Yo, what's up? So this chapter is a bit short, but that's because I split it and the next two chapters up. I could have written them all together, but that would have been a lot for me to edit in one go, and just as much for you to read. Some people might think that's a good thing, but I personally get antsy when I post a chapter that breaks the 3,000 words mark, and if I'd combined the chapters they would have been well over. They're good chapters, though, in my opinion, and each has a slightly different feel to it. I think you'll enjoy it, but that's for you to decide.
Without farther ado, onto the story!
I ask for permission for us to leave while I wash my bowl. "We'll be back before midnight."
"Just get home safe," Mom says, kissing my cheek. "Don't get yourselves into any trouble."
"No worries, Noriko," Hanako promises. "I'll make sure nothing happens to her."
She smiles at my friend. "I trust you will, but keep yourself safe as well. We can't have you getting caught by any doves, now, can we?"
"Of course."
I finish drying my bowl and return mom's kiss while I set it down. "We're off, then! Dinner was delicious!"
"I'm saying goodbye to dad before we go," Hanako stalls, slipping into the nextdoor room. I follow her, leaning against the doorway and watching as she kneels at her father's shrine. On it, there's a photograph of my mom and a man with rich black hair who bears a heavy resemblance to the girl kneeling before him now. It's the only picture we have of him. After her ghoul blood was discovered at our elementary school, we had briefly dropped by her apartment. That was the last time either of us ever went there, and we weren't even able to go inside.
Because of attention from the Ghoul Investigators, we weren't able to set up the shrine for the first month. Hanako was barely able to relax that first month, with her father dead, her original home under scrutinization, and doves flitting in and out of this house. When it all finally settled down and we took her in, the first thing we did was erect the shrine. She never thanked us for it, but she's never been someone to be open with gratitude. Although she kept up a mask of being fine, I would wake up to her crying at night. She'd spend hours sitting with the shrine when she thought mom and I were asleep.
As sad as it made me to see her like that, it scares me more now that I never see her cry anymore. Never once, in all these years. Not since the first year after it happened. Someone else might think she's come to accept it, but I don't feel like she has quite yet. I feel like the day still haunts her.
If I hadn't been there for her back then, I can't imagine what would've become of her. I don't want to think about it.
"You got everything?" she suddenly asks, pushing back to her feet.
"Yep." There's nothing to bring except my mask, which I carry under my vest. She probably also plans to carry her mask under her clothes. Either that, or she has the mask stashed outside the house. I've only ever seen it two or three times, so I find it hard to believe she keeps it hidden somewhere in this tiny apartment.
She nods, coming to join me where I stand. Under her breath, she confirms, "You're wearing stuff you can get blood on, right?"
I nod, and we leave. To my surprise, she takes me to the cafe we go to every week. She approaches the man behind the counter, sliding into a seat. "How're you doing, Yomo? Is Touka in the back?"
The hulking man glances to me and I meet his eye. I'd be uneasy, if I hadn't been drinking his coffee since the shop opened a couple years back.
"She's here. This is the first time you've brought someone to visit."
She flippantly waves her hand in my direction. "Kiyoko, this is Yomo. I don't think I've ever introduced the two of you before."
"So she's the one you've told us about," he notes, wiping out a cup.
"Pay attention a little," Hanako huffs. "She's the one I always drink coffee with!"
"She does look a bit familiar."
"Ugh! Forget it! I'm going back to see her, alright?"
"Don't make a mess," he waves us off towards a door to the back. I follow Hanako into the hidden part of the cafe I've yet to see. She doesn't even call for the waitress she'd claimed to be looking for, heading straight for a wall safe and turning the dial lock. When it opens, I gasp at the piles of money.
"Tell me this isn't where you've been getting your money from!"
She rolls her eyes. "Relax, I don't steal it or anything. I do work for it. That's not what we're here for, though." She slips a bobby pin from her hair, reaching deep inside and sticking it into a corner. Prying, the back begins to lift, and she uses her nail to peel it back farther. What's revealed is a slim compartment from which she removes a disk-like object. Done, she flattens the fake back back into place and shuts the safe.
The mask in her hand is entirely black, save for silver eyes and whiskers painted on. On each side of the forehead, it points up to imitate cat ears. It leaves open her mouth, like my mask, but unlike my mask it also opens up for her nose.
"From now on," she snaps me from my thoughts, "we'll hide your mask here, too, when you aren't using it."
"Shouldn't you ask before deciding that?" a familiar voice inquires, drawing my eyes to the purple haired waitress. She nods a hello to me before returning her attention to Hanako.
"We can, can't we?" my friend requests innocently.
Touka shakes her head, exasperated, but used to Hanako's behavior by now. "Yes, you're free to do it." Then to me she asks, "Did something happen that made it unable to keep your mask at home?"
