Disclaimer: I own nothing InuYasha.

Author Note: It's been forever, I know! And I'm sorry! And this quote is actually from Vanilla Sky, not Titanic.

A Love Like Blood

Chapter Nine

By: Ashley Shauf

Every passing minute is another chance to turn it all around...

I tried to brush back the fact that I didn't know any of this was planned. I didn't want to ruin his plans, since they seemed innocent enough. He said we were going to watch movies and everything, he didn't mention anything about getting dirty. Koga appeared to be a gentleman, who was I to think less of him? Anytime he'd been overcome with lust he made sure to put a distance between us, to stop himself from losing control.

Still, being all alone with him was a frightening thought. He could take control over me at any minute, and what wolf demon would ran to my aid? None, because they were only people here and they wouldn't think anything of it. I was getting way out of my mind though. Koga was giving me this curious look, studying me.

"Are you okay?" He frowned. He sounded genuinely concerned. I really had nothing to worry about, right? Worst came to worst, I could defend myself long enough to make a run for it. I was sure he'd feel insulted if I treated him like some kind of pervert. I know I'd be upset if somebody acted like I was a criminal.

"Yes." I shrugged.

"You lie too much, you also think too much. I'm not going to hurt you Ayame, but it's good that you're protective and keep your guard up. You take it a little far though, and end up trusting nobody. You should only take it so far and trust at least your pack; hopefully you trust my pack too. Especially me. It's important to trust a leader." He remarked.

"I'm a leader, too." I pointed out but ended up sounding childish. Was I ready to lead a pack of wolves as soon as my grandfather passed away? Would I, a teenager with basically no mandatory responsibilities be able to handle that? Especially when it meant so many lives?

"Yes, you are. That's why I think it's really important for us to be close. Your grandfather is getting himself too excited though. We are not going to mate and I hope he knows that. He thinks that united our packs would be best for us. Temporarily, I think it's a wonderful idea. But, for the rest of history, I don't think it'd work out so well." He replied.

"Look, I'm not into mating either. Besides, we don't have to necessarily be a couple in order to put the packs together. I also have a feeling that we can settle this whole dispute." I pointed out as we walked into the restaurant/hotel building, yet again.

"Don't you dare say that to anybody else. I'll let it slid, but others will not. That talk of peace can be the death of you. Even if you do push for peace, don't you dare trust them. They will turn their backs on you, they always do." Koga mumbled.

"One failed attempt doesn't mean that it can't happen." I suggested, optimistically. Maybe I was seriously arguing for my side of this battle, or maybe I just had a thing for playing the devil's advocate. For right now, I was resting on the latter, since I couldn't help but smirk.

"You are a dangerous girl." Koga laughed and shook his head, showing off his pearly whites and his slightly longer canine teeth. He really was one of the most gorgeous men I had ever see, if not the most gorgeous. The only flaws on him made him seem badass, which only appeared more flawless to me. Did I really have a crush on Koga, just a little bit?

"So what? Life isn't fun unless it's risky." I pointed out.

"Case and point." Koga nodded curtly, then turned towards a rather spiffy looking man in front of a large marble counter and handed him a credit card, not waiting for the amount total. "Koga Ookami. I called in prior and booked a room."

"Your key, sir." The man said, chin up, "and you're card. Thank you and enjoy your stay here. We hope that you'll be planning on joining us for another night, as well."

That's when I felt the presence, the eyes boring holes into me. I felt that blue ice cut through my very soul. I felt the chills run up and down my spine. It wasn't that I wasn't used to this feeling, it was that I hadn't felt it in the longest time. From my understanding, he was dead. Did he not know that Koga would kill him in a heartbeat?

"I smell a vampire, stick close." Koga whispered into my ear as his intense pools danced about the place. There were far too many people to locate the exact person, especially since he didn't know what the vampire looked like. I did, though. I knew. Too well.

"Koga, I know you're not going to believe me and I can't exactly tell you everything right now but he wouldn't hurt me. Koga, he's one of the few you can actually trust. I know, I sound crazy, but it's the crazy truth." I stopped and looked at him seriously.

"A vampire?" Koga asked, eyes shocked.

"Koga, I can trust him." I whispered.

"How the hell would you know this?" He growled in disgust, under his voice.

"Because he would die for me!" I replied without thinking, a little bit louder than I had wanted. Immediately I winced at the attention and grabbed his arm, pulling him off to the side and away from a majority of curious eyes.

"Ayame, you're crazy." Koga confirmed.

"Koga, no, I'm not. I'm telling you the honest-to-God truth." I swore. And I was but I knew I sounded crazy to him; his life had been so impacted. It was like telling parent's that the man who raped their twelve year old daughter was actually a really sweet guy who would never hurt anybody. How could somebody with such strong beliefs believe what I was saying?

