Damn, the summary was stupid. I just hope you guys stay and read the story! Reviews are greatly appreciated as they let me know where I'm going wrong or right! This is a supernatural, shounen manga with elelments of romance that gets added as the story goes along. I hope it suits your taste! -Rexi

Prologue

"Tell me, Yagami. Am I darkness?"

A smartly dressed boy in his early teens stands by the balcony of what seems to be a regal mansion sitting atop a hill. Leaning against the balcony railing, he looks down at the quaint little town, admiring the thousands of multi-colored lights from the lamp posts, to the traffic lights, to signboards, to the lightings in houses. A light breeze gently touched his face and swirled about his neatly combed jet black hair. The boy closes his eyes and savours the wind's touch.

"Most certainly not, young master." The middle-aged man named Yagami pursed his lips. His deep blue eyes were passive but every now and then, a flicker of worry crossed his eyes as he regarded the boy. His face was marked with lines which further highlighted the years he had toiled and the burdens he carried for his young charge.

"Is…that so?" The boy's pure black eyes seem pained at Yagami's words. He clenched his fists slightly and furrowed his brows; his gaze never leaving the hilltop view of the town. Then he whispered softly,

"But I can hear it…The darkness is calling me. They're calling me a part of them."

There was a faint twitch at Yagami's eyebrows as he replied the boy, "No. You must be mistaken, young master. You are not darkness. But alas, your innocence has been tainted by the darkness of the hearts of men; the Shadows that lurk in their hearts." Yagami reassured the boy, albeit his tone was particularly spiteful when mentioning the word 'Shadows'.

The boy turned his head to face Yagami. A smile touched his lips as he walked towards the butler and gave him a slight pat on his shoulders. Then, footsteps echoed throughout the floor, breaking the conversation between the boy and Yagami, as another young man joined the two by the balcony.

"Ah, Noir! It's rare to see you awake. And Yagami the butler! Yo~"

The young man who had walked up to the boy was a handsome one. He had flowing, blonde hair that ran down to his neck and bright green eyes that seemed to be always filled with curiosity. His slim figure was only complimented with a tight fitting navy undershirt and a sophisticated yet classy hoodie, coupled with a pair of black jeans.

"Grimoire." The boy, named Noir, acknowledged the young man's presence with a nod. Yagami, too, simply nodded at Grimoire's presence; his eyes remained emotionless and trained on the young man.

"Young master, it is time for your rest."

Noir gave a small, almost reluctant nod as Yagami accompanied him down the stairway to his room. Grimoire, on the other hand, swirled about the balcony, as if he owned the place, before leaping onto the balcony railings and tried to balance on it; all while wearing a wide boyish grin on his face as he self-entertained himself. Shortly after, a series of footsteps followed. Yagami and another man in a labcoat and glasses; middle-aged too, were back at the balcony.

"Dr. Steiner, how is Noir's…condition?" Yagami asked the man in the labcoat. There was an obvious hint of worry in the butler's voice.

"There is progress, I guess. As long as he keeps on sleeping over long periods of time with the purging system in place, I should be able to flush out the remaining shadow essence from him."

The doctor then glanced over to the balcony railings.

"Grimoire, Those seven syringes I gave you…Did you manage to use them and sieve out those that will be the Reapers for us?"

Grimoire leapt of the railings and slowly waltzed to the two middle-aged men. Reaching to his back, he pulled out seven emptied syringes and smirked.

"Too easy~ Although, two of them couldn't take it and went mad. Shadow manifestations. I crushed one of them but as for the other…guess I'll leave it to the other reapers to take care of it."

"Shouldn't you have just eliminated the other manifested shadow too? It would be problematic if things somehow got traced back to us…"

"Relax, doc. I'll keep an eye out." Grimoire gave his widest grin as he handed the syringes back to the doctor. He shot a glance at Yagami and smirked. He seemed to be pleased with the butler's foul look ever since he had entered the mansion.

