Chapter 15: Ketsueki Fusa

{Apartments: December 4th, 2020, 6:15am}

Kaneki took in a deep breath as he washed his face, getting himself awake for the early wake-up call they'd had this morning. It had been strange the last forty-eight hours, mostly because they had been given a forum to fill out and had been told by Guren that they had to do it immediately and that he would sign it once they were finished. Needless to say, once it was done, they had all been ushered to the Lieutenant Colonel's office and ended up waiting until he had finished signing the forums, and then they were told on today's date to meet him at the Cursed Gear holding center. Now, Kaneki was beginning to wonder what the man had been planning, and why things seemed to be moving so quickly.

"You up yet idiot?!" called Touka.

"Yea!" the girl entered the bathroom as he finished washing his face and then sighed, blowing her bangs out of her eyes.

"Do you think the Lieutenant Colonel had this planned all along? For us to get Cursed Gear this fast?" she questioned.

"To some degree, I do. But, Major General Hiragi told us that Lieutenant Colonel Ichinose always does this kind of thing. I guess he wants to prove that we're useful, so we aren't questioned too much." Touka shrugged.

"Not that I care if it's quick or slow, but I just was wondering what you thought," she mentioned.

"I know, but we should focus on getting there in time, today is an important day after all." He came to her, pulling her into a comforting embrace as she returned it, the two of them remaining silent for a moment.

"A lot has changed in just two weeks, huh?" she questioned.

"Yea, it has… but we'll be fine, okay? Besides, I still believe that we can trust these people." Touka nodded.

"I trust your judgement, it hasn't been incorrect these last four years," she stated.

"Good, I would doubt myself otherwise, and I don't think we need that. now, come on, hurry up and get dressed so we can meet the others."

After having dressed themselves in warm attire, both Kaneki and Touka exited the apartment, and headed down the stairs to where they would be meeting up with the others at six-forty-five. The two Ghouls pushed open the door and were greeted with Ayato talking with Akane about something, the girl laughing a bit as they spoke while Kimizuki stood nearby with Yoichi, the pink-haired teen looking irritable while the brunette had an innocent smile on his face, letting them know that they had just missed something that had happened while Mitsuba stood near Mika, both of them talking with Nishiki and Kimi.

Their eyes looked around them, spotting Hinami approaching with Shinoa whom they waved to as Hide fell into place with them and the brunette girl went to Yoichi as the periwinkle-haired girl looked around and soon found her boyfriend trailing just behind Hide, looking a bit tired as he came to her, pulling her into his arms as he kissed her forehead. The girl didn't question him when he drew her closer, knowing that he was doing so because something had kept him up half the night, and he didn't want to discuss it, but wouldn't say no to being comforted right then. Sighing, she returned his embrace and then took his hand, the two of them looking to the group as Mika nodded to them, telling them to follow him and Mitsuba as they headed off towards the Cursed Gear holding center.

It wasn't a long walk, but the entire time, the group of fourteen conversed about multiple topics from just how everyone had slept the night before, to how they were feeling with going to get their Cursed Gear today, and then the topic went to what Guren was planning. It hadn't been much of a secret, the group of fourteen had surmised early on that the man had plotted something and they were just along for the ride as of now; however, it did have to do with how quickly the group from Anteiku had been assimilated into the ranks of the Japanese Imperial Demon Army, and how they had joined the Moon Demon Company within twenty-four hours of the Raid having officially commenced.

There wasn't much that the fourteen of them doubted when it came to what Guren was up to: he was trying to get the Ghouls out on the field to prove their value to the Army. Grand General Hiragi Tenri may have very well agreed to allowing them into Shibuya, and had even granted them a form of diplomatic immunity; however, that didn't change how some people could feel about having Ghouls not only living in Shibuya, but also being out there on the field with their military forces. Yuuichiro had no doubts about the quick pace being both Guren, Shinya, and the Grand General working together in order to stall any doubts within the minds of those under their command, but he still wasn't certain if he would have personally put the Ghouls through a Cursed Gear trial only two weeks after they'd arrived in Shibuya.

