Anteiku
"Hey Yato there it is!" Tatsu cheered as they went through the streets. The walk had been so easy and clear not a single CCG Agent was even in range after they crossed into the Twentieth, opposite of the Eighteenth.
"Yeah alright give me a minute," Yato responded quickly. His wallet had been caught in the back ofh is jeans, a few yen coins fell to the ground it would not really matter anyway considering they were only heading in there for a cup of coffee.
'Why did I have to find an underground way in? Its facing a busy street and not a single CCG guy is around,' he pondered as they got closer to the small shop. On the outside nothing seemed different in fact through the large open windows one could see that things with in there was no hostility just friends, books, and coffee what more could one ask for.
"Hey, Yattori since you aren't busy with Nori care to look for your new girlfriend?" Tatsu mocked as they pushed through the door. No one even moved, for being a Ghoul's Cafe the reaction to a human walking in was mild.
A red blush quickly crossed the young Ghoul's face as his friend stared over the group." W-why would you bring that up?" he felt his voice crack and the embarrassment get even worst.
"Nothing really this place has some of the hottest waitresses in town. If you're lucky one may just take a shining to you," Tatsu laughed as they took a corner booth. The place was abuzz with little chit-chat that seemed to be among casual normal people.
"Sorry I'd rather focus on my studies first," Yato responded quickly pulling his jacket off and putting it along the back of the booth. His nose was crinkling every few seconds a smell kept hitting his senses that was stressing.' Ever single person here is a Ghoul. How can they blend in so well? Tatsu isn't in danger yet but still if we stick around one may take a chance,' his eyes narrowed as a blue haired waitress bowed and handed a cup of coffee away.
"Hello, what can I get you?" the same waitress asked, she was more frustrated now. She was waiting for a response from the two teen's before Tatsu spoke up.
"I'll take a frappe with three extra chocolate chips!" he smiled. His smile could have lit up the room if it had gotten the chance but it did not. Such a frilly order though was weird coming from a teenaged boy.
"E-excuse me?" she stuttered confused at the outburst for such a fussy drink. Yato just bowed his head and tapped the table as the awkwardness filled the air.
"He'll have a dark roast with two creams and one sugar. I'll take straight black," Yato stared up face sullen. The only reason he knew how to even say those orders were because his parents ordered the same thing except the one with cream and sugar was given to a beggar along the streets while they shared the dark roast.' She wasn't uncomfortable why was there so much awkwardness,' he wondered.
"O-oh, sure thing right away," she rushed away leaving the two teenager's to watch nothing more than each other.
"Well if you aren't the hipster when it comes to coffee," Tatsu quickly proclaimed. The brunette's hair had moved with the motion but it just made him look goofy when he said it." I mean so relaxed even though you never ordered coffee form a pretty girl before!" he laughed and joked until he say his friend's face.
"Those are the coffees my folks used to drink," Yato was far more grim about it. The location and the weird feeling he was picking up from the area around them was bad enough bringing his parent's into it was even worst.
"Dude, I-I'm-" Yato quickly quelled the sympathy speech. He had received it anytime his friends had screwed up and after three weeks of them it was getting more grating to hear them than helpful.
"Don't be. We all slip up when it comes to stuff like that," the waitress pushed through the door. From behind one could barely make out a waiter with a patch over his one eye. He was no older than nineteen either concern was blatant.' Him, he smells different. I can tell that from here,' his eyes narrowed and then the door closed from its hinges.
"Here are your coffees. That'll be-" she read the board across the room to get the price but the two fifty yen coins hit the tray and paid more than enough. Yato looked over at his friend who had done it." This is too much for sure."
"No, its not you gave us some really fast service. It'd be rude not to tip," he gave another broad smile. It was obvious he was trying to get on her good side and it was failing miserably.
"Well thank you," she bowed and quickly walked away. Her blue hair quickly disappeared behind the door again that strange one-eyed Ghoul messing around with a grinder for the coffee.
