Tokyo Ghoul and all it's affiliated characters are property of Sui Ishida.

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Chapter 2

For the sake of ART

"So?"

"Huh…I….well…"

"Talk."

I swallowed. Itori had a scary face, one that made me feel like a nervous wreck and also like if I said something she didn't want to hear she would kill me.

"You rushed here before getting home. Kaisa Terresi, I know you. What. Happened."

"W-Well, I think I'm being stalked."

"Huh…Is this that boy from your art room who nearly molested you, I did take care of him he was delicious."

"Huh- wait what?"

"Let's just say he won't be coming around next to you."

"Coming around? I already told you. A couple days after he locked me in the art room and tried that thing he was found in the alley and his right leg was gone, it's said something chopped it off probably a killer with a machete or something, all I know he's in a wheel chair…poor Soma, he was a good figure painter."

"Yeah sure, the story of the public."

"…umm okay" I said uneasy, was she talking codes or something but this was better than the evilness she was emitting.

"Back to the main subject at hand. Talk."

Spoke too quick didn't I?

I sighed.

"No, not him, there is a guy I think, I haven't even seen his face, got a glimpse of him in a hoodie when I was shopping for grocery on Sunday and yesterday I swore I felt he was stalking me." I said softly the thought alone made me feel scared all over as i remembered the fright I felt at seeing him.

"A guy…." She said looking at me inhaling deeply before walking closer to me and lifting my face to her eye level. She seemed to calm down a bit but I on the other hand felt a little riled up.

"Can you be a bit more descriptive?"

"He was wearing a hoodie, I think a mask was underneath, it was something colorful…couldn't see his face."

She nodded slowly, "I see." She folded her arms deep in thought.

"I was being careful as you taught me. I always lock the door, always have my keys, I carry the knife, I keep check of my surroundings…"

"I know, I know...I know you do." She said giving me a reassuring smile. "Next time don't hesitate to tell me something so important I won't hurt you."

"You won't? I mean, well with that expression you had earlier I swore you were going to kill me." I said rising off the stool.

She hugged me tightly and I knew that this conversation wasn't just a regular conversation. I knew this conversation had to deal with how paranoid I was due to my past. But Itori has always been here for me so me being in these situations bring back memories and stir fear inside me but for her I know it's not easy to watch me go down that road again.

"I have to ensure you're safe and happy." She said pulling away looking at me.

"I know… as safe as a padlock as happy as a lark." I mumbled in her embrace

She pulled away looking at me. "Okay bar is closed we need to clean up, oh is your ankle okay?"

"It's perfect I can't even feel a thing."

She smiled and moved away and I stood there for a moment inhaling and exhaling deeply. If someone was really stalking me I should take the upper hand of being more careful.

We went back into the bar and I began cleaning the counter. There were a couple one and two people around and they seemed pretty laid back and drunk as well. I moved from around the counter to the small tables picking up the empty glasses the place smelt like alcohol and rum.

"Hey pretty miss." A guy said handing me a glass as I rest it on the tray I carried taking the others up from around his table of small friends. "You're a good looking lady, why don't we-"

"I'm in a relationship."

His eyes widened his friends beside him chuckled as they bummed fist and nudged him, some act of 'Shame, but don't give up'. I watched people far too well to know body movements.

"Maybe we should sharpen up that mouth of yours, your replied faster than I thought, plus why not come with me I mean- turning me down is so harsh."

"You're not even my type. I'm taken, get lost."

I walked off taking the empty glasses with me, moving to around the counter resting them in the box to go to the wash area for them to be cleaned.

"If your arms are shaking that much he'll realize it took a lot out of you to act bad ass." Itori said passing me as she helped me with all the glasses.

"Shhhhh don't let him hear." I said looking over my shoulder from behind my mask at him before turning back. "W-Where's Uta?"

"Huh- U Chan? He left not too long ago." She said as she emptied her tray in the box as well before lifting it and moving it to the portable trolley before getting a new box to fill. "Why do you ask?"

