Role Reversal in the Non-Sexual Way
With the sudden appearance of her newest target at her doorstep Rokuko had completely lost her reason for leaving the Underground in the first place. She sighed heavily as she sat on a particularly uncomfortable park bench, watching several three course meals run about the area. Her stomach rumbled.
Rokuko leaned her head back as she looked to the grey winter sky, oh how that sky matched the persona she'd created for herself. How unfortunate that she didn't truly feel the sorrow her mother had so desperately wished upon her monstrous child. An image of her mother's hateful, fear-ridden eyes passed through Rokuko's mind and she began to laugh inwardly, leaving her outward appearance gloomy as usual.
"… Oh Mommy," she whispered as her gaze moved to the ground pointedly. "…I only wish I could watch you burn in that pit… I hope I'm as much of a demon as you expected me to be… Have I lived up to your standards…?"
Night fell hours later and Rokuko decided it was time to leave the park and return to her studio. Surely her prey would be gone by then… She paused, should she look for him? Should she continue her game? What day was it? Wednesday? She looked back to the black sky above her, it was late. Juuzou usually worked later than usual on Wednesdays, it would be a bad idea to show up at an office filled with Doves… But oh, how it would strike fear into her prey… No, throwing caution to the wind is how you die… Besides she had a certain old man to deal with back in the Underground.
Rokuko's steps weren't as sluggish as they usually were on her way back, probably due to her racing thoughts. The Doves couldn't know her identity, no way. They were investigating that dumbass old man; she should be fine… But should she relocate? No, no, that would look suspicious. What about Juuzou? Ah, he wasn't much of a threat to her honestly so there was nothing to be worried about, just carry on about her business, end his life and be done with it.
Rokuko shook her head as she continued she had to stop worrying so much about everything, at that moment she only needed to have one thing on her mind and that was Nagakawa Maou. The entire way back she thought of that old man, wondering just what it was he'd gotten up to in order to be on CCG's radar. As the old man consumed her thoughts she began to inwardly seethe with rage.
Her feet clapped loudly on the pavement as she stopped just before the Undergrounds entrance, she took a breath. Her anger-ridden thoughts had caused her slow steps to become heavier and more hateful than she'd meant them to be. What was with her? She was usually wonderful at keeping her persona together regardless of what emotion overtook her… Perhaps it was because she'd concluded that the old man might just be too stupid to live.
She made her way down the metal-grated stairs at a forcibly slow rate, sometimes that sluggish persona she had was too annoying. Rokuko stopped in front of the filthy door of apartment 012, clicking her heals together as she did so. She extended her arm and rang the buzzer to the apartment eliciting a horribly shrill noise. A response came over the speaker rather quickly.
"Yes?" Came a hoarse elderly voice. "Who is it?"
"…Rokuko Hinata…" She answered pitifully. "… From apartment fifty-six..." The old man opened the door upon her response, smiling up at her kindly.
"Finally decided to take me up on my dinner invitation?" Rokuko was quick to step forward so that she was standing just on the threshold of the door, hiding herself behind the open door as she towered over the elderly ghoul.
"…Doves…" The word caught the old mans attention. "… They were looking for you earlier, they asked me questions about you…"
"And what did you say?" He asked not seeming too worried about the situation.
"… Nothing…"
"Well then, there's no problem here!" He laughed heartily as he gestured for her to enter. Rokuko dropped her gloomy façade just long enough to shoot him a glare reading: 'I'm not an idiot.' Before quickly reverting to a sorrowful expression.
"… There is a problem here… For you…" She breathed. "And the problem is standing in your doorway… Whatever you're doing…" Her voice was shy and unintimidating to untrained ears, but as only her left eye became black with kakugan the old man could tell that she was ready for a fight. "… You'd better tone it down, otherwise I will indeed be having you for dinner…" He glared up at her, his eyes turning dark then as well.
"Don't think just because you're a young lady I won't raise a hand to you." He stated. "Kid, you might think you're tough but you don't hold a candle to this old man. So, tell me how to conduct my business again and we'll see who has who for dinner."
