Road Between Magnolia and Murias

The duo had been silent the entire journey in the cart, both in shock at what had transpired. Happy knew that Natsu was reckless, but even he hadn't expected Natsu to pull that off. Lucy was unsure of the extremity of the situation at first, assuming the two mages would handle it – particularly after what she'd seen of their fight with Lullaby. What could be worse than that? She wondered to herself, remaining silent so as not to disturb the thoughtful, sombre Happy.

Travelling was much less fun without Natsu's antics.

The cart was being pulled along a particularly bumpy road, and Lucy wondered if it might topple over. This has not been a pleasant journey, leaving aside the fact that two of my new friends just disappeared through time on a Job that was so dangerous I shouldn't even know about it! She was becoming increasingly flustered, knowing that the closer they got to the guild, the closer they got to having to tell the others about what had happened. Still, at least I have Happy with me.

She looked across the short distance to her little companion, Happy. His big eyes were rooted to the floor of the cart, tears continually welling up at the edges. His limbs sagged, lacking the energy to remain in their usual form: his hands reached down towards his thighs, while his feet swayed in circles as the cart continued along the cobbled pathways that linked Murias and Magnolia.

"It wasn't your fault, Happy." Lucy called out, feeling a slight wave of guilt at having broken the silence. He looked up at her, the tears finally succeeding in their battle to break through the boundaries at the edges of his eyes, before cascading down his furry cheeks.

"Of course it was, Lucy!" He sobbed, before pausing slightly for breath; she gulped, not expecting such a backlash. "I picked up the job. I smudged the letter. I left Natsu in the tent. How could it not be my fault?"

With that, a silence fell upon the pair once more; Lucy returned to her dread of the future, while Happy returned to his guilt at the past.

The remaining time of the journey passed in continued silent reflection, until the cart drew to a stop in Magnolia, at the side of the road leading directly to the Fairy Tail Building. After a few seconds, Lucy snapped out of her thoughts and returned to the present, shuffling awkwardly out of the cart, followed by Happy. She paid the 3,000J for the journey, before turning to face the final destination: the building stood gloriously in the late afternoon, the sun providing a halo to the golden orb that rested above the three layers of tiles. She knew that their news would lead even the most cheerful members of the guild to become bleak with worry. I was a part of it all, she critiqued herself, will they even want me to return after this? Happy looked up at her, reading her face and knowing her thoughts, before taking a deep breath.

"Don't worry about what Master will say about you." Happy called, not quite normally but okay-enough for Lucy, "Because Natsu will get it a lot worse." Lucy sighed, before smiling at Happy; she appreciated the sentiment, but it wasn't all that reassuring, as she knew they were both still in trouble.

Happy began to walk down the road, before Lucy rushed to follow him towards the building. Their silence returned until they reached the door of the Fairy Tail building; before they could open it, the door swung open and a small, blue haired figure burst out and knocked Lucy to the floor. It was Levy.

She clutched Lucy tightly; despite how recently Lucy had joined the guild, Levy had taken a shine to her and it was clear that they would go on to become close friends, so long as they were both around to do so. Lucy teared up at the prospect of being forced to leave this newfound sense of friendship and purpose, so soon after finally finding something she'd yearned for her whole life.

"Don't cry!" Levy's voice was muffled by the closeness of their embrace, trying desperately to reassure Lucy despite not knowing the extent of what had occurred. Happy began to shiver, noticing how much less inviting the guild was without the battles between Natsu and Gray: even just hearing their voices would've brought pure elation to the heart of the small cat, but alas it was a different voice that came booming from within.

"NATSU?" The old, dry voice roared, filling the minds of Lucy and Happy with anxiety to near breaking point. The entire guild appeared to fall silent within, and Levy soon returned to the room ahead, leaving Lucy and Happy to enter; they still weren't sure if they were ready to explain. They glanced to each other fearfully: How can we explain this?

The pair entered the guild together; Lucy shuffled awkwardly, almost tripping over her own feet, while Happy walked slowly, almost solemnly, as if he was the undertaker leading the casket of truths that the pair had tried to bury in their minds.

They walked through rows of benches filled with their friends and guildmates, who clearly had been partaking in a usually merry afternoon's drinking: no one expected only Lucy and Happy to come back, but while their faces were filled with anxiety, they all expected some sort of explanation from the pair as to why Natsu and Gray had not yet returned. Surely they'd have got into one of their trademark tussles, fallen down a hill and needed rescuing? Surely they'd have got into a fight with some bandits and would be on their way? Surely?

Makarov grunted, casting his tired eye over the pair from the balcony above. It was notably odd to see Happy without Natsu, but even more so to see Lucy as such; he had looked over her since she joined the guild, and she certainly didn't look confident without him.

"Where's Natsu... and Gray?" He asked, puzzled at the lack of fire, fighting and noise. The response was just a sniffle from each, at which point Makarov pressed them with a bemused hum. Lucy could take the silence no more.

"They're gone..." Lucy whimpered, before yelling "THEY'RE GONE, I'M SO SORRY" and collapsing to her knees. She felt like she should brace herself for the guild's anger, but her conscience was already submerged once more in guilt-ridden tears.

"Did they take the Job?" Makarov pressed, hiding his own fears with tired frustration as Levy tried to reassure Lucy.

"N-Natsu and Gray... they were caught up in the Time Magic." He sniffled, before continuing, determined to finish explaining, "Natsu tr-tricked Gray, and then the time ran out... and they were gone."

Makarov grunted once more, before descending from the balcony below; he walked over to the pair, stretching up and putting a hand on each of their shoulders. He waited as the pair stopped sobbing and looked up to him, before smiling warmly. Lucy was confused for a moment, before Makarov turned to the rest of the guild and explained.

"Those brats have caused us plenty of expense and worry over the years, as we have watched them grow from scrappy little boys into two fine young men: two of the finest this guild has seen. And if they have gone to... um... To-kyo? Tokyo. Then Tokyo is where we shall be going! THAT is what it means to be a Fairy Tail Mage!"

Lucy could feel a warmth in her stomach, replacing the uneasiness that had filled it since the cloud of purple had engulfed her newfound friends in Bastian's tent. She glanced over to see Happy smiling, and then the rest of the guild too; she had been entranced by Makarov's words, and had failed to notice how the other members of Fairy Tail had become energised through his leadership.

"LUCY! HAPPY!" Makarov roared over the growing chitter-chatter, "You two are already involved, so you will be coming with me." Lucy wasn't sure whether to be relieved at the chance to put this mistake right, or to be terrified at the prospect at Time Magic. "ERZA! You are the strongest mage among us!" That was all the invitation Erza needed, she was determined to rescue the pair who she had come to form a team with, and who she honestly believed were her friends. However, what Makarov had said troubled her slightly.

"Master?" Erza queried, "What about, um, Mystogan?" Silence fell over the guild.

"Mystogan's not here, and I am the strongest!" A rough voice growled from the upper echelon of the building. "Not Mystogan, not Erza! ME!"

The guild members could see sparks flying over the edge of the balcony, before a shock of bright blonde hair stepped forwards and leant on the rail; a lavish fur coat rested on his shoulders below a pair of Magic Headphones, with only a lightning bolt-shaped scar and a pair of piercing blue eyes visible.

"LAXUS!" Makarov roared, but Laxus waved him off.

"Forget it, you call her the strongest and still expect my help? I don't think so, old man." And with that, Laxus returned to the shadows of the upstairs area, his coat swaying in the air behind him.

The guild collectively shared a sigh of disappointment, before turning back to Makarov for further instruction; he seemed bemused at what had just transpired, but maintained composure nonetheless.

"We will go without him, and we will bring back Natsu and Gray!" Makarov called, much to the delight of the guild; however, as he began to walk to the door, a large man rushed to block his path. Makarov looked up to see a mountain of a man with silver spikes of hair; it was Elfman.

"Master!" Elfman called down to the much shorter man, "As a MAN, I can't stay here and wait for you to rescue my friends!" Makarov stretched up to speak to him quietly, while Levy hugged Lucy and Happy once again and wished them luck.

"Elfman. This is incredibly dangerous. I am only bringing Lucy and Happy so they can lead us to Bastian. Only Erza and I are going to travel to Tokyo." Makarov whispered.

"B-But..." Elfman tried to answer, but trailed off, knowing that Makarov had made his decision; the four mages then left the guild in order to travel to Murias, on the way towards Tokyo. Even Makarov and Erza had no idea what they were heading towards.

Tokyo, Japan (20th Ward)

One sound filled the ears of every CCG member in the vicinity: a high pitched, hysterical laughter. Moments before, they had cheered for the defeat of the ghoul known as The Owl, but as another behemoth landed on the streets of Tokyo with a great thud, they knew that had turned out to be a false celebration.

There were two.

Her robes fluttered briefly outwards as she landed, before tearing off down the dark street, bursting past numerous CCG members; they were rooted to the spot in shock and terror, and she had no interest in murdering them now, even after what had transpired so far. Through the snow, The Owl disappeared from Arima's view.

