A/N: What? It's been about three months already?! Shit, it only feels like only two weeks have gone by... Hello dear readers and welcome to the eleventh installment. I apologize profusely for the late update, but life happens and things must be attended to! Not to mention I got writer's block for a straight month. It's something I'm not proud of but whatever, all water under the bridge!
*Review Feedback*
Demons Anarchy of Pride: Yes, yes I may have gotten ahead of myself a bit, three months of writer's block and such can really put things into perspective. Amon is alive and kicking! So hyped for more of him in the coming chapters.
purpleswans: Thanks for the encouraging words! I'm glad you understand my reasoning!
togetherweloki'd: Yes, i did it! (just for you too ;P). Yes, pineapple FTW indeed and thanks for the kind words!
desropter: I'm looking forward to writing it!
xxxDreamingflowerxxx: Always glad to hear you enjoy all parts of my chapters! (Amazing review btw!)
Ettore: Hanbee does look a bit female-ish doesn't he?
Ryujomaru15: Continue it I shall! And thanks for reviewing!
BriEva: Oh god where do I even start?! Firstly, I'd like to thank you again for leaving such a long and detailed review. Secondly, your main issue with my OC should be cleared up in the next ten to twelve chapters. (maybe more, maybe less), and thirdly while I wanted to make similarities between Kaneki and Bushidō, I don't think that I made him to Kaneki-like, although that maybe just the author in me talking since I know where the story will go. At any rate, thank you so much for such an awesome review!
Delta Marauder: Touken fluff shall be incoming. When you ask? Well, you'll just have to wait and see!
All four ghoul investigators sat around a simple wooden table in the corner of the busy restaurant. Their bowls of food had been recently delivered, but Saiko was already inhaling her third helping; much to the chagrin of Shirazu, who chastised her for eating so fast. Even the other nearby customers were starting to stare in bewilderment as to how such a short girl could eat so much.
The restaurant was of modern design; sleek lighting fixtures hung from metal beams running along the open ceiling that showed the establishment's air ducts and pipelines. Against the wall near their table sat a polished dark wooden display case that held various small plants, and on the adjacent wall hung a watercolor painting. Bright midday sunshine shone through the glass windows, casting light on some of the tables and the human customers that sat there. Bushidō watched them for a moment, taking in the relaxing and friendly atmosphere.
'How oblivious they are. They know nothing of the danger this world holds...' Bushidō thought as he glanced at a young couple sharing food with each other; smiling at each other lovingly. He somewhat envied them; a knot coiling in his chest that he couldn't quite get rid off.
Hanbee made small talk with the young qunixs, mostly about how their training was coming along, all while watching the white-haired man seated across from him out of the corner of his eye. Nothing seemed out of the ordinary, but Hanbee knew that he was anything but ordinary...
Bushidō, who had just finished his first helping of food which tasted like rotting garbage that was shredded and mangled together, set down his chopsticks next to his bowl. His stomach churned violently, and Bushidō had to steal his nerves just to keep a straight face just in case he was being watched by a certain ghoul investigator.
'Speaking of being watched...' The ghoul thought. He could feel Hanbee's stare upon him and Bushidō flicked his eyes towards the man, who averted his eyes just a tad too late.
"Something you'd like to ask me, Hanbee-san?" Bushidō asked politely, breaking the silence that had been hanging over the table for the past couple of minutes. His sudden question caused Shirazu and Saiko to look at him in mild surprise. It was the first time he had spoken since they entered the restaurant. Both of them quickly got over their shock and turned their heads to the long black-haired investigator, waiting for him to answer.
The investigator in question mentally cursed at being caught and narrowed his eyes ever so slightly at Bushidō; the white-haired man's expression practically oozing smugness.
"...In fact, yes. There is something I'd like to ask." The slender man said after a moment, regaining his composure as he sat up a little straighter in his chair.
"Alright, ask away. I'll try to sate your curiosity to the best of my ability." The ghoul said before glancing towards the quinxs for a moment. They looked at him worryingly, Saiko more so than Shirazu, but Bushidō winked at them hoping it would calm their nerves. He was almost certain he could talk his way out of this...
