Prologue
The moon was a large yellow orb in the sky, the harvest moon. The girl tip-toed down the stairs and over to the sliding door that faced the woods behind her house. She paused and listened. Crickets chirped outside, but there was no sound coming from above her. Satisfied that she had not woke anyone up, she slowly slid the door open and stepped into the moon light.
As soon as she entered the woods she started running. She couldn't wait to see him… The forest seemed a little foreboding tonight, but she ignored its warning. The forest stretched behind her family's property and around a section of Karakura town. She kept running, telling herself that it was just a little bit farther to the river and her meeting.
Roaaaaaaaaaahhhhhh… The girl stopped in her tracks at the sound of the ghostly wail. She looked from side to side, trying to locate the source of the sound. She spun around, and behind her was a large monster that looked like a giant burgundy bear. It had claws the size of butcher knives and a skull that covered its face. The monsters eyes were like black pits and its teeth were covered in blood. Pulse racing, mind reeling, she darted away and started running back towards her home. She fought the urge to scream as the monster wailed again and gave chase. She ran, tears streaming down her face. As her house came into view the sound of the massive creature following her stopped.
She slowed down and was about to turn to look when she felt something strong and sharp strike her back. The monster had finally attacked, and it left 3 large gashes across her back. The impact sent her flying and she crashed through a few trees before she hit the ground and rolled onto the edge of her lawn. Blood welled from her back and stained the ground around her red. The girl gasped for breath, each a shallow, painful, whisper. Her vision began to blur and she felt the life slipping from her. The last thing she saw before she was plunged into the darkness was a boy with orange hair and a black kimono running towards her. The monster let out another wail, and then everything went black for the girl.