Title: The Masks We Wear
Warnings: For usual Tokyo Ghoul stuff
Disclaimers: I do not own Tokyo Ghoul, Any music or other anime mentioned.
Notes: I know, Amon and Akira Mado is a canon ship, but I really like the idea of Eto with Amon and Akira Mado with Takizawa. As I have said, I'm not too confident in writing battle scenes, so bear with me.
Summary: The Auction Raid begins as Hikari, Tooru, and Juuzou each are put up for auction. Hikari comes face to face with the mysterious, Scarecrow, the ghoul who won the bid for her. Who is he and what does he want, other than what any blood ghoul wants? The shit hits the fan and Hikari starts to see a change in Haise. Will this be for the better or worse? Only time will tell.
"Regular Talk"
'Thoughts'
phone calls and texts
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Hikari's POV
'It's almost time to meet up with Nutcracker' I think and go to check on Tooru. "Tooru, you alright in there?" I ask knocking on the door. "Yeah, I'm ready" Tooru says opening the door. I smile a little. "You look very nice, Tooru" I say and she blushes. "Thanks..." She says and we find Juuzou waiting for us wearing a cute black dress. "Ready?" He asks and we nod. We make our way to the meeting place. A car pulls up and the window goes down, revealing emma...no, Nutcracker. 'don't get used to using her name or you'll have nightmares again' I think. "Hey. My friend, Suzie wanted to join us. I hope that's not a problem" I say. Nutcracker looks at Juuzou. "Not at all, she looks like fun" Nutcracker says letting us in. We get in and soon everything goes black. 'Well, shit' I manage to think.
When I come to, I'm sitting on the floor with my hands tied behind my back and a massive headache. 'Damn, must have used gas on us. Where's Tooru and Juuzou?' I think looking around. "Don't worry, pretty unicorn, your friends will join you soon" A very familar voice says. "Hiding behind one of your masks? That's typical of you, Uta" I say dryly. He removes his mask as he comes into view. "What gave me away? My scent? My dry humor?" He asks gently grabbing my chin. "Your tattoos" I say and he smiles a little. "It's no surprise to see you and your friends from the CCG sniffing into this affair. Alas, by the time anything can be done, the damage will be done." He says replacing his mask on his face.
I'm momentarily blinded by the lights as I am dragged into the Auction stage. I look around the room and count thirty, no, fourty blood ghouls. Some, I recognize, like Big Madam, and the imfamous Scarecrow. Others, I only know from files on possible Aogiri Tree members. "We have a rare treat tonight, assteemed guests! The Unicorn herself! This rare catch will be very useful in health and wellbeing of whoever is lucky enough to win the bid. With some...persuasion, the Unicorn could even become a prized pet or toy in the bedroom" Uta says making me glare at him. 'Damn Uta...must have used Rc blockers on me. I'm more resistant to them now, but it will still be a bit before I can use my abilities again.' I think as the bidding starts at Twenty million. I snort. 'Really? I'm worth that much to these clowns?' I think as the auction hall errupts into a bidding war.
'I hope Tooru and Juuzou are alright' I think as Uta announces that The Scarecrow has won with a half billion bid. I look up at him in defiance as I'm pulled up to my feet. His companions look smug as I'm brought up to sit beside him. "If you promise to be a good little unicorn, the boss says we can untie you. Will you behave?" One of the ghouls, Nikashomo says and I nod. "Good" he says and slips something into my hand as he unties me. I look to find a note. Why are you here, Kari? This is reckless. I read and I realize that I'm in good company. A pen is placed in my hand as Nikashomo holds a finger to his mask. 'CCG Spymasters...of course' I think. It's a raid. Tooru and Juuzou are here as well. The fun is about to start. Be a good chance for your team to gain intell from the servers. I write and the note is given to The Scarecrow. He nods as Big Madam wins Tooru.
