"First-Class Investigator Kotarou Amon, I, Yoshitoki Washuu, director of the main office, hereby appoint you 'Top-Class Investigator."
Aogiri Tree... The ghoul organization that had their stronghold in the 11th ward... It's been more than a few months since that battle. The CCG's special counter division successfully eliminated the 204 ghouls inside the 11th districts hide out. Everyone assumed the battle ended with our victory. But the true aim of Aogiri was Cochlea, the ghoul prison camp in the 23rd ward. The raid was carried out by, what we believe to be, one of the higher-ups in Aogiri's chain of command, not the one eye'd owl, but someone who proves to be troublesome... What's worse... They even managed to make it to the cells in the 3rd basement, where the SS- rated ghouls were kept. As a result of that, many SS-rated ghouls are roaming the streets of Tokyo, preying upon the unsuspecting humans of the city. Recently, however, Aogiri has been quiet, keeping their movements to a minimum. But, there's no doubt that their building up their war potential, right?
Maybe that's why I feel so angry sitting here at this after party than helping find them...
"You find something about the binge eater?" The light, almost feminine voice lifted Amon from his mental recap of today's event's, finding himseld poking at his meal meal softly with his chop sticks. The newly appointed First-Class Investigator looked up, fixing his eye's on the light blonde, almost white haired, boy who was stuffing his face. The boy's name was Juuzou Suzuya, a rather young Investigator. He didn't need to go through the schooling system of the CCG nor did he really need any training. He was under Investigator Shinohara's command. He'd heard many rumors about the boy, that he was raised by a ghoul, that he didn't feel pain, nothing really actually, he doesn't have any emotional attachment.
For Kotarou, watching the boy get promoted to 2nd class investigator, he had to wonder if that's how was for his own mentor, Kureo Mado, and Investigator Shinohara watching Arima get promoted so young. He wondered if they got that feeling of... anxiety... that he got.
"Oh, no, nothing , not yet. The binge eaters been rather quiet lately." Amon, replied, being careful not to take to long to answer. "I wonder if they've moved on..."
"Mmmm..." Suzuya acknowledged, swallowing his ramen, "Hey, you know, lately there have been a lot of people visiting the library recently..."
Amon furrowed his brow at that, "The library..?" By the 'Library' Suzuya meant the archives, it was just more commonly known as a Library. In the archives there were old newspaper clippings, most of which were pretaining to old cases, which were already solved, or dropped... it wasn't to rare of an occasion that ghouls got rid of one another, ending many investigations... Amon knew why they were going there, though... The reemergence of the One Eye'd Owl was prompting many younger, and some older, investigators to study up on the legendary ghoul... Amon should probably be doing that himself...
"Yeah..." Suzuya shruggged, "I went there and was told to 'please be quiet', I think Shinohara warned them about me... he tells me that alot..."
"Koutarou. Juuzou." A deep, gruff voice called from behind them prompting the two recently promoted Investigators to turn their attention over to it.
"Speak of the devil..." Juuzou commented slurping the last of his food up. Before them was Shinohara, who, considering the last time he saw the man, looked fairly well. When the One-Eye'd Owl had appeared, the forces of the CCG were told to fall back, well, anyone who wasn't rated high enough to contend with the Owl... because in the end they would only get in the way and lead to more casualties than necessary. Shinohara had ended up being forced to use a prototype quinque, along with another superior, Iwata, in order to fend off the Owl... But end the end, because the prototype was made from a ghoul and it required to feed from it's wearer to last, Shinohara sustained heavy injury... Whats more... The Owl seemed to have simply gotten bored and left.
"You seem to be out of that plaster." Kotarou commented, happily.
Shinohara chuckled, "Yeah, I managed to make it out. The first month I had to have someone help me piss, preferably one of the pretty nurses, but I wasn't always so lucky..." He paused and looked around, "I heard Iwacho got out after only two weeks... But I guess it makes sense he's not at the dinner, he really only shows up as long as necessary, in fact he decided that he didn't want to walk the stage for promotion when he was younger..."
"Anyways though, You've finally become a top-class investigator, haven't you? I'm sure Mado would be proud."
Koutarou smiled at that, Kureo Mado, his superior, had, over-time, become something of a father figure to the newly appointed FIrst-Class Investigator... So any praise was always met warmly.
"Thank you... I think I'll pay him a visit on the way home."
"Yes, that would be appropriate." Shinohara paused"Ah yes! Taht's right! You've been alone this whole time, right? Without a partner? Well we found you one for the time being... starting next week..."
Amon couldn't help but notice though, that Shinohara seemed to become increasingly annoyed as he spoke, like something was coming to light for him. "Uhhh Is something wrong sir?"
"No... No... I just feel it fits nicely with your promotion, that's all... I'll introduce you two next time."
