Chapter Two
Day One
She found Bureau Director Washuu languishing in his office, shined shoes atop his desk and twilit clouds under his eyes.
Indeed, Tsuneyoshi's memory had chased him to the office in the wee hours of this morning. Well, that and he was so excited to continue his plot.
"Ah, Miss Sato. Perfect; I've been waiting for hours." He raised his voice to a trill.
"Sir." She was dressed in a fitted black dress, adorned with the barest makeup and an altogether professional demeanor.
Professionals were made to be broken. Furuta waved her closer.
"I – If you're wondering, the Oggai are in training until 10:30. And there were no reported ghoul attacks last night. Odd, don't you think?" Kannon furrowed her brow.
"Odd?" Furuta raised an eyebrow. "Odd?"
"Well, CCG made no effort to hide your inauguration. It would have been a perfect opportunity, unless they feared a trap." Kannon shook her head. "I imagine that's why Kaneki Ken was considered so dangerous? Surely he's told others your machinations."
"No one knows my machinations, dear." Furuta tossed his hair.
"I'll learn. It's my job, right?" Kannon pursed her lips.
"Is it?" Furuta lowered his voice.
"Don't be a predator." Kannon slammed a stack of papers onto his desk. "These all need your signature."
"M – mine?" He gulped. "Surely my secretary can help with a few forgeries?"
"No," Kannon said calmly, as if she were talking to Akemi back when she was a temperamental child. "But – if you sign just one more permission form, I can transform your signature into a stamp and do both of us a legal favor."
"Sometimes, legality can be clever." Furuta clapped his hands. "Where's the form?"
"Printing." Kannon smiled at his eagerness. He seemed more like a child than someone who'd ordered Kaneki's death twelve hours past.
"Stop smiling at me, dear." Furuta pressed his hands over his heart. "I'd fear you were flirting."
Kannon frowned. Would she always be perceived as a whore no matter what she did?
Furuta noted her sudden distaste. What rendered flirting such a thing to fear? "Please, er, get me the form."
"Yes, sir." Kannon spun around and dashed out of his office.
Were her parents right? Was she just working for street scummers and legalized assassins?
I signed up because I wanted to do something meaningful. I gave up my family for something meaningful. Kannon clenched her jaw and yanked the paper sheet from the printing tray. She carried it as she would a king's goblet. Because she might not be respected by her parents, but she would respect herself.
"Reports in the third, ninth, and eleventh wards. Which do you choose, my pets?" Furuta waved papers before the ten Oggai gathered in his office.
"Ninth," said Ichiro. Mayazumi remained silent, too afraid of choosing wrong.
"Third," countered Hajime. "We can send lesser investigators to the safer wards. We're Oggai; we're made to tackle the hard stuff."
"Yes, indeed!" crowed Furuta. "Well said, Hajime. The hard stuff is for you guys because you are the hard stuff. Now, get on those bikes and get over there to save us humans."
"Thank you, sir." Hajime beamed with pride, so smart and desperate to please he'd never stray, almost like a Yoshitoku Washuu.
Mayazumi, too, followed the laws like a second coming of Amon Koutarou. He'd make a good second-in-command. These Oggai were children transmuted into monsters, but CCG left them too blind to see themselves.
"Motorcycle time," whispered Ichiro as the Oggai swarmed his office door.
Furuta raised his hand. "Wait! Do you all have your helmets?"
Hajime flushed. "Of course, Director."
"Then godspeed." Furuta bit the inside of his cheek. He at least tried to protect his children even as he hastened their destruction, because he wasn't the sort of father who abandoned his children. Not even disposable ones.
The Oggai had barely left when he caught Koori Ui's eyes outside the office. His rigid jaw, wide eyes, and wrinkled nose made Furuta's next decision easy.
If Inspector Bowl Cut planned on being a problem, he planned on striking first.
"Knock, knock."
"Look who missed me!" Furuta clapped his hands and motioned her forward.
He'd been forced to eat lunch with the remaining – pathetic, mind you – special investigators, and all he wanted was to vomit. But he could wait for this cutie.
