Disclaimer- No character belongs to me.

Warning- Things are about to get messy and this chapter is freaking long just a heads up.

Chapter One- You can't win against Devils

"Taki-Takizawa?" beseeched the female investigator through wimpy gasps. The hands clutching her wrists tightened upon her question to the point she grew apprehensive about whether her wrists would be crushed if her male opponent applied any more pressure.

Akira Mado was frightened of this male attempting to suffocate her. The high-ranking investigator was known for her quick wit and ability to calmly rationalize through troubling predicaments. Already at the tender age of 24 she had proven herself a more than capable Associate Special Class Ghoul Investigator, a respectable position for someone so young. If the ghoul extermination headquarters, the CCG, needed someone to get rid of a powerful ghoul she was usually at the top of the list of investigators chosen to be sent out to the field.

But never in her dreams did she imagine a scenario such as this.

A few hours back- Same day

Earlier in the day she had been chosen to investigate a possible ghoul hideout where it was rumored that the abandoned apartment was secretly home to lower ranked C ghouls who were too busy feasting on rats to prove a formidable threat to the organization. But people in the neighborhood had started to go missing which stirred residents into a frenzy about their safety.

Akira had just poured herself a cup of coffee and taken a seat at her desk to look through some files on the meeting held earlier about the Rosewald family. Her Quinx Squad had been personally selected to deal with the influential ghoul family and she was quite proud of their numerous accomplishments within the past year.

Despite her scolds to her partner about his need to stop addressing her as "mom" after meetings she oddly felt like a proud mother. Closing her eyes she took a quick sip of the scalding coffee and wondered what the world was coming to.

Her quiet moment of peace was interrupted by some of her juniors hesitantly approaching her. The subordinates were young and recently graduated so they were fresh pickings to deal with trivial matters.

She opened an eye and took slight amusement in the way they shuffled their feet awkwardly and twiddled their thumbs.

What was she? The mafia boss who would cut off their pinkies if they failed a task?

Sighing she swirled in her chair to place her coffee on her clean desk, she preferred stations clear of clutter to help her stay concentrated, before turning around to give the men her undivided attention.

Clearing their throats they began recounting the events of their caseload from the previous day.

Some lower rank subordinates had been sent out as a first wave to check on the site of this particular case and came back with a report that the ghouls were famished and too weak to pose a real threat. The CCG wanted to quietly sweep this incident under the rug so Investigator Mado was selected as the most qualified to be sent out to deal with the situation swiftly and leave no traces of ghoul habitation in the booming neighborhood.

The subordinates quickly added their higher-ups did not feel they were not properly trained to get certified as ready for field combat just yet. The squad was trained for spying and reconnaissance but not for battle preparation just yet.

She would never have been bothered with a case like with her current rank but a majority of the squads had been sent out for a cleanup sweep of ghoul hideouts belonging to attendants of the Auction. Her Quinx Squad was collaborating with other squads into an investigation involving the Rosewald family and connections to several kidnappings over a prolonged period of time.

Nobody would dare to trouble Kishou Arima with such a pitiable case to save face in front of the renowned "Death God" of the CCG.

So the case, Apartment Sweep, was placed into her file load since she was not currently assigned to any case. She was reassured there were no connections to the Aogiri Tree or Rosewald kidnappings when she raised an eyebrow on how "all these kidnappings" had slipped under public radar.

One of the men sheepishly claimed the residents mostly kept to themselves since shady characters were known to frequent certain areas of the neighborhood. The other guy, the "airhead" she decided to term him in her private thoughts, chipped in that it wasn't ghouls frequenting the residential area but punks and drug-dealers.

He added how ironic it was that the crack-heads avoided the abandoned area even when they had snorted so much crack they were gone to the world as they ran around practically butt-naked.

The asinine graduate shut up when she fixed him with a stern gaze and recommended it would be wise to provide objective specifics in the future. She did find humor in the piercing gaze his colleague sent him like egging him to say something else stupid so he could punch him.

Kids these days.

Right now she cursed the fact her reputation wasn't similar to Arima's and wished her title as the "Ice Queen of CCG" an unaffectionate label granted to her through mumbles under hushed exchanges in the break room would come into play. It wasn't her fault she was good at her job but some men frowned on having to follow orders given by a woman. If she weren't a by-the-books professional she would have loved to do nothing more than take out her quinque and knock them down a few pegs but sadly she wasn't the type to fly into a random whirl of emotions on the whim.

And with great reluctance she chose to ignore their chides with a cool nod whenever she entered the break room, but she did find satisfaction in how quickly they shut up in her presence.

While she didn't like to think upon power struggles within the organization there were times she found certain enjoyment in how her class ranking provided her with certain liberties.

Either she had grown spiteful or soft in the past three years?

After she was given the short briefing she agreed to take on the case claiming it was so easy she could deal with it herself instead of pestering other colleagues to help her. It was known throughout Headquarters everyone had been swamped with paperwork thanks to the Auction Raid and the matter of protecting weapons during the Quinque Transportation.

