It seems like forever since I updated, but I've been fixing the plans I already have for this Fic.

Thanks to all the reviewers and readers of this story, I love you all o

This chapter may be annoying because I'm going to throw in some lyrics

Hotaru means firefly

Miki means flower stalk

Akujin means evil god

Love will Tear Us Apart Again

"Talking"

'Thinking'

Lyrics

When the routine bites hard

And ambitions are low

And the resentment rides high

But emotions won't grow

And we're changing our ways,

Taking different roads

Then love, love will tear us apart again

Meryl stood in front of Knives and Miki while she watched this new werecat slowly stalk towards her. She knew that having Knives at her back wasn't the best option in the world, but he seemed the lesser of the two evils at this point. She narrowed her eyes and noticed that the werecat was already in her halfway form.

'I can feel the heaviness of heart,' the unknown cat said as she took delight in talking privately to Meryl.

'How dare you invade my mind?' Meryl hissed.

'Are you trying to steer off subject?' The cat asked.

Meryl growled and the Knives watched for the first time in amazement as the fur grew out from her skin. He heard a sickening crack and knew she was changing shape. He just imagined the bones reconfiguring and knew why her body regenerated so fast. He steered his sister away from Meryl and turned her face away from the scene. Meryl's height increased as her fingers cracked and grew another inch. Knives looked down and watched her feet grow out and reconfigure until they were bent backwards. Meryl now stood at five foot seven with her claws itching for blood and her fangs ready for a fight.

It had been five hours of driving and Rei had finally stopped running. The sun didn't look like it was about to rise, but there was a light in the distance. Wolfwood removed his sunglasses and looked off into the distance.

"What do you think it is?" Milly asked as she looked over his shoulder.

"Honey, I think it's our welcome party," Wolfwood said.

Rei stood up on all fours and made a grunting noise like he agreed. Milly looked down and smiled as Wolfwood put his glasses back on. She snuggled back into his back and prepared herself to set off again. Rei looked off into the distance and started to run off into the distance. He only took off at top speed when he was sure the others could keep up.

Vash gazed at Meryl from his spot. He knew he was down wind from Meryl because she hadn't caught his scent yet. He had witnessed her first transformation. He was stunned beyond all belief. He couldn't help but feel all the emotions he felt for her, towards her leak out. He started to walk down the dune towards her, but was stopped when Hotaru grabbed his arm. Vash looked to his left and saw that Hotaru had taken his human shape.

"You'll get in the way," Hotaru said as if it explained everything.

"What's going on?" Vash asked as he now saw the other werecat standing only a few feet away.

"Dominance." Hotaru said without looking away from the scene.

Vash narrowed his eyes at Hotaru and pulled away. He took off running down the dune towards Meryl.

Why is the bedroom so cold
turned away on your side?
Is my timing that flawed,
our respect run so dry?
Yet there's still this appeal

That we've kept through our lives
Love, love will tear us apart again

Knives finally was fed up with this freak as he now deemed. He pushed his sister behind him. He then stepped up next to Meryl and made his presence known. Meryl sniffed the air and could clearly smell Knives next to her. She then caught the faint scent of Vash. Her eyes cleared and showed confusion, she then shrugged it off as it just being Knives.

"Who are you?" Knives demanded as he arrogantly stood next to Meryl. The werecat just smirked.

"Arrogance will not intimidate me, Knives Millions," she said.

"How do you know my name?" Knives asked.

Meryl could smell the nervousness coming off Knives and decided that it was time to take him out of the game.

"It's a shame your such a coward," she said.

"How dare you judge me!" Knives yelled.

"Sorry Knives," Meryl said as she back handed him and sent him flying into the jeep. Miki screamed and ran toward Knives and watched as the breathing was even.

"So who are you really?" Meryl asked as if she didn't care.

"You are one like me, so I shall tell you Meryl," the werecat said.

"Please, please grace me," Meryl said.

The werecat's eyes narrowed and she answered, "I am Akujin."

"Akujin ... what do you want with us?" Meryl asked.

"The elders think you're a threat," Akujin said.

"What?" Meryl asked, letting the confusion show.

"You are new to the clan. That fool Jesse did not teach you the proper ways," Akujin said.

"What ways?" Meryl said.

"I challenge you," Akujin said as she let her sweet voice turn the word challenge into something sacred.

"I won't fight you," Meryl said.

