This is a one-shot I wrote on a forum dedicated to Silver Queen's Naruto fanfic "Dreaming of Sunshine". It gives a fun twist to Trubel's backstory as well as an interesting new world for Shikako to be reborn into.

Enjoy!

Trubel and Vixen

It began as it always did. A new life, a new home, a new name. This time she was called Virva, born to a young couple in a small lake-side town in Finland. Her first few years of life were strangely peaceful. Her father was a wood carver/furniture maker, while her mother ran a shop to sell her husband's creations. She had uncles and grandparents who would dote on her and give her sweets and other goodies. On weekends they would go on hikes through the surrounding forests. Once, she got close enough to a young reindeer that she was able to pet it before it skidded away. Watching the reindeer had become her favourite activity in this new life. It reminded her so much of the Nara deer she had fed and cared for once upon a time.

Yes, it was a peaceful life. But in her heart, she knew that that was almost always how it started. And that that tranquility would never last. So in secret she would train. Do her morning song, run through the woods, rehearse her katas, practice with her father's carving knives, and anything else she could get her hands on. So that, when the time came, she could be ready.

When she was nine years old her father, uncles, and grandparents left for a weekend trip to the mountains to celebrate grandfather's birthday. They were suppose to return Sunday night; but, instead of her father, it was police would came to the door. There had been a murder, no, a massacre. Her mother tried to keep her from hearing, but she listened anyways. Their bodies were found in the woods. Throats cut. Some were outright beheaded. No one was spared.

What sort of monster would do this? She heard her neighbours whisper about throughout the funeral.

Virva didn't ask that question. She understood the vile cruelty that existed in the world. This world, any world, every world, was full of monsters. Whether it be literal or figurative. There was no exception to the rule. So she had ignored the stares and bewildering shock, and focused her attention to comfort and grieve with her mother.

The one thing she learned quickly, however, was that her mother never asked the question either. Because she knew the answer, and she knew that they weren't safe.

Before Virva turned ten years old, her mother had packed or sold what few possessions they had and they moved to America. She had a cousin living in New York City, who agreed to let them stay with her for as long as they needed.

Sometimes she could hear them at night talking in hushed tones. Fears that they would be hunted, that they will be next. From what, they would never say. She tried to asked them. Told them that maybe she could help if only they let her understand who they were running from and why.

"When you're older, dear. When you're grown enough, you'll understand." She wasn't satisfied by the answer, but her mother and cousin never relented to tell the truth.

They never had the chance. She came home one night to find the apartment door open. She entered the apartment with caution. Light footed and unseen. There was blood spattered on the walls. Her cousin's body on the floor, and the horrified expression on her face on a head that had rolled to the other side of the room.

Virva ran to the kitchen, grabbing a knife before making her way to their bedroom. She could see her mother's body on the bed, gasping for life and blood gurgled from her throat. Standing over her bed stood a man, curved blade in hand and dripping with blood. Virva shook with rage, her own knife held tight as she went for the kill. But the man heard her. He shoved her to the wall as her knife plunged into his side. It was then that she saw his face. Pitch black eyes staring into hers. Eyes as dark as an inescapable abyss. In that darkness, a ghostly white creature watched through those eyes, as if it were fighting it's way out of the abyss.

Virva twisted the knife and pulled it out again. Only to stab the black-eyed man through the heart just as he raised his own weapon to strike her down. The blade fell from his hand as he clasped his heart. Blood spilling from the hole she left behind. Virva landed on the ground and rolled out of his reach.

As he bled out, she ran to her mother's side. Determined to stop the bleeding and get help. But it was too late. She was already dead.

With no family left to turn to, the powers that be determined that Virva was to become a ward of the state. She got shipped off to different foster homes over the next two years. In that time she trained herself hard and went through books, websites, anything she could get her hands on to learn what she could about the black-eyed figure that killed her mother. But there was no answer to be found. No one to turn to either. When he died, those deep black eyes had transformed. Brown irises on white sclera, as unassuming as any ordinary man. No one would have believed the truth if she tried.

So instead she honed her body. Tested the limits of strength, agility, flexibility, and endurance. All to prepare her for the next time she would encounter one of those black-eyed killers.

Her new foster home wasn't so different from the others. Though this time she was living with four other girls; Cynthia, Bridget, Theresa, and Rachel. Theresa didn't seem so bad. A rather quiet girl who kept to herself. The others, not so much.

