Authors Note: I can finally introduce some new characters in this chapter. If you were worried the series would end soon, rest assured. The series isn't even halfway done yet. I'll even devote some chapters into some lemons just to extend it if I can because I would hate for it to end as much as you do.
Having everything take place in Anteiku is getting a bit redundant. I know you're getting sick of having everything take place here, but TG doesn't really offer many settings I can use that can fit my story outline. I'll make changes to that in the next chapters.
There are some days when I just "can't write" (well), no matter how much I wanted to. Today was one of them.
If that weren't the issue then it would have to have been the characters going OOC again. I can't really develop my characters unless I start including them in the narrative, but even then, it'll take time to see how they'll actually respond to every dialogue and encounter.
I've read a good deal of fan made stories on TG and all of them portray Ayato swearing or using otherwise crude language. I know that it's his character and by leaving the swearing out, I'm also going to go a bit OOC.
That was a decision I had to make but I'll still abide by my own "no-swearing" rule. It's not because I'm strongly against using it, since it's more of a personal issue, but because it "kills" too much of the dialogue by overshadowing what I'm trying to convey. I have nothing against it outside of dialogue but then there wouldn't be much of a reason for me to use it at all.
Decided to run this through spellchecker, guess what my response was: "Yikes! I did not realize there were some many grammar issues and errors".
The last chapter had a lot of lemons so this chapter will have a lot of drama. This one is a bit more depressing then some of my previous ones, but I promise you there'll still be a happy ending (Thank you Ayato for screwing things up).
Please don't favorite and then un - favorite me. I'm trying to publish each chapter as fast as I can in a timely fashion without having a decline in quality. So just try and be patient, it really hurts when people start doing that.
Went through my own chapter and realized that Ayato "should not" have had this much of a grudge on Kanou. Maybe something will come up and there'll be a good reason for it.
Sorry for boring you with so much drivel, on to the next chapter….
~ Ayato ~
It was afternoon in Anteiku before the news arrived, Ayato's had returned and for once, had found something positive in life that he wanted to share with Touka. The message wasn't clear and was loosely translated to something about, "finally doing it".
Stepping inside Anteiku, the staffs present were all taken aback.
Wanting to speak to Touka in private, the request wasn't taken favorably. Arguing followed threats and soon with violence if Touka hadn't come out of the room to diffuse the situation herself.
Ignoring the protests of having something horrible done to her. She led her brother to her own room before she set the door on its hinges.
Touka focused her eyes on her brother, hoping that he wouldn't start with some rude suggestion about her room's appearance and how it couldn't have painted a better shade.
Luckily Ayato didn't wait, "The investigator that killed our father met the same fate today. I even made him remember how our father died so I could make sure I could kill him in the same way."
Touka didn't show any reaction, "What did you try to change?" All the investigators are responsible, just because one of them had to do the deed didn't mean someone else couldn't have done it in his place. I'm not going to rejoice in his death like you did, not after I resolved to put the life of a killer behind me.
Ayato was left speechless, there wasn't even a spark of interest in Touka's voice," You don't mean what you say, "
Touka wasn't going to say she was wrong, "Every person I've killed in the past was somebody: they had a face, a name, and a family. Even if they were horrible people, there was always someone who looked up to them. Now you want to tell me that I deserve happiness to see it finally done just because we can put the past behind us. I don't believe life will ever work that way".
Ayato didn't want to focus on other people's feelings, in truth he simply didn't care for them. "Just tell me if you're happy or not! What I did wasn't just for me, I wanted it done for us!"
Touka knew her next response to make its mark, "I would have been happy if you did it before everything happened, but not after. Not when I'm trying to change as a different person."
There was a long silence, followed by yelling downstairs.
Touka rushed downstairs while Ayato followed.
The man who stepped inside looked the same age as Yoshimura with similar features, "Kanou."
Touka wasn't going to take this lightly if it had something to do with Ayato, "I've you had anything to do with his appearance-."
Yoshimura took the blame, "He's clean this is my fault. I should have closed Anteiku today when I took my suspicions to the Clowns".
Kaneki went into his own thoughts after hearing this, "So they're helping us this time, but still aren't letting us work together".