"It is to late, because we have already begun," Akujin said as closed her eyes and sent a blow towards Meryl.

Meryl screamed as she felt the pressure build in her head. She fell to her knees and saw images of Vash flash before her, except he was dead. She opened her eyes and saw fangs coming towards her. Meryl threw her arm up and screamed as she felt the fangs sink into her arm. She felt her own blood rush down her arms and that's when she realized Akujin was bathing in her pain. Meryl let her eyes flash gray in anger. She then dug her claws into Akujin's stomach. Akujin hissed and pulled back.

"It's amazing how you know nothing," Akujin said.

Do you cry out in your sleep
all my failings expose?

Meryl's eyes glowed and she charged Akujin. She missed her and Akujin jumped to where Meryl was standing. She grinned as she saw the realization on Meryl's face show. Akujin spun around and grabbed Vash by the throat. She threw him to the ground and held her claws a breathe away from the main vein. Meryl went to step closer and she pressed her claw closer to his throat.

"One more move and will have a bloodbath," Akujin threatened.

Meryl froze and refused to move. Akujin grinned when she saw Meryl would play it safe.

"Let him go," Meryl said as she watched Vash cough up blood.

"Remember whose throat I hold. One scratch and he's like us if he survives," Akujin said as she bent down and lick the blood off his cheek. Vash tried to push away, but Akujin held him by his hair.

Get a taste in my mouth
as desperation takes hold

"Please," Meryl begged as she panicked.

"Why do you insist on playing with your food?" Akujin asked.

"Vash is not food," Meryl growled as she saw a picture of Vash clawed flash through her mind.

"He is lower on the food chain. He is nothing but a sex toy or food to our people," Akujin growled.

"No! He's nothing like that. He's living and deserves life," Meryl said as the tears began to grow.

"Did you know that you're damned if you ever taste his blood?" Akujin asked with a cruel grin.

"I will never taste his blood," Meryl strongly said.

"Even if he was dead, and all you had was the blood? His blood would always keep him with you," Akujin sickly asked.

"I would let him go," Meryl said.

Akujin threw Vash to the side and raised her claws. She made slits down her arms and legs. She then laughed as she let her bloody hands trail down Vash's face. When she looked up at Meryl she could see the revulsion and the fury. She shuddered in anticipation and delight.

"Did you know that if you taste the blood of the damn, you'd become damned?" Akujin asked.

Is it something so good
just can't function no more?

Meryl growled and took a step forward and her eyes glowed gray with power. Akujin's eyes widened in disbelief and slight fear. She could see that Meryl had lost herself to her beast. Vash slowly pushed himself up and tried to speak, but his windpipe was still damaged.

Meryl charged at Akujin and hit a barrier of energy. The pain shocked her and caused cuts along her body. She drew back her arm and plunged her arm through the barrier. Akujin stepped back in shock and the barrier broke. Meryl threw Akujin to the ground and shoved her claws through her shoulder. She could feel the bone and desperately tried to break through it.

"Meryl," Vash gasped as he watched the scene.

Akujin punched Meryl in the face and screamed as the claws came out. She transformed into her human form and ran towards Vash. Vash tried to back away but could only watch as time slowed down. He could see Akujin in the air diving madly towards him. He looked to his and saw the giant shape of a Marozi come from the side. Time then came back and with a sickening crunch the Marozi took Akujin's body to the side. Vash felt the blood from Akujin's body hit his already blood crusted face. He heard a final scream and a roar and closed his eyes knowing that it was over.

When love, love will tear us apart again

Meryl dropped the body from her mouth and gazed down at its lifeless eyes. She then knew something else had to be done. She put the head in her mouth and closed her jaws letting everything splatter. She spit it out as best as she could and roared out into the night with instinct that something important had just happened. She went back into her human form and fell to the ground in a fetal position. She started to cry and laugh so hard, she went into hysterics. She felt hands on her shoulders pull her into a gentle hug and knew by the scent that it wasn't anyone she knew.

The scent of this other male let her know that it was over and she had some how done the right thing. She cried harder knowing that it was not Vash that held her. She cried for the guards that she had to scare, she cried for Knives and what she had to do, and she cried for herself knowing that she was now damned and broke the rule that Jesse had laid down.

This update seems so short, it just doesn't satisfy me for a chapter (sigh)

Please review and tell me what you all think about it. 'o'