Soon, having slithered around a corner, a figure with flowing white hair came into view. He was knelt in the middle of the road, his black jumpsuit stained in the particular shade of red that signalled blood. His shoulders sagged, his arms hanging loosely by his sides; The Owl recognised this figure as Kaneki, but was at a total loss as to why Kaneki was here, kneeling, without his Kagune ready to defend himself; the city was crawling with CCG scum.

She continued to press forwards towards the boy, before noticing two other figures in the vicinity; one was dressed in a black waistcoat and skirt, with a blood-red pool surrounding their broken body, staining their skin, clothes and hair alike. The other dressed only in black trousers, though one leg was missing from below the knee; there was less blood, but the figure's head was situated at a sharp angle that was roughly perpendicular to its shoulders.

A few other Aogiri members had gathered to the side of Kaneki, where a building had seemingly collapsed in on itself. She wanted an explanation, but other matters were of higher priority. As she approached, the Aogiri members began to shuffle awkwardly. Kaneki remained on the floor.

The Owl was flooded with voices at once when she stopped; they wanted to know about the battle, about the CCG, about her arm, about the second Owl, about Aogiri. However, one voice among them was not asking questions, but giving answers. With the various voices fighting for her attention, it was difficult to pick out the voice.

"These two... fire and ice... control... fight Kaneki... ask him"

The Owl looked over to Kaneki; he had stood up now, but still remained in his mundane, loose frame; he looked up to her, making contact with her one eye. The sorrow in his eyes was greater than their normal state.

The one voice was much clearer now, as the questions had stopped; those individuals were interested in what the voice had to say. It was a high-pitched voice, but was indistinguishable.

"These two guys had power over fire and ice, like they could control it; they used it to fight Kaneki here, I saw it!" The voice said again, avidly conveying this story to the other ghouls as if they didn't sound crazy. Many of the ghouls were sceptical, but looked to Kaneki for answers. He nodded slightly, though if they hadn't have been looking so closely, it could have been mistaken for a breath of air drifting through his hairline.

The Owl's curiosity had been piqued; now that they had him, they could move into the next phase of the plan. And these two – if what they're saying is true – could be the perfect test subjects. Pace would have to be greatly increased, but it could be possible...

The Owl began to crouch forwards, spluttering slightly; after a few moments, the splutter grew into a cough, the cough to a heaving, and from the heaving, a bulge from within her stomach began to grow and ascended towards her throat: then with a sickening retching noise, she regurgitated a man. He was old, with thinning grey hair that had been slicked back, and a grey and brown smart attire that was scratched and torn; the saliva that covered his body was now steaming on the cold streets, melting some of the snow on the ground. Kaneki knew this man. It was Yoshimura, a man who took him in taught him lessons of life, and lessons of life as a ghoul.

The Owl looked at Kaneki once again, and he knew that Yoshimura was now to be his responsibility. Kaneki knelt down at the side of the old man; due to the angle he was at, he could now see a faint puff of breath whisper from his lips against the cold, dark walls of the nearby houses.

Kaneki reached out to Yoshimura's forehead; the saliva that covered him was warm, and had a thick, adhesive consistency that turned Kaneki's stomach. He flinched for a moment, before forcing himself onwards with the action he had now committed to: he ran his hand tentatively through Yoshimura's hair, replacing the scattered strands of hair into its usual style.

Kaneki noticed at this moment that Yoshimura's face seemed peaceful. Despite it being clear that he had engaged in battle, and then been swallowed whole by The Owl, his mind was currently at peace. Kaneki could feel warmness inside him that he had long since forgotten.

The Owl's footsteps broke this train of thought Kaneki, reminding him of the current situation, and of the danger he was in. He looked up to see The Owl leading the other Aogiri members onwards down the street; without a moment of hesitation, Kaneki lifted Yoshimura up and began to sprint to catch up. He noticed the pair of bodies were missing.

Kaneki held Yoshimura tightly, trying to make sure that his body jolted as little as possible as they burst down the street; the old man's head was tucked neatly between Kaneki's left bicep and chest, while Kaneki's right arm was propped underneath his knees. The air was brisk, and the snow-filled wind bit at Kaneki's hands; his face was still largely covered by his mask, which offered little relief.

Soon, Kaneki caught up to the other ghouls, seeing a pair carrying the two bodies that Kaneki had killed over their shoulders as they ran. Kaneki hadn't wanted to kill them, but what else could he do? He had had little chance to deconstruct his own guilt, and even less to try and understand who the pair were. He had never seen ghouls or humans with those abilities, and by the sounds of it, neither had the other ghouls.

Could it be that another faction was arriving, complicating the human/ghoul crisis that Kaneki was already entwined with?

Kaneki's gaze returned to Yoshimura, as he followed the other ghouls on peripheral vision alone; the old man's eyes had opened slightly, and he was looking up at the boy he had taken in and tried to guide at Anteiku. The corners of his mouth pulled slightly, before he broke into a smile. It was not a full smile, it was not a laugh, but for Kaneki it was everything. It was pride. It was acceptance. It was hope.

Yoshimura returned to sleep, the smile taking up all of his energy, as Kaneki continued on. Smoke billowed in the distance as they continued their journey, and Kaneki wondered what poor family had lost their home, what poor individual had lost their business; it didn't take him too long to realise that the smoke was coming from somewhere he knew and loved very much, somewhere he missed during his time as a member of Aogiri Tree.

It was Anteiku that had gone up in flames. Kaneki knew he should be angry, he should want to do something about it; it was home. But all he could manage was self-pity, and worry for the other members of Anteiku.

Hinami: it would be difficult for her to lose Anteiku, after what the doves had already done to her life. Touka: she may retreat into herself, shutting out offers of help. Irimi, Koma: Kaneki didn't even know if they'd survived the night. Maybe he never would.

Maybe he'd never see any of them again.

Bastian's Home, Murias

The journey had dragged on far longer than its actual distance, anticipation leaving each member in silence: Makarov in thought, Erza in preparation, Happy in hope, Lucy in fear. Now, the four stood outside the fabric door to the central partition of Bastian's tent. It was nearing evening, but the time in Fiore was not their main concern.

"Greetings." A voice from within bellowed, before the door was pulled open sharply, revealing the tall, old mage known as Bastian; Lucy and Happy shuddered as his appearance brought back the image of their lost friends, but Erza was taken aback by his unkempt looks. Makarov knew very well that mages could be the most eccentric of folk, especially in old age.

"Bastian?" Makarov asked, to which the mage nodded, rustling his beard against his robes loudly. "I am Makarov Dreyar, Master of the Fairy Tail Guild of Magnolia Town. It is good to meet you." Makarov tried to extend a warm greeting, but Bastian was far more interested in the mention of the guild; he'd heard plenty about the unruly members and their destruction – not to mention the return of two from the group who'd visited earlier – and had already lost interest in unnecessary salutations.

"Fairy Tail, huh?" Bastian pressed, rubbing his beard aggressively, "Is there any business I can help you with? I had- uhm never mind..." he trailed off, not wanting to say too much until he knew of the smaller man's intentions.

"Yes... unfortunately, some of my mages came to see you earlier today..." Makarov began, prompting Bastian to frown and nod slightly. "I heard they travelled via Time Magic?"

Bastian nodded again slightly, preparing himself for some kind of attack for being so foolish and sending them.

"I had no idea that that was even possible!" Makarov almost screamed, before shaking Bastian's hand vigorously, a sudden outburst of emotion that everyone else disapproved of considering the circumstances. Makarov quickly returned to his more serious state, blushing a little before continuing with their business.

"I need you to send us to rescue them; we fear that they may be in danger too great for even those two." Bastian seemed a little surprised, having seen how fired up the pink-haired mage had been. He rubbed his beard and scrunched his brows, before directing his eyes to meet Makarov's.

"Well, um, about that..." Bastian shuffled awkwardly on the spot, pulling on the hem of his robes, "I thought you might ask that and, well... I can try."

Erza was not happy with this, glaring in anger at Bastian. She wanted an explanation.

"Time Magic is incredibly precise... but becomes less so, the greater the distance. Tokyo, and the '21st Century' is greatly distant, and as such you will arrive close to when they have; approximately... within one week either side of them." Bastian explained, trying to ensure he was understood clearly by the group.

Lucy remembered hearing this what now seemed like an eternity ago, even though it had been earlier the very same day. However, last time it had seemed much more like a stepping stone towards an adventure, while now it served as a warning. Bastian gestured to the quartet to enter into his home, before leading them through the open-plan entrance, past a wardrobe and through to the smaller partition that Lucy and Happy recognised well; the grass seemed sharp under Happy's bare feet. Bastian arranged the wooden pillars and rope in a circle, as he had done earlier that same day.

