So! Anyone heard of this anime before? And, yes, it's just an anime ;v;. A short anime, but it's really good, aside from the random CG graphics here and there. Go watch it! Or read this fanfic, whichever you want. It doesn't really matter if you haven't seen the anime to read this, but it might be a little confusing.

I only own Zurui, while C belongs to Tatsunoko Productions.

A young woman sat in her dimly-lit apartment, clutching her cell phone to her ear with such force it was sure to snap in half. Her hazel eyes were glazed with resentment; she just about had enough of her avaricious mother. As she listened to her mother's complaints and excuses, she couldn't help but scowl. Sure, her mother needed help. She understood that, and time after time she would give in to the selfish begging.

"Zurui! Are you listening to me, Zurui? I need the money!"

But when the begging turned into stealing, and not paying back even after all these years, Zurui had enough. She hadn't asked her mother for a single penny, not for college or even an apartment to live in. All the living arrangements were something Zurui herself paid for, but as a result was left deep in debt. Deep debt that she was still paying off, because of the wants her mother all so craved and sucked out of her overly stressed daughter.

"You realize I'm still in debt and late on the bills, don't you?"

"But, honey, it's not that much! I just need a hundred thousand yen*!"

"A hundred thousand yen for a television set?"

"Robert broke mine!"

Zurui narrowed her eyes and squinted to the receiver, "you broke up with Robert for stealing your jewelry."

There was silence on the other line, and a brow was raised. It looked that her dear mother was just caught red handed.

"…Mother, he's still with you, isn't he?"

"W-well… We talked it over and…"

"You two never broke up."

It was a statement, not a question. The man had come into her mother's home unannounced while she was out, and stole some of her most precious diamonds. Robert had gone to jail, but for whatever reason beyond explanation her mother had dropped any charges. According to what her mother was telling Zurui now, apparently she stayed with him, even after he admitted to the crime. Yes, Zurui knew her mother quite well. Since her father left the family when Zurui was four, all her mother had been doing was going through man after man, mostly American. She wouldn't leave this one even if he tried to choke her.

"I'm really sorry, dear. He admitted what he did was wrong, and we sort of just… Stayed together."

And it turned out she decided to stay with the worst one.

"Then why can't he pay for the television if he was the one to break it? And why are you asking for money again in the first place? You just asked for money on Monday."

Another pause was on the line.

"He… Robert was fired from his job."

Don't think I didn't realize you ignored the second question.

"Mom," Zurui pinched the bridge of her nose, "I need to focus on paying the hospital bills. I'm still–"

"Zurui! You're still paying the hospital? You were in that wreck weeks ago!"

"A year, mother. It's been a year and a half since the accident."

"Psh! I knew that! I know that! It was very tragic, honey. It was a blessing that you survived. "

It was Zurui's turn to fall silent this time. She looked down at her stomach with somber eyes, taking a moment to herself and setting her free hand upon her belly. Her eyes closed and she breathed in through her nose, letting it out from her mouth. The accident left a heavy impact on her body, as well as her mind. Of course she was grateful for her life being saved, and it was a blessing that the car had absorbed the impact. But she wasn't happy with the results, and the toll she had to pay in order to survive. Zurui felt herself getting upset over it again, and forced her sobs to stay locked within her.

"Zurui, I have to go, honey. But I need that money! I'll check the bank account in a couple hours, okay?"

The click of the receiver met her ears, but Zurui made no attempt to say goodbye before the line went dead. She let out another breath and flipped her phone, and with a loud snap it closed. Without thinking, the brunette was already making her way to her coffee table near the kitchen. She glared out at the various papers and envelopes spread out and about, all of them bearing the same message.

"Loan," Zurui began sorting them upon place, "hospital, loan, loan, hospital, rent, hospital, friend– shit."

Rent? Rent… Rent!

Frantically she rummaged back to her rent envelope, tearing it open and hurriedly looking at the contents inside. Skimming the letter, the information pertained her being late on the rent for the fourth time in a row. After the first two times, the office began sending her notification letters on when her rent was due, just to keep her in check. Unfortunately for her, she had lost the letter upon the pile of other bills and had forgotten all about it. Her eyes went wide as she set her attention on the date. No, no, no! Shit!

