Sen sighed as she stood at the oddly empty train station waiting eagerly for her train home, she rolled her eyes and glanced at her watch rolling back and forth from her toes to her heels impatient. She flinched staring at the time, the train she was waiting for wouldn't be arriving for another twenty minutes, not that it was late.
Sen blew her bangs out of her face, she was the one who had been late, she had been running late because of that job application she had been filling out. She played with her bag on her hip her impatience causing her to shift uncontrollably. But the more she thought about it, it wasn't just impatience it was also excitement, her stomach felt like it was filled with butterflies, finally I get to do something I want in life without always having to please my parents she thought to herself they'll approve a part time job that's for sure, but finally a part time job doing what I want to do with my life.
She started twirling her hair around in her fingers humming happily to herself when she heard someone beside her cough irritated. She ducked her head and flushed bright red in embarrassment, she hadn't even noticed someone had been there. Without moving her head because she was too embarrassed to be caught looking, her eyes swiveled to see an extremely tall man standing next to her with white hair and a long coat.
She stared up at him somewhat frightened, only for his eyes to swivel over and look down at her staring. Her eyes bulged in her sockets and she swallowed in fear, but suddenly from the other side of the platform there was someone screaming. Both of them jumped and turned at the sound startled, it wasn't someone screaming because they were joking about being in danger, or surprised it was someone in absolute agony.
There were enormous crashes, and bangs, frantic and indiscernible shouts. Sen stared on in fear her heart racing in her chest, she couldn't see what was happening and couldn't tell if the sounds were coming from around the corner or up above and filtering down the stairs from across the platform. M-my phone, I should get my phone someone's in trouble she realised in her terror and with a shaking hand she began to reach over for her cell phone. Her hand froze just over her pocket her fingers twitching to get inside.
There was the sound of sneakers slapping against the stairs and children shrieking at the top of their lungs, two boys who had to be around the age of ten, came streaking down the stairs both dishevelled, clothes torn and ruffled, frantically staring in horror over their shoulders behind them.
Sen's fingers hesitated over her pocket watching fixatedly on the scene play out in utter terror, it seemed in slow motion that the children's faces swiveled back but they were oddly distorted. It wasn't simply because they were crying and shrieking in horror- no their eyes, Sen stared at their eyes in horror. "They're not human." She breathed out to herself the man with the white hair next to her staring at her from the corner of his eyes, eyeing her warily.
She stared at their eyes with red irises and the whites of their eyes pitch black, suddenly men in long trench coats with blood splattered on them and carrying heavy looking brief cases sprinted down after the boys who quickly doubled their pace.
They hit the end of the stairs, the smaller one kept running straight forwards for the tracks, while the larger one turned to face the men chasing him. He hissed and growled and suddenly tail like projections shot out from his small red and blue jacket waving madly in the air around him.
Sen's knees shook and buckled and she almost collapsed under her own weight, her hand that had been reaching for her phone instead covered her mouth to stifle her building scream. She stared on with trembling eyes it…. It can't be… a… a ghoul?! She exclaimed mentally the man next to her watching on calmly.
The briefcases the men carried suddenly clicked open and became weapons and they rushed at the boy with the tail like projections. Sen stared on watching the fight that ensued suddenly the smaller boy who had been watching in terror like seen whimpered and began to back away getting closer and closer to the tracks stepping onto the yellow warning line.
Sen couldn't stop herself and screamed out, "Watch out kid!" and he turned to stare at her stunned when one of the men with the briefcases, a CCG officer rushed at him knocking him back. He landed on the tracks and stared back up at the officer in horror, the officer stared down and readied himself to jump down when a train went blaring past suddenly. It suddenly clicked in Sen's mind that there had been a warning of an incoming train but it was ignored due to all the screaming.
Sen screamed at the top of her lungs in fright dropping her bag as the train clattered past, the fight on the other side continuing on, Sen could see it through the windows of the train. The ghoul's kagune madly flaring about attacking and defending while the CCG's quinque attacked. The other boy- the older one managed to create an opening in the fight knocking both men back, one slamming into the train and the other into a pillar. He turned and fled quickly disappearing from sight as the train disappeared rattling on down the track, the men picked themselves and their weapons up and then chased after him leaving Sen and the man next to her alone on the platform.
Suddenly something groaned and from the corner of Sen's eyes something was moving on the tracks, she turned to stare down to see the little boy that had fallen sitting up on the tracks somehow unharmed. "Hey are you alright?!" she yelled out at him and he turned to stare at her in a daze.
