Wow, I'm so sorry guys! Summer time was really busy for me cause I was out of town a lot and school just started up this week. I'll try to be faster on updates!

enjoy~

"Are you friends with...humans?"

Kaneki glanced up when Mikado finally spoke, meeting the boy's nervous gaze. He sighed and nodded. "A few, yes."

Mikado bit his lip, chewing it nervously as he placed his thoughts. "...Isn't it hard?"

"Sometimes," Kaneki mumbled, sitting up a little straighter. "I guess it just depends on the person."

"Well...a best friend," Mikado stated slowly. "...My best friend, the one you saw earlier...he doesn't know about any of this. I don't...I don't really want to tell him; he doesn't have a very nice view of ghouls."

"Most people don't," Kaneki nodded.

"I still want to be his friend, though." Mikado continued, frowning to himself. "It's just...hard. His scent...it's all over me sometimes, and in my house...on my school bag and uniform. It's hard...I'm sorting out my feelings for him as it is, I don't need this...this...feeling hanging over me on top of that."

"You mean the hunger?" Kaneki tilted his head to the side, watching Mikado flinch slightly. He sighed and thought his words over before speaking again. "It's hard sometimes...ghouls like us haven't had our whole lives to learn how to ignore it. Honestly I...I give other ghouls a lot of credit for the way they handle it. It was incredibly hard for me to be around my best friend...but he was more than my best friend; he was my world at one point. This life...being a ghoul...it ruined that for a while. I don't have a very good answer for you, Mikado. I went about my problem differently...harder than I should have. A part of me wants to tell you to just be honest with him, but you just said he doesn't like ghouls.'

Mikado nodded hesitantly. "...It's complicated enough as it is with him...I don't want to lose him."

"You have feelings for him?" Kaneki probed.

Mikado blushed and hesitated, sighing finally. "I don't know. I'm trying to figure that out. This ghoul thing...it's making it really hard. There's too much to focus on and sometimes I feel like I'm losing my mind. I keep hearing it."

Kaneki frowned slightly. "Hearing what?"

Mikado took a breath and shifted a bit in his seat. "It's going to sound really stupid or...or maybe just strange so, please, just hear me out."

Kaneki nodded slowly. "Of course."

"It's...it's like a voice echoing around my head." Mikado began slowly, gaze drifting down to his hands that were now fisted in his lap. "Sometimes it just sounds like a soft murmur and it's easy to ignore. Other times, though, it's so ungodly loud, as if someone's screaming into my ears. It's this...voice. A girl that can't be too much older than me. At first it just...egged on the hunger. Told me to eat...told me to bite into people. Lately, though, her voice has been calmer. It's like she's guiding me or at least maybe she's taking pity on me and trying to help me. I don't understand it at all..." He paused to take a breath, one that was slightly shakier than he would like. "I've seen her...a few times. This red haired girl who looks at me as if she's known me forever but I've never seen her in my life. No body else has seen or heard her and it feels like I'm losing my mind. I-I don't understand it at all..."

Kaneki stared at him silently for what felt like an eternity, face blank. He took a deep breath and glanced away and Mikado heard the distinct sound of a knuckle cracking from under the table; it made him shudder. Kaneki spoke, finally, in a hushed voice, "After I had a surgery that made me like this, I saw the ghoul who's organs I received as well. It was just like you said; nobody heard or saw her aside from me and it felt like I was going insane. Our situations are a lot more alike than I had thought and I have a feeling that friend of yours may be experiencing the same thing. Do you think you can convince him to meet with me as well?"

Mikado considered it for a moment. "Ah... Shizuo is...a bit of a hard person to get close to at all, even for just this..."

"I see," Kaneki sighed a little and glanced away. "You should keep an eye on him, then. You said the two of you weren't born like this...what happened?"

"I don't really know," Mikado admitted, voice shaky. "I came home from school a while ago and got sick or something...I passed out in my apartment. When I woke up the next morning I was in pain and had this scar, one that looked like it was from some sort of surgery. Shizuo said the same thing...that he passed out after drinking. He can't get drunk, however...not after just one drink, at least. It happened to both of us on the same night."

"Then both of you were targeted for a reason." Kaneki replied, a frown on his lips. "Do the two of you have common enemies?"

"What? No, not at all," Mikado frowned a little bit as he shook his head. "In all honesty I probably only said a handful of words to Shizuo in a whole two years before this problem came up. He's not exactly the...usual type I hang out with. I can understand him having a lot of enemies and I have my own fair share but none of them could pull off something like this. There's no way. I would have known by now if it was anyone I knew of, anyways; I have connections all over the city."

Kaneki only looked vaguely impressed. "There's no one you could possibly think of?"

"No," Mikado murmured, sighing. "...I can ask Shizuo about it but I don't think there's anyone like that..."