Zurui ran across her apartment to her simple bedroom, dashing to the side of the bed where her purse was generally located. She bent down and rummaged through her bag, jerking out her wallet and opening it. That's when her heart sunk.

"This isn't enough. This isn't–"

There was barely enough for grocery shopping, which Zurui just remembered that she needed to do today. With a groan she slumped to the carpet, cradling her head within her hands. Her head began to throb from the stress of the money issues. God damnit, mother…

Earlier that week, Zurui's mother had asked for yet another large sum of cash. Normally it would be within months of her needing to borrow money, but lately it's been similar to fuel for her. For whatever reason, her need of money has been extravagant that week, which was unusual even for a woman such as her. Numerous solutions were stomping around in Zurui's head to of why this has been going on. Whenever she directly asked her mother, no straight answer was given. Now that I think about it… Robert had been mentioned so many times when I ask her.

Zurui shut the thoughts away and stood, bringing her purse up and placing it on her bed. She glanced at the clock shining brightly on her nightstand, and another shock of realization hit her.

Work! I forgot about work!

If she was late again, it would be the end of her job. It was a fairly effortless job to do; working at a donut shop was easy, but at the same time it was tough putting up with her coworkers. Plus juggling another job on top of it was just added strain, but in the long run the pay was enough to get her by. At least her second job as security held excitement, but at the same time it depended on the day, otherwise bland was the word to use. Then again, watching over spoiled teenagers win prizes at a fancy arcade wasn't what one would look forward to.

Zurui stripped off her tank top and bumblebee pajamas, before searching the closet for her work attire. Once she got dressed, her hair was tied in a messy side ponytail, which stuck out like porcupine quills. Five minutes later she was out the door. After locking it, Zurui trotted down the stairs and to the parking lot where her scooter was located; cars were expensive. As she sat down and started the engine, she let out a tired sigh, seeing how exhausted she looked in the mirrors. At least in a car I'd only be able to see my eyes. I look like a wreck. I'll just have to keep saving for a decent one.

The engine roared with a start, and Zurui was speeding off out of her apartment complex. It wasn't until the wind swept through her hair did she realize her helmet was left at home. She let out a frustrated groan at her forgetfulness, gritting her teeth as all the wrong thing seemed to happening to her today. But there was no time to get it; she barely escaped with her shoes as it was. Hopefully she wouldn't get into any car wrecks on the way.

"Stupid work. Why can't things be less expensive," Zurui muttered to herself. Her bills were piling up and she had put them off for too long; procrastination will get one nowhere. It was her fault this time, it always was. Letting her mother borrow – steal – her money was something she could say no to, however she just couldn't decline. Whenever she did deny her mother, it would be a Hell Zurui just didn't want to deal with. The overhead lights turned red, and she came to a stop with a loud screech. She slumped in the padded seat and looked up at the sky. Even the clouds seemed to be gloomy, the heaviness of the grey musk threatening rainfall. Zurui prayed the rain would wait in their place until she got to work; getting her uniform soaked would just be another strike against her. When she felt a drop hit her cheek, she frowned, glaring absentmindedly at the cluster of clouds above her. Don't do it. Don't you dare, you stupid cloud, I know you're thinking it. Don't you–

No sooner did she curse at the Heavens, did she regret it instantly. Zurui could feel her clothes dampen and sink into her skin; the damned rain couldn't wait, could it?

The honking of a car horn made Zurui comprehend the light had turned green. She flinched and let out a frustrated string of curses, before driving forward across the street. In less than ten minutes did she arrive at her employment, though to her it felt like hours. The rain had kept pouring, and Zurui made no attempt to hurry inside after parking her vehicle.

When she did arrive, however, someone had different plans.

"Zurui! You're late, again! Hurry up and get inside!"

Zurui mentally cringed at the sound of her manager's voice from inside the donut store. She stuffed her keys into her pocket and jogged over to the older man, trying to ring out some of her work shirt on the way over. He looked over her once and squinted his beady little eyes at how poorly her appearance was. Zurui was soaked to the bone, and the customers heading inside simply shook their heads at her. She felt as if she was a puppy being scolded for peeing on the carpet. When her manager said nothing more, Zurui hurried passed him. She ran her fingers through her bangs, at least trying to look decent. The man was intimidating, though that was an understatement. He was tall, with broad shoulders and a strong chin. His eyes were rather small, and so deep in brown that they almost looked black whenever he was angry. There was a bald spot of absent hair on his head; however the rest was black and sleeked back with grease. One would think he was some sort of gladiator, but unfortunately he was just a fairly stern manager of a donut shop. His tone of voice showed he'd rather be out slaughtering children than making sure people did their jobs correctly.