He struggled to get up to his feet but collapsed back down seemingly unable to stand back up, Sen's heart raced in her chest she found herself unconsciously shifting back and forward unsure of whether she should do anything.
She watched the boy stumble once more and collapse, "Oh fuck it." She growled to herself, the man next to her whipping around to stare at her confused at her outburst. Yanking on the tie around her neck to loosen it, she backed up and stared at the boy on the track, here goes she thought to herself running forwards and jumping straight onto the tracks herself unsure of when the next train would be pulling in, she only ever bothered to check the schedule for the trains she needed to take.
The boy squeaked as she rushed at him and grabbed him scooping him up into her arms, at first he panicked and hit her screaming out but relaxed realising she wasn't one of the CCG officers. She skidded to a stop and turned back to the platform she had been standing on the tall man regarding her curiously.
"I got you kid it's going to be alright." She assured him rushing back to her platform, she made it back with a grin on her face, it had been easier than she had planned but then stopped short staring up over her head. She hadn't noticed when she jumped down how high she had been, she was filled with dread staring up unsure how she'd make it up on her own let alone with a kid in tow.
And to her fear the two minute warning of a train pulling in sounding, she dropped him and tried to jump up herself thinking she could pull him up after her, but it was to no avail. She turned and stared back at the kid, "C'mon kid." She said beckoning to him, she pulled him up and he scrambled up onto her shoulders tuning towards the platform.
His hands scrambled for the ledge to pull himself up but he couldn't reach, Sen stared up and tired her best to stand as tall as she could getting onto her tiptoes, her heart raced in her ears with her terror. Her impatience grew with him and she began to try and push him up as he tried to jump for the platform.
She could hear the rumble begin of the nearing train and knew they didn't have very long. She tried to heave him up and watched as he went into the air high enough to catch himself on the platform his small hands shot forwards but he slipped back down onto her shoulders.
She winced from the pain of his impact but refused to give up, "C'mon kid climb! Climb!" Sen exclaimed trying to push the small child she grabbed and throw him up to safety on the platform. The frantic child in her arms scrambled to try and gain hold on the flat surface to pull himself up, Sen could hear the train nearing. She squeezed her eyes shut in terror, and gave a cry and one last heave and the child she grabbed went flying up to safety.
She made an exclamation of relief and opened her eyes to see the platform up over her head, she jumped trying to grab for it. A hand clamped down on her wrist and she gasped looking up to the face of the man that had been standing next to her on the platform.
She jumped and her feet climbed the wall as the man pulled her up, she collapsed onto the platform gasping for air, rolling away just as the train rushed passed her. "Th-thank you." She breathed hoping the white haired man was still there.
He stared down at her stoically unsure of what to make of her. Sen rolled over onto her knees and glanced at the kid, she heard heavy footfalls on the platform across from them. She twisted to see the CCG officers, "There he is!" The one who shoved him shouted, "Little bugger's still alive!" he exclaimed, Sen glanced over at the boy. She sprang up snatching him around the waist.
"C'mon kid! You're coming with me!" She yelled as she took of sprinting still carrying him, he was surprisingly light.
"You there stop! Put that kid down!" The officer yelled behind her, Sen reflexively winced it wasn't her style to disobey authority but she had no choice in this matter, it was just a kid after all he didn't deserve to die. Yomo watched the school girl dash off, for the second time that day saving the small ghoul who had no relation to her.
He glanced down, and realised she had left her school bag on the platform, he glanced up at the CCG officers who were already dashing further down the platform to transfer over to where he was. He shuffled over and hid her bag under his heavy coat.
Sen panted exhausted and glanced around her surroundings with a frown geez… What an obvious hiding spot. It's so cliché, I'm so lame in a bind she thought to herself as she glanced around the girls' bathroom she sprinted headlong into. She then glanced up at the kid she'd thrown on the counter in front of her and offered a sheepish smile.
"So there…" she started unsure of where to go with this conversation trialing off with an awkward laugh, she attempted a smile but knew it came out as more of a grimace.
The child couldn't contain himself and blurted out the first thing that came to mind, "Why'd you do it? Why'd you save me?" he asked her, she opened her mouth to respond when the door burst open.
Yomo glanced up, the CCG officers had finally gotten to where he was standing, "Hey you! Where'd that girl go? The one with that ghoul?" the more hot headed one of the duo demanded.
Yomo turned facing them stoically, "They went that way." He said pointing in the direction that they'd see her take off in, "She took the first left." He added on without his face moving an inch, expertly hiding his lie. They believed him and even thanked him taking off and not suspecting that he had just misled them.
