NeonHorizon: Fun fact time, happy readers. Saya was actually supposed to die during her torture. But things took a turn. Which brings us to where we are today!
Saya leapt back from Kaneki, panting and grinning. Her kagune settled its tip against the floor as she watched him, trying to plan her next move. His speed was better than hers, but his kagune was nowhere near as heavy as hers. Truthfully, she had lasted quite a while before she started to get tired and he was looking rather tired as well.
"You're pretty good for not growing up with those," she remarked, shifting her stance for defense. The girl lifted her right arm, bringing her elbow up at her side to use her spiraling kagune as a shield. Saya flashed a grin, reassuring him that she was ready to start again.
"If you're getting tired, let me know."
"I'm good, Kaneki!" Saya dug her heels into the floor when he rushed forward, striking with his vibrant red appendages. She maneuvered her kagune to block his strikes. He's nervous, she realized as he moved back. All of the joy she had felt from sparring now faded. How does he expect to get stronger if he holds back so much?
Pale blue eyes met his heterochromatic ones and she frowned from behind her "blade". "Why are you being so careful?!" she demanded.
"I don't want to hurt you," he protested. "I know that we're just sparring, but…I just can't risk hurting you, Saya." Kaneki frowned back at her, wearing the most innocent expression on his face.
Frustrated, she sprinted forward and drew back her elbow. The point of her kagune was aimed at his chest as she neared him. Saya's intention was to push him so that he had to actually use some strength against her. A snarl left her throat as she got within striking distance and she prepared to stab just to his right. Even though she was trying to push him, she would never risk actually injuring Kaneki.
A kagune darted out, coiling around her right ankle and yanking it out from beneath her. Saya's balance was lost and she fell heavily to the floor, but rolled aside when he came after her. The boy's kagune stabbed frantically at the floor around her, his expression being one of intense concentration.
She managed to dodge most of the attacks, receiving only a few small slices on her arms and legs. When his body finally got close enough, Saya slammed the end of her kagune against his shoulder. Kaneki was sent flying backwards from the force of the blow, skidding over the floor and finally slamming onto his back. Before he could push himself up, Saya perched on his waist and held the tip of her "blade" above his throat.
Wearing a mischievous grin, she leaned down and kissed his cheek. "I win."
Kaneki's cheeks flushed pink as he tried to stammer a protest, but when her hands threaded into his snow-pale hair and her lips captured his, he decided that it was better to lose than to argue. He was glad that she had put away her kagune though; it was absolutely terrifying to have that muscled spiral used against him. Easing his own kagune into his back once more, the boy's hands lifted and planted against her back to keep her close.
Saya's heart fluttered as she deepened the kiss, moving her lips against his. He felt warm and the boy's lips tasted of coffee. She kept her eyes closed as his hands slid down her back to the hem of her shirt. Excitement sent a rush of warmth through her body. She finally broke the kiss and leaned back, biting her lower lip teasingly.
He pushed her shirt up a little, testing how far she wanted to go. Everything seemed to be alright. The tank top was pulled off over her head and tossed aside. Kaneki turned them so she was on her back and he dug his fingers into the waist of her sweatpants. His lips gently moved along her neck, loving the way that she played with his hair and the way that her body squirmed in anticipation beneath him. "I…love you, Saya."
"Kaneki, I-" She felt her pants start to slide down and it brought on a sick, twisting sensation of dread. Saya tried to shrug it off. She tried to ignore it and let him continue. However, when her pants were cast aside and he lifted her leg around his waist, she tensed and her breathing grew labored.
Her heart was beating absurdly fast as that feeling of dread grew more and more. The female ghoul gripped his hair tighter and she turned her head to the side when he tried to kiss her. Her breathing now came rapidly as she began to hyperventilate. The feeling of his hips grinding down against hers, the way her thigh rested against his hip. All of it reminded her of that wretched moment that Yamori forced himself on her.
No. No, no, no! Why?! Why can I only think of that? She had not realized that she was crying until Kaneki was wiping at her tears and letting her lower her leg. The boy was asking if she was alright because he was so worried that he had hurt her. Saya's arms wrapped around his neck, sobbing hysterically as she tried to reassure herself that she was safe.
"I'm sorry! Saya, I'm so sorry!" Kaneki sat back, pulling her with him so she was partially on his lap. He rubbed a hand along her back as he tried to comfort her, but she was trembling so much. This Saya was drastically different from the one that he had just sparred against. She looked absolutely terrified and like she might be sick to her stomach.