Zurui was working at the drive through, wearing a clean uniform one of her friends brought for her. Before she started her shift, she took the risk of texting her friend for an extra pair of clothes; if her manager found out a cell phone was being used during work, disaster would strike. She was fortunate that her friend had the day off and that she could wear a presentable uniform. Her hair looked and felt like a wet mop, but there was nothing she could do but hide it in a cap. From her appearance before work to the way she looked now, Zurui thought she did a good job in cleaning up. But all the credit went to her close friend, who quite literally saved her.

All seemed to be going well up until the end of the day.

"Zurui! Get over here!"

The instant his voice rang out, Zurui knew she was going to be in some sort of trouble. She cringed and finished up with a customer before slowly heading over to where her manager stood in the back of the store. He waited until she was right in front of him, and didn't speak until their eyes were locked.

"You are aware that you've been late far too many times."

She swallowed hard. Oh, shit, here it comes.

"I've talked it over with a few of my colleagues, and we've all agreed on what to do with you."

Panic was taking over her, and she shut her eyes as if she were about to be struck with a cane. Her hands clenched at her sides and she was flushed with embarrassment. She'd never been fired before! All the times she had a job that she had to quit because her pay wasn't good enough. It's always been her, alone, in her apartment with her pet fish, and even having a fish was beginning to get expensive. If she lost her job, she'd have to find another one, but there was still the rent that was due at the end of the day. If she lost her job, she wouldn't get paid. If she didn't get paid, the rent wouldn't get fulfilled. If the rent didn't get fulfilled–

"Zurui, did you hear me?"

Zurui flinched and looked up, eyes wide and her chest pounding. She paled and stared at her manager with a shocked expression. Had he said something?

–She wouldn't have anywhere else to go. Living with her mother again was out of the question.

Her manager sighed and pinched the bridge of his nose. "You can calm down. I'm not going to fire you."

Her anxiety slowed and she raised her eyebrows, "wait… What? You-… What?"

"I'm not going to fire you. I know how much of a bind you are in, and it wouldn't be right to just let you go like that. But you have to realize that this is the last time, understand me? You cannot be late again."

Zurui stood still, not even blinking as she tried to process his words. She wasn't getting fired. He wasn't going to fire her; she was still working there. She couldn't believe it, he wasn't such a grouch after all! A smile crept up on her face and she squealed, eyes lighting up like lanterns.

"Thank you! Thank you so much, I am so sorry! You have no idea how much I appreciate this!" She clapped her hands together and grinned cheekily at him, silently thanking him over and over in her head.

"But there is one thing I'm going to do to punish you, though."

The initial shock had returned again and she paused in her cheerful antics, looking up at him with worry.

"I… Still get paid today, right?"

Her manager nodded, but held up a finger to tell her that he wasn't done explaining about the manner.

"You are getting paid, but it's going to be reduced."

Zurui blinked, "r-reduced?"

"By half."

The seconds ticked by as Zurui headed back to her apartment, feet dragging along the way. She sighed and ran her hands through her hair, enjoying the way the breeze coated the short locks. The main office was only a couple minutes away, so she walked there to pay her rent. Luckily for her she was able to pay before midnight struck; it was now ten minutes passed. Something had told her to tap into the money she was saving to pay back all of her loans, and regretfully she had to do so. But just enough to pay the rent right on the decimal, but now she was short a couple hundred. Her second job didn't reduce any of her pay, but that was because she wasn't late for that one. A new alarm clock was needed, but spending money was something she couldn't do until more money was saved.

Reaching the apartment steps, Zurui climbed up the stone stairs and sat on them when she got toward the middle, chin in the palms of her hands. Her apartment didn't have what one would call a miraculous view, but it was better than looking at a brick wall. She lived in the building far from the street, near the golf course someone decided to build there. The city was far behind, but not too far where she couldn't see the lights. In a way, the lights of the city painted a canvas on the green field. It mixed with the grass, but only halfway at the area it was most close to. They were bright, but Zurui found them nice to look at.

