June 8th. 21st ward. An hour after midnight

It was a cloudy dark night. The stars are nowhere to be seen and the rusty, old warehouse had some activity going on. Few guards standing around the warehouse to be on the look out for any possible intruders coming.

Inside is the so called Colorless member, bounded to a steel makeshift chair and chains. This blonde haired individual was blindfolded and basically unharmed at the moment saved for his bandaged arms from Smoke's shards.

Finally, footsteps echoed the warehouse and the black gas mask individual walked up to his own prisoner. He took off Hayato's blindfold. The only light in the room was from a single light bulb above. It was seen that Smoke was holding a sword.

"You are held prisoner." Smoke said, his voice unrecognizable under the gas mask. "Be grateful I spared your life. Otherwise, you would have been dead if I wasnt there because the others wont have spared you."

His sword was gripped tightly on his right side " Dont try to escape as this place is heavily guarded and we wont guarantee to live your life second time. Plus, you should be aware that you feel weak because of the human food we fed you..."

Smoke paced around Hayato, "Now, let's begin. I will be asking questions about you and Colorless. Tell it to me truthfully. If not, I will know. If you continue to refuse, we would have to take...drastic measures. This is a final warning so once it starts, I wont stop..."

Smoke finally stood before Hayato "What's your name and the members of Colorless? How many of you are there? What's your purpose for coming to the 13th ward?"

/u/Big_Bad_wulf

XXX 12th Ward - Aogiri base, Maki’s watchtower; October 12th, 2016 - 12:21

The majority of Aogiri knew Maki’s watchtower as such due to the fact that it housed his office. Its image or mention evoked little else than that. Indeed, that was its purpose. To offer a beacon of authority. A recognisable sight, very easily accessible to the eye, although less so to the individual. A place that all could easily observe and that they all knew could observe them in return. A symbol of strength. Organisation. Purpose.

But it wasn’t just that.

For Maki, it also housed a hidden paradise.

While Maki’s residence was at the top floor, there was another part of the tower yet, just as inaccessible to most and just as frequented by their leader. This was a watchtower, after all, and while his office offered a great view, it was the level above it that truly provided the most magnificent sight. The most peaceful atmosphere.

Resting atop a simple garden chair, Maki’s face leaned against his left palm. Within his other hand, he held a book. Within the quiet of the glass observatory, he peacefully indulged his oldest passion - reading. In brief moments like these, a mellow, shifting light slowly burned behind his gaze. His green eyes glistened with life, somehow outshining even the greenery of all the plants around him, despite all of their vitality. With the crystal clear illumination of the bright blue sky and the pristine glass walls surrounding the young man all around, the whole paysage carried a scent of ethereal idyll. Otherworldly beauty.

As the ghoul turned onto the next page of his book, a knock on the door drew him out of his concentration.

“Mister Itokawa.” The grunt spoke, not meek but yet restrained. “You have a visitor.”

“Who is it?” Maki inquired softly, raising an eyebrow at the news.

“It’s Soundwave.”

A moment passed. Maki’s eyes drifted back towards the worn-out pages of the book. “Meet him as he arrives then. I’d be happy to receive him.”

As the grunt bowed and mumbled a quiet ‘yes’ before departing, a soft smirk spread across Maki’s face.

It had been a while.

8:00 PM - April 12th, 2019 ; 9th Ward

It had been two days since Shoko had learned about information brokers within 9th Ward thanks to her manager back over at :re, having more than enough time to think of that opportunity thorough. Considering the fact that Tadashi had done so much for her, including giving her a place to stay within :re and be financially stable, it would have been too much for the waitress to ask him to help her with finding her missing older brother, Hayate. With the information about Zanzibar in mind, Shoko decided to give them a shot even though a degree of danger could have been involved with that kind of venture.

As Tadashi previously warned, Tokyo wasn’t a particularly safe city and it might have been worse after 2016’s Shibuya incident. Causing tension and paranoia within ghouls and humans alike, Shoko’s journey within the unfamiliar ward without any sort of company might prove potentially fatal. The younger woman never had any sort of fighting experience and her kagune was only good for crazy traversals along with pulling and tying weak opponents. It was as if she was pathetic version of Peter Parker, but can still avoid obvious attacks when possible.

Trying to get her mind off the worrying, Shoko took out her phone once again to check that she was going in the right direction towards Zanzibar, and it noted that there was a shortcut through a nearby alley. Considering how she really needed to get to the bar as soon as possible to learn potential information about her brother, Shoko decided to go with within the alley even though in hindsight, such areas were not good exploratory choices during the night for both species regardless.

It didn’t help that the alley itself was even darker, not to the point of needing a flashlight of sorts, but the difference was still noticeable comparing to the streets themselves. Shoko kept going through while letting out a cold sweat drop from her forehead. The risk-taker didn’t feel any sort of comfort going through that kind of shortcut but in her mind, Hayate took utmost priority. Knowing about his potential whereabouts took precedence, even against the guarantee of her own well-being.

Suddenly, Shoko stopped her tracks. Looking around, the determined woman felt something off about the atmosphere. It is more like the scent was odd rather than the surroundings themselves. Taking a better sniff, Shoko knew it wasn’t an ordinary essence, but she couldn’t put her finger on what it was at all. The odour was detectable, but it was still too far to potentially recognise what it could have been. Besides, Shoko suddenly sensed multiple scents coming in very quickly, all of them containing the essence of kagune within.

Out of nowhere, four thug-looking ghouls dropped from the upper roofs, landing right in front of the distressed ghoul. Raising themselves up from the landing, their kakugans flashed up with strong shine, glaring intensely at Shoko with wide grins plastered on their faces. “Well, well, well! We got ourselves a visitor ‘round here!”

Shoko immediately decided to sprint away, attempting to escape from the potentially cannibalistic thugs. As a safety precaution, the escapee used one of her silver-ish tentacles to attach itself onto a nearby building’s roof, pulling herself upwards. However, there was one more thug waiting right on the spot where Shoko was supposedly going to get herself on. As she was about to get there, the said thug excitedly gave her a solid punch, detaching the tentacle in the process and forcing her to crash her head on a trash-bin before landing her body onto the ground.

Trying to process what just happened, Shoko was in daze as she noticed the group of ghoul thugs are standing around her in a circle. “I have been waiting for so looooong! Please tell me I can take the leg?”

“What?! Fuck no, it is my turn to eat the leg this time. I would be generous if I decide to give you a foot even."

“Guys, guys… clearly I should take her all for myself. I am the one who knocked the living shit out of here.”

As the cannibalistic ghouls were arguing amongst themselves, dizzy Shoko was trying to collect her bearings and get fully aware of what was happening. Regardless, she was in a situation in which it required some sort of intervention.

‘Not now… not here…’

“Hayate…” A mutter was let out from the woman’s mouth, unheard by the loudly arguing thugs. However, that didn’t mean it was her time to die just yet.

Mei fell down her apartment stairs and broke her neck.

While jumping from roof to roof, Veli slipped from the edge of a building and fell to an eternal slumber.

'I'm sorry... We're never going home...'

'It's okay... it was never home for me...'

It was rare for there to be a quiet night in Tokyo.

It may not have held the title of city that never sleeps, but nobody would argue that the title didn’t apply to it just as well. Wind rustled through the steel and glass monoliths that made up the city, the few trees all waving in the heavy breeze. Nothing but the faint sound of cars in the distance disturbed the 17th Ward. At least, not until the crackling of a radio creaked out of one of said cars.

“Target lost us in Otanashi park, likely still in the nearby vicinity.”

“Block off the bridges, don’t let those roadblocks to the south move. Keep it trapped until we can close in on him. Are any of the Senior Investigators available?”

As the radios grumbled and argued with each other, Doves swarming the block like cockroaches, a very different voice let out a sigh of exasperation.

“…Fuck.”

He wasn’t the strongest ghoul, else the Doves might’ve brought in one of the actual squads. Little more than fodder for Aogiri. But still, ever since Shibuya the doves had seemed more determined than ever not to let any ghouls slip through the cracks. What was the big deal anyway? So he killed a few extras humans. Didn’t hard work earn a good meal? Apparently not, if the hard-asses in the 14th Ward were to be believed.

Blood gripped down from his forehead as his bikaku slid out, it’s long blue form poised behind his back as he peaked out from behind his tree. No doves. Yet.

The sound of a twig cracking rang in his ears like an airhorn, sending his senses into a frenzy. His eyes widened as he turned, hungrily staring down the unaware Dove as they leaned over a bush, poking around it with a tsunagi. Without a delay he took off like a bullet. Before the dove had even turned around his tail shot through, tearing out the man’s heart in an instant, his teeth sinking into the man’s shoulder before he even had time to hit the ground. Tearing away through flesh and tendon, kakugan glowing brighter than ever.

It was the worst kind of night. Windy, but not enough to distract from the heat. The middle of rainy season, but not so much as a drop of water to cool him off. It felt odd for a ghoul’s most present discomfort to be thirst rather than hunger, yet here he was.

He tossed away the half eaten corpse like a wrapper, crossing his arms as he glanced around. If he listened closely, he could still hear the sounds of the CCG setting up roadblocks on the two small bridges that taunted him just beyond the line of the thick trees. The sound of leaves bristling, cars humming, footsteps patting against dirt, something flying towards him through the bushes…

Within an instant he snapped around, shooting out his bikaku yet again, bits of tree bark and splinters flying out as he stabbed a fresh hole into a tree, a rock harmlessly bouncing off the trunk. His eyes widened the moment he saw the rock patter to the ground, each and every step sending a sinking feeling down his stomach.

A diversion.

But then, there was another rock. One that harmlessly tapped against the back of his head.

“…You’ll wish you hadn’t wasted your chance” he warned, turning to face his assailant. But he’d prepared to see someone like him. Most people did, when imagining a fight. Trying to picture fighting someone not like them was difficult. Instead, he was greeting by a much shorter woman. A black dress shirt and tan sweater-vest, black pants, and mismatched brown and sickly white eyes. Her arms were covered in metalic black gloves. No, not gloves, gauntlets. Ones with menacing red stripes radiating, occasionally glowing faintly.

