Half

by Qt-chan

Usagi had a normal life, but who cares now? The vampires? The werewolves? What about the other creatures of the night? Turns out everyone wants a piece of her, but which side has the advantage? Which side is telling the truth? ...and what about Heero?

1. Chapter 1

Half :: by Qtchan

Usagi had a normal life...but who cares now? The vampires? The werewolves? What about the other creatures of the night? Turns out everyone does, but which side has the advantage? ...and what about Heero?

Chapter 1

"Honey, are you sure you ain't got nowhere else ta go? 'Cause I know that you won't wanna spend tonight at the station." The pudgy female officer stared at Usagi, buggy brown eyes juggling her and the ceiling lights around. "There's a phonebook ova there." She said absently, looking back down at whatever it was she was doing. The papers made a soft rustling as her doughy hands pushed them into new folders. Usagi was just another case, another piece of paper with a number to her.

'She doesn't care…how could she care…does she even know?' The questions kept buzzing around in Usagi's head like bees. The long hours she had spent in the cracked and shabby police office had stretched into a lifetime.

She chewed on a lock of straw-blonde hair; that and constantly folding and unfolding her hands had been the extent of her activities that day. Usagi switched from chewing on her hair to anxiously biting her lips. 'God…what's going on? What's taking so long?' As she thought, a gleam of light reflected off of the badge planted on the lady's bulky chest to bounce back and wink cheerily at Usagi.

'What's it so happy about?' The question flamed through Usagi's eyes, 'Nothing should be happy today!' She glanced back at the police woman, disgust beginning to pile up inside of her. 'Of all the people ...why would anyone do this to me,' she wailed silently. Her insides were wound tight as springs, she was going to bust any moment now. She was going to explode with the pain like a jack in the box. She needed her mother now, to come rising up from the dead and hold her. So many things had happened in the space of a few hours…so many things… The world had stopped working properly, time had forgotten minutes and hours, things had been shattered.

She pointed her heavy gaze at the policewoman who sat hunched over the computer, the screen-light tinting her face a brilliant blue. Usagi's eyes widened…blue faces…she'd seen them just that morning. 'Why does this have to happen to me?' She felt like she'd just been hit, smacked in the face with the recent past. It emerged from her memories and crowded her mind, passing through her lungs like the breath of the dead. Usagi's heart leapt.

She'd woken on the floor that morning, cold, stiff, and sore.

Usagi traced her fingers around the bandage taped to her shoulder. She was back in the police station again. She faintly remembered the twinge that her cut shoulder had sent that morning; scorching her spine, as she'd lifted herself up on her elbow when she'd awakened. The pain had sent her falling back, pushing her down to the floor so that she could see him. He was a stranger, a dead stranger, in her room. Sticky blood caked had caked his shoulder. His face had been cut so deeply that she had been able to see his grinning jawbones. The remaining eye, veins trekking all across it, had stared right through her as she'd screamed.

Usagi started towards the phone booth, her heart racing as if it were in a marathon. Memories kept colliding into the present, scenes spilling onto the squeaky linoleum floor in front of her. She'd tripped over another body lying just inside her doorway when she'd jumped up to run away. She'd slipped and fallen in his blood…Usagi's stomach heaved again at the memory; blood had seeped through her pants, dripped from, and gloved her fingers. She didn't make it into her parent's bedroom. She had stood just outside of it, frozen. Her father and mother gaped back at her, lips pulled back across gleaming teeth, horror bending their bodies. Veins mapped their faces, mixing green with blue-tinged skin, bloodless...completely dry.

She remembered that the police had thought her parents' death was peculiar, that it was sad, that it was another impossible case. No prints, no logical answers, there was nothing at the 'crime scene' that had interested them. The officers had stared at her as she sat on the doorstep, hugging herself. Her face had been swollen from tears. Maybe they had wondered about her ability to handle the situation. Maybe wondering why she wasn't puking her guts up on the floor like they had after seeing her parents. Usagi chewed on her lips until they were a sharp red. She had felt empty, sitting there all by herself. She was nobody now, she had no friends after the constant moving, no parents, no home…nothing. She was an orphan, that word had been enough to turn her stomach, no one wanted her.

Usagi's sneakers squeaked against the linoleum. The lights hummed overhead, making the green walls a washed out yellow. Police officers kept coming and going, slamming the front door as they went. The passing criminals swore and leered at Usagi; testing their cuffs, struggling to stay free in one way or another as they passed her by. Usagi finally reached the phone booth, her hands gripping the little counter below the telephone as if for dear life. She was shaking. Biting her lip, Usagi began to flip through the pages with blind eyes. Her fingers passed over thousands of names and numbers without a care. She knew there wasn't anyone on these pages. She'd just moved here, who would keep her?

The pages blurred before her eyes, if only her mom and dad were here to hold her… 'Mawrter…Mawson…Maxwell.' Usagi's fingers stopped at the top of the page, 'Didn't he…I might as well try, if he says no it'll be fine. I'll just say that I…' Usagi's mind blanked, what would she say? ' "My family's been slaughtered, I was wondering if I could stay at your place?" ' Sighing, she picked up the phone, swallowing the fit of tears, "I'll just see if he's home." The phone buzzed once on the other end and was picked up immediately.

"Hullo? Maxwell residence," Someone giggled at the other end, "If you wanna talk to my brother," Usagi's muscles bunched when the girl at the other end suddenly screamed shrilly, then, "Get off the fucking phone Violet! This is Alistair…Hello? Who is this?"

Usagi paused, 'say a fake name!' her mind thrust the idea up to her and then grabbed it back, 'don't be stupid. Just tell him what you want to say.'

"Hello? Is anybody there? If this is a," The speaker was cut off by the girl at the other end of the line, Usagi.

"It's Usagi." Her heart started to race again, what if he said no. She was so embarrassed and she couldn't think of the reason why. "I was wondering if I could…if maybe," Usagi chewed on her lip, 'this was a bad idea.' Her hand started to twist the bottom of her shirt in nervousness.

The pause on the other end of the line stretched on and on before, "Tsukino? You're the girl I gave rides to for the past week, right?" He asked, patience settling in his words.

"Yeah…that's me, sorry about this, but I just wanted to know if I could stay over for a few nights." Usagi wanted to throw up and scream, this was so unbelievably awkward and painful and, 'why can't I just shoot myself?' She hurriedly mumbled on, "I promise I won't be a pig or anything. I just wanted to know. If I can't then that's fine. I just didn't want to stay at the orphanage you know," her eyes were starting to water, the numbers in the phonebook blurring away again. "…Because that's my only other choice and I," her throat was beginning to close, Usagi was silenced by a, "Hang on a sec, lemme go and see if it'll be okay. I'll be right back."

"Thanks Alistair." Usagi murmured faintly. She heard the phone being put down and waited, worried that he might hang up on her or… 'I just wanna go to bed and forget all of this.' She thought tiredly.

Alistair put the phone down and pinned his sister, Violet, with his eyes, "Don't touch the phone." She glared back at him, a purple bruise blooming on her shoulder from the smack she'd received from him earlier. "Whatever assfuck." She flipped her raven hair and turned the TV up louder. Alistair smirked and bent closer to her, "Maybe if you had some control over your idiotic moments Violet, you'd be able to find yourself a mate by now." He hissed into her ear.

Violet flicked him her middle finger, her purple eyes sparked with unspoken rage. If it weren't for werewolf rank, she would be the one spitting comments like her brother, Alistair, did. Alistair's lips crooked at the ends and he nudged her playfully, "Sorry baby sister, I forgot that you were still sensitive about your last break-up, or should I say your last almost-kill-your-boyfriend-so-he-runs-away-screaming episode?" Alistair grinned widely, noticing how Violet's hands were balled into fists. He was the high school football star, 'that kid' the girls always talked about, the one with the money and cars and the clothes, the guy that was the silent genius in class. And to top it, he was ranked higher in the family than her. Violet could almost say she hated him at times like this, 'the bullshit that I have to deal with.' She huffed inside, 'makes me want to kill him.'

Alistair headed towards the family's sleek, modernized kitchen. His long platinum hair would have been hippy-like, would have been…if it weren't for that hungry look in his eyes and the too-sharp angles in his face, he might have looked halfway innocent if it weren't for those. Alistair pulled out a beer, sipping at it as he thought, 'Usagi's parents were killed today…interesting.' Alistair set the bottle down, tapping his fingers on the countertop, thinking. 'Duo will want to know.' He crossed the large, open expanse of polished wood and marble countertops to reach the stairs. Alistair knew that he should ask him anyway, he had been interested in the Tsukino girl the moment he'd set eyes on her. Alistair's face began to line with disgust, the curiosity had surpassed his youngest brother's, Duo Maxwell's, usual sexual-interest in girls that Alistair brought home. Panting and moans greeted his knock on the door.

"I need to talk to you, Maxwell." Alistair felt the hairs on the back of his neck stand up when a cry of wild abandonment slipped under the door and into his ears. His hand tightened into a fist, his jaw muscles locking and clicking canines together, "Would you stop fucking around for one damn minute?" He growled, his eyes could have burned holes through the door.

