FLESH and BLOOD.

"Flesh and blood."

The whispers haunt your ears once again. You turn, scanning the room for any intruders, any Rattatas that might've sneaked their way in. Maybe it was Ghost, toying with your mind for shits and giggles? You recall a certain Frillish that took pleasure from doing that, but you shake your head. No one was usually awake at this hour, and no one had any reason to bother you in the middle of sleeping. That's just a bad prank on their part. Not to mention the fact that your boyfriend is a Ghost and a Dark type, lending way to a wonderful arsenal of advantageous attacks against any would-be jokers. Plus, the whole city is pretty informed on your relationship anyhow, anyone would have to be living under a rock to NOT know. No offense to Crustles, that is.

You gaze drearily towards the pantry. Maybe some food should settle you down? A few steps, and a loud creak from the cabinet at you open it causes you to wince. You hope that he doesn't wake up and assume you're a burglar, that wouldn't be a great spot to be in. Then again, he's a wimp, and you're pretty strong, so maybe it wouldn't be so bad. Hell, you punched him in the face on the first day y'all met, there's no way he should be scaring you now. You sigh, sniffing at the pantry, weakly looking for something to appease your tastes. Berries, berries, and more berries, and then some "meat substitutes." What the hell even is that, you wonder, a "meat substitute"? You've tried it previously, but it was nothing compared to the real thing.

"Flesh and blood."

You jump, quickly shutting the cabinet with a loud BANG. The noise makes you jump again, and you stumble back, laughing at yourself. "Alright, asshole, I know you're there. You got the reaction you wanted, now show yourself." You Taunt them. No answer. Your smile quickly melts into a confused frown. Your skin tickles, you feel your face grow colder, like you're in a place that you're not supposed to be. "Hello..?" You echo. Maybe there wasn't anyone there at all? Maybe you're just tired, and are hallucinating from the dreams. Yes, that's it. Sleep is all you need.

You return to the hall, idly walking past the bathroom, but then stopping. Maybe a good splash of water will help you clear your head, you consider. Squeaking open the door, you flick the light on, opening the valves for the tiny waterfall contraption. Looking forward, you see your reflection. Look at yourself. You're tired as hell, your eyes are contoured with purple, you look like a mess, you need to go back to sleep. You splash some water on your face, rubbing the crust out of your eyes. A few more blinks, followed by a sigh. You shut the water off, click the bathroom back into darkness, and creak the door shut. You return to the bedroom, sliding back next to the imp, cradling yourself with the blanket. He's still fast asleep, that's good. You kiss him tenderly on the forehead, although knowing he's not awake to register the gesture, you find it sweet. You crawl into his grip, he reactively grasps you in his sleep, and you let out a long, happy breath. Your heart is beating wildly, you haven't felt like this in a very long time. The feeling of being protected, of feeling safe in someone else's arms. You begin to nod off again, thinking of how wonderful everything is-

"Flesh and blood."

Your eyes shoot open again, and all joy that you had a second ago has washed into fear. You're breathing hard, but you try to calm yourself. Your stomach grumbles loudly, bubbling against your skin. Ah, is that all? Perhaps you were just hungry after all. You sneakily slip out of bed once again, hoping not to wake the Ghost, and tiptoe your way back to the kitchen. A simple berry oughta do the trick, or maybe even an apple. You grab the latter from the pantry, still wincing at the loud screech it makes, and chomp into it. The tart texture of the fruit accompanies the watery juices that flow into your mouth, and you begin to feel-

"Flesh and blood."

You drop the apple, almost choking on it as you swallow. You force the bite down your throat, painful tears welling up in your eyes, and you are now gasping for air. You shake your head. It's not the same. You weren't made to eat fruits like this. The taste is all wrong, the feel against your tongue is too different, it's too much of a change. You need to go out, and...

No. That's not the way things are done here. No one would understand. You would be an outcast, a freak. Would it be worth it? Probably not, you figure. If you are caught, you'll probably be sentenced to a life in prison. Caged away, no where to go, no one to talk to, no one to... Nothing to eat. You sit down, holding your head. You just need to clear your mind, that's all. All this food nonsense will go away eventually. You can't let your family's rituals take over now, that's not the way these people are.

"Flesh and blood."

But you begin to consider it. Maybe, if you just go out into the fog, no one will see you? No one who goes into the fog ever returns after all. It was a steady source of food for your family. Your own flesh and blood. They are the only ones who will see things the same way you do. They are the ones who taught you. No one else will understand. No one else knows. You begin to think, what are the chances of even finding someone suitable out there? At this time? Andalusst was pretty visible even from the outer reaches of the fog. Someone might see, someone could report it. It's way too risky. You can live without. It's not worth it.