Then, Juuzou comes onto the stage. I sigh and get up as things start to get crazy as he starts throwing his knives. "You coming, Scarecrow? Things are getting busy" I say and he nods. I look back and make brief eye contact with Juuzou. CCG Spymasters. Will catch up. Do have fun, Suzie I say to him with a series of blinks. kay, stay safe he replies as I go with the Scarecrow. The halls are pretty much empty due to the activity upstairs as we make it to the main hub for the servers. I follow the Scarecrow inside and he locks the door behind us. A few monitors are on the Auction stage, allowing us to keep up with what's going on. "Why did you have to come?" The Scarecrow finally says and I recognize the voice. "I very well couldn't let Tooru and Juuzou to come alone, Hide. Have you really lost faith in my ability to take care of myself?" I ask as he removes his mask. "No, but I can't help but worry. You are my lovely wife." He says and we embrace for a few moments. "It's...it's been so hard, Hide. Ignoring all the talk and the looks. Trying to pretend it doesn't hurt. I even had to brush Arima's advances off." I say and Hide tightens his grip a little.
"He goes too far with his fascination, and he'll lose a hand." Hide growls. "I can handle Arima acting like a kid. Don't hurt him. He's got enough health problems as it is" I say and he nods, putting his mask back on. I start to feel my power return to me and go to leave. "Until next time...stay safe. I don't care if a piece of you is missing...or if you get scarred up. Just...just come home to us, Hide" I say and head back to the action. "Nagachika!" Akira says running up with two cases. "Hey" I say. "Hey? Do you know how long it took to find you? Anyways, I brought your Quinque" She says handing over my case. "Thanks, Akira, I had a few things to tend to." I say and we hear screaming over the intercom. 'Real smooth, Hide' I think as we manage to get back to the stage. There, with Haise, is none other than Takizawa. I can barely hear Akira say his name in shock.
"Takizawa!" I yell at him. He stops and looks at us. "Huh? Hikari? Mado? What a pleasent surprise" Takizawa says as he drops Haise and he starts to change again into an owl. "Mado...check on Haise" I say and she nods sadly as I release my Quinque. "Why, Takizawa? Why didn't you come back to us? Everyone has been so worried about you" I say dodging his attack. "Yeah, they were really worried. Everyone moved on, Hikari. Don't patronize me!" Takizawa says and charges at me. Then, an attack comes from out of nowhere. A cloaked figure drops beside me. "Hey, Kari, you've been busy." Hinami says and I smile a little. "Damn you, Hinami, you traitor!" Takizawa says and attacks us again. "Wow, I've seen him act crazy while drunk, but this is a new low" I say. "They warped his mind during the ghoul process" Hinami says.
Fortunately, Takizawa decides to run. Mado watches him run from where she is beside Haise. Soon, Arima and his squad reach us. "Getting slow, old man, the enemy ghoul already fled." I say to Arima and go check on Haise. "He'll be alright. Stay with him, Akira?" I ask and she nods. "Hinami, with me" I say and we go to catch up with the rest of Haise's squad. We make it in time to see Ginshi finish off Nutcracker. I smile a little, putting my Quinque away. "And here I thought you guys may need saving." I say activating my Ukaku. "You were busy" Urie says as I go to each one and heal them up. "Sorry, had a fight with Takizawa." I say finishing up with Ginshi. "Are you alright, Ginshi?" I ask. "Huh? Yeah...I'm ok" He says. "Good. I know a certain little boy that would be heartbroken if his favorite uncle didn't come back" I say making him smile a little. "Yeah, can't leave Hineki hanging" Ginshi says.
It wasn't much longer after that, the Auction Raid concluded. After debriefings, writing reports, and a lot of other political bullshit, I was finally able to rest. Coming down into the lobby, I find Urie. "Hey, Urie. Figured you would be back at the house by now" I say. He looks at me. "I..I wanted to talk to you about something" He says looking a little uncomfortable. "Ok, let's talk. Come on" I say and we leave the building. "Where are we going?" Urie asks. "Somewhere less stuffy. I'm tired, sore, and hungry. So, we are going to a small cafe we know. What did you want to talk about?" I ask. Urie rubs his head. "Well...I like someone, but I'm not sure how to approach them. We're complete opposites" He says. 'Where is he going with this?' I think. 'Your bed' the voice says, but I brush it off. "They say opposites attract, Urie." I say. "True, but they're..." He says stopping. "They're what?" I ask looking back at him. Urie takes a deep breath. "They're a guy" He says surprising me. 'That was...unexpected' I think. "Are they in our squad?" I ask and he nods blushing.
