Gosh, it has been a while, I swear I didn't mean to, but I went on a two month trip and now that I no longer have anatomy, immunology seems to have become the new Bane of My Existence.

This thing took me by surprise, it's a monster by my standards and just turned the plot I had thought out upside down.

Thanks to everybody who reviewed, alerted or faved.

Maddening

"Ayato-kun, come spar with Hina" the older ghoul sat on the edge of the armchair, somehow managing to look bored with her face completely covered by the signature bandages that the leader of Aogiri always sported.

With her girlish build –slighter than even Hinami now that the young woman had filled out- she looked as out of place in the sparring room –which had old faded bloodstains and moderately sized craters all over- as the floral printed couches.

Ayato was resting on one of those, barely aware of what was happening while Hinami sparred with some of the random new underlings. Groaning, he sat up "Tch, you two won't so much as give me a break huh?"

"I haven't seen you two spar in so long," something glistened between the bandages at the woman's eyes "Once wouldn't hurt you, right, Ayato?"

Hinami's soft voice intervened "Ayato-kun, seems so tir-"

"'S fine" he stood up abruptly "I'll do it"

The brown haired ghoul just nodded and fell back into her stance.

.

.

As soon as he managed to convincingly end the thing in a draw, he made for his room. The corridors of the base's residential area embraced him with their silence, and for a moment he was grateful, even if sleep deprived and deeply annoyed.

God that Old Russian ghoul had talked the night away –and he'd had actual missions the previous nights that hadn't afforded for much sleep.

Truthfully, he wanted Hinami to advance fast and become a lieutenant quickly. Ayato could definitely use some lightening on the work load.

Only not really.

He just wanted the politics off his back, the rest –nights spent watching a certain dove hatchling included- he could handle.

Having to deal with treaties and alliances and shit was bothersome in itself when he was part of the party leading the meeting, and recently he'd been assigned to be the leader of the goddamned things.

His back met the firm mattress as soon as he managed to take the sweaty shirt off and for once he allowed himself to sigh.

It did make sense that it was him though, Jason and the brothers laid dead, and Eto wanted Tatars always at her side since Arima had been weirdly ever present in the city for a few months, Hinami was too green and Noro… was Noro.

When he'd tried to get out of it, Eto had just smiled and told him to charm his way into making the job less boring.

Ha fuckin ha.

The random shapes that the unevenly painted ceiling made, called to him, almost moving, almost swirling. A distant rasp was present, though, almost rhythmic in its execution though Ayato's muddled mind didn't quite register it until a feminine voice drifted in as well.

Groggily, he made his way toward the door to find Hinami holding a mug of coffee.

Noticing his bare chest, she flushed "S-Sorry I woke you up." He glared at her "I brought coffee." The hopeful expression in her face annoyed him. Ayato reached for the cup –Hinami's coffee was heavenly if anything, and it wasn't like caffeine had much of an effect on ghouls.-"… Thanks"

The brunette turned around and made to leave "It's just I…" she tilted her head back "there's a library I like in ward 3, I've smelt you close by lately and-"

"It's business" Unease started creeping up Ayato's back, had it really been some coincidence, or was this Hinami's way of telling him that his forages into the territory where Reina lived weren't going unnoticed?

She just raised an eyebrow. Wards 1 through 4 were nigh devoid of ghouls and under heavy surveillance, one could barely ever get away with a prey from there, much less business.

"My own business"

"You've been there pretty often" Hinami turned around, almost pouting.

"Have you been tailing me?"

"T-the library's return policy is strict, I come by fairly often"

"It's none of your business-"

"I'm just worried, you look so tired lately-"

He shot her an annoyed look "Our boss is quite the slave driver y'know?"

"I haven't told anyone" she almost seemed abated.

"Whatever kid" he sipped at the mug. "I'm not doing anything out of the norm"

Except stalking a dove for some reason I all but want to think about.

Resignation shone through her features and the young woman sighed "Just be careful Ayato-kun, I don't want to lose anyone else" She turned around and left for her room, her words had been somewhat harsh and Ayato heard the door slamming angrily a few seconds later.

The situation was getting dangerous, though he trusted Hinami not to try and uncover more.

It had been about a week since he'd last heard of Reina.

At the moment he didn't quite want to, but in a way this felt like a signal that time had come to culminate their battle.

