Who wants another drunkenly written chapter? I hope this makes sense, this relationship is finally advancing –so I hope it isn't too OOC- thanks to everyone who faves/alerts or reviews, you make my day.
I recommend listening to Sleeping at Last's planet –named songs while reading the fluffy scene/s (Or in general, they are great)
Returning.
The man was… odd, to say the least.
To be fair, the whole situation was, she'd expected to stay at the eleventh, or at least, go to the ninth or the thirteenth, instead, Reina found herself walking through the familiar streets of Shinjuku.
Her old apartment was a not so short walk away.
Well, it wasn't like she could go, even if Ayato's –still slightly wary eyes- weren't on her.
The good thing about Shinjuku and its crowds, however, was that she was able to walk without much fear of being seen by someone who might know her –though she still planned to buy a blonde wig- although she was still wearing some nondescript black pants and blouse, -and Ayato's jacket, which she had kidnapped because it was cold and she'd never had many jackets for whoever had raided her apartment to have brought over for her- and her hair was high up in a bun.
Not exactly incognito, but also not something that anyone would expect her to be wearing –and the jacket reached her mid thighs anyway- and when they reached the less populated streets, it helped her blend in.
Finally, in an alley where every available surface seemed to host some form of graffiti, they stopped.
HySy ArtMask Studio.
It looked discreet, no different than any of the buildings that surrounded it –though probably that was the point-. The door was surprisingly open, Ayato pushed it and motioned for her to follow him.
The inside was surprising, though.
Masks of every design that she could imagine lined the walls of the spacious room, at the end of it, she could see a figure quietly hunched over a table, with only the light of a lamp to guide his job.
"Uta" Ayato said dryly.
"Ayato-kun" the man turned around, in the dim lighting, Reina could only half make out his eccentric appearance, it took him approaching the silently for her to note the permanently activated kakugan and almost half of the tattoos –which from afar had almost looked like lace- "What brings the Tree here?" He said, in a manner that was almost too soft. The man's eyes drifted to her "And who is this young lady?"
Reina felt a chill go down her spine, maybe it was just the atmosphere and his appearance, but there was something…odd about him.
Still, it wasn't a completely awful feeling.
Ayato seemed about to present her when she opened her mouth "My name is Reina" if there was one good thing to the whole Ghoul business it was that she could forgo her last name and its burdens.
"It's a pleasure, Reina-san" the man said and turned back to Ayato "What can I do for you?"
Ayato clicked his tongue and jerked a thumb towards her "She needs a mask"
The kakugan were again on her, a thoughtful expression slipped over the man's face as his red irises raked over her features. He reached out one of his arms and pulled a stool out from a shadowy corner. "Come sit, then, Reina-san"
"Of course" she said, eyes quickly taking a peek of the sketch that the man was working on at his desk.
Well, at least they had something in common.
Reina settled down on the stool as Ayato leaned against a table "Do you wear your hair up or down usually?" Uta asked as he slipped into a small back room for a second where he rummaged around what sounded like a lot of papers and pins for a while.
"U-uh, down, most of the time" He pulled out another notebook and some metric tape, then started measuring her face.
"Any allergies? To metal, plastic, leather?"
"As far as I know, no"
"Excuse me asking, Reina-san" He said while holding the tape between one corner of her mouth and the outer corner of her eye "You're a half-ghoul right?"
"Yes" Reina smiled at the man's soft manners "I'm starting to realize that we're not as scarce as I once thought"
"Hmm" the man looked concentrated "I've met a few. Would you like to have only your Kakugan uncovered? Or both of your eyes?"
"I guess, both of them?" she said, being short one eye would mess with depth perception, she already screwed up with putting too much force behind her kagune and making it hard to retract.
"I see…" He continued "You're an experienced fighter, no? I can tell by how you move"
"You could say that" scratch everything, it was back to being weird.
"Oh and do you like animals?" he said "Maybe an animal motif would suit you although something more classical might do too"
"I like cats, mostly" In the background, Ayato scoffed. For a second, a pang of forlornness pierced through her, she wondered if Kami had taken Mik like she had promised.
He might have just been a rather hissy and lazy cat but it had been the closest to company that she had had for two years, she hadn't lived with anyone since Shu. "I see..." that man said that too much "I wonder, though, do you have a lover?"
And that was where discomfort came in full force, she didn't know how good the other's sense of smell was, someone less gifted than Hinami would've been able to tell within seconds that she smelt like Ayato all over, so maybe he was playing with her, setting a trap. Still, it wasn't like she could tell the man something that she didn't know herself. "No, not at the moment"
She hadn't been paying attention, she didn't know how Ayato had reacted beside her, so she settled for telling the truth, or at least what her rational side told her, was closest to it.
"Is that so?" She nodded, playing with her indeed "But you have been in love, haven't you?"
She cocked her head, he clicked his tongue and pulled her back "What do you think Uta-san?" she said softly as well.
"You look like you have" He stated simply.
Reina hummed "You're good at reading people"
"Thank you, it's something of a hobby" He put away the tape and stared at her, bending down to sketch something on the notebook. Apparently, he noticed her staring, as he asked: "Do you like drawing?"
Reina looked away "A bit"
"You look like you would be artistic" he said, and she nodded "may I ask what your profession is?" he shot a look at Ayato "Or was?"
"It's a bit complicated" the words were fast out of her mouth, no need to reveal that.
"Oh" he said, understanding "that's alright, we all have our pasts"
Then the slight stillness of the room was suddenly interrupted by the sound of the door opening.
"U-chan" a woman's voice all but sang from the foyer. "I brought you that thing that you- Oh you have customers" She was beautiful, wearing a tight black dress and a winter coat, she held two folders and a bag with what seemed to be medium sized tubes and a bottle of wine in her hands. Her hair was bright orange. "Oh Ayato-chan is here, and so is- oh"
I was right. Was the first thought that crossed her mind, the second was; and she isn't even pretending, although I guess that's to be expected.
Reina turned and shot a glance at Ayato, he looked all but ready to bury his face into his palm.
"I think I have seen you somewhere before" the woman said, smiling, Reina had the same feeling that she had had the first time she had met her. "I'm sorry I don't remember your name, I own a bar, you see and well, it's quite a way to remember faces, but not names"
Despite this, well, she wasn't an investigator anymore "Probably, your face seems familiar as well, though I too, can't place it" she said calmly.
"Itori" Ayato saluted from his place leaning on the table. "Strange to see you away from the bar" He said with narrowed eyes.
"Oh, I was just bringing some snacks for U-chan" she responded, far too cheerfully, holding up the bag with the tubes. Reina could just wonder "Since Ren-chan hasn't been around much lately, we haven't really seen each other"
Ayato pressed his lips tighter together, mumbling something under his breath.
