works.

The woman scowled at me, and I felt something stir. Her pale face in this light...frowning like that...

No, don't let your guard down.

"I saved your ass. Don't I get a thanks or something?" She said.

"No." I answered scornfully.

Her scowl remained after a whole four seconds, and I found myself returning the frown with just as much force. "Fine," She said. Our stares were locked another seven seconds. "Freeze out here by yourself. I'm leaving."

I watched her turn and begin to walk away. I could imagine how in a movie I'd change my mind and decide to let her stay. But this wasn't a movie, and I sure as hell won't change my mind and let this damn corpse stay near me. She'd probably shoot her teeth out and rip my throat open. And in my current state I'd be too weak to fight back. And as much as I may hate this life I now live: I won't let it end at the hands of a vampire.

She looked back at me, and I kept strong my frown. Part of me actually wanted to keep her by my side. The part of me that was still human; the part that was entranced by her beauty, by the silk of her hair and smooth texture of her skin. Intoxicated by the sound of her beautiful voice. The part of me that was still human wanted her to stay, so that I may not be alone any more. But the human side of me had been beaten down so hard that its wants and needs were nothing more than a slight pang in my chest. The new me could resist her charms, could look away as she left. And I did just that, and I guess she must have seen it because just then she disappeared. There one moment then gone the next.

I was alone now, and I could feel it in my bones. This was familiar, I could at least say. I knew how to cope. And to cope I had to actually survive.

I stood and shook my body, like a dog shaking out the wetness from its fur. Which fit. I shivered, the cold scratching at my skin like claws. I ignored the pain and walked away from the water, up towards the brush to get out of the open. I had to get moving, or else my body would shut down and I'd freeze to death. My joints ached, and my skin crawled with protest at my lengthy movements. God, when would this werewolf healing kick in already?

I stumbled through the brush, only barely gaining full mobility of my legs. They were weak, but functional. I wouldn't be making any sprints any time soon. But at least I can start my search for my pack members; who will have clothes and food waiting for their valued member. They wouldn't abandon me, who else would kill all the vampires, scowl their head off, scavenge for food, train the newly bitten and look incredibly hot doing it? Nobody that's who!

The night air was cool, and a light wind picked up. Normally I wouldn't have felt it, what with my increased body heat, but right now the light breeze was making me shiver uncontrollably. I needed to find warmth, and soon, or else I'd die of hypothermia- the one thing I least suspected of being my cause of death.

The moon was high above, full and glowing bright. I stopped and gave a second to admire the beauty of the lunar star. It was because of the mistress in the sky that my kind thrived. Without it I didn't know how we werewolves would prosper. We gained strength from it, basked in its glow like Superman in the sun. We were supermen under the moon. And the more the moon showed in the sky, the more power coursed through our veins- my veins.

With renewed vigor I moved on, the strength in my legs returning more quickly now that I relished in the light of the moon. I sniffed at the air, trying to discern which direction to go, and found myself heading towards the east. I could smell the distant aroma of fire. Probably some kids on a camping trip. I'll go, snatch up some clothes and maybe some food, and keep moving on until I am reunited with my pack.

But then again...

Why would I want to rejoin my pack? Why, when I have this free chance? They probably think I'm dead. They probably aren't even looking for me because they assumed I drowned and sank to the bottom of the ocean. They would then be more worried about the vampires that were laying dead in the alleyway. They'd clean them up, dispose of the the bodies, and leave the human bodies for the police to find. Best to let the families know their loved ones were dead rather than missing. Then they'd be gone, and I'd be free.

Yeah, that'd happen.

I shouldn't be deluding myself. They wouldn't stop looking until they found a body. The pack was too thorough when it came to a possible death of a member. They couldn't have people faking their deaths and going out into the world alone, where they could expose the secret by accident- just what I was thinking of doing. Urahara, our Alpha, was strict on searches for the body of a pack member. I remember once a woman had been presumed dead, but her body had not been found. Somewhere in Germany I think. My team had been chosen to go search for her, to find a body and confirm her death. We were not allowed to continue moving unless we found her. And find her we did. After two weeks of searching we found her living with a normal man, whom she had revealed everything to. We were forced not only to kill her, but the man and everyone he could have told our secret to, which involved his brother and father. I hadn't been the one to pull the trigger, but I was there. And I might as well have considering the guilt I felt towards it.

I'd surely be found and killed if I tried to leave. Even if I didn't tell anyone who or what I was, they'd still kill me. I'd be a liability. If I tried to leave once, what's to stop me from trying again, and then revealing our secret that second time? They'd kill me this time. So I might as well try to find them and save my ass the trouble of having to run before they caught me.

I shuffled through the brush, trying to ignore the stinging of my bare feet, and found my way towards a glowing light in the distance. I smiled to myself, the scent of others drawing closer. I moved quicker, preparing for the fight that may come from whomever was there by the warm fire. It could be a group of hunters out drinking beer, holding their guns and telling tales of their naked wives, and if that were the case I would need to be quick and take them out swiftly. It could also be a gang of scouts out on their first camping experience, roasting marshmallows and telling scary stories to see who cringes first. I feared the idea of busting in on a bunch of kids, because then I'd scare them and ruin their experience forever. But I steeled myself, I need to keep moving and do what it took to get food and clothing. If it were kids, they must have an adult supervising, right?

I needn't have worried. As I drew near I could hear the boisterous laughter of grown men and smell the pungent scent of beer and dead deer. I cringed at the smell of blood, for it reminded the wolf in me that I was hungry. I could knock out the men and transform to eat the deer- that sounded really appealing to my stomach- but I refused to degrade myself any further. This thing will not make me into an animal. I refuse! But the smell of meat was so deliriously delicious...

