The tap of shoes treading tile echoes through the hall. A hall that's barely decorated, paintings only periodically giving some semblance of style or taste. The paintings aren't very artsy. There's no colored carpeting. No tasteful ceiling. Like above, the walls hold a dull pale coating of white paint. The recently recruited hero Hawks walks side by side with the Tokyo Ghoul, venturing through the Meta Liberation Army compound, trying not to judge whoever coordinated design plans.
With not much of a scenic sight to look at, Hawks breaks the equally boring silence with a glance over at the moody teen accompanying his trip, "So.." No glance or reply back from the kid. The hero tries not to take it too personally. "I didn't expect you to be so young", he instead tries creating the conversation himself.
Still nothing. They just continue walking. A few more seconds of the silent treatment and no hint of acknowledgement almost makes the hero lose hope in having a discussion. But eventually, the boy glances over and replies, "Don't you hold the record for the world's youngest hero?"
Hawks lights up, ecstatic not just from receiving a response but also because of the mild trivia knowledge, "Ah! A hero fanatic, huh?" A grin finds itself on the hero's stubbled face as he tries teasing the kid a little, "Or just a fan of ME in particular?"
The boy shrugs, either unphased by the playfulness or really good at hiding his embarrassment. He looks forward instead of at the hero, attention divided between the hall and the conversation. "Pick your poison", his tone sounds as dull as the place looks but Hawks still notes the mild humor hidden within.
The hero chuckles, finding it funny how much attitude the kid has. With a shake of his head, Hawks spares another glance. The teen appears to be going through his gothic phase, trying out for edgelord of the year. Black leather adorns the boy's body, and his mask looks like something straight from a horror movie. And Hawks can't help but wonder what the deal is with the white hair. "You've got quite the personality", is all he manages to say about it all.
The boy returns the glance, surprising Hawks. Especially since the eye he peers into doesn't look like any other. There's a deep dark dive of darkness, only accompanied by a single small orb of red. Shocking the hero even further, he doesn't quite understand what the boy means when he asks, "Which one?"
"Huh?", Hawks falters as he tries to shake off the strange feeling that he gets. He forces himself to break eye contact, trying to set his sights on what's ahead instead.
Turns out that was a good idea. There's a set of oak doors that they're quickly approaching. "Nevermind", the Tokyo Ghoul presses past the hero to push them open. "We're here", and announces what's on the other side as the intended destination of their travels within the facility.
Hawks catches sight of a roundtable, chairs circling around it with some of those seats occupied. Six people in total occupy the space. One of the group, short like the kid with a maroon cloak and floral scarf, springs up and runs towards them. Hawks braces for impact, tightening his muscles preemptively.
But the person blurs past him and tackles the boy he came with instead. Or, well, tries to anyway. The kid barely budges, getting wrapped up in a hug as he stands there stoically. "Ghouly!", a girlish squeal of delight comes from the cloaked bundle of bandages.
'Ghouly' doesn't return her cheerfulness though, trying to pry the short girl off of him. "I told you not to invade my space", he chastises her with a tired tone that says this has happened enough to not come as a surprise to him.
Hawks clears his throat, reminding the two that he's standing right next to them. Gaining their attention, he tries teasing 'ghouly' again with a sly smirk. "This your girlfriend?", he asks.
"No", comes the immediate response from the boy. Though the girl just as quickly says, "Yes", overlapping and contradicting him. The two stare at one another, as though they're silently arguing over the answer, both as shocked by the other over their responses. After a brief moment, the boy sighs and introduces her, "This is Eto" The girl waves. "Eto, I'm sure you know Hawks", he gestures between the two of them to finish the formalities.
"Hiya", and Hawks returns the bubbly attitude with a friendly greeting of his own. He smiles and waves, returning the favor. If the girl is indeed the boy's girlfriend, then he guesses it's true what they say, opposites do attract.
"Would it hurt if I plucked out your feathers?", Eto tilts her head as though the spontaneous question is one from childlike innocence. Hawks raises a brow, starting to reevaluate his earlier thought, understanding why and how two villains would be attracted to one another in other ways.
