Due to tragic lack of AshidoXRukia fanfictions here...I decided to focus on creating some myself cause I love the pair=)
So, this story is AU, well it's kind of obvious, anyway enjoy...=)
Humans are disgusting.
Ha, ironic considering he used to be one. But that, that was many many years ago, decades even. Staring at the slaughtered animal before him, Ashido watched the blood seep from the cut straight across the being's throat. Around the lifeless cow, candles outlined its large body, the shadows of the flames danced across the scarred bark of the trees. Offerings lined the forest floor; the humans placed bowls upon bowls of the most expensive red wine, one pristine white lily floating on the surface of each contained liquid. The whiteness of the lily and the contrast of it to the red vine stood as a mock interpretation of the blood that was seeping out from the whiteness of the animal's neck. Among the bowls of precious alcohol incense were burning, filling the once pined filled sent of the air with a new scent, one of smoke and fake flowers.
He understood why this was a regular event, every week he would receive offerings lined around the newly killed sacrificial animal, its blood flooding the floor of his resting place. Well, it was his resting place; so many years ago it was…back in the time when he used to be human. But, he was no longer human, he was a demi god, a make shift god, living amongst the living. In fact, when he tried his hardest to remember what it was like being human he always failed. Nothing came in mind except the pain and suffering he had achieved before and during the period when he felt his life slip from his grasp. He couldn't remember what it felt like to have a friend, a family, a lover even. Though he did have the occasional sex with random women when he wished to, but that required him to use his human form, and he couldn't stand to see himself in his human form. When he would catch a glimpse of his reflection in the stream or in the shattered glass of wine bottles humans would occasionally liter, he only felt disgust. The face was his, the body was his…but this, this constant reminder of what he once was only brought forth all the memories he wished to destroy.
Ashido shook the anguish from his mind as the smell of blood aroused his hunger, making him sulk his way over to the dead carcass, his nose twitching with anticipation. His claws dug into the dirt around him as he made his way to the meal set out before him. His ears perked up on top his head, on the constant look out for any sounds of life around him, but he was hearing none. The other animals usually stayed clear of him, they knew what he was and that if he wanted to, he could slaughter every single one of them in a split second. The humans knew as much as well, which is why they insisted and obsessed upon providing him gifts and sacrifices, in hopes that they would appease him. Ashido sniffed the dead cow with caution, before clamping his teeth just below the sturdy ribs, ripping and tugging at the flesh, chomping down on the gooey morsel of flesh, fat and organ in his mouth. His teeth sunk into the mouthful as he chewed the meal with pleasure, salivating even more at the delicious taste he was experiencing. Swallowing the first bite, Ashido dove back into the slaughtered animal with haste, tugging and ripping, chewing and swallowing, and repeating the action as bone after white bone was revealed to him, the moonlight reflecting off of them. He growled some against the half eaten body before tilting his head back, his eyes admiring the beauty of the moon above, hanging seductively in the blackened sky. His lips curled back before sliding once more over his sharp white fangs, his mouth opening slightly as he cried out with a loud and long howl, alerting the humans that he was indeed pleased by their gifts. He would return the favor, allowing them to hunt more frequently in his woods, until something or someone displeased him once more…where the whole give and take pattern would reappear between him and the humans.
His howl echoed through the woods, traveling the distance where it would flood into the awaiting human's ears in the nearby village. Ashido squinted and his ears twitched as he heard the cheers and cries of happiness from the villagers, their drums pounding, their flutes hitting high notes in the air. Ashido smirked slightly, well…as much as his wolf body would allow him, before he dove back into his meal, finishing it in a matter of minutes, before he retreated to the task of licking the sticky yet satisfying blood off of the forest floor around the murdered cow. Walking over a cold bowl of wine, Ashido's tongue darted into the liquid, causing ripples in the liquid as he lapped at the sweet alcohol. The wine sated his thirst, making him growl deep in his chest, consuming all the liquid in the bowl, before licking his chops, pacing to the next bowl to drink up more of the sweetness.
