Chapter 7: Anteiku

{Streets of Tokyo: December 1st, 2017, 8:45pm}

"Chilly tonight huh Touka?" the blue haired girl let out a foggy breath as she looked at the ground below them from the roof of a building.

"It is….how are you not cold in that battle suit? Its skin tight even with the two other layers," she said. Kaneki shrugged as he eyed the area around them. Both wore their masks, Touka had recently modified her own that now only covered the lower half of her face with two bolt looking objects at the corners of the mouth area. In some ways it still favored a rabbit due to the nose and mouth area being closer to her face and shaped like the nose of a rabbit, but to Kaneki it looked a bit closer to a half-face gasmask.

"I don't really feel the cold that much. What about you? Are you warm enough?" the girl sighed a bit once more.

"I'll be fine idiot…I worry about you too much for my health…" Touka eyed the white haired ghoul next to her.

"Then don't worry so much, it's not like I'm leaving you or anything remember?" she frowned a bit – how could she forget.

It had only been a week and a half ago that the two of them had ended up in a mess like they had. Tangled up after nearly tearing each other's lips off in a series of brutal kisses before Touka had admitted she might have had feelings for the other ghoul – only to ultimately say that she loved him – since then they had been closer, they always slept in the same room, Hide would make jibes about it when the others weren't around for their sake, but they still had moments where they would be at odds with one another. Not that Touka minded waking up with Kaneki holding onto her or the way he would run a hand through her hair or play with it when they were together. It was the rare moments when the two of them wouldn't be paying attention and do something a couple would in front of Nishiki, Kimi and Hinami. The three of them had started to catch on, but they were trying in a vain attempt to not have them trying to give advice and learn about each other in their own pace.

"Can you see anything down there?" she asked.

"There are some of them….but not a bunch – two? Maybe three? No weapons…..they're weaker too…." Another thing she had learned about Kaneki over the last year was that though his senses were different not all of them were weaker. His sense of smell wasn't anything like her own or Hinami's but his eyes and ears were better than their own by far. He also had an inept talent for sensing things about others still that she at times found eerie. His empathy as she called it was abnormally high for a ghoul which did make her wonder about him at times. She nodded to his statement.

"We don't need any more than that….unless you inherited Rize's appetite as well," she said in a half-joking manner.

"Fortunately I didn't. As for her healing and speed I got one hundred percent of that…" Touka eyed him as he sat crouched watching the street below.

"I've never seen you run before so…I wouldn't know how fast you are except for that time during our practice battle and you were just strong and good on reflex," she said with her eyes calm. There was movement and suddenly he was next to her – she flinched but did not jump – and locked eyes with him.

"Don't look at me like that Touka – I didn't mean to scare you." she rolled her eyes and moved her hand to lace their fingers together.

"So, now that we've found them what should we do?" she looked up her eyes changing into the Kakugan brimstone black and hell fire red.

"What we normally do with them – take them down and eat before we get swamped or lose track of them."

"Right…"

Touka ran along rooftops with Kaneki right next to her and her mind momentarily reeled – though they had different Kagune he was actually keeping pace with her – she momentarily had to wonder about how he had managed it as they jumped from one roof to another, short in distance as it was they landed with hardly a sound until they reached the next roof which was much more distanced. Touka backed up and took a flying leap across the gap and curved her body backwards doing an elegant flip before landing in a crouch. She gave the other ghoul a once over before waiting to see what he would do. Before she knew it the boy was in the air and had his Kagune out which curved just enough to catch some of the wind before he turned his body to the side and twisted moments before landing next to her and closing his Kagune away.

Admittedly, Touka was impressed. She eyed him before softly punching him in the shoulder causing him to look at her as she rose her eyebrows and he shrugged as if to tell her he had copied her. Knowing it wasn't time to talk she took the initial idea and walked along the roof with him before looking at the ground where the two vampires were walking on patrol. Since the year that had passed, they had learned something interesting about vampires and ghouls. If a ghoul bit a vampire in a non-fatal area such as on the arm or shoulder then something in the Ghoul's saliva prevented the vampires from turning to ash when they were eaten allowing them to not only manage with them, but to actually survive. To their fortunate find, the Ghouls learned that vampires also tasted just as good as humans did.