Deeming the case as non-threatening she chose to travel on her own to also not have to worry about possible injuries to newly trained subordinates. The decision was not the wisest one but she wanted to focus her attentions on other matters such as the aftermath of the Ghoul Auction Raid, which had happened several months prior. Before she headed out she did notify some colleagues on her whereabouts should any incidents occur.

On the phone she heard dead silence before they chided her on being reckless in these troubling times which she agree with wholeheartedly. She reassured them she was taking extra steps to insure the welfare of any possible survivors- she doubted there were any- and her own state of being.

With great reluctance they bid her Godspeed and sent her on her way.

Since many high ranking ghouls had been annihilated during the raid a great weight had been lifted off many investigators' shoulders which may have been why they weren't being too harsh on her hasty decision to get the sweep up over and done with.

Several troublesome ghouls had managed to be exterminated by her colleagues and overall, despite several ghouls of the Aogiri Tree organization, the CCG's arch enemy, managing to slip away, the Raid had been considered a triumph for the ghoul investigators.

However while the Raid had several good points there were also other problematic factors popping up that troubled her greatly.

While it was amazing how fast her Quinx Squad had received promotions she was still troubled over their capabilities on being in the field. At 21 she had seen horrors on the battlefield and lost many good men and women due to the One-eyed Owl's reappearance. Would these teenagers- barely old enough to no longer be considered children- be able to hold their own against Aogiri's S-ranked ghouls, she didn't want to fathom their opponents being the leaders.

Then there was the matter of Hinami Fueguchi, the ghoul who lent a hand in her father's death prior to her assignment into his squad. Her heart panged as she remembered taking the place of her father as Koutarou Amon's partner. Her heart began to ache further as she remembered slowly losing every man she had loved in her life within the span of a year. First, it was her father, next was her first love and partner, and lastly her classmate who also held a special place in her heart. It seemed that she was the angel of death to anybody she loved dearly.

Whenever these troubling thoughts threatened to consume her she would pour a bottle of whiskey to drown her sorrows before clicking on some sappy horror movie to watch with her cat Maris Stella.

Her thoughts shifted back to the murderer of her father. As aggravating as it was she was unable to deal with the ghoul until her subordinate, Haise Sasaki, chose to release the young ghoul from his custody.

And from the look of things he wasn't going to release her from his protection any time soon.

While the factors were worrisome there was one issue she couldn't shake off her shoulders, a weight that had been placed on her ever since the Raid's end. After her ghoul opponents had fled mid-battle she was not given the chance to rest as an intercom sounded throughout the facilities of her subordinate crying out in pain and a ghoul's maniacal laughter over the investigator's cries.

Many investigators were shell-shocked over the brutality of the sounds but something in her was stirred into action, as she wanted to save her partner along with identifying this random ghoul. Something about the brief sounds of his laughter struck a cord of familiarity in her.

Imagine the young woman's shock to run headfirst into an old accomplice she had previously thought presumed dead since a body was never recovered. In her mind she believed Aogiri had killed her former classmate along with Investigator Amon.

Life was a funny thing sometimes as she stared in bewilderment at the figure of a man in a tattered black hooded robe and baggy pants. These garments were vastly different from the strict conservative clothing preferred for agents of the CCG.

In only one glance Akira Mado recognized Seidou Takizawa, alive and in the flesh. And also a ghoul now apparently.

Sometimes she wished she had said something more than simply his name but her shock muted her. Strangely former investigator Seidou Takizawa drew quiet in his inhuman laughter when their eyes connected. The newly awakened ghoul wearing the face of her associate stared at her in confusion before quietly saying her name while covering his face and fleeing before any further actions could be taken.

After the incident she spent many nights drinking several bottles of beer as she pondered over his transformation. While it was difficult to examine the young man from afar she could make out how his once lightly tan skin had turned a ghastly white color that matched his pure white hair.

Seidou had light colored brown hair he kept short ,with two side bangs, that matched his eyes; while he was average in appearance his boyish features didn't make him any less charming. He was also known to dress professionally and he always had a wide-eyed appearance as a CCG idealist who was the organization's loyalist follower.

As a ghoul his hair had grown past his chin and was the color of milk and no longer was kept professional. Instead of a suit he now wore a strange hooded robe that matched the color of his fingernails and lips; later mentioned in a conversation by Quinx leader Haise Sasaki offhandedly before a cloud drifted over his eyes as painful memories of his battered body resurfaced.

Seidou Takizawa had become Aogiri member "Owl" and seemed to longer possess the principles of his former beliefs as a detective.

There were pictures of mangled bodies taken from the aftermath of his fights depicting a loss in humanity as he obviously enjoyed torturing the investigators. Some crude detectives whispered under hush breaths how "Owl" seemed to enjoy making a presentation of his victims as some gesture of "screw you" to the CCG.

Hearing their quiet discussion earned a harsh glare from the young woman which silenced them immediately.

Seidou Takizawa wasn't capable of such cruelty. Was he?

Nonetheless his file had been moved from missing to ghouls needing extermination. She managed to sneak a peek at his file during a calm day and was distraught to learn he was considered an SS-ranked ghoul needing immediate extermination no questions asked.

Some doubts about CCG's sentencing were raised since the higher-ups seemed to show no despair over a former investigator's transformation. Why weren't there more questions as to how he was turned into a ghoul? Why didn't her colleagues share the same sentimentality as to what torture caused him to become like this?

