"The Special Task Forces marches upon Sanctuary! Who will meet them at the gates?"
Zero stood upon the great wall above the Gateway to Sanctuary. Carved out of the mountain, most explosives would never be capable of blasting through it. He paced behind Ayato as the Commander of the Sentinels gazes out into the distance, a worried frown on his face. Tashii also joined them and was preparing the Gates defences.
"Our far-reach flanking scouts have reported that the CCG was last seen amassing near the village of Khong Pult. Our Vanguard encountered an elite squad of investigators led by a young man possessing the Quinque Narukami. We need to deploy our inner forces soon. That will be the crucial time for me to strike".
Zero thought that when Ayato brought up the Quinque Narukami, his face tightened with emotion for an instant. The One Eye sighs inwardly. Ghouls lost their close ones all the time to investigators and often became Quinque. That was just the cruel reality of this world. He glances at Ayato. The Commander must have been at least 40, but being a ghoul with slow aging effects, Ayato looked closer to 30.
Lord Kirishima was a veteran fighter that had come across the small village that was the beginning of Sanctuary after fleeing Japan 25 years earlier. He was an SS rated ghoul, the only ghoul with that high a rating before Zero arrived. In the week that had passed since the Games, he had been training Zero in order to prepare him for the oncoming storm that was the CCG.
Zero had passed both the adept and master Sentinel combat courses in a day and had been placed in charge of the defence of the gate. He speaks now. "Lord Kirishima. What will I need to do if the CCG get to the gate?" Ayato lowers his hand and continues walking along the length of the wall. "If the Investigators manage to breach our outer defences, they should have been split up enough for only the most crucial squads to make it to the gate".
"Once that happens, I will engage them and hopefully neutralise them all. In that case, you won't even have to do anything. Your task comes into motion if I fail to stop their Elite from advancing. You will stand guard inside the gate's courtyard". He laughs ironically. "If those fuckers kill me, so be it but even if they do you'll be the last thing they ever see".
Zero's eyes widen a fraction. "That's a very last ditch plan you've devised here Commander. Have you really sunk so low into despair that you're not going to think about what comes next?" Lord Kirishima turns to him, a resolute look on his face. "You might know what I'm feeling of all people Zero… I've already lost everything. Sanctuary was a happy dream for me in my last days but now that it's all threatening to fall apart I'm not going to let it go without a fight do you understand me?"
"Sacrifice… Sometimes one must sacrifice an important piece in order for the pawns to complete their mission". He says nothing more, jerking his head up as he hears screams in the distance before a huge explosion goes off to the south. He smiles. "The outer forces have engaged the enemy staging point. They're scattered now…"
…
Everything happened so fast that Kuzo would only correctly piece together the events much later. One moment he was talking strategy with Special Class Noro. The ghoul strongholds scouts had engaged the Task Force with minor skirmishes. The next, a huge explosion rocked the area, forcing him to his knees. Ghouls jumped out of the evening gloom from the trees and tore into the force with ferocity.
Noro swore and rose to his feet. Multiple divisions and squads were already breaking for the trees in order to pursue retreating ghouls. Placing his hand on Centipede's hilt, he frowns, staring towards the north. "These ghouls had angled around to get us but I'm certain they all came from directly north of here". He turns to Kuzo as his own Elite Squad assembles around him.
"Rank One Alexander, I'm pressing ahead to try and stage a breach attack into the stronghold to the north of our current position. I need you to take some of the S3 Squad members and follow along behind me, cover our backs. Got it?" Kuzo nods tersely. "Yes Sir. I'll wait for a few minutes after you're gone so our range is large enough". Noro nods, a slight hint of pride in his eyes as he pats Kuzo on the shoulder before sprinting off, his Elite Squad following closely behind.
Smaller explosions continue to shake the campsite, and Kuzo takes a moment to trace their faint, smoky paths across the skyline. Mortars. They seemed to be originating from a point just east of the path Noro had taken. The Rank One smiles. They could wait just a few more minutes he was sure. Turning to a few of the S3 members nearby, he motions for them to follow him. Even though they were First Class and Rank Ones themselves, Kuzo spoke with the authority of Special Class Noro, so they obeyed. The Mortar firing ghouls were about to get one hell of a flashy welcoming…
…...
Noro curses as another ghoul leaps down at him from the treetops, slashing at him with Centipede. As the ghoul drops dead, Noro raises his hand to stop his squads advance. They had been climbing the steep dirt road for 20 minutes and now they had reached its end. Before them, wedged between two towering rock faces, stood a huge stone gateway carved with intricate designs.