"All the same… it's a strategy that I can't find large flaws in, and while I don't entirely agree with it… I can't deny its merits either. That doesn't mean I won't be keeping a close eye on what's going on though…"

"Hey, you don't look so good, are you okay?" Shinoa asked.

"Didn't get much sleep last night…" she frowned at his statement.

"That's unlike you. What's wrong?" she questioned as he sighed, glancing down.

"Apparently, I'm questioning the situation more than I should be… but I also can't shake this feeling that something is wrong here…" the periwinkle-haired girl cast her gaze to the ground and then to the others in front of them.

"You've been feeling that way too? Like something really bad is going to happen, but you can't place what it is," she mentioned carefully.

"That's exactly what I've been feeling… the sensation that… something really big is about to come and change our lives forever… I know it's ridiculous, and maybe the Seraph in me is just going haywire because of so much going on at once, but…" Shinoa shook her head, her tangerine eyes locking with his emerald ones.

"No, you shouldn't doubt this side of you, the Seraph part of you has good instincts when it comes to these kinds of things, so I don't think questioning it like that is a wise choice," she stated.

"Then what should I do? I'm losing sleep over it and Asuramaru is starting to get concerned with how little sleep I'm actually getting…" Shinoa looked him over at that statement.

Normally, Yuuichiro had a healthy tan to his complexion – where it came from in his genetics, none of them were certain – and very bright, clear eyes that displayed a variety of emotions and feelings, his smile was luminous, cheerful despite his past terrors and turmoil, his voice clear and crisp, striking and strong, and the way he carried himself radiated courage and determination: the power of a leader, of a strong warrior, and an unyielding loyalty. But as Shinoa looked at him right then, she could tell that he wasn't sleeping well, and that several other things were bothering him. His skin tone was sallow, dark circles under his eyes, which were dulled, and hazy looking, his smile lacking, and his voice displaying fatigue, doubt, and an unspoken insecurity. All of the life had been sapped from him at this point, and she was questioning if he had the strength to endure these Cursed Gear trials today or not.

"Maybe we should just stay back instead of going into the trials with the others," she said.

"No, don't… I'm fine. Once this is over, I'll get some rest, okay?" tired emerald met concerned tangerine and Shinoa sighed.

"Alright, but if you start feeling ill, then we're bowing out," the girl stated.

"Fine, I can deal with that…"

"We're here, Guren should be waiting for us inside, so be careful, okay? Some of the others in here don't know who you are," Mitsuba warned them.

"We've got it, let's just go so that Guren doesn't blow a gasket…" the others laughed just a fraction at Yuu's statement.

The building that the Cursed Gear was housed in was a large, dome-like building with stain-glass windows, large wood doors with heavy knockers on it, and a paved walkway of cobblestone. It was impressive, admittedly, and while there were multiple ways of getting into the building, for those who were new to the army and going through a Cursed Gear trial: the front gate was recommended. The group of fourteen walked into the gate that surrounding the building, the guards shooting them questioning glances as Shinoa smiled, clutching Yuu's arm as they continued to walk, her pocket watch that held the crest of her family out in plain view on a chain around her neck today so none of the others would question her as they continued to walk further down the path until they were met with none other than Goshi who waved them into the building, a smile upon his face while Mito worked with him to get all of them inside.

The interior of the building was just as impressive and imposing as the outside of it was. Polished wood floors, stone walls, iron chandeliers hanging from the ceiling with candles burning inside them and hundreds, upon, hundreds of enchantment circles and spells surrounding the walls, floors, and in the stain-glass windows. The Ghouls and Humans of Anteiku eyed the area, feeling a bit nervous as they were lead further from the area, their coats being removed and put into a small walk-in closet in the atrium as the group was taken down a flight of stairs and three hallways that took them in directions that almost didn't make sense before they came to a stop.

