Disclaimer: I do not own Bleach nor World of Warcraft, they belong to Tite Kubo and Blizzard Entertainment. I have merely made off with a few of their ideas for my own personal enjoyment. :D I do own my OC's and my ideas.

Well, this little story started out as a drabble, something to be a contrast to my long, drawn out epic-ness
in The Color of Trust. 15 chapters later, it has become something more. It certainly got darker
along the way, prompting me to change it from Fantasy/Romance to Angst/Romance.

I'll warn you now, this story contains lemons, violence, harsh language, and a twisted darkness
that I call my own. :D The timeline moves quite swiftly in this story, again, to contrast CoT. :)

While I would not call this story 'epic' by any stretch of the imagination, it certainly is much larger than
I intended, and I already have part of the epilogue written. (Not close to finishing this one either LOL)

Chapter 1

"Tessaaahhh! Wake up already! You promised to go with me to Azshara today to gather herbs and collect fel cloth."

There was a muffled groan from the shrouded form as Tessah pulled the covers higher over her head. Hissing through her teeth, Serrelle jerked the covers back from her sister's body.

"For the love of Elune, get up!"

With a groan, Tessah partially opened her eyes, squinting at the suns rays pouring from the window. "Fine, I'm up. I'm up."

Sighing, Serrelle patiently waited for her sister to don her usual armor. Tessah's breastplate covered her upper torso alone, leaving her stomach bare. It was deeply tanned leather with intricate designs of silver atop it. On her shoulders she wore matching shoulder guards, hundreds of thick black feathers underneath them. Her leather skirt had small plates shaped like leaves all the way down to her knees, leaving her legs bare and showing off the elaborate shin guards on her tall leather boots. Fumbling around, Tessah unearthed a simple leather hair tie, loosely pulling back her long blue hair.

Both Serrelle and Tessah had a head of long, striking hair so dark the blue nearly appeared black in some lights. It fell to just past their hips when left down, as Serrelle's was now. She had chosen a simple yet elegant white, sleeveless dress for today. Its design proclaimed her as a Priestess of Elune, just as their mother was. Where her sister was armed for a battle, Serrelle was dressed to stand on the sidelines.

They would not be in any real danger in Azshara, but Tessah always liked to be prepared. Together the two made a wonderful team. Tessah would handle the physical work of battle, while Serrelle would stay back and keep her healed, adding a few spells in to attack now and again.

Aside from their difference in clothing, the only thing allowing anyone to distinguish the two sisters was the markings on Tessah's face, a match to their mothers. They looked much like the wings of a raven, draped over her eyes, feathers pointing downward. It was just a slightly different color from her skin, allowing it to occasionally be overlooked.

Adorning their long, elven ears, a dangling strand of silver with a crescent moon. A similar moon hung on their forehead, held in place by a delicate silver band, thin chains hung down on either side of the moon. The crescent was a universal symbol for their people, the Kaldorei. Children of the Stars, otherwise known as Night Elves.

The small band across their head signified their status amongst the Night Elves, marking them as daughters of the High Priestess and leader, Tyrande Whisperwind. Their father was the Archdruid, Malfurion Stormrage.

Because each child had chosen to follow in the footsteps of their parents, they took the surnames of both. Serrelle preferred to go by Whisperwind, and Tessah as Stormrage. They felt the names suited them and allowed them to honor both of their famous parents.

"Alright, I'm ready. Did you remember to set the hearth stone to bind us in Astranaar, sister?"

Serrelle ignored the urge to roll her eyes. "Of course I did. I had one of the servants tend to it yesterday."

Tessah nodded and held out her hand, holding it above the flat white stone lying in Serrelle's hand. The etching in the stone shone brightly, casting a green glow in the room around them as they activated it. Closing their eyes, the sisters allowed the magic of the stone to transport them from the privacy of their room to their planned destination in the forests of Ashenvale.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

When the sisters opened their eyes, they found themselves in a dark and thickly wooded area. The stone in Serrelle's hand cracked, splitting into two pieces. 'That cannot be good' she thought.