"Why do things have to be stressful," she groaned, looking down at her covered feet. She had changed out of her work clothes and into her simple stay-at-home clothes; a black tank top and her favorite yellow bumblebee pajamas. White flip-flops were protecting her feet, though they were getting torn along the edges. The dirt from being barefoot in getting the mail had rubbed off on the cheap footwear and it was about time to get new ones. They felt grimy on the bottom of her feet, but Zurui didn't care. The only reason she had bought them at the dollar store was due to her friend begging her. According to her, it wasn't sanitary to walk on the street without any shoes on. Thought Zurui didn't seem to get it; the mailbox was only a couple paces away.

Thinking about her worn out flip-flops got Zurui wondering about money, then to her mother. That's right; she was supposed to lend her mother some money for the television that 'broke'. More like steal, she thought bitterly. Since her college days, which ended rather badly, any money she had given her mother was never returned. Then the baby-

The baby.

Zurui grit her teeth as the repressed memory found its way to her again. Why did her mother bring that up at the phone call? She knows how much that incident had an impact on Zurui, both mentally and physically. Yet she decided to elaborate on it and butter her up with how much it was a blessing she had survived. Blessing? It wasn't a blessing, not in Zurui's eyes. It was a tragic nightmare. A nightmare she desperately wished had turned out far differently than how it did. She wished she was dead, and her unborn baby-

"There's no use pestering about it now," she whispered to herself. With a forced chuckle she locked away those negative thoughts and the incident was pushed in the far back corner of her mind. She began toying with the straps of her shoes, and let out a breath she didn't realize she was holding in.

"I could just sit here and whine about how I'm freaking screwed; how deep in debt I'm in. I probably won't even see the light, if things keep going the way they are now."

"Yes, that would be pointless; don't you think, Zurui – sama?"

Zurui knitted her brow and looked up, her hazel eyes meeting with a pair of intensely bright pink and yellow orbs. She stiffened at the sight of a ghostly pale being, hanging upside down from God knows where right in front of her. Its pink hair and top hat seemed to defy gravity, not hanging down or even falling off its head. It had a cane with some sort of demonic gold creature on it, and it tapped her forehead when she did not speak.

"Zurui – sama? Are you there~?"

A loud shriek rang out in the air, and the young woman bolted upright, climbing up the stairs and heading straight for her apartment. She wasted no time in locking her door once she was inside, even reaching up to the latch above she could barely get to. Her heart was erratic and drumming in her ears; who the Hell was that? What the Hell was that?

Zurui took a large breath of air and stumbled back, wide eyes fixated on the door. She could faintly hear the ticking of the clock in the kitchen behind her, but the sound seemed to add more stress to the situation. I'm just tired. It's past midnight and I'm beyond tired, so my mind decided to imagine a tall pink haired thing with two different eye colors hovering above me. Yeah, that's right! All in my imagination! Just breathe, Zurui, it's just the stress from work and your moth-

"Well that was rude, Zurui – sama. I only wish to talk."

There was the bone chilling voice again. She didn't like it, not at all. It held a sense of malice mixed with false serenity that she detected some time after she was scared out of her skin, but before she locked the three locks on her door. Without a word, Zurui whipped her head around, only to find its face dangerously close to hers. She froze on the spot, mind racing on how it was suddenly in her house. It had to have run past her to get inside, and there was no way in Hell it could've done that! Its eyes were bearing into her soul, making an odd sort of connection that made her skin crawl. If any other situation, Zurui swore they would've been mesmerizing, but since she felt as if a mass murderer was inside her home, those thoughts were all but pleasant compliments.

The way the pink haired demon grinned had Zurui knowing that it was having great pleasure in watching her fear skyrocketing in this way. Part of her told her to stay planted; however another side told her to run. It was the identical feeling she had when making the decision to withdraw the money from her bank account. The same voice was telling her to run, and to keep running until she couldn't anymore. She wasn't sure if it was the adrenaline or her instincts, but if she were to stay, then her life would change dramatically. So she decided to listen to that voice, as it hadn't harmed her as of yet.