Draining the last of his coffee, he rose from the bed, a sense of foreboding growing by the minute inside of his head.

.

.

It's time

The scrawl was elegant, though obviously hurried, if not for the way the letters inclined almost to the point of being illegible for the fact that there was no drawing this time and the sheet looked like it had been hurriedly ripped off the corner of a school notebook. It even had half of the CCG logo at the top.

At least they were on the same page, he figured, though she didn't seem to be home.

And then he heard heavy footsteps in the apartment. She never came in through the floor entrance.

Ayato stilled.

The intruder reeked of human blood, sweet and fresh, whoever they had killed was probably still warm

An irrational flood of rage filled him, whoever was inside wasn't carrying a Quinque, he was sure because their footsteps were all too light.

The stranger opened the door to her room, had they killed her? And most importantly, ghoul or human? Through the haze of the blood he couldn't tell, though he'd eaten just the day before at Hinami's insistence and threats of suggesting to Eto that she take him hunting with her –and Ayato had found himself getting odd thinking patterns from cannibalism once already, since then he'd started to avoid it lest he had no other choice, even if he'd felt a Kakuja coming close to completion within him-.

A pale hand shoved the window open and his kagune shot out, despite the fact that in the third it was just plain foolish to let himself be seen with it out.

It was a few hours before dawn, thankfully, because he hadn't bothered to put on his mask, it'd have just been more conspicuous anyway.

Enraged, he was prepared to impale them as soon as their head was through the window.

And then, clumsily, radiating exhaustion, she came through and his Kagune disintegrated into thin air.

Reina wore a red tank top that reeked of human blood, standard issue pants and a chain that he'd never seen before circled her neck, her Quinque was nowhere to be seen, and all she seemed to have were two knives strapped to her thigh.

She turned to look at him with awfully empty eyes.

"…good" she drawled "I won't have to wait for you to show up"

The dark- haired woman brought herself to stand at the railing and, the same way she'd done so many times before, she pulled out a cigarette.

"Just give me a minute, you can go ahead when I'm done"

Eyes wide, he just watched her, whatever she'd done this time, whoever she'd killed had finally broken her. He could tell from her gaze, pure boredom and resignation, she was not going to fight him, which was probably why she didn't have her Quinque with her too.

The pallor of her skin reminded him of a corpse's already.

Ayato had gone there to turn her exactly into that.

Yet when the last of the ashes fell into the darkness of the alley and she crushed the cigarette into the railing, he couldn't bring himself to reach out and pull her closer to sink his teeth into the supple sling. Was it the fighting? He didn't know, but this wasn't what he wanted, not who he wanted to eat, it'd never been.

She stared at him, expectant "Waiting for something?" the woman grinned

"Tch, you're crazy" he took two steps in her direction, for once noticing the five inches of height that separated them "Go get your Quinque, woman"

Reina smiled sadly at him and shook her head "You've already won, you know that right?"

"I'm here for an opponent, not a corpse-"

"Then you're off the mark" she cut him off "it's not the wrong ward but at least the wrong apartment. I'm tired, let's get this over with"

Pitiful.

"No" he saw her hand find the knife, its trajectory had been run by the time that he'd slid back into a defensive position. The scent of blood became even stronger, even more alluring as it ran down her chest from the shallow cut she'd made just below her collarbone.

"You want this" And there was a spark of heat in her eyes. "And you can take it"

"And you don't want to die, not really." Her head whipped to the side, balefully looking out at the city, her body shifted until both her elbows and the small of her back rested on the railing.

"I'd believe I've made it clear" Why was he even still making excuses.

He wanted her, he wanted her.

And that is no good

"I can tell what fear looks like"

"I'm not afraid"

"Then fight me"

"No" her hands had pushed her up so she now sat on the creaky metal "You've won, twice, what do you have to prove?"

The situation was beyond ridiculous, he thought as he pressed forward, staring at her, all but pressing her body against hers as it teased danger by hanging over the abyss –because a fall from where they were would probably not kill an investigator, Ayato would knew-.

"The first time you gave up, and I can hardly call the second a win"

Reina pointedly turned her head to the side "That doesn't make it any different, you know, weakness is weakness and the weak get eaten" her tone became soft "Can't you just get it over with…"

A second before she'd shifted to accommodate her behind on the railing, Ayato had been more concentrated on her words than he'd been on her movements – though he was acutely aware of her body, mere inches from his- until with a monumental creak and no previous warning, the thin railing gave way beneath her weight.

