The Lifeblood Doctrine

Warning: Dark. Vampire Fic. IchiRukiHichi. AU. Rated T unless situations get out of hand.

Disclaimer: For the whole story - Kubo Tite owns Bleach and the characters. I claim only my imagination and the effort of translating them into words.

Edit: Sometimes I will put song lyrics after the chapter title. lol xD So I'm disclaiming them too, the song title and artists are after the quoted lyrics.

A/N: If you have taxation classes, then you must know that there exists a Lifeblood Doctrine. But if you dont, well, that lifeblood doctrine basically tackles about how tax is the lifeblood of a society. When my professor first mentioned about it, the only thing that went into my mind was "OMG! Sounds vampiric!" and thus... the story title. xD And no, this shall not tackle how IchiRuki will deal with their taxes. xD

italics - thoughts; character narration; emphasis; special notes;

ohagi - Kaien's favorite food; treat made with sweet rice and sweet azuki (red bean) paste;

Chapter One:

Night of the Awakening

-

It's getting harder to stay awake
And my strength is fading fast
You breathe into me at last

I'm awake I'm alive
Now I know what I believe inside
Now it's my time
I'll do what I want 'cause this is my life
here, right now
I'll stand my ground and never back down
I know what I believe inside
I'm awake and I'm alive

- Awake and Alive by Skillet

-

The Lifeblood.

The blood that gives life to life.

The herald of both Life and Death.

The evidence of an existence.

Without such blood, there is no life.

And without life, there is nothing.

The Defiance.

We hang into a balance of existence. That life is apparent and that death is imminent. That we live to live and to die in the end. That is the fact every living thing must face. An undeniable truth. Death is inevitable. For every corner, blood is shed and tears are wept. Wars and wars continued. Massacres, famine, plagues have claimed the lives of men. Greed, pleasure and their selfish desires drove them to kill their own. Unmerciful murderers. And while those greedy men's powers grew, they have seeked to conquer the world, and to conquer death itself. To forever rule.

Few of them have challenged the natural order. Few have tried to achieve immortality. Only one succeeded.

The Contract.

And with his success, a diabolical contract was made. In exchange for his soul, he will become the beast that he is: a living demon. Upon signing the contract, his features instantly changed. He grew horns, claws, fangs, white skin and yellow eyes with black sclera. He was forever changed and forever, he will live as that. But the contract did not only change his appearance into a demon, he also possessed the power to bring hell into the world. His poisonous fangs would turn the victim into his slave. His eyes would flash red when he experiences an extreme lust for blood and his stare, so powerful and so hypnotic, that anyone who would catch a glimpse would instantly be ensnared. He ruled for more than a century and stepped on men like a God. Noone dared to defy him... until he fell in love with a woman.

The Woman.

Pure, beautiful and divine. But vicious and unyielding to his power. Simply irresistible. The woman was the leader of a secret faction that have gathered together to plot the end of the tyrant. While the demon made a contract with the Underworld, the woman was said to be chosen and blessed by the Heavens. She was given the knowledge in defeating the demon and the immunity to his hypnotizing power. The knowledge was passed down every human being until the demon discovered it. Immediately, the Light and Dark clashed. Many men and demon-slaves (human-turned-monsters) have fallen. In the end, the demon was stronger and he forced the woman into submission.

The Union.

Upon her defeat and submission, the demon immediately arranged their union. He could not bear to turn her into a monster by biting her even if only then will they be eternally together. By making her a demon-slave, a monster, meant losing the reasons he fell in love with her. She would be his slave and randomly transform into a ghoul, a succubus, a werewolf or any more transformations a demonic infection could bring. He swore that it was best to let her stay human.

The Offspring.

