I do not on Tokyo Ghoul or any of the characters.
Extermination
Mirumo was captured. No fight, no bloodshed. Just as planned. However, Kaneki hadn't counted on Matsuri Washuu being assigned as support. Within mere minutes he had found the most likely course of action that the Tsukiyama family had taken to protect Shuu, though they didn't know Shuu's identity, thankfully.
Kaneki remained silent as Urie sped toward the Luna Eclipse, one of the towers the Tsukiyama family owned, which had a helipad on the top and was also easily reached. Hairu Ihe was already there, along with a long list of brutal and merciless ghoul investigators, all of whom had been given orders to do what they loved most, kill every ghoul in sight. No quarter orders. Even Kaneki himself had bee outright refused permission to take any ghouls into custody, even if it was the permanently crippled and powerless One-Eyed Owl herself. Kaneki hated his orders. But he had no choice. He only hoped that his warning to Matsumae had come in time.
Urie skidded to a stop and the Quinx all piled out. Their formation was basic but effective. Shirazu in back as rear security and general support, Saiko in the middle as the main powerhouse, Urie and Mutsuki in front as vanguard, with Urie supporting and protecting both Mutsuki and Saiko as well. Kaneki would mostly be on his own but nearby, at least until he found an opportunity to split of and head up to the roof to meet Tsukiyama, Matsumae, and Kanae, he hoped.
They sprinted inside, Kaneki trying ti ignore the corpses scattered around, hacked apart by Ihe or straight-up shredded by Kijima. There wasn't a single CCG corpse. Finally, they reached the stairs, sprinting up them. Kaneki used his hearing and smell to check the floors as they passed. On floor two, the CCG was finishing up that floor. Floor three was still a battle. Floors four through eight had worse battles, including the first of the CCG casualties. A pang of fear hit Kaneki as he imagined Akira lying somewhere on those floors, but he kept running, ignoring it. Finally, they stopped on the ninth floor, running out where the fighting was extreme and just starting. Then, they began to slaughter their way through. The Quinx teamwork had improved drastically while they struggled to fight against him. Even Urie was a team player now. After a few more minutes, Koori Ui caught up to them as they were running down a hallway with widows as one wall. They slowed to a stop as Ui turned to Kaneki.
"Investigator Sasaki, I'm worried about what's happening on the roof," Ui said. "Head up there and scout for any enemies."
"Understood," Kaneki nodded, turning to Shirazu. "Squad Leader Shirazu. I leave the rest up to you. Take care of them."
Shirazu nodded and Kaneki pulled his coat off, tossing it aside before extending his tentacles and smashing a window, jumping out and driving the tentacles into the building, allowing his fall to stretch them before launching himself upward, landing against the side and sprinting up it for a moment before driving his tentacles into it again and hurling himself to the roof. He had smelled him. Tsukiyama. One floor down with Matsumae. As soon as Kaneki's feet hit the ground, he turned, sprinting to the door heading inside and running down the stairs. He burst through a door into the room where Tsukiyama was standing and instantly deflected Tsukiyama's kagune with his quinque.
"Easy," Kaneki said.
"Investigator Sasaki, what's happening on the roof?" Ui demanded.
"No one up here yet," Kaneki said.
"Understood, remain on standby there," Ui ordered.
"Understood," Kaneki said, lowering his hand. "Hello Tsukiyama. It's been a while."
"Kaneki," Tsukiyama smiled. "You're blocking my escape."
Kaneki motioned to the window and Tsukiyama turned just as an explosion filled the air over the tower. Tsukiyama's helicopter.
"I see," Tsukiyama said. "What should I do, then?"
"Where's Matsumae?"
"She went to face the investigators that began this battle," Tsukiyama said. "They're one floor down from here."
"I see," Kaneki nodded. "I'll save her. You head up to the roof then drop down under the helipad and hide there. I'll come and get you once I have Matsumae. Now, where's Kanae?"
"Kanae...has been missing for a while now," Tsukiyama said.
Kaneki nodded slowly. "Go to the roof, Tsukiyama. I'll see you in a bit."
Kaneki turned, hurrying to the stairs and then down them, reaching the next floor and sniffing. Matsumae was fighting, and he could smell Ihe's blood. He couldn't say he was disappointed in that fact. He sprinted through the hallways toward the battle, arriving in time to see Ihe firing a blast of electricity out of her her second favorite quinque, T-Human, at Matsumae, who was struggling to block it with a shield she had formed out of her kagune. T-Human was like Arima's Narukami, the white quinque Arima had used the first time he and Kaneki had fought, except that T-Human had only three metal strips. Milo, Matsumae's partner, leapt over Matsumae, only for Ihe to blast him with T-Human as well, splitting him in half at the waist. Milo extended his kagune, preparing to take Ihe's head off, but Kaneki caught him with a tentacle, tossing him deceptively gently off to the side, then flicking the tip of his tentacle toward Kijima as he retracted it, Milo nodding slightly, the gesture completely unnoticed by anyone as they stared at Kaneki, who had Matsumae restrained by his tentacles now. He had gotten her out of the way of Ihe's attack, and she was pretending to try to free herself, putting up a good show.
