May 8th, 6:00am
Emily wiped away the mist on the mirror and stared at her reflection trying to figure out how to wear her long, burgundy hair. Perhaps a messy bun with her bangs out, or a braided headband? Maybe she should just leave it out? She flicked her hair over her shoulder in annoyance, why did it have to be so long? Sighing she decided to just go with a simply ponytail, she would deal with her hair later when she didn't have an exam to worry about.
Wrapping the towel tighter around her body, Emily headed back into her room to change into her school uniform but instead of seeing a dimly lit empty room, she came face to chest with a being she never wanted to be caught in this kind of predicament with. Ayato was standing just outside her bathroom door, waiting for her for some unknown reason. Startled, she took several steps back but forgot that the floor was wet and slipped backwards. Ayato lunged foward to try and catch her before she fell but ended up going down with her. Emily landed on the ground, Ayato had manged to grab the back of her head so she landed on his hand instead of tiles, and blinked up at him. His body was cold and solid against hers, and he was heavy but she was too shocked to do anything except stare at him. How quickly this situation had developed.
Ayato stared at her wide eyed, his breath cool on her face. The only time she'd been this close to him was when he was trying to bite her, but now his impossibly soft hair was tickling her face, his hand knotted in her own hair and his body weight was crushing her. It felt like time had stopped completely as the two stared at each other, and then her gaze shifted from his midnight blue eyes to his lips. Those lips have been stained with so much human blood, but they look so soft. His lips parted slightly and Emily found herself wanting to kiss him, to see what it was like to kiss a Ghoul. Whether they were cold or warm or somewhere in between. More importantly, she wanted to know how he tasted. As if sensing her thoughts, Ayato lowered his face closer to hers; Yes, Ayato...Kiss me...Do it...
"What's that smell?" he asked taking a big breath in, "It's like sweet and sour at once." Emily blinked at him, she was in a towel underneath him practically screaming at him to kiss her and all he was concerned about was a smell... Ghouls!
"It's watermelon." she said trying to hide her disappointment, "I use scented soap."
"Oh, so that's why you smell different from other humans." he said as he got off her and stood up, "Watermelon...Isn't that a fruit?"
"Yeah but the fruit is different from the scent." she told him also scrambling to get to her feet without flashing him. Ayato shrugged, "Well, I wouldn't know...It all tastes disgusting."
"That's your problem." she muttered under her breath, "Anyway, why were you in my room?"
"Oh right, I got a call from Uta. He's got a mask for me, do you think you could pick it up?"
"Why can't you do it yourself?" she asked him crossing her arms over her chest. Ayato gave her a look and gestured to his body, "Still healing remember. If I go out there like this who's to say what'll happen."
Emily rolled her eyes and started pushing him out of the bathroom, "Fine. But I have to work after school so I'll pick it up afterwards."
"Do you know where to go?" he asked her as they reached her bedroom door.
"Of course I do!" she snapped and slammed the door in his face. Stupid Ayato...Stupid Emily...
12.30pm
"Emily?" Chloe called waving her hand in front of her friend's face. Emily blinked and realized that she was being spoken to, "Huh?"
"Are you okay? You've been distant all day?" Chloe asked her curiously.
"Can't you tell? She's daydreaming about our wedding day." Toshio said with a deadpan expression while he read his book.
"Oh tell me I'm the bridesmaid?" Chloe laughed joining in on the joke but she quickly turned serious again when Emily didn't laugh, "Seriously, is there something wrong?"
Emily shook her head, "No, I'm fine. Just have some things on my mind." Or rather someone on her mind. Emily hadn't been able to concentrate all day, every time she tried to focus on her school work, Ayato's face would pop into her mind and her thoughts would start to wander. She felt conflicted inside. She could no longer deny that she didn't have any feelings towards him, that was made abundantly clear that morning. But she still felt like it was stupid to like someone so quickly after meeting them. Besides that there was Toshio. Her safe, sweet Toshio who wouldn't try to take a bite out of her in her sleep.
"I'm the guy." Toshio said again. This time Emily managed to smile, she loved the way he did that. He could be totally absorbed in a book or TV show, but could still pay attention to what was happening around him and respond in such serious tones you would never be able to tell he was joking unless you knew him.