Makarov turned to Lucy and Happy; "The pair of you have more than made up for your earlier, um, mistakes... by helping Erza and myself this far. However, it would be irresponsible of me as Guild Master to allow you on such a Job, even with my company." Happy's eyes began to well up with tears, guilt filling his small frame at the fact he was not going to be allowed to help Natsu. But, he could not disobey Makarov, especially after those earlier mistakes.

Happy began to trudge towards the edge of the circle, not with the relief he had felt the first time, but with deep-seated anguish and shame. He didn't bother to duck under the rope as it brushed through his head, rubbing aggressively against his ears and causing tears to flow more readily down his cheeks. When he looked back, he saw that Lucy still stood in the centre of the circle, hands on her hips as she stared down Master Makarov.

"No." She whispered boldly, barely able to force the word out past the tightening pain in her throat. Happy, Erza and Makarov were all equally surprised at this response, especially considering how new Lucy was to the guild; until this point, they'd viewed her as happy-go-lucky, but not a mage with the blind bravery that she was now exhibiting. The blind bravery that so greatly summed up Fairy Tail. The blind bravery that had taken Natsu and Gray to Tokyo.

"Lucy?" Happy murmured, before wondering whether it was a warning or a reassurance.

"I will," Lucy began, forcing every word out through determination she didn't know she had, "not leave my friends." Each word she uttered was slightly louder than the last, her self-confidence building as images of Natsu and Gray fluttered through her brain. "Fairy Tail has given me something I have never had. Natsu and Gray have given me something I have never had. I would rather die trying to help than leave them to perish without me. Because they have made me free."

"Well if you come you will surely perish anyway, so what's the difference?" Erza replied bluntly, her words jolting through Lucy's mind and shaking her newfound confidence. Erza wasn't trying to hurt Lucy, but save her; blind bravery was a part of Fairy Tail, but it wouldn't make Lucy invincible.

"I understand Lucy." Makarov called out, raising the tension in the room. "If that is how you feel, so be it."

"Aye!" Happy called, leaping back into the circle to join the others.

The four turned sharply as they heard a bumping in the entrance of Bastian's home; the old wizard himself was already consumed by the spell he was engaged in, wooden staff in hand, spewing purple vapour from the crystalline cradle. Erza was about to investigate when Makarov pulled her back; the spell could end with her outside if she wasn't careful. Then, the door partition was pulled back, to reveal a large, towering frame that the four mages knew as Elfman.

Makarov reached up with his stretched arm and slapped Elfman, while yelling something that Lucy couldn't make sense of; the only word she was could fully distinguish was 'brat'. Elfman stumbled forwards, tripped on the rope and ended up on top of Makarov and Erza, beginning to apologise to Makarov.

However, in the midst of this commotion the mages failed to realise that Bastian had finished the spell; the purple cloud descended upon the mages, engulfing them absolutely: it was just as terrifying as Lucy and Happy had imagined it would be, based on watching it swallow up Natsu and Gray earlier. The intensity of the shroud grew exponentially as it began to spiral around the group; it grew into a tornado-like pillar, emptying out the eye of the storm so each mage could clearly see one another, even if their hearing was still blocked out by the gusts around them.

The tempest grew up into the air, before exposing an alien sky to the mages below it; they were no longer in the ancient lands of Fiore, but far, far away.

The purple clouds untangled themselves like a web of string, pulling itself apart and fading into the air; the first thing each noticed was the landscape, as they arrived not on grass as they had left behind, but concrete. Cold, hard concrete. They could see little around them, as they appeared to have arrived in a small alleyway; what they could see at the two ends were rows upon rows of plain, concrete buildings. Above them, the sky was a pale blue, but was different.

The whole place seemed... different.

The group assumed that this was Tokyo and for the moment, they would have to get used to it. But, as they peered out from the edge of the alley towards, they realised how unprepared they were: the street ahead of them was wide, and flat, with metallic carts propelling themselves forward on wheels down the centre, while reams of people walked down the sides in both directions. The people were human, and seemed pretty normal to the group.

However, Makarov knew that he in particular would not fit in amongst the local people, due to his appearance. Just as he was about to address the group, he heard a loud thud behind him. He turned to find Erza had smacked Elfman. Hard.

"What've you done?" Erza interrogated him rhetorically, concerned for his safety. He wasn't supposed to be here.

Makarov put his hand gently on Erza's shoulder, trying to calm her; she quickly became self-conscious and retreated into herself, embarrassed.

"We do not know," Makarov began, "if Natsu and Gray have even arrived yet. But, we know them well enough to know they will attract a scene when they arrive." He looked reassuringly at each, before continuing. "We at Fairy Tail are not masters of laying low, but we must be inconspicuous. We should observe the locals and try to fit in amongst them."

Erza quickly requipped from her usual armour into a flowing purple dress which seemed to fit in with the locals' attires; Lucy and her didn't seem to think they'd have too much of an issue fitting in, while Elfman's large blue coat seemed passable. However, Makarov and Happy were expecting to have more trouble being inconspicuous.

Erza assumed that she was going to have to try and find a clothes shop in this foreign place, but just as she began to adopt a face of fearlessness, Happy made an unexpected discovery.

A large round black bag laid on the floor a little further along the alleyway, with what Happy thought was a sleeve hanging out of it; he opened it, finding an assortment of goods within, from paper to food, and with a few items of clothing. He picked out a long white shirt that hid his body before sliding it over his head. The bag also contained a small brownish-orange poncho, which Happy promptly gave to Makarov. Lucy thought that Makarov looked odd without the colourful stripes she'd grown accustomed to him wearing, but this was a necessary part of their journey.

"They were just in a bag? How lucky!" Lucy exclaimed, this apparent omen of goodness relaxing her nerves slightly. "Hang on, what's that?"

Lucy bent over to find a bundle of paper on the floor having fallen out of the bag, which turned out to be a newspaper; the headline on the front cover read "CCG confirms both The Owl and Eyepatch escaped raid on Tokyo's ghoul population".

Lucy dropped the paper at once, remembering of course that 'The Eyepatch' was the one that Natsu and Gray were trying to track down. Well, Natsu was. Gray just ended up joining him.

But as the group looked to Lucy to make sure she was okay, Happy took interest in the newspaper itself. He looked down at it on the floor, seeing below that "some witnesses claimed to have seen two men with power over ice and fire".

Happy jumped into the air, grinning from ear to ear at the rest of the group.

"Here we go!" Happy called, pointing at the sentence he'd just read. Each of the others joined him in smiling; they hadn't thought they'd get such a huge clue so quickly, but they knew they couldn't waste time regardless.

"Hmm... C. C. G?" Makarov began, "We must find out more about them."

"Whoever they are."

Tokyo, Japan (13th Ward)

There was a slight chink sound as the bottom of the porcelain cup touched the surface of the small wooden table; a wisp of steam spewed slowly from the coffee within it, before disappearing into the atmosphere of the lively coffee shop.

Kaneki sat, though the chairs in this place were less comfortable than those from Anteiku. Nothing could come close. His hands shuffled, fingers trying to mesh together restfully, but nothing felt quite right. He'd been like this for days: unable to feel comfortable in his own skin.

He sat alone at a short rectangular table, near a large window; the sunlight poured in, illuminating the screen of his phone as he clicked away at it. He'd been using his phone much more since the CCG raid, but Hide hadn't been returning his calls or messages; this time, Kaneki loaded up a local radio station to play in the background of his thoughts.

The shop seemed busy, although Kaneki knew much of that was artificial; this was a front, not too dissimilar to Anteiku itself. However, as Kaneki glanced around the room, it would be impossible for any ordinary human to discover: everyone seemed too happy to be a ghoul.

Kaneki's gaze returned to the contents of his cup; they were still too hot to drink, but he thought that the slight swirling of the liquid was aesthetically pleasant; every so often, a waiter would walk past and the coffee would shimmer side to side in the light, climbing up the side of the cup but never quite reaching the top. Kaneki knew that feeling.

The radio station began a news bulletin, interrupting Kaneki's thoughts. "...Investigator Koutarou Amon is still yet to be found following the recent CCG Raid in the 20th Ward..." Kaneki zoned out from the speaker once more, his mind being filled with the image of Amon flying through the air towards the building back in the 20th Ward. Kaneki felt a pang of guilt in his stomach; what about Amon's family? The unknown must be agonising for them. The screech of the building's supports collapsing filled Kaneki's ears, until something far more unbearable replaced it.

"...the youngest CCG casualty from the Raid has been named locally as Hideyoshi Nagachika..."

Kaneki fumbled for his phone, pressing the button to stop the radio playing. A solitary tear rolled down from his human eye, as his fingers began to shake uncontrollably. Another tear. He gazed at the coffee in front of him, hoping that if he looked hard enough he'd see Hide's face in the reflection. Another tear. In the reflection of the coffee was nothing but the wall opposite him.

Another tear.

Kaneki's blood began to pump faster, his skin felt warmer, his brain became erratic. He was incensed. If those two hadn't have got involved and attacked me, I could've stopped it. I could've found him. I could've...