Kaneki nodded slowly, bringing a hand up to pinch the bridge of his nose. "I'll assist you in anyway I can. I should probably leave...but Mikado, I think you should tell that friend of yours about your situation."

Mikado's eyes widened slightly as he watched the ghoul stand up. They nodded a little at each other, Kaneki offering a small, barely there smile, and then he was gone. Mikado wasn't sure how long he sat there, absently staring at the table with his chin propped in his hand. He didn't feel any better, though he didn't exactly feel worse; he felt numb inside, more than anything. The rational part of his mind reminded him to be happy to have a ghoul on his side, but the worried part of his mind wanted nothing more than to hide and never, ever come out.

It was with a heavy sigh that he stood up and gathered his things, leaving.

Irritation was something Izaya was used to, though he didn't welcome it warmly. It washed over him in waves as he spun around in his computer chair. The events of the day replayed in his head, leaving a sort of bitter taste on his tongue.

His usual run in's with Shizuo had never ended...quite like that. Izaya had expected more, now that Shizuo was no longer human, and yet...he'd gotten less?

No...in one way he had gotten more. He'd gotten a lot more. He'd never seen Shizuo cry, nor had he seen him back down from any sort of challenge where Izaya himself was involved. It felt like a cheap win in Izaya's book, like he had broken a toy on purpose only to realize that it didn't satisfy him in the slightest. He had expected...well, a fight. A big fight. He'd expected to see Shizuo blood thirsty and wild, as if he were a wild animal. This, though...

Izaya frowned and brought a hand up to rub his left temple, trying to will away the image of Shizuo, on the verge of tears, that had been branded into his mind. It didn't feel right.

Heiwajima Shizuo didn't cry.

Orihara Izaya didn't make Heiwajima Shizuo cry.

It was unnatural and if Izaya were honest, it made him feel like he had done something wrong.

This was supposed to be a fun game with Shizuo suffering but in a fun way. Not in a way that made Izaya feel like he had kicked a puppy...or worse. Izaya didn't like this...feeling bad about something that he did. He hadn't planned on feeling bad, because why would he? But there was a part of him that knew this whole situation was uncharted territory. He was a puppeteer, pulled strings from behind black curtains so that no one could see for sure it was him. They could suspect him, sure, because maybe sometimes the puppets spoke in a voice so close to his own that it others could tell without much effort that it was him. He preferred it that way, so why did he have to change things up now? He was far from just a puppeteer now; he was there on the stage, walking around with his puppets as if it was a normal every day occurrence.

He'd taken a big step with all of this. He could have just dropped it all, disregarded all the information about what had gone on in the twentieth ward. Ghouls had never been a big deal to him anyways; they weren't human and they were far too predictable. The rumor about the half ghoul, though, had sparked interest in him. Half ghoul and half human, a blood thirsty killer in the skin of a human...it made curiosity well up inside of Izaya. The rumors had been so sparse, though, and hardly anyone was talking about it when the ghouls began to migrate everywhere else. The Dollars forums had a few people who brought it up, though most of it was urban rumors for sure, but he'd dug and dug until he gathered enough information to satiate himself.

A human who had been turned into a ghoul? Now that sounded more interesting than anything else. He'd wondered how it would have effected a human, how it would have turned even the most mundane and boring human into something all together beastly... Perhaps that's why Mikado had become his first choice. It was a small thought, a simple question of how Mikado would react to such a dramatic change. The boy was boring on the surface, but Izaya was well aware of the thirst growing inside of him. The need to have action, to live a life differently from everyone else's.

Wasn't being a ghoul awfully different?

Shizuo, of course, had been a surprising addition. Truthfully he had no true reason to throw the brute into this mess. Not at first. He wanted to see Shizuo suffer. He always had, in some form or another. Shizuo was strong in many ways, nearly all of them it seemed, and that irritated Izaya down to his core. It was the similarities between Shizuo and ghouls that had stuck out the most to him. Shizuo was, in most ways, a monster in human skin. He walked with humans, talked with them, ate with them and even laughed with them, but just under the surface of his skin there was a raw power that lingered. There was a chaos inside of Shizuo that Izaya knew could bring destruction and fear...and wouldn't it have been just delightful to watch that power become unbearable while Shizuo turned into something that couldn't hide with humans anymore? Wouldn't it have been great to watch the mighty Shizuo be taken out of this world like the monster he was?

So why was he crying? Why was he crying instead of killing, instead of breaking things? That wasn't the Shizuo that Izaya knew at all.

Heads turned, eyes lingering on her as she walked down the blindingly white hall. She understood, though; these CCG agents had only ever heard of her from urban rumors. Celty just kept walking, making a left down one hall and coming to a stop at a desk. A woman, young and tired, glanced up and gaped at her. For a moment Celty wondered if she'd scared her, but the woman soon schooled her expression and spoke up, "Are you here to see Arima-San?"

