Eto's words still rang through Touka's head as looked down at the 11th Ward from the rooftops.
"Just eat her and a few others and you'll have this power. Devour the weak, rule over the weak, I think you'd like that."
"… … …" No way. There was no way in hell she'd like that. It was that kind of logic like that turned Wards into battlegrounds between gangs and caused constant oppression for weaker ghouls. The 11th Ward was proof of that. What kind of psycho wanted that kind of life? Aogiri's no better than the Doves. She thought, narrowing her eyes.
"I need to get stronger," That rough fight with Yomihime had shown her how weak she was compared to some of the executives in Aogiri. Hell, probably anyone that wasn't a just some punk in the group was that strong. There was still a ways to go before she could realistic take them on, but she'd be damned if cannibalism was going to be her shortcut to strength. "Tch," She stood up, hopping down to the ground. It was time to go hunting. Killing a few Doves patrolling the area might make her feel a bit better, at least it'd kill time.
"Heeeey~ Bunny-buddy!"
Touka nearly jumped at the sudden voice from behind. She recognized it, turning around to see the redheaded Clown girl again, waving and running toward Touka. She scowled, clenching her fists. "Aaaw, don't be so quiet, I might think you don't like me."
"Can it," She cracked her knuckles, making the Clown girl flinch and back away. "Don't think I forgot that stunt you pulled at the Animal Circus."
"So scawy~" The Clown girl backed away, waving her hands in mock terror. "Come on, all I wanna' do is talk to my bestest, bunny-buddy. Back then was… y'know, acting! Selling the show for you to get info!"
Touka was silent, cracking her knuckles again. She wasn't buying it. The clown girl flinched.
"Okay, okay. Calm down," She scooted closer to Touka, an innocent smile on her face. "Tell you what, I know about a bunch of Doves flocking around the area. Some real nasty newbies that think they can take on the world, taking out ghouls left and right. Being a real nuisance to the Ward, y'know?" She explained. "I can tell you where they usual patrol, you'd be a biiiiig hero for saving all the weaker ghouls from them, eh?"
"Tch," Touka placed a hand on her hip. Taking down a few more Doves be good practice, and it might increase her notoriety enough to put the fear into the smaller Aogiri gangs next time she goes out. "Alright, tell me."
"Weeeellll," The Clown girl perked up, inching closer. "Over at the nearby park is where they do their patrols. A bunch of young Doves. Like, real young, Your age young."
"Is that your way of saying you're old?"
The clown girl pouted, giving a huff. "Ruuude," She continued regardless. "Anyway, they're almost as bad as Aogiri, picking on weaker ghouls, killing them in some pretty brutal ways. They call themselves the Blood Maidens… reaaal weird bunch."
Touka rose an eye. A gang of teenage Doves running around? That was… new.
"You serious?"
The clown nodded. "Yup yup, they got Quinques and everything. So… what do say, Avenger? Think you can take them?"
Touka paused for a moment, thinking. "Sure, I'll do it,"
"Yay~" The clown girl hugged Touka tight.
"Hey, let go!" She pulled the girl off her. "Geez,"
The Clown girl clapped her hands together, smiling wide. "Good! I wish you luck bunny-buddy! Show those bratty Doves your teeth!"
"Yeah… sure, whatever."
The clown wasn't kidding when she said these Doves were her age. One of them was still in a damn school uniform. There were three of them, and despite their young looks they all had some serious looking Quinques on them. One of them was in a black hoodie wielding two Quinques, identical large blades and circular handles. Another one was in a black school uniform wearing bright red ribbons in her hair, wielding a thin, katana-like Quinque. And the last one was in a sportier uniform, if a bit frilly. She wasn't wielding a weapon, but her thick, black boots were clearly not a part of the uniform. It looked like they were patrolling the area.
"C'mon girls, there's gotta' be some ghouls around here somewhere, we couldn't of hunted 'em all down." The one in the hoodie said.
"Akazuki, you really shouldn't keep pushing for this kind of thing," The one in the sporty uniform said. "It's dangerous here in the 11th Ward."
