I do not own anything you recognise as part of the Tokyo Ghoul series, only my imagination and my own ideas.
"Ella Rose?" Aiko murmured as Sachi looked at her in desperation, "I haven't talked to her in ages."
"Come on Aiko! She'll know what to do!" Sachi whined. Aiko glanced at their leader and then at the floor. Ella Rose…where would she be now? Would she still answer her phone for Aiko?
"I'll try, but if she doesn't respond than we have to find someone else." Aiko sighed. Sachi smiled and hugged her.
"We are definitely hunting together tonight." She promised the 16 year old who just shrugged her shoulders.
"Okay." Sachi pulled away and ran up the stairs.
"Where you going?" Seto yelled up to her.
"Training! I need to get rid of all this stress!" She called back. Everyone in the lounge room froze and looked at one another in fear. Sachi was a great fighter, one of the best. She wasn't feared by the CCG for nothing, but when she trained, she didn't like inanimate training dummy's, she liked ones that could move and think and make it harder for her to beat them. For example, she preferred to train with one of them.
"Who trained with her last time?" Momo hissed as they heard her door slam above.
"I did, I still haven't healed completely." Pierre groaned and reached for his foot as he remembered it breaking.
"I ain't going." Ayato warned.
"I don't wanna go!" Seto whined.
"I shouldn't have to go, she hates fighting me since she can't deal with long range attacks." Momo informed them.
"All the more reason you should go." Pierre whispered, "Practice."
"I can't go, she asked me for a favour, she can't ask for another week." Aiko glared at Seto.
"Why are you glaring at me?!"
"Because you haven't trained with her since June!"
"What month is it now?!"
"October!"
"Oh." Seto sighed miserably before standing up with a slouched back. They all heard Sachi's door open again, her feet slammed down on the stairs ecstatically. When she entered the room she looked at Seto and grinned.
"A volunteer!" She cheered and linked her arm with his.
"Sure." He groaned as he was pulled out of the lounge room.
"Good luck man!" Ayato called out to him.
"Fuck you Ayato!" Seto shouted back and that was the last they heard of him. Aiko looked out the window and contemplated Sachi's orders. Ella Rose, she was a badass ghoul that only killed Doves. Not other ghouls. She had this whole 'family' speech about it, pledging and shit that she would never hurt other ghouls because they were like brothers and sisters to her. Bullshit. She almost ripped another ghouls head off 'cause they stole her lunch. Granted it had been two months since she'd eaten but still. Aiko pulled out her phone and went through her contacts; she reluctantly stopped at Ella's name. She tapped it but left her thumb hovered above the call button hesitantly. Ayato saw her hesitating and sighed, he grabbed her thumb and forced it down onto the call button.
"Wait-what?!" Aiko cried out as her phone dialed and waited for Ella to pick up.
"You're welcome." Ayato muttered before standing up and leaving the room. Aiko threw a pillow at him as he left but missed horribly. She turned back to her phone and held it back to her ear. When was the last time she'd seen Ella Rose? Was it when she'd run away from her? And her family? Oh god…her family. She stiffened as she remembered them. So nice. So kind. So polite. So understanding. So…human.
"Hello?" She heard a voice come through the phone, she leapt back, startled. How long had someone been there?
"Um, hello, this is Aiko." She stated and winced as she heard a squeal of delight.
"Aiko!"
"Hi Ella."
"How've you been kid? Haven't seen you since you ditched!" She mentioned it so casually like it didn't cause her any pain, like the memory didn't bother her. The complete opposite of Aiko.
"I've been good, getting better at hiding, listen Ella. Have you-"
"Have you talked to your parents?"
"Ella, this isn't the time."
"It'll never be the time with you Aiko; you need to talk to them. It's like a band-aid."
"Ella."
"You either leave it on so it heals slowly and will cause more pain than when you first got the wound-"
"Ella."
"-or you rip it off and get the wound exposed and get over the pain! Somehow that sounded better in my head."
"Ella! I'm not calling about my parents." Aiko whispered.
"You're not?"
"No."
"Then why are you calling me?" Aiko fumbled over what to say, how was she supposed to ask her a favour when they hadn't seen each other in five years?
"You in trouble? You need something?" Ella asked, it was as though she'd read Aiko's mind. Aiko smiled, she'd missed this, she thought she hadn't. But she had.
"Yeah, well, not really. I just need some info."
"What on?" She could hear Ella grab a pen and paper on the other end.
"You know Dr. Kanou?"
"Honey, I curse that name before I go to bed every night instead of prayin'. What do you wanna know?"
"Um, just where he is, what he's up to. Anything you can get would be fine."
"Okay, but under one condition." Aiko winced, oh god, please no, anything but that.
"What's the condition?"
"Talk to your parents or your sister at least." Damn, Aiko thought.
"No, I can't. It's been so long."
"All the more reason to talk to them." Ella was unfazed by Aiko's excuses. Aiko looked around the lounge room and saw everyone staring at her in curiosity, she ran out of the room and into her own room. She locked the door and went back to Ella.
"Well? You gonna talk to them?"
"No."
"Then no information for you."
"Ella!"
"Sorry kiddo, but I can't just help you out and turn a blind eye while your family continues to crumble."
"But-!"
"No buts, nope. Not gonna listen to your excuses. How do you think your parents feel? I know I got you out of that house but listen, Aiko, you gotta at least chat. If not in person than over the phone." Aiko stared at the ground in humiliation. What should she do? Sachi needed this info, but…Aiko didn't want to talk to her parents. Not now. But Sachi…
"Fine."
"Wow…you cave easily."
"Oh shut up."
"I'll call you as soon as I get something."
"You better." Aiko hissed as she hung up.
Ayato looked at Pierre in curiosity as he re-entered the room.
"What was that about?" He asked, Pierre shrugged and mumbled something. Ayato frowned.
"What was that comment?" He hissed.
"I said 'I think she's talking about her family'. You know; the ones who raised her, not the ones that ditched her." Pierre responded sharply. Ayato nodded slowly as he remembered what Sachi had told him about Aiko when he'd come here for the first time.
'Aiko is especially touchy about her past; don't ask her about it unless she brings it up. Don't ever bring it up. Got it?' Ayato had nodded at the time but now he felt that he didn't understand at all. That he hadn't 'got it' what-so-ever. He looked to where Aiko had run off, what was it about her past that was so secretive?
Aiko pulled her knees up to her chest and went through her call history. Missed calls. So many missed calls. All from her parents and her sister. She sobbed silently as she read some of their messages.
'Aiko? Where r u? Come home. We miss u.'
'Sis? Come on, stop messing about & come home.'
'Aiko, we're all worried about u, plz come home.'
Come home. Come home. Come home. Come home. Come home. Come home. Come home. Come home. Come home. Come home. Come home. Come home. Come home. Come home. Come home. Come home. Come home. Come home. Come home. Come home. Come home. Come home. Come home. Come home. Come home. Come home. Come home. Come home. Come home. Come home. Come home. Come home. Come home. Come home. Come home. Come home. Come home. Come home. Come home. Come home. Aiko sobbed as she repeated the phrase over and over in her head, her tears suddenly becoming loud.
"I'm sorry." She whispered as she read the last message ever sent to her.
'You missed ur sister's graduation. Just thought u should know.'
"I'm so sorry."
Chapter Six is over. Yay~! Mystery about Ella Rose solved, she collects information and sells it. Mystery about how Yui knows her solved, Ella helped Aiko escape from home and Aiko knows Sachi. Please review and continue reading!
'Letting go doesn't mean I don't love you. It just means I love you so much that I want you to be happy.'