Staying human was more of a torture for her. She had even cursed her immunity to his hypnotic eyes. Everyday she would see his disgusting face doing disgusting things to her and there was nothing she could do. She was even surprised that the demon had the decency to make a union, to which she was obviously forced. Many days have passed and she got pregnant. Fearing the abomination growing in her stomach, she tried to commit suicide. But it was something she was immediately prevented from, until she conceived. Until the Heaven itself saved her and took her soul, before the demon could even prevent her passing by changing her. She left a healthy young child, human in appearance and only resembling a little bit of his demonic lineage. He was called a vampire. Half-demon, half-human. Half-dead and half-alive. The child could summon his fangs at will and they still are poisonous although the toxicity level have gradually decreased. Perhaps it was the power of the Heavens through his mother that prevented the child from becoming a full-demon. Still, he had the power to hypnotize and the power to turn human into his slaves, although the slaves have only one category to turn into, a vampire. Aside from that, the gift of immortality was intact and the immeasurable strength.

The Death.

Having lost the woman and having lived centuries of his life, he had nothing more to linger on. To him, she was his lifeblood. That which makes his blood boil and feel so alive. That which makes him alive amidst the corpses that surround him everyday. She made him feel again, the feeling of weakness, of pain, of insatiable desire, the feeling of being human. The feeling of life. Now he realized what he was from the core, what he will always be from his rotten soul. He was a human, bound to live and bound to die. No matter how immortal his body may be, certainly his heart was not. With her death, he died. There was nothing for him to linger on. Nothing...

The Covenant.

With the death of their master, the demon-slaves were in disarray. The son - the vampire - have taken over the throne and established a covenant. A covenant intended on increasing vampire population. A lot of humans have been turned, some have died because of the venom, and some opposed them despite being their slaves. But slaves do not have the power to destroy their masters.

The Opposition.

For that, the remaining human have started their own coalition. A society of Vampire Hunters and Slayers, trained assassins and endowned with the lore on eradicating demons. They gathered and soon, more blood was spilled from the battle. With the Covenant tired of being chased down by humans, they have decided to make a truce and a doctrine that would safeguard peace and order for both races.

The Doctrine.

Herein the doctrine lies the commandments, the history and lores a vampire must be wary of. The doctrine served as a guide to control vampires' behavior. Anyone who violated the commandments, not only endanger himself but also the entire vampire population and are therefore punished by law. The vampires became a rare and sophisticated race. Only a select few would be given immortality and death-defying beauty. Men who knew their existence and strived to become one of them but had been rejected started to wage another war.

.~.~.~.~.~.~.

Rukia read through the brief history of the book before deciding how ridiculous it was. It was probably something made out of fanfiction. That was really imaginative though, but the idea of real vampires had never crossed her mind. What more of a vampire doctrine? And they even had commandments too?

"That's so silly." she said as she rolled her eyes, slightly amused.

She flipped the book to the next page and found it blank. The author probably left it hanging there and from the looks of it, the book was presumably centuries old. She guessed it was one of the Kuchiki elders' antic book collection and it was stored in the Kuchiki mansion's secret storage room, so secret it was her first time venturing it. So what happened in the war? Strange as it may seem, she was slightly interested. Well, it does have a decent plot and some lessons about greed and power and love too. She decided she'd like to read more and scanned through the next few pages but then a black figure across the room caught her attention.

She was alone in the storage room, the lights from the pillars of the room flickered slightly. There were many antics in it, probably worth millions of dollars right now if her family would just decide to auction them. There were shields, swords, axes, weird ornaments, books, sculptures, statues, costumes, locked chests and... more books. It was a very creepy place. The storage room was underground so there were no windows but she could feel the air coming somewhere from the cemented walls and ceiling. And from where she sat, she could see something or rather... someone...

"Hello?" she said, her voice echoed in the room.

It was a shadow of a man who was kneeling and looking up. She left the book on the ground, slowly stood up and took the nearest thing her arm could reach - a broomstick, and calmly walked towards the shadow. She positioned herself as if she was holding a bat and ready to swing it anytime. She neared him, heart pounding and every walk ate a little bit of the courage that was left in her. She was alone, so how could someone...?

