May 10th, 9.45am
Emily didn't want to leave her bed that morning. She wanted to stay under the covers, locked in her isolation where she didn't have to face the consequences of yesterday. If she left her room, Ayato would be gone. That was what kept her there. The fear that he really would be gone. Emily rolled onto her side and hugged the photo of her parents closer to her,
"You were right, Daddy..."
"Emily?" The muffled voice called her from the other side of the door, making her sit up. He hadn't left yet? Ayato knocked once then spoke again, "There's more blood..." Closing her eyes, Emily took a deep breath and readied herself to face the source of all her problems once again.
Ayato was leaning on his hand against the door frame, his expression unreadable. He was dressed in the clothes she'd bought him. Emily's eyes went straight to his problematic stomach wound, but there was no sign of bleeding and he didn't look like he was in any pain. She frowned,
"You're not bleeding." she stated. Ayato shook his head,
"I only said that to get you out here." he replied, stopping her from closing the door with his foot, "You might be able to lock yourself in here and forget what happened last night, but I can't."
"Ayato..." Emily sighed but he pushed his way into her bedroom and kept talking.
"It pisses me off - you piss me off. You're toxic, Emily, and it's driving me insane. Every time you're around I'm not sure whether I'm going to attack you or kiss you, sometimes I just want to do both and it...It scares me. Thinking that way. All these fucked up thoughts in my head. You're a human, I eat you. It'd be like a farmer falling in love with a cow. It's fucking wrong. That's why I have to leave. For your safety and my sanity. Staying here is killing me." He said as he paced back and forth. Emily lowered her gaze to the ground, she had guessed he would be feeling some kind of torment but she had never imagined it could be this bad. Ayato stopped walking and looked down at her, "But...I don't want to go."
Ayato looked pitiful, admitting all of this must of been absolute hell for him and that broke Emily's heart. The numbness that had been her constant companion for five years hugged her tightly like a warm blanket on the coldest day. She stepped towards him and rested her hands on his biceps,
"That's why you have to." she told him softly, "Because you don't want to." This was good for both of them, she could resume her life before him and he could regain his mental state. Ayato's hands moved to her hips, "Just leave me one memory before I leave?"
Emily swallowed the lump in her throat and nodded slowly. She was staring at his mouth again, those beautiful lips that had tasted so much flesh. They moved closer to hers, with each breath they neared and then, ever so lightly, brushed against hers...
Ding Doooong~
Ayato straightened and scowled at something behind Emily, "Expecting a visitor?" he asked coldly. Emily, who was normally calm and peaceful, mirrored his annoyance directed at whomever had the audacity to ruin the only bittersweet moment she was going to get with Ayato.
"Why would I be expecting someone?" she muttered angrily as stalked towards the front door. She didn't care who was at her door, they were going to get one hell of a mouthful.
Ding Doooong~
"Yes, yes!" She called begrudgingly and yanked open the door without checking. Honestly, she had expected Renji or Uta, or Toshio even - anyone but the person towering over her with a wide Cheshire grin. Emily's anger evaporated and in its place rose a fear more powerful than one she'd ever felt.
"You..." she whispered as she stared in horror up at the being before her. His grin grew wider and she went to slam the door on him, but he was far stronger than her and shoved it back open, making the girl retreat backwards into the safety of her house.
"Good morning, Emily-chan."
9:55am
Emily was frozen in fear. Why? How? He wasn't supposed to be here. He couldn't be here! He closed his eyes and took a long, deep breath.
"Ahh~ I missed this smell." he said holding his long arms out wide, "You smell as sweet as ever, Emily-chan."
"You shouldn't be here..." she whispered again, her voice shaking out of the tremendous fear she was experiencing. He dropped his arms and a dark expression fell over his features like a shadow, "If that old bastard had his way, I would have rotted away in the 5th Ward. Damn that bastard Yoshimura..."
He turned back to face Emily, who was clutching her hands to her chest in fear, a predatory grin back on his face, "But I had to see you again, smell your delicious, sweet -" The Ghoul's grin dropped, his nose twitching as he smelt something he didn't like, "Who else is here?!" Suddenly, the Ghoul was flying through the wall and into the next apartment.
"That would be me." Ayato said cracking his neck as he stalked towards the new hole in the wall, his hands dug deep into his pants pockets and a dangerous look on his face.
"Who-" she heard the other Ghoul cough from the next room, "Who are you?!"
"That's my line." Ayato stated darkly. The Ghoul climbed back through the hole and staggered to his feet, blood seeped from a head wound and his kakugan had been activated.
"You shitty brat!" the Ghoul screamed, "You kicked me into the wall! I'll kill you! I'll kill you!" The Ghoul charged, but Ayato was stronger. Planting his foot squarely in the Ghoul's face, he twisted his foot, breaking the other's nose before forcing him onto his back.
"A weak piece of shit like you is going to kill me? How ridiculous." Ayato said coldly as he pressed more weight into the other Ghoul's face. The Ghoul flailed, crying out in agony. A sadistic smirk tugged at Ayato's features. He was enjoying it.
