Author: ok. here's the second chapter. I hope everyone who reads enjoys. again. well, this is where it'll get a little more confusing cause I add a new character and he's kinda whacked out. well read it and weep.

Dark figure

We raced down every street until we came to Leo's house. Hajime pounded on the door until it opened. Leo leaned his head out looking tired. His hair disheveled and his eyes all puffy.

"Leo!" I shouted although he stood right in front of me. "You have to come with us and quick!"

He stared at us for a second then opened the door wider. "What's wrong with you Satsuki? You're acting as if you just had an encounter with a ghost."

I looked away from him and he gave a heavy sigh. "OK. What do you need me to do?"

"Just look around for a creepy ghost girl with black hair and black eyes."

"Black eyes?"

"Yes. Black eyes."

"Are you sure they were black? Cause I mean who has black eyes?"

"Leo, she had black eyes, now drop the subject."

He held his hands up in defense. "OK. OK. I get the picture. Black eyes. Got it. Well, I'll keep my eyes peeled and I'll be sure to inform you if I see anything suspicious."

I nodded.

He then shut the door. Hajime and I walked down the street in mute silence his arm resting tenderly on my shoulder. Nothing made a sound until Momoko walked up behind. She yanked Hajime away from me her face bearing an angry scowl.

"What is wrong with you two!" She screamed.

I blinked away tears furiously at being separated from Hajime. He shrugged his shoulders then said in his sweetest voice. "I was only trying to comfort Satsuki. You know how she can be."

I stared at them for several seconds before marching away tears of betrayal spilling onto my cheeks. How could he? How could he do that to me? The old school house was now in front of me and I stopped to stare at it. I stepped up to the door and went inside.

While there Hajime was marching down the street to find me. Momoko walked beside him her arm wrapped around his waist. She was smirking slightly, but Hajime didn't seem to notice.

"Oh, Hajime. Don't worry about Satsuki. She'll come around." She practically sneered.

He glanced over at her. "Are you sure?"

"Oh, yeah. You know how she is."

Hajime nodded, but continued his search. "I don't feel right leaving her out here all by herself. It would be wrong. What if she gets hurt. What if she gets killed. It would be all my fault."

"Does it matter. You don't love her. You love me. Or did you forget?"

He shook his head. "No. I love you, Momoko."

She grinned. "Well, let's go to my house. It will be so much nicer there, don't you think?"

He nodded slowly a frown on his face. "Maybe, but…" He glanced around. "I don't want to leave Satsuki out here all by herself. It wouldn't be right. Why don't you go over to your house and I'll catch up with you later? OK?"

"Oh, Hajime, just forget about Satsuki. She's only trying to come between you and me. Have you seen how she looks at you lately? She's obviously in love with you."

Hajime stared at Momoko stupidly. "Do you really think so?"

"Oh, please, Hajime. I know so. I—" She stopped and stared at the boy beside her. "What on earth are you thinking, Hajime. You can't possibly be falling for her. Can you?"

"Uh…of course not. I'm loyal, Momoko. When I love someone I don't cheat on them."

She smirked to herself. And the beast has fallen into my trap. He will be gone. Forever.

I leaned against the wall my feelings hurt and broken. I didn't know what to do anymore. I really did love Hajime, but there was no way that I could tell him. He loved Momoko and all I was to him was a…was a friend. I slammed my fist against the wall a dent appearing underneath my fist.

"Don't go makin' holes in the wall now." A voice said behind me.

I whirled around to look at the ghost girl, her black hair was pulled back into a ponytail and her eyes sparkled at me. "The wall ain't to blame. What's wrong?"

I shrugged. "I'm not sure that you'll understand."

"Try me."

I sighed. "Have you ever loved anyone so much, but then they stabbed you in the back?"

She slowly nodded. "Yes."

"Well, that's what happened. And I just can't stand it anymore. Do you know what he said? He said, 'You know how she can be.' What on earth is that supposed to mean. Him and Momoko are probably off somewhere kissing."

"Who's Momoko?" The girl asked me.

"His girlfriend, I guess. But it's just that I really do love him and now there's no way that I can tell him that."

The girl nodded, but she didn't seem to be here with me anymore. In some fantasy world. I looked at her curiously then heaved out a big sigh. She glanced over at me then smiled. "Come with me." she said silently. "I know what to do." Her smile made her whole face glow and made her eyes sparkle like the stars in the sky. I stared at her for a while then nodded a smile brightening my features. "OK. Let's go." I said cheerfully.

Hajime and Momoko were just nearing the girl's house when the ghost girl and I came into the view. The pair of people stopped in mid-step, Hajime breaking into a smile and Momoko gasping. She shoved past her boyfriend to stand between him and me or so I thought.

"No!" She shouted.

The ghost girl looked at Momoko curiously then her usual cheery face darkened and she pointed a trembling finger at the other girl. "Go back to where you came from." She said so softly that I could barely hear her and I doubted that Momoko did, but I was wrong. Momoko stared at the girl by my side her mouth twisting into a hideous grin.

"If I go, Zoë, then you will come with me. You deserve the eternal fire too. Your heart is as black as mine."

The ghost girl, Zoë, flinched then quickly regained her composure. "No! You can't see my heart. You can't possible know what condition it lay in."

Momoko laughed a cruel and heartless laugh. "Zoë, dear. You forget that I control you."

Hajime stood there staring in complete bewilderment then he said in a whisper. "Momoko, what is with you?"

She turned on him a wild fire burning in her eyes. "Stay out of this, Human!"