"Cause…"I began getting some other glasses putting them in the box gently not wanting then to brake, "…cause I think he's really hot." I said in a matter-of-fact tone my voice changed to becoming very soft but I knew she heard. "L-Like, I like his tattoos, they're very…exotic, and he has one of the most well developed bone structure I've ever seen- like his jaw line and smooth-delicate looking cheekbones…and his eyes…wow, they pull me to him…" I said having a mental heat wave as the passion in me gave my entire body a strong desire to grab my sketch book and draw him nearly a thousand times if that's what it took to get this sense of longing out of me. "like…" I paused and turned to her.

She was staring at me point blank her face empty of any sign of excitement or teasing of that sort it was just mere…shock.

I swallowed, "W-What?"

She blinked a couple times almost like coming out of shock bringing herself to reality. "I've never seen you like this- it's like….like the day we went to that Art Gallery you wanted to visit and you got so excited, just not so much obsession like that time."

"It's not excitement." I said smiling softly to myself as I felt my cheeks getting hot. "I think I just….have a crush on him."

"Aummm, no you don't- what you are having is just an artistic moment when you want to draw something you've never seen."

I gave it a thought I mean I did feel like I want to draw him but at the same time, I kind of liked him. "But"

"Not a crush~" she sang

"But"

"You, Kaisa Terresi struggling to get her piercings done without throwing a mini fit, practicing to be more open and leave her shell, trying her best to use her outer more than her inner voice….towards Uta, strong sleeve tattoos on both arms, decorated upper body, completely goth, all pierced, fearless and feared….Drawing"

-cue the death of my confidence, pride, hope, prosperity, femininity, short lived 34 minute love life and ego-

"B-But"

"You just want to draw him. Trust me."

I pouted, "Well….I'm sure your right." I mumbled as I sighed making the puppy dog face. She looked at me and facepalmed.

"It's just that he is not your ty-"

-Wobbly lips-

"Well let's say he was-your still-"

-Sniffle noises-

"Fine maybe at 0.89% in this lifetime but the odds are still gre-"

-Whimper noises-

She smiled, "So let's say, you do like him…do you want to meet him ag-"

"Definitely!" I said suddenly as she jolted nearly dropping the glasses in her hand

"Kaichi!"

"S-Sorry, I just got really excited..."

She gave me the side eye as she put the glass in the half filled box and took some empty beer bottles putting them in the crater below. "Getting excited over U Chan~ you little art freak."

I stuck my tongue out at her and we both giggled laughing amongst ourselves as we cleaned up,

A couple days passed and today was Saturday. Since I never had classes on weekend today I was allowed to cruise in my apartment and relax, well at least until it was time for work. I posted the last of my work online as I submitted the small critique and logged out the account. I closed the laptop screen and sighed to myself. I would check the reviews and bidding prices in the morning.

I unfolded my leg and got out my lounge chair flopping down in my bed as it bounced a little under my weight. I stared into the ceiling humming to myself the distant sound of the music playing from the living room filling up the silence of my apartment making me hum to the tune and putting me in a lighter mood.

Yesterday I spent most if not all my day at the art room getting the final touches on my piece. Afterwards I had to meet a sales officer who spoke to me about some of my work circulating the black market and how I needed to expand my resources. In other words my work wasn't getting the recognition it deserved and maybe I should make it become higher quality and not so…normal. I wasn't in for much conversation I just nodded and gave small responses where needed since the day before that I spent half my day sleeping and the next half with Itori at the photoshoot.

All the tiredness I was feeling drifted off from the night at the bar. I rose out bed taking my phone off the sheets and into my back pocket as I moved to the other room. My art studio.

I stared at the numerous papers on the floor. I ran my hand through my hair staring at the mess at my feet charcoals lying everywhere pencils and different sheets all over the place.

The night I came home from the bar I immediately began drawing Uta from my memory. No matter how many times I ruthless murdered every sketch and start a next one there was a new fault to face. His face shape, the contouring of light against his body, his arms his jaw line. After every success there was a new feature I couldn't perfect. I never stopped-I wanted perfection, I wanted something that I could look at and know that's exactly how he looked. I swallowed as I moved to the chair before the board structure that held the sheet in place to be pressed on with a little table beside it for the equipment to be placed in.