"Think she took a shining to me?" Tatsu asked staring back at the kitchen. His hands wrapped around the cup, he always tipped good but what he did here was sort of ridiculous in terms of what it was
"Sure, how about you try and get her name and phone number," Yato rolled his eyes taking a sip from the black coffee. Its dark colored coffee reflected the placement of Ghouls among the human race, an outcast among the people but trying to fit in with the frills of human life.
"Really? Awesome I'll catch her when she comes back out," the brunette teen laughed with a big smile on his face. It was sort of foolish for him to think he would get a date with the blue haired waitress if she were human, but the fact that she was Ghoul would make the even more far fetched.
"Hey uh, waitress can you come here for a second?" the brunette shouted the minute she exited through the kitchen doors. She looked at the table somewhat panicked like a deer in the headlights.
"Yeah, is something wrong?" she asked playing timid. Yato picked up on it but did not call it out he knew it must have been some sort of cover.
"Not one bit! I'd like to ask what your name is?" Tatsu smiled awkwardly. It most definitely was uncomfortable to be anyone that was not the rather hotheaded quick to the punch kid.
"Uh..my name..." she looked perplexed at the blonde haired Ghoul who was simply taking a sip from his cup. Before turning back to the young teenager that was staring at her so intently."...Is Touka. Why did you ask?" she wondered as Tatsu grinned up at her with a broad grin.
"Touka-chan huh. Nice to meet you. I'm Tatsu..." it was too late for him to say another word she had already turned away a frustrated vein throbbing on her forehead. Yato simply smiled as his friend slumped down in the seat.
"Maybe she has a boyfriend," he tried to soften the blow.
"Nah, whatever she's not my type," the brunette quickly changed back to normal taking a sip from the cup of steaming coffee in front of him.
"Sure, she's not," Yato rolled his eyes and looked out the window, the Twentieth was truly a calm ward.
Back in the Eighteenth...
"You told him what?" an angry growl rose up from the back of the dim room. It was Miza, around her in the shadows a group of other Three Blade's members. Nori was in the middle of the room, a three pronged mask was hanging around her neck the point jutting out beneath her chin.
"That one of you guys stole my mask. He'll be coming pretty soon to get it back," she remarked casually long whitened robe swishing with the movements of her arms as she walked across the floor slightly.
"You made him angry at us? You know how freaking upset the One-Eyed King would be if we let a Ghoul with a hybrid Dual Kagune slip away?" Miza hissed angrily pulling her mask up over her face. She was ready to go somewhere and it most definitely would not be pleasant.
"He isn't going to slip away. He's too good a person to let that happen. Ghouls like him should be pretty easy to get to," the blue haired teenager sighed lifting her own mask up over her face. Not the Angel mask that had granted her a code name but the mask of the Aogiri affiliate.
"You're saying he'd join if someone he cared about was killed? Or seriously hurt," a masculine voice rose up from the shadows. The blue-green haired Ghoul from the first encounter Yato had with Aogiri rose out from the shadows." Any ideas of who?" he crossed his hands.
"To get him here though it would have to be by a CCG agent they can't hurt humans," Nori clenched her teeth a tear rolling down her cheek. Something sinister but also painful reared its head within her mind." So that makes me the only candidate for it," her purple-blue eyes directed quickly at the floor the mask on her face hiding the stream of tears.
"Tough luck," a kagune thrashed through her back. A single hole pierced through her abdomen and blood spewed out from the breathing hole in the mask. The other members of the gang shredded away the robe leaving her in standard clothes a giant wound in her gut." That'll do won't it?" the family friend of Yato's said with a smile the blood dribbling to the ground.
"W-why so damned hard," she stumbled the massive wound closing remarkably slowly. Nori fell against the wall bleeding heavily consciousness fading and muscles loosing their grip on anything really.
'T-his better work damn it! I'm not going through this again,' she collapsed to the ground, prone.
Back at Anteiku...
"Man, that was a good cup of coffee. I wonder if they'd mine me giving compliments to the maker," Tatsu sighed staring at his friend, who still had yet to finish. Yato smiled taking another sip from the dark roast, its taste bitter to most but very pleasing to him.
"I'll do it instead. I'm pretty sure that waitress told everyone about how much of a creep you are," Yato joked standing up. A stretch loosened his muscles and he put his cup back on the table. Casually he walked over towards kitchen, no one was even paying enough attention to stop him.