"Grimore, I have just one more syringe. If you don't mind…"

Grimoire took the syringe from the doctor's hands and eyed the ominous, black liquid that swirled inside before keeping it in his side pocket.

"No problem, doc! I'll get it done soon~"

Then, with a wave of his hands, Grimoire walked towards the balcony railings and made a dramatic leap over the railings before disappearing from the remaining two men's sight.

"Those shadows must be exterminated!" Yagami growled slightly as he walked towards the railings and glared at the full moon which hung over the night skies.

Chapter 1 – Frenzy

I really love looking at the moon, especially when it is as round and bright as it is tonight. Its luminous glow just has that sort of hypnotizing effect on me. Perhaps it's because having at least a moon in the sky and its starry hosts prevents the darkness from swallowing up the sky whole. That in itself gives me a sense of comfort…

"Rei! How long are you gonna stand there dazing?"

I blinked and snapped out of my daze as I looked towards the school gates to see Jake leaning by the gate and waiting for me.

"Jake? What're you doing here? Shouldn't you be studying for your finals now?"

Well, let me give a brief introduction of myself. My name's Reizaki Ariethe; but the people I know just call me Rei. And from my name, you should be able to deduce that I'm of mixed blood; half Japanese and half Eurasian. That guy called Jake has been my best friend ever since I moved into this little town. Though he's one year my senior, we've been in the same school ever since I was ten. Being neighbors also meant being even better friends. But in actuality, the fact that both our moms hit off so well is probably the biggest factor for our lasting friendship.

"Well I figured you'd still be in school finishing up your judo sessions and looks like I'm right!"

"Y'know, that doesn't answer the question."

"What, can't I come out here to escort you home? Besides, I was cramming in the library before."

Jake patted his school bag and gave a slight grin. I rolled my eyes and slapped him on the back.

"Studying till 8pm? I don't think so, man! Just tell me what you're up to this time."

"Is it really that hard to believe me?"

"Ohh, wait, let me guess, you're trying to get free dinner from me!"

Jake laughed out loud and nudged me slightly.

"Y'know, that's actually an amazing idea! Funny how I didn't think of it."

I gave a groan and started walking out of the school gates while Jake followed by my side.

"But honestly, Rei, I thought it was getting pretty late and since you had mentioned that you'll be doing some hard-core training, I thought it'll be good if I could at least accompany you home. Besides, it's only a matter of time before I graduate from high school."

"Well, that's nice of you! Thanks!"

I gave Jake a genuine smile and looked straight into his hazel eyes. I will admit Jake is one hell of a man. His ash-brown hair and handsome features scores him major points with the girls in school. Plus, he was the captain of the school's kendo club. This is probably why I don't get along very well with most of the girls in school in general since being seen next to Jake on countless occasions have led to them thinking of me as a competitor. Their hushed squeals and chattering when he walks down the hallways never fails to make me laugh inside. Also, you should have seen his face on white day; it was hilarious. Jake was utterly terrified from the ridiculous amount of chocolates that he received from so many girls. And the best part was that he had never seen most of these girls in his life. But don't get me wrong now! Though he is a handsome catch, I don't exactly share romantic feelings with him. I would think it's more of a brother-sister thing, having grown up with him for seven years and all.

"So Rei, where to for dinner?" Jake gave me his best, innocent smile while I grumbled back in response.

"I just knew it!"

We continued walking through a series of back alleys while busy chatting away. Slowly, our ears picked up the sound of irregular footsteps. I peered up and saw a man dressed in a typical company sort of work attire: A formal looking white shirt with a tie that has been loosened, a pair of pants and dress shoes. The only thing off about him was that his white shirt was drenched in sweat and he was walking in a drunk, haphazard manner as if he would fall at any moment. Normally, Jake and I would just walk past these sorts of people since we've done so many times in the past but not this time. As I continued about my normal walking pace, I felt my wrist being firmly gripped by Jake's larger hands. I stopped immediately and turned to look at him.

