Yuri walked in the dark. Eyes wide, he started at every sound. He didn't know why he was so scared. Nothing had happened; all he was doing was walking.

"Enjoying yourself, boy?" a resonant voice asked. Yuri spun around, searching.

"Where are you? Show yourself!" he demanded shrilly. His only response was a mocking laugh. The darkness faded to grey and Yuri was able to see who his mocker was.

Medium height, the man wore a coat that Yuri had seen the Japanese soldiers wear. A fox mask hid his features and he was armed with a set of hand claws.

"Don't remember your own father? Then again, you don't remember a lot, do you?" Yuri's jaw dropped.

"What did happen to your mother? Do you even remember that?" Yuri was incapable of speech. His father stepped toward him. Yuri stepped backward.

"Do you remember anything?" his father demanded, waving his claws at Yuri, who prudently took another step backward.

"Let me give you a clue, your hands are washed in blood. Oh, and mind the edge." Yuri stepped back again and his foot fell on air. He fell backward.

He scrabbled against the cliff face, desperately searching for something that would halt his fall. He tore his fingernails on a rock, leaving a wet trail of his descent.

He hit the water. As his head slipped under, he swallowed a mouthful. It tasted coppery. As his head broke the surface of the water momentarily, he noticed that it was red, the intensity of the colour decreasing as its distance from him increased. He slipped under the water again. He couldn't find the surface. He desperately clawed the water, searching for the light. His lungs burned from lack of air. Finally, he opened his mouth and breathed water. The world began to disappear. He closed his eyes and waited to die.

Yuri shot bolt upright, the air reverberating with the echoes of his scream. His wide brown eyes searched his surroundings, grounding him in reality. He was in a hotel, obviously a cheap one judging by the décor. As his heart rate slowed, a persistent rapping on the door got his attention.

"Mind keeping it down in there?! The rest of us want to sleep!" an irate voice shouted.

"Sorry!" Yuri shouted back. A distant part of his mind congratulated him on keeping it steady.

"Inconsiderate wretch," the voice grumbled as it faded.

Yuri waited until he could no longer hear the person's footsteps, then asked Death Emperor "What was that?"

"That would be an annoyed person coming to tell you off." Death Emperor replied.

"I meant the dream. "

"Like I'd know. I didn't even see it, remember? I am not you, merely an unfortunate observer."

"I saw my father, I think. He was taunting me. Then I fell off a cliff and drowned in a sea of blood," Yuri said softly, voice still shaking slightly.

"And you know what? I really don't care. Except, what do you mean, you think? Either you saw your father or not. Anyway, I'm not about to go analyse the dreams of some adolescent. Can we get out of here?"

Yuri shook himself, trying to shake of the memory of the dream. "Yeah, whatever," he replied absently. As his brain woke up, he asked, "Where are we going anyway?"

"I heard Moscow is nice at this time of year." Death Emperor hinted.

"I don't think so." Yuri replied shortly. "I want to keep all my money, thank you very much." He pulled himself out of bed and pulled his clothes on. He was surprised to notice that they were too small.

"I've grown!" he said in tones of amazement.

"That normally happens. Its called puberty. Next is the fun of your voice changing. That is always entertaining." Death Emperor replied in amusement. Yuri was too excited to listen to Death Emperor.

"'Spose I should buy some new clothes," Yuri said softly.

That day, Yuri learnt of a whole new horror, greater then when his mother died. He went clothes shopping with Death Emperor. Now clothes's shopping is scary at the best of times. When you have a perpetually sarcastic voice in your head, it takes terror to a new level.

The press of people in the stores scared Yuri and he was constantly fighting elbows, knees and the irresistible urge to pull his claws out of their pouch and clear himself a path. Finally he fought his way to the counter.

"Um…excuse me, sir?" Yuri asked nervously.

"What? Young man, speak up!" the man behind the counter commanded.

"I….need to buy some clothes. Do you have any?" Yuri asked, slightly louder then before.

"No, clothing shops normally don't sell clothes. What are you thinking?" Death Emperor commented in his mind, reflecting the thoughts of the shop assistant.

"In your size? I suppose that I have something," the shop assistant said. He turned around and searched through haphazardly packed drawers. He made a Aha noise and pulled out a trenchcoat, shoes, pants and a shirt.

"Here we are. Anything take your fancy?" the shop assistant said. Yuri looked at the clothes with wide eyes. Shopping was bad enough, but making aesthetic decisions?

"I'll take them," Yuri said quietly, inwardly proud that his voice didn't shake. The shop assistant blinked in surprise and said "That'll be 1300G thank you." Yuri handed over the money, grabbed the package and ran out of the store. Once he was in the street, Yuri stopped.

"Did I overreact?" Yuri asked.

"Oh no, people normally run away from stores. Happens all the time I'm sure." Death Emperor replied sarcastically. "Of course you overreacted. Now go back to the hotel, get changed and leave before everyone starts to wonder about you."

"Huh?" Yuri asked, confused.

"A teenaged boy with no relatives comes into a hotel in the dead of night and keeps the other occupants awake by screaming half the night. The next day he runs from a shop. No, that's not drawing attention to yourself." Death Emperor berated. He continued. "Anyway, I heard that there's a haunted castle near here. Wanna check it out?"

"Do you have to ask?" Yuri asked. They headed out of town, toward the haunted castle.

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Authors Note: Sorry about the lateness and crappiness of this chapter. I got writer's block, and spent ages looking at a flashing cursor. Very hypnotising, if you want to know. Anyway, the next chapter should be good.

Nights Mistress