Disclaimer: I do NOT own Inuyasha.


I.



I waited for her as I hid behind the dark shadows of the small alley. She was late; normally she would walk by this lonely and deserted street at around this time. I could feel my eyebrows come together as I frowned. Something must have happened.

I tapped my foot against the cold pavement; patience had never been one of my virtues. I took a deep breath and let the polluted air fill my dead lungs while my gaze drifted to the dark, starless sky raised high above me. I could see the grey clouds forming together…a clear signal that it was going to rain soon.

My hand reached for a cigarette buried deep inside my leather jacket only to place it in between my pale, cold lips. I lit it up and inhaled. Once I could taste the strong flavor of the tobacco I slowly exhaled and watched the toxic smoke form different designs in front of me, only to be blown away by the cool breeze.

I sighed in defeat; it was all useless. As much as I tried to distract myself, I could not stop thinking about that pathetic human. It was the first time this had ever happened to me, the first time anyone had such a power over me. I clenched my hand into a hard ball and pounded on the brick wall behind me, forming a deep hole the size of my fist. Normally I would have my way with them and dispose them once I had finished, but this girl…she was different.

I watched the grey ashes from the cigarette fall to the ground.

We are meant to kill, you see. We have it all: perfect vision, brutal strength, enhanced hearing, abnormal reflexes. Skilled predators such as ourselves show no mercy, we know nothing of compassion. Like the pale skin that covers our soulless bodies, we are cold and insensitive. Numerous times have I been begged by my victims to let them go; unfortunately for them I do not do things "half way." But for some reason this mortal had managed to conquer me. And it was purely revolting…to be controlled by my own prey.

I shook my head in utter disbelief and gave the cigarette another strong pull.

Our meeting had been purely an accident. It was a night much like this one, dark and smoggy. I had an unquenchable thirst burning deep in my throat and was looking for someone to soothe the fire blazing inside me. This is where she comes in; that repulsive human being. God knows where she was coming from, all I knew was that she had been chosen as my next victim.

I had heard her heels tapping on the cement about a quarter of a mile away and her scent, though slightly faint, lingered in the air. And so I pulled out a cigarette and waited. I closed my eyes, quietly listening to her light footsteps coming closer and closer. My mouth began to water and I could feel the venom flowing freely between my teeth. The thought of her walking straight into her death had me grinning with pure malice. All of it was going according to plan.

The minute she passed the alley in which I was hiding, I came from behind and pulled her into the dark, secluded area where I had been previously standing. I felt my claws sinking into her delicate flesh as I pinned her to a cold, brick wall. My eyes were locked on her pale skin. Her scent was strong now, completely overpowering, and her breath that softly brushed against my hard cheek was warm and inviting.

As I leaned in I could see the small veins deeply running through her exposed neck. I licked my lips and slowly scraped my sharp teeth against her soft skin, the red trails perfectly contrasting with the paleness of her flesh. I only wanted to give her an idea of what was to come; a slow and painful death. And that's when she did the unthinkable. Her small hand hugged the back of my head and pushed me closer to her long neck…as if she wanted me to continue.

I froze.

It was almost as if she wanted to die.

For years I have roamed this miserable earth, watched how selfish mortals have killed each other in order to survive, and never before had I encountered someone who was willing to end his or her life. They were all supposed to beg for their lives, for another chance, for a miracle. Hell, even some of them asked me for forgiveness as if I were some fucking saint carrying out God's will…I was far from that.

Thus I was quite surprised by this girl's actions. She was only, what, seventeen? She still had many years ahead of her and here she was silently begging me to end her life. Slowly, I replayed it all in my head and realized that she willingly let me drag her into this dark alley without making an effort to escape. Now that I think of it she did not even kick or scream for help, something that all victims do. Well…all but one.

I took a small step back to look at my prey closely. She was of medium length with jet black hair, almost blue. Her lips and cheeks were a natural pink, a result from the cold air. Yet what blew me away were her dark eyes hidden behind thick, long lashes; they were hard and cold, much like me. No emotions were visible through her chocolate brown orbs. Was that possible for a human being? Was she even human to begin with?

"Name yourself," I spoke.

She looked at me carefully. Her eyes trailed down, making sure to capture my exact image. I could tell she was having trouble responding by the way she looked at me. So many questions were probably going through her head. And then, out of know where, she answered, "If you don't have the guts to finish me off then let me go."

How bizarre, this girl.

"What makes you think I will not?" I asked, raising my dark eyebrow.

