Chapter 2: Invasion

I own neither Tokyo Ghoul or Sekirei

"Let's move out men." These words marked the prelude to one of the most terrible encounters in human history. With heavy steps, the soldiers of China and Japan stepped off their massive battleships to make their way to the beach of Kamikura Island. Dozens of transports, packed with hundreds if not thousands of troops, hauled their living cargo towards the island.

The island was barren. There were no plants or animals to be seen, just an endless expanse of rocks and dust. Massive walls of shale rose up out of the ground, then fading into deep valleys where the bottom was hidden in darkness. Even the seemingly smooth parts of the island would sudden dip and twist, leading into craggy and rugged caverns. Yet despite its uneven surface, the altitude slowly increased in the middle of the island, almost as though it was a massive mountain. It was entirely devoid of anything that would indicate life or any kind of outside interference. All in all, the silence of the island was pervasive. It seeped into the hearts and bones of the advancing soldiers, filling them up with trepidation.

The troops stood tall, staring out at the land with their weapons at the ready, waiting for the battle to begin. The waves crashed up along the shore, splashing large gouts of water over the dry rock. When the transports finally reached the coast, the soldiers leaped off the transports and all landed in the shallow water. They cautiously made their way to the shoreline and stepped onto dry land. The silence remained constant; there was no attack, no gunfire, nothing to indicate that the island was inhabited. It was far too quiet, especially considering that the entire force was being watched.

"Miya, they've landed," the words were spoken by one of seven individuals who were standing at the top of the mountain. Five of them were wearing long grey cloaks with an intricate emblem in the form of a wagtail, four of these cloak-wearers were women while the fifth was male. The other two individuals were male and wore white lab coats. While both males had white hair and were scientists, the resemblance stopped there.

One of the males wore glasses and acted in an eccentric, almost insane manner. He seemed to be in a constant state of both caffeination and excitement, which together served to explain his mannerisms. The other scientist did not wear glasses and was far more reserved. His eyes were a light gray and had a strange quality to them. It almost seemed that when he looked at someone he stared deep into their soul and was saddened by what he found there.

"I understand Matsu, how many of them are there?" asked the grey-cloak identified as Miya. As with all the grey-cloaks, she had an unearthly beauty to her, something that could not be found in humanity. Her purple hair billowed out behind her as the wind rushed past. In her right hand, she held a katana in a black scabbard, the legendary Totsuga no Tsurugi, while her left held her own chin in a thoughtful manner as she gazed out over the island.

"According to the satellites, there are approximately two thousand infantry, fifty tanks, as well as the three battleships being used to move the soldiers and weaponry." Matsu was the only glasses-wearer out of the grey-cloaks; her red hair was tucked into a neat braid and fell over her left shoulder. "Unfortunately, I can't see any specifics through the satellite I'm currently analyzing. I may need to transfer to a newer one, this one is a bit too old."

"That's fine, we won't need specifics to deal with them. They will have to spread out in order to find us before we would 'escape', then we will strike."

"Waiting for them to spread out is so boring. Let's just all charge them now … it'll be more fun that way," spoke another grey-cloak spoke with a sadistic grin on her face. With her grey ponytail lashing around in the wind like a whip, as well as her grey eyes sparkling with repressed violence, she was a truly frightening figure.

"If you cannot figure out my reasoning by now, then that would be very disappointing Karasuba," Miya drew out the name as she turned to stare at the grey haired sadist with hard eyes. A blanket of power draped itself over all seven figures as the two women stared into each other's eyes. The tension between them was palpable, almost physical in its magnitude. Thankfully for the other five individuals, a voice broke them out of their argument.

"Miya, they're on the move. They appear to have split into equal groups and are all moving to different ends of the island. Four groups of approximately five hundred, each with either twelve or thirteen tanks. What are your orders?" Matsu's report instantly shattered the tension, and all the grey-cloaks prepared themselves for Miya's orders. Even Karasuba's grin faded away into a visage of grim expectancy.

"Each of you will take one of the groups, use hit and run tactics coupled with dropping boulders on them. I will remove the battleships from the equation." Miya was all business now, the very image of a general as she gave her orders.

"Hell yeah! Let's show these pitiful humans the power of a Sekirei." Karasuba's sadistic grin had returned in full force. "Let's get bloody," she said as her hand clenched over the hilt of her katana. Unfortunately for her, she had no idea that the blood of humans would not be the only blood that stained the ground that day.

