Does Man Make The Monster?
Chapter 17
Revelations
(A/N So in the manga there is this lovely 6 month time skip. I'm going to play around with that lost time and insert my own story pieces. Woot! I'll have free run for a little while! This should be interesting.)
SOUNDS/sounds
Thoughts
(Last Time)
Marude clicked on a folder to open it before clicking on a file. A still frame of the devil was on the screen. He opened a few more still frames and lined up the windows. Those that hadn't seen the pictures yet were a little taken aback by him. Even in the pictures he had a certain presents about him that was chilling to look at.
"Meet our newest enemy. Investigator Hayashi here had the misfortune of fighting that nasty thing one on one. She even coined the name for this monster; a devil. We are calling him the Horned Phoenix. Lovely bastard, isn't he?"
(Present)
Marude left the pictures up but move them over to the other side of the screen.
"His ID number D002. Now you might be wondering why D002? After some digging around we believe that Incognito might be the first actual devil to make himself known to the CCG. Hayashi along with Mado and Amon also had contact when Incognito when he first appeared before he suddenly disappeared. So of course Incognito will be given the D001 number."
"How are we sure that Incognito is also a devil?" Kuroiwa spoke up.
"I'll get to that in a bit. This here is a computer generated model created from the information from Mado, Hayashi, and Amon's firsthand accounts. Does this look accurate to you three?" Marude asked as they nodded. "Good, good. Now let's start with a timeline. When the first devil appeared, Incognito first targeted you, Investigator Mado. Would you like to summarize your side of the story?" Marude asked as Mado got to his feet.
"Hm, well, I recall I went to that waterway on false information given to me by the Rabbit and a little friend of hers. On a hunch I decided to stay behind to have a look around on my own. I caught the scent of something foul and called out to its owner. The bastard blindsided me out of nowhere. I recovered and pulled out my now stolen quinque, Fueguchi 1. He then actually started to plead with me to spare the Daughter Ghoul. I of course refused and then preceded attack him. He seemed to have a strange familiarity with my quinque and started to advance on me. He managed to get close to me and pulled out a black bokken. He brought that piece of junk down on my shoulder, knocking me to the ground. Once again he tried to reason with me to spare that ghoul-child's life. Once again I refused and continued with my assault. I managed to nick his arm only. I drove him back but not for long. He… I don't know what he did but he was one second in front of me and then next dead behind. I barely had time to see him when he struck me in the head with his little toy. The next thing I remember was some cops trying to wake me as an ambulance arrived. They said he tried to make off with my quinque then but never got the chance."
"And that was your full encounter with him?" Marude asked Mado glared at him. "He sounds like he made quick work of you. Not getting too old, are you?"
"Don't start, Marude," Mado hissed as he sat back down between Amon and Akane. "He wasn't something I was expecting."
"Face one of them down and you'll think differently, Sir," Akane added also glaring Marude.
"Ah, yes, Hayashi. You seemed to have the most luck with these devils. It is your turn to tell your part of the story after all," Marude said, half pointing at her.
She got to her feet and adjusted her sling.
"The following day, under Mado's instructions I set out the hand of ghoul 723 as bait. Ghoul 723 is of course is the girl's mother. My partner that night was Amon. Mado was in hospital and my actual partner—he uh—he was on sick leave at the time. I managed to draw in not only the Daughter Ghoul but the Rabbit as well. They both led me down into a tunnel where it would be hard to use Fueguchi 1. Mado also allowed me to use Fueguchi 2, which was a little more suited for the space. The Rabbit was doing everything in her power to safeguard the Daughter. I had the upper hand and went to shoot the Rabbit when instead I was—like Mado—blindsided by Incognito. He restrained me and started to pull out of my hidden weapons and drop them out into the water.
"Also like Mado he started going on about leaving the Daughter Ghoul alone. He also turned on the Rabbit and started to preach to her as well about not killing others. He had a whole philosophy that neither the Rabbit or I cared for. I didn't want to hear it anymore so I quickly started fighting both of them at once. Crazier still he seemed to be safeguarding me from the Rabbit and the Rabbit from me. Yet he was trying to subdue me as well. He wanted to play peace keeper between us. He still wasn't using any sort of kagune, just that black bokken, which I had found odd. Like Mado described his speed made it seem like he could almost teleport. He's faster than an Ukaku and the Rabbit is an Ukaku for comparison.
"I ended up being on the defense as I was be bombarded so much. I had forgotten about the Daughter Ghoul during the assault. I turned in time to spot her ready to attack me. The girl I learned was a chimera and it threw me off. My focus was now on her. I heard the Rabbit call out and I turned to face her. She took my eye at that moment. Incognito managed to grab her in time to keep her from actually tearing my head off my shoulders. I'm sketchy on the finer details but he kept her away from me and talked her into leaving with the girl."
"And this is your full account of your fight with Incognito?" Marude asked as Akane nodded.
"That's what I can remember, yes," she nodded, fighting the urge to snap at him. "I just remember Amon coming to help not long after."
"Ah, yes, Amon, you finished out this whole encounter, didn't you?" Marude drawled as Akane sat down and Amon got to his feet. "Care to share your thoughts?"
"Well… I had just finished fighting Eyepatch when I heard Hayashi screaming in the tunnel. I rushed in to see her holding her head and it was bleeding badly. Incognito was starting to make off with Mado's quinque. I confronted him thinking that Incognito did all the fighting on his own at first and took her eye. He lied to give the Rabbit and the Daughter time to run. I had my quinque broken while dealing with Eyepatch and so I was unarmed. I still tried to keep him from leaving the tunnel. He pushed me back and told me to stay down. He noted that I was injured from prior and stated that I was in no condition to fight. It was around that time I noticed his eyes. They were gold on black like up there on the screen with the Horned Phoenix. They looked just like that. I called him out on it and he vanished in a flash taking both quinque with him. I quickly ran to Hayashi to see what was wrong and if there was something I could do. I then called for help and had her transported to the hospital."
