Hi!

This is me being really into writing dark supernatural hichirukichi right now. :P

So...happy reading! :D

Disclaimer: I own only the story. Alas! Kubo-sensei is awesomeness! :P

Chapter One: Memento Mori

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Moonlight filtered in through the open window, playing with the shadows in her room, making them seem somehow alive. There were no cicadas singing their evening song, not even a light breeze to rustle the leaves of the trees outside. Only the shadows moved, the silvery illumination of the full moon perched high above the night sky seeming to provoke their restlessness.

It is what some would call a blue moon, when it shines so brightly so high in the sky tinged with a ring of a myriad of colors. It was a foreboding omen. It means evil lurked in the dark recesses, waiting.

But the sole occupant of the room was asleep on the futon, her petite form tense and her head twitching jerkily on the pillow as her eyelids fluttered, her brows trembling. She was still deep within her dream. And in her dreams, darkness filled every crevice, every nook.

It was all there is.

Rukia…

A voice was calling her. Her head turned instinctively at the sound. It made her shiver, hearing it so near and yet she can't see where it was actually coming from. The voice was laced with malice and it scared her. She felt more afraid of it than the dank darkness surrounding her.

She couldn't see anything. Not a single light was in sight as she groped around; trying to determine what kind of place she was in. But her outstretched arms only met the still air.

She took a deep steadying breath and tentatively stepped forward only for her foot to land on empty space where she expected something solid. She gasped audibly before her throat eclipsed into itself as the ground gave way under her. The wind rushed in her ears, burning her eyes. She was falling so fast that it took her what felt like an eternity to find her voice and scream. The moment the sound left her she couldn't stop it. She closed her eyes and went on screaming, and screaming as she tried to reach, grasp for something to hold on to.

A sharp pain from her hand made the screaming abruptly stop as she felt something warm trickle down her arm. She caught the acrid, metallic scent of blood—her blood. Something sharp had cut her. She stretched her hand again and swiped it at the air and felt another sharp sting as her palm was torn open. More blood flowed freely; the smell filling her nose. The wind rushing beneath her sprayed her face with its warmth.

She felt something lodged on her palm, it felt like an especially jagged shard of glass. The feel of it embedded to her skin bothered her. She was just about to try and remove it when her free fall came to a standstill so that she was suspended in mid-air.

Her wild eyes roamed the darkness even though she knew it was useless. No matter how much she strained herself to see there was only blackness surrounding her. There was nothing to see.

In the distance she could hear a loud beating noise of what she can only gather as the sound of wings. It was coming nearer. She gripped her hand, careless of the pain as even more of her blood flowed out of the wound. She couldn't stop her body from trembling at the sound fast approaching her.

She could hear a sucking noise everywhere as if a vacuum has opened up somewhere until there was an echoing silence; an eerie stillness as everything, every sound vanished leaving behind a strange and frightening calm. She could feel herself start to shake more violently, her lips trembling. Her eyes flitted back and forth as she tried to sense her surroundings when a pair of menacing glowing yellow eyes appeared before her, startling her as she choked on her own attempt to scream.

A large cold hand gripped her neck in a tight hold but it was not strangling her. She felt its thumb caress the irregular thumping on her neck, feeling the pulsating vein. She could almost feel the blood feverishly flowing in it.

"Rukia…" it was the voice that's been calling her. She felt her eyes widen as a hard, muscled torso pressed against her. The hand on her neck loosened and her chin was lifted none too gently, trapped between long cold fingers. She heard a low chuckle of delight making his chest rumble lightly. She couldn't see him but she can almost tell that he towered over her.

"My, my…ya look absolutely delectable as always…" his fingers left her chin only for his hand to grab her injured hand and to her great surprise pried the insufferable shard from her palm making her bleed all over again. Before she could attempt to try and take her hand back she felt his hot, moist tongue eagerly lapping at her wound. She gasped loudly and flinched as it slid between the broken skin and his mouth clamped on the raw gash sucking harshly. She tried to pry her hand away but only made him snarl at her as his grip tightened around her wrist.

She started to break free but his arm came around her and kept her close in an iron grip making her unable to even squirm. His mouth had moved on to her arm, trailing the blood as he lapped at it with his tongue. He was moaning and his hand around her gripped her tiny waist tightly. Her body stiffened in his restricting embrace.

"Delicious…" she felt him straighten up and lean next to her ear, "I could just eat ya whole…" he punctuated his words with a playful lick on her earlobe.

"Why ya lookin' at me like that?...don't ya know who I am?..." she could almost hear the frown in his voice as he moved away from her.

"I…" she tried to speak but the effort of speaking was raking at her throat.

"Ya what?..."

Ignoring the rawness of her throat she forced herself to speak, her voice sounding harsh as she rasped the words out. "I can't…see…you…can't…see…any…thing…"

"Well that's a shame that is…but it can't be helped…" she heard him heave a sigh and felt a strong gust of wind as she heard the loud whooshing of a pair of powerful wings spreading before her.

"It's enough that I can see ya, Rukia…for now." His taunting voice sounded far away, making her brows furrow in confusion even as she felt the chill of his words. She could still feel his presence before her.

The wind billowed around her and she put up her arms to shield herself from the onslaught. She heard the strong beating of wings again, growing steadily making her hair whip across her face. It lasted for only a moment before there was silence again.

She was alone, still surrounded by darkness. It was cold, even her very skin was cold. A trembling hand covered her mouth. She could still detect the lingering scent of dried blood. It made her nauseous.

She felt stirring around her, erratic movements like the flow of rapid static. It made the hairs on her arms and at the back of her neck stand up. She blinked at the electrifying sensation and found at least hundreds of glowing red eyes surrounding her.

She took an immediate step back, still assured by her solid footing. The eyes followed her, inching closer. With every step she took they came closer. Her fear escalating, she tried to make a run for it only to be overwhelmed by hundreds of cold hands holding her down, bringing her into the darkness. Making her one with them.

She tried to open her mouth to scream but a clammy hand clamped over her lips and her scream died in her throat. They were crushing her, pulling, tugging at her small, prone body and she could not do anything.

Everywhere she looked, she saw glowing red slits. Her ear caught the almost inaudible cackling and hissing. And the cacophony of voices shrieking in her ear, chanting, begging, and pleading in one monstrous voice.

Remember!

Remember!

Remember!

She screamed. Even as she tasted blood she went on screaming, uncontrollably, hysterically as she tore at her hair, scratched at her arms, her face and feeling her skin tearing at the sharpness of her nails.

She just screamed as the shadows devoured her.

Thanks for reading. :)

-kimchi-