"A little bit", he answers her honestly while forcing a smile to stay on his face. He figures it's probably best to be polite considering he's outnumbered and there's no telling what they can do.
The bandages around Eto's mouth furrow a bit, indicating that she's smiling back at him. "Good to know", her cheery tone suddenly sounds a lot more malicious than it previously did.
Hawks feels a nervous bead of sweat rolling down his forehead. Quickly, he wipes it away by running his hand up and over through his hair, subtly hiding the potential sign of weakness. "Charming", he has to maintain the charade that he's been putting on.
The sound of heels clicking against tile announces the arrival of another person coming to introduce herself. A blue skinned woman tosses her lilac hair over her shoulder, "But not as dashing as you, Hawks" The hero knows that out of everyone here, she certainly had nothing to do with the building's poor decoration, considering her sense of style is rather formal. A shoulderless black dress contrasts a salmon toned jacket in a fashionable way. "I would love to interview you some time. And find out what makes you tick", though the way she talks like the other femme fatale reminds him quickly of how she's a villainous.
"This is Chitose. She's overzealously curious, so she may come across as forward at times", the Tokyo Ghoul continues serving as a mediator and unenthusiastically introduces the woman to the hero. He's lost his flourish despite never having had any to begin with, throwing up his hand and letting it drop with a haphazard gesture.
"Guilty", Chitose shrugs with some over exaggeration. Her lips raise into a smile that comes across as anything but kindly.
"Charmed", Hawks takes her hand and kisses the backside of it to show some chivalry anyways. He also figures he may as well indulge a little in his performance for the villains.
Speaking of the others, the Tokyo Ghoul gestures broadly at the ones who didn't bother to stand up and introduce themselves. "And the rest are Geten, Tatara, Noro, and Dabi", the last one at least acknowledges the hero with a small nod. "They're less rowdy than the females", the ghoul provides an excuse on their behalf for the lack of a warm welcome.
Considering the glares that Hawks is receiving from the majority of them though, and his previous experiences with the others, he can't say he doesn't mind. "So this is Aogiri?", he takes in the group with a sweep of the room. All of them seem dangerously deadly.
"We're one big happy family tree", Eto returns to her seat with a light plop. She props her feet up on the table, leaning back and lounging with her arms tucked behind her hooded head.
"Clearly", Dabi scoffs and rolls his eyes after making a sarcastic comment. It doesn't seem that he agrees with Eto's sentiment. She sits up, taking her legs off the table and moving her arms to cross over her chest, pouting.
"Re-Destro saw it fit to put you with us considering this subdivision was created fairly recently", the Tokyo Ghoul snaps Hawks attention back to him as he passes by and elaborates more on the group in technical terms. The hero watches the boy take a seat at the head of the table, dead center and across from him.
"So what you're saying is that this is where they stick the newbies?", Hawks grabs his own chair since everyone else is getting comfortable. He may as well settle in for the long haul, since this is beginning to look like it'll take a while.
The ghoul shrugs. "Considering I'm the founder and a 'newbie' myself, that sounds appropriately correct", and seems pleased when his revelation that he's Aogiri's leader surprises Hawks.
"You.. ?", the hero is once again struck by how somebody so young could embed themselves within the underworld of villains so deeply. He's especially shocked by how the boy managed to gain such a high position of power. "Tell me more", he leans forward a little to properly hear all the details.
"And they call ME curious", Chitose laughs at her own joke from across the table. Hawks has half a mind to force a chuckle but is relieved that he doesn't have to when nobody else does.
"Oh! Oh! Can I be the one to tell him? Can I?", Eto jumps up with her hand raised over her head. With her arm outstretched as high as it can go, she wiggles in place full of eagerness to speak.
Suddenly, one of the silent members decides it's time to speak up. He's as composed and as stoic as his leader, with just as much of a commanding gait to how he stands up so effortlessly proud. "We don't know if he can be trusted completely just yet", Tatara speaks through his red mouthpiece but his voice doesn't come out muffled at all. The words weigh heavily on Hawks.
"He's got a point", Dabi casts Hawks a suspicious sidelong stare while considering Tatara's input.