Sojiro Ishiki had been a member of the Japanese military for over a decade. He fought in numerous battles and was regarded by many of his colleagues as a veteran of war. His worn combat boots had seen the bloody and muddied ground of victory as well as that of defeat. After many long years in service, he had risen the ranks and was at least promoted to Colonel. There was no question that he deserved it. He had roamed the world; fighting on so many battlefields, that he couldn't even keep track. But as he stared out over the horror that confronted him he realized something. Out of all the atrocities he had seen, this one counted as one of the worst.

When he was assigned to be the leader of the guard squad for one of the battleships, he had been almost relieved. Given the fact that almost nobody had any information on the mission, coupled with the fact that this island didn't exist on any electronic map had sent chills down the Colonel's spine. The instinct that had guided him through fight after fight was screaming at him. It screamed 'Danger!'. And as usual, it was right.

It happened only minutes after the main force had left the ship and reached the shore. Only a couple dozen men remained, and then came the reports.

"We are all good in corridor one, sir."

"Same here in the third." More words of affirmation drifted through the Colonel's receiver. He frowned; his instincts were rarely wrong, and this seemed too good to be true. Something was off here, and he didn't know what it wa- wait, the team checking the storage area hadn't reported yet!

"Storage team. What is your status?" inquired Ishiki. Silence was the only response. 'Well, shit,' he growled internally. "Storage team. I repeat, what is your status." Static buzzed in his ears: this was not good. With his right hand, he reached down and pulled out his pistol, laying it down on the table. From there he could grab, aim, and shoot in just under a second, even when sitting down. Any hostiles trying to get to him would be met with a bullet between the eyes… it never hurt to be prepared.

"Team 7, check on the storage team. They are not responding to any comms. Be cautious, it could just be an equipment malfunction, but we have most likely been boarded. Your primary objective is to identify the target or targets. Do not engage on a whim, but give them hell if they attack you." His rather long-winded order was being followed before he was halfway done. It was a bad habit of his; he tended to give almost excessive amounts of information which often increased the time it took to achieve them, and in a pitched battle, every second counts.

"Yes, sir. We are on our way." The reply came swiftly and confidently. Good. It hopefully meant that they were hardened, and knew what they were doing … Hopefully.

"Team 8, be prepared to follow Team 7 should it become necessary." More orders crackled through earpieces, and the soldiers moved to respond. Then came the silence, and so Sojiro Ishiki sat and waited. He did not have to wait long.

"Sir, we have arrived at the storage area and there is no sign of the team. Besides that, everything appears to be in or- HOLY SHIT!" The calm delivery, along with the Colonel's hopes of an equipment malfunction, suddenly ended. Sounds of gunfire exploded out of his earpiece, accompanied by gruesome tearing noises and the terrified screams of his soldiers. "HELP!" The section leader was in hysterics; screaming and shouting out for aid. "WE'RE GETTING SLAUGHTERED! WE NEED HEL-" His frantic cries were cut off, and a choked gurgle bubbled through the comms. Then the signal disappeared and silence enveloped the ship. It was short-lived.

"ALERT! WE ARE UNDER ATTACK. I REPEAT, WE ARE UNDER ATTACK!" Colonel Ishiki's booming voice roared through the loudspeakers as sirens whined and the halls were covered with a haze of red light. "All teams be on alert! Teams 3 through 12 get to the storage area, NOW! Set up a perimeter and let nothing through, I am on my way to join you." He tore off his headset, throwing it roughly on the table, before jamming a portable earpiece in his ear and snatching up his automatic. Then, leaping out of his chair, he threw open the door and bolted down the hallway.

The door to the storage room swung on its hinges and its squeaking echoed throughout the halls accompanied by the sounds of dropping liquid. These were the only sounds that remained.

Drip. Drip. Drip

And then came the stomping of feet and the speaking of voices. But, soon even those would stop. As they grew louder, more sounds accompanied them. The sickening sound of tentacles erupting from flesh.

The speaking became screaming, the stomping became pounding, the squeaking became slamming, and the dripping became gushing.

Then they stopped.

The door to the storage room swung on its hinges and its squeaking echoed throughout the halls accompanied by the sounds of dropping liquid. These were the only sounds that remained.

Drip. Drip. Drip.

It was the worst bloodbath he had ever seen. Whatever he had expected to see when he rounded the corner was not this. With horrified eyes, he stared out at the scene in front of him.

The ground was littered with corpses and limbs. His men's lifeblood was drenching the floor like a crimson lake; drowning them in it. Heads and arms and legs and organs were scattered everywhere; not piled, not stacked, just sprawling bodies twisted in impossible positions with gaping chasms where there should have been skin and muscle. And all with glassy, staring, accusing eyes.