She shrugged, "You would've done so already."

A deep, dark laugh vibrated through me.

"Most of us like to watch our victims writhe in pain. It makes the game much more interesting."

"Is it really because of that?" she asked as she leaned in closely. Although her words were a soft whisper, to me they were loud and clear, "Or are you just upset that I'm not scared of you?"

"I could break you," I growled, gripping her hair with my callused hands to emphasize my point. "It would be easy…and I would probably enjoy it."

Her brown eyes met my own. Still, I saw no emotion, only my reflection.

She sighed and gently lifted her head, giving me a better access to her smooth neck, "Do it then."

This girl was beyond temptation. She was the perfect prey and yet I could not manage to sink my white teeth into her satin-like skin. I was still confused as to why she was so willing to die. I have seen what humans will do to stay alive…they have bombed countries, massacred innocent people, practically destroyed anything that gets in their way. It all goes back to Darwin's "survival of the fittest." And, ironically, these humans call themselves "civilized."

"Why?"

She turned to gaze at me with her lifeless orbs.

"Why do you not fear me?" I looked at her, anger and confusion hidden deep inside my amber eyes.

I watched her carefully, waiting for any sort of response. My enhanced vision watched her flawless skin wrinkle as she frowned. I could tell she was struggling to find an answer.

"What's the difference if I die today or fifty years from now?" she began. "Death is death is death. Besides…you'd be doing me a huge favor."

My eyes narrowed, "And what favor would that be exactly?"

"Life is pretty complicated…" she looked away, trying her best to explain her reasoning. "Death isn't."

I felt my eyes hardening as I heard those words come out of her mouth, "You really are pathetic."

She turned to look at me and smiled sadly, "You know…you're the first to notice."

As I gazed into her brown orbs that were desperately trying to tell me a secret, I realized that we were very similar, she and I. We were outcasts, completely misunderstood by the world. That is why she was so eager to die. And that is when I felt it…a sudden urge to reach out to her, to stroke her rouge cheek, to stand in front of her and protect her from the fiery depths of hell. She was the first person to make me feel that way, probably the first person to make me feel anything besides anger and thirst.

What was this girl doing to me?

I shook my head at the absurd feelings that were now swirling deep within me and stepped closer to her, slowly inhaling her intoxicating scent that reminded me why she was pinned against this wall. Her heartbeat remained constant, a clear signal that she was not planning on going anywhere. I took a glance at her smooth, creamy neck as she raised her black hair and tilted her head. I started to lean in towards the object that was making my mouth water. Yet, when her neck was only a few millimeters away from my lips, I closed my eyes.

As much as I wanted to sink my teeth into her neck, as much as I wanted to taste her sweet blood…I just could not do it.

I could not kill her.

"Leave," I sighed against her skin.

I stepped back, giving her enough room to walk away. But of course…she did not.

"What?"

"Leave!" I repeated a little harsher.

She shook her head as anger flashed through her eyes, "You seemed pretty determined to kill me before. Don't tell me you're going all soft on me. I thought you would enjoy killing me, I thought you liked watching your victims 'writhe in pain.'"

"Listen kid, I am not interested in killing you any more. Alright?"

I could not tell her why I could not kill her…when I could not even understand it myself. So I lied, "Besides, I can tell by your scent that your blood is not even worth drinking."

Quickly, I turned around, shoved my hands in my pockets, and walked off. It would have been ideal to walk away from her forever but every night I came back to this same exact spot at this same exact time and waited for her like some creep, much like right now. Of course she has no idea that I have been watching her.

And the more I thought about why I was here, the more I felt disgusted with myself.

I threw the cigarette on the floor, realizing that there was nothing left but the filter, and took another glance at the clouds. A bright light raced across the black sky, which was soon followed by a deafening sound. It was going to rain and she was still nowhere in sight.

Suddenly my ears picked up a familiar sound; a light tapping across the cement floor. I inhaled and felt my mouth water as I recognized the delicious scent. Almost instantly I felt my throat blazing with anticipation. And like the night before, I waited quietly behind the shadows as her footsteps got louder and her scent, stronger.


A/N: Hey guuys...im soooo sorry...schools been ridiculous...so much homework...not to mention that i have two jobs...which is why i havent posted anything new...but dont worry...im seriously working on it...im almost done with the next chapter for the heat is on...and im working on the gladiator and i...i know you guys have been patient...thanks for all your support...god bleeess...

ReaD&ReviEW!!