Me: Okay, slightly more calm now. A short while ago, the original version of this chapter revealed the full identity of the wolves. But I realized that spoiling the surprise was a sucky idea and changed it. Hope you don't mind. I did drop hints, so hopefully you'll figure it out before the grand unveiling.

Muse: She did get it up sooner, though.

Me: Yeah, and it's really great, cuz' it's way longer. It's like I smashed two chappies together. Sorry to make you guys wait. Been having bad mood swings, increased medication, blah blah blah. Anyone with depression out there knows what I'm talking about. But it threw my ability to write anything out of whack for around two months. To my credit, I did tell myself that I would work on the chapter over Spring Break...

Muse: And exactly how much did that help?

Me: None what-so freaking ever! But I really hope you guys enjoy this chapter. To quote Trace Adkins, "I got my game on". This chapter is about 25 percent fluff, 35 percent attempted sublety, and 40 percent very odd explanations. Don't take anything I say at face value. Before we start, I want to thank lots of musical artists, and of course, all you guys who've supported Once Bitten. Hmm... that seems like something I should say at the end, isn't it? Special thanks goes to jennamarie, SKIN READY, laustic, Trans, and, ah screw it! Thanks goes to all of you, so here's Once Bitten, Chapter Twelve!


Chapter Twelve

"He's late. Will I have to skin him just to set an example around here?" A black wolf, tinged with gold, sat next to the doorway, nails clicking on the floor in irritation. It continued to make loud growls of frustration as it began to pace around the room, red eyes flashing back in forth in an attempt to locate something to vent its frustration on.

Of course, its siblings knew better than to do anything that might send sparks flying.

As usual, they had taken their usual posts in any room: one on top of the large crate positioned to the back of the room and the other sitting beside it. The wolf with the white tipped ear lazily lifted its head from its paws to look down at her from above. She didn't like that; it made her feel inferior.

"Let's not fight until we're back in human form," their older brother suggested from where he sat beside the dumpster, ever the voice of reason as he read his sister's thoughts with perfect accuracy. "Save infighting for the omegas and save our energy for our enemies."

"You mean Kurosaki?" The wolf on top of the crate curled his lip back in what would have been a particularly ugly sneer. "I doubt it. Punk probably chickened out like last time and skipped town. Then our beloved sister will most likely have a conniption and thrash the underlings, in all likelihood Kai."

"He'd better not have left," The female wolf snapped angrily. Her eyes flashed as she rounded on her brothers. "I will not become Alpha simply by default. I will prove myself worthy if I have to track him all the way to goddamned China."

The white-tipped wolf glanced at her. "Wow. If I were in human form, I'd be whistling. You've got to be impressed by that kind of dedication. Just one problem, though. You don't know his scent."

"Don't have to," his sister sounded like a petulant child. "I may not know his scent per se, but he still has a residual aura from the wound. I first noticed it in the bar, but I thought it was just the lighting."

"I thought you never focused on psychic tracking," This time, it was the pitch black wolf who was doubting her. "You chose to focus on combat and form shifting, while we focused on tracking and leadership skills. That's why father picked you to succeed him."

"Yeah, and got himself offed one week later," The wolf on the crate snarled. "Didn't even give the rest of us a chance to prove ourselves."

"Enough," The female declared. Her form blurred, before the black-and-gold mass shifted into human form. She walked to the window and stared out as she lifted a single shutter of the blinds.

"I will find him, and I will eliminate him without fail. Not just for father, but for breaking your jaw," she glanced at the black wolf. "And for humiliating me time and again."

"Yes, but why not give one of us a shot?" The white-tipped wolf asked, a lilting tone to his voice that suggested a challenge. "I'd like to take a crack at Kurosaki myself. Being second-in-command is so boring."

"I'll stay out of this one," Their elder brother declared. "In my opinion, you're acting like a scorned bitch, sister dear."

"Fine," She muttered as she turned to the white-tipped wolf, her lips curling in a sneer. "He's all yours, beta."


He was going to go insane. Totally and completely insane.

For one thing, Tsuzuki had kissed him. Kissed him. While that part wasn't so bad, (not bad at all) Hisoka had no clue how to deal with the emotional fallout. For once, it was his own long-dormant emotions instead of those of others that hammered away at him. For once, that mask of anger and indifference was gone, leaving him feeling completely defenseless.