A lone ghoul drops down from the top of the gate and lands silently on his feet. He wore no mask and his rich blue hair flared in the light caused by a sudden explosion in the general direction of the Mortar camp. Noro glares at him, making gestures with his right hand, his Squad taking position around him. "I know you… I've seen your face in the post 1st Ward battle reports from 25 years ago…"
He raises Centipede and clicks a hidden button inside the cuff of his sleeve. A scaly armour inches across his body, mouths and teeth chattering away on the armours surface. One of his squad members breathes out slowly in awe. "Made from a Kakahou from the Owl's Kakuja after she escaped during the 1st Ward Battle. A Kakuja Quinque, SSS class Reaper".
Noro looks on as the ghoul facing them releases his Kagune and lets it's light, flowing aura spread. "SS rated ghoul, Black Rabbit. Why the hell are you in China?" Ayato looks doggedly at Noro and suddenly fires a single crystalline projectile at the Special Class. Noro raises his armoured arm to deflect the shard, but it suddenly turns black and grows larger mid-air. It pierces directly though both armour and arm, entering his shoulder and exiting through the back of his armour. The whole left section of his armour cracks and splinters as blood begins seeping from the painful open wound but Noro grits his teeth and rises to his feet, feeling his mangled left arm dangle uselessly by his side.
"Tsk. You just had to go and aim for the only real arm I have left huh.. You've improved since last time, Rabbit". Ayato swiftly dodges an attack from Noro's squad mate while deflecting a glancing strike from Centipede with his winged Kagune. He smiles mockingly. "25 years will do that for you. You've also improved since then, Special Class Schneider. I'm surprised you didn't give up after Ken Kaneki robbed you of your right arm all those years ago… I don't intend to let you pass through here!"
He launches a swift succession of attacks, but suddenly Noro slams Centipede into his Kagune, forcing the ghoul backwards. One of the Elite Squad slashes Ayato painfully across the back, decapitating his Kagune at the same time. He rolls and leaps away from them, panting heavily. Noro hefts his Quinque and sighs. "Is that it? You're heart doesn't seem to be in the fight, Black Rabbit. Don't you want to protect your stronghold here?"
Ayato tuts and rises shakily to his feet, blood pouring down his back. He grins, another wound on the side of his face causing blood to blur his vision, mixing with his sweat. "I couldn't imagine the difference in our power to be this great… This generation of investigators truly is fearsome". He crouches low on the ground, his wings solidifying and coiling around his body until only his head is left exposed. Ayato stood in an armour of crystal.
Noro's eyes dart to the side. A Kakuja huh? I need to finish this quickly. We already have him on his last legs anyway… He activates Centipede's transformed mode and Ayato's eyes widen as his Kakuja suddenly disintegrates around him, his own blood spurting into the night. "What... I didn't even see it coming…" He had been keeping a wary eye on Centipede as it transformed, but a Kagune had come out of nowhere and cracked his armour in countless places.
Noro's Kagune evaporates as Ayato drops to his knees, blood pooling around him. He twists his head to look at Noro as it rolls down the hill. Noro sighs as the investigator who had decapitated the ghoul wipes his blade on Ayato's corpse. He nods to the man. "First Class Goren. Good work on earning that Double White Wing Medal". The investigator salutes but turns quickly as a loud grinding sound echoes through the forest. The Gates of Sanctuary where opening.
Noro quickly rushes through the small gap with the rest of his Elite Squad, the gap suddenly slamming shut behind them, leaving the investigators alone in a darkened courtyard on the other side of the gate. "Good. We're in. Once we figure out how to reopen these Gates we'll-"Noro doesn't even notice that both his arms were missing until they dropped to the ground beneath his feet, blood spraying into the air…
…
Kuzo motions for the others to follow him silently. They stalked through the woods until they reached the road that Noro and the Elite Squad had set off down. After "dealing" with the Mortars, they now stood before the great stone gates. Kuzo notices a body lying on the ground, its head lying off to the side of the clearing. He breathes a silent sigh of relief. The Special Class had taken down the Gate Guardian already. That meant they were inside.
As he ponders this, the gates suddenly begin to grind open. Kuzo steps in front of the squad. "The others are opening the gates for us. This battle has already been decided". As he says this, the scene on the other side of the gate hits him like a tonne of punches to the gut. His neck tingles as the moonlight slowly reveals the torn and bloody corpses of 5 investigators. The remains of the Elite Squad…
"What the fuck happened here? We need to find the Special Class quickly" a Rank One investigator stammers as Kuzo steps inside the gate, a light catching his eye. Within the dark courtyard beyond the gate, a single torch shone beneath a Banzai Tree. The prone form of Noro lay in front of a robed and hooded figure, his arms lying discarded at the base of the tree. Something throbs through Kuzo's heart and veins as the mangled form of his mentor is violated by the unknown ghoul. He dips into Noro's open chest cavity and pulls out a lump of organ encased in a shiny metal and bites the metal off, replacing the organ.