When she was just a few feet away, she charged and swung the broomstick but stopped abruptly as she realized what was in front of her... a statue. It was a man and like she described before, it was kneeling and looking up. Its eyes were closed but its mouth was slightly open, revealing a pair of fangs. Other than that, he was perfectly normal. He was handsome and he wore what seemed like medieval clothing. He was wearing a noble's shirt with a long cascading ruffle hanging by the collar, pants and a gothic ensemble coat but the colors were undistinguishable since it was made of stone too. He looked like a lord frozen in time. Who could've done such a realistic masterpiece?

Her gaze returned to his mouth and she dropped the broomstick. "You scared the life out of me." she said as she touched a fang with her finger, more out of curiosity. "My elders probably have that much of a vampire fetish, huh..." And then she felt stupid. First by talking about her elders like that, second, by talking to a statue. She withdrew her finger but it grazed with the tip of the fang and blood dripped out of it. "Aw." She shook the pain away.

Suddenly, there was a loud scream outside. That was Takamura-san! The butler. She quickly rose but this time took a dagger somewhere on a rack instead of the broomstick, and ran out of the storage room fearing it was what Kaien had warned her about with his earlier visit.

As she vanished, her blood that dripped on his mouth traveled down his throat and through his heart. Faintly his heart pumped the blood to his veins, to his bones, to his lungs, kidney, brain and to every inch of his petrified body elliciting signals of excitement and of life. His body started pulsating and his senses temporarily returned, but it was not enough. One drop was not enough to bring his strength back and free him. More, he needed more...

.~.~.~.~.~.~.

Earlier...

Finally she was back. After so many years of separation, she was now back in her home, the small town of Karakura. She stepped out of the airport and into the crowd who gathered looking and waiting for their own families and friends. She missed it. The people of this town, the sweet scent of natural air and well... just everything about it. How long has it been since she last stepped on the sands and greeneries of Karakura? Six years. For six freaking years she was stuck in Paris, France. Her family forced her to finish her primary to secondary education there. Not that she had not fallen in love with Paris. She loved it too. The Eiffel Tower was spectacular. The city glamoured with lights and sounds was just wonderful. The architectures, monuments and landmarks were top-notch. And everyone wore expensive fashionable clothing. It was very beautiful and the sights were breathtaking but... there was no place like home.

Rangiku Matsumoto stared amusedly at the woman who seemed so entranced of her surroundings. She sneaked behind her and covered her eyes. She instantly dropped the baggages she was carrying. "Guess who!" she whispered.

"I thought you only do this with Hitsugaya." she answered in an irritated manner. Who wouldn't know who it was? The woman who had the biggest front asset. That alone was already a dead giveaway. "... Matsumoto."

"Oh my, you sounded like him for a moment." she said and hugged her. "I missed you, girl!"

"Missed you too!" She returned the hug.

Rukia picked the baggages again and walked with her to the car. "Thanks for picking me up, Rangiku."

"No problem." Rangiku smiled and noticed the difference between their height. "I see you've gotten taller. You were so small when you left. Or is that because of your boots?" she chuckled.

Rukia's expression went "Wut?" Ironically, she was wearing a white Chanel Take Me Higher sandal with about 4 inches heels. Her leather baggages were branded too by Marc Jacobs and she wore a casual Dolce & Gabbana yellow sundress with white straps, hemlines and waistline. The skin left exposed by the sundress such as her shoulders and neck were covered by a white short-sleeved mini jacket with ruffled collar. On her ears was a pair of white diamond studded silver earring and she wore a silver bracelet with a watch on her left arm. She looked elegant. Not that she wasn't elegant since long before. Even when she was a kid who would disobey her brother and the Kuchiki elders by escaping the mansion, she already had an incredibly noble aura.

"You look beautiful, Rukia." Rangiku smiled at her. She had wondered six years hadn't changed her much. She still had that flawless radiant skin and those sparkling eyes. More than that, she was still the Rukia she knew back then. "But you're still short of height." she teased.

"Ra-Rangiku!" said Rukia with both fists on air. Rangiku just laughed at her.

The rest of the reunion was spent in the car. They talked about their past and present lives, their current dreams and aspirations and news and gossips about their friends. They eventually reached the Kuchiki mansion and that's when Rangiku had to go. "Sorry Rukia, I can't stay long. Toushiro is going to kill me for missing work! You know how short-tempered he is."

