Cruel Moon
Chapter One
by Shadousama

"In an unprecedented move, the United Nations has decreed that those suffering from the various forms of the "lycanthropy" disease and vampirism are indeed humans with all the residual rights and freedoms. Following this decision, Japan, France, Canada and Great Britain have declared their full support.

"Every where in these four countries, shapeshifters are in the throws of celebration as this will be the first full moon that they do not have to fear discrimination or, in some areas, the threat of extermination.

"The United States and Germany are still in session regarding the decision, but experts are expecting their full support as well, despite the US's notoriously conservative leadership.

"A new moon has risen over the world. Nothing will ever be the same."

The news turned to footage of celebration of various packs as I scowled. The announcer was right. Nothing would ever be the same ever again, not with those things on the loose and no checks. Did those politicians really think that the vampires and shapeshifters would play nice with the police? Did they really think that they would just bow their heads and follow human laws? Ha! They may have been human at one point, but that changed when they were infected.

I shook my head. Whatever the United Nations had to say wouldn't stop me from hunting them. My Browning wouldn't see its retirement so soon. I'd only have to be more discreet and choose my victims more carefully. Just like Boris taught me.

Rei crossed the living room, taking my attention from the TV. It had been a little less than a year since Takao had defeated BEGA and Shadra had defeated the other Masters, ending up in a coma. Instead of going home to China, Rei decided to finish his education in Japan, attending the same school that I do. It just seemed like a logical thing for him to move into my apartment.

Not because I might miss my former teammates.

"Where are you going?" I asked when Rei grabbed his keys off of the small table beside the door. "The moon raises in an hour." And there was no telling how many of those creatures would get the fool idea of transforming in the middle of the city. But that wasn't an appropriate thing to voice anymore.

"I--" Rei started, before his face fell. "I forget to get something from the store. It'll just take ten minutes, it's only two blocks down."

"Hurry."

He nodded and left the apartment, shutting the door behind him a little harder than necessary. I spared a glare in his general direction, but turned back to the TV.

Maybe I should have given him a gun, just in case. Something to defend himself with. No, he was only going to be gone for ten minutes, surely he wouldn't have any need of it. He probably didn't even know how to work it properly.

"Stop being so jumpy," I told myself. "It's a full moon just like any other... except you're not going out there tonight."

Damn, now I'm talking to myself.

"In related news," the reporter moved on to say, "the largest anti-preternatural group, the Human Defense Coalition, has filed a protest to the new ruling in Japan and France. Clay Baldwin, their spokesperson, claims that preternaturals such as vampires and shapeshifters are too dangerous to humans for such an action."

I nodded, then felt stupid because there was no one to see it. It's too much like talking to myself. I blamed Takao. Yeah, Takao's the cause of all my troubles.

While I didn't belong to any anti groups – it would be too detrimental for my cover, not because I was too young... really – I definitely wasn't against them either. They were way more practical than the pro groups that thought vampires and shapeshifters were just big cuddly things with fangs. And claws. And could ravage a man without breaking a sweat. Do vampires sweat? It doesn't matter. Besides, sometimes they even paid me for keeping down shapeshifter populations and I could keep my hands off of the money Gr—Voltaire gave me.

There were just a few little problems with them, like with –

"Others groups are also protesting the decision, some even violently. At 3:00 PM in Chiba City, the well-known Vampire Activist Sonoda Hijo was shot three times on his way to the Center for Vampire Rights. Police suspect..."

– that. Idiots. What dunce shot a man in the middle of the day? It made the preternaturals seem like the victims and everyone who is against preternaturals like fanatics.

I turned off the TV and walked over to the window. With Gr – Voltaire's money, I had been able to get an apartment with a great view over Ginza district – not that I ever looked out much – that was a 2LDK, a two bedroom apartment with a living, dining room and kitchen. It was a little far away from school, but only two stations away.