Surprise flashed in her eyes, and a second later so did an immense fear, Ayato found himself inexplicably leaning forward, and finding that it was not quite fast enough to catch her, until –involuntarily and inexplicably, he'd tell himself later- his kagune burst from below the black cape and propelled him toward the falling woman.

They ended up dangling from the set of stairs just below her floor, her forearms encased in his hands.

Quickly as it had happened he snapped out of whatever trance it was he'd been in.

Roughly he pulled both of their bodies over the destroyed railing, noting that there were new bruises forming at her shoulders –the recoil must've been a bitch, hmph, served her right-. And the cut that she'd made on her chest earlier had opened some more, making the stream of sweet smelling blood bigger.

Confused blue eyes met terrified silver.

He smirked.

"Scared? Weren't you wanting for death just a second ago?" never mind that the fall wasn't all that likely to kill her, she probably knew that as well, but the feeling of nothing but empty air between her back and the ground had to have chilled her if it made for such a reaction.

Humans truly were too fragile.

"I was just startled"

He wanted to turn around and leave their unfinished businesses for another day and he would have if his traitorous hormones hadn't chosen that moment to break from the cage where he'd managed to shove them all earlier.

Ayato started to notice the rise and fall of her chest and the way that the blood from her cut ran between her breasts until it got lost beneath the shirt.

Reina was in front of him, flushed, unarmed, and bleeding and he could've sworn that none of those things had ever turned him on before.

But they were, then.

And beneath the rapidly fading fear, her eyes were starting to express something that he'd only seen once or twice –the night when he'd followed her bent one, and that one day that they'd ran into each other the next-. Her face changed completely, of almost imperceptibly for anyone who wasn't a ghoul and five inches from her face.

Slightly parted lips, and overblown pupils, the tension around her eyes and mouth had disappeared.

Worse was, he was sure he was sporting a similarly dumb visage.

Reina's mouth moved, and he found himself registering the words a tad late. "But these tell me that you do want to take this." As she said the words a pale hand came to brush his cheekbone softly, teasingly.

It was the first time that she touched him intentionally while they were not fighting.

Yoyo would never know when his kakugan had activated, only that he felt a violent surge of both desire and anger at her obvious attempt of seducing him into eating her –oh, he'd have the woman alright, but on his own terms, if only to take away the pleasure of manipulating him away from her- did she think him some random, idiotic human?

Despite his inner enraged monologue, on the outside his voice remained level, if a little hoarse "I never said I didn't"

"I guess a corpse really is good enough then huh?" Maybe she caught the innuendo, or maybe she didn't, it could have been honest ignorance or veiled teasing and with a woman like that he wouldn't have known, he would have had no way, though it was a little sad to hear her refer to herself like that, -Ayato shoved those thoughts into the cage as soon as he realized he was having, suddenly deciding that the hormones were preferable- .

If he had been anyone else, he'd have told her that such was the whole point, from the moment he'd met her, she'd only ever been alive when they fought. Otherwise he'd only seen some random glimpses of life in her, but they were gone as soon as the emotion that contained them got suppressed, and he was starting to believe that emotional suppression was something that she excelled at. Her death wish was in a way was in a way already realized, since aside from those particular moments, she truly felt to others like some kind of carcass of a being.

And in that moment, somehow, she seemed very, very alive, even without the violent rush of adrenaline that fights brought –maybe it was the combination of fear, surprise, frustration, and that thing in her eyes that he was starting to suspect could be desire- and when she didn't feel like a carcass, she seemed to have disturbing effects over him.

"You're crazy, woman"

"Yeah, very much" her voice too, had thickened, and the hand that wasn't still brushing along his eye came to rest beneath the wound and slid across the slowly flowing blood. "Come now-"

When he thought about it later, he realized that those two words could have meant either of two things. In the moment however, he surged forward and dipped her head to lick a strip through the blood and up her neck.

Now looming over her, he looked down a at Reina's pliant body, her eyes were hooded, surprise mixing in with desire within them.

Ayato kissed her.