"Oh, okay." Rukia smiled and looked away. She added, "By the way, how's Kaien-dono?"

Noticing the slight tinge of pink from her cheeks, Matsumoto poked her on the forehead. "You ain't chasing a married man are you?"

"Married? No, no! Of course not!"

She poked her again. "You can't lie to me. My woman intuition is better than anybody else's!" Poke. Poke.

"Rangiku! Will you stop that? I'm not chasing after him." Rukia said, covering and rubbing the bruised spot on her forehead.

"Speak of the devil." Rangiku pointed behind her.

Rukia turned and Kaien Shiba was already walking a few feet towards them. "Oi! Kuchiki! Matsumoto!" he waved.

"Heey! Shiba!" Matsumoto waved back. She turned to Rukia. "I'll leave you two alone." She winked, waved at Kaien again and left.

"Jeez, where's that girl off to?" asked Kaien when he was finally in front of Rukia.

"Work she said." Rukia said, her eyes following the back of Rangiku.

When she turned to look at Kaien, he instantly flicked her forehead with a grin. "Welcome back!"

.~.~.~.~.~.~.

"Wow, it's the first time I've actually set foot into your mansion." Kaien said, frolicking around with the decorations and displays. They were at the living room. There was a narrow hallway before reaching the room. The walls were made of glass so that moonlight could pass through during night and opposite the windows were the fireplace with three sofas arranged in a rectangular manner. At the center was a glass table that stood only three feet tall. On the wall above the fireplace was a flat 18 inch plasma TV. On the floor was a round maroon colored carpet.

"Rukia-sama, your room is ready. And here is your tea." The butler named Takamura dropped the tea on the table. "Is there anything more you need, young miss?" he asked politely. The butler was a very loyal servant to the Kuchiki family. In fact he spent 30 years of his life serving them. He was older than her. Heck, she wasn't even born when he was already serving her family. She was thankful for him though. He was already 48 years old, and she was sure her Byakuya Niisama would reward his loyalty handsomely. She had grown to having him around, like a family too.

"Ah, yes, Takamura-san. And you know how I hate being addressed with -sama. Umm... I know Nii-sama isn't expecting me here but please, keep my presence here as a secret. I just want to surprise him when he return."

Takamura smiled at her. "Yes ofcourse, milady. But if you must know, Byakuya-sama will return after one more week."

"Yes I know."

"I shall take my leave then." Rukia nodded and he left.

Kaien sat on a couch in front of the fireplace. It was still afternoon so the fire was not lit. He took a sip of the tea and sighed. "You know, your mansion is creepy. I've always hated coming here."

Rukia sat down on the biggest couch adjacent to where Kaien was sitting. It was her favorite sofa, as well as her brother's favorite. It was big and could sit in two people. The size was enough for her however, to make a bed. She only had to curl up like a kitten and she would instantly fall asleep. She took a sip from her tea too before answering, "I know. That is... aside from your family and my family's hostility towards each other."

He only smirked. "Will you be alright here, alone? It's so silent, so empty. Aren't you scared?" he asked with a worried look in his eyes.

"Of course not! You know me, I'm used to it. The elders used to stay here but they left after nii-sama's become the head and then nii-sama sent me in other countries." Rukia took another sip and she sighed. "Sometimes I think... he doesn't ever want to see me again. He often sends me to a far-off desolate place."

"Can't blame him though. If I was him, I would've sent you to outerspace so you wouldn't come back, ever!"

Noticing the hurt in her eyes, Kaien quickly waved both his hands in defense. "You... you don't have to look so hurt! I was just kidding! I wouldn't be here if I didn't want to see you."

"I know." Rukia smiled. Kaien was like a brother to her. He was one of the few people she trusted the most. She respected him and looked up to him, just like she does with Byakuya. Maybe somewhere along that line, she may have feelings for him.