"What do you want hun?" A velvet female voice called out. Alistair sighed, forgetting the last thought "I need to talk to him." The girl behind the doors laughed, "If you haven't heard, we're both a little preoccupied at the moment."

Alistair's mouth pulled into a thin line, 'of all the damn girls he goes and sleeps with...' "It's about the girl," Alistair spat, "the one in the newspaper." He said, anger making his voice purr, he just wanted to go back now. He was probably more than pissed off at the moment anyway.

"Come in." It was the husky voice of Alistair and Violet's younger brother, the voice of the pack leader.

Alistair was surprised and annoyed at the lazy command, he had thought he'd be sent away or ignored, not, definitely not, asked in. And then there was the fact that his younger brother had that kind of power over him, telling him whether or not he could come into the room. Grimacing, Alistair slipped into the room. Pale starlight dusted the room, outlining the massive four poster bed that rested against the far wall. Alistair had to squint to see the two figures lying tangled in the bed sheets.

Alistair began, "Usagi Tsukino called to see if she could stay here for a few nights. She said she had nowhere else to go except the orphanage. I would have said no if I hadn't thought you'd want to hear about it first." He had to push the words out of his mouth, the smell of those two was overwhelming. 'If I were human I wouldn't have to worry about their disgusting scent infecting everything in the room for the next month.' Alistair thought in irritation. A pair of dazzling purple eyes stared back at Alistair and Alistair felt that familiar feeling, snarling rage, rise up into his belly. His idiot little brother was pack leader, it made his skin itch with the want to Change.

"Thank you Alistair, you were such a very good little wolf to tell me so…" Maxwell's voice drifted, "Tell that Tsukino girl that she can come and stay…Give her one of the good guest rooms." He said with a snort, an eyebrow lifting.

"I will." Alistair bowed slightly, the shallowest of bows he could manage, before he left.

Back in the room, the girl who had just felt power, that she'd somehow gotten a hold on her wily leader, grew sullen. "Why'd you do that, Duo? Are you gonna eat the little girl or something?" She yawned as she spoke, acting as if she didn't care. Duo smirked; he knew that she was annoyed. "No, I have bigger plans than that." He pulled the covers off of himself and reached for the jeans he'd thrown on the floor, "I'll see you in the morning." He heard her move and then felt her arms glide over his shoulders, enwrapping his neck. "Why can't you stay? Didn't you have fun tonight?" Duo unwrapped her from him, "I need to go, it's business. Those murders that happened today don't seem normal." Her fingers laced through his hair, braiding the auburn mane, "Okay…just come back soon." It seemed more like a question.

"I'll see you later Viv." Duo gave a slight smile, pulled his shirt back on and walked out the door.

Usagi couldn't believe her eyes, it was a huge house. A mansion; of all the places to stay in the world, she got to stay in a grade A mansion. "You live here, Alistair?" She murmured in surprise.

"Yeah. Just while I'm in school though, when I get out, I get to move to some shittier place." He said sarcastically.

Usagi rolled her eyes, "Hey, I'll take your place any day." Alistair couldn't help but grin at the thought, "I think you'd find it more than a little interesting." His hands tightened around the wheel, 'damn right she'd find it interesting, having a messed up bastard brother leading the pack…'

They had fallen back into silence. Alistair glanced at Usagi, she was still staring out the window. He wondered what Duo wanted with her, she was pleasant, he'd give Usagi that, but Duo had never wanted anything less than the beautiful, the sexy, the innocent, the wild... Duo was the type that, since he had the power, he would use it. He brought home every kind of girl, Usagi would be nothing special. 'I can't let him get his way this time.' Alistair thought. He pulled into the expansive driveway and parked. 'Usagi is just an innocent who's gone through a lot…will he really go so far as to try and corrupt her?' Alistair frowned to himself at the thought.

Usagi slipped out of her seat and stared, her hand still on the door. Alistair paused to look Usagi over. She looked so out of place in his world, the opulent and dangerous world of the Maxwell family. "Usagi," He faltered, he didn't know where he was going with this, "I want to tell you that,"

Don't," Her eyes were wide open, startled, so this was what she was going to feel like when people started telling her how they felt about her parent's deaths. She wet her lips, her throat suddenly dry, "I really don't want to know right now Alistair. I'm," she exhaled, "I'm not ready…let me get some sleep first." Her azure eyes were like perfect crystals, refracting that guttering light inside of her. Alistair nodded, "Alright." His eyes lingered on her for a split second longer before he turned and led her up the grand steps. Punching a code into the tiny keypad on the door he swung it open and let Usagi in. She gave him a sidelong glance as she passed by, embarrassed when their eyes caught each others'. 'I wonder…' but then Usagi was inside of the house. Alistair flicked back his long platinum hair, his eyes following Usagi. He could read her shock at the luxuriousness of the house. Obviously she wasn't used to what he considered convenient. It was one huge cavernous den of marble, oak, mahogany, and expensive furniture. It was all dark and rich, black, dark brown, burgundy, nothing toned above a deep red. And fitting perfectly in the midst of all it was Violet. She turned and looked the new arrive over. She'd been instructed by the 'big-brother-boss' himself not to mess around with the girl. 'But still…' Violet made a noise in the back of her throat, so this was the girl her brother had been giving rides to for the last few days. 'No wonder he did, she's hot.' Her eyes narrowed, if there was one thing she hated, it was another female in the house.

"What's your name?" Violet called sweetly, "Mine's Violet Maxwell." She tucked a black lock behind her ear, giving a sly, discomforting glance in Usagi's direction.

"One letter short of what you really are." Alistair grumbled, "He told you to leave her alone, so fuck off Violet."

Violet glared at Alistair, "Excuse me, I didn't know I was talking to you."

"It's Usagi." Usagi said, trying to keep the peace, "I'm a friend of Alistair's."

"A friend?" Violet stared at Usagi, her gaze dragging its way slowly up her body. 'Toned legs, flat belly…a little small in the chest…okay face, moderate butt…amazing blue eyes…definitely not Duo's type…' Violet thought to herself while saying, "I hope so, the last girl that walked in here, well…lets just say that she didn't end up all in one piece." Violet winked, it was payback time. Alistair shot Violet a warning glance, which she ignored, "You'd better watch it, Usagi." Violet enjoyed the curiosity crossed with offence that flew over Usagi's features. There was someone new to torment in the house, and to make it even better, this stranger had no rank whatsoever in the family.

Usagi shifted uncomfortably. She'd known from the very moment that she'd walked into school that, in Usagi's eyes, Violet was at the very top of it all; popularity, money, looks. Alistair was too…but then he had always been so nice to her. Giving her rides home, walking her around the school… 'but then I guess he had to since he was the school appointed chaperone.' Usagi realized dimly in the back of her head. Alistair cleared his throat, "Sorry, my sister's a freak." Usagi's gaze slipped back to Alistair, what exactly did Violet mean when she said Alistair's girlfriends hadn't come back altogether? She remembered the shock that had jumped up into her stomach when she'd first seen Alistair. He should be a model, she'd thought at the time. His eyes, chips of ice, had snapped her to attention, and then there was his long, sleek, silver hair that … 'strange how he keeps it long like that…'Alistair was a step in the direction of the stairs when Duo came in through the verandah door.

"Looks like I'm just in time." Duo said, smiling widely at Usagi. He slammed the door shut behind him, his bared chest was bathed in the night's light. Usagi gaped at the man, she hadn't expected a guy like that would live in Alistair's house. He seemed completely unrefined, rough, the kind of guy that could make it on the streets. And only the streets. Usagi's lungs suddenly clenched downwards, her hand flew up to her chest. Her body began to contract with need of more oxygen, she felt like she was about to faint. Through all of it Usagi could see Duo as clear as the sun, standing back and watching her, a smile planted on his face. '…there's something about him that's so familiar…' It was a feeling that Usagi could taste at the back of her mouth, feel at the tips of her fingers, 'is he Alistair's dad?' Usagi was snatched back to reality, 'At least Alistair still has a dad.' Her gaze grew hard. Her lungs abruptly relaxed themselves and Usagi gulped in the clean air. She was surprised when she felt Alistair's warm hand running up and down her back, she hadn't noticed at all. "Are you alright?" Alistair repeated, staring at Usagi in surprise. "I think so…" she said, her voice echoing thinly around the cavern. Her face flushed, everyone was looking at her. 'Way to go Usagi, lets have a heartattack right in front of them.' She thought embarrassedly to herself.

Duo continued to stare at Usagi, 'Of all the babes…' He had to fight the smile inching its way up his face or she'd see his fangs in the light. 'She's the one though.' He thought maliciously, 'of all the girls…she's the one…some weak little blond girl gets to be a Half. Perfectly unreasonable.' He thought.

"If you don't mind Alistair, I'll lead her to her room." Duo managed to plaster on a pleasant expression for Usagi, "you need to go out and get some food, Alistair." Duo said, ignoring Alistair's steely gaze. Alistair stared at Duo, his eyes silently sending the message of 'do you really think I'm that stupid.'