"What do you think you're doing?" he was quickly met by a sharp confident voice when he walked in through the double doors. His eyes locked on the grinder and stove with pots of boiling water. The person that shouted it was the timid waitress from before.
"I just wanted to give compliments to the coffee maker," he backed up eyes locking on that one-eyed Ghoul. 'Kaneki' was marked on his apron in bold kanji, a special case for sure." But my bad I'm sorry," he tried to back away but ended up hitting something tall and slender, muscular too.
"Touka who is this?" the man said. His voice was mature and sophisticated, it also carried age. When Yato turned to see the person, he saw an aging man with white hair atop his head and a very courteous smile on his face.
"He was a customer but he decided to come back here," Touka remarked back her voice was angry but she softened it substantially around this particular person. Yato's nose crinkled and he caught wind of everyone back there, all Ghouls just like Nori had told him.
"I see so young man are you here for an application? Don't worry you being a Ghoul is not going to deter from your job if you are willing to work here," Yoshimura said so calmly. Of course he could here in a restaurant/cafe for Ghouls that he probably ran.
"No, sorry sir," he bowed respectfully, trying to avoid making him angry.' I can't just walk out now. They probably think I'll tell on them being a Ghoul hot spot,' he thought until the man placed a fragile yet very powerful hand on his shoulder.
"I see, then if you would kindly leave the kitchen," the manager had a certain way with his words. They were so soothing yet authoritative, he had to be the reason the Ward was so peaceful and so few humans had been predated until the Binge Eater incident.
"Sure, I apologize for even coming back here," Yato bowed respectfully his blonde hair draping over the two eyes of blue beneath. He stepped back a few steps and out the door, nervously.
He walked slowly over to their corner booth composure returning to his face." So what was that all about?" Tatsu looked up from the sugar packet holder, he organized it by color just for kicks and giggles.
"Nothing, they were just upset that I went back there," he smiled looking up. A very convincing lie had been wedged within his mind, that was what the slow walk was for." Something about secret ingredients in their coffee that they didn't want out in the public," Yato smiled, his cup touching his lips and draining out all of the contents.
"So you're done too. I guess we better bounce," Tatsu remarked grabbing his jacket from the top of his seat and stringing it over his shoulders.
"Yeah sure," Yato did the same and they strolled out of the small cafe.
On the table two more fifty yen coins, and a note on a napkin.
As they walked through the streets they were talking. When something in an electronic store window caught both of their attentions. Another Ghoul attack had occurred in the Eleventh once more on CCG Agents.
"Hey Yato?" Tatsu said as the turned away from the store and headed back towards the Eighteenth Ward, their home.
"Yeah," Yato answered in reality he was lost in thought.' Another attack in the Eleventh. Aogiri is really freaking screwed up to keep doing stuff like that,' the blonde was thinking as they walked casually through the streets.
"What would you do if I were a Ghoul?" Tatsu questioned as they passed some random small shops that only the Twentieth Ward had. Those words froze his best friend's blood, who would ask something like that? Was it a joke?
'Why would he ask something like that? Does he know that I'm a Ghoul? Does he know Nori is a Ghoul? He isn't that deductive is he?' thoughts were zooming through Yato's head at a mile per minute, it was incredibly strange to get a question like that. Yato braced himself head-on for what was about to be somewhat of a revelation of his true origins." First off I wouldn't call the CCG," he said defiantly as they continued to walk down the streets.
"Really? Why not?" Tatsu asked as his friend continued to think up answers and steps to the question. Tatsu however believed everything to be a game or so it seemed.
"I just can't get myself to trust those guys. But back to your question, I'd find you a nice morgue or something to find food that doesn't degrade who you are in the eyes of everyone else. Or maybe there are Ghoul rings or something that will give you food," personal experience filled every word as they continued to walk." Third, I'd train to help keep you safe in case another Ghoul or a CCG person came after you," that was when Tatsu realized something.
"Wait a second. You'd do all of that for me? You are totally a bro," the brunette teen had a giant smile on his face. Having a friend like that for thick and thin, one that would not run away that was something special.
