Title: The Masks We Wear
Warnings: Well, this is the Tokyo Ghoul world, so warinings for everything you would expect int the show.
Disclaimers: I do not own Tokyo Ghoul in any way. I only own my character, Hikari and her path through the storyline. I also don't own any of the songs in the song choice section.
Notes: changed the guy hikari is going to paired with to hide.
"Regualr talk"
'thoughts'
phone calls or texts
0000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000000
Hikari's POV
Yomo and I stare at each other for a few moments before he sits down next to Yoshimura. He is difficult to read, but I don't think he's going to push me away. "You probably hate me for leaving, don't you" He finally says after a few minutes. "Mom always said you had your reasons, and you didn't know about me." I say. He looks at me. "I loved your mother as much as I loved my sister. I knew I may hurt her someday and try to eat her...so I left to protect her. If I had known, I would have never left." He says. "And you would have put a target on our backs if you had." I say. Yoshimura nods. "She has a point. Humans tend to believe the child is human if the mother is. However, if the father is around, they will know once the father is revealed. Staying away was the best thing to do to keep Hikari safe" Yoshimura says.
I look at the clock and swear. "Sorry, I have to go for now. I have work." I say getting my things together. They nod. "You are always welcome here, Hikari" Yoshimura says standing up. Yomo comes over. "Do you need a ride?" he asks. "That would be awesome. I'm aready running late." I say. I follow Yomo downstairs and wave at Touka. She looks at me probably feeling a little akward, but waves back. I follow Yomo outside and get in his truck. "Where to?" he asks. "Umm it's the book store that a ton of book signing go down at. I can't remember the name of the store though." I say rubbing my head. "It's fine. I know the one" He says and starts to drive. I look out the window. "You look a lot like your Aunt hikari, my sister" He says. I smile a little. "That's probably why my mother named me after her." I say and he nods.
"When I got to Anteiku...I smelled her and I panicked. My first though is that she was hurt..." he says and I look back out the window. "She...She died two months ago. A ghoul attacked her as she was coming home from work. I still don't understand why she even was in that part of the fourth ward. We always avoided Ghoul areas." I say. Yomo is quiet for a few minutes. "I think I know why, but it would be best if we both go check it out. when do you get off work?" He says stopping in front of the store. "I get off at six." I say and get out and head inside. I sigh seeing the clock. I have five minutes to spare. I go in the back and get changed into my uniform thinking about everything that's happened so far. "Hey, Hikari, we got some new books in. Can you get them on the shelves?" The manager asks. "Sure boss" I say and head out.
I get the step ladder and start to work at stocking the new books thinking about my dad, mom, anteiku, and kaneki. I don't hear the bolts in the step ladder groan before they give away, making me fall. However, instead of hitting my head or ass on the ground, I land on something soft...warm...and breathing. "Owww, mind getting off me?" A familiar voice says. "Sorry, sir. I don't know how that happened" I say getting off him. It's Kaneki's orange haired friend. "I know you. Kaneki walked you to Anteiku." He says. "Yeah, I got lost and he was showing me how to get there" I say. "That sounds like something he would do. I'm Hideyoshi Nagachika, but everyone just calls me Hide." He says holding out his hand. I stare at it a moment. "This is where you tell me your name and we shake hands" He says with a goofy grin. I blush. "I'm Hikari Siato, but my last name is going to change to Yomo soon since I found my dad." I say and akwardly shake his hand.
"You don't really interact with others much, do ya, kari?" he asks. "Kari?" I ask with an eyebrow raised. "It's a nickname. You do know what those are right?" he says with a smile. "Of course I do, but why?" I ask. "Because it's adorable like you" He says and I blush. "Well...I have to get back to work...damn...the step ladder's busted. That's probably why I fell." I say and kick the step ladder. "How am I going to get these books up there now?" I say. "I could give you a hand, Kari." Hide says. "And why would you do that?" I ask suspiciously. "Maybe I want to get to know you a little more, or maybe I feel like being a knight in shining armor" He says making me frown a little.
