Title: Black Rose, Crimson Sunset

Rating: PG-13 to R

Genres: Romance, Drama, Humor, Dark Humor, Slight Angst, Action/Adventure

Summary: In a realm that vampires, werewolves, and other supernatural beings exist, police have to keep order in any means necessary. Meet Detective Kamiya Kaoru. She's been on the force since the mysterious and untimely death of her father 4 years ago. Now cases like her father's are showing up once more and her boss, Saitou Hajime, a vampire, is making her, her best friend, Macimachi Misao, and her brother, Seta Soujirou, work on this case with vampires. Here enters Himura Kenshin and Shinomori Aoshi. Powerful and ruthless vampire lords who can't stand the being doing this. Will they be able to work together or will they rip each other's throat out first?

Pairings: Battousai/Kaoru, Aoshi/Misao, Sano/Megumi, Soujirou/OC

Warnings: Rating due to violence, swearing, sexual situations, and my strange sense of humor. Slight OOC, especially for Kaoru at the beginning.

Author's Notes: I'm baaaaaaaaaaaaack. Okay…in this chapter, a new character or two or three are introduced. They are original characters simply because A) I can't remember all the names and B) It's fun having original characters. They won't be huge to the plot, but still pretty important. If you have any questions, email me at lilfrozenfire369@yahoo.com

***

Chapter Two: First Patrol

Alternate Title: Getting to know a vampire lord and meeting your friendly neighborhood demons

"Uh, Sano? Where are we going?" Soujirou asked. He was quickly regretting letting Sano drive. After all, this was a brand new Monte Carlo.

"To see some friends of mine," was the reply as he turned another corner.

Sano came to a stop in front of an old-fashioned house on the outskirts of the city. The house looked like a shrine. It had white and red rose bushes on either side of the walkway. Sano walked up to the souji door and knocked twice.

"You'd better have money, Sano, or else 'Faia will be mad. You still owe her 453 yen!" came a voice.

"Do you owe everyone money?" Soujirou asked.

Sano ignored him. "Nope. No money. I need a favor and information though."

A tall woman came out from behind the house. She had long black hair with light blue streaks in it. Her eyes were a midnight blue and she was wearing a blue tank top covered with a black mesh pullover.

It wasn't her height that shocked Soujirou or even her earrings that looked like they were made of ice. It was her face. She had a dark blue teardrop under her right eye and he could have sworn he saw fangs.

"Information and a favor? That's gonna cost you, Sano," she said in a misty voice.

Sano smiled charmingly at her. "Can't you put it on Kenshin's tab?"

"Fine. At least he pays us back."

"That hurt."

"The truth often does," came a different voice.

A woman slightly shorter than the first came out from the back. She had short blonde hair with dark blue bangs and highlights. Her dark blue eyes were watching Sano with amusement. The blue flame on her forehead seemed to shimmer as she walked, making the one on her black tank top seem to dance.

She tapped a dark red nail on Sano's nose. "Now you said you wanted information?"

"Yeah. Where's Natalie and Megumi?"

"Yo." A girl about Soujirou's height walked out, holding a calico cat. Her short golden curls danced as she bounded out, the purple strands mingling with the blonde. Her blue eyes were laughing silently at Sano. There was a light purple star under her left eye and she wore a grey t-shirt and blue jeans. "Megumi is out visiting someone and won't be back until tomorrow."

"Soujirou, meet the girls of Meian. Krystal," the black haired one waved, "Sutaasafaia," the blonde with blue highlights bowed, "and Natalie." She picked up the calico's paw and waved it. "Girls, this is Seta Soujirou. He works for the wolf."

"I'll make sure to pad the bill then," Sutaasafaia muttered. "So…what can we do for you?"

"Yeah. You have Aoshi's scent on you which means the Obiwabbon group is involved. If they can't find anything, what makes you think we can?" Krystal questioned.

"We want as many beings on the lookout as possible," he replied.

Sutaasafaia nodded and the cat meowed. "So…"

"What can you find out about the murders going on?" Sano asked.

"Hmm…not much yet," Krystal said.

"Come back in a few hours and we might have some more info," Natalie suggested, running her fingers through the cat's fur.

"No can do. In eight hours, Kenshin takes over the patrol," Sano said.

"Fine. Have him check in then. I like dealing with him better than a freeloader anyways," Sutaasafaia said from her perch on the porch.

"Face it…you just can't win," Soujirou said, laughing at Sano's expression.