The trespasser watched as the locks where hastily unlocked, and couldn't suppress a cackle as she fumbled with the top. Just to screw with the poor girl even more, he took the liberty of using his height to his advantage and unlocked the latch for her. With one last spike of fear flashing in her eyes, she was out the door and gone again. He sighed and rubbed at his forehead, letting a grin stretch his lips. This must have been the only person to have reacted in such a way. It would be fun chasing her, but he didn't have the time to play such games. It was an order from above to make this girl an Entré; Midas wouldn't be pleased if it took an eternity to get a hold of her. And that's just about how long it would take to calm her down. Unless she ran out of steam herself, though he briefly wondered if he should just relax and wait for her to come back.

No, that wouldn't do. He had other things in the Financial District to attend to.

Zurui had barely made it to the small park in the middle of her complex until her legs gave out. She panted as she exhaustingly climbed the small steps and to the grand slide, scurrying inside the poor excuse for a shelter. Her knees were brought up and she hugged them, trying to make herself as small as possible while hiding in the slide. While struggling to keep her breathing control, Zurui fumbled in her pajama pockets for her phone. Police! Police, I have to call the police!

She was grateful to feel the metal rim of her phone, and when she took it out she flipped it open. The bright screen illuminated her face, but she cupped her hand around it as not to give away her hiding spot. But what good would that do? Zurui paused in calling for help, thumb hovering over the green call button. What would she say? There's a thing that has the ability to defy gravity and teleport? She didn't even know what it wanted. She was too frightened by its strange ability and sudden presence that she just used her instincts to run and hide. With trembling fingers she shut the cellular device and buried her head in her knees, arms buried against her chest. Hiding was probably not the best idea. She should have just continued running, at least by then she'd still be warm and would get farther from that thing.

There was a sound of crunching leaves that made Zurui flinch and snap her head to the left. Her breathing came to a halt and she ducked down absentmindedly, even though she was exposed at that angle. The cell phone was out again and down by her thigh, ready to call the police if attacked. Her eyes scanned the dark area, and she was relieved to see that it was just a resident walking their dog. She recognized the man instantly, and smiled at him as he waved at her. The dog barked at her but was carried away on its leash and around the corner.

When they disappeared from sight, Zurui let out a sigh of relief. Seeing the elderly man made her fear decrease, even just a little. Her phone glowed dimly, signaling that it was about to go to sleep due to inactivity. She pressed a button, but realized it had been the green one, and it was now connecting to the authorities. Shit-!

"Calling the police on me, are you Zurui – sama? There's no reason for that, I just want to talk~."

Zurui didn't even need to see that he was on the right side of her to make a reaction. That voice was enough to make her flinch back enough to roll down the slide. She tumbled backward and slid down brutally, dropping her phone on the way down. A loud squeak was all the man heard to know she had hit the bottom. He grinned and picked up her cell phone, snapping it shut as he stood on the very top of the slide.

With a groan, Zurui laid there on her back, the bottom half of her body was still on the plastic fun ride, while her upper half was dangling. She was upside down and her tailbone was throbbing. Stupid slide, you're supposed to bring joy, not pain!

She heard the sound of coins jingling and cracked open her eyes and saw that the thing she had been running from was directly above her. Except for that she was the one upside down this time, not the other way around. She noticed that it was wearing a rather colorful business suit, and that it was actually a he. It wasn't noted before when at first meeting. He was far slender than the men she usually saw, though his chest seemed to be more built and narrow. When the man began moving his hand toward her, she jolted up and collected herself up on the slide, crouching down in somewhat of a defensive stance. He grinned at this, before opening up his hand to show that he had her phone. Zurui stared at him for a long moment, making sure to keep an eye on him as she reached forward slowly, withdrawing the item from his hand. It took only little self control not to shout something at her, as masked humans would do on Halloween just for fun and scares.

"W-What do you want?"

He flicked his glowing eyes up at her, making Zurui widen hers. It was dark around the two of them, only the dim lights on the apartment walls allowing people to see decently. She could only make out a part of him, but his eyes she could see clearly. It was eerie to her, that one's eyes could be that bright. Then she apprehend that this man was no ordinary man. He could float, and disappear; no matter to her that he had pink hair.

"It's better if we talk in private."

Zurui snorted, "And why is that?"

Her sudden burst of confidence was foreign to her. Wasn't she terrified of her life a few moments before? He hadn't shown any signs to hurt her as of yet, and he had told her that he wanted to talk. Zurui lowered her knees, trying to feel more relaxed and less tense. Her attempt wasn't going well.

