Chapter 3: Home For A While: Elastic Hearts


"Finally! Touka! Look! The final touches are done!" Hinami smiled softly as she finished the sign. ":Re". She ran into the shop, following her in was a haunched man with messy onyx hair.

Touka froze at the sight, she narrowed her eyes, 'Doves… They're relentless…' "Can I help you?"

His large onyx eyes fell onto her with a tiny smile, "I certainly hope so… I believe I have something that belongs to you… Or rather… Someone."

Her eyes widened as Renji walked in through the doors, he stared blankly at the man in question, "You're still alive, L?"

He turned around with a tiny smile, "Oh. Quite. I heard the rumors… Not many ghouls would try to hide under the exact same guise…"

Touka glared at him, "Dove! The last time one of your…" Her voice trailed as B stepped into the shop holding an unconscious Kaneki. "Kaneki?"

B bit his lip and dropped him onto the counter, L sighed, "Last known address was destroyed in the last raid. Tragic. I'll miss his coffee…"

Touka looked up towards the next one entering, "You knew him?"

L looked out the window, "He was my friend. I tried to get here in time… I was too late…" Light set a hand on L's shoulder and looked down. "Species doesn't matter to me. Yoshimura was my friend. And a fantastic coffee maker." He gave a tiny regretful smile.

Renji started brewing another cup, "No one holds that against you…"

L nodded and sat at the counter, "I do."

Renji kept his stoic expression, "I don't. He was proud of you."

L nodded as the cup was set in front of him, Touka scratched her head, "Hang on, you knew the old manager?"

L nodded, "My grandfather and him were quite close. When…" L glanced over at B who was admiring some artwork on the wall, "When my mother became pregnant with my younger brother… We turned to him for help."

Light lifted Kaneki off the counter and Renji motioned for him to follow him up the stairs. Touka blinked a couple of times, "Why?"

L glanced at B once again, "My brother is a ghoul."

"What?! Seriously?!" Touka looked over to B who was staring at her with a raised eyebrow, "Sorry, I didn't mean to…" B looked away from her before she could finish her apology. She knit her eyebrows in annoyance.

"He is my half brother. But if it wasn't for the old manager… He wouldn't be here. If it wasn't for him… I wouldn't be the inspector I am today. I'm what you could call, a ghoul activist… I would prefer them face the same judgements and sentencing as a human. Ghouls are not monsters, they're people. Because of him… My views of ghouls are the way they are." L lifted the cup from the saucer.

Touka nodded, "I see. I wish more people were like you."

L nodded, "As do I, hence why I am where I am, and why I do what I do. It was his advice to become an investigator, he said that ghouls needed a blind eye to their nature. That they needed justice, and investigators who could see black and white for what it really was." L took a sip of the coffee and gave a tiny smile, "So you see, no matter what species you are, if you're a criminal, I will arrest you."

Touka gave a small smile and looked back over to B, "So… He's like Kaneki?"

L shook his head, "No, he was born. Ken was created."

Light came down the stairs with Renji, sitting next to L, "He's asleep… Well. Chemically forced to be." Touka set a cup in front of Light with a smile, "Thank you." Light flashed a charming smile.

Touka smiled, "No. Thank you, for bringing him home… I'm sorry I assumed."

B cleared his throat, "What about the other one… Can I eat him?"

L gave an annoyed glance to B, "No. Bring him in… I think our young manager here would find great interest in him as well…" B rolled his eyes and walked out of the shop. "He was captured alongside Ken. If my records are right… And they always are, he is your brother."

Touka's eyes widened when B dragged the other unconscious ghoul into the shop, sliding him up to the counter and slamming him into it, "Oh. Oops!" He gave her a menacing smile, "Sorry about that." He placed himself at a table and reached into his pocket and popped something into his mouth.

Light sat across from him and watched the clouds roll in. "Tell me your not eating what I think you're eating…"

B shrugged, "Just toes."

Light crinkled his nose the chuckled, "You're impossible."

B grinned, "Not impossible, my friend… Just very difficult." Light looked back to him and shared a small smile. He sighed and watched it begin to rain. 'It was raining like this… Then.'


"Ghoul Investigator First Class, Light Yagami! Reporting!" He said with a salute and a smile.

The group chuckled, "You must be something else to test out of the academy and for L to request you personally as his partner! He's worked with some of the greatest!"

Light flashed a charming smile and a bow, "I'm just excited to be serving alongside everyone in this fine organization!"

-X-

"Light. Just remember one thing. When you're in front of the enemy, even if your hands are trembling – fight even if it costs you your life. Our cause must never lose focus."

Light bowed, "Y- yes, Mr. Mado!"

The investigator turned around and gave a soft smile, "You're a bright young investigator, keep your partner alive."

-X-

L sat next to a group of investigators, Mado spoke into his radio. "Wolf suppression team, scene arrival…"

A young investigator timidly followed the group into the collapsing building, "What a creepy place…"

Mado shushed him, "He chooses places that reflect his mind… Wolf has always been highly reclusive, he came out of no where. He first turned up in the thirteenth ward, but we suspect he's from the fourth. Being as he's…" He let out a lighthearted laugh, "L's little brother… Half, of course. No need to worry, L is human."

The investigators all shared an uneasy gaze at the back of L who walked next to Mado with Light on his other side. "Uh… Mr. L? Is that true?" L nodded silently.

"He's a real alpha personality type, won't tolerate anyone within twenty miles of him, ghoul, human, dog. He kills indiscriminately. So here we are… The outskirts of no where chasing a scared little boy." Mado pushed a door open and the scent breached their noses, "Oh… That's foul even by ghoul standards."