"Serrelle…while this may be a forest, this is most certainly not Ashenvale forest."

Serrelle was scanning the area, confused by the darkness, knowing it had been full light when they departed.

"That much I can see, Tessah. Where in Kalimdor are we?"

With a snort, Tessah folded her arms underneath her breasts. "Well, we aren't in Darnassus anymore."

Serrelle narrowed her eyes, casting a glare her sister's way. "You are not much help."

Ignoring the rebuke, Tessah began to cautiously explore the area, Serrelle following closely behind. The sky above was pitch black, no moon in sight. The only light in the darkness came from the glowing eyes of the two women, and a teal stone lodged in the top of Serrelle's staff.

The two walked in silence for nearly half an hour before Tessah brought them to a halt, extending her arm outward. Turning to her sister, she pointed silently ahead past the edge of the treeline.

"Do you see it?"

Serrelle nodded "I do, it looks to be the light put off from a candle. A home perhaps?"

Tessah nodded curtly. It was still a ways off, but their eyesight was more than keen. The house lay at least half a mile ahead of them and well out of the cover the woods provided.

"I will move forward and inspect it. If it is safe, I will send for you. If not, I will return."

Serrelle gave her hand a quick squeeze. "Elune-adore."

Tessah winked at her twin confidently. "Elune is always with me, sister."

Calling forth the power of the god Cenarius, Tessah's body began to change. In a matter of seconds, the woman took the form of a sleek and lean black panther, golden eyes glowing in the night. Both sisters used the gift given to all Night Elves by the goddess Elune and faded into the shadows. Serrelle could only maintain this hidden form if she stood still. Tessah, however, could easily move about as a panther, undetected. With one last backward glance, she moved out of the woods and into the clearing, towards the mysterious light.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

Two candles shone brightly in the room, one perched atop each desk. Manning those desks were two exhausted men, trying to finish the last vestiges of the days paperwork. The sun had gone down an hour before, and they still were not done. Had it not been for the strict nature of his Captain, Renji would have left for home already.

Unfortunately for him, Byakuya Kuchiki was not one for shirking duty, and that included paperwork. Even so, the older man sighed for the fourth time in the past twenty minutes. Renji wasn't sure if it was the paperwork or if the Captain was just exhausted. Curious, he finally found the courage to ask.

"Is something bothering you, Kuchiki-Taichou?"

Byakuya raised his head to face his Lieutenant, a bored expression gracing his handsome face. Opening his mouth to inform Renji that it was none of his concern, he halted, ears pricking slightly.

Renji watched as Byakuya silently rose from his seat, picking up his zanpaktou and tucking it into his obi as he stood.

"Kuchiki-Tai--" he started, silenced quickly by the raise of Byakuya's hand. One finger of his lips, signaling quiet.

Renji nodded, mimicking his Captain and rising slowly, picking up his sword along the way. Together, the two men crept towards the open door, leading to a peaceful courtyard. He wasn't sure what the Captain heard, but it must have been something.

He reached out himself, searching for nearby spiritual pressure. As far as he could tell, he and Byakuya were the only ones within half a mile of the Squad Six office. Everyone else had retired for the evening, returning home to eat, or meeting each other at one of the many bars or restaurants.

Senses on high alert, Byakuya let his eyes explore the courtyard at length. He wasn't sure what it was he heard a moment ago, it was barely audible, but it did not belong. He stood staring for several minutes and was nearly ready to blame it on exhaustion when he saw a blade of grass bend ever so slightly, seemingly on its own. Using shunpo, he vanished from his spot on the deck, reappearing directly beside the area in question with his sword drawn.

"Show yourself" he commanded quietly.

Silence answered him, the night revealing nothing. He could see something now, a slight outline of a creature that held itself close to the ground. Holding the edge of the blade up, he set it against the shadow, lightly touching it. He cleared his throat expectantly rather than repeat his command.

It prompted the response he had been hoping for. The shadows grew thicker, darker. Finally they coalesced to reveal a large panther. He heard Renji suck in a breath of surprise as he moved closer, unable to believe his eyes.