Celty nodded and watched the woman push a few buttons. The woman looked up at her again. "He'll be out in a moment."

Celty stepped away from the desk and took a seat across the room, sliding out her phone. There was a single text from Shinra, sent earlier that afternoon.

Have you spoken to Shizuo today? I can't get a hold of him.

Her fingers hesitated over the keypad.

Shizuo had been odd for some time; she'd checked with his boss more times than she would like to admit. It wasn't like Shizuo to miss so much work with the way he lived. He needed the money, Celty knew. It was hard to believe that Shizuo was so sick so often, or for so long these days as well. How long had she known Shizuo? Since he was in high school? Middle school, maybe? He'd never gotten sick. He'd broken bones, sure, and some times he got a slight hint of a cold...but a runny nose and itchy eyes was no where near enough to stop him.

I'll go see him before I come home.

She put her phone away when the message was sent, shoulders slumping.

"Miss Sturluson?"

Celty stood up, shaking the out stretched hand of the white haired man before her. He gave her just a hint of a smile. "Sorry if I kept you waiting."

She waved a hand dismissively before her phone as back out, fingers typing quickly.

I just got here, so no worries. I haven't interrupted anything have I?"

"No," Arima assured her, shaking his head. "You're a top priority here right now so your presence is never unwelcome. Let's go speak in one of the offices, shall we?"

Celty fell into step behind the white haired man, phone still clutched in her hand for conversation. He led her to a plain, white walled office, and sat down at the desk; Celty sat across from him and began typing away.

I mostly just wanted to touch bases with you. Since that fire at the ghoul safe house I haven't heard much about any ghoul movements. The rumors I have heard are the ones I'm still investigating. There hasn't been anything of interest, I think.

Arima nodded, a hand resting in his chin. "I understand. Because of the fire, I'd assume most ghouls are in hiding until commotion dies down. Truthfully, though, that's the best time to hunt them down; when animals are scared they act out."

They're more human than they are animals, Arima-San. Celty imagined Kaneki's face, her gut twisting.

"Yes, I suppose," Arima agreed quietly. "We appreciate all you're doing to help us. The information you gather from online and around town surpass our methods by far, and already we've apprehended handfuls of ghouls here in the city. Ikebukuro is a large city, and this ward is seeing an increase in ghoul activity that's higher than ever before."

After what I heard happened in the twentieth ward, that's understandable. They're just trying to find safer places to go.

Arima nodded slowly. "Yes, they are."

What happens to the ghouls you've been capturing?

Arima took a breath. "I'd prefer to be honest with you, Miss Sturluson. I understand you may sympathize with these ghouls, but they're a danger to society. We can't let them walk around freely like they are, you know."

Celty paused, typing slowly. I can probably guess what you're doing. I know they're dangerous, but I'd like to emphasize again that no matter what job you give me to do, I won't attack or kill a ghoul.

"I know that and we respect your choice,"He assured her, sitting up straighter. "Helping us locate them and identify areas with higher activity is more than enough. We're all very glad you agreed to help us; I know that you have no real interest in this sort of thing."

That's not true; I am interested. I've only ever really dealt with conflicts that are between humans. Sometimes it seems easier that way. I can easily tell right from wrong in most cases but with ghoul's it's...different. They seem so much like humans. They're only trying to live, the same as all of us; the dangerous ghouls make it hard to tell the difference between the bad and the good. Ghouls are a grey area, I guess.

"For some it can be difficult to understand," Arima agreed softly. He leaned back in his chair, pushing his glasses up. "But I can assure you that ghouls are dangerous even if they don't look like it. You shouldn't concern yourself with things like that right now; it makes working harder."

Celty hesitated, and would have frowned if she could. She gave a small, hesitant nod, standing up.

Thanks, then. I'll be back to check in and what not in another day or so.

"I'll be here when you do." Arima assured, and Celty left before another word could pass the man's lips.

She quickly walked through the halls, suddenly hyper-aware of the eyes watching her as she went. Humans, all of them, humans that were both terrified and curious about her. About anything that wasn't a human like them, that struggled to live in a world that devoured anything weak.

She suddenly felt sick to her stomach, but pushed the discomfort aside; she had to go check on Shizuo, after all.

The ride to Shizuo's apartment felt longer than it usually did and Celty parked her bike and headed up the stairs. She came to Shizuo's door and knocked, waiting. There was no grunted reply, like usual, and Celty brought her hand up again and knocked a second time, harder. Again there was no reply and Celty hesitantly tried to door knob, finding the door unlocked. She stiffened, momentarily stricken with worry, and then she walked into the apartment.