Duo lifted his violet eyes, meeting Alistair eye to eye, "I said, go and get some food Alistair."

Authority, Alistair's jaws clicked together in fury, he hated it. Someday Alistair would be the one to have it, instead of Duo. "I'll see you later Usagi." Alistair murmured. 'What're you planning Duo?' He thought as he turned away.

Usagi's hand suddenly whipped out and grabbed Alistair's arm, "What? You're just leaving me like that?" Something was going on here, Usagi felt a chill creeping up her spine.

"I thought you said that you were just friends with Alistair, Usagi." Violet chimed in wolfishly, harassing the girl. "It doesn't look like it by the way you're acting." Usagi couldn't help but shoot Violet a nasty glare, she was just itching to rip hunks of Violet's raven hair right out. Alistair shrugged her hand off, "I'll be back, I'm just gonna get some food. Don't worry, you'll be perfectly safe here…with Duo." It was such a difficult thing to even think much less say. Duo walked up to the pair quickly, his thick chestnut braid slung over his shoulder. "He's right you know, you'll be perfectly safe." His purple eyes were glowing, Usagi took a step back from Duo. She was afraid, her insides had started jumping around again. Duo seemed too close to her, even with a good sized foot in-between them. Alistair exited through the nearby doorway without another word. Duo could win the battle this time, but he was prepared for Duo in the next round. Alistair knew exactly what Duo wanted.

Violet felt a sadistic pleasure as she turned her back on Usagi to the TV. She didn't mind if her brother hurt the girl, anything to keep Usagi from becoming the focus of attention in the house.

Usagi crossed her arms over her chest in discomfort, this was even more awkward than before. She timidly met Duo's gaze, he winked lazily. "Your room's this way." He said cheerily. He lead her up a beautifully cut staircase that appeared to be plummeting from the ceiling like a spiraling waterfall. Usagi tried to take quiet, deep, breathes to calm herself but they weren't working. She blanched, 'What am I doing? I don't want to follow this creepy guy.' Her nerves were wriggling under her skin, 'what's wrong with me, I feel sick now on top of it all.' Usagi pulled at the collar of her t-shirt, it felt hotter to her all of a sudden. Duo paused on the step, sensing her hesitation. He, unbeknownst to Usagi, could feel the way that her nerves were pulling and wriggling around under her skin. It made his body prickle all over. There was no doubt now that she was the one. Duo wanted so much to simply tell Usagi that he knew what she really was underneath that human skin. To just peel off her cover and show her what she was underneath, welcome her to this new world. A tragedy hadn't happened to her, only a stroke of luck. What if she'd gone on for the rest of her life the way she was, unaware of her power. Duo smiled to himself, 'and the werewolves have first dibs to the power.'

Usagi still couldn't believe that Alistair had up and left her like this. She was alone with some hostile juvenile and this strange, strange, man. 'Who just happens to make me feel nauseous.' Usagi held her stomach, it had decided to give her some trouble too. Reaching the landing, Duo pointed to a door down the narrow hall, "Your room's right there." His eyes bore into Usagi, watching her intently. Usagi attempted to stare back but only managed to wince. A headache like none she'd ever had before was pounding through her brain. "Where…did you say it was?" Usagi huffed out, sweat had begun to dribble down her neck. Duo's eyes gleamed at her in the dark, "I had thought it would be better to tell you tomorrow…" He grinned, a barbaric grin. Usagi blinked her eyes, had she just seen fangs glittering back at her?

"But seeing your current condition maybe it would be better if I just told you right here and now."

Usagi remained plastered against the wall, her eyes had widened to the size of saucers, "What in hell are you raving about?" Usagi snapped, "I feel like I'm dying here and all you can do is babble on about some stu," Duo suddenly stepped forwards and clamped a hand over Usagi's mouth. His other hand had somehow snatched both of hers together and pinioned them tightly against her stomach. Usagi stared at Duo in horror, 'Oh my god, someone save me!' A hundred things began to run through Usagi's mind, her spine tingling with adrenaline. Duo forced a knee between her legs and smiled wickedly at Usagi.

'That's right,' Duo thought, 'any moment now.' Usagi felt the blood pounding in her ears as she stared back into Duo's eyes, if only she could wiggle her hands free then she could...

"Go on Ms. Tsukino, change already!" Duo's grip on her wrists tightened painfully, "I know you want to, there's no denying it." He crooned into her ear. Usagi shook her head fiercely, despite having it crushed against the wall. 'What is he talking about? I can't believe Alistair left me alone with this freak!' Duo's brows slanted steeply downwards as Usagi continued to glare at him, still fully human. Sighing in annoyance Duo freed Usagi instantly, "I had thought you'd be like a normal…just a little provocation and you'd change, but obviously that's not the way of half-blood's."

"What the fuck are you going on about!" Usagi yelled, she had circled Duo so that her back was to the stairs. She was ready to make her escape if he came any closer, "If I'd have known you were some perverted, babbling, psychopath I wouldn't have asked Alistair if I could stay here. So I'm just going to leave right now, alright you messed up freak!" She sounded hysterical, her thoughts weren't making any sense either. She shuddered, what was happening here?

Duo leaned against the wall, leisurely stretching his arms, he would have to try a different tack. "I know who killed your mom and dad." Usagi froze, that was the last thing she could have expected him to say. "What?" She said incredulously, "I don't believe you…that isn't funny." Usagi's voice had sunk to a low growl, "You have no idea what I've gone through." It was like someone had uncorked her, pulled out whatever it was that had been holding her together. Her eyes started to spill over with tears, nose dripping, "you're not allowed to talk about them!" Usagi's threat sounded like a mewling for milk.

Duo turned to Usagi, "I don't know what you've gone through, hmm…sounds like you don't know either or else then we wouldn't be standing here in the hallway talking about it." Usagi could feel the hairs on the back of her neck prickling, "You are such a bastard."

"Do you want to know who killed your parents or are you going to swear at me for the rest of the night?"

"Tell me!" Usagi commanded. Despite it all, she wanted to know what he was going to say, curious. Duo turned sharp eyes on Usagi, "First you have to do something for me," faster than anything she'd ever seen before, Duo grabbed Usagi's wrist and wrenched her forwards. Then with a quick flick of his wrist, he threw her onto the ground. She was about to leap up, to scream, to do something, when she noticed Duo's body beginning to change. He was…was it possible? Usagi stared at Duo for a long minute before her brain was able to accept it, acknowledge the fact. Duo was growing larger, his spine hunching up under his taut skin. For a split second Usagi thought that she was having some kind of hallucination when fangs and claws came ripping through Duo's skin, spattering blood on the wall. Usagi leapt up and screamed as loud as she could. Sprouts of black fur began to cover his skin and Usagi screamed at the top of her lungs again. Her brain urged her feet to move and to run but she couldn't propel herself to escape down the stairs. 'I need to run! Run, damn it, run!' Her legs were planted firmly to the ground even as her heart beat a wild tattoo.

Below, Violet covered her ears, continuing to focus her attention on the TV. She felt a slight veneer of guilt begin to cover her. She hadn't really thought that anything would happen to the Tsukino girl. She had just done some wishful thinking. "I hate myself. I hate Duo. I hate Alistair. And I really fucking hate Usagi." Violet muttered to herself as her guilt increased with each scream. Turning off the television she slowly unfolded her legs from the couch and got up. 'Fine, I'll just go and see what's going on, I'm not going to interfere or anything.' Turning resolutely, Violet marched up the stairs. 'That's right, I'll just see what's going on. Duo won't mind," her nose suddenly picked up on that unmistakable smell, werewolf. Violet skipped steps as she ran up, if he was in his werewolf form then things were a lot worse than she had thought them to be. 'If he's actually eating her than, shit, I was just joking when I said I wanted her to be eaten!' The heavy scent grew stronger as she went. Halfway up the stairs she spotted Duo and Usagi. Her body froze, watching in avid fascination as blood splattered and skin stretched, revealing the werewolf that lay hidden in Duo.

He stood, bent forwards slightly, on powerful hind legs. His front paws, crossed between human and wolf, were far better than either alone. Sparkling gold eyes stared down a long black snout at Usagi. Slowly, like a felled tree, he crashed down onto all fours. He seemed to fill the whole hall, he was enormous. Usagi's heart was racing. 'I must be dreaming, this can't be real!' Her eyes swallowed the whole of Duo in horror, 'this can't be real' she repeated. Usagi automatically shrunk back when he opened his jaws, each tooth as big as her fist. He ripped out a piercing howl that shook the hall. 'That sound,' Usagi held her head in pain, something was beating at her brains and her blood was so hot in her veins, like fire. Usagi's pupils stretched into slits while blue became gold. She ached all over, 'what's happening to me?' She felt as if some invisible hands were stretching and contorting her body in ways that shouldn't be possible for any human.

