Important!
It's been so long since I've updated this story. As some of you might have noticed, this isn't really a new chapter. I've decided to put the first two chapters together and added an extra scene at the end.
There are no real excuses for why this story is progressing so slowly. The only thing that I can say is that I'm really sorry for the long wait. I hope the next chapter will be finished faster than this one.
Anyway, I belatedly wish you all a happy new year and hope that you'll enjoy the short addition to this story.
nariai
When I started writing my first Self-Insert into Tokyo Ghoul, I had actually two ideas. 'Metempsychosis' being the first and this the second one. I hope you will enjoy it.
Please leave a review.
Summary: When Suzuya Nao thought about the afterlife, she never pictured being reborn in a brothel. [SI, Self-Insert/OC-Insert as Suzuya Juuzou's twin sister]
Have fun.
Dancing In A Field Of Daisies
Chapter 1
Prologue
.
.
.
Where She Caused A Hurricane
"I dream my painting and I paint my dream."
― Vincent van Gogh
I.
When she thought about the afterlife, she never pictured being reborn in a brothel.
Christians generally did not believe in reincarnation and she had been more of a heaven kind of person, but that did not mean that she was completely against the idea of a second life. It would, however, have been preferable to be a part of a good middle-class family that lived in a safe neighborhood somewhere in England. As it was, she ended up being reborn in one of the shadier parts of Tokyo inside a brothel that was disguised as a strip club. Her new mother was, in lack of better words, a whore who did not even know which of her clients had fathered her children.
Yeah, children. Not singular but plural.
She wasn't the first child Suzuya Kori gave birth to on the 8th of June 1996. She had a twin brother that preceded her only by two hours.
But it's not as if she had known all that when she entered her new life. The girl had not even been aware of the fact that she had been reincarnated, let alone that her new mother was a prostitute and that she now had a twin brother.
Quite honestly, she could not remember much of that evening. Her crippled senses had caused more confusion than enlightenment and the foreign language that rung in her ears did nothing to soothe her confusion. Fortunately, her infant body had been too weak to stay awake for longer than a few minutes and she fell asleep soon. She did not truly wake up for the following four months. The mind of a sixteen year old girl was just too advanced for her new body.
Around her fourth month her senses started to clear. Although the girl's mind could finally form a coherent thought, she still spent most of the time asleep, unable to cope with her new existence. It wasn't as if she did not know that she had died.
The girl could remember being shot.
It happened while she had been walking home after school. There had been a commotion in a store and a few police cars were stationed before the small building. A man with a bright yellow hoodie stood inside the store, his left arm raised and a gun pointed at the cashier.
Her curiosity had always been one of her biggest flaws. Instead of continuing to walk home, she stopped to take a look.
Staying ended up being the last mistake she ever made in her first life. As she lingered near the store a loud noise reached her ears and threatened to burst her eardrums. Glass shattered. Her midsection burned.
One bullet managed to hit her and then it was all over. She had laid there alone on the hard ground and no one had noticed until it was too late.
Remembering what had happened to her was painful. She had been young and filled with so much hope for a wonderful future. Traveling around the world and becoming a professional ballet dancer had been two of her biggest dreams. Now, they just seemed like the childish wishes of a naive girl.
Those dreams were just silly hopes that became unreachable the moment death claimed her. The world she now lived in wasn't one that would allow her to reach such foolish goals, this was something she realized a few months after she accepted what had happened to her.
She had died. And now she lived once again in a world that wasn't quite like the one she could remember.
Five months had already passed by the time she finally accepted those facts. The following weeks were full of deductions that she really had not been all that eager to find out.
From the sound of the language she knew that she was somewhere in Japan and because of the noises that rung through her new 'home' the girl guessed that she had to be in some kind of house of pleasure. There wasn't a time of the day when she could not hear moaning or loud grunts. Shrieks of pleasure echoed through the whole building.