There were clothes everywhere, she noticed first. They were in small piles by the kitchen and hanging off the couch. She cocked her head to the side and stepped around a small pile, peeking towards the hall way that led to Shizuo's room. His door was cracked open, she saw, and she strode over, knocking on the door.

Shizuo yelled, startled, and it made Celty jump back in surprise. She watched Shizuo shoot up from his bed, holding his sheets around him tightly, much like a child would. He stared at Celty in surprise, swallowing thickly. "Did you knock on the front door? I didn't hear you.."

I did. Were you sleeping?

Shizuo didn't look like he'd been asleep. In fact, he didn't look like he'd slept at all recently. He had circles under his eyes and his hair was sticking up everywhere. He read the sentence on Celty's phone and shrugged. "Yeah, sort of."

Tom said you weren't at work today.

"I felt sick," Shizuo mumbled, tearing his gaze away from the woman, chewing his lower lip.

You've been sick a lot lately. Are you okay? You never really get sick.

Shizuo read the phone again and sighed, bringing a hand up to run through his hair. "I'm fine, don't worry about it. Did Shinra send you over?"

Celty shook her head. I was leaving the CCG building and wanted to check on you before I got home.

Shizuo felt his body stiffen and took a breath to calm himself. He nodded slowly, averting his gaze for a second. "CCG, huh? Still working with those guys? What do they even have you doing?"

Celty's shoulders rolled and then slumped as she typed, as if she were sighing.

They mostly have me gathering information on where the ghouls are seem the most. I check forums online, too, to try and see if anyone knows locations. If I run into ghouls on my own I'm supposed to capture them and call the CCG. It's not much work, but I don't really know how to feel about it in all honesty.

Shizuo blinked in surprise, arching an eyebrow at her as he slowly sat down on his bed, pulling the sheets tighter around himself. "Why not?"

Celty went over and sat next to the man, leaning into him as she typed out her reply.

I'm not human so I can sympathize at least a little with Ghouls. Most of them are just trying to live, to get by like every one else. I know there are bad ghouls out there, like the one that you said attacked you when you were a child. But...but it's just like with people. There are good and bad people. There are good and bad ghouls, right? It just feels like a morally grey area; they're human and I want to protect humans but they're also monsters like me. I just don't feel like I should be playing a part in this sort of thing, but I'm one of the only people who can really help the CCG protect the city...the city my friends all live in.

Shizuo nodded slowly, swallowing the lump that had formed in his throat. He took a breath and leaned into Celty, too, taking a second to collect his thoughts. He honestly wasn't sure what he had expected Celty to think of the CCG or the job they gave her. He knew Celty wasn't a killer, that she didn't particularly care for violence like him, too. He knew she was understanding, too, and a part of him was sure that if he just told her, she could help...

There was another part of him that stopped him, that dug it's claws into his throat to keep the words at bay. "That...sounds like it's a lot to handle. Are you sure you really want to do it?"

No, but it's like I said; I'm the only one who can help.

Shizuo looked away, letting out a soft breath. "You should...take time to think about it. Figure it out. If you're uncomfortable doing something then don't let those suit wearing creeps bully you into it."

Celty's shoulders moved a bit, as if she were laughing.

I know...but I came to see you, not talk about me. Are you sure you're alright? We can have Shinra take a look at you and see if there's anything wrong.

"I'll be fine, I'm going back to work tomorrow." Shizuo assured firmly, shaking his head. "I ran into that bastard Izaya today, so maybe that's what made whatever wrong with me act up."

Celty nodded, all too familiar with Shizuo and Izaya's run-in's. She stood up and patted Shizuo's head with her free hand.

I'll try to see you tomorrow if I have time. Try to get sleep.

Shizuo nodded and shuffled out of the room with her, leading her to the front door. "Tell Shinra I'll stop by when I have time, yeah?"

Celty nodded and waved, and as soon as she was out of sight, Shizuo shut and locked the door. He let his forehead fall against the door and let out a sigh. He pushed away from the door and walked over to his couch, laying down on it. His head was spinning and he felt sick to his stomach, the lingering shock from earlier that day still fresh in his mind. The run-in with Izaya had been a mistake.

Izaya knew.

Izaya knew and Shizuo didn't know what that meant. It left him terrified because Izaya hated him and despite what Shizuo had said earlier, he didn't want to die. Well, not by Izaya's doing, at least. Any other way, by any other person...

Izaya could tell the CCG. He could tell Celty. He could tell the entire city if he wanted to, and Shizuo didn't want that. Tom would know. Tom and Kasuka and Shinra would all know and if they found out about Shizuo, then Mikado was in danger too.

Mikado, who was just a kid who was just as scared and confused as he was. A kid that was smart...and had his whole life ahead of him...

No. Izaya couldn't tell and Shizuo had to be sure of it...even if it meant sitting down with the little creep and talking to him himself.

Review? Wonder what Shizuo will do next...