And then it came back to her, as ribs cracked outwards and insides rearranged themselves; she'd woken up the instant they'd come into the house, 'those murdering bastards,' her mind shot in as the memory was sucked from out of the dredges. There had been two of them, pale, lean, scary as hell. They'd padded down her hallway like cats, opening her door to creep in. They'd expected to find someone sleeping, an easy kill. But no, she'd heard them, she had been ready. The power that she'd felt then had been like a godsend. The energy had surged through her and then she'd changed as she was changing now. 'Changed like Duo.' She thought, her eyes scrunched together and a sound, high-pitched like a scream but ten times louder, deeper, more penetrating, rocked the house. Why hadn't she known of this power before, she could have saved her parents. Why hadn't anyone told her? She remembered her paws, like baseball bats, beating the two men down, tearing them apart with brute strength.

She thudded down onto all fours, her head swiveled around so that she could see Duo. His pink tongue pulling up and down, a lopsided grin plastered onto his face. 'Now you know.' Before she even knew what she was doing, Usagi flew at Duo. This was clearly not part of his game plan. Pinning his ears back Duo snarled, 'I don't think you should try that.' He said to her, his voice echoing in her mind. Usagi stumbled, snapping her jaws at Duo in frustration as he dodged her. How was it possible that he was in her head like that? Lunging at him again she was surprised when he lashed an expert paw out at her. He knocked her effectively to the floor and sauntered over to her. Hackles raised, Usagi snarled, 'Keep the fuck away from me.' Duo was nearly on top of her now, Usagi chose to attack then. He was caught completely by surprise as gleaming fangs clamped and tore into his throat. Usagi could taste and feel the heat of his blood as it dribbled onto the floor and into her mouth. 'I'm going to kill you.' She thought fiercely, her throat kept purring like a motor as unrestrained snarls worked their way out of her jaws. It felt so good to tear him up like this, let him know how it felt to be her at the moment.

Violet remained frozen on the steps, 'Am I about to witness the death of Duo?' She was half transformed into a werewolf and had leapt for the landing when Duo suddenly changed tack and bulled into the smaller werewolf attached to his neck. Now, with unrestricted rage, Duo leapt upon Usagi with his paws and began biting and batting at her. 'Surprised me little bitch, thought you could just kill me like that did you?' Inside, Duo was brimming with excitement and pleasure, Usagi was living up to the image that he had wanted her to be. Usagi was rammed through a doorway, yipping as splintered wood stabbed at her sides. Duo continued to shove her forwards until she was hauled into the middle of the room. She'd lost her winning hold on his neck a long time ago. Crouched on the floor, ears laid flat to her head, Usagi looked fiercely back at Duo. Some of her anger had cooled and now she wondered if she would be able to survive this attack. She was sure she was bleeding all over the place and Duo was obviously the more experienced fighter. Usagi could see her chances dwindling down into thin air. Duo barely fit through the broken frame of the door. But once he was in, there was no denying that he had Usagi trapped there.

'Wanna try that move on me again?' Duo asked her, panting all the while. Usagi pressed herself closer to the floor, her white coat marred by streaks of red. She looked terrible to Duo, thoroughly beaten in his standards, but she didn't care, she was ready to lunge at him despite that. Duo wanted to give her a shake, a hard one. Privately he thought to himself, 'what's it going to take to get this stupid girl to listen?' Boring his amber eyes right into Usagi's he spoke to her, 'I didn't kill your parents if that's what you're thinking. It was vampires, and if you're going to tell me you don't believe in them than that's a bunch of bullshit since you're cowering there on the floor as a werewolf.' His voice was jarringly loud in her head. She growled again, 'Why wasn't I told that I was a monster like you? I could have saved my parents, I could have…I could have done something!' Her voice had risen to a yell in Duo's mind. Duo watched in amazement as she rose back up to an obstinate stand, her wounds already turning into thin scars.

'You're only half werewolf.' Duo muttered, he couldn't believe that she had healed so fast. It was unnatural… 'and you shouldn't be asking me that question. I only found you today after countless years of sacrifice.'

Usagi's shoulders tightened at the response, 'you were looking for me?'

'Everyone's been looking for you Tsukino. The vampires in your house last night were looking for you, they killed your parents so that they could have you. You're all they wanted after all, your parents would have been an inconvenience for them if they lived.' Duo rolled his shoulders in agitation, 'why do you think you and your parents have been moving around so much? It's been to keep us lycan and vampires off of your scent.'

The strength drained from Usagi's veins at the news, it had never occurred to her that her parents had always been on the move for her own protection. 'I thought that they didn't care, I thought that they weren't listening to me.' Memories flipped through her mind, she'd screamed at them to stop moving, she just wanted to get friends. She'd done everything, smoked, drank, partied like there was no tomorrow, all to show them what a bad thing moving was. She'd gotten good grades, bad grades, fights, everything for them to stop and…it had all been for her anyways.

"They were," Usagi paused in surprise when she heard her own voice, she had gotten used to talking with her mind. When she looked up and saw Duo, still in his werewolf body, glaring down at her, she felt the first sob shake itself loose. 'Everything is so fucked up right now.' She hugged her knees to her body, "Those vampire things killed my parents because of me?" Her voice squeaked. She clutched herself tightly, realizing a moment later that she was completely bare of clothing. "They died and it was my fault." Usagi whispered, tears kept squeezing out from under her shut eyelids. Why did this have to happen now? She hadn't been told when she'd found her parents, at the police office, during the coroner's questions, the paper signing's, that this was her fault. She lay collapsed on the floor, struggling to keep from bursting into tears. It felt as if the seams holding her body together were loosening inch by inch. "Why didn't someone tell me!" She covered her face and tried to shove her pain back down her constricting throat, 'why me?'

Violet abruptly entered into the room, pushing Duo aside as if he were just a big dog. "Get out of the way." She spat, her eyes were narrowed to slits. Duo's black lips curled in fury, 'watch it Violet, you have to be gentle with this one. We need her.' Violet stopped and swung around, her black gossamer hair swinging around her, 'I know what I'm doing Duo,' he'd only seen her this angry once, when he had killed their father, 'maybe you should have told me she was the Half!' Rei snapped.

Duo forced his muscles to relax, 'then you know what to do.'

Violet didn't reply, she had a blanket in her hands. She managed to bundle Usagi up and lead her to her guest bedroom in the efficient space of ten minutes. Usagi was completely exhausted and hardly put up a fight. Violet locked the door behind her, she stood against it and held back the shudders that were threatening to rock her body. The stories had all been true about the Half. Her father had been right…which meant, what? That Duo shouldn't have killed him? Violet shook her head, 'when is this going to end?'

After a moment, Violet collected herself enough to face Duo. "Where'd you go Duo?"

Violet jumped in surprise, Duo had been standing right in front of her. Their purple eyes matched perfectly. "Well? How is the little brat?" Duo asked gruffly.

Violet frowned, "She just went through a hell of a lot, you shouldn't talk about her that way." She said, protectiveness rising in her gut. Duo's intense gaze was casually broken as he yawned and stretched. "Whatever…how come you never call me brother?" He said, grinning comically. Violet started, 'how does he always manage to catch me off guard like that?' She rounded on him, "How come you never treat me like your sister."

"Because you never treat me like your brother." He said genially. Violet's eyes ran up and down Duo's body, "Usually brother's don't walk around naked." She retorted. Duo snickered softly, "Most brother's don't stay 26 forever either, now do they?"

'Rei,' Violet was again caught off guard as Duo called her with his mind, 'why don't you let me call you by your given name. I think it's prettier.'

"Well evidently not pretty enough," she said baldly, "Rei was the name my father gave me before he went fucking around with other females to produce a bastard like you." Her voice had risen to a shout, ringing through the hallway. She had forgotten that Usagi was in the room behind her. Duo's lips pursed together, "I'm sorry that I'm alive then."

Rei, wanted to believe the words so badly. She wrestled and fought with herself, 'just say okay…just let it pass away, forgive him.' But she didn't, her lips remained firmly locked together. Duo's eyes narrowed, "Fine, if you want to be stubborn go ahead and be stubborn. See where it gets you." He ripped a sheet from the bed behind him and wrapped it around himself before storming past Rei.

When Usagi woke up, it was to an aching body. She had been dreaming that she was a werewolf… 'But you are one.' Usagi's eyes blinked open at the thought, 'I am. Weird.' Lifting herself up onto her elbows she realized seconds later that she should have felt some pain in her shoulder, but there was nothing. Usagi frowned, 'what?' She peeked at her shoulder. There was nothing there but smooth, pale skin. "How'd that happen?" 'Maybe,' she thought rapidly, 'I heal faster now.' She grinned goofily, 'Cool. I should donate my body to science.' Her grin broke wider. As the sheets fell away Usagi remembered last night so vividly that it came as a physical blow. Crumpling back into the sheets Usagi gingerly touched where her heart was. It felt like she'd been wrung out.

"Yeah I know, it's like waking from a nightmare."

Usagi dove back under the covers, her eyes just peeking over the edge of them. "What're you doing here? Don't you know how to knock?" She yelled through the enshrouding sheets. Duo smirked, "Trust me Tsukino, I've seen a lot of naked girls and I didn't see anything new." Usagi snorted, "You are such a pervert." The sound of her laughing voice produced a sharp pain in her chest. It only reminded her of how her parents weren't ever going to laugh with her again. She fell silent. Duo didn't smile, he just continued to watch Usagi closely, steps would have to be taken as of now to ensure her protection.