Around that time she also came to know two other things. First, she had a twin brother. Second, her new name wasn't all that bad.
Suzuya Nao.
It had a nice sound, though she did not know its meaning at first. Later she would end up finding it quite ironic because her new name gave her the one quality she would never have. Honesty wasn't something she could use in this new life. Her existence alone stopped her from doing so. After all, it wasn't as if she could just tell the next best person about her whole situation.
But all that did not matter when she was still an infant that did not even know half as much as she should about her new world. As an almost six months old baby, Nao had still believed in the possibility of meeting her family once again. She had believed that perhaps her dreams could still be fulfilled and that this new life was something good. A gift, perhaps.
Inside the too small crib the twins were forced to share, Nao had deluded herself into believing that the world was still the same place she had once known. All the possibilities and privileges of her previous life were still available.
Or so she had thought.
But how could she have not? Nao was mentally only sixteen years old and although she was not a child by any means, that did not change the fact that she wasn't an adult either.
Controlled by the instincts of her new body, she became more childish than she could recall ever being. Most of the time, the girl observed her surroundings with thinly hidden fascination. She did not see any differences that could have informed her that she wasn't in her universe anymore. In that small dingy room, bereft of anything truly interesting, her twin brother was the only person who truly managed to soothe her boredom. He was there, almost every second of the day, only gone when their mother came to take care of them.
The woman fed them, bathed them and changed their diapers, nothing more.
While Nao did feel slightly connected to Kori, it was her twin whom she truly came to love.
In the end, Suzuya Rei was the only true companion Nao would have in her crusade for a better life.
II.
For their first birthday the twins received a set of building blocks.
There were about fifteen of them and each and every single one had a different color and kanji inscribed on the underside. Although it was a present they had to share, both children still appreciated the gift.
Nao was thankful that her brother finally had something to do and that she could start learning how to read this new language. Considering that she did not even know one kanji, those fifteen colors were actually a very good beginning.
Besides, they were Rei's favorite pastime and Nao rather enjoyed seeing her brother smile.
''Look!'' Exclaimed Rei while pointing at the small tower he had built. ''Look! Look!''
Due to their sparse interactions with adults, their vocabulary was very limited. Nao probably understood more than her brother, but not by much.
Raising a hand to cover her mouth and slightly amused smile, the dark haired girl forced an awed expression onto her face. ''Wow...''
A gleeful look appeared in the other child's eyes that were beckoning her to move towards him.
Nao sighed in exasperation and fondness, wondering why this sweet little boy had to be punished with such a neglectful mother.
Being loved by ones parent was not a certainty, but a privilege Rei had not been granted. In her own way Kori seemed to care about the both of them, but she would always love herself more than them.
Crawling towards the small pile of pillows that had been laid down on the floor for them, Noa's frown turned into a bright smile as she watched her brother babble and wave his arms animatedly. That smile changed into a grin when the boy decided to play Godzilla and destroy the 'building' he had created.
As a result he fell backwards onto the mass of pillows and giggled happily.
Among all the people she knew, Nao believed that Suzuya Rei was the one who should have been given everything he could ever desire.
But life wasn't fair and thus he ended up being born in a brothel to a neglectful mother that did not provide him with the care he needed.
And no matter how much she wanted to help him, with her current body there was only so much Nao could give her brother.
''Nao!'' Tiny hands were stretched out in her direction and Nao grasped them once she finally reached the small boy. She wasn't strong enough to pull him upwards, so the physically young girl just plopped down next to him.
Before he could decided to find something new and possibly stupid to do, the female toddler wrapped her arms around her twin's waist and blew some air onto his fluffy hair.
Underneath her hand, Nao could feel her brother's steady heartbeat. It quickened a little as Rei tried to free himself from her hold, but he gave up after a short while.
Tiredly, the child rubbed his eyes and leaned his forehead against that of his sister. Crimson eyes reflected a small part of her face and struggled to stay open. It was astounding how quickly her brother could go from energy filled to completely tired.