"Yes, you were the one to report that Incognito had yellow eyes, not red. The reception to that was mixed, was it not?" Marude asked and Amon nodded.
"Yes, I was somewhat criticized. People thought that maybe I just didn't see Incognito's eyes right through the mask," Amon stated flatly. "Or that there might have even been a filter on the mask's lenses."
"So you're saying those eyes looked like this?" Marude enlarged a picture of the Horned Phoenix's face.
"Yes. Exactly like that," Amon confirmed.
"But neither Mado and Akane reported the same eyes when they were dealing with Incognito," Marude stated as Amon adjusted jaw. "Why did you notice them?"
"I don't know, sir. I just did," Amon answered. "He didn't seem too happy at the idea that I saw them either. It was right after that he ran. As far as I know Incognito was never seen again."
"Neither have my two quinque that he stole. There's no telling that he did with them. He most likely has them stashed somewhere or they're rotting somewhere in some trash heap," Mado hissed under his breath, giving Akane a nasty glare.
"So… Look at your notes, please. Incognito is clearly a skilled hand-to-hand combatant, he has advanced sword training, he has enhanced strength, speed that's faster than ghouls, knowledge of quinque techniques, and does not have a kagune."
"That's what bothers me. The fact that Incognito knows quinque techniques. He must have had encounters with several investigators prior but I find it odd he was never reported before," Shinohara spoke up. "No doubt the Horned Phoenix must also have the same knowledge. When Kuroiwa and I fought the Owl my quinque suit, Atara, started to overtake me. Without warning the Horned Phoenix appeared and with great accuracy sliced my suit open destroying the power supply before tearing the back off me. He used this shadow blade of his but he wielded like a quinque. He and the Owl then made off together out the windows. Ultimately he saved me from what might have been server injury."
"Yes, it happened so fast none of us really registered what happened until after the fact," Kuroiwa nodded. "So it seems both Incognito and the Horned Phoenix have some parallel skills from what I'm looking at on these papers. Both are hand-to-hand fighters, both have advance sword training, enhanced strength, enhanced speed, and few others. But they do diverge off after at a certain point."
"From what Hayashi has explained in her reports the Horned Phoenix was far stronger. Isn't that correct?" Arima asked, turning to look at her.
"Yes. He was certainly stronger than Incognito. I know he was holding back despite what he did to me. He wasn't really overly aggressive believe it or not. I had to push a few buttons and truly threaten him," she explained. "He seemed to be preoccupied with something before we crossed paths. Despite everything he could do he is still a little incompetent. He put me into a this stupid maneuver and then blanked out halfway through."
"Yes, I saw that on the video when it was still being analyzed. You were resting on his knees at the time. I found it odd that he stalled like that but I think we've all had one of those moments whether we chose to acknowledge them or not," Arima gave a small smile from amusement. "However, blanking out in the middle of a fight is not something that should happen. If we find that this is a common issue with him we could easily exploit that flaw."
"I doubt he'll do that again. I think it was a fluke," Hirako added, sitting beside Arima.
"Most likely but it never hurts to point it out," Arima said, leaning back in his seat. "We don't know much about Incognito and the Horned Phoenix. For the most part we have barely scraped the surface with them. It would make sense for us to use what we have against them."
"Ahem… Can I have your eyes back up here," Marude said, clearing his throat. "Like what I was getting at there are a great deal of parallels with both Incognito and the Horned Phoenix but let's get to this fascinating issue."
Marude pulled up a picture and some video clips. He hovered his mouse pointer over the play button of one of the videos.
"Can someone explain this?" he clicked on the button and everyone turned their attention to the screen.
"Well, are you just going to just stand there?" A single shot pistol was in view and pointed at Horned Phoenix. "You'll make it a lot easier on the both of us if you do."
"I'm not… Going to do that," he answered. "I-I would prefer n-not to fight a woman."
"Your chivalry is wasted, monster," she pulled the trigger.
The small gun was fired right at him. There was the sound of a ricochet. He was holding something but it barely showed in the footage. There was like a very faint dark disturbance right in front him. It was little funky to focus on.
"How did you…?" her voice rang out as he swung his arm down and the strange disturbance cut into the cold concrete. "What the hell… Is that…?"
"My weapon… I don't have a kagune," he answered picking it back up and held it out in front, pointing it at her and the camera.
"You don't have a… So you're saying that you're not a…?"
"I am not… Ugh… It seems... It seems to be a big m-misconception around h-here. Mmm…"
The video finished playing and he turned to face the others.
"Just what is that?" Marude snapped looking between Akane and Shinhara with a finger aimed at the screen. "Both of you encountered that strange blade and I want you to explain it."
"I would like to explain it but I don't have an answer. Like I stated prior it was that blade that cut into my quinque suit," Shinohara stated, looking up at the still frame on the screen.
"I have no idea either. Obviously it's a weapon he can just manifest at will. That's all I can tell you," Akane answered almost bitterly. "Incognito did not produce such a weapon when we faced each other. That's why I'm stating he's that much stronger."
"So, could there be a difference in strength ratings like we see in ghouls? Like Incognito was maybe like a B rank and The Horn Phoenix is like an S-," Amon spoke up, looking at the papers in front of him. "That's just an idea of course."
"Now that could very well be a possibility," Shinohara nodded. "We really know nothing of them. So they may very well come in varying strength ratings. Of course with the change in ratings that mean more abilities, which is clearly what we're seeing."
"We really have no idea just how stronger the Horned Phoenix actually is. That's not a good unknown factor. Hayashi said he was holding back so there is no way of knowing until we can draw out his full potential," Arima said, plainly. "Given what I've seen, if we have to rank them I would give them a slightly higher rank that what you suggested, Amon. I would at least say an A rank for Incognito and possibly an S+ for the Horned Pheonix given the struggle Investigator Hayashi went through. It was documented that the devil was even drugged with a sedative and still managed to overpower her. At full strength he may be even be SS."