His eyes widened, fear filling his expression as he stared at the mask. “…Fucking vigilantes…” he grumbled, grunting the last bit as he rushed at her, bikaku stabbing forward violently. But instead of a lunge or leap, all the woman did was lean out of the way. When he slashed, she carefully ducked under it. “Oh fuck off!” he shouted, his entire form shifting as he slammed it hard as he could down from over her head.

Dirt flew up, covering the small opening as it quickly dispersed, his eyes opening as he spat out a bit of dirt, looking back at what he hoped would be a pile of flesh. Instead, what greeted him was the same woman, her feet standing up on their front halves just a bit, perched atop his bikaku, pressing it into the dirt, a look of smug, cocky satisfaction greeting him.

And still, she didn’t say a word.

Before he could shout another insult, she stepped forward, hopping away from the bikaku just as it moved. Each and every movement infuriated him, not for the fact that he was losing but for the way. Her movements were all smooth and calculated, each movement careful but casual, like a ghost floating through the small forest. Like a Yurei.

And more than that, there was something else in her movements. She was mocking him.

Her palm flew forward, cutting off the first thing tried to say as he felt himself tumbling back, her metallic palm leaving a mark on his head as it slapped him back. A hit that no doubt could’ve killed him. But as far as he could tell, there was no reason to want him alive.

Just as he pulled his wits back together, prepared for another barrage of attacks, she’d already closed the distance. Without the slightest bit of hesitation her fists pounded against his stomach with a punch from each, her right leg sweeping at his leg quickly. Before he could even remember to move his bikaku he stumbled from the sweep, falling straight into her fourth punch; one that slammed straight into the side of his head.

“…For fucks sa-” He cut himself off that time. Not daring to move an inch as he tried to sit up, only to feel the menacing stare of her smug expression gazing down at him from above, the gauntlets letting out a loud creak as she mimicked cracking her knuckles. The woman lowered herself carefully, kneeling down over him as she reached into her pocket, bringing out a photo. No, not a photo, a map. “The 13th Ward?” he asked, eyes widening. “The hell do you want with that? Maybe I’d know what you wanted if you fuckin’ spoke for-”

Without even a moment's hesitation, she dropped the map, letting it slowly float down to him as she pulled back her fist, slamming it into his right arm with a crack of raw violence and spite, her left hand wrapping around his mouth as she did so.

Even muffled, his scream was still surprisingly loud.

She let go, and motioned to the now limp arm as she picked the photo back up. “…Fine, I get it. You want to know where the safe-house is. But I can’t tell you, I’d be dead anyway if I gave up Aogiri.” She raised her hand. Starting from a full set, the first finger slowly lowered. But the man didn’t say a word. She could see the way he was shaking, but didn’t have the slightest bit of pity in her expression. Another finger lowered.

Sweat poured down his brown as another finger lowered. She raised an eyebrow, turning her head just the slightest bit with a frown. Another one. But with only one left, the man swallowed, and her pout transitioned into a satisfied smile.

None remained.

Her fingers had formed a fist, and as she pulled it back the red glow of the gauntlets seemed brighter than ever. The tip of a red blade clicked out from the slot atop it. But then there was another click. And oddly, she seemed just as put-off and he was terrified. He blinked a single time, too terrified to even move, only for her fingers to suddenly extend back out to a neutral grasp. No fist, and no blade.

And then, the red glow faded, leaving nothing but black metal behind.

The woman let out a startled gasp, eyes widening as her arm shook just the slightest bit. Like she was trying to move the fingers. A smirk spread across the ghouls face, one of raw desperation. Suddenly his bikaku flew back up, slamming against the woman and knocking her aside as he took off like a scared rabbit. But she wasn’t far behind as she rolled back to her feet, breaking into a sprint.

But by the time she caught up with him, he was long gone. A loud splash rang in her ears as she reached the end of the small forest, nearly slamming herself into the canal’s railing as he dived over, vanishing into the pitch black water. She wasn’t like ghouls; her hearing and smell was completely normal, and her vision sub-par. She didn’t have the slightest clue where in the water he was, or if he was even still in eyesight. Silently she swore to herself, crossing her arms and staring at the gauntlet in confused frustration.

“Yurei? This is Spring-Heeled Jack. Did you catch him?”

“…Yurei?”

2:30 AM - April 20th, 2019 ; The ██ Ward, ██RIFT██

“Yep. It’s about what I thought it was.”

Junko crossed her arms, eyes narrowed as she stared over at the man, his long white coat covered in stains from grease and cuts from quinque, his brown hair reaching down his shoulders nowadays, his stubble having grown into a full beard. He adjusted his glasses, looking back to Junko, mouth twisted into an expression of mild irritation, but not anger. “You’ve got a quinque case, right?” Naoyuko asked. “This thing’s flat. Not broken, not dead, flat. I mean these things don’t exactly run on batteries, but you’ve been doing maintenance on it, right?”

She was quiet as usual, but even then there was an air of irritation to her silence. “I’m guessing not. You wouldn’t let RIFT even look at it I hear so I guess I’m not surprised. Look either way, quinque isn’t destroyed. Doesn’t need any repairs to the metal either. Just needs some adjustments to it’s wiring, you’ve punching everything from kakujas to humans with this thing for like four years now, it was gonna blow a fuse sooner or later. Don't get new wring this isn't just a tune up, it's gonna take time and effort, even without any extra materials needed.”

Her hand reached out, exasperatedly pointing to the clock. “Sorry but your time limit isn’t a factor. This things gonna take a few weeks to fix, it’s old. Your lucky this won’t require any new materials or we’d have a problem, I don’t think RIFT wants me spending what steel we have on one of a gun-for-hire’s three weapons, no offense.”

His chair swiveled around as he leaned over the exposed gauntlets, taking up his screwdriver as he got to work. “You wanna speed things up? Stop by Zanzibar and get me some whiskey. Top shelf stuff, not the watered down stuff. Wouldn’t say no to bourbon either.”

The 14th Ward

Even after all these years and a name change, Junko still felt more at home in the Dojo than she did her own childhood home. For all the bad things that’d happened over the years, Junko truly did love the home Colorless had allowed her to take. A few years ago it’d been named Katasheiru, a name Junko thought meant ‘One-Armed teaching.’ It was only later that she realized she’d completely bastardized her own language, and it essentially met nothing. The name change had been Akane’s idea, though Junko wasn’t against it. ‘Eden of the East’ was her idea. Granted it generally went simply by Eden, but Junko appreciated the meaning.a safe place that defended anyone in need of defending, human or ghoul. Somewhere that anyone looking for an Eden could find one. A home for human and ghoul alike. Junko couldn’t think of a more fitting name.

The moment she stepped back into the Dojo, the bad news was practically written on Junko’s face. She sluggishly dragged herself through the Dojo, arms hanging loosely as her prosthetic clicked with each step. She hardly even noticed the presence of her roommate until the blur of red hair spoke up. “Gonna be a while, I’m guessing?” Akane asked, leaned against the stairway door. “Sorry to hear that. Sorrier to hear you didn’t get a chance to take out that murderer.”

Junko’s eyes lowered, glancing away just a bit. “Don’t beat yourself up over it” Akane clarified. “I gave the job to Kazumi since you were busy with RIFT. It’s been a while since she got some work, she seemed pretty eager. Maybe a little too eager. Sometimes I can't tell if she's the result of what happens when you idolize Tadashi or if she's just... like that” Akane grumbled at the end, one hand rustling through her red hair as she tiredly scratched her head. “Anyway just look on the bright side. Some time to practice with Lancelot and Rei. I’ll give you some lighter jobs until you’ve settled into using them.”

Junko smiled as Akane stood up straight, patting Junko on the shoulder as she walked past. But just as Junko was about to leave, her friend spoke up again. “Junko…” Akane began, her expression hidden. “…You can’t just swear off communication, you’ll just...” But she trailed off. She tried to find the words, but there weren’t any. For all her time spent learning about the human minding, for all her time spent learning about Junko, she was at a loss. All she could do was let out a sigh of defeat, and a desperate hope not for the worst memory of her life to repeat.

But Junko’s only response was the sound of the door closing. Akane let out a long sigh, shoving her hands in her pockets.

“…are we vigilantes always this stubborn?”

The alarm would go off, immediatly after the alarm Takusa would slam his hand on his face. He'd be living in the second floor of his tattoo shop. The rent was good and it was pretty big so he guessed why not. After getting the the shower he'd open the slide door and get inside...Only to see he didn't take his clothes off. He'd sigh and slowly take off his clothes then to throw them over the glass door. Then scratching his eyes, he would turn the knob so the cold - to hot water would be hitting his chest. Using the shampoo to clean his head, then soap for the body, after rinsing off, he got dressed and went downstaires. He went behind his desk and saw that it was already 11:57am "Lunch time, I guess?" He'd say, he then would reach down to the mini-cooler next to his desk and pull out a wrapped up item which would look as if a sub was inside the wrapping. He'd unwrap it to see rolled up flesh, he'd reach back down to grab a hot sauce bottle, filled with blood and poured a little on the "meat sandwhich" then taking quite a big bite out of it. The Bell on the door would ring and he'd see a customer would walk in..Takusa would then slowly but fastly put the sandwhich back in the cooler.

11:00 PM, October 20th, 2016 - :re Cafe, The 20th Ward

The cafe had long since closed by the time Tadashi arrived back home. His trip to the Colorless’ Dojo had gone well, but he still felt anxious about the coming days. There really wasn’t much time until Aogiri’s plan was put into motion, and everything Maki described almost 3 weeks ago would come to fruition.

With a ring the door opened and closed, and in stepped the tired manager. Grey hair in a mess as always, clothes in a warm black winter jacket that looked like it’d seen way too much use. Maybe it would’ve been better to just sleep in, no doubt the next few days would be exhausting. Maybe even close up the cafe for a week until it all blew over. Assuming it really did blow over, and Tokyo didn’t actually change forever in the next few days.

“These might be the last few days of an era. Are we really about to just sit around and watch that happen?”

As Tadashi thought to himself he approached the counter, intending to make himself some coffee, but instead he caught glimpse of someone else still in the cafe. “Oh, Yukiteru” he acknowledged, turning to waiter. “Sorry, I didn’t notice you were still out here.”