For two, three seconds, she was still, until her hand came up to grip at the back of his head and the kiss –unsurprisingly it was him and Reina that were participating in it- turned feral.

Truthfully, he'd had a few experiences of the type, -there were no rules in Aogiri that prohibited such things after all, and he had both the looks and the power, Ghoul's themselves weren't given to abstinence so…- and Reina was as rough as most of the Ghoul's he'd been with.

There was some competitiveness to the kiss, right up until he shifted her so she was laying flat on her back on the floor of the fire escape.

By that point, he was all but striding her and they both were panting heavily.

And he wanted more, he had for a while, and his sanity and all of the very valid excuses for getting up and leaving –she was a human, a dove and sort of infuriated him- were melting away into a haze that resembled intoxication in ways that Ayato couldn't quite put into words at the moment.

She smelled delicious.

SweethaveReinamineNow

He wanted to eat her up.

The kisses turned more desperate, Reina's fingers had found their way beneath his shirt and dug trenches that would be healed within seconds in his back as he bit into the skin of her neck, just hard enough to leave constellations of blooming purple in his wake.

A gust of cold wind was what finally managed to startle them, as it rattled what was left of the railing and the sound was enough to make a dazed, Reina got up first, stumbling a little but never breaking eye contact.

He was on his feet quickly too.

And they were still too damned close.

Transfixed, he reached out to run a finger over the bruises in her neck.

The small moan that earned him had him blazing again and when one of Reina's hands hosted up his back and pressed against the spot where his kakuhou was -which she seemed to have found out rather quickly, was a very weak spot for him- only her voice prevented him from shoving her against the wall and having his way with her "I should… clean up… I'm covered in blood… You…"

She flushed.

And swiftly she turned around and dipped through the window, her hand lingering on his shoulder a bit more than necessary.

He waited for the window to close and the lock to click.

Ayato slipped inside.

Before he was even free of the clingy purple curtains he found a warm body pressing into his chaste. "Good" her voice resonated in the dark room "I wasn't sure you'd caught on"

He had to fight down the urge to chuckle "You're not very subtle woman"

Ayato's fingers tugged at the edge of her top, the straps slid off her shoulders, almost on their own, and it wasn't long before the garment was bunched around her waist.

In the dim, amber light that slipped in from the street, he caught glimpse of plenty of scars crossing the skin of her half covered breasts and toned stomach.

She was still attractive beyond belief, and he thought that it was probably the only reason for his doing of something so suicidal, he just needed her out of his system.

And so, as Reina's hands made quick work of his shirt and belt Ayato leaned down to press a heated kiss to her lips, and he just quit thinking for the night.

They didn't make it to the bathroom for another long while.

.

.

Ayato was quick at adapting to things, one had to be when being a Ghoul without significant connections or money, and he had been one for quite a while.

Of course he had had his idiot sister, so it wasn't like he'd been completely alone. Still, there was a reason that he was still alive

So the next day, when he woke up to the smell of coffee and cigarettes in a patch of bluish, early morning sunlight, he wasn't surprised about what had happened the night before –though it was unsettling that he'd fallen asleep, however tired he was after the crazy week he'd had on Eto's orders, and the night's combined activities.

An image of Reina spread out beneath him flashed in Ayato's mind. Quite unexpectedly, that was enough to get him riled up again.

His libido hadn't ever been that hyperactive, not since he was thirteen and-

Yeah

What was she doing to him?

Groaning, he rose from the bed, stretching because even ghouls weren't exempt from sore muscles.

In the daylight, the room was far larger than it had seemed before –though he had been otherwise preoccupied- there wasn't much in the way of decoration aside from a gigantic board with all sorts of drawings pinned on it, done in any paper one could imagine –there were vent napkins in there- and ranging from fully painted and shadowed to rough sketches of houses or buildings. And a collection of knives and daggers, also of different materials and sizes, hung on the other wall.

The floor was littered with books, novels, mostly, he noted, even catching sight of "The Hanged man of McGuffin" somewhere. Amusingly, he also saw something called "A History of Ghoul Countermeasures" shoved into the corner of the room, not fully unwrapped.

The blue haired man went about finding his clothes in the disaster that was the bed, as he'd thought the night before, the sheets were black.

The place also smelt almost overwhelmingly like her, like coffee and dark chocolate, with a tang of blood and smoke.

