The Contract

Prologue

„Say, Yuki, is what they say about your family really true?", one of the children at the orphanage asked me. I didn't answer, but I guessed the silence was answer enough for a child without parents to understand, wasn't it? Children were so pathetic. Everyone here knew the stories of everyone. The only story everyone held for a rumour was mine. My story that no one but myself really knew and a story that hid chills and blood. Blood that had tainted my soul and lured me into the darkness I kept hidden inside my heart, locked away from the children of light. But you could even say it was the children who were locked away, unable to reach me with their purity and laughter. I was nothing but a shadow that did not deserve the life it was given until the very day I turned fifteen. In other words, until today.

„Karin! How could you ask something like this...?", the maid of our orphanage scolded the girl that had talked to me. It had always been like this. People were unable to talk about anything else than my family and when they did, they got scolded or punished by the others so I was just like some human curse. The girl began crying as she was told to stand in the corner as a punishment. I could not tell why this was such a terrible thing to other children – I was never told to do it, I did it on my own because no one ever sits down to stare at a wall... no one but me. Although right now I sat at the edge of the open window, looking down at the bottom that seemed maybe ten metres away. No one ever dared to scold me. Because I was the cursed one, maybe. Or possibly they just felt sympathetic because I was such a poor girl. Yes, a poor girl addicted to the numb inside me, living in the loneliness and cold of my heart.

But this very special day, I actually felt something. It was not like I was unable to feel. I just never cared about emotions, whether they were there or not. Emotions didn't help me. And I had never cried since the day almost seven years ago. Today, I cried, still sitting there at the open window, pain flowing through my chest which such a brute strength I had problems breathing. Gone. Gone, gone, gone. That was all I could think of. Gone. Alone.

Death.

That one word made me shiver with excitement. Right – I had thought about it for so long. I didn't care about the afterlife or something and I didn't care about reunion after death. I only didn't want to live in this ugly and cruel world anymore where childrens' lives were taken away just like that. I had planned this moment for so long, the one second everything would be decided. Ten metres were enough to kill a human, were they not?

I turned around to look at the children one last time, maybe say something, as icy blue eyes appeared before me and a cold hand pushed me and I fell.

My last decision had been stolen from me.

So I died, burning with hate for the person with these icy blue eyes... at least I thought so.

Do you really want to die?

I did not know this voice. Or rather, these voices. It sounded like a hundred – no, at least a thousand – people were talking to me at once, their words echoing from thick, invisible walls. I didn't answer, as usual.

I will repeat myself: do you really want to die?

„I don't know", I whispered. Did I? Wasn't I pushed down from that window? Wasn't I planning on committing suicide? Had I been serious about jumping down? Maybe. Maybe not.

Then I'll ask something else. Do you want to live?

Whose voices were this? Why did they ask me these questions? I had always hated being questioned. So I just kept silent.

I can make it possible for you to go on living, Yuki. Or at least returning to your world.

„You can?", I asked, almost out of reflex. What was that? Since when was I so interested in living?

Then I found my own answer. Hate. I hated these eyes because they took away what was left for me to decide. My chance to jump by my own free will.

Yes, I can. I can do anything you want me to... or order me to. If you make a contract with me, of course.

„A contract? What are you, a demon?", I asked. Now he... she... they... whatever had me confused. Suddenly, everything began vibrating. Or pulsing? I took maybe twenty seconds until I understood that this weird creature was actually laughing at me.

A demon... How I've longed to hear that word! Well, do you want to live or do you want to die?

„What do you want in return?"

Your soul tainted with blood and despair... when the time comes.

„I want to live." I would definitely choose vengeance.

Give me a name then, Shiratori Yuki.

„I hereby shall call you by the name... Dante."

The day I turned fifteen, I made a contract with a demon.