I shook my head and came closer, crouching behind a tree to spy on the men. There were three of them, all dressed in cameo with boots and the hats with dog ears. There were crunched cans of beer all around, their faces flushed and their teeth yellow. I scrunched my nose up at their scents. They must have been out here a while, without showers or toothbrushes or general hygiene supplements. Thank God I didn't want to eat them.

There was a single tent, large enough for the three burly men, and by the tent were a small stack of shotguns and hunting riffles and ammo cases. They looked ready for an army, and I could only guess they must be millionaires to afford so many weapons. My hand gun alone cost me quite a bit, even without the customizations the pack put on it. They let me buy my own gun, so that I'd know I would be comfortable with it, but to raise the money I had to scavenge for two weeks straight. If a lowly pistol put me on my toes, then that pile of rifles must be worth more than my life. This made me less guilty for robbing these men. They could afford new stuff once I was done with them.

As I scooted closer, keeping as silent as possible, I caught sight of the deer. More like buck! It was huge, with a strong build and thick fur. Its antlers were thick and dangerous looking, curling around its head like the horns of a demon. Its soulless eyes stared back at me, as if they were asking for my help. But I could do nothing for it, because it was already dead. Two bloody bullet wounds were obvious on its neck, one of them having cut through the jugular. These men were either terrible shots or they hadn't really planned to do anything with it other than skin it and eat it. Which, to my wolfish hunger, seemed like a terrific idea.

I moved even closer, my legs burning from crouching so long. I waited, counting the seconds, preparing to lunge and attack the closest man's head, knocking him forward and to the ground. A good punch to the back of his skull should be efficient, then I'd use the other two men's' surprise to-

A crunching sound rose up from somewhere beyond the campsite. I froze and turned to the sound, listening intently for it again. I know it wasn't my imagination, because the men turned as well, their laughter and alcohol-binge halted as they too listened.

"What was that?" One of the men said lowly, edging towards the gun-pile.

"Shut up!" Another hissed, staring off into the woods. I had to be thankful they weren't looking in my direction, but I was too preoccupied trying to discern what that noise was to care.

The sound came again, and I could hear the faint sound of heavy breathing. It was a person! Crouching off on the other side just like I was doing. But who would- oh shit.

"What the-"

In seconds the men were standing and running for their guns, but they were by no means faster than the hungry vampire that launched out of the bushes. My eyes widened as I recognized the woman I had been chasing not too long ago. She must have smelled the blood of the buck like I had!

She was on the men in the blink of an eye, cutting them off from their gun supply and knocking back one of them with a flick of her wrist, sending the man soaring backwards into his friends. The three fell, laying in a confused heap on the ground as the female vampire glowered, her eyes glowing red and her fangs barred. She hissed at them, then turned her head to the dead deer. She scrunched up her nose and turned back to them, rearing back to lunge forward and snap their necks. But I got my bearings back just in time, and stopped this whole madness.

As she charged forward I jumped out and tackled her off her feet. She must have been so entranced by the smell of blood that she hadn't even notice I was nearby. She yelped in surprise as I crashed down on her, destroying the tent with our bodies. The men all yelled in shock as this half-naked, blue skinned man came out of the forest to attack this woman with blazing red eyes. Must be a sight, but I didn't focus on that as she looked up at me and growled. She struggled under me, and I wrestled with her to keep her from running off to kill those men. I only planned to steal from them, not kill them. This was what the packs do: Stop the vampires from hurting innocents.

"Get off!" She howled at me, but I ignored her and drove my elbow into her throat. She didn't need to breath, so this didn't do much other than pin her down. She kicked at my shins, making me seethe in pain, but I held strong and turned to the shivering men who still lay on the ground staring at us with terror in their eyes.

"Run!" I yelled at them, and once I did they were freed from their terrified daze and turned on their heels to scamper off into the woods. I watched them go, relieved to see they didn't try for their guns again to shoot us both.

"You bastard!" She screamed at me, racking her nails across my face much like how I had done before to her. My whole body jerked from the force of her attack, giving her enough leverage to hook her legs between the two of us and kangaroo kick me off of her. I flew back, slamming hard into a tree. I groaned, lurching forward as the muscles in my back had a spasm from the shock. I ground my teeth and looked up at her as she stood, glaring hard at me.

"You son of a-" I growled at her, running at her with my fists raised. In a normal fight between vampire and non-transformed werewolf the former had the advantage, but she was weak from the hunger and that will give me my upper hand.

She ducked under my fist, kicking out my legs like the swift little nymph she was. I fell to the ground, only just catching myself before I crashed my skull. She tried to jump on me and grip my head- most likely aiming to snap my neck- but I swiped my forearm and knocked away her hands before they could get a grip and back handed her hard across the face. She tumbled off to the side, tripping over the remains of the tent, and I had my moment of reprieve to think and prepare for her next assault.

As she stood and moved to launch at me, I took notice to the guns laying under the tarp of the tent. I grunted as I forced my aching body upright and slipped forward, ducking under her furious lashing and snatching up one of the shotguns. I turned and raised it just as she rounded on me, the gun poking her right in the nose. She halted, her eyes widening as I pumped the barrel, letting her know I know how to use this thing and I am not afraid to do so.