"He's right. Have Kenshin check in in eight hours then. We should have some info by then. Now about that 453 yen…" Sutaasafaia started.

Sano grabbed Soujirou's hand and drug him to the Monte Carlo. "Bye, girls. I'll have Kenshin check in."

The tires screeched against the pavement and the car fishtailed before heading back into town. Soujirou glanced in the review mirror in time to see a calico cat and a large golden retriever leave the property.

***

Kaoru got out of her bedroom and walked right into someone. "Sorry about…" she trailed off as she met golden eyes. She looked over his shoulder to see Misao standing by Aoshi, laughing at her. "Okay. Just because we are working on this case together, does not mean that you three get to spend all your time here."

"Aw, Kaoru-chan. You've the biggest apartment," Misao whined.

"Besides. You have slept most of the day. It's our shift in 45 minutes," Kenshin said. He looked her over. "And I think you might want to change."

Kaoru gaped at him, then glared at all three before slamming the bathroom door shut. They heard her curse men, weasels, vampires, and men.

"I wonder if Sano wasn't right," Misao thought out loud. She shuddered and went into the guest bedroom. "If I have to be up at four, there is no way I am missing some sleep."

***

Sano and Soujirou walked into the apartment, barely missing having a bokken against their skulls. "Jou-chan, take it easy."

Kaoru noticed who it was and waved. "Sorry. You should have said who it was."

Soujirou sweat dropped as he noticed Kaoru's arsenal. "Is something wrong?"

Kaoru stopped smiling and glared at the phone. "Saitou just informed me that our apartment is going to be where everyone stays until the case is solved."

Kenshin came out of the living room. "What did you find out?"

Sano sighed and started to chew on his fishbone again. "The Obiwabbon and Meian both have no idea yet. You're supposed to check in with the Meian as soon as you can. Sutaasafaia promised some information."

Kenshin shrugged into his leather jacket. "I suppose we'd better go then. Miss Kaoru…"

Kaoru grabbed her windbreaker and huffed out of the door.

***

Kenshin stopped in front of the house at the same time a panther and golden retriever bounded into the yard. The animals turned their blue eyes to the car as the occupants got out of it.

The golden retriever bounded over to Kaoru and sniffed her hand as the panther followed at a more leisurely pace. "Knock it off, you two. We have work to do," a voice called. Kaoru got sleepy just listening to it.

"Hello, Natalie," Kenshin bowed.

"Hey, Himura. Will you two please come in for some tea?"

"No. Sano said that you have some information," Kenshin said in a deadpan voice.

"Pumpkin came up with nothing. Why don't you ask Sutaasafaia and Krystal?" she suggested, pointing at the large dog and panther. A blue mist surrounded the panther and Krystal appeared. She sighed and looked at the golden retriever. Blue flames surrounded it before Sutaasafaia appeared.

"To make the introductions short, I'm Krystal, this is Natalie and 'Faia. You must be Kamiya Kaoru. We have heard about you," Krystal said.

Kenshin cleared his throat politely. "I suppose you want information?" Sutaasafaia asked. Kaoru nodded. "Very well. I have learned that two vampire lords are teamed up and preparing for what they call 'The Final Phase'. Kind of a little unoriginal if you ask me."

Krystal nodded. "They are buying heavy arsenal from various providers. A few days ago, a woman came here, asking if we knew where to find missal launchers."

"Any idea what the vampire lords look like?" Kenshin demanded.

Sutaasafaia raised an eyebrow. "Don't take that tone of voice with us, mister. Anyway, according to one of my informants…the Juppon Gatana is involved, which means their leader."

"Unfortunately, no one knows what the leader looks like," Krystal said. Kaoru paled. 'The Juppon Gatana? Sou-chan's former gang?!'

"According to our source…as you know, the Juppon Gatana's numbers have decreased in the past few years. The remaining ones are basically the soulless vampires and zombies. You know, the gross and disgusting ones," Natalie said, petting the calico cat.

"Thank you for the information," Kenshin said.

"Sano said to put it on your tab. That means that you owe us for this," she said in a sugar-coated voice.

"Yep. That makes it 635 yen. That's our discount price. Cough it up, my lord," Krystal said.

Kenshin reached into his money holder and fished out some bills. "Thanks, for the tip. If you need any help on this, it's on the house," Sutaasafaia said. "Remember, we'll be watching." With that, the house was surrounded with flames, mist, and stars before disappearing completely.