Yoshimura gave the command, "Get the customers upstairs, Kaneki you'll go with them too. You'll be the one he's likely to want.
The precautions had been taken; Anteiku had been ready to defend this time. If he reacted with force it would be him against everyone. Even Ayato who hadn't been a part of Anteiku would defend it just so he wouldn't appear as useless.
Kanou looked surprised by the sudden action taken against him but said what he needed to say, "I know you have Rize, she's getting information from somewhere and killing my potential subjects. No subjects mean I won't be able to make any more half ghouls which is hurting my work progress."
It was the confirmation Kaneki and Touka needed.
Touka wanted to see him die, if not by her then by someone else, "You're the reason for this entire mess. You've been affected by what Rize has done but why should we care?"
Ayato added, "Why wait, we have him by himself. I have nothing to do with this but I know Anteiku won't get another chance to put him out."
Kanou wasn't concerned, "The name Kanou is a well-known name. I know none of you would take the risk of attracting doves by killing me, not when it's done here. And besides, I thought Anteiku had a law barring ghouls from hunting the customers here".
Touka spat, "Not from monsters like yourself."
Yoshimura had to agree, "We won't use violence here, the time for that is over. If you believe that Rize is here then you're mistaken; she made the decision to leave by herself, a few days earlier. I do not defend what either side has done to one another, but to hand her over to someone so easily who views human life as meaningless is not something I would do, even if it was within my power".
Kanou was deciding if he should believe him. "I don't want to leave without accomplishing something. I'll hold you to your word that Rize isn't here, but there is also a second person I would like to see. If you would as kind as to show me Kaneki, there's something I would like to tell him in private before I go.
Touka interjected, "You won't have him, not even if Anteiku has to burn down with everyone in here still standing."
Yoshimura knew that the situation was urgent, "Write the message down and I will make sure nobody except Kaneki see's it".
Kanou did not believe the measures were enough, "I have to see the message burned or given back to me. I will still have to have Kaneki present with us for the transaction to take place".
Yoshimura paused before nodding, "Touka, send Kaneki here."
Touka was almost wordless from her fury, "I'm not moving and neither is Kaneki, he's staying where he's at. The man has no right to give us demands, he'll say what he has to say to all us or we'll force it out of him if it ever comes to that."
This bold refusal sent everyone in Anteiku aback.
Yoshimura knew things weren't going to end well if they couldn't come to an agreement soon. "Touka you are being guided by fear right now, you have my word that nothing will happen to him, things won't end like it did last time, you have my word.
"Last time shouldn't have been even once", Touka thought
Kaneki was able to hear everything downstairs; thing's were going to end well if he didn't make his appearance soon.
Yoshimura noted that Touka wasn't budging, it shouldn't have to this but it was necessary, there was too much at stake if Kanou was really going to say what he feared he might say.
"Yomo, do your duties."
Without a reply, he was already making his way into Kaneki's room.
Touka was faster and blocked his path, neither one was about to budge soon. The standstill had only heightened the increasing tensions; most of Anteiku stood motionless, unable to choose a side.
Ayato was on Touka's side, but was going to use his own method to deal with this situation. His intentions for killing him was not out of malice but out of spite, nobody would get to tell him whom he could or couldn't kill. "I'm not from Anteiku so it'll have to be me who's going to have to do the killing, taking one more life won't matter. We'll see how safe you are when I get my hands on you Kanou."
The focus had largely been on Touka and Yomo, allowing Ayato's movement had gone unnoticed. By the time he was a few feet away, it was nearly impossible to put a stop to the altercation.
Kanou was armed with a RC syringe although he appeared reluctant to use it, "I didn't come here to meet my demise, what circumstances are there to kill me?"
It was his fault for coming without protection. The words he said couldn't protect him from someone who wasn't about to listen.
After Kanou realized that Ayato wasn't stopping, he decided that to put the weapon to use. Lunging toward Ayato he had attempted to take the syringe to his neck. "Too slow doctor, your patients were beyond help and now you can say the same about yourself," Ayato thought. The attempt failed just like he expected when he moved to the side, gripping his arm forward before he could take it back.