"Rei has some clothes in her closet that you could probably wear." Duo murmured. Usagi frowned, "Who's Rei?"

Duo started from his own thoughts, he had called Violet, Rei…but then, he guessed, it was Violet's real name anyway…and, Duo guessed, it was time to tell Usagi anyways. "That's Violet's real name, Usagi. In this house, since they're all so close to the lead werewolf, me, we go by fake names."

Usagi gaped at Duo, "You…are a werewolf leader?" Duo nodded his head, his chest puffing with mock importance, "Yup. Have been for some time, I'm kind of like what the president is to humans except that there isn't so much dissent." He smirked, "it's really not that big of a deal." Awkward silence tailed his words, his eyes were pinned to Usagi. She looked away.

"Usagi, you need to know about a few things before you go walking around as a part of my Maxwell family."

"But I'm not." The words flew from Usagi's mouth. Duo narrowed his eyes, his jaw muscles clenching. He had anticipated this, his balance kept shifting from foot to foot as he spoke. "So, you're just going to walk around part werewolf without any idea of what's going on."

Usagi felt her body tremble, "You told me yesterday I was only half werewolf anyway." Her hands clenched. Usagi could feel her heart beating a million miles a minute, "I don't have to hang around with you guys!" It occurred to her then that Alistair, if that was even his real name, and Violet, Rei, were both werewolves. They were monsters like she was.

"Yes you are half werewolf but that doesn't mean," Usagi interrupted Duo, she didn't care to hear his explanations. There were only facts now in her life. Her parents were dead and she was now a cold-blooded, murdering monster. "I'm not like you, or Rei, or Alistair. I'm just,"

"You're just what Usagi? Hmm, you mind telling me just what you are, because you seem to be really well informed about it." Duo said placidly.

"I'm…" Usagi paused, "God damn it Duo, what are you trying to tell me?" She snapped finally, there wasn't any other way to get around this.

Duo stood up from the chair he'd been sitting in, he paced the length of the room. The room was different than the rest of the house, buttery yellow and warming to the senses. Duo wondered about it now, this was the only room like this in his entire house, who had designed it? And Usagi, of all people, had been put in the buttercups and daisy's room. His nose wrinkled, there were too many bad signs. "You and I both know that the vampires are after you." Duo began.

"Why?" Bellflower blue eyes gazed innocently back at Duo.

"Because you're more powerful than a whole bunch of werewolves and vampires put together because, because…well, because you are all of them put together, basically." Duo winced, the conversation wasn't going as well as he had wanted it to. He had imagined himself, the morning light giving him a bit of an aural glow, speaking eloquently. Not stuttering and searching for words like an amateur, he'd known how to speak to the Pack. Apparently his subconscious viewed Usagi in an absolutely different light.

"And so you're saying they want me on their 'team' since I'm really strong." Usagi continued on for him.

Duo nodded his head, flicking his long bangs out of his face, "Exactly. You Half's come along once in a blue moon, and when you do both sides fight over them. They're a huge advantage."

"Since I'm so strong?" Usagi continued to egg him on, the ease of it all reminding her of old Law and Order episodes where the convict suddenly yelled out a confession on accident. Her lip twitched, she wanted to smile so badly at the thought. A werewolf being compared to Jack McCoy's 'victim' in a TV show…she turned her thoughts back to Duo.

"Yeah, exactly." Duo said, things were beginning to move forwards in his eyes.

"And you want me to help your side, the werewolves?"

"Exactly."

"So anything that you're telling me now could be a lie so that I stay on your side?"

"Exact," Duo stopped mid-word, "No. Not at all." His pacing increased.

Usagi's eyes narrowed, "Oh…is that so." She huffed, still clutching the sheets to her body. She knew she looked ridiculous, sheets shrouding her like a nun, hair all over the place, but what was worse was that she was all alone. 'I can't trust Duo anymore than some creep in an alley.'

Duo, as if hearing her thoughts, drew a long breath and said, "Look Usagi, I know it's going to be really hard for you to trust me but please try. I…I could have just killed you yesterday night if I had really wanted to make things easier for me but I didn't."

"Because you wanted me on your side." Usagi said evenly, staring at her fingernails. Duo raked a hand through his hair, "Look," he went to her bed and sat at the edge, "I want you to be on the werewolves' side, that's true, but I wouldn't lie about things to get you there. I'll just tell you straight up that yeah, sometimes werewolves attack humans, eat them," Usagi's mind flashed back to Violet-Rei's-words "the last girl that walked in here, well…let's just say that she didn't end up all in one piece", "but so do the vampires." Duo's voice cut into her thoughts, "they're the ones who killed your parents to get to you. I don't know if we'd have done the same, I hope to God that we wouldn't have, but to make it even clearer to you Usagi," Duo continued desperately, "We didn't."

Usagi couldn't even lift her lips into a mock smile, "Thanks for telling me that Duo, I'm glad to know that you might have killed my parents but didn't because someone else got there first! You are such an asshole," Usagi yanked the bed-sheet from its hold under the end of the mattress and wrapped it around herself before stumbling out of the bed. "I hope that you go and get your fucking brains shot out!" Usagi screamed at him, she shoved him aside as hard as she could as she headed for the door.

"Usagi," Duo tried to break in, but she didn't want to hear it.

"What, Duo? Are you going to try and tell me you're sorry! That, that you can make everything better? Well I'm not going to forgive you! this is a bunch of bullshit!" Usagi hitched the sheet up on her body, she felt like she was on fire. "They were my parents, my mom and dad…" Her electric blue eyes pierced Duo through like a sword. "My mom," Usagi swiped the salty tears from her eyes, "told me that this was the last time we were going to move, that she and dad," Usagi's voice hitched as her throat constricted against the swelling pain in her chest. Duo stepped forwards, his face filled with what Usagi could only describe as understanding, it disgusted her to think that he thought that he could relate to her.

"Usagi, please."

She jerked away from him, "Don't touch me! They told me," Usagi bulled on, she couldn't wipe the tears away fast enough, "that we would be happy here, together." The words came from between gritted teeth, "That they loved me too much to keep moving so we were going to stay here for me…except that killed them…me! Don't you get it Duo?," Usagi said with savage vindictiveness, "It wasn't the vampires, it was all because of me. I was the one who wanted them to stay," Usagi covered her burning eyes, trying to keep them from pleading for comfort, "because of me they're dead, because of me." Usagi hugged the sheet as tight as she could to her body. Every fiber in her body was aching. Duo's arms had long since fallen away, her pain, he could feel it like a searing ache, made his heart clench. "You didn't provoke the vampires into killing your parents, they did that themselves." He said into the stifling silence. Slowly, step by step, he came closer to her until they were only a breath away. "Let me be here for you." He murmured as his arms lifted up and gathered her to him. He held her close to him, "Babe, none of this is your fault."

Usagi closed her eyes, "I still hate you Duo." She said softly, her muscles already tensing as she spoke. Duo grinned, "That's good. That means I get to still keep trying to convince you to," Usagi pulled away from him, there wasn't a twinkle of a joke in her eyes, "I'm serious. You're just trying to pull me over to your side, I met guys like you at school, just wanting a really good time…or a really good fuck and you know what, I left them high and dry just like I'm going to leave you." Her voice came out flat. She was alone, she had to take care of herself now. The mantra kept repeating itself through her head until she was sure it had sunk into the marrow of her bones. She was a changed person.

Duo rubbed his eyes, he suddenly felt as if a gigantic weight had been put down onto his shoulders, "You are a piece of work Usagi, a real piece of work. Don't you get it by now?"

Usagi huffed, "Get what?"

"I am trying to help you, what the fuck do you call what I just did? I don't usually go around giving people slap happy hugs, I was trying to comfort you and you're just going to act like it was nothing! Look, you can pretend that you're the only person in the world who's in pain but I know better than that, so get over yourself Usagi!" Duo's hands had knotted into fists, "You're parents are dead," he snapped, his eyes were glittering, "so what, get revenge. I sure as hell don't deserve to spend my time with some messed up little girl."

It was remarkable, Usagi thought, that Duo could snap back so quickly, but what could she expect? His words didn't hurt her, if anything, they attached themselves to her mind, limning to the crevices. She was over this. This…this whole ordeal…she was removed completely from it. At least that's what she told herself. Duo glared at her for a moment longer before storming from the room. 'What a child.' Usagi thought. She looked out the window. There were cars passing by. Usagi bit her lip, it had started to quiver. She went to the window. Her hands planted themselves on the sill, soaking in the sunlight. 'My parents are dead.' The thought made it hard to breathe. She struggled with the latch of the window, frustration rising within her.