Byakuya himself felt a twinge of astonishment, shown only by a slight rise in his brow. It was rather large for a panther, but what surprised him was an animal showing such a high level of intelligence. He was also curious as to how one came to be in this place and why it was sneaking about.

"I see you can understand me. What are you doing here?"

Flanking his Captain, Renji snickered. "Like a freakin cat is going to talk. It was probably just hunting. You should kill it before it hurts someone."

Refusing to take his eyes away from the animal, he glared at it instead of his tactless Lieutenant. He could swear he saw shock in those golden orbs that bore into him. The panther took one cautious step backwards, halting when Renji disappeared and growing stiff when it discovered he had moved to its back.

"Where you goin kitty?" he taunted, extending his sword out in front of him.

Byakuya watched the muscles tense in the big cat, anticipating its next move. As he suspected, it made a mad dash for the woods, seeing flight as its only hope of survival. Normally, he would have let it go. It was only a wild animal, after all. Something was different with this one though. It actually understood him and reacted almost as a human or konpaku would.

Without a word to Renji, he gave chase, noting the redhead falling in behind him seconds later. It was an easy task, for despite the natural speed and agility the cat had, it was no match for the alacrity of a shinigami. It tried desperately to outmaneuver them, using the trees and brush in hopes of shaking them off, but to no avail.

Renji, happy to finally have some excitement in this otherwise painfully boring day, leapt downward onto the animal. His foot connected with its hindquarters, causing the animal to stumble and slide to a halt, claws digging into the earth for traction. The big cat growled, baring its large fangs. It was then Byakuya noticed something else unusual about the animal. On its left shoulder it bore a white marking that resembled a crescent moon on its back with a white spot above it. That was certainly out of place.

"Abarai, wait" he ordered, stopping the other man's advance.

It was at that moment a piercing scream filled their minds, filled with horror. For reasons he could not explain, it very nearly brought him to fear. There were no real words to it, just a terrifying cry echoing through his head, plucking at the chords of fear he'd rarely used. Byakuya fought against it, pushing it away by sheer will alone.

Renji clutched his head, his body shaking. He couldn't understand the reaction it held over his body. His eyes grew wide and his breaths came in quick pants. Valiantly, he struggled against a now overwhelming urge to flee, but from what?

Byakuya narrowed his eyes at the big cat, assuming it was at the heart of this strange, psychic attack. Pointing at it he used a one of his favorite kido spells, skipping the incantation.

"Bakudo number 61, Rikujokoro."

White light shot from his fingers, surrounding the panther. The oversized animal roared as it found itself imprisoned by six bards of light, surrounding and successfully capturing it.

Had he not seen it with his own eyes, Byakuya would never have believed what happened next. The panther's roar began to change to a scream of anger, its body changing to suit the voice. When the strange shift was complete, he found himself staring at an incredibly tall and furious woman.

She slammed her fists into the white bars that surrounded her, trying to break free. Now he was not sure if he was more surprised by her transformation, or unusual appearance. Aside from being over six feet in height, her skin seemed to blend with the night, a light mixture of lavender and blue. Her ears were abnormally long, extending well past her head and coming to a point. Her eyebrows matched the dark blue hair swinging about with the shaking of her head. They were incredibly long, so much so that they actually lifted free of her face and grew outward. Similar to her ears, long and to a point.

Renji, his mind finally free of that horrible scream, stared in shock at the woman before them. "What the hell…?"

From the darkness behind him, Byakuya saw a flash of blue light, moving forward just in time to catch a staff from connecting with the back of Renji's head. The attacker gasped in surprise as he caught her weapon, lifting her off the ground.

Grateful for his Captain's quick thinking, Renji grabbed his assailant, jerking her free of the staff and pinning her arms behind her. She was almost a mirror image of the woman he was holding with Rikujokoro, though she was dressed differently. Vainly, she fought against his Lieutenant's grip, blue eyes flashing.

"Let me go!" She commanded, a brief flicker of light escaping from her fingertips.

