Monster

Obsidian eyes gazed at the city surrounding him. He took in the invading lights and the unending flurry of noises from below on the streets. He watched as people carried on with their lives, walking to their destination and chatting idly with others. He took in the sight of the buildings around him, some smaller than the rest and some much larger. His senses were heralded by all of these factors, but it was the smell… their smell that drove him almost to the brink of insanity.

He let out a shaky breath. One. Closing his eyes and clenching his teeth together. Two. He inhaled the crisp winter air and felt the coolness enveloping his lungs. Three. He had to gain control before it was too late. His stomach gurgled with the familiar feeling of emptiness, and he laid a hand over his lower abdomen while he focused on the task of breathing evenly.

In… Out.

He let out a deep sigh and focused his attention on the passerby on the streets below. It was too bright in this area of the city, too upscale that he would be singled out in a few minutes. No, he couldn't have them figuring him out. He tore his gaze away from the city below and headed for the dark part of the city: the slums. He called it this because of the people that frequented these areas; they ranged from your average lowlives to the prostitutes and drug dealers. People that the world didn't give two fucks about. People who were better off dead.

To him he was doing the world a favour by getting rid of these people. People who did nothing to benefit the rest of society, people who killed, stole, and lied as a way of life. It was all that they knew, and it sure as hell made it easier for him to carry out his slayings.

He wore a dark leather cloak that whipped around in the cold wind that blew from the north. He could see the puffs of air that escaped his mouth and nostrils as he breathed out. He pulled up the hood that hung loosely at the back of his neck; this was a way for him to partially conceal his face so that only his eyes were visible. One. He inhaled the cold night air that carried the faint scent of the people that lived in this district of the city. Two. His tongue ran along the front row of his teeth, almost able to taste what he craved most. Three. He vanished from his spot on the roof of one of the abandoned buildings in the area.

To him everything moved in slo-mo, but to a normal person his actions occurred in the blink of an eye. Honing in on his target, a middle aged drug peddler, the male hopped from building to building until he soared down with a thud on the pavement below. The other man turned on his heel at the noise and was seized in a death grip by his throat and shoved against the side of a nearby building. "Wh-what the fuck?" he groaned, choking at the end due to the pressure on his windpipe. "You're nothing but trash." came his reply as he tightened his grip around the drug dealer's throat. And without warning he used his other hand to snap the neck of the dealer, relishing in the distinct snapping sound it made. The male went limp and collapsed in a heap on the frozen ground.

He grimaced at the pain that erupted from his mouth, particularly from his jaw and gums as his darker side took over and transformed his teeth into fangs capable of tearing apart flesh. The whites of his eyes were stained with black so that the iris and the pupil were undistinguished. Pushing back the hood of his cloak he gripped the shirt front of the dead male and let his head fall back, exposing his throat and neck that now had a ring-like bruise that tattooed his skin.

You don't have to continue doing this! He could hear the faint voices from a past he would rather forget. Fight it! He closed his eyes, willing the voice to go away, and once his mind was quiet of any more disturbances he looked at the dead man. His mouth filled with saliva and his teeth clicked together expectantly, knowing what was coming next. Do it, do it, do it! He drew his face closer to the male's throat and opened his mouth to reveal gleaming white fangs. He could hear the crunching and tearing sound from ripping open the dead man's throat and neck. The familiar metallic scent of blood took over his senses, causing him to grow more frantic to quench his thirst.

His mouth and face were warm from the blood. He licked his lips and continued to drain the corpse of every drop of blood possible. Running his tongue along the gaping wound he pulled away finally, satiated for the time being. When he was starving he didn't think clearly or rationally sometimes because the bloodlust and the high made him do things. He needed to dispose of the body, but he wanted to strike fear into the hearts of the people living in this district. They would befall a similar fate as the drug dealer, this was his district to roam freely and to destroy at will. Mine. He used his strength to tear the corpse limb from limb until he had six pieces: two legs, two arms, a torso, and the head.

Smiling like a sadist the male carried the body parts with him to scatter all around the district in the hopes that others would find these pieces. He liked when people were afraid, they tasted better to him when fear ran through their veins before the kill. He opened the lid of a metal trash can and let the head drop into the can, mixing with the rest of the trash inside. He replaced the lid and pulled his hood back on once again to hide his face.

Leaping onto a rooftop the male blocked out the smells and sounds surrounding him. He focused on his uneven breathing until his heart stopped pounding so aggressively against his ribcage. He could feel the ache in his jaw subside and his fangs revert back to normal teeth; his vision stopped being so painfully focused and the sclera reverted to being white once more. His senses were dulled once again now that the monster inside him was satiated.