Rage pierced her. She wasn't supposed to have this life. Her hold on the window latch tightened spasmodically. Her hand was making popping sounds; it was the sound of new joints pushing her finger bones apart. Her nails thickened into silver claws, the needle-point tips cracking the window frame as if it were paper. Usagi shuddered when she saw the clawed paw attached to her arm. 'I'm a freak now.' She stared at it, this was her paw…Usagi's sky blue eyes slid shut, they were tinted a lycan gold. She knew that when she opened her eyes those claws would still be there. Her parents would still be dead. She was going to start hyperventilating. She'd always hyperventilated at the slightest emotional distress before.

She waited for her heart to start thundering out of control. Usagi opened her eyes to the room in surprise, her body had remained calm. She thought briefly about her mother who had always been ready with the paper bags. She looked again at her paw, it was still curled around the window latch. It looked ridiculous there, that appendage was supposed to be tearing things apart and here it was holding onto an ornate window latch. An angry laugh swelled in her throat, 'mom, I wish you were here with me now to see this.' Her eyes darted to the street below, her chest began to rise and fall a little faster. 'But you can't be with me because you're dead. And so is dad. And now I'm alone.' She grit her teeth, waiting for the emotion to pass.

Her ears caught the sound of Duo, a floor below, banging drawers and cupboard doors close. Her eyes blinked, her human hand was clutched around the window frame now. The monstrous paw had disappeared. A drop of red slid down her wrist and dropped to the sill. And then another drop joined the first, and then another. Usagi pulled her hand away from the latch, a shard of glass had sliced her fingertip. 'I'm bleeding…I guess that must mean I'm still human.' The thought didn't relieve her.

Pulling the window open with her uninjured hand she took a deep breath of the fresh air. The scent of car exhaust and freshly cut lawn drifted into the room. She inhaled deeply, pulling the smell of summer from the trees nearby. Usagi's gaze fell to the gleaming crimson drops that remained spotting the sill. Her parents hadn't bled a drop when they'd died. She flexed her hand and, like a recurring nightmare, her hand changed into something else. Patchy white fur and tough black skin were the new landscape of her palms. Her fingers had grown longer, extended shining claws glittering in the sunlight. The fingers rolled into a fist. There was power resting in her claws that she would never have dreamed of possessing before. Usagi watched as the black skin smoothed away all traces of the cut, the red line disappearing completely. And then the paw began to speckle over with pale skin before completely disappearing back under her human layer.

Usagi stared out the window. "I'm not human," she said to herself, "I'm more." Her heart began to beat faster, "I'm better." She said softly. She thought over all the fairy tales and television shows, over all the words, and pictures that she'd seen in her life. Only to realize that she wasn't this, or that, or defined, she was something else. There was nothing like her. So what did that mean? Usagi frowned, 'Can I do anything I want then? Human laws obviously don't apply to me anymore. …So what does? Do I even think the same?' The thoughts scared her. She took another deep breath.

'I can kill things…that's what I was made to do.' The sound of passing cars died. She could hear her heart beating like a heavy drum as she considered the thought. Usagi started at the sound of the window banging open. The thoughts had left her feeling hollow. She smoothed back her hair, 'but I'm not going to kill.' She couldn't hear Duo anymore, he must have moved to some other section of the house. 'I'm not going to be like Duo. Or the vampires.'

Her chin lifted. 'I'm not going to become a murderer.' The faces of her parents, when they had been alive, rose to the surface of her mind. Even as her brows bent under the familiar weight of pain, she rose up to challenge it. She was going to become something else, not what Duo or anyone else wanted her to be.

Alistair leaned lazily in his seat, his pack, or rather Duo's pack, surrounded him. They were there for his 'protection' as Duo had put it. His glittering blue eyes flicked over them, he could have cared less for their company and 'protection'. School grounds had been sanctioned safe a long time ago, an unwritten law. Alistair dragged the spice from his cigarette into his lungs, being immortal had its pluses. He closed his eyes and leaned back. There was nothing to protect here, these lycan were really there to watch him. Alistair heard his sister, Violet, shriek with laughter. He sighed, eyes sliding closed. The only reason he was here at a high school full of pubescent humans at all was because of her, for Violet, and now for Usagi. All he could think about was Usagi…and what Duo was doing with her. 'Why does he want her so badly? ...She's just another new werewolf to the family, isn't she?' People were passing the group by as they headed in and out of the school building, throwing glances at his crowd's show. They were swallowing up the last few minutes of lunch break on the school lawn.

Alistair frowned when he felt the skin on his shoulder being viciously pinched. His eyes trailed up a pale arm to meet Violet's stony face before following her riveted gaze towards the school entranceway. There was Usagi. A bolt shot down his spine. Usagi waved tentatively at them, completely unaware of her danger. Violet and Alistair shared a glance, 'You better go and save her.' She said, speaking straight from her mind to his. He nodded, 'Tell the others to be ready for anything, we can't have been the only ones to have noticed her presence.' The werewolves surrounding Violet and Alistair realized something was up. Their hair rose on end. What was going on? They had seen the look that brother and sister had shared. Violet was quick about whipping out orders to the surrounding pack. They each fell silent at the command, watching and waiting because it was only a matter of time now before something happened. Violet rummaged into her bag and pulled out a cell phone, the silence from the rest of the pack grew tauter, "…Duo? It's Violet, we have a little problem…someone's here who's not supposed to be." She said softly, ever aware that she was in the presence of humans.

The pack grew tighter around Violet, able to hear the tiny vibrations of sound from the cell phone.

"I'm on my way." Duo's voice rumbled, "the rest of you, protect your own. That includes the Half, she's one of us no matter if she realizes it or not."

Violet snapped the phone shut, meeting the eyes of her surrounding kin. 'You heard him, lets go.' She told them mentally, they all rose as one. "Is everything alright Violet, you guys suddenly got all quiet, and…where are you all going?" The humans, the normal teenage kids, looked curiously on at the bunch. Violet lifted her gaze to Alistair's quickly retreating back, "I think something's about to happen and we have to catch up with Alis," She never got to finish her sentence.

'She's the Half!!!' Alistair's eyes were glowing, this meant so many things. That his father, the Maxwell who had started it all, had been right. His pace increased, he had to get to Usagi. Their eyes met across the distance, 'Usagi, you're mine.' Alistair couldn't help but think. 'Just a few,' Alistair had begun to think when a group of students suddenly engulfed him. "Where're you going Alistair?" Someone sneered in the crowd. His pupils' widened, gold flecks rising to their surface. They were all vampires, half of them with their fangs already out. They had completely surrounded him.

Violet froze, her heart beat seemed to have stopped, 'Miliardo!' Her mind screamed his true name in hot panic. The vampires had never bothered them before, they weren't supposed to. Violet and the rest of the lycan had all stopped at the sight, they weren't sure what to do. It was law, vampires and werewolves were not to touch each other on school grounds, there were too many humans around as witnesses. Alistair's head turned slightly, maybe he had heard Rei scream his name. Alistair, Miliardo, one in the same, turned back to the milling crowd, but he would face them by himself.

Refocusing onto the milling crowd around him, Alistair wondered how he had not seen them coming. His hands tightened into fists, "Get out of my way. All of you." Abruptly their movements stopped and the circle shrank around him. Alistair glared at their smirking faces, he was about to bite out a warning when he remembered their mesmerizing stares. If they were ready to come out and play, they would bring all their weapons. Alistair quickly averted his eyes from theirs'. Adrenaline raced through his veins at the sight, "What're you doing you fools! Are you really going to change in front of all of these humans?" He hissed, eyes narrowed to blazing slits. Someone laughed, they were all laughing, "It doesn't matter, we have our orders: get the girl no matter what. You do realize she's the Half, right Alistair? Or did your little brother forget to tell you that?"

Alistair's heart jumped again, 'The Half.' The Half was what his father had raved about all their lives. The Half was no halfling vampire-human or werewolf-human… His bowed head hid the flicker of surprise, the Half was both and more… "You'll never get her." His voice had grown gravel deep, if they were going to change they could expect a fight back. A female vampire slid watery eyes over Alistair's shifting features, "Don't worry Miliardo, we'll give you a great fight baby," she hissed. Alistair bared his teeth at the name, "That name is too good for your lips you stupid bitch." He could barely speak now, his bones and muscles were stretching and pulling him into his lupine body. Alistair's eyes flew to Usagi as the group remained clustered around him, 'run' he tried to tell her.

She didn't hear his message.

Usagi met Alistair's penetrating gaze, wondering what was going on, she had a funny feeling about it all. Who were all those people around Alistair? She parted her lips, about to shout a question to him when the group milling around Alistair abruptly closed against him like a noose. Her eye's caught a glimpse of a flying fist, a falling body, but she had no way of telling if it was Alistair or not. Her voice caught in her throat, chill fear freezing her muscles as she watched the writhing and pulsing group. 'I should help Alistair…' She couldn't move though, every muscle in her body had gone stone cold. It wasn't at all fear that held her so tight. 'I can't move.' Usagi's lungs hitched, 'What's happening?' Her lips quivered and her eyes began to water, 'Help me, Alistair!' She watched as Rei and a few others charged into the fight, leaving her at the edge of it all, completely forgotten. She tried again, her lungs nearly bursting with the effort of pushing her paralyzed muscles into movement.