"At least they don't taste bad," he said in half-thought.

"Yea, it makes it easier to eat them…" Touka eyed him as he looked at the two vampires.

"So, do you want the taller one or the shorter one?" Kaneki questioned her and she hummed in thought.

"I think I'll take the shorter one this time. Plus I want to see how you handle the big guy….he's what? Twice your size?" the white haired ghoul chuckled faintly.

"Does it really matter?" she eyed him.

"You do realize your probably a hundred and fifteen pounds drenched from head to toe right?" the boy gave her a look.

"I can manage Touka – this isn't the first time we've been hunting so why the questions so suddenly?" he inquired. She sighed.

"Just wondering if you realized you're a beansprout compared to Nishiki and Hide even is taller than you." again he laughed a little.

"So? You're shorter than me," he said playing along with her rather amusing conversation.

"By three inches!" Touka crossed her arms over her chest.

"All the same you are beautiful…" she felt her cheeks grow warm at the comment.

"Why do you have to go and do that to me now idiot?" she asked him. He looked to her with a small smile that she could tell was there despite the mask.

"Because it's an honest statement Touka." She looked at him and reached out to brush his bangs from his one visible eye.

"You can be so annoying it's not even funny….oh well, I guess that's just you though….so….shall we go? I'm hungry," she stated.

"Alright, lets hurry up and get back before it's too late okay? You know Hinami worries."

She nodded and with that they waited until the two vampires were just below them before descending. They landed and the creatures paused before looking back at them – momentarily they laughed at their dark clothes and masks – telling them to run along like the children they were and they'd let them live. That changed when a burning red and elegant violet wing burst from Touka's shoulder and four ruby red tentacle objects came from behind Kaneki and grew from soft and fluid to sharp and deadly. The vampires, horrified by the sight exclaimed what they were only to be attacked as they fumbled with their weapons. Touka crystalized her Kagune and it pierced the feet of the shorter vampire as she lunged forward and sunk her teeth into his shoulder – in mere seconds the effect their saliva had on the vampires would take over and the poor blood sucking creature would be a feast for her. Her eyes glanced to Kaneki who had been quick to coil his Rinkaku around the vampire and bring it closer as it struggled only for him to meet the Kagune half way and bite down on the upper arm and tear the fabric and flesh from the area.

Since the CCG no longer patrolled the streets they were able to eat without much worry, but the still living vampires screamed until she heard a sickening gurgle as Kaneki tore the vocal cords from the vampire he had taken down. The creature stopped moving and struggling and breathed shallowly as the white haired ghoul removed his mask and bit down on the area, licking at the blood that flowed as Touka herself had lifted up an arm to eat the underside of it. Personally she had still not gotten used to seeing the boy of all people devour someone like she normally would. Like any ghoul who needed to eat he wasted no time in stripping parts of the body down to the bone, lapping at the blood like it was a sweet wine and continuing until full. But even though she had accepted the reality they lived within, it still just didn't look right to her. A sharp crack was heard and she glanced up from the area she was focused on – the shoulder at this point – to see the boy had cracked open the vampire's chest and grabbed the heart.

"Hearts? When did he get a taste for those?" to most ghouls a heart wasn't that satisfying, it was tougher than the rest of the body, and crunched almost like an apple. But, she found herself not giving it much thought – she knew Uta loved eyeballs, and Yomo preferred tongues – but still watching the gory scene before her coming from the person who once couldn't bear the thought of it was strange.

"I'll never get used to seeing this side of you," she said honestly. The boy glanced up, having already bitten into the heart.

"I'm like you Touka – it shouldn't surprise you….but I know why….it used to bother me too much to think of it." She watched him swallow the piece of flesh in his mouth before he eyed the corpse in front of him.

"It's almost to brutal looking on you…" Touka eyed him as he bit into the heart again and pulled at a tougher part.

"At least I can do it and I don't have to be a burden to anyone else….but I was glad we learned about this…the vampires I mean…"

Touka looked down as she continued picking pieces off at random before looking back to him. His pale skin was specked with blood, it ran down in a line from the corner of his mouth, his hands were stained in red but no matter what she tried to pinpoint about it – nothing looked right – this didn't even feel right. She nodded at his statement before looking at the corpse in front of him as she began to finish what she wanted with hers.

