I fiddled with the broken lock, sitting myself on the table inside my house with a solemn sigh. I could barely think; my fingers kept toying around with the steel lock. I felt its cool, metallic surface glide over my fingertips, smelled its rusted scent. Tears welled up in my eyes, my tongue pressing against the tip of my canines.

Mika really did it—he went even so far as to steal my damn gun without me noticing. Now, it was only a matter of time until the inevitable happens...and I get stuck with the blame.

I heard a pair of footsteps behind me. Grief turned to rage. I growled, turning around before chucking the lock right at Crowley. He caught it without problem, but the surprisingly concerned look on his face made me dial back my anger a bit.

"Why!?"I grunted. I nearly fell off my stool.

"Because Ferid told me to,"he answered with full confidence. He tossed the lock behind him, sitting down on the table next to me.

I scowled at him, gritting my teeth. "You just let a whole bunch of kids die for Ferid's sick amusement, Crowley! Where the fuck's the sense in that!?"

I slammed my fist on the table, kicking back my chair before stepping away from him. Crowley sighed, shrugging his shoulders.

"I see your point, Thai-kun, but instead of grabbing your guns and intercepting the kids to stop them, you're arguing with me,"Crowley said. "Ferid cut you a deal, didn't he? What was it?"

I stomped my boot on the ground, biting my tongue. Crowley, too, had a point, and he knew exactly what Ferid told me was going to happen in the next few hours. That idea didn't sit too well with me; I sat back down in frustration, pulling up a chair. "Uh...well, they're gonna blame me for the attempted escape, and I'll have to try to not to get myself killed by volunteering to infiltrate the place that they're gonna keep all the survivors at...if there are any."

"And?"

I rubbed my hands together, their cold, rough palms and fingers rubbing against each other. "...(I am so...screwed)...instead of cleaning up Ferid's mistake, I'm supposed to do something else for him. I'll escape, not do the Queen's bidding, and head off to a rendezvous point somewhere down in Kanagawa that'll get me far away from here."

Crowley's eyes lit up in shock. "Far away? As in 'away from Tokyo?'"

"No! As in 'I'm gettin' the hell outta the Titanic before it fuckin' sinks!'"

Crowley smirked at me, leaning back on his seat. "You really think he's going to let you leave just like that?"

I shrugged. "Even then, I'll have another shot at hiding from you guys in Japan until I find a damn boat to get me out of here."

"You know I'll hunt you down."

"Y'know...I still kinda find that hard to believe."

I stepped over to my liquor cabinet, taking out a beer before chugging it. Ferid was one mighty—MIGHTY—bastard! First, he feeds off of kids, and now he's killing them for shits and giggles? And, I have to take the blame for it?!

There was no way I was going to survive here for much longer. My one ticket out of here was Ferid, but Crowley had a point: what if telling me that I could go home was another sick, twisted game of Ferid's?

I tossed the bottle to the ground, belching something fierce. I looked back at Crowley, myself dazed and full of regret. I was going to die soon, either by sword or fangs. It was only a matter of a few hours until Ferid starts to stalk them, so I at least had that much time to figure out on the what the hell I was going to do in between.

"...I'm screwed, Crowley,"I said, my voice shaking. "I ain't never been this scared in my life."

Crowley stood up, keeping his unwavering expression of confidence. "Get a grip, Thai. Ferid kept you alive for this long, it won't make any sense for him to just 'off' you on such ridiculous terms."

He gripped my arms, pulling me closer to him. "What're you doing?"I grumbled.

"Just calming you down."

"Yeah? Well, don't!"

I started pushing him off me, but Crowley was quick to tighten his grip around me. I struggled harder, his arms wrapping around my head. "Get off me!,"I grunted, backing up and around the room, trying to wrestle out of Crowley's grip. I heard him sigh. Crowley suddenly wrapped his arms around my torso from behind. He easily lifted me off my feet, lifting me up high in the air with my eyes facing the ground.

It was as if time stood still for that brief second, until the painful fall on that wooden table knocked me back into sense. Crowley threw me onto the table, looking down over me. I winced in pain, my hand pressing against my lower back. "God...dammit...Crowley,"I grunted.

Crowley gazed at me in silence, the two of us at a standstill. I sat myself up on the table, incredulously eyeing Crowley standing just in front of me. I knew living with vampires wouldn't be the best thing in the world, but I never imagined it could end up this bad. However, even after what he had done to the Gun Locker's lock, he was probably the most human of them all. I could always assume that every vampire I encountered was the same cold, ruthless monster I assumed them to be, but not Crowley. Ferid was a hit and miss at times, but Crowley was the nicer and more caring of the two.

I chewed on my lip. There was one thing I wanted to do, but every instinct and nerve in my body told me to stay still. Still, I couldn't shake it out of my mind.

"Crowley..."I breathed. "You think I'll be all right?"

He stared blissfully at me, taking a moment to answer me. "Of course. You lived this long in such bizarre circumstances, I'm sure you can find your way out of this one."

"Yeah...well, I guess I got a knack for figuring shit out on the fly."

"Maybe show them one of your magic tricks again?"

I scoffed, remembering the first (and only) time I used a magic trick to kill two vampires trying to kidnap me. I noticed, too, it had been a long time since I had done any magic.

"Only got...probably an hour until shit hits the fan. Lot of things can be done in just an hour" I looked back at Crowley, determined to make a request of him. He looked back at me, stepping closer as if he knew what I was going to ask him.

"...if you're gonna ask me something, do it."

I gave him an embarrassed smile, my cheeks turning a little red. I slowly dropped my feet back down onto the ground, stepping towards Crowley. I placed my hand on his chest, my hand finding its way around his jacket and towards his thick, chest. It was cool to the touch; I clenched my teeth, covering my gasp. We exchanged glances, Crowley seemingly confused.