He had just about no idea where his shoes had gone but aside from those, he managed to find everything.

As he fastened his belt-and in what he'd later think of as an extension of an attack of irrationality- he walked out of the room and into the corridor.

There were four doors.

The one directly in front of him, he knew to be the bathroom, and the two to the left were closed and seemed to be guest bedroom –though from what he'd seen so far, she rarely had visitors and he'd never seen anyone who appeared to have stayed the night –aside from himself that was, for some reason, that though brought a satisfied smile to his face-.

To the right, the corridor opened into what he supposed was a living room, and just before it did there was an open door from where he could smell smoke.

For some reason, he walked towards it.

She was leaning against the counter, wearing a thick bathrobe, with her hair piled up on top of her head, and holding a cigarette between her thin fingers.

Her eyes widened and she genuinely looked surprised when she noticed him.

Quickly, Reina composed herself. "Hey"

"Hi" Well it was very awkward, to say the least, despite being different species that didn't seem to change.

That is, until his eyes fell on the hickeys adorning her neck, then it was awkward for a whole other reason.

Not for the first time since he'd met Reina, he wished that he could just extirpate or transfer all of the inconvenient desires of his body.

What was worse, the damned woman was sharp "'m gonna be wearing a scarf for the next month" she pouted sleepily "'nd it's all your fault"

Reina shifted and the robe slid slightly to the side, Ayato swallowed thickly "You didn't bother with the finger marks" It was out of his mouth before he knew it.

"Well my friends weren't going to interrogate me over those" she smiled "though I guess I can just omit some details"

"Tch, like the Ghoul thing for one?" he snorted "that'd save you plenty of explanation" and a prison term, he thought quietly

"And the whole railing part" she took a drag of the cigarette "Actually I'll just tell them it was amazing sex" Reina purred

Was she-? A –surprisingly sock clad- foot brushed up his shin.

Yes she was.

Eyes suddenly blazing with hunger, Ayato took a step forward.

"Stop, human" she dropped the cigarette in the wet sink, it fizzled as it died "Unless you want more of those"

"You're not going to break me Rabbit" she said, voice low enough to betray her cool façade.

He wanted to snort again, but somehow he was getting breathless "You'd like it if I did" he pulled her chin up, made her unable to look away "I'd guessed you were a masochist Dove"

She smirked "I'd believe it was pretty obvious" she said, mimicking him.

The ever diminishing las rational crevice of his mind was telling him to turn tail as quick as he could, he was exposing himself –or her- to death if they got caught "What we are-"

"We might as well don't you think?" She cut him off, an amused smile playing at her lips, and her hand slid up his shoulder, Rei always had that kind of smile on her face when she was looking for a quick way to forget. "What's done is done, isn't it?" the warmth of her breath on his skin was enough.

He knew this though he had seen little of that side of her-only the previous night, really-, whenever they met it was all her damned death wish, their shared bloodlust and his growing –possessive, though Ayato loathed to admit it- interest for her. And she did have a point, as much as it was odd, it was the one thing that made any actual sense back then. Neither was in the mood for fighting, and talking had just yielded annoyance and bitter memories for both of them. Turning around and leaving was another option but as much as he'd have liked to tell himself that he wanted to, he was quickly growing addicted to the release she provided. It wasn't the woman herself, but rather, the way she was out of convention, she didn't abide by human patterns and he found himself not abiding by Ghoul's usual ones when in her company.

The apartment too had an extemporal feeling, he realized, pieces of furniture of all styles piled together in an inconstant harmony, each obviously picked out individually and independently from the others was its own object and existed by its own rules in a space that wasn't thought out to match any particular feeling.

It felt like letting go, she felt like letting go. Not a Ghoul that he'd have to live with, not a dove that he had to kill, just her, a woman in a long shirt and barely anything below it, a warm inviting body and a pair of eyes that contradicted themselves by being depthless one second and holding an ocean another. Reina was a rarity, one that, he was sure, would fade as soon as they stepped out of this odd interlude.

So she was right, why not? –Or maybe those were his hormones speaking, but Ayato refused to think he'd so easily be victim to something that petty- his throat grew dry, and one of his hands found its way to the back of her hair, tangling firmly into the coal black locks "Reckless human…"

"Aren't I?" He wasn't the kind to do those things, to succumb to pleasures that might leave him vulnerable, whenever he indulged, things always were purely superfluous, pure desire arisen and fanned down quickly with whomever was most convenient. It wasn't like she was a sort of deeper connection, rather, she was an irrational whim, pure desire for both the delectable and the forbidden.