"It's about your money issues."

My money issues? How does he know about my money issues? Zurui screamed inside her head and sat upright, sliding off the slide and getting to her feet. She was in front of him now, and it was ridiculous to her that she was about to give a stranger of another sense a piece of her mind.

"How do you know about my money issues? I don't know who you are! You quite literally popped out of nowhere, and suddenly you start talking about something people keep personal!"

"I assure you, it's not what you are thinking."

"And what am I thinking?"

"I'm not a mind reader, Zurui – sama."

Zurui was thrown off guard. Of course she assumed he could do such things, as he displayed supernatural abilities earlier. Maybe he was hired to scare the daylight out of her by one of her friends. Maybe he was just messing around with her because he owed someone a favor. Or maybe it wasn't at all what she thought, not even close. He could either be a stalker who knows everything about her, or someone she could trust to help her. Either way, Zurui wanted to know what he was doing here.

"Okay," she said slowly, glancing down at the ground, "what about my money issues?"

He grinned and shook his index finger from side to side, squinting his eyes as he grinned. "We must talk in private, unless you want people to see you shouting at air."

Zurui frowned at his answer, "other people can't see you?"

"Only if I want them to," the man mused, "now can we go inside? You look cold."

Now that he mentioned it, it is pretty chilly outside… As if on cue her body shuddered, and Zurui crossed her arms. She breathed in deeply and closed her eyes.

"Fine. But at least tell me your na-"

When she had exhaled and opened her eyes, Zurui found herself staring at an empty space in front of her. She looked around the small playground from her spot next to the slide, but there was no sign of the pink – haired stranger. Did he go back to my apartment? She looked behind her but the path intertwining within the apartments were bare. None was that fast, that sneaky, to pass someone without a sense of them knowing. He was gone again.

"Guess there's nowhere else to go but home," Zurui muttered to herself, turning around and starting to head back. She dragged her feet over to the cemented sidewalk and forced herself to quicken her pace. Being outside, alone at such a time drove her anxiety up the wall. On many occasions would she occasionally look back over her shoulder to see if anyone was following her. If the slightest sound was heard, she would begin jogging, and eventually running, back to her home until she got inside safe and sound. Her paranoia was with her forever and she didn't see it going away too soon.

Back at the apartment in no less than two minutes, Zurui was on the first few steps of the building. Her hand was griping the railing, eyes fixated on her door above. She swallowed hard and started walking, slowly, step by step. It seemed forever until she reached the top, yet she never averted her eyes from the door. Zurui knew her pulse was racing, and anticipation was welling up in her gut. She was about to find out the man's true identity and his reasons for scaring her nearly to death. No doubt this was a tensing moment, and the poor girl could feel it.

So when her neighbors door opened, it all but calmed her nerves.

"Miss Zurui? Is everything alright?"

Zurui flinched and nearly tripped down the stairs, but thankfully she had a firm grip on the iron railing. The smell of smoke and something else Zurui was never able to comprehend met her senses. When she turned, she smiled awkwardly at the middle aged woman. She was wearing a nightgown with her hair tussled this way and that; probably woke up from a deep sleep. If Zurui remembered correctly, her name was Rin, but her last name wasn't coming to her.

"O-Of course. I'm fine, why would you ask?"

Rin yawned and rubbed at her dropped eyes, "I heard you scream just a bit ago… When I looked out the window you were already running out of your apartment."

Well, shit. How am I supposed to explain to her what's going on here? If I tell her a mystery man interrogated me, she would surely want to call the police. Maybe I should tell her that there was a roach in the bathroom. But do people really overreact that much when seeing a bug? Zurui thought of her best friend from college and how terrified she'd get when matched with an insect. She inwardly laughed at the memory, remembering how shrill she'd scream and how fast she would climb on any piece of furniture that was close by. At one instance there had been small night stand in Zurui's living room, and Zurui had to throw it out since it couldn't handle a full grown woman jumping onto it at full force. Not that it was her friend's fault; she had a phobia of creepy crawlers and couldn't help herself.

"You sure gave me freight, Zurui. I thought someone broke in and had gotten a hold of you."

