NeonHorizon: In case you're wondering, most of Tsukiyama's dialogue is inspired by creepy private messages I've seen other people post on Reddit. Just...ugh...super damn creepy! There will be a special moment between Kaneki and Saya in the next chapter ;)
He could hardly believe how quickly Saya appeared to have recovered. Kaneki's gaze fell to her leg as he walked behind her down the street, focusing on the new limb. A shiver ran through him when he remembered what she had endured at the hands of Aogiri Tree. He remembered the feeling of her flesh being forcefully fed to him by Yamori and it made his stomach turn.
Bowing his head, Kaneki frowned to himself. She seemed to be alright, at least. Saya acted like her old, confident self from Anteiku. It was almost enough to make him forget the horrors they had experienced. The scared, pained look on her face when he was eating her flesh. His chest started to feel tight so he pushed away the memory.
"Oh, my beloved Saya! I can't get over how absolutely adorable you look beneath the street light. Like a perfect little model~" Tsukiyama was walking beside Saya ahead of Kaneki and turned to flash the girl a charming smile.
"Respect the two foot rule, pervert." Saya's reply held a note of venom as she glared up at the man.
He put a hand on his chest, pretending to be offended. "How cruel! What are you accusing me of? Can't a gentleman express his adoration for a woman's beauty?"
"There's a fine line between "adoration" and "lust"," she retorted.
Kaneki's frown deepened as he saw Saya begin to walk faster. He urged Banjou to walk with her, still a little anxious about letting her out of his sight. Ayato was still alive and he knew that the younger ghoul would target Saya once he recovered from his injuries.
Coming up beside Tsukiyama, the pale-haired ghoul tried to ready himself for what he would say. "Can I ask you something?" he hesitantly began.
Instantly, the man seemed to recover from Saya's harsh words. "Of course, Kaneki. What would you like to know? Is it about your outfit tonight?"
"It's about Saya." He saw the man's left eye twitch as his posture tensed ever so slightly.
"Ah. Our darling little flower." Tsukiyama's lips curled into a sickly sweet smile as he nodded toward Saya. She was now conversing with Banjou, blissfully unaware of the two male ghouls watching her. "Doesn't she look ravishing tonight?"
Following his gaze, Kaneki gave a small nod. Saya was wearing a lavender dress with short sleeves and a simple, white jacket with silver buttons. Her dark blue hair was pulled back into a loose bun, presumably by Tsukiyama because Kaneki had never seen her hair that way before. "Can you…not pay so much attention to her?"
"What's this? Comme c'est mignon! Kaneki, I had no idea that you felt this way! Of course!" The smile that Tsukiyama displayed was warm and sweet, but the next words that left his mouth made Kaneki feel cold. "I didn't know that you were feeling jealous, Kaneki. All you had to do was say that you wanted a little attention~" the man purred. He looked at Kaneki from the corner of his eye, still beaming like a cat that was just told it could eat someone's pet bird.
"D-do you think I'm jealous of Saya?" The boy stared at him incredulously.
"Of course! Why else would you-?"
"No. Tsukiyama…I'm jealous of you," Kaneki corrected him. "You spend more time with her than I do. You've known her for longer. I don't want you to spend so much time with her. Please."
Tsukiyama looked taken aback by this and ran a hand over his violet hair. Looking to Saya, who was now standing at a crosswalk up ahead with Banjou, he sighed. "Oh, Kaneki. That jealous gleam in your eye…makes you look so innocent and sweet~"
The pale-haired ghoul shook his head. "Tsukiyama, she's my girlfriend. We've been dating for a while and…I don't like you spending so much time alone with her. I know that you helped her recover…and I'm really grateful for you doing that…but I want to spend time with her, too."
"Oh dear. But, Kaneki, you do realize what you're asking, don't you? This is so cruel. Like taking a child's favorite toy. Saya is my precious little flower. I don't like to think about not seeing her. Or you for that matter." He held a hand to his head and sighed once more.
Up ahead, Banjou was awkwardly attempting to help Saya over a large puddle. His hands went to her waist and he effortlessly lifted her, despite her protests, and set her down on the dry pavement. Kaneki's chest started to tighten again when he saw Banjou's hands on her. "If you just want someone to hang out with-"
"Are you offering to be my friend, Kaneki? Are you saying that you would spend time with me in her place?"
"I didn't…mean that much. I just don't like seeing her…"
Tsukiyama seemed to catch the jealous way that he was looking at Banjou now. "I see. Well, you do realize that other men could fall for our darling Saya, don't you? She already has my heart. I wouldn't be surprised if Monsieur Banjou were to fall for her. She's such a treasure~"
Kaneki shook his head again. "Banjou's afraid of her. So are the others." His eyes widened as he looked at Tsukiyama again. "Did you…say that you're in love with her?" he queried.
