A/N: Hey guys, I'm not really sure how to explain this... It will roughly follow the story line of Tokyo Ghoul, and have roughly the same characters (though they may be in different positions, hint hint wink wink), but at the same time 'ghouls' are slightly different beings called Aelurus', with slightly different things going on with them. It's basically an AU twisted and turned upside down on it's head. I don't know if it'll keep following the original story to the end or if it'll branch off, but some shit is going to go down. As for shipping... we'll see. I'm still undecided on that matter. Make me change my mind.

P.S.- It's rated mature for gore and language and bloody stuff. No sex. Not yet.

Gerard's eyelids were lowered so heavily over his eyes that he almost seemed to be sleeping on the bench. But sleeping was the last thing on his mind—no, sleeping wouldn't do. He was waiting. He'd known as soon as he'd walked into the amusement park, as soon as the swirling colours and laughing clown faces danced before his flickering eyes. He'd known as soon as he'd taken the first step past the gates, when he'd felt… something watching him. Perhaps someone, but that was probably only wishful thinking.

Of course, there were the usual thugs; lone men and women who tried so hard to blend in that it was painfully obvious that they were outsiders, but they weren't what Gerard felt. They didn't have the sinister aura that left a bitter taste in his mouth or a bloodlust so great it was almost inconceivable.

In fact, the bloodlust was so great that Gerard was surprised there were so many people just casually enjoying the park. Children laughed as their parents swung them around, babies gurgled happily, dogs sniffed curiously at every tree. Animals, babies and young children were the most susceptible, but they didn't seem bothered at all. Why? It made Gerard uneasy.

"What is your position, Agent Golf Foxtrot? Over."

Gerard gave a casual stretch, faking an itchy ear as he brushed his fingertips against the device curling around it.

"Possible Uniform Indias in place. Suspected Quebec Alfa. Over."

Goddamn this phonetic alphabet, Gerard cursed silently. Memorization had never been one of his strong suits, so it had taken him a few months just to be able to properly speak on missions. Ever since the younger generation had taken over, they weren't allowed to call the targets UIs or QAs anymore. He didn't get the need for such semantics, but he supposed that goddamn kid at the top liked his video games.

"Suspected level of Quebec Alfa? Over."

At least he had a good intuition on the field. That was the one reason they didn't trade him in for two… no, three twenties. Man, he was getting old.

"At most… a six. Over."

Sixes were dangerous. It took about four good agents to take one down. Although, Gerard mused, that was then. The new investigators could go one on one and escape without losing much more than a finger. Sometimes an arm. It was rather impressive, and if this QA turned out to be the six he suspected it was, it would give him a chance to prove himself to the younger guys. He'd be damned if it would take more than an arm from him.

"Do you require backup, Agent Golf Foxtrot? Over."

"I think I can take one goddamn Aelurus myself, don't you?"

There was an audible pause on the other side, and Gerard silently cursed himself. All of the conversations were recorded now, and he'd get in trouble not only for using his trademark curse, but also for slanging QA. It was hard; Aelurus was what everyone had called them. It meant 'cat' in Latin, and it was rather fitting.

"Sorry. No, I don't need backup. I'll dismantle the Quebec Alfa myself. Over."

The line crackled almost impatiently. Now it was time to play the waiting game. The target knew he was here, and his job was to take it down. One would live and the other would die. He knew and the target knew that he wouldn't make the first move, so it was up to the target.

The bloodlust increased ever so slightly. Just a bit, but the babies started to cry. And the small children were suddenly pulling their mother's hands and saying 'could we please go home, I'm tired.' And the dogs had become meek. It was somehow rather comforting to Gerard, to see that the others felt it. If only he felt it, it would mean one of two things; he was getting too old for the job, or this was one of those rare Aelurus' which could control its bloodlust and direct it at a person. Those were dangerous.

Luckily for all investigators, people had become much more aware of the problem since it had been increasing. There were uneasy glances around as people relented and began gathering up their children, chills running down their spines for no apparent reason. They began to leave, and soon the area was mostly deserted.