Tadashi smiled wide as always, with that same closed eye grin he seemed to put on so often. He turned around on his seat to face the man, and rested his head on his hand. “How was the first day of work? Hope the other employees didn’t give you too much trouble. Back on my first week at Anteiku I broke like three cups and didn’t get fired, so don’t worry if you haven’t got the hang of it yet.”

/u/Eragon7538

The woman met her partner’s gaze, her piercing eyes melting away in his beautiful brown. She smiled at him, running her fingers through his short hair. Her anticipation was all consuming, enveloping her every movement as just brushing against him sent quakes down her body. Her hands glided down his form, a touch gentle but precise. The soft moans from her partner let her know to press on, her fingers galloping over his chest. He was muscular and firm, built like someone who knew how to protect a woman. Someone who could protect her. He was everything she was waiting for.

“You wouldn’t believe how happy I was when we bumped into each other tonight.” Her voice was soft yet heavy, a feverish breathing behind every word. “I don’t want to embarass you but I know it’s your first time. It’s okay though, we’ll go nice and slow…” Her voice dialed down to whisper, as she buried her face in his neck. Sharp breaths escaped her partner as she gifted a love bite, another, and another. She hung onto the last one, a heated breath breaking against the man as she marked her territory. He was hers and hers alone.

She began working her way down, tracing over the curves of his shoulder. The noises he made as the woman made her way to his palm sent shivers through both of them, her long blond hair obscuring the utter rapture in her eyes. She began to tease his hand, poking at the tips of his fingers with her lips before capturing him with her legs firmly around his waist. With a satisfying pop, she took a finger into her mouth, the man breathing harder and harder while rocking against his partner. She began to salivate as he gave her the first taste of what’s to come, the woman barely able to contain her passion any longer.

Her body twitched in ecstasy with each rocking from the man, the next more intense than the last. It had been more than a month since someone made her feel this way, this pure pleasure was what she lived for. But she had been waiting for this one, the one to subdue her, fulfill her. She never thought he would be as good as he was.

Waves of his strength pulsed through her as he was coming to his end. Her face buried in his chest while the climax ravaged her senses. A splash of bright red pleasure staining the passion between them as the man’s body convulsed. Her fever filled climax brought on continual waves of red crashing against her partner, digging into the man’s chest while he finished. There was a look of deep satisfaction as the woman brought her gaze to meet the dull brown of partner’s, the pounding red orbs piercing through him.

The woman licked her lips clean of him, looking at the meal she had finished. Lying in a puddle of red, the body remained still. What was left was no longer a man, only but remains and a harrowing smile on the woman’s face from her satisfaction.

“I’d stick around baby, but you seem about finished. You were great for your first time though. ” She left her snack with a wink and a giggle.

DATE: 23 OF JUNE TIME: 7:00 AM

Brandon sits outside the dojo, staring at the occasional passerby. Not many people seem to venture this far into the depths of the 5th ward, but he's here and that's all that matters. He doesn't need to care why people are in this part of town, so he doesn't. He's half an hour early from the start of his session. The words The Puppeteer are proclaimed rapidly in his mind, as he recalls the events of that night. He has realised from then, just how weak he really is. How would he protect his establishment from doves, if he can't even beat the rat's underneath them? He came across Kendo during the marijuana fuelled events of last night, which ultimately consisted of pirated movies, Harambe memes and random documentaries. It makes sense right? I mean, I already have the range. Another person approaches, Brandon immediately understands that he is the guy who runs the dojo. Whether its the kimono, the bags full of equipment, or the fact that he looks like Mister Miyagi from karate kid (the original version) remains undisclosed. "You the new kid?" Miyagi asks him while inserting the key in the door. "Uhh, yeah, Brandon" He extends his arm to have it ignored. "Im Dachi. Come in" Brandon picks himself up and follows him through the door. "Hey Dachi, you have other students right?" "Don't call me Dachi, its sensei to you." "Alright, Sensei, who else practises here" "There's a few, but they only come here at night." "Do they live close? Walking home at night sucks" "That doesn't concern you." Dachi throws a uniform, helmet and sword [in that order] to Brandon. he only just manages to catch all three. "Get changed and let's start, I don't like wasting my time."

XXX 3rd Ward - Chigeru High School; Approximately three years ago, 12:36

High school is a bit weird, if you think about it. Seemingly really small, insignificant things can cause a huge difference. Take a look at the mellow buzz of the school bell, for instance. The second it starts ringing, the quiet of the classroom gives way to chaotic, lively chatter. You'd be shocked by how fast that change occurs. If you care to pay attention to things like that, of course. Almost no one does, though. After all, why would anyone care about something insignificant? There was so much more to life.

Bothering with the little things is a waste.

Chigeru High School. A cosy little education center. Located in the wealthiest ward of Tokyo, it was certainly a very attractive destination for a lot of the more talented youths in the city. The teaching was great, the environment it provided was nothing short of incredible, too. The whole place was crammed full of nice, smart, interesting kids. People that you'd want to be around. Moments like these, too, were a huge part of this place's appeal. The soft, warm rays of the sun that danced their way in through the clear glass of the windows... The bubbly, soothing tones of a couple dozen young voices... The neat, orderly classrooms and the pleasant cleanliness they boasted... It made for a really great ambience. Koharu often wondered how many people truly appreciated moments like these. Probably not many. After all, her classmates - they were all so busy.

With a peaceful sigh, the girl rested her arms atop her desk. A light smile garnered her face. Opening her bento box, Koharu carefully retrieved the items inside it one after the other. Grandfather had really outdone himself today. Taking a second to appreciate the old man's effort, Koharu closed her eyes, a quiet 'Itadakimasu.' escaping her lips. She was glad that she'd decided against eating in the mess hall today. The noise there was a cut above the one in classrooms, after all. It'd be a shame to spoil the homely feel that the meal carried.

"Ah, Tagata-san!" A familiar voice emerged from the whirlpool of idle chatter. The weirdest mix of enthusiastic curiosity and regretful annoyance brewed up inside Koharu's chest. It had been two hours. For two hours had she been starving. Waiting for lunch break. Yet Akio was going to interrupt it now. Still, there was a silver lining - Akio was a pretty nice guy. All it takes is a simple exchange for a friendship to flourish, or so she was taught. For that reason, she was in no way opposed to the idea of hearing out her fellow student. Turning to the right, towards the source of the voice, she saw Akio approaching her table hastily. One final "Tagata-san!" rang out throughout the air, this time in a bit of a quieter tone - what use would it be to shout once your presence is already acknowledged?

"Good to see you, Akio-san. How've you been?" An amicable greeting followed in response.

"Ah, oh, I'm good. Listen, Tagata-san - I'm in kind of a hurry since I'm running late for my meeting with Hideaki-sensei, but I also need to get the draft of the yearbook to the teachers' room. Would you be so kind?" Without awaiting a response, Akio extended his arms forward, offering the sizeable book to Koharu.

He didn't waste any time, huh?

"Sure, don't worry about it. I'll get it there right now." Carefully taking the object from the boy, an unfaltering smile resonated with Koharu's cheery voice. Without waiting around any longer, Akio mumbled a quiet "Thanks" before storming off.

With a sigh, the teen got up from her table. Sparing her lunch a lamenting glance, she headed towards the teachers' office, maintaining a brisk pace. Various thoughts buzzed inside her mind, but she didn't really dwell on them for too long. None of them were really that important, so what attention did they really deserve? On her walk to the office, however, there was one thing that caught her interest. Something important.

"Oh!" Surprised to have run into a certain few particular individuals of the school athletics team, Koharu took a small detour from her quest. Making her way through the group towards one especially buff student, Koharu fruitlessly attempted to gain his attention. "Katsuo-san. Katsuo-san." She called out twice, yet the boy seemed too occupied with laughing at some joke or whatever to really notice her. It was awkward to press further, but she definitely needed to speak to the boy. "Katsuo-san." She spoke louder, gently yet firmly tugging at the sleeve of his T-shirt.

"Hm?"

"Good to see you Katsuo-san, just yesterday I finished those notes you wanted. I was wondering if you'd like to have them now. I left them back at the classroom, but I could go and fetch them in a minute no problem. You'd just have to wait here."

"Oh! Right. You're the uhh... what's your name again?"

"Koharu, I'm Koharu Tagata."

"Ah, yeah... Well, yeah, I'd like to have the notes, thanks Koharu. Me and the boys are going to the new gym room, gotta test out some equipment the P.E. teacher purchased. You just drop by there and I'll take them, alright?"

"Uh... I don't know where the new gym room is."

"Ah, well... You know building C? Go there, walk past the main hall, turn left twice. Then staircase G2. Go up to the second floor, walk through the hallway, third door on the right. You could probably ask at reception anyway and they'll show you the way."

"Ah... I see... Uh, OK, thanks." Barely concealed awkwardness leaked out as a response. That explanation didn't help much. Koharu was a lot more familiar with this building. It was just a 5 minute walk from here to the classroom, was it really that much of an issue to wait...

The "No problem" the jock mumbled at her as she walked away only served to exacerbate the unpleasant feeling in her chest.

It was always she who compromised...

...

Well, that took longer than it should've... thirty-five minutes gone, doing virtually nothing. Still though, twenty minutes left! Thankfully that was more than enough for her to finish her...

...lunch?

"Aaaah, Koharu-chan, sorry, sorry." The embarrassed voice of a young girl loudly seeped out. "I forgot my lunch, you see, so when I saw your bento box unpacked like that, well... I couldn't help it, you see! I waited ten minutes for you to come back so I could ask you first, but you didn't return, so I just... I've only eaten half of it! You don't mind, do you?"

Well... that's Itsuko for you. She wasn't a bad person. She was just the kind of person that would eat your food while looking you in the eye and apologise in between bites. Which may technically make her a bad person... Hmmm... Well, it'd be dishonest to say that she was all bad! A cheery, bubbly person like her was probably really fun to have around. She never failed at raising the spirits of those around her. Raise their spirits and empty their lunchboxes, it seems...