"Jake, what's wrong?"

"Rei, get behind me. Now!"

It's been a long time since I saw Jake's eyes widen in such shock. Given his authoritative tone and dead serious eyes, I had no qualms in following his orders and quickly slipped behind him. My eyes remained on the company man that was hobbling closer to us. As the strange man got closer, Jake moved one foot back, as though getting ready to retreat from some deadly foe. Puzzled, I looked at the man again. This time, I saw something glint by his hands. That was when I knew we were in for some trouble. The manic eyes embedded in the company man's face certainly doesn't go well with the knife that he held in his right hand. However, since both Jake and I have been trained in the field of martial arts and sparring, surely disarming this man and protecting ourselves would be an easy feat.

"Jake," I whispered. "How about disarming him first before knocking him out and getting away?"

It was a feasible plan; extremely feasible, in fact. But Jake didn't seem to agree, which seemed strange to me. Granted that he didn't have his kendo sword with him, surely taking the company man out with a few other simple moves would be terribly easy for Jake.

"Heeeyy I see a guurrrll there? Hahh…hahah..hahaa, let's plaaay little kid~ We'll haave so…so…much fuun! Yeess?"

I felt a chill run down my spine as the obviously deranged man directed his words at me; all while staggering closer to the two of us. Jake took another step back. This time, I saw a vein pulse at the man's temples. His face suddenly twisted into a crazy looking snarl. In the next moment, the man lunged forward with his knife.

"D-don't…DON'T GIVE ME THAT ANNOYING FACE, BITCHES!"

The man was definitely a nutcase. Though his face and actions freaked me out, I knew better and eased myself into one of my favourite sparring stance, all ready to knock the man out when he got near. However, glancing over at Jake's movements broke my focus. His hands were suddenly placed in front of him and they looked like they were gripping something. It was a completely bizarre scene. Jake stood in his kendo stance and stopped the man's knife with an imaginary sword. The man's face was now contorted in rage and his eyes became bloodshot while his knife seemed to be wrestling Jake's unseen blade.

"Rei! RUN NOW!"

Before I could comprehend the scene before me, my legs were already moving on its own and running from Jake and the madman. My instincts knew better than to go against Jake's orders especially when he had shouted for me to run with that dead serious tone of his. The last few times he used that tone I followed without hesitations and managed to escape certain perilous incidents unscathed. The only time I refused to listen was when I was twelve. A group of thirteen to fourteen year old boys were trying to pick on me at the playground. Then, Jake came to defend me and had ordered me to run first. But being the stubborn little girl I was, I refused and chose to take on the five bigger sized boys together with Jake. Having barely learnt any defensive techniques, Jake and I were beaten into a bloody pulp. I still remember those boys not holding any punches against a girl like me back then! If not for some passer-by, I believe we would have had some permanent damage inflicted on us. And ever since then, Jake made me promise him that I will listen to him in such situations.

My mind wasn't processing the situation as fast as my legs were running. Cutting across alleys, almost slamming into a random lamp post, cutting into yet another alley; the truth of the matter was that I didn't know where I was running towards. My mind, flooded with incomprehensible thoughts, was completely disoriented and I had lost my reasoning during that short span of time while I fled from the madman. Finally, I ran into the best possible place: A dead end.

"Oh, shit, this is bad. I've gotta find another way!"

Quickly I retreated and started running the way I came from. However, before I managed to run out of the dead end alley, the madman appeared before me. In my moment of panic, I let out a high-pitched shriek and started backing towards the wall.

"ehheheh..heh…Heyyy guurrll"

The man was twitching about almost uncontrollably and his knife kept swishing the air. Then, I saw blood trickling off the edge of the blade.

"Y-you! Where's Jake?" I could feel my adrenaline pumping. The man that stood before me was mad. A lunatic. Bonkers. God knows what he could do in such a state of mind. But above all of that, what happened to Jake? I was starting to panic badly and I could feel my knees weaken and tremble.