"He sounds like fun the more I hear about him," Juzo spoke up leaning back in his chair with his feet propped up on the table. "I wonder what it'll be like to fight one. I bet it's nothing like a ghoul."
"It's not," Akane answered, glaring at the young investigator.
"Feet down. That's being rude," Shinohara ordered, pushing the slipper glad feet to the floor.
"So what is it really like?! Is it as fun as it looked?!" Juzo attention was on her.
"No," she snapped.
"Haha! I think you're lying! I wouldn't mind having a go at him just once," Juzo grinned. "I wonder when he'll show up again! I hope it's sometime soon. I wouldn't even mind going after this Incognito thing!"
"Juzo, this is not the time," Shinohara said, looking at his subordinate. "Please, be still and behave."
"Okay… Okay…" he snorted.
"Marude, what else can he do that sets him apart from Incognito?" Hirako asked, looking at the man at the front of the room. "I know there are still quite a few more key points that need to be put on the table."
"Oh, yes, there are quite a few in fact," Marude said almost sounding bitter because people kept cutting off his presentation. "Not only can his blade just be manifested at will but it can produce some sort of unknown energy blast. That energy blast also renders the items it hits into some strange sort of white sand. I have some here."
He reached under the table into his bag and pulled out a sample. He helped up the small jar.
"We have yet to identify what this sand is made of. It's cool to the touch and it cannot be heated, mixed with water or other fluids, other sands, or even other materials, period," he handed the jar to Arima to look at first. "Under the microscope the grains are actually crystal clear and don't have any defined shape. Also because we can't get it to mix with anything we can't isolate what it is made of."
The sealed jar got passed around the room with people studying it. Juzo wanted to open it but Shinohara took it from him. The jar got passed back to Marude and he put it back away in the bag.
"So this 'sand' can't be mix with anything at all?" Amon asked and Marude nodded his head.
"We've tried everything imaginable. It does, however, have an unusual energy signature that we've detected but it's very small," Marude answered. "We've collected all that we can from the site so none of it will fall into the wrong hands. It's been sent out to other labs for farther testing.
"Just imagine if he used that attack on living people," Mado spoke up, knitting his fingers together and set them on the table. "It would be devastating. He really is some sort of devil."
"Before we get too far ahead let me point something else out," Marude said, clicking on another video. "That sword isn't the only thing that he can produce that is energy based."
There was a video clip showing the Horned Phoenix holding up a red glowing hand and pulled it back before throwing the blast at Akane. It was clear she fell over backwards as the blast zoomed over her. It missed of course and there was an explosion off camera. The fact the he could even produce a blast from his hands was even more terrifying.
"Of course there's that," Marude said, scrolling back and played it again.
"I could feel the heat come off that and I think my heart skipped at the moment," Akane stated. "I have never seen anything that."
"None of us have. I have noticed most his attacks are energy based. Clearly that is nothing a ghoul can do. Certain Ukaku have kagune that have an energy likeness but it's still a physical organ," Arima sighed, pushing up his glasses. "He can manifest a phantom sword, release an energy blast from that, and then release energy orbs from his bare hands. His physical appearance isn't human from what I can see. Incognito took great lengths to hide his body most likely for the same reason. That his body isn't natural."
"Perhaps he really is a devil. What he does should not be physically possible," Hirako said, looking up at the large projection screen. "He should not exist, I think."
"Perhaps, they are something more than we can fathom. Let's say they are something straight out the Twilight Zone how do we handle this in the long run?" Kuroiwa asked, looking up at Marude.
"I personally think we should handle them just like any other ghoul," Mado snorted. "Regardless of what they can do they can still be injured by quinque and they can be affect by drugs. They aren't all powerful. They have weaknesses just like ghouls."
"As true as that is, they are still something beyond our comprehension," Shinohara breathed, knocking Juzo's feet off the table again. "They honestly should not exist in this world no matter how one looks at it. Perhaps they are some sort of anomaly and they aren't actually a new species. Like some sort of mutant, let's say."
"A mutant? Like those from the movies and anime?!" Yuzu asked, looking around at those in the room. "So those can exist? I thought that was just all make-believe. Oh, neat! I'm liking these devils more and more! Hahaha!"
"This is just speculation of course. We can't confirm that," Shinohara said, turning to look at him. "It was just an idea."
"Well… There is this new data…" Marude said, handing out another paper before opening another file. "This is the same as the paper I just handed out."
He scrolled up a little way on the file and then highlighted an area.
"This is the blood work we just receive last night," Marude said, looking at the screen. "Of course these samples were taken from the Horned Phoenix."
"You've got to be kidding," Amon gaped, looking at the screen and then down at his papers.
"Hold on, you're telling us that this creature is closely related to humans?" Mado spat out, looking disgusted. "This has to be some sort error."
"Huh, I wish that was true. They did the testing on three different samples and they all came out the same," Marude snorted. "Mutant might not be so fetched but it still doesn't explain a damn thing. His RC levels are well within the normal range and regrettably he is very close to human and quite a distance away from being a ghoul."
"So he's like some super powered cousin of ours? That is something I was not expecting. Too bad we don't have any samples from Incognito to compare this to. I would like to have seen how they compared," Arima said, slowly reading over everything.
"Ew much! Look here. It says that they are so close to our DNA that they could even reproduce with us," Akane said point at a line on her paper..
"Are you serious?" Amon asked, turning to the same page. "Yes, it does say that. So they really could be some sort of human branch off? But why are they appearing now? Why haven't there been others? There are no reports from citizens or law enforcement. They have only been reported by the CCG. Why make themselves only known to us? I don't understand that."