Renji's eyes glazed over and he obeyed, releasing her immediately to turn and face his Captain. With a sluggish movement, he drew his sword and lifted the blade above his head, preparing to bring it down. Byakuya used the staff wrested from the woman's grasp to block Renji's sword from coming down on his head, perplexed, but undaunted by his subordinate's actions.

A glance at the second woman showed her standing limply, head hung as though she had vacated her body. The realization flashed in his mind as he connected the two. Pushing Renji aside, he brought the head of the staff down atop her, knocking her to the ground. Instantly, her hold over Renji vanished, confirming his hunch.

"Goddess curse you! How dare you strike down a Priestess of Elune!" The first woman screamed, still fighting against the bonds.

A green glow began to form at her fingertips, quickly forming a crackling orb.

"Nature will take back the life she gave!" she cried out, sending it flying towards them.

Renji dodged the blow with ease, leaping out of the way with plenty of room to spare. It struck a tree behind him, causing the trunk to explode in a sea of splinters.

Growling in frustration, the strange woman shape shifted again. Instead of taking on the form of a panther, she now took on the body of an enormous grizzly bear. Instantly, the bars shattered around her, giving her freedom at last.

In the next few moments, Byakuya calmly weighed his options, rolling the few facts he gathered about these two in this brief and violent encounter. Clearly these women were not from this world, he had never seen anything like them in all of his years. More than likely, they were attacking out of self preservation, otherwise the shape shifter would not have run from them earlier.

Nodding inwardly, he prepared to execute his plan, hoping for a bloodless resolution. She surprised him, however, with a quick burst of speed. He certainly would not have expected a bear to move that way, but within moments she had tackled Renji, throwing him to the ground. The younger man used his sword to hold those vicious teeth at bay, throwing a concerned look towards his Captain.

Now that he knew it wasn't just an animal, he did not want to hurt her, but if she kept this up he'd be left with no choice. The weight atop him was crushing, and her long, deadly claws dug into his body as he struggled to avoid that gaping jaw. Renji managed sighed with relief when he heard his Captain shout.

"Release him, or I will end the life of this Priestess."

The great bear slowly looked up from Renji, it's golden eyes holding a look of irritation more than fear. In his arms he held the limp body of her sister, his blade pressed to her throat. A low growl formed in her throat but was cut short when her 'victim' struck her head, sending stars swimming into her vision. Swaying unsteadily, her paws moving off Renji, allowing him to roll free from the deadly grasp. Before she could refocus, he brought his elbow down on her skull, bringing with it a black void that swallowed her whole.

Panting from effort, Renji watched the bear fall, returning to the shape of a woman seconds after it hit the ground. His breath came out in a deep whoosh as he bent over, holding his knees for support. Byakuya nodded in silent approval, sheathing his sword and shifting the woman in his arms. Picking up her legs, he carried her over to Renji.

"Come. We need to get these two in a sealed off cell before they wake. I will alert the Commander-General of this event once we complete that task."

Catching his breath, Renji slid his zanpaktou back into its sheath and knelt down to pick up the strange woman at his feet. Spotting an ornate dagger at her waist, he removed it, sliding it in beside his own weapon. 'The woman was dangerous enough without live steel' he thought, rolling his wounded shoulder idly. The gouges weren't too deep, thankfully. He would do well in avoiding her claws, should there be a next time.

-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-o-

As the two men ran towards the detainment cells, Renji took time to study his prisoner. Despite her strange appearance and abilities, she was actually quite attractive. He had not noticed it before, but it looked as though she had the imprint of wings on her face. They started on either side of her nose, curving up over her brow and dipping back down, the feathers extending almost to her jaw line. It must have been a tattoo of some sort, but it was so light, just a few shades darker than her natural skin tone. It almost looked as though it had always been there. 'If you can call blue-ish purple a 'natural' skin tone' he thought.

Renji was surprised to see the delicate jewelry she wore, finding delicate to be just the opposite of his picture of her. The necklace she wore was a close fitting collar made of silver, intricately woven into a jagged pattern, somewhat similar to the pattern of his tattoos.