Kuzo is suddenly overcome by a calm. The clam before the storm to come. "S3 Support squad, prepare for battle". One of the investigators looks at him while readying his Quinque determinedly. "Your estimate, Rank One Alexander?" Kuzo releases Narukami from its case and raises it slowly, his eyes fixated on the ghoul that's turning around, noticing their presence. "This can only be that ghoul. SS+ rated "Zero". Begin the extermination"…
The ghoul wore a deep blue robe and white mask painted with the symbol of the Sentinels. As Zero rises to his full height he cocks his head. He had taken care of the Elite Squad, though only after they had succeeded in killing Lord Kirishima. Their leader had even been a half-ghoul himself, though weakened by the restricting Quinque steel around his Kakahou.
He watches impassively as the young investigator leading this new squad raises his Quinque and fired three bolts of white hot electricity at him, he dodges the blasts with ease and casually throws a rock at one of the other investigators, hitting him squarely in the forehead and denting his skull while piercing his brain. He was killed instantly. Somehow, he sensed a great power within the young man, ready to boil to the surface once the façade of calm had been worn down. Zero smiled inwardly. He wanted to see this power.
After a few more blasts were dodged, Kuzo transforms Narukami into its blade mode and slashes at Zero with insane speed. The One Eye catches the blade in one hand and pushes Kuzo back with such force that the young investigator was sent flying painfully against the gates. After a moment, Kuzo begins tearing up and slamming his fist into the wall. "Dammit Dammit Dammit! I'm so useless! I guess I can't fight a ghoul like this with ordinary tactics…"
He stands, the rage showing in his eyes and raising Narukami high into the air. "Are you ready? Hikari!" A shockwave of yellow energy radiates outwards, whipping up a ferocious wind as the energy disperses and Narukami's true form, Hikari is once more in Kuzo's hand. Something black darts across the corner of Kuzo's vision and he glances across his right shoulder.
Hikari had been sliced cleanly in half, the tip of the broadsword crashing to the ground at Kuzo's feet. His eyes widen in shock. What just happened? Hikari had been broken? Hikari's spectral image appears next to Kuzo. She was bleeding badly and her whole right arm was missing. "I can't…. fight anymore. Whoever that Zero is, he's much too powerful for you to handle, Kuzo Kaneki".
As if he could hear Hikari, Zero freezes, his Kagune still coiling about his body. He had heard a woman speaking. The embodiment of the weapon he had just broken. Something she had said made him feel… something. Kaneki… What was with that name? Ayato…. Touka, Hinami! Zero clutches his chest as a terrible pain shoots through his body. He ignores it. He had a job to finish. He needed to avenge Lord Kirishima.
Kuzo is shaking with emotion at the sight of Noro at Zero's feet, with rage at the ghoul standing before him. Suddenly, his foot brushes against something metal. It was Noro's Quinque, Centipede. "Sorry Hikari, but you need to recover. I'll be using this guy for the moment. Let's see if I can speak to it…"
He leans down to retrieve the weapon, closing his eyes and concentrating on the vibrations coming from the blade. He frowns. A dark red aura was emanating from the Quinque that only he could see. Its murderous intent slams into him, threatening to knock him backwards but Kuzo stands firm. Closing his eyes again, he descends into his subconscious…
The first thing Kuzo perceived was the screaming. A white haired man sat ties to a plain wooden chair. Checked tiles stretch out as far as the eye could see. The prisoner looks up at him, blood pooling about his body and something slithering from his ear. "Hey you, Kuzo…. You want to use me?..." Kuzo gulps and nods, stepping forward to lay a hand on the apparitions shoulder. Taking a breath, he clenches his fist and the chains binding the white haired man shatter.
"What is your name?" Kuzo asks. The prisoner brings his black nailed finger to his lips. "First I have a question of my own. Do you know what true pain is?" Kuzo freezes. What kind of question was that? The thinks, then nods. "True pain isn't a wound or a defeat. It is losing everything. Despair". The prisoner smiles a malicious smile, standing and looking Kuzo directly in the eyes.
"Yes… That is pain. Think about it. You should already know my name…" Kuzo's heart stops, the name coming to him as he opens his eyes and see's Zero standing before him, Kagune coiling to strike again….
"Kaneki!"
Zero's eyes widen as Centipede explodes in Kuzo's arm, scaly armour coiling up his arm and its shape changing rapidly. As the fine red mist clears, Centipede is reborn. Instead of a basic blade it was a flexible weapon that possessed razor sharp talons, like a Centipede itself… Kuzo suddenly growls and slashes it at Zero, the One Eye dodging the attack and wrapping his Kagune around the Quinque.