"So, what's your name?" she said, again looking at Reina.
"Reina"
Sparkles seemed to jump from the woman's eyes "I see, well, you're invited to drop by the bar anytime" The woman handed Reina a card "Drag Ayato-kun down with you too, he needs to have more fun"
"Don't tempt me" Reina smiled at her conspicuously "I'm in need of a rest"
"Well, you'll be welcome" Her eyes fell on her body, Ayato's jacket to be exact, and she smirked "Why don't you two stay for a snack, though? Are you almost done there, U-chan?"
The tattooed man chuckled, looking up from his sketch "Mostly. Would you like a half mask, or a full mask, Reina-san?"
"I'd rather a full mask" she answered, there was always the chance that she could bump on Sasaki or Akira, maybe even Kami, Shiina or Fumiko some years down the line.
"Very well, then, we're done, I'll send it to your base once it's completed, it shouldn't be more than a couple of days" Reina thanked him and stood from the stool, moving to lean on the table beside the blue haired ghoul.
"Thank you" Ayato said, clearly eager to leave "Aogiri will pay you the usual way"
"Ah Ayato-chan" the woman chided, Ayato's face twisted up in an annoyed manner "You're so business like" She had laid four wine glasses across the table at some point, and was skillfully filling them as she spoke. "Let's toast" she handed a glass to each of them and proceeded to pull out a jar containing some kind of spherical, gooey objects.
Despite everything, Reina had never seen a whole eyeball, so up close.
She smiled politely and took one when the woman offered them to her, though, and Ayato did the same.
She looked back at him as he put the thing in his mouth and swallowed it whole.
It smelt all right.
She was sure that her Kakugan had activated, still, she put the eye in her mouth and swallowed.
"To new things" Itori said, rather nonsensically, but clearly eyeing them, and probably taking note of their mingled smells.
Reina drank, relishing in the velvety texture of the blood and watched the other's make small talk for a few minutes –mainly Itori, with some grunts from Ayato and some affirmations from Uta-.
"We have to go" Ayato said after some time.
"Alright, see you later, Ayato-chan, Reina-chan" Itori said.
Uta simply smiled and waved, then reminded Reina that the mask would arrive shortly.
The pair from Aogiri stepped out of the shop.
.
.
Ayato headed straight for the station, looking annoyed and she walked behind him, a little slower, observing.
Reina had lived in a couple of big cities, Tokyo included though she had never seen much of St Petersburg and had been maybe too young to wander around on her own in Beijing. It wasn't that the hustle of the city, especially in Shinjuku, startled her, but it was terribly distracting. She had a new nose, new eyes even –because as a human she had always needed glasses that she had never bothered to get, as a Ghoul, that necessity seemed to have disappeared- and everything as an explosion of color, of scents, it was overwhelming at the same time that it was marvelous, and she had been trapped in a room of white walls that only smelt of blood and bleach for time that seemed to stretch across centuries in her few and far in-between alone, waking moments.
There was also the fact that she had things to do, and didn't want to badger Hinami into doing her favors anymore, she and Ayato were after all in the very place where she could get all that she needed –and inwardly, she was glad that she had taken out some money from the safe, what she planned to spend, was after all, not enough to so much as chink her reserves- and maybe tease him a little too.
She really didn't want to go back yet.
Her hand found the sleeve of his coat before he crossed the street in front of the station.
He turned around, looking at her with slight annoyance in his face.
"I need to get some stuff" she explained, hooking her arm through his. He tensed up but made no move to shake her off.
"Can't those wait?" he said.
"If you're willing to bring me over here again" she said raising an eyebrow at him "C'mon, we can have coffee or something" She pulled at their joined arms, he didn't budge "Please" Reina said with a huff.
He grunted but let himself be carried off.
First was the wig, blonde, long, and as realistic looking as it got, it would make for a good disguise. Then came a pair of boots and a coat, then some small speakers for her phone, then art supplies and lastly, some toiletries and a couple of books –she figured she might as well read the one book by Murakami that she was missing-.
Ayato kept his eyes on her all of the time, sometimes amused and sometimes vigilant, at certain moments, she wondered if he'd ask her where the money was coming from, even if it was none of his business –after all two small diaries were hardly enough to fill up a safe, even if they were inside too, and she wasn't leaving so much money for some lucky idiot to find-.
A couple of hours later, finally, she dragged him into a small, hole in the wall, coffee store.
It smelt heavenly, and it was almost empty.
They say down in a booth with a window that overlooked a small back alley, filled with what looked like someone's garden.
It was impressive, in a way, or maybe that was only because Reina had never been able to keep flowers alive for more than a couple of days –if Mik hadn't eaten them before they wilted, that was- but the dedication put into it was obvious in every carefully pruned branch and straightened flower.
The waitress appeared soon, Reina almost scrambled to look at the menu, before remembering that she didn't really have to.
"May I take your orders, Mister, Miss?"
"A large coffee please" she said, smiling at her, though the woman hardly seemed to notice, looking at Ayato as she was.
Absentmindedly, the woman jotted it down on her pad, shooting her a slightly judgmental look "And what can I get you, Mister?" The tone of her voice was overly sweet, slightly suggestive, a pang of possessiveness coursed through Reina before she noticed Ayato's extremely uncomfortable expression.
"Same thing" he said turning his head sharply towards the window.
As the disheartened girl left, Reina couldn't help but chuckle, noticing also the slight tinge of pink that painted his high cheekbones.
He shot another annoyed glance at her, Reina stopped and leaned back into the chair instead.
He had sat on the side of the table where winter sunlight fell after it streamed through the lace curtains, hair and eyes flashing purple in the cold, bright glow.
For a second, she asked herself if it was maybe her newly enhanced eyes, or the complete one-eighty in perspective that she necessarily had gone through, but Ayato looked almost too young sometimes for how he spoke. Reina wasn't oblivious enough to believe that most people thought otherwise of her, though, but it was still a thing to ponder on, especially when she remembered that she had turned eighteen not long before and he… Well, how old was he?
Obviously, he wasn't that much older than her, maybe not at all.
Saying that it felt odd that she didn't even know that after everything was an understatement.
Reina looked out of the window, at the already-diminishing snow and the black birds standing on the eaves of a building a street away.
Yoshino had once told her that she was shameless, rash, and she had been right, anyways, could it hurt? It was true that she had reunited with the man only a couple days before, but she really didn't know how to speak to him at all, the kind of relationship that they had had before, had been filled with boundaries that they both knew inherent to their nature, necessary to their safety, and those boundaries seemed to be stuck in an awkward in-between then, when circumstances had changed to the point of making it so that, at least in favor of safety, they weren't needed but Reina didn't know how to talk to him without sticking to them and she had a feeling that he was in the same situation.
