Desperate for Flesh
Tsukiyama lie still on the church floor.
He'd lost track of how much time had passed since Touka and Kaneki had left, since his arm had been severed, since he'd been defeated. An amused smile had been glued to his face for a few hours as he recalled just how much of a fiasco this dinner date went. He partially blamed Nishio for foiling his plans, but he mostly blamed himself now. He should have known better.
He should have known just how far the ghouls of Anteiku would go to protect their little human pets. He should have never underestimated Touka's abilities, especially when there was another source of food in the room. And really, in a way, he should have never underestimated Nishio's strength. He was already hungry, wounded, and weak when they battled. Clearly, that human, Kimi, meant a great deal to him if he was willing to fight to the bitter end to protect her; even if she was just food.
But Tsukiyama was aware that he couldn't stay here that much longer. If things continued on like this, it wouldn't be long before a cannibal found him, or worse, a dove, and he was easy prey, and he'd be damned if Kanae or anyone of his servants would be the one to find him in such a pathetic state.
But there was no food to be had anymore. No Kimi, no Kaneki, not even a morsel to serve as a snack . . . Not one that suited his tastes, anyway.
Tsukiyama lifted his head and let his gaze settle on the severed arm that lay just out of his reach. He let Touka's words replay over and over in his head.
"If you want to live, you'll have to eat your own flesh, filthy Gourmet."
Eat his own flesh. Unprepared and ungarnished. The thought made Tsukyama's stomach churn, but he was only getting weaker and dying here like this most certainly wasn't on his agenda.
Tsukiyama attempted to crawl towards his severed arm. His remaining limbs were shaky and didn't want to cooperate, but he somehow managed to get to where his arm was just beyond the reach of his fingertips. God, he could even smell it; a sour stench that chased his appetite away and told him that this clearly wasn't food. But it was the only edible thing here.
With one final inch forward, Tsukiyama managed to grab the sleeve the arm was wrapped in. His appetite only shrank as he felt how cold and stiff the limb was. It made him wish that he'd at least gotten to it while it was fresh. He preferred warm meals to those that were cold and stale.
Tsukiyama grimaced as he rolled the fabric of the shirt out of the way, revealing his own pale flesh. The only bright side he saw to this was that the meat wasn't rotten yet.
One bite. That's all he needed to get to his feet. Just one bite.
"You'll repay me in kind, one day, my sweet Kaneki . . ." He muttered to himself, "Bon appètit."
Tsukiyama sank his teeth into the most tender spot he could find. The meat was cold and stringy, a texture that was similar to a pork steak a human would eat, only without the disgusting taste. No, while being served cold wasn't quite to his liking, he was surprised to find that his flesh had a strong yet savory flavor and his mouth flooded with saliva as he took another bite.
It wasn't clean, prepared, or served sliced up into portions on a plate, but it sure was tasty.
Strength quickly returned to Tsukyama's body, and it wasn't long before the Gourmet was back on his feet. Everyone at his mansion was going to give him hell for returning in his current state, but he shrugged that thought off as he picked up his severed arm and happily snacked on it as he walked home.