Shun

One Month Later…..

I unlocked the door to my apartment, and stepped inside. Kuda was stretched out on the loveseat, staring up at the ceiling. I asked him, "So, how does it feel now that you have to wait longer for me to die before you're free?" Kuda rolled over onto his stomach and said, "Feels about the same."

I smiled. Now that my curse was lifted, I didn't have to worry about my next day being my last. No longer did I fear which kill would end it all for me. But I still didn't like how it was broken. I had been possessed by an Oni, and forced to kill Alice; the key to my curse.

And if it wasn't for Teru and Kuda, she would have still been dead. I was just thankful that she wasn't blaming me for what happened to her. Now, it had been a month since all of that drama. Since then, the others and I had let bygones be bygones. Dan took a little more convincing though. He was still a little angry at me for keeping such a big secret from him.

But in true Dan fashion, he didn't stay mad long. I kind of felt foolish for living all these years in fear of his reaction. It wasn't nearly as bad as I thought it would have been. Kuda jumped at the sound of the contstruction work down the road.

The city was almost completely rebuilt from the damaged caused by the Akuma that rampaged during the Teiden. It was clear that the people of Wardington, had a different view of their city now. They knew of the dark secrets that hid in the darkness and preyed on them at night.

Although monsters had destroyed thousands of buildings, things had gone back to their regular routine, even for me. I still hunted, of course. The only thing that changed was the fact that I could kill ten in one night, and not even break a sweat.

It was nice though, not having my life slip away from me any longer. I reached into the liquor cabinet and stared at the bottle, then put it back. "I don't need it," I said to myself. Kuda was staring at me. "What?" I asked. He blinked a couple of times, as if to tell if he was really seeing something.

"I never thought I'd live to see this day," he said. I chuckled. Same here, buddy. Now that the curse was gone and things were finally falling in place for me, I had no reason to drink away my problems. I walked over to my closet and pulled out a jacket, then slipped it on.

Kuda asked, "Where are you going?" I straightened the hood on the back of the jacket and told him, "I'm just going for a walk. You can tag along if you want." Kuda curled up in his spot and said, "I think I'll stay here, where it's nice and warm."

Shrugging my shoulders, I stepped out of the apartment and walked down the stairs, making sure to slip past Selma's office like always. I had made it five years without running into her, and I wasn't about to start messing up now.

I stepped out of the apartment complex, and into the cold air. Winter had hit a few weeks back, covering everything in snow. Up ahead, I saw Wrath and Dante leaning on the corner of a building. Nobody had seen them since the day before the Teiden.

I walked up to them and said, "Hey, guys." Wrath was breathing into his hands to try and warm them up. He glanced up to me and said, "H-hey." Dante had his hands stuck into his pockets and said, "Hey. Just ignore him. He was too stubborn to put his gloves on."

Wrath got right up in Dante's face and shouted, "No! You took them! I know you did!" The two glared at each other, and I expected the usual banter to start. And all because I told them hi, I thought to myself. "I didn't take your gloves! And even if I did, what would I do with them!" Dante shouted.

Passing people looked at them in confusion, and one woman ushered her kids by them quickly. I snapped my fingers to get their attention. They both turned and looked at me. I said, "Hey, sorry for interrupting, but I just wanted to ask where you two went before the Teiden."

It was just something that I was curious about. Dante glared at his green-haired friend and said, "Genius here made us hide in the sewers during it. I suggested we should have just left the city!" Wrath held his hands up in defense and said, "Hey! We didn't get involved, did we? No!"

Dante threw his hands up in the air and said, "We wouldn't have gotten involved if we had just left the city like I suggested! And it would have smelled better!" I had gotten my answer, but wasn't sure if I should have even asked.

I decided it was best to leave the two before I had to play referee. Something cold hit me in the back on my head, and I turned around to see Wrath and Dante throwing clumps of snow at each other. They stopped when they realized one of their projectiles hit me instead, then dropped the snow they had in their hands and ran.

I shook the snow out of my hair and continued on down the sidewalk. An Akuma, disguised as a normal person, saw me and slipped into a nearby store. I found it amusing how a couple of months ago, I was somewhat of a joke to the Akuma I hunted.

Now, they feared me. After I killed their leader and they discovered my curse no longer held me down, they knew better than the mess with me. In fact, the number of Akuma in the city had decreased drastically since that day.

I walked past the hotel that Alice and the others had stayed at. They had all gone back home not long after the Teiden. I hated to see them go, but not more than I hated to watch Alice leave. She couldn't stay here though. This wasn't where she lived, after all. But there had been times when I wished she did.