"I want your skin on my wall." Her voice was so different then, so much deeper and more commanding, it was like a switch had been flipped inside her head. "And I swear to God I will have it, watch your back Old Man." She warned before pointedly turning her back to him, her left eye fading to its normal coloring as she did so, without even the slightest hint of concern and trudging away slowly. She heard the old man scoff once.
"The bravery of youth is too annoying." Rokuko whipped around at that, only to find the old man closing his door. She froze completely, surprised to find that the doors closing revealed a pale figure just behind its retreating barrier.
"Shinohara-san~" Juuzou sang as the two stepped out from the Underground, Shinohara sighed as he still felt the weight of that poor girls depressing vibe.
"What is it?" He questioned tiredly.
"I made a decision!" He declared proudly. Shinohara could tell that Juuzou was glad to be recovering his energy and couldn't help but smile to his underling.
"Oh? Well don't leave me in suspense." He stated.
"I've decided that: you can do the reconnaissance without me!"
"What?!"
"See ya later!" Juuzou exclaimed as he tried to dart past his mentor, who grabbed the smaller male by the back of his shirt and pulled him back in front of him.
"Juuzou, we've been over this." He stated in an unintentionally fatherly manner. Juuzou groaned.
"I have very important business to attend to regarding the Phantom Ghoul." Shinohara was taken aback.
"What do you mean? Is it around here? Did you hear it?" He questioned in concern.
"Not exactly," he said as he passed his mentor, but never turned away from him. "Just trust me on this." He said as he walked backward.
"But Juuzou-"
"I'll see you later!" He exclaimed as he turned and bounced of excitedly. Shinohara sighed, his partner surely was a wild card, wasn't he? Well it looked like he was on his own… Again… Why was he not surprised?
If he could catch up to that horribly pathetic girl, then maybe he would find something interesting on her! He ran to the corner and scanned the area then jumped in excitement as he spotted the lankiest figure in the crowd, he then sprinted toward the girl slowing his pace when he was a good distance to shadow her properly.
After hiding in a stupid park, behind a stupid tree for seven hours that stupid lanky girl finally decided to move. Jeez he ended up doing reconnaissance anyway didn't he? Man, that seriously sucked.
So far Juuzou's 'hunch' had disappointed him beyond belief as he realized very quickly that the girl was heading back to the underground. He stopped for a moment and hung his head as he sighed, how boring she was! He straightened himself quickly and continued following, if it weren't for her change in body language he wouldn't have continued following her at all.
No matter how much control you have over yourself, your emotions will always affect your body language it almost can't be helped, and it certainly can't be when someone seems to be as enraged as the girl stomping before him was.
Juuzou had increased the distance between himself and his target once they entered the Underground, since it was such a narrow rounded space it would be difficult to stay hidden from her, and even more difficult to keep his footsteps from echoing.
He tailed her not far into the damp hall before she stopped at a door and rang the buzzer. As soon as the door opened the girl stepped just behind it, completely blocking his view of her, what's worse is that she and the resident of that apartment were speaking too low for him to hear them properly… He would have to move in closer.
Slowly Juuzou crept over to the open door, hoping that the two would be so preoccupied with each other they wouldn't notice him approaching. Lucky, that's what he was. Once he'd reached the open door he heard the girl speak in a very different tone from the one she'd used before.
"I want your skin on my wall." Juuzou smirked. "And I swear to God I will have it, watch your back Old Man." His smirk only widened as she began to retreat from the still open door.
Skin on her wall huh? How unusually specific. His smirk transformed into a grin.
"The bravery of youth is too annoying." Grumbled the resident of the apartment, as the filthy door slammed shut revealing Juuzou to the girl whose eyes widened at the sight of him. Uh-ho, being seen wasn't part of his plan at all… But it didn't matter he was too satisfied with himself to care. He grinned to Rokuko before letting out a single drawn out whistle.