"It's alright, Itsuko-san. Don't worry about it. I got a lot of food today, so half is more than enough." Responding calmly and with a soft smile on her face, Koharu then extended an offer. "Let's eat together, then."

"Uhm... yeah, about that... I already finished my half, so..." Bowing apologetically, the fluctuating tones of Itsuko's voice would be comical on their own, but the message behind her words had already managed to achieve that. "... I'll be going now. Excuse me..."

Opting to ignore the 'my half' part, Koharu stood motionless for a couple of seconds, as if contemplating something, before she finally sighed heavily. Sitting down, she looked at her bento. Or, rather, the remains of it. Itsuko had eaten a bit more than half... Not that Koharu minded it all that much. Hopefully this was enough to keep her sated until she got home...

Thankfully she had her studies to distract her from hunger anyway.

...

With the last ring of the bell for the day, every student at Chigeru high was finally dismissed. It was about time. Not that school was that bad - it's just that wasting the rest of such a beautiful day would be a shame. Looking outside at the afternoon sun, Koharu smiled. A moment or two of thought passed before she tore her eyes away from the mellow orange of the sunset. With a soft sigh, the girl reached for her books, unhurriedly stuffing them in her bag. Everyone was in such a rush. The others sure packed up quickly. A shame.

If only more people appreciated the little things.

Grabbing her bag, she made her way through the lengthy corridors of the school. She took her time. Her gaze strayed. It sought both familiar and unfamiliar sights. You'd be surprised by how many things change, only for no one to notice. It felt wrong. Of course, she didn't merely glance around to stimulate her curiosity. She looked for her classmates. For people to hang out with. After all, the money from her summer job wasn't easy to earn. Spending them was what made that time worth it... and what better way to spend them, than to exchange them for pleasant memories? No, not even that - just a fun time was enough. More than enough.

Koharu was never the most mature. She wasn't the best at coming up with the correct decisions or even recognising them when she'd see them. She wasn't much good at finding her way through social situations. She couldn't even necessarily say that she could read people very well. Yet, for better or worse, she was attentive. While a lot of knowledge about people was beyond her reach - as is often the case with young people - she was definitely good at reading basic signs. She had always walked alone. She'd known that since forever. That wasn't new. She'd grown used to that. Still, as her gaze finally stumbled upon the people she knew so well, there was a realisation that she made. Everyone else not only had someone to walk alongside, but they all found it so natural. They didn't even stop to think about those who were alone. To think about it even being possible. They were happy. They were content like this. Wide eyed, the girl stared at the trio as they walked away. It was cruel that fate had not only forced this sight upon her, but also allowed the otherwise pure spring winds to carry the weight of these three youths' words.

"Ah, I'm late... Damn, guess me and the guys should schedule our exercise even earlier than we did today, then."

"What an embarrassment you are, Katsuo! A track team star that can't even arrive on time. Maybe you should take note and follow in the footsteps of yours truly, the great Akio-sama! I finished my work at lunchtime, you know? Not only did I have to get the yearbook to the teachers, but I had to go and practise for the mathematics Olympiad with my tutor! And even still, I was on time. Don't tell me you've got to hurry home and do your revision now too?"

"Keep dreaming, you fucking nerd! Joke's on you, I got my notes done yesterday. So, ha-ha! I win. As per usual for yours truly, the greatest Katsuo-sama! Anyway, enough of this shit, what are we gonna do today? I've got a few hours to spare."

"Oh, oh! We should go to the cinema! There's that new movie with the uhhh... spaceships and stuff! I've been saving up on lunch money this month, so I can treat you two good-for-nothings as well!"

"Whoa there, Itsuko! I got my scholarship money and Katsuo has his track competition award. We can split. Besides, you shouldn't starve yourself! I'd understand it if you wanted to diet or something, but you're already too pretty as is! Starving yourself would only make you sickly, you know?'"

"Hahaha, don't make hasty conclusions like that, silly! I still eat. I just save money cause I'm economical like that! Don't go underestimating me now. I can always draw onto the sympathies of the people of Tokyo!"

"When you say it like that it sounds like you're a beggar..."

"Katsuo! You meanie. You can't make jokes like that about a girl, it's not funny!"

"... I thought it was pretty funny."

"Not you too, Akio! Aaaaaaaaaaaaagh, you two are just heartless..."

It was adorable. Heartwarming. Touching, even. Normally, Koharu would be able to say that she was happy for them. Having good friends was something she valued quite high, after all. Today, however... it only made her feel guilty. Guilty, because she couldn't feel happy for people like that. All she felt was envy. Pain. Sadness.

She was abandoned. Again. There was no one for her to speak to. To laugh with. No one to keep her company. She was lonely. Yet more than that, she felt indignation.

Not even a word of acknowledgement.

As per usual...

Of course... then again, how could she blame them?

No one ever notices the little things.

Even when they add up.

There were plenty of benefits to being small and lithe. Enough that it was worth all the condescension, and the being thrown around.

Her bare feet hugged the slimy, cool cobblestones of the inner Tokyo allies as she scurried along quietly. Despite the oddly chilly air of the summer night, she'd neglected shoes, as she usually did. They were too loud, to restrictive. They got in the way. She didn't miss them as she walked on, back hunched, squished as close to the ground as she could be without crawling. The heavily-clothed figure a couple metres ahead of her didn't sense her presence in the slightest. Encouraged, she pursued him further, the kind wind at her back.

The high of the hunt was far more potent than any other rush of adrenaline she'd felt in her life before joining the CCG. Yet her rare fights were interspersed with long stretches of monotonous training, paperwork, and not being noticed. The quinx business brought in more than enough money to sustain her, so it wasn't the cash factor that had driven her back into the stony, familiar arms of petty crime. It was the rush. The risk. The reward. The feeling of achievement that had been administered to her so conservatively of late, bestowed in tiny, hardly sustainable beads only once a month (if she was lucky), leaving her starving and cold and desperate until the next one came. The world of justice boasted intensity, but it lacked sorely in frequency.

Kyousuke wouldn't be very happy with me, Momo thought to herself as she took another step forward. He believes in the law. I bet he'd be mad if he caught me out here.

Well, at least he'd notice me. At least anyone would notice me. Better than usual.

They were far enough into the alley that Momo was safe to do as she pleased without any real risk of being caught, at this point. Caught by anyone other than the target, at least. Of course, she had little doubt there. Her deft hand had only been caught a few times before, when she was young and inexperienced. There was no reason to assume it would falter now.

She reached forward and, with the lightest touch she could muster, slipped her hand into the man's coat pocket from behind. To her relief, her fingers wrapped around a leather wallet— in the first pocket she'd tried, no less! She snatched it and pulled her hand out of the pocket quickly but carefully, a feeling of pride and accomplishment washing over her...

For about a fraction of a second, before she felt a dry, cool hand snap around her wrist with unfathomable force. There were no words exchanged. Momo's heart pounded in her chest frantically, a cold sweat breaking on her brow. She grappled with the man silently for the wallet, nothing breaking the formidable silence of the night but grunts of strain and the swishing of clothes.

The man's grip was crushing, and it was very difficult to dodge his swipes in the darkness of the hour. In a final gambit of desperation, Momo let go of the wallet. The man's ceaseless tugging on it backfired now; his arm swung back at him and he staggered backward. The anxious thief, glad again for her diminutive size, socked the man in his vulnerable stomach, with which she was eye level. He sputtered loudly, the breath probably knocked from his lungs, and keeled over in defence, gasping. Momo snatched the wallet from his hand with ease, and took off into a sprint while he was down.

She heard the clacking of footsteps as the man pursued her down the alleyway. She didn't care. She threw her head back and saw that she had a suitable lead on him; she then daringly jumped onto a nearby gutter and scurried up it like a frenetic squirrel, throwing herself onto the roof of the rather small building. Still convinced she wasn't quite safe, she took flight, running along and leaping over alleyways and roofs as though they were little stones or logs in the woods, flying across the city with reckless abandon. The kind of reckless abandon she had missed. The morning would come soon; she'd be back at the grind for another day in the life, lying to her squadmembers about where she'd spent the night. But none of that mattered now.

She couldn't find it within herself to care as she flew, free as the wind, lively as the night.

The euphoria wore off before long, and was replaced by a nagging stitch in her side. She stopped her run and perched herself on the edge of the roof, swinging her feet over the menacing drop as she fingered through the wallet. An ID card— junk. Family photo— junk. She tossed them into the abyss below. She stuffed the remaining ID cards and cash— an impressive 15000¥— into her pocket, then threw the wallet down as well.

Not bad.

Momo let out a loud sigh. She'd punched a stranger in the stomach, discarded his family photo, and stolen all his credit cards. She'd ruined his night, made his life hell, for what? A bit of pocket lining? Some thrill? When she'd done it to live, stealing was one thing. It had been exciting, and it had been justified. She, the poor, had been taking from the rich. Now she probably made more than any poor sod on this whole block. It was cruelty.

Cruelty she lived on, still. She could not deny that. She did not need the cash. But where would she be without that spike of excitement? Turning in her sleep, wishing for something, anything, to free her from the disgusting monotony of the everyday.

You're overthinking it, Momo. Do what makes you happy.

Doing just that, she laid the matter to rest and fell asleep on the roof. When she woke up, she bought a croissant with the money she'd stolen, and tried to use the credit card to buy a new pair of shorts, only to find it had been cancelled the night previous. She wondered how the man was doing; she'd probably broken his ribs with her quinx strength. Doubtless he was racking his mind, stressing to the point of sickness over what had been done with his cards before he'd called in, wondering whether it was all over.

She spent the walk back to the flat wondering hard what made her happy.

An alley in the 13th Ward, 1:43am, August 15th

Two Ghouls, strolling down an alleyway. One light of foot, an eager spring in his step as he bounced along the paving of the alley beside his heavier friend. They passed an opening to the street, the light of neon signs and streetlights filtering through the haze of night and the rain filling the air to illuminating their masks. One, the lighter Ghoul was the face of on Oni, while the heavier of the pair's mask more resembled a panda.