"Yea, I guess…" she said.

"I thought they'd taste as bad as other Ghouls do…." She froze stiff at that.

"You never told me about that…how many…" the boy went still before glancing at her from under blood splashed white bangs.

"Touka, I apologize….I didn't mean to say anything about that…" he seemed to change right in front of her eyes back just for a second into the person he once was.

"Its fine, I told you – don't change anymore – just stay who you are now and don't become someone else again," she said. She didn't hear it but seconds later a blood smeared hand reached out and touched her cheek. Touka looked to the boy as he watched her momentarily.

"That side of me bothers you Touka….the Kakuja….even though it's not acted up lately it…." She reached out and touched his cheek.

"Don't talk about it okay? Let's just finish up here and get back to Hinami and the others."

"Alright…." Touka smiled to him as she tried to brush a line of blood from his mouth but merely smeared it across his pale skin. It didn't look right, but this was reality for him and her and any other ghoul out there.

{Anteiku: 11:25pm}

"Why are you insistent on staying up to see Kaneki and Touka when they get back?" asked Nishiki.

"Because, I've never seen them come in and I think I should for once….besides, it won't hurt to get used to the sight of blood." The pale brunette eyed the blonde.

"You have no idea what you're about to see – they don't just have a few specks on them, it's…" Hide nodded.

"I know…it's probably bad, but…I need to get used to it so I can help all of you if I need to…I think I know what I'd like to do if the world ever gets back up on its feet…" Nishiki eyed him again.

"What's that?" Hide held up a medical text book on Ghoul anatomy.

"I think I'd like to be a Ghoul doctor – I want to give you guys a hand and thanks to Hinami having had all those text books from her father's old practice I can learn how to treat you guys when you get hurt or something…it's one of the few ways I can give back to all of you who've been protecting me while I'm not doing much more than going on runs with the rest of you." Kimi eyed him as she stood at the doorway with Hinami.

"It's late Hinami, go to bed and I'll have them come say goodnight when they get in," she said. The girl sighed.

"Okay, goodnight everyone!" she ran up the stairs and to her room while the others bade her goodnight.

"She looks up to them doesn't she?" asked Kimi as she sat next to Nishiki.

"Yea, to a centipede and a rabbit…what an odd combination." Hide gave the bespectacled ghoul a long look.

"Centipede?" questioned the blonde.

"Kaneki's Kakuja favors a centipede – something I noticed the last time we saw it when he got away from us and we were able to keep an eye on him." Kimi bit her lip.

"That appearance….it's because he was tortured wasn't it?" her eyes burned with tears.

"Unfortunately it probably is….a Kakuja though…God I never thought I'd see one come from someone like him…..but….if he can learn how to control it in the long run he might be the best chance we have of survival," Nishiki stated.

"That's not such a bad thing…" Kimi glanced at Hide.

"I was wondering….what's going on between Kaneki and Touka?" she questioned.

"What are you talking about Kimi?" Nishiki hummed at Hide's block.

"I also was wondering about that myself. Are they in some sort of relationship? I smelled Touka's blood on Kaneki and his blood on her about a week and a half ago….did something happen between them?" he inquired. Hide shrugged.

"No idea honestly. Kaneki and Touka didn't tell me if they did but…" before any more questions could be asked the door opened and then closed before the trio looked up to see Kaneki and Touka walking in talking a bit silently as they came into the room lit surprisingly bright by lanterns.

Kimi and Hide had never seen any of the four ghouls when they'd arrived back from a hunt – they'd always hid it well and cleaned up imminently after coming back – but this time was different and almost mind numbing. Kaneki stared, his visible eye wide as he reached up to remove his mask and Touka unlatched hers from around her head and unzipped the side of it before pulling it off. They had gotten the blood off of them mostly, but they still were splattered with it across their skin and in their hair. It stained their hands and Hide didn't personally want to know what their skin looked like under the black clothes. Kaneki took his own mask off, holding it in his hand before looking at Hide. Kimi gulped before forcing a smile.

"Welcome back," she said.

"You don't have to pretend to stomach it Kimi – we know we look bad." She nodded nimbly.