Kaneki walked over to Ihe, who sank to her knees, smiling slightly.
"You and Koori," Ihe said. "You always steal my spotlight."
"Well, I've decided to give you another chance to be in that spotlight," Kaneki said. "At least, if this works the way I hope it does."
He set a hand against her abdomen, his upper palm and most of his fingers stretched in front of the hole. Then, he channeled his Rc cells into the wound, a kagune-like growth forming in it, filling the wound completely. He let his hand fall, sweat running down his face, and Ihe simply stared at it.
"So...will it stay?" Ihe asked.
"Long enough," Kaneki said. "You'll have to become a Quinx to survive. But for now..."
He slammed his hand into the side of her neck at the same time as Milo's kagune spike erupted from Kijima's chest. Kijima shouted in agony as Matsumae cut herself free, streaking forward with her kagune rapier. Kijima's chainsaw spun into the air before falling blade first onto Kijima's face, killing him. The moment it did, Kaneki grabbed Matsumae with his tentacles, pretending to accidentally slam her into both Furuta and the other ghoul investigator beside them, both breaking out a window. Kaneki shot two tentacles out, catching Furuta, but the other one was knocked out of the way by half a ghoul that was launched out of a window from below. Kaneki swore, swinging Furuta at the building and smashing him through a window, then released him and Matsumae.
"Tsukiyama is under the helipad on the roof, let's go," Kaneki said.
"Why did you save her?" Matsumae asked as she turned to leave, only to stop as Kaneki picked up Ihe. "What are you doing!?"
"I'm not fond of Ihe," Kaneki said. "However, I have to keep up appearances. I can't just kill everyone."
"You could," Matsumae said as they ran. "You sure she's out?"
"She's lost a lot of blood," Kaneki said. "She's not waking up for at least a day."
Matsumae nodded. They reached the roof, Kaneki extending a tentacle down to Tsukiyama and pulling him back up. Just as he did, a glowing red tentacle like a thorned vine tore a hole in his abdomen, making him drop Ihe before he was lifted into the air. He coughed, blood flying out of his mouth, then looked back. A ghoul stood behind him dressed like a slightly more demonic Noro. It had a similar mouth with stitches around it, a dozen small beady eyes above it, and the trench coat was a rusty red and slightly fancier. He recognized the kagune, though. The last time he had seen it it was dark blue, but it was definitely Kanae's. He slashed the tentacle below himself, dropping to the ground as it disintegrated and his wound healed.
"Kanae, stop," Tsukiyama ordered. "Kaneki is helping us."
"Ken Kaneki is in the way!" Kanae shouted, tentacles shooting out again, only for Kaneki to slash them aside with his quinque, sending out a tentacle of his own.
Kanae dodged out of the way of it and Kaneki sprinted forward, sidestepping a swipe from one of Kanae's before jumping and sending a barrage of kagune shards out of his Ukaku at Kanae. She blocked it with her tentacles, then sent them at Kaneki again. This time, however, two of his own restrained them and a third shot forward, impaling her. She would heal, but as he held her in place, her mask slipped off, revealing her mouth and eyes to have been stitched closed. He walked forward, drawing a quinque knife that he had borrowed from Suzuya, and cut the stitches. Then, he stepped back, releasing his kagune and putting the knife away, turning to Tsukiyama.
"Now do you understand, Tsukiyama?" Kaneki asked. "Now do you see Kanae's true feelings?"
Tsukiyama walked over, Kanae staring at the ground in shame, until Tsukiyama hugged her. "Kanae. I...I'm so sorry. I failed you. I never realized that you...Can you ever forgive me for being so blind?"
"There is nothing to forgive, Master Shuu," Kanae said, hugging him back.
"Kanae, who did this to you?" Kaneki asked.
"A child wrapped in bandages," Kanae said. "A one-eyed ghoul."
"Eto," Kaneki snarled.
No sooner had he said that did he bent backward as a massive white hand swept over him, Matsumae, Tsukiyama, and Kanae all barely avoiding being hit because Kaneki knocked them down with his tentacles. Kaneki flipped backward, landing in the center of the landing pad as he stared up at Eto's kakuja body. Eto leaned out of its mouth, smiling at him.
"It's been a while, Eto," Kaneki said. "I wonder what will happen to Aogiri once you're not around anymore."
Eto smiled, sinking back into the kakuja body as Kaneki extended four tentacles and his wing, wrapping the wing around his right arm and readying his quinque in his left hand. Eto laughed as she slashed at him, but he flipped over it, a single tentacle shooting out and slashing at the kakuja's head, splitting it in half but missing Eto by inches.