"It doesn't matter if he trusts me or not, we have some things to talk about." That voice from the past interrupted. I turned at the person who I was sure had to be a ghost. He was always dead but he should be completely dead now instead of undead.

As long as I had known Zeek he had tanned skin and a healthy glow. The boy before me was near transparent, as if he hadn't seen daylight for years. His ice blue eyes were paranoid and bloodshot, and his black hair with red tips was drooping into his face.

"Zeek…" I mumbled lightly and reached up to touch his face, zoning out. He closed his eyes and grabbed my hand before I could.

"Please don't. Let's hurry up and get to your room, we really don't have as much time as I wish we did." Zeek explained. Koga didn't question, he didn't even second guess. He turned his back and led the vampire towards our room. I was surprised but I didn't bother to open my mouth. I didn't want to speak on such a touchy subject and make him change his mind.

"Dammit!" Zeek yelled when he saw that the elevators were out. "Sons of bitches, they did this! They know!"

"What are you talking about?" I asked desperately.

"Motherfuckers, they control everything." He screamed as he walked towards the stairs. Koga and I exchanged looks before following the power-walking young man before us. He slammed the heavy door open into the dimly light way. Koga and I entered as the door swung shut, creaking as it did. In this creepy voice, Zeek added to the eerie situation. "Come out, come out, wherever you are."

There was a screeching and Zeek acted so quickly it was impossible to see what the black mist before my eyes had been. They kept coming, one after the other, quicker than anything I'd ever seen before. In a minute, it was quiet and calm again. "Zeek, what the hell was that?"

"Vampires… hurry up!" He paused before the 'hurry up' but didn't seem as phased as I thought he would be. He quickly stepped up the stairs and Koga made me get on his back (since now would be a horrible time to twist an ankle or go barreling back down the stairway).

-0-0-0-0-

"We have a lot to talk about." Zeek checked around the large apartment room and made sure all windows were locked. "I have a lot to explain, especially to you Ayame. They said they were going to kill me but they lied. They tortured me through a series of events and experiments. It's been two years since I've seen myself or seen any form of light. My eyes are ruined; they've been so used to registering only black."

That was when I noticed why his eyes didn't look so alive anymore. His eyes were slowly blinding themselves. Nothing about him looked healthy anymore. He was a person who needed help, help that might not be available anymore after what he'd been through. "Zeek, what the hell did they do to you?"

"I don't know, that's what scares me the most. I'm been under over fifty procedures with nothing to numb the pain. It consumes me with every step. But I escaped and now they're going crazy. They created this fucked up gene pool that used to be a vampire. If they find me, I will never see sunlight again. All because of my interaction with werewolves." He said, his voice crackling.

"Vampires did this to you? Your own kind?" Koga asked. "It's so… brutal."

"If you think vampires are the only beings to be afraid of, you're horribly wrong. There's a clan, they are radicals. They kill without care. Just like there are radical werewolf groups. You cannot trust everybody in your own pack." He warned.

"What are you talking about?" Koga growled in a low voice.

"Watch over Ayame, they're waiting for her to be alone and when she is… she's as good as gone." Zeek mumbled and ran a hand through his hair. "I need to leave, now. I can't stay here, I have to get away. If you don't see me again, they captured me. Be careful. And Ayame, I still promise that I will always love you. Until the day I die."

"Zeek…" I whispered but his body faded into thin air. I was in shock as his body slowly dissolved, even though he didn't seem to be afraid. All those experiments must have given him extra supernatural powers.

"I won't tell anybody, and neither will you. If you tell anybody about this, they'll ditch you from the pack. Obviously, now is not a good time for you to be out casted." Koga turned towards me and stated.

"Koga, thank you." I smiled and wrapped my arms around him. His body was tense and irresponsive for a minute before he hugged me back. I pulled back and crawled on the bed. "We could be on our guard and freaked out, or we could enjoy a night of movies and not worry, living plans as they were intended to be."

"Ayame, this isn't a light matter." Koga pointed out.

"But," I got own my knees and grabbed his hands to pull him closer to the edge of the bed, "we have the rest of our lives to worry about this matter. What's meant to be, will be. I believe tonight was meant to be a calming and relaxing fun night. Drama is SO overrated."

He smirked, put a movie in, and got in bed beside me as we lay on our bellies and paid attention. I closed my eyes and, before I knew it, the sounds faded away and everything else, including my worries.

Koga

I yawned as the movie ended and glanced at the petite figure next to me. She was breathing softly and peacefully. I turned off the television and picked her up to adjust her to the right end of the bed, before crawling in with her. It was no wonder so many people fell in love with her, she looked like she was an angel straight out of Heaven.

My smile faded to a frown. Did I actually like her? We fought and fought and yet, I was next to positive that I was falling in love with her. I had a curse; she would never be in love with me. Why was I even fooling myself? With a lump in my throat I turned off the nightstand light and wrapped my arm around her, my body close, with her head under my chin. She just fit.

And yet, we'd never be together.