I lifted the blank sheet off my covered work. It was my success piece. My hand moved over the piece black charcoal staining the tips of my finger as I bit my bottom lip looking down at the work. I sat on the stool my fingers moving over the lines of his face. It was a portrait of his face perfect symmetry throughout every line.

"This isn't even as beautiful as you were on that night…" I swallowed spit and pulled my hand away as I stared at the unfinished section. I couldn't get the eyes done to perfection, which meant it wasn't done. I tried on other rough papers. I moved around barely able to step on ground as I felt paper beneath my feet. I picked them up and looked at them. I was close to the eyes but I couldn't perfect the muscle, the iris- the pitch hollowness of the eyes followed by the unnatural red. The aligning of the organ in the bones, the sockets the space between both eyes they were not. Perfect.

I needed. Perfection.

I looked at it even more before covering it up.

My phone suddenly vibrated making me jolt as I pulled it out my pocket. Great. Look who's calling.

"Hello"

"Ah- you picked up. Listen I need your assistance with something"

"What do you need help with" I asked slipping my hand into my back pockets as I walked around the room be careful as I stepped.

"I won't get to finish my work on time, I really need your help with perfecting my art piece"

"You know I-"

"Pllllleeeeaaase"

I pulled the phone away from my ear and looked at the screen, I stared hard at the contact ID, it was my friend from my course. He was to me, one of the very best artists in our class. He was my only friend in my course and he was extremely talented only that he had little confidence in the work he did. But still when I needed a friend at times he was there. Only that I couldn't get too close to him because of Itori.

"Sure."

"Great thanks! Today is Saturday so I'm home-"

"I have work."

"Oh…What about Tuesday?"

"That sounds…perfect."

"Great thank you soooooo much meet up at my place at 2 in the afternoon."

"Sure."

"Great!"

He hung up and I slipped the phone back in my back pocket moving to my kitchen. I never knew why I short-handed myself like that. I mean if I wasn't right, Tuesday were my napping days when I took a nice rest in the afternoon. I sighed loudly going into my fridge taking out my ingredients as I figured I'd probably make something nice and delicious for dinner tonight.

Later that day

"You're right on time~" My supervisor said as I stepped into the photo studio.

"You don't usually make me work on Saturdays" I said to him. His name was Nico. He was gay. And god damn gay I say- very extremely gay.

"Oh Kai-chan, what am I going to do, one of our biggest sponsors has fallen in love with your last pictures and he is dying for more of your work."

"Then let him die, you know I'm not a camera fan- I do it for the quick cash."

"Yes yes buuuuuuuuuuuttttttttttttttt He's offering 50 000 for 2 special request."

Cue me freezing on the spot. "D-Did you j-j-just say….$50,000" I said the value of the amount making me instantly stutter .

"He has a thing for you, I think it's those eyes of yours~" He said clicking his tongue, walking to me his heels clacking on the floor as he slipped the fur scarf over his shoulder. He stopped looking at me pursing his lips.

"Are you in or not." He said the masculinity in his voice suddenly coming out.

"What is the condition? These two special request sound too cliché." I said because of precautious of course.

He pouted, "Oh Kai-chan come on~" He said clasping his hands pleadingly and batting his lashes coming close to my face to the point where it made me uncomfortable.

"Nico, you know I don' take nude pictures and I don't engage in sex for any photoshoot."

He gasped. "Kai chan- don't you think it's a little mean. It's a porn industry of course sex and nudity is welcomed, plus…it's not like I've never seen you naked before."

My cheeks instantly burned red as I remember the day I applied for the job. His first word to me was to strip, and by that, he wanted me to remove everything.