Kaneki's mind trailed off, replacing this anger with an image he would now hold dearly until his death; Kaneki was sat at a round table near the window of Anteiku, the sun illuminating the room around him. Across from him was Hide, in his garish yellow jacket, trying to flirt with Touka; Kaneki was yet to find out about ghouls; yet to have his world transformed for the worse.

It seemed funny to think, Kaneki visited Anteiku regularly because of a girl he liked, and all the while, both the girl and the coffee shop's entire staff were ghouls. Maybe he was to blame for his life turning like this; if he hadn't have gone there... he was to blame for Hide's death.

Another tear.

"Kaneki!" A blunt voice called through the coffee shop; with that, Kaneki was dragged unwillingly back into the present day. He quickly wiped his thick jumper sleeve on his cheek and looked over to find a tall, thin man in a trench-coat too big for his frame staring at him.

Kaneki rushed to get up, stuffing his phone awkwardly into his pocket and leaving his coffee behind; he quickly scuttled across the room towards the counter, ducking past various people in order to reach the man.

"Ah, Shinsuke." Kaneki addressed the man, almost apologetic in tone. Kaneki had to crane his neck up slightly to make eye contact with him, although Kaneki preferred not to; Shinsuke's eyes read nothing but pain and death as they peered out from below his murky hair; the long black strands of the top were swept to his right side messily, while the sides of his head were almost completely shaven.

"Kaneki. Most of um, us, have scattered throughout the wards; only those who need to be here in the 13th have remained." Kaneki winced slightly at the word need, as it implied that he was going to be asked to attack or butcher more unfortunate people; he didn't really appreciate the use of us either, but he had to let that slide.

"The facility is still in use, and this place," Shinsuke glanced around, making sure no lay-people were listening in, "is undiscovered." Kaneki still didn't know why he'd been assigned to the 13th Ward, and it had been almost a week since the Raid; all he'd previously been told was where he was going, and that he had to remain undiscovered.

He'd had days to think over what happened, and there was still no making sense of it.

"Why am I here then? What I am supposed to be doing?" Kaneki asked with a little too much urgency, before remembering the possibility of lay-people.

"We," Shinsuke stressed, "are here in order to maintain the running of both the facility and this front. While you may've been keeping this place running with your daily purchases, you're going to have to start properly pulling your weight from now on." Shinsuke looked disapprovingly at Kaneki; he did it well, though he had practiced the look many times over.

Shinsuke lifted his right hand, passing Kaneki a small green card; Shinsuke then followed with a uniform that matched the waiters around them. Kaneki took it, a shiver running down his spine as he touched the coarse material. It probably felt normal to anyone else, but everything felt off to Kaneki.

Especially having to work in a different coffee shop.

"The card lets you get through the back of the shop into the facility," Shinsuke explained; this detail was helpful, as Kaneki had had to be escorted the only time he'd entered to Aogiri facility in the past week. "Someone'll show you around later when the shop closes: you start tomorrow." With that, Shinsuke nodded slightly, before leaving Kaneki and swiftly walking behind the counter and through to the back of the shop.

Kaneki trudged over towards his table, where his coffee remained; the wisps of steam continued, as if he'd never left it, as he bundled his uniform down onto one chair, and then took his place once again. He gazed down at the small green card as he fiddled with it, twirling it between two fingers. He then noticed the name of the coffee shop.

Shizukesa Coffee

Kaneki knew that name: Yoshimura had told him of how he frequented this coffee shop, how he met Ukina here; where is he now? Kaneki wondered. He'd given Yoshimura over to another Aogiri group to transport him here immediately after the battle, after The Owl had given him over. Have they been able to save him?

CCG Branch Office, Tokyo (20th Ward)

The isolated building stood strong despite the beating sunlight raining over it; even in such a warm setting, it felt cold to the Fairy Tail members as they approached. Lucy imagined that the locals must feel as though they were entering a morgue or some such place; in contrast to the vibrancy of the Fairy Tail building back in Fiore, she believed this place could only hold gloom and sorrow.

Lucy looked down to Happy, draped still in the white t-shirt, as he bobbed along by her side. He'd been through so much with Natsu – the battles, the adventures: all the things that she hoped she'd have in the future. And yet, while she envied him some, she had another feeling in her stomach she couldn't quite place: the closest she could rationalise it in her head was a sense of duty to look after Happy. He still had an unbreakable belief that Natsu would be returning from this, and – while she'd never seen anything to the contrary – she couldn't feel Natsu, for the first time since they met.

She didn't love him or anything, but he had a presence the whole time in Fiore; even when she found him and Happy in her house that very same day: and yet now, there was nothing. She wondered how Happy would cope if Natsu didn't come back. Would she be the one to look after him?

Makarov led the team forwards, covered by the poncho; he still didn't quite look like hit fit in with this world, although – looking at the indistinguishable suits – she wasn't sure that she did either.

They entered the building, through a pair of large glass doors; the suits around them looked down on them a little, but were bemused more than anything. The inside of the building was just as cold as the outside, all glass, greys and blacks. Just the same as the suits.

There was a small counter just ahead of them with a sign above it that read "Public Relations". Makarov felt that this would be a good place to begin, particularly given that there didn't seem to be any other counters, just suits with large silver briefcases entering and exiting doors on all sides.

As they approached, Erza felt that she could no longer contain herself.

"Where is your master?" She called out, before being swiftly silenced by Makarov's eyes. She shuffled back, apologising under her breath. Lucy thought Erza was cute when she blushed, but far too scary the rest of the time.

"Apologies." Makarov called up to the bewildered young woman, playing now with the end of her plaited chestnut hair. She peered over her glasses and the counter, down to meet the eyes of the small old man who was now addressing her. "We have come here on very urgent business, and we need to speak to her the highest ranking member available." Makarov was blunt, but not intimidating; he had an air about him that made him seem sincere and trustworthy. However, this particular CCG Secretary had taken plenty of calls that led nowhere, and she'd now had enough.

"I'm sorry, Mister…" She waited a few moments, before continuing, "…well, Mister. But I can't pass you onto anyone with that little information." Makarov had hoped he wouldn't have to make a scene here, but didn't know the customs of the locals; he played it safe.

"Well. We heard that two men were spotted with… power." Makarov had to hold his tongue to prevent him saying magic there. "Over ice, and fire." The secretary had heard more people ask about this than she cared remember. Damn the press.

"We think we might know them, and they may be in danger if we don't find them soon." Makarov continued; for just a second, he thought he'd seen the secretary's ears visibly prick up.

"Well, um…" She paused for a few moments, startled at the unexpected turn the conversation was taking, before regaining her professional composure. "I'm sorry, but I can't help you with that." Makarov sighed deeply, before Erza felt herself biting her tongue. Unfortunately, Elfman wasn't.

"How can a MAN not help those in need?" He bellowed, before Makarov gave him the look that had silenced Erza earlier on.

"Look." The secretary spoke before Makarov could, before both sighed in equal measure, "I've seen in the papers that there are rumours about those… men. They weren't found by our Investigators, we don't even know if they did exist, let alone where or what they are." She shuffled some of her papers lightly, before continuing, looking Elfman directly in the eyes. "Anything else about the specifics of the Raid is classified: I've probably already told you more than I should."

She gave them a dismissive look, and Makarov turned to leave; the others followed him as he left the building, still not quite used to this world. As they walked away, Makarov reminded Erza and Elfman about the need to be inconspicuous; Lucy wasn't listening to him, this time. Instead, she bent down to 'tie her shoe' and eavesdrop as two suits walked by, towards the building.

"… really true that we didn't get either of them then?"

"Yeah, I heard The Eyepatch has gone to the 13th Ward, I dunno about the Owl though."

"After the Raid, we don't have the numbers to follow; did you hear about Hide? Poor kid…"

Lucy felt the euphoria rush through her, before catching up to the others in order to share the news with them: if The Eyepatch has gone to the 13th Ward – wherever that is – then Natsu and Gray can't be far behind!

"Master! Master!" Lucy called, interrupting as he reminded Erza and Elfman how dangerous SS Rated Jobs could be. "I know where they are!"

Makarov looked blankly at her, waiting for explanation.

"I heard two of those guys talking, and they said The Eyepatch has gone to the, um, 13th Ward; I don't know where that is, but I'm sure Natsu and Gray'll be on their trail!" Lucy remembered at this point about being inconspicuous, but none of the suits seemed to be in close enough proximity to hear her, despite her overzealous volume.

"In that case," Makarov addressed his four children, "the 13th Ward is our next destination."

Aogiri Facility, Tokyo (13th Ward)

Aside from the hum of the lights that barely lit the corridor, there was an eerie silence that filled the empty space. The darkness that crept along the floors and the walls was interrupted only by fluorescent tubes of greenish-yellow light that hung to their fittings like tired sailors clinging onto damaged ships, fearing the plunge that would inevitably follow.

