Hello! This is my third fanfiction story that I've published on this site. As you've probably guessed, it's going to be an AU with some supernatural elements as well as some OOC on Kyoko's part. I'm going to boil it down to the fact that I've changed her past for this fic.

I personally don't think the writing is going to be as good, but we'll see. Anyway, I hope you enjoy!

Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat!

My lungs burned as I ran, my feet pounding on the pavement in rapid succession. I had to go faster. I had to get there before it was too late. My legs were growing weary but I pressed on and forced myself to go faster.

Hurry, before it's too late.

A scream sounded up ahead and I judged the distance to be about two blocks. Good. I was getting closer.

I rounded a corner and stopped at the entrance of a dark alleyway. I couldn't see the monster, but I knew it was there; I could all but sense its presence. Taking a cautious step forward, I made sure my footsteps were silent before letting the shadows of the alley swallow me whole. I blinked, allowing my night vision contacts to slide into place. With them I could see all the way to the end of the alley. My target was hunched over something; facing a wall with its back to me. My target looked to be a middle aged man with dark hair and casual office clothes.

That's how it looked. That's now how it really was.

I groped for the gun at my hip and slowly pulled it out of its holster. I was lining up the shot when a patch of gravel crunched under my boot. The monster snapped its head up in response and turned in my direction. It narrowed its crimson eyes, taking in my hooded form; blood dripping from its fangs.

Not wanting to hesitate any longer, I pulled the trigger on my gun and sent a silver bullet flying straight at the vampire's head. The vampire rolled to one side, dodging the bullet, and headed straight for me. The beast was fast, but the distance between us gave me enough time to unsheathe a dagger from my boot. Just as the vampire closed the distance between us and lunged, I plunged the dagger right into its heart.

The vampire went limp and slumped on top of me almost instantly. I pushed it off and rolled it onto its back, retrieving my dagger from its chest. I wiped the blood off using the sleeve of my cloak and stuck it back in my boot. With the monster taken care of I made my way the the end of the alley. There I found a young girl lying on the ground; blood seeping from her neck. She was still breathing, thankfully. If I had taken much longer she might have been dead already.

I reached into my pocket and pulled out a cellphone, dialing the number of my agency. After a few rings, someone answered.

"Halo headquarters, how may I help you?" A female voice chirped on the other end.

"This is Archangel 17. I've completed my assignment," I replied.

"What is your location?"

"About a half mile south of the downtown area; in an alley off Saffron Avenue."

"A team will be dispatched immediately. Please do not leave the area," the female asked. Although it was more of an order than a request.

"Also, send an ambulance. We have a survivor but she is in bad shape."

"Understood," the female responded.

I heard a click and the line went dead. That's how the calls to headquarters always went; straight and to the point with very little chatting.

With nothing better to do, I did as I was told and waited for the dispatch team to arrive. It only took a few minutes for a familiar black van to pull up in front of me. The back doors opened and three men jumped out wearing surgical masks and white gloves. A forth man stayed put in the driver seat. Two of them promptly began taking care of the deceased vampire, zipping it up in a black body bag, while the third tended to me to make sure that I hadn't sustained any injuries.

The body was soon loaded into the van and the four of us jumped in after it before shutting the doors.

We all sat in silence for a few minutes, waiting until sirens could be heard in the distance before driving off.

"Well done on your mission," the commandant said from behind his desk.

"Thank you, sir," I responded. There was a momentary pause before the commandant cleared his throat and continued.

"I know this is very sudden, but I already have your next assignment lined up. You will be working with a partner for this one."

Just as the commandant finished his sentence, the door to his office opened and a woman entered the room. She was tall, taller then me at least, with blue eyes and long black hair pulled into a high ponytail. She wore the same standard issue clothes as I did: black tank top, black pants, black combat boots that rose to her mid calf, and a black hooded cloak that flowed behind her when she walked.

The woman strode over to the chair next to me and took a seat without so much as making eye contact.

"Ms. Mogami," the commandant began. "This is Archangel 113, Kanae Kotonami. Ms. Kotonami, meet Archangel 17, Kyoko Mogami. You two will be working together on this upcoming assignment."

"With all due respect sir," Kotonami cut in, her voice sharp. "This girl looks incompetent. The job would get done much more efficiently if I did it alone."

The woman's sudden protest shocked me and my head snapped in her direction. What the hell was she saying? This woman didn't even know me and she was already convinced I couldn't do my job!? I was about to open my mouth to argue when the commandant let out a low chuckle.

"You never change, do you Ms. Kotonami?" A smile quirked his lips and he leaned forward, propping up his head on his hands. "When will you learn not to judge a book by its cover? I assure you this girl is just as competent as you are and perfectly suited for the mission."

"But sir I-" Kotonami started before the commandant abruptly spoke again.

"You will not argue, Agent 113. You will carry out this mission with your assigned partner, and when you are finished, the two of you will file a full report." The man was no longer smiling at either of us. "I want both of you back here at 1100 hours so you can gather the necessary details. You are dismissed."

We both rose from our chairs at the same time and headed for the office door. Once outside, Kotonami immediately started walking away without so much as a backwards glance in my direction. I didn't want to leave things like this. We were going to be partners now and, at the very least, I didn't want her to hate me. With that in mind, I followed her.

"Excuse me, Ms. Kotonami," I began.

Ms. Kotonami halted, but still kept her back to me. I took this as a positive step forward and decided to continue.

"I know you think I'm incompetent," I said. "But I wanted to remind you that I went though the same training as you did. I know what I'm doing and I know I can help you."

She said nothing for what felt like hours. The two of us stood there in the empty hall with nothing but the strained silence hanging between us. Then finally, she turned to face me.

"Just because you graduated from training doesn't mean you won't slow me down. I don't need someone like you," she sneered.

I let a small smile quirk my lips. "I guess I'll just have to prove you wrong, Ms. Kotonami."

He blue eyes flashed and narrowed; then she was off, leaving me behind without speaking another word.

So what did you think of the first chapter? I tried jumping right into the action in hopes to avoid any writing slumps. Hopefully it works. The next chapter is going to be a little bit of background and might explain the OOCness.

Comments, reviews, and constructive criticism are all appreciated, but please don't complain about Kyoko being OOC because I already warned everyone that she would be.