I wanted the money. I just moved to the fourth ward and I needed the cash so that I could pay for my apartment to meet the rent and my entire university funds which totaled to $27,000. I had nothing in my name more than $10,850 and my bills came to $4,000 my rent was $12,000, living expenses for the month was around $2,500. Itori introduced me to this job where one picture alone was $8,000 on the medium. Plus if you were good enough for the market you could be like Itori who can sell a picture of her face alone and get $150,000. She was the famous Red Fox for the company and even had her online clothing line plus her bar. A clothing line and a motherfreaking bar. Clothing line. Bar.

I utterly have no life.

"Kai chan. I'm sure you know by now a chance like this won't come very often, $50,000 is a good offer, he wanted $28,000 and of course I had to raise the offer because you are way much worth than that. And using this opportunity like this you could make a stepping stone for even more out there. To reach the very top."

"But I don't want to be on the top. I just want the money for income. To pay my bills, my funds for college, my art career. Nico you know how much those things mean to me."

"Of course I do, and this is why I want you to take this offer, and take the pictures."

I looked at him. He was one of the few close people I had. He was sort of like a father-ew wait no- a overprotective brother to me. He looked out for me and knew how much I wanted my dreams to be real.

"Everyone out." He said as the people in the art studio gave a questioning look, "I said get out before I shove your last pay checks up your ass…..even though I wouldn't mind you doing it to me instead ooo~"

They immediately shuffled out leaving the place empty I'm guessing I was the only person who heard the last part. There was an area set up already with a large kind size bed with white satin sheets. I watched Nico go to the camera area as he fixed the lighting.

"I'll take only two as he requested. One afar, one portrait. I won't take anymore." He said looking at me as I nodded. "Kaisa…you're going to have to take off your clothes…"

I nodded again. I slipped of my clothing down to my bra as the air caused my skin to suddenly become sensitive. I pulled off my underwear and climbed into the bed sitting on my legs. Nico moved to me pulling the sheets up.

"Hold this with your hands; I want to see a lot of skin, but wanted skin, I'm going to need to see your chest."

I nodded once more and he place most of the sheet between my legs as I placed both my hand there turning sideways but facing the camera. I felt embarrassed and ultimately ashamed but I'm sure it was worth it. That money was good enough to pay my university funds for next year, upgrade my art studio equipment, put me at a better standing on the black market for my art pieces and have enough left over for savings. It was in the end…worth it.

He took the picture and I swallowed.

"It was perfect, you look beautiful." He said to me as he took to camera off the stand and moved closer to me. He was calmer now. When it was just us, he would show me the more relaxed and composed side of him and I could see why he chose something like photography. This was his art, his form of expression, unlike me where it was on the paper, he was just- behind the camera.

For that I accepted Nico and knew that we were like two people cut from the same cloth. I was more sad and deep hence my artworks were filled with many dark sides while due to Nico's character there was more expression in the body and it's movement and it was just the way he was.

"Lie on the bed, I'm going to want you to look directly into the eyes of the camera, feel its presence and channel you inner resonance into its ability to capture you, just the way you are."

I laid flat on the bed and looked into the camera and I felt him adjusting my hair moving more over one eye. I felt weird, this felt awkward.

"Do you know why you are so favored in portraits?"

"Because…I'm young?"

"No, well youth shows in your face, but your eyes, this golden yellow and your black hair, maybe it's the fact that your expressions tell a story."

I looked at the camera but through it I could see him, looming over me angling the camera. "….A story?"

Click

"Yes." He said moving off the bed as he went over to the computer area loading up the pictures as he printed them in high quality saved it to the system and logged me into a completed session table on excel.

"Guess that's it." I said grabbing my clothes putting them on as fast as I could and when I was done I hugged myself glad to be back in my skin.

"Your money is in your account, thank you for doing business as always~"

I smiled, "Thank you Nico."

"Anytime Kai chan I'll let you know if he loved it and if he doesn't, just consider him dead."

I laughed as he opened the door telling everyone to come back inside.

I left the photo studio went to the train station and boarded a train. I went in my bag and took out my papers looking at some of the sketches I had with me. I began fine tuning making them more perfect.