"One wrong movement and I'll paint the trees with your undead brains." I snarled, standing to my full height, keeping the gun in her face. She looked up at me, as if trying to determine if I was bluffing or not. I wasn't. She saw this and took a step back, but I followed. I knew that she would try to take me by surprise and use her vampire reflexes to knock the barrel away and go for my throat. I've seen it happen one too many times to fall for that old trick.

"Alright," She conceded, her eyes reverting back to normal. Her violet orbs stared back at me, and I had to focus on holding the gun at her to not fall victim to those eyes again. They were so pretty, so inviting. As if they alone could pull me in and drench me in their beauty. But I knew better. I'd be left to dry out here, dying and laying in a puddle of blood. So I resisted their charm, and held the gun tight in my hands. "Just put the gun down." She said slowly, as if talking to a child. This angered me, so I prodded her nose with the barrel to show my contempt.

"Shut the hell up!" I barked. "Now, answer me this: Why shouldn't I kill you right here and now?"

She seemed at a loss for words as she stared at me. Her brows furrowed, and she glanced around her before answering. "I won't kill them." She said.

I raised my brow. "Quit spitting your lies, vampire..." I snorted.

The woman ground her teeth together. "Stop calling me that!" She yelled at me, that familiar red flashing in her eyes. "My name is Rukia! Kuchiki Rukia!" She bellowed, balling her hands in fists at her sides.

It suddenly occurred to me that her hands should be up, like in those old movies when someone held up a gun to another. Her hands should be splayed open, raised by her head. Yet there she was, her arms dangling by her sides as if my stance didn't threaten her.

I barred my teeth, angry at this realization. "I don't give a shit what your name is. You tried to kill me twice now, and I know that if I don't do something you will try again and then go on to kill a hundred more."

Rukia, as was her name I now knew, scowled deeply at me. "Asshole! You tried to kill me first!" She accused.

I didn't even flinch. "You had killed that couple in the alley! What were we suppose to do? Let you go on and kill more like that? Your sadistic lust for blood and death has plagued this earth for too long, and I plan to stop it." I said, sounding like a total bad ass. But, she didn't find my monologue as awesome as I did, and just frowned at me.

"I didn't kill those people!" She retorted, a defiant look in her violet eyes.

"I said stop spitting-" I was saying, but she took the moment to knock the gun away and kick me hard in the chest, sending me to the ground. The shotgun rolled away to the side, far out of my reach, and I was so shocked by the action that my body didn't instantly react when Rukia stood over me. When I saw the angered look in her eyes, I couldn't help but feel a chill run down my spine.

"You have a hearing problem, mutt?" She sneered down at me, her eyes flashing red. I moved to stand, but she quickly pinned me with her arms on my shoulders, her fangs glinting in the light of the fire behind her. "Move and I'll rip out your throat." She threatened.

"You bitch..." I ground out, glaring hard.

"Listen to me," She persisted. "I didn't kill those people!" She said.

"Then who did?" I retorted, feeling my skin crawl. The Change was begging to be initiated, and I wasn't too opposed to obliging it.

"The other vampires! Idiot! Who else?" She snarled, her fingers curling over my shoulders, her nails digging into my skin.

"Ever heard of 'accessory to murder'?" I quipped.

"You're a damn idiot." She shook her head.

"And you're a filthy vampire who feeds on the living." I retorted.

"I didn't want this! I was forced into this life against my will! You think I really like killing innocent people to feed? It disgusts me!" She spat, her eyes lining with tears as she spoke. I listened, intent on hearing her out. "This is a curse! Not a gift like they keep telling me! I hate it, and I hate you for accusing me of loving it!"

She swiftly punched me in the face, a loud crunch sounding off as my cheek-bone cracked under her fist. I groaned, my eyes flashing golden as my fingers ached. Claws were growing, I could feel them crawling from out of my fingertips. I growled at her, her attention planted firmly on my face. I was shocked to see the tears now running down her cheeks, dripping off of her chin and onto my bare chest. But her face was still locked in that fierce glare, no quivering of her lips. The tears streaked down her pale face, her fingers shaking slightly as she pinned me to the ground.

"You sicken me, werewolf. You're lucky, for you can live in the sunlight, can eat normal food. I can't even age anymore!" She bellowed, her nails digging deeper into my skin. I hissed at her, almost ironically.

"Being a werewolf isn't a cake walk either, vampire." I returned with, my eyes now holding their golden hue.

"Please," Rukia scoffed. "Don't give me that bull-"

She was distracted, and I had my chance. I quickly swiped my fingers along her stomach, ripping through the black shirt she wore and tearing open her skin to draw that rich crimson. She cried out in pain, and I quickly pushed her off of me, standing and running for the shotgun again to blow her head off. But she caught her composure quicker than before, rushing and tackling me back to the ground.

"Bitch!" I growled, wrestling with her as she punched wildly at my face. She connected with my jaw, and I howled in anger as I punched her in the gut. She coughed then kicked me hard in the chest, knocking me back. I stood again, as did she, and we were yet again facing off near the fire.

"Why can't you just leave me alone?" Rukia yelled at me, the tears gone but a hurt look in her eyes.

"Because I can't." I replied, raising my hands to show the black claws still present on my fingers.

"Why?" She bellowed. "I just want to live dammit!"

I faltered. Was she being serious? "At what cost though? You live and others die because of it."

"I don't kill wildly like the others," She said defensively. "I only feed on the decrepit."

"Really now?" I kept my eyes on her, watching every movement attentively. Should she try and charge me, I'll be ready. "And I bet those people in the alley were decrepit too, huh?" I challenged.