Soon, the silence was interrupted by footsteps: they were slow and methodical, careful but not quite calm. Kaneki walked through the labyrinth of near-darkness in his newly acquired uniform, not sure what to expect; he'd only been down here once or twice in the week since the Raid, and after Shinsuke's tone the previous day, Kaneki had remained on edge.

However, the sound of Kaneki's footsteps was overshadowed by murmured conversation; Kaneki tried to focus his attention onto the sound, whilst keeping his footsteps as muffled as possible. He couldn't quite tell where the conversation was coming from, but between the long pauses, Kaneki tried to sneak through the corridors in the direction of the sound; soon, he was able to make out what was being said.

"Well, they survived the operation..."

A short pause followed this; Kaneki soon realised that whoever it was, they were speaking on the phone.

"B-But? But well, they have not retained their... abilities."

Kaneki continued to creep towards the sound, softening his footsteps to an agonising degree; he was fairly certain the voice was that of Professor Kanou's protégé, Doctor Kazuchika Okada. He was younger than Kanou, who often worked him hard and excused it as 'training'. Kaneki held some sympathy for him, but it was limited by his twisted excitement at ghoul/human experimentation.

"N-no we didn't fail! Their physical capabilities – though it is still early – are exceptional. Their base level was far superior to that of ordinary humans, so they'll make fine gh-"

Kaneki could feel a bead of sweat sliding down his temple; he stopped his approach towards the large silver doors of the lab, close enough to hear clearly what Okada was saying. If I get caught...

"They remember very little... only their names really. They also remember that they're, um, friendly rivals to each other. But not their pasts. We've told them they've always been ghouls, but were involved in an accede-"

Kaneki's fingers began to tremble, before noticing his knees had already begun to do the same; he worried not of getting caught, but of the discussion he was hearing. Could they have...?

"We haven't given details, just enough to get them through preliminary test-"

Kaneki couldn't believe it; he had to know for certain. If I just walk along normally, I could just bump int- no, they can't know I'm down here...Footsteps.

Clip

Clop

Clip

Clop

Cli-

"Kaneki?" It was unmistakably the voice of Shinsuke, blunt and demanding as ever. Only yesterday he was saying I had to pull my weight, now this...Kaneki turned sharply, stumbling backwards a few steps as he realised how close Shinsuke was to him. "What are you doing here?" He asked with a dull tone of suspicion, casting an eye up and down the boy.

"I-um I just came down to... to try and find you actually!" Kaneki was struggling to form coherent thought due to the combination of shock and terror, both from the conversation he'd just heard and the imposing presence of Shinsuke standing over him.

"Yes?" Shinsuke pressed, impatient and distrustful of Kaneki's pitiful attempt at an excuse.

"Yes... I was had an issue upstairs with trying to find som-something, I was wondering if you could help me?" Kaneki stumbled over his words. Really convincing, great job Kaneki.

"Well, isn't Tetsuya up there to help you?" Shinsuke was growing increasingly frustrated by the brat as he nodded repeatedly; he couldn't understand why such an insufferable individual was oh so valuable to Aogiri. "Well, get on upstairs then. There'll be customers waiting by now!" Shinsuke glared at Kaneki as he rushed off, fidgeting with the ties of his apron in his fingers.

Shinsuke heard the click of a phone being placed heavily back in its rest, seeing that he was stood just beside Dr Kanou's lab. So that's what he was up to...

"Doctor Kanou? Doctor Tanahashi?" Shinsuke called, standing by the slightly ajar doors.

The door flew open, bright light from within pouring out and causing Shinsuke to squint slightly; Dr Okada stood in the lab entrance, his dirty-blonde spikes appearing to radiate even more light. He looked a little stressed, but his dark eyes retained their usual gleam.

"Ah, Kaz!" Shinsuke remarked pleasantly, ruffling his hair; he'd always enjoyed the young Doctor-in-training's company. "I believe that I need to have a little chat with the Doctors... it's about our dear friend:

The Eyepatch."

Detention Centre, Tokyo (13th Ward)

Lucy looked down at her feet, swaying them from side to side to vaguely entertain herself in the dull cell she found herself in. Her surroundings were made up of almost solely grey bricks: the floor, the walls, the ceiling. The only gaps were a small window of bars high above her reach, and the imposing door that looked to her to be thicker than the contents of Natsu's head. If only Natsu was here now...

Even the cracks in the wall had become uninteresting after a while: Lucy had begun by analysing the irregularities in the walls – scrapes, craters, cracks – and inventing stories as to what had caused them. I really should have become a story teller, shouldn't I mum? She wondered to herself what her life would be like if she hadn't joined Fairy Tail: what would that Lucy be doing right now? Wait, when even is right now?

It felt like hours she'd been sat here alone in the boredom of the cell; she hadn't really known what to tell the Police Officers, no matter how many questions they asked: she was looking for answers too. Why couldn't they understand...? And then there were the others, from the CCG themselves. No matter how many times she asked about the "Eyepatch" and the "fire and ice men" she was met with a wall of excuses and "no comments".

Why can't everyone just work together?

As soon as the group got off the train in the 13th Ward, they were met by the group of Police Officers, who quoted some documentation as to why they were being arrested, though when Lucy thought about it, it basically came down to fear after the Raid they'd heard about; despite the clothes they'd found, they clearly stood out as different enough to raise suspicion amongst an uneasy police force.

Lucy had read the story about the Raid on the 20th Ward, she'd heard what the secretary had to say, she'd overheard the conversations of the suits leaving the CCG Headquarters, she'd seen the Police Officers' unwillingness to talk; these 'ghouls' must be a really huge issue here in Tokyo... especially for someone to have contacted mages from this place. She still couldn't feel Natsu, and it worried her. What if the ghouls were too much for Natsu and Gray? How would Happy take that? How would Fairy Tail go on? No I can't have these thoughts, it'll only make me panic more...

Lucy couldn't help but wonder how each of the others were doing; Makarov would have a plan already, she was sure: the same with Erza. Elfman would probably just yell about what it means to be a MAN until they give up. Happy could probably pass as some sort of exotic cat?

I only just joined the guild. And yet, here I am: it's not just I'm not anywhere near home, I'm not anyWHEN near home. What happens if I don't get out of this cell? There'd be no way back to Fiore; no way to get to know Levy even better; no way to reconcile with my father... wait. How even ARE we getting back to Fio-what's that?

A sound outside the cell wall distracted Lucy from her thoughts, as a commotion began to stir from beyond the door: there was shouting from a variety of voices, one of whom she recognised instantly: Elfman. What the...? Underneath the shouting was a sound she'd already grown accustomed to from her brief time at Fairy Tail.

Crazed, indiscriminate fighting.

She could hear the punches being thrown, the bodies flying through the air, the walls being dented by people crashing into them. If she closed her eyes, she could picture the soft tones of wood being smashed by Natsu and Gray within the safety of the Hall back in Fiore. Oh what I wouldn't give to be back there right now!

Soon, the fighting faded away, only to be replaced by a screeching howl that reverberated off the walls, filling the space of the room and overpowering Lucy's mind, to the point where she wanted to scream in response. The piercing sound stopped as suddenly as it had started, giving way to a thunderous thud.

Elfman stood in the doorway, dropping the door to the side having torn it off its hinges. Lucy looked up and saw him flash a big toothy grin, before shuffling to the side to make way for Erza, Happy and Makarov: Lucy felt a wave of relief surge through her, causing her to return an equally goofy smile to the group. Happy ran and hugged her, before exclaiming something Lucy was only too happy to hear:

"Let's go!"

Shizukesa Café, Tokyo (13th Ward)

Kaneki brushed a wisp of hair from his forehead, beads of sweat that had been rolling down his temples escaping into the cuffs of his beige shirt; it seemed like a stream of customers had been continuously arriving forever with no hint of letting up, and – by his own standards – Kaneki felt that the café didn't have enough staff working at the moment, though he didn't really have time to stop and count.

The uniform he'd been given felt stiff, even after four days' use and washing: the shirt felt like cardboard, the apron was coarse and the trouser legs rough. He was sure it wasn't personal that he'd been given an uncomfortable uniform, though he wouldn't put it past someone like Shinsuke. He was the ideal representative of Aogiri: blunt, dangerous and ruthless.

I wonder, Kaneki began to daydream, going onto autopilot despite the line of customers in front of him, what Yoshimura would think of me now. Where even is he? The images of the regurgitated old man began to replace Kaneki's sight, and he remembered the warmness he felt upon knowing of Yoshimura's survival.

How distant that now seemed.

What am I to do? All I've been told is to work in the coffee shop up here... I have no idea what Aogiri is planning next. Although, there was that phone conversa-

"Kaneki? You alright there bud?" An inquisitive voice interrupted Kaneki's thoughts; he suddenly realised he'd done more than just go on autopilot: he'd crashed. Completely zoned out. The voice was of Tomohiro, a friendly fellow coffee shop worker who – had he not seen him in the Aogiri facility – Kaneki would not have believed could be a part of such an organisation. He had a big, round face with little hair and a light beard, which aged his face despite having not long turned 20 years old.

