Isn't this great? Uhh, I didn't mean to say that for the first time you've been hearing from me for almost two years, but, please enjoy this. It's co-authored by EternalCombOver. (We get what we want, that's very good XD)
So, here we go!
''
Ghoul-flavoured Investigator
''
The girl glared at the empty road ahead.
The heavy rain wouldn't stop her. She couldn't go back to them. Not after they just accepted the fact that he was gone. That he… Even thinking about his name, made her throat sore. Nishio didn't even try to keep her from going, the damn coward. She was sure he put in even less effort trying to stop him. How could he let this happen? Although Banjo offered to become a punching bag, that pity wouldn't change anything. He should have been his punching bag if he wanted to make himself useful. Maybe that one missed strike would have made all the difference. She let out a strangled sigh, the lump in her throat had gotten too big for her. But the worst one of them all was Yomo, acting as if everything was part of some goddamn grand plan while he kept that bitch Rize alive in a cargo container for god knows what reason. Maybe she should burn that container along with the living creature inside it?
She had tried to look for any comfort she could find. Yoriko was out of question. So it came from Hinami, but the pity laced behind her words turned that source of warmth into venom. The only one who could come anywhere near to understanding her was Tsukiyama, but he had become so withdrawn and self-absorbed that his shoulders were only for himself. She couldn't bear seeing their faces looking at her as though she was the only one left to accept fate. They silently labeled her 'in denial'.
In the end, she was all alone.
Touka stewed her teeth as she trudged through the streets of the war-torn 20th ward. The area looked deserted, even when the government tried to fix all the mess, the heavy rain delayed most of the reconstruction work, as if taking a pity on the once lively residences. That also meant, however, that it slowed a bit of the demolition as well. As she walked down on this familiar street, Touka couldn't help but glance back at what was left of her home. She wanted to see her usual Anteiku, that was filled with unruly orders and laughter. She wanted to see the awkward smile of the long-forgotten Kaneki Ken. The girl felt a hot drop of water on her left cheek. She missed that place.
Damn it, she just remembered her phone was still in her pocket. It surely be drenched wet now. One more reason to add the spice, though she quickly forgot about that too.
To anyone else, it was a simple coffee shop with a cute emo waitress and a very kind manager. But to those who truly knew it, Anteiku was a home. A home that was torn apart in an instant, all for the foolish dreams of two men who thought they knew what was best for everyone around them. All that they got was pain, despair, and the inevitable emptiness. Was this their intention after all? The small building was now in remnants. People had been talking badly about it since the news that ghouls were operating it discovered, taking pictures of it and spreading them around. It wasn't unusual to see someone just staring at it, before leaving without any comments.
Then she noticed a man there, and waited for the rather slender guy to do the usual thing. She frowned when he didn't, putting more focus on the present than her thoughts. Why did he take so long? No one in their right mind would just stand, gazing at a wretched café under this pouring rain without so much of any cover. She wasn't mistaken. There was a short man, practically a boy, across the street from her, dressed in a wrinkled black suit with shorts underneath it along with an odd-looking pair of boots that covered his legs. Subconsciously, Touka stopped her tracks to stare. She couldn't remember why, but that shaggy white hair reminded her of someone.
It's cold, but she just shrugged it off.
Her eyes widened when she realized who she was looking at. It wasn't just the hair, the entire figure was familiar to her. She had seen it walk, or even, lurk, out of Anteiku on numerous occasions before everything went to hell. The back, she recognized, of a Ghoul Investigator.
Anger welled up in her as she continued to glare at the figure. Unknowingly, she slowly began to silently walk across the street towards him, her mind set on one thing. Her Kagune still hadn't recovered, but he wasn't carrying a briefcase. In a battle of sheer strength, even a well-trained Investigator couldn't defeat a Ghoul unarmed. Her footsteps quickened as she approached him, her emotions getting the better of her as her eyes shifted to black and red.
"I won't stop you from trying, but before you do," the man said as she was already mere feet behind him. She halted, taking a quick step back as the man slowly turned his head around. He finished, "…could I have some coffee?"
Touka froze on the spot. That sentence took her by surprise, which was shown on her face, before it turned into redeemed rage. "…What'd you say?" He came to the ruins of her home and acted like he had done nothing, even rubbing it as to ask for coffee like the shop was still there.
"Shinohara-san said he had one last cup with your friend before we hunted him down," the man said, white hair obscuring most of his face. The only thing that could be seen was the lower half of his face, a somber smile of nostalgia plastered his face. "If we try to be at each other's neck here, maybe I'll be just like him…"
"'Before we hunted him down' you say…" Touka gritted her teeth even harder. "Are you asking to die?" Touka asked, anger clearly visible in her voice.
"Oh, so you wanted me to say it nicely?" the man questioned as he turned around. A tired young face met her, red stitches lining the lips and upper eyebrows of seemingly soulless eyes that watched her with an almost welcoming expression. She would've liked the childish face if it wasn't for their roles as the ghoul and its hunter. "Oh, it's you…, smelly waitress." he continued. He sniffed the air instinctively and raised an eyebrow at her. "…You're not on a diet or something, are you?" He inquired without even the slightest tint of fear.