"So, either Haise, Ginshi, or Tooru" I say. He sighs. "Tooru...I like Tooru" He says. I giggle knowing that she is in fact a woman. "are you laughing at me?" Urie asks starting to get a little mad. "No, just this whole day in general. It has been crazy" I say and he nods. "So, what do I do?" He asks. "You want my honest opinion?" I ask and he nods. "Be honest with Tooru. He's young, but I don't think he would brush you off" I say knowing that besides Haise, Tooru had a crush on Urie. "Our lives can end at any time. Don't waste what time you may have left with caculating the worst outcomes" I say as we come up to the Re cafe. "Welcome to Re" Yomo says as we come in. "Hey dad" I say and he smiles.
"You just missed Hineki. He and Touka went to the park" Eto says coming into the dining area. I smile and hug her. "Actually, we came for something to eat. Today was exhausting." I say and she nods. "So, a tea and a coffee and two lunch platters?" Eto asks and we nod. "You know us so well, sis" I say. "You order the same thing everytime. I should by now" She says and gets to work as we take a window seat. "Mind if I ask something, Hikari?" Urie asks. "Sure" I say and look out the window. "Everytime I ask to talk, you bring us here and we sit at the same table, eating the same food. Why?" He asks. I sigh. "Look outside, Urie. Tell me what you see." I say. I hear him sigh. "I see the city. Calm on the surface, but festering under it all. A powder keg ready to blow." He says. "hmmm, thanks Eto" I say as she bring over our order. "No problem." she says and goes in the back.
"I see a city as well, but more intriquite than that as well. Hundreds of lives, Countless memories and dreams. Some more realistic than others, but essentually the same. I see the families that work hard everyday to survive, to live. I see endless potential, both for good and bad. From day to day the balance between good and bad shifts and we are caught in the middle, capable of either." I say and take a drink of my tea. "So, no matter how hard I fight, it changes nothing?" Urie asks drinking his coffee. "I never said that. The balance is like a woven cloth. We each are a thread, unable to see the picture we help weave in the world around us. Sometimes, the thread can unravel, get tangled, or even break. However, only by working together, do we get a glimpse of the whole picture. Does that make sense?" I ask and eat my meal. "You should write that down. Perfect speach for new recruits, but yeah...I think I understand now." I nod.
"When we came in, you just followed my lead. You let me deal with ordering our food, and agreed what we had. You are, at this time, a follower, lost in his own tangle of threads, trying to find his place in this world. If you truly want to get stronger, untangle your thread, Urie. Let others in." I say and pay for the meal. "I'm heading back. You coming?" I ask and Urie shakes his head. "I...I need to think." He says and I nod. I go to the back to talk to Eto before leaving. "Hey,sis" I say and she looks up at me from her laptop. "Hey" I sit down across from her. "There was reports that Amon was at the Auction Raid." I say and she looks at me hopefully. "Are you sure?" She asks and I nod. "Same physical form, same strength" I say and Eto smiles a little. "Noro comes by once in a while to check on me, but I'm alright...it just hurts so much...you never told me love could hurt so much." Eto says.
"I never said it was easy, Eto. Yeah, it can hurt like hell, not knowing if they're even still alive. Tortured with the knowledge that you wouldn't even know if something did happen. It's almost too much to bear." I say and she looks at me. "How do you do it, sis?" Eto asks. "I don't even know that myself anymore, Eto. All I do know is that I can hope that someday, Hide will come through the door and never have to leave me again. That, no matter how long, it's worth it seeing Hineki laugh and play without a care" I say and she nods. "I..I am a virgin...I always wanted that magical moment for Amon and I...I just don't know if it will ever happen." Eto says looking down. I gently squeeze her hand. "It will, sis. You'll see. Amon will come home to you. He's just a little lost right now." I say and she smiles.
I eventually make it home and Tooru is up still sitting on the couch. "Hey, tooru. Are you alright?" I ask. She nods. "Want to talk about whatever's got you up so late?" I ask and she shakes her head. "Ok, don't stay up too late, Tooru. It's not good for your health." I say and go to bed.
to be continued...
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Notes: yup, I went there with Tooru and Urie. lol