"Don't you mean a knight in a t-shirt and shorts, and yeah...so not getting stalker vibes from you, hide" I say and he holds his chest in mock hurt. "You wound me, Kari. I'm not a pervert or a stalker." He says actually making me giggle as he helps me. "Wow...you even have a cute laugh" He says and I blush. "Anyways, I was wondering...Would you like to go out for coffee sometime?" he asks. "I'm allergic to coffee. I love the smell, but I can't drink it." I say. "So?" he says. "You can get coffee, I like tea" I say and he smiles. "but not tonight. I recently found my father and I'm spending time with him tonight." I say.
"No worries, Kari. Let me give you my number so you can call me when you are free." He says and gives me a piece of paper with his number on it. "Wow, you carry papers with your number on them everywhere?" I say and he rubs his head and laughs. "Never know when I will meet a cute girl like you. Got to be prepared." He says. "Yeah, totally not creepy. Thanks for the help, Hide. I have to get back to work. See ya" I say leaving him in the romance section.
By the time six pm comes around, I'm exhausted but I remember that My father is coming to pick me up. "Do you need a ride home tonight, Hikari?" The manager asks and I shake my head. "Someone is coming to pick me, boss. I'm good" I say and he nods. "Stay safe out there" He says and leaves me standing in front of the store. Soon, Yomo pulls up in his truck and I get in. "Here, I brought you something from anteiku" He says handing me a cup. I take a sniff and hand it back. "I thank you for the offer, but I'm allergic to coffee." I say and he frowns. "Sorry..." He says. "It's ok. It's not a common allergy" I say. He nods. "For future reference, I love tea. Anteiku makes good tea too." I say as he drives to the fourth ward.
"So, where are we going?" I ask. He doesn't answer a few minutes. "We are going to get you a mask, just in case you have to use it. You make a very convincing human, even yoshimura had trouble seeing you as a ghoul, but that doesn't mean you will be able to foul others forever." He says and I nod. We soon stop in front of a building. I've seen it a few times growing up, but my mom kept me away from it. "Let's go" Yomo says and we get out. I follow him inside and I'm almost blinded by all the different colored masks. Curious, I walk around looking at each one, fasinated. "Like wearable art." I say. "I'm glad you think so." A voice says under a sheet next to me. Curiously, I look under the sheet. I find a goth looking ghoul sitting under it. "Don't you know curiousity killed the cat?" he says.
"Yeah, but the satisfaction brought him back. You must be Uta" I say attracting my father's attention. "There you are, Uta." Yomo says coming over. "You are here for a mask?" he says getting up. "Yes." I say and follow you. "I remeber your smell. Your mother came in a couple months ago." He says. I blink surprised. "She did?" I ask now curious. "Yeah, she ordered a mask for her daughter. even had the measurements I needed and paid upfront. she never picked it up though" He says going in the back. "My mother died two months ago" I say and he pokes his head back out. "You serious? That must have been right after she came to see me" He says coming back out with a box. "That's a shame. I'm sorry, kid. She was rather nice" He says putting the box in front of me. I take a deep breath and open it to reveal a glossy white mask with no other color. It's shaped like a horse head with a single horn in the center of the forehead. "A unicorn?" I ask gently picking it up. "Purity and innocence in ghouls is rare." Uta says with a shrug and I smile a little running my hand across it.
"It has see through sections for you to see through. Your mother expressed that the fact you are a one eye ghoul was kept quiet at all costs." He says having me sit down. "I need to adjust the mask so it will fit comfortably." He says having me put it on. I try not to squirm as he makes the adjustments. "So, how did you survive all this time? Must have been hard." He says. "My mother had good friends in the university where she worked that were in charge of discarding cadavers when the medical classes were finished with them. Funny enough, they were ghouls themselves." I say and he nods. "You are looking a bit uncomfortable. Are you alright?" he asks. "Yeah...I just don't really like being touched. I'm not really good with social interaction" I say. "You seem to be doing fine so far" He says. "Yeah, but large crowds make me nervous" I say and he finishes up. He lets me look in a mirror and I smile under the mask. "It's perfect" I say and he nods. I put it away and he holds out his hand. I look at it a few minutes. "It's ok. Take your time, kiddo" Uta says and I shake his hand. "You really are Yomo's kid. Hopefully, you'll open up more than he did" He says and leads us out.
To be continued...
OOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOOO
Notes: Yeah, a lot in this chapter for poor Hikari has to deal with.