Touka clenched her fists. It was true that she hadn't eaten properly since the first few days after Anteiku's raid. Even though she could, would she take the chance? She wouldn't hunt, and her last meal involved her breaking into a hospital and raiding the collection of blood transfusion bags she managed to find in one of the surgical rooms. However, the tiny amounts were barely enough to keep her sated, and she was in constant need of coffee to maintain her nerves. A tremble reached her balled fists, and she cursed on the inside. That was usually her cue for more coffee. "That's none of your business." Touka said, her recognition of the stitched face bringing a name to mind. "Juzou… you really came here wishing for death?"
"You remembered my name? I'm flattered." Juzou chuckled as he quickly gave a mocking applause. "But you got it wrong… I just want to join Shinohara-san."
The fact that the man wasn't here with him likely meant he was dead or dying, so Touka took that as a sign that Juzou wasn't planning to get out unscathed. "… Fine then. Be my guest, you sick freak." Touka said, she's now calmer, her jaw had relaxed a little. "Go inside first."
"Ah, do you want me to find the coffee machine for you?" Juzou happily inquired as he slowly turned back around and pushed open what remained of Anteiku's door. Touka wondered for a second if he had lost his mind. "I could probably look around for your work attire, but I don't know if the upstairs made it… fire does that to buildings, you know?"
"Shut up." Touka sternly muttered as she followed him in. How could he joke about things when he just literally asked for death?
The inside of Anteiku was a messy shadow of its former-self, the destroyed windows and burnt furniture made it just as if hell broke loose right in here. There was a stinging pain in her chest, but she had to keep it in. As defeated as Juzou seemed to be, he still had that twisted air about him that made her fear him when they first met. It seemed even heavier now, though he was much more contained than before. But nobody knew when he would lose control. She couldn't afford to show any weakness in front him despite feeling the cold's inevitable effect.
"Found it!" Juzou cooed as he suddenly prepared himself to hop over the counter. He successfully got one leg up, but the second trailed behind it and smacked into the ridge with a sharp ring, causing him to flinch. "Oops, forgot I can't pull that off just yet." He continued as he stopped trying and used his arms to pull his leg over the counter, knocking down a filthy cup with his clunky motion. He made no apparent reaction to the sound of shattering glass on the floor but noticeably paused when he hit his foot, which Touka found surprising. She had seen Juzou play five finger filet and hit himself square in his ring finger, driving the blade in and almost severing the appendage. He let out a disappointed sigh, and simply put a single stitch on it to get it back to working form while this Shinohara figure was speaking with the manager. "It's a bit shoddy, but it matches the place." Juzou said, snickering a bit as he prodded the dirty, cracked coffee maker.
"Move aside." Touka said as she walked around the counter. "If you're supposed to be a customer, act like one. Go sit on the other side," she said as she glanced around the remaining shelves. From what she could tell, there was nothing particularly nasty she could slip into his drink, and broken glass would be both heard and seen by the time he got his cup. A dead small house lizard would be good though.
"Roger! It's better if we both get into it." Juzou sang. Again, it put Touka off given the situation they were in. "You're probably looking for the same thing as I am now, right? To join the Owl, or the Centipede."
Centipede. The name they gave him, not for his mask, but for what he let his Kagune become. "…And if I am?" Touka asked as she began making his coffee.
"Then it'd put us in the same boat, Ms. Ghoul Waitress." Juzou said as he took his seat behind her.
"Don't compare me to the likes of you."
Juzou ignored the contemptible comment and merely continued, "Although, there were a lot of powerful ghouls nearby, like Black Dog, Demon Ape, One-Eyed Owl, Centipede… the only other well-known ghouls in the 20th Ward were the Binge-Eater and Rabbit. You don't smell like you eat enough to pass for the Binge-Eater…" Juzou trailed off for a while, watching expectantly at the seemingly tasty coffee, "So you must be Rabbit, right?"
"…When you kill the rest, the only one unaccounted for must be the survivor, huh?" Touka noted.l without any sign of discomfort of being found out at all.
"I should've brought some carrots." Juzou mused, looking at Touka with a, she noticed, stained grin. "Maybe they'd put you in a better mood."
"That's very thoughtful of you, worrying about the mood of your murderer. I'm sure this Shinohara would be proud of you." Touka countered. She expected a comeback, but there was an odd silence that got her to avert her eyes from her work to Juzou. He was staring at the seat to his right, looking up at a slight angle with a questioning look on his face. From what she could remember, the burly man was a good dealer taller than him, and she was certain that if he were seated there, Juzou would be looking at his face. He looked sad. Realizing what she just thought, she hmph-ed and proceeded making the coffee.
"…No he wouldn't." Juzou said, looking down at the dirty counter. "…He'd be disappointed and sad. I shouldn't say it doesn't really matter whether I live or die… ugh." She saw him frowning at his hands. "He'll be so sad if anything happened to me, too." He laughed. "But if he's sad about that, what did he think I'd be when something also happened to him…?"
"…What are you saying?" Touka asked, watching his facial expression carefully. It had gone from the sad smile to an expression wracked with anguish, though he still forced a smile the entire time. It was sickening to watch.