Brushing a few strands of his hair to the side, Nao picked up one of his hands to cover his yawning mouth.
Their mother might not have cared enough to teach them anything important, but that did not mean that Rei would grow up to be some uncivilized idiot. If their caretakers didn't do it, then Nao would have to teach her brother how to behave properly.
Manners were very important, especially if they wanted to get far later in life...
...
...and Nao truly despised it when people yawned without covering their mouths.
When he was old enough to know of and understand the repercussions of bad behavior Nao would stop trying to rectify what he did. But as he didn't even know of the consequences insulting someone could bring, the young girl would try schooling her brother.
She did not want to see him hurt because he said something wrong to one of the brothel's clients.
This was the least Nao could do to protect her twin.
III.
At the age of two, Nao had learned quite a lot about her new life.
Not only was she finally somewhat proficient at speaking the local language, but she now also knew where exactly she was. Japan had been a rather vague location and knowing in which city she lived was as much of a blessing as it was a curse.
Tokyo's sixth ward belonged to some of the more dangerous places in the city and had a high... ghoul population...
...
...and hadn't that just been a wonderful surprise?
After dying Noa had somehow managed to stumble into a fictional universe. With all the places she could have ended up in, it just had to be one of the most dangerous and tragic worlds.
Tokyo Ghoul.
For a moment Noa had been thankful for not being reborn as the twin of someone like Kaneki Ken, but then she quickly realized who her own brother was and what a twisted future was awaiting the both of them.
Suzuya Juuzou might have been a badass character, however, their life wasn't just a story anymore. Everything that happened to the psychotic investigator she had once read about in a manga would now most probably happen to Nao as well.
Together with her twin brother she would become a ghoul's slave.
And though she wished to somehow save them both, the girl wasn't actually naive enough to believe that she could protect them from an adult ghoul.
Especially as she had no idea how her brother came to be that monster's possession.
There were too many theories running through her head and too little time to fight against their fate. If Nao did not think up a perfect plan in time, both Rei and her would end up as Madam A's pets sooner rather than later.
(... For a while she had thought about abandoning her brother, but not even that would truly secure her own safety. Running around Tokyo's streets alone would be like signing her own death sentence...
...
...Besides, Suzuya Nao truly did love her brother and she did not dare to make his situation even worse than what it was actually already meant to be...
...and yet she could not leave him either. As such, the girl stayed and foolishly hoped for the best.)
A rescue option had arrived the same day the girl realized that she wasn't in her own universe anymore.
Even in this world red wasn't a common eye color. Surprisingly, their mother had two clients with orbs of such a shade. One of them was a rather sleazy looking guy in his mid-thirties. His eyes were the only trait he had in common with the twins.
The other just so happened to be a ghoul investigator.
He might have been low-ranked, but he was still powerful enough for the occupants of her new 'home' to be cautious around him.
Both Rei and Nao had inherited not only the man's coloring, but also his cheekbones and nose. While Kori couldn't have known which of her clients had father her children during the nine months of her pregnancy, she certainly knew it after their birth.
Neither of the adults seemed to care.
The man who Nao assumed was their father had been led into her new mother's 'work chambers' during the after hours. She was his favorite and the owner of the brothel did not want to anger a government employee.
His white—Though it had been pink at that moment due to the red light shining above their heads.—trench coat and silver suitcase were the first things Nao had noticed about him. Then came his pitch black hair and finally his crimson eyes.
Unsure of what to do, Nao had watched how her new mother's personality seemed to change within seconds. Her lazy and sluggish movements became seductive and sensual as she raised herself off the bed the three of them were occupying—The girl had been disgusted the first time she found herself seated on that bed, but at the end she did not have much of a choice.—and using to play a board game on.
It hadn't been much of a game to begin with. The whole thing ended up being about who could steal more pieces from the other.