He wasn't worried about the authorities becoming involved in the disappearances and murders that were ongoing in this district due to himself. The authorities typically stayed away from areas like this because no one really cared much about the lowlives that lived there, but the constant threat of a bloodthirsty, merciless monster was also the reason why no one dared to intervene to liberate these people of him.

There were others like him, some similar and some much different that they could no longer blend in with society as they would be outed instantly. He had been smart to choose an area like the slums to terrorize because no one would dare go against him; he had no need for discretion and he didn't have to hide in fear of the humans.

One thing made him different from the rest of the monsters of his kind, which was that in daylight he acted like a human male with a job, friends, and an apartment. He did this because he refused to slink away in the darkness, afraid of the light, afraid of being figured out by the humans and persecuted. People thought of his kind as monsters, creatures of the night that killed without feeling remorse. He was better than that, he often told himself. Something was missing from his existence, he couldn't figure it out; even after he had consumed enough to satisfy himself for days there was still something nagging in the back of his mind.

He gazed up at the glittering stars in the dark skies, dawn was only a few hours away, he had to get back to his apartment and get cleaned up before work. He leaped from the tops of the dilapidated buildings in the slums and raced back to his district.

Once he arrived home the male stripped off his filthy clothes and stepped into a steaming hot shower. He watched as the water around his feet turned red from the blood that was washed from his face and hands. He braced a hand against the tiled wall and dunked his head under the stream of the water from the shower head. The smell and taste of blood disappeared as the water cleansed him, and he smiled at the thought of some unsuspecting person finding the body parts he left scattered around the slum.

"Hey, Sasuke!" came a loud voice from behind the male. He stopped walking and turned to look behind him at the source of the noise. "Naruto." he greeted with a monotone voice. The blonde man's name was Naruto Uzumaki, a colleague of Sasuke's who took the same route to work as him. He patted Sasuke on the back and laughed, "You're always so happy to see me!" he exclaimed with a bright smile.

Sasuke rolled his eyes and gave a sigh, he kept walking as Naruto fell into pace alongside him. "Do you have any plans tonight?" Naruto questioned, "No." came Sasuke's stoic reply. Naruto fell silent for a moment, waiting for the other male to ask him why he wanted to know but Sasuke said nothing. "Well… if you're not busy you should come out to the bar with me and a few other people." Naruto's eyes were big as he looked at Sasuke expectantly.

"I don't-" Sasuke started but Naruto interrupted, "Please! It'll be a lot of fun! And you never go out!" Sasuke gave a huff at Naruto's insistence. It was himself who wanted to walk among the humans, to try to be normal and to lead a life like theirs; even if it was only during daytime. He had just eaten last night, it was enough to keep him satisfied for a couple of days before he needed to return to the slums and feast again. "When and where." Sasuke demanded more than asked. Naruto beamed at the other man, "I knew you'd cave! It's just a few blocks from the office and we can head over once we're done work at six."

Sasuke gave him a skeptical look, "Isn't six a little early to start drinking?" Naruto laughed, "Not when it's Friday!" Sasuke gave a curt nod of his head. Naruto nudged him in the side with a devious smile. "And there will be some girls joining us too…" Sasuke snorted in disinterest while Naruto crossed his arms with a huff. They stopped at the station and awaited the arrival of the train that would bring them to the business district where they both worked.

The work day when by excruciatingly slow this particular Friday, but Sasuke was glad that it was the weekend. He tapped his foot impatiently against the marbled floor as he waited for Naruto to meet him in the lobby. At the sound of footsteps Sasuke turned his head to the side to see Naruto with a big smile plastered on his face. "Took you long enough." Sasuke mumbled as he began to walk towards the exit with Naruto following behind him. Naruto pumped his fist into the air, "Aren't you excited?" he asked with raised eyebrows. "Why should I be excited?"

"Because there's gonna be girls there! Maybe you and I will get lucky tonight…" he mused to himself with a distracted look. Sasuke walked with Naruto to the bar in silence, slightly looking forward to the cold beer awaiting him inside that would help to let him unwind from a long day. Naruto entered the bar first and glanced around in search of his friends. When he caught sight of them in the corner of the building he led Sasuke over to the group of colourful characters seated in a booth. "Hey guys! This is Sasuke." Said male inclined his head in a nod while Naruto made the introductions, "This is Shikamaru, Sai, and Ino." The blonde haired girl winked at Sasuke and smiled, "So this is the infamous Sasuke we keep hearing about!" she exclaimed with a giggle.