"Hey" her voice was almost above a whisper, his eyes shifted to her, curious, slightly surprised "How old are you?"
Clearly the question caught him off guard, the beginnings of a sneer formed in his face, although it fell as a tray was placed in front of them, the same waitress, still smiling blindingly at him.
"Is there anything else I can get you?"
Both answered "No" and she, again, left looking like a rejected puppy.
Reina busied herself with the coffee, lifting the oversized mug to her nose and inhaling the heavenly scent –as a ghoul, it was much, much better- to fill the bubble of awkwardness that had grown.
"Nineteen" his voice was gruff and he was still looking out of the window.
"Oh" She said, and possessed by some impulse asked "When's your birthday?"
He shot her a sideways look, all narrowed, disbelieving eyes –although something told her that he was more surprised by the fact that he was responding to her than her questions; Reina had after all, always been nosy- "July fourth" he grumbled and took a sip at his coffee "when's yours?"
"September seventh" she said, feeling slightly self-conscious for some reason "I'm eighteen"
"And curious" he remarked.
Reina chuckles "You say that as if you didn't know me"
"That was random, even for you" his head turned towards her "I thought you were going to say something a little deeper"
"Well I was thinking of something like that" Reina pouted "But in context it makes sense that I asked"
"Well enlighten me" He said, unimpressed gaze holding hers as he ducked this head and pressed his lips to the rim of the cup.
Reina could feel a small blush creeping up her cheeks "I just figured that you looked young, and then realized that I didn't really know much about you at all, aside from some things from that report, because we never really asked, before, and there were reasons for that" she took a deep breath "Good ones, but most of them don't really apply now, that's why I asked" He just looked at her, seeming mildly dumbfounded. "So you see, in context it makes sense."
"Tch, it's not like you don't know plenty of things" He took another sip "I don't know that much either."
"You know most things about Yoshino" her hands trembled a bit as she lifted the cup to her lips "And about Shu"
Ayato hummed, she noticed as his eyes fell on the ring that adorned her left hand, she hadn't taken it off after that morning, the familiar silver band was a comforting weight on her hand "Well, you know about my- my" the forced nonchalance was rather obvious, Reina smiled.
"Brother? Sister?" he stiffened; Reina saved that information for later "Cousin?"
"Yeah, about them" His eyes narrowed "There's no need for either of us to know more"
Eyes closing, sipping at her coffee, she smiled with slight resignation "No, there isn't" she said leaning into her elbows as she felt the coffee warm her insides "But I like to do unnecessary things"
"Don't I know that" he was again, looking at the sky outside, though it wasn't very late, darkness was beginning to creep in already, Reina wondered if it'd snow again that night.
Well, he clearly didn't want to talk about things, and Reina was a bit tired already, she had after all been sleeping for more than half the day, although the level of physical exhaustion couldn't be compared of course. She just wanted to head home and cuddle with Mik –or maybe Ayato, but she wasn't about to tell him, if it happened, it'd be unplanned like in the morning-, although that was pretty much impossible.
"You do" Tiredly, she chuckled "I miss Mik, you know? I don't suppose we can have pets?"
His laugh was quiet, but genuine "Try at your own risk" he said "There are a few nutcases around" Reina puffed out her cheeks and he turned away again before continuing "Your friend has that beast of yours, as far as I know"
Well, that was good news, mostly, Kami, against every stereotype that had ever existed, was pretty good with animals and liked them well. She was also far more responsible than Reina and the black haired woman was pretty sure that she'd take care of him "How do you?"
Her cup was almost empty "Tch…" was his answer.
It didn't take much effort to figure out, Reina smiled "Oh"
They finished in silence, and left some cash on the table, neither very keen on calling the waitress back, Reina's impromptu shopping trip had taken them far from the station, and night was quickly taking over, making the chill in the air more of a bone penetrating blast of cold.
Reina let her hair loose and burrowed deeper into the oversized jacket, hoping to conserve some sort of warmth before it was snatched away.
Although she shouldn't have been, she was surprised by how well her muscles had healed after the stint she had pulled the night before, there was, of course, lingering soreness, which after an afternoon of moving around, had turned into an aching in the joints of her hips and legs and she could feel a slight headache coming in.
Could Ghouls catch colds? She almost asked him, as they walked side by side down the crowded streets of bundled up strangers, but he seemed pretty lost in his thoughts, and a cold or whatever the headache was, the oncoming headlights of rush hour traffic incensed it as the cars closed in on them.
They walked slowly, there was no real rush to reach the train station, not at that hour when it would all be crowded, the masses of human beings trapped in a small space providing an artificial warmth that would make going out into the cold once again a rather unpleasant experience.
And then she saw them.
Of course, it wasn't like they were trying to hide, they walked completely comfortable in their long white coats, holding the silver suitcases.
She thanked whatever entity was up there for her eyesight.
Thankfully, the figures that approached them at the crowds pace were neither Akira nor Sasaki, nor anyone that might have cared much about her.
Or at least, two of the three weren't.
Fujiwara wasn't that likely to recognize her in the throng of random strangers, so long as they didn't run into each other directly, and the other two she faintly remembered having seen around headquarters, though no names came to mind in the couple of seconds in which she stared at their faces.
She could take the gamble.
But she had better things to do with the wild card of her identity than let them see her in Shinjuku, and god knew that the older woman was thirsty enough to be in Yoshino's favor that she'd probably report it back to her within a minute.
Crossing the street was out of the question, traffic was heavy but fast and it would only have called for more attention.
Without thinking much on it, Reina grasped his arm and pulled him closer, hand squeezing down for just a second to let him know not to move away. As the three investigators got closer, she shot Ayato a panicked glance before stopping in her tracks and burying her face in the hollow of his neck.
Understanding her intentions, his arms snaked around her back, he smelt a little like blood and a little like musk, and she figured that what she did next –looking up at him and bringing her fingers up to tangle in his hair and pull his face close, joining their lips in a rather soft kiss- was as much part of the charade as it was her own selfish impulse to have him close.
The crowd parted to avoid them and the group wearing with coats passed the two by without much more than a brief glance and some comment about teenagers, his lips melded into hers and he held her tighter, kissing back with fervency despite the situation that had sparked it all.
A while passed and they parted with white puffs of breath escaping their mouths.
"She was- "for some reason Reina tried to explain it, it had been a rather rash thing to do, after all.
"I know" he said softly, as they resumed the walk, her arm snaked around his "They'll probably find out eventually, you know that."