That did not mean Nao wasn't angered by the fact that some stranger was interrupting and shortening their time outside of the nursery. Due to their unpleasant living arrangements, the children were forced to spent most of their time inside a small dingy room with little else to do but stare at each other or come up with new games.
Their only reprieve was the after hours during which they were allowed to leave their 'prison'.
Nao had truly not appreciated some man taking this small reprieve from them because he desired a good fuck. His very obvious relation to them did not make her feel any more benevolent.
(... She ignored the twinge in her heart upon seeing him glance in their direction and promptly deem them both inconsequential...)
Observing how her mother practically rubbed herself against the man who was most likely her father and client wasn't what she had planned for that evening. Hearing her address him as 'her Favorite Investigator' or 'Vanquisher of Ghouls' made the whole evening even worse.
Putting one and one together wasn't hard and although she would have loved to delude herself, Nao did not find the whole concept of 'dying and reincarnating into a once fictional universe' impossible anymore. And it would certainly explain some of the things she had heard coming from one of the female employee's radio.
As such, at the age of two, Nao became aware of a few very important fact in this new life. First, she had been reborn into Tokyo Ghoul as the twin sister of the Suzuya Juuzou. Second, if she did not come up with a solution soon, then she would probably die before her tenth birthday.
Lastly, such a thing as compassion did not exist in this world of monsters...
...
...
... And sometimes the true monsters did not just wear human skin, no, they were human.
Madoka Hayato, their 'father', just so happened to be one of them. A monster that abandoned his own children without any hesitation and used the power his social standing gave him to suppress those that were weaker than him.
Instead of trying to help them, he left both children behind in a brothel, not caring about the fact that they were indeed his own flesh and blood.
Their own father damned them to a horrible future and for that Noa would come to hate him in the following years...
...
...
...Unfortunately, the same thing applied to their mother.
IV.
As the months passed, Nao was forced to accept that she would most likely end up being illiterate in this second life of hers. Although she knew a handful of kanji, there was no one in her new 'home' who could teach her the rest of them. The girl might not have been stupid, but she certainly wasn't smart enough to teach herself how to read Japanese.
At least she still remembered the English language. It probably would not be too helpful during some daily situations, however, it was preferable to not knowing how to read at all.
That was the reason why she chose to teach her brother. Nao doubted that the Japanese they learned at the brothel had the best of qualities. Neither did anyone bother to teach them the societal rules of this country. If she did not take care of her brother's eduction, the boy would end up being a completely illiterate heathen in the future.
From what she knew about their birth country, good manners were a big part of its culture. To have a good future, they would both have to fit into society without insulting people during their first meetings.
At the end, all Suzuya Nao ever wanted for Rei and herself was to be happy.
(...Though sometimes happiness seemed like something completely unattainable in this world...)
She certainly did not want to follow her mother's profession. The brothel owner might have considered the Suzuya twins as future workers, but working in his establishment was the last thing Nao would ever do.
She would not become a possession of that sleazy man and she would not sentence her brother to such a fate either.
''What that?'' Rei asked in a broken English while startling her by thrusting a finger in front of her nose. He was at the stage where he constantly questioned the things surrounding them and absorbed the information given to him like a sponge.
''What is that, Rei. You can't forget the 'is','' corrected Nao as she took a hold of her twin's hand. ''And to answer your question, that's a nose.''
His face scrunched up. ''Nosuu?''
''Nose.'' The girl bit her lip to stop herself from laughing. ''It's nose and next to your nose, on either side, you have eyes.''
''Nouse and ayes?'' His head was tilted curiously to the right and a childish pout adorned his lips. This time Nao did not even try to stop herself from giggling. Sometimes, Rei was just too cute for his own good.
Patting his head, the female twin smiled encouragingly. ''You've almost got it right.''
It was only half an hour later that her twin could properly name most parts of a human face. His progress filled Nao with strange sort of pride.