Standing at the front of a giant series of doors and gates, was none other than Guren. A smug smirk upon his face as he looked at the fourteen people present in the hallway, the ominous feeling of the cellar area even more apparent with the images of wicked creatures hanging above the red-painted doors that Guren stood in front of. Kaneki eyed the area, a faintly uncomfortable chill racing up his spine as he took note of the strange energies behind those towering doors. Yuuichiro stood beside him, hands in the pockets of his jeans as he watched Guren, his expression eased and his stance relaxed while the others were very much the same, causing the Ghoul to attempt relaxing as well, only to fail as he considered that he wasn't used to the presence of the creatures stirring behind the doors.

"Well, nice to see all of you here at long last," Guren said.

"At long last? They've only been here two weeks and you're already giving them a shot at Cursed Gear, I wouldn't call that a long wait if I were you…" the Lieutenant Colonel looked to his youngest.

"Can you not be a little upstart cherry boy? We're doing this for a good reason," the man stated as the boy felt a deep blush come to his features.

"Would you stop calling me that?!" Guren smirked.

"As soon as you do away with the reason I do call you that, I will, until then: nope." Yuuichiro felt the blush across his face darken, causing some of the others to giggle a bit while Shinoa took her boyfriend's hand, shaking her head as Guren sighed.

"There is something I want to know," said Nishiki.

"Yea? What is it?" the twenty-year-old took in a steady breath, fixing his glasses.

"Why is it that you want us to try out for Cursed Gear so quickly? Not to mention, I want to know what those papers were that the fourteen of us were sent," the former pharmacy student inquired.

"Tell you what, pass the Cursed Gear Trials, and come out of this door with the Curser whose going in with you, and I'll lay it all out when you go to get your uniforms and meet me at the Section Office on December ninth at ten in the morning." Everyone eyed one another as Hide put his arms behind his head.

"Sounds fine to me, trade for trade and all," he stated.

"Fine, I accept your conditions…" Guren nodded.

"Alright, there are seven of you present who are already Cursers, and seven of you that are going in to be tested to become wielders of Cursed Gear. This is how we are breaking it up: one person will enter the room with you, they will be your guard as the test is taking place, and in addition, you will not all be trying out for the Black Demon Series Cursed Gear, and one of you will be volunteering as a guniepig for a new Cursed Gear we've developed," he explained.

"A new Cursed Gear?" Shinya smiled, nodding a bit.

"Yes, at current, there's only one in existence, and we want one of the people from Anteiku to test it out for us, and see how it handles in combat," he stated.

All fourteen of the group looked to one another, trying to pinpoint who would be willing to even attempt testing out a Cursed Gear that only had one in existence, and let alone test it out on the field when there was no telling how horrific the Demon within it was. The group thought of the stories of the White Demon Series Cursed Gear, the history of the Forbidden Gears that had been developed, and the Gears that were more common. A heavy sigh left one Kaneki Ken as he looked to the others and stepped forward.

"I'll test it out," he stated.

"Are you kidding me?! No!" hazel eyes looked to amethyst.

"We need to do this in order to help them. We're part of the Army and the Moon Demon Company now Touka, we have to help out when we can," Kaneki reasoned as she glanced down before looking to Guren.

"If he dies, your dinner, am I clear?" the man shrugged.

"I don't think we have to worry about the notorious Eye-Patch Ghoul being taken down by what's inside that Cursed Gear. We designed it so a Ghoul could potentially wield it, and with minimal difficulty. So, I'll be your guard while you speak with the creature within it, so if something goes astray, we'll be able to knock some sense into you," Guren said.

"Fine by me, but what about the others?" Shinya looked to the group.

"Each one of these doors has a Cursed Gear type behind it, the one nearest the entrance to this hall is the Wisdom Kings Series, followed by the Midnight Series, Dakini, Demise Kings, and of course, the Black Demon Series that possesses Demon Kings. Now, we've chosen a series that we believe will be the best for you to deal with seeing as we can't afford to lose any of you, we've also chosen selective Cursers to enter with you should something go amiss," he informed them.

"Let's get on with it then…" Guren nodded.

