Teeth

Other than a ghoul's kagune, their teeth are also their hunting weapon. We sink our teeth into our prey and we chew their flesh before we swallow. No one really acknowledges the importance of teeth.

"Kaori-san, have I ever told you you have a really nice smile?" a human once told me, blushing slightly. I could smell the blood rushing to his face.

I recently moved into an apartment to blend in with the human society and he was a few doors down. He was a... friend of mine, I suppose.

Me? A ghoul? I wondered, I have a nice smile?

"Really?" I quickly covered my mouth, pretending to be embarrassed. "Thank you very much."

"You should smile more, y'know? You've got a nice mouth..." He added nervously, "Teeth, I mean. Like, they're very even."

I didn't expect to see him that night, hours after I hunted and had my fill. I had just entered through the window and into my apartment when he knocked on my door, asking if I was alright. Apparently, he found out on the news that there were recent ghoul activities in the area around our apartment (which, actually, was not me. I wouldn't be so foolish to have my hunting grounds so close to where I live!) and he got worried.

I had no time to clean myself up. I kept the lights in my apartment dim, quickly threw over a clean jacket, and found myself nervously rolling up my sleeves, hiding the ends that were still a little damp with blood. It was a good thing I wasn't a messy eater and didn't play with my food.

"Sorry for bothering you at this hour. Were you asleep?" he asked, suddenly embarrassed.

"No, actually."

"Can I make it up to you, then? Maybe with some tea at my place?"

"... Coffee would be good, thanks."

And that's how I ended up here.

We sipped our coffee in unison, lounging on his couch. There was an awkward distant between us, but we were comfortable drinking our beverages in silence. Perhaps he was scared of what was going on near our apartment or wanted some company. I found it hilarious. He didn't even know that he was actually alone in a room with a ghoul right now.

As I drank, I felt the liquid wash over my tongue, which luckily masked the scent of blood. It was good.

"So did you ever have braces?" He went on and tilted his head to the side in curiosity, "Who's your dentist? Or orthodontist?"

"My what?" I said a little too bluntly. The hell was a dentist again?

"Yeah. S-Sorry, is that awkward? I'm actually training under one and I developed the strange habit of staring at teeth."

"Um, no..." I began slowly, trying my best to sound like I knew what I was talking about, "I don't have a - er, dentist. I just moved here a few months ago, remember? I'm still getting used to the area."

"Ah, well if you're looking for one, maybe you should stop by sometime!" He subconsciously inched closer to me, his eyes locked on mine. "I'd like to show my boss that I'm connected with my patients."

I nervously replied, "Well, okay! If it will help you... What are you going to do?"

"I could schedule you for a cleaning appointment," he offered, shrugging and finishing the last of his coffee.

At first, I thought he was implying something. That one time, he could've suspected something was different and odd about me. Even an idiot would notice the bright red stains - too red to be the colour of my tongue - at the back of my mouth that night.

"Ah. Alright. Just give me the address and date and I'll be there," I answered.

He gasped in surprise, excitement in his eyes. "I don't want to force you into it, though! You'll still have to pay and -"

"Yes, I understand that. Don't worry." I said, giving him one last (fake) smile, "I could use a... cleaning."

But all humans are blind fools. Did he know that I killed his own kind with these teeth? Could he smell the scent of blood and rotting corpses from my breath?

That's the smell of death.

And I would deliver death to anyone who found out who - what I really was.

After that, I researched what a dentist was and prepared myself. Ever since that conversation, I would mask that smell and clean my mouth with their foul products. I would pop mints in my mouth and brush my teeth with a toothbrush and a glob of green slime they called toothpaste. It was minty fresh, right? I didn't know how mint was supposed to taste and why the hell they loved that scent so much, but it helped lower anyone's suspicions. All I knew was that it tasted horrible.

Sour? Sweet? Bitter? Minty? I had no idea what those were, let alone tell the difference. To me, something tasted either good or bad. It was as simple as that.

Now, why did I slather my mouth with that slime? Why did I work so hard to keep my teeth clean?

Well, I "developed the strange habit" after I went to the dentist's for the first time. I had to keep my teeth as human-looking as possible.

I stepped inside the office on a Monday morning, and said with a small voice, "Hello, I'm here for my appointment with -"

I was greeted by a familiar voice which belonged to my... friend. "Ah, Kaori-san, nice to see you! You're just in time. If you'll follow me..." He waved to the secretary before he walked off and the lady started typing down something on her computer.

I simply nodded, walking closely behind him, down a hall, and into a fairly small, but bright room. The place reeked of mint toothpaste and soap. A reclining chair was in the centre of the room with a metal table next to it, and tools placed neatly on top.

Those wouldn't hurt me, I reassured myself. If anything were to happen, I'd kill him on the spot.

