"Ritsu~"

Huh? Where am—?

Hang on, this scent—

Oh god! Again?

More footsteps. This can only lead to trouble.

"I'm so glad you're here..."

I gulp, my whole body shaking with fear. This isn't happening. It's just a dream. Just a bad, bad dream...

...right?

"Ah, Ritsu," I jump at its voice, hearing it breathe into my ear.

"Huh—?"

"Beautiful as always..."

Tensing, I try to find my voice.

"Why... why are you—?"

A dark chuckle. Then a sharp pain from my ear.

"H-hey!" I call out, caught off guard from the bite.

Snow-white hands with blood red nails cover my mouth as I let out muffled screams of protest.

"STOP!"

Screaming, I get up from my bed.

It happened again: that damned dream.

I wonder offhandedly if that creature took pleasure from ruining my rare good night's sleep.

Suddenly, my eyes feel like they're burning and I panic for a moment, only to realise it's the sun.

Is it just me or is it way to bright in here?

Sighing, I get out of the bed to ready for work.

There's a knock on the door. I have this nagging suspicion that it's Takano, so I ignore it.

The knocking increases, and so does my irritation. Seriously, can he not do this first thing in the morning?

I had just finished putting on my jeans when Takano began abusing the doorbell, prompting me to lose my patience and stomp to the door.

"Listen, Takano," I say sternly, "do you have no consideration for the other residents of this building?"

Argh, he still has that 'I'm above you' look even now.

"You need to have breakfast," he states.

"Sorry, but I'm not hungry."

And of course, my stomach chooses this exact moment to start rumbling, causing me to blush.

Oh boy, this is gonna be so much fun!

"So tell me then: how long are you gonna keep surviving on Energy Jell-O?"

Oh, do I want to kill this man for dragging me into having breakfast with him on a work day (not that I'd want this on my days off)!

The food is good though, I'll admit. Just not to Takano.

"I-I was going to-"

"'Make your own meals but you couldn't find the time'?" Takano interrupts with an eyebrow raised. "How many times have you said that?"

Utterly lost for words, I pick up my mug and drink the coffee. I really don't feel like talking right now.

There's silence, save for the clanking of cutlery.

"Did you have a bad dream?" Takano suddenly asks, a hint of worry in his voice.

I tense, and for a moment I feel something bite me as snow-white fingers keep my mouth shut.

"Ritsu?"

I instantly snap back to reality at the sound of Takano's voice.

"Ah, it's nothing too serious," I say, laughing awkwardly. But we both know that's not true.

Luckily, he doesn't pry any more than that. Oh god, if I had to spill all this to him.

"Shall we go to work?" I ask, standing up.

Takano gives me a look. "Without washing the dishes? I think not."

In the middle of the subway, a young man sits.

He seems normal for the most part: black hair, tan skin, hazel eyes, a red hoodie that fades into purple, white jeans.

But he isn't. The way his fingernails are painted red and how the skin on his hands seems snow-white are proof of that.

He wears a twisted smile on his face, and licks his lips.

"I think I've given you enough time to live," he murmurs to himself. "Ritsu Onodera."

Well, hi again! Thank you for favouriting, following and reviewing, my friends. It honestly brings a smile to my face. I hope to update this once a week on Sundays. Emphasis on hope to. Sometimes, it takes me weeks to update and I eventually lose interest. Hopefully not with this story! And before you ask (which I think you won't XD), the creatures in this story aren't vampires. They're- whoops. Can't tell you. Anyways, see you next week.