This is a short chapter. Sorry for the late update!

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The Demon Child
2: The Encounter
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It was 5:45 a.m. and both Mikan and the Demon were awake.

The brunette had gone back to her room sometime during the night, but she could not sleep again. At 5:30 – it was still dark – she got up and put on her new uniform. The black dress reached her knees and it was a little baggy around the waist, but the white apron she tied round her neck and back fixed that problem.

Mikan paced around her room restlessly, waiting for the sun to rise. She didn't understand why Lady Hyuuga did not permit her to leave her room from ten in the evening to dawn the next day. Did she have a husband tucked somewhere, and at those times she was with her nightly lover?

Blushing, Mikan shook her head and lightly slapped herself to dismiss such insinuating thoughts about her employer's love life. It wasn't like her love life was pretty, either.

She sat at her vanity table, staring at her reflection in the mirror and fingering the dark circles under her eyes. She couldn't remember the last time she had slept well. Now that she was working, her insomnia was going to get in the way. She had to find a way around that soon.

The soft ticking of the wall clock filled the room, every movement of the arms echoing supplely in the small room. Other than that, silence reigned. Mikan's bedroom window was open, but not even the music of the crickets or the chirping of the birds entered.

Now that she thought about it, Mikan realised that last night, she heard not a cricket or a lizard or even a bat or an owl.

It was like the animals knew that something was wrong with the Hyuuga household – like an evil presence was in it. It was like they knew the Hyuuga manor was haunted.

Mikan shivered at the thought. That would explain why the house was so big yet empty, and why Lady Hyuuga only hired one maid.

Frightened olive eyes darted about the room, searching for a ghoul or the like in her room. Suddenly, she remembered the pair of blood red eyes she saw at night.

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Natsume stood in front of the cherry blossom tree the girl he saw last night was huddling under. She was gone now.

He bent down and pressed a blood-caked hand – the bleeding had stopped, but he hadn't washed the blood away – to the patch of grass she had sat on. It was cold. She had gone back to her room hours ago.

Smirking, the Demon straightened and in the direction of the kitchen. He knew where to find her now.

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Mikan scanned the ceiling, as though expecting a pair of red eyes to be watching her every move from up there. When she saw nothing, she heaved a sigh of relief.

But it was too early for her to relax.

At her open bedroom window, the Demon stood staring at her. His eyes were red – even the whites of his eyes resembled blood. His skin was sickeningly pale and shadows were smeared under his bloody eyes. Unkempt jet black hair framed his face – he looked like something from a horror movie.

As the pair stared at each other, Mikan felt her heart stop for a moment. When she concluded that the thing in front of her was not human, she promptly screamed and backed away from the window.

Her back slammed into the door. Sweating, crying and unable to take her eyes off the Demon, her hands scrambled behind her, frantically looking for the doorknob.

The female amused the Demon. He stretched an arm out, as though reaching for her. Dried blood was on his palm, as though he had just killed someone.

Mikan screamed even louder, and she cried out in fear. Her hands finally found the doorknob and she yanked the door open. She ran out of her room and stumbled into the dining room. The curtains were drawn there – she wouldn't see the Demon, unless he climbed into the house by her open window.

She fell to her knees in a corner of the room and vomited on the polished wooden floor. Tears spilled forth from her eyes, which were clenched shut, and mingled with the vomit on the floor.

Mikan pressed her back against the wall, taking comfort in the shadows. She hugged her knees to her chest, and rocked back and forth. She buried her face in her lap in an attempt to stifle her sobs. If the Demon did indeed enter the house, she could be easily located by her wails.

The Demon did enter the house, but it was not to pursue the brunette. Natsume went back to his room, and collapsed in his hard wooden chair. He was tired and wanted to sleep, though it was already daybreak. He hated the sunlight.

Natsume ran a hand through his hair, cursing the creature that slept inside him. Because of it, he could not sleep.

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Mikan remained in that shadowy corner for about half an hour. When she heard Lady Hyuuga come out calling for her, she stood up and smoothed her attire. It was probably safe for her to come out now.

She mopped up her vomit, prepared Lady Hyuuga's breakfast and lost herself in her chores. The encounter with the Hyuuga Demon was still fresh in her mind. She decided to ask Lady Hyuuga about it during lunch.

Mikan brought Lady Hyuuga's empty plate to the kitchen, where she submerged it in the soapy water-filled sink. She came out to find Lady Hyuuga calmly sipping tea at the dining table. Now was her chance to inquire about the Demon.

"Lady Hyuuga?"

"Mm?"

Mikan fidgeted. "Um, well, you see… Something strange happened this morning. There was a… person at my window."

Lady Hyuuga put down her teacup, suddenly very interested. "Oh, really? Tell me about it."

Mikan clutched the tea tray to her chest, confiding in the older woman. She described the Demon's physical features – his red pupils, the red whites of his eyes, his pale skin, the black hair…

Lady Hyuuga nodded sagely in understanding, empathising with the disturbed girl. Mikan thought that Lady Hyuuga would console her, but she thought wrong.

Lady Hyuuga's fingers flew to her skirt pocket, fingering the thin knife that was conveniently hidden there. This girl was going to die soon.

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To be continued…

Should I change this story to Horror? Last chapter's reviews surprised me - I didn't think some people would find Natsume and his mom scary. Or maybe that's just me, since I was the one who wrote it LOL.

Pretty please review?