The people he'd suspected to be UIs had also left, he noted with surprise. They had kept a close eye on him, but it seemed it was only because they could sense the danger rolling off of him. A tiny man—a midget, to be exact—had suddenly broken out in a sweat and decided to leave, and the thugs had followed him. Must've been a yakuza boss or something.

"Hey… You can come out now, you know."

The laziness in Gerard's voice wasn't feigned as he leaned further back on the bench, stretching both arms out over its grainy wooden top. He wished he'd brought a smoke, but his wife and little girl had made him promise to stop smoking when they found out his little girl was pregnant. Man, time went by fast.

Speaking of time, he was surprised the Aelurus hadn't leapt at him yet. The people had seemed to be moving slow, yet they'd melted away so fast that this particular corner of the amusement park was more or less abandoned. The only witness to the scene was a gigantic clown balloon, which grinned grotesquely against the night sky.

No, wait. There was a young man. Barely older than a boy. Gerard stood up, his hand halfway to the familiar handle of his beloved weapon. Was this the Aelurus? This boy who couldn't be older than eighteen? He stepped into the light and Gerard felt a weird tremble go through him. What was with this kid? There was something sad about his eyes and face, but his hair was bleached blond and piercings decorated both ears. He looked like a delinquent, but at the same time, he looked much too gentle.

"Who are you talking to?"

The kid's voice—he had to think of him as a kid, because he was sure the boy was eighteen at most—also sounded like it shouldn't come from his mouth. It was quiet, uncertain and slightly nervous. The only thing that matched it was the lock of hair that the kid seemed to be desperately trying to hide behind, though it only succeeded in covering part of his face.

"Kid, there's an Aelurus around. You shouldn't be here. Don't you have any instincts?"

Gerard's told him this guy couldn't be the Aelurus. Although if he was, he may be problematic. With Aelurus', the lighter their hair, the stronger they were. An Aelurus with pure white hair was the highest classification of Aelurus—eleven. This kid's hair was close, so if he really was one, he'd be a seven or eight.

"An Aelurus? Are you sure?"

The loudness and tone of his voice kept changing. It was rather disorienting. It seemed more to be a chronic problem than nervousness, though. Gerard sighed and relaxed slightly, though he kept his hand near his weapon. There were classifications one to seven, and then there were eights, nines, and tens. After seven, there was a severe increase in power. Only the strongest in the organization could fight those. As for elevens… only one person had ever lived after facing one. The organization head.

"Yeah, kid. I'm sure. So go home, rest up, and get ready for the finals I hear are coming up."

The kid's face changed from uncertain to sorrowful, and he kicked at the ground.

"I don't have anywhere to go…"

Gerard's hand fully dropped from his weapon. His instincts, which had served him amazingly in the last fifty years, told him this kid was as far from a threat as he could be. The kid looked like he was about to cry, and he kept tugging on the long sleeves of the oversized sweater he was wearing.

"Are you a street kid?"

The boy looked up at him, his eyes slightly unfocused.

"I'm just really hungry."

The word hungry sent warnings firing in Gerard's head, and he was drawing his weapon before he had time to think. The boy observed him apathetically for a second before a grotesque smile grew over his face. It stretched and stretched, until it seemed impossible that it could be so large.

"Oops."

His eyes. They'd changed from normal human eyes to—Gerard's eyes widened. That was impossible. Aelurus' eyes were always the same—deep red irises with pupils similar to a cat's, and black everywhere else. But these eyes were…

"Thank you for the meal~"

The boy lifted something up, something beautiful. It was deep red, with blood dripping down it, dripping down the boy's pale arm. The stark contrast of red on white was gorgeous, and the blackness of the boy's nails topped the image off like cream on chocolate. Of course, Gerard thought weakly, Aelurus' nails are always painted. Idiot… Why didn't I…

The thing in the boy's hand made one slight movement before going still. Gerard felt his body go cold. It was a beat. The thing the boy was holding was…

"Callie…"

It was what his granddaughter was going to be named. He wanted that to be his last thought, as his weapon tumbled onto the cold, lifeless cobblestone. But, as the kid who had moved so fast he hadn't even realized there was movement stood over him, as the Aelurus who had slaughtered a top notch agent with the ease of breathing stood eating his heart like an apple, Gerard's last thought was, What the hell is he?