Even the walls were covered in human remains. They were smeared red with the occasional intestine or splash of cranial fluid. Combined with hundreds of bullet holes it was a macabre painting if he had ever seen one.

The Colonel gritted his teeth and moved slowly through the remains of his fellow men.

"What the hell happened here? They were supposed to set up a perimeter damn it! Not rush into a fight not even knowing what they were fighting!"

His boot came down with a loud cracking sound that reverberated around the corridor as though it was a giant drum. He winced and glanced down at the ground. His foot was in the center of two pieces of a broken, red-stained rib.

He took in a deep shuddering breath and continued wading through the dozens of carcasses. So many of his former men… his responsibility all dead, but what killed them? Ishiki shuddered as he passed by yet another man. This one has his jaw hanging from a few slivers of flesh and muscle on his right, while on his left all support had been torn apart.

Suddenly a thought came to him.

"Wait, where are the enemy?"

All of Ishiki's movements came to a sudden halt. All those bodies … they were all his men! There were no enemy corpses of any kind, no casualties, no sign of even the most remote victory on their part.

This was … this was wrong! These men were not just untrained savages, they were soldiers! To be cut down like these without so much as a body to show for it …

A soft giggle brought him out of his musings and somehow, it felt menacing. In a quick, practiced movement, he twisted on his heel, lowered himself in a crouch, brought up his automatic, and unleashed a veritable storm of bullets at the figure who was standing behind him.

Nothing happened. The bullets impacted the cloaked figure that stood a couple meters in front of him, and yet they just bounced off. Once the empty clicking sound came instead of a bullet, the Colonel could finally get a better look at his opponent.

The cloak that it wore covered its entire body, all the way from its head to its feet, and was complete with a cowl that hid its face from view. Ordinarily, the cloak would have been black yet the blood covering it hid all but the smallest patches of black from view.

The figure was absolutely drenched in crimson. It flowed down the cloak like a crashing waterfall; adding to the blood covered ground. Their hands hung at their sides, unmoving but nonetheless terrifying as red drops fell from their fingertips.

Drip. Drip. Drip.

Another giggle broke the monotone dripping before the figure took a single step forward, their hood sliding back slightly revealing one red kakugan.

Ishiki took a single step backward in horror before reaching into his belt and yanking out a grenade.

"Burn in hell, monster," Ishiki roared, pulling the pin and heaving it at the impassive figure who had just taken their second step. He then hurled himself backwards onto the corridor floor, drenching himself in blood as he waited for the grenade to detonate.

The grenade flew through the air and slammed into the figure's face, before exploding with a loud bang, releasing shrapnel that seemed to radiate outwards in a circular arc.

The wave passed over Ishiki has he lay on the floor and slammed into the walls. The pieces of metal ricocheted off the walls and shot off in random directions with some heading for Ishiki.

He took two to his right leg and one to his left hand as it covered his head. The rest buried themselves in the corpses that surrounded him with wet thunks. Once he was sure that the shrapnel had stopped bouncing, he immediately looked for his opponent.

Nothing. It had done nothing but tear the cloak that the figure wore. The hood was in tatters from where the grenade had exploded revealing the women's face for him to see.

She looked like a dream turned nightmare; her green-gray hair fell down the sides of her head to frame her grinning face. The smile could have seemed genuine and happy, save for the rivulets of blood that dribbled down the sides of her mouth and fell from her chin and the red kakugan blazing in her right eye socket.

Her smile shifted as her attention refocused on Ishiki. Now there was an air of expectation that came with the crinkles around her eyes. Her lips moved, forming words that he could not hear. His ears were ringing and his eyesight was getting blurry. Grimacing, he tried to stand before his injured leg collapsed under him. He cried out in pain, but he couldn't hear himself.

Blood was running down his cheeks, presumably coming from his ears.

'Shit,' thought Ishiki, 'I've gone deaf. I can't hear anything.' With his ears leaking crimson, he never heard the sudden movement from the girl before he flew into the metal wall with a sickening crunch.

He attempted to scream but failed as blood bubbled up in his throat. It spilled over his lips and added to the pool around him. Shattered bone protruded from his midsection; a stark white contrast to the overwhelming amount of red.

The pain was too much. It was everywhere; from the tips of his toes to the top of his skull, it consumed him. His eyes shut as his hands scrabbled across the ground in a final effort to keep himself alive; his fingers desperately reaching for anything to save him.

He was already dead, and he was realizing it now. Slowly, but surely, his weak struggles and spasms stopped before he lay quietly against the wall and his soft breaths were silent in his ears. Yet, somehow one sound fought its way into his mind.