"I'd like to know why the Laboratory Division chose another for the Quinx Surgery." Hanbee began, the ghoul investigator's usual troubled expression gone as he stared hard at Bushidō, looking for any signs of discomfort or nervousness. To the ghoul's credit, he didn't even blink; he just stared back waiting for Hanbee to continue.
"...It seems rather...random that they would have another quinx when there are already five others."
'...Oh, that's right. He thinks I am a quinx. This...complicates things.' Bushidō mused, his eyes shifting back to the two actual quinxs for a split second.
Hanbee, in fact, did not believe that he was a quinx but rather was trying to catch any slip-up Bushidō would make. The question covered his true suspicions while simultaneously fooling everyone at the table. After all, it seemed like a perfectly normal question given the circumstances.
"Well..." Bushidō said slowly, intentionally drawing out the word for a few moments to formulate an answer. "It's classified, I can't talk about the circumstances." He told Hanbee, the slender investigator's expression turning stony and Hanbee furrowed his thin eyebrows at the vague explanation.
Bushidō wasn't certain whether or not his assimilation into the folds of the CCG was kept classified, but he assumed so. Regardless, He couldn't go around telling CCG secrets, even if the ones questioning were part of the institution itself.
"That's...rather convenient to say. How do I know you're not lying?" Hanbee questioned.
Bushidō's mouth quirked upwards ever so slightly, for he knew he had already won.
"Hanbee-san..." The ghoul began, leaning forward and interlacing his fingers together. Shirazu caught sight of the tiny smirk, and immediately recognized that look on the white-haired man's face...
'Here we go...'Shirazu thought and let out a breath he didn't know he was holding while Saiko was oblivious to everything as she was shoving her fourth helping of food into her mouth. It seemed all the reassurance she needed was one look at Bushidō's face.
Bushidō's sudden intense gaze and posture threw Hanbee off, and the white-haired ghoul silently noted the other man's slight discomfort; "I pride myself on being many things Hanbee-san..."
The slender ghoul investigator almost raised an eyebrow at the odd statement but restrained himself from showing any hints of reaction as he waited for the man to continue.
"And being a liar is not is one of them." Hanbee was starting to feel more and more uneasy, the white-haired man's intense stare coupled with his words were beginning to unnerve the Rank Two Investigator.
"Now tell me," Bushidō said, leaning back in his chair and crossing a leg over his thigh seemingly calm and relaxed even in a tense argument. "If I am right, which I am, then you doubting my answer is by extension doubting the superiors you work for, correct?" The question stunned everyone at the table and even Saiko looked up from her food in surprise, a piece of peppered lettuce dangling from the corner of her mouth. After watching Hanbee's stunned face for a few moments, Bushidō continued unmoving from his relaxed position. "Having such distrust in your own organization is a very bad habit Hanbee-san."
Hanbee was floored, his mind almost unable to comprehend what he had heard. Was this man insinuating that he didn't trust the CCG, that he didn't trust his captain? Why the very thought was absolutely ludicrous and yet...if he was telling the truth then what right did he have to question the higher-up's decisions?
Hanbee credited himself to be particularly observant but he also knew that he wasn't daring and lacked the strong backbone of his captain, and so he was torn in his decision between his suspicious hunch and the likelihood that headquarters had actually wanted to keep this man's circumstances a secret. Both where possibilities and he couldn't distinguish which one was the most likely.
The tension at the table was so thick Saiko thought she could cut it with her chopsticks. She was almost about to try when their dark-haired waitress interrupted the two men's staredown.
"Is there anything else I can get you all?" she asked pleasantly, seemingly unaware of the tense atmosphere. Bushidō, seeing an opportunity to change the mood, cocked his head towards the pretty young woman and gave her his most charming smile. "Yes, I believe these two..." The ghoul gestured to the two quinxs without breaking eye-contact; "would like another bowl and I think my friend here would like some oolong tea. He's been terribly stressed lately." The waitress nodded her head vigorously, enthralled by the mysterious handsome man.
"But-" Hanbee started to protest, finding is voice after a moment. "Now, now." Bushidō interrupted, holding a hand up to stop Hanbee from further speaking. "It's quite alright Hanbee-san. No need to worry."