Reina's body pressed into his, all soft skin and hard muscle "Your little games will get you eaten"

"Not today, but someday maybe?" Those devious eyes… She wasn't asking, he hardly wanted to eat her then, but it'd be him, he knew her flesh was his. "We can always fight again"

Ayato's voice was rough, heady "Yeah, maybe"

"At some point" Her swollen bottom lip caught between her teeth, her hands drawing patterns on his chest. "Have at it, all that's left-"

He crashed his lips to hers before she had time to finish the sentence, there was a slight tang of blood to the kiss, like one of the small gashes his teeth had made the night before had reopened at Ayato's roughness.

Reina whimpered as he backed her body into the counter and her bare skin met the cold marble, her slender legs came to wrap around his waist, grinding her core against the tent on his pants.

He found himself completely losing control, he hadn't lusted after her for long, but since he had, the very way she moved had become a catalyst. The night before had been a rushed affair, far too emotional, this time he found that he wanted to destroy the steely hold she had over herself.

And he knew that deep inside that was what she wanted, for something to hold her down, ground her, if only briefly and if she couldn't find something that did that she wanted, she'd find a thing that would destroy her, both things came around to just not thinking anymore, escaping, forever or for just a second.

For most that'd probably be both difficult and daunting, a woman, a person like her that had an intensity to her existence even when only half alive was surely not something they wanted to try holding down. For him, yes, it was exhilarating, the power rush was almost too much, just like in the battlefront, she fought tooth and nail, but there came a point when she reached a high and surrendered to the sweet guilt that was weakness, submission. In that moment she was his, in every literal sense Reina was his to do with as he pleased.

It pleased Ayato to unravel her, to make her writhe and scream and grow desperate, it would please him to devour her.

But not then, not until he'd had his fill of her living sweetness, the tiny prickles of pleasure when his tongue tasted the lukewarm drops of blood that flowed from her shallowly broken skin. So he pulled the shirt up, almost roughly enough for it to tear and let it fall on the floor.

Softly, against her skin, he whispered her name, many, many times.

His pants joined it soon after, her deft hands having undone them with him only barely noticing, tough it wasn't like he was paying attention to that as he stared at her, nearly naked, bathed in the cold, early morning sunlight.

Red, bitten lips, dark marks where he'd bitten too deep or grabbed too roughly, skin like soft, white silk.

His mouth went dry as hers formed the syllables. "A-ya-to"

Yes, too quick, so quick, an addiction.

.

.

They ended up in her bed again, after some indistinguishable amount of time.

Vaguely, he knew that it had to be around noon.

The lukewarm morning had given way to a warm day, the sheets of her bed were fresh, and the covers they had kicked off the night before.

Somehow there was a leaden feeling in his limbs, like they didn't want to move from the comfortable position he was in. By all accounts he should have wanted to leave, been ready to flee with the light feet that he was so well known for, now rested and relaxed, his desires satisfied.

Reina had fallen asleep after the last time, drifted off almost without noticing, in the middle of a whispered sentence that he hadn't quite caught even with his hearing.

The thick, plum colored curtains blocked most of the sun, still he could see her perfectly, curled up on her side, her hair fanned around her, the marks on her skin alien but endearing all the same. Her skin was always a bit colder than the usual human's, her blood slightly sweeter and somehow lighter.

Ayato turned to his side and in the warm air and the fresh sheets and the scent of sex still hanging in the air, drifted off.

.

.

Waking up was a déjà vu, again, dim light –this time the dying, not rising sun- empty, cool sheets and the scent of coffee coming from his right.

He pulled on his pants again, not even bothering with the belt this time.

What am I doing?

Despite the doubts, the thoughts swirling around his head, he headed down the hallway again. There was a lonely cup of coffee sitting on the counter of the kitchen, still steaming-hot. He coffee pot was half full, the kitchen looked no different from the morning, even the dishes did not seem to have been moved.

Grabbing the mug and sipping at it-sugarless and strong- he continued his exploration of the place. Had Reina left?