Shinohara then looked over to Juuzou and began to speak. "Ahh, Juuzou, I'm sorry about the fact that you still don't have a quinque... We'll get you something eventually..."
Juuzou slumped over at that... "I would have had one if that guy in the white cloak didn't carry the big gut off so fast..."
"Progress Report! Binge eater went missing and the gourmet is probably still alive. Rabbit seems to yield some sort of connection with the Eyepatch ghoul... The investigation is still on going..." Amon then paused, standing at Kureo's grave, feeling something caught in his throat... Kind of like he didn't have the courage to tell him what he was going to tell him... "And..." a deep breath, "As of today I am a First-class investigator..." Then there was silence, like he was waiting for Kureo to appear and congratulate him.
"Do you have business with my father? Koutarou Amon?"
Koutarou turned, slightly shaken at the sudden question, but more importantly a single word. "Father?" He repeated.
"Nice to meet you, First-class Amon, My name Is Akira Mado... I'll be your new partner."
Touka had been feeling light headed all day, in fact she had considered not even bothering to get out of bed in the morning, but never the less she did, and now she had found herself in the shower, hoping to rinse that thick, translucent layer of exhaustion that rested on her body. However, it wasn't like the cause of her sudden lightheaded feeling was elusive to her, she knew exactly why.
Last night, she didn't know why she had tried to lock lips with Kaneki, in fact she was hoping that the warm caressing water would help her figure that out. Maybe it was because he had reassured her about Eto's stance in all this buisiness, maybe it was because she felt bad for him... Maybe she was trying to itch that feeling she had when she saw him and Eto together... But that thought chilled her body almost to the bone. Good God, how much she hated the idea that she would try to get close to Kaneki, in anyway but friendly, while she was gone... It made her want to throw up.
She also hoped that Kaneki wasn't going to start acting differently around her, there is nothing that would make her feel worse than she did now if he shifted his personality because of the awkwardness that resided between them now... Worse than that, what if he just started to ignore her..? She didn't know why, but that made her want to fall on her ass. But, it wouldn't have been the first time someone she cared about left her, was it?
Suddenly there was a knock at the door, making Touka throw her head up quickly. "Big sister, are you okay in there?" A small, slightly muffled, voice called for her through the door.
"I'm fine." Touka reassured, "Why?"
"I'm just making sure... You've been in there for almost two hours..."
Like Kaneki had told Touka, they had come back to Anteiku today. Like she said, she was worried about his personality towards her, what it would be. That's why she had gone to bed early than normal last night, to avoid any awkward conversation with Kaneki. However, to her surprise, he acted as if... as if last night hadn't happened, like he didn't remember it... Now he wasn't especially chatty, but then he never was, and he didn't flinch when she spoke to him. But, maybe that worried her more...
However, that said, maybe that was the least of his worries at the moment, after all that wasn't the reason why they were here. The little shop had waited until everyone had arrived, Itori, Uta, Yomo, anyone who wasn't in yet before Kaneki told the shop what he believed to be Eto's current situation, gathered by verbal clues(which weren't really clues so much as a little quirk, Touka supposed).
The waitress had kept her eye on Yoshimura the whole time... well... his hands... The old man had a quirk of his own that she had noticed over the years. When given information of a certain kind, his hands would twitch, ever so slightly, but they would twitch... and twitch they did. Touka felt sorry for the old man... he must've been feeling what she had felt when she heard of what Ayato was doing in the 24th ward... and when she found out that he was in Aogiri.
In fact, ever since last night, she had this hope... hope or delusion... that maybe, just maybe Ayato was in Aogiri for a similar reason that they thought Eto to be, was it to protect her? But then... it was probably just a delusion...
"I see..." Spoke the manager, standing up. "I can only hope your deduction of the situation is true... But even if it is, Ken, how would you get her back... And, whatever she's protecting us from, are you sure that it's best you prevent her from doing so?"
Kaneki kept his eye's on him, he could tell how hard it was for the man, to give the option of separating himself from his daughter, but he was just thinking of everyone elses sake.
"Yeah, I've thought of that as well... But, the underground tunnel system, if whatever she is trying to protect us from is really that dangerous, we could use that to get away right?" Kaneki offered, almost hopefully to the man.
"mmm..." He replied nodding.
"And... as for how I can get her back..." He then looked over to Yamori, who was looking on rather boredly at the conversation, "Back when you had me chained up in the 11th ward... You mentioned to me that Kaneki was still conducting his experiments... Also that Aogiri was still looking for him..."
Yakumo nodded. "I see... You think finding Kano would help in finding Eto... It could work, after all, They hadn't found him when I decided to leave, but how would you do that?" He asked, folding his arms over his chest.