Before Hanbee could protest again, the young waitress spoke up, stumbling over her words as she nervously addressed Bushidō. "I-Is there a-anything I can get you, sir?"
"Me? No, I am quite alright my dear. Thank you for asking, your service thus far has been...very satisfying." Bushidō said, winking at the waitress for good measure. The poor waitress tried her hardest not to blush and failed miserably. With her face as red as a tomato, she nodded quickly and immediately turned around and practically ran back to the kitchen, almost tripping on the leg of a table as she did so.
The rest of the table's occupants were silent as Bushidō watched the waitress go. When she had gone behind the kitchen doors, Bushidō finally returned his attention back to the rest of them, only to find all of them staring at him. Hanbee was looking at him a bit bizarrely, but said nothing when Bushidō made eye-contact. The white-haired ghoul turned to look over at Saiko, the short pudgy nineteen-year-old held his gaze with her bloodshot eyes for a moment before giving him a thumbs up of what he assumed was approval and going back to finishing her bowl of food. Bushidō raised an eyebrow at her actions, but didn't question it.
He then turned his head to look at Shirazu, who was next to him, and found the young man with his lips pursed and eyebrows slightly furrowed. It was almost as if he was glaring at him.
"What?" Bushidō asked, confused by Shirazu's expression. "What was that?" Shirazu asked, obviously irked about something as he gestured to where the waitress had been standing.
"What was what about?" The ghoul asked, feigning ignorance. "Oh my fuc-" Shirazu started to groan, as he brought a hand over his forehead. Fortunately, Saiko interrupted the would-be cursing by saying; "He's just jealous that you swooned the waitress." Although her words came out garbled because she had a mouth full of food, Shirazu understood for he slapped his hand down on the table, rattling the bowls and almost tipping drinks. He sneered at his teammate across the table; "Shut yer trap!" Then after a moment's contemplation he realized his mistake. "...I mean, uh, like hell I am!"
Saiko almost choked on her food, clearly amused by Shirazu's slip up and Bushidō chuckled lightly while the orange-haired teenager just grumbled under his breath and turned his head away from all of them, finding the wall immensely more enjoyable than being teased by this squad.
" You know..." Bushidō said to Shirazu after a few silent moments, slightly leaning towards his squad leader. "I can put in a good word for you. I'm sure-"
"No! No! No! Don't even think about it!" Shirazu hollered, glaring as he swiftly turned his head back towards the ghoul sitting next to him. Bushidō continued his teasing, unperturbed by the young man's anger; "Are you positive? I mean I think you might be her type..."
Hanbee watched Quinx Squad's drama unfold in slight amusement, but the earlier conversation did not escape his mind's grasp. The ghoul investigator was certain that this man had more depth than he let on, but seeing him interact with the two young quinxs Hanbee could see that the white-haired man's influence was a positive one. So instead of further voicing his suspicions, Hanbee was content to drop the matter entirely, momentarily anyways. Although he would keep a stern vigil from now on...
The rest of the meal went by rather swiftly with both Shirazu and Saiko piling up empty bowls. Hanbee was quite impressed at the amount that they ate and wondered if their large appetite was caused by being quinxs, but if that was the case...
Hanbee glanced at the empty bowl and seat that the white-haired man had occupied. He had excused himself a few minutes ago to use the restroom, and Hanbee wondered why the man didn't eat more. Surely...
The Rank Two Investigator then heard Saiko hush something that he didn't quite catch and Hanbee was jolted out of his musings. He turned towards the two younger ghoul investigators and when they noticed they had drawn his attention both of them shrunk back from his stare as if they were afraid and Hanbbe raised an eyebrow at their reaction.
"Is something wrong?"
Shirazu scratched his cheek as his eyes slid from Hanbee to his teammate across the table. Saiko brought both her hands up as if to say 'Don't look at me'.
Of course, she wasn't going to help him what did he expect.
"Well, ya see..." Shirazu started, his eyes looking anywhere but at Hanbee. "I had to use up my savings for a new motorcycle and Saiko spends all her money on games..." Hanbee turned to look at the pig-tailed neet next to him and the short girl sunk into her chair and grumbled under her breath; "It wasn't all on games..."