'That's right, go ahead and try to break free.' A voice murmured in the back of her head.

Usagi blanched, she redoubled her efforts to move just her one foot. She felt the muscles in her foot tense, she was going to be able to lift it…time passed, seconds ticking by and she still hadn't so much as lifted her foot off of the ground. A laugh jangled Usagi's ears, "That really was a good try." All of a sudden Usagi collapsed onto the ground, every one of her muscles heavy with exhaustion.

"There you go, since you were trying so hard I'll let you go." A stranger's voice said, it was a pleasant voice; one that she would have listened to in any other circumstance. Usagi was struggling for air, she had never felt her muscles burning like this. It felt like they were torching her nerves. Wiping the sweat from her forehead she pulled her eyes up to see who had been standing next to her.

She had sat next to him in calc class because he had been so nice to her, always offering her help whenever she needed it, even before she asked sometimes. The sun seemed to melt into his bleach blond hair, skating over his pale, soft angles. And then Usagi locked eyes with him, brilliant ultramarine eyes that slipped into her with heart-skipping ease. 'I don't know what you've heard Usagi, but we're the one's who will protect you, not the werewolves. They haven't even told you what you really are, they can't even begin to worship you in the ways that we will.' His eyes seemed to glow in the sunlight, Usagi was riveted to them. "You're…" She paused as his words filled her mind like sweet syrup, 'Nobody could forgive the werewolves for what they've done to your family.'

Instantly, Usagi wrenched free of his mind, "Don't lie to me Quatre." His name popped into her mind, "You can kiss my ass before I believe the bullshit you're giving me." She bit back.

Quatre grinned widely, Usagi could see his fangs pricking the air. She stared at the glittering canines.

"How can you believe the werewolves? Their alibi's just as good as ours." Quatre said softly.

"No!" Usagi yelled, 'I'm not going to listen to you.' She remembered the way she had felt when she was changing. The feeling of her tendons being pulled into tight ribbons, ribs cracking out…And then it was happening, she was becoming a werewolf. But those eyes, Quatre's eyes remained trained on hers and it began to become difficult to change. Her muscles were freezing back up in their places, the change grinding to a stand still. 'Listen to reason Usagi. Why would we kill your parents? We knew what you were before the werewolves did. Do you remember how kind I was to you? It wasn't at all a lie.' Usagi tried to shake the voice out of her head, tried so hard to keep herself from believing, but she couldn't. It was like trying to keep the sun from rising. "Don't you believe me Usagi?" He asked for the first time out loud. Just as abruptly as before, Usagi was freed from his mental stranglehold. She sunk to the ground, holding her head in her hands, "I don't know what to believe!" She spat, "I…this is a pack of lies!"

Quatre's eyes narrowed ever so slightly, "This is harder than I had thought it would be…but then you are the Half." He said, his tone was still gentle. He kneeled down so that he could meet her gaze again. Usagi didn't dare glance into his eyes now, they had some kind of power over her. "Look at me Usagi."

Usagi shook her head, shivers working up and down her body, "Leave me alone." She whispered, she was scared because this was the moment. He would kill her now.

"He doesn't love you, none of them even know what love is."

Usagi was startled at the words. Glancing up she was caught instantly, like a fish in a net, by his eyes. 'I wanted you to feel comfortable with me, with yourself, before I revealed to you what you really were, the gift that was bestowed upon you of all people.' Quatre's eyes kept burrowing deeper and deeper inside of her. The truth, or the lies, whichever, kept becoming more and more true to her. She felt her body begin to shake, 'Stop, stop, don't go any further!' She kept telling him as he ruthlessly ripped through her mind, searching for every last bit of resistance. His hand reached up and stroked her cheek, 'It's alright Usagi, I'm just fixing what's broken.' He said gently. Usagi blinked, tears were slipping away from her, her life was being erased before her very eyes. He was going faster now, he was almost done sowing the 'truth' into her mind.

Like lightning, a furry paw came out of nowhere, claws extended for the kill. Instantly, Quatre leapt back with innate speed, breaking eye contact with Usagi. For a moment she was able to see Quatre clearly, his bright red crew shirt slashed across the front, blood beginning to stain the edges of his shirt, working through each fiber.

Baring his fangs, Quatre hissed, it made her eyes roll back. It was so strange. He had just been a normal kid seconds ago, wearing loose-fitting jeans that sagged at his waist like everyone else, laughing and joking around. He had just been a normal kid…Usagi's arms gave way and she slipped onto the cool concrete.

'Usagi!' Duo's voice jarred her awake, 'Get up!' She realized that he was crouched over her body, growling like a demon possessed at Quatre. 'I can't.' She whimpered, her mind's voice could hardly even think the words. The jet black werewolf swiveled his head to glare down at her, 'Get the fuck off the floor and get on my back. Don't even think about giving me that weak bullshit.' A strangled sob burst from her as she yanked her muscles into motion. She slogged to pull her body onto Duo's back, he pressed himself to the ground, trying to make it easier for her. And then all of a sudden he leapt into the air while she was still climbing his side. She tensed in surprise, her grip slipped, yanking fistfuls of hair out, and she crashed onto the ground, snapping her wrist sideways as she tried to break her fall. Her shriek of pain hurt even her ears, clutching her wrist to her chest she yelped in pain. A little distance away Quatre glared at Duo, "Look at what you did Maxwell, you stupid wolf."

Duo snarled, "Maybe you shouldn't have tried to knock her off asshole." Quatre grinned, fangs and pointed teeth making him look barbaric. Duo felt Usagi pressing her body close to his, quivering like a little pup. 'It's gonna be okay Usagi.' He felt terrible for her, 'I'm here to keep you safe.' He purred into her mind. She buried her face into his coat, "Kill him." She said through gritted teeth.

Duo's lips peeled upwards into a smile, 'Are you alright by yourself then?' He couldn't even suppress his desire to slaughter the vampire as he thought the words. Usagi nodded her head, 'I'm fine, just kill him.' There was iron in her voice, her eyes were hard as ice, 'I want my revenge.' Duo rose up, fur bristling in every direction. Quatre's smile widened even more, "This is going to be really exciting Maxwell, I finally get to destroy you." Duo leapt into the air so fast that eyes could hardly catch him. Usagi was shocked when Quatre came soaring into the air and met him mid-leap. Duo landed on top of Quatre, his jaws snapping down between his paws to crunch down onto the vampire.

Quatre was ready, grabbing the hurtling jaws with his bare hands he held Duo at bay. Usagi gaped at the sight of the battle, blood was dripping down Quatre's arms and into his face as Duo's front teeth dug into his hands. Duo lifted a paw to swipe at his prey and in the same millisecond Quatre gripped Duo's jaws tighter in his hands and flipped Duo onto his back. Quatre's hands were gushing blood as he flew at the upturned werewolf. Jumping onto the upraised belly, the vampire drew his fists back, his nails growing and curving into the likeness of claws.

"Duo!" Usagi's yell pierced the air like a knife. Quatre's fist plunged straight through fur and skin and muscle, through the very bones until one of his hands closed on the pumping muscle in Duo's chest. Duo's body jumped upwards in shock, Quatre smirked, "This is how you kill a werewolf." He cooed, his other fist clawed through muscle and organs until it too closed around the heart.

It almost seemed to Usagi as if Duo's heart had come bursting out of his lungs by itself, blood was spouting from it as it cleared his body. Usagi felt numb, her heart was jumping around in her chest. Her body stiffened, "DUO!" The shout was inhumanly loud. She felt herself go hot with rage and everything around her seemed to drain in color except for Quatre. "No!" She screamed, she raised her hand up in the air and swiped it downwards. A white light shot down through Quatre's upraised hands, wrapping around the bleeding organ and thrusting it back into the gaping hole in Duo's chest.

Usagi's jaw fell open, 'Did I…just…do that?' Quatre was staring at her in a way that she couldn't describe. She knew he was trying to reach her mind but there was a shield there now that hadn't been there before. Her body was buzzing, she felt like she was going to burst from her skin. Shaking her head clear of thought, Usagi glared at him, "You bastard." She hissed, sweeping her hand in front of her she watched as an arc of glittering white light shot out from her arm and bit into Quatre's body. He was knocked to the ground, blood flowing freely from his abdomen. Usagi suddenly felt sick, 'I did that.' Her chest rose and fell rapidly, Quatre's blood was flooding through his clothes, such a rich, dark red. 'This is revenge.' She thought bitterly, her arm rose again. Amazingly, Quatre rose to a stand, stumbling a little in his own blood. Usagi was paralyzed once more by those eyes, 'I told you that you were special.' Usagi sucked in a breath at the sound of his voice in her mind, 'Duo.' The thought broke to her. Quatre's eyelids fluttered as he crumpled to the ground, Usagi was freed.