"Yeah" she sighed talking as low as she dared "But we are supposed to go seek Yoshino out, not the other way around, if push comes to shove I can be bait for her"
Sharp, he understood almost immediately "Weren't you raving about how she'll try to kill you as soon as she knows?" he said, and Reina didn't meet his gaze "Unless that's what you're going for"
It was a statement
"She'll want to do it herself" she said, the station as coming closer. "That's probably why the Owl put me in this mission"
"Probably, or maybe because she's a sadist" he said thoughtfully "it's a good idea, even if we don't have to get rid of her"
"We'll have to at least fight her" she answered "There is at least one, Hisakawa Masato that won't leave her side. I was surprised not to see him when she first came around"
He frowned "In battle, separating them shouldn't be that hard" the whole squad was dangerous, picking them off one by one was the safest option, but also one of the hardest to set up.
Reina shook her head "He doesn't leave her side for more than minutes at a time when they are together, they usually stay in her house in town too, at least since her husband died"
"Like Eto and Tatara…" He drifted off "So we should take them out first, leave the other's running around like a headless chicken"
"If we can, it'd be ideal, if we get them in a secluded place, there's no chance either will run to try and tell the others"
"How are you so sure?" it was more of a question to himself "You hadn't seen her in a long time from what you've told me"
"He's been there since before I was born, and he only ever left her when she asked him to. She had to send him away even when she got married to my brother's dad, they won't separate…" Reina smiled "Because she's prideful, and he loves her" she answered simply "I think she loves him too, but with that woman it's hard to tell"
"So they are- "
She cut him off, hands balling into fists "No" Ayato looked at her confused, the station was ahead of the crossing "He's not suitable"she spat out bitterly, keeping her gaze straight ahead "She couldn't be with someone of lower standing"
The lights changed and they crossed, he didn't say anything else as they got their tickets and entered the train.
Miraculously the rush hour crowd was dying down, they managed to snatch two seats facing away from the windows
"Can you really do it?" he asked finally.
"Do what?"
"Kill her, if it comes down to it" his tone was serious, letting no feelings slip through.
"If I have to… I think…" she stammered. "If I have to, I will"
"But you're hoping it's not you"
She leaned on his shoulder, sighing "Who wouldn't be?"
Ayato huffed.
Reina could almost hear the cogs turning in his head, though she herself didn't understand him –not for once; Ayato was one of the most confusing people that she had met, it was a good day when she could read him at all- whether he was feeling concern for her or the mission, or just wondering why she had suddenly decided to lean on him in some ways.
Maybe he was just numbering the ways in which she was crazy.
Some time passed, and as an upcoming stop was announced, he stood up, they weren't in the eleventh, but the ninth. "Do you remember how to go back?" he said.
"Checking up on your bars, I see…" she said quietly.
"Unless you want to wait for me- "
"No, it's fine" she said "I'll get back" and that was as much a reassurance that she knew her way back as it was one that she wasn't so much as thinking of leaving.
As the train started slowing to a stop, she added "You're overthinking"
He whipped his head around to meet her gaze, for a second, she was sure that he was about to bend down and kiss her, he himself seemed to hesitate slightly.
Instead, he handed her one of her bags that he had been holding.
Ayato muttered something under his breath and was gone within a second, a small smile peeking at the corner of his mouth.
And the train doors closed.
.
.
Reina came in through the rooftop, -it wasn't like she knew how to come in from the street, and being able to jump through rooftops was exhilarating in its own right- after a couple of cigarettes for contemplation.
She sauntered down the stairs, bags adorning her arms in the semi-darkness.
And soon enough faced her room.
She really didn't want to be stuck in there –for the moment at least-.
What to do?
Reina went in and dropped her bags, huddling down to try and listen carefully.
For some reason, she was starting to believe that she wouldn't be one of the Ghouls with upstanding senses –she also wondered when she would meet Aogiri's elusive Yotsume- she could only barely pick up the humming on the other side of the wall.
Well, for the moment that was enough.
She slipped into some comfortable leggings and a loose tank top along with flats and loaded a few things in one of the roomier bags –thankfully, after leaving it plugged in the whole day, her phone had also survived the frostbite-.
Knocking on the door beside hers resulted in a slightly dazed-looking Hinami with a highlighter hanging from the side of her mouth and a book in her hand.
"Oh, Reina-san" the young woman said, removing the highlighter. "Is something wrong?" she said, staring at the small bag where Reina had gathered what she would need.
Reina smiled "No, no, sorry for bothering you, I just wanted to ask where the other training rooms are"
"Oh you're going to train, I thought after…" she seemed uncomfortable, eyes shifting to the side.
Reina smiled "'S alright, I'm used to brutal practice" she said, and the young Ghoul looked up "But no, I thought I could dance a little"
Hinami smiled, unsure, eyes shifting to the bag where Reina had her pointe shoes, -one of which was peeking out- toe pads and the speakers for her phone "Oh, I guess it's alright then" she said "I can take you there, if you want, just let me grab some shoes"
In truth, Reina was a bit unnerved by the prospect of dancing again, she had not since Shu had died, and even then, she'd only done so scarcely, mostly when he asked to watch her. Still, she had felt like doing something other than sitting in her room and pondering whether stealing Mik back was too bad an idea –it was, she knew but that knowledge didn't stop her from entertaining the idea-.
"Did you go get your mask?" the younger woman asked politely, eyes glinting as they went down the stairs.
"Yeah" Reina struggled trying to get her hair into a bun, it was getting too long, maybe "Met the mask maker too"
"Oh, Uta-san" the girl said.
"Yup, that one" Reina spoke through the hair tie she was holding in her mouth "He's a little odd, isn't he?"
"A little" the brunette answered "Although most of us are a little weird"
"Yeah, I've gathered that" Reina said "I guess I fit right in"
From how many flights of stairs they had descended, Reina figured they were in the first or second underground level "This way" Hinami turned left and led her down a long corridor, long enough that she was sure that they were no longer inside the building they had started up in.
Hinami walked about half a step ahead of her, without turning around, or making any telling motions, she asked "Doesn't it bother you Reina-san?"
"Reina" the older woman reminded her "And what do you mean, being a Ghoul?"
Hinami nodded.
"Hmm" she paused for a moment as, they reached another set of stairs which Hinami started to descend as well. "I guess it's unsettling, but I've had some time to get used to it"
"Yes, but outside is different, I guess, most of the people that she trains end up crazy." Hinami said "You're strong"
Reina laughed, the sound throaty and deep "No, I'm not. While it is true that there's little that she could have tortured me with psychologically. I know it was pretty intentional that she didn't make me go crazy."
Hinami went quiet for a second, and yet another hallway came into view, this one with various doors each pretty distant from the other "Because of Ayato-kun"
Reina stopped in her tracks, although it wasn't all that weird that Hinami would know, she seemed close to Ayato "Yes, because of Ayato" Hinami stopped in front of him "you two are tight, aren't you?"