"There you are," Kaneki said. "You know, your father, Kuzen, asked me to save you."
"But I am saved, Ken Kaneki," Eto laughed. "You're so sweet! Are you going to take pity on me?"
"No," Kaneki said. "I only pity those who deserve to live."
Eto grit her teeth, still smiling as the kakuja's head reformed, but this time more deformed and with several mouths.
"Ouch," Eto snarled. "That hurts! You shitty trash! I'll devour you!"
"Feel free to try," Kaneki invited.
Eto lunged for him, a massive tendril shooting off of her constantly mutating kakuja body and he stepped out of the way, severing it with his wing before leaping at her, slashing the head as well, again missing, but only just. Eto cackled with laughter, babbling about being apples, and making him her child, and eating him. Kaneki flipped, landing between her and the others as she shot toward him. Then, he sent out his tentacles, all of them impaling the kakuja and halting it, Eto flying out at him. She landed in front of him, wrapping her arms around him and smiling.
"I've grown quite fond of you," Eto smiled. "We're so similar."
"We're nothing alike," Kaneki said, bisecting her at the waist with his wing before allowing his kagune to retract, except for a single tentacle that he caught her with.
"I love you," she smiled as she dangled over the edge of the building.
"I'm honored," Kaneki said. "In that case, do me a favor. If you survive the fall, go into hiding."
He let his tentacle disintegrate after he saw that she was already beginning to heal, the bleeding having stopped already, and she laughed as she fell. Then, Kaneki turned to Tsukiyama and the others.
"How do we get out of here?" Matsumae asked.
"You can freely manipulate your kagune, right?" Kaneki asked. "It's a Koukaku but you can use it like a Rinkaku."
She nodded, extending it as a massive pair of root-like tentacles.
"Then form a hang-glider or wings," Kaneki said.
She formed a pair of wings on her arms and he wrapped a tentacle around her, Tsukiyama and Kanae both wrapping their arms around her. Then, Kaneki hurled them. Once he saw that she was successfully able to at least glide with the wings, he turned to Eto's kakuja, walking over and ripping a chunk off, beginning to eat it. Yoshimura's warning about his own half-kakuja problems and how to fix it returning.
"Eto, you had better be enough," Kaneki growled as he ate as much as he could as quickly as he could.
By the time he smelled Koori Ui walking up behind him, he was down to the last quarter.
"Sasaki, is that...what do you...think you're...doing?" Ui asked, too stunned to speak properly.
"I'm sorry," Kaneki said, standing and turning to him. "I lost quite a bit of energy fighting the Owl. I needed to replenish myself."
"Did you...defeat it...alone?" Ui gaped. "Did you...kill it?"
"No," Kaneki said. "I dealt it some life-threatening wounds, but it will most likely survive."
"I...see," Ui nodded. "And...Tsukiyama?"
"Owl ate them," Kaneki said. "I tried to find their body, but it seems that Owl's kakuja absorbed them completely."
"I see," Ui nodded, seeming to be in a state of shock enough that he had accepted Kaneki's statement at face value. "Wipe your face. We still have work to do."
"Investigator Ui," Kaneki said as Ui turned to leave, making him stop as Kaneki lowered the still unconscious Ihe down to him with a tentacle. "You should keep a better eye on your girlfriend. She almost got herself killed. The patch job I did is only temporary. She'll need to become a Quinx in order to actually heal up. She'll probably be receptive, though."
Ui was too shocked and relieved that she was alive to really pay attention to what he was saying. He merely sat on the ground, cradling her to his chest and weeping in relief. Kaneki jumped down to the door leading back into the tower where another ghoul investigator stood, staring at the remains of Owl's body.
"Let's go," Kaneki said. "We have dead to collect."
The investigator nodded.
Kaneki left the roof, heading down the stairs several floors, sniffing out the other Quinx. He smelled Urie first, and headed that way, stopping when he found them. Shirazu was lying on his back, Mutsuki kneeling on one side and Saiko on the other, both sobbing. Kaneki froze, his heart shattering. It couldn't be true. Shirazu couldn't be dead. Right? Urie turned toward him. Urie would tell him. He was too blunt to lie.
"Shirazu...he wanted to see you," Urie said, tears streaming down his face as well. "If only...you had...gotten here sooner."
Kaneki stared at him. Too blunt to lie. Kaneki walked forward, stopping beside Urie.
"All loss in this world is due to a lack of personal ability," Kaneki said. "If you want to blame someone for Shirazu's death, blame your own weakness. A team is only as strong as its weakest member. If you had been stronger, you could have stopped the killing blow."
Urie stared at him for a moment before falling to his knees, guilt and shock filling his features. Kaneki walked over to Shirazu, falling to his own knees and lifting his upper body into his lap, tears rolling down his face.
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