NeonHorizon: This chapter is a bit longer than previous chapters. Not by a lot though, so don't worry. I just had a lot that I wanted to include and I thought you readers deserved to have a chapter that isn't rushed or cut down. It should be interesting.
Airi was walking out of her anatomy class when she heard her phone ringing. She did not recognize the number and hesitantly answered. "Shirayuki speaking." As she spoke, she continued to walk down the corridor and caught sight of Kaneki up ahead. Should I talk to him? I should at least say 'hello' right?
"Shirayuki-chan, it's so nice to hear your voice. You wouldn't believe how long I've been waiting to hear it again."
Goose bumps instantly rose on her arms beneath her black sweater and she froze in her steps. "H-how did you get my phone number, Tsukiyama-san?"
"Oh, your art teacher was more than happy to give it to me. You're at school, aren't you?"
She bowed her head as she walked right past Kaneki. The boy looked puzzled and followed her. When Airi got outside, she turned and walked backwards, keeping her grey-blue eyes locked on Kaneki's single dark one. "What do you want?"
Tsukiyama laughed softly and his smile could be felt through the words that came next. "I want you, of course. But I'll settle for my paintings for now."
"They're not finished. I only have the rinkaku one done."
"Oh, that's fine. I think the other two will be done soon. Are you alone?"
Still with her eyes on Kaneki's, keeping a decent distance between them, she frowned. "Yes. I'm alone."
"Absolutely perfect! I have some instructions for you~"
"I'm not doing whatever it is that you want," she snarled.
"Oooh, there's that spark of boldness. I think you'll agree to my terms though, Shirayuki-chan. I was walking down the street earlier and thought that I caught your delectable scent so I followed it. Imagine my surprise when I came across a little boy instead. He smells so much like you; he probably tastes just as good. What do you-?"
"Don't you dare! Don't touch him!"
There was a terrifying, satisfied sigh. "I thought you might say that. How about you bring me the rinkaku painting and I'll give him back? I'm going to send you an address and if you want to get him back alive, be sure to be there in an hour."
The phone clicked, indicating that he had hung up. Airi's gaze hardened to a glare as she stopped walking and Kaneki caught up to her. She stared down at her phone as a picture was sent from Tsukiyama's number. A picture of Isamu with tears running down his face. Airi gritted her teeth and quickly tucked the phone away as Kaneki approached. I can't tell him about Tsukiyama. I know that if he goes, we'll both be killed and eaten. I know what Tsukiyama is planning. I'll show up, he'll let Isamu go, and he'll try to eat me. Kaneki being there will just make things more complicated. If I'm alone, I might at least be able to buy some time. And if I take Yomo or Uta, Tsukiyama might hurt Isamu.
"Um…are you okay? You look upset." Kaneki gave her a curious look and saw tears of frustration shining her eyes. "Shirayuki-chan?"
"I'm…fine. I have to take care of something." She started walking and knew that he was following again. Turning swiftly, she grabbed him by the front of his shirt and glowered up into his single eye. "Listen to me. Do you know how sick I am of you and your innocence?! You always walk around with that face and try to be helpful when I'm hurt, but I'm an adult! I don't need your help!"
He stared back at her, a little taken aback, but seemed to see through her act immediately. "D-do you need help, Shirayuki-chan?"
The female ghoul tried to hold her glare, but her heart was racing and the tears soon rolled down her cheeks. "You can't help, got it?!" She released his shirt and gave him a hard shove backwards. "Go home, okay? Don't go to Anteiku and don't you dare tell someone that I cried!"
She walked as quickly as possible to her apartment and felt her heart skip a beat when she found that Yomo was home. His coat was hanging over the arm of the couch, in full view of the apartment door. Airi quietly entered the apartment and tiptoed her way to the bedroom when she saw the couch empty. Her protector was asleep in the bed, his back turned to the door. She moved back to the main room and picked up the rinkaku painting from where it was propped against the wall.
As she stepped back outside, she fought the urge to go back in and ask him for help. I can do this. I have to do this alone. I'm stronger than when we last fought so I should be able to last longer. Maybe I can even beat Tsukiyama this time. Clutching the painting to her chest, she followed directions to the address he had given her.
Shift P.O.V
Kaneki had stayed on campus after the odd interaction with Shirayuki. He was still confused, but it was very obvious that she needed help. She, or someone else, was in danger. That could be the only explanation for her tears. Wherever she was going, it had to be scary because she had been adamant about keeping him away. He started walking and caught sight of Nishiki walking toward him.
"What's her problem today? I've never seen her get that aggressive with a guy," he remarked.
"I-I don't know, but she was really upset."
"So are you going to follow her?"
"She told me not to. She said not to go to Anteiku or-"
"Or what?" Nishiki raised an eyebrow and when it was clear that Kaneki had no intention of telling him, he sighed. "Okay so she's probably going to do something stupid. Better hope that Yomo is following her, right?"
Kaneki nodded once, but still felt worried. Sure, she was pretty tough. He had heard about the various dangers she faced, the many fights she had been in. Despite all of that, she rarely showed pain around him or even Touka. "Do you think she's going to be okay?"
"I think you should go to Anteiku and tell someone."
He did as Nishiki suggested and was glad that he had. Upon walking into Anteiku, he was met with a flustered Touka and other distraught employees. The café was closed for the day, but he was still allowed in. "What's going on?"
"Isamu-kun went missing," Irimi answered with a frown. "He wanted to run an errand by himself this morning and I told him to wait so I could go with him, but…"
"He's a sneaky little guy," Koma commented.