Kannon wrinkled her nose.
"Why the face? Your eyes are too pretty to be squinted."
"Sometimes you need to sacrifice beauty to see something." Kannon settled in the seat opposite his desk. She found the fuschia leather surprisingly comfortable despite its assault on her eyes. "A doctor told me once."
"Your beau?"
"My beau is this job." Kannon cocked her eyebrow. "They say we're moving a bit fast, but slow is boring."
"My, my. Such devotion." Furuta slouched in his chair. He wanted the pink chairs, but he also wanted a fancy chair, and those only came in boring colors. "What are you here for, Miss Sato? Don't tell me you think I'm cute."
"You're as cute as those children you just had in your office, and something tells me about as deadly." Kannon winked so he'd know she hadn't intended an insult.
"You're quite the sycophant." He winked in return.
"Anyways." Kannon cursed her flirtatious instincts. "I'm here because there appears to be a discrepancy in the files on your father's murder."
"I'm sorry?" Furuta suddenly swiveled back and forth. His stomach squirmed.
"No, I'm sorry if this is hard for you, Director. It's just that interviews of witnesses near the Washuu home describe a man who sounds remarkably like the Priest. I realize it may not be my place, but –" Kannon broke off. "Do you feel okay?"
"No, I feel fantastic." Furuta smiled back his piling bile.
"Oh, okay. To continue, then, I checked and no one's interviewed the witnesses since or really focused on finding the Priest. We have a special investigator on former First Class Mado – as we should – but not Donato Porpora…" Kannon trailed off. The director really did look pale.
"I'm aware," Furuta managed. "I merely mean to sacrifice my own need for vengeance family for others. It's what makes a good leader."
"But if revenge also entails stopping a particularly malevolent offender –"
"I didn't hire you as an investigator; as a matter of fact, I don't recall hiring you at all. Go – go do your job and leave me to better things," he sputtered.
Kannon blinked. "I apologize."
"It's fine," he spit. "Please go."
She stood, but slowly. "Are you sure you're –"
Furuta gagged and leaned over the trashcan besides his desk. Acid scalded his throat, but the memories of nauseating food kept rolling over him with waves of nausea.
"Director!"
Fingers lifted back his hair as his stomach violently emptied itself.
"Hey, it's okay. Just let it out. That's it."
Furuta panted. Her hands were stroking his hair. She'd knelt beside him and her proximity tingled his spine.
"I don't need help," he croaked.
"That sounds like a desperate denial." Kannon watched him. "You know, if you're just nervous about your life changing, that's understandable. You don't have to be embarrassed."
Furuta lifted his haggard eyes to hers. You don't know shit about life changes.
"I've been through more than you think," she replied, as if she'd read his thoughts.
Kannon wore a slight smile, but it was a sad smile, the kind Arima had always worn. Uta's kind. Not someone fresh and young, like Roma or Furuta himself.
You can't be older than me, he thought with a sneer.
"Do you feel better?"
"I'm fine." Furuta shrugged away from her. He struggled to his feet. "See."
"Such standing. Impressive for you're a six-month-old or a paraplegic." Kannon placed her hands on her hips. "You sure you're gonna be okay, Director?"
"Certain as life itself." His grin displayed far too many teeth to be taken seriously.
"Well, I find green tea works wonders to settle my stomach." Kannon backed away.
"I prefer coffee."
"You'll throw right up again."
"Are you my mommy?"
She swung open his door with a reprimanding frown. "I do recall being hired to 'take care' of the Director. So while I'll never replicate such a monumental role, I'd consider being a decent person 'taking care' of you enough."
"So you have a sense of morality." Furuta settled back down in his chair. He leant over his desk and rested his chin on his intertwined fingers. "Now, that's more dangerous than a ghoul."
Kannon spun back around to face him. "Should I be informed of something?"
"You know I speak the truth."
"I know my job just became far dirtier than keeping vomit out of your raven locks."
"Oh, but do you know that?" Furuta tossed his hair. "Maybe I'm just teasing you."