"Well, one thing is clear. These devils are involved with ghouls. We deal with ghouls so I would assume we would have the most contact with them," Hirako pointed out. "But it is true that they have not been reported by anyone else but by the CCG. When encountered they have particular agendas that they are following. I highly doubt we'll see them on a whim."
"You're right. Incognito's purpose was to protect the Daughter Ghoul. We still aren't sure as to why the Horned Phoenix was at the Aogiri Tree Raid but no doubt he was there for a reason," Arima said. "They don't show up regularly but I have taken note of this. It seems those with the most contact with these creatures have been Hayashi, Mado, and Amon. Mado, you and Amon reported confronting a young woman under an assumed name of Inoue Kimi. When questioning her, the Horned Phoenix grabbed her from the window and took off with her."'
Mado cleared his throat.
"Yes, her… She looked to be in her late twenties or so. Long, light auburn hair and quite busty. Amon was talking to her when I arrived. I took notice that she was very nervous and that her uniform looked damn near spotless," Mado called back. "On a hunched I walked over to her rifle. Barrel was ice cold and there was no smell of fresh gunpowder. I decided to interrogate her myself but before I could really get started the Horned Phoenix appeared behind her, standing on the windowsill. He snatched her up before Amon and I could do too much. Amon ran her information and of course there was no Inoue Kimi and the serial number on the rifle matched one of the stolen from the armory in the 20th. I heard rumor that they found another one of the stolen rifles but it was quite mangled."
"It was pretty much snapped in half," Marude nodded. "Still no real fingerprints found. Whoever these people were they knew what they were doing and that is what is bugging the hell out of me."
"That brings to question how did they know? They knew where and how to get into the armory without being detected. They even knew what equipment to grab. We know that it was seven of each item stolen. So no doubt there was a group of seven people running around with our gear," Kuroiwa pointed. "So far this Inoue Kimi was the only one reported. There is no telling how many were actually involved in the raid or what their actual purpose was."
"Oh! Oh, so then this Inoue person was working with this Phoenix guy, right? Because she got snatched! I just remembered something said from earlier," Juzo said, rocking back and forth in his chair. "This Phoenix thing knows how use quinque and only shows up around us. So what if he is actually hiding in the CCG and can switch on and off his powers like they show in the movies? Like he has a secret identity."
Everyone just stared at him as he happily rocked back and forth with a large grin. Could that be possible? They looked around at each other. Thinking on it… That filled in some holes. That also brought up questions of Incognito and his own abilities. Akane bit her lip as she racked her brain.
"It was different but…" Akane mumbled.
"What?" Arima turned to look at her.
"Both Incognito and the Horned Phoenix had different fighting styles but there were still some parallels. Looking back it…" she said, looking a little confused. "Some of those skills are only taught and practiced by investigators."
"That would explain their knowledge of quinque techniques! Not to mention why they steal any quinque they can get their grubby hands on," Mado slammed his hands down on the table. "Incognito hid himself so completely because he didn't want to be found out by us! The very people he works with!"
"That might be why he ran when I called him out on his eyes," Amon spoke up. "We have to also take into account that Incognito did save Hayashi from being killed that night. When he faced me he told me to stand down because he saw I was wounded. He was worried about my well-being and didn't want to fight me until I forced him."
"As much as I hate to admit it Incognito's attack only grew aggressive when forced him into a fight and even then it was still wasn't actually aggressive," Mado grumbled. "He knocked me out and tried to make off with Fueguchi 1 until the police showed up."
"Let's also take into account that the Horned Phoenix also assisted me in cutting that quinque suit off me," Shinohara muttered. "He also reportedly never killed anyone from the CCG during the raid."
"He didn't want to fight me until I forced him into it like Mado did. He's excuses for not engaging me was that he didn't want to fight a woman and that he had other issues to deal with," she added. "Marude, sir, do you have the full video of the fight so we can examine it again?"
"Yes, of course I have it! Let's me pulled it up. Just give me a moment," Marude said, closing a few windows and quickly opened some other files and pulled up the full video. "We ran it through a stabilizer so it's not so jumpy. Here's the whole fight."
He clicked on the play button as everyone looked up at the projection screen. They sat and watched, taking notes and making small comments about what they were watching. They had Marude rewind a couple of sections. They didn't even pick up on anything like that until Juzo made that comment. They were somewhat altered but the basics were very much there. When the video finally came to an end there was a long heavy silence as everyone looked at their notes and mentally processed everything they just saw. Arima drew in a deep breath.
"This certainly changes many things for us. The skills that the Horned Phoenix displayed are that of an investigator. I would at least estimate a skill level with Rank 1 to 1st class. Maybe even Associate Special Class. Kirako, what do you think?" Arima turned his partner.
"Well… I'm seeing the same thing. He is very skilled that is for sure. He displayed a natural talent for it, too," Kirako said, dully. "It was like second nature to him so, if speculation holds up, he's been with for quite a long time."
"By chance and this is stretching it… Could Incognito and the Horned Phoenix be one in the same?" Shirohara asked.
"Incognito from what we understand was very self-conscious of how he presented himself to us. This latest devil was far more open and didn't seem to care as much other than to cover the basics from what I'm seeing," Arima pointed out. "If they are the same, Incognito gained a large ego boost recently but we still can't rule it out entirely."
"Yes, until we have evidence to prove otherwise we will treat them a separate entities," Marude snorted.
"So is there going to be an inquiry opened to look at people?" Amon asked, looking at everyone.
"That goes without really saying. If these creatures are truly running around disguised as us we have to look into everything," Kuroiwa sighed. "It's going to be costly. We're going to have to figure out where to start. We can't just jump in and start accusing people. Of course an investigation this large is not going to look good on our part."
"But it's a necessary evil we'll just have to contend with," Shinohara sighed, rubbing the bridge of his nose. "We'll have to keep it as quiet as possible."