"Toshi, can't you be serious for a second. I'm really worried, I need back up on this." Chloe whined. Toshio rolled his eyes and closed his book before looking Chloe directly in the eyes,
"Despite the fact she is sitting right here and under normal circumstance what I'm about to say would be deathly embarrassing, however Emily is a big girl. I have every confidence that if she thought she couldn't deal with a problem on her own, we would be the first people she came to." he said taking her hand in his and giving it a squeeze, "Right?"
"Yeah..." Emily replied but Toshio and Chloe wouldn't be the first people Emily would go to. Not with this at least. Normal human problems, yes - Ghoul problems, no. She wondered if she could go to Renji or Uta with her current problem, well maybe not Uta. He didn't know that Toshio's family were all in the CCG, in fact she wasn't sure if he knew about Toshio in the first place. Uta wasn't exactly part of Anteiku...
"Hmm, okay. I see your point." Chloe said giving up, "But, Emily, you know that since I'm your best friend you can talk to me about whatever and I'll be ready to listen, right?"
"I know." Emily said with a warm smile. Deep down she really did wish she could Chloe the truth, to talk to her like normal best friends do. But how on earth could she possibly explain her situation; she was housing a Ghoul who hated humans but she was developing romantic feelings towards him despite already being in a relationship with Toshio...Somehow she doubted it would go down so well.
12.30pm
Ayato's stomach growled as he stared at the ceiling, bored yet again. He frowned, this having to eat every day thing was really annoying. Normally, Ghouls could go one or two months just by feeding on the one body. But in his abnormal current condition, he was eating three packets of food a day plus coffee and water. He was going to get fat if this continued. He shuddered at the thought. He had been trying to extend the hours between each meal slowly, hoping to ween himself off eating so much. But as each hour passed he grew more and more irritable and unpredictable. The way things were looking, if he kept trying to delay his eating times, he would attack Emily without thinking.
Emily...She had practically begged him to kiss her earlier that morning. He could have, he shouldn't have but he wanted to. It had been the answer he was looking for but not the one he wanted. At least he didn't think he did. He had hoped that if he'd found the answer, he would no longer be so confused. But, instead, he was more lost than ever.
Shaking his head and sighing he decided it was best to leave such thoughts alone.
7.30pm
"Uta-san?" Emily called curiously as she closed the shop door behind her. Uta owned and ran HySy ArtMask Studio - specializing in bespoke masks used to hide a Ghoul's identity. Occasionally there were human customers too. Emily walked forward, browsing the array of masks as she walked towards the back room where Uta was probably sleeping.
"Are you here?" she called again softer than before as her attention was taken by the beautifully crafted masks.
"Oh?" a gentle-sounding voice spoke from behind her, making Emily jump, "Emily-chan? What are you doing out so late?"
Whirling around she came face to face with a pair of kakugan. Uta was and alternative looking guy of average height, part of his head was shaved and the rest of his hair he kept tied in a short pony tail, his bangs he left loose to hang to his chin on the right side of his face. Various tattoos covered his body but the most visible aside from his arms was the Latin quote written in Greek lettering around his neck. He'd told her once that it read: 'I can live neither with you, nor without you'. A testament to his relationship with humanity.
"You scared me!" She complained, lightly hitting his chest with her small fist. Uta cocked his head to the side, his expression blank,
"That was the point." he told her deadpan but she knew he was only teasing, "So, what can I do for you?"
"I'm on an errand, actually." she informed him as she followed him over to his work bench, "A, uh, friend of mine asked me to pick something up for him."
"And this friend, his name would be...?"
"Ayato." Emily replied quietly as she stared at the ground. Uta dropped his pencil, the only sign that he was shocked.
"Ayato? Kirishima Ayato?" Uta asked, his back still to her and voice not raising an octave, "Blue hair, blue eyes, hates humans?"
"That sounds like him." Emily replied. Kirishima? He's related to Touka? Why didn't I pick that...
"Hmm..." Uta hummed thoughtfully. Emily had expected him to elaborate on it, but instead he just handed her a paper bag, "Here."
She took the offered bag, thanked him and promised she'd visit him soon and turned to leave. Just as she reached the door, Uta called out, "Emily,"
She half turned to look at him, he was still sitting at his work bench, hunched over a new design with his back to her, "Promise you'll come to me if anything happens."
Emily frowned at what he meant by 'anything' but agreed nonetheless. Uta and Renji were always at the top of her list of people to turn to when she needed help of any kind. It would seem strange to any other human for her to have such trust in Ghouls, but they were family. She smiled to herself as she walked to the train station, Ayato was right. She really was a fucked up human.
