-Chapter One - The First Day, The First Night-

Ayame Makoto open her eyes as the morning sun shined in her window. The short green curtains pulled back to the sides letting it in. She smiled as she sat up leaning her feet over the side of the bed and slipping on a set of silk blue slippers.
She walked to her bedroom door opening it and walking down to the bathroom. One glance at the mirror and she saw that her hair looked as if it had not been washed in three days. It always did when she woke the next morning, which meant to her she must have tossed and turned all night from another nightmare.
"Nothing a shower can't cure." She whispered annoyed slightly but smiling it off.
She pulled off her nightgown and left the slippers by the shower mat, stepping into the shower and turning it on. Hot water flowing freely out of the shower head, covering her in warmth.

Ayame stood with her arms close to her sides under the water, letting it roll off her nose and face. Her eyes half closed as she thought about her dream last night. Trying to remember it. She kept a journal of the most interesting dreams she had that she wanted to always remember. Also, kept a nightmare journal of her worst ones. Exactly why she didn't know, somewhat to remember the good and the bad of sleep she guessed.

There was a girl...someone I didn't know...and a boy with her. That boy looked familiar to me somehow. That mansion...ropes in a long hallway... A woman with long black hair. Have I seen that place before? Somewhere but, I can't remember.

Her eye opened and her head shot up when she heard the phone ringing. She turned the water off and threw a towel around her walking quickly downstairs. She reached the phone grabbing it up. Her foot slightly slipping on the smooth wooden floor, "H-Hello?" She said recovering quickly before she fell.
"Ayame, what's up?" Kyo Tsukiko said on the other end.
"Oh hi, nothing. I was taking a shower till you interupted me."
He laughed, "I have bad timing skills, sorry. I was just calling to see if you wanted to go out and maybe do something today, maybe have lunch?"

Kyo Tsukiko was Ayame's boyfriend, the two had been dating for a little over a year. He was really sweet, and kind, and funny or so Ayame thought of him. But one thing was for sure, she was crazy over him and that would never change. At least not completely.
"Yes that would be nice. But if you don't mind could I finish my shower first?" Ayame asked with a small smile.
"Yeah, again sorry about that. Just call me whenever you are ready to go."
"Ok, see you in a little while." She said hanging up the phone, making her way carefully back up the stairs.

Ayame smiled as she opened the door to her house walking out in a pink skirt with a sleeveless green top, a necklace of piano keys and a violin hanging around her neck. A pair of high heels that looked like normal white tennis-shoes laced acros her feet, her midnight black hair hanging to about her shoulder blades as she walked towards Kyo, leaning against his silver Suzuki. One of his many favorite toys, but he seemed a lot more interested in her at the moment, which made her smile sweetly and blush.
"Wow, you look lovely, as you always do."
"Thank you. So, where do you want to go?"
"How about..." She started pausing for a short moment, "that wonderful place you took me to a few weeks ago? Sakura."
"Sure." He said opening the side of the car door for her as she climbed in.

By the time Ayame and Kyo had eaten, walked around in the park for a while and went to a small charm shop for reminders of their, night had fallen. Kyo pulled slowly into the small drive way of Ayame's house. Another car that was a black as the night was parked close to them.
"Nana must be home. I figured she would be by now." Ayame whispered smiling.
Nana Sumiko, was Ayame's best friend in the whole world. Nana was seventeen, they were practical like sisters in every way only that Ayame was more the focused older sister and Nana was more of a joke around all the time younger sister, who would be sirious if she had to be. But the two had been friends since second grade it seemed, and now they shared a house together. Ayame going to collage in a few months and Nana already working as a waitress in a lovely restaurant no far form their home.

Ayame glanced down at the charm hanging off her neck. It was a small but big enough silver symbol that meant the word, 'Kage/Shadow'.
"Tell me again why you got this one for me and what you ever get?" She said looking over at Kyo with curiosity.
"Because," He said pulling the one he had gotten out of his pocket, "Whenever you're lost or alone in the shadows, I will be your light." He said with a small smile. He held his symbol for 'Hikari/Light', in his hand. But unlike Ayame's it was gold.
"Awww, that's so sweet!" She said blushing and smiled at the same time.

Kyo smiled in return and leaned over close kissing her on the lips. Ayame's car door swinging open made the two of them jump quickly followed by laughter.
"Yo! Got you!" A familiar voice said outside the car. Nana stood smiling wickedly.
"Sorry I couldn't resist it was the perfect moment."
Ayame sighed and looked back at Kyo, "I'll talk to you tomorrow, okay?"
"Yeah sure. Hey Nana, next time can we at east finish the kiss?" He asked winking at her.
"Maybe so I will have to think about it. Promise!" She said closing the door. Ayame watched as Kyo backed out of there drive way and drove off down the street, she glanced at Nana slightly glaring now, as her face twisted into a annoyed and pissed off expression .
"Baka! That was a wonderful moment you ruined!"
"Ow, I'm sorry... I didn't mean to it was a joke." Nana whispered rubbing her newly sore shoulder. Ayame sighed deeply annoyed even more now that Nana was making a sad pouting face. She knew she did it just to make her feel bad and forgive her, but the truth was she would have forgave her anyways. Like a sister would and should have, also because she had already hit her, it made up for the prank she pulled.
"It's alright I guess. Let's just go inside It's late and I'm tired, okay?"
"Hai!" Nana said as she took Ayame's arm and walked with her.

After everything had settled down Ayame sat on the said of her bed. She twisted her hair up into a bun, before cutting the lamp light off beside her bed. Curling up under her soft warm covers as she closed her eyes falling to sleep almost instantly.
After a short while Ayame's eyes fluttered opened to a creaking noise. Her body suddenly colder than it was before, her hand rubbed across a smooth wooden floor that she could feel herself laying on. Her eyes focusing as she saw what looked like a pair of sandled feet before her. She blinked and sat straight up from the ground and quickly glanced around, the feet vanishing before she had even lifted up all the way.
"Where... Am I?" She whispered, amazed at the room she was in. Filled with shelves of Japanese dolls dressed in black and red kimonos, some with long hair and some with short, holding fans or sitting. All of them with little smiling faces that seemed sorta demonic and twisted.
"Am I dreaming?" Ayame stood to her feet but as she did she started to feel light headed falling down on one knee.

"What's happening to me?" She said looking up slowly once again. But her eye were wider with confution. The room had changed, it was not filled with dolls anyone. She kneeled in the middle of a dirty floor to the entrance of what looked like a old styled Japanese mansion. The part where you would leave your shoes or sandals and put on slippers before entering the house.
Half the roof above the stairs was falling in and in the middle of the main room the floor had caved in, wood splinters lay everywhere. A creepy green fog rising from the darkness below that gave her chills as she stood straight. A few paper rice walls standing in the back of the room painted with different images.
She noticed she was not dressed in her normal night clothes anymore but the outfit she had been wearing earlier with Kyo, except she had on wooden sandals. Still she had the necklace he gave her, which her right hand grasped tightly. "This place, this horrible mansion. Is this from amemory, or just something my mind thought of? If this is a dream... I want to wake up..." She whispered backing against the entrance doors.

-End of Chapter-