The young woman whirled around, cheeks slightly red "It's nothing like that, Reina-sa-"
"Reina"
"Reina, we aren't- I know that you two- "
The older woman laughed "I know, I was asking if you were friends" she said, and the other blushed a little more deeply "But I guess if he has told you, you must be"
"I asked him, just last night" Hinami responded.
"Well, I guess there's no harm in you knowing, now." She said "And anyways, even I don't know what we are supposed to be, just fuck-buddies would be my guess" the words felt a bit heavy in her tongue, a bit like a lie, although she considered them mostly true, even if her own feelings were sort of a mess, everything was sort of a mess "But we'll see, I guess"
Hinami furrowed her brow "Do you really think so?"
Reina smiled "I don't really know what I think these days, Hinami" the other Ghoul's eyes widened "I can barely wrap my mind around having lost the way I used to live, and it's a bit tough trying to change the way we were interacting"
Hinami puffed out her cheeks and turned around, starting to walk again.
She's a nice girl Reina mused I'm being sort of a bitch, but it's true that I don't know, and they must be pretty close, he's not the kind to open up to many people. Maybe she's his- No, I don't think so.
Still, a small pang of jealousy coursed through her too.
"Then it really bothers you" the brunette said then "You know, doing what we do"
Reina's sigh was audible "Actually, that's not something I'm having that much trouble with" Hinami shot her a slightly disbelieving look over her shoulder "I've killed people before, Hinami-chan"
The girl stopped walking and turned around again "But, you just got out"
"When I was human" she clarified "I was an investigator, you know that."
"Well that's different, isn't it?" Hinami said, suddenly something bitter slipped into her tone
"That it was my job doesn't mean they weren't people, Hinami" she said, somewhat harshly "And if you don't want to count that, I also killed a few humans, for… various reasons" Hinami's mouth opened in a delicate 'o', Reina couldn't tell if it was due to the first or the second statement. She held the other's surprised gaze "I never really chose being an investigator, you know? Although that's not to say that I wasn't happy being one. But no matter where I ran, even if it was the shadiest, most difficult to survive place, they always found me"
"So basically you're saying that you were made to" she said.
"No" Reina answered, taking a couple of steps onward until she was ahead of the ghoul "Each one was my choice, and that's exactly why I can eat humans or ghouls alike without regretting it, so long as I don't know them, of course"
Hinami caught up with her and they continued walking "You're very different from him, huh?" Hinami muttered under her breath, if she had still been a human, Reina was sure that she wouldn't have caught it.
"Who?" Reina asked, already having a sneaking suspicion, it wasn't farfetched to think so, at least.
"Oh, no one, just someone I used to know" the girl started.
"Another half ghoul?" she asked.
"Uh, yes." Hinami's tone was slightly triumphant, there had been something slightly iffy from the point where Hinami had started the conversation, it was probably planned. Thankfully, Reina was curious too, a second later, however, Hinami's face fell, and they stood in front of a door "We're here, this one's empty"
Instead of turning the handle and entering, Reina leaned on the wall and smirked "You wouldn't be talking about Kaneki Ken, would you?"
"Onii-chan" the younger said softly.
"I figured you knew" Reina said "Anyways, I worked under him, although in the CCG they know him as Sasaki Haise"
"I heard he doesn't remember us, any of us" the younger woman said, pretense thrown to the wind "Is that true?"
"It is" Reina answered bluntly "Altogether he has about a year of memories, or he did, last time I saw him, so I don't know if he's anything like the person you knew"
"Onii-chan was very kind, he always tried to take care of everyone, sometimes to the point of letting himself be hurt and he really liked books" Hinami blurted out suddenly, Reina paused for a moment, startled, until he realized that she was being given a basis for comparison.
"Well, then I guess that not all of him is lost" she said "That's almost just how I'd describe him, he's such a mama hen"
Despite the sadness that reigned in her expression, Hinami laughed "Were you two close?"
Reina hummed thoughtfully, and turned around to open the door as she spoke "A bit, you could say. We were teammates, we both worked under Mado and later on when he was given a squad and I was supposed to join them, but… well, you know what happened"
Hinami froze behind her as Reina entered the room and set her stuff on the floor "M-Mado, but he's- "she cut herself off, and Reina sat down.
"Come on in, it's gonna take me ages to put these on" she said, waving her shoes up "you can ask me about Sasaki, if you want" The mildly shell-shocked girl stepped into the room and sat beside her, still saying nothing, Reina scrambled for some topic "What do you mean he?" she said, turning to Hinami "I mean, she's a pain in the ass, but Mado is a woman, Akira Mado"
"Oh" Hinami said "Oh" she repeated, and burst out laughing "It's just that there was another investigator before, with that last name and I assumed it was him"
Reina scoffed as she toed off her flats "Probably some second cousin or something, she was definitely female"
"Yeah" Hinami said "Probably, do you know if he still likes making coffee?" she said, slightly more spirited this time.
Reina figured it wouldn't be too bad to make a friend, Hinami was nice and at least they had a couple of people in common.
How weird to be thinking of such things when in the Tree's stronghold.She thought while adjusting her straps but being me, I guess it makes sense.
.
.
Waking back to her room was a bit less gloomy than the whole walk with Reina.
Hinami figured that it was because of all of the information on her big brother that the older woman had had. Reina was pretty closed off, despite being chatty –to her at least, and even then, when things seemed to get too close to the half-ghoul's life, she had retreated, fast- but once prompted, they had talked for a while about Sasaki –as Reina insisted to call him, since she had never known him by any other name-.
It was a strange mix of sadness and happiness that was filling Hinami then.
He was alright, happy enough, it seemed, though the recounting of the battle in which he had lost control according to Reina hadn't been pretty, although that wasn't something new.
Somehow, it made her miss him less, having some actual information.
After they'd talked, Reina had excused herself to begin dancing, the excess energy almost overflowing from her and rolling over her body.
Hinami had stayed to watch for a bit, while the other woman wobbled on her shoes and warmed up it had been nice enough –it almost felt like friendship, and she liked that, Reina was, after all, only a couple of years older than her- but once the initial awkwardness of her legs had faded- "Sorry, I haven't practiced since I went into the academy"she had said and the woman had gotten hold of the graceful movements that seemed natural to her as breathing; she had begun skipping about and twirling, losing herself to the music.
The jerky movements from the start had given way to fluidity and it had seemed like she didn't even notice Hinami was still there –and in fact, she hadn't seemed to notice when Hinami left- as she danced to some sort of piano and violin duo that was foreign to the Ghoul.
It had been beautiful but also felt like she was intruding on something terribly intimate.
It had been beautiful, none the less.
As she headed to the mess hall, she wondered where Ayato had gone to.
.
.
Hinami had done a good enough work.