"…What am I saying? I know why this happened." Juzou admitted. He cackled for a bit, sobs behind his odd laugh as he slumped forwards, putting his elbows on the table and running his hands through his silvery hair. "If you don't perform, bad things happen, things are taken away from you, and then you're punished." He said in a muffled voice. "I had to kill the second Owl, but I couldn't… so Shinohara-san was taken away from me. Next… is my punishment." He laughed again before slowly raising his head, eyes muddled with tears as he watched Touka. "That's right… that's why I met you today, Rabbit. You're going to punish me… just like before, right?"
"…You're insane." Touka said as she served a cup on a saucer down in front of him. She'd usually run like hell if she met anyone like this, but not this time. The sense of disgust had long left her. "But if you want to be punished… go ahead and drink your coffee."
"That's right… that's right…" Juzou said as he took up his cup rather shakily, a crazed smile on his face. "Once I finish this, then I'll..."
He took a large drink, not even bothering to blow on it as Touka watched him. His eyes widened a second later, and he slammed the cup down and spat off to the side. "You should have blown it." Touka said, watching the small bit of steam escape his mouth.
"What the hell is this?! It's not sweet at all!" Juzou yelled at the spluttered coffee before looking up to her with a face that said he would sue her if not for the sadness for his father's death blocking his way.
"…You are so dumb, coffee isn't supposed to be sweet." Touka said, the serious expression she kept faltering at his childish outburst. "I'm not brewing another batch, so put up with that. I'm not waiting around for you to try and scavenge some sweetener or any crap like that, hurry up and drink."
"This is cruel and heartless…" Juzou said as he stared down into his cup. He saw his own reflection, and wiped a small ugly stream of coffee marring his face off with his sleeve. He smirked at that, however, and soon began snickering. "Can we skip right to the part where I get beat?"
"It can't be that bad," Touka said, now a bit taken by his words. She knew she couldn't compare to the manager, but she didn't consider herself a slouch. While it was true she may have been out of practice, she couldn't have lost all of her skill. "You're exaggerating… it's probably just because you don't even drink coffee to begin with."
"But Shinohara-san drank it so much, it must be good…" Juzou said. He scratched his head, she could see his dirty nails. "Then again, he also said I should cut back on my sweets… but that's tough. Maybe his tastes aren't really a fit for me…"
"A fit for you?" Out of little or no curiosity at all, Touka questioned.
"Well… fathers and sons are supposed to have things in common to show they're related, right?" Juzou asked. He took the cup of coffee to his mouth, this time apparently preparing himself for the drink mentally as a look of fierce determination reached his face for a moment before he gulped. Was he thinking about getting killed by the drink? He set the cup down with a loud thud, almost breaking it, shivering as he gulped down another drink. "I thought taste would be the easiest to change, but… I'm not so sure anymore." He remarked as he finished shaking from his drink.
"You thought of him as your father?" Touka asked.
"…I don't know." Juzou said. "Many people told me we were like that… and if it's true, I want to keep it that way… But what can I change to become more like him?"
"It seems forced, you're just pushing for things to try and be like him." Touka said, then added, "Although, I don't see why you're asking me for advice, or why I should give you any to begin with."
"Well, I'm giving you the chance to make me, a Dove, squeal with this fantastic coffee of yours." Juzou said with a grin. He sipped another gulp, and trembled once more as Touka growled lightly at the sight. Her coffee couldn't be that bad. "Is this what normal food tastes like to you? This is horrible."
"The only reason you think it's that bad is because you don't even like coffee in the first place." She snapped. "If you wanted a sweet drink, why didn't you ask for some cocoa, you stupid mutt?" They both heard a sound of clanking plate, which made them wary. A few seconds later, they saw a rat coming out from under the remnants of a table. Juzou just shrugged.
"It's my usual… but I can't wimp out of my punishment yet." Juzou said as he prepared for another drink. Touka caught herself nearly taking the almost empty used cup to take it into the kitchen, so that her black-haired senior could wash it. She put her hands back to her side.
"Softest punishment I've heard of…" Touka said as he chugged down the last of his coffee, shaking once more as he put the cup down. The girl hated seeing her art being trampled by that. He scarred her pride.
"That's a lot tougher than you think." Juzou said. "But now that that's out of the way…" he began. Touka immediately stopped resting on the counter as her eyes shifted to their ghoulish appearance, sizing Juzou up as he slid the cup and saucer back to her. "I need something sweet… or something really distracting." He finished as he put his hands on his stomach. "There's no way I can take that as is..."
Touka froze once more. She stared at Juzou, "Are you seriously hoping to die, or just playing around, dove?" He was busy rubbing his stomach with his eyes shut, a look of exasperation on his face. "I'm surrounded by idiots." Touka gave up.
"Doing anything when your stomach is like this is not healthy…" Juzou muttered. "I have an idea… why don't you tell me something about you, Rabbit?"
"Why don't you cut your own throat?"
Again, he ignored her sinister comment. "I wouldn't eat anything from here, but maybe you can distract me?"
"And what would I tell you? Things that can give away my identity so the CCG can hunt me down?" Touka asked, she intended to add a line, but she knew that will just depress them both even more, so she turned the idea down.
"You must have somebody you lost like me." Shoot, she thought. "You were angrier than I was when we walked in." Juzou said. Touka blinked, her eyes fading back to normal. It seems this self-absorbed kid wasn't just alert to physical threats. "You have anyone you wanna know about? I guess I can tell you more than just the on-file stuff."