"Where'd they go?" Kaoru asked, looking around. Everything was gone, right down to the rosebushes.

"Wherever they want. We never find them, they show up when it suits them," Kenshin said, returning to the car.

"Oh. Are they the only ones?"

"No. There's one other. She must be patrolling."

Kaoru searched her mind. She had heard the name of that group before. "Megumi…right? A kitsune?"

Kenshin nodded as he pulled into traffic.

Kaoru groaned. 'I can't stand her. She always makes me feel childish.' Her back hit the seat as Kenshin sped through a yellow light. "I'm glad this is your car and not mine. I'm still making payments on mine," Kaoru commented. "So…where to next?"

"A friend's."

Kaoru rolled her eyes at the insufficient answer. "So…why don't you tell me a little bit about yourself?"

Kenshin's eyes got a little cloudy. "No."

Kaoru huffed. "I could care less about your past or whatever, I was talking about likes, dislikes, and whatever else you want to tell me. Here…I'll start. My name is Kamiya Kaoru and I am 25 years old. I love chocolate and I am trained in the Kamiya Kasshin style. Let's see…Soujirou is my older half brother and I have known Sano forever. Now you try."

"My name is Kenshin and I am significantly older than you."

Kaoru rolled her eyes again. 'This is going to be a long night.'

***

"Anji," Kenshin said as he entered an antique shop.

The burly man behind the register nodded. "Battousai. Kaoru. I hope you are here for a purchase."

Kaoru smiled at the ex-monk turned werewolf. "No such luck."

"Kaoru. How are you and your brother?"

"Fine, thank you. We need some info though."

Anji raised his eyebrows and put down the dusting rag. "What kind of information?"

"On the Juppon Gatana," Kenshin replied.

"A gang that had 10 members, not including the leader, now down to 7."

"Come on, Anji. I know you know more than that," Kaoru pleaded. "Please tell us."

"I am sorry, Kaoru, but that is all I am at liberty to say."

Kaoru sighed. "Maybe we'll have better luck with Kamatari."

As the duo walked out of his store, Anji whispered, "Good luck."

***

"Kaoru, darling! Are you here to get a new outfit? Quite frankly, dear, you need one," came a high-pitched voice from the back room. A fashionably dressed man came out carrying outfits of all hues and colors.

"No thanks, Kamatari. However, you can give us information," she replied in a a sweet voice.

"Darling, you know your brother can give you more information than I," he replied, setting down his load. Kenshin raised his eyebrows as he looked at Kaoru sharply.

"Your brother?" he asked in a deathly calm voice.

"Ooooooo," Kamatari squealed. "Battousai is here."

"Information now and customers later," Kaoru said in an exasperated voice.

"Hmph. What do you wanna know?"

Kaoru smiled. "Now we're getting somewhere. The leader of your former gang. His or her name, please."

Kamatari frowned. "I can't tell you that. I can tell you that he is planning on challenging Battousai, here, for his title as 'Most Powerful Vampire'. I believe he is teamed up with someone else, though I'm not sure on who."

Kaoru sighed. "Thanks, Kamatari." She started to walk towards the door.

"Oh, Kaoru-chan! This dress would look fabulous on you," he called, holding up a blue evening gown.

***

Kaoru sighed. "Two down, one to go."

"How does your brother know Kamatari?" Kenshin asked.

Kaoru glared. "I don't ask about your past, you don't ask about mine."

Kenshin looked sharply at her. "If your brother is involved, he may be a suspect."

Kaoru tried to take deep, calming breathes. Only it didn't work. "Don't talk about my brother like that. You don't even know him."

"Do you know him?"

"Bite me. Wait a minute, I take that back. You might actually do that," Kaoru said snidely. She sighed and looked out her window. "About 12 years ago, Soujirou was in a gang called the Juppon Gatana. He was forced to do things he's never even told me about. Anyways…5 years later, he got out of it along with Kamatari and Anji. That is all I know besides the fact that it was 7 years ago that my father was slaughtered. Are you happy?"

Kenshin pondered on this. 'Maybe it is time to see the Obiwabbon group.'

***

Anyone get confused? I hope so. That is what I was going for anyway. Now I can hear the questions now. 'Why are Soujirou, Kamatari, and Anji out of the Juppon Gatana?'; 'How come no one knows who the leader is?'; and 'Why did you bring three original characters in?'. The answers when we return with the next, exciting part of Black Rose, Crimson Sunset.