"There was a nurse at Kanou general hospital that assisted him in the procedure of turning me into a half ghoul, she has to be in on it... But if she is, how could I find a way to get her to tell me?" Kaneki explained, all the while creating a new problem.
"I could help with that..." Yamori spoke up, referencing what Kaneki had experienced first hand.
"No." Kaneki replied, sternly.
"Then perhaps I can." Said a rather flamboyant voice as the break room door opened. The owner of said voice was hardly a mystery, Shuu Tsukiyama was said owner. The real stranger, however, was the small girl next to him, who's head reached just above his waist, with a big, black camera hanging from her neck which swung slightly as she walked in, a surprisingly happy expression on her face, which was framed by light brown hair that matched her eye's. Strange... considering the fact that she was a human in a room of ghouls.
Touka frowned at the sudden intrusion, mostly at the fact that he had seemed to be waiting there and hoping for the right line of dialogue to make his presence known. "What do you want, Shittyama? Better yet how did you get in here even?"
The colorful man simply chuckled at that, wiping a stray strand of purple hair from his face, "You people sure seem to have trouble locking the door."
"Whatever..." Touka replied, red in anger and embarrassment, mostly because it had been her job to close the door.
"Anyways, I may know someone who has ties to this 'Kanou' doctor." The gourmet began speaking as he closed his eye's and placed a finger to his nose."There's a rumor that she has had her 'scrapers' augmented to, while not be ghouls, be as strong, or stronger than ghouls... She also happens to be a member of a rather exclusive ghoul club... I can get you in there, Kaneki... but the members are veeeery cautious around new comers, after all there have been certain times in which the doves have bargained a ghoul his life in order to infiltrate certain clubs."
"What are you saying?" Touka asked, rather irritated at the man now, being so goddamn cryptic like some poet, screw him.
"What I'm saying is, dear Touka, that Kaneki will have to appear as a dish..."
"A dish!?" Nishiki replied back, well screamed rather, "How stupid do you think we are?! We all know, even me, that all you wanted to do is eat Eto and Kaneki!"
Tsukiyama began laughing hard at that, even going so far as to throw his head back. "True, True." he sighed, "I did, and I still do, but I wouldn't dare try it with all the... 'muscle' you currently have at your little coffee shop..." Explained the well-off ghoul his pupils jumping from Yakumo to Yomo. "Besides, I can finally get rid of some anoying members in all the commotion at the restaurant... if you agree to my plan."
"How did you know about Eto anyway, Shuu?" Touka asked now, "About any of this really?"
Shuu then pushed forward the young girl that was at his side forward, her still smiling, pulling up the camera. "She found out about it." He somewhat praised in his voice. "Her name is Chie Hori and despite her humanity she is quite the reliable informant. She has one of those crowd faces that you see all the time, you know, so people tend to ignore her. She saw what happened at the book sighing and followed you back to Anteiku where she recored what you were saying... how you didn't see her was beyond me..."
"Damn..." Touka muttered, looking away. "How can we trust her? She could report us to the CCG." Touka then spoke, giving another possibility.
"Oh, I don't care about whether ghouls live or die." she spoke rather happily, "Actually, let me rephrase that, I don't care about the hunting of ghouls, I just like to take pictures of them hunting their prey... I find them so fascinating when they do, especially the softer ones, how they cry as they do it... It really puts the term 'Human' in perspective for me."
"When would we do it then?" Kaneki asked now, staring at Tsukiyama.
"Why, whenever you please, Ken."
2 day's later, 20:30.
As the two walked the brick hallways of the ghoul restaurant, making muffled footsteps that bounced off the walls, alerting anyone who may be in there to their presence. Touka had been adamant about Kaneki not going along with Tsukiyama's plan reminding him that Tsukiyama had tried to eat Eto once before. Of course Kaneki hadn't necessarily been wronged by him... yet... but honestly, lately, he wasn't in the most trusting way.
"Now then, Ken." Tsukiyama spoke as the two walked, "Before we part ways why don't I give you a piece of advice, hmm?"
"Sure..." Kaneki replied, focusing on the impressive architecture of the building. It was very western in design, reminding him of the stereotypical representation of a mid-evil European castle despite it's rather modern outer shell. Lining the hallway's were clothed, wooden tables, baring candles and fruits(clearly meant for atmosphere only). The walls would, every few steps, bear a painting of what Kaneki guessed to be somewhat of ghoul royalty and it was evident that this club was not reserved for ghouls from Tokyo or even japan. There where many Caucasian pictures up there, Spanish, Arabic, etc. It was interesting, to Kaneki. It seemed that, even during conflicts between nations, that ghouls, in the end, always stuck together, one way or another, because clearly these were at different times in history, and alot of that history was filled with war.