She couldn't believe the situation she was in. A Dove with a stomachache was offering her a glimpse into the unknown side of Kaneki's life, the life she wanted to see deeper but never had the chance. Was this even possible? She didn't think twice about her bluntness either. "Tell me everything about Kane- I mean, the Centipede." Touka blurted.
"Kaneki Ken, the Centipede. Oh, he was a strange one." Juzou said, staring at the ceiling while trying to remember things. "Amon was a very nice guy…" He mumbled lowly. "And he always said the Centipede, or rather, Eye-Patch, was a good guy too. I never understood that, since they always fought whenever they met… Oh, they fought in the last battle too. It was the last time we saw Amon, so maybe Kaneki Ken wasn't that nice after all." He paused, because he thought the ghoul girl would give away comments.
However, Touka unusually didn't make any comment.
So, Juzou proceeded. "He was a strong guy, that's for sure… I fought him in the Ghoul Containment Center, and not even Jason cut through him in one go. Although, I hear the Angel of Death went for him before he attacked the One-Eyed Owl…"
At that, Juzou stopped. His hands dropped to his sides, and his eyes slowly opened as he stared at the half-burnt counter. "Do you blame him for holding back the Angel of Death?" Touka asked.
"…Partially." Juzou confessed with a grin. "But that's probably not what you want to hear about your friend, is it?"
"Actually, it suits him." Touka said, her eyes narrowing. "He loved to just decide things on his own, and screw things up for everyone else like he knew what was best… and look where that put all of us." Now, Touka noticed the cold had crept up her hands. For a moment, she wondered about the condition of her soaked phone.
"Sounds like he was troublesome." Juzou said nonchalantly, tapping the previous cup lightly. "It's hard to get an idea of how he was like when he was busy snarling all the time."
"I can only imagine what his later rampages were like after he learned to fight properly…" Touka trailed off, remembering the times her naïve senior broke hell.
"Oh? He caused trouble like that for you?" Juzou asked with piqued interest. Touka nodded, watching the drenching rain over the windows. "Wow… and Shinohara-san used to scold me saying I couldn't control myself. Guess ghouls and Investigators can't be measured on that level, huh?"
"Most of us can keep ourselves in line, but he had a bad habit of starving himself." Touka said. "That guy was a real idiot when he wanted to be, which means all of the time."
"That's not as bad as calling yourself 'invincible' when you're just a little better at fighting!" Juzou chuckled. "Is it just me, or are all good guys idiots?"
"…Yeah. All self-righteous idiots." Touka followed the chuckle. "It's a bit hopeless to worry about people like that, isn't it?"
"I learned a lot from Shinohara-san… and if I didn't, we would never have gotten to talk." Before Touka had the time to respond, a sudden light sweeping by the area lit up the store, and the sound of a whirring helicopter blade from the outside began to roar as a bit of wind passed through the broken windows. "…I don't know." Juzou answered Touka's unsaid question as turned to face the windows. "I didn't tell anyone I was coming here." He continued as the sound of helicopter blades got closer and closer as more and more lights appeared on the street. "You should find a hole, Rabbit."
"This many Doves… did you set me up?" Touka inquired as she diverted her attention to the back door. She thought of slaughtering this mutt in front of her while she had the chance, but quickly removed the idea from her mind. She could be reckless, but not as stupid as not thinking about survival.
"Nah. But Shinohara-san told a lot of people to look after me if anything happened to him, and I really shouldn't be walking around yet. You saw my leg, right?" Juzou said as he turned around. "Still, Rabbit... it was a pretty nice talk, although I can't say the same for the coffee. Got to empty my head and what not!" He said as he stood up and stretched from left to right. "If we meet again, I hope we don't have to mutilate each other."
"Possibly." Touka said as she stepped towards the back exit. "Seems like you're not getting your punishment today."
"Can we count the coffee in? I feel like my lifespan has been cut in half by it."
"Screw you, mutt."
"It's Suzuya Juzou." The Dove said, stopping her in her tracks. "In case you want to find me later. Who knows?" He shrugged, grinning at her.
"…Touka." The girl said. Juzou turned to her and nodded with a smile before she rushed out the back exit, the sound of a landing helicopter outside getting her attention.
"Hmm… I wonder if there's carrot flavored candy?" Juzou mused. "But then again, can ghouls even eat candy?" he continued as he slowly walked out of the ruined Anteiku, his legs slowly clunking with each step.
"Suzuya Juzou!" Madou Akira's worried voice rang in his ears as soon as he was out of the worn out café. "Where have you been?"
In all the commotion, he could only think of the ghoul he just had a chat with. Should he hunt her down after all? Or let her be? Wouldn't that be neglecting his duty as a Dove? It was such a pain in the ass to think about that. So he just let it down for now.
"Madou-san, is there a carrot flavored candy?" Juzou asked out of the blue, confusing the blonde in front of him.
"Carrot-flavored… what?" she asked, her serious expression faltering. "... Don't tell me you came here to search for that."
"Actually, yes." Juzou said with his usual grin.
"… I'd give you a Madou Punch right now if you weren't crippled." she said, every bit of worry in her eyes quickly being replaced by outrage.
"Haaaahhh?! You make drinks, Madou-san?" Juzou asked excitedly. "Are they fruity?! Are they chocolatey?! Do you have any right now?!" he continued, now patting down her work attire in the hopes of uncovering a hidden drink. "I'll trade you some licorice for one when we get back, I promise! We can pinky swear for it if you want."