"This may be Mrs. Maloney's place. But under this roof, I'm the one who's in charge." Cynthia sneered as she stood a head taller over Virva's form. Bridget and Rachel flanked her on each side. Both smirking as their leader laid out the law. "So here's how things are gonna go. You keep your mouth shut and do as you're told, and we won't have any problems. Understand?"

'Ya, no." Virva clipped, a look of boredom in her eyes.

Cynthia gave her a dark look. "What was that?"

"I said 'no'."

"You don't seem to understand how this works." She stepped closer. "There's a pecking order in this house. And weird little foreign kids with stupid names stand at the bottom of the pack."

"Leave her alone." Theresa's annoyed voice called out as she walked into the room.

"Nobody asked your opinion, Trubel." Rachel shot back.

"Ya. Buzz off you freak." Bridget jeered

Theresa pouted, hurt by the girls' words. Virva wasn't sure if Theresa was going to cry, but she felt sorry enough for her that her boredom turned into anger.

"Enough of this." She moved to walk to Theresa's side, until she felt Cynthia's hand pull hard on her shoulder. Virva twisted from the hold and pulled the bullying girl's arm behind her back. The girl yelped in pain as Virva twisted hard.

"Now here's how things are really going to go. You're going to stay out of my way, leave Theresa alone too, and then we won't have any problems." She released her hold and had the girl fall to the floor. Then she stepped closer to go face to face with the girl. "Understand?" she seethed in a mocking tone.

Cynthia's response was a shriek in terror as she and the other two girls fled the room. Virva gave a dismissive huff. She didn't go that hard on the girl. Then again, bullies always talk big but never last under a strong hand.

"You okay?" Virva asked as she turned to Theresa. Only to stop dead in her tracks.

The girl at her side no longer looked like the Theresa she knew. Instead she saw deep black eyes and a white monster staring back at her.

Instinctively, both girls jumped back from each other. Virva's mind worked, trying to understand what was happening. Was she going to kill her? Why was she afraid? This was an opportunity. Someone she could demand answers from, and finally get the information she so craved.

"What are you?" She asked. Her toned edging in alert suspicion.

"What I am?" Theresa asked in offense. "What the hell are you?!"

What?

"What do you mean by that?"

"Are you kidding? Your face, it's all hairy and white. It's not even human!" She yelled in shock.

Virva risked a movement to touch her face. It really did feel fuzzy. And her hands, they were also covered in white fur. But just as soon as she focused on it, the fur seemed to retreat into her skin, looking human again.

"You're you again!" Theresa breathe out in surprise.

Virva looked up at her. "And your eyes aren't black anymore." She noted.

"My what?"

"You mean, you didn't notice your eyes change?"

"What? No! Why would they change? And why did you change?"

Virva looked between her hands and Theresa's face. "I'm not sure. But… we both seem to be something not quite human." But why? And what? She wondered.

"So… you're not going to hurt me?" Theresa asked.

"No." Virva was a little surprised that she even asked.

"There was a man who worked at the last foster home I lived in... he changed like you did and tried to hurt me."

Virva nodded. "The man who killed my mother had eyes like yours." Was her response.

"Like me? Why?"

"I don't know. I don't think that matters so much as why we changed and what are we changing into." She thought about it a moment. "Do you think you can try to change on purpose?"

Virva and Theresa did a few tests over the following weeks. What triggered the changes? How long could they hold their forms? What were their abilities and limitations?

Seeing her own form for the first time had been an alarming experience. Her entire bone structure had become long and narrow. Her nose had become stubbed and wide like a cow's. Her cheeks and eyes had sunken in, giving her an overall skeletal appearance. Though it was partially hidden under short, white, almost luminous fur covering her face. Her ears had grown long at stuck out at the sides of her head. Though perhaps the strangest change were the three-inch long, fur covered antlers that protruded from her forehead.

There was no other way to describe it. She looked like a spooky, white reindeer.

More confusing, was that she looked like the strange white creature she had seen in the eyes of her mother's killer and in Theresa's. So it turns out it hadn't been in them, but a reflection of what she had become. Theresa had tried looking in the mirror but could never seem to do it at will. Her eyes only seemed to change when Virva's face did. Now that was a fascinating mystery in and of itself.

Theresa was also very strong. Something that became apparent when Virva decided to have her join in her training. She caught on quickly and did well, if a little rough around the edges. Her agility and form improved as well as they trained together. Whether that was natural ability or a result of their changes, they weren't entirely sure. Though they assumed it was the latter.