They remained that way for a long while, holding each other as the boy tried to make her feel better. She finally returned to her room and changed clothes. She had to get out of the hideout. Saya needed to be alone and she knew that if she stayed there, she would have no chance of going undisturbed.
The girl made sure that Banjou knew she was going out, but spoke to no one else. Outside, it was raining heavily. She put up the hood on the jacket she wore and hurried off down the street before anyone could stop her.
Closure. I need closure, but that bastard is dead. What am I supposed to do? Her eyes narrowed, teeth gritted, as she kicked viciously at a puddle. There were so many things that she wanted to do, but so few that she could.
Finally settling on two possibilities, Saya looked off down one side of the street. I need to find him. Yomo's friend. I've seen him with her so he'll know where to find her. Before she could make a move, Saya would need some information.
Shift P.O.V
It was pouring rain. His clothes and hair were drenched. He frowned as he looked at the humans passing by him. Unaware livestock, just roaming with no real ambition or purpose. If he took one for food, he doubted that the others would even acknowledge their absence. He might have been tempted, but Ayato had food in his bag. The food from Saya's apartment would hold him over for a while.
He gripped the strap of his bag tightly as he reached a crosswalk, standing among a group of humans. They smelled so strongly of food that it almost made his stomach turn. He wanted to get away. He wanted to return to the hideout and continue biding his time until he could begin his search.
It was as he contemplated this that his gaze fell upon a pair of figures across the street. A tall man dressed in black, wearing sunglasses. A teenage girl wearing a hooded leather jacket, grey sweater, and dark purple skirt. The man was holding a simple black umbrella above them both and was talking to the girl as they moved down the sidewalk.
Ayato kept his eyes on them as they moved. The girl in particular. She walked in a familiar way and soon his eyes widened. The man pointed at something and she turned a bit, revealing a pair of pale blue eyes. Strands of hair fell to frame her face within the hood of her jacket and they were the dark blue hue of a stormy sky.
That idiot! His teeth gritted and he clutched his bag in a tighter grip. The boy's eyes narrowed as he saw her half-smile at whatever the older ghoul had pointed at. What's she doing with him? Is that her type now? That bitch.
He wanted to go after her then and there, but her companion was definitely stronger than he was. Ayato recognized him as Uta. The mask maker. The man had been the leader of the fourth ward when he was little older than Ayato. His strength was pretty well known, even now. If the boy were to go after Saya, Uta would interfere and Ayato may not survive. It was in his best interest to wait and try to get her when she was alone.
Shift P.O.V
Saya's interaction with Uta in the past was extremely limited. She had never really needed a mask so she only saw him in passing or when he interacted with Yomo. The girl had been a little nervous about approaching him in his shop that night. She still could not believe he was open so late.
As far as she could tell, he seemed to be pretty easygoing. The man held the umbrella over both of them as he led the way to the bar, making quiet conversation every so often. It helped ease her nerves. After all, the big problem she was facing was not Uta. It was his and Yomo's friend Itori. The woman who ran Helter Skelter.
"Do you have anything to trade her?" he finally asked. They seemed to be getting closer because his pace was slowing.
"I don't have much with me," she replied.
"Hm? She'll accept information, too. Or sometimes stories. Do you…have any good ones? Maybe something entertaining?"
Saya tried to think of something that would be worth what she was looking for and an evil grin twitched at her lips. "Did Yomo ever tell you about the pink icing?" the girl inquired.
"Icing?" Uta opened the door for her and paused to shake the rain from his umbrella. He removed his sunglasses as they neared the actual door to Helter Skelter and paused to give her a curious look.
"It's a good story. It should be worth something," Saya assured him. She followed the older ghoul into the bar and was a bit taken aback by what she found.
There were no customers whatsoever and the only other occupant was a woman in a rather risqué black dress with long, pale orange hair. The second that she saw the two, she smiled and came from around the counter. "U-chan, who's this little cutie? Wait a second! Haven't I seen you somewhere before?"
Saya pushed back her hood and met the woman's gaze as Uta seated himself at the bar. "I'm Mizunami Saya and I need some information."
"Oh?" Itori put her hands on her hips and raised an eyebrow. "Alright, so what do you need to know? And Saya? Ren-chan's little-?"
"He doesn't know that she's here," Uta explained.
"Okay, so what do you want to know, Saa-chan?" The woman walked over to the sign on the door and flipped it to "closed". She walked behind the bar and gestured for her to sit next to Uta as Itori poured two glasses of water.