This would be the first full moon that I could remember that I wouldn't be loading my Browning and taking to the streets. There wasn't any sense in driving people to the preternatural's corner of the argument like the idiot anti-preternaturals. Yes, the mean old wicked hunters ruthlessly murdering the innocent, harmless little furry shapeshifters that also happen to rip innocent people to pieces. Whatever. If people wanted to whine and coo over the little monsters, fine, but don't stop me from eliminating a threat.

Well, okay, it wasn't fine to me. Shapeshifters and vampires are not misunderstood. They are not emotional, lusty, repentant and oh so tortured souls. Well... they're lusty and I'm not sure about the souls part, at least with vampires. But really, in the end, it didn't matter what they were and what they weren't when they were trying to rip out your throat.

Rich pinks, dark purples and navy-black colour of the night tinted the sky. The moon rose, pale and silver over the modern buildings.

Rei hadn't come back yet.

The thought filled me with dread. Those creatures were now prowling the darkened streets and no matter how good Rei was at martial arts, he couldn't compete with natural killers with fangs and claws.

Maybe he had just been held up at the market. Maybe he just couldn't find what he wanted in a few minutes and when he finally found it, he noticed that it was already dark. Perhaps he was just calling a cab instead of risking the walk home or something.

Yeah... Rei wouldn't be stupid enough to get killed by one of them.

Out of all of my former teammates, I found that Rei was the one I could... relax around best. With Takao, I always had to worry about how I was going to beat him or how he was going to beat his other challengers. Max was just to optimistic and cheerful to the point of grating my nerves. I couldn't live with him for almost a full year without doing something crazy. Kyouju... maybe. If he was too wrapped up in some project to pay me any mind.

Tala use to be my friend, sort of. As much as anyone could be my friend or his. An alliance, I guess I would call it. During the last World Championships, our relationship solidified a little bit but that's all gone now. He crossed a line when he sided with the Masters at the Prairieland Tournament, and no matter how much I know about why he turned out the way he does, I just can't... I just can't be comfortable around him anymore.

Rei, on the other hand, was below me in beyblading skill but he could handle his own in a battle. He didn't need to wait for some great inspiration to strike or anyone to figure out the solution for him. He was optimistic like Max, but more in a laid back kind of way. Doesn't force it on me.

And he's not damaged. Not damaged like...

Striding through the living room and the small hallway attached, I went into my bedroom and sat down at the desk. Rei would be back at any moment, I was sure, and I still had homework to do.

More precisely, the History of Vampire and Shapeshifter Suppression unit of my World History class. Sometimes, I wondered if it's just the world screwing me over or if I'm just obsessed that these things keep finding me. Looking back at the question, I decided that it's probably the world screwing me over. What can I say? It was those damn education reforms.

I flipped open my textbook and my notebook, glancing over my essay topic. In a seven paragraph essay, defend the United Nations and the Japanese government's decision to make shapeshifters and vampires legal citizens, including why other preternaturals, such as spirits and the Fey, were not included.

See? Proof! It's a freaking History class, not Social Studies!

I pushed my textbooks off my desk and glared at the bare wood.

--

That stupid kitty clock of Rei's struck midnight from the bedroom next door, and I jumped before cursing at myself. I closed my notebook on a half finished outline, one that insured to haunt me for as long as I live with the big fat 0 in big red marks.

I couldn't help but stare at it. This was how I was going to be spending my full moons from now on. Getting angry at stupid homework and jumping at stupid clocks. This was my life, forgetting about the monsters roaming the streets. I couldn't help but stare.

I shook my head to get the silly little thoughts out. Maybe I'd better just write some little piece of trash of world love and all that or ask Rei –

Wait a second.

Rei hasn't come home yet.

I peeked around my drawn bedroom curtains. The full moon sat high in the sky and its face mocked me. Mocked me because the only person close to... because... just because. The moon isn't a very nice inanimate object. I pulled around and slammed my fist into the wall.