She snorted. "They weren't as innocent as you think." She said, scowling, hiding her fangs from my view. That worried me. "I stalked them for days to make sure they were appropriate for my feeding. You should have seen what they did!" She threw her arms up. "They deserved what I would have given them. But the other vampires followed me on my hunt and killed them before I could move in."

Had I been in my wolf form, my fur would have bristled. "So you admit that you have been planning to kill them for the past few days?"

Rukia seemed taken aback by my accusation. She frowned, her eyes looking down at the ground. "Well, yes, but-"

"Don't you think that is a lot worse than anything those people could have done?"

She bit her lip, her fangs retracting into her gums. "Well..." She whispered, the tears returning as she mulled over my question. She knew I was right, and I was surprised she was really considering it.

"Face it: You're a killer."

She almost flinched at the word, and looked up at me pitifully. "You're right..." She said lightly.

I was shocked. She was admitting I was right? This went against everything Urahara had taught me about vampires. They didn't show remorse for what they did, nor did they care for the suffering of others. So why was this one crying over what she was?

"I am a killer..." She whispered so softly I could only hear it because of my heightened senses. She clenched her fists, shaking her head to let her raven locks brush over her forehead. "But it truly is not my fault. I have no choice but to feed, or else I will die."

I had a retort at the tip of my tongue, an easy comeback to that statement, but I held it back. I kept my mouth in a thin line and stared at her. Technically she was right. If she didn't feed she would shrivel and die.

"Why not feed on animal blood?" I quipped lightly.

She snorted. "This isn't fucking Twilight. I have to have human blood, live human blood to sustain myself. Nothing else can work. No substitute." She wiped away her tears with the back of her fist, her violet eyes locked onto my amber ones.

"That sucks," was all I could reply with.

"You're an asshole." She hissed, glaring again. "I bear my soul to you, even as you try to kill me, and all you do-"

"I'm sorry." I cut her off. "I really am. I know how it feels to be forced into this life..." I look down at my clawed hands, making a disgusted face to prove my point. "This isn't how I imagined my years being spent. I thought I'd have a normal life, with a normal wife and kids, a normal job, a normal house and a normal body. But, no. I have this," I motioned to myself, splaying my hand so that she may see the claws more closely.

"Being a werewolf is easy enough." She said, looking at my claws.

"Fuck that!" I snapped. "We can't live like you think we can. We're forced into seclusion, moving from place to place because we're afraid of letting the cat out of the bag. None of us can live a normal life, because if we try something always goes wrong. It's forbidden by our pack leader to even walk a certain amount feet from the pack unless instructed! I haven't really eaten in days, because we don't have money! Right now I have no clothes to wear but these pants, and when I return- if I return- I will only have these pants! I fear myself because even getting angry sets off the Change! I'm a damn monster, and I fucking hate it!"

Rukia was stunned into silence, listening to my words intently as I threw my fists about and punched myself in the chest a few times to accentuate my point. I could see the little machine working in her head, registering my words slowly to fully understand them. I sighed, letting my hands hang at my sides, the claws retracting, and shook my head.

"We're both messed up. Doesn't matter the degree." I finished, letting the tension in my body slip away as I looked at her. She now gave a blank stare. It was annoying me that she wasn't responding, but I said nothing of it.

A few silent moments came to pass, and we just stood there staring at one another. Her eyes darted back and forth to study my face, as if trying to determine something from my expression. She probably thought I was lying, probably figured I was trying to get her guard down long enough so that I may take the opening and strike. But I wasn't waiting for such an opening. I meant what I said, every word.

She reminded me of myself. We were both thrown into situations we did not ask to be a part of. We both were afflicted with supernatural conditions- so similar, yet so different at the same time. I had to give her sympathy, if anything at all.

"Why do you not leave the pack, then?" She said at last. "Right now, you could walk away forever and they'd think you were dead. Why not leave?" She asked.

She had the same thought process as me, I thought. "They'd find me. They are thorough when it comes to a possibly dead packmate. They are probably looking for me right now, and would catch my scent eventually and find me. No point in running, because I am trapped." I said sadly.

Rukia's eyes softened at my words, apparently stricken by what I had said. "I'm trapped too..." She said, her shoulders drooping. "We aren't so different...I guess. I can't leave, because I need the blood. And I can't do it on my own..." She sounded so wounded, and it made my heart ache for her.

"I'm sorry..." I said. This felt odd. One minute we were fighting, the next we were feeling sorry for each other.

She looked down at the raging fire and sighed softly. "As I am sorry to you." She said, then looked back up at me. "I don't think I can fight much more...I'm so hungry..." She fell down to her knees and held her stomach. "I haven't eaten in weeks...I was afraid I might pass out the whole time we were fighting..."

I looked down at her pitiful posture and frowned. She looked so frail now, without her fangs and glowing red eyes and murderous intent. She was looked down at the ground, her hands folding in her lap. A defeated look was on her face, and I was again mesmerized by her beautiful violet eyes.

I really did like the human violet more than the vampire red...

"Dammit..." I muttered, stepping towards her. Her shoulders flinched when I neared, and she looked up at me with those gorgeous eyes as I crouched by her lithe form and offered my arm to her.

"What-"

"Shut up," I said sternly. "I'm going to be nice here, so appreciate it and don't turn it away because it will be the only time I will show anything other than malice towards you."

Her eyes scanned my face, trying to determine if this was a trap or not. I hardened my look, and made sure she knew that I wasn't going to pull anything. She looked at my offered arm, to my wrist where all of my veins were.

"Fool...you're a werewolf. I can't drink werewolf blood!" She spat, still staring at my hand. I could see her gaze traveling along each vein that pulsed with blood.