Only she's too trusting. Ayato thought as he slid up to yet another one of Aogiri's bars in the ninth.
Finances were well managed, everyone was happy with their hunting grounds and no one was openly defying them.
But the thing was that the moles he had weeded out in November, before leaving had come back and multiplied.
Hinami trusted her senses too much –not without reason, of course- but she didn't stop to observe them, Ayato was sure that they said no incriminating words, that they washed off the blood and grime and covered whatever was left before they went to the ninth, or else, they were designated only to the labor of spying.
And so, Hinami heard no hushed whispers, smelt no battle, but their manners and the way their eyes looked had something that the average drunk didn't have.
It didn't matter, young or old, they all had that hardened look of distrust upon their features, that they tried to mask with jolly, moderated drinking.
Actually, CCG seemed to think that their younger moles were safer, only because very young investigators being given such a mission was uncommon.
However, that wouldn't work on him, not anymore, for obvious reasons.
If anything, Reina being one of the best actresses that he knew, the one time that he had seen her incognito –in a rather scandalous outfit- had given him even more cues to look for.
He had counted fifteen as of then, and the bars were closing down quick.
Not all of them could be eliminated, actually, not all of them should be.
Ayato had spotted the ones with actual useful information.
Now he only needed to kill them somewhere it wouldn't attract too much attention–because even though CCG would know it had been him, he had to keep the smokescreen up, so it wasn't very good if they figured out from which bars he was detecting them, or even that he was spotting them at bars-.
He picked one of the five on the kill list at random and set out to do his job.
Next day was spent sleeping, recovering from a surprisingly tough fight.
And the pattern repeated for the next three nights and days, it was easy, and not necessarily boring, the routine, he ate until he was satiated, although he didn't really need to.
He would have been a liar if he'd said that he wasn't avoiding Reina just a bit, but the very way in which she managed to confuse him wasn't good for him or his missions, he rationalized it like that.
It was finally Sunday afternoon when he made his way back to the base, most immediate threats dealt with.
.
.
One would think that the base of a Ghoul Organization would be more entertaining.She thought to herself as her tired legs led her down the stairs.
It had been three days since the last time she had been outside, three in which she had only talked to Hinami a couple of times to assert when exactly they would go and spy on whoever they were spying on –Hinami assured her that Reina was only there for physical backup and that she had the details on where exactly they would meet; when the younger woman had explained, she had had to admire Eto's strategy, letting them meet right under her nose to get to the bottom of the issue, or in this case, the top of the organization-, people, whom apparently only met on the busier days of the week –the younger Ghoul had insisted to do it the next one- in cheap hotel rooms in the last place one would usually think of.
Reina was the kind of person who didn't crave social contact when she was stressed out –and the three empty packs of cigarettes in her trash bin spoke for themselves- so she had taken to going down for coffee at ungodly hours of night and locking herself in her room with water, internet and books in the mornings.
In the afternoons, she danced until her legs felt like they would burst, from the time the sun was still high in the sky until it was the moon that adorned it, then went back to her room for a long, drawn out bath and went down for coffee.
What had seemed strange the first day was how she didn't feel hungry, of course, she had heard of the whole living with one corpse for a month thing, and for the last month, she had eaten more than one body, she was sure, but it was still strange to not feel even the slightest bit hungry –even if, she had often forgotten to eat out of distraction or laziness as a human-.
Still, she was about to throttle someone.
Hinami was alright, but had her own responsibilities and it bugged Reina to be stuck to the other's side, and the few other people she had passed in the halls by the training rooms had taken a whiff at her and looked at her strangely, proceeding to turn around and leave.
She didn't know if she wanted to see someone and speak until her throat was raw or continue living like a hermit.
Maybe being a hermit wasn't that bad.
There had been no signs of Ayato in those three days either.
She hadn't asked Hinami, her attitude spoke of him being alright and so, Reina figured that he'd be back at some point.
She hoped so, if only to have someone to talk to.
The training room that Hinami had shown her to the first time was the one she kept using, she slipped inside, laying down her stuff by the door.
Ballet, she had found, was something she really enjoyed when not being forced into it.
Too bad she didn't have a barre in the bare room –and that there were small craters scattered around it, although that made it more fun-.
Reina started by stretching before putting on the shoes, legs spreading beneath her, to her sides, folding over in scorpion pose, back arching, bending until she was staring at the floor, twisting into strange forms.
The woman took her time, spending almost an hour at it, after all, she didn't have much else to do.
Then came basics, testing out the waters, choosing music for the day.
Opera seemed fine, Schubert better, as she stood, her mind felt wiped out of any thought.
Arms stretching at her sides like chiseled wings, she leapt.
At first the names of the movements raced through her mind –fouette,fouette, grand battement, pirouette, promenade, blisè, pas de chat, pas de bourree- but eventually, they mended in an indistinguishable stream pouring forth from some place in her subconscious where she had never forgotten anything, where it had all been inked into her skin for little more than a decade.
And so, she didn't think, she moved, sweat streaming down her skin, soaking the shorts and tanktop, pants filling the air, soreness creeping up her limbs until she was sure that she'd pass out cold from the bath.
Distantly at some point, she heard some strange rapping, rhythmic, steadily stronger.
The grand battement never became a pirouette, instead, disoriented, she stopped, listening intently.
Someone was knocking on the door.
With careful steps –without letting herself fall from the point of her feet, Reina walked towards the door and opened it with a flourish.
Die Winterreiseblared in the background as high as the speakers would go, already near the end.
In her daze, she first realized that when she was standing on the pointe shoes they were at eye level with each other.
Ayato was holding a package in his left hand and his right was still raised, as if knocking.
She wondered how much like a mess she looked like –flushed and sweaty, with her hair trying to escape the tight bun she'd put it in and in rather showy clothes-.
He himself seemed to notice too –mostly her state of undress- she felt his eyes raking up her body until their gazes met.
And then they just blinked at each other.
"Your mask is here" he said, voice slightly shaky.
Reina's eyes fell on the package and traveled back up to his face "Oh, thanks" she held out her hands, and clearly being careful not to brush her fingertips with his, he deposited the package in the hands "Did Hinami tell you I was here?"
Expression somewhat normalizing, he snorted "Who else?"
"Yeah" Finally noticing her awkward stance, Reina let herself fall on the soles of her feet "She's the only one I really talk to"
As he frowned, his eyes fell on her feet. Unimpressed, he smirked "You sure like punishing yourself"
The tone was more playful, Reina released a breath that she hadn't been aware she was holding.
It was their usual "That'd be true" she said "But these don't hurt at all anymore"
"Allow me to doubt that" he said, rolling his eyes.
"It's true" she protested "Although the muscle soreness is another thing, I didn't know Ghouls had that too"
"You'd be surprised…Aren't you going to unpack that?" his gaze fell pointedly on the package.