How many times had she done that exact move for a client? Kannon's concern grew. "Don't play me."
"Life's a game." Furuta shivered with mock-delight, prompting a scowl from his new secretary.
"I'll see you later, then, sir."
"One last thing."
"Yes, sir?"
Furuta's voice took on a tone of childish resentment. "Could you brew me some green tea?"
"The director asked for me?" Juuzou Suzuya scowled before Kannon's desk.
"Yes. I'm assuming you're Special Investigator Suzuya?" She knew he was small and pretty, but she hadn't expected to see someone who openly despised the director. Kannon tried not to appear taken aback.
"Right now I wish I wasn't." Suzuya's eyes fell on the half-drunk tea on her desk. "Ooh."
"Do you want some?"
"Is there sugar in it? I don't really like tea without lots of sugar. Hanbee says I like tea with my sugar."
"I actually don't have sugar, but I can buy some for you."
Suzuya's eyes resembled saucers. "Yes, please."
"Little Arima!" Furuta sang as he opened at his office door. "I see you've met Kannon already. Come in, come in!"
Suzuya shot Kannon a brief pout before sludging his way into the Director's office.
In the corner, she noticed First Class Itou Kuramoto watching. "Is there a reason he doesn't like the Director?"
Itou muffled a laugh. "Surely you've experienced Fur – Kichimura Washuu's – personality?"
Kannon frowned. "Neither of them are particularly professional, but I'd expect that to unite them more than anything else."
Professionalism is overrated, she'd once declared, and she wished she didn't believe still it.
"Sure, but Washuu's execution of our former comrade without a trial hasn't sat well with his former friends. You understand, surely?" Itou approached her desk.
"I do," she said, with a warmness that convinced Itou she might just be trustworthy.
He sidled up close, with his eyes closed and his friendliest smile. "Being secretary's really special, you know. Not only do you have to put up with that one –" he nodded towards the office door "–but you probably have access to any files you want. You could learn more about CCG than its founder."
Kannon cleared her throat. "Which file do you want?"
Itou looked crushed. "I was that obvious?"
"You fight ghouls for a living, and yet you're talking about how special sitting behind a desk is. Yeah, you were obvious." Kannon leaned back. "So what do you want?"
"It concerns Kaneki Ken. You know – his former Squad's taken his defection and swift death quite hard. Human emotions, you see." Itou watched her face carefully, but she didn't appear to question the Quinx Squad's humanity. So much the safer. "So – I want to show them his final actions."
"You're going to have to define 'final.'" Now Kannon did seem concerned.
"I want footage of the Cochlea Raid. They're 100% loyal to CCG, of course, but I hope that witnessing actual footage of his betrayal will help motivate them further."
"You really don't have to pander to my sense of loyalty. We're dedicated to safeguarding humanity's freedom to exist, not dictating what humans are and aren't allowed to feel, right?" Kannon swallowed nervously. That wasn't food for a fruitful organization. "Yeah, I'll get you your tape. Can you write down your email address, sir?"
Itou scribbled his address down on the rainbow Post-Its she'd scattered across her desk. He wanted to ask her to encrypt the files, but she was already suspicious. Well, all the better if she was suspicious of Furuta.
"I'm free," Suzuya announced as he exited the office.
"Great! Let's be on our way." Itou nodded at Kannon before hurrying away with his friend.
"What was Itou saying to you?"
Kannon closed her browser before Furuta had reached her desk. No sense in risking his ire over nothing. She was a good employee. "Oh, how to improve morale after Kaneki Ken's sudden demise."
"He was asking you how to improve morale?" Furuta raised his eyebrows.
"No," Kannon said with a laugh. "Just telling me about it. I mean, I'm sure it wasn't easy for you, either?"
Killing the fake Kaneki had indeed been hard – because he hadn't captured the real one. It'd been tragically inconvenient. But hey, would CCG really object if it was another ghoul? "No, I suppose it wasn't."
Kannon frowned. His eyes remained mirthful. "Don't just say that because it's expected of you."