"Why not? What would happen if you did?" I asked curiously. In honesty no one had ever said why vampires couldn't drink our blood. Was it because of our conflicting afflictions? Maybe it was because our blood was more potent than human blood and vampires couldn't process that. I didn't know, and something told me she didn't either.

"Ah..." Rukia fumbled for the words, thus proving my point.

"Suck it up, then suck my blood." I said. Probably the best line you'll ever hear.

She gave a very unladylike grunt and forced her fangs out- the sound reminding me of biting into an apple. Her eyes remained violet, something I was grateful for, and she looked up at me finally.

"Thank you." She said before her lips suctioned to my wrist, her fangs digging deep into my skin. I seethed lightly, clenching my teeth as I felt blood flowing slowly through my arm. It felt odd, as if the essence of being was balling up and seeping through my veins to where her lips were pressed.

She gripped my arm and began to suck more forcefully. I gasped as I suddenly became lightheaded, my vision blurring and my fingers going numb. I tried to focus on breathing, but it was becoming strangely hard as she continued to suckle from my life energy. I tried to tell her to stop, but my head swam and I couldn't form the words.

I felt her tighten her grip on my arm and was suddenly assaulted by images of myself. I watched my own life flash before my eyes, as if by an old movie projector that kept skipping around the pieces of film being fed through it. I groaned, my head throbbing and my pulse racing- making the blood slip faster into the mouth of the vampire who was killing me.

"Stop..." I ground out, the images becoming more intense. I saw my mother, my family, my friends. Orihime and Tatsuki both admitting to us all they were in love; Keigo trying to convince Chad to decipher Spanish porn; Chad beating the hell out of bullies who messed with me; the lot of us deciding to attend Tatsuki's karate championship party; me getting drunk and stumbling out in an attempt to get home...

In an instant the memories were done playing before my eyes and I was thrown back into reality. My body limped and I couldn't stop myself from falling forward. A pair of hands on my shoulders stopped me from falling face first to the ground. I could feel my breath going in and out in short, quick bursts; my heart hammering against my rib-cage.

"Ichigo." She whispered, and my eyes widened as I looked up into her purple gaze. How the hell did she know my name?

"How-" I was going to ask her this, but she cut me off by pressing her lips against mine. My breath hitched and my mind fizzled in shock. I stared into her face as her eyes closed and she wrapped her arms around my neck, pulling me closer. After a second I gave in and kissed her back, leaning into her and placing my hands on her sides. We stayed like this for a good three minutes before I needed to breathe and pulled back. Her eyes opened to meet mine and I was captivated by her stare for the nth time.

"I saw your life..." She said softly, all the malice and hate gone from her eyes. The evil vampire that had been standing in front of me a few moments before was gone and replaced by this beautiful woman with the softest of voices.

"What? How did you see my life?" My voice was still wistful and low. I felt like a lovestruck teenager who had just had his first kiss with the girl he likes.

I should have played more sports when I was a kid...

"Something you werewolves don't know," Rukia said, her fingers combing over the little hairs on the back of my neck. "When a vampire feeds they absorb the memories of the one they drink from. I have lived over a hundred lives through the eyes of my victims..." She trailed off as I watched her closely. She had seen my life in the blood?

"So...you've seen my life?" I felt stupid. I was dazed, tired and slightly confused by the situation.

"Yes." She said and cupped my cheeks. "But it's different now...your blood...werewolf blood...I could actually feel what you felt rather than just see it..." She kissed me again. "You're a kind soul...Kurosaki Ichigo."

I felt like a small child being cradled by his mother. My strength was slowly returning, my limbs moving more fluidly as my mind was regaining its logic. Was she tricking me? Now that she had drank her fill, was she trying to move my guard down so that she may strike and finish me? My muscles tensed slightly at this thought, and she noticed.

"Ichi-"

"Ssh!" I shushed her as I caught a scent. My synesthesia was acting up, and a mist of brown and green was filling the air around the two of us. "I can smell them..." I said, my mind still a jumble of thoughts.

"Smell who?" She asked, her brows furrowing.

"The other werewolves." I said and pushed away from her. We both stood and I sniffed at the air, my head turning back and forth as I tried to pinpoint the origin of the scent. "They're close."

"Shit!" Rukia cursed. "I can't hear or see anything." She said, looking around frantically.

I turned to her, half-expecting for her to suddenly make an attempt at my life, but I saw her just as panicked as I felt and looked back out into the forest. "We should move." I said.

She looked up at me. "Are you good to run?" She asked me, and I was surprised to find she was actually concerned for my well being.

She's either a really good actress...or she now knows me better than anyone on this planet...

"I'm good enough." I said, though I still felt a little woozy.

"Here," She reached down and picked up one of the hunting rifles to toss over to me. I caught it and nodded, slinging the gun over my shoulder before we both jumped over the fire and left behind the campsite to run through the forest away from the other werewolves.

She kept at a slow pace to stay by my side as we sped past trees and hopped over bushes. My legs felt like jelly still, and I was afraid I may trip and fall at any second. I glanced at her and saw her watching me closely, as if interested. Had she truly seen my life like she claimed? Did she really know everything about me now? The thought was weird, and I wasn't so sure how to feel about it...

I slowed only enough to check the ammo in the rifle I had in my arms. It was fully loaded with the safety on. I left it as is and kept moving, my eyes darting back and forth as I tried to sort through the colors filling my vision. I spotted the combination of brown and green and pulled Rukia along after me as I made a sharp left. The scent was surrounding us, the pack of werewolves all circling and toying with us. I knew they were toying with us, because I would have done the same thing.