"What are you working on?" Virva asked Trubel as she walked in their room. (Theresa insisted she stop calling her by her given name. Virva wasn't sure why she thought it was such a big deal, but obliged anyways.)

Trubel had been laying on the bed in deep focus as she scribbled in her notebook.

"A picture of us. Take a look." She offered the book to her. In it, Virva and Trubel were standing tall and battle ready. Virva in her transformed state with knives in her hands, while Trubel had her black eyes shine and a sword raised high. Both were wearing uniforms with the initials of their names emblazoned on the front and capes billowing behind them. Above them in bold, exaggerated lettering were the words 'TRUBEL AND VIXEN!' surrounded by a zig-zagged border.

"What's this?" Virva asked, holding in laughter.

"I was thinking, the way we are, we could be superheroes or something, you know? Fight crime, beat up bad guys, stuff like that."

She gave her an incredulous look before breaking out into laughter. "Do we have to wear the capes?"

Theresa gave her a smirk. "Eh, the capes are optional."

"And what's with the name. Vixen? Isn't that kind of a weird name for me?"

"Nah, think about it. Dasher, Donner, Rudolph, Vixen. You're a reindeer, so you should totally have a reindeer name. It's perfect!" She insisted.

Virva doubled over with laughter. "If you say so."

The girl's laughed and joked about it for another hour, when a sound of glass breaking caught their attention.

"What was that?" Trubel asked.

"I don't know. Hold on."

They snuck quietly towards the staircase and down to the living room. Heavy footsteps echoed through the room, but there were no other sounds in the house. Virva could smell blood.

Behind her, a sound of wood creaked as Trubel stepped on an old floorboard. They stilled, but the intruder heard them. He walked into the room and found Trubel's crouched form.

The intruder was a monster of a man. Buff and tall. A wide face with yellow, leathery skin, and pointed teeth protruding from a large underbite.

"Grimm!" He shouted in anger, and raced towards Trubel, who had gone still with fear.

Virva pounced on him and wrapped her arms around his throat. The intruder thrashed as she closed in hard. His neck didn't seem to budge. It was thick and tough and impossible to move. He grabbed and tossed her off of his back with a loud slam to the wall.

In another life, the damage would have been nothing. Here, without chakra, it had knocked the wind out of her. He moved to stomp on her, but she rolled out of the way. From his side, Trubel had gotten ahold of a knife and tried to stab him. The knife barely grazed him. All it seemed to do was make him angrier as he clotheslined her stomach with enough strength to fling her to the floor.

"You're dead, Grimm!" He growled as he kicked her across the hall.

"No!" Virva shouted. Forcing herself up to go after them. She pulled Trubel aside just as he punched the ground where she had been. The floor splintered into pieces and left nothing but a gaping hole.

I have to get her out of here. Virva thought in a panic. He seemed to be dead set on killing Trubel. With that level of strength and invulnerability, she wasn't sure that either stood a chance. There was only one thing she could think of. She dove between his legs and grabbed the kitchen knife. Twisting back on her feet, she leapt back onto him. With all of her might, she stabbed the knife into his eye. The intruder screamed as his eye burst and bled. While he was distracted from the pain, Virva jumped off of him before he could retaliate.

"Run!" She shouted, grabbing Trubel's hand as she pulled her from the ground and out the front door.

They ran a long time. Not sure if the intruder was dead or would follow after them. All she knew was that they weren't safe. Her mother flew across the ocean and had been found. Here would be no different. Even if they went to the cops, they wouldn't be safe. Going back to the house and going through the law meant staying in the system. Leaving a paper trail for someone like the intruder to easily find and hunt them down.

No, going back wasn't an option.

She sighed. Holding Trubel close as the girl cried and shook with fear. They have to find another way. A way to avoid people like the intruder and her mother's killer. A way to understand why they were being hunted by people like them. Find a way to survive it all.

Her skin tingled as her face changed. Wind brushing across her fur, pale as the full moon above.

She'll find a way to survive this. She always has.

Like I said earlier, this story was a one shot I came up with for the DOS community forum. If any DOS/Grimm fans would like to take it up as a new story, feel free to do so (but let me know, cuz I'd love to read it!).

Note: Shikako is a type of wesen called Spokelseshorn in this story. Not much info on them except that they're skeletal and elk-like, and their name is Norwegian for 'ghost antler". Seemed like a cool idea and the closest I could come up with that resembled deer.

Also, the name Virva comes from the Finnish word for will o' the wisp, which seemed apt choice for a ghost-like wesen.