"Flesh. And. Blood."

Yet, it's so tempting. You gaze blankly out the window. If you disappeared into the fog, no one would be able to see you, right? But then, how would you make it back? You're not like your mother, you can't just magically jump back to your starting point when you vanish into the fog. Maybe take some kind of trail, like a rope? Maybe you won't need it, if you don't go too far into the fog. The beacon will rescue you, right? Probably. Maybe. But, is it even worth it?

You pull yourself back again. It isn't. This is a stupid idea and you know it. There's no way it would work, there's too many flaws. You're just tired, and hungry. You need to go back to sleep. You need to finish eating that apple and suck it up. Choke it down. Doesn't matter. You must play it safe here, play by the rules. Anything against those rules can get you kicked out, or worse, tortured. You wouldn't be the same person in their eyes. You wouldn't be the same person in his eyes.

"Flesh. And. Blood."

You sigh exhaustedly. What are the chances of them finding out, though? What are the chances of someone spotting you this late at night? You stand up from the chair, your hands are shaking slighly with anxiety. Are you excited? Or dreadful? It's hard to tell. You let out another long yawn, bracing yourself against the wall as you almost topple over again. Look at you, you're a clumsy idiot, even if you tried, you would end up getting caught. You shake the idea out of your head. There's no way it would ever work. You just need some fresh air, you need to walk it off. You creak open the front door, taking in the sweet smell of the night and-

"Flesh. And. Blood."

You swallow a lump in your throat. This will all be over very shortly. Watch, you'll walk around for a while and then fall asleep in the streets somewhere. You'd wake up to his wonderful voice screaming at you for being such a dumbass. He'll tell you he loves you, and you'll punch him in the arm, returning the phrase. Everything will be back to normal. You just need to walk for a little while. You steel yourself, taking the first few steps into the soft, calm grass. A wind sweeps past you, you begin to feel more content. This is all you needed. A nice, lonely walk around the outskirts of the city. You look to the stars, counting how many you can spot. You wonder what your dreams might be of. You wonder what-

"Flesh. And. Blood."

You blink your eyes vigorously. How did you end up on the ground? Did someone push you? You shoot up, pivoting in any direction you can. There was no one around, so... Did you fall? You don't recall falling. There was a split second of black, and your entire body had switched positions. What was this nonsense? This trickery? Was an invisible Pokemon to blame? But, no, there wasn't anyone around. You consider jeering at an unseen foe, but the air feels empty, it feels stale. That cold tingle travels through your skin once again. You feel like you're not supposed to be here. You feel like you weren't supposed to experience this. You feel like everything is wrong. You begin to walk back towards the house, you need to get to sleep. You need to go to bed. You're too tired for this. You-

"FLesh. And. BLOod."

Your breath quickens. Where are you? You look around, the house is behind you. How did you pass it without realizing? How... How did you walk SO FAR without realizing? You're in the middle of an empty field, the silent tendrils of fog stretching just a few yards by you. Did your legs take you here without you realizing? You turn around, and try to head back to the house. You need to go to the house. This is too sketchy for you.

But then you pivot. You land on your hands, your breath heavying. You hear your stomach growl... or was that you? You look up, towards the stars. You crave something, something that this world cannot provide for you. A thirst that will never be quenched. You gaze towards the fog once again. You're not supposed to, you shouldn't, but you feel your legs pulling you towards it anyway.

"FleSH. And. BloOD."

You hear a noise escape your throat, one that you do not recognize. Was that a roar? You're not sure, you must keep moving. Move, before they see you. Move, before you're captured. They cannot take away the thing you crave. That is not right, that is not fair. This will only take a second. You dive into the wall of white air, then skid to a stop, and stand upright. You sniff the air, your ears listen closely, you hold your breath to create a more complete silence. You listen, you listen harder, but all that screams in your eardrums is silence, a long, dead silence. Maybe this wasn't a good idea after all. Maybe you're lost now, and you won't be able to find the city. You turn towards the direction you leaped from, and you almost take a step towards your home.

"FLESH. And BLOOD."

You spin vigorously. A snapped twig, a few pitter patters. Perfect. That's just what you need. You climb into the fog once again, following the heartbeats of your lost companion. A sillhouette materializes in the dense white shadows. Four legged, short, large head... You scoff. It's one of THOSE Pokemon. You approach it stealthily, being sure it doesn't notice you. They're lost, but they're close to the city. They're nearly there. They can almost see the beacon.