Was he just another disposable member that they considered too unremarkable to worry about?

Then again after losing a prodigal member like Koutarou Amon some expressions of sadness were shown over such a loss but nobody spared another moment to concern themselves over his demise.

The two men she was deeply connected to were just two more corpses thrown into an ever-growing pile.

During one of her many lonely drinking nights she was disgusted over this mentality the CCG possessed but found herself ashamed since she once bore a similar mindset.

The more ghouls dead the better was her ideology but now things had changed, things were different. She wasn't the same woman who killed ghouls relentlessly as she was several months ago. Getting to know the Quinx's personally and seeing Takizawa in his current state had shaken up some firmly-held believes she used to possess. Now her mind was consumed with troubling thoughts but she realized with growing sadness this was the lifestyle she was raised in and it was impossible for her to abandon established beliefs in one night.

She refused to disgrace the name of her parents by becoming some ghoul sympathizer just because some kids and one ghoul was someone important to her. No, she was a ghoul exterminator born and raised; it was too late to change now.

Or so she had thought before the turn of events of today.

The case started out simple, an abandoned apartment sitting on the edges of town, she simply needed to head to the basement where the nest was contained. There were presumably five ghouls in total ranging from 17 to 24 in age. The ghouls were described as emaciated in appearance and were very weak due to starvation.

During the early portion of the day when the sun was hallway across the horizon she began her operation. Luckily the streets were deserted as residents chose to keep to themselves from the frightening layout of this dilapidated mess of an apartment complex.

Finding a convenient opening in the boarded doorframe she slipped inside quietly to begin the investigation. From the look of things this level was deserted due to the high amount of dust and little signs of occupation.

No rotting corpses were found in this area.

Sunlight filtered through the boarded windows casting small batches of light on her surroundings. From what she could tell the wallpapers were an awful floral print that reminded her of grandmothers baking cookies. An older woman probably bought this pattern because it was presentable. Many of the ancient appliances were severely outdated and were likely to be found in some cheap museum.

Akira had to carefully maneuver around cobwebs hanging from the ceiling and along chipped doorframes. She had to squint her eyes to make out tattered curtains along with furniture smashed to pieces. Whether a group of rebellious hooligans or ghouls looking to ease their boredom did these random vandal acts was undeterminable.

She took a few steps down a hallway and opened a door her coworkers assured led to the basement. When the awful smell of decomposing bodies wafted up to slam into her she had to take a step back from the putrid smell.

The woman covered her mouth and nose to prevent herself from gagging. Her eyes began tearing up as dust stirred up her allergies. It took a few moments for her to pat down her waist until she managed to find her belt containing her quinque and gas mask. The moment her fingers connected with the metal object she unclipped it and quickly covered her face.

Once the mask was secured with a few buttons pressed she inhaled deeply. She was about to rub her irritated eyes until she was reminded of the mask protecting it. She released a huff of annoyance before recomposing herself into an image of professionalism.

Akira was glad she decided to wear a longer skirt and thick stockings for this mission based on observations from her coworkers. They explained there were asbestos and other possible contaminations present from mistreatment of past tenants. In certain spots she saw black sludge and dark stains splattered on walls. She resisted taking samples to determine if there were more victims killed here in the past than presently known.

Akira assured herself that once the ghouls were exterminated she could look into this matter personally.

She wore a cream-colored skirt and her dark dress shirt along with a cream color tie to maintain a somewhat feminine appearance. She found skirts easier to move in. Due to the complex being boarded up and missing air conditioning units the place was an inferno. She could feel her legs grow sweaty and a few glistening drops fall from her brow but these were small problems compared to the nest awaiting her down these steps.

Assessing the situation she concluded it was better to feel uncomfortable than expose herself to bacteria and other contaminations.

Gripping her flashlight she slowly descended the stairs pausing whenever they creaked beneath her boots. When nothing rushed her she slipped down further until she felt the air grow cooler, the mask fogged up briefly as the lens adjusted to the change in temperature also.

Akira placed her left foot forward and began to slowly scale the floor.

She grabbed her weapon in her right hand as she raised the flashlight up. Taking a deep breath she clicked the thing on and began to slowly scan her surroundings. In this area were nothing but cardboard boxes and other junk. No signs of corpses or other signs of ghoul occupation.

Akira flashed the light over the room once again until the light flashed over a white door at the other end of the room. She noticed light filtering in from beneath the door but saw no movement meaning her presence was not detected yet.

However, it was better safe than sorry.

She scanned the ceilings and checked behind her to find nothing but the wall and staircase, flashing a light over the wooden steps revealed nothing waiting to ambush her underneath.

Turning the flashlight off she approached the door with the small trace of light as the only way to get to her location. She held the element of surprise and wanted it to remain that way. A healthy or powerful ghoul would not be easily warped but the weaker, starved ones could easily be overtaken.

The young woman was thankful this case was an easy one simply to waste time from demanding Haise to relinquish control of the prisoner or continue her mind's wanders of Seidou's current state.

