Kaneki narrowed his eyes, his breathing slow and gentle as Tsukiyama gave him a playful smile.
Then slowly, the mafia leader lowered the gun from his hostage's head before walking over to his fellow comrade with a sigh.
"I said I didn't need you to come with me." He said lowly, the soft crinkle of irritation forming on the surface of his forehead.
"Ah, but from the looks of it, you needed a bit of help." The other replied with a teasing laugh.
"I didn't need any help."
Giving his boss a dramatic wave of his hand, Tsukiyama slowly rested his eyes on Touka.
"We are terribly sorry for dragging you into this mess." He grinned. "We'll pay for the damage."
"You better." She hissed, refusing to show the wave of relief that was crashing over her.
Kaneki said nothing for a moment, his gaze still drifting around the bar as if he was searching for something entertaining.
"Now then," Tsukiyama said quietly, his gun still pressed against the dude with the broken nose. "You said that Rize wants to meet my leader? Can you tell me why?"
The man stood there in silence, a smirk crawling up his face.
"I asked you a question, sir."
Nothing.
Tsukiyama was obviously getting rather impatient because his usual grin was fading at a rapid rate.
Perhaps Touka was expecting too much.
She expected the man to comply and just do what Tsukiyama had ordered him to do.
But instead, he did the opposite.
He spun around his on his right heel, bringing his left leg upwards in a swift motion. Without even a moment of hesitation, he swung it directly towards Tsukiyama's temple - the air shattering around them as a sickening crack echoed throughout the bar.
Everyone watched in silence.
Their eyes widening in realization, their thoughts not really processing what had just occurred.
Touka watched in horror, bracing herself for the worst.
Maybe like a broken skull or something, but all she could really make out was a broken ankle.
Tsukiyama held onto his charming smile, his hand wrapped around the dude's foot that was harshly bent in an odd direction. Kaneki simply sighed as if he had been expecting this kind of thing to happen from the very beginning.
"How rude." The drama queen shook his head in disapproval. "I ask you a question and you answer with a roundhouse kick? Although I have to admit that you executed the attack flawlessly." He paused, relishing his victim's pained expression with a warm smile.
His grip tightened aggressively, crushing his already crushed bones with brute force.
A pathetic whimper escaped from the dude's throat.
"I just have one critique." He whispered lowly. "You weren't fast enough."
A gunshot.
Touka blinked as the smell of blood dyed the air.
Crimson droplets splattered onto the floor like spilled paint once Tsukiyama let the man fall onto his knees then onto his face.
"A bullet to the head is a quick and painless death when done correctly." He said lightly, kicking the fresh corpse aside. "So no worries."
No one really knew what to do, but Touka kind of had an idea:
Get out of here.
There were two exits.
One in the front and another in the back. She was closest to the back so that would have to do.
Gently, she took a deep breath and turned her body slightly to the right. She was going to get out of here before anything else could possibly happen.
That's what she was planning to do at least.
Before a floorboard could even squeak, Touka felt a rush of air scraping past her cheek.
Her eyes widened in surprise as an arm suddenly appeared out of thin air, wrapping itself around her neck. It shot the oxygen right out of her lungs causing her to lurch forward in shock, but quickly pulled back once the arm tightened its hold.
Struggling to breathe, her eyes rested on an amused Tsukiyama and a mildly interested mafia leader.
"I…have a hostage." A henchmen panted, a sly grin tugging at his lips. "She seems to be important, huh? You, that little white haired brat, was talking to her before. Why would someone like you talk to a low life bartender? Friend? Perhaps lover?" he teased, his sense of victory only heightening. "Well? What do you say? Come with us and I'll let her live. Unless you want to see her pretty head go pop."
For some reason,
For some odd reason, there wasn't even a single drop of fear probing at her nerves.
Instead, something else was churning and boiling up from within.
Red, hot, sizzling anger.
This was getting extremely annoying.
Her temper was on the verge of snapping.
What the hell?
She was just trying to do her goddamn job and she gets dragged into his mess. She always managed to escape these predicaments so why today of all days did she have to be a hostage so that some mafia leader could hand himself in to some other goddamn mafia leader?
She was pissed.
She was very, very pissed.
This arm that was strangling her neck was annoying.
That look on Kaneki's face was annoying.
That overturned table that she'd have to pick up later was annoying.
The world was annoying.
And she'd rather die than be some damsel in distress.
Her pride and anger wouldn't allow it.
So, she raised her foot and slammed it straight down into the guy's toe, her heel grinding painfully into his skin.
He screeched, his grip loosening. Immediately, the girl took her chance by shooting her own arm backwards, her elbow crushing into the bridge of his nose and sending him stumbling back into a broken cabinet of alcohol.
She took a step forward then twisted her body to the right, the tip of her shoe crushing against his cheek and throwing him across the air like a ragdoll.
Self-defense was something she learned throughout the years of her dangerous life. Mafia leaders, gang members, corrupted police, and amateur robbers had all become a part of her daily routine.
So it would be strange if she hadn't at least learned how to punch.
"Alright," she seethed in between clenched teeth. "I'm ready to kill so if there's anyone who's interested…step right up."
She didn't really give anyone the time to respond because before she even knew it herself, she leapt forward, her eyes holding nothing but raw anticipation as she hurled her knuckles into a random man's lips. His eyes watered and his scream was muffled against her fist as he staggered backwards, toppling over a chair.
A thin line of pure white sliced through the air like a dagger, catching Touka's attention instantly.
Kaneki's cold exterior seemed to be slowly melting into a softer expression as he rammed his knee into someone's gut before lashing out his hand and disarming another from his gun.
"Um," he started awkwardly, ignoring the stray splatters of blood that stained his shirt. "Would you mind telling me the information I need after this is over?" he asked quietly.
"No." Touka said.
"Ah I see."
Tsukiyama hummed what sounded like a lullaby as he fired a bullet into someone's throat.
Lilac orbs watched the young bartender in amusement as she flipped over a man twice her size with ease. She was obviously very frustrated with the amount of damage done to the bar, but there was a small flare of thrill emitting from her face that didn't go unnoticed.
"What a woman." He laughed, running his bloodstained hands through his hair.
Kaneki said nothing for a moment, his gray eyes flickering towards Tsukiyama then at Touka who crushed her heel into a guy's chest with a crack.
"Yes," he said. "What a woman."