"I doubt will matter much to her, Reira." The one in the school uniform said, playing the ribbon in her hair. "Akazuki can't be stopped when she's one the warpath,"
The Reira girl sighed, shaking her head. "I know, but Miss Mado told us we should be supervised by her before we go patrolling. I just don't want to get scolded."
"You were too much Rei, we're just killing the weaker ones in the area. It's not like we're hunting the Rabbit or anything."
Oh, the irony.
Just a bunch of newbies. These were the current terrors of the 11th Ward? These brats were the ones apparently killing ghouls left and right? Touka scoffed under her breath. That damn clown was forcing weaklings on her. Whatever… She placed her mask over her face. Better to take them out now than later. Even a small threat was still a threat. Plus, this was the park she did a lot of her jogging in. It'd be nice to kick a few Doves out of her favorite spot.
She moved quickly, leaping out from the bushes and kicking the sporty one in the back, knocking her to the ground. The other two stared. Surprised at first, then spun around to face the assailant, only to have their eyes widened. First, they were fearful, then immediate glared, steeling themselves.
"It's the Rabbit!" The hoodie girl cried, moving her large blades in front of her. The girl in the school uniform followed, bringing up her katana. "Get her!" The two girls rushed in with their blades, but Touka dodged their strikes, darting back. They weren't amateurs with those. They struck fast and with aim. It was clear they had training.
Touka hopped back for distance, watching the one she kicked stand back up.
"W-What happened?"
"The Rabbit's here, Reira! She's actually here!" The hoodie girl said, her voice a mix of fear and excitement. "Let's take her down!"
The hoodie girl rushed forward again, giving a move precise slash that cut a bit of Touka's jacket, following up with her second blade. That one actually got Touka's thigh a little before she moved to the side.
"Tch," For such massive weapons, the hoodie girl was pretty quick with them.
The katana girl came in next with some quick swipes that Touka had to back out of, keeping her dodging. The hoodie girl tagged in, trying to get her blind spots and overwhelm Touka with their teamwork. It was a series of slashes and steel narrowly missing Touka's vitals. Every swing was made to be fatal as the two had Touka running in a circle to keep away from the deadly melee. The schoolgirl's fast blade along with the hoodie girl's massive swings keep Touka on the defensive.
And then, Touka felt a heavy weight nail her in the back.
Something sharp dug into her side and sent her right into the two girls' blades. Shit! Touka used the momentum to roll under their slashes, a chunk of her jacket getting taken off from the blades. "A-Aaah… Goddammit!" The pain in her back didn't fade. She stood up, frantically turning to see the sporty girl in between the other two. One leg up, hands raised. Touka got a good look at her boots now. There were spikes at the heel of her boots, and blades at the tip. And as dumb as the kung fu pose was, it was clear she was trained in hand-to-hand combat. The sporty girl grinned.
"Not so tough, are you little bunny?" She teased, a confident smirk on her face.
Touka clicked her tongue again, giving a sharp snarl and summon her Kagune, sending out a wave of shards at the three.
"Behind me!" The schoolgirl and sporty girl backed up behind the hoodie girl who was blocking the rain of needles with her massive blades. Then Touka noted something. The way the hoodie girl held her weapons. They looked a lot less like blades now… they looked like oversized scissors, and they made a surprisingly good shield. "That all ya' got, Rabbit?!"
"You wish!" Touka charged forward, jumping up and slamming her feet down on the blade in a lightning fast drop kick that knocked all three down.
"A-Ah…" The hoodie girl staggered to her feet, glaring at Touka. "Bitch," She spat out.
"Back at cha'," Touka shot back.
"Shut up you damn monster, don't talk. You killed our teacher…"
Touka paused. She had killed a lot of Doves lately. It wasn't a surprise some would want revenge, but… these kids just barely her age.
"Tch," Touka rolled her shoulders. "You want revenge, then?" She stomped hard on the ground, a small dent in the stone was made as her Kagune flared out with fury. "Come get it!"