• The screaming never seems to stop.

    "You are the one who caused the screams."

    I did not want it to happen. I did not want her to--

    "But she did. And it is your fault, Nikurashii. You killed her."

    SILENCE!




    Nikurashii's golden orbs glowed in the pitch darkness of his room. His cat-like, slitted pupils were aimed at where he knew the ceiling must be and he did not blink for minutes.

    How many nights had it been now that he had awoken from a nightmare? Not even a nightmare, more-so a night terror. It was all much too real for his liking.
    After a long, drawn out stillness, Niku sat up and threw his legs over the side of the bed. His long silver hair, tipped raven cascaded over his shoulders gracefully. His golden eyes had a soft glow to them, even as he lit a candle at the side of the bed. He had been a guest at the Black Rose Tavern and Inn for weeks now. He had no idea how much longer he would be there.

    The candlelight flickered in the faint wind that whistled through the cracked window. Niku's body, illuminated and contrasted with dark shadows, appeared to be carved out of marble. As still as the demon could sit, he could easily be mistaken for a work of art.

    As Niku rose to his feet, he passed a lazy glance to the clock on the bedside table. The time, 3:28am seemed like the loneliest time in the world. Nothing happened at 3:28am. The humans were sleeping while the demons and vampires hunted. No one just wanted to sit down and have company at that hour. Not even Niku himself.

    The dragon demon, aged twenty-seven years, sauntered into the bathroom and lit two more candles. He looked at his reflection in the mirror and pulled back his lips tightly into a snarl. Never once had Nikurashii Maiako been mistaken for anything less than an astonishingly formidable demon. The markings beneath his eyes marked him as a direct descendant of the family's head. He had been the second choice to take over for his father, but as it turned out, his parents had two bad eggs and the Maiako name was left over to Niku's twin brother, Morukinta.

    Of course, many centuries had passed since that had occurred. The head of the Maiako family was now Konoyukai. Ah, Kono, the epitome of all that a demon should be. Kono had not always had such great potential. He was quiet as a child and it appeared that his younger brother, Akaru might be more suited for the role, however... after a tragedy when Kono was sixteen, he went off on his own, killing, raping, stealing, destroying everything in his path. It was a phase that many of the most powerful demons go through, one where they must test their potential through their emotions.

    The right side of Niku's mouth twitched at the thought. Emotions. Those were something he had rid himself of a long time ago. All they did was slow him down and make him less efficient as a killing machine. And was that not his job as a demon?

    Niku shook his head and put his hands over his face, slowly dragging his claws over the soft flesh of his cheeks.

    How long am I going to stay in this place before I go back? How can I just return to my family after all of this time? It's been so long... Kono was only seven or eight when I saw him last and now he's twenty-one and heading up the family name. Gods, time passes so quickly.

    Niku took in a shallow breath with a quiet hiss before he turned and walked back into the room, the candles flickering out as soon as he was gone. He slowly laid back on the bed and crossed his hands on his stomach. How lifeless it was, waiting for the sun to rise. He turned his head to the side, his cheek nuzzled into the soft material of the pillow case and within a few moments he was able to sleep... though he was awoken in a fashion that was less than preferred.




    "So you really have been close this whole time, hmm, Nikurashii?"

    Niku's molten topaz eyes shot open and he was on his feet, crouched down on the bed in a split-second, his silver locks falling around him wildly.

    "Oh, come now, Nikurashii. Must you be so primitive. We are family, after all."

    Niku felt a chill go up his spine at the realization of who was in front of him. 6'3", 175lbs of Vampiric Dragon Demon with the ego to show for it. The man was dressed in black khakis and a dark green turtleneck, not one wrinkle out of place. A golden chain fell down around his neck with a reversed cross at the end, a cliche symbol of darkness. Each one of the man's clawed fingers had a breathtaking ring around it and he truly seemed flawless-- but he was without a doubt a Maiako.

    Black hair, tipped with crimson was tied back with a black silk ribbon, his hair all placed perfectly. His eyes were mesmerizing. Deep emeralds glistened as he watched Niku from across the room. Niku could feel them piercing him like daggers on fire. So this was what the head of the family looked like. Konoyukai Maiako.