"What I actually mean is, maybe... you're better off somewhere than here right now." Kaien explained, seriously now. "This town is not safe anymore. People are disappearing. Thieves rob even the noblest of houses and not a single one of them have been caught yet. They rob particularly the oldest families alive... Kurosaki, Hitsugaya, Jushiro, Shihoin... they have not been reported to rob your family yet. They must be looking for something. Kuchiki, I just want you to be prepared."

"Thanks for the concern, Kaien-dono but you taught me karate very well." she said with a smug grin.

"You idiot. How will you karate an armed person?" Kaien slapped his palm on his forehead. "Just get your guards ready and call me when something happens."

"Yes, sir!"

"Oh and by the way... you didn't come to my wedding!!! You owe me!"

"Eh? I... I didn't know."

"What do you mean you don't know?" He cupped her head, roughly messing her hair. He sighed. "My letter must've not reached you."

"Uh huh. I would've come Kaien-dono... if I knew. I'm sorry." she said, trying to arrange her messed up hair.

"So how long are you staying here?"

"I'm going to take my college here, whether Nii-sama likes it or not."

Kaien stifled a laugh. "You're so stubborn."

Rukia laughed as she rested her head on the right arm of the couch and she curled up like a kitten. It was Kaien-dono, so there was nothing to be ashamed or be shy about. She'd always feel safe and at home when he's around. With him, she had no need for manners or worry about unlady-like behavior. In fact he would encourage such boldness since she seemed so restrained by the walls and laws built around her by her clan.

"Kuchiki... you know, you can stay at our house for awhile. I'm sure Miyako won't mind." said Kaien but he received no reply from the resting girl. "Oi, Kuchiki."

He stood before her to check. She has indeed fallen asleep. She must be very tired, or jetlagged, or both to have fallen so fast asleep the minute she closed her eyes. "Hah...?" he said, irritation visible on his face.

.~.~.~.~.~.~.

It was already dark when Rukia woke up. She was still curled up on the couch though there was already a blanket covering her tiny frame. The fireplace was also lit. She remembered her guest before and quickly jolted from embarassment, looking for any trace of him in the room. Instead she found a note on the table which says:

Damn you!

You slept on me.

Treat me ohagi tomorrow otherwise I won't forgive you.

Kaien

P.S. Don't look so gloomy about Byakuya, I'm sure your brother have reasons for trying to keep you away. Don't forget to give me a call if anything's up.

Rukia dropped the paper back on the table with a smile. She went to her room, changed into a silky white sleeveless nightgown, put on a maroon colored robe and toured herself around the mansion, refamiliarizing with it. She went to the garden, the guest rooms, dining room and to the library. She dare not invade Byakuya's private quarters. However, it was in the library and a few push and pull of books on a random shelf that she found a secret winding stairs leading to a secret door and into a secret storage room, that she had not noticed since she was a kid.

And thus, the nightmare began...

.~.~.~.~.~.~.

Presently...

Rukia dashed the stairs, out of the library, living room and into the mansion's foyer. As soon as she heard the cries of the butler, she stopped and took cover behind a wall trying to spy on the invaders. She was upstairs and there was only one stair leading down. She took a peek and was shocked to see three of the mansion's guards down. The butler down on his feet with cuts and bruises all over. She clutched the dagger in her hand tightly, deeply pondering what she should do. Under this dire situation... what must I do, Kaien-dono? I didn't expect them to attack so suddenly. There were four armed men in a black suit and their faces were completely hidden by a hood. She wondered if she must go pick up the telephone or stay where she was. Problem? The phone was downstairs. So she blindly looked for a pocket in her clothing, the problem... she left the cellphone in her jacket. Her jacket was left in her room and damn, she didn't even get Kaien's number. So... so lame... She mentally kicked herself. So it's only her against them.

"Where is it?" asked a hooded man hoarsely, kicking and stomping on the butler.

"I-I don't know what you're talking... about." Takamura muttered in pain. The other hooded man grabbed him by the shirt and lifted him up.

"It must be here somewhere! Where are the treasures hidden?"

"I sincerely do not know anything." Takamura cried.

