Author's note

Laily – I'm planning on more Hatori in later, but I won't say when because I don't want to give anything away. Thanks for the compliments!

Alice – Thank you, I'm glad you liked it. It took forever to figure out what to say.

Reader – Thanks for the tip, I'll definitely do that.

Someone – Thank you very much, that means a lot to me.

Thanks for reading!

The stuff in bold and italics are from Shadow.

Chapter 4

Akito frowned as she read the dedication. It really was very accusing-sounding. She seethed for a moment, thoughts like 'how dare he!' running through her mind. It was her choice how to treat him, after all. She was god, and he was just a dog. She had the right to tell him what to do… it was all she really had in the long run, after all.

She turned to the next page, grudgingly reading on.

Shadow – Chapter 1

Darkness. All she could see around was darkness, save for the brief illuminations given off by the streetlamps. The woman put on a tough front and continued through the dark street, reveling in the small amounts of light given by the flickering lamps and the headlights of the occasional cars rushing through the rain-soaked street.

Her heels clicked noisily on the asphalt, causing an echo to ring through the empty avenue, raising the levels of paranoia in her head. It was too empty. Memories flickered through her brain of the past, flashbacks that continued to haunt her from ten years ago.

Ten years ago… that was almost when Shigure had told her he loved her. That was quite a coincidence.

Short, glossy black hair was ruffled by the wind, which came in brief agitated bursts out of nowhere. The woman frowned, her deathly pale face contrasting against the scarlet lips that were pulled down in a scowl. Her grip tightened on her umbrella as it threatened to fly away, knowing that it was her only protection from the pelting rain, and oddly enough, seemed to comfort her from the loneliness that was trying to consume her.

She was alone on this night, this utterly depressing night – and she couldn't stand it.

In a bad mood, the woman seemed to hate everything. She glared at the hollow buildings as she walked past them, she glared at the graffiti on the walls, and she even glared at the clouds that blocked out the moon. Who wouldn't hate a night like this? That was how she reasoned it. But the truth was, she was afraid of it.

She was afraid to admit that she was scared, especially because of the impending memories that seemed about to consume her soul.

And then, the woman heard footsteps. That was a sound strangely welcoming yet frightening at the same time. It was on a night much like this that the… the incident occurred, but she was scared to be alone. She continued on, trying to reach her house before anything else happened, her pace quickening in an attempt to keep from being noticed. The corner on the end of that block was the final turn to get to her house… but the footsteps seemed to be getting louder…

A sudden impact and fall jarred her out of her concerns, placing new, more immediate ones on her. She'd run into someone as she attempted to turn, and she felt strong hands upon her, trying to pull her up. She screamed, reliving that night… she pulled herself out of the person's grip, falling to her knees, the umbrella that had been her only companion flying away in the wind.

"No! Please, don't hurt me! Leave me alone!"

"Hmm? What's wrong? I was only trying to help you up… It's my fault, I'm really very clumsy, as you can tell."

The woman looked up, peering through her fingers at the person. It was a man, a tall, confused-looking man. As she gazed at him, something hit her - he looked stupid.

Akito frowned. Was Shigure mocking her? He had duplicated her way of thinking of him. He really did look stupid most of the time.

"…Are you all right, miss?" The man's eyes were concerned. His dark hair, which seemed just barely within her mind's tolerable hair length description, was currently getting into his eyes and his hand was frequently moving to wipe it away.

"You should watch where you're going." Her voice was seething with sarcasm intended to embarrass him, but he didn't seem bothered, and only smiled wider.

"Yes, I really should. Are you okay? It's dangerous to be walking alone at this time of night, and I think I caused you to lose your umbrella…" He laughed slightly. "An umbrella is a handy weapon. Just close it, and it becomes quite a painful club!"

The woman glared over at him as she stood up, wiping herself off and tried to regain her dignity. "And you would know this… how?"

The man merely raised a finger, saying, "I think I will decline to answer that, miss…?" He trailed off, attempting to hint that he still didn't know her name.

"First tell me who you are."

"Oh, I haven't told you yet? How rude." He bowed slightly, his dirty shirt and jeans making him look rather ridiculous in that polite position. "I am Naozumi Takaya, it's nice to meet you."

For some reason, this entertained her enough to let her name slip. "I'm… Yuri Kamiyama…"

The book was slammed shut at that point, as the first chapter had ended. Although Akito hated to admit it, she really did see herself in that woman. It upset her, though. Did she really act like that? …No, she didn't. How could he interpret her to be that way?

Thinking about it, she continued to get more and more angry with him. He was arrogant, self-righteous, and manipulating. He had written this book for the sole purpose of humiliating her and making her angry. She was sure of it. So, naturally… she needed to teach him not to test her like that.

The woman stood, a scowl decorating her face as she stalked down the hall towards the car that she drove once in a while. She had dressed in western-style clothes earlier that day, so she didn't feel the need to change again. She started the car, driving towards the house of that author.

Shigure was currently in his office, listening as Kyo and Yuki had another one of their ear-throbbing arguments. It was annoying, really - they wouldn't sit still, and when it finally was peaceful, Kyo would get annoyed about something completely trivial and Yuki would have to comment on it. It always escalated.

Then, Shigure heard a rather threatening knock on the door. He opened the door to his office, but Yuki had gotten there first. He slid the door open, saying in his soft voice, "Hello, can I help…" His lavender eyes widened slightly as he saw who was on the other side. "…Akito… san…?"

Author's note

Well, I managed to write the first chapter of Shadow, but it could've been better… Thanks for the positive reviews and tips, they really helped me in writing this chapter! I hope you enjoy it. Please review and let me know what you think!