I rested on the shoe shelf near the front of the store. It was short, short enough I could easily rest my elbow on it and still not stand at full height. The front half of the store was almost entirely glass, and in the afternoon light the store looked gold.

Every day, it lit up like this, and for some reason I always stopped to watch it until it disappeared. Which didn't take long - before I knew it, the store was almost dark again, and Yasu, my boss, finished locking up the back room and turned to me, glancing around the room.

"Isn't it a bit dark in here?" he laughed. He pushed his glasses up a bit and walked towards me. Nudging me, he added, "You're still wearing your apron, or is that the new fashion amongst you youngsters these days?"

I sighed, chucked a bit, and took my apron off, just kinda throwing it on the front counter. I'd get it in the morning. Tomorrow was Wednesday anyway, so I had the day off to work. All it meant was that I'd be the first person in besides Yasu.

We locked up and walked home. Yes, we. Yasu lives next door to me, acts like my guardian. He is my guardian, really, if I'm being honest. When I was a kid, I was living in abandoned houses and underneath decks on my own, avoiding anyone who might try to whisk me away to some foster care. I had someone I was living for, and I couldn't afford to let them down.

Then Yasu found me. He hardly even blinked before he decided to drag me home with him. He tried to get me to tell him my parents' number, but I don't have parents, so I didn't say anything. He really did almost put me in foster care, and even though he's more overbearing than anyone I've ever met, I'm still thankful for that.

Now I live next door to him, I have my own house and whatnot. It's nothing too special, a two-bedroom place that's kind of falling apart on the outside. It doesn't matter, I'm the only person who lives there, and I don't need anything fancy.

Of course, it would help if I had something a little more presentable, especially tonight.

After all, tonight someone's time will be up.

I lived off of my paycheck working at Yasu's. Of course, he tried to pay for things like my bills and such, but I never let him. That month, though, I had a little bit left over, so I bought myself something nice.

So what, I was selfish.

There was a knock on my door. That was her.

I opened the door and let her in. Her bright green eyes were dulled by the artificial light in the living room, and she was wearing a sweatshirt and jeans. I was still in my work uniform, and embarrassed as I was - a first for me - it was too late to change anyway.

She marvelled a bit at the inside, resting her fingers for a second on the arm of the couch before moving on.

"It's so quaint! I love it," she sighed.

I had invited her over for dinner, so I, still in my work uniform, silently cooked dinner while she told me about her day. We were in the same main class, but she had different electives than I did, and in our friendship so far she had been the talker and I had been the listener. I was fine with this, it meant I didn't have to fake anything. It was easy to act like you were listening, it was easy to actually listen.

"...and so Allocredan is getting SO hard. I don't understand how Kin puts up with it." I nodded. I had no idea who Kin was, but it didn't really matter. Nor did I care.

"Oh, hey, by the way-" She pulled something out from her satchel. I didn't get a good look at it, but it seemed like a can of something. "-I brought this, uh, as a gift."

I supressed a laugh. "What is it?"

"Ah, it's just a drink from overseas. My parents run a store that specializes in foreign foods, mostly Allocredan." She set it down on the linoleum countertop with a clink. "They sometimes overstock and so we get the leftovers."

"Wouldn't you have to buy it, though?" I was still focused on the food i was making.

"My parents cover it, but sometimes I'll buy some directly from the store."

"Ah."

Things were quiet after that.

half an hour later...

"That was... surprisingly good." She laughed. "N-not that I didn't think you'd be good or anything, but... still, it's better than what I thought it'd be."

"That's a compliment, I guess," I smiled.

The clock ticked, and an alarm went off. It was a small alarm, like a watch alarm.

"That's it, then." I stood up, cleared my plate and hers, and turned to her.

"Oh... do you... time your dinners or something?" She looked confused.

"No, but I do time socializing. And you just hit your limit." In two swift moves, I grabbed the something I had picked up on the way home - a switchblade - and made a run at her. She was confused, and didn't move until I'd already sliced into her skin. Blood beaded at a cut on her shoulder. It wasn't deep, but then again it was only a warning cut.

