Chapter Two

Starting Line

She remembered, back when it all started. The new, most interesting human Kanra found during freshman year. Well, Shizuo Heiwajima was not human, but he was interesting.

Her keen red eyes watched as the blond haired teen knocked down the last of the team across the field with his fist. A sly smirk spread across Kanra's face. She clapped sharply, causing the blond before her to whirl around, piercing honey-gold gaze settling on her. A shiver ran down the young teen's spine; she loved the way he glared at her, and only her.

Suppressing her laughter, Kanra continued to stare back at Shizuo, while their friend, Shinra Kishitani, piped up cheerfully.

"This is Kanra Orihara from our Junior High. Well, she's pretty nice… To be honest, she's really not good at all."

With a small sigh, Kanra murmured, "That isn't nice, Shinra."

Shinra turned and smiled at her. "No, no! I meant that in a good way-"

"You piss me off."

The blonde's deep voice interrupted Shinra's hasty correction of his earlier comment. Shinra jerked in surprise, turning back to look at his other friend standing in the field.

Kanra smirked again, feeling a small rush of energy course through her, causing her heart to beat a little bit faster.

"Oh yeah?" Kanra stared at the blonde, then rolled back her head and said, "Too bad. I was thinking that you and I could have some fun together."

She let her lips curl into another smirk, looking back at Shizuo. He continued to glare, and then stiffly turned his head away.

"Shut up."

"No why you do you have to be like that, Shizuo~?"

Kanra expected him to snap when she said his name. And he did.

His eyes burning with rage, the blonde lunged towards her, swinging his fist straight at her face. Kanra grinned and easily ducked, swiveling around until she was behind the other's back. Shizuo blinked in surprise before twisting around, right as Kanra unsheathed her pocket knife with a metallic shink. The blade sliced clean through Shizuo's collared shirt and his skin, drawing a long red line of blood and spraying the air with hints of crimson. Kanra felt exhilarated; such strength in a single human being. No, Shizuo wasn't human; he was a monster. Yet Kanra felt her heart beat wildly. She wanted him to be her monster.

Bringing the blade in front of her defensively, Kanra let an easy smile she usually wore spread across her face.

The mockery in her voice was evident. "See? Isn't this a blast~? But it isn't polite to hit a girl, you know~."

Both of the two teens held each other's gazes, crimson against honey-gold.

Suppressing the laughter bubbling up inside of her chest, Kanra continued to gaze at the unfaltering blonde before her. This would be so fun, messing with him, just to see what he would do!

Yet… Something stirred inside of her, and the feeling was so unnatural, so alien, that it unsettled the raven-haired teen. Kanra could easily gauge the reactions of many, and she knew what to do to people to get them to react in some way-

No. Not just in some way; the way she wanted them to react.

So, the one before her would be an interesting monster to watch.

The puppet on his master's strings, and Kanra would make sure she was the master puppeteer of those invisible threads.

Yet, still… Something inside of her chest hurt, and she felt really alive around Shizuo Heiwajima.

What is this feeling? What is it called? Kanra mulled over these thoughts in her head, these questions.

She didn't like it all.

"Emotions"…what "emotion" am I feeling right now?

They continued to stare at each other, the tension easing out of the air between them. Shizuo slowly straightened, sucked in his anger, and turned sharply, leaving the raven-haired teen to ponder over the new "emotion" she felt in her heart.

With a painful beat of her heart, Kanra watched as her monster walked silently away. She felt a longing to follow him, wrap her arms around him and never let go—

Wait. What? Why does it hurt…I don't get it…What…are these thoughts?...Damn it. I don't like it. But I want it; I want him…

Her mind raged. Her hand lowered.

Shinra smiled at her, waving as he ran off, shouting, "I'll see you in class! Or not, 'cause, you know, you're always disappeared and skipping classes…"

His voice faded into the background. Kanra swallowed, for once a bit scared in her life; these feelings weren't welcome, and she didn't want them.

Blinking away the sudden threat of tears and swallowing the cry building up in her throat, Kanra turned on her heal and walked the opposite way of which Shizuo departed.

The two words rang through her head all the way back to her apartment, following her, resonating every time her heart beat in her chest.

Lust. Love.