Disclaimer: I am a broke college student, I do not own Tokyo Ghoul or Akame ga Kill.
Warning: Blood. Nothing much this chapter. More information than action.
Cuhar-Nope, not Touka. Although she will be making an appearance later on.
TheIdioticGuy-It will definitely be interesting.
KyeVahl-It is not Touka, nor is it Hide.
Chapter Two: Blood Bar
It was nearly five in the morning when Kaneki got to where he needed to go. Thankfully where he needed to go was open from six p.m. to six a.m. An unconventional place run by an unconventional woman. Many wondered how well her business fared when a curfew was set in place, but it always seemed to do just fine. Maybe there was some under the table payment for those seeking shelter when the curfew was in effect. That was something she would definitely do.
Kaneki's destination, of all things, was a bar. It was nicer than the leaky roofed taverns that usually dotted the streets by far. The bar was a red bricked building with black tiled roofs and no windows. Above a cherry wood door hung a black sign with the name of the bar in big white letters for all to know it was there. This bar, was called Helter Skelter.
"In disorderly haste or confusion." He quoted to himself, recalling the meaning of "Helter Skelter" from the first time Rize had dragged him along. Before that day he'd never heard of the term. Why he was ever dragged on any of the woman's expeditions was a complete mystery. Even so, he did learn quite a bit about certain places in the Capital.
For instance, the bar Helter Skelter. It was a good place to go if you wanted information, as long as you had information. People from all walks of life were known to come to the bar. That being said, it was a bar so it had drinks too. Drinks that catered to what any patron could possibly want. There was even a selection of blood for the cannibals.
Why would someone go so far for a customer? Well, she didn't do it for the customers so much as to satisfy her addiction. She wasn't the typical type of addict however. It wasn't a drug addiction by any means. Not for normal people anyways. The woman who own the bar however, wasn't normal and the center of her addiction was a drug. A drug for her anyways.
Itori of Helter Skelter, was addicted to information.
Only once had he seen her during the day and that was on a coffee run. She'd tackled some poor guy to the ground and demanded the guy to tell her something. She got pulled off by some Imperial Guards that had been patrolling, only to escape their grasp and tackle the unwilling informant again. Kaneki had left after that but he heard she got arrested in the end. When he asked her what happened, she had proudly declared she got the information she had wanted and only spent one day in a cell. Apparently jail was a good place to get information too. From that day on, Kaneki had always considered the woman an information addict.
He hadn't come all this way for a drink. What he needed right now was information and Itori was one of the people that could be trusted to give accurate information. As long as you gave her some information of value in return. Her working hours were also a contributing factor as to why he was coming to her for information rather than someone else.
Even so he was hesitant to enter the bar. Knowing her she already knew he was the one to survive. So the moment he stepped through the door she'd pounce on him for details on what happened. When his hand was on the doorknob he hesitated again before looking at his hand. The same hand he'd been licking blood off of not even an hour ago. Why did he eat that arm?
"Pfft... you know you liked it. You want more too, right?"
Hearing the voice that sounded so much like Rize in his head again was the final push he needed to turn the doorknob and enter the bar.
The interior of the building followed the color scheme of the exterior. Mostly red and black with the occasional white coloring. In the back was a vast collection of drinks standing proudly on what seemed like a wall of shelves. Before the wall of drinks was a black counter with a white tabletop and for seating there was a lineup of red bar stools. Behind the counter looking down at what appeared to be a newspaper boredly was the woman he'd come to speak to.
She had long ginger hair that flowed to the middle of her back and normal red eyes. Red eyes unlike what his left eye seemed to turn into whenever he was forced to act. From what he could see she was wearing the black dress she always wore when managing the bar.
When she heard the door close behind him she looked up lazily. That laziness died the moment she recognized who it was that had entered the bar. Her eyes lit up excitedly and even attempted to pounce over the counter, only for that same counter to knock the wind out of her.
Kaneki briefly sent a silent thanks to the counter before approaching and taking a seat. That was a mistake on his part, now he was in reach of the information addict.
The woman grabbed him by the front of the shirt and shook him. "Why the hell did it take you so long to come to me!? I need details idiot!"
It took a few minutes to get her to calm down and let go. This was only the second time she'd ever demanded information from him. At least this time it was a bit more understandable why she wanted information from him. The first time had led to a bad first impression.
"Alright coffee boy, tell me everything!" Once she was sure Kaneki wouldn't run off, she had settled down and returned to a similar position to that of which she held when he had first entered the bar.
"I have some questions too you know." Kaneki muttered, making his position clear. If he told her what happened, she better answer his questions in return.
"Oh?" Itori raised a brow, looking faintly amused. "And here I thought this was you easing the worries of your dear friend Itori..."
"You're not a friend." He pointed out with a sigh and shook his head.
"Ah, right." The woman smirked before waving a dismissive hand. "I'll answer your questions after you tell me what happened. At least to your memory."
He frowned, thinking back to that night. "I guess it started when I saw the shadows..."
Flashback, Two Weeks Ago
He'd been about to leave the servants' quarters because apparently more coffee needed to be brewed. It had been a long time since he got a full eight hours of sleep and it was all because of the coffee. Not drinking it, just making it. Of course, it was late at night when more coffee needed to be prepared. Passing by a window on his way to the door, he'd seen movement out of the corner of his eye.
Pausing to take a look, he could see the shadows of five figures moving about. But why could he see shadows this late at night? There shouldn't be anywhere near enough moonlight for such distinct shadows to be seen. Yet, there they were. So what was the source of light then?