"Uh, yeah"
Someone had seen it fit to cover the package with tape, Reina's fingers fumbled with it uselessly.
Although she wasn't looking at him, the eye roll was obvious. "Come here"
The packet was snatched from her grasp and she got to stare dumbfounded as Ayato's deft fingers found the place where the tape began and slowly unraveled the package.
"Tch" he tossed her the –mostly- unwrapped package and without waiting for him to ask her anything, she tore open the top and peeked inside.
The first thing that came into view was a piece of paper, curiously, she pulled it out.
I couldn't choose in the end, Reina-san, I hope you like them.
Uta xx
P.S: Itori says she wants to see you around the bar.
She smiled at the childish signature and proceeded to pull out the first mask from the package.
The snout was short and elegant, more like a Persian than any other breed, and over the wide eyes, pieces of yellow one-way glass had been set, along with short wire whiskers on either side.
The Red Cat, huh?
Reina smiled faintly, almost having forgotten that there was someone watching her, she pulled the mask on, it fit snugly against each and every one of her features, and the glass of the eyes didn't hinder her vision any.
After all, through it he very clearly saw Ayato's conflicted expression, as well as noticed the fact that his eyes wouldn't leave her face –mask-.
She laughed in a jolly manner "What do you think? Does it suit me?"
His jaw tensed and he looked away "It's fine"
Reina puffed out her cheeks and pulled the mask off "Whatever"
She then switched the mask from the one left in the package, and the change from one to another became apparent –and it was no wonder the mask-maker had been unable to choose, in their own right both were astonishing- that one was made in a base of pure white with slanted holes for eyes, red and black lines coursed through it, wrapping into each other in somewhat menacing designs, reminding her of some kabuki masks, the base itself had been sculpted on the outside into faultless features, the mask was slightly longer than her face, so that allowed for it to have a long, very straight nose, a pointed chin and sculpted cheekbones.
At the top of it, in pure white sat two small horns. The impact of each mask was astonishing.
As if transfixed, she pulled that one on too, pointedly looking away from the man standing in the doorway –and his pretty face, the voice in the back of her head whispered-.
Her field of vision was somewhat reduced compared to how it was with the cat mask, but it was definitely worth it.
"That one" his deep voice startled her, he was pointedly looking at the mask's chin, with its swirl of black, red and black, Reina made a confused sound "It suits you better"
And behind them, with a flourish, the opera ended, and the next song in her playlist for the day clicked on –it was supposed to be the last, although she always ended up doing an extra two hours regardless- a rather tranquil duet piece, without any movements that would be exhilarating by themselves, only in music, but that was the fun of it, making the soft music something to which she could exert herself dancing, without breaking from the rhythm.
SpiegelimSpiegel, that's the name.
She pulled the mask back over her head, more than happy with both of them, and her eyes slid over to Ayato, who seemed a bit torn, shooting glances down the hall and then back at her.
It was probably only about dusk, or close to it, she usually stayed until much later.
But she sort of didn't want to anymore.
"I'm about to finish" she said with a smirk "Feel like sparring?"
Ayato stared at her strangely for a second, and then laughed "You don't change, do you?" the Ghoul made to step into the room.
Reina rolled her eyes, standing to the side to let him through and closing the door behind him "Well I have been doing nothing for a couple of days"
"You could have asked Hinami to take you out" he answered gruffly, as Reina motioned for him to sit and laid the masks carefully beside the speakers.
Shaking her head, she said "I wasn't going to bother her more than I had to"
"Then you can't complain much"
"I guess so" she bent down and reset the song "I only have this song left, so hang on for a bit"
A noncommittal grunt was his answer as he leaned back against the wall.
Reina didn't mind anyone watching her dance –had been forced into too many contests in her early life to do so- she usually lost herself in the movement soon enough, -like what had happened with Hinami a couple of nights before, when she had stopped to switch a song and realized that the younger woman had gone at some point- although Ayato's eyes were somehow more poignant, piercing deeper than even Yoshino's once had, as she ran towards the center and marked the first steps with careful port de bras and a sustained passé it was only slightly harder for her to sink into the movement.
The piece was long, slow, perfect for wide, sweeping movements that required endurance and elasticity.
Her aching muscles sang as they shifted through the air.
.
.
It was strange.
When Hinami had told him that Reina was probably dancing at the other block's training rooms and wasn't likely to come back until after at least sundown he'd considered just leaving the package by the door –and berated himself for not telling her where to go pick it up from the mail- but since it wasn't that late, he'd headed to give it to her himself.
The powerful male voice had been audible from down the corridor, and so had been the sound of her shoes beating against the floor.
Reina had made quite a picture when she opened the door, perhaps, one that he had expected –minus maybe the pretty, painful-looking shoes- even if he had never seen her dance.
His reaction, however, had been the odd one.
Flushed, with her eyes slightly glazed over and a peaceful looseness to her mouth, she had looked almost happy.
And he'd been about to- do something, he wasn't very sure what.
Watching her try on the masks hadn't been half as confusing, he had learned to recognize the warm twist in his gut as fondness, especially as she had looked transfixed by them.
The offer to spar had been a step towards her usual routine, one quickly disrupted when she excused herself for a last song and began dancing.
And that was a whole other monster.
Eyes either glazed over or almost closed, she had skipped through the room in something that he couldn't decide if it was slow or incredibly fast motion, lifting her legs inhumanly high and spinning on the very tip of her toe several times without somehow breaking it.
That was what had brought on the peaceful expression from earlier.
Being away for a couple days was the norm for him, and he couldn't really complain if it made it so he came back to spectacles like that one.
Even so, he wanted her to be able to go out, back in the day, due to both social and work circumstances, she'd only visited her apartment at night, and yet, there she was, completely trapped in a place that she didn't know, probably going slowly crazy.
Sometimes, he forgot that for all her resilience, Reina did get affected by things –although to be fair, she made her best efforts not to let anyone notice-.
She was like a cat, in that.
He focused back on her dancing form, skipping about, holding her arms impossibly steady above her head and didn't dare look away.
.
.
The spinning slowed to a stop, there was no crowd to cheer, when she opened her eyes and they met his, she felt whole.
.
.
They were standing across from one another after she'd discarded her shoes and put everything breakable away somewhere it wouldn't get damaged –she liked her masks way too much-.
After she'd finished there had been a moment of tense silence, like the currents of the ocean just before a major event happened.
Reina had flushed bright red and looked away, the moment had broken.
Now his eyes were slightly wary and the tilt of his smirk was infuriating.
The whole thing was exhilarating.
Three days may not have seemed much, but it was just about the most she was used to going without at least a fight and Reina had been getting restless.
Grinning right back at him, she called upon her kagune.