Akira reached the door and stopped breathing momentarily to listen in. Besides slight stirring against the wall or objects the room was dead quiet.

Either they were waiting to spring their own assault or were too focused on cannibalizing their flesh. It was a known disgusting habit that certain ghouls ate their own flesh when food sources were low or they needed substance to speed up their healing abilities.

Ghouls could possess some of the most animalistic habits the CCG reported in lectures.

Hooking her flashlight back onto her belt, she uncurled her quinque and delighted in how easily she managed to control the whip. Other investigators found the weapon difficult to manage but she was true to her father's capabilities as she mastered the weapon in a short span of time.

Releasing the breath she held Akira decided she had waited long enough before she kicked the door in and rushed the ghouls.

This was too easy.

There were only four ghouls present and they had all been sleeping before she interrupted their sleeping schedule. (The fifth one could be worried about later). The ghouls' eyes shot open revealing the characteristic black sclera and red eyes all ghouls possessed. (Except for the modified human ghouls that only bore one ghoulish eye while the other remained human in appearance).

Due to their state of starvation they were sluggish in movement and she easily took advantage of this weakness. In the span of a second she twisted her whip around the nearest ghoul's head and gave a firm tug yanking the male ghoul's head clean off.

Blood spurted from his collapsing body causing one famished ghoul to claw his way over to the corpse and proceed to feast on the raining blood and his former friend. Akira recoiled in disgust before another ghoul, a female, slammed into her. The ghoul was too weak to prove a threat so Akira easily dispatched her with a firm shove. Once the female ghoul fell Akira kicked her in the face sending the ghoul into a screaming fit.

Swinging the whip around her head Akira aimed the weapon around the female's neck and swiftly made a clean kill. This ghoul's head rolled a few feet to the squatting male ghoul feasting on his friend feverishly. When the head made contact with his foot he glanced over and smiled inanely before plucking the head right off the ground to begin biting into the woman's skull.

If Akira hadn't grown used to such scenes she was certain she would have been sick at the ghoul's barbarism and lack of humanity. But these creatures were different from humans and possessed no known sense of moral code. It was every ghoul for themselves once faced with the investigators. Some ghouls formed feeding packs but found no problem abandoning the weaker members when the investigators or starvation hit.

Thinning her lips she slowly approached the feasting ghoul and watched dispassionately as the foolish creature turned its head to stare at her stupidly with a thankful grin plastered on his face. Blood dripped from his toothy smile and Akira took no issue with spinning her whip around to gain momentum before she swiped his body in half with a direct blow through the torso.

Her father would have been proud.

The ghouls nerves allowed the body a few moments to register he had been cut in half before the top half collapsed to the floor. Blood poured on the floor causing Akira to take a step back from the puddle forming in front of her feet.

She wasn't squeamish towards these grotesque displays but found no enjoyment of cleaning a ghoul's entails off her footwear.

Akira surveyed her surroundings noticing several corpses piled across the room that were either molding or the flesh had rotten off revealing the bones underneath.

Thank god she decided to wait on eating beforehand or else she might have gagged at one of the corpses whose eyeball was hanging from what was once its' socket. The victim's face had been smashed in until the skull had apparently cracked under the pressure.

Her hatred towards these creatures and their cruelty increased.

Akira was so focused on the dead ghoul and human remains surrounding her she had almost forgotten the last ghoul tucked away in a corner where it tried to hide in the shadows. Its' tactics were foolish since its' whimpers alerted her to its location.

She couldn't make out the gender from this angle but she could tell the body was small in physique. Possibly a ghoul in their early teens or even a child ghoul!

Some investigators stalled when encountering a child ghoul which cost them their lives. A child ghoul, an adult ghoul, it didn't matter they were all the same. It was a known fact all ghouls were nothing more than bloodthirsty monsters looking for a meal to eat.

When dealing with ghouls it was best to take out personal feelings in order to properly get a job done. Usually the investigators most likely to get killed on the job were the ones who had suffered the loss of a child.

A shiver ran down her spine as she could imagine the agony of a parent having to watch their child turn into a monster. Several of the missing detectives were someone's spouse or child. The pain they would endure once they discovered their child's transformation into a monster who feasted on human flesh.

Akira hoped she would never have to knock on an investigator's door to notify their family of their loss.

The young investigator could not handle having to see someone fall apart due to their loss.

"Poor Mr. and Mrs. Takizawa," were the troubling thoughts of the investigator. She had yet to tell them the news to not add another burden to their grief. But she remembered the first year spent on the phone with Mrs. Takizawa as they remembered better times. She knew the woman had known about their rivalry in school but she put aside those petty times to think about the good qualities of her former classmate to spare Mrs. Takizawa from further grief.

The ghoul began whimpering pathetically snapping Akira from her train of thoughts. The whimper sounded girlish in pitch registering the fact the ghoul was probably a young female.

Even though the ghoul was probably close to death judging the state of her friends it did not change the fact she had worked with the pack to make slim pickings of residents. Not sparing another thought to rationalize the ghoul's habits Akira slowly began to approach the ghoul cautiously. Who knew if the ghoul was about to spring a trap, some ghouls were calculative in tricking humans into believing they were weaker than they actually were.