Tsuzuki gently pulled back, giving the teen his space and watched all of the conflicting emotions play out on his face. When he spoke, it was still with the same gentle patience that Hisoka had almost come to expect with him, but lurking behind that was the iron determination reserved for when Tsuzuki was trying to make a point. "What's going on, Hisoka?"

The teen's head snapped up at that comment as he attempted, once again, to feign ignorance. Old wounds, both emotional and physical, were tearing away at him and it was hard to breathe. "What do you mean?"

Tsuzuki sighed with patience, knowing immediately when his partner was attempting to play dumb. He probably shouldn't have kissed him... but if he had to catch the empath off balance to get some answers to his questions, so be it. "You know, although irritation is an endearing trait on you, I'm not as stupid as I make myself out to be, Hisoka. I can tell when there's something wrong, especially when my partner is concerned."

Hisoka winced, more at the elder's choice of words than anything else. He knew Tsuzuki was smarter than he acted (it came with his empathy) but he didn't try to be really harsh... but that wasn't true. Since he constantly tried to push others away, harsh was just the word to describe his manner.

"There's nothing wrong," he murmured, showing no emotion as he attempted to steer the conversation away from anything that might cause his soul to come out of the self-induced coma it had remained in for years. Why did Tsuzuki always affect him like that? "I'm perfectly fine."

Hisoka half-expected Tsuzuki to get angry. He expected him to rage. He expected him to (at the absolute worst) walk out on him. What he didn't expect was to look up and find a pair of amethyst eyes staring at him while a small smile played on their owner's face.

"What?"

Tsuzuki reached out and began to slide his fingers up and down the boy's right forearm. "Then why's this here?"

'Uh-oh,' Hisoka suddenly began to take keen interest in the floor tiles, trying to come up with an appropriate response with his emotions and common sense so completely out of whack. Unfortunately, he could only come up with a half-assed dismissal. "It has nothing to do with you. Why should it matter?"

"Because you're my partner," Tsuzuki automatically responded with the same exact reply he always used when Hisoka questioned his motivations, though he had lowered his shields to let his partner feel the sincerity of his words. He leaned closer so that his next words were in the boy's ear, causing a shiver to run down Hisoka's spine. "And because I care about you. You should know that by now."

Hisoka flushed, recalling the kiss they had shared only minutes before. He tried to glance away, but Tsuzuki caught him, eyes searching the empath's. Giving up on that, he leaned his forehead against the boy's. "You know, you're going to have to tell me sooner or later, Hisoka. If only one of us makes the effort... it just isn't fair."

The look of guilt on the boy's face told Tsuzuki that he was aware of that too.


Watari's eyes were on the computer screen as Tsuzuki stalked back into his room, a frustrated expression on his face that was unlike him. His fingers clacked across the keyboard and the screen was reflected on his glasses. The blonde turned and raised a thin eyebrow at his aggravated friend. "What's wrong big fella? You look pretty down for one half of the office romance of the half-century."

Tsuzuki simply grumbled as he plopped down in the chair, never a good sign. Watari spun in his office chair and propped his head in one hand. "Okay, what's going on? You've got that guilty expression on your face."

Tsuzuki stared off into space for a long moment before speaking. "I kissed him..."

Watari grinned evilly. After all, Tsuzuki was only telling him something he already knew. "Is that all? Wow, you really are old-fashioned, aren't you?"

When Tsuzuki glanced up at him in surprise, the scientist continued. "You know, most of us assumed you two had already gotten past that." He waggled his eyebrows suggestively at the brunette.

"I don't think he was very happy," Tsuzuki said unhappily. "He still refuses to talk to me, even after I cornered him."

"Tsuzuki, have you ever known Bon to be able to show his true feelings at the right time? He's been blocked out from emotions for so long, he probably just needs time to sort things out. It's his first response to anything that makes him feel conflicted. You know, like when he was depressed after the Queen Camellia."

Tsuzuki winced at the memory, but he knew that Watari was right. "Geez, how did you get so good at relationship therapy?"

"By watching you and Bon walking on eggshells around each other," Watari declared, before turning back to his computer screen. "But while Bon's having his cool down period, take a look at this."