Nishiki had regained his senses and was about to move but had his arms held back by Shuu, who ignored his threats to kill him if he didn't let go.
Meanwhile, the conflict between Touka and Yoma had now turned physical, both have had dealt blows to one another. Although none of them had come close to killing.
Banjou too afraid to get close had thrown a chair at them, or would have if he didn't actually want to hit anyone. Opting to throw the chair against a wall instead, it clattered uselessly to the floor.
The rest of Anteiku weren't moving.
Taking his arm, he jerked Kanou forward until his knees crumpled to ground. Standing next to Kanou's right side he kicked his right leg in front of him causing the bones in Kanou's right arm came loose with a snap, the arm now bent sideways. The syringe hit the ground moments later to be crushed by Ayato who had it under his feet.
Kanou's scream could have been heard miles away, it had to be for most of Anteiku to realize how far things have gone.
Shocked to see it done, most realized that it had been the first time that a ghoul had intentionally caused this much to a pain to another human. Ayato had never been the sadist Yamori had become, what he did was out of an instinct. It wouldn't have been any different if he came into conflict with another ghoul, but what he had done was to a human. The crime made even worse seeing how it was largely unprovoked.
Ayato didn't seem to stop there; he followed the assault with kicks that brought more blood out of his mouth than air.
Hinami had to grab Ayato's arm to make him stop. She had only been able to get him since nobody had been able to see her dart past tables and corners until now. "Please stop, nobody want's to see this. Tell me what he's done to deserve it?"
The display had caused some of the stationary staff in Anteiku to move again, while Touka and Yomo had stopped, fearing that he would brush off Hinami in a way that might hurt her.
Ayato had finally listened for once and took a few steps back to see how bad of a state he had actually left him in. It wasn't pretty.
"My work will never be finished if things go on like this," Kanou moaned from his frustration as well as the marks and bruises.
Someone finally had enough sense to tackle Ayato. Touka knew that she had screwed up. If her brother could have "put" him through this without a scratch, what harm could he have possibly done to Kaneki.
"I have to kill him, if I can't no one else can," Ayato swore. Touka wanted to scream that he should have never come back to Anteiku, that his doing had put a risk on them all.
Yomo turned his eyes away, disgusted with what had just happened. "Yomo, see to Kanou's injuries. Anteiku will hear me in private".
After it was done, Yoshimura hit his head hard enough to make noise.
"Do you understand what all of you've have done? The damage that was done to him means that there's now enough evidence for him to launch an investigation if he goes to the CCG. If he were killed it would have been a guarantee. If he follows the path like I feared, Anteiku will be no more. We'll have no choice but to give him what he wants now."
Touka didn't know why Yoshimura put the blame on all of them; she knew it was only on her and maybe her idiot brother Ayato for acting irrationally. But of course, Anteiku's policy meant that they worked together, so one person's fault was on everyone.
Touka knew what she had to do, "No the shop will stay; I'll be the one who'll be leaving. He can't hold us all accountable, only the one that did this to him. If it comes to that, I'll take the blame like I did before".
While it would be feasible for the blame to be on Ayato, it wouldn't work since he wasn't from Anteiku. Nor could Touka bring herself to do this to him. Because they were still siblings, nothing could change that.
Anteiku had suddenly switched sides and begged Touka to reconsider.
Yoshimura's expression changed although he still didn't speak.
Walking toward Kanou she threw her rabbit mask at him, "Tell them to go find me, that's the only proof they're going to need."
Just as she was about to leave, she heard Kanou call Kaneki's name. The guilt overwhelmed her, prompting her to tell Yoshimura that she wasn't going to stop him from seeing Kaneki anymore.
Once it was done, Kaneki made his way downstairs, frightened and unaware of the situation.
Kneeling down to Kanou's broken body he heard him say, "closer." Prompting Kaneki to lean even lower. Looking at Kaneki, "Closer," was said again to him, which meant that he could only lie in a prone position now. When "closer" was said the third time they were almost touching although Kanou was finally "close" enough to say what he wanted to say, "How would you like to live in a world with only half ghouls."