Feeling completely satisfied, Ashido growled and smirked at the fullness of his stomach before retreating back into his hiding place as the night was growing lighter with every minute that passed. Yawning, Ashido curled up against his soft moss bedding which he dragged up the tree, placing it into the crook between the trunk and the injured branch as makeshift bedding. Though, he couldn't recall the last time he slept in a bed, it must've been about a year, his mind panicked when he remembered that the full moon jutting out around the leaves in his view, was the same moon he had seen 9 times, the next time, the 10th time…he would revert back to his human form for the remaining two months of the year. Usually, he was able to switch between his wolf form and his human form, but at the 10th full moon, the gods warned him, he would be stuck temporarily in his human form. He didn't dare question their wisdom or ask for any favors, he knew his place…he knew they pitied him, they brought him back from the dead, they reawakened his soul and spirit. Using their powers, they revived him; they gave him powers in return, for they didn't protect him in life, so they felt they must in death. Ashido chose to not ponder any further, because any further and he would tread upon memories he wished to forget. Gazing up at the white moon, Ashido sighed. He was not looking forward to that time, not at all.
"Ashido…it isn't as if it is a measly physical scar, it is an emotional one of sorts…" the voice protruded his panicked thoughts as he shivered, his fingers running across the vertical line just below his ribs…where he was tortured, he was cut…the wound that took his mortal life. Ashido clutched his ribs, heaving with sobs as he fell to the floor…everything came back to him, his friend's faces, how they died before him, how they pleaded for their lives, how they were cut down, how the enemy captured him, how he was tied down…how they…
"When the time comes and you are assisted in releasing this anguish…the scar will disappear from your human form…" the strong voice added, the tone sifting over Ashido's panicked thoughts. Ashido sucked in a harsh breath, kneeling with obedience before the glowing figure, whose face was covered in shadows as it stood before him. Ashido raised his head from its lowered position, glancing up at the figure in confusion as the shadows slipped off the face like rain drops dripping down a glass window. The shadows darted off the figure, fluttering slightly, before launching itself at Ashido wrists, tying them high above his head. Ashido's eyes widened as shadows gripped his ankles the same way, pinning him to a table that seemed to grow up from the ground below him. 'No! No!' his mind screamed, 'this can't be happening…not again, not again…' he thought frantically as he pulled and twisted himself, trying to free himself from the restraints as the figure loomed over his right side, the scene seemed exactly like the first time.
That smile, that killer intent in the man's eyes, the wicked laughs of the retreating men in the back round, that voice dripping in venom. Ashido screamed this time, hollered and shouted, squeezing his eyes closed tightly as he braced himself for the pain that would surely come. The face smiled its teeth like crooked glass as the lips slithered over them, curling into that slow and wicked smirk that was burned into Ashido's memory. "No! No! Stop! Please, Stop!" he begged, he didn't beg last time. Feeling tears slip past his eyes as he panicked, his body flopping around on the table to the best of his abilities, if he could just get out of those ropes. But the face just laughed at him, like Ashido was a butterfly on the ground, just silently and pathetically tempting the face to rip its wings off.
The voice spoke, the same words, dripping with the very same tone and venom and hate and evil as last time, "I wonder if you'll still look handsome when I cu-"
Ashido sat up abruptly, panting as a loud sound filled his ears, startling him, thankfully, from his nightmare. 'Damn it…it's almost been 50 years…why do I keep dreaming about that fucking shit!' he thought with anger, punching the hard wood of the branch below him. Ashido was surprised to see the flesh in front of his eyes, the dream made him return to his human form, just like the last time he had a nightmare. Clenching his fists, Ashido leaned against the trunk behind him, looking down towards the source of sound that woke him from his sleep. His eyes took in the small kid who was screaming his head off, the mother kneeling beside him, attempting to calm the loud boy. Ashido winced as the screams increased, analyzing the boy further Ashido noted that the boy had a measly scrape on his knee; he must've simply fallen on the hard forest floor, skin scraping on the rocks and sharp twigs below.