The third hooded man drew out a knife and pointed it at his neck. "Fine then, we have no further use for you."

"P-Please... please..." pleaded the butler, his hands shaking and his eyes red with tears. The hooded man was going to slit his throat when Rukia decided to yell at them. "I said stop!" she yelled again, now thoroughly visible from the stairs. Everyone's attention fell on her.

"Young miss... please, don't."

She looked at the butler and reassured him with a smile. She was scared, hell she was. Her voice even croacked when she yelled but she had to be strong, to stay strong. She cannot let fear take over her, for when that happens is the time she acknowledges her own defeat. "I know where they are but you must spare him." she said sternly.

"How about... we spare your life instead?" one of the hooded man said. Rukia could feel the evil smirk laying behind that annoying hood.

Rukia knew it could happen. They were on the losing side, outnumbered and cornered. If they were so grimly interested with murder, then they could kill the butler and torture her to get the answer. Or perhaps they could threaten to kill her, to get a favorable response from the butler. Or... her plan could work. She held the dagger and pointed it at her own neck. "If you kill him, I will kill myself and you can have fun searching the mansion for it... which I actually think is... not fun considering the number of rooms with vast spaces this mansion have." She tried to keep her indifferent, unyielding facade. Noble, unafraid and intimidating.

"Jeez... no one's going to die, okay? Now drop that knife and we will spare your precious butler."

"I want to see him pass that door. Without anyone of you following."

The one on the center, must be their leader, nodded and the other intruders gave way. The butler gave Rukia a horrified look. Rukia nodded at him and he slowly left through the door. Once the door was closed, she breathed in heavily.

"Anything else, young miss?" mocked the one on the center.

"I want all of you to follow me." Just to make sure no one would come after the butler and give him time to call for help to neighbors and authorities.

"Sure~"

"Alright~"

"Hell yeah~"

Judging from their reactions, they seemed to have a different thing in mind. Now she felt dread, for herself. She dropped her hand and proceeded to walk hastily away, saying, "Follow me."

The four intruders hurriedly went to her side. The first one to catch up with her grabbed her arm roughly and took the dagger. "You won't need this now, will you?"

"I prefer to be untouched." she said, trying to loosen his grip. The man laughed and let go.

Rukia slowed down her pace, hoping and praying cops would come when they finally get to the library. No such miracle happened. She pushed and pulled some books, like she did awhile ago, and the secret passage with the winding stairs was revealed. They trailed down and into the storage room. There goes her family's secret ancient treasures. The first thing that went into her mind once they got in was to go and grab another weapon. But one of the intruders grabbed her arm and stayed with her whilst the three roamed around the room.

"There it is."

"Finally, immortality baby!"

Immortality? Are they out of their minds? She thought as two of them dragged the statue of the vampire she saw before on the clearing in front of the room.

"There's another one here."

Another one? Rukia watched in confusion as the other intruder pushed another statue, identical to the first one but different in position. It was kneeling as well but it held its head and was looking straight, as if in pain. Still, there were two fangs visible from its mouth and its eyes were menacing. Although it was made of stone, she could still feel goosebumps when she tries to stare into its stone-cold eyes. She couldn't shake the feeling of being watched.

While the others were busy with their own thing, Rukia took the opportunity to kick her captor there and ran for it. The man quickly flinched in pain cursing, screaming, seething and threatening with words she dare not even understand. She ran as fast as she could on the stairs until her robe was tugged so hard she almost tumbled down had the intruder not been there to catch her fall. "L-Let go!" she struggled as the man, their leader perhaps - she could not quite distinguish them since they wore the same thing, wrapped his arms around her waist and tossed her back into the room.

Immediately, the man she kicked, grabbed her hair roughly and pointed a knife at her throat. "You bitch!"

"That's enough. You can have your fun later. We need her."

Rukia's eyes widened. What did they need her for? "What for? I already -"

"Take off your robe."

"WHAT?" she was obviously taken aback by his command.

"Oh, I'd gladly do more than that for her." said the sick bastard whose hands traveled on her robe as she struggled to push him away.

