All right then. Let me set the mood for you. The bitter winter was finally over. All the snow melted, exposing the rough, unforgiving asphalt. Spring had finally begun. I hate Spring. All of the bugs come out and fly in your face, thinking they're the shit. On top of that, it's insanely humid. I hate humidity. With humidity comes sweating. I hate sweating. The clouds overhead finally cleared up, exposing the bright, eager sun. I hate the sun. It's too bright. Someone needs to dim it down a bit. I already miss Winter. But as much as I hate to admit it, Spring was here.

As I've said before, I had a goal to get Kurumi to change her diet. And, to my surprise, it worked out pretty well. Although, without other people to leech off of, we haven't made any money. Our income was at a standstill. We were still able to manage with what little money we had saved up, but I don't think it'll last much longer at this rate. But with the "killer on the streets" disappearing like a passing plague, more people started coming out of their homes. I hate people.

Kurumi and I were relaxing in our room. She was on her bed, watching the t.v, and I was playing my guitar, still trying to write a song for her. With our budget at a standstill, we had to go every one or two days without eating. At that point, we hadn't eaten since the day before yesterday. Needless to say, we were both hungry, but I did and said everything I could to keep our spirits up. But I noticed something different about Kurumi, ever since she switched her diet. She wasn't as vibrate and energetic as she used to be. In fact, my psychopathic lover usually just sat there, seemingly doing anything she could to preserve any energy she had left.

It was a little passed noon when Kurumi finally said something. "We have company." she said, still staring at the t.v. "Hmm?" I asked, looking at her. She motioned towards the window. I got off my bed and put my guitar down. I looked out the window to see a group of girls with guns, flying with what looked like jet-packs. "What are they?" I asked Kurumi. "AST. Or, Anti-Spirit Team. It wouldn't be my first time coming across them." she said. "Huh..." I said. I was too hungry to give an appropriate reaction, but rest assured, I was worried.

I walked towards my shoes, which were in front of my bed and started putting them on. "What should we do?" I asked Kurumi. She shrugged. "Not much they can do while I'm inside. Besides, they're here for me, not you." she said. "So you're suggesting we just sit here?" I asked, lacing my shoes. She then looked at the door to our room then back at the t.v. "Well, we can't exactly do that anymore." she said. "Huh?" I asked. I suddenly heard a bang at the door. "Open up! We know you're in there!" I heard someone yell. I walked to the door and looked through the peep hole to see military men with handguns, ready to rush as soon as I opened the door. They were all dressed with what seemed to be some sort of armor. I double locked the door. "Please leave a message after the beep!" I called out. Kurumi giggled a bit. One of them started kicking at the door. I backed up to Kurumi. "What now?" I asked her. She sighed. "I guess I have no choice." she said, getting up. She put her arms around me and dragged me back down to that dimension she took me to before.

"Before I continue Phillips, I have to ask. How'd you find out where me and Kurumi were?" Shawn asked. "Originally, we weren't there for you. We were given a tip anonymously that there was a threat to national security in that room. A threat with 'explosive power', capable of wiping out half the city. We figured terrorists were making bombs." Phillips explained. Shawn laughed a bit. "That tip of yours was definitely by the AST. They just needed someone to kick the door down and flush us out. But I will admit, I was living with a bomb, so at least they weren't completely lying." Shawn said.

We reemerged in a forest. I had gotten a little more used to Kurumi's way of travel, so this time I didn't fall to my knees. We were in an open area, surrounded by large, towering trees. The only thing next to us was a lone stump, firmly rooted into the ground. As I was looking around Kurumi fell back and rested against the stump. I wouldn't have been so worried, if she wasn't panting so much. I dropped to my knees beside her. "Hey. You all right?" I asked her. "I don't...have much energy left, Shawn.." she said.

I should have known better than to convince her to switch her diet. The only way she was getting life energy was by eating people, since we all are positively filled with life energy. But I still can't help but feel she knew it would happen. So why would she agree to stop eating humans?