8.00pm
The streets were unnaturally quiet as Emily began her walk from the train station to her apartment complex. Almost like the night she met Ayato...
Ayato. Mixed feelings churned inside her at the thought of him. Guilt, pity, intrigue, attraction. She couldn't make sense of any of it. It wasn't as if she had never met a Ghoul who hated humans before, but there was just something about him, in the air around him. It was there in his eyes, in the way he spoke, the way he carried himself. The more she thought about it, the more she realized she was becoming infatuated with him.
Perhaps it was because he was dangerous and she was growing bored of her mundane life. Toshio was sweet and caring, and she loved him, but he was just that. There was no excitement anymore. Ayato was a Ghoul, full of so much anger and that made him dangerous in more ways than one. But there was also a softer side to him. A side she witnessed when he'd been asleep on her balcony. And if what she suspected was correct and he was Touka's younger brother, then he also knew what it was like to be an orphan. Toshio, despite practically raising himself, still had his family. Perhaps she was just being fickle about the entire situation.
Ayato wasn't interested in her except as a meal, and he would be gone in a few days anyway. She would never hear from or see him again thus there was no point to her ridiculous emotions and over thinking things.
Emily was so caught up in her own thoughts, she hadn't felt the subtle shift in the air until an uneasy feeling in the pit of her stomach caused her to stop walking. Her skin prickled, the hairs on the back of her neck stood on end and she had the distinct feeling someone was watching her. She swallowed the lump forming in her throat and tried to calm herself down - there were no Ghouls around this part of town. Only the one in her apartment. And the CCG didn't come here much either - no Ghouls, no CCG. That could only mean the cause of her apprehension was another human.
She turned to her right and peered down the ally she had found Ayato in. There was definitely someone down there, she could feel it in her bones. Slowly, she glanced towards the end of the street where the safety of her house stood tall like a shining beacon. She could make it if she ran. Subtly, she felt around her satchel for her house key. Her fingers brushed over the cool metal and she grasped it firmly.
A sudden rush of air whooshed past her from the alley and tugged at her hair, although it felt as though the wind had managed to cut part of it off. Instinctively reaching for her long ponytail, Emily was shocked to discover someone or something had indeed cut a piece of her hair off. Fear and panic coursed through her, it wasn't human. It wasn't human. IT WASN'T HUMAN!
Eerie, ethereal laughter danced maliciously around her. Emily didn't wait a second longer, instead she took off, sprinting as fast as she could to her house and the Ghoul inside. She felt the creature chasing her hot on her heels as she raced along the foot path, her muscles screaming and lungs burning at the unnatural speed she was pushing them. Her life depended on reaching that door. Tears unconsciously began forming in her eyes as she ran, tears of pain, of fear, or something else. Still she pushed her legs to go faster and faster. The stairs leading up to her front door were just beyond reach. So close now. She was so close to safety.
Emily pulled the key free of her bag and leapt two steps at once, turned along the landing, and continued up until she reached her floor. Ayato! Please...! Her mind screamed the words her mouth couldn't form. Her fingers just brushed the cool metal handle when, like magic, the door opened and revealed a puzzled looking Ayato. Emily, still being propelled forward by the fear of death and the momentum of running, crashing into him and clutched his shirt tightly, panting hard.
Ayato stood still for a moment, just breathing, his arm around her middle unconsciously. And then he closed and locked the door.
"What's got you so shaken up?" he asked genuinely curious. After all, he'd attacked her twice and she hadn't even flinched. Emily, realizing what she was doing, pushed away from him and walked towards the kitchen, dropping her satchel and Ayato's paper bag on the ground gently.
"Why were you at the door?" she asked trying to keep her voice from wavering as she poured herself a glass of water.
"I caught the scent of another Ghoul close by." he replied simply. Emily slid her light blue eyes to his face. He was watching her closely, jaw tight and hands dug into his pants pockets.
"That's why." she told him coldly.
9.30pm
"Wait, so other than me, there should be no Ghouls around here at all?" Ayato asked frowning as he sipped his coffee. He and Emily were sitting side by side on the couch, the first time they'd been in such proximity on purpose without him trying to eat her. The television was on but neither were watching nor paying attention.
Emily nodded slowly, "This was my father's territory. He would only feed on those who had died of natural causes or suicide, that way it didn't bring any unwanted attention from the CCG." she told him.