"What I'm trying to say is..." Shirazu said, then after a moment of silence he quickly bowed his head, almost smacking it into the table. "We don't have any money! So can you please pay for our meal?"
Hanbee blinked in surprise, almost not catching what the young man said as the words tumbled out too swiftly to be coherent and after a moment to digest the words, the corners of Hanbee's mouth turned upwards into a small smile.
"Of course."
"Thank you very much!" Both qunixs said bowing their heads, grateful for the generosity shown to them. Seeing their bowed forms sparked an idea in Hanbee's mind and the older ghoul investigator thought that his idea would be an experience for the both of them.
"Do you two...have a little more time after this?"
By the tone in Hanbee's voice Shirazu knew whatever the man's sudden idea was, it sounded important. The orange-haired quinx was about to reply when an approaching voice interrupted him.
"Time for what exactly?" Bushidō asked; the white-haired ghoul overhearing Hanbee's question as he walked up to the head of the table. Crossing his arms over his chest, the ghoul cocked his head down at Hanbee awaiting an answer.
Hanbee took notice of the man's complexion; He seemed...paler, it was negligible change in color but it was there. Hanbee doubted anyone else noticed and he himself most likely wouldn't have seen it either if the man was not as near as he was.
Juuzou Suzuya's self-proclaimed right hand was snapped out of his scrutinization when Bushidō raised an eyebrow at him. Realizing that he had been staring for more than a few seconds, Hanbee quickly responded; "I was going to take them to... someone who might teach them something."
'Teach us...something?' Saiko and Shirazu thought simultaneously, equally confused at to what Hanbee was referring to.
The answer seemed to please the white-haired ghoul or if anything he seemed to accept it, nodding his head slightly. "May I also see this person? That is, of course, if I am not intruding on anything."
"I..." Hanbee began to say but stopped himself. What harm could come of him tagging along? If Hanbee denied him then the other two would definitely question his decision. And so, he relented.
"...No, you're free to come along if you wish."
XxXxXx
Yukinori Shinohara lay, comatose, in his hospital bed still living with the help of various state-of-the-art medical equipment. The man's former buzzed black hair had grown out and was now strewn messily across his forehead, while his nose and mouth were covered by a breathing mask. The unconscious man did not hear the smooth wooden door open or the voice of Hanbee Abara as the slender ghoul investigator entered.
"Hello, Special Class Investigator Shinohara." A hat and scarf adorned Hanbee greeted formally, walking into the room followed by Shirazu and Saiko. The man didn't respond; not a twitch of an eyelid nor a groan of discomfort, in fact, the only sign that he was even alive was the slow and steady rise and fall of his chest.
'This man is already...' Bushidō thought as he stood, propped against the door's framework. With solemn reddish-white eyes, Bushidō took in the sight of the bedridden man noticing the empty space where Shinohara's right leg should have been.
"Special class you say... So he's a ghoul investigator?" Shirazu asked, not sure what to be feeling as he stared at the incapacitated man. 'What am I supposed to learn from him?'
"Yes, 'The Indomitable Shinohara'. Quite a famous one as he was a mentor to many investigators, but he was heavily injured in the 20th Ward Owl Suppression Battle..."
That caught Bushidō's attention, the ghoul tensing slightly as his eyes flicked from Shinohara to the back of Hanbee's head.
"Since then, for over two years, he's been in this condition. If he can't recover from this state... His last partner will have been Boss Suzuya..."
'So this man must have mentored Suzuya-san... But would Yoshimura really do something like this?' Bushidō thought skeptically. Although if it was a battle to the death then he also knew the older ghoul would have not held back at all.
The white-haired ghoul turned his attention outwards when he heard Hanbee began to speak again. "The smoldering feelings in the boss' chest are something that someone one like me cannot understand, but..." Hanbee's gaze turned from Shinohara to the basket of flowers on the table. "If it were me, I'd blame myself so much that I wouldn't even be able to come see him." Bushidō also turned his head to look at the arrangement of flowers, taking in every petal and stigma as his orbs roamed over it. White and magenta lilies blended together with light purple tulips; The combination creating a beautiful contrast to the sparse room and gloomy atmosphere.