Kaneki's frantic apologies were brushed away by Tomohiro, who suggested he take over on the counter so Kaneki could get himself together while cleaning up in the front of house role; Kaneki apologised once more to the customer at the front of the queue, who's blinkering eyes suggested they were as surprised as Kaneki at what had gone on.

As he left the till, Kaneki could hear Tomohiro excusing him – the only word Kaneki picked up on was "traumatic", which seemed very apt whatever the rest of the sentence was.

Kaneki began to collect up some porcelain cups that had been left behind by a recently departed group of six customers, stacking them neatly onto a small tray ready to be taken to the back area and cleaned. How many drinks must it take to wear these cups down? Kaneki pondered. How many battles does it take to wear down a ghoul?

Having stacked the crockery and wiped the table with a damp cloth, Kaneki set about arranging the placemats neatly once again; the smart layout of the tables was something he took pride in. He had control, albeit over something mundane and meaningless. They always were displaced by customers, but he always put them back as neatly as he could.

He lifted the tray of porcelain steadily in his hands; despite his scrawny frame, his ghoulish strength was invaluable when carrying trays around the coffee shop. They barely even trembled as he brought the tray tight to his chest for easy manoeuvring, before turning and walking towards the entrance to the back area.

That was when he saw them.

Shinsuke strode out from the corridor that connected the coffee shop and the Aogiri facility, dressed in his normal oversized black trenchcoat; his sharp red trousers were just about visible from the bottom, while his thin head poked out from the top, mop of black, shaggy hair swept to the side as usual. He gave an exaggerated wink at Tomohiro as he walked past, a gesture of friendship that he shared with all of those who'd been at Shizukesa since before the Raid. Everyone except Kaneki.

Two figures then came walking from the corridor a few paces behind Shinsuke, each footstep and sway of the hand perfectly synchronised with each other. The pair Kaneki had met during the Raid. On the left, the man of fire: however, his shock of pink hair was neatly combed back and slicked into place, and his shaggy dark clothes were replaced with a black three-piece suit. On the right, the man of ice: however, his spiked fringe was neatly parted to the side, and his baggy clothes had been replaced with a sharp blue and silver suit.

The shock drew all of the breath from Kaneki's lungs, and all the strength from his muscles: his grip on the tray was gone in an instant, and the awful crash of cracking porcelain soon filled the coffee shop. Shinsuke glared at Kaneki as the trio walked past, while Kaneki remained unable to comprehend what he had just seen.

How could they...?

Tomohiro rushed to Kaneki's side, putting a supportive hand on the back that Kaneki hadn't realised was now slumped against the table he'd been cleaning. It took a few moments for Kaneki's breath to return to normal, while Tomohiro and a very polite customer tried to stack the remains of the cracked cups onto the tray once more.

Tomohiro rushed the remains of the crockery to the back area, while Kaneki staggered his way to his feet. There was only one coherent thought that Kaneki could construct in the whirlwind of his slowly returning consciousness. I need to get out of here. I need to get out of here. I need to get out of here.

Kaneki stumbled towards the tills, his legs unable to properly function while Tomohiro tried to maintain some level of composure and continue to serve customers, while keeping a worried eye on his younger colleague. What the hell is up with this guy?!

As Kaneki made his way past the tills – gripping onto the wall but with improving leg function with each step – Tomohiro whispered over to Kaneki to ask what happened. Kaneki's reply was simple.

"I saw a ghost."

Tomohiro didn't understand, but still had customers to serve. Well, seen as someone is heading off to the back, I guess it's down to me to run things out here for now. There better be a good reason for this... Tomohiro couldn't let it show in front of customers, but he was beginning to get sick of this new kid.

"Kaneki!" A harsh, irritated voice called out. Tetsuya was waiting for Kaneki in the back area, having witnessed both of the issues Kaneki had had in the past few minutes. "What the hell is wrong with you?"

Kaneki's strength and breathing had returned to somewhere about normal, but his mind was still a whirr: he could construct coherent thoughts, but was unable to distinguish whether they were correct; whether they were relevant to the topic or polite and proper was largely down to chance.

"You can't stand there and cause queues like that! You're out there to serve the customers, not keep them waiting! And as for the cups... those are coming out of your wages young man!" Tetsuya continued to berate Kaneki, who sighed lightly and bowed his head just a little, accepting the punishment. I guess... it was my fault. Wasn't it? I killed them. I'm accountable for them ending up here.

Tetsuya paused, surveying the youngster in front of him. He didn't dislike the kid, but he didn't see quite why he was so important; how can he be so valuable that he's worth all this... baggage?

"Look kid, take a short break to compose yourself." Tetsuya continued, almost comfortingly, before returning to his scolding tone. "But I want you back in 15 minutes. And no more fuck ups!"

After this, Tetsuya left to help Tomohiro in the coffee shop. Kaneki had seemingly recovered from the physical symptoms of the shock, though his mind was yet to catch up. Or slow down.

He clutched at the card that allowed him into the Aogiri facility, swiping it through the door lock-pad quickly. The green light and light ding sound prompted Kaneki to walk though the sliding door. He looked to try and find the lockers – I need to write down exactly what I saw. I need to keep track of what I see of these two, when I see them: everything.

He only realised there was a figure standing in his path when he was a step or two from colliding with them in the dimly lit corridor. Kaneki flinched, half expecting to see Shinsuke with his disappointed glare.

It was Doctor Tanahashi, Kanou's more sociable, equally maniacal partner. His gray, straw-like hair was tied back in its usual ponytail, making him appear beyond his 40-something age. He had his regular lab coat and tie on, but there was something less usual about him. Kaneki smelt it. Blood.

"Kaneki! I've been meaning to catch you..." He began, before noticing that Kaneki was subconsciously sniffing the air. "Ah... work." He added, shrugging slightly. He could see Kaneki was not his usual self – something seemed on edge about him – but he attributed it to the blood.

"In truth, myself and Doctor Kanou are a little concerned about you. But, you know how he is with people, so I assured him I would... sort it out." Kaneki cringed slightly at this last sentiment. Tanahashi was the kind of man who you could never truly be comfortable around; he could change in an instant, and Kaneki had heard of times that the lab's equipment had to be replaced as a result of this.

"You see, we heard a little rumour going around, boy..." Kaneki knew that Tanahashi was playing him, making him sweat: the pauses, the choice of words, the emphasis; it was a game, and Tanahashi was the master.

"You've been spying on us."

Kaneki knew that was what was being lead towards, but the sudden directness caught him off guard; the breath quickly withdrew from his mouth, and that was more of a confession than Kaneki's words could ever make.

"If you want to survive, you'd do well to refrain from doing so in the future. I know a few people who would... delight in teaching you a lesson. Despite what the some people may think, no one is safe from an... accidental death. It's an occupational hazard." Each word was painfully aggressive and yet wholly sincere. And yet, Kaneki decided on this on occasion to speak up, even with just a murmur.

"Well, I'm sure if that did happen you could always perform some sick surgery and bring me back again."

The air stood still for a moment. In fact, there was not a single sound in that could be heard in the corridor, save for the rise and fall of each man's chest as they drew breath. Then, the intense silence was replaced by a cracking sound of skin and bone connecting with skin and bone: Tanahashi unleashed a rage-induced smack across the face of the young boy. Once again, Kaneki was caught off guard by the Doctor, and was almost knocked to the floor.

"How fucking dare you?!" Tanahashi yelled, incensed at the sheer arrogance of the boy. "You better watch that tongue, or one day, one of us will remove it for you!" Tanahashi straightened up his lab coat while Kaneki stood up straight once again in front of the Doctor.

"Get back to work you little grunt!" Tanahashi yelled out, pointing towards the door to the coffee shop. Kaneki turned swiftly on his heels and made his way towards the door, not so much as glancing back to see whether Tanahashi was watching him. The door slid open, and Kaneki could see that Tomohiro and Tetsuya were working smoothly, and the coffee shop was working far better than during Kaneki's shift.

You should've kept quiet Kaneki. Remember your old philosophy? It is better to be hurt than to hurt others. They undid the hurt that you caused. Why do you feel guilty?

I still killed them.

Some Alleyway, Tokyo (13th Ward)

Makarov led the group along, as Elfman, Lucy, Erza and Happy followed their small Master through alleyway after alleyway; he was glad to be out of the Detention Centre – they all were – but it was difficult to ignore the sirens flashing past every so often. Caution and subtlety was the way forward for now.

Being Fairy Tail, it was unlikely they would be very successful.

The darkness of the alleyways allowed them to hide well, despite their fugitive status. I don't like this feeling. We're criminals here. That's not what Fairy Tail is about! Makarov worried for the boys, but was equally becoming ready to punish the pair when they return to Fiore. This was all a great hassle, and it was growing old very quickly.