The sharp stab of pain that ran through my arm woke up my mind, or more precisely to the "Why the hell did I just do that?" thoughts running through my head. How could I do something so childish over nothing? Whatever.

I crossed the room, opening the top drawer of my chest of drawers. I kept all my valuables in the top drawer. Probability-wise, it would be the last drawer to be searched since burglars tend to start on the bottom to save time, not that we got robbed a lot but I wouldn't want any petty thief to get their grubby little hands on my beloved Browning. Not for sentimental reasons, but that they could shoot me if I caught them then. Really.

I kept it in a locked box. A safe would be, well, safer but I don't any room to keep anything like that hidden in my apartment. After extracting a key from my back pocket, I unlocked the box and pulled out my semi-automatic. I tested the weight and almost smiled. It still fit nicely in my hand.

Shapeshifters were legal. I couldn't hunt them – no, I couldn't get caught. It would have been folly to haunt them every full moon, but in emergency circumstances...

Yes, my Browning belonged in my hand. Setting it down on top of my chest of drawers, I extracted the black leather shoulder holster from the box and fastened it on slid my gun into place and pulled on my coat instead of my scarf, the long black and red one. My favorite one that hid a weapon better than any of my others. Just in case, I hid a few extra silver knives and a few extra magazines of bullets.

I was going to go find Rei, bar any shapeshifter that got in my way.

Who says I'm not a nice guy?

--

I stalked down the darkened street, glaring at everything that I came across, which wasn't much. I had checked all of the grocery stores within the district (Rei wouldn't be stupid enough to go to any one he had to take a train to get to) but had come up short. I had even checked out the local hospital, our apartment again, and the police stations. Rei was no where to be seen.

After looking through the lobby and bar of the Imperial Hotel, I took a left to look at the last place. Hibiya Park. 160 000 square metres of grass, bushes and trees, perfect for a pack of shapeshifters if they were stupid enough to transform there.

Still, the shapeshifters had used the park for their pre-full moon celebration. Along the lake shore were the remaining vestiges of the celebration, surrounding a small dais. It looked nearly skeletal in the dark of the night.

Crack!

I whirled around, pulling out my gun, my heart beating madly. I looked over the area thoroughly, watching for any movement, but only the moonlit trees met my gaze. Behind me, the waters gently lapped at the stone shoreline. It could have just been a branch had fallen into the waters. Or it could be a shapeshifter.

I glance at my watch, and breathed a sigh of relief. It wouldn't be a shapeshifter for long. Moving as carefully and as smoothly as I could manage, I started searching the festival tents. I came up to the first one, and, with my gun held ready, squeezed between the table and the tent flap over, but before I could even pull myself free, I started.

What was that? My head turned so fast that I could hear a small crick! in my neck. I had heard something. I stilled myself, trying to hear as best as I could.

There! A moan.

"Rei?" I called out. A scream followed my call.

I pulled myself back out of the table and hurried over to where it had come from. Past the last tent and through the line of trees, I broke out onto another path, and from there another path and another. And in the field that lay beside that last path I saw him. Rei.

When I saw him, I nearly dropped to my knees. Instead, I brought my Browning back up and fixed my coldest scowl on my face, before coming to his side.

Something went through me, some kind of emotion, but I didn't know what. It barely seemed there.

Rei's lithe naked body spasmed as I watched, before coming to lie still on his back with another moan. I lowered my gun to aim it straight to his head, a near point blank shot. Half of his head would be blown off if my index finger tightened enough around the trigger. My scowl deepened at the thought.

His eyes fluttered open, and for a moment he stared at my shoes. Then his eyes traveled upwards, growing larger in surprise, before finally narrowing in on my beautiful semi-automatic pistol.

"K...K... Kai?"

I cocked the hammer, a superfluous action that none the less got the desired results. Rei blinked before pulling himself backwards. His shoulders began to shake. He tried to scramble to his feet but in his haste he was merely tripping over himself.

"Shapeshifter."

--

To be continued...