Placing her hand behind her she allowed her grasp to go limp to determine whether she would stand for an offense or defense strike. She hunched down to keep a better balance should the ghoul rush her. She was a good fighter but she was not the best at fighting on the ground due to her small physique.

Stepping over a rib cage Akira treaded carefully until she stood a few feet from the ghoul. Once she was certain the ghoul was not going to rush her she stood upright and steely stared at the figure of the ghoul covered in a blanket, which muffled her sobs somewhat.

Without hesitation Akira asked coolly, "There's no doubt that your friends are dead which leaves you alone as the last member to be annihilated so spare me any sympathy attempts and tell me were the last member of your pack is so you have another friend to join you in the afterlife."

The ghoul's sobs became louder as she began shaking fearfully. She clutched the blanket tighter as though it would shield her from her soon to be executioner.

"I'll ask again, where is your friend ghoul?"

Akira was put on the defensive when the ghoul began laughing icily. The sound was like nails against a chalkboard. The blanket was dropped to reveal a short female wearing a purple hooded robe with cat ears attached at the top. The female investigator's eyes narrowed as she looked at the bandages covering the ghoul's entire body helping to mask her identity.

Akira immediately grew suspicious.

Just why was the ghoul wearing wrappings instead of a mask like her fellow ghouls?

The ghoul continued to laugh until she stopped to drop the blanket and stand up fully, the girl was short in height but this did not make her any less threatening. Placing her hands behind her back to grip each other together, she tilted her head as though examining an insect.

Akira shifted her torso back and lifted the whip above her head with the other arm held back to maintain her balance or strike out should the ghoul leap. It was not yet determinable what kagune this ghoul possessed.

The girl began chuckling childishly before saying in a girly voice, "Oh you weren't aware?"

Akira narrowed her eyes further and tightened her muscles preparing for anything. Gravelly she asked, "Aware of what?"

The ghoul cocked her head further, "That he was right behind you?"

Akira snapped up to swivel around to face whatever came at her when a hand shot out to grip the investigator around the neck before leaping to the side to slam her body against the wall. She gasped as pain ran down her spine; her head had collided into the thick walls hard causing the room to spin.

Instantly she tried to swing the whip into the male ghoul's side but he easily grabbed the whip and yanked it out of her hand effortlessly to discard it like a toy. Akira followed the weapon's positioning with a sinking feeling that she was going to have to think her way out of breaking his grip.

The ghoul breathed excitedly in his red mask that covered the lower half of his face. The fiend was enjoying her pain and fear like he could taste it in the air. His red eyes never shifted from her face as he stared at her haughtily. While it was hard to determine whether he was gloating over his advantage of subduing her she could tell he was having fun.

The girl ghoul began swirling in a circle with her arms raised; she paused to lift her arms before looking at the tall ghoul wearing a white trench coat. The posture reminded Akira of a child posing in a ballet style manner.

The ghoul began clapping her hands as she skipped over to them to grip his jacket on the side giggling happily. "Tatara, you never cease to amaze me with how easily you can sneak attack your opponents."

The male ghoul named Tatara didn't respond to her chirps and it was hard to decipher whether he heard her or was simply ignoring her flattery. His only response was to tighten his grip around Akira's throat.

Clapping her hands together the ghoul inquired happily, rhetorically asking Akira, "Just what should we do with you?"

She continued thinking out loud, "It's been a long time since we faced an opponent who manages to put up a good struggle. I have to admit it would be foolish of us to lower our guard around you."

"Therefore, I think we should break your arm that can hold the quinque or tear your hands off. What do you think, Miss Investigator?"

Akira chuckled darkly, it was foolish of her to challenge the ghouls but she couldn't help sniping at the other female, "I'm not sure, why don't you hand me back the quinque so we can strike up a bargain in what I should do to you in exchange? Personally I think your head would look lovely mounted on a wall."

The woman wasn't prepared for the fist colliding into her face, she cried out in pain when she felt blood drip down her chin. The male ghoul's eyes turned to steel as he responded menacingly, "It would be wise to hold your tongue when addressing us Dove."

Nobody knew which ghoul had coined the nickname Dove but ghouls ran as soon as they encountered one of the investigators. It was a first that these ghouls didn't run the moment she had appeared. She got the gut feeling these ghouls were more threatening than she originally thought.

She needed to calmly access a way out of this predicament. She scolded herself for failing to detect his presence but just where had he come from?

"Just keep talking to keep them busy while you formulate an escape plan," thought the investigator.

"Who are you guys? I get the feeling you two are formidable opponents with better sense than to hang out with lowly ghouls like these guys," she asked earnestly. Just why did these powerful ghouls waste time with weaklings.

The girl shrugged, " Oh that? Actually we're not affiliated with these fools, we were just passing through the neighborhood after acquiring information from an insider that a powerful investigator was being sent to deal with problem."

"An insider," Akira latched onto this information instantly. Not wasting another breath she spat out, "You mean to tell me you have connections in the CCG? Surely they're not ghouls or else we would have identified what they were instantly."

Tatara breathed wearily like he was tired of dealing with an idiot, "No you idiotic Dove. We hired certain humans who were desperate for a paycheck to earn some money to buy drugs. It was easy pickings since they were used to playing the role of a scout."