But their leader holds up a hand to silence them, as well as preventing anybody else from chiming in. Tatara sits back down, as well as Eto. Hawks is surprised by how the kid can command such respect from the bunch. "You should already know about our cause thanks to our publisher", and he finds himself giving the boy his full undivided attention. That is, until the ghoul nods towards Eto.
"I'm the author!", Eto expresses her pride with a display of what looks like jazz hands. The hero isn't all that stunned to see a book placed on the table in front of him. He's seen it before. He knows about the secret messages encoded inside. Though he is amazed by how, yet again, someone so young can make such an impact. "I gave ghouly a signed copy", Eto leans her head on a propped hand to stare fondly in the ghoul's direction.
"You like to read?", Hawks turns his gaze towards the ghoul too with a hint of amusement. He isn't done trying to successfully tease the boy just yet. Plus, the joking around helps ease the tension and quell his anxiety about being undercover.
"Don't you?", the ghoul stares back with still no reaction to the playfulness.
"Not so much", Hawks shrugs before opening up the book in front of him. He doesn't actually read anything on the pages as he flips through, "I did get the gist of the agenda though. You follow the philosophy that there should be a free usage of quirks as a basic human right. Pretty noble stuff."
"Some wouldn't think so", Geten also finally breaks his silence to chime in. White eyes glow from within the shadows casted by the hood concealing his face. Hawks doesn't bother staring into the orbs for too long.
"Well, you do emphasize liberation over regulation", the hero tries defending those who oppose the Meta Liberation Army's beliefs. Part of him is hoping he may be able to appeal to the group. Or, at least, to their leader. He is just a kid, afterall.
"We can't change what quirks we were born with. Designating people as villains over something they can't control is pitiful. Not to mention how heroes are kept in action due to prohibiting quirk usage. Do you think heroes would be all that needed if civilians were allowed to use their quirks in order to defend themselves?", but the ghoul's response on behalf of Geten and the rest of Aogiri doesn't leave much room for argument if his tone is anything to go by.
Hawks catches Dabi's gaze. The villain covered in burns looks away, peaking the hero's interest a little. But he lets it slide. He turns his attention back to the ghoul and nods, "All valid points. But what are you going to do about it?"
"Something is better than sitting around and doing nothing", the ghoul flicks his hand as though he's brushing the question away. He's disinterested in answering. Or maybe, he's hiding his true intentions.
But Hawks won't let it go that easily. "So young and you've already got it all figured out", he hopes that goading the kid will get him to slip up. The hero prays that his risky move gets answers instead of getting him killed.
"You sound as though you don't sympathize nor empathize with our cause", but Geten is the one who takes the bait. The villain's tone is ice cold, accusation a frosty bitter bite.
"I didn't say that", Hawks holds up his hands in a placating gesture. He waits for the attitude to deescalate before continuing, "I'm just shocked by your leader is all" Seeing that nerves are high strung amongst the group now but the ghoul still hasn't fallen for the emotional trap, Hawks takes the full plunge into his self dug grave, "And I'm still wondering what the plan is."
Nobody says anything aloud, only speaking to eachother through quick glances. But eventually, Tatara and the Tokyo Ghoul come to some sort of unspoken agreement. "We're going to declare war", the Aogiri leader finally reveals their agenda.
"War? In the streets?", though the implications of highstaked conflict only provokes more questions to spawn in the hero's mind. First and foremost, he's concerned about where the conflict will be taking place.
Tatara narrows his eyes, squinting at the hero with a look of irritation. "The battleground is yet to be chosen", his answer about the location sounds like a bold faced lie. But Hawks knows better than to dispute it with how much tension he's already caused there to be in the room.
"That's the plan? Charge into battle and hope we win?", he instead opts for a different approach to gaining information. Any amount of intel is worth knowing, like what sort of strategy Aogiri has in mind or what kind of plan of attack they may use.
"There's a bit more to it than that.. But that's all YOU need to know", but Geten is still giving him the cold shoulder. The villain makes it crystal clear that Hawks still has to earn their trust before knowing more.
Hawks relents, much to his disappointment. "Right.. I'm the new guy. Almost forgot", he tries not to sulk too much as he accepts that he won't be learning anything else that's useful.