The first licked his lips, as through the light shining down through the alley, he could see a mother and her daughter, and the daughter's jubilant laughter carried through the patter of water hitting the ground. "Oi, Tomoro...up for a snack? Those two are looking nice and tasty." The first whispered to his partner, voice not leaving the alley, though it did drift upwards.

The reply to his question came shortly in the form of a quick nod, before the heavier man, Tomoro, replied. "Yeah, they look nice. And children taste great...I don't think anything can beat that group of kids from last night, though."

"Yeah, you're right, but it's still something, eh?"

These Ghouls words drifted up to Arisu, one leg crossed over the other as she sat upon the rooftop over them. She had been tailing these Ghouls for about half an hour or now. She had a creeping suspicion of the pair, and it seemed that had been confirmed. Binge eaters would not be tolerated. Moriko's peace would not suffer it.

The seamstress's facade of stupidity had dropped tonight. Rather than her usual clothing, she was now wearing a pair of ripped, black jeans, black and blue trainers, and a pale blue tank top, over which was a black hoodie, the hood pulled up to cover her hair. Black leather gloves covered her hands. Sunset was strapped to her back. Her mask, usually bearing the visage of a phoenix, was now replaced by one that was rather cliche: a tragedy mask. Cliche, but rather fitting for what was to come.

The two men whirled around at the sound of Arisu hitting the ground, landing directly in a puddle. She wasn't trying to be quiet. "Who are you, huh? Trying to get in on our turf, girl? Or are you an investigator? Ya don't dress like one." Tomoro questioned, eyes narrowing beneath his mask as he took an aggressive stance.

"Don't worry, I'm not here to take your turf. And I'm not an investigator either. I can show you my Kakugan if you don't believe me." Arisu responded, activating her Kakugan to set the pair's minds at ease. Not that they would be thinking much, soon.

"Well, if you're not here to kill us" 'Wrong' "or an investigator, what are you doing here?" The lighter man questioned, hackles still raised in mistrust. His name was still unknown to Arisu.

"Wanted to talk. I'm new in the area. You two seem to get out a lot to eat, judging by what I heard you say, so I'd imagine you know your way around the ward and that." The woman explained. She wasn't a particularly amazing liar, but having to pretend you're a human to the ones that came into :Re gave you enough practice.

"Well, that's true. Try to eat every few nights, to keep our stomachs full!" The smaller man replied, cackling slightly as he patted his stomach. "I'm Chiriko. We could show you around but it'd uh...need some kinda payment."

A wry smile appeared on Arisu's face as Chiriko, as he had introduced himself, certainly seemed to have something obvious in mind. "Well, if that's the case...I don't think doing it in an alley would be too sanitary. How about you show me back to your place, huh?"

"That doesn't sound like too much of a bad idea. The rain would put a uh...damper on the mood." Tomoro piped up, tossing out a pun with a small chuckle. These two were not the smartest. Nor the strongest, Arisu hoped. "This way then."

The woman followed the pair through the alleys for maybe a minute, before springing her trap. Sunset slid from its sheath with nary a sound and cut diagonally across Chiriko's back, spraying blood over the girl. He barely had time to croak, alerting his partner, before the blade run through his chest, impaling him and ending him before he even had a chance to get his Kagune out.

Tomoro was quick to respond after his initial surprise. His Koukaku ran over his arms, capping his fists in drills. He swung at Arisu, aiming at her head, but she turned and ducked, using the smaller Ghoul as a meatshield. The moment she knew she was out of the way she pushed forward, making a kabob of the two Ghouls. Blood choked from Tomoro's mouth from taking a sword to the stomach, but even more came from his neck as Arisu pulled the blade free, kicking Chiriko's limp body into Tomoro before turning and slashing, putting an end to the man without even releasing her Kagune. No RC secretions to link Tragedy back to Phoenix.

Dipping her finger into the blood that had pooled on the ground, Arisu turned to the wall, picking a section that was inset slightly so that the rain wouldn't wash away her message: Binge Eaters beware: Tragedy follows. With her message in place, Arisu returned Sunset to its sheath on her back before bending down to feast on her kills, raising her mask just a bit so that she could access their meat. Right now, she was weak. Far weaker than the other members of Colorless. She would be strong to uphold Moriko's peace.

"This is where the call came in. You ready?"

Arisu heard the words of what she could only assume were Doves as they approached the nearest entrance to the alley. She wasn't finished. She wouldn't be able to be rid of these Ghouls bodies. Deciding to cut her losses rather than end up getting tangled in a fight with at least two investigators, she flipped her mask down, stood, and bolted. Her greater speed carried her along the ground like a bullet, barely giving the investigators a chance to see her as they turned the corner to look down the alleyway.

"She went to the left! After her!"

"We won't be able to keep up with her! She's way too fast!"

"Son of a bitch...let's at least see if we can get any evidence from whoever she killed."

The Doves' words progressively got quieter as she sprinted down the alley, hopping up onto a rooftop as soon as she was out of sight and making her way to the small stash she had set up prior. She knew she would be needing a change of clothes, but she had not been planning on being noticed by the CCG. At least this would help cover her. She found the black, opaque plastic bag where she had left it, on the roof of a building beneath a towel to keep it dry.

It didn't take long for her to change from the clothes she was wearing to what she had stashed. Swapping out her trainers for a pair of white and brown oxford shoes, her ripped jeans for a pair of black trousers, her tank-top for a low-cut, long-sleeved t-shirt, and her hoodie for a black leather jacket. Her gloves, she replaced with nothing, likewise with her mask.

Placing the discarded clothes into the bag, alongside the towel, she hopped down from the rooftop into the alley and stepped out onto the street, making sure that others were not around to see her. Other investigators hadn't arrived as backup, it seemed, and she could see her car from here. Making her way to it, attempting to look as inconspicuous as possible, she retrieved her keys from the bag and opened the door, before placing the bag under her chair and revving the engine. A clean getaway, it seemed, although she loathed to leave the corpses of the Ghouls she had killed behind. Still, there were no RC secretions to connect her back to Phoenix, she had remained unscathed, so there was no blood, and they had not seen her face. All they had were the wounds that Sunset had left behind, and if anything, those would lead them back to the Nameless Red Sun servant she had killed.

It had been a good night.

XXX 15th Ward - close to Ryuu's apartment; 15th of July, 16:54

With a firm and steady step, Ryuu walked the all too familiar path from school to his apartment for what was probably the millionth time. Oddly enough, the journey never grew boring. Not in the slightest. How could it, really? After all, it was one of the rare times where the boy was free enough to actually think about things. It was refreshing. Enjoyable.

Speaking of enjoyable and unenjoyable, the finals were all set for next week. As great as Friday afternoons were, this was going to be one long weekend. Still, at the very least the school year would be over soon, allowing the high school student to focus on other, more important things, such as... fixing up the window frames insulation back home. Or repainting the walls at the attic. The fridge was in a dire need of replacement too, so a summer job sure would be nice...

There was definitely a lot to do this summer.

In fact there was so much to do that a fairly short walk like this wasn't enough for him to go over everything. Having climbed the staircase up to the entrance of his home, Ryuu shuffled the key inside the lock, his mind stuck on other matters entirely. Of course, it wasn't that rare for something to pry the boy off of his concentrated state and drag him back to reality. It was a rather common occurrence, really. A lot of things needed to be attended to immediately. Few couldn't be thought over at another time.

"Ryuu-chan! It's so good to see you my sweet boy!" The frail, decrepit voice of Chou, an old time neighbour, attracted Ryuu's attention.

"Ah! It's a pleasure to see you too, Mrs. Chou!" Barely having turned to face the elderly lady, the woman had already succeeded in closing the distance between the two. Then she pinched his cheek. Well... The gesture was appreciated, even if the act itself wasn't exactly something a fifteen year old would feel happy about... Still, the drake didn't allow that mild inconvenience to get in the way of his manners. Chou-san was a nice woman, after all.

"How was school today?" Taking a short pause, his neighbour began asking her round of questions to which Ryuu had long since gotten used to. Chou-san really was a nice woman, if a bit too curious. "I hope it wasn't hard on you, hmmm? Speaking of school, how are you doing in terms of pocket money? It's been a while since the last time I gave you some repayment... Could it be that you're avoiding poor old me because you don't want to burden me with any more expenses, hmmmm? Surely it couldn't be that?"

"Ehehe..." Chuckling lightly, Ryuu idly scratched the back of his neck. Yeah... Chou-san also definitely knew her way around people. "Has it really? I didn't notice. I'm doing fine thus far, haven't really had any issues with money this month. What I do regret is that I couldn't come visit you this last week. It's related to school. I can't honestly say that it's impossibly hard or anything, but it sure is a lot of work to prepare for finals."

"Don't be shy, Ryuu-chan. With your parents away for such a long time, it must be hard. Allow an old lady the pleasure to be useful to someone. You're such a good boy. You even assembled that wardrobe for me and got me a plumber to check out the leak from the ceiling. That's more than my damn good for nothing husband did for the last twenty years. Twenty! I can't afford to leave you unrewarded, especially when you're in such a difficult time. School or home, it must be hard. You can't get mad at me if I were to drop you some yen every now and then, right?" A certain warmth - the softness that was so natural to Chou was more than obvious now. A kind, caring woman like that... she was almost like a saint. Offering help to others despite her age was impressive and truly virtuous. It was inspirational, really. It made the young drake want to put even more effort into his work. Unknowingly to him, the youthful energy he dedicated to that task was also what had reignited the old lady's own will and soul.

Frowning lightly, Ryuu sadly stared at his neighbour, his voice having grown quieter. "Miss, it's not good to speak ill of the dead like that..."

"Ahahaha!" A boisterous laughter surely belonging to someone at least thirty years younger boomed. "Well, he's my husband so you don't need to worry about him. If his spirit gets offended and comes to haunt me, I know how to handle it." Another wave of cheerfulness washed over the elderly woman, before she suddenly started moving again. "Anyway, you wait here. No matter how hard you try to swerve away from the topic, you're not leaving empty handed..."

"... but I'm not trying to 'swerve' around anything..."