"They were spotted." Makarov broke the silence, though his tone was somewhat underwhelming. He'd managed to twist the Officers' words around and play them for a fool during the interrogation, and in return gained information via a slip of the tongue. "Natsu and Gray."

The relief and joy amongst the group was palpable, but Makarov hadn't finished. "Natsu attacked a few dozen of their officers with his Dragon Slayer Magic, while Gray fought a high-ranking Investigator of theirs with his Ice Make Magic. However, almost all of those officials were murdered by a ghoul: the Eyepatch."

A collective dread replaced the momentary relief in the air. Makarov continued, though Lucy wasn't sure she wanted to hear any more of this tale. "That's why we were targeted; they could tell not only that we were foreign, but that we were similar to them." Lucy was glad there was no more death in that sentence, but worried even more for Natsu and Gray having heard the apparent power of this 'Eyepatch'.

"I know that we are Fairy Tail, but we need to be smart going forwards." Makarov said almost sternly, stopping and turning to face the rest of the group. "We will need to remain vigilant, and inconspicuous. But above all, when coming into contact with anyone, we will need to be careful that they are not one of these ghouls. Meeting one of them could spell death for all of us, we have no idea how powerful they may or may not be."

In her limited time at Fairy Tail, Lucy had never heard Makarov speak quite like this. Usually it was positive, and optimistic, just as Fairy Tail was as a guild. But this... this seemed as though he was admitting defeat. As though he was accepting Natsu and Gray to be dead. Happy grabbed Lucy's hand tightly, and smiled up at her: clearly he could tell how she was feeling, as he was feeling it too. But this comfort and reassurance allowed Lucy to carry on, one foot in front of the other, with slight warmth returning to her stomach.

Hope.

"Look!" cried Elfman, forgetting Makarov's sentiments of caution as he peered into the back window of a house that backed onto the alleyway. "It's us!"

This caught the attention of Lucy, who began to look too: she was amazed, before Makarov and Erza pulled the pair away from the window. A stern look from both reminded Lucy about the importance of caution and subtlety.

"What did you see?" Makarov whispered, intrigued to know what Elfman and Lucy had seen.

"It was... some sort of device that was showing the family our escape from the Detention Centre. Like some kind of all-seeing Magic?!" Elfman could barely understand what he was explaining: Erza and Happy looked on with surprise, before Lucy nodded to confirm what Elfman was saying. Makarov was surprised, but even moreso intrigued.

"The Officers didn't understand Natsu and Gray's Magic... meaning one of three things. The first is that they - well, some of them - have only just discovered Magic here. Another possibility is they only have limited types of Magic here. Or... that wasn't Magic, but some other contraption." Makarov tried to hypothesise, attempting to understand this foreign world. "Regardless, we need to keep moving: I'm sure sooner or later we'll come across a disturbance that involves at least one of them. They are Natsu and Gray after all."

Makarov turned to lead the group on again, bewildered by this latest development. One question bogged each of their minds.

What the hell is this place?

A crunching sound up ahead brought the group back to reality - or whatever this place was - from their thoughts. In the shadows up ahead, there appeared to be a figure. Makarov glanced around at the group, reminding them to be cautious.

The group edged closer, trying to remain silent under the crunching sound coming from the hunched figure. As their eyes began to adjust to the darkness, it appeared the figure had a muscular build, spiked hair and swaying dark clothes.

Could it be Natsu?

Another crunch followed as they edged closer, remaining as cautious as they could despite their growing hopeful anticipation.

Then they saw the second figure, lying motionless on the ground.

The crunching stopped, and the first figure stood up straight, turned to face the group and stepped forwards into the path of a streetlight. It had blood streaked across shirt and hands. It had blood dripping from its mouth. It had blood-red pupils in its pitch black eyes.

Fear swept through the group, like they had never known before. The figure's face was gaunt, but it's body was oddly toned: their clothes were ripped, presumably from the battle with the poor soul that lie beneath them. All Lucy could focus on was the blood: there's just... so much. What a way to go...

"Who are you?!" Elfman yelled, once again disregarding Makarov's wisdom. After a short pause he added, "A MAN would tell us his name!" Lucy could tell that despite his aggression and apparent bravado, his voice trembled slightly as he shouted. This was his way of coping, she guessed, but it was unlikely it was helping the group's cause.

All of a sudden, Lucy felt a long, elasticated tube wrap around her, and then suddenly it wasn't a tube: it was a ball. She was inside a pale-pinkish elasticated ball. She looked around frantically: Happy was to her left, Erza to her right. Then, Elfman landed on top of her with a loud thud. She could feel that the ball was moving frantically, bouncing along to the pace of hurried footsteps.

"What's going on?" Lucy exclaimed, only able to get the words out as Elfman apologetically moved to the side. "Where are we?"

"This is Master Makarov's Titan Magic – or at least, one form of it." Erza explained, surprisingly calm given the situation. "We are inside his hands as he is moving. I'd assume he's trying to get us far, far away from that person."

Images of the blood and guts returned to Lucy's mind, causing her to suppress a heaving that was beginning in the depths of her stomach. Natsu and Gray are in grave danger, her mind reminded her, if this is what Tokyo is like.

"You smell... exquisite!"

The group could just about hear the shrill, monstrous voice coming from outside the ball - it sounded crazed, almost entranced by the group who'd stumbled upon them. It was impossible for the group to tell anything about the individual - even age or gender – as the voice was inhuman and so very different to anything they'd encountered in Fiore.

"Get back here you bastards! I'm... so... HUNGRY!"

Suddenly then ball twisted sideways, jarring the group within. He's been caught: we've been caught. We're gonna get eaten!

There was a loud thud outside the ball, before they continued to move once again: what happened? Did Master turn to hit the ghoul? Are we being taken to the ghoul's lair? There was nothing the group could do but wait as they continued to move through the streets of Tokyo.

After what seemed like an age, they came to a halt. Each of the group within the ball looked to each other: Lucy looked on the verge of tears, while Happy too was the opposite of his namesake. Erza tried to maintain a calm and collected facade while being uncertain within, while Elfman's eyes gave away his attempt at a pokerface as they darted back and forth for any sign of explanation or comfort.

The ball began to retract itself: is he letting us out because we're safe, or is the Magic wearing off because he's dead? Lucy began to wonder, knowing it wouldn't help her temperament but unable to stop the thoughts.

These worries were soon exacerbated as the Magic continued to wear off and Makarov shrunk back to his normal form, lying on his back on the street. The all rushed to him, checking on him to see if he was okay; Erza glanced around quickly to check, but the ghoul wasn't in the immediate vicinity.

"I... am okay." Makarov slowly mumbled, as Elfman helped him back to his feet. "That was exhausting though."

"Today has been one very long day, hasn't it?" Lucy exclaimed, thinking back to walking in on Happy and Natsu before sunrise that morning. "Now that I think about it, I haven't had anything to eat or drink in hours!"

"Look, over there!" Erza pointed out a small coffee shop on the other side of the street that was still open. "Shizukesa Café, Fairy Tail is coming for you!"

Shizukesa Café, Tokyo (13th Ward)

Thirteen.

It had been thirteen days since the Raid on Anteiku, and Kaneki still had no way of telling what had happened to any of those he'd considered friends – no, family – back in the 20th Ward. It had been thirteen days since he'd moved to the 13th Ward, and all of the stress and aggression that awaited him. It had been thirteen days since he killed two men, Natsu and Gray.

Kaneki was working front of house again, which mainly involved tidying and cleaning: he acted on autopilot, his thoughts only occasionally disrupted by Tomohiro asking for assistance or a customer interacting with him, and both were relatively brief. Kaneki was once again trapped in one-way conversation in his own mind.

It's an occupational hazard. Isn't it Kaneki?

Of what: being a member of Aogiri, or a ghoul?

Both. It always has been. Don't forget how this all started Kaneki. It's simple enough for a ghoul to kill a human to feed... especially a young, weak boy like you were. But I still ended up 'dead', or whatever you want to call this existence inside of you.

Kaneki pointed a customer over to the toilets in the corner of the café, before trudging over towards a table that had just been left by a family of four to clean it up.

So... Doctor Tanahashi is going to kill me? Or use me for experimentation too?

You've regressed Kaneki. Of course he isn't, if you act first. Remember what I told you: sometimes, some must be forsaken for the preservation of others.

Kaneki stacked the cups and saucers, and carried them through the maze of the café to the back to be cleared up. He could see that Tomohiro was briefly speaking on the in-house phone system while processing an order.

I can't just attack a higher ranking member of Aogiri, that is a death sentence in itself!

What happened to your mother Kaneki?

Stop.

What happened to Anteiku?

Stop.

What happened to Hide?

STOP.

Do you want to end up like them?

I can suppress you at any time.

If you do, you'll be vulnerable. You'd probably be killed before you had the chance to bring me back to save you.

Kaneki returned to the shop front, cloth and placemats in hand ready to finish the table he'd been clearing. He thought he could hear the door to the Aogiri facility open as he left, but he didn't care to look back.