"Watch out!" Rukia yelled. I had barely enough time to react before I was hit hard from the side by what felt like a monster train.

I was half right.

I flew threw the air, the world a blur for a second before I smashed hard onto the ground with a giant weight atop of me. I groaned and felt the gun stab into my lower back. I thanked God I left the safety on and looked up at the thing that had attacked me.

All disorientation was gone from my mind as I stared into the slavering jaws of a four hundred pound wolf-man. Its glowing yellow eyes were glaring down at me, drool dripping from between gnashing teeth and rubbery lips. I was assaulted by the beast's scent, and my mind reeled in recognition.

"Shuuhei?" I croaked, my chest feeling constricted under this monster's weight.

In response the beast growled and jumped off of me to stand on its hind legs. I heard an explosion of cracking bones and rendering muscle as the beast deformed into the purple haired leader of our little werewolf SWAT team.

"Kurosaki." Shuuhei Hisagi snarled. "What the hell are you doing with a vampire?"

I quickly stood and glanced around. Rukia was gone, but I could smell her close by. I clenched my teeth tightly as I became nervous. If I could smell her, then so could he. "It's...a hard thing to explain." I said weakly.

"Really?" Shuuhei again growled. "Because from what I can see, you're trying to help it escape." He accused.

I felt the gun dangling against my side, and had the sudden urge to pull it up for protection. I was strong, very strong, but Shuuhei was one of the top five strongest of our pack. Making him very dangerous.

I looked around again, trying to discern where Rukia had gone. She was close, but was constantly moving so I couldn't get a good track on her position. "Yes," I conceded. No point in denying the truth. "I was trying to help her."

"Traitor!" He barked, his eyes flashing golden for a split-second. He was an intimidating man, with long jagged scars running down the side of his face and a tattoo of a 69 on his cheek. His upper torso was exposed, and all he was dressed in was a pair of ripped pants. Just like me.

At least my six pack was bigger than his.

"You've aided the enemy," He accused, growling. "And you've let her drink your blood!" He said and pointed to my wrist. I looked and saw the two puncture wounds still wide open, I watched as little droplets of blood fell off to the ground, a warmth rising from the wounds as they healed slowly.

"Why do we fight them?" I yelled, clenching my fists. I was not going to back down from this. I saw myself in Rukia- a vampire- and from that it opened my world to that idea that...maybe, just maybe, other vampires aren't as bad as we make them out to be. "They are just trying to live! Like us! Why must we fight them when we could just have our own damn lives!"

"You prefer to let them continue killing innocent people?" He retorted. "You would want them to stay out there, killing and turning others? You actually want to help them?"

"No!" I was growing angry, my teeth barring and my fists flexing. "I don't want to help them! But I am so damn tired of fighting with them!" I said.

Shuuhei's eyes began to glow again, as did my own. We glared at one another for a minute, before I caught the scents of the other members of our squad closing in.

"You've made a bad mistake, Kurosaki." Shuuhei said menacingly. As he spoke, the other werewolves came from out of the darkness of the forest, all surrounding us and snapping their jaws at me angrily. I could smell blood lust, and knew that they all had their sights on me and me alone.

"Don't do this, Hisagi." I said lowly, reaching slowly for the rifle on my back. "Just let me leave, and no one will be the wiser."

"I'm afraid I can't do that," He said, his skin heating up as he held back the urge to transform. "You are a traitor now, Kurosaki, and I can't just let you go on living with such blasphemy." The werewolves began to close in, all crawling on four legs towards me. I felt my heart race in anticipation as the rows of shark teeth neared, and could feel the itching of my skin as the wolf inside of me wanted to be free to fight.

"Where is your vampire friend now, huh?" Shuuhei mocked, grinning in triumph as I backed up a bit in preparation of what was to come. "It seems she ditched you just as danger came by."

I again searched the area for Rukia. Her scent was becoming faint, as if she had truly left the area. I felt a certain kind of dread rise into my chest as the realization that she must have been fooling with me hit. She drank my blood and left me for dead at the hands of my own packmates. I gave a gruff grunt as I felt anger boil underneath my skin, and moved to pull up the rifle to begin this blood fest.

The werewolves all moved to charge me, but everyone froze as suddenly Rukia sped from out of the bushes and lunged. She gave a loud roar as she extended her fangs and her eyes beamed red. She tackled Shuuhei to the ground, slamming a hard fist into the side of his head as they dropped. The wolves all turned to her, shocked and stunned that their leader had been attacked without their knowledge.

I used the distraction to my advantage by switching off the safety and quickly shooting a hole in the nearest wolf's head. The shot cracked and the giant werewolf yelped as blood spurted from the wound and it was kicked back by the force of it. I watched it roll over and twitch for a moment, the bullet having lodge deep inside of its skull. I felt a wave of nausea swarm my senses at the sight of one of my fellow wolves being killed, but pushed it down as the others turned back to me, angry that I had succeeded in killing one of them.

Before they could move I fired twice more, killing yet another and only gracing a third. There were about five of them now, not counting Shuuhei who was in a scuffle with Rukia. I watched as she used her incredible speed to move around him and play with him like a top. He growled and tried to lash out with punches, but she was too fast and ended up smacking him to the ground.

"Rukia!" I called out just as one of the wolves jumped at me. I turned just in time to duck under its swipe and roll under it to avoid any more harm. I took the gun and aimed, shooting three more shots into the werewolf's torso. It yelped and crashed to the ground, writhing in pain as blood splattered the ground behind it.