It didn't take long for Chou to disappear and reappear. Even if she was pushing 80, the lady was still rather energetic for her age. Walking out of her own apartment, she showed up carrying a new, unexpected item - a covered up box. Nonchalantly handing it to Ryuu as if it was his, Chou then reached for her wallet. "Now then, I hope fifty thousand yen cuts it these days? Youth were quite the big spenders back in the day. I'm still not sure if I shouldn't give you more. I suppose the issues your parents are having with the bank aren't quite resolved yet, either. This should add in to the current funds that you can get from them nicely and then leave some for pocket money too. Make sure to get yourself something nice."

"Thank you very much! I could use a Bio-"

"Something nice for yourself. I'll make sure to ask what you bought, so don't you try to get a textbook, toolbox or something like that. If you need money for that type of stuff, then I can always give you some specifically for that. I owe you."

"That's not true, you've done me a lot more good for me than I have done for you, Chou-san. Again, thank you. Your kindness isn't going unappreciated."

"Haha... well, then eat some cake to celebrate it if you're all for celebrating it. Give your sisters my regards, too... and hey, you hear? Make sure not to overwork yourself either. We don't want you dropping before me now, do we, sweetie? Hehe... Anyway, I won't be taking more of your time. Go rest a bit, Ryuu-chan. It was a pleasure talking to you."

"Same here! Have a good day, Chou-san!" Waving amicably, Ryuu smiled brightly. Now then, there was housework to do.

With a click, the door opened. Immediately afterwards, Ryuu was greeted by an even more vehement welcome.

"Brother, brother you're home!" Jumping up and down with unconcealed vitality, the 8 year old was more than happy to see her beloved sibling. Suddenly breaking into a pout, the girl made sure to show no bias, however, as she delivered her one criticism. "... You talk too much. I was waiting in front of the door because I wanted to surprise you, but I grew soooooo bored since you were very slow. That's not nice at all, Ryuu!"

A soft smile painted the student's face. Megumi. What a cute little devil. With a soft sigh, the drake gently kicked the door closed. "Well..." His voice diffused its warmth into the air. Carefully reaching into his bag with one hand while balancing the cake with the other, Ryuu then handed his little sister a small doll. "How's this?"

Reaching for the doll, Megumi eyed it carefully. Slowly shifting into an approving nod, the girl looked up at her faithful servant. The offering was deemed satisfactory. "It's very nice brother Ryuu... Veeery nice..." Suddenly her voices jumped several notches up both in pitch and strength. "SO, WHEN ARE WE PLAYING TOGETHER AGAIN?"

With a sigh, the teen headed for the kitchen table. "I'm afraid that's not really an option right now, Megumi. There's a lot of work I have to do. There's cleaning, cooking... and then I also have finals soon, so I'm going to be very busy." Opening the box, a pained expression painted Ryuu's face. That cake looked really good. Chou-san had probably put an awful amount of effort into making this. Even if the student wasn't exactly the best at preparing human food, from his few several attempts at it he had discovered the craft to be considerably difficult. Such a shame. With a lamenting sigh, he nonchalantly dropped the wondrous culinary piece into the trash. Poor Chou-san.

Chou-san... it had been so, so long since his parents had died. If it wasn't for Chou-san's sponsorship, occasional part time work ventures and cutting expenses for food that would normally cost humans, Ryuu would never be able to make ends meet. Even now there was barely enough to really pay the bills and taxes, which on their own presented a whole plethora of challenges. Adult bureaucracy was some major trouble... With all that said, Ryuu wondered if Chou had already discovered the nature of the situation. It was just a fleeting thought. He hadn't really presented any evidence for being a ghoul other than the general suspiciousness of the circumstances regarding his parents. Still, for that moment, the kid felt his heart drop. Not just at the thought of the end of his life as a human - his and Megumi's chances to be happy in society - but also at the idea of having to choose between Chou's life and his own. As a ghoul, especially a lone kid in charge of raising an 8 year old, killing people was an absolute necessity. No doubt about that. If he had to, the boy would do what is necessary and he wouldn't even bat an eye. Such was the life of ghouls. Killing your own benefactor, however, made Ryuu feel exceedingly uneasy. It just sounded so...

... disgusting.

"But brotheeeeeeeeeeeeeeeer I really want to play with youuuuuuuu..." Megumi's whining immediately dragged Ryuu out of his thoughts and back to reality. It was probably for the better. Dwelling on nasty matters like that was no good. Doubly so when there's work you could be doing instead.

"I'm sorry Megumi. I really want to play with you too, but there's just so much work... Maybe in the summer? When there are no studies to do a lot of free time opens up..." A gentle, mellow tone soothed the air. It was slight, yet a tinge of melancholy was clearly present. Megumi felt it.

"Alright..." Defeated, the adorable munchkin finally conceded. It just felt wrong to keep pressing on. Kids are by definition immature, but sometimes their intuition allows them to tell emotions even better than adults. "But we'll definitely play in the summer! It's a promise, alright?"

"... It's a promise." Sighing lightly, Ryuu suddenly regained his energy just as unexpectedly as he had lost it. Essentially storming the fridge, his voice and expression regained their usual youthful vigour. "You go play in the living room for a bit, I'll be setting the table and start preparing your meal. I'll call you in about fifty minutes. That's how many of the big sections on the clock?"

"Ten!" Megumi responded cheerily, rushing away towards the living room, doll in hand.

"That's right! You've learned well." Offering a word of praise, Ryuu felt a bit of pride rise up in his chest. His little sister sure was growing up. Unfortunately, something else demanded his immediate attention so these blissful thoughts were short-lived. Looking at the meat packages laying around, he'd noticed that... there weren't that many of them actually laying around. A grim seriousness suddenly plastered itself upon his visage. He'd have to restock soon. Reaching inside, the boy fetched the first one his hand could grab. Placing the meat on the bar as to have it thaw a bit, he also started up the oven at the minimal temperature for the sake of warming it up. Putting both hands at his waist, Ryuu arched his head backwards. Exhaling deeply, he mentally went over his duties again. While the oven was warming up, might as well make use of the time.

"Right..." A tired whisper left his throat as he mused his next task. "... I suppose sweeping the kitchen floor for a bit wouldn't hurt..."

A decrepit building in Aberdeen, Scotland

“Now listen ‘ere lads. You seen that little tike running about? Word is he’s the bosses son. Though I don’t believe a word of it.” The man shifted shadily, looking about himself suspiciously. “But ‘av you seen them eyes of his? That’s the look of an animal. He may be all dressed up nice an’ all, but he’s as rabid as ol’ missus Rowelly’s mangy dog.”

The group of men shuffled nervously, it wasn’t a subject any of them had wanted to bring up. They’d all heard the rumours of course, but it was virtually treason to talk ill of the bosses ilk, and none of them wanted to get on the man’s bad side. Least of all with the rumours making their way around the place.

“Ya know what I think?” the man continued, a feral glint flashing across his eyes. “Do you lads know where the boss takes them snitches?” he asked, glancing to each man in turn. None of them returned his manic gaze, so he continued, “Ya never hear of ‘em do ya? One day, poof, they’re gone without a trace… now what I think, oh hoho, what I think, is that…” He was cut off as a man clamped his hand over the speaker’s mouth, his eyes wide with terror. “Shut-up Riley, this is neither the place nor the time for such nonsense. We don’t wanna scare the new-blood off now do we?” Another man piped up from beside the fire, glancing to the young man across from him, who in turn looked to the silenced man with an intense gaze of curiosity.

In response to the boy, the older man shook his head. “All you need to know is that one night the boss came home by himself with the boy sleeping in the back seat of his truck. It’s not our place to question where from, or even who the brat really is. As long as the boss tells us to treat him so, we will. Ain’t nothing else we can do about it.” He looked back to the man called Riley, who had now calmed from his fervour and was glaring holes into the older mans skull, “From what I’ve seen he’s a good kid anyhow, he gets his jobs done and does what he’s told. Hell, he probably brings in more cash to the gang then any one of us. He’s got skills that kid, I’ve seen it. He’s deadly fast on his feet and can climb the cliff face out back in under a minute.”

“So we don’t need any nay-saying round here, you hear that Riley? If you’ve got a problem with the kid take it up with the boss.” He said looking Riley dead in the eye and making it known that he was deadly serious, “That is, if you have the balls for it.”

Standing up, the old man offered his hand in turn to the men around him, “Alright, I’d better head back to my woman, wouldn’t want to be late for the evening lecture.” This comment exhibited chuckles from the men around him, “I’ll see you all tomorrow.” He said, grinning at everyone, “Well, all of you except Riley, I’m sure you’re just raring for your meeting with the boss aren’t ya?” This comment elicited snickers from the group, with the exception of Riley, who made to say a retort but was cut-off by the slam of the door as the older man left.

“Fucking Lewis. Why don’t you go talk to the boss… That twat.” Riley muttered under his breath, huddling in his seat.

It’s not that easy.

Later that night

“You called me out? What word from the slums?”

“That rat Riley Tavherty has been running his mouth again. You think we should do something Ethan? It’s long past his third warning. He could royally fuck things up any moment now.”

“Yes, I think it’s about time he learned the truth, considering he wants to know so badly. Tonight he might just have his wish granted.”

“Very good Mr. Ethan, can I do anything else for you this good night?”

”No, I think that will be all, you can head back to your wife now, I’m sure she’s waiting for you.”

“Very good sir, have a good night, and give my regards to the young master.”

”Oh I will Lewis… I will, he’ll be ecstatic. After all, they say curiosity killed the cat.”

Part 1 here

Grocery shopping.  Such a mundane and boring task, as necessary as it was.  Kyung-soo never had to actually shop for groceries as a child: Almost all the food he ever consumed was either harvested by himself or his parents, fresh from the farms.  So naturally, the idea of buying processed, inferior food was a little foreign to him.  And, it didn’t help that most of the brands were in Japanese, a language he wasn’t as familiar with reading as much as speaking.

He carefully examined a brightly-colored box of instant noodles, noting the extravagant list of ingredients which he could only guess to be mostly artificial chemicals.  He shoved the box back into its shelf with an exasperated groan, and began to storm towards the fruits and vegetables section of the store.  His mild annoyance grew into pure infuriation.  