"C-ccooming at yoouu, guurrl..!"

The madman started running towards me; his knife held in an awkward, but probably still dangerous, manner. I managed to barely compose myself; enough to grip the man's wrist when it came thrusting towards me. Then, with a trained flick of my own wrist, I twisted the madman's wrist before throwing him to the ground. The initial cracking sound of his wrist was immediately followed with a loud thud as he hit the ground hard. My heart was beating faster than before as I subconsciously took a few steps back, not realizing that I was just backing myself further up against the wall.

"That'll teach you not to mess with me!" I tried to make myself sound confident in a bid to scare the madman away. But it didn't work out as fantastically as I had hoped since my voice still sounded shaky.

Then, a growling sound ensued from the man. He staggered back up to his feet and cracked his injured wrist in a perverse manner. A manic grin spread across his face as he started laughing uncontrollably. This was bad for me. That move I did which was meant to knock him out was a complete failure.

"Jake…Where are you..?" I squeezed my eyes shut and fervently wished for my best friend's presence. Usually, I'm strong enough to fend off a person or two when the need arises. But in this sort of freak situation, I had no idea on how to protect myself.

"Hehehe…"

Another voice flitted across the air. I snapped my head up to where the snickering voice was coming from.

"Hey, girl~ In a pinch?"

A tall figure looked down at me from the top of the wall that I was backed against. Though I'm unable to completely make out his face in the dark, I could tell he was wearing a wide grin on his face.

"Help! T-this guy here's a maniac!"

"You wanna get rid of him?"

"Of course! What kinda question is that?"

The chuckling from the stranger continued again. The madman was growing frustrated as he grunted and stepped closer to me.

"Don't…IGNORE MEE! AGGHHH!"

The madman pounced at me again. My sparring instincts flared as I quickly sidestepped and grabbed his lunged arms with both my hands and made sure to swing him around with all of my strength. His body crashed into a pile of thrash that was lying by the side walls. As if sustaining no damage, he got up instantly and came at me again. The more I managed to dodge and inflict damage on him, the more haphazard his attacks get. I was getting breathless and reached a point where I could no longer read how the madman is going to attack. His eyes were becoming wilder, as were his actions.

"REI!"

Jake's voice sounded from the distance. The madman got up again, ready to attack. Though his clothes were becoming tattered and bruises were blooming on his shaky body, he just never seems to let up!

"Hee, this is where the fun starts~"

The stranger suddenly disappeared from the top of the wall. Before I knew it, I felt my right arm being gripped and stretched out to the side while my other arm was tightly held to my back.

"What're you doing?" I screamed at the stranger who had gripped me in such a way that I wasn't able to move. I attempted to kick back at the stranger who had been observing my predicament without lending a hand. But all he simply did was to use his legs to seal off my own movements.

"Rei!"

Then, Jake appeared, gripping what seemed to be his injured shoulder. From the looks of his eyes, I could guess that I was locked in a most awkward position with this stranger. His arms were fastened on mine and our legs were rather tangled up. It wasn't a pleasant scene. The madman turned around and looked at him; his attention shifted.

"Well then, little girl, you wanted to be able to kill off this guy yes?"

"W-what? I never said kill!"

"You..! Get away from her!"

Jake started running towards me. His injured hand still looked as though it were gripping a sword of sorts. The madman ran towards Jake. Suddenly, the stranger's grip on my left hand slackened. But before I could use my free hand to knock him out, I felt a needle being plunged into my right hand. In my right ear, I heard a faint chuckle from the stranger before my arm started feeling as though it was just set on fire. Searing heat spread through my right arm and soon, my whole body felt as though it was engulfed in flames.

"No! GRIMOIRE YOU BASTARD!"

I heard Jake scream someone's name and something about that guy being a bastard. My vision started fogging up and the image from my eyes started staggering. I could barely make out Jake and the madman before me. Then, I slipped into unconsciousness.