"Did they fight back?" asked Nishiki. Touka shook her head.

"Barely, it was kind of anticlimactic getting out and going through all that trouble of tracking them only for them to pretty much kill over." Kaneki gave her a small smile, blood staining to corner of his mouth in a line.

"We should be glad they didn't seeing as we haven't been able to go out and hunt for over week. Though, admittedly it was a bit dull – it seemed as if the smaller one didn't taste as good," he said. Touka frowned.

"He was surprisingly tough skinned. Maybe their evolving?" Nishiki shook his head.

"I doubt it. But anyways, how was the hunt other than the apparently slim pickings?" the two ghouls glanced at one another.

"It went smoothly, no problems – but I caught something on our way back that bothered me," Kaneki stated. Nishiki looked him over.

"Your sense of smell sucks though so how did…" the white haired ghoul gave him an imploring look.

"My eyes and ears are better than yours or Touka's or Hinami's even and she has pretty amazing hearing….I heard a vampire saying they wanted to lay claim to the twentieth ward and I mentioned something about an errant ghoul," he said calmly.

"Wait…so there are a group of fangs wanting to do what?" Kaneki looked at the others.

"We're about to have to fight the vampires and it's not going to be pretty – there is one that's leading it, and another whose organizing – we're going up against about thirty would be my guess from the sound of their planning. And they are armed, but not with Quinque that I know of…." Hide eyed him.

"You heard all of that?" Touka nodded.

"He can smell as good as us, but he can see and hear better than most full blooded ghouls and that means that he's got a lot of capable talents at hand when it comes to finding out things from what we consider prey. He heard that just in passing and froze in a shadow to listen on a roof top," she said.

"Impressive…." Kaneki sighed at that.

"Main point is, we have a fight ahead of us and there was one more thing that caught my attention – they mentioned someone we've been searching for," he explained.

"What? Who? Uta? Itori? Yomo? Yoriko? Did Irimi or Koma survive? Who did they…." Nishiki placed his hands on Kimi's shoulders.

"Calm down and let him talk Kimi," he said.

"I'm sorry! I just…." Kaneki nodded.

"It's fine. They mentioned they had Ayato captured recently – we need to get to him – he's being held in the old CCG tower in one of the holding cells there…which could mean that even though I didn't hear it they could have gotten into the Quinque stores," he told them.

"Why do they have Ayato?" the white haired ghoul looked down.

"They want to experiment on him to see if they can find a way to strengthen themselves against us and destroy any of the surviving Ghouls. I don't know why but…they think by dissecting him they can figure out how we work and how to kill us off or prevent us from feeding on them," Kaneki said in slightly tense voice.

"It's like the damn CCG all over again but this time with fangs and claws equipped for extra support!" Nishiki gritted his teeth at the very idea. Were any of the ghouls ever going to be free from those beasts?

"I'm afraid it is…" Kaneki spoke in a tone that suggested discomfort, but he tried to hold it at bay for someone's sake they noted.

"So what should we do? Are we going to war?" Touka bit her lip and turned sharply on her heels before marching up the stairs.

They knew why of course, her brother was in danger of being cut up while alive, of being turned into a lab rat – something that every ghoul feared since birth – and here she was unable to save him. Nishiki looked at Kaneki who narrowed his eyes at the ground, bangs hiding his expression from sight as he listened to the silence and the sound of footsteps upstairs. Hide watched his best friend stand there looking like a scar on the room with his gothic appearance, but he could sense it radiating around him – the anger that boiled in his blood at the fact that Touka was hurting because of these vampires – he stepped forward and reached out and placed a hand on his shoulder to tell him it was okay to be angry or frustrated – but Hide's main question was what to do now that they knew this was about to happen.

"What do we do?" questioned Kimi. Nishiki looked down and Hide stepped back in thought only to hear a noise that sounded greatly like gnashing teeth before Kaneki looked up with a cold glare in his eyes. The two humans faintly felt their muscles tighten in reflex, it wasn't aimed at them – but the look was no less frightening.

"We eradicate the damn pests! I don't care what we have to do but Ayato comes back to Anteiku with us alive and intact….I'll fucking kill them by myself if I have to….but we are taking them down!" Nishiki smirked a bit.

