A ghoul looked down at his first prey in two months. He sighed at her beautiful face covered in blood. He remembered his last kill. He was running, screaming, the man knew he would die, a sound of encouragement to the hungry ghoul. No longer did this ghoul find pleasure in the hunt. Survival was only a reaction from fear of death.
"Ryuk, long time no see." A ghoul behind him whispered. Ryuk retracted his dark kagune from the girl's limp shoulder. "You know, it would be nice if you at least asked permission before killing in another's territory."
"What territory do you own here, this alley?" Ryuk protested. "Besides, this is Shinigami territory, last I checked I've been here longer than you."
"The longer you leave a body, the less fruitful the blood. It's nothing personal Ryuk, but the big man hasn't even heard from you in ages." The ghoul took a step towards him. Ryuk took a slow step up, the chains on his clothing rattling. "I hate to say it, old friend, but we hardly considered you one of us any longer." His voice sounded troubled, scared of Ryuk's obviously superior strength. Ryuk's body mass almost doubled his, and his massive feathery Kagune could sweep a crowd in seconds. His presence was feared, but his desperation limited him.
"Okay." Ryuk left the body he had spent seconds killing and turned to the street. "Look around yourself, Gook. The Fourteenth Ward had its time, now it's just a barrel for mosquitos to breed in. Even the doves have stopped intervening. Life in here is barren and boring. This is no home to me." Gook did not protest as Ryuk began his slow walk away. Regardless of being an ukaku-type ghoul, his walk would indicate only his old age.
"So this is why they call you Grim."
.
"As of late yesterday evening, The CCG has lost contact with two senior ghoul investigators within the Fourteenth Ward. First Class Investigators Hideki Ide and Hirokazu Ukita are noted by Division I Commander Kanichi Takimura as "able and well-trained soldiers, who know how to handle any ghoul-related situation". While investigation on the whereabouts of these men will be conducted, CCG efforts within the Fourteenth Ward have been suspended for the time being. Any citizens within the Fourteenth Ward are advised to evacuate as soon as possible."
Light scoffed at the news announcement that morning. If CCG was no longer going to intervene in the Fourteenth Ward, how was there any hope of those men surviving? Why the CCG couldn't purge the entire ward with a wave of men was unforgivable to Light. The amount of land being given up to ghoul power was getting out of hand. He understood what the risk meant for all men involved, but wouldn't the sacrifice be worth it for humanity? As far as Light saw, the longer he let ghouls stand by without repremation, the longer the world would take to fix.
.
"Yagami, would you please read the next line in your textbook." Dr. Kaedo asked Light.
Light looked down at his book and read, "It is important to remember that a ghoul draws energy from the RC cells within humans, this is necessary to maintain the RC cells within their own bodies in order to survive." Dr. Kaedo continued to speak on the subject. Light understood that at the root of everything, ghouls were just mutated humans, dependent on other humans for survival. While ghouls depend on human existence, it is humans who live in fear of the ghouls.
Light attended the 4th Academy, a training school for future investigators. Many of the students who attended The Academies were orphans who had lost their parents to ghoul conflicts. This was not the case with Light, Light's motivation came from a deeper desire for justice. Never had he suffered a major loss, in fact he had his whole life been bred for success, and understood the change he wanted to make. He did not sleep in fear of the ghouls that threaten the streets of Tokyo, but he dreamt of the day he could confront them.
.
Light heard a scream on his way home from school. It was getting dark and the street lights had just turned on. He looked down an alley at the street across from him. There was one investigator running towards the source. As much as Light knew that intervention was bad, he couldn't walk away. Normally an investigator on the streets might seem strange, but with the 4th Academy only blocks away it was understandable. Light turned the corner and saw a sight he had never seen. First he saw shining black crystals jutting in all directions, then he saw the large monster. It was tall, and had two great shining wings of black on either side. The male figure wore a grey mask with a gaping mouth hole and fur of some sort around the edges. It stood over a young woman, cackling as it sent crystallized bullets flying towards the investigator, who avoided them with a swift turn. Light had recognized him from the school grounds but had never spoken with him. While running he popped his briefcase open and in that second held a long slim whip-like quinque in one hand. It radiated red, trailing behind the investigator. The ghoul seemed to be waiting for the investigator to approach. For when he did, the ghoul swept him to the side effortlessly, ignoring the strong whip strike against his wing. He flew into an adjacent building and slumped to the ground. The ghoul began slowly walking towards the man. It was then that a bright light shocked the street and for a moment stunned the world. Light could hear the ghoul's kagune brace the impact. One of his great black wings had shattered.
"Over here, Grim!" Cried a familiar voice. Dr. Kaedo stood facing the ghoul with a golden cannon quinque.
"I wasn't asking for any trouble, investigator," the ghoul stated in an excited voice. "It's not my fault my last meal was taken off of me."
"That's more than enough reason to end you right here." Kaedo began charging another shot aimed right at the ghoul. The Grim ran at Kaedo forcefully, making Kaedo drop his attack and instead use the cannon as defence. The Grim's attacks were relentless and there wasn't a moment Kaedo could spare. Each time Kaedo was hit, his defence was that much less prepared for the next hit. Light saw no option other than to take action. He ran over to the ghoul investigator who had been thrown like a rag. As much as Light wanted to know if he was okay, this was not his main concern. He grabbed the whip quinque in his right hand and started toward the back of the ghoul. He waved it around to get a feel for it. It was relatively light weight and seemed much longer up close. Any person below a Rank 2 Ghoul Investigator was not typically allowed to wield such a weapon, but Light assumed that in the case of self defence this law could be ignored.
Kaedo dropped to his knees as Light approached The Grim. The point at which his right wing had been severed was glowing red and trying to regrow as fast as possible. The Kagune was weak, his body was in the process of transferring RC cells from the host to the limb, his defence was open. Light struck down on the center of The Grim's kagune with such force that the kagune flinched and his left wing curled. Light started downward for another strike but was lifted off his feet before he could regain his bearings.
"What is this, a student?" The Grim had Light trapped inside his wing, pulling him closer. "I like your body type, tall, slim, just enough fat to keep me happy. Maybe I'll end up enjoying a meal for on-" Light fell to the ground in a pool of crippled liquid muscle. For a second time a flash of light had stunned the group as an even greater bolt of electricity struck the ghoul. Kaedo was still on the ground, but was strong enough to aim and fire his weapon. The Grim laid face down on the pavement, his kagune pouch was throbbing but his energy was obviously slimming.
"Yagami, help me up." Kaedo said to Light.
"Sir, are you okay?" Light asked him fervently. As much as Light did want him to be okay, it didn't hurt to show extra emotion for appearance.
"I'm fine, I'm fine." Light pulled his teacher to his feet. He brushed off some dust and bent his quinque to fit it back into his briefcase. "Now, Yagami, I need you to promise me something. Leave here without ever seeing any of this."
Light raised the red flag without hesitation. "But sir, wasn't this an SS-rated ghoul from the Fourteenth Ward, aren't we going to report this?"
"Light, I thank you for saving my life, and commend you on your knowledge, but these matters are over your head. Yes, I will report this, but for your sake, you saw none of this." Kaedo reached over to pick up The Grim's fading body." I will make sure Investigator Takikashi over there gets medical attention." He looked over to the man knocked out against the wall. Light had forgotten his presence entirely. "In fact, why don't you let me take you home after school tomorrow for dinner, I can explain everything then."