Shirazu and Saiko were stunned and a bit speechless, Hanbee's heartfelt words and the vegetative state of Shinohara had opened their eyes that something like this could happen to any ghoul investigator. 'Even Sas-san...' Shirazu thought, his jaw flexing as his teeth ground together.
"I want to protect my boss' back." Hanbee said as he turned around to face the three members of Quinx Squad. "Don't you?"
"Yes." both Shirazu and Saiko said at the same time, shocking themselves and each other with how swiftly and confidently they answered. The ghoul in the doorway had not taken his eyes off of the basket of flowers, too caught up in his own thoughts to answer the question.
'To protect someone... Do I have anyone like that?'
Hanbee did not voice his question again to Bushidō in the doorway, he could see that the white-haired man was preoccupied with his own thoughts. Instead, he bid both of the teenagers goodbye, explaining that he had to see a colleague of his.
"I'm...sorry. Thank you for everything today." Shirazu said, and he meant every word. Hanbee lips turned upwards into a small smile at the young man, a sign to Shirazu that he said something right.
The two quinxs moved out of the way to make a path for Hanbee to leave, which he took but stopped as he came up to the humanoid obstacle in the doorway. The approaching presence of the slender ghoul investigator shook Bushidō out of his introspection and as Hanbee came to a stop in front of Bushidō, the ghoul raised his eyes away from the flower-filled basket and the two men locked gazes.
Shirazu and Saiko watched, with bated breath, as the two stared each other down. Shirazu wondered if Hanbee was angry at all over what happened at the restaurant but, surprisingly, it was Bushidō who backed down. He nodded curtly to Hanbee before taking a step back to let the other pass.
Hanbee walked out of the hospital room but when he turned and took one step down the white-walled corridor he heard the man next to him say; "Despite your appearance you try very hard. It is...respectable."
The slender ghoul-investigator stopped but did not turn around. "...It seems you can make an expression that isn't filled with hubris." Hanbee replied. He had seen something else, something different from before when they locked eyes.
Bushidō made a sound in the back of his throat akin to a chuckle as he let out a breath through his nostrils. Whether or not it was an insult, he took the response as some sort of common ground between them.
Taking the noise as a farewell, Hanbee took off down the hallway without looking back. Bushidō turned his head back to look into the hospital room and found Shirazu and Saiko taking to each other, almost normally. No bickering, no yelling, and not even a sneering expression from quinx's squad leader. The ghoul's orbs trailed over to Shinohara's form and he thought that Hanbee was right to bring them here. He suddenly found it ironic that the one who couldn't speak would be the one teaching those two...
"Oi, did ya hear what I said?"
Bushidō snapped his head back towards his superior; "I'm sorry...You said something?"
"Geh, the hell man..." Shirazu said, raising an orange eyebrow. "You've been spacing out ever since we got here..."
The ghoul scoffed; "Hardly. Now are you going to say something mildly important or?..."
"Hey! It's yer fuck'n fault for not listening in the first place that I gotta repeat myself!"
Bushidō rolled his eyes at the accusation to which Shirazu sneered, his teeth showing as his lips curled downwards. Saiko brought a hand up to stop herself from giggling out loud and she succeeded, partially. The suppressed giggle came out more like a chortle and garnered the attention of both Bushidō and Shirazu.
"The hell are you laughing at, huh?!" Shirazu hounded as he rounded on his squadmate. "You, obviously." she replied and Shirazu was about to angrily retort when he was acutely aware the two of them were still in Shinohara's room.
"...Whatever, let's just get going." Quinx's Squad Leader said after a heavy sigh. "Sas-san won't be out of his meeting until tonight." he told Bushidō as he made his way out of the room and into the white-titled and walled hallway of the hospital.
"I see..." The ghoul replied as he shut the door behind Saiko, stopping momentarily to take one last look at Shinohara's incapacitated form.
Walking down the hospital's hallway Bushidō recognized someone he never expected to see. Touka Kirishima strode down the hallway, her very presence acting like flame for moths; people's heads turned to her as she passed by, almost entranced by the ethereal beauty she possessed.
"That's :re's..." Shirazu whispered to himself though both Saiko and Bushidō heard him. 'What is she doing here?...' Bushidō wondered, his eyes then finding the bouquet of flowers she was carrying. 'And who are those for?'
