The graying Hannibal sat before his desk in a dark office. Tastefully surrounding him sat representations of death and beautiful antique paintings. Slowly, Hannibal leaned put his head down and ran his hair through his long streaked hair. He had let it grow too long, it was beginning to cover his eyes.
Earlier that day, he had seen Will Grahm in the cathedral. Hannibal had guessed that Will would come to Italy, had planned for it, and left his broken heart for Will, but Hannibal still did not know what he wanted. He had prepared a place for Will, Abigail, and himself, and he had known that they would have been happy there, but Will had rejected him. He had told Hannibal to run, and worked with the FBI to capture him. Even though at the end, Will had tried to save him, Will still betrayed Hannibal's trust after Hannibal revealed himself to Will. Hannibal had sliced Will in revenge, heartbroken, but allowed Will to live and killed Abigail. If Will would not go with Hannibal, Will would not get Abigail, Will would not be allowed to seek comfort in Abigail, and Hannibal knew Will would eventually come looking for Hannibal again.
Still, he didn't know whether he was ready to see Will again.
"Argh" Hannibal slicked back his hair, got up, and began pacing, something he hadn't done in years.
Slowly, the door to his office opened, Bedalia peeked in "Is something bothering you?" she asked.
"No" Hannibal closed the door to his office and locked it. He would have to kill her, he almost pulled open the door and killed her right where she stood, but he needed a plan.
Smiling, Hannibal sat down and began planning her death in minute detail.
-ooOOoo—
Hours later, Hannibal sat back, his plan to kill Bedalia finished. His eyes smiled until they glanced upon a cage in his office, it reminded him that Will Grahm had been institutionalized, that Will Grahm was here in Italiy, and still Hannibal unsure of his plan of action.
Finally, Hannibal decided to leave Italy, he would go somewhere Will couldn't follow, while he worked out what he wanted from Will. Slowly, the man pulled his computer from the middle drawer, and then stared at his antique globe as he slowly twirled it on its axis. As his desk light hit the gold outline of each country, they flashed, briefly bathing his face in gold..
Africa…he liked the cold too much, and while tempting, he would have some difficulty blending in.
America…the FBI.
South America…too close to America.
England…perhaps, but Will Grahm could easily track him there.
Russia…there was a thought, but he enjoyed the more romantic languages, and he didn't know Russia.
China…Again, Will would follow.
Australia…too many poisonous animals, he liked to hunt, and not be hunted.
He saw Greece and frowned, He had planned to take Abigail and Will there. With the money he had, he could have bought anything in their current economic crisis, and they would have been happy
…
Around and around went the globe, till he chanced upon Japan.
"Japan" breathed Hannibal. It had been closed off from the world for the last fifty years, and little was known about it.
He turned on his computer and digging for information regarding Japan. Most information regarding Japan was top secret, confidential, or highly censored, but Hannibal had paid a small fortune to a genius computer hacker to install programs that could hack any database and allow him anywhere.
People thought that as he wrote things down he had no technology, the fools. He had cameras and motions sensors everywhere, but they were artfully hidden, and not glaring visible.
He chanced upon a newspaper. He already knew read and spoke Japanese as he had often interacted with his childhood friend that spoke it in Lithuania. I need to kill her as well he thought. The newspaper mentioned ghouls, and several names such as Aogiri and CGC. Unfamiliar with those terms, he looked them up. Surprised he found a result that matched both words, a police database. Opening it, he was presented with file after file on what he presumed to be murderers. He saw a file titled cannibals, and thought that he should get to know the competition, inside he found hundreds of individuals half of whom were deceased. Reading further, he finished the file, and moved onto Aogiri. Slowly he got the feeling that these individuals were not normal in any sense. He looked up ghoul, and read about their practices, how to spot them, and the laws regarding them.