Why?

Pardon?

Why do you do this to me?

I am you Kaneki, ever since the day we died I have been.

The clip-clop of Shinsuke's boots brought Kaneki back into the world, especially so as they approached directly towards the table Kaneki was cleaning.

"Kaneki!" Shinsuke's blunt voice called from behind. Kaneki realised there was a solitary tear trekking down his cheeks towards his sharp jaw: he brushed it off quickly with his sleeve as he turned to face the tall, thin man standing over him. Kaneki thought he could see a smirk on Shinsuke's face, but it was hard to tell with the scruffy stubble that was growing. "Kenny's gonna cover you; come with me."

With that, Shinsuke turned his back on Kaneki and walked towards the entrance to the Aogiri facility, not giving the boy time to answer. Kaneki followed slowly, seeing his colleague Kenny walk past with a shag of black and blonde hair. He looked sombre, despite usually being playful – even if sometimes in a vulgar way. Ghouls tended to be good at that kind of 'humour'. What's going on...?

The door to the Aogiri facility opened and Shinsuke walked through; as Kaneki followed, he felt a shiver drop through his spine. The door thudded behind him. Was it always that loud?

"You see Kaneki, I was speaking to Doctor Tanahashi earlier." Shinsuke called from a few feet in front of Kaneki as he led the way through the dim corridors. "And he said the pair of you had an... interesting conversation a few days ago." Shinsuke glanced at Kaneki, whose eyes were firmly planted at the floor. "You had some choice words for him, didn't you?"

Kaneki nodded a little, clicking his fingers one by one out of nervous anticipation.

Remember Kaneki, it's an occupational hazard.

Shinsuke stopped, having weaved his way around the maze of dark corridors. There was a door on each side of the man, who turned sharp on his heels to the left. He swiped his card, and the door slid smoothly out of the way. He gestured for Kaneki to follow him, and begrudgingly, he did.

You're vulnerable Kaneki.

"You see Kaneki, the problem is," Shinsuke called out, as Kaneki entered the empty room alongside him. "If someone forgets their place: you must either teach them a lesson, or allow them to take whatever place they want." Shinsuke looked at Kaneki, making direct eye contact. At the precise moment that Kaneki realised Shinsuke's eyes had gone black, becoming a kakugan, Kaneki felt his legs taken out from underneath him by a tail. Shinsuke's kagune is a tai-

Everything suddenly went black for Kaneki.

A glimpse of Shinsuke laughing as Natsu and Gray wheeled in a table.

Black.

A glimpse of Natsu and Gray lifting him up.

Black.

A glimpse of his hands being chained to the table.

Black.

Suddenly, Kaneki recovered his senses for a brief moment. Just long enough to see Shinsuke walk out of the room as Natsu and Gray circled the table he was chained to, each with one eye having changed. Just long enough to hear Shinsuke call out as he departed.

"Have fun boys, just... don't kill him!"

Shizukesa Café, Tokyo (13th Ward)

The five Fairy Tail members didn't notice anything unusual as they groggily walked into the café and sat down at an empty table; well, anything more unusual that Tokyo was in general to them. It was only when a waiter came over to the table to tell them that they should order from the counter when they were ready.

"Natsu!" Happy yelled out, causing the rest of the group to look up at their waiter: he was wearing a waiter's uniform, his hair was slicked back and he was unusually calm, but it was definitely Natsu. But his face was wrong: he wasn't happy. He was confused.

"Who are you?" He asked back, clearly caught off guard by the group of overly excitable faces below him.

"We're your family!" Happy replied quickly, holding out Lucy's hand to show her Fairy Tail guild mark to him, "from Fairy Tail!"

"What the hell?!" Natsu replied, growling a little with each word. Who the hell are these people? How do they know my name? I'm a ghoul, what the hell is Fairy Tail?

"Come, Natsu." Erza said calmly, standing up to Natsu's level, "let's get Gray and go home." At that moment, Gray walked out from the back of the café: he was wearing a full waiter's uniform as well, which slightly surprised the group as he walked over to see what was going on. They weren't used to seeing him fully covered by clothes.

"Gray!" Lucy called out, relief surging through her that they'd found both alive, despite their memory loss – that could be a factor with time travel. At this point, Erza leant forwards to hug Natsu out of relief, but he ducked backwards in order to avoid her: her eyes darted to the ground sheepishly as he looked on in confused frustration.

"THEY'RE HERE TO TAKE YOU AWAY AND KILL YOU!" A tall man called from under his black mop of hair behind the counter; the other workers went into the back behind him, while the other customers ran out of the front door. He looked around once again; "KILL THEM!" he yelled, before leaving to the back area himself.

Natsu and Gray looked at the group in front of them, who were now all in a nervous huddle near the entrance to the café: their left eyes appeared to go bloodshot, before flooding with black. Then, their irises shifted violently to become blood red.

Both men sprouted muscular extensions on their shoulders, growing outwards and upwards above their heads before refining to a point several meters long: it appeared as though a blood red muscular arm that morphed part way into a silver spear. Terror swept through the Fairy Tail members like never before, not even when they encountered the feasting ghoul shortly beforehand.

Natsu and Gray... what have they become?

Elfman moved to the front of the group, trying to protect the others despite the trembling in his hands. "A MAN would not harm those he calls family!" He bellowed, but it fell on deaf ears. He took another few steps forwards, while the others from Fairy Tail were rooted in fear. Elfman was not a match for Natsu and Gray in Fiore, what possible chance did he have now that they had... extra limbs? None of the group could find any rational explanation of what they had, or how they had it, but Elfman was hell bent on proving his worth, having initially been refused from the trip.

Natsu began to charge forwards, and Elfman braced himself: he was able to block out most of the blow as Natsu brought his left spear crashing down onto Elfman's right arm, but was unable to do anything as Natsu buried the other spear into Elfman's abdomen. Lucy could see the tip of the spear poking out of Elman's back: it was covered in blood. Blood that gushed down and stained the white floor as Natsu pulled the spear back out and let Elfman's lifeless body drop to the floor.

Natsu sneered, before looking at the group who remained. The smallest of them looked distraught, the two woman in utter disbelief, and the old man's face was hidden behind arms that shook with each tear. Easy pickings. We're going to eat well tonight, Gray.

Natsu took a step towards them, and at the very same moment Erza jumped into the air, requipping into her Adamantine Armour; she landed between Natsu and her three friends, her impressive blue and silver spikes jutting out in all directions; she brought the two giant shields in front of her, ready to defend the rest of the group and defeat Natsu as she had done before.

Could this even be called Natsu, after what he just did?

Natsu smirked, before launching his spears repeatedly at Erza, who blocked each with the shields despite the immense force of the strikes. Then, Gray appeared above Natsu, ready to land on Erza spikes first.

Erza burst forwards, ramming the shields into Natsu's torso while dodging Gray's attack: Natsu crashed through several tables before coming to a stop against the far wall, while Gray quickly continued to chase her whole body was protected by the armour, not to mention the shields. How did she summon those out of thin air?! Either way, I'm going to kill her! I'm going to EAT her!

Gray threw himself forwards, trying desperately to strike Erza but reaching no further than her shields on every attempt. Anger crept into Gray's attacks as they became reckless and predictable, and soon Erza was able to duck underneath a decapitation attempt by Gray and smash him into a wall with her shield, before backing away from the pair towards the other three Fairy Tail members and their deceased brother.

"Come on! We've gotta get out of here!" She called to them, but they had no idea how to move from their positions. They'd seen their hero, their brother Natsu... kill Elfman? They couldn't make sense of it. Even if we run, where do we go? The police are looking for us, the CCG are looking for us... will Natsu and Gray hunt us too?

Erza's momentary glance to her Fairy Tail comrades allowed Natsu to surprise her. He threw a table into the air: not to attack her, but to jump to and spring off of in order to attack her with even greater force. As the table splintered and exploded against a wall, Natsu dived onto her before she could get the shields into place to defend herself.

They landed hard on the ground, though Erza's armour protected her against much of the impact. Natsu held her in place beneath him, using his arm-spikes to keep Erza's arms – and the shields – out of the way and ineffective. This is it. Terrified thoughts swept through her mind as she realised she was unable to get out from underneath him. He's going to kill me.

From the corner of her eye, Erza could see a wisp of grey smoke. Then the wisp became a puff, and then the puff became a cloud, and then the cloud became a smokescreen. Erza couldn't feel Natsu pinning her down anymore, and couldn't see anything but clouds of smoke.

What's happening? Is this what happens when you die?

The smoke began to dissipate, and the first thing that came into vision looked like a small, old man. In fact, it was the shadow of a small old man known as Makarov, who was broken. Then, a young girl trying to comfort the most distressed and distraught cat she'd ever known. And then, she saw long blue robes fluttering above sandals in the breeze that felt so familiar.

They were home, in Fiore. But it would never be the same again.