"A full government agency like ours? We might as well go through the whole National Diet while we're at it," Mado spat. "You can't keep this quiet. There are just too many people with loose lips. We're going to be so obsessed with rooting out these devils that the ghouls might start something again because we're too preoccupied with our own internal investigation!"
"Mado, calm down. We will figure out what to do once the investigation is cleared to commence," Arima replied sharply. "Yes, going through the whole agency isn't going to look good. Clearly, we need to start with Incognito. We need to look at individuals that were not working at the time. Those with days off, vacation time, suspension, medical leave, and so on. Anyone with consecutive days off without an actually alibi."
"That's going to be a mess to weed through," Shinohara grumbled.
"But it's clearly better than just harassing everyone single person," Hirako stated. "We'll have to do it fast before these devils catch wind and leave."
"If they are smart they will stay put. Running as we all know is a clear sign of guilt," Arima stated, rubbing the back of his neck. "I don't think they will risk it once the investigation is announced."
"So it's settled then? We're going to be doing an internal investigation?" Marude asked, looking at everyone.
"I believe we all are in agreement on this," Arima nodded as did everyone else. "We'll rework our evidence and have it submitted for a case to be opened. I don't like this myself but we can't let this go any farther. We need to figure out what their actual agenda is and figure where they really come from. This is going to be quite the problem for all of us."
"Very well. I will get a team together to compile everything we need to get this started," Marude spoked looking a bit smug.
"No, I will be in charge of that, Marude," Arima said, looking at the disgruntled man. "It's not that I don't faith in your team but I believe my men will be better suited for such a task. I will lead this investigation."
"Wha…?! B-but I'm the one that put all this together right here," Marude pointed at the large screen. "I'm more than capable to handle…"
"Don't argue with me. I'm taking over this case from here on out. I will gladly take your advice when I require it but like I stated prior… My men will be better suited for this sort of task," Armia replied with a stern tone. "Thank you for your hard work, Marude, you did fine a job on collecting this data."
Marude gritted his teeth and balled up his fists. Everyone knew that Arima had a few extra connections and it would be best to leave it alone. If the Reaper wanted the case he was going to take the case and damn to anyone else. Marude snorted and started to organize his things.
"I'll have all my information on your desk by tomorrow morning," Marude said trying to hide his sour tone. "This meeting is over."
"Good. We'll talk more on this when we're ready to actually begin the full investigation," Arima said, getting to his own feet and gathered his things. He partner doing the same. "I look forward to your report, Marude."
"Of course," Marude said through clinched teeth.
Everyone gathered their belongings and left the meeting room.
"Hey, Shinohara, can we get some lunch?" Juzo asked, walking beside his mentor. "That meeting was soooo boring at times and I was getting super hungry."
"I think we can get something to eat. You did very well today, Juzo. I'll give you an extra treat for coming up with that idea," Shinohara smiled as Juzo's eyes widen.
"You mean it?! Can I get whatever I want?" Juzo asked, dancing a little bit. "Can I get a whole bunch of parfaits?"
"Well, I don't know about it being all parfaits but, yes, you can at least have a couple," Shinohara answered. "You managed to bring to light something very large that we had overlooked. If what you said is true and these devils are part of the CCG we could be looking at a lot of future unrest for the agency and then some."
"So, a whole bunch of bad stuff, huh?" he mused, keeping up Shinohara as they moved down the hall.
"To think that these devils might be people inside the CCG?" Amon grumbled, walking between Akane and Mado. "But it does make some sense the more we think on it. They would have access to the armory."
"I'm not fond of that brat but he's right. Hayashi, you realizing that the Horned Phoenix had an investigator's skill-set was also unsettling," Mado grumbled.
"It didn't dawn on me until that twerp said that and with the video evidence backing it up there's no getting around it," she huffed, looking down at her bad arm. "I can't wait to figure out who they really are because if I get to them first…"
"Let's not get too far ahead, Akane. You're going into surgery in couple of days, right?" Amon asked and she nodded. "How is your arm if you don't mind me asking?"
"The way he grabbed and threw me around he tore the shit out of my rotator cuff," she grumbled. "I'm going to be out of commission for quite some time. It was bad enough with my eye but this… I'm going to be looking at a bunch of physical therapy after the surgery."
"Don't worry about it. You'll be fine again after all this," Amon gave her smile.
"Not… Not necessarily. The doctor explained that the amount of damage to my shoulder might actually keep me from being a field agent again," she said, turning to look at the floor. "I won't have the strength and dexterity in my shoulder to fight with a full size quinque. I could end up being a paper pusher."
Mado and Amon exchanged a few glances at each other. That was never good news for an investigator. Maybe a change of subject was in order.
"So, how about lunch?" Amon suggested. "I think I heard Shinohara and Juzo are going to grab something. You want to join them?"
"I don't know… I guess it couldn't hurt as long as that blond Atomic Bomb stays on his side of the table," she snorted in annoyance.
"I'm sure Shinohara will rein him in if he gets carried away," Amon said, trying to ease that tension.
"You two go on ahead I have another engagement to deal with," Mado said stopping at the mouth of another hall.
"Mado, are you sure?" Amon asked and the man waved him.
"Yes, I'll just grab something later. Go on before they get too far ahead of you," Mado said, turning to walk down the hall.
"If you're sure… We'll see you around. Take care," Amon waved as he walked off with Akane.
"You too," Mado said, watching them leave before heading off to a quiet sitting area.
He found a secluded corner and pulled a company laptop from his leather briefcase. He just wanted to check on a few things. Something nasty was eating at his stomach after that meeting. He had access to the data as he was involved with Incognito and little bit with the Horned Phoenix. He didn't have the access to alter the data but he could sift through it at his leisure.