The remaining werewolves howled and all attacked. I cursed and jumped backwards, firing the remaining bullets wildly at them. I killed one, but the rest of the bullets were dodged by the others. They closed in on me, and with all the power I could muster I brought up the butte of the gun and smashed it as hard as I could into the snout of the closest werewolf. It snorted and dropped back from the force of the blow, and I used that moment to punch it into the eye to blind it.

Rukia was still fighting with Shuuhei as I tangled with the transformed men. She was dodging the man's punches and throwing her own, relying solely on her vampiric speed to out-fight him. For every punch he threw she threw three more in return, breaking a rib and bruising his cheeks. The man roared, his eyes burning and his teeth elongating in rage. I saw him lash out with his claws and slice open the side of her shirt. She hissed and moved around him, slamming a fist into the back of his head. He fell forward onto his hands and knees and howled, turning and lunging as his bones cracked and his body morphed into that of the wolf.

I cursed as Rukia ducked under the now fully transformed Shuuhei Hisagi; his large body shaking and his claws glinting in the moonlight. I needed to get over there and help her quickly before it was too late, but I still had these remaining three werewolves circling me.

I tried to run to Rukia's aid, but one of the wolves moved and racked its terrible claws against my arm, cutting open the skin and drawing blood. I screamed in pain and fell to the side, clutching at my wounded arm. I growled in frustration, taking the gun and again bashing it against the wolf's head to disorient it. I stood and backed up as the wolf I hit stood on its hind legs and towered over me, snarling its drooling mouth at me with intention to kill.

This was getting me nowhere. I needed to hurry and help Rukia before Shuuhei caught her between his teeth. I dropped the gun and decided to just fuck it and fight the best way I could.

The wolf-man splayed its claws and stood menacingly over me. I glared up at it with determination. I wasn't backing down, and the human mind that was hiding somewhere within that primal brain knew I wouldn't. It took it as a challenge, and gnashed its fangs at me. I did the same with my human teeth, and felt my eyes burn slightly as they began to glow their golden hue.

"Let's do this, bitch." I snarl.

Admit it, that sent tingles down your spine.

With a powerful roar I transformed in the blink of an eye; my body convulsing as I ground my teeth and fought through the flash of white hot pain that was the Change. The three wolves were surprised by my sudden move, and were stunned for a second. I used that second to strike.

I flicked my wrist, hooking my fingers and tearing open the opposing werewolf's throat with one clean swipe of my claws. A geyser of blood exploded into the air, falling after the falling body of the man I had killed. I watched the wolf body shed its fur and change back into the young red haired man I had once known as my comrade.

I'm sorry, Renji... I wanted to whisper a prayer for the fallen soldier, but I no longer held the communicative skill nor did I have the time to waste on such an endeavor.

I turned to the remaining two wolves and snarled fiercely at them, daring either to challenge me. They both whimpered and submitted to me, for they knew I was stronger. In this little circle I was Alpha, and they dare not defy the Alpha.

"Ack!" I turned my large head towards the sound that rose from behind me. There, up against a tree, was the battered and bleeding Rukia. Above her stood Shuuhei in his werewolf form, snarling and grunting in hunger. She was holding her stomach, which had been cut open by Shuuhei's sharp claws, her fingers stained with the metallic smelling crimson as she tried to stop the bleeding. She was healing, but still she fought to keep in the blood she had fought so hard to achieve.

I howled into the night air and charged, anger surging through my veins at the sight of the vampire woman so damaged. I leaped off the ground into the air, catching Shuuhei by surprise when I sunk my fangs into his hairy shoulder.

Rukia gasped and Shuuhei roared in pain as I latched on. I sunk my fangs deeper, my hands rising and my claws slicing open his sides as he writhed and swung back and forth in an attempt to shake me off. I held strong, and looked at Rukia, trying to tell her with my monster eyes to run away. She shook her head, standing as she leaned against the tree for support. The bleeding had stopped, but the wound was still impairing her movements. She hissed and looked back up at me, her glowing red eyes fierce and full of emotion.

Shuuhei used my momentary lapse of concentration to knock me off and to the ground. I growled as he stood over me, his hulking figure blotting out the moon from my sight. I lashed out, cutting open the skin of his left knee. He yelped and stumbled back as blood dripped onto the ground. I stood and tackled him, our bodies rolling together down a small slope as we fought for dominance.

Fur and saliva was tossed into the air as we swung our claws, snapped our jaws and threw our wolf-punches at one another. We both were aiming for the other's throat, trying to latch on and tear it open. It was only natural instinct for a wolf to go for the throat, and right now all I could think of was tasting this mother fucker's neck meat.

"Ichigo!" Rukia was following close behind us as we hit the bottom of the slope and tossed and turned and rolled as we continued our battle. I felt my collarbone crackle under the weight of a hard kick Shuuhei sent my way, and could taste blood flowing down my chin as he continuously sliced open parts of my body. I snarled with all my might and fought through his claws to catch his throat between my teeth.

At that last moment right before I could clamp down on his neck he headbutted me and racked his claws across my chest, digging them deep under the skin just inches from the bones of my ribcage. I howled and was knocked backwards in a roll. I fell limp to the ground, blood gushing out of my wounds and onto the floor in waterfalls. I whined, the sound reminding me of a dog I had seen begging for food outside of my old school once, and tried to force myself back up to fight, but it was no use. My body was drained of all energy, replaced by the pain of my injuries.