Remembering the look of panic in Shirayuki's eyes, Kaneki knew what was happening. Something happened to Isamu and she was going in hopes of helping him. He looked around at the other employees and began to sweat. Should I tell them? Nishiki is probably right though. Yomo would follow her. He'd never let her go do something dangerous alone.
Shift P.O.V
Something seemed a bit 'off' about the apartment when he stepped inside. Uta was sure that her protector would be out at that time of day so he hoped to surprise Airi with a gift. A gift that was far less messy than the last one. Something they could enjoy together. Of course, this idea was thrown aside the second he saw that familiar coat draped over the arm of the couch.
A smile tugged at the corners of his mouth as he silently approached the couch to sneak up on the other man. It fell when he saw the piece of furniture empty. Uta stood there for a long moment, taking notice of the open sketchbook on the coffee table and sniffing at the air around him. He could tell that Airi was out, despite her scent being everywhere in the apartment.
Just a little disappointed, he sat on the couch and studied the sketches on the open pages of her book. Dark birds, as usual, but also rough drawings of masks decorated the paper. He leaned down to get a better look, setting her gift aside on the coffee table. The man hummed absently as he skimmed the masks she had drawn. A few looked familiar from his shop, but there were others as well. Strange ones that he had never seen before, as if she was trying to make her own designs.
When he had enough of that, he stood and looked toward her room. As he moved toward the door, he remembered the last time he was in her apartment. When he had arrived that day, Ria was still alive. She was begging for mercy and babbling a bunch of excuses, but he knew better. She was taking ghoul children for some reason, some reason that could only be nefarious, and by getting rid of her he would make Isamu safe. Airi would appreciate the gesture. It took some time, but she had finally thanked him just a few days ago.
After Ria was dealt with, he had left the apartment again in search of food. That was when he happened upon the female human. Of course, she died before he brought her to the apartment. Remembering the sight of the walls and floor splattered with blood, he frowned. That was really messy, he finally admitted to himself.
He paused outside of Airi's bedroom door, seeing it slightly open. She was out, but he knew that Yomo was there. Pushing the door open just a bit more, he saw the other ghoul asleep on his side with his back to the door. The blanket was only covering his lower half and fell a bit more when he turned onto his back. He moved a little in his sleep, becoming comfortable again and finally going still.
Uta tilted his head and stepped into the room, allowing a half-smile to take over his face. There was no hint to the macabre surprise that he had left for Airi last time; the floor scrubbed to perfection and the sheets brand new. It was amusing. He knew that when he left that day, she had been forced to explain the corpses to Yomo. The other ghoul, undoubtedly, had to dispose of the bodies. Just imagining the looks the two must have worn made him want to laugh.
Without a sound, he got onto the bed and leaned close, studying the man's sleeping face. He looked quite peaceful until a lock of Uta's hair fell forward, tickling his cheek. Yomo frowned and rubbed at his cheek before settling again. Uta glanced toward the bedroom door. It was still open, but there was no sign of Airi's return. Determining to entertain himself until she was back, he straddled his friend's waist. He held his upper half up with his hands braced against the bed to either side of Yomo's chest and let very little of his weight rest on his lower abdomen.
With a slight smirk, he leaned down and brought his lips near Yomo's ear. "Renji…time to wake up~" Uta shifted back a little, expecting him to react. There was no hint of him even hearing Uta's voice. He frowned and repeated the action, letting a hand rest on Yomo's chest now. "Time to get up, Renji~"
The other ghoul's eyes snapped open, a hand quickly gripping Uta's wrist like a vice. "What are you doing here?" he demanded.
His smirk returned and he sat back, putting his full weight on Yomo's waist. "I came to see my girlfriend…and find out why you're sleeping in her bed."
Shift P.O.V
Airi came to consciousness on a cold, hard floor. She pushed herself up onto her hands and knees, grimacing at the way her head ached. It took a moment for her eyes to adjust to the bright lights in the room, but she soon felt her blood run cold. This room contained four things; a bed, an easel, canvases, and paints. Her sketchbook and pencils were lying on the wooden floor beside her, but her phone was missing. Pushing herself to sit up, she held her aching head.
She had gone to the address, but it was a large, vacant building. Going inside, she had found Isamu pretty quickly. He had been unharmed, but when she tried to take him out of the building, Tsukiyama attacked. A cloth was pressed over her mouth and nose, a chemical aroma flooding her senses before her legs gave out beneath her and her consciousness faded away.
The bright artificial light from above was making her eyes hurt so she shielded them with a hand and looked for an exit. Spotting a door across the room, she struggled to her feet and stumbled her way over. It was locked. When she threw her weight against the door, it refused to give way beneath her. She growled in frustration and kicked at it.
What am I going to do?! I don't know where I am! I don't know where Isamu is! And only Kaneki knows that anything is wrong! Damn it! I should've known this was going to happen. Airi pounded at the door again, this time with a fist.
A weight leaned against the door from the other side. "I'm going to get my paintings, Shirayuki-chan."
Her pulse raced and she hit harder. "Where's Isamu?!"
"Not even worried about yourself anymore? Well, you are going to be here until your last day. Locked up nice and secure. You could almost call that room your refrigerator! That's where you keep meat until you're ready to eat it, right?" He chuckled and moved back from the door. "I wouldn't worry about your cute little brother. I let him go; just like I promised. Although I can't promise his safety after he ran off."
Airi fell to her knees on the hard wooden floor and scowled. "If I give you your paintings…will you let me go?"
"That isn't how it works, Shirayuki-chan. How silly; letting my meal go in exchange for a few paintings? I'm going to keep the paintings as a memento of my greatest meal! Once your art is complete, I'm going to bring in Kaneki-kun and eat you both while your bodies are intertwined! Your flesh mixed with his! Aaah! I can only imagine how delicious it will be!"