Usagi turned away from Quatre, 'I have to save Duo.' She didn't know what she was doing, didn't know how she was doing it, but she was doing something. 'I'll do anything to save him.' She thought, her insides seemed to be swelling within her. Usagi swayed, 'Anything to save him.' She continued to chant in her head. Her body was losing feeling, first in her toes, then her calves. Usagi fell to the ground, chanting even stronger now, it almost felt as if she were the one reconnecting the valves and closing the punctures in Duo's chest. The numbness worked quickly up her body until she couldn't even feel her struggling lungs anymore. Duo had lost his werewolf form, he lay prone in his human body. A pair of loose jeans and a torn t-shirt still clung to his recumbent body. Something gave way in Usagi and a moment later her mind was torn away from Duo. She hadn't been able to hang on, one minute she had felt the power working to heal Duo and now she couldn't even feel that. The world seemed to spring back into vibrant color and the sounds that had been silenced knocked into her. Usagi couldn't move. Sirens…sirens again. Usagi wasn't sure if she was breathing or leaving her body because nothing seemed to be attached to her anymore. No pain, or relief, she could feel nothing. 'I'm not just half vampire and werewolf.' Her tired mind mused, 'I'm more. I'm stronger than either.' Usagi's azure eyes dimmed, 'Stronger than both.' Her breaths eased into little puffs. 'Both…' was her last thought.

Cidney slammed her fist down, nearly knocking the tiny aluminum table over. 'God damn it! If he finds out about this…' She tucked back a lock of her loose-curling, fire orange hair. Her eyes flew over the newspaper headline again, 'Wild Animal Attack at Middleton High', in underlined bold. The article took up the entire front page from top to bottom, it went on something like this, 'witnesses say that large killer wolves appeared out of nowhere and began slaughtering students… …several students died…a white light was seen…several students missing… newly registered student, Usagi Tsukino… parents slaughtered the night before… in intensive care …zoologists say that a wolf's aggressive behavior…students who fought back mysteriously disappeared afterwards…"vampire-like creatures" were reported by one traumatized student…' Her thin fingers drummed against the little tabletop, 'He can't find out about this…I'm going to have to fix this little problem myself.' She rose from the table, taking the newspaper with her. The dingy room crowded up to meet her with its mold, its grime and its smell: sweat and a hell of a lot of alcohol, their apartment was huddled with two others on top of a club.

'Someday I'm gonna have to get a medal or something for all the times I,' she nearly jumped out of her skin when she heard the crunch of a key sliding into the lock. The thought had hardly crossed her mind before it happened; she pointed a commanding finger at the cupboard holding the trashcan. It swung open, the newspaper soared into the trash, and the cupboard clicked shut just as the apartment door banged open and Cidney swiveled around, throwing on a smile, "Morning Heero." She chimed.

Heero stared at her for a long moment, night blue eyes boring into her, until at last, "Why aren't you dressed yet? It's two in the afternoon." He looked beat, "Don't you do anything besides sleep in?" He grumbled. Cidney breathed an inward sigh of relief before retorting, "I am dressed!" Heero eyed her, skepticism flashing across his face. She laughed, "You like it when I just walk around in my underwear anyways." Her eyes darted towards his, full of lewd, half-formed proposals. Heero let one of his own heavy sighs escape, he shut the door behind him. Throwing a scratched, cross-shaped silver gun onto the table, Heero stalked into the kitchen, passing Cidney by. Cidney blinked, had she just missed something or had Heero really just skipped out on a chance to 'make love' in her words and 'have sex' in his?

"Why are you so late today?" Cidney asked, sidling in front of the trash cabinet, her heart bumping along anxiously. Was it possible that Heero had seen her bit of quick magic just before she turned around to greet him? Maybe that was what was upsetting him. Heero raked a hand through his stubborn chocolate hair, pulling out a yawn, "I couldn't find anything." He was beginning to get bags under his eyes from reverse-cycle sleeping.

Cidney's thoughts were instantly startled away, she gaped, "What?" The word came cracking out, "What do you mean you didn't find anything? That's impossible! Demons are all over the city! That's absolutely crazy! They can't have all just cleared out in one night!" Heero poured a cup of re-heated coffee for himself from last night's pot, apparently Cidney had been too busy sleeping to refill it. Heero continued, voice as steady as a rock, "I kept looking but I couldn't find anything. Something's going on and I don't know about it." Heero's eyes swerved around and dug straight into Cidneys'. She averted her gaze, her agitation quickly draining out of her, "I wonder what." She mumbled, suddenly meek. She jumped onto the counter and then sprang back off of it, 'That Tsukino girl…she's the reason all the demons have disappeared!' Cidney's green eyes darted to Heero, 'they've gone to get her.' Her fists clenched, 'I have to get there first though.'

Heero grit his teeth, "It's funny that you'd say something like that Cid. You're a witch, you know about every unnatural thing that happens in this city." Heero murmured, gazing at her over the top of his steaming cup. Cidney's wheat green eyes seemed to be settling everywhere but on his.

"What do you know?" He continued, wrapping stiff hands around the hot cup. A web of thin scar lines traced the tops of his fists, a palm reader could have read this side since the other was too calloused. "Does it have to do with whatever you threw in the trash?" Heero pressed. Cidney spluttered, "Since when haven't I been trustworthy?" She trilled, she pouted her full lips, "God Heero, I don't know anything about why there aren't any vamp's or wolf's around. Don't you think I'd tell you if I knew?" Heero sipped some of the cold drink, "…Just making sure." He shifted his gaze to the scuzzy window that looked out on the hustling city street.

Cidney's eyes cautiously wandered back towards Heero, over Heero. Her lips quirked, it always made her laugh to think that Heero didn't know just how provocative he looked in each of his stances. She knew he never even meant to 'strike a pose', it just kind of happened when it came to Heero Yuy. Cidney grinned dreamily, 'He's so god damn hot…even if he didn't have the muscles…and that lean body…and that adorable smile…' Cidney's grin fell into a deep frown, 'what am I saying? If he didn't have that he'd just be some chump off the street named Heero and labeled 'ugly intellectual,'' Snorting, Cidney turned her gaze away from him quickly, 'thank god he can't read my thoughts.' Taking a moment of thought, she stepped back up to him, her movements as nimble as a cat's, "I was just throwing the newspaper away, you just surprised me is all." She said softly, trying to wheedle a response out of him, it was all an act, just for Heero. "So are you going to stop being so moody now? You're going to turn into a girl if you keep this up you know." His lips curled into a tiny smile, setting the cup down he pulled her into his arms.

'Yeah, I definitely still have it.' She thought with a smirk, Heero was by far the ultimate prize, hard to keep, but worth it. She closed her eyes, her head resting in the crook of his neck. But there was more to it than being the only girl around that could handle Heero, 'so much more.' Cidney thought, her hold becoming more possessive. "I love you, Heero." She whispered, scrunching his gray t-shirt into her fists. His hands ran soothingly up and down her back, glossing over the bumps in her spine. Sometimes he wasn't sure if it was a spell or actual love that kept him bound to her, her being a witch and all. But…she was bewitchingly beautiful, sexy, amazing in bed…she even cared about him. Heero unconsciously brought her tighter to him, 'how long's it been since I met Cid?…four years ago?…a long time. Could a spell even last for that long?' Cidney slid her hands through Heero's hair, soft as silk. 'I wish I didn't have to lie to you Heero.' She thought. Cidney broke from Heero abruptly, "I should take a shower." She winked, "You trust me though, right Heero?" Her eyes met his, studying and gauging his reaction. Heero regarded her heart-shaped face for a minute, "I don't have any reason not to." The words had dragged themselves from out of his mouth. Cidney grinned wickedly, 'Yeah, I still got it.' "You're right about that, Heero." Prancing off to the shower she started singing.

Heero studied the lower cabinet that held the trash. The hiss of the shower turning reached his ears. His sensitive nose picked up the smell of the iron that tainted their water. He sighed, they paid shit loads of money and had tainted water. He could never win. His lungs rose and filled with as much air as they could before exhaling another long, long sigh. Heero shook his head, 'just this one time I'm going to trust you Cid.' His feet unglued themselves from the floor just in front of the trash cupboard and he went to the couch. He threw himself onto it and rolled onto his back. A sagging, brown water-spot on the ceiling greeted his eyes, it occurred to Heero that he might have to move the couch somewhere else soon. But not right now, he was exhausted. When he closed his eyes he saw Cidney. His mind ran over Cidney's body, thinking over the way she had winked at him, hugged him, told him that she'd loved him. His face drew into a frown, Cidney was hiding something.

Cidney had her ear planted to the closed door, listening intently to Heero. Using her magic she was able to hear his every footfall. He didn't go near the trashcan. She sighed in relief. She turned back to the shower, steam was rolling out of it. Cidney lifted a hand and the fog lifted into the air with the motion. "Show me where she is." She said softly, light blazing into her green eyes.

The fog began to part and contort into rigid lines until the shape of a building became visible. Cidney's brow wrinkled, "I need a name idiot," the shower fog twisted into blocky words. 'Mercy West Hospital' the fog spelled out. Her lips pulled into a smirk, "good job…this'll be like taking candy from a baby."

K…so this is a year later…than I thought it'd be…sorry. Review your love (maybe your hate) for me! Hugs, Qtchan