"Just take a seat here," he told me and I obeyed.

"Is it just you?" I asked, as the top part of my seat slowly descended so I was lying down.

"No, I'm in training right now, but I'm currently working as a hygienist," he explained, putting a light blue mask that covered his nose and mouth. "My boss doesn't always have to watch over my shoulder."

I leaned my head back, relaxing my neck and rested on the soft chair.

"Alright, if you can just open your mouth for me," he said softly, as he slipped on his gloves.

He reached towards the light above me and flicked it on, so a beam of light shone on my mouth.

I did as I was told, as he examined my mouth with a small tool that had a mirror on it, then with one that had a pointed edge. They poked the surface of my teeth, scraping off the dirt near my gums.

I could smell his hands through the gloves. He was never this close to me before and I didn't know his flesh smelled that good.

"Oh. Wow," he said, chortling under his mask, "you must be drinking a lot of milk, or something. Your teeth are really strong."

"Uh-huh," I simply said. How does milk make bones strong?

"But you've got active salivary glands, too," he pointed out, taking out a tool that sucked up my saliva.

Damn, was I salivating? Drooling from hunger?

I quickly closed my eyes in case the black and red colour started creeping on them from my hunger. I started regretting my decision of coming here.

"Sorry, too bright?" he asked, referring to the light above me.

Without hesitation, I nodded like he was right, trying to hide the pain on my face.

But his fingers accidentally swiped across my tongue as he cleaned the back of my teeth. My "molars", he called them. Even though he wore gloves, I could faintly taste his skin. It was like a freshly prepared meal, covered with flimsy, clear wrapping. The material of his gloves were so thin and his scent was so strong. They were practically exposed to my tongue.

And they were in my mouth.

I shut my eyes tightly. I could feel my jaw tremble slightly as I fought back my urges. I forced myself to breathe through my nose, not with my mouth.

Not now, not now, not now, I can't eat him!

How long has it been? Half an hour?

"Alright, everything looks fine to me!" he said. I could tell he was smiling behind his mask. "I'll just quickly rinse your mouth..."

For a dentist-in-training, he was pretty stupid. Nothing was alright at the moment. Could he not tell he was dealing with a dangerous weapon? His fingers were so vulnerable, with only a thin barrier between them and my teeth.

Just one, simple bite and I could've chopped those fingers right off. How would they taste? Can I eat his fingers right now?! Then his hands, his arms...! Let my teeth bite into that delectable, soft skin!

... No no, I can't eat him. Not now.

"And you're done, Kaori-san!" he exclaimed, pulling his fingers and his tools out of my mouth. He didn't even know how close he was to losing his fingers. He narrowly escaped the mouth of a ghoul! "You can close your mouth now."

"R-Right," I finally answered, clenching my teeth together. That was too damn close. A small part of me almost wanted his fingers to still be there.

My seat rose so I was in a sitting position. I rubbed my eyes before opening them. He leaned forward in his seat and asked with concern, "You feeling okay? You seemed nervous during the check up."

I realized that I was also breathing a little too heavily. I quickly swiped the sweat from my forehead with my sleeve. "I'm fine. I was always a little anxious when going to my appointments."

Once he cleaned all his tools and disposed his gloves, he faced me. He laughed, pulling his dentist mask down so it rested on his chin, revealing a wide smile etched on his face. "Don't worry, you can trust me."

Trust? But can you trust me? Can you? No one's ever done that before.

No, I can't eat him anymore. Never never never.

But why? He just smelled so delicious!

That was the closest I'd ever get to tasting him... but it was enough for me. If I could just taste him once more... No, over and over again, again again and again.

He'll find out eventually... Either he reports me to the CCG or I eat him before it happens. Who can keep quiet the longest?

"S-So everything's fine with me?" I asked quietly.

"Yup! No wonder you didn't find a dentist to go to yet," he went on casually and completely oblivious, "I don't think you really need one. Well, give it a few months. But hey, I know it was a weird request, but thanks for scheduling an appointment with me. It really helps with my training."

Maybe this could be my little game?

I licked my lips and felt them curve upwards into a smile. This time, I gave him my most genuine smile, exposing my even and newly cleaned teeth.

Yes, perhaps this could work... for both of us.

"Sure, I'll schedule another appointment soon."

A/N: This is what happens when you have Writer's Block :P I came up with this after my dentist told me a story about how a child bit him once. Ah, looking back... what did I just write? xD

Some ghouls are just plain weird, so I wanted to see if I could come up with a ghoul that has a weird way of satisfying her hunger for humans (like how Tsukiyama "cooks" his food or sniffs Kaneki's clothes/blood-stained handkerchief). For her, it's visiting the dentist and having a human's hand in her mouth. Not quite sure how different a ghoul's teeth are from a human's though.

Thanks for reading and let me know what you think!