Content, Hannibal smiled as he thought of his future home, he would be a wolf among wolves, and become a human ghoul. He found the nearest male official from Japan. He was five hours away. Hannibal got up, and began packing. Bedalia looked in, a glass of wine in her hand, "Are you going somewhere?" Time seemed to move in slow motion as Hannibal turned to face her, dropping his silk shirt into the suitcase, unfolded. He approached her, smiled, and grabbed her throat before she could run. Her glass of wine fell, spattering the cream run in red. How ironic he thought, this would be a bloodless death, but there were still red stains in the carpet. Slowly, Bedalia grew limp, and stopped breathing. Hannibal would have loved to devour her, but he had new plans and he had to enact them before Will Grahm came again. Leaving her on the floor, he erased his presence, burning and destroying any damning evidence, then he took her body, pity he couldn't follow his beautiful plan, and placed her lovingly in a car. He drove to a nearby hill, and pierced her body with some antlers he had bought before. It was a goodbye to Will a repeat of one of the first cases Will encountered while chasing him.
The Japanese man died slowly, Hannibal longed to taste him, but he couldn't let his temporary Japanese identity become compromised, or Will would follow. Again, he placed a corpse in his car, and drove to a different hill. He chopped up the man, covered the chunks in a light layer of dirt and brush, and left the body to the buzzards and rodents.
Returning home, Hannibal washed his hands of the blood, and returned to his suitcase to pick up his shirt and resumed packed. He booked a flight, altered his appearance, dyed his hair, temporarily, and got on the plane.
-ooOOoo-
Will sat in a cheap motel six chair. His phone rang, Jack, Will ignored it. He had seen Hannibal's broken heart, he didn't know what he thought. Will knew that Hannibal's offer for happiness with Abigail and him had been genuine, and Will hurt that he hadn't accepted Hannibal's offer when he had the chance. Glancing in the corner, he saw Abigail bleeding out from her neck. From the shadows, Jacob Hobbs slowly approached his daughter and Abigail died in his arms. Jacob glared at Will till they both faded away. Will couldn't take it, he needed Hannibal for his sanity. He got up and went for a walk, he couldn't sleep, as he had insomnia, another thing that had returned when Hannibal left.
-ooOOoo—
Hannibal set up in an apartment. His clothes in the closet, his wealth stashed in an unsuspecting suitcase. Hoping not to draw attention to himself, he had booked a hotel as the man he was impersonating, and booked a different one for himself. He was pleasantly surprised with the hotels of Japan, and their quality of service. Venturing out, he had knocked a man unconscious and stolen his money, Hannibal needed Japanese currency, as he only had Italian and American, and he hadn't had time to procure the Japanese money. Stretching out on his bed, he smiled, content. Until he thought of Will again, turning on his side, he pondered what to do. I know, he thought I'll deal with it after I create a ghoul persona, Hannibal knew he was procrastinating, but couldn't help it.
-ooOOoo—
Rising early, Hannibal took a walk around the 1st Ward, it looked like Tokyo to him. Noting a unused foreign relations building he entered, where a slightly blind middle aged woman sat watering her plant.
Smiling, he bowed and asked her in Japanese "Hello, I recently received an inheritance from a deceased uncle in Italy, his belongings and money were sent here, but they are in Italian currency, could you please exchange them?"
Startled the woman, stared at him for a while, asked him to fill out some forms, which he did with false names, and exchanged the money. Confident, he walked away, contemplating whether her death was necessary, no, he decided, as she had been slightly blind she wouldn't be able to identity him.
-ooOOoo—
Will walked around the empty house where Hannibal had recently lived. It smelled like Hannibal. Already, Will was standing taller and straighter. Noting the wine stains, he smiled, a bloodless death, but there's still stains in the carpet. Carefully, stepping over the glass shards, he entered Hannibal's bedroom. He noted the multiple bookcases, the grand bed, and the empty closet. Preceding to Bedaliea's room, he saw that the closet had also been emptied, but a few items of clothing still lingered, overlooked. Hannibal must have been in a rush Will thought. But Why? Slowly Will made his way to the office, sitting in Hannibal's chair, he clicked on the desk light, and noticed the large globe. The light illuminated Japan and its border sparkled brightly in his face. I wonder Will Thought, no, Hannibal wouldn't. Will slowly turned the globe, identical to Hannibal in that moment and pondered where Hannibal had fled.
Africa…its too hot and he wouldn't blend in.
America…the FBI.
South America…too close to America.