Drip. Drip. Drip.

Ishiki's eyelids fluttered open again and found the face of his killer opposite his own, with only a few inches separating them. A small smile was painted on her face and she cupped his chin in her hand. His racing heart continued to pump out life onto the ground as her digits danced along his skin. He twitched in a vain attempt to escape her fingers, but they tightened and pulled upwards making their eyes meet.

Her eyes seemed to be searching for something in his own, as to what he had no idea. Her lips moved, but he couldn't make out what she said. When he didn't respond, her smile faded and was replaced with a contemplative look. Her eyes narrowed and she peered even closer into his own. The red sclera of her right eye seemed to physically invade him, searching every nook and cranny of his mind for its prize.

Finally, she looked away and turned to someone who had just appeared beside her. He was dressed in black as well, and his hood covered his face. They spoke for a moment, the new speaker motioned towards his prone body and his killer's eyes flickered back to him before nodding. And then he blinked and she was gone, only the hooded man was left.

He knelt down in front of Ishiki and rested the palm of his hand on the top of his head. He had one red eye as well, set in a young face with a mouth set in a thin line.

His eyes felt different to Ishiki; instead of feeling despair, he felt a quiet acceptance that calmed his racing heart. He could see a question in those eyes, yet not the same as her eyes. Instead of a prying, demanding question that ripped the answer from you like a hurricane, these eyes just asked, and waited.

He only wished he knew what question they were asking.

Then he felt them press into his head. Gleaming red tentacles were primed for fatal entry into his skull, and the question still remained. And at last, he understood.

He shook his head weakly and motioned with his eyes towards his coat pocket. It took a few moments for a gloved hand to emerge before his eyes with a picture in hand. Tears filled his eyes as looked on his daughters.

"Hey girls," he tried to whisper, "Daddy's not gonna be home for a little while." He looked up at those questioning eyes, reached up with a trembling arm for the photo. His hand spasmed and shook as he got closer and closer, but then it fell to his side.

'No,' he yelled in his mind, 'just let me hold them ... one last time.' Then a strong hand grabbed onto his limp limb and pulled. His shattered arm rose up and his fingers curled around the edges of the photo, all guided by the fingers of another. Then he felt his hand being pushed towards his chest before it finally lay on his chest, over his heart.

Then the arm pulled back, and Ishiki's eyes returned to the man's questioning gaze. They repeated the same question as before and Ishiki could see what was hidden behind those retinas. And so in response, Colonel Ishiki's eyes closed for the last time.

SHLICK.

Drip. Drip. Drip.

"Tatara, have you and Noro completely cleaned out the ship yet?" questioned Eto, as she marched the ship's halls, leaving a bloody trail behind her. Her finger was resting against her earpiece in order to make sure nothing was missed.

"We just finished." Tatara's response was cold and without pity.

"Good, I'm confident that we have been unnoticed by the other ships. The Colonel wasn't defiant at all; if he had sent a message he probably would have had some remnant of rebellion."

"That's some flimsy logic. We shouldn't rely on it at all." Eto went silent at Tatara's rebuke before answering.

"You're right, but we shouldn't let this risk stop us from reaching our goal."

"I agree. I would suggest we regroup with Noro, Ayato, and Kaneki and prepare for our attack on the Island." As usual, Tatara's plan was picked up by Eto almost immediately.

"Then go find Noro, and I'll fetch Ken. We'll meet up in the storage room where we hid."

"Of course Eto, we will be there soon."

"Noro, it's time to go." Tatara turned to his companion in preparation to meet up with Eto. Noro only responded with an eerie twist of his head in what has apparently a gesture of affirmation.

Seeing Noro's face for the first time was an interesting experience for Tatara and one that he never expected to see. Due to the secrecy of the mission, Eto had decided that all participants should wear identical black cloaks but no masks.

That had been a point of contention between them during the planning. Eto had argued that the masks would give away the fact that they were ghouls, while Tatara responded with the fact that if the cloaks were destroyed then their identities would be revealed. Eventually, they reached a compromise.

During the seizing of the ship, the team would only wear the black cloaks and during the actual invasion of the island, they would wear their ghoul masks. Despite the masks being recognizable, it was far better than their faces being seen by whatever lurked on that island. Masks can be changed and faces ... less so. However, if the soldiers on the ship recognized them as ghouls then their element of surprise would be gone.

And so there was Noro without a mask, his visage displayed to the world, and yet not acting any different than usual. He still communicated with vague body movements and didn't speak a word. He still had his massive bikaku flailing around like a grotesque merry-go-round, spewing human flesh and blood across the hall. But having his face on display just ... unnerved Tatara a little.