"That was enough for him? It's not like people die every few months around here unless we kill them." Ayato asked. Emily half smiled and pointed to the scrunched up brown paper sitting on a plate on the table,
"How do you think Yoshimura came up with the refrigeration idea. Yoshimura may have come up with the idea to use already dead bodies, but it was Dad who discovered the best way to store them in order to keep them fresh for months." She replied with a proud grin. Her father really was a great man, Ghoul or not.
"Okay, even so, surely his territory would have fallen to someone else by now right? Since he's gone."
Emily leaned against the pillows and shrugged, "Honestly I don't know why no one's tried to claim it. Anteiku even stay away from this place. They won't let the weaker Ghouls here either. I don't know whether it's Yoshimura keeping people away for this place to keep running, or if it's something else. All I know is that with no Ghoul activity, there's no CCG and because of that, this place is the ultimate safe zone for weak and injured Ghouls." Looking at her hands, she added softly, "That's all my parents wanted..."
Ayato was confused. This part of the 20th Ward was a prime hunting ground, that's what had brought him here initially until he'd been attacked by a Ghoul ten times stronger than him and left to die in the alley. But now that he thought about it, what Emily said was true. There were no other Ghouls around, except him and the mysterious scent from earlier.
"Hey," Emily said catching his attention again, "Uta said something today and I wanted to ask you about it. You can tell me if it's none of my business but your last name, it's Kirishima, right?"
For a split second Ayato was furious, why the fuck was this girl digging around in shit she had no business in?! But it was only for a second. Honestly he had hoped he could stay the remaining days until he left without her knowing who he was. But it seemed as though that old fool Yoshimura and Uta-san had other plans. Sighing, he let his anger dissolve permanently. After all, she was taking care of him and letting him know all about her life. Giving her a little something about his was only fair.
"Yeah, it is. Touka's my idiot older sister." he answered already knowing where her question was leading, "And yeah, I remember you from way back then."
Emily blinked at him, her azure eyes wide with surprise but she quickly recovered, "I feel bad because I didn't recognize you at all."
"Well," he said also leaning back against the arm of the lounge and staring at the ceiling, "I was covered in blood." Both teens were quiet for a while, each lost in their own thoughts staring at random parts of the apartment. There was a question that had been gnawing at Ayato, well more than one, but only this one was relevant to their conversation.
"Does she know?" he asked Emily, making the human girl look up at him.
"Hmm?"
"Touka. Does she know where I am?" he clarified. Emily shook her head, "No. The only person I've mentioned your name to is Uta. Although I get the feeling Yoshimura and Renji both know you're here. I doubt any of them would have told her, otherwise she'd be here."
"Good." was all he said.
"So, I know the last time I asked you this it made you angry. But your wounds are starting to worry me, they should have been fully healed by now and you shouldn't still be eating so much." Emily said knowing that it was time for a subject change, "What really happened to you?"
Ayato sighed, where to start? He couldn't even remember everything that happened. "I was hunting around this area, getting ready to go to another Ward. I was about to attack when something else attacked me. I never got a good look at it, but I had thought it was a Ghoul. A really strong Ghoul. But now that you said there weren't any around, that seems less possible."
"You don't remember what happened?" she asked him curiously. He shook his head, "I remember the pain, waking up in a pool of my own blood, crawing into the shitty alley and then you came along. Next thing I know I was lying on this couch with your face above me." Emily turned that delicious shade of red again and lowered her face to hide it from him. So, it was that kind of emotion after all. When she looked up, the embarrassment had gone from her face and instead it was replaced by a serious demeanor,
"I haven't heard of anyone in the CCG possessing that kind of power, nor would they leave you breathing. And no human has that kind of power. I can't even stab you with a kitchen knife." Emily said. Ayato couldn't help but grin at her statement,
"You should try it. It could be fun."
"Trust your sense of fun to be totally macabre." Emily scoffed but shot him a small amused smirk, "Anyway, I think Yoshimura should hear about this."
"Honestly, what will that old fool do? Talk it to death?"
"Well he could have some information that we don't have, or maybe Itori-san will know something. Anyway, I'll talk to Uta about it tomorrow and see what he says." Emily said while Ayato just stared at her in amazement. "What?" she asked when she noticed him staring at her.
He shook his head, "You are, by far, the most messed up human I know."
Emily laughed, actually laughed. Not one of those half laughs, or the fake ones she did. A real genuine laugh, "Ayato," she said with a smile that could belong to a goddess, "I think I'm the only human you know."