England…perhaps…
Will sat up, Hannibal wouldn't go to England, he had left in a hurry. Perhaps something spooked him? What spooks Hannibal Lector? Why leave in a hurry then? Yesterday, Will had gotten close to Hannibal in the cathedral…perhaps Hannibal was avoiding him.
Will looked again at the globe, Hannibal would go somewhere Will couldn't follow. Slowly, Will twirled the globe again until he once again came upon Japan. Hannibal is there, Will thought. Japan was closed off to all outsiders, but Will needed some answers and his sanity back, he would follow Hannibal to the ends of the earth, or in particular, a closed off continent.
-ooOOoo—
In order for Hannibal to blend in, he decided he would observe some ghouls first. He had read that they liked to frequent coffee shops so he began there. After spending several hours in 5 different coffee shops, he was unhappy. He had drunk too many badly made, burnt cups of coffee. Slowly, he walked around a park, observing the interesting cultures in Japan. Venturing deeper into the city, he encountered a building with a large sign CGC. He smirked. I must be attracted to investigators, if I can't have Will, I go to Japan's equivalent of the FBI. Sighing, Hannibal sat down on a bench where he could watch the people entering and exiting. After a few minutes, he noticed a young investigator with white hair and black roots. For some reason, he found him fascinating, and was reminded of the first time Hannibal saw Will. Surrounding him, were four younger individuals of little consequence to Hannibal, he had eyes only for the investigator. The individuals surrounding him consisted of a young girl with thick pigtails, a woman slyly dressed as a man, a black haired individual with moles on his face and a nasty look in his eyes, and an orange haired man with shark teeth. Disgusted, Hannibal turned away and noticed another man staring intently, hungrily at the investigator, he was sickly pale, had lifeless blue hair, and bright hair. God, does everyone in Japan dress terribly? Hannibal thought as he looked at his dark slacks, polished shoes, white button up, and beige sweater covering it. Suddenly, the blue haired man met his eyes, Hannibal held eye contact for several seconds, before, by some unknown message, they smiled, looked away, and left.
-ooOOoo—
Hannibal began the next day once again in coffee shops. He'd looked online for some recommendations and carried the list with him. All of them were insignificant places manned by boring people that served burnt coffee until he came to a coffee shop called :re. The coffee was delicious, he could taste the care given it, an exotic mix of beans, handpicked, perfectly roasted, and the perfect temperature. He knew he would return. While Hannibal drank his coffee, he observed the occupants. Many only drank coffee, and most acted strange. Not visibly strange mind you, but to using his practiced psychiatrist eye and his background as a cannibal, he could easily pick out the suspicious individuals. Hannibal mused over whether they were ghouls or this was simply a gathering place for murderers. Suddenly, the door opened, and an extravagant individual walked in, Hannibal immediately recognized him from the day before. He had watched the investigator along with Hannibal. Today he looked better, his color stronger, and hair brighter. The manager of :re looked up. "Tsukiyama! What a pleasant surprise, we haven't seen you around for a while". Hannibal watched as the blue haired man known as Tsukiyama approached her, and conversed. Hannibal muttered "C'est un coincidence" (This is a coincidence). Suddenly, the man's back tensed, and he turned and looked at Hannibal. Hannibal got up, and walked over, being both polite and curious.
"Hello, I recognized you from yesterday, I apologize, I overheard your name as Tsukiyama, mine is Hannibal."
Tsukiyama stared at Hannibal before smiling. "Yes I remember you, Hello."
Hannibal looked at Tsukiyama as the manager moved away to serve the other guests, "Would you care to join me?"
Tusiyama glanced around the room as if confirming where he stood, looked at Hannibal and nodded "It would be my pleasure."
-ooOOoo—
Will studied the Japanese language and culture, he would be leaving in a week. He had arranged a ticket to Japan without Jack or the FBI's knowledge using Margot Verger. Their pig business was international, and he would be going as a temporary representative of their company.
He would be leaving in a week.
-ooOOoo—
"Do you speak French?" asked Tsukiyama.
"Fluently" Hannibal replied.
"Any other languages?"
"Many"
"Care to elaborate?"
"Not particularly, aside from Japanese" Hannibal smiled.