Ashido smiled briefly at the kid below as the mother walked towards the end of the nearest stream, where she had set her belongings as she searched for a type of bandage to tend to the wound. The boy sobbed some before gasping on shaky breaths, trying to calm himself. Ashido clicked his tongue loudly, trying to draw attention from the young boy. Noting, with a smirk, that he was successful as the boy's head snapped up to where Ashido was kneeling on the branch. Smiling down at the boy, Ashido reached into his pocket, throwing down the object to the boy below, who caught it successfully from where he was sitting. The boy's eyes lit up with pleasure as it observed the small object in his hand, a simple wrapped chocolate, a small token Ashido had received from his offering buffet yesterday.
"Wow! Thanks Mister!" the boy exclaimed, smiling widely up at Ashido, just before he darted from his kneeling position and jumped to the branch of a nearby tree, climbing further and further away from where the boy sat. Ashido smirked as the he heard the confused question of the mother echo through the woods, "Who are you talking to…?"
The boy's excited explanations were fading from Ashido's hearing range the farther he climbed away, and when he felt safe enough from them, he climbed down a tree, his feet hitting the ground with a small thud. Than closing his eyes briefly, he willed that transformation to happen, feeling the tingling in his limbs, the wave of un painful heat sweep through his flesh as his height diminished, his body changed and in the blink of an eye, he was on all fours again. Fur now covered his body, he was a wolf again…of course he would still draw awe and attention if anyone were to see him...it was hard for him not to stand out. Everyone knew what he looked like; he couldn't even attempt to pass as a simple wolf. His fur was a deep maroon color that not only stood out for its brightness, but his fur was as soft as silk and almost illuminated a small glow. And his eyes, his eyes were the only human looking part of him when he was in this form, his eyes were shaped more like a human than an animal's and the soul-piercing blue grey color of them would stop any human dead in their tracks. Only a few humans have seen him, and they all lived to tell the tale, Ashido would never kill them of course…unless they threatened him or harmed the forest in any way. Though, he has maimed a couple of evil poachers in his day, but he made sure they would survive so they could warn others to never poach in the forest again.
There was a business to everything Ashido did…there was a give and take between him and mankind, the same bond humans shared with the gods above. They were to worship him, he would watch over them. They could hunt in his forest, so long as he let them; the rules he created were unspoken, but agreed upon. He would never risk meeting a human face to face, letting them know of his existence personally…no, he chose a less up front approach, like leaving vague signs for them to interpret and sometimes scribbling messages in the blood of his prey on the ancient tree that stood proudly before their village. Though, he only resorted to those tactics when he was outraged about how they treated the forest, if they cut down too many trees, killed for sport or certain body parts; leaving the dead bodies of the animals strewn across the forest, or littered persistently. He would cut off their right to enter the forest, where they gathered their drinking water and hunted their meals, by writing messages in the tree with animal blood saying things like 'until all is right with the forest no one will be allowed to enter it.' The humans ate it up, no one dared to step foot in the forest after something like that, they offered him meat, wine, rice, and little tokens of appreciation. The villages gathered together, not one person missing from the crowd as they prayed and begged for his forgiveness, which always gave him a good laugh, but than he would feel bad, he hated playing superior so he ended the block as soon as possible once they fixed the problem.
Ashido's ears perked up as he heard the voice of a girl in the distance. Speeding over to where he sensed her, Ashido crouched in the nearby bushes, hiding his form as his eyes peeked at the girl through the green all around him. Just ahead of him sat a girl, about 16; she was kneeling on the ground dressed in a pretty and formfitting black kimono with white lilies on the fabric. Her raven black hair stood in stark contrast to her flawless alabaster skin, her wide and sparkling violent orbs filled with content as the wolves gathered around her. Feeling a growl rise in his chest, Ashido prepared himself to leap towards her, in order to defend her from the circling packs, who were eying her like she was their next meal. Just as he was about to pounce, he stopped, taking in the sight in front of him. All the wolves rubbed up against the girl, who simply smiled and laughed at them, petting them playfully. Ashido watched in shock as the wolves basically turned into attention hogging puppies, begging to be scratched and petted, nudging against her small form as they competed for her attention.