"FleSH. AND. BloOD."

You reel back suddenly, as if pained. You cannot! That's against the rules! What did the rules say again? Only dead Pokemon. Only dead Pokemon were suitable. The exceptions were those that were mortally wounded, or those who are irrepairably insane. You observe your prey, and they are neither. They are perfectly sentient. They are fine. You cannot kill them! That is not right. That is disrespectful. That is against the rules. You would never kill another Poke-

"FlESh aND BLOoD."

A rancid scent fills your olfactories. It stinks, but it's delicious at the same time. It reeks of excitement and pain and pleasure and torture and satisfaction. You turn, how did the mammal get behind you? You notice the trails painted red with the wonderful juices. You follow them, your eyes see the prey, leaking, pouring from inside of them. This is perfect! This is wonderful! They are mortally wounded, you must put them out of their misery!

"FLESH. And bloOD."

But how did they get wounded? They were fine a second ago. You wonder, did you do that? Did you hurt them?

"FLESH AND BLOOD."

Their screams pierce your ears. Blood curdling, heart wrenching Screeches. Yells and shouts and shrieks, you ears begin to burn. You hiss, you tell them to stop, you tell them to be quiet. Then you think. These screams are not from someone who's here. These screams are from someone who's far gone. Someone who is irreparably insane.

"Flesh and BLOOD."

You snake towards them. You must put them out of their misery! It is the only way to respect them. They will suffer forever if you do not. You must! You must help them! So then they can help you! They won't be living much longer anyhow, best to make it quick and painless.

"FLESH and blood."

Your body glows, feathers ruffle your edges. You cannot miss. The final blow. It always hits. Your pace quickens, your breath quickens, your heart quickens. You jump, you fall, you strike.

"Flesh and blood."

A sickening pop is heard, along with the tears of muscle strands. You slurp it up like a bowl of noodle soup. The pieces are too tough, you must pull them apart. They're too large, you must chew them smaller. Gross bubbling noises are heard. You ignore them. You're making some sort of grunt noise, but you ignore yourself. The fur gets caught in your throat, you choke. You spit out the fur, it's covered in sticky reddish goo. You try to take another bite, you swallow it whole. The fur clumps up again, you hack up a good portion of what you ate.

"FLESH AND BLOOD."

You whisper to yourself, thinking of your parents. Your flesh and blood, this is how they taught you. You gather the parts and chew them slowly. You must go slow, you cannot inhale them. You grab the head of the being.

"Flesh and BLOOD."

You see their face. Their petrified face. It's twisted with fear and pain and hurt. You drop the head, it rolls a little ways. You ignore it. You grab some part, you cannot even tell. You eat, you're hungry, you must satisfy your hunger.

"F-Flesh and blood..."

The whispers escape your throat. You can't tell what's right and wrong. The lines are blurred. You swallow more parts, your stomach begins to silence. You return to the head.

"Flesh-sh-shhh... a-and... bloOD."

You tear the head to pieces. You hate the face. The face makes you angry.

"FLESH AND BLOOD!"

You scream. You crush the skull. It breaks with a loud squelch. You're so angry. You hate it. You hate it.

"Flesh... and blood..."

Your tongue slips along your lips. The sweet taste of the liquids greets your taste buds. It's delicious.

"Flesh and blood..."

You look back toward the beacon. They'll never know.

"Flesh and blood..."

No one will ever find it.

"FLESH and blood."

You're safe.

"FLESH AND BLOOD."

No one will ever know.

"Flesh... and... blood..."

You make your way back to the house. The house you feel safe at. You need sleep. You're tired.

"Flesh and blood."

This was all just a nightmare, you tell yourself. None of this happened.

You collapse on the floor of the living room.

~

"FLESH and BLOOD." Short story about Cuspy Sassy

I really like the concept of her Cusp and I really wanted to flesh it out (heheh that was [p]unintened). Like, she's till have the cusp personality, but she'll occasionally have these bouts of, hmm, insanity? Depending on the situation. This particular one is with hunger, but it can happen with just about anything. Fighting someone, protecting someone, etc. It doesn't happen too often, though. Just when Sass begins to lose control of her mind.

I had a lot of fun working on this though! This is my first time ever trying something with 2nd person, and I'm rather happy with the result. I also got some inspiration from some creepypastas that Dimmy read to me one night~ (hehe he's such a wimp u v u I love you <33)

Sweet dreams everyone!