Tsuzuki leaned over his shoulder, staring intently at the screen as Watari clicked on a link in the reference section. He raised his eyebrows. "Werewolves?"

"No, worse. Lycanthropes."

"You know I'm at a loss here, Watari. I've never even heard about this before."

"All right, I'll explain it," Watari said, adjusting his glasses over his amber eyes as he cleared his throat and launched into his speech.

"Lycanthropes aren't werewolves, per se, though that would be the impression that most humans would get upon encountering one of them. They're the real deal."

"What do you mean?"

"They aren't humans transforming into wolves. They're actually demons that can take on a human form. Lycanthropes are unique in the fact that they abandoned the demon world to actively seek out humans as their prey. They also maintain a huge degree of discretion on their kills. In fact, this is the first time they've come to the Ministry's attention in over two centuries."

Watari stopped to take a swig of water. "From what I've heard, it seems there's a whole pack of them holed up in the Hyuga area. Why they're after Bon, I have no idea, but here's a juicy piece of information."

The blonde turned to look at Tsuzuki so that the amethyst-eyed shinigami could see the seriousness on his face. "That unique quality about the victims and Bon's wound, that they don't seal, is an inherited trait passed down only among the alpha wolf's bloodline. It's an agent found in their saliva that gives them an edge against their pack in case of mutiny."

"But Hisoka's wound looks more like a knife attack than a bite," Tsuzuki protested.

"I'm working on that. I have a feeling that if I do a little more digging, I'll hit paydirt," Watari clicked on a link. "Here's what a standard lycanthrope looks like."

Tsuzuki breathed in sharply as a picture appeared on the screen, showing a gigantic black wolf frighteningly similar to that which had attacked him and Hisoka.

"Looks like Bon's pissed off some very powerful people."


"Thanks for all the info, Watari." Tsuzuki bowed gratefully as he got up to leave the office.

The scientist smiled in return. "I'll let the chief know about the new developments in the case. You and Bon return to the living world and continue the search. Plus, you two can have a little 'alone time'."

"Right. I'll just have to give him a little space."

"Screw that!" The blonde declared, leaping on top of the desk with his fist up in the air. "The only way to handle this is a direct attack."

"I'll try to remember that," Tsuzuki chuckled, his face beading with sweat as he wondered how Tatsumi would react to Watari treading on his desk. He started to walk down the hallway, before he stopped, one hand on the doorframe. "Oh, and Watari..."

"Yes?" The scientist asked in a sing-song voice as he continued to click away at the computer.

"If I see that camera again, I'll smash it into bite-sized pieces and run them through a wood chipper. Then I'll ask Tatsumi to dock your pay."


The air was characteristically peaceful in the small park. Children were playing without a care as their parents kept careful watch, ready to deck any pervert that dared approach the kids. The weather was very mellow for early autumn, and it was all the shinigami could do not to plop under a tree and relax for an hour. Or two.

It was also the kind of place that would provide perfect coverage for a predator.

Tsuzuki and Hisoka stood under a nearby copse of trees, keeping a careful eye on things. They were in their spirit forms, but being under the leafy foliage made them feel a little more covered. Tsuzuki leaned against a large maple while Hisoka stood under an ash next to it.

In truth, they were killing time more than anything. After passing Watari's information to Hisoka, they had formed their base plan. Neither of the two expected the wolves to attack during the day, at least not at full strength. According to Watari, they were nearly equivalent to a normal human when not in their true forms.

The sun would go down in an hour or two, and then the real hunt would begin.

"Sense anything?" Tsuzuki asked, more out of habit than any real concern. He glanced at his more-silent-than-usual partner.

"No, everything's quiet here," Hisoka stated plainly, keeping his attention focused on the scene before them. He watched as a child's ball came to a rest near them. He raised an eyebrow and gestured toward it with his head. The ball bounced back to where the kids were playing.

Tsuzuki smiled as he glanced at him. "You sure you should have done that? I don't want to fill out paper work on a shinigami breach in the human world."

Hisoka snorted in reply, but that just told Tsuzuki that his mood was better than usual. "Judging from their energy, those kids are perfectly healthy. They can't see us, even if they tried."

They both remained silent for a moment, before Tsuzuki remembered something that had been bugging him for a while.

