Um... wow, I've been doing a lot of these lately. I've been in a real writing mood lately, so yeah. Plus, this idea just came to me last night, and I had to put it down or I would never get to it. XD

This is just something I considered last night, wondering how Neuro and Yako's meeting might have gone if Yako sought Neuro out instead of vice-versa. In reality I just kind of wanted to write something creepy. XD

Yako heard the slow hiss of breathing before she saw the thing inhaling and exhaling the musty air around her. The sound seemed to be coming from all around her, distant one moment, then right against her neck another. A chill erupted down her spine, and she trembled. Perhaps the price wasn't worth the reward.

As soon as she thought that, her heart ached inside her chest. No. This had to be done. She had to know the truth.

Steeling herself once again, she took another cautious step forward into the pitch dark tunnel. The breathing noise grew louder, drawing so close that she swore she felt its warmth brush against her ear. Her lips trembled as she fought to keep from whimpering. She made sure to keep her hand pressed against the damp stone of the tunnel wall, for fear of being lost in the darkness with this… creature, forever.

Taking two more steps forward, she gasped when the wall fell away from her hand, and the air grew colder. She had entered a larger chamber. Her heartbeat increased until it beat against her ribcage so hard it felt like it could have broken free of her body. According to her source, she had to ask the creature for help before it would reveal itself to her.

'Say something, Yako…' she thought frantically. She opened her mouth to call out a hello, but no sound came out except a faint, hoarse, croaking sound. She licked her lips, tried again, and still no sound. All she could do was stand there, shivering and shaking, mouth opening and closing like a gasping fish.

'Remember why you're here… You have to know… You have to know who killed…'

Swallowing, Yako set her feet wider apart to keep her knees from knocking together. She couldn't turn back now. If she did, she would be a failure to his memory. The only way to move now was forward.

"Hello?" she squeaked. She cleared her throat to try again. The sound echoed in the vast chamber, and she felt her gut twist inside her as a new wave of fear swept through her. "Hello?" she called again, this time more strongly, albeit shakily.

"Once is quite enough, thank you."

Yako couldn't stop herself from looking around for the source of the voice, even though she could see nothing in the blackness.

"How rude you are, barging into my home uninvited and demanding my help. That's quite some ego you have, pathetic mortal. I must say, I'm the tiniest bit impressed that you haven't passed out from fear yet…"

The voice seemed to come nearer, above and behind her. Yako whirled, and a gust of wind rushed past her. Something brushed her cheek, and she cried out in surprise. It didn't hurt though. It felt almost soft, like a…

Feather.

"Please, Sir…" she whispered. "I don't mean to be rude. I just need to know… who killed my-"

"Why should I care about what you need?" the voice interrupted, low and poisonous and too close. "I care about nothing and no one apart from myself. Make what you seek worth my while and I might just help you…"

Yako reached for her pocket, but she was shaking so hard it took her a while to slip her hand in and grasp the crumpled paper inside. She pulled it out, unfolded it with some difficulty, and held it out into the nothingness.

"This is the investigator's complete report… The case is unsolved. No one… no one knows who did it, or how." Her voice cracked, and the next sentence came out in a hoarse whisper. "I heard you like mysteries."

The paper was ripped from her grasp so fast she screamed and fell back. She landed in a mixture of mud and rocks. As she tried to push herself up, her fingers brushed over one of the stones, and she realized it wasn't a stone at all.

Bones.

Yako's hand flew over her mouth as she felt her stomach reject its dinner. She hacked and coughed and spit up in the mud, tears stinging her eyes.

"Truly disgusting filth you humans are," the voice sighed above her. "You can't even offer a good meal…"

"P-Please…" Yako croaked, dragging herself away from the voice. She hit the cold wall and pressed herself into it, realizing she was going to die, that this was the end. "Please don't kill me…"

Suddenly, two green orbs appeared right in front of her. She pushed herself as much against the wall as she could, but there was no escape. The green lights came closer to her, the breathing noise growing nearer, the air growing warmer, her heart beating faster. They grew so near that Yako could see the ghost of a pointy-toothed smile growing below them, the little fangs glittering in the unnatural light.

"Oh please, filthy worm," the creature scoffed, and hot air surrounded her, blistering her skin. "You would give me indigestion. Your mystery, however…"

Yako saw the slight glow of a piece of paper appear next to the disembodied face. It crumpled, seemingly on its own, then burst into flames.

"It sounds most intriguing… However, my services will come at a price, one I doubt you can afford."

"I'll do anything…" Yako heard herself mutter.

The ghostly grin widened until she could see all the creature's teeth. "Marvelous. That is exactly what I wish to hear from my slaves."