She sat, a figure on a window seat in the living room, wearing another oversized shirt that hung on her bony frame- because, he had noticed, despite the muscles from her dove training, and the generous curves that nature had provided her with, she was almost sickly thin- like it was meant for someone much bigger. There was a coffee cup in her hand and her eyes were lost somewhere in the urban landscape, she was singing softly.

"…finish this half empty glass before the ice all melts away" hooded eyes turned to him as she noticed his presence "this feeling always used to pass but it seems like it's every day" It was a pretty voice, airy, effortless, empty.

They stared at each other, somewhat awkwardly, though mostly, there was a tired, worn out feeling hanging in the air. Finally she spoke in a low, raspy voice "…Hey"

"You thought I'd stay?" he said, gesturing to the mug.

"I had a feeling" she shrugged "I'd just woken up and anyway, I always make too much coffee"

"Ah…" he sat down in a red, well-worn sofa

"Why did you stay?" the question took him by surprise, it wasn't said as a reproach, rather, it held some genuine curiosity.

"I wouldn't know" it wasn't like he couldn't lie to her but it would do no good, she was perceptive as they came and there really was no good excuse. "I just don't feel like going back yet"

She gave him a look "Like inertia"

"Huh?"

"You stopped, now it's hard to get back moving" she sipped at her coffee "I'm the same, haven't wanted to move since I woke up this morning, I haven't even gone outside"

"Tch, aren't humans suppo- ow" what seemed like a ball of fur had jumped at him, tiny claws out to sink into his chest – that already had her nail marks upon it- the cat hissed and growled as Ayato tried to hold it far enough that it couldn't reach his face.

Reina laughed across the room, a girlish laugh surprisingly. "Mik doesn't like you I see"

"The hell, you have this beast lying around?"

"Eh, he comes and goes, the little one. And he doesn't like strangers, probably thinks you're going to eat me or something"

The pun was obvious enough, sometimes he wondered how she was able to talk about things like that so lightly, but then again it wasn't like she hadn't outright asked him to do it so… So he has the preservation instinct that you clearly do not" he said dryly as he held the struggling creature by the scruff of its neck.

Reina narrowed her eyes at him "Yeah, pretty much" she stood up and sauntered over to him. He cat calmed as soon as she took it and started to run her fingers through its thick black fur. It didn't stop it from giving Ayato the stink eye in a way that was special to cats anywhere, he glared right back at the feline. "Ah don't be so sour" she held the beast out at him "He's really just a cute ball of fur"

The cat sputtered and hissed at him, struggling in Reina's hands that were gradually slackening their grip. Reflexively, his own hands rose to meet the fur of the creature, fingers brushing slightly with hers.

The beast froze for a second and proceeded to scratch Ayato in the face.

He would have crushed the thing if she hadn't taken it, laughing girlishly-just maybe not but it wasn't like he was going to find out. - the cat didn't seem to particularly find it funny either, as it pompously retired to the corner where there was a small plate with cat food and a little bed where it proceeded to sulk in.

Ayato glared at her.

She grinned and laid back on the couch.

"You're a weird human"

She gave him a look "Well, you're a weird Ghoul"

He rubbed at his temples, it was like she didn't –couldn't – take anything seriously before he could think up a response for her she started talking again "I wonder, how you guys see us sometimes y'know? You must find us pretty dull though"

Ayato sighed, something he found himself doing quite a lot in her company "More like annoying" his eyes met hers "stupidly carefree"

"Huh? I must be the prime example then" there was a joking undertone to her voice, he almost laughed.

You are more of a contradiction" he said thoughtfully" but still, annoying"

Reina turned on her side, her body curled up like a cat's she seemed thoughtful for a second "Annoying how?"

. Ayato nodded and spoke softly "Most of you are pathetic, fighting foolishly to survive"

She pursed her lips "Well we couldn't just lay down and die"

"Aren't you?" He raised an eyebrow at her, the woman snorted.

"Nope"

He ground his teeth "Then what the hell would you call it?"

Her eyes met his, piercing and completely serious "Looking for death" Reina blew at a stray strand of hair "wasn't I a contradiction anyway?"

"Doesn't mean you aren't just as pathetic"

Exasperated, she sat up "Then what's the difference? Is any of us not pathetic to you?"