"Alright, what do you have in mind?" Kaneki kept his eyes trained at the group. Hide felt himself internally wince at the sight of his friend looking so malicious.

"We take them down before they even step one foot out the door."

"So….this is what you've become….your even more different than I first thought Kaneki but…I admire your reasons for your anger."

{2:25am: December 2nd 2017}

"Touka, calm down." The blue haired girl bit down on his shoulder as she forced herself not to scream. She wasn't doing it out of spite, or to blame him – it was to keep herself from alerting the others to her own distress about the situation Kaneki had overheard.

"I can't!" she jerked away and he hissed as he gripped the wound.

"Then if you must be so distressed….don't use me as an object to take your frustrations on please," he asked as the wound sealed up.

"Sorry I just…..God what am I supposed to do? Kaneki, he's my little brother I have to save him – is that plan of yours even going to work?" the white haired ghoul sighed as he let the girl settled on his lap, his fingers playing with the ends of her hair.

"I know, and it will work – Banjou and the rest of us worked this plan several times and it worked just fine – if we get to him tomorrow night we'll be okay…..Hinami can defend herself pretty well and so can Hide and Kimi is getting better. We'll pair the others up with us as the vanguard and the rest as ops Kimi and Hide are good at giving directives when needed so…." She frowned as she pressed her forehead against the shoulder that a few moments ago had been wounded but now was healed flawlessly.

"Can you save him? Even though…" Kaneki nodded as he traced his fingers down her shoulder – bare due to the tank-top she was wearing. He didn't know how she could withstand it normally, but the heater they had in the small bedroom made it strangely hot in there which helped with the biting chill that frosted the windows.

"You care for him Touka, he's your family so we have to save him. Even though he was part of Aogiri Tree, even though he hurt you and caused all of us so much pain….we're not going to leave him there to die I promise." She looked at him as his fingers traced gentle patterns on her shoulder and she leaned to where their foreheads were pressed together.

"Your always surprisingly calm about these situations….how do you do it?" he laughed just a bit and Touka sighed as she stared into silvery-brown pools.

"My mom was the same way….she did too much though…..she worked herself to death because of a greedy sister…I took care of myself even though I lived with my aunt and her family – they didn't care for me that much because I had better grades than her son…but…I've learned how to cope with panic and stress in ways….after the eleventh ward I feel like that part of me just became automatic and I didn't have to lull myself into it…" she felt his hand slide down her side and tease the hem of her shirt as she watched his eyes.

"I don't even remember my mom – our dad was the one who tried to keep us happy….but he left one night and never came back…..I had hoped he was alive until I saw a Quinque that was identical to his Ukaku…I guess it makes sense that he didn't survive the CCG…he was to kind," she said.

"Kindness isn't a bad thing Touka….you have to learn when to be kind and when to be harsh though…it's a balancing act…" she reached up and brushed her hands across his cheek thankful that both he and she were now free of blood smears.

"Can you give me an example?" she asked him. He glanced down.

"Myself….I went from one extreme to the other….from being to kind to being to cruel even though I tried to have a calm side to myself in front of Hinami the others in that little group….they were scared of me…even more so when they realized I had a Kakuja…Banjou was terrified as were Sante and his brothers….Hinami was the only one not present…after that we were in such a mess that I found Kimi and Nishiki and took Hinami to them – I was heading back to the place where we stayed at when the news went out that there would be a raid on Anteiku….you were kept out of the way weren't you? Why did you and the others come to Anteiku that night?" Touka paused and slid her hands up into his hair.

"Because I knew you would be there and if I wasn't there then you wouldn't survive….I had things to say and I just…." A chaste kiss was placed to her lips and she shook a bit as cool fingers traced her side in a ghostly manner.

"It's over now, don't worry about it – tomorrow we'll get Ayato back and we'll stomp out the vampires that want to hurt us….I won't let them hurt any of you I promise." Touka tensed again as she kissed him and he fell back for her to snuggle up to him while taking a lock of his hair and twirling it between her first and middle fingers as she laid over him with her head rested at his collar bone.

"Then don't die you idiot just so you can save my idiot little brother," she said.

"I won't…." she nodded.

"Then neither will I."