With his keen sense of smell, Ashido took in the scent of the girl in front of him, she smelled so clean and pure, like newly fallen rain mixed with the smooth smell of lilacs. He immediately liked that smell, and understood why the wolves were drawn to her; she was so peaceful and calm. He couldn't smell or sense a drop of fear on the girl, even though he knew, the wolves knew and she knew that it took one bad move and she would be ripped to shreds. Though, he doubted that would happen, she was so serene and content before him, simply enjoying the company of all the mangy wolves, petting them and rubbing their bellies. Her small and gentle laugh teased his ears before her beautiful voice overtook his senses, "Wow, you guys are so needy…" she smirked then squealed softly when a wolf leaned up to place a long and slow lick up the side of her face. Ashido studied her face, she was beautiful, he had to admit, and he admired her bravery…any other girls he had seen that even saw a wolf in the distance would scream their heads off and run away…but not this girl. He felt a twinge in his chest when his mind connected them, saying he too was always around wolves, he loved them when he was human, before he died. He shook that anguish away as he focused on the beauty in front of him who pulled a large, wrapped square from the folds of her robe.
All the wolves jumped with excitement as she unfolded the paper, Ashido sniffed the air, raw steak. The girl smiled at the wolves placing strips of raw meat in front of each of them as they chomped down the slab, savoring the taste. Ashido stirred in the bushes on accident, her eyes snapping towards where he was hidden, the girl's face lit up as she griped a long, fatty peace of raw meat in her outstretched hand. Clicking her tongue lightly and ending with a whistle, she attempted to call him over, "Hey…c'mere…aren't you hungry…c'mon…" she offered, wagging the wobbly meat in her hand. Just as Ashido was about to dart out and away from her, he decided against it…he really was sick of hiding all the time, and that meat smelt pretty damn good to him, his mouth was watering already. Just as he stepped from the bushes, all the other wolves acknowledge him, some whimpering like fools as they retreated making the raven haired girl even more baffled then she was when her eyes landed on the strange looking wolf. She was stunned by the beauty of the creature in front of her, as the wolf hesitantly walked towards her, its grey blue eyes piercing through her own. Its soft and silky appearing maroon fur caught her eye as he glided over to her slowly.
"Hey…" she baited, with a soft smile as she wagged the meat in her hand once more. Ashido walked one paw in front of the other, in a very slow manner, his eyes alternating his gaze from her face to the meat rapidly.
"C'mon…" she urged in a patient tone, leaning in to him more as his mouth was now close to her hand. Flattening the palm of her hand with the meat plopped on top of her palm; Ashido leaned in and gently bit the meat, being careful not to nick her perfect hand in the process. The girl smiled with a happy sigh, tucking her legs under her as she sat on them, pulling more pieces of meat from the wrapper. Ashido savored the tasty morsel in his mouth, the meat was fresh and juicy and he could practically taste her skin, which, even though it briefly held the meat, her sweet taste rubbed into the morsel. He could never stomach eating a human, but the taste of her had him wanting more, he wanted to run his tongue over her cheek like the other wolf did…though, he shook that thought from his head, 'damn, I'm becoming more and more of an animal everyday…' he noted in his head, feeling embarrassed that he sometimes allowed natural instinct to overtake his thought process, which was basically the only human part of him that he still wanted to keep.
"Good boy." She said, patting the top of his head, before scratching behind his ear…it felt so good that Ashido leaned into her touch urging her to continue the treatment. She simply smiled at him, gracing him with her beauty as she pulled another piece of meat from the package, "Well, I guess you'll have the rest since you scared everyone else away…" she told him, letting him eat from her hand once more. Ashido gulped down the meat quickly, so that he could lean into her and lick her hand, making her squirm. The girl simply starting petting him again, her skilled hands scratched the spots he couldn't reach making him growl in pleasure. She kept up with her treatment and he sat directly in front of her, his eyes never leaving her own as she pet his head smoothly. "All the other wolves are probably jealous of you, because you're so handsome." She complimented, cupping his face gently.