"Um, no, but this is my first time having a mask, so it might be better to keep it with hers," I shrug.
"Your first mask?" She raises a brow. "You mean you've been eating without one until now? Are you sure the doves haven't seen your face before?"
Ah, right. I forgot that she thinks I'm a ghoul, too. "They're under the impression that I'm human."
She's silent for a while, before she closes her eyes. "Be more careful, alright? I know how cautious Hanako is, but I worry about you, sometimes, Kiyoko. You know what happened to Hanako, right? Don't let that happen to you, too."
Hanako slaps her shoulder, smiling. "Don't be so pessimistic! Come on, Kiyoko, we've got places to be!"
"Thank you for the help," I thank as I pass Touka.
"Anytime. When you're done, I'd be glad to serve you some coffee."
As much as I'd love to take her up on her offer, I don't like having caffeine so late at night. I can't really use that as an excuse, though, because I'm pretty sure caffeine doesn't have the same effect on ghouls.
Exiting through the cafe's backdoor, we slip into the darkened alleyways of the city. We come to stop in an isolated dead end. After glancing around for any watching eyes, Hanako turns back to me. "Discard your vest and pull back your hair. The more different a ghoul looks when they're eating, the better. It makes us harder to recognize if someone chances to see us."
I obey, stashing my vest carefully folded in a dry spot under a dumpster. If the stench decides to stick to it, I can just wash it tomorrow. That leaves me in jeans and a long-sleeved striped tee, my mask in my hand.
Hanako clicks her tongue. "Next time, choose and outfit less conspicuous. No patterns, and be sure you can cover your entire shirt with whatever jacket or coat you bring."
"You didn't bring anything to put on over your own clothes," I point out.
"This isn't my first time," she shoots back. "I won't make a mistake, but you could easily."
"Nice to know you trust me."
I go to put on my mask, but she stops me with a hand on my arm. "Not until we've silenced the prey. If we went around wearing the masks, no sane human would ever come close to us."
"Okay." I lower the mask. "Then where should I keep it? Surely I can't just carry it everywhere."
"Bra," she says simply. I watch as she reaches behind herself, slipping her cat-mask down the back of her shirt and securing it. I copy her, inserting my bird-mask snugly between my bra and skin. They might cause a slight bump under our shirts, but our long hair should be plenty to hide that in this dimness.
"Now I understand why you insist on wearing a bra when you have no rack."
"Shut up!" she hisses, eyes momentarily sinking into black and red. "It's not like you're much better!"
"So," I ignore her quip, "how does this hunting thing work?"
She crosses her arms, all playfulness from a few seconds ago drained away. "It's simple, really. We lure a chosen prey away from any people and pounce."
"Well, I would assume as much, but how?"
She smirks. "Just pretend you're a prostitute, and you're set." My heart sinks. Seriously? She's been doing that? Even if she isn't actually selling herself, that's….unsettling. So wait, does that mean I'll be doing that, too? With her? "If it makes you uncomfortable, I could always bring you home."
"After you've finally let me tag along? Not likely." Although I say that, my mouth has gone dry. I've seen pictures of ghoul meal sites online before, pictures of the bodies torn up, but will I really be alright seeing all that in real life? Pictures don't include the sounds of bones snapping, and the iron smell of blood, but those are bound to be wherever Hanako takes me tonight. Am I prepared for that?
But this is Hanako. This is my best friend. After all we've done for each other, after how much we've relied on one another to get through the hardest times in our lives, is it really right for me to go on ignorant as to how she survives? I've known her to be ghoul since we were eight, but have I really understood what that means?
Her eyes roam over me, skeptical. However, she breaks her gaze away to look down the path we came from. "If you're ready…."
"I am."
She meets my eyes again and sighs. "Fine. Just don't blame me for anything, anything, that happens tonight. You asked for it, and I tried to stop you, but in the end I gave in to your request. If you become scarred for life, it's your own responsibility." She pauses in case I have something to say, in case I decide to back out. I remain silent. When she deems me too stubborn to back down, only two more words come out of her mouth.
"Let's go."
And it begins! If it wasn't clear, the two of them have been in contact with Touka for awhile. Obviously, Hanako more so. So, I'm curious. What do you guys think so far? No one's said anything yet, and that makes me a bit nervous. Maybe it's too soon for me to ask, though. Sometimes time is needed to form a flushed out opinion, right? Anyhow, I myself am actually quite fond of Kiyoko's mom. Imagine how hard it's been for her, raising both her own child and an orphaned ghoul child all on her own. She may not get a lot of time dedicated to her, but I still think she's pretty admirable. When I look at their home life, it's a pretty unique dynamic. I didn't mean for it to turn out like that, but somehow it happened naturally. Well, I'm hungry. I gotta go eat so I can fuel ideas for the story!
Till then, Kisses from SnowyNeko! :3 MEOW!