"Don't drink the coffee..." Said the colorful ghoul, as the pair arrived at a brown, shiny, wooden door. "Pretty soon you'll be taken to the waiting room, in there you could meet some rather interesting individuals... or the scum of society, whatever may be in there... have fun... and remember the plan.
The plan. The plan was that, when the main event began, to not reveal his nature as a half-ghoul to anyone, he would wait until Tsukiyama had found this "Madam A" woman, to make sure she had come today and figure out where she was. and when found, the purple haired ghoul would signal him, and then Kaneki could hunt her down. On top of that, Yakumo and Banjou were waiting outside, in case the madam would flee, the two... well Yakumo... would capture her.
Releasing a breath, feeling Tsukiyama leave his side, Kaneki then knocked on the door and was greeted by a woman in a maids outfit, wearing an eerie stone like mask.
"Oh are you a guest?" She asked, apathetically, but somewhat curious, "I wasn't told we would have a third guest tonight... It must have been last minute... please come in."
Once Kaneki had been bathed, dried, and re-clothed, into a suit, he found himself sitting in a cylindrical room along with two others, a man and a woman... The woman being very high society, adorned in red with many rings on her bony, long nailed, fingers, her hair short and puffed up and a smug look that emphasized her feeling of superiority over everyone else. Next was a very large man, who seemed almost too big to move around, who was seemingly going to bust out of his own clothing.
The maid looking woman, who hadn't spoken to him since he had shown up at the door, had just left, pushing an empty trey. A tray that held three cups of coffee, the coffee that Shuu told Kaneki not to drink. As he looked into his reflection in the cup of coffee, watching the brown liquid, it being the only thing besides water that he could drink, twitch at the slightest vibration of his hand. Of course being a ghoul and seeing how rarely they actually get an opportunity like this, his body was begging him to gulp it down, but he knew better.
The two other, however, did not. The bigger man, rather quickly, was busy swallowing the thing in one gulp, letting it rush down his throat. Kaneki had figured it wasn't poison... why would a ghoul poison his own meal? Spealing of which, Kaneki didn't like it, but he would have to let whatever would happen to these two happen, lest he blow his cover as a half ghoul.
The woman, not bothering to look at either one of the two, simply sipped on it lightly, making herself look as elegant as possible. Kaneki almost chuckled at her, but he didn't want to be rude, especially not since she could quite possibly lose her life very soon. It was funny because, due to his interest in books and media that involve telling a story, he saw her as the stereotype of the older woman that would bring home a younger man, promising him money and what not, a cougar. The stereotype itself wasn't particularly supposed to be funny, but it always made him chuckle...
Suddenly the floor shifted, making the portly man jump a bit and the woman stumble somewhat, despite her being on a chair. Then, the floor began to rise and the ceiling began to part, leaving a blinding white hole in the ceiling. A hole that fir perfectly with the round floor.
As they rose into the light, Kaneki found himself squinting, struggling to see something. Tables, chefs, waiters, anything. At first it was all white, but gradually, as his vision returned, they nature of the new room came to light. At his feet was tiled floor, which stretched from wall to wall, both of which where balconies that seated high class looking members of society. Men and women dressed as royalty, all wearing masks. So there actually are ghouls...
Now the light over the circle faded and the room became almost dark once more... Then a second light, appearing over a second balcony followed by a familiar voice. "Good evening ladies and gentlemen!" the voice of Shuu tsukiyama sang out as the gourmet himself walked into the light, his purple hair sticking out like a soar thumb. "This is tonight's dish! A fine variation of body types! For those enjoy the bone; the prestigous looking woman, who, due to age, has lost the meat from her bones! And for those of you who like the meat; A quite big man, who seems ripe with the... healthiest... organs. And finally, for those of you who like the best of both worlds; A body type without to much fat, but just enough to have that succulent taste along with a satisfying crunch!"
Kaneki could hear the gourmet almost salvating as he spoke.
"And so generously donated by Madam A, her favorite scrapper, Taro!"
Now a loud clank was heard, like the sound of a lock coming undone and the three on the checkered floor turned, looking at the sound. It reminded Kaneki of pictures of the roman Colosseum, like a wooden gate they kept lions behind when they would kill the early Christians. And slowly, very slowly, the door opened, revealing a man... who couldn't really be a man.
Yakumo was big, that was undeniable, but this man, this red hooded, leather strapped man, who held a cleaver the size of Kaneki's body was beyond that.
When he began walking towards them, the ground shaking every time he stepped, Kaneki noticed how carelessly he drug the tool behind him. It wasn't a lack of strength that caused it but rather... a childish stupor, like a toddler dragging a toy. And then, when the giant was only a few feet away he spoke. "Nice chu meetch you..." In a slurred, innocent voice.
Geez, I'm so sorry this took so long to get out... But I've been busy with bloodborne recently and I just lost the time. Anyways there is my apology, thanks for all the support!