Akira's expression fell flat, resisting the urge to knock Juzou flat on his ass for the sudden, though she was fairly certain, unintentional groping she now faced. "… Remind me how you were admitted as an Investigator again…" she said as she simply grabbed him by the arm and began tugging him towards the helicopter waiting behind them. Even then, Juzou still used his free hand to try and uncover one of her nonexistent hidden drinks.
''
Admittedly, he had let it down for months.
More than a half year had passed since his release from the treatment for his leg, and Juzou was fast to adjust to the life as a First-Class Investigator. His newest partner, Hanbee Abara, was rather useless in actual duty, so he put him up for the paperwork, which he did excellent at. He had planned to shape him up with some Shinohara inspired training, but he didn't see the guy as a fighter. More so, Aogiri had remained mostly silent over the past few months. Perhaps that was for the best, as he was still getting used to the prosthetic leg, but it was more than adequate for the recent clean-up missions he was assigned to. Thus, Juzou found himself lounging about in the small office room he had been given upon his promotion, chewing on some candy while stitched his arm.
"Juzou-san." A voice called as he heard a knock on his door. He was used to hearing the lady at the front desk address him as such. Funny that she never bothered to open the door, he gulped his candy, not that it really mattered. "This is unusual, but there's somebody who said you agreed to meet with them for a school report? Miss… Kirishima Touka."
"Kirishima… Touka?" Juzou tried. He cut his stitching a bit short, the pattern reaching the middle of his forearm instead of his palm. "Ah, that's right!" He unintentionally stabbed his thumb when he thought of what a good day that day was. "Touka-chan!" he said as he got up and scurried over to his desk. "Tell her I'll be there in a bit!"
"I'll send her- Eh?! E-e-excuse me?" the secretary asked from behind the door. The only visitors Juzou ever had were other Investigators or hopeful recruits saying he was an inspiration to them, neither of which he really bothered to give the time of day to as he usually just gave them some of his sweets before telling them to go soon.
Rummaging through his bottom drawer rather quickly, he shifted numerous packets aside and managed to grab a plain white one that he stuffed into his newer apparel, an addition of a black jacket. "I said I'll be right out!"
"O-of course… Do you know where the waiting area is?" the secretary asked awkwardly.
"I'll find it, don't worry." Juzou said as he closed his drawer. The secretary hurried off, and Juzou glanced at Jason as it sat on his desk, contemplating whether or not to carry it. He doubted that the Rabbit had any intention of attacking him, especially at the CCG headquarters, but figured it would look odd if he just decided to leave it behind on this one odd occasion. With a shrug, he grabbed his Quinque and walked outside, fixing his collar with one hand as he began wandering around the many halls of CCG's headquarters.
Hanbee suddenly walked past Juzou, smiling at him which he replied cheerfully. "Ah, good morning, Suzuya-senpai! Where are you headed to?"
"Ah, Hanbee, I'm just going to meet a friend." He laughed, trying to keep the briefcase out of Hanbee's view by hiding it behind his legs.
Unfortunately, the older man took notice of it. "Bringing your Quinque along?"
"Oh, I'm gonna show Jason to her." The First-Class Investigator lied nonchalantly.
"Whoa, it's a 'her', eh?" Hanbee tried to tease his partner, before pausing at his own remark. "Wait… it's a 'her''?" He asked again, this time more surprised that his semi-psychotic partner could keep female acquaintances who weren't other Investigators. Even they usually kept their distance with him.
"If you become a good Investigator, you get admirers. Not all of the recruits are guys." Juzou half-lied. It was partially true, she saw this weirdly muscular girl telling him he was her hero at some point in his office. He had laughed at that then gave her a strawberry flavoured candy, thinking her blood would be as fiercely red as the sweet.
"T-true… Although it's rare for you to show Jason personally." Hanbee noted with visible distrust.
"She's giving me candy for it!" Juzou said with a huge smile. Hanbee's expression immediately fell flat. All wavering trust dissipated into thin air.
"…Oh. C-carry on, then."
"Ah, but I think we're out of pudding! Get the fruity ones by the time I get back, okay?" Juzou said as he nodded and walked energetically past him.
"...Yes." Hanbee said, holding back a sigh. Even if the situation allowed for him to get back at Juzou with a little teasing, his innocence, or rather, his thick-headedness, would have made any joke fly through one ear and out of the other.
It took Juzou a few minutes, but he eventually reached the main waiting room a distance away from the lobby and looked at the few people in the area. It didn't take him long to recognize his visitor, even though she had dyed her hair to a much brighter blue. She hadn't seemed to notice him, though she appeared to be keeping her guard up. However, she wasn't tense, allowing him to walk right up to her before she recognized his face. "You look surprised, Touka-chan." Juzou said, noticing her expression as she realized it was him.
She closed her flip phone, which he could see she was messaging with 'Kosaka Yoriko'. "What happened to your hair?" She asked, looking it over. Juzou's hair had shortened considerably and was neatly kept, but that wasn't the biggest change. It had been dyed completely black, the only constant being the same red 'XIII' he kept on his right bang. She wondered what that was supposed to mean.