"Kaneki, you're with me at the far end of the hall, that's where the newest of our Cursed Gear awaits you. Akane, you have Ayato who will be going in for a Dakini Series, Shinoa, you have Kimi who will be trying for the Demise Kings, Yuu, you'll be watching over Nagachika, he'll be trying for a Black Demon Series, Mika, you've got Nishiki, he'll be aiming for a Midnight Series, Yoichi, you and Hinami are with Akane and Ayato for a Dakini, Mitsuba, you and Touka are with Yuuichiro for a Black Demon Series. Kimizuki, I need you and the others on standby in case we need back up in one of the rooms, okay?" he stated as they all nodded, breaking off into pairs as Kimizuki came to stand across the hall with Mito, Shigure, Sayuri, and Goshi while Guren and Shinya went with Kaneki.

"We're doing this all at once?" Guren nodded.

"Yep, we don't have all day, so go in and make sure that when you go to a weapon, you pick the one you feel best suits you, once you pull it from the sand and break the strings holding the weapon, the trial will begin," he stated as he ushered Kaneki away who nodded to the others.

"Well, you heard the man, in we go!"

{Midnight Series Chamber: 7:45am}

Nishiki eyed the room he was in, it was large, and only one level with a towering ceiling of deep midnight tones of glass at the ceiling, in the area around him on the ground stood a series of black and blue shrines with weapons rested inside white sand with red strings tied to it. He eyed the weapons while Mikaela stood behind him, arms crossed and his Cursed Gear at his side while he watched him closely. Without question, it was unnerving having the blonde watch him like he was; however, he did understand the caution. They had trusted one another on the battlefield, and had started to become friends, but the reality of it was, that they were in a room full of Demon possessed weapons and there was no telling what could take place once his trial started.

"Be honest with me here: how bad is this going to be?" Nishiki asked the blonde.

"It's different for each person, but the demon will do all it can to break your spirit and take your body from you. I suggest you keep in mind that this is an illusion and the Demon really doesn't have any power over you." The pale brunette nodded slowly as he eyed the weapons.

"And I just choose whichever one I want?" he inquired.

"Yep, that's the easy part, deciding which weapon you feel the most comfortable wielding on the battlefield. I also recommend looking at your own fighting style… would it benefit from a sword? Or a bow? How about a poll-arms weapon? That is something you want to consider." Mika leaned up against the wall, waiting for Nishiki to make his choice.

"I'm thinking… this one would do best," he stated as he went to stand in front of a black spear-headed poll-arms weapon that stood a bit taller than himself. He looked it over, and reached forward, grabbing the weapon only to feel a faint tug in the back of his mind as the red strings snapped and he felt his body fall backwards as he lost consciousness and Mika took in a deep breath.

"And so, it begins…"

{Dakini Series Chamber: 7:56am}

"This place is huge!" said Hinami as she looked around the deep purple chamber's ceiling, seeing it cast the same tone upon the ground at the vast array of weapons that sat around them in small shrines.

"So, this is where Melusine came from?" Akane nodded.

"Yes, Mitsuba's is also a Dakini, but I think Yoichi was brought in here just because he and Hinami get along so well," she explained.

"And what about us?" Akane blushed a bit at Ayato's question.

"W-What about us?" she asked.

"Do we get along well?" the girl brushed a strand of her hair behind her ear.

"I-I think we do… but um… if you want to begin, just choose a weapon you feel will fit you best," she told him as Yoichi came to stand beside her and Ayato nodded, looking around the vast array of weapons.

"What about you Hina? See something you like?" the girl nodded.

"I think because of my Kagune, a defense-offense weapon would be best," she answered.

"Like what?" she walked forward, eyeing a black and green-trimmed Nordic-style shield.

"This shield would be good," she stated.

"Then go with that one, what about you Ayato?" purple eyes met chocolate brown and he looked at the weapons around him.