Sen felt like crying when the door burst open so suddenly, but it was just a woman in urgent need of the bathroom, the distraction however drew her attention to something. "Eh? My bag! I forgot my bag!" she exclaimed staring down to see her school bag that was always at her hip gone and realising she dropped it earlier in her terror.
The child frowned at her, "Really that's all you can think of?" he demanded of her frustrated, stupid human, really your bag is all you can think of right now he growled to himself disgusted with her.
"No, you don't understand. If they get my bag they know who I am, oh my god I've got to go back." Sen replied frantically, "Come on we've got to go." She said pulling him off the counter.
He struggled against her, "What are you doing?! Put me down! I'm not going anywhere with you!" he exclaimed.
Sen looked him in the eye, "Look, right now all you've got is me. You can stay here, the girls' bathroom by the way. Or you can come with me, I'll keep you safe I swear, I'll look after you until you can find your family again." She assured him.
"Fine then, only long enough to find my family though." He responded stubbornly. Slipping off the counter, they took off sprinting through the now crowded platform back the way that they had come. When they got back to their platform they had started at it was still empty except for the white haired man.
Yomo turned, somehow he expected the two to return and patiently waited. Both panting and exhausted, he watched the doubled over high schooler glanced around, she paused and glanced up at him, "Hey mister have you seen my bag?" she panted as she asked him one brow arching.
He opened his jacket revealing the bag, her face instantly lit up, "Thank you!" she breathed in relief approaching him with a smile. He passed the bag over, she glanced over her shoulder at the young boy, "Hey you coming?" she asked him nodding her head in the direction of stairs leading up to the street.
"Wait, what are you doing?" Yomo asked the high schooler still unsure of who she was and what her intentions were. He could smell it all over her, she reeked of human, she wasn't some ghoul that was helping another one out-she was fully human, and had to have known that the boy she just saved is a ghoul.
She turned, her bangs stuck to her forehead from sweating and still panting from her run, "Well, someone's got to look after him. I've got a place." She answered shrugging, she couldn't put it into words why she did it. In Sen's mind she just had to do the right thing and save a life, and even then to her that explanation didn't seem to be the right one to her to describe why she did what she just did or what she was doing right now.
"But he's a ghoul." The man with the white hair replied to her, the answer she was expecting from him.
"Really? All I see is a kid that needs a place to stay." She answered smiling care freely and shrugging again and swinging her bag around, "Hey kid you coming?" she asked him and the small child nodded his head giving one scared look to Yomo as he scrabbled past him. Yomo unsure of what to do or say watched the odd duo run off out of the subway.
"Hey old hag, I don't get it. If you have to take the subway home what good's walking going to do?" Seita asked the high schooler that he had decided to follow after she saved him, though he wasn't quite sure why she'd done it. He usually wasn't so rude to people, in fact he was rather timid, but his emotions were all over right now because of the CCG and he still didn't trust this high schooler that had just up and saved him. He took hesitant sniffs of the air and sure enough once again all he could smell was human meat coming off of her.
"I'm splurging today, let's take a taxi yeah?" she answered him with a grin holding her school bag happily, "The name's Sen by the way." She added extending her hand out to him as if to shake. Seita stared at her hand but made no move to take it, he expected her smile to falter but it didn't and she instead continued to stare at him.
Seita grunted in response coming to a stop next to her at the curb as she hailed the cab, she opened the door and allowed him in first climbing in after him. She gave the cab driver her address and they departed quickly afterwards. She paid the driver and they slipped out, Seita glanced up at the small apartment complex.
Sen stood staring at it happily her hands on her hips, "Yep, Landlady's pretty strict with the rules, but it's decent enough for a high schooler." She remarked happily, "Here it's up this way." Sen chirped taking off up the stairs the boy following after her. She glanced over her shoulder at him, he seemed like a quiet and timid boy that was putting up a defensive front.
She produced the keys and let herself in, "I'm home~" she chirped happily as her head poked into the familiar apartment.
"Wait you live with people?" Seita asked, unsure of how she'd explain his presence to others. He watched as she happily stepped into her apartment putting her bag down and slipping off her shoes. She stepped further in and turned to face him waving for him to come in welcomingly.