Maybe Itori was right. Maybe I didn't like him, maybe I just had a urge to draw him. And now that I was drawing him I did feel satisfied. The train came to a stop and I was to come off on the next. Of course I planned to go straight home but dammit, I want to see Itori….I want to show her my drawings.

I ran out the train doors before they closed and out the train station. I moved quickly to Itori's bar running down the streets avoiding bumping into people.

I pushed the door open coming in from the front entrance as I entered the bar hearing the soothing music and catching a glimpse of Itori behind the counter.

"Itori!"

She turned around. "Kaichi- what are you doing here?"

"I wanted to see you."

"Oh, you seem like you were running everything okay?"

"Yup."

She smiled and pulled a glass out serving up my regular.

"Coming from work, Nico told me he had you come in today I was there this morning, rumor has it you got a good offer."

"Yes- 50 grand" I whispered the amount since that wasn't some value of cash you say out loud.

"Who was the buyer?"

"Didn't ask, I just wanted to get it done and get the money" I said taking the glass drinking the shot of whiskey mixed with vodka and Raseberry Bristine Wine down in a nice gulp. "Refill me. I ran all the way here from the train station."

"I can see, Kaichi! I forgot to tell you- I'm really grateful for the help Tuesday night, come over and cook dinner as a big thank you."

"Sure why not." I said smiling. Wait….aren't you the one to cook the dinner?

"Good because along with that I will be dragging you into shopping." She said winking at me.

"Gahhh of course, I tell you a thousand times I don't need to buy all those pretty clothes!" I yelled at her getting upset, well, I don't wear them they are still in the shopping bags under the bed.

"Yes you do~" She teased refilling me placing the glass before me as she rested against the counter. I was sitting on the stool looking at her I could see the happiness in her eyes. "That dress you wore, admit it, you looked so lovely I could have gobbled you down in one bite, Im sure even U chan was looking at you, especially your body, those long legs and small-"

"Sttttttttoooop~" I said in an outburst covering my cheeks that began burning hot as I got my bag taking out my sketch book pulling up some drawings I did.

"Woah- I wasn't joking, you were itching to draw him." Itori said catching a glimpse.

"I was, and he did come out bad a few times but he came out well after multiple efforts." I said skipping the pages as I did him from various angles and Itori looked at them wide –eyed completely engrossed.

"Such talent…I forgot how amazing you were!"

"Meh, you have people in my class that make my work look like stick figures, but I couldn't help it I still haven't gotten him out my mind" I said smiling. Well, I wasn't the best figure artist. But I still didn't give up on being in the top 5 or so.

She looked at me pausing, "That seriously sounds like a case of love, you might actually like him~"

"I think it's the tattoos and piercings….I don't know him as a person but…"

"Me."

Itori looked beside me and I was looking at the picture I drew but turned around when I heard the voice of someone very familiar. I looked at the corner of the page at the pale skinned finger pressing against the page with the black fingernails and tattoos.

"U chan! You're here!"

I turned around and behind me. There he was. I looked at him and he looked at the page a slight show of intrigue as he furrowed his eyebrows while looking at the picture.

"That's me." He said taking the seat next to me. "May I." He asked picking up my sketch journal with the pages of drawings in it. He held it waiting for my reply on whether or not he could open it.

"A-Ahhh, their just sketches aumm, nothing special."

"Oh…I wanted to see them though."

"Oh well in that case aumm…su-sure."

He opened it and began skipping the pages. He was in shades today and not showing his eyes.

Wait- his eyes, the piece I had at home, maybe if I saw his eyes one last time I could memorize it and complete the piece. I want to do it, I need to see his eyes I just need to see his-

My eyes pulled the glasses off and I didn't even realize my movement. And like that, those dark eyes of black sclera and red irises moved from the page and up to me.

"Kaichi you just-" Itori voice faded as she stood appalled by what I just did.

I wasn't expecting to do that.

She wasn't expecting me to do that.

He never expected me to do something like that.

Why the hell did I do that?!

But his eyes looked directly into mine as his movement had stopped and I could feel the level of darkness he emitted, I could sense…

…his danger.