As an Ukaku Ghoul, he needed a weapon that was light-weight, but had a good strike and allowed him to still use his Kagune so that he wouldn't by some misfortune end up hurting himself or someone else. Violet eyes looked around the room once more, looking at the options available to him. swords were decent, but he wasn't sure if it would work best for him, at least not a katana.

Sighing, he eyed the room once more, thinking about the Kunai sitting in the side of the room, held up by a strand of red strings; however, he already had that ability with his Kagune. Therefore, he glanced around once more and spotted a shorter, sturdier looking sword that had a golden cap-styled pommel, a black and green guard, a straight gold-toned guard, and a black and green blade, the center of the blade being black while the edges were sharp green. It was a Roman styled sword, and just small enough to not impede his movements too much.

Hinami stepped up to the shield, finding the intricate tree-styled designs upon it interesting as she reached for it just as Ayato grabbed the grip of the sword and they glanced to Akane and Yoichi, both of whom nodded, encouraging them silently as Hinami lifted the shield up, breaking the strings and sending her into an unconscious state as the magical circle around her lit up just as she hit the ground and Ayato soon followed her. Akane took in a deep breath, going down upon her knees at that moment as she clasped her hands together, closing her eyes as Yoichi watched the girl begin to pray it seemed just before she opened her mouth a fraction, and a soft lullaby escaped her, her sonnet Gift easing the tension in the room as Yoichi settled next to her, preparing to use his shield ability should something go astray.

{Demise Kings Chamber: 8:00am}

Kimi looked around the red-toned room in faint anxiety while Shinoa stood near the door. The others, she was certain had already begun her trial, but she was still incredibly unsure as to what she should do about choosing her weapon. Shinoa had explained the basics, that selecting her weapon was the easiest part, and that the trial that followed would test her; however, she only hesitated because even though she looked at multiple weapons, the strangest of them all kept calling to her. it was a pair of objects that she couldn't fathom as to how they were weapons, but considered what the symbolism of them meant. Her reddish-brown eyes looked at the objects once more and she stepped forward, looking at the long, beautiful plumes that stood before her.

"Peacock feathers… how are these weapons?" she asked.

"Most likely, they're designed to turn into something else after being contracted; however, I couldn't be to certain. They've been sitting here for a long time from what I understand though." Kimi eyed the tall, elegant feathers and nodded.

"Alright, let's give it a shot…"

The red-haired girl reached forward, grabbing the two feathers in a delicate hold as the frail and old strings broke and Shinoa watched as the girl clutched the feathers to her chest, held within her hands as she hit the ground, the circle lighting up bright red as she sat down and wondered how the other's trials were going while Shikama-Doji began to strike up a conversation with her about how the feathers had been there for a very long time, and had been mostly forgotten in exchange for stronger-looking weapons.

"Good luck Kimi, seems that Demon is a hard one to deal with," she said.

{Black Demon Series Chamber: 8:10am}

Hide whistled as he looked at the large, darkly lit chamber with the giant statues of Japanese Oni present, hovering above the tiny shrines that the weapons resided in while Yuuichiro and Mitsuba stood just behind him and Touka. The two Cursers seemed slightly on edge, but Hide could tell it was almost entirely Mitsuba who seemed uncomfortable in the ominous air of the room while Yuuichiro was relaxed as always, not having even had his weapon at the ready, unlike Mitsuba who kept fidgeting with her bracelet. The two of them eyed the weapons around them, seeing what they could find that best suited their own styles of fighting.

Touka had instantly been drawn to a short sword that was only big enough to come to her knee of standing on its own, and as he looked, he saw a cross-bow of black with a green trimming on it in different areas as lines and details for the bolts that held it together alongside the string that would pull it back. A smirk came to his face as he stepped forward, liking what he saw when he inspected it closer as the two others eyed their choices.

"This is the weapon you'll be fighting with for the rest of your lives, so, you better be sure you like it," Mitsuba stated.

"I need a small weapon that I can handle with my Kagune…" Touka grasped the grip of the sword.

"What about you Hide?" the blonde smirked at Yuu's question.

