Disclaimer: I do not own Skip Beat!
Locks
Chapter 1
The people on the sidewalk stared in awe at the bright pink blur that zoomed passed them, casting leaves and litter into the sky. As the image faded in the distance and the wind died down, the debris fluttered down to settle on the concrete. The only evidence of the strange passerby were the silent bystanders who still stared wide-eyed off into the distance and the unlucky pedestrians who had been in the way. They kneeled just off the path of skid marks left by what looked like bicycle tires, the blur's apparent mode of transportation, muttering incoherently as they were attacked by a force they could not see.
The mass of grudge demons rejoiced as they terrorized the nuisances who had been obstacles to their master's success. They whispered curses into their ears, clambered upon them until they could not stand under the weight. How dare they try to make their master late? As their victims paled and curled up, they relented, satisfied. They rose as one, a perfect unit crying out their victory into the air, though none but their victims heard it. They flew, a dark comet invisible to those who did not have the gift of seeing that which is supernatural, planning to return to their master's side.
All except one.
A single grudge demon had remained. The feelings of pent up frustration had blinded it to its duty. It had not raged properly for months. Its master had been relatively calm lately, not needing its nor its kin's services. It continued terrorizing its victim, the only one unfortunate enough to get special attention. The poor businessman had been singled out by the tiny demon that wanted to rage alone. It needed to rage alone. It was furious. It had been taken so easily by that singer. Disgust at its inadequacy flared again and it weaved nightmares into the man's dreams for the next three weeks. Still trembling in anger but satisfied, it withdrew from its victim. The anger faded as it looked around and found itself alone. It had not noticed its kind leaving. Self-hate stabbed through its being again as the image of the denizen of hell immediately came to it, causing it to shudder with fear. It did not want to be caught again.
The little demon was disappointed as it arrived at LME. Its master was nowhere to be found, presumably having been called elsewhere for the menial chores the Love Me section's members were expected to do. Uncomfortable with being away from its rightful place, it set out to find its master, bracing itself for a day full of going around offices, studios, and storage buildings in its search.
Thirty-seven offices, two storage buildings, and three studios later it found itself in a hallway. It was on its way down this hallway that it caught a glimpse of its former captor. He faced the opposite way, a small but valuable mercy. Logic and cowardice in tandem spurred it into action. It could not take this foe, especially on its own. His threats of cuddling it, of loving it made it want to recoil. It turned and darted into the dressing room to its right...and promptly slammed into the chest of Tsuruga Ren.
A/N: Sorry, this is sort of short. Well, now that things are nice and set up I can finally start this thing. I always love bringing small characters into the story. They are great for making plots happen. I thought the grudge demon would be perfect for this purpose. Kind of like how I thought the doll in my Ib fanfiction was a perfect character to use and flesh out.
In either case, as always, thank you for reading this.
Until next time friendlies.
Dfsemina