"No, but it makes the place seem more welcome don't you think?" Sen remarked cheerfully she sighed and glanced around it sure wasn't much but it was home. She turned back to her new house guest, "I've only got one bed for now, so you can take it, I'll order a new one after work tomorrow." She stated as she stepped in glancing around at her small apartment. Everything was neat and orderly, put away and organized to her liking. Admittedly she didn't pay for it by herself, her parents still sent her an allowance every month to help pay the bills- but the again it was because of them she got the apartment.
Their work kept them too busy to ever be at home with her, and they moved around frequently. Both her parents and herself got fed up with having to switch schools every couple of months it was too much of a strain on both sides, so they agreed to let her get an apartment on her own so she could stay in one place.
Since Seita had been quiet she decided to continue on, "The sheets are clean, I just had them done this morning almost as if I knew you'd show up." She laughed smiling happily trying her best to be comforting unsure exactly of what to do in this situation. She wished she knew more about what was going on but she didn't want to ask him in case it hurt him.
Seita frowned, "Stop smiling and laughing over everything, what are you stupid?" he snapped at her grumpily still trying to use anger to distract himself from the pain, "And don't bother with a second bed, it's not like I'm staying around all that long." He added on shoving his hands into his pockets.
Sen shrugged, "I needed to get a second one in case of a guest anyways. You can watch videos on my computer if you'd like." She offered walking her bag over to her closet and opening it up, she began to take everything out and put it away. She turned to stare at Seita who trotted over to the corner of her room, he collapsed onto him bum and pulled his knees under his chin eyeing everything distrustfully.
"So you want to order anything in for dinner? Treat on me?" Sen offered him, he glared at her. She attempted a soft smile while meeting his eyes, "A nice warm dinner in your belly?" she asked him.
He pouted and crossed his arms, "I'm not hungry just leave me alone." He muttered at her.
She laughed and smiled to cover her irritation, "Alright then, I'm just going to do my homework if that's alright with you. Like I said you can use the lap top to entertain yourself and if you need anything just ask me." She stated turning back and grabbing her collapsible desk.
She set up on the opposite side of the room from Seita to watch him as she worked but he simply sulked in the corner. She watched as he slowly began to lose his grumpy façade. Which made her smile glad that he was calming down.
She finished her work and packed everything up, her stomach rumbled, she turned to look over at Seita, "Last chance you sure you don't want to order anything in?" she asked him and he shook his head, she shrugged grabbing her apron and tying it over top of her clothes, "No biggie, I'm telling you I'm an excellent cook. I work at this restaurant… not as a line cook or anything, I'm a dishwasher but I pick things up all the time."
She trotted over to the fridge opening it up and staring at what she had, thinking to herself she'd have to make something special, it hit her suddenly what to make and a smile broke out on her face. She began to pull ingredients for dinner and began to cook away, Seita watched oddly fascinated.
He'd never actually seen someone cook before because he never ate cooked food, he had seen kitchens and people using them on television but he'd never actually seen someone use a kitchen. Soon enough he found himself seated at the dinner table with a plate of food placed before him, he didn't know much about food but he knew enough that this dish would be considered delicious and well made.
But in all honesty it reeked, the scent offended his nostrils. He wanted to gag and turn away but he didn't have the energy and instead stared down at the plate instead. Sen who didn't understand the inner workings of ghouls stared at Seita slightly irritated that he hadn't made a move to eat the omurice she had prepared specially for him. She chose it because she figured even if he was a picky eater he'd still try it. But he just started at it.
She couldn't contain her frustration, "Hey." She said trying to get his attention, she leaned across her small table and lightly smacked him upside the head, "If someone goes to the trouble of making you a meal you should at least taste it before you decide you don't like it. Whether you like it or not you're my guest until we can find your family." She said.
She sat back down and pointed her fork at him purposely being rude, "Now eat." She ordered him sternly remembering her mother doing the same thing to her.
Seita stared down at the dish embarrassed at the scolding, the unexpected outburst from Sen had finally made him realise that today had actually happened. The CCG had come after his family, he had gotten separated from them and Sen had saved him. He stared up at her flushing bright red in embarrassment, he realised just how rude he had been to her when he should have been grateful to her.
She looked back at him looking shocked, he sniffled and red hot tears rolled down his cheeks. He snatched his own fork and while sobbing began to shovel food into his mouth not caring if it made him sick or not, "I'm so very sorry for being so rude." He apologised as he shoveled mouthful after mouthful. He tried his best to swallow the second the food touched his tongue but he could still taste it, everything tasted horrible. He had no idea what to compare it to but it was the most vile and disgusting thing he'd ever tasted but he forced himself to eat it.