Naruto looked around with a frown replacing his smile, "I thought you said there were gonna be girls here?" he demanded of Shikamaru. "And what exactly am I?!" Ino demanded, now annoyed that she apparently wasn't considered a girl. "I didn't mean it like that! It's just that we all know you, Ino." Naruto said, hoping that Ino wouldn't be too mad at him. "Well Sasuke doesn't know me." she pointed out with another smile at the silent male. Shikamaru cleared his throat, "The girls said they would be here shortly after six. They're obviously running late." came his lazy drawl and he took a swig of his beer.

While they were waiting for the other two members to arrive the waitress came over to the table with Naruto and Sasuke's beers. Sasuke looked into the pale yellow liquid and took in a few gulps of the beverage. "There they are." Shikamaru stated with a nod in the direction of the front doors, he waved his hand to get their attention. The two girls headed for the booth in the corner, both well dressed and smiling. Shikamaru made the proper introductions and allowed everyone to get comfortably seated at the table while more drinks were ordered.

The pink haired girl was named Sakura Haruno, she wore tight fitted dark wash denim jeans and a low cut grey shirt. She had been wearing a black leather jacket but removed it after she had seated herself. On her feet she wore black ankle boots that clicked when she walked. She had been seated next to Sasuke much to Ino's disapproval, she kept stealing glances at Sakura in the hopes to find something unattractive about her. Sasuke could smell her perfume which was a subtle floral scent that had a musky undertone.

She had ordered a beer unlike the other girl she was with, Hinata Hyuuga, who had ordered a vodka cranberry and Ino who had been ordering cosmopolitans all evening. A slight blush crept across the crests of Sakura's cheeks after she had downed her second pint of beer. "Damn, you sure like your beer." exclaimed Naruto with laughter. "Sakura can drink a lot of beer." Hinata added in, looking at her friend from across the table. Sakura shrugged her shoulders "It's been a long day, I need this!" they all laughed together except for Sasuke who remained quiet.

Sakura looked at him, took a sip of beer and wiped her mouth before speaking. "You're the silent type, aren't you?" she teased with a smirk, her emerald eyes playful. Sasuke looked at her, "Sometimes." he spoke, drinking his beer. Sakura put a hand on his arm and gave a small nudge with laughter in her voice, "You've proven my point."

Although he would never admit it out loud he couldn't help but notice that Sakura was very attractive. She had piercing green eyes and a small mouth with full lips, even though her hair was an unconventional colour it seemed to suit her personality well. She was average height and had a full figure with large breasts, a small waist and hips that flared out to give her an hourglass shape. He caught himself staring at her visible cleavage and took another swig of his beer, enjoying the way it was making him feel.

By eleven o'clock the majority of the group was drunk and falling all over each other. Ino had abandoned her hopes to go home with Sasuke and settled for leaving with Sai who had a fair complexion and short, dark hair. He was similar looking to Sasuke, but had a more talkative and friendly attitude. Sasuke, Sakura and Naruto were sharing a taxi back to their apartments. Naruto was in the front seat with the driver while Sasuke and Sakura occupied the back seat.

Sasuke ran a hand through his dark locks of hair and heaved a sigh as the taxi pulled away from the curb. Naruto was drunkenly chatting with the taxi driver up front while Sasuke and Sakura remained silent during the ride back. Naruto was the first stop and he left with a big farewell and a wink at Sasuke when Sakura wasn't looking. The cab came to a halt in front of Sasuke's building and he fished the money out of his wallet to pay the driver who accepted it happily.

Before Sasuke had even stepped out of the car Sakura had pushed him and thanked the driver before exiting the taxi, holding onto Sasuke's body from behind. He looked at her in confusion while she giggled at him and hiccuped. "You don't mind if I stay do you?" she purred, her eyes big. Sasuke sighed and shook his head with a curse; he knew he should just turn her away but he couldn't stop himself.

You can eat her. Came a voice from deep inside his mind. Sasuke let out a shaky sigh, fumbling with the keys to the building. She's prey, but have your way with her first. There's nothing that says you can't enjoy her body before you tear it apart. Sakura placed a hand on his shoulder, "Everything okay?" she asked, batting her eyelashes and smiling. He nodded silently and opened the door as they entered the building and ascended to his floor.

"Nice apartment." she commented, looking around the apartment to take in everything. Sasuke ignored what she had said and pointed to the couch in the living room, "You can sleep on the couch." he went into a closet and pulled out a blanket and tossed it at Sakura who caught it. "Goodnight." he murmured and left for his bedroom in haste. He needed to get away from her, the voice in his head was taunting him and trying to get him to feed on her. He knew he couldn't do it because he would never be able to forgive himself. He only went after those in the slums because no one would give a shit about them, but a normal person he couldn't bring himself to harm.