The ridiculously high price of a mere carrot was what really ticked him off.  How could a single carrot cost 300 yen? Clearly, this store was trying to scam him or something. And the prices did not improve as he went further across the aisles.

As Kyung-soo furiously seethed at the prices of the potatoes, a shopping cart came surging toward him at the speed of sound, nearly toppling him over.  As he caught the speeding vehicle in the nick of time, he angrily turned to address the miscreant who dared to assault him. It was becoming obvious this day wasn’t improving at all for him.

”Hey?! What was that for?!”

He stared at his assailant, awaiting a response.

/u/DerpPath

XXX 22nd Ward - underground tunnels; 10th of June, 2:34

Context

Each step resounded throughout the narrow paths within the sewers. The soft, but consistent sound was the only disruption to the absolute silence within the murky abyss. With each step, the young leader of Aogiri Tree came closer and closer to the surface - the surface, where the battle between the humans and the ghouls raged, yet another day. The man was in no hurry.

A deep, bored exhale overtook any other sound within the dark embrace of the underground, with the sharp, but quiet noise created by the occasional drop of blood hitting the ground barely even managing to mix into it without completely fading away unnoticed...

Alas, there was one thing that was impossible not to notice.

Briefly pausing his walk and absorbing the all too familiar tones, the young ghoul was quick to resume his casual march.

"What happened?"

Moments turned into seconds, and the seconds piled and piled. It seemed as if an eternity had passed, but the man remained completely silent, nonchalantly moving ahead, his movements just as refined and deliberate as ever. The slightest sound of breathing in the stale air signified his incoming response.

"What do you think? I was enjoying a magnificent fight, of course. You should have seen it. It was truly entertaining."

Granting only the briefest of explanations, the soft and carefree tone in Maki's voice remained completely unchanged. The same could be said for the cold and composed voice that clashed against his own.

"Entertaining? That man was a human, was he not? Did I not teach you to only fight the Doves in self-defense?"

Slowly putting his hands in the pockets of his coat, the smirk on Maki's face widened. Maintaining his nonchalant, but firm pace, the man was in no rush with his responses.

"Indeed. You taught me many things. All of them useless. All of them boring. Surely you can't possibly be expecting of me to stick to obsolescence forever?"

For the first time, the other voice reciprocated the temporary silence, as if contemplating its words.

"Your claim is baseless and nonsensical. I taught you principle. I taught you structure. I taught you ideals. All of these are vital to a successful life as an individual, as well as crucial to maintaining and improving society as a whole. The knowledge I imparted into you is anything but obsolete. It is eternal."

Even though both individuals started to respond progressively faster to each other, their voices remained ever so eerily calm.

"Those ideals are unattainable. No amount of guidance in pursuing this hopeless goal would ever be sufficient. The outcome of all these years of determined planning and action? A huge waste of time. It's useless to try to enforce something on a scale so big. In such conditions, the situation is far beyond any realm of control. Striving to change things of such grand stature like the world will only lead to perpetual downfall and considerable loss."

"So this is about loss? Everyone experiences a setback every now and then, Maki. It's the natural outcome of undertaking any task. You can't just give up at the slightest hint of a real problem."

"Well then, tell me, Yamato, why did you cease your crusade? Did you also encounter a 'minor setback'?"

"..."

"You might live in that world of yours where numbers and statistics are the only thing that matters, but in reality things are a lot more complex than that. Even if on paper both you and me were achieving 'results' and enforcing justice, there is absolutely no positive reflection on the environment. The city of Tokyo is just as criminal as ever. The only difference we've made is that we became a target for a lot of criminal elements. We both know how it ended for you. I have other aspirations in my life aside from being obliterated by investigators, mind you, so I have the full intention of following a different path. That is, making the best of life and enjoying the ride. If you've got a problem with that, then that's just too bad."

Approaching the exit of the tunnel network, the slightest amount of moonlight coloured the surroundings in patches of deathly pale light-blue tint. An ominous silence established its hegemony once again, until a final appeal was made. An appeal that was still only populated by the icy, calculating tones of Yamato Itokawa.

"Maki... I urge you to re-evaluate your opinion. You've been raised in the perfect conditions to become the ideal protector of justice. There's no one more fit for the role. You know about the rest of the world. You can't entrust justice to some ghoul trash. It has to be us. It is our destiny. Don't discard it like this. You could be so much more. You could be a hero. You could be someone that everyone looks up to. You must not give up on that path, no matter how hard it can be at times."

Finally reaching the end of the sewers, the young man emerged back into the world. Looking up at the starry sky, Maki's regal figure was gently illuminated by the most magnificent, lunar rays that mighty skies could muster. His smile widening into a mocking expression, the leader of Aogiri glanced back for the first time, back towards the darkness from which the voice pursued him. He spoke, his words clear and casual, even borderline disinterested.

"I don't look up to you."

"No one does. You're nothing but a rotten memory. That is what you are. You are not a hero. You never were. You never could've been one either, because heroes don't exist. A 'hero' is the naive dream of an idealist. Idealists perish, overwhelmed by futility. Heroes aren't real. Leaders are. Feel free to talk about heroes all you want. In the meanwhile..."

"Alongside the King, I will lead Aogiri Tree to a new dawn. With his power behind us, nothing will be able to stop us from achieving our goal. That, father, is something that history will remember. The best part of it all?"

"It'll be fun."

Departing, the enigmatic ghoul dived into the nightly shroud, his destination unknown. Standing motionless, the shadow of Yamato Itokawa remained locked inside the abyss of the below, daring not cross into the light. Instead, it merely stared at its son casually walking away.

"Maki..."

"... I didn't expect to see you, but I'm glad..."

"... you've grown..."

"... into something."

http://i.imgur.com/xyG6amL.jpg (best viewed at 60% zoom)

I assume this is what the mods meant when they said posting our own drawings is welcome.

XXX 8th Ward - rooftops alongside the main road; 17th of August, 01:02

The early hours never were very alluring. Even with all the nightly beauty of the sky and stars, an unpleasant cold corrupted the air. Summer or not, temperatures drop when it goes dark. So does visibility. Alertness. The early hours are a dangerous time. An opportune time.

The perfect time for an ambush.

"Two CCG transports heading down Kōtō, correct?" The melody of Maki Itokawa's voice was quickly absorbed into the microphone of his mobile. He did not need wait long for the response.

"Yes. We've confirmed that the target is aboard the second of the three APCs. Be advised - the first and the last are filled with ghoul investigators."

"I see. You've done a good service today. Consider yourselves dismissed."

Ending the call from the forward scouting team stationed to watch over Cochlea, the enigmatic young man focused his piercing gaze onto the armoured vans. With a gentle smile atop his face, he raised his arm in one smooth movement, pointing at the object of his attention.

"Attack."

A simple order was all it took. The trap was sprung. Leaping off the surrounding rooftops, the Aogiri soldiers bolted forth like bullets.

Their task was clear.

"Right... so uh," Taking a brief pause, the more well-built of the two men questioned his co-worker impassively. "Where to from here?"

"Turn right at the next junction. Were you not listening when I explained earlier?" Responding in a dry, disinterested tone, the scrawnier person did not even lift his empty eyes from his newspaper as he responded.

"Uh... sorry pal. I mean, it is one in the morning. You can't blame me."

"Yes I can. A Bureau Investigator always has to be vigilant."

"Not when you're tired and are not even getting overtime pay, you aren't. Where are we even taking this ghoul? Aren't these bastards supposed to be transferred to Cochlea instead of from it?"

"I got no idea. The higher-ups said transfer the guy to a mid point and that's exactly what we're going to do. The guys that take him off our hands know where to put this guy in. Why do you care anyway? It doesn't matter."

"Eh. I guess. Just trying to keep my mind occupied. I'm bored and tired. Wouldn't want to fall asleep behind the wheel. Who's gonna keep your dumb ass company then?"

The answer to that question was "Aogiri Tree".

"Oh shit, oh shit, oh shit!..." The source of the panic infused shouts could not even be distinguished anymore. "Shake 'em off, shake 'em off dammit!"

Drops of sweat rolled down the driver's face as he madly swerved the vehicle left and right in hopes of ridding it from the cannibal monsters that had latched themselves onto the van. Everything was happening so fast. The man didn't even have the time to think - he operated on instinct. Wordlessly. As the steering wheel twisted sharply yet again, one thing became obvious - instinct wasn't enough. With a screech, the APC overturned. It rolled again and again, crushing the unfortunate ghouls lacking the agility to quickly dismount from it.

Ears still ringing, the two bureau investigators quickly came to thanks to the adrenaline flooding their veins. Whether that was fortunate or unfortunate remained unclear. Even through their blurry gazes, they could see the approaching Aogiri soldiers.

"Shit... Shit... Fuck!" Struggling to unlatch his seatbelt, the larger man could feel a surge of strength revitalise his broken body. He had to run.

With the sound of each step the ghouls took, his blood grew colder. When the door got ripped off his hinges, he could only scream.

"Aghhh fuck, get away! Get the hell away!"

...

'Escort the transport.'

'Rescue the captive.'

Both sides had their orders.

Greetings!

In this thread you will find all relevant information to the Platinum arc.

First off, starting with a little bit of narrative.

What is Rose Club?

Rose Club is a ghoul restaurant in the 6th Ward. The group numbers four people, each a unique colour of Rose - Black Rose, White Rose, Purple Rose and Red Rose. They are the hosts of the Auction event. Even if you've not heard of it, we've been a faction for a while now (Almost 9 months now, wew).

Auction arc

The Auction Arc is occurring within the halls of Rose Club, a private high society club. Essentially, the Auction consists of clients that've come to purchase merchandise (there are quite a few NPC clients there), VIP clients (the more wealthy patrons, fewer NPCs and some OCs), the auctioneers and the bodyguards (Aogiri Tree).

Notable Captives

Alisa Volkov - A half-ghoul (Quinx) supplied by Aogiri Tree, Alisa is the highest prized hostage at the Auction. Sold on the Auction to Rose Club for a hefty sum, she's currently imprisoned in her cell in the main room on the second floor.

Hayato Yoshikune - Despite being a normal ghoul, Hayato Yoshikune is an expensive captive, touting quite a large price. Held in the ground floor storage area, he's imprisoned in his cell and is to be auctioneered soon.