Akira's hands had tightened around the ghoul's wrist as she fought to pry his hands off uselessly. Okay, physically fighting against him was out of the question so she needed to outwit him since the female ghoul was nothing more than a talker… The flashlight budged into her back as he pushed her further into the wall.

Little shards pushed into her shirt eliciting a hiss of pain but she ignored it to focus on crafting a plan in dealing with the male.

"And who were these scouts? Tell me so I can have them interrogated and thrown in prison for collaborating with ghouls. It's a federal crime to form relationships with ghouls. I'm sure you are aware of this," she informed them.

The girl giggle amusingly, like Akira was some comedian in her mind, "You sure do have a lot of confidence in your abilities but then again you managed to fend off Triple Blades easily."

Akira's eyes widened, "Don't tell me you two are agents for Aogiri?"

"Oh we're not agents, we're executives for the one-eyed king meaning you better watch what you say since he told us your life is forfeit, Dove. We're high enough on the totem pole to receive direct orders from the king instead of receiving orders from a superior," the female stated factually.

"I can't believe you guys manage to persuade humans to join your cause," Akira sprung out immediately. The Aogiri Tree was formed to eliminate humans without mercy it was known that the ghouls wasted no time killing any human who crossed their path. "Who was foolish enough to assist you since they're probably scheduled for execution once they grow useless."

The girl templed her hands beneath her chin as she leaned in to state to Akira, "It was difficult to decide which investigator to eliminate. But we all agreed you were an easy choice since some of our subordinates had personal reasons as to why they wished to see you dead."

Piecing together the information Akira determined, "Your scouts were members of the squad sent out to access the case weren't they?"

"Close but you're wrong."

"They were the ones chosen to assign the case?"

"Getting colder."

Akira looked away to think over the situation as the two ghouls quietly awaited her answer. Her head snapped back, "It was the two guys who notified me I had been given the case wasn't it?"

"Bingo," the girl applauded. "Those two were never part of the reconnaissance, there was never a decision to send you out by the team's actual squad leader. We simply gave you the case with a few simple facts to peak your interest, most of your colleagues were too busy with other caseloads to smell something fishy."

"Somebody did their homework," Akira stated with slight marvel. "So just who are these ghouls with a vendetta against me?"

The girl held up her fingers and began lowering them as she provided the list, "Triple Blades is furious that you managed to kill some of our companions and wishes to rip your organs apart."

Akira shuddered but stared the girl down, refusing to show weakness.

The girl continued, "Poor Naki had to watch his friends get slaughter before his very eyes and he detests how you always manage to one-up him in combat. He wishes to pound your skull into mush as revenge for his dead friends."

"Tatara here hates how you always lend a hand in thwarting our plots, I'll admit it gets very annoying," she patted Tatara's shoulder, having to lean up on her tippy toes to reach her much taller companion. He paid no notice to her.

With growing alarm Akira realized she was dealing with ghouls who were scaled as SS ranks on CCG's threat ranking. The woman was trained to fight with powerful ghouls but having to deal with three challenging opponents would prove taxing. And most definitely a way to get herself killed without any backup.

"Finally-"

"So that makes four ghouls wishing to slaughter me," she thought glumly.

Despite the bandages Akira noticed the sick smile etching across the girl's face as though a sick prank was about to be pushed on her. "The last ghoul with a vendetta recently joined our cause and he's admitted to despising you for personal reasons."

Biting her lip Akira closed an eye to try ignoring the pain as Tatara lifted her off the ground. Her feet kicked against him to try regaining her lost footing but her blows did no damage except for earning an annoyed glare.

However her uplifted position gave her easier access to the flashlight pushing into her lower back painfully as Tatara continued to try smashing her through the wall. The quinque was too far from her now in this position to jump for the object without having to deal with the female should she make a break for it.

Luckily talking to them was a good diversion for her plans to fall into place.

"Just what are these personal reasons? Did I kill his spouse or partner in action?"

Tatara glared at her hatefully before shoving her further in. The female cocked her head in an owlish manner.

"No such thing. His reasoning is slightly…how should I put it?" The cat eared ghoul tapped a finger against her chin like a teacher reprimanding a child as she planned a suitable punishment. "Ah, you could say his vendetta is based on crimes from past occurrences. Therefore, you could define it as 'different' circumstances from the other three." She did air quotes while finishing up her statement cheekily.

The longer the two women conversed with each other while playing mind games in their back-and-forth the stronger Akira's dislike grew. "Define different," scowled Akira.

The smile widened. "He claims you were always better than him and so he refuses to be your inferior in his current state."

The investigator managed to turn her head to stare into the black holes of the bandages where the girl's eyes were located. She shivered as those black nothingness directed their full attention on her. "What are you talking about?"

The girl placed her hands behind her again. The girl cooed, "Patience is a virtue my little investigator."

Scanning Akira up and down the girl stated cheerfully, "Oh I can tell you'll be a tough one to break, won't she, Tatara?"

The man chuckled darkly; the first signs of a personality he had shown in his entire time spent choking the life out of Akira. "Trust me, Eto, give me an hour and I'll have her begging to die instead of enduring my afflictions."

