Crimson Kiss

Chapter 1:

The taxi drove up to the large house, me sitting in the back seat. A suitcase was in my lap, as I was apparently going to live here for now on. What for? Well...let's just say things at home got a little too tough to handle, and I needed a break from everyone- and everything.

So~ my brother's friend, who knew another guy, who allegedly knew someone else that owned a spacy house, hooked me up with a place to stay for however long I wanted. It was close to school. So that was good. And from what I could see, this house was HUGE.

Heh...that's what she said.

Getting out of the taxi, a smiled at the driver and got ready to thank him. But the old man turned away from me grumpily, driving off.

How rude! Wait...did I even pay that guy?

I thought about it for a moment, deciding it wasn't worth pondering over. If he couldn't stick around and let me thank him, then he doesn't deserve to be paid.

Not that I'll ever say it aloud...I'm a bit of a freeloader.

I stalked closer to the house- er...mansion was a better word for it. It was a MUCH better word for it, actually.

I looked at the door knockers, a sudden smile on my face.

Hehe...knockers.

I opened the door, which was surprisingly easy to do, and entered the house. Immediately, I got a bad feeling. The inside looked too...expensive. Fancy doilies were under every vase, portraits were hung up on the walls, and the furniture... Well, it wasn't bought at Ashley Furniture. That's for sure.

"Who are you?"

Jumping when hearing the sudden question, I let out a girly squeak. Turning to the person who said this, my eyes met with a red-haired individual.

He was wearing the uniform my school has, or at least I think so... His shirt was unbuttoned more than half way, and a red tie was at the side of his neck- otherwise, I would assume he went to my school. Everything else matched.

He was so pale too. I mean, just look at him! He could be a ghost for all I know. Wait, a ghost?! This place was haunted?

I resisted the sudden strong urge to reach out and poke his cheek.

"What do you mean 'who are you'? Who are you?"

"It means exactly how it sounds! As the owner of this house, I have the right to know," he growled out.

"Who says I'm going to tell you?! Wait...did you say 'owner'?" I tilted my head slightly, shock crossing my face.

Well, the ghost theory is gone. I'm kind of disappointed. But that's not what shocked me.

"What is the reason for such noise at this hour?"

Another boy, probably closer to his 20s, stood behind me with his arms crossed. With black hair, glasses, and a proper appearance, my mind immediately went to one thing.

Lawyer. Without a doubt, he had to be a lawyer.

"You," he sharply addressed. I stiffened when hearing the tone in his voice. "You're trespassing. What's your business here?"

"Trespassing?! Wow, slow down! I was sent here, okay?"

His eyebrow rose uninterestedly, or perhaps doubtfully. "I was never informed of your arrival."

Well, I wasn't informed of your existence rigido. God! Who shoved a stick up his ass?

Reaching into my pocket, I got my phone out. After quickly going through my messages, I rolled my eyes, and showed him the screen. It was an address; this one, if I'm not mistaken.

I could have gone to the wrong house now that I think about it. That'd explain a lot. Oh shit, that would make me a trespasser!

"Who sent you this?"

I stammered for a moment, finding my words as promptly as I could manage. "My brother...um, Sir! He got it from a friend he knows, who got in touch with someone else, who knew another guy that happened to have a place for me to live. I swear, I'll call him up right now if you don't believe-"

"That won't be necessary. Excuse me while I make a call." His eyes moved to the boy beside me. "Make yourself useful and lead our unexpected guest into the living room, Ayato."

Ayato? That name was familiar for some reason.

"Tch, whatever," he began to walk, clearly expecting me to follow. I did without question, and found myself in a living room shortly after.

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For those who want to know what Emi said:

Rigido= stiff or rigid.