"I could ask you the same." Juzou laughed. Touka had gotten a bit taller and seemed much more adult-like than before, despite wearing a third-year high-schooler's outfit with a school bag slung over her shoulder. He realized she could be pretty if she wanted to, though Touka herself seemed to still be far to realizing it. "Still, talking in here would make us so cramped! Let's find somewhere nicer."
"R-right." Touka said as she stood up with a rather obvious uneasiness. Juzou chuckled and hurried out of the office without much hesitation, though he did notice a few odd looks from some of the employees without much to do. "…You didn't tell people in there anything weird, did you?" Touka inquired, her eyes narrowed.
"Everyone in there never expects anything other than ghoul bodies from me, so they act like that when I do normal stuff, like meeting a friend." Juzou said with a shrug. "Or maybe they're jealous? You could be one of my fans, also, I don't see many of them do normal stuff other than go out and drink, but that stuff's almost as bad as your coffee." He added.
"Hey, it's been almost a year. Still won't drop that?" Touka sighed. "Actually, I was hoping you'd forgotten that part entirely."
"Pretty hard to forget the longest aftertaste in my life." Juzou giggled childishly.
"Tch… insulting me now?" Touka rolled her eyes. "Tell you what, I'll make you some coffee that's going to make you forget all about that today."
"So that's your first concern?" Juzou asked, rather surprised at the fact that she was the one who couldn't drop that off.
"I need to fix that wound to my pride. I made coffee later on and even people who actually drink it said something was off about it." Touka frowned, playing with her phone's strap, before plucking it into her bag. "Come on. I know just the place."
Touka took the lead, and Juzou followed her to an unmarked store amidst the shopping district with the blinds closed on the large windows lining it. Touka produced a small key from her blouse and opened it, going in first then signaling him to enter too. "Once again, be my guest."
He did as told and quickly surveyed the area, a small grin reaching his face as he closed the door behind him. "It's a second coffee shop, huh?"
"That's right, and I'm the manager of this one once it opens in a few weeks." Touka said with a hint of pride in her voice. She seemed like she had overcome the despair she suffered before, he noticed pleasantly. "Well, me and Yomo, though I don't think he'd take kindly to me bringing you here before it opened. Oh, but he's out right now, so don't worry about that."
"Oh, this place is a lot roomier than Anteiku." Juzou inspected, touching a painting on the wall. "I guess it's better that I visit now, before you open, although it's a shame I couldn't bring Hanbee. His face at your coffee would have been great!"
"It wasn't that bad!" Touka snorted. "Take a seat, I'll make something that'll knock your socks off."
"But I'm not wearing any…?" Juzou himself wasn't even sure if he had just asked with a raised eyebrow. Touka facepalmed hard.
"It's an expression, you mutt." She said as she shook her head, ignoring Juzou's protest of still being called a mutt. At that, she turned around and quickly went about brewing a pot of coffee, this time appearing much more focused than before.
Juzou watched her work happily, a mix of confusion and playfulness running through his mind as his eyes wandered to the rest of the store. What would she want to do with him? Taking him to a considerably closed place, would she punish him now? Would he fight back if that happened? A small sign that read ':re' sat in the corner along with a few chairs that had yet to be put to a few of the tables. The café was much cleaner, almost pristine, with only a few cracks of light detailing the inside along with a single lamp that hung over behind the counter. It was comfortable, and he was certain it would be a popular place. A popular place for others, that was. "Alright, get ready for- hey." Touka wore off as she sat next to him, serving two cups down. "Don't tell me you're hung up on the same stuff as last time."
"Oh, what'd you think the hair color change was for?" Juzou replied, snapping back into focus.
"I suppose dyeing your hair every now and then isn't a difficult thing to pick up." Touka chuckled. "You wanted to get close to someone, but I need to keep away from people." She paused. "We're running up opposite paths again, huh?"
"Maybe." Juzou turned to the coffee she made, and blew on it carefully, making an eye contact with Touka in a mocking gesture which the girl glared at, before taking a quick drink. He set the cup down and grinned, licking his lips as a bit slid down near the edge of his mouth. "Woah… you really did improve. You didn't go train in the mountains or something for this, did you?"
"All you need to make good coffee is a clear head." She quoted, grinning back, satisfied. "You could train in the mountains, but it was the words of a guy in a pretty similar situation that did the trick for me." She laughed a little. "Well, that plus knowing the tastes of the person you're making for. This is basically sugar and creamer. I'm surprised it's still brown, to be honest." She watched him lick his lips again. "Seriously, are you sugar dependent?"
"I'm not quite there, but that doesn't mean I can't love it." Juzou said with a big smile. He reached into his jacket and pulled out the white packet he kept, placing it on the table, offering it to her. "You should try these too. They're pretty good."
"Still mocking me? Ghouls can't eat candy, if you haven't known, Mr. Investigator." Touka said, looking at the small packet with slight disgust. "Or are you trying to take a vendetta at me for that coffee?"
"You think too much, really, I'm sure you'll like these." Juzou said. "Come on, give them a try, Ms. Ghoul Manager."