He pulled up the files and put in a thumb drive. He was working on something without Amon's knowledge. He knew his partner would have none of it if he learned what he was doing. After that knockdown drag out he received from Ichigo at the hospital he still couldn't let that suspicion go. Now tacking on this new theory a lot more red flags were being raised. He pulled up his own files and started to go through them and those done by Marude's men.
He chewed on the tip of his thumb as he clicked and scrolled through the various pictures and documents. He took notes and logged them into his own files. That sick feeling in his stomach was growing worse the deeper he looked into the evidence. He didn't even want to believe it when he first suspected something was up but more and more pieces were falling into place.
He leaned back against a wall and looked at the list and the theories he had compiled over these last few weeks. It was making him sick looking at it. If it wasn't for Juzo's odd observation this might have gone completely undetected for a while longer. He tapped his foot in nervous aggravation. There were too many fitting pieces to ignore it.
Ichigo was present in the case dealing with ghoul #723 and was ordered the give chase of the Daughter. He returned empty handed and suddenly collapsed to the ground. He ended up in the hospital from exhaustion along with a busted nose and a concussion.
The resulting collapse put him on medical leave. That would give him the time he would need to act. Ichigo also lived alone and so there could never be a reliable alibi with him. No witnesses either.
Then when the Rabbit and her companion showed up to drop false information Ichigo showed up then, too, under the pretense of going to the memorial. He was trying his hardest to usher them out before they got caught. He finally did manage to escort them out when the boy turned up being human.
That evening when he was investigating the waterway alone Incognito first appeared. This was the kick off. Incognito pleaded with him to spare the girl. The devil knew how to avoid his quinque and only used a bokken to fight with. Incognito really never wanted to hurt him that was very clear. They both fought for a little bit and Incognito got grazed by the quinque. It wasn't until he was out of options did Incognito actually inflict damage. He tried to make off with Fueguchi 1 given it's the ghoul-child's father. The police thankfully stopped that.
Incognito most likely dealt that damage to him keep out of action. Akane filled in for him instead. It might have thrown Incognito off some. That would also explained how he knew she had a stash of weapons on her and where to look. He would also do anything in his power to protect her but failed to a degree when she lost her eye. When Amon showed up he confronted Incognito with the Fueguchi set in hand. Amon was told to stand down because he was injured. Amon wasn't going to do that and they somewhat engaged each other. Amon noticed the eyes for the first time and pointed them out. Most likely Incognito didn't want that to be noticed and took off with the quinque.
When Amon called Ichigo he wasn't home at the time. Ichigo called back a little while later stating he was out making a late night snack run and left his phone on the charger. He didn't arrive until around sunrise well after he returned Amon's call. When the fight got started there was a wound reopened under Ichigo's sleeve in the same area Incognito was struck in.
The suspension after the fight gave Ichigo some more time left alone and unmonitored. When Akane was released from the hospital he first made mention of being mentally unsound and that he was going to leave the CCG. When he finally returned to work he put in his resignation papers stating poor health as the cause. However, some nasty rumors started circulating that were completely unrelated to what was stated as his reason for leaving.
Not too long after Amon mentioned that he had a squabble with Ichigo in the cafeteria about the rumors. Ichigo played it off and left Amon behind. The following day they reconciled and Amon assisted him in completing backed up paperwork. Amon left earlier that same night leaving Ichigo alone. The building's surveillance footage after that was rather bizarre.
He suddenly left his office in a subtle panic. He made it as far as the elevator when he came across Shinohara with Juzo in the cabin. Ichigo tried to run only to get nabbed and dragged inside the elevator. The video in the elevator wasn't pleasant as Juzo was crawling all over him. Ichigo and Shinohara exchanged a few unpleasant words dealing with the hooligan in the cabin. Ichigo tried to run again when the elevator stopped. Juzo grabbed him again and at some point snatched Ichigo's wallet but was caught.
When Ichigo was finally able to get off the elevator Juzo went to grab him again. Reaching his limit he chucked the teen like a ragdoll out of the elevator. Ichigo took actions into his own hands since Shinohara couldn't get control of the little monster. However, that act only served to get Juzo railed up. Juzo had pulled out his quinque knife but Ichigo quickly removed it. He finally subdued Juzo with a bit of excessive force before throwing him at Shinohara. He then bolted down the stairs in more of a panic. Ichigo raced out the front doors and from there the cameras lost sight of him.
The following night he was patrolling and came across Akane as she was headed home from shopping. They had a bit of a heated discussion before the young ghoul, Grimm, appeared. He got their attention and led them towards the bridge where Ichigo was about to jump. The boy, looking back on it, was unnaturally fast and he was never seen again either. He just seemed to vanish into thin air just as they got to the bridge.
Of course right as they arrived they spotted Ichigo standing on the other side of the bridge's guardrails. He and Hayashi struggled to get to him through the thick mass of people that crowded around to watch. They weren't too far from him before he just step off, hitting the rushing water with a great force.
An investigation was opened into his suicide. There didn't seem to be anything out place and it was ruled his mental health to be the cause. The only odd issue was that they never found his body. It was either washed out into the bay or perhaps maybe even a ghoul picked it up from the water. There was no body period. His family came for the memorial and they collected his things before heading back to Karakura Town.
Now fast forward a little bit. Just before the raid, equipment vanished mysteriously, seven of each item needed to look just like a CCG solider. Another devil appeared and Akane confronted him in a fight. He had no interest in her stating another agenda and that he would prefer not to fight a woman. She attacked him and sedated him with a tainted quinque. She forced him to defend himself at that point. There were several odd interaction moments that clearly even bothered her. He showed some casualness with her. He complemented her, apologized to her, and even kissed her. She explained the feel of being kissed by him was like going numb and cold for a few brief seconds. Like something was being pulled from her.