The part of it that wrapped snugly like a protective exoskeleton around her chest and upper arms felt comforting and the blades that extended from her arms, shifting between scythe-like and spiky appendages were something that she could feel acutely.
Ayato himself activated his own too, and she couldn't help but admire it.
He had shed one of his classic heavy jackets, ending up in a high necked black tank top that clung to his body as if it had been painted on, and the slightly tight pants –not a rarity in him- emphasized the muscled in his legs. His kagune itself was a hurricane of vermillion and mauve, with sapphire streaks peeking through that reminded of his eyes when his kakugan weren't activated.
Although.She mused. They aren't really a bad look on him, he's handsome either way.
"Well, aren't you gonna attack?" He said.
"Well, aren't you?" she mimicked him.
Their gazes locked and they surged forward.
It was different of course from their previous battles, it felt alien. After all, even if they were both using a significant amount of power, the intent to kill wasn't behind any attacks, and there was of course, also the fact that while it was still a Koukaku worked very differently from what Koujirou had –Reina had used him along with a multitude of knives and as a throwing blade after all, and she'd found during her month of isolation that doing so with her kagune was mostly just a great loss of RC cells unless she made shards small enough, and that was perhaps, too much work-.
Ayato had zoomed behind her to kick her into a wall when she lifted her arms back in such a position that if he were to, the blades stretching over her forearms would decapitate him.
He responded by kicking her, not forward but up into the ceiling.
The impact sent some debris loose, but to her credit, when her body fell back down, she landed in a crouch, nothing too embarrassing.
Reina stood up again and Pounced on him, serving herself of the fact that he wasn't suspecting it and subsequently straddling him, pinning his arms down with her hand while her Kagune stretched behind her.
He smiled mischievously, and then that smiling face was head-butting her.
It continued like that, each pinning the other in some position and the other spoiling it by thinking of some out of the box way of getting out of the hold.
It was more of a game than anything else.
The more time passed, the more lingering the touches became, as if the slight bursts of adrenaline were tearing down –however temporarily- walls within them, and Reina really looked at him for the first time in a while.
After all, despite not really looking like it, she had been a mess after Eto had released her, the few days since then had had only one good thing, and it was that she had calmed down.
Mostly.
But she still found herself wanting him now in a way she hadn't really felt since she had been human, and as they rolled around the ground with his kagune almost cradling her as some of the spikes dug into her back, it felt pretty nice.
Finally, slightly bloodied, with already healing bruises and cuts, they laid side by side on the floor.
Reina sat up quickly and turned to look at him.
It was slightly startling, to see his hooded eyes watching her intently, gaze almost predatory but not completely so.
She wanted to kiss him.
"We should go clean up" she said, inflection pretty obvious, in this at least, she knew well what she was doing –it was also a small callback, she noticed, though that time around, she felt no need to drop hints.
Ayato nodded, eyes narrowing as he sat up, and pulled her into a rather needy kiss, almost as if he were just making sure.
.
.
Later, it occurred to her as she was almost being lulled into sleep by his heartbeat and the warm water of her bathtub that perhaps just letting things happen from then on wouldn't be all that bad.
She'd fought the flow of things hard, before, but there was no need, no reason.
Except… except that it was her, she was practically an omen for destruction, and maybe that was a bit of an exaggeration but her mere presence could…
And yet had that worked before? Tearing herself away from him? And then, it would be even less effective, keeping some distance would do, both to protect him and herself from the onslaught of emotions that she could feel boiling beneath their skins.
Her head laid resting on the crook of his neck, and Ayato had thrown his own back over the rim of the tub.
From that angle, she could even see the little droplets of water caught in his eyelashes.
Something had swollen in her chest since that one day when he had found her in the rooftop, and then, it ached.
Blue eyes opened slowly, noticing her gaze.
He let out a genuine, teasing laugh "Aren't you the one overthinking things?"
Reina stayed still, quiet for a while, only breathing "Maybe" she said, at last, nuzzling her nose to the pulse that beat in his throat, wanting to bite it for a second, then discarding the idea – her blood apparently still tasted nice to him, only more bittersweet, he had said, but the taste of his wasn't all that pleasing to her- "But it's hard to reconcile things with each other sometimes" she said in a small voice.
"I thought it was easy to accept" his brow furrowed "Was that just for Eto's benefit?"
"No" she said "It's easy to accept, almost too much" eyes far away, she let her body relax against his "But it's like- like- "she took a deep breath "When I ran away from Yoshino, I was fourteen, almost fifteen, I went to live to the ninth, I knew some people there- "
His frown deepened "Back then the ninth- "
"I know" her eyes pleaded for him to let her talk uninterrupted "We all cooperated, humans, ghouls, because we were all outlaws and then I was sure that I should have felt some hatred, but I didn't and I realized that I had lost more than a couple of things, I didn't feel like myself or really know what I was, without someone to dictate my thoughts I barely had any. Although I got better then, right now it's something like that; It's like I'm fading away, whatever was left of me, like I am just going to become what my mother intended for me to, anyway, just on the other side of the war. I know it's stupid, and that there are better things to worry about, but I haven't been able to get it out of my head"
"Doesn't that prove otherwise?" he said, gruffly, one of his arms tightening around her body.
"How could it?"
"Because you haven't changed a bit" he said, voice echoing off the tiles "You still overthink, you still leave things behind easily and you're still the most reckless person I've met." The last two had slight tinges of bitterness that she didn't think even he realized. From the awkward angle, his eyes met hers "What you want hasn't changed, has it?"
"I don't want anything, I'm just living" she said, between grit teeth and he just raised an eyebrow at her. Then it dawned "You'd have made a good psychiatrist" she sighed.
A snort rumbled in his chest "Like I would listen to pathetic humans prattle bout their petty worries"
"You have the patience for me Ayato" she said. "Did I crawl under your thick skin?" Her tone was teasing, although his features were stony, his next words were out suddenly, almost as if he hadn't meant to speak them at all, like she didn't know that he believed them until that very second.
"Yes"
Mind almost blank, Reina looked at him long and hard, at his astonished eyes and slack mouth, at the elegant slope of his nose and the hair that stuck to his forehead.
"Good" she finally Sid, laying a soft kiss in the angle of his jaw and letting her body drape over his "Good"
His arms found a place around her waist then, unhesitatingly.
Later, much later, in between random dreams, she felt herself be carried off to a warm, soft place, where faint light streamed from beneath her blinds.
Through the morning, his warmth didn't leave.
(to old habits?)
Umm yeah, sappy me attacks again, I'm going back home next week, so updates might go either way, depending on workload, although anything will be better than here (seriously, how am I not dead?)
I hope you liked this and, well, next chapter will move the plot a long a bit more at least.
I'd love to hear what you think.