Welcome back, darling. The voice, heavy with sarcasm, rang through the silence. Did you miss me?

Mai jerked blearily back to consciousness. "Hello?" She called, cringing as the word drove a red hot spike through her temporal lobe. She let out a muffled yelp, her arms clamping down on either side of her skull. She stayed that way for a while, waiting for the headache to subside, cursing her ephemeral clumsiness and waiting for the voice to return.

A jolt of panic raced through her as she opened her eyes to nothing. A world of pitch black. On the verge of tears Mai frantically rubbed her eyes. When the lights dancing across her vision finally dissolved it was still the same. She was surrounded by darkness.

'I can't believe this.' She moaned, digging her fingers into her forehead. 'I knocked out my eyesight when I fell!'

…I'll take that as a yes.

Mai shuddered as the voice echoed hollowly inside her pounding head. In the back of her mind something stirred. A memory no doubt, but too vague to grasp. She was too busy wrestling with the self loathing of her new self-caused ailment.

So disappointing Mai. You really should watch your step. It paused, almost ironically. Though if you were to kill yourself, I wouldn't object.

Immediately she jerked up staring wildly at the darkness. The memory was tugging at her conscious now. Murmuring. Mai pushed it aside to turn to the matter at hand; the voice.

She searched the black around her, aware of the sudden cold spreading across her skin. "Who- who's there?"

It chuckled, a cold hard sound that inspired a wave of unbridled fear through her entire body. Such a harsh greeting. It marveled. And after everything we've been through together; you don't remember?

Images were swirling in her mind now. Emotions, tainted with sorrow and terror darted past. Mai hunched over as a wave of pain shot through her chest. Like a red hot poker was being driven through her heart. She clawed at her collar, yanked it down and froze. There, pressed into the burning skin of her chest was the silhouette of a black rose. Mai felt the scream rising in her throat.

After all, the voice whispered smugly. You belong to me.

Uhh...super short update...sorry. But I thought I should at least offer something up at the moment.

Hey! Personal preference question; would you perfer that Mai meet Gene or Naru first?

Send me a message or a review. I've thought about it and decided that either way won't really effect the plot I have in mind.

So let me know. Follow original or mix it up...your choice. Or just send me a flame telling me to write my own damn fanfiction. That's fine too.

Thanks for reading!^^