Sen watched the sobbing boy eat and reached out towards him with a trembling hand, "It-it's alright you know… you don't have to get so worked up over it… I was only kidding." She insisted trying to calm him down feeling absolutely horrible for making him cry.
He cleared his entire plate before Sen could even put a dent into her own dish, she stared up at him still crying, "Would you like to lie down?" she asked him and he nodded tears still streaming down his face. She grabbed their plates, too emotionally worn out to eat anything herself and put them next to the sink. She got up pulling out her bed for Seita and arranging it for him as he stared down at her numbly.
He climbed in and lay down his back to her for a long second before rolling over to face her, his tears had stopped falling but he still looked hurt and lost, "Thank you." He whispered to her utterly overwhelmed with gratitude-never had a stranger ever done this much for him. And the more Seita thought about-besides his mother no one had ever done this much for him.
Sen looked down at him and smiled feeling tears well up in her eyes as well, "You don't have to be." She responded to him sniffling slightly and trying to hold back the tears. Embarrassed she turned around putting her back to him and clutching her counter sniffling and swiping at her eyes.
Seita watched Sen cry, crying along silently with her. Sen managed to compose herself and turned around to face him and walked over to him lying down on the floor next to him her long black locks cascading onto the floor around her head, "Hey, hey… it's going to be alright kid. If there's no one else out there for you, I'll be here for you." She assured him calmly with a whisper.
Seita stared up at her his lips quivering and shaking, shifting between a smile and frown, eyes wavering, "Do you promise?" he asked her in a small voice uncertain of whether or not his family was still alive.
"I promise you." Sen assured him her had reaching out towards him, Seita quickly put his hand in hers and squeezed tightly. Sen's hand was being unbearably crushed but she smiled through the pain knowing it was the best thing for Seita. She held his hand like that until he fell asleep, she then carefully untangled her fingers from his, retrieving her spare blankets laying one out on the floor before crawling onto it and wrapping herself up in the other.
Though the ground was hard and uncomfortable particularly on her back she shifted until she was comfortable enough and then let her heavy eye lids droop having not noticed how exhausted she was until she let herself finally rest. However, despite falling into the deepest sleep of her life she was awoken in the middle of her sleep by the sound of quick footsteps followed by someone getting extremely sick.
She sat up bleary eyed temporarily forgetting what had happened before snapping to attention, "Seita?!" she yelled out to receive the response of him throwing up. She jumped up to her feet and rushed over to her small bathroom to find Seita wrapped around her toilet throwing up his guts.
She fell to her knees next to him, "Hey are you okay? What's wrong?" she asked him worriedly. Seita in response began to sob as he got sick over and over again which only made Sen more distressed, "Bud, bud hey it's going to be alright, just tell me what's making you sick." She insisted.
Seita continued to sob but between the cries he managed out broken words that at first were too distorted from his crying to understand but soon began to make sense, "It was the food... the food is making me sick." He moaned out, guilt consuming him-why hadn't he said anything earlier and why couldn't he just force himself to keep it down. Sen had turned her world upside down for him and he couldn't keep down a full meal for her.
"My food?" Sen replied wanting to be sure she heard him right, he nodded his head weakly before vomiting again, "Oh my god I'm so sorry!" she apologised, "What's wrong?" she asked him unsure of what exactly was wrong with the food.
"Food is bad for me… food bad for ghouls… I can't eat without getting sick." Seita explained to her between moans and pants for air, he'd never felt this kind of sick or injured before. It was as if his innards were being twisted and torn out from inside of him. It was excruciating and completely unbearable.
Sen's heart broke this was all her fault for making him eat, "I am so sorry! This is all my fault!" she cried out feeling horrible, "It's all my fault I made you eat! I didn't know I swear! Oh my god I am so sorry!" she continued on and on in a rush, "Wh-what can I do to make it better!?" she asked him.
Author's Rambling Space:
This story is seriously my baby right now and I want to make it perfect, the inspiration for it was this video about every day heroes, where a lot of clips were people saving each other on subway tracks and this short story I read about a small tight knit family.
I was very hesitant about posting it right now because this is all I have right now and I'm not sure it's perfect right now-but I also really wanted t get it up as soon as possible!
The goal is to be a touching story of a big sister looking out for her little brother while the two learn how to cope with being from two completely different worlds. Main characters of Tokyo Ghoul will appear (like Yomo did) but will not play extremely huge roles, their more like Easter eggs hidden throughout for you to find. I just really wanted to play around with the universe and the ghouls.
Hope you enjoyed! Thank you for reading! Tokyo Ghoul isn't mine!