They had both seen something in the other that attracted each other, although their tastes were different, they could sense a common bond in the other. Suddenly, Tsukiyama began conversing in French, their stay at :re lasted through many hours and many cups of coffee, during which neither ate anything. Both only spoke French. In the evening, they left, but made plans to meet the following day for dinner at Hannibals, he had insisted. Hannibal quickly went home, and thought the young black and white investigator he had seen the other day would be the perfect meal, he had no info on the man. Hannibal sat outside in a park waiting for a lean individuals to pass by that met his standards, after a while, he met a young man returning from a gym. Perfect thought Hannibal, he approached, seemingly lost. He asked the man for directions to a building, the man showed Hannibal to the building without security cameras anywhere near. Quickly turning on the man, Hannibal knocked him senseless, and killed him. Harvesting the organs, he left the body for the ghouls. Content, Hannibal hurried home and began preparing the meal.
-ooOOoo—
The doorbell rang in the new apartment Hannibal had rented. He didn't want to be tied down until he knew exactly what he was doing. Opening the door, Tsukiyama came in, a bottle of wine in one hand.
"Bonsoir" Tsukiyama exclaimed.
"Bonsoir" Hannibal replied heartily.
The conversation continued in French, as they moved to the kitchen where Hannibal was putting his finishing touches on the main dish.
Sitting down at the table, Tsukiyama was greeted by excellent but disgusting wine, a wonderful smelling pot of coffee, a distasteful salad and side dish, and an exquisite smelling main dish of meat. Tsukiyama suspiciously looked at Hannibal and sniffed the air and confirmed that Hannibal was human while Hannibal quietly smirked. Confused, he watched as Hannibal served the food, Tsukiyama had not eaten such a delectable dish in a long time.
-ooOOoo—
Later in the evening, as they sat, Hannibal with wine and Tsukiyama with coffee, Hannibal began the conversation both had avoided all evening.
"You enjoyed the meal?"
"Oh, it was tres bien!"
"I'm glad you enjoyed it."
"You must give me the recipe."
Smiling, Hannibal asked, "It calls for some rather different ingrediants."
Knowing what came next, Tsukiyama innocently asked, "Such as?"
"Human, in particular human heart for the soup and human organs for the main dish, sliced thinly."
Tsukiyama stated, "You are not a ghoul, but you eat human meat?"
"Yes, but I wish to imitate ghouls, so I may get away with my questionable activates. Could you possibly point me in the right direction?"
Silently Tsukiyama regarded him, calculating. Hannibal had just made an enormous leap of faith, and Tsukiyama would return the favor for the delicious meal. "Of course, but first some rules, that investigator you were staring at, his name is Haise Saisake and he is off limits. Secondly, in order to understand ghouls you need to experience them, so first we will get a mask made, so that you may participate in ghoul activities without being identified."
"Thank you for your help. I also have a rule though, if ever a man looking like this called Will Grahm comes your way, he too is off limits." Hannibal quickly sketched Will and handed it to Tsukiyama.
"Quite the artist, we'll go tomorrow to get the masks made."
-ooOOoo—
Will sat going through the channels on the tv over and over again, nothing he did could capture his attention for long. He was trying to avoid thinking about Hannibal and looking in the corner. Throwing his head in his hands, he grabbed the open book on his bed to try to read. Frustrated, he put it back, and went for a walk, I think I'd like some coffee.
-ooOOoo—
The next afternoon, Hannibal followed Tsukiyam through a dizzying downtown until they came to a dark door in a corner, hidden from most shoppers. Entering, Tsukiyama walked quickly through looking for Uta, the mask maker, as he was usually waiting hidden, to spring upon his unsuspecting customers. Hannibal followed slowly, and had the misfortune to be the one to come upon the hidden Uta. Throwing off the sheet, Uta hoped to see a surprised individual, but instead was met with a quiet gaze that didn't even blink. Uta and Hannibal stared at each other until Tsukiyama interrupted them.
"Uta, this man is Hannibal, he is a good friend of mine, and needs a mask."
Uta climbed off his seat and motioned for Hannibal to replace him as he began measuring Hannibal.
"Is there anything in particular you would like about your mask." Uta asked.
"I was thinking I'm a huge fan of dark blue and antlers."