"Ayato!" Emily cried covering her ears to the tormented screams of the Ghoul, she couldn't bare to hear it. He terrified her, yes, but she had sworn to help those in need. Ayato was putting her in an uncomfortable position. His eyes slid to her face and he understood. Removing his foot, he bent down and grabbed the collar of the Ghoul's shirt,
"Get the fuck up." he ordered, "Let's go for a little walk."
10.03am
Ayato tossed the weaker Ghoul hard against the stone wall near Emily's apartment complex. He coughed and blood sprayed in Ayato's direction.
"Disgusting." he muttered walking over to the injured Ghoul and grabbed him by his dirty brown hair, "Oi, I won't ask again so tell me who the fuck do you think you are?"
"Akiyama Goro." Blood dribbled down from the Ghoul's chin as he spoke. Ayato's eyebrow arched, he seemed to be much more talkative now, "How do you know Emily?"
"She...Looked after me once..." Goro panted, "She's special...to me. So fragile, breakable like a china doll. I want to protect her...I want...her." Goro opened his eyes and sneered, ramming his fist hard into Ayato's abdomen, "I won't let a shitty brat like you get his hands on her!" Ayato grimaced against the pain, Goro had aimed for his wound but had missed thankfully however that didn't mean it didn't hurt any less.
Ayato spun and kicked Goro back down and stood on his ankle, breaking it. Goro cried out again. A dark hatred rose within Ayato as he glared down at Goro - this Ghoul was weak. Even as injured as he was, Ayato didn't even have to get serious to kill him. It was pathetic. He'd had enough of this sickening sight.
"You..." Goro gasped, spitting blood at the younger Ghoul and hitting his cheek, "You can't have her!"
"Too late." Ayato said, grinning sadistically as he loomed over Goro, a dark shadow of death and destruction.
10:26am
Emily sat on the floor of her kitchen, unable to move, unable to think about anything except Akiyama Goro had found her again. Yoshimura and Renji had both promised her that he wouldn't be back, that's why they'd sent him away. But he had turned up on her door step! The pieces started falling to place; the phone call, the Ghoul chasing her the other day - it was Goro. And now Ayato had gotten mixed up in it. Goro may have been weak against Ghouls like Renji and even Yoshimura, but Ayato was wounded still. She wondered whether he'd actually be able to fight against Goro and win.
That demonic, sadistic grin he wore appeared in her mind again...The warnings Yoshimura, Renji and Uta had all given her made sense now. Kirishima Ayato was dangerous. Why had she convinced herself otherwise?
Footsteps approaching made her freeze and stare at the closed door, waiting to see which one of them would open it. Goro or Ayato? Ayato or Goro? The Ghoul who stalked her or the one who terrified her? The handle twisted, the wood groaned softly as it was slowly pushed open. Emily stopped breathing - would this be the day she died?
Cold azure blue framed with blood made him look shockingly terrifying but he spoke so softly, "It's okay now, Emily. You're safe." Her body moved on it's own, falling into his arms despite the blood that soaked him. She didn't care. He had just murdered a member of his own kind. She didn't care. He had enjoyed it. She didn't care. He'd protected her.
Ayato's arms held her against him tightly, just like the way her father had done. She felt totally secure, like nothing bad could get her while she was wrapped in his embrace. He really didn't have to leave, did he?
Ayato held her back from him and gazed into her eyes, "If you plan on continuing to run this place, please get Uta to stay with you. I don't want to hear that a piece of trash like Akiyama murdered you one day. If not for yourself, do it for me?"
Emily looked away from him, if he was so concerned about her safety why didn't he stay instead? She knew the answer and she knew she was being petty but still...
Ayato sighed and lifted her chin, "We're even now, you and I."
"I won't see you again, right?" she asked him quietly. Ayato shook his head, "Not if I can help it. Well, Ishihara Emily," he said and kissed her forehead gently, "Later."
Emily watched his back as Kirishima Ayato walked out of her life forever without looking back once. She didn't cry, she didn't hide under her bed like she used to when she was a child. Instead, she grabbed her bag and shoes and left her house. She walked aimlessly for hours, her feet aching, until she finally came to a familiar door. The room was empty when she stepped inside, except for the mannequins that lined the floor. Emily headed straight to the back room where she knew he would be.
"Emily-chan, what's wr-?" Uta trailed off as Emily rested her head against his chest. She didn't say anything, but then she didn't need to. He had warned her, told her that she was better off just forgetting about Ayato. She hadn't listened and now that something had happened, she had come to him.
"Onii-san," she said softly, "Can you make me a mask? Mine's broken."
"Yeah, I can." he replied, "Do you want to stay?" Emily nodded, she'd spent far too much time alone. She needed her family.
11.58pm
The phone rang twice before the person on the other end picked up.
"It's Uta." the mask maker said, "She's with me."
"Good." the voice on the other end replied, "And the boy?"
"Gone I assume, judging from her reaction." he answered, gazing at the sleeping human girl curled up on his bed. Such a sad child, all the laughter and fun had been taken away from her. It was such a pity.
"Mmm." the voice hummed distantly. Uta frowned and turned his back to the sleeping girl,
"You sound discontented with that. I thought you wanted him gone."
"It's nothing." the voice answered, "Thank you for your hard work, Uta." The phone clicked and the other end went silent. Uta glanced back at Emily once more before leaving her to sleep soundly while he worked on her mask design.