3/31/07
Chapter 1

Her smile was happily accompanied by two gold-hued ors dancing above beautifully pale cheeks and the smile itself. She was always a joy to the guest, although none knew her secret. Akaru would warmly greet them, tend to them; all before calmly going about her business; as dark a business it was.

"Is it difficult to manage such a place?" the woman inquired kindly, rounding her satin-gloved grip around her assumed husband's forearm.

"Not at all," Akaru smiled, leading them to the centre room. She slid the door opened and mannerly closed it behind them before making her way to the reception desk. "Just the two of you?" Pointing with the pen she held, her question flowed innocently within the shroud of her job. Recieving a simple nod, she marked their names given soon after onto crisp white paper. a frown laid on her pale pink lips, an expression thought to be lost by the seemingly perky girl, as she read over the name. "Such a beautiful name... shame to be ended here."

Words that confused the joyous couple entered the silent air around them as her hand rose, holding the pen loosely. In a heartbeat, the plastic writing tool found its way into the heart of the woman, causing her to stargnate. Smiling as if it were nothing (in fact it wasn't), Akaru moved to the woman. Her voice was nothing above a whisper.

"Have you ever met a shadow?" The inquiry ended into a smile. "This one seems to like yours, at least the crimson one." Almost a riddle, the whisper floated to her ears. The man stood frozen, fearful for his wife, fearing for them both. Akaru forced her slender hand into the chest of the woman, tightening her fingers around the still beating organ. Pulling it from her, her smile spread into a merciless grin.

The man fell backwards onto the ground, unable to do anything at all. Akaru bit into the warm heart as if it were a handheld fruit, scarlet pulsing out of it, splashing onto the ground as the woman's lithe body hit the floor with it. The girl dropped the heart by her feet and knelt by the man, a hideously evil gleam in her golden eyes. "Want a taste?" she grinned, stroking his cheek with a bloody knuckle.

He gasped, almost choking on emotion and attempted to tear his gaze from her's as a tin line of scarlet smeared across his pailing complexion.

Her smile returned to a joyous one. "See? Her other shadow is a crimson one now." She pointed to the pooling blood surrounding the wife. "Do you understand? All shadows become as red as the inside, that's them escaping. I'm a shadow myself, crimson because of her's I'm united with." Her smile faded as she whispered into the man's ear. "Pleased to meet yours." Eyes closed as fangs did around a rapid pulse.

Soon she became the only life in the near-empty room.

"Dammit, cleanup is always the hardest." Akaru's eyes looked disappointedly around. "Why is that blood gets everywhere?"

"Lucky you don't have a carpet," a golden-furred dragon-like creature lowered itself into the room from the rafters. Its small frame hovered above the reception desk before landing completely, surveilancing the room. "Messy, weren't they?" he asked, stating the obvious. "Bad guest behavior."

Akaru glanced to the creature in annoyance, "Yoru, can't you help me?"

"Your curse, your problem." It shook its head knowingly. "I'm not supposed to help. You know that."

"Punishment, more like... You sure you can't help just a little? Enmatsu-sama won't find out, I swear." She grinned, as if trying to get he way.

"He's always watching, Akaru." Its dark eyes closed, resting a light-weighted head onto paw-like claws.

"I hate this..." She sighed, making her way to the cleaning supplies room/closet. "Damn curses, damn punishment, damn Enmatsu-sama."

"Hurrying before the residents return," Yoru mentioned, "would be a good idea."

"Mhm..." Akaru groaned, beginning her task.