Ch.1- Meetings and Surprising Features

It's hard to believe that I've found myself too be in Tokyo 20th ward. Still it's cause I'm running from something… THough I'm not entirely sure what that could be. I look around surprised that I was even able to get here too the 20th ward and I'm completely lost. I keep wandering around until I find myself at a cool looking shop that has a cool lookin sun on the wall.

"ArtMask Studio….Sounds interesting enough," I mutter to myself as I look at a neat doorknocking that looks like a demon.

I knock with it just so I could touch it since I love art enough as it is and I stick my head inside the shop.

"Hello," I call out not seeing anyone except for a sheet covering a stand.

I notice it moving a small bit and hold in a snicker as I walk over and pull it back as I fake call, "Is there a shop owner or worker in?"

I hear a person say almost quietly, "Boo."

I don't stop my hand from hitting him on the forehead lightly, "Ahh, sorry. Though that wasn't very scary."

Moving my hand away from his forehead I notice his black and red eyes the marker of a ghoul and I hold back my scream and excitement.

He looks at me and I notice his nose move as if he's sniffing the air or more so me.

I lean down so we're face to face my nose touching his so I can get a good view of his eyes. He looks a bit shocked from the small movement and depth of them. Still I smile as I stare at him, "Sorry, about that. Though I knew you'd scare me. Are you the shop owner?"

He looks at me confused from the questioning way he moves his head, "Yes, I'm the mask maker Uta."

I smile, "Uta, nice too meet you. My name is Alyssa. Can I ask you something?"

"Sure."

"You're a ghoul right."

He nods his head and I nod my back as I move my hand too place a few fingers on my chin as I tilt my head.

"I thought ghould could change their eye color too look more human, but your's are the beautiful shades of black and red."

"They can… I can't," he answers and I notice a somber tone too his voice.

So I simply turn my back from him as I start to look around his shop. I hear his foot steps behind me and I simply ignore it. Still in my head I go over his features again. His hair being the normal Japanese shade of black but 1 side his shaved. He's covered in tattoos, but the 1 that caught my eye is the 1 on his neck that's in Latin written in Greek letters that reads, "I can live neither with you, nor without you." His clothes are stylish though simple enough along with his many peircings. Then his height is normal for a guy along with what seems to be his weight from looking at him.

I find myself at what seems to be a standard old school plague doctors mask.

I study the beak and touch it slightly wondering what exactly kind of mixes they put on it.

"Find something you like?" I hear Uta ask of me.

I don't look back as I nod, "Yes, this mask reminds me of something. When I was a kid my mother would tell me stories of the masks doctors used to wear that would have the beaks. Though I hear there are a few well known ghouls around here that have similar looks. Your work I presume."

He looks at me seeming too size me up, "I forgot to ask," I look at him as I lift an eyebrow and he continues, "What brings you here?"

I chuckle nervously as I answer, "I got lost actually. I was in 20th ward last time I checked now I think I'm quite beyond that. Can you help me find some place where I could meet up with my aunt."

He looks at me and I see a confused look in his red and black eyes, "Why ask me?"

I shrug, "Cause you seem a good enough guy."

He chuckles as he nods his head, "I know a nice cafe. I'll bring you there since I have business too take care of."

I smile at him as I grab my purse I had set down, "Alright, take me too this cafe."

He nods his head as he grabs what seems to be an mannequin head with something on it under a sheet. I smile slightly as I wake my way out of the shop and he follows me dawning on a pair of dark black sunglasses to hide his eyes.

As we make it our way too the cafe I get Uta too talk too me about all kinds of things and it seems we have a lot in common. I smile as we get on the topic of tattoos and I tell him that i have the same words tattooed on my shoulder by my collarbone as he does his neck. I happily pull down my baggy cover up too show him. HE seems too look it over as he smiles, "The writing is damn near perfect."

I smile, "Thanks, it took forever to write this out for the artist."

"YOu did this?" he asks me as I nod.

"Yeah, and I drew out all my other tattoos as well."

He seems to start looking for my said tattoos and smiles as he finds them, "Alyssa, you seem to be full of surprises since you don't look like a girl to be riddled with tattoos and eyes filled with piercings."

I shrug, "Truthfully they started out as retaliation towards my father, but after I got my degree in science I've been running away from him and my past. That's what the sang is for. It's for my family and past. Since I can live neither with or without my family or my past. They will always be there."

He nods his head as we walk into the cafe and I take notice of the looks Uta and I get from the servers. My guess is they're ghouls. Which means this is 1 of the rumored ghoul hangouts that look like it's for humans as well.

I look back at Uta as I smile, "Thanks for bringing me here."