It was then that his eyes traveled to the source of the fire. The main house was burning. Unusually red flames were reaching up into the night sky as it hungrily devoured Rize's place of residence.
First thing Kaneki did was wake everyone up. The fire was spreading and it would only be a matter of time before they reached the servants' quarters. They would've escaped too, if someone hadn't come to finish them off. One of the people's whose shadows he'd seen earlier without a doubt.
A massive club-like weapon came at him and punched a hole through his body, knocking him into a wall. The force of impact knocking him out for a little bit.
By the time Kaneki became conscious once more, all the other servants were dead or dying. A new man approached and knew his name without asking.
Present Time
"After that I blacked out again." Kaneki admitted after explaining what he could recall.
"Hmm... interesting." Itori mused to herself, staring up at the ceiling as if it might explain everything to her. "I feel like it creates more questions than it answers though." Lowering her gaze, her eyes narrowed slightly at Kaneki, as if trying to solve a puzzle.
"So I take it you don't know much about who caused the fire?" The coffee boy asked as he looked down at his hands resting on the counter.
"All I've heard is that it was Night Raid. Not a surprise really, we both know a little bit about Rize and what we knew about her alone would make her a target for many." She gave a thoughtful hum before turning and grabbing a pair of glasses and setting them on the counter. Without a word she walked over to the wall of drinks and grabbed what appeared to be an already opened bottle of wine. "Now it's my turn to ask a question."
"When was it decided we were taking turns?" Kaneki wondered to himself, watching as the woman poured some blood red liquid into each glass.
"How did you manage to survive?"
"Quick! Gut her now!"
Kaneki stiffened at Itori's question, and Takatsuki's idea to get out of the situation wasn't helping. Looking at the woman warily, he was understandably hesitant to explain. Truth was, he wasn't a hundred percent sure himself although he had some idea of what happened. "I don't fully know myself."
"You're smart Kaneki, I'm sure you have some idea." One of the glasses were pushed over to Kaneki.
He frowned down at the glass. "You know I don't drink." It probably wouldn't hurt to tell Itori what his guesses were. The woman wasn't one to share information without being certain it was true. "All I have is speculation."
Itori ignored the bit about not drinking while picking up her own glass. "Speculation is better than nothing." With that she took a sip.
"Well, since you know I'm alive you probably know about how one doctor handed me over to another." He didn't even look up for her confirmation. "I think that first doctor was the man that knew my name, in the fire." His eyes rested on the untouched drink. "I'm sure you've been speculating about something in Rize's possession for a while."
"Ooh, do I finally get to find out the truth now that Rize isn't here to stop you?" The woman sounded rather amused at the development.
"Rize had a teigu." Kaneki confirmed, raising a hand to rub his eyes. "A teigu that craved human flesh."
"Explains the cannibalism." She gave a small nod, encouraging him to continue.
"Well, I think that first doctor implanted her teigu in my body." Why did the liquid in the glass seem thicker than wine? He shook his head, this was bringing him back to one of the main reasons he wanted to speak with Itori. "Which brings me to my next question." How many doctors in the Capital are into teigu research or human experimentation?"
Itori gave a thoughtful hum, swirling the contents of her glass a bit. "There's only three I believe that research teigu. Human experimentation on the other hand... this is the Capital we're talking about. People who aren't anywhere near qualified experiment all the time." She tilted her head back and drained the rest of her glass. "But I think I can narrow it down to the kind of people you're looking for."
She sighed, leaning against the counter. "I'll make a list, my turn again. So, if a teigu that craves human flesh is in you, have you joined the ranks of cannibals here in the Capital?"
Kaneki frowned at the glass that was still untouched. "Not by choice. When I eat or use the teigu my left eye changes too... although I don't know why you're asking since you already seem to have come to the conclusion. Giving me a glass of blood and all."
A small chuckle escaped the woman as she picked up the glass herself. She swirled the glass and its contents a bit before dipping her finger into the blood. "Can't let good blood go to waste now..." For the second time since his arrival to the bar Itori lunged over the counter and splashed some of the glass' contents on his face.
The reaction was almost immediate with Kaneki's left eye turning red. Itori practically squealed in excitement.
A hand reached up to touch the blood but he stopped himself. Well, that was enough of Itori for the night. "Last question. What do you know about Night Raid?"
Itori looked a bit disappointed but seemed to know she'd gone too far. The mention of Night Raid seemed to upset her more. "I have as much knowledge of them as anyone else." She released a sigh of defeat before sliding a piece of paper across the counter to him. "Here's the names."
Kaneki briefly wondered when she wrote the list but decided not to think too much on it, instead taking the piece of paper and getting up to leave. He was almost out the door when Itori called after him.
"Might want to get an eye patch or something! Don't want you getting red-eyed in a crowd now, do we? Oh and maybe visit Uta's and get a mask!"
"I don't need a mask..." Kaneki muttered, shaking his head at the woman's parting words as he shut the door behind him. He looked down at the list of names.
Kouitsu Chigyou (Bowl head)
Stylish (Doesn't like being called anything else)
Akihiro Kanou (Might be dead)
Asaki Fueguchi (Got nothing)
Well, this list of names was a good start for him. "It isn't like I'm about to start causing trouble."
So we got some doctor names, hopefully they stuck out a bit.
So, any thoughts? I kinda splurged with the dialogue and information this chapter. Let me know what you think through reviews, PM's or somehow tracking me down elsewhere. I'd prefer no one use that last method.
Fortune cookies.