Touka was not expecting to find any of the three of them, especially him though her surprise did not rise to the surface. Her expression was one of reserved politeness smiling at both nineteen-year-olds, her one visible eye closing as she said hello and passed by them. Her left eye opened again to stare at the reddish-white eyes she knew would be looking at her. They seemed different than she remembered, there was less color in them. They looked almost...somber.
Shirazu turned his head to watch the waitress go, wondering if she was visiting someone.
"Don't even think about, she's way out of your league."
"The hell? How do even know what 'my league' is?" Shirazu said turning his head to look at the ghoul behind him, clearly annoyed.
"You've probably got the hots for her that's why you're trying to get rid of any competition, isn't that right big bro?" Saiko said, poking fun at the Bushidō for a change.
Bushidō didn't even know where to begin to tell her how wrong her statement was so he settled for a simple; "Please don't call me that."
The shortest of the quinxs shrugged her shoulders, almost expecting the answer. Maybe if she kept it up the nickname would stick.
They continued down the hallway passing various hospital rooms, some had their doors open, filled with the patient's family or the hospital's medical staff. Others were closed, whether they contained sick souls that no one bothered to come comfort or that they were empty was unknown.
Walking into the lobby, Shirazu and Saiko looked out past the glass doors to the sea of bodies of japan's afternoon rush hour. Both of them sighing, knowing that it was going to be a long walk home.
"Man~~, this is going to be such a pain in the ass." Shirazu complained. When he didn't hear a retort or witty reprimand Shirazu turned around to look for the older ghoul but founding nothing but empty space.
"Hey! Where the fuck did he go!"
XxXxXx
Touka emptied the intricately crafted vase's flowers into the garbage can that sat near the hospital bed. The once bright sunflowers were now on the verge of wilting and she would make sure that there would never be dying flowers in the vase. It was bad luck, after all. She placed her assortment of flowers into the vase, the stems dipping into the water and casting shadows across the table as afternoon sunlight seeped into the room through a large window, spreading golden color across everything the light rays touched. Taking her usual place as she pulled up one of the chairs next to the hospital bed, Touka sat and watched the rise and fall of the person's chest, it took exactly six and a half seconds to exhale and inhale and it would be like that the next time and the next time and the next time. It had been that way for over two years...
Sensing a presence behind her, she narrowed her eyes; "Why are you even here? Shouldn't you be with those two?" Touka asked, not bothering to turn around knowing full well who was there.
"Truth be told I was curious, but I now seem to have stumbled upon something rather...troubling."
:re's waitress sighed, not giving the man the satisfaction of a retort. A silence settled between the two ghouls for some time, then she heard a footstep of him approaching and immediately snapped; "Don't. Just...don't."
Bushidō stopped one foot into the room, his eyes switching from the hospital bed to the female ghoul. He said nothing as he backed up to lean against the doorframe once more. After another long silence he spoke; "Are you going to tell me who this is?"
"Are you going to ask?"
"Will you tell me if I do?"
Touka didn't answer and Bushidō took her silence as a definitive "no". Truthfully, Touka still didn't trust or even like the older ghoul. He came across as a smug know-it-all prick and she had already regretted telling him Kaneki's past, however bare-bones it might have been. After all, how could she put her faith in someone who was a borderline basket case? Not to mention that Renji warned her about him, saying that he was a "danger to ghouls as well as humans."
Realizing that she wasn't going speak up again, Bushidō turned his attention back to the unknown person in the bed. The man had messy strawberry blonde hair that traveled down the nape of his neck and covered his forehead. He looked to be in his early twenties, and although he wore a breathing mask Bushidō could almost picture a serene expression that the man was most likely making.
"Is he a friend of yours?"
Touka did not respond right away, her eyes trained on Hideyoshi Nagachika's breathing, her mind beginning slipping away into the past. She remembered the first time she saw him, lying unconscious in this very room. Posing as one of his friends from Kamii University, Touka had been able to get information from the visiting ghoul investigators, learning that he had been found in the sewers in the aftermath of the 20th ward battle between Anteiku and the CCG. The doctors had said that he was extremely lucky to be alive since he was riddled with bite marks, although none of them were lethal. The main problem was that the sewage water had created infections and had caused his body to strain itself to fight it off. Shortly after his admission Hide had come down with a fever and then later gone into a coma. He hasn't woken up since...
