Aloysia stayed on the rooftop for another month and a few weeks, absentmindedly watching Anteiku's front doors open and close repeatedly as customers bustled in and out. She never thought of doing anything else. Her mood was too down to do so. A few ghoul investigators caught her eye but nothing very significant. However, recently, a gang of ghouls had entered the shop when it was closing. She didn't know what happened inside but she saw Touka in the shop the following day so nothing serious must have happened.
'Please! Please! Stay away!'
A wail rang in her mind and the image of a distressed man screaming for mercy formed. Letting a groan of frustration, Aloysia began to rap her head in an attempt to stop the imagery. The cries of people continued, making her shut her eyes and covering her ears as she kneelt on the concrete. The voices carried on, as if tormenting her was a form of revenge. She had to occupy herself with something else. Aloysia sprang up and ran blindly down the flight of stairs, out onto the streets. She sustained her pace, darting about to avoid the crowd as she sprinted. The voices grew softer but the hollowness within her chest remained. Each pant seemed to echo in her ears as she ran. She felt relieved. Running helped. If only she could run all her life away.
However, she still felt lonely. There was a deep pit in her stomach that she could not explain in words. Exhausted, she began to slow to a halt beside a small bar. Someone inside caught her eye. A women in shoulder length brown hair in a small ponytail and pretty blue eyes. She didn't seem very young, perhaps in her forties. Her style of preppy, a crisp white blouse under a purple V-neck sweater and a pair of dark blue jeans.
Aloysia stayed for a little longer, trying to remember where she had seen her. The lady turned to face Aloysia, smiling brightly. Aloysia's breath hitched in her throat. She remembered. She was her mother.
"Oh! Do you want to come in?" she opened the door to Aloysia. Ah, she could not recognise her. Aloysia let out a weak smile and complied, awkwardly standing beside her. Aloysia's gaze travelled to her mother's hands. A scene struck her. Her mother carrying a long whip. Aloysia froze. This was the woman that tortured her.
"Sorry, I have to go," Aloysia murmured and brushed past her, out of the bar.
"Wait!" the lady called, following her out. Aloysia refused to stop, hurrying briskly down the pavement. "You seem very familiar! Who are you again?" she shouted after Aloysia. Aloysia shook her head and broke into a run. She did not know how to reply to her mother. If she told who she really was, her mother would definitely hiss and spit on her like how she was previously. Best for her not to recognise her own daughter.
Without much stamina left, Aloysia quickly tired out and darted into a nearby alley to rest. Her head began to throb painfully and the world started to spin. She leaned against the wall, panting heavily. She had been an idiot. Staying on the rooftop would have been a much better option. Just then, careful footsteps from beside her could been heard. She slowly turned to meet the person, glaring him in the eye. He was about a centimetre shorter than her with unruly white hair. Aloysia's glare began to waver when he stared back at her with a dumbfounded look on his face. His sole eye flickered from her face to her hands as though expecting an attack from her. His other eye was covered with an eyepatch with skulls on it. Was that in fashion?
Aloysia, upon sensing that he was no threat, stepped away to let him pass. However, he didn't. He continued to stare that her as though she was an exhibit. At that moment, he opened his mouth.
"Are you 'Scorpion'?" he asked straightforwardly.
Aloysia immediately stared him straight in the eye and replied whilst acting shocked, "No. Is 'Scorpion' still out on the streets? I thought you guys caught her!"
"We're not part of the CCG," he answered quickly.
"We?" Aloysia muttered, straightening up. Indeed, she realised upon sensing a slightly darker aura. He was a ghoul. Two others came up from behind her, blocking the way out from the alley. Feeling threatened, she pulled out her mask. It was a thing of hers. Wear the mask before releasing her kagume. Using her kagume, she leapt above the white haired youth. His eye narrowed.
"We're not here to cause any harm. From the looks of it, we startled you a little," he spoke, walking towards her. His gaze began to harden when his words only made Aloysia even more suspicious.
"Then answer me truthfully," Aloysia got up from her attack stance. "What are your names?" she learnt never to ask 'who are you' ever again. It was too vague. They could answer anything under the sun.
The young man smirked but relaxed. "If I tell you, would you tell me yours?"
"Naturally."
"Okay," he lifted his head to meet her gaze. "My name's Ken Kaneki."