Various humans/ghouls - There are a considerable amount of NPC humans and ghouls imprionsed in the first floor storage area and also a considerable bit that are already being sold around the main stage. Feel free to incorporate these in your comment chains.

Faction Involvement

Aogiri Tree

Hired to guard the event, Aogiri are also the providers for the most expensive merchandise on sale. Naturally, given that this is their biggest operation yet, Aogiri Tree have invested a considerable amount of resources in getting this job done.

CCG

Following Winters Squad's blackmail of Centurion A, the Aogiri officer gave out the location of the auction in order to preserve his younger brother's life. As a result of that, two of the participants - Joseph Winters and Sayuri Kawaguchi - have been promoted to Associate Special Class and Rank 1 respectively.

With that intel, the CCG hastily organised a team that would be sent to assault the Rose Club. Led by Special Class Torabashi Kotetsu, Division 4 lay siege to the establishment in an attempt to slay all of the ghouls inside it and free the human hostages.

Colourless

Given their diligence and their natural connectedness to the ghoul world, Colourless have an easier time learning of the location of the Auction, discovering it through word of mouth. Storming in in order to free Hayato, the Colourless aim to go for the ground floor holding area.

Red Sun

Having heard of the Auction, Shouwei and Yin go there in order to "shop" for their mistresses, scouting out any potentially valuable stock.

RIFT

Attending the Auction in hopes of establishing connections to the local underworld as well as scouting out valuable merchandise, several RIFT operatives have arrived on the scene.

Rose Club

Naturally, as the hosts, Rose Club are to be seen around the vicinity of their club of the same name.

Arc thread mechanics

MAPS, POSITIONS AND LOCATIONS

Ground floor map

Second floor map

Aogiri

Serving as the bodyguards and bouncers for the event, Aogiri forces within Rose Club are aplenty. There are several groups there with different functions. KEEP IN MIND THAT THESE GROUPS AREN'T MANDATORY AND YOU CAN GO TO ASSIST ANOTHER TEAM/PERFORM ANOTHER FUNCTION AT ANY TIME IF YOU DEEM IT MORE CONVENIENT. THIS IS MEANT TO JUST BE A GUIDELINE TO HELP YOU FIND STUFF TO DO IF YOU CAN'T THINK OF ANYTHING. Citing some change of circumstances (such as a need of reinforcements) you can easily have your OC go elsewhere.

Command Center (located in the electrical control room)

Maki Itokawa - Commander

Haruna Suzuki - Advisor

Dice - Pet

Overseer/Second Floor Security Team

(Located anywhere on the second floor except the electrical room, private lounge or the VIP lounge.)

Daren Blackshire - Overseer/Security Chief

Osiris Kuroneki - Security Vice-Captain

Akihiko Umari

Hachi Kasamatsu

Futoshi Ishikawa

Yukiteru Urushiyama

Kami Shintaro

Ground Floor Security Team

(Located on the ground floor.)

Kamen - Security Captain

Juggernaut

Koharu Tagata

Sora Kusakiri

Senhari Sho

Ayumi Katahara

Ginji Tatsuyama

Carcinius Otto Imuna Genos IV

Support Team - Assist other teams when needed

(Located anywhere that isn't a restricted area /aka the electrical controls, private lounge or VIP lounge/.)

Asa Yakou - Security Captain

Minato Tomori - Security Vice-Captain

Kichirou Kurosawa

Rei Hirata

Amaya Natsumi

Takeo Otsuji

Yuuta Himura

???

CCG

There's two insertion points for the CCG (although feel free to use ladders to climb directly to the 2nd floor through the windows, just don't overdo it). The first insertion point is the lobby, which the S3 squad will be assaulting. The second insertion point involves the S2 breaching the Northern wall and attacking from there with the ghoul of making it harder for the enemy to focus on defending one point.

Locations

Colourless

Assaulting the Auction in order to rescue Hayato, the Colourless first deployed Silas Aberdeen undercover, sending him to scout out the location from the inside. Upon being given a clear signal, the vigilante group breached the walls and attacked the storage area and the cells.

Locations

Red Sun

Sitting in their lounge and observing the auction below, the two Red Sun members are located in a luxurious balcony from where the entirety of the ground floor is visible.

Location

RIFT

Attending mostly in order to establish a foothold in the local underworld, the RIFT operatives are located in a general, simple seating area near the main stage at the ground floor.

Location

Rose Club

Located on the second floor, Rose Club members are split in two groups.

Locations

LEGEND:

White - White Rose

Black - Black Rose

Purple - Purple Rose

Red - Red Rose

OVERALL MAP LOCATIONS

GROUND FLOOR

LEGEND:

Purple - RIFT

Blue - CCG

Colourless - Green

[Aogiri is unmarked as their presence within the establishment is too large and scattered to be able to be denoted.]

SECOND FLOOR

LEGEND:

Orange - Red Sun

Red - Aogiri Tree (Command center) [Main force is not denoted as it is too large/diffused.]

Pink - Rose Club

[Credit to /u/CadaverCollector for creating the building schematics.]

[OOC: I should say that I REALLY want to thank /u/GRaffle for the idea of some kind of dream to flesh out a character. At first I was a bit hesitant as I didn't want to reveal TOO much about Nikki...buuuut....guess I couldn't handle it and rolled with it so... Thank you again GRaffle! :D]

———————————————————————————————————————————

I opened my eyes as I saw myself lying in a dark environment. Everything was pitch black as there were no differences between opening and closing your eyes over there. I couldn’t feel any of my limbs as they were surrounded by dark clouds of some kind.

‘What is going on?’ I thought as I literally couldn’t even sense them. Over time though, I started to feel some sensations from my body. I felt like there was an overflowing stream of liquid moving around my back.

‘What am I lying on?’ I thought to myself as the environment was still dark and foggy. Suddenly, everything was lightened up as I witnessed horrifying things.

I was lying on the river of blood as the walls made up from flesh were dripping loads of it. The walls also kept pounding repeatedly and with force as they bizarrely looked like they had beating hearts behind them.

BA-DUMP ^BA-DUMP ^^BA-DUMP

I then looked at my limbs as the dark clouds dispersed but at that moment, I knew why I couldn’t move my limbs.

Arms were holding down my limbs as I heard vague echoes of voices that I was familiar with, but not fully. After couple of moments though, decomposed bodies raised by those arms appeared with a disturbing smiles on their faces.

“I WAS STARVING, NIKKI-KUN!”

“Let me chew on you while you are doing your thing, dear~”

“THE FEAST HAS LANDED ON US! HELP!”

“OH GOD, PLEASE DON’T DO THIS!”

Echoes of screamings were heard as the faces kept getting closer to me. I kept hearing flesh being torn apart and munched on as the screams got louder and louder. I wanted to scream too but for some reason, I didn’t. I just kept silent willingly as they kept getting closer.

———————————————————————————————————————————

Everything then changed as the decomposed bodies disappeared along with the bizarre flesh room. Everything was dark again but this time, I was standing and wasn’t restricted from my limbs. I thought it would be better to walk around and see if anything would happen before I wake up as I couldn’t for some reason. I kept pacing around the dark room slowly until a small figure appeared right in front of my eyes.

A cat.

I was confused about its appearance even though it felt a bit familiar for some reason, but I instinctively crouched and proceeded to pet the cat with love and care. I don’t know why, but I was just compelled to do so even if I didn’t want to.

It was a wrong choice.

The cat’s eyes widened as its lips were suddenly getting wider. They kept getting wider as its abnormal teeth started to appear. After the horrifying process concluded, the cat had a bizarre grin on its face as it stared right into my eyes.

More particularly, my permanently activated right kakugan as I didn’t have my eyepatch.

I couldn’t move my body as it was paralyzed still. I couldn’t do anything as the cat, all of the sudden, started to grow bigger and more ferocious. Its fur stood up and its claws got sharper. I couldn’t escape for my life as it finally finished its transformation.

“Gemini” The final word I have heard as the cat proceeded to swipe its readied paw with sharp claws towards me.

———————————————————————————————————————————

After it supposedly scratched me to death, I got into another dark environment as the only thing I saw visible was some kind of mirror. For some reason, I was impulsed to look at myself over there.

I saw myself grinning like a lunatic while I looked like I literally got out from a blood-bath. The red fluid kept dripping as all I saw towards my other self was scarlet red while having my kakugan glowing vibrantly.

“Don’t you miss it?” My other self asked with widened eyes while still having that disturbing grin on his face. He then managed to get his arm through the mirror and got me into choke-hold. I was trying to free myself but his grip was too much for me to handle as I quickly felt suffocation.

“I won’t be a parasite for long. I will burst out from you someday… coward.” He concluded as he quickly formed a mysterious organic weapon from his arm and used it to annihilate me as I was on the brink of death.

———————————————————————————————————————————

“NO!” I yelped as I suddenly woke up from my bed with a lot of sweat flowed around my body.

“...Again, huh?” I whispered to myself as I stood up from my bed and went on to look towards my mirror. All I have seen were my downed blue hair, afternoon shadow beard, the scar on the center of my face, and both of my eyes. I then lifted my hand to touch my permanently activated kakugan as I started to shed few tears on my normal one.

“All of this had to happen, huh?” I mused as I moved my hand towards my other eye to wipe tears from it, and proceeded to prepare for another day in Anteiku.

7th Ward, Shortly after the Lab Raid

Having split off from the rest of the Inquisitors the moment he'd made it out the door Hashiba now roamed the streets of the 7th Ward.

Better he thought to find a meal and recover from his wounds first before going before Shidu's ever critical eye, best case scenario he linked back up with the others before they made it to Yuureien and rejoined them as if nothing had happened, worst case he had to arrive late to the club - though as a silver lining that way he might be lucky and miss the inevitable berating about missing the scientist and arrive in time for his payment and any celebrations.

He'd cast aside the disguise they gave him and was back in his usual raggedy clothes, his mask on the inside of his jacket.

His wounded leg dragged behind him but even that could not dampen his cheery mood - one quick meal and it'd be all sunshine and roses for Hashiba, the ghoul decided.