My Heart Hates Me

Chapter 43 Light and Dark Envelope

"Why would you feel hungry in the middle of the night?" Vivian asked as she took out a tray of persimmons while Kirito sat on the chair in front of the dining table "Is everything alright?"

"I usually get up in the middle of the night"
"This never happened before though"
"I usually drink alone in the balcony when it happens"
Then let's drink together"

"Shut up. I don't want a hurricane in here. Besides, I like drinking alone" Vivian just smiled and sat opposite to him. The clock struck two in the morning. Vivian yawned as picked up a persimmon.

"Christmas is coming" Vivian puckered out the persimmon peel "You said you'd take me to Philippines!" Kirito sat and ate a piece of it."Philippines."
"I have been meaning to ask--Are you somehow related to Philippines?"

"Why do you think that?"
"Because, you can speak Filipino--"
"I don't. I only know a few words."

"I see. By the way, did you like these?" She asked.
"They are fine. I don't fancy persimmons though. I prefer oranges"

"What else do you like?" 
"Mostly light stuff like bread and apples"
"That's why you like French cuisine" She peeled another persimmon "I think French cuisine is the most sophisticated food you could ask for."

"Is that so?" Vivian chuckled.
"What do you eat generally?" Kirito asked.
"Us Germans usually prefer potatoes and bread"

"Nah, not my type." Kirito said. It was quiet after that. Vivian peeled the persimmons while Kirito ate them. The heaters seemed to work just fine, warming up the room, slowly. Kirito  looked at at her. He brought his hand forward, right before Vivian. She looked at him.

"Let's dance" He said. Vivian pressed her wet and cold hands on his warm hands. He intertwined their fingers together, and got up from the chair. She got up from her chair and walked before the dining table with him. He gently pressed his arm on her torso. She stepped ahead and he stepped back. She was dancing perfectly without the heels.

They both danced in their socks upon the carpet. They looked into each others eyes as they danced.
"You're right. Christmas is coming" He said "I want lots of gifts this Christmas"

"How shameful to ask for gifts for yourself" She said. He smirked "You out of all others are talking about shame"

"Shut up!" Vivian shouted and moved back but he pulled her closer and pressed her to his heart.
"What do you want this Christmas?"
"I don't know. We'll see."

After sometime, Vivian slept on his shoulders while standing.
"What the fuck? How can one sleep while standing?!" She stood peacefully, hugging him tightly. He picked her up and took her to the bed.

He pressed her on the bed and sat beside her "You're giving me all the love you can and all I give you are lies. You can't even call me by my name. Freedom is nothing but not having you and I don't want to go back"

"I thought you are okay?" She mumbled in her sleep.
"I'm okay but I'm not happy" He felt the light behind him getting brighter and the room turned colder. He turned back towards the cupboard which was glowing.

He opened the door. Between the clothes, something was shining as bright as a diamond.It was the book-- The antabulam. He picked it up and it suddenly it lost all its brightness. He opened the book, the but he couldn't understand anything that was written

"It isn't German either. Which language is this?" He said to himself. He felt dizzy as he looked at the book.
"I should probably sleep" He said as he kept the book on the table beside him and fell on the bed.

Lucus sat outside the balcony, on the railings. He raised his hand and the antabulam flew towards him. His eyes turned grey as he opened the book.

"Negative one year" He wrote something inside it.
"How rare for you to cut down lives" Fate sat beside him.

"Am I doing something wrong?"
"You are the angel of death so you deal with death yourself. Don't drag me into something so simple" Fate said as she got up.

"You're funny."
"I'm not funny. I'm just really mean to people and they think I'm joking."
"Alright that wasn't so funny." He said and they both stared inside the apartment "Humans waste so much of their time just resting" Fate said.

"They are fragile, they need rest. Besides, you--"
"I'd love to stay and chat but I'm lying. Goodbye" She disappeared in a blue cloud. Kirito was fast asleep when the antabulam started shining again.

Erika crawled down the attic with ropes wrapped around her body. Her knuckles had nails inserted in them and had turned purple.

"I'm sorry, Ethan" She thought "I had to tell him everything. That monster. Now he's coming for you. I must warn you" She dragged her twisted foot out to the door "I'm finally out--"

"Where are you going" Kurosava said with a smile as he stood at the end of the hall. She panicked and moved faster.
"I told you that I still need you. Do you want to leave me too now, Erika?" He asked.

"Please let me go. I told you everything I knew." She begged.
"But I don't want you to leave, Erika. We'll stay here in this huge mansion, forever."

Erika ignored him and continued crawling 'Maybe I should call for help' She thought.

"Somebody help me!" She shouted. She shrieked out for help. Kurosava got up and picked up an axe kept beside him. She continued shouting until he stood right before her. His hazel eyes glowed under the lights above. Erika looked at him while shouting.

"How loud..." He said as he raised the axe and slit her throat. Her blood sprayed on his face and on the walls. It became quiet all of a sudden.

He took a deep breath and left the axe. It fell on the floor and made a loud noise. "Why don't you people just listen to what I say. I wouldn't have to be so strict if you're good, you know"

Her eyes were still open and stared right at him. He leaned towards her and pressed his fingers over her eyes "Such magnificent eyes, models are indeed different from all other beauties. Don't worry, Erika, I won't let you go to waste."

He picked her up from the floor and took her to a room at the corner of the halls. He opened the door. It was filled with garbage and old newspapers. He wiped his face with a towel and crackled his neck and knuckles.

His clothes were drenched with her blood. He brought a knife from the kitchen and looked at her. Then, he moved away the newspapers and switched on the yellow bulb.

Now that it was brighter, the shredding machine was clearly visible.

He walked out to the backyard of the mansion, which was filled with fruits and flowers. He walked there with a trolley and started digging the soil with his hands. Lucus stood behind him with his antabulam shining. "Rise up" He said and Erika's soul rose up from the trolley filled with a thick, blood like liquid.

Lucus wrote the time in the book and then looked at her. What he saw, shocked even an angel of death like himself. Erika stood there in one piece. She had two arms, two legs, one head but no eyes. There was just a black cavity in place of the eyes.

"Your..."
"I can't see. It's so dark." Lucus gently took her hand "I am the winter angel of death, Lucus. I'm here to collect your soul,"

- To be continued

Kirito Hiomi || Vivian Hiomi
My Heart Hates Me