If the Horned Phoenix had to use energy he might have to replenish it if it dips too low. He stole that energy from her and then took Tsume from her while she was weakened. He lashed out at the other soldiers when they got too close but never killed or severely injure any of them. Then while Shinohara and Kuroiwa dealt with the Owl,Shinohara's quinque suit started to malfunction and overtake him. The Horned Phoenix using his shadow blade destroyed the power supply and quickly ripped off the back of the suit, sparing Shinohara some serious damage. Mado had found that odd that a total stranger would do that much for an enemy. Clearly he knew Shinohara on some level to do what he did.
Finally coming to the last sighting of him. Amon had confronted a young woman huddled on the floor. His partner had confronted her to get her up and start looking for survivors. It wasn't long after that he showed up. Mado took notice of her clean uniform, her cold gun, and lack of fresh powder smell. The moment he started to dig into her the Horned Phoenix flashed in behind her. He grabbed her and vanished. Only two of the stolen guns were recovered and none of the other equipment.
He raked his fingers through his long, silver scraggly hair and let out a long breath. He pulled up the whole fight video again and watched it a couple of times. There was something he noticed. It took a while to pinpoint what it was that was bothering him. It was the sound of his voice. A difference in sound from when the Horn Phoenix talked with and without his mask. He put on some headphones to listen better. That strange bonelike mask he could somehow regrow like it was a body part created a weird resonance to his voice. Without it on it revealed his true voice. Mado isolated a couple of clips without his mask and listened intently. He even closed his eyes just focusing on the small sound bites.
He gritted his teeth and yanked the headphones from head, hurling them to the floor. He then slammed the wall next to him with a closed fist. It was him… It was Kurosaki! He clinched his teeth harder as he started at the still frame of the Horned Phoenix. All this time it was him! Ever since that fight at the hospital something had borrowed its way into Mado's mind. Even after Ichigo's "suicide" something was still picking at his brain to not stop looking into the matter. He pulled at his long hair again in anger and frustration. He had it. He had all the evidence he needed to go after Kurosaki. No doubt the boy's father might know something about this. Like the fact that his dearly beloved son wasn't dead. Hell, Dr. Kurosaki and his daughters could be the same type of creatures.
"Hahaha! So I finally figured you out," Mado leered, looking at the computer screen. "I knew there was something I didn't like about you from the start. You always were a powerful son of bitch! Killing that ghoul in your hometown out shining those investigators assigned there."
He started to gather his information and clean it up a little. He needed to hand this into Arima. He managed to figure everything out where a whole investigative team could not. He saved all the information back to the small drive and pulled it out of the port. He looked at the tiny drive in his glove hand. He finally got this cocky bastard where it'll really hurt.
He put his laptop away and got to his feet. He took a few hurried steps forward and then came to a slow stop. He opened his hand again and looked back at the small blue and black drive. He had everything he needed to blow everything wide open like a busted dam. All he would have to do was just asked to speak with Arima and that would be the end of it. He stood quietly, puzzling over the drive again. Why did he hesitate? Amon…
Kurosaki was Amon's closest friend. This information could very well decimate his partner. The young investigator was still getting over the "suicide" and to drop this bombshell might be a little too much. Tch. He shook his head and hurried toward Arima's office. It needed to hand it in now that he actually built a full case. It was illegal after all to withhold key information like this. Amon would surely understand it was for the greater good. Kurosaki lied to him in the worst possible way. He never killed himself and had become a devil working against them.
Oh, this was going to be so sweet. After all time he could finally get a real good one up on the brat. That thunder hogging, entitled brat was going to finally get what he deserved. He got on the elevator and hit the up button. He shared the cabin with 7 other people. He went two floors up and got off. It wouldn't be much longer now. Mado wasn't doing this for the notoriety, no, he just really wanted to get back at Kurosaki for always being such obnoxious, disrespectful brat. Oh, sweet, sweet revenge.
He turned down another corridor to see Arima's office at the far end. There were a few people flitting around it. Well, this was it. He made a beeline for the office. He gripped the thumb drive hard. It would be all over for that the orange haired prick very soon. There was no flaw in his research and there was now plenty of evidence to back it up. No doubt Arima and his men would help to validate his claims. He was going to show everyone just what Kurosaki Ichigo was really like.
Ryoko tucked her wings in as she dove through a partially opened window and flapped her way through a couple of rooms. This was the place she heard Kaneki and a few others were staying at now. Kaneki had moved out of his apartment to this place. It was rather drab to be sure. It took her a while to figure what was going on and where he was staying.
She landed on the back of a worn couch and had a look around the room. She didn't see anyone right off. She didn't want to call out not wanting to startle someone. She opened her wings and moved across the room to a small table by another door. She sidestepped a little closer and peaked in the best she could. Someone was in there. She could only make out a shadow, nothing more. The door was too closed to slip through and she didn't have the strength to really pull open such a heavy door. She let out a tweeting huff and fluffing up her feathers.
It was enough to get the person's attention she saw the shadow sit up a little straighter. She took off away from the door to her original perch on the couch. The door opened and a white haired Kaneki stepped out, looking around. He looked to alone at this point.
"Kaneki," she called out as he turned his head towards the sound of his name.
His eyes widened at the sight of the cockatiel perched on the back of the couch.
"Mrs. Fueguchi?" he asked, hurrying over to her.
"H-hi, Kaneki," she said as he put his knees on the couch seat and sat down. "It's been a while since I last saw you. So, I decided to pay you a visit."
"Yeah… I guess it has been some time, hasn't it?" he rubbed the back of his head, putting on a weak smile. "I... I am glad to see you. Your wing is better now."
"Well, actually it's Hetare's… But, yeah, I can fly on it good now. I know that must seem a little… Odd with me saying that…" she hung her head down.
"A little, yeah…"
There was long heavy pause before Ryoko drew in a long breath.
"K-Kaneki… You don't have to tell me what happened when you were kidnapped but… Yoshimura, the others, and I are really worried for you."
