I Fell In Love, But It Wasn't Mine To Have

5

Hunger finally drove Tsukiyama from the shop. His stomach ached and gurgled angrily, apparently trying to eat itself. Shuu's head pounded, and his mouth was dry. He stumbled down an alley, not knowing where he was heading, sniffing weakly in search of prey.
His senses were dulled due to starvation, but they were still sharper than a human's, or even an animal's.
He had to stop repeatedly, resting his weight on the side of buildings, legs shaking from the effort of holding himself up. Tsukiyama wandered through the 4th ward slowly, exhausted and starving, desperately looking for anyone he could kill.

Unfortunately, there seemed to be no one out, as everyone was resting after the festivals that had occurred yesterday (without Shuu's knowledge).
Tsukiyama had to stop after almost an hour, too weak to keep going. He berated himself for straying so far from his hiding place. It was too late to turn back, now, anyway. He knew there was no use beating himself up over it. "Stupide, stupide, stupide," the gourmet mumbled.
Shuu closed his eyes, breathing hard. How was he supposed to eat, if there was no one around? He couldn't keep going, his body couldn't manage it.
He slid to the ground, not caring that he could be sitting in shit or trash, stomach protesting and head aching.
He wasn't sure how long he sat there. In the distance, a dog was barking furiously. A scream sounded, and Tsukiyama jolted to attention, ears straining and mouth welling with saliva. He forced himself to stand. The scream hadn't been very far away.
He staggered in its general direction, and soon the smell of blood filled his nose. Drool ran down his chin as he picked up the pace, and he rounded the corner of an alley to find a woman sprawled on the sidewalk. She had either jumped from the balcony above, or had been pushed. It didn't matter to Tsukiyama. He stumbled over to her, feeling heat prickle behind his eyes as they turned black and red. Dropping to his knees next to her, he reached for an arm.

She stirred, turning her head weakly in his direction, hair falling across her face.

"Please......please, help me......"

Shuu ignored the words, focused on her flesh. He grabbed her, yanking her forward, not hearing her cry of pain. His teeth sank into her shoulder, deep enough that they scraped bone. He did hear her scream that time, weak and thin as she struggled in his grip. He simply adjusted her in his arms, ripping away the chunk of meat from her body, blood, hot and wet, spraying over his face and chest. Licking his lips, he took another bite. Then another, and another. Soon, the woman was still, head lolling to the side, eyes horrified even in death.

He laid her out, ripping open her blouse, exposing her small breasts and flat stomach.
Tsukiyama's hands tore through her skin, peeling the corpse open to reveal red, red, red.
He stuffed a handful of guts in his mouth, moaning at the taste, barely chewing before shoveling in more.
Eat, eat, eat.
The ghoul was completely unaware of his surroundings, too focused on his meal. He didn't notice when three figures slipped into the alley behind him.
He did notice, however, when a boot slammed into his ribs, sending him flying. He hit the dead end wall with a thump, crying out with surprise and pain.
"Fucking bastard, hunting in our fucking territory," a voice hissed out.
Tsukiyama struggled to sit up, whimpering as a piercing pain shot through his side. He probably had a broken rib or two. He barely heard what his attacker said, dazed and confused and hurting.

His gaze landed on three figures, two men and a woman. The woman had been the one to kick him. Her eyes burned as she glared holes in him, bikaku curling around her threateningly.
He flinched back, a small whimper tearing from his throat.
Shuu looked at the men. The taller, dark-haired one looked at him, a look of keen interest on his face. The other fidgeted, glaring at Tsukiyama while snatching looks at the female ghoul.
"Whattaya want us to do, boss? Kill 'im?"
Shuu swallowed. "Please, I'm sorry, I didn't know that this was your territory."
"Bullshit!" She barked, taking a step forwards. "Everyone knows this is our turf. Who the fuck do you think you are, waltzing in here, stealing our food?"
Tsukiyama scooted backwards, eyes wide with fear. Before he could reply, the ghoul had stalked forward and delivered another kick to his side. There was an audible crunch. Shuu cried out, tears squeezing from his eyes as he doubled over in pain.

More blows came, making him see black at the edges of his vision, signalling that he was about to pass out. Blood dripped down his face from various cuts, and his body was screaming in pain from the broken bones. As the woman drew back her leg again, the third ghoul spoke up. "Hey, now, that's enough. We don't want him dead yet."

The other two looked at him.

"Whattaya mean by that!?" The short guy demanded, twitching. The girl simply waited.
The man met Shuu's eyes. "I think we should give him a chance to tell us why he thinks he deserves to live."
"The fuck would we do that for!?"

"Oh, because only useful things deserve to breathe." The man crouched in front of Shuu, who flinched and whimpered. "So. Tell us, you weak little fuck. What can you do to convince ue not to kill you?"
Shuu swallowed hard, tasting his own blood, trying to find an answer as the trio looked on.