I've been looking for a new anime that is complete. I'm currently watching the progress of K Project season two, but once a week is slow. I can wait for such a good anime, but I get impatient. I still have to finish Gangsta, though. Progress on that one is slow because of me. I like the story, but I can only watch a few episodes of it at a time. It just doesn't hold me there. That would've been a good one to watch weekly as it came out. And oh yeah, I should be getting my Halloween costume soon! And no, I am not too old to dress up. I'm planning on being Hange from Attack on Titan. My friend ordered an Asuna costume as well. I seriously can't wait, but I'm worried about the size. If it doesn't fit, what am I to do? I spent a lot of money to order the cosplay, but if it's too small...

Enough of my problems. You came for the story.


This time it's the classroom. Faceless children sit and stand in groups, chatting away and laughing, although their sounds don't actually form words as far as I can tell. I'm sitting atop the blond girl's desk, looking down at her. She's bowed her head to let her hair hide her face from the world.

"What's up?" I ask her, dipping my head to try to look under her hair. She shrinks back so I can't. "I can't help if you don't tell me. If you don't tell me, I'll go to the teacher and tell her something's wrong and you'll draw more attention. Do you want me to do that?"

She shakes her head, but doesn't lift it. I slam my hand on the desk, causing her to jump. None of the other children so much as flinch, and their murmurs continuing blandly in the background.

"Did someone say something again?" I growl. "Come on, let Superhero Misa help!"

"It...it's not that," she sniffles.

"Then what is it?"

Her hand grips her hair, tugging on it, uncertain. "Why is my hair this color? No one else has blonde hair. Mommy says it's pretty, but I don't think so."

I whack her head and she whimpers, clutching where it hurts. "It doesn't matter if anyone else has blonde hair, idiot. It makes you unique, so I can tell you apart from the really stupid people. Besides, pretty is just a thought. I don't care if others think I'm pretty, and you shouldn't either."

Still, her expression is that of a crestfallen princess, trapped in a tower without hope. "I want to change it, Misa. Can we dye it black?"

"No, we can't. If anyone says anything bad about your hair, tell me and I'll make them sorry. Come on, it's time to go home." I take her hand, leading her from the school. As soon as we leave, the building fades and we're in front of her apartment. I knock and her mother opens the door. Her mother is a beautiful woman, with silky brown hair and black eyes that she passed on to her daughter. She smiles with perfect white teeth.

"Thank you for walking her home everyday, Misa. I appreciate it since I can't do it myself."

"It's my pleasure, Ms. Himura. I have to protect her from the bullies." And ghouls, but I'd better not bring up the possibility. Ms. Himura has enough to worry about without remembering the existence of us ghouls.

She pats my head lovingly, and I let her. "She's lucky to have a friend like you. Say hello to your father for me when you get home."

"I will," I promise.

"And Misa," she calls to me before I can leave. I turn back and return her grin. Much like her daughter, I can't help but smile when she smiles. But then her smile falls and her kind, dark eyes fill with bitterness. "How could you let my daughter die?"

The blonde child is now in her mother's arms, limp and torn to shreds. Blood stains her bright, fair hair, and her clothes are ripped to reveal gashes and punctures in her skin. Her eyes are wide, locked on me, and empty. A single stream of red trails down her cheek from her dead eye, as her mother shouts over and over again.

"Why? Why did you let this happen? You murderer! Why?"

I'm frozen in place, my feet not obeying. My eyes can't move from the little girl's accusing gaze.

"Why did you let my little girl die? Murderer! You murdered my daughter! Murderer!"

"I didn't!" I plead, futilely trying to get my feet to move. "I swear, I didn't kill her! I didn't hurt her, I promise! Believe me! Please believe me!"

"But you didn't do anything." I stop attempting to escape at the sound of her voice. Her cold lips don't move, but her childish voice reverberates through the air, shaking me from the inside. "You stood and watched me die. That's as good as murdering me yourself, Hanako. You watched as I was ripped apart in front of you without coming to my rescue. You're no hero. You're a murderer."

"I'm not!" I scream, eyes flying open. My balance fails and I tumble out of the tree, landing painfully on the ground groaning. Dammit all! Can't I go for one night without seeing that cursed girl's face?

The moon is still high, the stars still breaking through the darkness in defiance. The coldness causes goosebumps on my arms and the eerie quiet makes me shiver. I wonder just how many people heard my cry. If any of them come to investigate, I'll have to kill them. Well, that wouldn't be too bad, would it? They'd probably be wearing a coat, or at least a jacket I could take.

My last meal was a few weeks ago, so I could go for something to eat. I always feel better with something in my stomach.

I haul myself onto my feet, taking my mask out from under my shirt. Good, I didn't break it falling. I slip it back and work the knots out of my muscles, swinging my arms to be sure of my mobility. Still, I'm tired, and my nightmares never leave me in a pleasant mood. I almost feel sorry for the next ghoul crossing my path.

My pace into town is half walking, half skipping. Drowsiness prevents me from running, but I'm itching to bury my teeth into a nice, pumping heart and feel the oxygenated blood trickle down my throat. Thinking about it makes my stomach twist in hunger. I rub it, realizing I've probably ignored its desires for too long. But I've been looking for a new place to occupy for some time, and I can't eat around the place I plan to stay. Trees are not optimal beds, especially when the wind chill is biting and ferocious. It does tend to be a smidgen warmer in the city, but I can't very well sleep in a tree in the middle of a park.

The lights from windows and neon signs give me a headache, as if I wasn't already grouchy enough. Why can't the city die down after the sun sets? Instead of calming darkness, they snap on blinding lights and wander around drunk. In the states they put themselves in, stumbling around like they can't see a foot in front of them, why are they so surprised when one or more of them gets eaten? They're like sleeping pigs to a hungry cougar, so easy to pick off. Sometimes, I wish I could stuff some common sense into them as easily as I could rip out my prey's' insides. Really, would a little logic kill them?

