[color=red][hr][center][h1][i]The Countdown Begins...[/i][/h1]
[hr]
[i]'It ends like a fairy tale...'[/i][/center][/color]
The thought whisks through Ryoki's mind once more as she turns to address the man in which she was [i]mostly certain[/i] of as being the man she'd been searching for all night (if one could call sitting at a table with another man "searching"). He wore a different suit from last time, adorned a mask that partially covered his face, so Ryoki only had voice to go by. 

Thankfully, she was a good listener.
[color=red][center][i]Something she would regret in the end...[/i][/center][/color]
She greets the man with a kind yet knowing grin, one that clearly shows a hidden motive. The classic flirtatious greeting; a smile and a wink; the crossing of legs, and the sipping of a glass. The raven speaks of her experience so far at the party, shooting off rapid fire questions in retaliation about his attire, where he's been and which lucky ladies he's had the pleasure of dancing with. Not to mention the innumerable sexual references and innuendos. She giggles like a child...

[color=red][center][i]Such innocence never lasts...[/i][/center][/color]
Comfort fills the air. Contempt. Perhaps it was her sister's kindred presence, and Yutaro's familiar and calming aura that made her feel this way. With the dancers dancing, and the musicians playing to a slow and unfamiliar tune, Ryoki's mind slowly entered a state of relaxation - calm. A calm she hadn't felt in... awhile, actually. She couldn't remember a time in which she wasn't so filled with solitude. Perhaps it was the coming of the New Year that made her feel this way? Perhaps it was the company, or the atmosphere in which she found so, so pleasant. It was soothing; unnaturally calm, like...

[color=red][center][i]'Like death...'[/i][/center][/color]
'No,' Ryoki thought, 'now isn't the time for such thoughts. It's time for a New Year - a new start! More importantly, Kimasu and Mokyu's birthday is tomorrow! I shouldn't be focusing on dumb stuff like that. Stupid Ryoki!'

[color=red][center][i]Yet, the crack of a gunshot would dictate otherwise...[/i][/center][/color]
Not a thing was out of the ordinary. The dancers were all still dancing, and the recent song change had caught the attention of the raven. However, as much as she wishes to look away, her eyes are caught on Yutaro - fixated. Captivated, even, perhaps for the first time since they met. She clings on to his every word as they spoke; she's entranced, to put it simply. Such a dangerous situation for her to be in someone else's grasp, yet she couldn't help it. What an interesting turn of events...

[color=red][center][i]Even so, fate was a cruel mistress...[/i][/center][/color]
And so came the offer of a dance - the one thing Ryoki had been hoping for the entire night. The night may still be young, yet Ryoki had been looking forward to this since... well before their arrival. Curiosity fueled her; she was interested in seeing just what the casino dealer was capable of when it came to dancing. Though her forte was dances of a faster pace, Ryoki wasn't afraid of testing his abilities in the more slower, classical dances as well. One last sip of the clear liquid within her glass, and she stands.

[color=red][center][i]...

...

...

'...Blood...'[/i][/center][/color]
Before she knew it, Ryoki was on the ground. She wasn't quite sure how, but she was. Her ears were ringing. Was it a concussion? What just happened? Her head felt foggy - strange. She was perfectly awake, and certainly didn't feel any different, save for an accelerated heart rate. Somewhat at a loss, she pulls herself up. [i]'Strange,'[/i] she thought, [i]'the music wasn't playing... and the dancers aren't dancing... Just what are they looking a-'[/i]

[color=red][center][i]The bloodied corpse of Mokyu Mochizukki[/i][/center][/color]
A gasp, with hollow breaths. Just what was she looking at? A painting? No, this wasn't a painting - this was... real. This was something right in front of her. That red liquid was... blood. And the person whose blood it belonged to -- the person whose neck had been shot straight through, creating a demonic display of copious amounts of blood, like a fountain -- belonged to... a girl. A girl who looked very familiar... A girl who she couldn't stand to see hurt, or better yet dead.

[center]And then it hits her. This girl, her sister...
... [b]Dead[/b]...[/center]
[color=red][center][i]And she screams...

...

Another angel returns to Heaven tonight...[/i][/center][/color]