Kuzo sneers and tugs it back, ripping one of the ghouls Kagune completely off. Zero laughs softly. "This guy's good…" He releases 5 more Kagune and proceeds to hammer them into his opponent. One of Kuzo's squad mates attempts to throw his Quinque into Zero's back but he sneers and whips around mid-air, cleanly decapitating him. "That's an irony bonus for killing Lord Kirishima"…
Kuzo's eyes narrow. This had gone on long enough. This ghoul was very powerful, but he could do this! He had to rescue Noro before he was eaten… Letting lose a roar, he lunges at Zero, the One Eyed lunging forward also, bringing his Kagune around in a circle. He smiles. This investigator couldn't sense the danger to his rear! Suddenly, Kuzo disappears from his sight. He stops, looking around. "Did he run away?..."
Kuzo's Quinque bursts out of the ground beneath him and the mighty Quinque slices off his legs. He grunts and falls to the ground as his legs quickly reattach themselves. Kuzo reappears and drives one limb of his Quinque into his leg, and proceeds to mercilessly hack and slash at Zero's defenceless body. His vision swims. He can't even feel the pain, but he feels… disappointed.
What's wrong with me? I'm going to die and all I feel is disappointment? No… It's something else. I can't feel anything, haven't been able to do so for a long time. Maybe it's, not that couldn't be possible. Not that… Kuzo stops slashing and stands above him, raining Centipede into the air. "This is it, Zero. You've lost everything. Sanctuary will burn and so will every last damn lowlife in it. Despair for me…"
Zero suddenly laughs. Despair? I don't know how, but I know all about Despair. So maybe that is it after all. I can't feel anything because I'm not even alive am I? I'm a dead man walking… Kuzo slams Centipede down into Zero's heart, his lifeblood finally draining from his body. His mind slips into unconsciousness, but he doesn't die…
"So this is it huh? I'm on the verge of another death… I wonder who I used to be. I wonder what my reason was for living this half-life in the first place…. Why didn't I just die the first time around?" Zero asks himself these questions as he walks down a long stone corridor. At its end was an open doorway. He grabs the frame and looks out. A starry eternity lays in wait on the other side. Death…
Something is stopping him from just walking off the edge. Something inside his body. Zero places a hand on his chest. He had no heartbeat. He hadn't since he had awoken in that container. He looks out into Death again. "Why…. Do I still want to live?..." A sudden thought comes over him. A name. "Kaneki…. His name is Kuzo Kaneki… What does he mean to me? I know…. I've already lost everyone else but…. He is someone I should care about.."
He freezes, his entire being throbbing. A son… He whimpers, tears suddenly begin to streak down his face. "I have a son".
When one has lost everything, one has no reason to live…
Zero turns around and begins swiftly walking back in the direction he had come from. He had a son who was waiting. He didn't know who it was, but…. Something alien had pierced his heart. Desire….
Once again…. I began to desire… To once again be loved by someone. It was all my fault. I thought my time was done, but now?
A titanic force tries to push Zero back, but he doesn't feel it, so overcome by an influx of emotions…. The throbbing was getting louder in his ears by the second.
Blood. Rushing through long empty veins. A single Heartbeat, echoing through the infinite space towards me… I wanted to go back.
Suddenly, something shoots out from the Doors of Death and implants itself deep inside Zero's chest. His mask shatters, discarding his robe and looking at another set of doors at this end of the hall. These doors remained closed. He roars in defiance of death, striking out with his Kagune and decimating the solid gold gateway, light streaming in from the other side.
Was it a miscalculation of my own strength? I would never know. But I am strong. I suddenly remembered a crucial detail. I had rejected death before, I could do it again…
He steps through the gate into life once more, a myriad of sensations filling him at once. Pain, Anger, Happiness, Loss…. All of these feelings surged through his body and revitalises him, healing his fatal wounds as he stands, facing Kuzo before him while wiping his mouth of all blood.
Pain is a strength. It tells you when to flee. It keeps you from overstepping your boundaries, but most importantly…. It tells you…. YOU'RE NOT DEAD YET!
Kuzo looks on as Zero's wounds all heal up instantly, steam rising from his body covered in a sapphire blue robe. His mask had broken, revealing his single Kakugan and white hair. Kuzo's eyes widen slightly. "You're… that ghoul… SSS rated… One Eyed King".
Zero raises his right hand and cracks his finger, cocking his head and widening his Kakugan eye while narrowing the other. "Tsk… Kid, the name's Kaneki"…
"He feels pain once again! Must it always be Anguish that awakens this heavy heart?"
End Tokyo Ghoul: Crimson 04
Next time: Stepping on Shadows