{Sunset: 4:55pm: December 2nd 2017}

Walking along shadows down the streets was a group of six figures. Dressed in black and keeping hidden as they went closer towards the white tower of the CCG Tokyo Head Quarters. Four ghouls and two humans who if one were to look in their eyes would see calmness, but something else as they slipped behind an upturned car and waited for darkness to come. Hidden by some of the bushes and trees the building was just within sight. The group were adorned for war, masked and given weapons for those who were of another race of the four. Touka cast a glance around as Hinami listened and Kaneki kept an eye out. Having become the leader of their ragtag group of liberators he had found himself once again focusing on what was ahead of them as they waited for the sun to go down bringing and icy bite to the air as it slowly grew darker.

"Hide, Kimi, the two of you are going to survey the side area and tell us if anyone is coming in when we start towards where Ayato is. Hinami, you're going to be our blood hound okay? I need you to track Ayato's scent. Nishiki I need you and Hinami to be our side guards and take out anyone from the left and right rear area Touka and I are going to lead the front – keep Hide and Kimi between us so the fangs don't get at them….they try and strike a blow on us because we have humans with us so don't let them get caught….everyone understand?" Kaneki looked at the group.

"Got it." The others nodded.

"Okay, we're almost ready – we'll start in just a few seconds….when the sun disappears we attack. Do not hesitate to strike a lethal blow, the chest or head is the best place," he said.

"Alright, Hinami and I will guard the rear, Hide and Kimi take the sides, Touka and you take the front….seems simple enough." Kaneki looked to Nishiki and smirked just a bit.

"It's surprisingly simple that's why it will work…the simplest of plans are often the hardest to foil."

Hide, Kimi, and Hinami put on a pair of black masks that latched at the back with a strap that went around the head. Favoring a lower face riot mask and similar to the three others with them it was strangely befitting for the event that was about to take place. Hide looked at Kaneki, in his full battle suit, with his mask on – he looked just as menacing as he had a year ago laying into the members of the CCG with an unbridled rage at the death of Yoshimura. Now that glint of malice in his visible still silvery-brown eye was one of anger for another reason all together – because someone he loved was in pain due to the actions of the same fiends who took their world from them. Hide as well as Kimi were feeling the same sense of anger as they watched the four ghouls stand. Kaneki looked at Nishiki who nodded and then to Touka and Hinami who gave him the same gesture. His eyes locked on him and Kimi and they too gave him a nod. The sun went down and Kaneki looked up at the area before them just past their hiding spot.

"Okay, let's make sure they know just who Anteiku is when it comes to messing with our family." The visible eye changed to brimstone black and hellfire red.

{…..}

...To begin again

{….}

Author's Note: Okay, chapter 7 is completed and we are getting some action! The Anteiku group is raiding the CCG tower and going to save Ayato! Do you think they'll do it without any major problems? No deaths, promise….well….not from the main group anyways.

I had to explain a bit as to how the Ghouls were surviving now and I had to sneak in some more Touken for you fans of it. And I think it helped in showing how Touka viewed the differences in Kaneki as a ghoul and not the shy boy she'd known for so long.

Well, there's not much more to say except: if you have a question please PM me and I will answer you as soon as I can.

Here is your preview:

White floors glistened in light, the drip of something akin to water resounded in their ears as wide red eyes stared in to black pits with hellfire irises that glowed even in the bright light of the building. The sound of tearing flesh, of growls and snarls as Hide stared almost transfixed in a room that went from pristine and pure like freshly fallen snow to crimson, a scene from a nightmarish vision of hell. Flaming wings and snake like tendrils tore at forms as a blue tail flickered and a butterfly flapped her wings gently only to become a venomous spider and rip into her prey with the gusto of a killer. Hide stood there amidst a blood soaked room that did not have mere drops or splashes, it fell in waves and he watched someone he knew for his whole life revel in it as they did all they could to save someone dear to Touka – he smiled a bit and drew the sword he'd found once and took a deep breath.

"I guess I should have known….but even this has its own sort of macabre beauty to it….." he said as he watched the white haired ghoul move like a phantom, and a flush of fire turn to crystal and cause ash to bloom.

"…..It's kind of like a dance, on a stage of hell."

Chapter 8: Adapt