It was the strangest of meetings; strange not because of the place or time but for the people involved and the way they met.
He was a hunter…hunter of her kind that preyed on the weak in the dead of the night. Slaying them without mercy, rescuing the innocents and keeping the town in peace together with his comrades.
She was a huntress…hunting the foolish humans who dared to step out in the dead of the night. Together with her companions, there were only two things she feared: the rising sun…and the blade that the hunters carried with them.
They say that in the time-between- times, when the moon is setting and the sun is rising, the strangest of things can happen. And it was indeed during this time, that these two met.
For he was fighting a fearsome creature: silver-haired and red-slit eyes…one that had preyed numerous times before and had been the cause of demise for many of his comrades and other humans. It looked more like a sly fox and it was cunning too!
At the moment when his blade was knocked out of his hand and the fox-like creature was reaching for him, another pale figure rushed in and pushed it back. He gazed up in wonder, ready to thank his rescuer…till he saw her appearance. She was as pale as the moon, her eyes blazing and lips curled back in a hiss with her teeth bared. Quickly grabbing his blade, he stood up, ready to strike if need be…but still puzzled at her interference.
"Human", she said in a cold voice without turning to look at him, "do not interfere. He is my enemy."
"He's my enemy too," he replied with even more force.
Silence
"He killed my sister. For that, I can never forgive him," her voice, so full of ice before, was now stricken with grief. He could never have imagined that these beings were capable of such feelings.
They exchanged looks, both filled with determination. One thing was clear: they both wanted the thing before them dead.
And with that they attacked, working in synchrony. Her speed, her agility combining with his strength, his battle prowess till at last, the common enemy lay dead before them, looking so innocent and peaceful in its human form.
"That's for you, Hisana," he heard her whisper. And with that, she was gone…like a whisper in the wind.
He felt the warmth of the sun's rays on his neck and turned to welcome a new day, wondering if the next time they met would be the last time for one of them.
It was another month, after another night of fighting, in the moment before dawn that they met again. She had appeared a short distance away from him, neither speaking for a few moments.
"Human," she said, "I am not going to thank you."
He never replied and both remained silent, studying each other. He could see that in her human form, she had pale skin, violet eyes and jet black hair. The light of the moon only emphasized this more. And she was shorter than he, but from the way she moved, he could see strength and fitness.
She stared at him, wondering at how his hair could be such a blazing colour. If she could ever recall the brightness of the sun, then she would bet that his hair would rival it. There he stood tall, strong…and unconsciously holding that dreaded blade.
He blurted out the first thing that came into his head.
"You're quite short…exactly how old are you?"
The irritation across her face was priceless.
"Why you…"she stopped short, staring behind him.
"Till we meet again, human," she said, before leaving. And once again, he felt the warmth of the sun's rays on his neck.
The next few times they met, no words were exchanged. For a few minutes they would stand in silence, closer in distance than before, each ignoring the basic instincts of their nature.
Kill and destroy
Kill and feed
And each time she was gone with the rising of the sun.
"My sister…my twin was human. That monster, Gin, got me when I was very young and always tormented me afterwards. He went too far by killing my sister," she once stated.
Silence
"I have failed to feed," she blurted out, staring off into the pale sky.
"Why?"
"Because every time I try, they end up looking like you. I have had to resort to animals. Human, do you have some special powers I should know of?"
He laughed…she liked the sound of his laugh. It brought warmth to her that was better than the dull coldness of her daily life.
"No. But I have not stopped hunting your kind."
"I know", she replied sadly, "they are complaining."
Silence
"Why have you not killed me?" she asked. He never got a chance to reply as she left all too soon, the morning sun warming him.
She never came the next month or the one after that. He got worried and realized he was missing their monthly talks.
She came 3 months after their last encounter. He had kept a look-out for her and was relieved when he saw her.
"Hey…"
"I can't stay," she said sadly, "they wonder where I go off to. If they find you, they will kill you. And they do not like my choice of feed."
She turned to go and for the first time, he reached out and grasped her hand.
Cold
That was his first impression. No warmth in her hand…it was so cold!
She was startled. He was so warm…so very warm from the life running through him. That warm rich red…she had to get away from him. Pushing him back, she glared at him.
"Don't you understand? We are enemies. You hunt us…we hunt those whom you protect. Get that into your thick skull."
And with that she was gone…even before the sun's rays welcomed the new day.
He was determined to see her again. Never had his night-hunts seen him so active. Never had his comrades seen him so determined, or heard him sigh with relief when they described those that they had slain. They wondered at his behavior but could never receive any response and soon gave up. As for him, he kept searching and waiting.
It would be 6 months before he saw her again. It was at their usual spot…but minutes before they usually met.
She looked ill, weak, broken. His felt his heart twist when he saw how fragile she looked.
"You're not supposed to be here. I knew you would not be here at this time," she said weakly, as she sat a short distance away from him.
He made to approach…
"Don't come near me," she said weakly, holding up her hand, "I've been beaten and locked up. They said I would learn my hunger once again if I was forced to starve. You had better leave coz having you here is very tempting."
"Then why did you come here?" he asked angrily.
"Because…because being here, would remind me of why I tried to change in the first place," she replied, her eyes on the ground.
Silence
"You have had plenty of chances to kill me and yet you haven't. Why?" she asked, looking at him.
"Be…"he took a deep breath, "because you saved my life."
He took a step towards her, his anger gone.
"Please. Leave. Now!" she pleaded, her breath coming in gasps.
He ignored her plea and came closer. With a loud yell, she leaped into the air, transformed from her human form. Her eyes blazed, her lips snarled and she was gazing at him…hungrily.
He had sworn he would not reach for his blade but seeing her form instinctively made him pull it out. The roles were being reversed. No longer were they companions in conversation…it was turning out to be hunter and prey, whichever way one saw it.
They stared at each other in an intense moment. He looked at her and his hand that held the blade trembled. He could see her form tremble and like an animal in pain, she let out a loud roar before floating downwards, her body moving back and forth from transformed to intransformed.
"Release me," she said softly, her voice coming out in a struggle. He could see the tears running down her face as she fought whatever instinct was driving her.
"Release me, human," she pleaded, kneeling before him in her human form, her body visibly shaking.
With no other word, he grabbed her hand, holding it for a moment, staring at her with a pained expression. Just as the animal hunger appeared in her eyes once more and she transformed, he stabbed her, piercing deep into her heart.
In the time-between-times, strange things happen. Death's hand was slowed to a crawl, if only for a little while. In that moment, he held her, no longer the creature of the night that she was…death slowly drawing her in. She looked so peaceful, so happy.
"Thank you, human," she said weakly with a smile.
"Stop calling me, human," he said, grief clearly in his voice, "I am Kurosaki Ichigo."
"I am Kuchiki Rukia," she said, coughing, "and for this moment, I am human."
He continued to hold her, feeling the little warmth that she had gotten slowly seeping out of her.
"That's why I chose not to kill you," he replied, grief in his eyes.
He held her tightly, feeling the warmth of the rising sun on his face, seeing her features more clearly in the light. She gasped happily at the rising sun.
"Oh look," she said, her voice getting weaker by the minute, "it's the sun…so bright. But not as bright as you," she continued, placing her hand weakly on his face.
He held her closer and gently kissed her lips for a moment.
"Thank you," she whispered.
And her hand fell to her side.
THE END
Will edit any errors along the way. Please enjoy