"Oh, shut up." Touka watched him warily, he just nodded viciously, but then slowly picked up the packet and opened them. There were small white candies inside, and she carefully placed one in her mouth, getting ready to fake eating as usual. She'd consider slaying him if he played tricks on her, though. She chewed on the candy once, and was surprised when a warm, slightly tasty rush tinged with something excessively odd spread through her mouth. It was a strange, almost tingly taste, but there was no mistaking what the liquid inside of her mouth was. Touka could see Juzou grinning proudly at her. The shell of it broke and dissolved into the liquid into her mouth and adding an even stranger taste into it before swallowing. "…Blood candies?" Touka asked, her eyes wide as she turned to Juzou.
"I call them 'Bunny Pellets'. I bet they'd be a hit with your crowd, eh?" Juzou said, a smile on his face as he noted the confused bliss on Touka's.
"These are sick…" Touka closed the packet. "And amazing." Touka finished, not being able to keep back the happiness in her eyes. Blood had a taste, but she had no idea lacing it with whatever Juzou used for the outer shell could make it something completely different. For a moment, she wondered if Tsukiyama had ever tasted something like this, but the thought quickly left her mind as she turned her attention back to Juzou, who had taken another drink of his coffee. Besides, Tsukiyama ate eyes with knife and fork. "It's not rotten, right?"
"I guess so." Touka tried to vomit right away. "Sadly, I don't think I'll be able to make much more of those… the big secret ingredient isn't easy to get without being noticed." He said. He tugged at a stitch on his arm and smiled. "And I'm not planning on being a fountain or anything, you know?"
"Nobody plans on that." Touka said as she took a drink of her own coffee. She stared at the packet for a while, "…I'll save these. They're really amazing."
"You should. It's going to be a kind of parting gift." Juzou said, standing up.
"Elaborate yourself." Touka ordered with raised eyebrow.
"Elaborate?"
"I mean, explain yourself." The girl facepalmed.
"Well, whenever a Dove get too chatty with the owner of a Ghoul café, it only means bad blood is boiling." Juzou said. "Doesn't matter how much you like each other… if that were the case, Shinohara-san and your manager would never have fought."
She listened in silence. "You've got a point there." Touka said. "The manager was wary, but he never once disrespected any Doves that visited… and I think he did take a liking to Shinohara." She drank her own coffee and smiled, complacent with her latest work. "He had coffee with him the night before, even when he could have just attacked him…"
"That's right. Shinohara-san could have called for an early attack if he thought it was a good idea that night, but he never did. Don't you think he must have given your manager fair warning, hoping he would just run away?" Juzou suggested. "He definitely should have, but I guess he wanted to prove something."
"I still don't know why the manager chose to stay back there, other than his idea of accepting his punishment." Touka said. She and Juzou both took a drink of their coffee once more, and a silence fell between them for a while. "…I guess we're following their example, and accepting our fate before things become complicated." She mentioned, watching a stray cat walked past the store, the cat suddenly perked its nose, it probably smelled blood. Touka loved cats, but she wouldn't want to share the newfound Bunny Pellets with anyone, or anything for that matter. "It would've been nice if we could get to know each other more, but there's no real way of making that happen. Romeo and Juliet aren't an example worth following in real-life, after all."
"Who're they?" Juzou asked.
"Even bigger self-righteous idiots than people we know." Touka said, sniffling. Juzou chuckled.
"Then that sounds like a good idea to me," he said. They fell into silence again, and finished their coffee without breaking it. At the end of it all, Touka took their cups, and stood behind the counter as Juzou picked up Jason. "…I guess this is goodbye, Rabbit. Sorry I couldn't make the pellets carrot flavored."
"Hmph, you're being too self-righteous, Juzou." Touka said.
"I guess Shinohara-san rubbed off on me." Juzou shrugged.
"Do you get the melodrama too?" Touka asked, more for a sarcasm than actual interest.
"Well, it is a farewell. I don't care much for ceremonies, but this is pretty important." Juzou wanted to say he'd love to have more coffees with her, but it was surely out of question.
She sighed. "…You're missing the point." Touka said with a smile. "Honestly, neither of us work 24/7." Juzou paused, and watched Touka with a questioning look in his eyes, though she could see faint hopes in them. At least, she'd like to think so. What mishaps could happen out of this? "I'm only the manager of a ghoul café on time, and you're only a Dove when on duty. This is anything but a goodbye."
Touka smiled, then Juzou reciprocated it widely. She was inviting him for more of that tasty coffee, right? For more of those time together, right? Maybe he should really be a fountain.
Suddenly, a familiar voice snorted. "Oh, so this is what have been keeping you, Touka-chan?"
"Yoriko?" Touka was flabbergasted, she apparently forgot their appointment. "W-Why did you come here?"
"Because you took so long replying to my text. Didn't we promise we'd buy that croissant in the newly opened store today?" Yoriko huffed. "And here you are spending time with a guy." The girl observed Juzou from head to toe, who scratched his head in confusion at the sudden shift in Touka's demeanor.
"Um, Yoriko…"
"Who's he?" Yoriko demanded.
Seeing Touka's uncomfortableness and the clearly visible awkwardness, Juzou decided it'd be wise to lend his new friend a hand. He acted as if he just realized something before a smile reached his face. "Oh, you must be Kosaka-san!" he said, startling both of the girls.
"Kosa- w-wait, why do you know my name?!" Yoriko asked, now she was the one flabbergasted.