Zurui came back from her reminiscing and stared, mouth ajar. What could she say? In a way, what Rin was saying was mostly true. But she'd think she was crazy if Zurui told her that this burglar wasn't really a burglar and could float. Sweat beaded down her forehead and she shifted on her feet. Lying wasn't in her personality; however there was no choice in the matter. I can just… Bend the truth. Not tell her the true intentions of my actions, but only half of what really happened…

"I… I thought I saw something."

Rin raised a faded red brow, "saw something? Like what?"

This was harder than Zurui thought. Rin wasn't usually so prodding; normally she was naïve and didn't ask so many questions if uncomfortable silence was arose. Zurui blamed the fact that it was almost one in the morning and Rin normally was dead asleep by now. In the morning, maybe Zurui could persuade her into thinking it was a dream, and pretend it didn't happen. She felt bad about having to come to such decisions, so she decided that if this was brought up in the future, she'd simply avoid the topic.

"I thought I saw a… Thing. Not a ghost, but a shadow. It was clear as day on my bedroom wall and I didn't know what I was seeing."

She winced when she heard Rin gasp, "could it be a demon?"

So much for bending the truth.

"That's what I thought it was. It had gold eyes with pink around the iris. They were so bright, I felt like they were bearing into my soul. I was so scared," Zurui stifled a nervous laugh, "I'm sorry I worried you. I didn't think anything of it. It's probably nothing-"

"I know a priest! He could purify your place!"

Zurui paled, "a- a priest? No, that's not necessary! I don't want you to go through that trouble."

"Trouble? It's no trouble if you think it was a demon! I can give him a call right now, hold on-"

"Please! It's really alright! I haven't had enough sleep and caffeine has been my best friend since Monday, I-I haven't been all there. It was probably just a dream or something, I promise it's nothing!"

"Are you sure?" Rin sounded doubtful. Zurui could feel her heart sink at denying Rin's kind request.

She displayed the best possible smile she could muster, and nodded. "I do appreciate it, believe me. But I'm just going to go back to bed, and I suggest you do, too. It's really late. Er, I mean it's really early."

A few moments passed by and Zurui thought that her neighbor was just going to deny her denial, however she was surprised when Rin just yawned again and nodded. She backed into her doorway and set a hand on her door, smiling sheepishly at her.

"Well alright, then… If you see anything like that again, then tell me, okay?"

Zurui chuckled, "yes, ma'am. Have a nice sleep."

"You, too, dear."

When the door closed, Zurui let out a relieved sigh. That was a close one, Zurui muttered inside her head, turning back to her own apartment. Hopefully she won't bring it up again. If she does, I'll just have to ignore her. Of course, that's just as rude as lying, but I can't tell her the truth of what had happened. She set her hand on the doorknob and let it rest there. It doesn't really matter anyway, does it? Whoever the Hell is in my apartment probably is still just a figment of my imagination.

"Oh, so I'm a demon now~?"

Zurui blinked and looked up dumbly, realizing that she had opened her apartment door without knowing. The man was on the couch, leaning back with one of his legs crossed over the other. He was grinning; no surprise there. When she stepped inside, a strange calming came over her as she spoke, "I just… Made something up."

"Well, it doesn't matter now, does it? Come and sit so we can talk, Zurui – sama."

The door was shut before Zurui made her way to the couch. Awkwardly, she looked at the empty spot next to him that he was patting with a gloved hand, then toward the small loveseat across from him. Without any hesitation, she decided to take her spot on the loveseat. He watched her carefully as she tried to make herself comfortable, though she wasn't fooling anyone. The woman wasn't comfortable in the least. A chuckle escaped his lips as he leaned forward, hands folding into his lap.

"Let's get down to business, shall we~?" He tilted his head and grinned slyly at her, though it was less maniacal as the looks he usually displayed. Zurui pressed her back into the seat and bit her lip, nodding nervously. Sitting in front of this man was intimidating.

"My name is Masakaki of the Financial District, and you, Zurui – sama, have been chosen to become an Entré."

*About 1,300$ c:

Haha, Zurui was pretty frightened, wasn't she? I would be too if some random guy appeared in front of me!

Well there we go, my longest single chapter as of yet. Hopefully you've taken the chance to read this and have chosen to continue reading. Please watch C! It'll be really helpful to watch the anime so you don't get confused on what I've made up and what's canon.

If I made any mistakes or grammar errors, don't be afraid to point them out in a detailed and polite review! It'll help me out for future mistakes!