Refocusing her attention on the male Akira glowered at him. "If you expect me to beg for my life like a cowering dog then you're sadly mistaken."

The girl, Eto, whistled, she pranced up to Akira and angled her head to the side to gaze at Akira closely. The girl leaned up on her toes to whisper, "We're going to enjoy disfiguring you, little Akira Mado."

Despite the sudden chill running up and down her spine earning an unwanted shudder Akira tried changing the conversation topic. "Just keep them sidetracked," she gripped the flashlight tighter. If she struck the girl the man would focus on her injuries allowing Akira to crotch spot him. Human or ghoul it didn't matter any male went down when kicked in the groin area.

Or she could slam the flashlight into the male's head and make a break for it, either way she needed to move quickly before their reinforcements came in.

She didn't need Triple Blades, Naki, or even Rabbit showing up.

Also if she was taken to their base who knew whether their legendary one-eyed king would allow her to leave alive.

Akira squinted at the girl, "I know my reputation can exceed me but I find it hard to believe you actually took the time to learn my name."

Tatara raised his hand to slap her hard. Akira's head swept to side this time, she could feel her cheek sting where a bruise was likely to form.

"What did I say about interrupting?" the deep voice stated expressionlessly.

Closing her eyes to dull the pain she slowly turned her head to fix him with a hated glare. His red eyes narrowed.

"Hit me again and watch what happens, prick."

The ghouls were silent for a few seconds before Eto burst out laughing. "You have to give it to her Tatara the girl has spirit. She'll be a fun one to watch as we tear off her ligaments."

Tatara coldly stated, "I'm looking forward to it."

Eto began picking at her nails. Disinterestedly she coldly returned, "Knock her unconscious already. You know the king does not like to be kept waiting."

"Agreed, if we waste anymore time we'll suffer the consequences."

Leaving her face blank Akira decided this was as good as an opportunity as she was going to get. Slowly Akira rolled the cold metal forward to rest underneath her fingers. She dug the flashlight out to rest at her hip.

Wait for it…wait for it…

She watched dispassionately as he angled his elbow back to get momentum to deal the final blow. He closed his fingers into a fist and affirmed boorishly, "See you in hell."

NOW!

Akira gripped the flashlight tightly and slammed it into the side of his head; while the blow did little damage he was caught off-guard and loosened his grip. Akira instantly used his confusion to push him off and sprint for the door. She paused in mid-step to fling the flashlight towards Eto's face and rejoiced in the small cry of pain.

Before fully running out the door she skidded to a stop to grab her weapon before continuing her escape. The weapon would give her some leverage but she was at a disadvantage since she had no indication as to what their kagunes were.

Dealing with a highly agile Ukaku whose speed was lightening fast along with the combo defense of a Koukaku in this small environment would hinder her since the quinque could immobilize one opponent but would leave her open for the other ghoul's attack.

Akira commanded herself to calm down to rationally think through her options. No matter the kagune she was a formidable opponent against ghouls and their brief conversation affirmed her belief that they had some hesitation in engaging her in battle. She needed to take advantage of their concerns but first she needed a wider battlefield without boxes or other junk. If she didn't pay close attention to her surroundings she could easily trip over a box while engaging one of the ghouls in duel.

Typically she was a swift fighter and could easily multitask but she hated to admit Tatara's head blows caused a ringing in her ears and made it hard for her to pay closer attention as her head pounded. Later on she needed to find an icepack to numb the pain.

Her lungs protested as she used every ounce of energy to stay ahead. She was trying to control her breathing by taking deep breaths; it was then she took notice of her missing mask. The smell from the decaying bodies in the room behind her hit her hard as she decided the fight-or-flight complex running through her head during the struggle caused her to ignore its absence. She decided it must have slipped off during her head's first collision against the wall.

Shaking her head she fought against getting distracted to concentrate on running up the stairs. She could see the sunlight at the top of the stairs and her heart wanted to sing praises. If she managed to get out of this alive she was going to take a few days off to head to a park or beach to enjoy the sun. (She hadn't taken a break in months since work was her mistress).

The sounds of shuffling resounded behind her instantly ausing her to push her feet harder. The sounds of her feet colliding against the cement sounded like music to her ears.

Rounding the corner she grasped the banister and pushed off the wood to get up the few steps…and that's when it hit her hard.

Akira collided into the wall as something that felt like a bulldozer struck her. Whatever had collided into her caused the wood to break into pieces sending tiny chips everywhere. Strangely as she was shoved against the wall it was like the act happened in slow motion she turned in mid-air to see what had crashed into her and saw the figure of a black-hooded male's hands raised.

After hitting the wall she could feel pain sting in her spine before she bounced off the wall to fall face first on the ground below. During the fall her ankle turned awkwardly and she could have sworn she heard a snap before the fall. Her vision grew hazy as her forehead collided into the ground. Instead of staying down she lifted her head and noticed her vision was hazy but she rolled over to pull herself into a crouching position nonetheless.

If she stayed down she was dead.