"Keep your hands to yourself scum!" she retorted, her anger flaring. If only she could swing that oh-so-lovely-beautiful-tempting axe attached on the wall by her right side, she would behead them herself.

The leader pulled his man away from Rukia. "Come on dude. What do you think would happen if the Lord knew you played with his meal?"

Lord? Meal? What? It started as a puzzle, until everything was pieced together soon enough. She took off the robe as they asked because she had no other choice but to oblige. But when they needed to choose between the two statues, the horror began.

.~.~.~.~.~.~.

He could feel the presence of humans. His eyes were closed and his senses and consciousness were halfway back into hibernation when he felt them, smelt them, and the owner of the droplet of blood that awoke him. He could hear them but in his petrified ears, it was inaudible, uncomprehensible murmurs. Yet he needed to draw their attention. He was tired of sleeping and he was dying to taste more blood. He tried, with all of his strength to open his mouth, as if inviting and waiting for something to drop.

Rukia could not believe what she just saw. The statue, whose eyes were closed and head tilted upwards, moved and slowly, very slowly, opened its mouth...

Wider.

Wider...

And wider...

The sides of its cheeks cracked from its restrained movement. She was both shocked and terrified. She blinked her eyes twice, only to be shocked again by the reality that it had opened its mouth wider again. In horror movies, this may be the part where the lead actresses would scream in fright and terror but she was not an actress. She found herself glued on the spot, her brain trying to analyze possible explanations for such a supernatural phenomena. Perhaps it was a robot? Or perhaps there was something in its throat? Or perhaps she was dreaming? Yes, indeed. She must be dreaming.

But then her reverie was shaken away when the leader grabbed her left arm tightly and pulled her in front of the statue. The other man grabbed her right hand and positioned a dagger (the one she took) below her wrist. "Wh-what are you doing?" she asked horrorstruck, as she tried to pull her hand away.

The man slashed her arm and she gasped in pain. Blood flowed from the open wound and they moved her hand just above the statue's mouth, letting every drop of it fall. "St-stop!" she still struggled to free herself but that only made the wound bleed profusely.

He could feel it, taste it, smell it. Blood dropped on his mouth, just as how he wanted. He could feel it circulating in his veins, resurrecting his dead cells and recovering his power. He gulped and his throat cracked. The flow of blood continued and he felt himself lose his senses to his animal instinct. If he could move, which he would be able to do so in a while, he would probably lose it and drain the life out of that blood's owner. Soon, he was able to move his fingers and the stone wrapped around it cracked. He moved his hands and lowered his face just a little bit, and was disappointed that the stream of blood had stopped. Having the resolve for more, he finally closed his mouth and slowly tried to open his eyes. Every move he made shattered his stony coverings.

They backed away when it moved its fingers and now, Rukia could feel herself panicking, as well as the four other men with her. They seemed to have shut up and preoccupied themselves with the statue before them. Amazed and horrified at the same time as it moved on its own. It opened its eyes and soon, she caught a glimpse of its bloody red eyes. It stared at her, piercing her, as if calling her, hypnotizing her. His eyes fixated on her made her hair rise. And she would've been running away had that dratted intruder not been holding her arm tightly.

Realizing she will not come to him herself, he decided to break free. He should be able to break easy now, although his powers were not yet in its fullest. He forced himself to move his legs up, the stone crumbled down on the floor. He shook his hands, his head and stood. The granules and pieces of broken stones rattled on the floor. Every stone that covered his body now crushed and he was free. He looked at his knuckles and opened and closed his hand, just trying to feel his control over his body.

Rukia took this time to finally colour his previously colorless form. He was wearing a white noble's shirt, black ensemble coat and blank pants. The boots was also black but, who cares about that? His hair though was weirdly colored orange. She blinked her eyes again in disbelief. The book she mocked before, must be mocking her now, if only that book could speak. Who knew vampires were real? They used to be just a fantasy of an author about demonic beings. They were just representations of the bestiality of men. Who knew?