Byakuya kept his eyes ahead, ignoring his own curiosity of the woman in his arms. She definitely seemed more fragile than her twin, and twins they certainly seemed to be. Her face was a mirror image of the woman Renji held. Instead, he tried to come up with an answer or explanation for their sudden appearance but could find nothing.

They had almost arrived at the Division Six confinement cells, when he felt her stir slightly. Holding his breath, he looked down, hoping she would not wake. Defying his wishes, her eyes began to open, revealing them in a glowing blue light. For a moment she looked perplexed, her eyes still not quite focused. She blinked, studying his face a moment before the memory returned. Panic filled those strangely glowing pools as she struggled against him, whispering frantically in a language he did not understand.

It proved to be quite difficult to keep a firm grip on her while moving. She easily towered over him in height, and was now using that advantage to try and break free of his grasp. He stopped, standing in mid air, high above the Seireitei.

Turning to Renji he said "You go on ahead, get her in a cell and sealed off as quickly as possible. I will not be far behind."

The woman in his arms ceased her struggle for a moment to crane her neck to see Renji and the sibling he held.

"Tessah!" she called out, fighting him once again as she watched her sister being carried away.

"If you do not stop struggling, I will restrain you" he warned her.

Ignoring him, she lashed out suddenly, a burning light enveloping them both in a sphere, golden flecks brightening the dark night. Despite himself, he released her to shield his body from the attack. The stars of light seared his skin where they struck, burning away bits and pieces of his haori and shihakusho. She must have been desperate to use such an attack at close range, for surely she had only hurt herself.

Below him she fell, plummeting towards the ground. Serrelle sent Elune a quick word of thanks for gifting her with the ability to levitate, or float at will. Hastily, she cast her spell, her descent grinding to a near halt the moment it was cast. Without that ability, she surely would have perished.

She allowed herself a sigh of relief as she drifted downward. She certainly had not expected to find herself so high in the air. It shouldn't have been possible, unless her captor could fly. Glancing upward, she searched the sky for him, but he was nowhere in sight.

Her head turned back to observe the ground below, and instead brought her face to face with the missing assailant. Try as she might, Serrelle could not stop herself from sailing straight into his arms, her mind reeling from shock. 'This man moves like the wind!'

As his arms closed around her, she heard him softly say "Bakudo number 1, Sai."

The breath was sucked from her lungs in rush. Both of her arms were now tightly pinned behind her back, held by invisible hands so tightly she felt paralyzed. He glared down at the woman now, slightly pleased with the look of shock reflected on her delicate face. She was somehow completely uninjured from her previous attack, causing his glare to falter, lips turning downward to form a slight frown.

Not wishing to waste any more time, she was roughly tossed over his shoulder, knocking the wind from her. The moment she was held in place he was moving again, keeping his promise to Renji and coming in close behind the other man.

"How dare you treat me this way!" she spat once she could breathe again.

She received only a curt "Hn" in response.

While he ran, she tried desperately to break the spell that held her tight. She tried her 'dispel magic' spell but to no effect. The result was the same for mass dispel as well. Byakuya could see the bright lights that continued to appear around her, musical in sound and wondered what she was trying to accomplish.

Serrelle knew her energy was low from the initial struggle, and that she nearly depleted it when she attacked him earlier. After trying and failing to free herself, she was running on empty. With a weak cry she fell limp, unable to free herself and frustrated with her failure.

Well...did ya like it? Did ya hate it? Review it for me! :D Me love you long time. /nod

On a side note, my two OC's were named in honor of my dear friend Shawn. He has a Draenei hunter named Serrelle and a Blood Elf named Tessah. I told him in one of my stories, I'd use one of his characters. :) Love ya Shawn!

-note- minor updates/corrections made on 7-23-08. I promise you my writing skills improve in upcoming chapters LOL ;)

-WannaBeNinja's Evil Minion of Doom-
-Angil's Partner in Crime-
-GreenShade's Story Stalker-
-ArjetLuna's Groupie Fangirl-
-D.F.G.'s Corrupt Cohort-
-Jazzmaster's Judgement Junkie-

Sweet Yuya Shiina