"What can I say?" Furuta giggled. "He wasn't a friend. He betrayed CCG. He saw the problems of CCG and used that as an excuse to found an even more problematic organization."
"See, now you're just saying that to distract again," Kannon complained. "I don't think you liked him or hated him. I just don't think you cared."
Furuta held up his hands. "All right, you've caught me. It wasn't Kaneki Ken."
"Huh?"
"You try being young and the last of your family. CCG needed a win beyond the clown raid, so I gave them one. It'll pay off with motivated investigators. If I ruin my own integrity for their sake, isn't that worth it? Isn't that good leadership?" Furuta stomped back to his desk.
Kannon followed, cursing herself as she did. Stop, stop, stop, just stop and be a good employee. But she had to – she had to ask. That was part of being good, wasn't it?
"Why are you still here?" whined Furuta.
"Because you're still whining at me? There's got to be a way around martyring your own integrity, right?"
"Nope." Furuta shimmied into the pink chair. "Nope, been there, done that."
Now she was hanging in CCG's laboratory, yielding him 101 Dalmatians as kids. To get his fairy tale, he had to become a villain. And he was fine with it.
"Well, I've been where you are and done that, too. I didn't find it nearly as magical as you seem to expect." Kannon crouched next to him, her eyes earnest.
"I don't need preaching, secretary." He smirked down at her.
"Of course not. I just think that beginning with a falsehood is a worrying sign, and if you'd like to fire me for saying so – well, I hope you wouldn't because I do need this job." She straightened up.
"Are you going to tattle on me?"
"No," she said. Child-in-chief. "That's your job, not mine."
"Ooh, now you really sound like my teachers." They'd often yelled at him for watching Rize and scolded Rize for putting grasshoppers in his hair.
Maybe you ought to have listened to them. Kannon just smiled.
"I don't like that smile."
"I don't like yours. It's mischievous and borders on malevolent," Kannon retorted.
"Now who's the child?" Furuta stuck out his tongue.
"I mean, still you, sir, but, uh –" Kannon gulped. "Okay, I guess adding 'with all due respect' is pointless here?"
"Yes, yes it is." Furuta nodded. "Now you owe me."
Kannon paled. No, no, no. She thought she'd dodged sexual favors when Matsuri died.
"Make me more tea!" crowed Furuta, clapping his hands.
Kannon stared at him. Laughter and tears bubbled up inside her.
"Should I add please?"
"Uh, no. You don't have to. I'll do that." Kannon turned to leave.
"Oh." Furuta suddenly understood her expression. He felt nauseated. Fucking again. "You thought –"
"I confused you with someone else," Kannon corrected.
"Did you? I mean, I am a Washuu." Furuta's voice dripped with sarcasm. He only wanted Rize, and now he had her, yet he couldn't sleep with her. Because he wanted her to want him, and she didn't, so he'd use her for the Oggai.
"I'm sorry," Kannon said. She sounded sincere.
"You don't have to be," Furuta muttered, waving her out. But instead of waiting for his tea, he found himself scurrying out like a rat that smelled cheese.
He took the elevator all the way down into the basement. A turn to the left led him to their janitorial 'closet', which opened to reveal a long ramp. And at the end was the lab, his lab, Rize's lab.
He entered the lonely room to find her upside down in her tank, the way he's instructed her to be hung. Because he hated that she wasn't his and didn't want to be. He hated her for it.
Don't you understand your betrayal now, you slut?
Calling her names didn't make him feel better. Neither did taunting her. Really, all that would make him feel better were her kisses and her love.
Furuta punched the glass. That was it.
He didn't deserve love, only hate. So he'd publicize Kanou and see what his pretty secretary thought of that.
He's get her and Ui with one stone. Perfect. Purrfect. Like a cat.
Furuta giggled all the way back to his office chair, where he found a steaming cup of tea waiting.
Yeah, so…I feel I should explain I won't be sugarcoating Furuta's misogynist ideas or his abandonment issues, nor am I writing a good-girl-saves-dark-brooder story. Instead, let's see what happens when two fuck-ups fall in love. :P