The sound of Shuuhei's stomping feet brought my attention back up to him. My breaths came out raggedly, my clawed fingers shaking and my glowing golden eyes glaring weakly at the winning werewolf above me. Shuuhei lifted his heavy head into the sky and howled, exclaiming his triumph over me. I growled, trying to stand and attack, but all I did was slip on my own blood and fall face first to the ground. I whimpered in pain and lay there, helpless, wounded, and dying.

There was no way out. A low rumbling noise came from the back of my throat as I realized this. I was going to die by the hands of someone I had once called friend. It was a dishonorable death for a werewolf, but one I had no choice but to accept. I gave a growl of resignation as I heard Shuuhei snarl and reel back for the finishing blow...

Shuuhei's loud yelp of pain brought me out of my reverie. I snapped my head back up and watched as Rukia wrapped her arms around Shuuhei's broad, hairy neck and squeezed to halt his breathing. The large werewolf swung its arms back and forth, fighting for freedom, but Rukia held on tightly and dug her nails into its throat.

I roared, trying again to force myself up. I needed to help her, I needed to stand and finish this before he broke free and killed her. The thought of her- someone who truly knew me- dying made my heart race and my anger boil. I stumbled up onto all fours and snarled as fiercely as I could, using the last of my strength to lunge.

Rukia let go of Shuuhei and used all of her might to shove him forward towards me. The large werewolf came barreling at me uncoordinated and I had a clear shot for his throat.

With a snap of my jaws and a gnashing of my teeth I clamped down on Shuuhei's neck and sunk my deadly fangs into his wind-pipe. He roared- the sound weak and feeble as I slammed him to the ground and held tightly. I jerked my head, tearing away at the muscle, tasting the blood and hair in my mouth as I killed one of the strongest werewolves of my pack.

With a ravenous snort I yanked back my head, pulling along the front part of my enemy's neck. I spat it out, watching as the wolf below me twitched and gurgled on the blood that filled its lungs. I saw the pulsing of its neck from within the wound, yellow globs of muscle flexing as Shuuhei tried to breath. He gave a low howl of defeat and fell back to the ground, bleeding profoundly and twitching as the last remnants of life seeped out from between his fingers.

I watched as Shuuhei Hisagi died beneath me. The life in his eyes hazed over and turning gray, the light disappearing forever. I heard the rendering of bones and muscle as he transformed back into the purple haired human he had once been. The sight was more gruesome in human form, for his throat was nothing more than a gaping, bloody hole now; his lips parted with a trail of crimson dripping down his chin.

"Ichigo...?" I jerked my head up to Rukia who was standing by my side, watching with a concerned frown. I turned back to Shuuhei and felt my insides clench in guilt before I jumped off of him and limped away from the prone body behind me.

"Ichigo?" Rukia followed me as I crawled on all fours towards a lone tree in the woods. I leaned against it and let myself change back into my human form, still bleeding and wounded. In this form the wounds felt a hundred times worse, the bleeding more announced and the pain intense. I groaned and sat against that tree as my mind spun.

"Crap..." I moaned, wrapping my arms around the wound in my chest. Rukia was by my side in a second, crouching down to my level and staring with a worried expression.

"Are you alright?" She asked me, and I almost wanted to chuckle at the absurdity of such a question.

"I will be...in a day or two...if I don't bleed out right here and now..." I said weakly, putting pressure on my largest wound to stop some of the bleeding. I wasn't like Rukia, who could hold onto her wound long enough for it to heal. My wounds would take a while...

"I want to help." She said, looking me over and assessing my wounds. I could see the slight strain on her face as she gazed over the blood on my body. She wanted to eat it up to replenish the blood she had lost, I bet. Again, I wanted to chuckle.

"How? You gonna give me some of your blood or something?" I teased.

She frowned at me deeply, not amused. "I can't. Unfortunately werewolves can't digest vampire blood for it will kill them. So...it's a one-way street when it comes to our blood." She said and looked down, almost as if ashamed.

"No worries," I said, shrugging my shoulders lightly, the act painful and it made me wince. "I didn't expect for it to work anyway..." I said and glanced around the area. "What happened to the other werewolves?"

She blinked, as if only now realizing there had been survivors. She looked back up the slope, her eyes darting back and forth as she scanned the area. "Gone. I can hear them loping off through the woods."

"Damn..." I sighed. They would return to the pack and tell Urahara of my betrayal. They'd come looking for me, and would never stop until I was dead...

"I'll help you, I promise." She said, placing her hands on my shoulders, her beautiful violet eyes staring into my own brown ones.

I stared for what felt like a hundred years. I was lost in those pools, trapped in her spell. I lifted one of my hands to cup her face, shocking her as I leaned and kissed her as she had me before. I heard her gasp against my lips, but she soon relented and returned the kiss gently. I could taste the blood in her mouth, as she could taste the blood in mine. It sent a shiver down her spine as our bloody mouths mingled.

Pulling back, I grinned. "You know everything about me...right?" I asked.

Rukia stared at me, her eyes hazed over by the intensity of our kiss. She nodded. "Yes...I have seen your life through your own eyes." She said.

"Well," I chuckled, my grin never leaving my face. "I've decided...I want to know everything about you as well."

Her eyes widened a fraction, and I cupped her chin to reassure my point. She leaned into my touch instinctively, her frown shifting into a light smile. "What do you want to know?" She asked me lightly.

"Everything." I whispered, the pain starting to numb over as my healing factor kicked in. I would survive, I knew it.

Rukia laughed softly and placed her hand over my own, kissing the fingers that caressed her cheek.

"Well...is it cliché of me to say that my life has been ripped from me?"