Renji..? The female ghoul stared at her friend's injured form on the ground as the man he called "Arima" approached, wielding a quinque. Her heart raced, blood running cold at the thought of seeing the pale-haired ghoul die. Miyu was already in bad shape from fighting off doves, but her love for him would not let her rest for even a second.
Her kagune hoisted her off the ground and she twisted, striking an enemy across the face and effectively sending the human sprawling on the ground. Another kagune stabbed deep into his chest to end him and she turned back to Renji. She rushed forward, gritting her teeth against the pain of her injuries. "Renji! Renji, I'm coming! Don't try to-! No! Stop! Let go of me!"
The arm slung across her chest yanked her off of her feet, her kagune flailing and trying to stop him. Uta held her tighter, but his eyes were on Renji. "He'll get up," he muttered. "He's gotta get up. He's gotta be okay."
"Renji!" Tears formed in her eyes as the human closed in on him. The pale-haired ghoul was doubled over and she could hear a pained sound leave his lips. "RENJI!"
Uta felt her kagune start to flail wildly at her sides, reaching around in her panic and swiping at his limbs. When he felt one stab into the back of his shoulder, he winced and squeezed her harder against his chest. "Miyu, I'm not gonna let you go."
"I have to help him! He's going to die! Let me go!" As her kagune dug deeper into his flesh, another one coiled around his left leg and gripped it like a vice. "Let go or I'll-!"
The girl's struggling paused as she saw a figure suddenly appear in front Renji, blocking the human's path. A man in a dark coat and hat, older than any other ghoul there. Before Miyu could even consider breaking free of Uta's hold, the man had gripped Renji by the shirt and disappeared over the ledge with him. "R-Ren…ji…? Where…where are you taking him?! Give him back! GIVE HIM BACK TO ME!" Tears streamed down her cheeks, wetting the mask that Uta had given her. "Give him back…give him back!"
"What should we do? We've still got No Face and the Pink Spider," a dove spoke to the man called Arima.
The pink-haired girl felt rage starting to overtake her, realizing that the older ghoul was quickly escaping while the blond ghoul still held onto her. Retaliation against the older man was becoming less possible, but the humans were still there. Both kagune left Uta's body and she poised all four in front of her in defense. I'll kill them! I'll kill all of them for hurting Renji and I'll hunt down that other ghoul! I'll find him! I'll get him back!
Before she could make an attempt, she was slung over someone's shoulder and found the scene fading away. She gripped onto the ghoul's back, screaming at the humans in defiance even as her carrier continued to flee. "I'll end you! ALL OF YOU!" she promised.
Itori greeted her with a grin when she was brought to Uta's place, but the short-haired girl quickly caught on that something was not right. "Where are the guys?" she asked the man that had carried Miyu.
Sitting on a couch in silent depression, Miyu drew her knees to her chest. Renji…has to be okay. Right? Fate wouldn't be that cruel, would it? I can't lose Aki-nii and also Renji. We were supposed to avenge his sister tonight. Remembering the discussion between Uta and Renji, she felt more tears fall. She had tagged along because she wanted desperately to support Renji. She had even pushed herself to kill humans.
An emptiness started to overtake the sadness and she fell onto her side, curling up in a ball. "…Renji…is gone…" she muttered. She wrapped her arms around herself, not even bothering to take off her mask.
Itori leaned against the arm of the couch, peering down at her. "You okay? You look pretty banged up from the fight."
"I lost Renji. I lost him. He promised me that if we left the ward, we would leave together. We…we had a deal. And he's gone…and that man just picked him up and…I don't even know what he's going to do with him. Renji was injured and that man…what if he eats him? What if he kills him?"
Frowning, Itori shrugged and sat on the couch beside Miyu. "Hey. You know what? Ren's pretty tough. I'm sure he can take care of himself. And if he's still alive, he'll come back for you. I mean, you had a deal, right? And I can tell that he really liked you."
"Don't say it like he's dead!"
The other girl snickered. "You know, I think this is the first time I've ever actually heard you raise your voice. It's kind of cute. Angry Kurotani."
"This is serious! What if he-?!" Both girls quieted as they saw Uta enter the room. Miyu saw blood darkening his jacket from where she had stabbed him and she felt guilt twist in her stomach. His pants were ripped, marking where her kagune had gripped so hard that it tore the fabric when she pulled away.
He settled on the other couch, sprawling on his back and giving only a small indication that the puncture in his shoulder hurt. Red and black eyes observed Miyu from across the small space and he frowned. "Are you okay?"
The tears multiplied at his concern and she pushed herself to sit up again. "I-I'm fine! Are you…are you okay, Uta?"
The male ghoul tapped a fingertip against his lip piercing and shrugged. "I got stabbed. It feels pretty deep."
Itori glanced from one ghoul to the other and surprise lit up her face. "Kurotani, did you stab him again?!"
His lips twitched into a sheepish smile. "I got too close to the spider."
"…you tried to hold me back…"
"I couldn't lose you, too." His words made her look up from her bloody hands and she saw that he was struggling not to grin. "I waited a long time to get this close; I wasn't going to lose you."
"You're both crazy," Itori remarked with a laugh. "I'm going to go see if I can scrounge up some food, okay? You both look pretty messed up."