The younger investigators covered their mouths, one lost his lunch. The floor was littered with partially rotted flesh, bones, and even discarded kagune. As their flashlights landed into the room, they witnessed the blood was smeared throughout the room. They heard light steps overhead, L narrowed his eyes, "Ready yourselves! He comes!"

Several beams crashed around them with a deep manic chuckle following the silence, "A ghoul? Hunting ghouls? For Doves… Oh, my. My lucky day! A third generation at that!" L shifted his glance to Light who discretely scented the air and pointed up and over towards the window. A beam fell from the roof causing one of the investigators to shriek and jump, a crazed giggle came from the window, "Oh! Do be careful! Wouldn't want the meat to be bruised…"

They heard light padding of bare feet above them again before a deep red kagune shot down impaling two of the young investigators. "There!" Mado shouted as he drew his quinque.

The kagune withdrew and light padding was heard in the rafters once again, "And my dear, dear brother… Come to kill the monster you drove away? That is what you called me. A monster, so, to the brother I once cherished and looked up to, did I do good? Am I the monster you imagined? Is this what you had in mind? When you chased me with your heartless words?" A scoff was heard, "Only to wind up on the left hand of a ghoul! How crude!"

Mado stared at L with a raised eyebrow, then refocused his attention as the young ghoul smashed through, single kakugan shining in the moonlight. L brought up the axe in his hands to defend himself. B grabbed the axe and threw L and the weapon across the room with little resistance. His kagune darting directly for Mado who was running to defend L.

The kagune struck, and dripped blood onto the floor. A fit of crazed laughter followed, "Oh! Precious! See that? Mado… Even ghouls feel fear…" B recoiled his kagune with Light struggling to escape it. "What's the matter? Not a ghoul anymore? Just a lapdog? Sent to bark when trouble is near? To take the blow for your humans?" B narrowed his eyes, "Pathetic."

Light gasped as his kagune coiled around and stabbed B into the back, breaking through. "I'm not pathetic! I'm protecting my sister… That is my deal, that is my trade, I work for the Doves… She is relocated and safe…"

B smirked and turned Light around towards Mado, "Does he know that? The sacrifice… I'll bet he didn't…" He chided in a singsong voice.

Mado stared at Light in complete horror, "Ghoul?! L you partnered with a ghoul?! Did you know?"

B leaned in and whispered in Light's ear, "I know of my sins… What of yours? Being born? Living normally, respectfully even? Bringing criminal ghouls to their knees? That's how he sees you… A sinner. A monster." B took a deep breath, taking in Light's scent, "Do you understand now?"

Light looked down, "It's impossible… To coexist?"

B dropped him and walked away from him, "Not impossible, my friend… Just very difficult."

L crawled to Light's slumped figure, "Light…" He reached his hand out. Light closed his hand around L's. "B… I'm sorry… What I said to you… Has haunted me ever since… I searched for days… Days turned into weeks, weeks into months… Before I knew it. I joined the CCG… To find you. Because, I love you, you're my brother… Please… Come home… I'm sorry…" L's eyes fell shut.

B smirked deviously as Mado was closing in for the attack, "Think me a fool?! I'm not so easy to distract!" B slapped Mado from the building with his tail like kagune.

Mado landed near the entrance breathing heavily, "Damned ghouls…" Mado lifted his radio, "Wolf suppression team, wiped. L's partner… Is a ghoul." Mado took a deep breath, "Remaining team members, L and myself."

B crouched in front of Light who'd wrapped L into his arms, his kagune surrounding both of them protectively, growling lowly. B let out a little giggle, "You think I want either of you dead? Though… You smell tasty…"

Light widened his eyes, 'He's a Kakuja… Of course… The only one ever in danger of being devoured, was me… He's rumored to only eat humans when he's desperate.' "Let him go… I won't fight you."

B raised an eyebrow and stared at Light, "You're dumb. I've wanted my life so badly… But I've taken a liking to this one… Being alone isn't so bad."

L opened his eyes and reached his hand out, "Beyond."

B crinkled his nose, "I haven't heard that name… In many years…" The rain started to gently pat down on the exposed room from the caved roof. "You know. Big brother, you're a real pain in the ass…"


Light startled at another coffee being set in front of him. His eyes landed on B who was mindlessly munching on his hidden stash of fingers and toes. 'Uck… How does he eat those? I almost forgot… The cruelty in his eyes, has seemed to almost fade over time…'

L smirked and set a hand on both of their shoulders, "Say hello to home for a while."

B landed a lame glare on L, "You're kidding right?"

L shook his head, "Upstairs two doors down on the left."

Light smiled briefly and stood up, "Then that's where I'll be… Come on, B… Stop eating that shit where people can see you."

B stood up and smirked, "Fine… But, I'm hungry…"

Light scoffed, "You're always hungry… You're almost as bad as a binge eater."

B chuckled, "Oh, I'm far worse… I never go through a rest period." Touka and Renji both shook their heads wearing small smiles.

L sighed and shook his head slightly, "I apologize for them. I'm sure the two of them will cause more than their fair share of trouble. If they do, let me know so I can reimburse you." L sat himself down with his laptop, hugging his knees to his chest.

Hinami sat in the seat next to him, "Um… Can I ask you a favor?" L raised his eyes curiously. "Will you help me with some words from this book?" L blinked a couple of times in surprise before smiling and nodding.