"I always wanted to try one of these things out, besides, I think it'll be a good fit," he told him as he pulled the weapon from the sand, the strings breaking at almost the same time as Touka's as he found his mind going blank, his consciousness fading out as he hit the ground and Yuuichiro sighed as he eyed the two unconscious figures while Mitsuba sat down on the steps near the door.

"Do you think the others are okay?" she asked.

"Most likely, the one good thing about Guren doing this so quickly, is that we're not going to have to worry too much about other members of the Moon Demon Company getting to suspicious about his intentions..." the black-haired boy crossed his arms, leaning against a pillar as he did so.

"Speaking of which, do you think that Guren is trying to form a specialized team like what he talked with us about before Osaka?" Mitsuba questioned.

"I've been thinking that's his intentions, and now that the Ghouls are here, it would be a way to keep them from getting attacked by others who might not like the idea of them being here. Right now, just about everyone knows who they are, and aren't saying anything because they helped us in Tokyo, Guren's painted them as heroes… but that will wear off eventually and once it does… well, I'm pretty sure you can guess what'll happen." The blonde-haired girl nodded.

"They'll start to distrust them… find things to question the reason that they're here if they aren't contributing… they'll try to weaponize them against the Vampires if they find out that the Ghouls are the natural predators of the Vampires. That could spell disaster for them and the rest of us who helped," she stated.

"Yea, so I get why he's doing this so quickly… but it does make me a little nervous." Mitsuba nodded.

"I guess we'll just have to wait and see, right Yuu?" she inquired as he shrugged.

"Either way it turns out, we've got some amazing allies, and we'll just have to trust Guren's choices on this one." She looked to them.

"Let's just hope they can do this…"

{Unknown Chamber: 8:20am}

Shinya closed the door as Kaneki stepped towards the chamber's center where a singular weapon was settled into blood-toned sand, white strings connecting it like sinew to an organ as it stood there, a lone light shining down upon the weapon. It was entirely black save for the grip which was woven with blood-toned reds, the sheath had what seemed to be splashes of blood upon it, a deep red line going down the center of it that glowed while the metal pieces were chrome-colored. Kaneki eyed it oddly as he saw the chrome chain that fell from the bottom of the grip and ended in a deep red crystal that had a teardrop shape to it.

"What is that?" he asked.

"The newest addition to the Cursed Gears: The Blood Series. It's made differently than the other Cursed Gears we possess, and is fairly powerful. We wanted one of the Ghouls to test it out if they would because we feel it would work best with them." Kaneki swallowed thickly as he stepped forward and looked at the blade.

"It's a katana, right?" Shinya nodded.

"We went with a smaller version of the katana, so it's not as long as Yuuichiro's Asuramaru, but it still has good reach on it," the blonde explained.

"Alright, so I just grab it and break the strings, and then the trial begins, right?" Guren nodded.

"Right, now… go and take it," Guren told him as Kaneki nodded, wrapping his hand around the grip of the sword as he felt the chill of the braided material there before he pulled it out, the sand flying from the shrine as the white strings broke and the circle he'd stepped into activated, causing his vision to blank as he felt vertigo settle in as his mind became absorbed into the world in which this creature lived in. his body hit the floor and Guren smirked while Shinya eyed the scene in questioning.

"Are we certain he won't be angry when he learns who and what is in that Cursed Gear?" he questioned.

"If he is, then we'll take it in stride… right now, we just better hope that all of them pull out of it, otherwise… the events that will happen in the spring will end us all."

{…}

Turn away from all that I know…

{….}

Author's Note: Guren is the reason why things are going so fast, I blame him and his schemes. Well, as you can see, a new Cursed Gear has been created, and Kaneki is going to be the first wielder of it. Interesting huh? Well, in the next chapter we get the group's encounters, and this is where the chapters start to slow down because we're going through that lovely training period. And yes, the Spring is drawing closer, things are getting more and more serious, and the Anteiku Unit is going to be formed! Yay! Well, tell me what you think, and I will await your reviews.

Sincerely,

ShadowDragon94.

Chapter 16: The Right to a Future