Ayato stared at her disinterestedly "Some are… less pathetic. Or at least, not as annoying."

She laughed throatily "shades of gray huh?" Yeah, they pretty much were, Ayato barely took notice of most of them, especially the weak ones, even she had been little but a cocky nuisance when he'd first seen her. A little girl with an inflated ego and a big Quinque. The strong ones however, did catch his attention, if only because they made him wish for more, more power, a greater strength so he could be rid of them.

And then there was her, he tried not to think about that too much.

"Pretty much…" Reina zoned off again and Ayato glared at her. He really didn't know what to make of her, one minute it seemed like he'd finally managed to rile her up and then he just found himself with her apathy that made him want to throw her into bed again, if only to elicit some kind of response. "Why do you want to die so much anyway?"

The question seemed to startle her, wide gray eyes turned to his again.

Her lips trembled a little as she spoke "Because I died some time ago, my body is just taking a while to catch up."

It was a pretty idiotic reason, really, illogical too. But somehow it made sense, she was like the shadow of someone's self most of the time, he could count on the fingers of a hand how many tomes he'd seen her look truly alive, if the night before and that morning counted as only one. "That's pretty stupid"

"I never thought you'd understand"

"Why human? Do you think I couldn't?"

"Maybe not, for all of your moping around you're quite alive aren't you?"

"Well what does that-even mean?" he frowned

"Nothing" she quickly dismissed "and I agree, it does sound quite dumb" she paused for a second "I guess I'm melodramatic, but I do feel like I'm wandering about half alive"

In that moment she did look like a lost child and despite Ayato's taunts he did understand at least a little, she felt like something was missing.

It felt like they were both lying in some nook at the end of the world, some fold between dimensions, neither was anything there, and yet, they were what they were. The weight of the realization hit him like a stone, like a couple of steel beams falling from above

Nothing could change how the world truly was

To escape the unease that was quickly creeping up his spine, he looked around the room once again, upon finding nothing of interest, his eyes settled on her. Or more specifically on the thing that dangled form the chain around her neck, the chain that he hadn't seen her wear until the day before.

A thought hit him, she had wanted to die with that thing.

Ayato leaned toward her, making out that what had looked like a pendant at first was actually a ring.

She was within arm's reach, and made no movement to avoid his hand as it reached for her, that is, until she realized that he was about to grab the ring and flinched away almost instantly.

He'd have liked to think that he hadn't felt the pang of anger.

"You're married?" He grumbled, trying to not let the strain in his voice show.

To his surprise, she broke into laughter "Have you seen a husband running about?"

Ayato shot her what was probably his most deadpan look and she sighed.

"I was engaged once, though" seeing no change in his expression, she sighed again "He died, a long time ago"

How long could it have been? She couldn't be more than eighteen, twenty at most.

He scoffed "Figures you'd still keep the ring, humans are too sentimental"

"Just a few of us, really." The woman smiled, apparently relieved.

Outside, the sun began to set, and Ayato fumbled in his seat, fiddling with the now empty mug.

When he looked up, he found her grey eyes fixated on him, deep understanding in them.

Again, he felt more awkward than he had in a long time "I'm going now" his voice was soft because for some reason, it felt like raising it would break something important.

Reina smiled tiredly, peacefully.

He couldn't resist tugging her close for a last, heated kiss.

Her eyes remained closed after they were done.

Ayato understood.

Outside, he found that it was pretty cold.

.

.

So he was sleeping with the dove girl.

What the fuck

Honestly

Ayato decided that for the time being he'd consider it a lapse in his judgment –only, he had wanted her since the second time they'd fought, now he knew- it was out of his system and he would not go to the third ward again so long as he could avoid it.

She made him lose sight of what he wanted, who he was and that was no good, that was definitely no good.

Across the dining hall he caught Hinami's worried gaze.

.
.

Twelve hours later, he woke up after a rather convoluted dream, sighing he name, and figured that he was in deep, deep trouble.

(And madness herself)

Well, at least there was a lot more Ayato.

Now, I didn't mean for them to have sex in this chapter, but as I wrote the first scenes it just kind of felt right, the first scene even contained a lemon at a point (it has been edited out because I'm shy, though I might someday post it as an outtake) though it has now turned my plotline on its head.

I'd love to know if anyone thought it was too sudden, or anything really.

Toodles