He stiffened as she turned back to Zoë.

The ghost girl took a deep breath. "No more. No more. Come outta her. You don't belong there. Not anymore. Come out now."

Momoko grinned. "You think that you have power over me? Ha! Never! You are just my pathetic little tool that I can control whenever I please."

"You can't control me! Not anymore! My heart belongs to someone else. Now come outta the girl."

Momoko let out a piercing wail and I could only stare in shock. Hajime rushed over to Zoë and grabbed her shoulders. Shaking her he cried. "What did you do to her?"

"You will thank me for this someday. Believe me."

He shook his head then nodded in Momoko's direction who was down on the ground still screeching and crying "Look at her. She's hurt or something."

Zoë shook her head. "No. She's bein' freed."

Both Hajime and I looked over at her in confusion, but our bewilderment was only short lived. Momoko had stopped writhing around on the ground and was now still a teenager standing above her. He had long black hair down to his lower back and his eyes gleamed a color as black as coal. His body was covered in black garments and he wore a hideous expression on his face. A mix between a scowl and a grimace.

Zoë stood there breathing hard as she stared at the dark figure. The boy finally broke into a smile, but it was a smile I would never want to see again. "Brilliant, Zoë, brilliant." He hissed.

The ghost girl continued to stare. "Is the girl…dead."

He glanced down at the still body by his feet. "No." he looked back up at Zoë. "But that won't be the same for you." At that he lunged at the stunned girl pushing her to the ground.

Hajime rushed over to Momoko's body and checked for a pulse. When he was sure that she was alive and scrambled to his feet and came to stand in front of me. "The ghost diary." He said simply.

I nodded and quickly retrieved it, but once again there was nothing about this ghost before us. I looked back over to where the two 'ghosts' lay wrestling on the ground and I could have sworn that the boy now had teeth and claws. I rushed over to help Zoë but I was just flung away as if I had been made of paper. Hajime knelt down beside me. "Are you alright?" he asked.

I nodded then climbed to my feet. "Hajime, that isn't a human. There's no possible way that it could be. Do you see…see the teeth…and the claws or is it just my imagination."

"No I see them alright."

Zoë finally shoved the boy off her and climbed to her feet. "Go away!" She shouted. "You are not wanted here anymore!"

The boy let out a long scream before vanishing. I stared in shock and Hajime's mouth hung open ever so slightly. We both turned to look at the girl, but she was now walking down the street. I ran to catch up with her and so did Hajime after one more look at Momoko. We stopped Zoë who had tears spilling down over her pale cheeks.

"What is it?" I asked. "Did he hurt you?"

She shook her head. "Not really. Well, nothin' that I can't handle. It's just…well…do you remember when we were talkin' before. 'bout people stabbin' others in the back."

I nodded noticing how the girl made sure that she didn't mention my name or Hajime's. Not that she even knew his name, but that is beside the point. She continued. "Well, that boy…he…we…well…I useta like 'im." Her eyes closed as she began to imagine the times they must have spent together, or at least that's what I guessed. She continued. "He was the only boy I had ever loved before. No one could ever match to how sweet he was. He always placed me first. He was so romantic. And I really did love him, but then one day…" Zoë faltered then started again. " One day he was gone and somethin' must have happened to him cause when he came back…he was so different. He would hit me and talk about blood. I was afraid. I just had to leave. I took everythin' that I needed and I left. Now I would like to say that that's the end to my story, but it ain't.

"He kept comin' back. Appearin' before me like a ghost which made me assume that whoever poisoned his mind also gave him powers to do what ever they desired of him to do. And 'course he started killin' people. At first only a few, but then he began to kill hundreds maybe thousands. They sent bounty hunters after him, but they were just killed. And…I…I just can't take it any longer. I say that I wish he would just die… to end all my pain. To end everyone's pain, but to be truthful, I don't want him to die, cause I love him so much even after what he did to me."

I stared at her, and so did Hajime. "Well…" he said. "Nice story and all, but what did you say his name was and what is he?"

I smiled slightly. Hajime could be so to the point.

Zoë blinked then began to speak again. "His name is Rene. And he is…human…or was human. But now I would say that he is a demon. He sold his soul to the devil."

Hajime nodded then began to walk back over to Momoko who was still unconscious on the ground. He lifted her up and carried her up to her house where he knocked on the front door. Her mother answered the door with a gasp and quickly grabbed her daughter out of Hajime's hands, then slammed the door shut on his face after shouting, "I'll never let you touch my poor Momoko ever again!"

Hajime let out a long sigh when he was standing next to me again. He seemed so disappointed and I couldn't help, but feel sorry for him. Although I loved him, I wanted what was best for him which meant him falling in love with Momoko. I heaved a great sigh then marched up to Momoko's front door. I could feel Hajime's eyes following me all the way. I knocked gently on the door and waited for someone to answer and to my relief no one did. So I was happy, but deep down inside I was devastated. I so badly wanted to make my friend happy. I was being torn in two my all of this. To love Hajime and have him marry me or to give my love over to Momoko and never let him know how much I cared for him.

I finally spun around and ran over to Hajime. I threw my arms around his neck and buried my face into his chest. I wept bitter tears that seemed to refresh me and make me a new person. I looked up into Hajime's eyes then pulled his head down. Our mouths met and we kissed. My heart fluttered inside my chest and my mind scrambled around. This is what I had always dreamed of. This is what I had always wished for. Now my future was about to begin.

Author: So? how'd you like it? exciting? weird? boring? thrilling? confusing? take a pick. well, please review.