"No offense", Eto contrasts his mood with a cheery interjection from across the table.
And he can't help but accept the gesture to get back in everyone's good graces. "None taken", he forces a smile to show them all that he harbors no hard feelings.
The Tokyo Ghoul abruptly gets up, chair legs screeching against the floor's tile. "If we're done here..", he hastily moves to leave but Dabi stands up to block his path. The ghoul looks annoyed by the obstruction but Dabi doesn't back down.
"You're excusing yourself?", Dabi looks concerned for the boy's well being but keeps his distance. Hawks notes the dynamic, finding their relationship interesting. Then again, everyone appears startled by their leader's sudden decision to leave. Even Noro with his silence, possibly mute Hawks theorizes, and his full face covering.
"I have another headache", the ghoul clutches the side of his head. He digs his dark fingernails into his contrasting bright hair. He appears anxious now, desperate to leave the room.
Wordlessly, Dabi accepts the reasoning and steps aside. But before the ghoul can make it out of the room without any other interruptions, Eto chases after him. She tries grasping onto his arm but he shakes her off.
"Think I can make it better for you?", she tries calling after him with her best attempt at what sounds like a seductive tone. But he doesn't stop his stride towards the exit nor does he bother looking back.
"You'd just make it worse", the ghoul growls under his breath as his walk becomes a stagger. Unbeknownst to his team, he feels like there's more crawling around in his head than his thoughts.
"Let him rest", Tatara prevents Eto from following by waving her back over to the table, "There's still things we can discuss without him" And Hawks own momentary concern is forgotten for the time being; his priority as an undercover hero to gather intel and having the potential to discover more about the villain group's operation has him returning his attention to the villains at the table.
Besides, there's not much Hawks or any of Aogiri can do for the ghoul as he staggers into the restroom. He's away from prying eyes and ears but that doesn't relieve his suffering. The throbbing in the boy's skull has him banging it against the door. Just in case anybody hears the commotion, he turns the latch and locks it. There's so much sweat coming from him that his dampened hair is starting to cling to his skin.
The ghoul stumbles, catching himself on the sink. He leans on the bathroom appliance, using it as a crutch. It's hard to breathe. He rips the leather mask off of his face and discards it for the time being. Strong intakes of air has him panting heavily. His chest heaves in and out. He closes his eyes and focuses on the oxygen he swallows. And only after he's got his breathing under control does he raise his head to have a look at himself in the mirror.
His reflection doesn't match his physical appearance. Not entirely. A wide eyed boy stares with his mouth agape, green hair matted down the same as the ghoul's snow white locks. The eyes of the reflection are also an emerald color. Not like the ghoul's dark chasms with contrasting crimson at their center. When he tilts his head one way, his mirror self turns it the other.
Suddenly, a burning sensation floods the left field of his vision. He cries out as the searing strike stabs through his eye, reflexively grabbing at his face and rubbing around the edges. The ghoul catches a glimpse of himself in the mirror again with his remaining good eye. He sees what has happened. One eye is his and the other no longer has the Kakugan state active. Panicking, the ghoul scrambles for his mask and pulls it back on. The eyepatch plugs the leak.
He looks at himself in the mirror again, willing his reflection to show himself. It does. And faintly, he forgets his own name. He's not the boy he saw. That was Izuku Midoriya. The scrambling of his mind has ceased for him to not care anymore. The ghoul unlocks the door and exits the restroom.
He finds Re-Destro waiting for him outside. "Are you alright?", the head of the Meta Liberation Army raises a brow.
"I'm fine", the ghoul hisses with frustration. After snapping, he reigns in his anger and tries to ask cooly, "What is it?"
"I was just wondering if you informed them about your plan to infiltrate Tartarus yet", and Re-Destro doesn't dwell on his well-being much to the ghoul's relief. Re-Destro instead focuses on the objective the ghoul had come to the villain organization's leader about in the first place.
"No", he shakes his head in denial. "I'm saving that for the day of", because not even Re-Destro knows about the true purpose of infiltrating the prison. The Meta Liberation Army leader believes it's to break out members of his cause to have more numbers in the upcoming war. But in reality.. He wants to reach All For One.