I shook my head. "You're gonna be fine, I promise." I said, faking a smile. She smiled too, shaking head. "I feel as though you'd be better off leaving me." she said. I became angry, mostly at myself. If it wasn't for me, she wouldn't be in that state. "No!" I shouted, no longer faking the smile. She was surprised. "I love you Kurumi, okay!? I promise I'll find you something to eat. And if not, I'd rather sit here and starve with you instead of running off. You've given me so much. Shelter, food, clothing. You're the only reason I'm still living today. So please, let me do something right for once.." I argued, tears beginning to form in my eyes. She took a moment to process it all. Then she smiled warmly, also tearing up a bit. I leaned over and kissed her. "I'll be back with something, okay? Just hang in there, for me, okay?" I said. She nodded. I smiled and stood up, beginning to walk away. As I was walking off, I heard her. "Shawn?" she called. I turned and looked at her. "Hmm?" I asked. "If you yell at me like that again, I'll slaughter you." she said, smiling. I knew she was joking. I smiled. "Yes, Ms. Kurumi."

I wandered around, looking for something, anything. I ended up picking some berries as I walked. But as luck may have it, I noticed a hiker. He looked like he was in hid mid-thirties. He had dark black hair, a full beard and a white hat on his head. He seemed a little on the thick side, so I could tell he ate well. But what really caught my attention was the large bag he was carrying on his back. There had to be food in it. I needed that bag.

I dropped the berries and ran towards him. "Sir! Please! I need your help!" I yelled. He looked at me for a moment before walking towards me. "Something wrong?" he asked. "Please sir! Me and my sister were walking through the woods, but she slipped and slid down a slope. She hurt her leg really bad! Please help her!" I lied. "O-Okay. Show me where she is." he said. As I guided him back to Kurumi, I "explained" to him how, after she fell, I tried carrying her until she said to place her down to rest.

We soon made it back to where I left Kurumi. "There! Please, help her! It's her left leg!" I yelled, loud enough for Kurumi to hear. He rushed over to her. "Are you okay? Show me where it hurts." He said, leaning down to her. "Around my shin..." Kurumi lied. He nodded and placed his bag to his side. He then started to examine her leg.

I crept up behind him and picked up a large rock. "I'm sorry." I whispered. He turned his head just in time to have a rock being smashed against his temple. He fell to his back. He had a surprised look on his face, and I could almost feel the fear he gave off. I quickly got on top of him and continually smashed his skull with the large rock, determined to end his suffering quickly. I used any strength I had left in my hungry body to kill him. It didn't take long for him to stop kicking.

"That was...delectable." Kurumi said, smiling that evil smile of hers. I took a moment to catch my breath before putting the rock down and looting through his bag. The only useful thing I found was a zippo. Everything else consisted of a medical kit, bug spray, a tent kit and some spare clothes. No food or water. Nothing. I was frustrated. I looked at Kurumi. "I'm sorry...I couldn't find any food.." I said, despair taking over my body. "Well, I wouldn't say that..." Kurumi said, looking at the fresh corpse.

She took hold of one of his arms and tore it out of its socket with ease. There was a loud, sickening snap, as though a large tree branch broke right in half. Then, a loud pop followed, as though someone was cracking their knuckles for the first time in their life. Lastly, there was a ripping sound, almost like someone was tearing a large piece of paper in half. But what she did next surprised me most. She presented the arm to me. "You need to eat as well." she said.

Phillips sat there, looking horrified. "You didn't.." he said. Shawn held a serious expression on his face. "I took a bite at first, but my teeth wouldn't sink through. The thing about flesh is, it's pretty tough to chew through, so I thought cooking eat would make it easier to eat. I gathered some sticks and used my new zippo to light them. I held the arm in the fire, trying my best not to burn myself. The smell of burning hair was apparent, but not overwhelming. Once I felt it was cooked enough, I bit into the arm again, this time sinking my teeth through. I'm sure you've heard the expression 'tastes like chicken.' Bullshit. Flesh tastes like flesh. Nothing compares to it." Shawn explained. "Did you... Like it?" Phillips asked. Shawn stayed silent for a moment before answering. "I don't know if I liked it or not. It just felt 'right'." Shawn answered.