I sniff the air subtly, not really smelling any prey close enough to track. If I'm desperate enough, I could choose one of the prostitutes strutting around or a yakuza member, but the police tend to notice when one of them turns up messy. It doesn't matter who the person is. A human eaten is a human killed. The doves are unlikely to let it go.

I leave the spotty streets filled with after hour, money hungry dumbasses and opt for the darker, silent alleyways. Now, if only someone could fix the awful stench of dumpsters. If alleys were clean and without such a disturbing smell, I could live in one of them. Unfortunately, my sensitive nose refuses to stay long in these havens of silence. If I could find an abandoned building in the area, that would be a jackpot. If a ghoul is already living there, I'd just kick him out. Of course, this is theoretical. I'm not aware of any suitable places nearby, and even then it'd have to be far enough away from demolition for me to settle in for awhile. And it needs to have enough space for my information files. Right now, I'm keeping them stashed in a shack at the site of my last meal.

Ghoul activity in the area seems to be low. The scent of my own species indicates there were some nearby recently, but they've all moved on. They must not have eaten. The smell of iron in blood is incredibly potent, especially when spilled.

Wait, there's one ghoul. He's a distance away, but he's one that I've been smelling for months. He's apparently settled into the area. Perhaps I should pay him a visit.

I take a step forward, narrowly missing a puddle of some unknown substance. I glower and move my foot back. My shoes come off and go under my shirt with my mask. They've grown beaten down over the years, and the last thing I want is some yucky liquid seeping into them and trapping its smell there. Maybe I should consider a more efficient method to carry things around, but purses aren't really my thing. There is a backpack back with the files, but even that I don't like having weigh me down. Travelling light is much more appealing.

As I dash through the back alleys barefoot, I wonder what type of kagune this ghoul has. A rinkaku would be ideal. Bikaku overpowers rinkaku, and ukaku can hold its own against it as well. Hopefully it's not a koukaku, because that puts me at a disadvantage. I don't have the means to quickly overpower one with my bikaku, and ukaku users tend to get trampled into the ground when faced with a ghoul with a koukaku.

My nose leads me to a run down warehouse. I halt outside, the hair on the back of my neck standing. Not good. Not a place like this, please! But his scent is powerful here, and now I can smell a few others. They're separate, though, which should make my part simple. Of course an abandoned warehouse is a hotspot for ghouls, specifically after the doves have already inspected the place and declared it ghoul free. But places like this…

Growling, I snatch my hand up to my face and claw nail marks down my cheek. I'm not a weakling, not anymore. I have nothing to be afraid of, and nothing to hold me back. I can do as I please.

Replacing my shoes on my feet, I stomp into the building. I let my sense of smell guide me to a room with a single ghoul resting against a large crate. Next to him is a mask of a snake, smiling as if pleased with its mischief. He turns to face me as I arrive in the doorway.

"This is my room. Get lost."

"What a kind way to greet your guest," I sigh. "People and ghouls alike need to learn to mind their manners. I swear, we're all just a bunch of barbarians."

"I said get lost," he threatens, pushing to his feet. Instead of making him appear nerdy, the glasses he wears add to his dangerous demeanor. Sensing blood to be splattered, I set my mask aside. No need to get it dirty.

I lean against the doorframe, casual. "And I told you to mind your manners. I don't care if you're older, as you look to be. I still deserve a degree of respect. Apologize?"

He releases his kagune in response. He has a bikaku. That's not the best, but it could be worse. It's actually a rather interesting electric blue color. From his confidence, I can assume he's fought quite a lot. A territorial ghoul, if I'm not mistaken. Considering his healthy condition I can also draw the conclusion that he's good at brawling. I might have to be careful.

Slinging up my hair into a ponytail, my dual wings unfurl from my back. I don't particularly care for this shirt, anyway. Even when he sees my type of kagune, he doesn't show the slightest hesitation.

"You must be quick on your feet," I comment, "not to question yourself after seeing I have an ukaku. Before we begin, I feel I must commend your idiotic bravery."

"What's you're business?" he asks, positioned to attack.

I shrug. "You've been around here for a while, right? But you aren't native. Neither am I. I thought I should come say hello. I guess I should admit, I was also hoping for dinner. How rude of me to expect you to provide it willingly." I lick my lips. "I have a peculiar taste in food, I should warn you. Ghoul meat is absolutely mouthwatering to me."

"Eyepatch Ghoul!"

Both of us freeze at the screech of another in the building. It definitely came from one of the ghouls I smelled earlier, but I don't particularly care for that. It's what he said that intrigues me. The Eyepatch Ghoul was a nickname given to Kaneki, if I'm not mistaken,

I rotate my head to look in the direction of the voice when a crash yanks my attention back to the bikaku ghoul. He's broken the window and is letting himself drop outside, mask on. I curse, but let him escape. He's no longer my top priority.

Grabbing my own mask, I put it on as I run to the origin of the shout. I whirl around a corner to a large, open storage space, where a black and white haired person stands wearing a leather ghoul's mask.


The decision to put Nishiki in was a last moment thing. I'd considered it for a while, but didn't think I'd be able to fit him in anywhere in particular. I'm glad he appears, though, if only briefly. I really do like him as a character, and I'm waiting anxiously for him to be seen more in the manga. I mean, they had him appear in the beginning of :RE as a ghoul being chased down, but have we seen him since? And what of his girlfriend? Are they still together? I can't wait for the next update!

Till then, Kisses from SnowyNeko! :3 MEOW!