Ashido couldn't help but feel proud at her observation, she called him handsome and for some reason his stomach did flip flops in his body. The girl then leaned in and kissed Ashido under his left eye, making his eyes close briefly, her lips were so soft, even softer against his silky fur. 'This girl had to be crazy, who puts their face this close to a wild animal they just saw…?' he questioned, but couldn't help but lean into the girl as she fed him the last bit of steak. The scent and the feel of her was driving him crazy, he couldn't remember ever wanting any human so badly, but he wanted her. With her hands still cupping his face, Ashido transformed right before her eyes, something he's never ever done in front of a human or any animals for that matter.
But he did, and he sat up on his knees, smirking when her eyes searched his form in shock. He smiled at her as she simply sat before him, completely frozen and no doubt contemplating if this was all some sort of dream she was having. Her hands dropped from his now human face, her eyes searching it rapidly taking in every detail. He was just like the wolf that was once before her, hell he was the wolf that was before her, but he changed…he transformed into a human version of himself. His hair was a dark and beautiful maroon color, and those grey blue eyes of his were now looking into her own eyes, but this time those eyes were filled with amusement. Rukia noted that he was wearing a soldier's uniform, one she recognized from the town she just came from. He was handsome, she noted, his face was perfect and she could locate large muscles under his clothes…he was much better looking than all the men in the village…his appearance almost god like. This time, his hand reached out to brush his thumb against her cheek lovingly, a cocky smile gracing his lips as he cupped her cheek, "Hey." He said, "You're not going to faint…are you?" he teased, chuckling softly. Somehow in the mix of shock and nervousness Rukia's temper managed to get through as she huffed, "No! I'm not scared!" she exclaimed, backing away from his grasp. Ashido simply leaned closer to her as she fell back using her arms behind her to pull herself backwards. He crawled on all fours and finally cornered her as her back pressed against a sturdy tree behind her.
"Yeah, you're right…you don't look scared to me…" he said sarcastically, both of them knowing that her actions revealed her fear blatantly.
Rukia sighed at the man whose face was breaths away from her own, his head tilting to the side as he studied her expression with amusement.
"You're a…you were a…you are a…"
"Wolf?" he questioned with a smirk, making Rukia exhale loudly before nodding at his comment.
"Yeah…a wolf, well…you were one, now you're…"
"Human." He finished, his eyes gazing into her own.
"U-uh, yeah." She nodded, swallowing nervously when his eyes searched her face.
"What's your name?" he asked.
"Um…Rukia." She admitted with a small voice.
"Rukia, huh? Pretty name." he stated, caressing her cheek once more.
"Thanks," she blushed, turning her cheek from his touch, "Who and what are you?" she asked in a serious tone that made him chuckle.
"That's a good question, 'what am I,'" he stated with a smirk, "well, my name's Ashido…"
"Ashido?" she questioned, Ashido thought that she must be new to the village, if the whole transformation thing didn't click than his name surely would, if she'd heard the legends that surfaced about him in the village.
"Yeah, that was my name…I don't know what they call me now."
"What do you mean 'now'?" she asked curiously, cocking her head to the side as he made distance between them sitting across from her.
"Rukia...Rukia Kuchiki!" a male voice yelled as the source of it approached them rapidly. Ashido's ears twitched at the yelling and he watched Rukia turn her face from him as she searched the woods for the man. Just then, a man with long, white hair came bursting from the woods with a smile on his face as he looked down upon the small girl leaning back against the tree. Rukia blinked in confusion when she glanced over to Ashido and he wasn't there, she felt wind whoosh around her at his speedy absence.
"What's wrong?" the man asked, catching his breath.
"…nothing, Ukitake, no need to worry I was just feeding the…" she lost her thought as her mind was consumed with Ashido. What was he, and how can he transform from wolf to human, or human to wolf, which one came first?
"The wolves?" he finished, looking at her with concern.
"Yeah, something like that…" she said with a small chuckle.
Deep inside the woods, Ashido watched the two in the distance, concealing himself in the bushes. Though, his keen ears picked up their conversation and he watched as Rukia followed behind the older man, who she treated like a step father or something. 'Hm, Rukia Kuchiki, is it? Well, Rukia…I'll be seeing you again sometime soon.' He thought with a smirk as he ran through the woods, his mind going over his plan in great detail.
more to come...hope you guys liked it so far...=)