I caught a glimpse of something black, and looked around until I saw Teru floating above the daily commuters. I then saw Star not far from her. A month hadn't done anything for his fashion sense. I walked up to him and asked, "What are you doing back here?"

Before the Teiden, if I had even looked at him, I would have gotten cold steel stuck into my side. But now, Star wasn't out to kill me anymore. He had said that I was just too interesting to kill. Although, I still had a feeling he wasn't too fond of me.

I was still an Akuma, after all. He moved a stray lock of his silver hair from his face and said, "I was asked by my superiors to see how things were going here, since this place is now considered the demon capital of the world. But I'm starting to have second thoughts about that name. You're the first Akuma I've seen all day."

I smiled and said, "Then I guess I've been doing a good job at keeping the population under control." Star nodded and told me, "It looks that way. Shame you couldn't join to ranks of the other hunters, but you'd only hurt yourself with the blessed weapons we use."

I had been on the receiving end of a blessing, and it wasn't fun either time. I told him, "Well, even if I did get offered to join, I think I like working for myself a lot more than some boss." Star straightened the white gloves on his hands and said, "That's understandable. Well, I must be on my way."

He walked past me, but Teru remained in front of me. She looked around and asked, "Is Kuda around here?" I shook my head. Teru's ears folded back. "Oh, okay. Thanks." She shot past me and caught up with Star. I smiled, surprised that Kuda had an admirer.

I stopped at the old lake. The sun was already setting, turning the snow a bright orange in some places. I was leaning against the bridge that stretched over the lake, watching as people skating over the frozen water. It was like I could actually enjoy watching life for once.

I had always been too absorbed in my problems to see what was happening all around me. Things were so much simpler now. I smiled and started heading back towards my apartment. As I got closer to the complex, I saw somebody standing outside.

The setting sun made it difficult to see who it was, but it looked like it was Alice. I didn't want to embarrass myself by running up to them, only to find out it was somebody else. I got a little closer to them and said, "Hello? Can I help you with something?"

She turned around and said, "Shun! There you are!" It was indeed Alice. She wrapped her arms around me in a hug, and I hugged back. I was completely surprised to see her. I couldn't help but smile when I asked, "What are you doing here?" She smiled and said, "Well, I decided that I wanted a change of scenery from Moscow, and what better place than Wardington? I already have so many memories here, so why not add onto them?"

I thought for a moment that I might have been dreaming the whole thing. "So, you're moving here to Wardington?" I asked, making sure I heard her right. Alice nodded and told me, "I'm staying at a little hotel until I can find a place. You wouldn't happen by chance know of one, would you?"

I pretended to think of a place before saying, "I think there's this one place nearby, that you can get away with free housing as long as you don't get caught by the rent collector." Alice giggled, and a slight blush crossed her face. She told me, "I might have to check this place out sometime. It sounds just like what I'm looking for. Well, I better get back to my hotel. See you around, Shun."

She started to walk off, then turned back around and placed a quick kiss on my lips. "Bye," she said and walked off. I felt my face get warm. "Bye," I said to nobody before walking up to my apartment. Kuda was in the same place as I had left him. When I shut the door, he woke up and looked around.

"Have fun freezing to death during your walk?" he asked with a hint of sarcasm. I smiled and told him, "Actually, yes. I ran into Teru. She was looking for you." He shot up off the loveseat and got right in front of my face. "You saw Teru today? Why didn't you invite me to go on the walk with you?"

I pushed him away from my face and said, "I did invite you, but you're so in love with the heater, that you didn't want to go. But hey, it's your loss." Kuda shot me a glare then sighed. "Whatever," he said. I changed from the jacket I had on, and into a solid black one.

Kuda asked, "You're going on another hunt?" I zipped the jacket up and said, "Yeah, I've got to stay on top of the game." Kuda grabbed onto my shoulder and said, "I'm going with you. You know, in case we run into Star and Teru and you need back-up."

I laughed and told him, "Alright." I went upstairs and up to the roof of the apartment complex. The cold night air nipped around me. Kuda was shivering on my shoulder. I asked, "Want to go back to the apartment? You won't be much help to me if you're an ice sickle."

Kuda glared at me. "No way. You aren't ditching me that easily." I smiled and formed a sword in my hand, taking in a deep breath of the winter air. Life is good, I told myself before jumping down into the alley below. Everything was coming together at last.

and i finish on an even number. -fistpumps- yes! yes! yes! (all WWE fans will get that, i hope) o.o'' well, i hope you all enjoyed reading this story as much as i loved writing it. of course, i'll be my same old workaholic self and probably have a new story up either tomorrow or monday. (i have no life X3) well, read, review, and other things. ~Copperpelt~