He turned his gaze on the four men, before staring at her again. Oh he could smell her blood and it's making him wild with bloodlust. The blood continued to flow out of her wounded arm, such a waste.

"My Lord." the leader called him. He didn't turn to acknowledge him. His hungry eyes were still fixed on her.

"We have set you free. And we give you this girl as an offering."

"Wait... an offering?" How dare they offer her like that, as if she was their possession!

"I suppose you want a reward?" It was the first time he spoke, his voice was husky and could entrance any woman into slavery.

"Yes. Immortality, my Lord."

"Tch. Don't make me laugh." He stepped closer to Rukia and the other hooded men whispered with each other regarding his response. He reached out for her but her captor backed away. She was thankful though, that he backed away from him, though she would be more thankful if he'd loosen his grip.

Offended that a puny human had taken his meal out of reach, with lightning speed he appeared again in front of her but this time, he grabbed her captor and threw him aside hitting the wall and crashing on a wooden table. Rukia was stupefied that she was unable to discern her freedom until she was captured yet again by the new captor. He seized her bleeding arm by the wrist and held it up as he lowered his head to lick on the blood that stained her skin. Once her senses caught up with reality, she spoke, "S-stop!" Her voice quivered and she tried to push him away.

But he did not stop. He licked her skin and all the blood that trailed from the wound. She tried to pull her hand away from his grasp but he only, firmly, grabbed her arm - below the wound, with his other hand, trying to hold it in place as he lapped on the open wound. Her skin tingled as she felt his tongue. Soon enough, he was sucking from it. Rukia could feel his fangs brushing her skin and she was trying to endure the pain. Being slashed was painful enough, what more of this? She gasped when he squeezed her arm and he sucked harder.

He was too lost, too pleased, too engrossed with her blood that he did not see what was coming. He felt something stab his gut and he quickly let go of the woman to see who it was. The greedy men who asked for immortality had stabbed him with a knife. He turned, took the knife out and threw it down. He assailed them one by one.

Rukia took this opportunity to run, besides, she doesn't want to see how the vampire would dismember them if he in fact could do such a thing. She ran through the stairs, out of the library and into the living room. She passed the narrow hallway, the moonlight the only light that guided her while she ran. Suddenly, he magically appeared in front of her and she bumped at him.

"Where do you think you're going? We're not done yet." he said, walking closer with such intense predatory eyes. Rukia could see his pale skin, which turned paler with the moonlight.

"Why...? Why me? Why not them? Let me go..." she said, imitating the steps he took, only backwards.

"You've been offered to me. How can I refuse?" He latched on her before she knew it. Like the many struggles she had on this day, she tried to push him away with her left hand but to no avail. Her right hand seemed to have numbed from the pain. His arms were wrapped around her, as if in an embrace, but it was not an embrace because there was nothing intimate with it.

Rukia started to shiver. She was only wearing a night gown afterall. She felt the cold night and the cold hands on her back that pressed her closer to him. He bent his head down to her neck, even his breath reeked of coldness. She felt his tongue glide along her jaw, neck and shoulder. "D-don't..." she was shaking.

"Oh God, I am so hungry..." she heard him whisper. Rukia wondered if the God he spoke of was her God or his God. Do they even have a God? But now wasn't the time to analyze senseless things like that. She shuddered as she felt his tongue again. And then... his fangs punctured her neck. It was excruciating, as if two needles pierced her, except that they were thicker, sharper and more painful. She heard herself moan in pain as he sucked her blood, her life's essence away. She could hear his satisfaction from the way he would gulp and slurp, lick and bite again.

It was not long before her body became enervated. It numbed and wouldn't respond to her anymore. She stared at the ceiling as her vision blurred. Slowly her eyes shut and questions flooded in her thoughts.

Why had I come back at such a time?

Why was there a vampire stored in the storage room?

What was their connection with my family?

Wh... y...

Her thoughts halted as she lost consciousness in his arms.

A/N: I think this is the longest chapter of all the fics I wrote. I ran out of words at the ending. lol xD Anyway, I don't have a beta reader so if you find any errors, please tell me. Oh and please review. =)