He heard the door creak open and turned to see Sakura in the doorway. She was drunk, he could tell by the glazed over look in her eyes. She had removed her clothes and was only clad in a white lace bra and matching panties. She padded towards him and flung her arms around his neck while she giggled against his hard chest. "Sakura, you're drunk." he stated, trying to hold onto his composure. "So?" she said, pressing her body closely to his. He could feel the heat coming off of her body and sinking into his bones.

He couldn't deny that it felt good to have her against him like this. He breathed in her scent and closed his eyes as the voice taunted him once more. Sakura grabbed the back of his head and brought her lips against his, molding her mouth to his and kissing him deeply. Sasuke resisted at first, trying to push her away but something inside of him gave way and he listened to the voice inside of his head. He tilted his head and took her mouth more fully, using his tongue to search inside of her mouth and taste her. He wanted more.

More, more more!

His pupils dilated as the voice began to take over his mind. She moaned against his mouth and felt his hard chest beneath his shirt, he was so cold and she so warm. He led her to the bed and roughly pushed her onto the mattress as he followed her. He touched her breast and squeezed until she was moaning again in pleasure. Sasuke enjoyed the noises she was making, he wanted to hear more of her sounds. Imagine how good she would sound screaming? The voice snarled again in sadistic delight.

"Sasuke?" she murmured at his stillness all of a sudden. "No!" he croaked and forced himself away from her as she watched him in confusion. "What's-" and she was seized by him in an iron grip before she could blink her eyes. "-wrong..?" she finished breathlessly. He could hear her heart pounding, her blood pumping through her veins. Sasuke licked his lips and tightened his hold on Sakura as she winced in pain.

"You're hurting me!" she yelled and tried to free herself but the grip on her did not loosen. Yes. Yes. Yes! His breathing was laboured as he fought for control over the monstrous side of himself. His gaze fell on her exposed throat, he could almost imagine the smell and warm taste of her blood on his lips and tongue. "Just one… taste…" he panted, saliva forming in excess. He pushed her hair to the side and held her head with one hand as his fangs descended into the soft flesh of her neck, instantly drawing the warm, red liquid.

He swallowed and instantly recoiled in pain and disgust, throwing Sakura backwards until she fell to her side on the hardwood floor. Sasuke fell to his knees, his eyes watering, his mouth and throat on fire. A coil formed in the pit of his stomach, and he began to dry heave until some of the blood he had ingested pooled on the floor. His breathing was hard as he tried to regain control, some of the sickness subsiding for the time being.

He looked at Sakura who was lying on the floor, staring at him, her hand putting pressure on her wound. "You! What the hell are you?" she demanded, her heart pounding so hard that she felt light headed. Sasuke stumbled towards her, "I could ask you the same question." he said through gritted teeth and was standing above her. "You're the one who attacked me! You're one of those monsters the police are always warning people about! Aren't you?!" she screamed frantically, now afraid.

"That's not human blood running through your veins." he stated quietly, coming to terms with what was happening. "What are you talking about?" she asked in confusion. "You have monster blood coursing through your body." he said in realization. "You're like me."

She shook her head, thinking him to be crazy. "I'm a normal person!" She stood straight up, her knees beginning to shake violently. "Sakura, I'm sorry. But you're not normal." A few tears slipped past her tightly closed eyes, not believing one word coming from Sasuke's mouth. "You're not fully human but also not fully monster either. You're somewhere in between." he sniffed the air. "That's why you didn't smell like a monster to me. My kind can pick up the scent of another monster. You have the smell of a human, but your blood is monster."

Sasuke neared her and held out his hands to show he meant no harm, "Will you let me help you?" he asked softly, meeting her emerald gaze that was so bewitching to him. She looked away, "I… I don't know. I'm so confused and… I'm afraid." Sasuke stopped approaching her, "I understand, but your life is never going to be the same again. You're in danger now, so let me help you. Unless you want to be hunted down and killed." Sakura breathed sharply at the thought of being attacked.

"No… I want to live." she finally said, her gaze downcast. He nodded his head before going through a drawer and handing her an oversized shirt to wear which she gladly accepted. He sighed and rubbed his eyes, then tried to rub away the blood on his mouth. "We should sit down and talk. There's a lot to go over."

Sakura inclined her head and followed Sasuke out of the bedroom. Knowing somewhere deep inside that from this day there would be no going back to her old life. She would become a remnant of who she used to be, and the very thought sent a cold shiver racing down her spine.

Author's Note: I decided to write this story based off of the anime/manga "Tokyo Ghoul". I do borrow elements from this story, but I am trying to make it different. So there's no real name for what Sasuke and his kind are, they are referred to by the public as monsters. Well let me know how you enjoyed the first chapter. Thanks!

Side note: I made this chapter extra long, but future chapters most likely won't be this long!