A/N: Tatara-san, the ghoul with the unflappable composure. Enough said. XD
Disclaimer: Don't own Tokyo Ghoul and its affiliates
2. Lukewarm (Kaneki/Tatara)
He was the King's right-hand man, his direct subordinate, and a ghoul shrouded in mystery. Amongst the executives of Aogiri, Tatara stood out simply because he did nothing but stand in the shadows and observe battles far below. Kaneki did not know what to make of him.
The stoic white-haired man was passive and seemingly unintimidating. Obviously, he was not. Tatara's prowess was undefined, but as a commander of Aogiri's massive forces, he should possess considerable strength. While Ayato resorted to violence with ease and Noro retained his eccentricity, Tatara appeared to be an aloof, calculating predator, full of pride on his own abilities.
With that kind of personality, Kaneki decided that he would maintain a certain distance from Tatara, lest he become a pawn in his masterplans. He would like his life to be less complicated, he reasoned. However, Kaneki simply forgot that Tatara had plans for him. Since the moment he ordered Yamori, Nico and Ayato to drag him to Aogiri, the silent ghoul had seen a certain value in the one-eyed. Nevermind his eye was "bad", Aogiri Tree needed members that could spread its roots far and wide. Kaneki was one of his investments.
It took said investment, however, a long time before he realised his mistake.
Despite his strength, Kaneki was never exactly formally inducted as an executive. Or rather, it was that there was no need for an induction. Most of Aogiri members had seen a black-haired, trembling Kaneki pierced through the abdomen, declared "bad" and ushered into Yamori's playroom. Hair as white as sclera and completely transformed, Kaneki Version 2.0 was barely recognisable, yet about everyone sensed that his power had increased by at least tenfold.
Still, for him to be instantly granted a high-ranking position was a burn to some of Aogiri's oldest members. Many wondered the same thing. Why was this strange ghoul, once an enemy to their organisation, welcomed in with no hesitation? Envy stirred unrest amongst members, and they sought to seek revenge but never did.
Kaneki was never bothered by them. After they had announced their dislike for him, said members mysteriously disappeared without a trace, erased by an unknown force of sorts.
It was much later when Kaneki realised one thing. Someone was shielding him, quietly stomping on those weeds. He was curious (and grateful). He never voiced that out, but kept a lookout for said beneficiary.
It was much, much later, when he glimpsed upon Tatara quietly mocking one member for not recognising true strength, that Kaneki finally understood what was happening all along.
Kaneki stood at the doorway of the executive's meeting room, and tried his best to squash down a rising tide of anxiety.
It was normal for Tatara to summon him and Ayato to this room to discuss their latest missions. More often than not, Tatara proved to be a highly-skilled tactician, ensuring that there were no flaws in their plans and keeping backup ideas up and running. However, Tatara never invited Kaneki, alone, to meet him privately.
He was unnerved, though Kaneki hid his feelings well.
"Come in."
Kaneki straightened his back and pushed the door open carefully. Reclining on a faded leather chair, the crimson iron-cast mask covered Tatara's expression well. A table was placed between him and another seat, presumedly for him. Swallowing, he nodded in greeting. Tatara assessed him coolly, before gesturing at a seat, and Kaneki followed suit.
They settled down quickly. Rolling his shoulders, Kaneki slowly eased the tension off his frame. Tatara had turned around to reach into a drawer, and without the weight of Tatara's glare on him, he could breathe easier. In the seat, he fidgeted and wondered why Tatara had called him.
"Are you adapting well?"
Tatara's voice made him sit a little straight. Kaneki did not know what response was expected of him.
"Yes..."
Tatara took a rectangle package out of the drawer, closed it and turned back to face Kaneki in one swift movement. "You don't seem that certain."
Kaneki blinked at Tatara's perceptiveness. In light of so many tremendous changes, Kaneki's values and views had been shaken to the core. He was physically stronger, yes, but some days he had lingering doubts about his choices, and on darker ones he border-lined insanity. But how could he tell Tatara, a ghoul he knew not very well, his deepest, darkest secrets?
He kept quiet.
The older ghoul leaned back, observing him for a while longer. Kaneki's fingers twitched under this scrutiny, and he had this tiny desire to squirm.
"Are you afraid of me?" Tatara said. Kaneki immediately shook his head, an action which sent Tatara sighing. An awkward silence hung in the air for a moment or two, before Tatara finally spoke as though reluctant.