I walk over to a table by a window and sit down noticing a boy with an eye patch I notice how he watches the girl whose face is half covered as I chuckle to myself at it. I let my top sleeve slip down my shoulder too show off my tattoo not entirely caring all too much. I look up as the boy comes over, "How can I help you today?"

I smile as i look up at him, "Hi, I'd like a black coffee and… Do you have a strawberry cake?" He nods his head and I smile as I add, "I'll have one of those as well."

As he walks away the girl with the half face walks over to me and looks at my shoulder, "You have the same tattoo as the guy over there," she says while pointing with her thumb too Uta.

I chuckle as I look up, "I noticed though it's pretty interesting along with his other tattoos as well, Miss…" I look at her nametag and finish, "Touko-chan."

I look around as I take in there I'm the only customer and probably human not that I care. I look up at the ceiling as I wait for my coffee and cake. I take off gloves that I always wear too see the burn scars riddling my hands. The scars the remind me of my mother's death.

"Wow, those look bad," I hear Uta say.

I nod my head as I look down at them, "They are since they haven't even faded in the 12 years that I've had them."

Slowly Uta moves too sit down with me and looks out the window, "How'd you get them?"

"Trying to save my mother. My father is a scientist as well, but he worked for the government, but he became obsessed with the existence of ghouls and caused a bit of unbalance between him and the government. Though there were a few groups of ghouls that knew of him and were not happy with him and his experiments. 1 day a group of ghouls came to our home and demanded too talk too him. My mother was a fool and tried to protect my father. I didn't see anything since I was hidden away in a closed and locked closet. Still they got too arguing and 1 of them pushed my mother into a table that we had candles for her mother burning. It soon caught things on fire and our home started to burn. I found my way from the closet too see her head bleeding and the house on fire. To reach her I grabbed a hold of some fire debris so I could get too her. It was a bit late for that though. A piece of the ceiling fell on my hands and I couldn't move. Next thing I knew I was in the hospital and my mother was dead."

"I'm sorry too hear that," he answers and I can tell even in his monotone voice he really is.

I smile slightly, "Thanks. I'm surprised on our way here you didn't ask why I wasn't scared?"

"I wanted too, but I just didn't know how to ask, but will you answer."

"I don't know why, but I guess it must be genetic cause I'm fascinated by ghouls like my father. Though I'm more interested in finding a food source for them that will work just like human flesh. Though I'm trying to do it all by myself. Though even if I am successful humans won't accept ghouls. They'll still fear them and with the food source I hope too 1 day create it'll make it easier for ghouls to be hunted."

"You are a noble 1," he tells me.

I don't stop myself from laughing, "Yeah, I guess so. Truthfully it's the reason i came too the 20th ward here in Tokyo. I had heard rumors of a group of ghouls that were more in other human terms civilized or vegan in a way. I was hoping I could hide out at my aunts as I try too try tests."

"Yoshimura, can you come over here?" Uta shouts.

AN elderly looking gentlemen walks over to our table, "Yeah, Uta-kun."

"Well Miss. Alyssa, here is a scientist looking for an alternative food supply for ghouls."

"Really?"

I nod my head, "Yes, I think that ghouls who want to stay hidden or even appear more human would appreciate this. Though I'm not sure how I would get it too foul though since it'd be a good way to have them tracked if it even did make it too regular shelves."

Mr. Yoshimura seems to understand the dilemma, "Well most major cities have places like this or so I've heard it could be disturbed through us."

I smile as I nod my head, "That's true."

Soon the door opens and i look up too see my aunt walking through the door, "Itori," I shout as I run over too give her a hug.

"She's your aunt?" Uta asks sounding a bit skeptic.

I nod my head, "Yeah, Itori isn't related to me by blood but she was close enough with my mother and me too be counted as family. Though truthfully Itori was more like a sister to me, but my mother kept saying to call her my aunt and I guess it's just stuck."

"True, until your father ran off with you 12 years ago after your mother died. It was all his fault."

I look away as I nod my head still i tilt it, "Itori, how do you know Uta?"

She looks at me seemly unsure how to answer me, "Uta and I go way back to our childhood days in the 4th ward."

I look at her and poke her face, "Are you," I lean too her ear, "a ghoul?"

She nods her head, "Yeah, I am."

I nod my head as I answer, "Cool."

She smiles as she looks at me smiling, "Your name did part take."

"Yup, I'll always aid those against madness which is why I'm working on my project."

Itori sighs as she looks at Uta, "Can we go to your shop?"

"Yeah, I'll just pay for her coffee and cake."

Yoshimura shakes his head, "No, don't worry about it I'll let this 1 be on the house."

I look back at him, "Thank you, Mr. Yoshimura."

He nods his head as I follow my aunt to Uta's shop.

Still that was a surprise I guess.