By the time she realized what was going on, I already had a hold on her and my blade to her cheek. Her olive green eyes widened, and she tensed up. She didn't know how to fight, that was clear. I was rusty myself, but that didn't mean I was going to put up any less of a fight if she tried anything, though I doubted she would. Still, I couldn't be too careful.

I pressed the blade into her skin, drawing it across her face and towards her mouth. I lifted the blade, but there was no mark.

She lifted her right hand, and I noticed that not only had a sort of frost formed over the skin I had just sliced, but there was a blue mark on her hand. In the center, there was a diamond, and spiraling outwards were ribbons of color curling and bending in an icy pattern. The ribbons twirled around her finger, ending in an icy spike crossing her fingernail.

She was a Yuuko Elemental.

It was one of the most intricate clan marks I had ever seen on a Sinatan Elemental, one usually given to those of higher rank or power. But she possessed neither. She had told me before that she was only a half Elemental, meaning her powers would be significantly weaker than that of even a whole Elemental, no matter how hard she might have trained. The only way a half Elemental could be stronger would be if a whole or even a pureblood Elemental transferred their powers to her. Of course, the only clan who could do that were Korei Elementals, the clan that could take and give away the souls of other Elementals, even their own.

Unfortunately for her, they were all dead.

"I'm sure you'd have noticed before, but I guess not," she said softly. Her voice had no waver, nor did it have any anger or hurt. It was almost like she had experienced this before. "...but I'm a Yuuko. Not a very powerful one, granted, but still.

"It's strange that you didn't notice. I thought someone of your kind would have." I blinked.

"My kind?"

"Your clan mark." Her voice was quiet, meek. "You're a Korei Elemental."

"So people still know about us." I smirked. I was still confused, though. I knew she wasn't exactly the smartest, how would she know about a clan that had been erased from history? Not even the smartest kid at Fushunobe High knew much about the dead clan.

Even I, the last Korei Elemental in existence, didn't even know anything about them at all.

"You're going to kill me, right?" Is she... smiling? She was. It was a nervous smile, I'll give her that much, but still. It was unnerving. I hadn't met anyone who wasn't afraid of me, especially just moments before I killed them.

It was kind of nice, to tell the truth.

Enough of that. Don't think like that. I cleared my head and decided to look through her memories.

It should have been easy, but the moment I entered her mind, she rejected me. She hadn't done it consciously, I knew that much. She had a mental barrier up.

Wait.

There's no way she should have had a mental barrier. Only Koreis knew how to do those. Right?

No matter. Just kill her already.

"What's the holdup?" she joked, only halfheartedly. I could see her shaking, the way her arms were drawn across her chest and the way she seemed to draw back inside herself. She really was afraid of me. She really was afraid of dying. But why would she give herself up so easily like that?

Don't get held up.

Something was stopping me. Something was keeping me from moving, as if I had suddenly decided that it would be better if I didn't kill her.

You need to kill her. Do it now, Tamotsu. Don't pay mind to what's stopping you, it's nothing worth worrying about. Just go.

That was it.

I stepped close to her, towering over her. I lifted the knife so it was directly over her heart, watching fear blossom in her eyes.

"Goodbye, Sayuri."

And I brought the knife swiftly down.

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a/n: hey! it's me, the author (jag heter parker!) and oH MY GOD SDOFHOESIHFOEISH

if you're just joining us, this chapter was first uploaded in late may of 2015, and i'm rewriting it now after i've built the world and all that. it's a lot better now, if i do say so myself! i'm actually pretty proud of this chapter, uhhhhh hopefully its a lot more grabbing and just generally a lot better than the original-

i'll put the original up someday,,,, maybe,,, in rcs or something

the next chapter i'm gonna completely rewrite is 2! i'll have it out soon, see you then!

-parker/milo