The night had fallen.

It was the time of rest, a time of sleep, a time of silence. That is the night was all about and yet in the city of Tokyo, it was quite the opposite. The streets were still awake, even more so than the daytime. There was no resting for the businesses are still open and alive. There was no sleeping because of the people still around. They roamed in the streets, shopping in stores, or wandering as they were wondering. There was no silence for the sounds of the city reached upon the sky where the city lights replaced the stars.

But even with the brightest of lights, there was one girl who cannot witness it.

Within the allies of Yongen-Jaya, there was a room in a house filled with darkness. The only lights there were coming from many computer screens. At first glance, it seemed to be an ordinary teenager's room. There was a bed. Anime figurines and mangas stood upon the shelves. Different sized posters hung on the walls and cabinet doors. It was quite cool there with the cold air constantly coming from the air-conditioning. A midnight blue curtain filled with stars hung by the window. There was even a snack stash by the desk and a cooler for drinks and alike.

However...

'Die.'

One would notice the state of the room itself. Newspapers spread the floor like a rug. Towers of books, one stacked after another, stood everywhere. Garbage bags piled in one corner of the room. The bed was unkempt. Windows behind the curtain were never opened for a long time. The room was too dark.

'Your fault.'

And the girl sitting by the computer was whimpering.

'Plague.'

Her bright orange hair contrasted the distant look of her bespectacled eyes. She tried focusing her vision on the lights of her screen in front of her. It was the only thing that can make herself stay gripped to reality, to remind her what was real and what was not. But it did nothing to help her tonight. Her thin and pale form crouched in pain as music blared on her red headphones too loudly even for her own liking... Yet it still reached her.

'Weirdo!'

'Freak!'

'Monster!'

She could still hear the words of her classmates. She only wanted to be friends but why they all say such bad words to her? Their mocking laughter crawled on the edges of her mind. Every day, it was like that. Not one day in school was without an insult and without laughing. The home was better than here. Everywhere was better than here. But she got used to it, those words numbing her inside little by little. Although, it remained in her chest up to this day.

'Murderer!'

'This is all your fault!'

`Demon!'

She could still hear the words from the note that men in black suits read right in front of her and her relatives. Dread and fear grew in her for each word that they spoke. She could see the stares from her relatives that day, without even looking straight at them. She remembered the looks from sharp eyes. Suicide, they all said yet murder, they all blamed her. It didn't matter what case it was... because her mother was still dead.

'Garbage!'

'Problem child!'

'Good for nothing!'

The door slammed shut, locking her inside by her uncle. No matter how loud she shouted, how hard she knocked on the door, how long she cried, her uncle never came back. After being passed around relative to relative, this wasn't much as a surprise anymore. She was ignored. She was thrown around. She was forgotten. But here... It was dark. It was cold. And she was alone.

'I hate you!'

'I regret giving birth to you!'

'You deserve to die!'

She could hear the accident again, how the car crushed her mother's body as if she was nothing but a piece of twig. Her mother... Her dear mother... Her smart mother… That she killed. One moment, she was there, doing her research; the next, she was gone. All because of her. Because of her, she had lost her mind. Because of her, her research that she had poured heart and soul was gone. Because of her, she killed herself. She was nothing but a burden, a demon that stood on her way of success.

"That's right. I don't deserve to be alive."

She clutched her head, trying her best to ward out her enemies. However, how can one fight untouchable enemies in the first place? It was a hopeless battle she already knew, one that she could never win. It was a never-ending cycle. She waited. They disappeared. But they come back. They always did. They will continue to do so until she dies.

'Garbage!'

'Problem child!'

`Demon!'

'Good for nothing!'

'Murderer!'

'This is all your fault!'

'Freak!'

All she could do was close her eyes, fearing the things she would see. Still, she could. She could see the men in black suits, her relatives, her uncle, her classmates. She could remember them all, remember their faces and their stares. They surrounded her, trapping her, mocking her, insulting her. Even without looking back, she could see the glare from her dearest mother standing behind her. And she deserved it. She deserved all of it.

But...

"Just die!"

She.

"Don't come near me!"

'It's all your fault!'

Wanted.

'You're the one who killed her!'

'Good for nothing!'

'You're nothing but a plague!'

It.

'Garbage!'

'Murderer!'

'Freak!'

`Demon!'

To.

'Die!'

'Die!'

'Die!'

'Die!'

'Die!'

Stop!

'Help me!'

.

.

.

.

.

Silence.

Futaba lifted her head only to find silence. No voices. No hallucinations. Nothing. Darkness filled her room like the usual, only her heavy breathing filling the said silence. All that's left was herself, the whirling of her computers, and the brightness of her screens.

She sighed in relief. Futaba uncurled herself, letting her feet touch the floor. Eyes fell on her computer where the current time flashed. It was late, she noted. Only a few minutes had passed yet for her, it was an experience enough for a lifetime. Rubbing her eyes, she yawned but she knew that nightmares were only going to fill her sleep like it usually did. So she planned her agenda for tonight, hands already on the keyboard. She began typing away in quite a fast pace, the result of months of doing the same thing. This was her routine, day and night, every day, same as always.

At least, she was alone again…

Or was she?

Her eyes widened as she caught the feeling of warmth on her skin. Weird. The air-conditioning was still on and working, right? She tried to ignore it and continue to focus on her work yet the warmth stayed. Then a shiver sent up to her spine. Now panic started to fill on her chest, cold sweat falling from her forehead. It was like someone was staring at her. Impossible, she thought, because she locked this room tight. She made sure of it. No one could enter it unless she let them in the first place.

She was alone, right?

Right…?

Taking a deep breath, she had decided. Mustering courage she never had, she spun around, facing her empty room. Or so she thought. Sure, her room was still the same. Same unkempt bed. Same messy floor. Same closed windows. Yet from the corner of her eye, she saw it.

Red was the first color she saw. It was the color of the coat and high heeled shoes it wore. Its arms were folded on its chest proudly, making her see five broken hearts on its sleeves. Black was the second color. It was the color of its vest and top hat. It was also the color of its cape-like wings on its back. She noted that there was a white cravat hanging by its neck and the chains that surrounded him like the mist… Why was it chained?

Futaba sunk further on her seat when she caught the sight on long horns on its head and the sharp claws on its hands. But the scariest part was its expression. His eyes and mouth... It was like a sharp carving made out of fiery red on its furnace-like face.

And it looked back at her.

She shivered in fear, cowering further down on her seat. There was indeed someone else inside her room now. It wasn't even just a 'someone,' it was a supernatural creature and it was scary as heck. What is it? A demon? A monster? A yokai? She had never seen it before her life. And she's pretty sure her own mind couldn't come up with something as frightening as this and that's coming from a girl who had hallucinations on a daily basis.

It took a step closer, reaching out to her. It made Futaba let out a small "Eep!" and she shivered more, practically shaking in her seat. She wanted to hide but where?! Her room was her only sanctuary, her safe place. Yes, she could go outside but… There was nowhere to hide. There was really nowhere to hide! It was going to hurt her, that's for sure. It was going to hurt her. It was going to hurt her. It was going to hurt her!

But... Soon enough, it retreated its claw as if it sensed her fear and if Futaba squinted, the literal fiery expression actually… softened? She could even describe it as sheepish if you asked her. Yes, it looked scary but for some reason, it hadn't hurt her yet. But why? She was a low-level enemy, an easy prey, a good for nothing obstacle. It could hurt her with just a snap but it didn't? But before she could question further, it did something that she expected the least.

It disappeared.