Chapter 1

I know this person probably had a family… people to care about them… but I haven't eaten anything in so long. I'm so hungry… I'm going insane. And he was so easy…

As I swallowed a chunk of his neck, his screeches rang in my ears. My hands trembled and I bent over the corpse to take another bite.

"Kelo, what do you think you're doing?" swallow. Sigh.

"Hey, Touka. I'm having dinner… I'd offer to share but I don't do that." She waved a hand, signalling she didn't want any, so I took another bite.

"Why didn't you come to us? If you were that hungry we could have helped rather than killing an innocent man." I shrugged

"It kinda got to the point where I didn't care. I couldn't control it anymore." She sighed and rubbed her temple.

"How long did you leave it this time?" I gulped.

"Six months." Her hiss let her anger known to me. I'm one of the ghouls who would rather starve myself for ages and refresh myself on one person than kill every month. Touka knew that, so did everyone at Anteiku. Peace is what they're all about. But my lifestyle suits me just fine and I don't need her to interfere- especially when I'm eating.

"Whatever it is you want Touka, or whatever you want to say to me can wait until I'm done eating. If you're here to offer me help again, I don't need it." I turned my red and black eyes on her. She gave me a disgusted grimace and her lips frosted out

"Fine. Meet me at the shop when you're done." I nodded assent and she slunk back into the shadows. I looked back at the human I was munching on, looked into his face- well what was left of it… and saw the fear and pain in his eyes. The ghoul in me was thrilled by the sight and my hunger panged again. But the morality in me was ashamed. Ashamed of what I am- what I can't help. I closed my eyes and snapped his elbow backwards, easily tearing the limb from the elbow joint. The crack was satisfying and an echo of a scream rang in my ears again. Taking a bite of the arm, I felt the blood run down my face. It was still warm- he hadn't been dead long enough for it to be cold yet. Another bite and I could feel myself filling up. Filling out. I could feel colour flood back into my face and pad out my wan looking cheeks. I kept going, feeling the power and life this human gave me. He tasted sweet, like what I've heard humans saying about cake and ice cream. When I was done, most of his flesh and muscles were gone. I looked at what was left of this poor defenceless man and whispered a fervent

"Sorry. I wish it didn't have to be this way. I hope you rest in peace." before I got a change of clothes out of the backpack I brought with me and stripped out of my bloody clothes. Changing into new ones, I set the other pile on fire. I knew what I would have to do and I didn't want them to have any evidence of me. New clothes on and old ones now in ashes. I picked up my bag and ran to the nearest payphone, calmly dialling and taking a deep breath.

"Police, how may we be of service?" I willed my voice to sound shaky and panicked.

"Ghoul attack… back alley… he's mostly eaten and- and it's… so…" I forced a sob next.

"Calm down ma'am. What is your name and where are you?"

"Kelo Tisnosa a-and I- I don't know. But come quick!"

"Okay, we'll trace this phone. Thank you for letting us know ma'am. We will be there as soon as possible." I hung up the phone, clearing my throat and smirking. You may be here but I won't be. I know what you're thinking… why waste it? Why not take the rest of him to Anteiku so they can give the rest out or whatever? Well… carrying a mostly eaten corpse about five blocks, even in the dark, isn't exactly inconspicuous. Let alone the fact that most of him is gone and it would be so messy, plus I've already eaten the best bits. And it's not like he'll fit in my backpack… but I can't just leave him there. Plus if I report it they will have less cause to suspect me as a Ghoul. So this is what I had to do. I slid out of the box and turned right, making my way to Anteiku.

~O~

I heard voices at the top of the stairs after slipping through the dark shop and entering the door that read 'STAFF ONLY'.

"She did it again. She was eating a human in an alley that was really close to a street. She could have been caught." That was Touka. I sighed again. This girl makes me expend way too much oxygen like that.

"Will you relax? I'm better than most ghouls are. And I wouldn't have been caught. I never get caught." Yomo turned to look at me, Touka jumped slightly then squinted and stalked into the room ahead of us. Yomo held the door and motioned for me to go in ahead of him. I nodded my thanks, striding into the room only to freeze. Everyone was there.

"Okay, what have I done now? If this is an intervention, I'm out of here." I turned to run out the door, but he blocked my way. Touka spat

"This isn't an intervention… this time. We need your help." I felt my eyes spring open.

"You need my help? What for?"

"We need to find the latest troublemaker in ward 20. Someone we believe you're quite familiar with. The Pink Dragon." In that moment I swear my heart stopped. My ears rang and my vision pulsed with colour. Crap. No. I am not fainting in front of all these people. I stumbled forward and rested a hand on the back of a chair.

"Are we right? Do you know her?" Kaneki was the one to phrase the question. I'll admit my laugh was more than slightly hysteric and lasted a few seconds longer than it should have.

"Do I know her? Do I know her? Of course I know her."

"Good. Will you help us?" my grip tightened, splintering the chair.

"Why do you want to round her up? What are you going to try? Are you going to kill her? What did she do to you?" Nothing they could say could make me go up against the Pink Dragon.

"Done to us? Nothing directly. But she did kidnap Itori, which hurts a lot of us… though may hurt you more." I jumped and stiffened. Except that. That bitch! She took Itori? Why? Why would she take her? I didn't realise I had asked the question out lout until Uta answered

"We don't actually know. Yomo and I think she might have heard a snippet of something she shouldn't have. Probably about the Pink Dragon. Something she wasn't supposed to know. But we are wasting time right now… can you help us or not? I know she was your friend too." I nodded, slamming myself heavily on the spare seat.

"Do you guys have a plan or were you relying on me for that?" they all looked at me kinda guiltily. Great. Fantastic. I guess this is up to me.