Gripping the quinque in her had she tried to strike out at the three figured male in front of her to hopefully hit one of the targets. The girl gasped as the figure easily grabbed ahold of the weapon midair and yanked her forward. She tried pushing her feet into the ground to keep her body from getting dragged but he proved to strong.

Hating herself for her decision Akira let go of the weapon and swiveled around to try fleeing once again. There was no way she could fight against the two Aogiri members in the other room and this new enemy.

Placing her foot on the floor she shouldn't have been surprised when the figure grabbed her right shoulder and flung her to the ground. The only comforting thought was the pain shooting up her leg meaning the bone in her foot hadn't been broken…yet. She hissed in pain and tried rolling over. Mid-roll she saw her quinque flung to the corner and attempted to scramble over on her hands and knees to give her some form of defense against this powerful creature.

Before she could crawl forward two inches the figure grabbed her around the chest and threw her to the side. Every bone and muscle in her body was screaming in pain but she refused to die begging for mercy. She was going to fight until her dying breath.

Akira landed on her back and couldn't help the cry of pain escaping. The pain made her stiffen giving the ghoul an opportunity. She barely had raised herself up on her elbows before a hand was placed on her upper chest to shove her back down. She tried kicking out but the figure sat down on her stomach. Her legs proved useless as she flailed around like a fish out of water. At this point she didn't care about looking like a dignified ice queen she was growling as she struggled relentlessly.

Since her legs were immobilized she began pushing against the male's chest. When that didn't work she began beating him on the head, chest, wherever fists landed. The male sighed in exhaustion, like she was boring him, and grabbed her wrists mid-air to restrain her. Placing her wrists on the ground she realized she had nothing else to use and had been defeated.

She tried rolling him off a few more times before he planted himself down on her stomach harder. As the weight pushed down on her stomach she began coughing as her ribcage felt ready to burst under the pressure.

The male lean over to stare down at her haughtily, his breathing came out laborious. So she had managed to tire him! The thought pleased her but she was disgusted with his close proximity. Refusing to look the monster in the eye she began rolling her head side-to-side to avoid meeting the gaze of her capturer.

"Give it up already, Mado, you're not going anywhere," the mysterious voice muttered gravely.

Her head stopped instantly as her eyes widened and her breathing stopped instantly. The male's warm breath continued to hit her face but it stopped bothering her as a new phobia overcame her.

Turning her head she finally decided to look the ghoul in the eye.

Her heart hammered away.

Sitting atop her with an unreadable expression was Seidou Takizawa. His face was vacant but there was a look of pleasure as he finally held the upper hand after all these years.

Akira's breathing became laborious at this point and she was certain she had more than a few broken bones. It was highly difficult for to talk but she managed to hesitantly whisper, "Taki-Takizawa?"

That brown eye which contrasted the ghoulish red eye narrowed instantly and his black face took on an edge of anger. Gripping her wrists tightly she bit her lip to keep from crying out.

"Do not ever, ever call me that name again," came that inhuman voice she heard at the Auction.

Her vision grew hazier, as her head spun. "What are you saying Taki-"

He leaned forward to growl in her face, spit came out of his mouth as he snapped, "Are you stupid or trying to annoy me."

He sat back and his smile was demented as he began informing her in a sing-along voice, "You shouldn't do that Mado, people who annoy me don't last long."

"Stop playing games with her and get it over with Owl" addressed the cold voice of Tatara from somewhere behind her former classmate. Seidou- Owl- glanced over his shoulder at the other male.

"Come on Tatara give me a few more minutes I'm enjoying myself here," he countered happily, like a kid at Christmas.

This time Eto came bouncing around the corner, pausing beside Tatara, she pointed a finger at Owl. "Now, now don't backtalk Tatara or you'll get punished."

For some reason that silenced Owl immediately.

Akira fought to keep her eyes open as her head spin while examining the three ghouls surrounding her. Owl looked like a devil about to rip her entrails out for his personal enjoyment, Tatara was an executioner coming in for the kill, while Eto was just there for the laughs.

"Owl get out of the way now," commanded Tatara practically goading Owl to try arguing with him. There was an awkward silence that followed before Owl began sliding his legs down her legs, he paused for a moment to lean over Akira to whisper, "Trust me Mado you're going to wish you were done by the time he's done with you."

He released her wrists and smiled down at her cruelly. Her body was too bruised and wounded for her to struggle against him when he finally let go. Slowly he got up and stepped to the side to reveal Tatara slowly approaching her.

She stared him down as her last attempt to show defiance but she knew it came off as weak. Despite her tries to look frightening she might as well have been a mouse staring a cobra down before the kill.

Tatara stopped beside her head and gazed down at her in amusement or at least that's what his eyes expressed. "Sleep well Dove," was the last thing she heard in that mocking voice before a boot hit her in the face. She began choking in pain as blood dripped from her nose and mouth.

Before fading into oblivion she saw Tatara stare her down triumphantly as Eto jumped up and down behind him. Owl stood close by her and Akira stared at the tiny smile tugging on his lips in horror as he relished in her pain.

And with that she passed out.

Author's Rant- Poor Akira has been through hell and now is about to face a whole other version of hell. Sometimes I think I'm too cruel to the characters and readers. Drop a comment if you like or hate and there's more to come.