"I have heard some rumors that you have been feeling restless recently, and I cannot have one of our most valuable assets distracted during missions."
Kaneki looked up. Tatara placed said package (He realised that it was a stack of books through the thin wrapping paper.) on the table and slide it towards him. The author, "Sen Takatsuki", could been discerned on the top books. He stared at Tatara's unchanging face, before he pulled the package towards him.
"Eto prepared some...books for you. She believes that you will enjoy them." Tatara supplied. A befuddled Kaneki shifted the package to the side, running his fingers along the spine of individual books. The selection of these titles, surprisingly, was to his tastes. Puzzled over Eto's knowledge of his favourite genres of book (Or is pure guesswork? He could not tell), Kaneki moved his left hand to his chin. It was unexpected for Tatara to express concern over his subordinate, even if it was in the form of delivering a gift from Eto. So-
"There's a meeting at 4pm in the afternoon. Do not be late." The voice whispered at the doorway. Kaneki whipped his head around. Tatara had already left the room, leaving him with his pile of books and a word on his tongue.
It was left unsaid.
"Eh...Eto-san?" Kaneki called, glancing at a rusted grandfather clock in one of the stores. It was functioning, its hands clicking in clockwork precision. It was almost time.
"Ah…" Concealed behind bandages, her face revealed no emotion. The cloaked ghoul leapt down and landed nimbly next to him. Manically she giggled, twirling around in a move akin to ballet.
"Yes?" The warbled voice had a queer inflection to it, as if she was between the edge of a breakdown and a fit of elation.
"Did you ask Tatara-san to deliver a package of books?" Kaneki queried. Eto gave a short bark of laughter.
"Yep! But that's your main question, isn't it..?"
Kaneki froze.
"Now, now, Kaneki-kun. Tatara-san was the one who suggested this move. Surely you know what that means, right?" Her lips curling upwards, Eto paused in her spinning, before shaking her head. "Why! You are denser than I thought! Don't disappoint Tatara-san, okay?"
Throwing that sentence to him, Eto skipped off, tittering in that odd manner of hers as she went on her way.
It was finally over, this mission of theirs. Kaneki had followed Tatara and Noro in their raid of a dove hotspot in the 21st ward. They were met with considerable resistance: Six investigators ranging from Rank 2 to First Class. The trio were engaged in a long, drawn-out battle, but it was clear that the combined strength of Aogiri's elite members was too overwhelming.
Now, Kaneki stood in the aftermath of battle, chest heaving. His wounds was closing, slowly but surely. He glanced around. Noro appeared unhurt as always, and Tatara…Bloodied, he took the most battering of them three, yet he still calmly pressed on.
"Let's go." Shaking himself out of his reverie, Kaneki trudged behind Tatara. Noro quickly caught up and took the lead, bounding towards the distance. It was a short walk to their headquarters. There was no need to rush. Noro was a ghoul of bizarre mannerisms and attitude, however, and Kaneki did not question his eagerness to return to base.
Kaneki, on the other hand, had one last thing to do before he retired tonight.
"...Tatara-san?"
"Ah?" His voice muffled, Tatara continued to walk on. Kaneki inhaled involunatrily.
"Thanks for the books, I...appreciated them."
The tall man in front stopped, face half-turned towards him. Kaneki's footsteps too slowed to a halt. Had he said anything wrong? They remained in that position for a while, with Tatara resuming his scrutiny.
"...Your eye isn't half bad." Tatara spoke, dark eyes narrowing, "It has...potential."
With that, the supposedly aloof, heartless Tatara picked up the pace towards their destination. Kaneki let himself digest the half-compliment, feeling his lips pulling themselves in a slight smile. He had been acknowledged.
"I won't disappoint. " Kaneki simply said.
Tatara did not respond, but that told Kaneki enough.
*Note: To be really honest, I have no idea how Eto addresses Kaneki and Tatara in Root A. She just keeps going "Kaneki Ken, huh?". If the latest episode discredits my current usage of honorifics, I will edit the chapter to ensure validity.
A shoutout to Monstrel45 and barmoglot13 for follows, and Leelhiette, Monstrel45, barmoglot13 and naruto qweqe for faves. Thanks for your support! :)
barmoglit13: The update period might be a bit irregular, but I will try my best to keep it up. Thanks for the review. :D