"...In a way, I suppose."
Bushidō narrowed his eyes and crossed his arms over his chest, wrinkling his suit slightly in the process, unsatisfied with her answer. "You suppose?"
"Look, I don't have to explain anything to you." Touka snapped, her ire provoked, turning her head to glare with her one visible eye at him. The white-haired ghoul raised an eyebrow at her sudden hostile outburst. Something was amiss, Bushidō could plainly see that Touka was very defensive about the subject. Then realization dawned on him, she would act like this unless it was related to...
"This is about him, isn't it?"
Touka's glare intensified tenfold at the implication he made, but she did not deny it. "...So then, this man is an acquaintance of-" Bushidō said, unfolding one of his arms to gesture towards the bedridden Hide.
"That's enough." Touka spat, rising from her chair and turning around to fully face the older ghoul, her blueish-silver hair swaying in the process. "Who do you think you are? Sticking your nose where it doesn't belong."
"On the contrary, I believe I should know considering-"
"No, I've already told you more than you need to know. Now, leave." Touka said, holding her gaze and standing her ground.
"...I see. You don't trust me, even after I said that I would help."
The female ghoul was mildly surprised, there was not a hint of anger or bitterness, only a well-hidden sadness in his tone.
"You're damn right I don't." Touka crossed her arms over her chest, her displeasure still prevalent from her tone and expression. "I don't even know why you would want to help in the first place. What reason do you have?"
"Its because..." Bushidō broke eye-contact, but Touka could see the color slightly fade from his eyes; "he's living a lie."
Touka knew he was right, and just thinking about it made a whole range of emotions stir in her gut but why did that make him care so much? "And that matters to you, a complete stranger, how exactly?"
In the depths of his subconscious Bushidō heard a sinister whisper so faint he couldn't make out the words, but it still sent a mind-numbing chill down his spine.
'Its because...you are too.'
XxXxXx
[November 10th: One day before the Auction]
Rio Hoshino jogged along the dark sidewalks of Tokyo's thirteen ward, on her way to her friend's abode. Rio's phone read nine-thirty and she mentally cursed that she would be way later than expected. She had finally gotten settled into her job and then they had slammed her with so much paperwork to file Rio was sure she had at least ten paper cuts.
Turning her eyes back to the concrete of the sidewalk the young woman contemplated that it would only take her the next ten minutes to arrive at her friend's front door. She had taken this path before, but something felt different tonight. Something almost... ominous. The dark thought made a chill run up her spine and Rio's pace quickened, her only thoughts were to keep moving.
'Left foot, Right foot. Left foot...' Rio thought as she continued moving, forcing herself not to think about how dark the sky was or the fact that she stepped on a crack in the sidewalk or that there not a soul around. Rio stopped suddenly in the mouth of a dark alleyway, looking up and around the vicinity, confused as to why there was absolutely no-one in the area.
'That's odd...' Rio thought. She was certain she passed someone not to long ago, so surely there had to be more than just her out this late. Thinking back, Rio remembered that that person giving off some bad juju vibes. In her rush, she didn't get a good look but Rio thought she saw a bald man with sunglasses...
The twenty-two-year-old brunette was just able to catch a glimpse of something moving out of the darkness from the alleyway until it was upon her. The assaulter back-handed Rio so hard, one of the young woman's hair pins was ejected onto the sidewalk's concrete; falling in the crack between slabs. Rio's eyes reeled back into her head as she lost consciousness from the blow, collapsing into a heap at her assaulter's feet. The stoic bald man looked down at his captured prey through a pair of dark sunglasses.
Without a word, the ghoul bent down and hoisted the woman up onto his shoulder, the vein in his head twitching slightly as he did so. Then as quickly as he struck, the ghoul retreated swiftly and silently back into the alleyway, the only indication of the abduction was Rio's treasured hairpin, laying snugly in the crack of the dark concrete slabs of Tokyo's thirteen ward...
A/N: What did you think? Remember to leave your thoughts in a review!