By the time I finished most of my meal, Kurumi had completely consumed hers. I felt my stomach kicking a bit, but I did my best to hold it down. I wiped the leftover charred skin and muscle from my mouth and tossed the bones to the side. Kurumi stood up and I looked at her. "How are you feeling?" I asked. "Much, much better. That man must have had a lot of energy. And you? How was it?" she asked. "Well, at the very least, I'm not hungry anymore." I replied. Kurumi then switched into her beautiful crimson Astral Dress. "We have company again." she said. Then, seemingly out of nowhere, the AST flew over the surrounding trees, pointing their guns at Kurumi.

For a second, I thought me and Kurumi were fucked. But then, something incredible happened. Those "black mist" formations started appearing around us. And to my surprise, multiple Kurumis started emerging from the ground, all armed with flintlocks and muskets. They all laughed the same maniacal laugh.

All the Kurumis aimed their pistols and rifles and opened fire on the flying AST, who did their best to deflect the bullets with some sort of shield. The AST aimed their futuristic assault rifles and returned fire. A couple Kurumis surrounded and protected me, taking all the bullets. Some of them fell, dead, but were absorbed back into the black mist and were replaced with newer ones, who rose through as the dead ones were completely absorbed. In retaliation, some of the surrounding Kurumis flew up into the air after the AST, determined to strike them down. The rest of the Kurumis followed, and soon the sky was filled with beautiful chaos and destruction. The original Kurumi then grabbed my arm. I knew deep within the bottom of my heart that she was the original. "We should leave now." she calmly said to me.

We ran through the woods, hand in hand, with me leading. Kurumi remained in her Astral dress, but was no longer holding the flintlock and musket. I could hear an all-out war behind us. We dodged trees, bushes and branches, refusing to slow down. But as we were running, I tripped over an exposed root and, ironically, tumbled down a slope, taking Kurumi with me. We unfortunately slid and fell onto a bed of rocks. Luckily, my arm took full impact of all the sharp, painful stones. I was wearing my long-sleeved hoodie, so I luckily didn't shred my arm when I fell. I raised my head to see Kurumi, holding her ankle tightly. "Sorry...Are you okay?" I asked, getting back up. "Y-yes.." she said. But as she stood, she winced in pain and immediately dropped and grabbed her ankle. "I think you have a sprained ankle.." I said. She looked annoyed. "I wonder whose fault that may be." she said. I sighed and walked over to her. I helped her to her feet and picked her up, with my left arm behind her knees and my right arm supporting her back. "Wh-what are you doing?" she asked. "We're escaping together, whether I have to carry you or not. I promise you that." I said. I'm going to be honest, I felt pretty cool after saying that. She smiled and sighed. "Very well then." she said. I then started walking again, ducking under branches and watching carefully where I stepped. I carried her for what seemed like forever through that never-ending forest.

I could eventually see the edge of the forest through the trees ahead of us. "See? I told you I would get you out of here!" I gloated. "Stop." she suddenly said. "Hmm? What's wrong?" I asked. "There's more of them on the other side..." she said. "More of who?" I asked. "Soldiers. The same kind that were kicking down the door to our room." she said. I took a moment to think before nodding. "I'll handle it." I said. "And how do you intend to do that?" she asked. I looked around and found a large, hollowed tree. It was tall and the bark only left a small, jagged opening at the top. I figured it would be a perfect place to hide Kurumi. I walked towards it and gently placed her on the ground inside it. "What are you up to? Pick me back up immediately!" she demanded. I leaned down and kissed her. "Trust me, okay? I promise this will all work out." I said, holding her hand. She just stared blankly at me for a while before sighing. "You'd better know what you're doing.." she said. I kissed her hand. "Find me when you can. I'll be waiting for you." I said, letting go of her hand. "What do you mean?" she asked. I simply smiled.

I started walking away from her, but was stopped by the sound of twigs breaking. I looked around and saw a deer, hiding behind some trees in the distance. It showed no fear, or intent to run. I took a step towards it, just to see if it would run off. But it stood its ground. It just looked at me, as though it was watching what I would do. It was almost as if it was encouraging me.

