Disclaimer: I do not own Rurouni Kenshin

Title: Frenzy
Rating: PG-13
Words: 540

He could feel her slipping away as he slowly drained her - the thick, warm essence of her life flowing into his mouth, filling his body. She tasted as no other ever had - like light and heat and goodness. She was addiction. He couldn't stop himself as his grip tightened on her shoulders, his lips pressing more firmly against the soft skin of her neck. His sharp incisors cut more deeply into her flesh, allowing the blood to flow more freely, flooding his senses even more than before.

It was a whiteout of pleasure. As if a blinding flash of lightening had seared his mind, making him crazy, and obliterating all coherent thought. There was nothing but the sensation of the thick, hot liquid sliding across his tongue, electrifying his taste buds and making his muscles clench in ecstasy.

So lost was he that he didn't hear her whimper of pain or feel her fingernails dig into his forearms. However as he continued to drink, he felt the loss of her within her blood with each sip. It became…less. Less of her. As he drained more and more from her, the potency, the flavor, the sweet and bitter tang of it was gradually lost. As her life slowly slipped away, it seemed that what made her her was taken away as well.

He had always hated the feeling of strength that filled him as the life of his victim slipped away. His muscles, his mind, and his heart raced with energy while the girl beneath him weakened, her fingers slipping from their hard grip on his arms, her eyes clouding, and her breath becoming shallow. The theft of life that his way of life dictated had always left him feeling empty, instead of fulfilled. Lost, instead of found. Even now as he drank the most delectable blood that he had ever tasted, he did not enjoy it. He abhorred himself.

Tearing his mouth from her neck with a roar, Kenshin jumped away from his victim, putting several feet of distance between them. His amber eyes were wide and glazed, and his breath harsh and haggard. It was several moments before he was able to collect himself and somewhat dampen the fierce grip of hunger that held him like a vice.

She was pale, close to death. Her dark, black hair was fanned around her head as she lay prone on the concrete of the alley. On her blue waitress uniform, she had a nametag with 'Kaoru' printed crooked across it. She had seemed so ordinary at first glance. How wrong he had been. As he stared at her, a feeling of calm slowly descended over him. A feeling of sureness, of rightness took him over.

He had no idea why this woman had such an effect on him. Kenshin stepped slowly over to her, kneeled and placed his fingers lightly against the side of her neck that he hadn't bitten. Her pulse fluttered weakly.

Before he knew what he was doing, he had gathered her in his arms, cradling her softly against his chest. He stood and stared down at her still face.

She was his now.

Nothing had ever felt more right in his life.

She was his.