ONE

WAR

The night was cool and dark and the moon cast a silver glow over the abandoned city district. Emaciated dogs fought over scraps of food, snarling like beasts. They ran after each other, jaws snapping at their targets' heels.

Besides the dogs, everything was still and silent. The large warehouses housed deep shadows within. Compared to its neighboring district, bustling with life even at night, the deserted area was dead and ominous.

Several dogs ran past a narrow alley between two warehouses, nipping at each other. As they passed, the last dog stopped and sniffed the air, taking two steps back. He growled, eyes widening in fear as it gazed into the darkness. Before it could run and howl out warnings, a quiet bullet punctured its chest. It fell to the ground, bleeding but not before a whine escaped its jaws.

A soft cursing and suddenly gunshots filled the air. Shadows flitted through the now raging fight, men and women leaping into the fray. Swords glinted in the moonlight, gun barrels trailed smoke. The battle of the sexes waged on.

Among the fighters, a tall and lean man stealthily wound his way around the dark buildings, avoiding flying bullets and projectiles. In one hand he held a slightly bloodied long, black sword and in the other a pistol.

Quickly, he jumped up some crates stacked against one another and stepped onto the roof of a warehouse. He stood tall, a menacing silhouette in the dark sky. His sharp eyes scanned the battlefield. Most of his comrades were fighting well, clashing violently with the enemies. He was unimpressed that their rivals were holding up well.

The closest battling pair had a member of his group losing against the woman he was fighting with. He growled, jumping down from the rooftop and dashed over.

When his comrade saw him, a new fire lit his eyes and he began to furiously retaliate. The woman smirked, her black-lined eyes glinting.

As he was about to join the fight, the woman disappeared only to reappear at the back of his partner, thrusting her blade into the man's body, directly through his spine. The man crumpled to the ground.

He snarled at the woman, anger getting to him. He was usually a brash man, but at times, he was cautious, studying the enemy first before making a move.

Now was one of those times.

The woman spun her silver-white sword by the ribbon at its pommel. She was a woman of small stature, but the way she held herself and her weapon showed her experience on the battlefield.

"What's the matter?" she asked amidst the roaring of the other fights. "Won't you attack?"

He glared at her, readying his sword. "I'm getting there," he said.

She grabbed her sword mid-spin and held it at her side. "I saw the look in hiseyes when you came along." She used her foot to toe the dead man beside her. "You must be someone important in the gang."

"You're quite perceptive." He took a step forward.

"I've seen you once or twice before, in our previous wars. But I have never had the honor of fighting you, Deputy Kurosaki. Or should I say," One corner of her lips raised, revealing her teeth. "The Black Moon-Slayer."

He raised an eyebrow at her. "You're well informed," he told her.

"Of course. I have a high rank in our group. Our leader tells all those with high ranks everything." She grinned. "Shall we dance then, Moon-Slayer?"

"My pleasure."

He leaped to strike her and their swords met in a loud ring. She slid her sword away from his and jumped around him. He used his other hand holding the gun to fire a shot.

He missed her when she used her unnatural speed to avoid the bullet. He swung his blade to catch her and she disappeared again.

He spun and blocked the sword coming his way. The woman grinned appreciatively, flicking his sword upwards. He swung his arm to hit her with the gun but she vanished.

When he turned, she was standing some distance away, looking at him.

"You're quite agile," he said.

"I have to be." She shrugged. "Being high-ranked demands the sharpest of skills." She eyed him, the darkened rims of her eyes making her look attractive yet dangerous. "You've got skill too. You sensed my blade coming your way and parried it. Not many could have done so."

He returned her shrug. "Like you said, being high-ranked demands the sharpest of skills."

"At ready, then."

She materialized in front of him, swinging her blade. He brought his own up to deflect it and fired another shot aimed at her head.

She merely tipped her head to the side, the bullet whizzing past harmlessly.

"That is inhumanly," he chided her.

She laughed. "I assure you, Kurosaki-sama, I am human."

They jumped back from each other. She was still giggling slightly. "But maybe, my blood is a little different," she added.

"How so?"

She shrugged. "A little special, I suppose."

He ran at her, sword raised for a blow. Her face turned serious, and she parried his blow easily.

"I like you, Kurosaki-sama," she said, smiling.

He raised an eyebrow at her and she rolled her eyes. "You are worth a good fight, unlike most of your underlings."

He looked coolly at her, pushing his sword harder against hers. "That so? I find you worth the effort too."

She gave him a seductive smile. "Maybe we should take this elsewhere?"

He grinned at her. "Some other time."

They exchanged a few more blows, neither side inflicting any damage on the other. Their strikes were equally powerful and loud. He released some shots now and then but she always managed to dodge them, stirring his annoyance.

As he swung his sword at her, her eyes suddenly grew wide and she leaped back. She seemed to be thinking of something.

"Dôshita? Giving in already?" he taunted.

"Hm? Not at all. But it seems I have to withdraw...for now." She winked at him. "It really was a pleasure fighting you, Kurosaki-sama." She curtsied before vanishing.

He dropped his hand, sheathing his gun in his back pocket. No point in chasing after her; he could already hear the war die down.

He made his way to his fallen comrade and kneeled next to him. He touched the man's throat, at the hollow between his collarbones, whispered their customary prayer, retrieved the man's weapons and left the scene.

~~~ xxx ~~~

A/N: I'm reeaaallllyy hesitant about posting this fic 'cause I don't know how readers are gonna react to an idea like this. I honestly need some feedback on what you think of this idea. If I have readers who like this and want it continued, I'll gladly oblige, though I'll give you early warning: this story may get pretty gory at times. I've already written the next few chapters or so.

But to be honest, I'm still working on a plotline. Though I have a fairly general idea on where the story is going, the plot is written as I go along. Hopefully, when I finish (planning to finish the whole thing before I publish it completely) the story will flow well and I don't have to make major changes to it.

A writer has to take risks. Haha