The man's smile grew and he turned his head to the side. "Kaneki, you say that like it's such a terrible thing to fall in love! Ah, but yes…she has my heart. Which is why it pains me so to hear you request that I leave her alone. It makes my heart ache."
"I'm sorry…but Saya is mine."
"Oh, I know. She's made that clear. But now I'll have this Saya-shaped hole in my heart. Do you think that you could fill it, Kaneki?"
Shift P.O.V
What kind of nasty stuff is he saying to Kaneki? Saya glanced back at the two other ghouls as Banjou continued ahead of her. The girl's eyes narrowed on Tsukiyama as he met her gaze. He smiled in a way that made her stomach turn and lifted a hand to wave. What is that creep looking at?
"Saya? What's up?" Banjou turned to follow her gaze and gave a nod. "Oh. If you wanted to wait for Kaneki, you should've just said so. It's not safe to stand around by yourself."
"I don't need protecting," she protested.
He rubbed the back of his head and frowned. "Um…are you…I mean…you don't think Tsukiyama would do something to him, do you? I heard about that whole incident in that church-"
"He's in love with him." Saya's tone was dark and fierce as she glared at the approaching violet-haired ghoul. He and Kaneki were still a short distance away, giving her time to put on a fake smile when he finally came within earshot. "What were you two talking about? You look pretty pleased with yourself, "Tra-Shuu"."
"Sweet, darling Saya. You're so terrible at hiding your jealousy~"
She slipped between him and Kaneki, careful not to let Tsukiyama touch her. Wrapping both arms around Kaneki's left arm, she squeezed it against her chest and smirked. "If I'm so bad at hiding it, maybe you could take a hint and walk with Banjou so I can be with my boyfriend?"
"It's so rare for me to see this selfish side of you though," he remarked. Tsukiyama linked his arm with Kaneki's right arm and leaned around the boy to smile at Saya. "There! See? We can share, can't we~?"
"C-can you not hang on me, Tsukiyama?" Kaneki's voice was just above a murmur, his face tinted pink from Saya's embrace.
Upon hearing this, the female ghoul's smirk became a grin and she hugged his arm a little tighter. She rubbed her cheek against his shoulder, enjoying the half-ghoul's scent. If he thinks that he can take Kaneki from me, he'll have to pry him from my cold, dead little hands.
She was more than happy to get out of the clothes that Tsukiyama had selected for her when they returned to the base. It was a tamer outfit in comparison to some of the bold, brightly colored clothes that he had put her in before. In fact, it was actually really pretty. Probably her favorite so far. However, it had his scent all over it. It was like getting a constant, inescapable hug from the man.
Falling onto her bed in a tank top and sweatpants, Saya was done with being social for the night. She intended to do some light reading and then go to sleep. Though she wished that she could sleep in Kaneki's room with him. Just the thought made her heart begin to race and brought color rushing to her face.
As she tried to settle in with a book, she heard a knock at her door and frowned. Thinking that it was probably Tsukiyama, the girl prepared to launch a barrage of insults. Instead, she opened the door to find Kaneki. Unfortunately, her eyes had already narrowed and her lips were twisted into a scowl. Upon seeing the alarmed look in his eyes, she attempted to soften her facial expression. "Kaneki?"
"S-sorry. Were you about to go to sleep?"
"No! I mean, I was going to read first, but-!" Saya frowned gently and was about to say more when he stepped forward. His arms slid around her, pulling the girl against his chest. Hugging him back, she felt a grin curve her lips. "Kaneki?"
"Um…sorry." The pale-haired boy stepped back again, his cheeks flushed. "A-actually, I came to see if you wanted to help me train. It's just sparring, but…"
Sparring with Kaneki? Immediately, she realized that if she declined then he would probably just ask Tsukiyama or Banjou to spar with him. Displaying a rather sinister grin, she tilted her head. "We're both holding back, right? I don't want to go all out on you."
His expression brightened. "Of course. So do you want to spar with me?"
She nodded and pulled her hair back into a ponytail. "You lead the way, alright?" Walking behind him, she felt her gaze drifting along his figure. Her heart was already starting to pump faster with excitement and adrenaline. When he glanced over his shoulder, she quickly looked away and half-grinned.
"Your kagune was…?"
The girl jogged to catch up to him, gently taking his hand in hers. "It's like Tsukiyama's. A koukaku type."
"Did you…um…did you ever fight with Tsukiyama before…?"
"Yeah. We've crossed "blades" before," she replied. As they entered the big, open room where he trained, Saya could feel her excitement swiftly escalating. It's just sparring, but I get to be close to Kaneki!
"Let me know when you're ready. And let's both be careful, okay?"