I felt a tightness in my chest; my hands clenched onto his lapel, bringing his face down to mine. Crowley didn't resist, allowing myself to pull him even closer to me. I closed my eyes, my lips soon pressing themselves against Crowley's.


It was too awful for words. Tears dripped down from my eyes, the crude scent of blood choking me. I took my hat off my head, my eyes gazing at the carnage I found myself surrounded by. My knees shook, my head spun, a faint ringing in my ears that muted the outside world. There was so much blood.

A cold hand suddenly shook me. "Hey!"

I turned to see the Queen herself, Krul Tepes. "I...I didn't—"

"It was your gun,"she growled fiercely, her hand starting to crush my shoulder. I gasped, her sudden strength forcing me down onto my knees. I cried out in pain. "I should kill you!"

"Wait! I can—"

Before I could suggest anything, her hand suddenly grabbed my neck, wringing it violently. I couldn't scream, my hands grabbing at her's and desperately trying to pry her off of me. I choked and gagged, trying to pry myself free, but she kept crushing my throat. I was starting to see black, until I glimpsed Ferid stroll just behind her.

"Krul,"he said with a smile. "It wasn't all his fault, but he can help."

She kissed her teeth angrily, throwing me on the ground and releasing her grip. I gasped for air, coughing up spit on the ground. However, there was no rest; her boot kicked me onto my back. She pinned me down, her sole pressing down right on my injured knee. Her hand reached for my gun before I could, swiftly cocking it back and pointing it at my head. She glared daggers at me. "How can he HE—of all people—fix this mess?"

"Well, he's human, for one,"Ferid chimed in.

"And?"

I got enough breath to speak, saying, "And...whoever they are, I can find 'em."

Her eyebrow raised. "How?"

"He...you said he got picked up? By who?"

She eyed me suspiciously, suddenly de-cocking the gun and tossing it to the side. "By a convoy just outside Kyoto. Why?"

Her heel started stepping down on the side of my knee. I grunted. "Christ...they're heading to the only part of Japan that WEREN'T as infested by both Horsemen and Vampires as I thought them to be: Tokyo—where I should have kept my ass at."

"Hmph. So, you're going to go there and steal back a kid?"

"I know none of you can get inside with them fangs and red eyes, but me? I can get him without raising alarms."

She scoffed. "You? You're really going to break into a human camp and steal back a kid? Coming from the same person crying in his sleep after killing those human soldiers?"

"Yeah...well, this time it doesn't really look like I have much of a choice, now does it?"

My heart beat like crazy with anticipation. The three of us fell silent, surrounded by hooded vampires carrying away the dead children. Krul sneered, stepping off my knee. She turned to Ferid, eyeing him, too, before stomping off.

I sighed, Ferid helping me back up. Ferid patted me on the back. In sheer frustration, however, I punched him in the gut, Ferid not even fazed. "Ho-ho! Something wrong?"Ferid chuckled.

"E...everything."

"So, what's your plan now? Did you say your goodbyes to Crowley?"

I scoffed, pushing him away before grabbing my pistol. I cocked it back and forth multiple times, seeing that the toss didn't break the gun before holstering it. I ignored Ferid's constant asking of Crowley, marching out of that godforsaken place and all the way back to Ferid's Mansion. Ferid promptly followed, whistling dixie along the way.

"Crowley's already gone ahead to get me a helicopter,"I finally said. "I assume you also have a way to get me out of Japan once this thing's done?"

"Of course~"Ferid smiled.

I soon got to my house, taking off the tailored clothes Ferid had me always wear. I tossed the hat, going inside my room and reaching inside my closet, taking out a garment bag before setting it on my bed. Ferid leaned against the doorway as I unzipped the bag, Ferid twirling my hat around his index finger.

"Your plan is to infiltrate their city?"Ferid asked.

"No, too risky."

I pulled out my old clothes, a nostalgic time of a life once peaceful. I hastily threw it on.

"My plan,"I explained, "is to intercept them on the road. Your boys are gonna take me just to the edge of Tokyo on the only road accessible via jeeps. I get to them, we talk, I give them yer...whatever the hell this is!" I held up the black folder Ferid had given me before. "...and then, it's off to that plane in Kanagawa you have, right?"

Ferid nodded with a smile. I shook my head in disbelief, putting on the thick jacket I wore when I was out in the Wasteland. I stuffed the folder inside the tear inside the jacket I called "a pocket." I shrugged, my hands slapping down onto my thighs. "Can't say it's been a pleasure,"I said.

"Wha–? Seriously?"

I walked out of the room, nearly shoving Ferid away. I went to my gun locker, taking off my rig and throwing it inside. Ferid looked on from behind.

"No guns?"Ferid asked.

"I just need a new one—or, rather, an old one."

I took out the Mare's leg and Trench Gun, stepping outside of the house without even bothering to close the gun locker.

"You look like you're in such a hurry,"Ferid commented. "How about—"

"Stop!"

Ferid closed his mouth, looking somewhat surprised. "What?"

"Just stop,"I scoffed, stepping out of the door. "Goodbye, Lord Ferid."

Later that morning, I hurriedly made it to the city's hidden airfield. There, a military helicopter was getting ready to take off, Crowley waiting for me just beyond the landing pad. He wore an uneasy look at the sight of me. I sighed as I stepped up to him, unable to look him in the eyes.

"You, uh, got my gun?"I sheepishly asked.

Crowley handed a familiar black rig to me, my old Ruger still attached to it, along with Haru's katana. I took it with both hands, wrapping the rig around my waist.

"I guess this is it, then. At long last."

"You'll be fine. Go. We'll see each other soon."

I bit back a smile, looking at him in those glowing red eyes. "Nah. I'm gone."