I eventually made my way out of the woods. I was met with your men, about five of them, aiming their assault rifles at me. I assumed they followed the AST and waited for me to come out of hiding. "Freeze!" they yelled. I stopped. "Hands up!" one yelled. I slowly raised my hands into the air. They quickly walked towards me, still aiming their guns. I stood still. One wrestled me to the ground and put restraints on my wrists behind my back. Another one struck me on my head with the butt of his rifle, knocking me out. Next thing I know, I woke up in this room, with you sitting across from me.

"So that's it?" Phillips asked, putting his pen down. "That's it." Shawn replied. "Good." Phillips said, standing up. He reached for his left hip, which held a handgun in a holster. He pulled the handgun out and aimed it at Shawn. Shawn simply sat there. "You are obviously a threat to my country. Therefore, I am to carry out your execution. Any last words?" Phillips asked. Shawn knew he had to stall for just a little bit longer. "What is death?" Shawn asked. "What?" Phillips asked, confused. "I'm asking what death is." Shawn said. "Really? These are your final words?" Phillips asked. "Is it simply the absence of life, or something more?" Shawn persisted. "You're serious?" Phillips asked. "As serious as a hungry cannibal." Shawn said, smiling. "Well, I guess it's-" Phillips started before being interrupted by a loud alarm. "INTRUDER DETECTED! INTRUDER DETECTED!" it screeched, over and over. "What?!" Phillips yelled, looking around. Shawn simply sat there.

Loud banging, yelling and gunshots could be heard in the hall behind the door. Phillips turned to see what the commotion was. But the door was knocked right off its hinges and was hurled at him. The door pushed Phillips to the other side of the room. The gun flew out of his hand. Kurumi emerged from the hallway.

"Well, aren't you a sight for sore eyes, gorgeous." Shawn said, standing up. "Oh, stop. It hasn't been that long since we last saw each other." she said, smiling and walking towards Shawn. "It's been long enough." he said, walking towards Kurumi. She put her hands on his face as he placed his hands on her waist. They then kissed before embracing. "Was it tough getting here?" Shawn asked. "You really should have more faith in me." Kurumi joked. Shawn smiled. Kurumi then looked at Phillips, who was trying with all his might to get up. "He's yours to do with as you please." she told Shawn. Shawn then let go of Kurumi and walked towards the handgun, which was only a few steps in front of him. Shawn picked up the gun and began walking towards Phillips, aiming it at him. "Any last words?" Shawn asked. "Please...don't. I have a wife and son waiting for me at home.." Phillips pleaded. "I would do it if I were you. He wouldn't have given you a second thought." Kurumi said. Shawn looked at Kurumi, then back at Phillips, who was on the verge of tears.

Would Kurumi be successful in completely manipulating Shawn?

Shawn sighed. "If I ever see you again, I'll kill you and make you my next meal, understand me? Don't look for us." Shawn said. He then pistol-whipped Phillips, knocking him out.

Shawn then turned to face Kurumi, switching the safety on the gun on and sliding it into the back of his jeans. He then walked to the table and put the zippo in his pocket. "'Make you my next meal', huh?" Kurumi asked. Shawn smiled a bit. "I think I've acquired the taste." he said. Kurumi smiled. He walked over to her, holding her hand and interlocking their fingers. they then walked out of that small, dimly-lit room together.

They slowly made their way through several halls. The floor, walls and ceiling were painted with blood. Bullet shells and guns were scattered all over the floor. "Where are the bodies?" Shawn asked. "Sorry. I was still hungry." Kurumi said, giggling a bit. Shawn chuckled a bit. "So, what now?" Kurumi asked as they reached the end of a hallway. "Well, I'm going to have to see how badly damaged that door to our hotel room is. And of course we'll have to make sure there isn't anyone else there who thinks we're terrorists." Shawn said. "Is that all?" Kurumi asked. "No. Let's get someone to eat. I'm starving." Shawn said. Kurumi giggled. "A man after my own heart." she joked. They then opened up two doors to an exit, ready to take on the world.

Together.

-END-