Now left alone with Uta, the pink-haired ghoul felt herself starting to gradually calm down from her spike of anger. She lay on her back on the couch, her body feeling heavy now that the adrenaline was wearing off. Her injuries were starting to hurt and she knew that she had a few broken bones. Cuts littered her limbs and one side of her chest. There was a gash across her right cheek. None of these seemed as bad at Uta's stab wound.
"…why…even bother keeping me back…?" she murmured, throwing an arm across her face to block out the light. "Renji...he's stronger than me. You should have saved him. Or at least let me try to save him myself." She heard the other couch creak and sighed into her mask, wondering if she had angered him.
A weight settled on her waist; not too heavy, but definitely noticeable. A hand gripped her wrist and lifted her arm, pinning it above her head on the cushion. Uta stared down at her, leaning down so his face was about a foot away from hers. "It's probably 'cause I'm selfish." His free hand reached behind her head, fidgeting with the straps that held her mask in place.
The mask was specially made for her by him. It fit over the lower half of her face and was shaped around the mouth to resemble a spider's fangs. It fastened by straps behind her head and was fashioned from a hot pink material with black stitching. Uta had given it to her days ago, when she and Itori had found him near the dead flowers. When she and Renji showed up that night at his place, he asked her to bring it when they went to avenge Renji's sister.
His fingers grazed one of the metal buckles and he frowned. The boy was straddling her waist, his legs squeezing at her hips faintly. "I didn't wanna see you die. We just became friends, right? It'd be a waste. I didn't wanna lose Renji, but he wasn't close enough for me to grab in time."
Miyu closed her eyes as he successfully opened the buckle and moved on to the next one. Her mask was pulled away slowly, revealing bloody lips beneath. "…we…lost Renji…" she muttered. "We need to get him back."
Sitting up more, he tilted his head. "We should wait until we're better," he finally pointed out. "I don't think we can fight again like this."
Her face was heating up from how close he was and she turned her head to the side. "Uta…do you know who that man was?"
"Just a stranger that snatched our friend." He released her wrist and watched her cover her face again. "Huh? What's wrong?"
"I failed him! I couldn't protect him! What am I supposed to do now?! He was…he is…my roommate. He's all that I have." She tensed, feeling slightly wet fingers run through her hair. The smell of blood was strong on his skin.
"You've got me and Itori," he protested. "Wanna move in with me? I'll keep you safe."
"I…just want him to come back…"
"Hm. Okay so we'll wait." He pushed an arm beneath her and turned them both. Falling onto his back, he let her lie on top of him and grinned up at the girl. "We'll wait and get stronger and we'll go find Renji. Wanna do that?" She gave a nod and he rubbed her upper back with one hand. The girl started to relax against him, too tired to argue. "You're gonna need food soon."
She was starting to tremble from fatigue and nodded again. "I…know that."
Both arms wrapped around her now, holding her against his warm chest. "I'll get you something good so you can get stronger. And when we're both ready, we'll go look for Renji. What if we have to leave the fourth ward?"
Miyu buried her face in his chest, smelling human blood on his clothes and finding an odd sense of comfort in his tight embrace. "I'd…follow you. I'll follow you, even if it means leaving the ward. Even if it means leaving the country."
"Pretty lucky that we both love him, huh?"
"Wh-what? You…love him…?" She opened her eyes and lifted her head, trying to see Uta's facial expression. He looked faintly surprised. "Uta?"
A new grin spread across his face. "Not the way you're thinking. I forgot how funny you are sometimes, Miyu. Nope. It's not like that. It's more like…friends. Best friends. It's different from how I love you."
Her pulse quickened and she lowered her face again, her fingers grasping his shirt tightly. Love? What? What is he saying? Is the blood loss getting to him? She felt a hand leave her back and tangle in her long, neon pink hair to lift her face. A mouth met hers and she tensed, her fingers lightly digging at his chest. His lips parted, tongue tentatively swiping at the blood on her lower lip. She leaned back quickly and blushed red, looking away. "I…I don't…"
"Sorry." Uta smiled gently and ran a hand over her hair, licking his lips.
"I brought some food," Itori announced, holding up a plastic bag in triumph. She stopped in the doorway and cocked her head at the odd change in the room. "You two sure got cozy while I was gone, huh? Anyway, I couldn't find any organ meat. They'll probably bring some back, right, Uta? I did find some good pieces though."
Miyu watched in horror as Itori rummaged in the bag and produced a human forearm. A shiver ran through her and she turned her head away. "I…I can't eat that."
Uta shifted his position, sitting up against the arm of the couch and holding her in place against him. "How'd Renji get you to eat?"
"Yeah, I was wondering that, too," Itori admitted. She sat on the other couch and set the bag of meat on the table.
"It's…embarrassing." Miyu took a shaky breath, holding tightly to Uta for reassurance. "I…can't eat it if it looks human so…he would chew it a little and…pass it from his mouth to mine…so I couldn't identify what it was…"
"Uh, what? He fed you like a baby bird?"
"He fed her through a kiss," Uta corrected.
"Awww! That's adorable! I didn't think Ren was the romantic type!"
"If it's not an organ, you have trouble, right?" The blond ghoul ran a hand up and down her back, half-smiling to himself. "It's okay. I'll feed you. I wanna make sure you heal faster. It's not fun if you're hurt like this."