"Touka-chan can't stop bringing up her best friend whenever we get to talk, so I couldn't help but learn it!" Juzou lied. Oh, this is very fun. He chuckled. "You really do look kinda like a pie."
Yoriko's eyes widened. "P-pie? I look… like a pie?" She asked. Touka was tearing her hair out on the inside. Part of her wanted to throw Yoriko outside, part of her wanted to kick Juzou across the head to stop him from talking, and part of her wanted to sneak out the back and just let the winner of the coming battle emerge. The smallest part of her wanted to be the referee for this fight. Although she knew she wouldn't do any of those above.
"A-ah, he's just a bit dense, Yoriko…" Touka said, trying to calm her. "I said you made the cutest looking pies, and I guess he thought you were… cute like a pie, right, Juzou?"
"A cutie pie!" Juzou said. Hanbee used that phrase when talking about some of the younger female recruits who tried to visit him, so he guessed it was as good a compliment as any since his last line seemed to hit the wrong target. Yoriko started blabbering, a huge blush reaching her face as she seemed to freeze like a hamster for a moment as Juzou's line hit home. Seeing his opportunity, he quickly turned to whisper "Do we need to wrap this up?"
Touka furiously nodded before Yoriko's phone rang, snapping her out of her trance. "H-hello! It's Yoriko!" She answered. "Wha- of course we aren't cancelling! We're just a little late!"
"Cancelling?" Juzou asked in a whisper again.
"Croissants. Lunch." Touka said simply, watching Yoriko who was fighting another battle on the phone. She's sure a warrior.
"Huh? Ghouls don't-"
"Have normal human friends, which is why I'm not one right now."
Juzou mouthed a huge 'oh' before turning back to Yoriko. "Cost extra to keep the table clear?! We're high school girls that got caught up on a train shift!" She almost screamed. She had a serious expression on her face, and before either Touka or Juzou could speak, she grinned. "Ten minutes? Yeah, we're just around the corner, we should make it in time."
"Are we gonna sprint there?" Touka mouthed, her eyes wide.
"This is you and… Mr. Cutie Pie's fault!" Yoriko said. She turned her attention back to her phone. "Just you wait! We're on our way!" She hung up her phone and turned back to Juzou, who seemed to be contemplating whether or not 'Mr. Cutie Pie' was actually supposed to be a compliment or just what she used to describe him. "Ok, we've got one minute! Who are you?" she asked again, not clearly accepting some-random-guy-who-called-me-a-pie as an identity..
Noting the authority strangely similar to Akira Madou's when she was truly angry, Juzou decided against joking around with Yoriko. "I'm Suzuya Juzou, a First-Class Ghoul Investigator." he said rather formally. "I'm Touka-chan's coffee mate."
"Coffee mate? Touka-chan didn't tell me anything about you, Suzuo-san." Yoriko asked, an eyebrow raised. Touka decided to step in before the stupidity levels reached new heights right before her eyes. Besides, there's only 35 seconds left.
"He used to visit Anteiku often!" Touka said. "We drink coffee together sometimes, and I guess our timing was bad this time!" she continued as she hurried over to Yoriko's side. "Sorry, Juzou-san, but we'll be going!" 25 seconds.
"It's fine." Juzou said. A mischievous grin reached his face, and Touka felt a chill rundown her spine before he even opened his mouth. "Could you wear your rabbit outfit next time we meet?" 15.
"Wear your… WHAT?!" Yoriko asked, suddenly grabbing Touka by the arms and shaking her. "R-rabbit outfit?! Touka-chan, don't tell me you've gotten into weird stuff for a guy!" 4 seconds.
"Y-Yoriko! I won't be able to run if I'm dizzy!" Touka said, rocking violently in the girl's grip. "I-I can explain at th-the shop!"
"You'd better! And I'm watching you, Mr. Cutie Pie!" Yoriko yelled as she dragged Touka out of the shop and left Juzou there, looking at the scene with clear amusement in his eyes. The door shut, and he sighed. They used 75 seconds, exceeding Yoriko's demand of one minute. He wonder would they arrive on time?
"Ahhhh… It's always a good day when I run into Rabbit." he said as he took one last look around the café before heading out after them. His phone buzzed as he went outside, and he flipped it open to see a text from Akira Madou.
"Mandatory meeting at five. Hanbee says he restocked your pudding, so you have no excuses to skip this one." It read. Juzou pouted. Those meetings were always boring and tedious since there wasn't anything particularly exciting going on. He walked down the street and sighed again, this time one of annoyance rather than refreshment. He paused, however, when a familiar scent hit his nose.
Iron. Iron in a very particular form. He glanced across the street and saw a rather dim alley in the distance with many figures crowded together.
"Sorry, Madou-san, I actually have an excuse." Juzou mused as he got ready to pop open Jason. Slaying some mean ghouls wouldn't be a problem for an investigator, right?
''
Did you enjoy it? It's a bit long, but I assure you it was unintentional. Well, for you who have previously read my fics (assuming you haven't sharpened your knives to stab me), do you see me in the fanfiction above? Can you distinct EternalCombOver from me? XD
Though, I must say it's easy to differentiate, just pick out the useless parts, it must be me lol
((i know im guilty for not updating my fictions, i will get to it, I promise. please put the knive down!))
So, any thoughts?
02/28/2016 ~EternalCombOver and NollyLvn