"Hey, Hisoka?" His partner turned his gaze to Tsuzuki. "Back at the warehouse, when you were fighting that lycan, you called him a 'child killing bastard'. You looked really angry. What was that all about?"

Hisoka's eyes darkened and his hand clenched into a fist, but Tsuzuki knew it was directed at the memory with no stigma to him for bringing it up. "It's exactly like I said. I picked up a few memories. Those wolves ate children."

"Normally, I'm the one bugged by the choice of victims, not the other way around." Tsuzuki was naturally appalled at the idea, but his partner was generally an unshakeable pillar. Normally, the amethyst eyed shinigami hung on to Hisoka, trusting the blonde to keep his cool and anchor him.

Hisoka shifted uncertainly under his gaze. "I can handle most things. But killing someone too young to defend themselves... it's unforgivable."

Tsuzuki understood perfectly as he recalled the boy's own childhood experiences. Between his parents on one end of the spectrum and Muraki waiting at the other, Hisoka never had a chance to fight back. He had grown up physically and mentally defenseless.

His partner had turned his back on Tsuzuki, his shoulders set in a way that indicated that he was trying to keep from pursuing the subject. Tsuzuki, making a split-second decision, pushed away from the maple and came up behind the teen. Hisoka must have been very deep in though indeed, for him to jump the instant Tsuzuki pulled the blonde back against him.

"Thank you, for telling me what's on your mind," He whispered in the empath's ear. Hisoka's brow furrowed in confusion for a moment, before he recalled their discussion back at the lab. How was it Tsuzuki could crack his exterior when no one else could?

They remained in a comfortable silence for a short while, Hisoka finally relaxing against his partner.

"You okay with this?" Tsuzuki asked, once again whispering in Hisoka's ear. His breath brushed his hair, making the teen shiver.

"I guess so."

"But are you sure? I need to know for certain."

Hisoka sighed and leaned back further, folding his arms. His eyes were distant once more, though whether deep in thought or lost in memories Tsuzuki didn't know. Probably a bit of both.

"I'm not used to this, Tsuzuki," Hisoka finally admitted after a prolonged silence. "No one has ever treated me the way you have, and I'm not sure what to do. You give freely, but I don't know exactly what I can bring to the table."

"You know I don't expect anything out of you."

"Yeah, but you said it yourself," Hisoka retorted fiercely. "If only one of us makes an effort, it's not fair."

The boy blushed at his outburst. Building relationships had never been his strong suit, and romantic ones... forget it. He wouldn't have even noticed the direction their partnership was taking if it hadn't been that kiss, and he still couldn't control his rampant emotions when he thought about it.

"Now you see my point of view," Tsuzuki stated smugly. Hisoka was about to argue with him, but froze at the sensation of Tsuzuki placing his lips on his neck. "Relax. I waited over seventy years. Anything worth having is worth waiting for."

Hisoka shivered at how uncannily the older man seemed to read him. He had been pondering for a while at just how far Tsuzuki's patience extended.

The silence was broken by the shrill screech of Tsuzuki's cell phone. The purpled eyed shinigami pulled back with a frustrated sigh, digging the cell out of his pockets. Hisoka moved away to a safe distance, but remained close enough to avoid giving an impression of creating a rift between them.

Tsuzuki talked quietly to whoever was on the other line, before his voice raised high enough that Hisoka could hear him. "Are you sure? Damnit!"

He clicked the phone off, turning to meet Hisoka's questioning gaze. "They've found more bodies."


Me: Poor Soka. He tries too hard. Anyways, like I said, don't take anything I stated about lycanthropes seriously. I'm working on the theory that every myth has a bit of truth in it, and the shinigami would be a more aware of that that other people.

Muse: And please don't go Latin on us. We know what it means, we just couldn't come up with anything else on such short notice. But technically, lycanthrope means "man-wolf", so it can be interpreted as a wolf turning into a man or vice versa. Like we said, don't think into it too much.

Me: Right. -glances up- OMG, Muse. Is it possible we may break 100 reviews this time?

Muse: It's pretty much guarenteed. Give yourself a pat on the back, Chrono.

Me: Anyways, I'm finally getting around to unraveling some of the answers to the questions I've been asked (that last bit was for you, jennamarie!). I seriously have to thank you guys for supporting me for well over a year. You guys rock and I love you all. See you in the next one!