He broke out of his thoughts as he noticed that Noro had moved to stand directly in front of him. His face portrayed no emotion as he stood waiting.

"Let's go," said Tatara before he turned swiftly on his heel and walked briskly towards the storage room. Noro stayed stationary for a moment and then proceeded to follow him.

"Ken, get your mask out. The others will be here soon." Eto's voice broke Kaneki out of his musing and he turned to face her. In front of him lay the Colonel: he had a soft smile on his face and a giant hole in the top of his head. That final smile made Kaneki even the tiniest bit happy in his undercurrent of apparent apathy.

"Are we ready to go then?" asked Kaneki softly.

"Almost. We need to reapply whatever disguises we may need and then we'll make our move," said Eto in response. "Ayato is already in position. We have to hurry if we are going to provide our distraction."

Kaneki nodded jerkily and pulled his grinning mask over his face.

"Has the plan changed at all?" he asked.

"No, there haven't been any complications so far," answered Eto. Kaneki nodded again, this time it was more fluid and light, in contrast to the sharp motion from before.

"Eto, we've arrived." Tatara's voice sounded from behind them as he and Noro moved closer.

"Excellent," answered Eto with a hint of anticipation in her voice. "We'll split up into two groups of two and aim to draw as many defenses as we can away from Ayato. However, if we get the chance to capture Minaka or any of his weaponry, do not hesitate."

Noro didn't react at all, Kaneki inclined his head slightly, and Tatara nodded in affirmation.

"Tatara, you're with me. Noro and Ken will be the other group," said Eto cooly, before plucking an arm from the ground and tossing it to Tatara. "Eat up. We're heading into unknown territory and I have a feeling that we'll need all our strength for this mission." She grabbed another arm from the floor and threw it at Noro. His kagune lunged forward in a red streak, formed a mouth, and snatched it out of the air.

Eto took a bite out a limb that she grabbed from the ground and turned to Kaneki.

"Ken," she said with rivulets of blood running down her chin, "you need to eat too."

Kaneki flinched slightly before his face returned to its impassive state. Eto smirked at him before taking another bite out of the meat in her hand.

"However, you're different than the three of us Ken. You aren't as strong and you aren't as fast as we are," said Eto with a slight frown. Then her face shifted from that frown into an eerie grin. She stepped towards him while taking one last bite of flesh before dropping the remnants to the ground. She looked up into his eyes as her bloody grin widened even more.

"And that's why ..." Eto grabbed the fabric on her shoulder and in a quick jerk tore it away, "human flesh just won't do." Her savage smile crossed from ear to ear and her eyes, both red and green, glinted in the dim light of the corridor.

Kaneki stood motionless with his eyes wide and staring and Tatara's eyes hardened to the level of granite. Even Noro seemed to tense up.

"Come on Ken," Eto said, her voice dripping with expectancy, "time to let that kakuja out to play. Put the fear of hell in the hearts of whatever is waiting on that island. Show them that you are a force to be reckoned with!"

There was a brief pause, then Kaneki's kakugan lit up and he lunged forward, sinking his teeth into her shoulder.

Standing at the top of the mountain, Miya felt a chill run down her spine. Her instincts howled at her; screaming of danger and destruction.

"Matsu, I need you to keep a lookout for any new variables in this attack," she ordered. Her voice was as firm as ever and her brown eyes looked as impenetrable as the legendary sword that hung at her side. "I have a bad feeling about this."

AN: Hey, it's me again! After half a year I have finally gotten out this new chapter, which took so long to write. I kept changing my plan for the story and deciding where to take it, and finally decided on this. Sorry, for taking so long... This is my first year at University and it is taking up almost all my time, but due to the fact that I'm partway through Chapter 3 already, I can basically guarantee that the next chapter will be out before the new term starts (January 3rd).

A huge thank you to everybody who read, reviewed, followed, and favorited. And a special thank you to 'sierra117masterchief44' and 'RoyalSlayerGamer'; 'sierra' for really pushing me to get this out with their in-depth review and thoughts, and 'Royal' for making me realize that Eto is supposed to call Kaneki 'Ken'.

I really hoped you enjoyed this new chapter, and I hope you'll stick around for Chapter 3.

Cya!

AN2: Sorry, about the confusion... I actually posted this chapter last night, but as soon as I looked at it I realized that I had some serious formatting issues. So I've looked it over and I think it actually works with the Fanfiction website again, sorry for the mixup.