"There's nothing to worry about. I'm perfectly fine," he said his smile now looking a bit forced. "I'm just working through some things right now on my own. You can tell them that if you'd like."
"I will but… That still doesn't stop us from worrying. Y-you are part of us and not having you around now makes everything seems a bit empty."
"What are you talking about? I'm still here."
"Kaneki, please… Don't… Won't you come back to Anteiku?" she asked and he turned away from her to sit down proper on the couch.
"I explained to them that I have other plans. I don't have time Anteiku," he said, looking at the floor as she hoped down and landed on the armrest beside him. "I want to make sure that something like this doesn't happen again. Not to me or anyone else and to do that I had to sacrifice something. Anteiku… Yoshimura… Touka… I don't want them directly involved with me anymore."
"Wh-what are you planning?" she asked almost a little panicked. "Kaneki, you're scaring me."
"I'm a little scared myself but I'm going to make right what's wrong with this world," he stated coldly. "I'm going to learn how to fight and become stronger so I can fix it. I don't want those from Anteiku to get hurt. It's as simple as that."
"You're going to do something stupid…?" she asked as he let out sharp breath.
"Call it risky," he got back to his feet.
"I don't see a difference. Kaneki… I'm sure you know by now… Hinami found that number to Dr. Kurosaki… She barely heard my insisting but she called and…" Ryoko, inched a little closer to the end of the armrest. "They came all the way to help Anteiku find you… I overheard that you weren't exactly…"
"Nice? Grateful?"
"Yeah…"
"It's not that I wasn't grateful it's just I don't think they needed to be there," Kaneki said, moving away from towards the back room again. "I felt like they were meddling to a degree. That creepy Shiro character rubbed me the worst. He acted too friendly towards me like he knew me or something. I'm sorry but I didn't like it. I'm sure he meant well and maybe I shouldn't have snapped but… I have no desire to accept their help in the future."
Ryoko bit her little bird tongue after what he said about Ichigo. It was only naturally that Ichigo would act friendly towards him but at the same time Ichigo is supposed to be dead. Kaneki knew no different and she was barred from saying anything. Yet, if needed again why wouldn't take their help?
"Why not?" she asked as he stopped and turned to look back at her.
"This isn't their fight. They aren't ghouls so why should they get involved in ghoul affairs?" he stated bluntly. "It's as simple as that. They aren't even ghoul investigators. They are fish out of water here. They are better suited for dealing with spirits and so on."
It was logical. They had talents suited for another world. Literally. She wasn't there during the fighting but she could tell from that brief meeting that other than Ichigo none of them were really comfortable. They were very much out of their element but followed Ichigo because he feared a friend of his was in danger. She sighed and nodded her little feathered head. She really couldn't find a fault with that.
He walked back over and picked her up into his hands. He lightly scratched the side of her head.
"I know you meant well by having Hinami call but please from here on out let me look after myself," he said as she gave a very subtle nodded. "I want to fight my own battles and not hide behind others."
"I was just worried…"
"And you had every right to worry but you need to stop now. I'm still here and everything turned to all right."
"I know… I've just always been a worrier. I became more of one after Hinami came into this world. It's mother's job to worry after all."
Kaneki gave her a small grin and stroked her head again. Ryoko really had meant well and so did the others that came but he had quickly learned to stand on his two feet. The ghoul world was kill or be killed. The strong devour the weak. He wasn't going to remain naïve anymore to what was playing out in front of him. He wanted to protect those closest to him even if it meant pushing them just out his reach for their safety.
"Thank you for looking out for me," he said, gently setting her down on his shoulder and started walking towards another room. "You better head on back to Anteiku before Banjo and the others return in a few minutes. Explaining you won't be easy."
"Yes, I suppose you're right," she agreed as she opened the window she came through a little wider. "Just, please… Kaneki, I'm begging not to be reckless. I don't want you getting hurt or…"
"I told you before to stop worrying. Now go before the others get back," he placed her on his hand and held her outside the window. "Take care, Mrs. Fueguchi, tell Yoshimura hello for me."
"Uh… Of course. I'll let him know," she opened her wings and started flapping. "I'll come by to see you again later."
"That's fine. Be careful getting back to the café," he waved as she fly upwards.
Birds have a natural instinct to fly and she allowed that to happen. She learned how the fly without much trouble once the wing of Hetare's was completely healed. She headed back to Anteiku as fast as she could. She had been expecting a much rougher Kaneki from what she was told but it had also just been just over a week. He had a little time to balance out—to a degree. He had indeed changed like everyone had said. She was glad that he was standing up for himself now but the way he talked upset her.
He sounded like was really going to start something just to fix what he saw broken. Grant it this world was broken but breaking something to fix something doesn't work. The broken can't fix the broken. Push too hard against the grain and someone will get hurt. She feared that Kaneki and his friends were going to go against the CCG and other unsavory ghoul groups. She had a feeling it went a lot deeper than righting the wrongs. She could tell this was very personal to him and he was searching for something. Answers? Revenge? She didn't know and she didn't see him speaking up about it anytime soon.
She didn't want to be the nosey type and she usually wasn't but she wanted to know just what Kaneki had in mind. She might not be able to follow him as Hetare but he would be none the wiser if she tailed him her in spirit form. She could only pray he didn't go down a destructive path.
(A/N Well, tell me what you think of this chapter! I hope it was good. I know it was very wordy, I guess you could say. I'm going to do a few chapters to fill in that 6 month gap. I think it will be fun. Please, leave a comment in the reviews as I do love feedback. I'm still struggling with the comic. Like most things, I get started on something then stop and then start again later. I will also let you know I am working on a Creepypasta. Does anyone know of any good sites to post it on? I'm adding to it little by little until I feel safe publishing it. Thank you for reading!)
Millie M. Banshee