"We've been friends forever. Backing out on you for something that small would be wrong on so many levels," Yato remarked as they passed by a construction site, steel beams were piled wildly, an accident had occurred more than a month ago at this point.' Nothing should have survive those beams falling on them yet that second kid was saved. What luck,' Yato thought noticing the clumps of purple and black along the beams.
"That small? You're calling being a Ghoul small? Now I want to see what's hiding under your shirt. A tail or two more arms," his friend joked as they passed the block long site and onto another street heading home.
"Woah dude. We're best friends don't you think if I had a tail I'd show it to you?" Yato joked right back. They both laughed like two kids would if one got pied or something." But since I answered your question. What would you do if I were a Ghoul?" he questioned looking at hi friend's shocked face.
"I'd do the same thing you'd do for me. Come on we're friends and seeing as you haven't eaten anyone I've cared about I'd keep you safe no matter what," Tatsu took a bold approach his face smiling triumphantly.
"That's good to hear because-" something stirred as they passed into the Eighteenth Ward. A body was thrown down from a rooftop in front of the two friends, it hit the ground with a 'thud' and blood seeped out onto the concrete. The thrower, was in a gray trench coat and quickly rushed away from the rooftop at the glance of the two friends.
"T-that's Nori!" Tatsu ran over seeing the giant hole in his stomach. Yato followed quickly behind seeing her face marked up with scratches and bruises and the large gaping hole in her stomach.
"W-What the hell happened to you?" Yato screamed grabbing her left hand. The pulse running through it was awfully faint and she was losing a lot of blood. With a pull he was brought down next to her mouth, a last desperate effort of strength on her part.
"T-the CCG did this. They think I'm that other Angel," her weakened voice whispered into the Ghoul's ear. His hand released her's and clenched tightly, veins rushing up and down his muscles hands and arms.
"Hello, we have an emergency here one of our friends was attacked by someone or something. We're at the boarder of the Eighteenth and Twentieth Wards," Tatsu was yelling into his cell phone seeing his best friend trying to stop the bleeding in the teenager's open gut.
'Come on stay with us damn it! I need details!' he yelled in his mind pressing his white jacket closely to the wound along her stomach. Blood seeped through it fast but it seemed to stem off, Ghoul regeneration had been slowed from it being a kagune-based quinque but not entirely stopped.
Red light buzzed around the horizon, an ambulance rushing their way and fast. Upon sight they quickly left the emergency vehicle and brought a stretcher and emergency defibrillator. The first two loaded her onto the stretcher while the driver placed a massive gauze on her abdomen, blood soaking it in a red tint.
"Thanks for calling it appears it was a Ghoul attack we'll look into that later," the first worker, a man with graying black hair smiled helping lift the stretcher into the ambulance.
"All right, hey Yato I'm going with them to the hospital," Tatsu climbed in. He was always there from his friend's no matter the cause or case in which they were in.
"I'll get there as soon as I get a change of clothes. I promise," the blonde gave a thumbs up as the doors closed and the vehicle took off.' Of course they'd cover up the fact that it was a CCG attack. I'll look into that later right now Nori is the number one priority,' he walked towards home, blood running down his hands.
On the rooftop behind the one in question the gray, bloody trench coat had been shed. It laid on the rooftop with the badge and gun, Q-bullets still in the chamber. A man smiled pulling a three-pointed mask up over his face.
'Well, well, Nori for a lowly foot-soldier you sure are dedicated,' the man, Ghoul, tucked back his messy green-blue hair into the large face consuming mask. He strolled away as if nothing had happened. His movements were graceful as he slowly marched across the rooftop without a care in the world.
'Of course this is for nothing if he doesn't come crawling to us for help. He should realize that going against the CCG alone would be suicide,' he slipped between the roof tops and into an alley. After that he vanished into an 'abandoned' warehouse.
A twisted plan comes to fruition or so it seems. Now with corruption at his door how will Yato deal with the sudden injury to someone he cares about the most? Will Aogiri gain another strong ally or make a really dangerous monster?
~Herodan3
