An exhausted sigh escaped Touka's lips, her violet locks of hair swaying like a frail curtain as she shot Kaneki and Tsukiyama a glare.
Corpses and splatters of blood littered the floor along with shattered pieces of wood and glass.
Tables and chairs were carelessly tossed aside and the putrid scent of blood danced with the pungent smell of wine.
This was insane.
These people were monsters.
"Get out." Touka ordered, pointing at the exit furiously. "I have to mop up blood for the next six hours because of you bastards."
"Don't be so dramatic." Tsukiyama chuckled.
"I don't want to hear that from you."
"We will pay for the damage."
"You better."
Touka narrowed her eyes at the mafia boss who was inspecting a bloody corpse in the corner of the room. His hands were digging around in its pockets as if searching for something important before quickly pulling out and hiding whatever he grabbed into his own coat.
Tsukiyama gently picked up a chair and placed it upright with a false smile.
"We'll be on our way now." He said with a hum. "It was a pleasure seeing you again."
Kaneki slowly stood up, his gray eye scanning the area once more before resting on Touka. She didn't like that look on his face especially when it was splattered with crimson.
And his white hair was so distracting that she barely noticed the half-dead henchman crawling towards the door.
"Hey-!" she started, but a sickening crunch cut through the air and she flinched at the horrible sound.
Kaneki lifted his foot up from his victim's head, blood dripping from his heels as he stared down at the still body.
"Tsukiyama, that's not like you." He said softly. "You didn't finish someone off."
"I'm pretty sure he was yours. I made sure to hit every vital point." The other scoffed.
"I did too."
Touka swallowed, trying her best to remove the echo of shattered bones from her head.
"It's probably because of me." She said, refusing to notice the puddle of blood that was oozing from that deformed head. "Sorry, I'm not like your kind of murderers. I don't kill people in one shot."
"How rude." Tsukiyama said lightly, walking over to the girl and carefully playing with a lock of her hair. "We may be murderers but we're not such simple murderers."
"That doesn't make any sense."
"It's quite complicated."
Touka was getting irritated again. She grabbed him by his wrist, the small flare of frustration gleaming in her eyes as she dragged him towards the door. Along the way, her land lashed out and before realizing what her aggravation was making her do, she felt her fingers grab Kaneki by the ear. She pulled him painfully towards the exit, ignoring how he stumbled behind.
He seemed taken aback and his eyes widened at the unexpected physical contact with the bartender who was still refusing to let go of his ear. He forgot to struggle and was at a loss for words as she shoved them both out the door.
"Come back if you want a drink and not for some dirty little secrets." She snapped, her violet eyes staring at Kaneki in disgust. "I don't have time for your pathetic questions. Leave. I need to clean this place up."
She slammed the door in their face.
Tsukiyama was still smiling, the breeze gently flowing around them like fragile wings as he gave his boss a laugh.
"Didn't really go as expected, yes?"
Kaneki didn't reply and instead rubbed his ear, noticing how it burned from her touch.
She had quite the grip…
"Those men," he started softly. "Were from Rize's group. How did they know that I was here?"
"Perhaps the real question is how did Rize know you were here?" Tsukiyama whispered, his eyes glinting underneath the artificial lights. "Isn't this getting interesting, Kaneki? Perhaps, it'll be something worth watching."
They stood there in the darkness with patches of light shining from street lamps overhead. They stood there in silence, letting the crisp and chilly air caress them with its breath. And from there, they could see her and that royal color of purple swaying with her movements as she tightened her grip on the mop. They saw her mumbling and whispering words of anger as she kicked away a dead body into the far corner of the room. They noticed how delicate she looked and yet the aura that was emanating off of her reeked with strength.
The rather fashionable dressed man watched his warm breath clash with the cool of the night before giving his leader a soft smile.
"Are you going to come back here?" he asked.
Kaneki ran his fingers through his hair, a dust of quiet sadness lingering in his eyes as he, too, smiled softly.
"Yes. I still need answers and she is the only one who has them."
"How are you so sure?"
Kaneki laughed and it was a quiet, subtle kind of laugh that not even the wind could hold. It was light and calm, and it seemed almost pleasant like the serene warmth of dying embers.
It was lovely but it was short and it disappeared as quickly as it had came.
"Because," He started, that rare smile fading as he carefully turned around and began his journey back home. "You're the one who told me that she does."
Tsukiyama remained silent, his eyes resting on the back of his leader whom he has followed for so long. A chuckle – charming and relaxed – rang from his lips as he took a step forward and strolled after him - just a feet or two behind.
"You trust me too much." He said, listening to his words fade into the night and swirl up towards the invisible stars.
But then a sharp voice cut through the air, shattering the stillness of the dark with its force and causing Kaneki to jerk his head back in surprise.
"Hey!" Touka snapped harshly.
She walked over to them, dried blood dying her uniform with its ugly color. But they noticed it again:
That powerful beauty. That presence that was fierce and strong, and at the same time elegant.
She marched up to them, that beauty and that ferocious charm of hers burning around her like a chandelier of crystals. She grabbed Kaneki by the hand, shoving a bottle of wine into his palm and ignoring that peculiar look of shock that glimmered across his expression. She looked away, obviously annoyed with her situation but accepting it anyway.
"It's a…thank you gift of some sort." She mumbled, her purple locks softly flying with the breeze before settling back down. "For uh…helping me out, I guess."
Kaneki glanced down at the bottle in his hand and realized that this was quite the exquisite type of wine that she was giving him.
"I won't give you any information, but uh since you are a costumer…" she trailed off, struggling to find the correct words.
She paused as a sense of awkwardness graced her features.
"You're welcome to come by for a drink any time." She sighed.
Kaneki blinked, letting a brief moment of silence drift between them as he quietly gripped the liquor in his hands. It felt cold under his touch but he knew its worth.
"Thank you." He said with a timid smile.
She raised her hand, tucking a strand of hair behind her ear as she shrugged.
"Don't mention it."
She waved them off, watching them disappear into the blanket of darkness.
The streetlights were blaring their glare onto her, completely concealing any natural light of the stars. Skyscrapers and ancient apartments rose high up into the sky as the twinkling glimmers of planes disrupted the surface of the inky night. The distant honking and screeches of cars reached her ears as she headed back towards the bar. The sound and sight of the city was enough to distract her of that one irritating thought in the back of her mind.
That annoying and itchy concern that was pathetically scratching at the very end of her brain.
The thought that,
Kaneki Ken looked very familiar.
"You don't understand, Yoriko." Touka snapped, tossing a dirty sock into the corner of her dorm. "I had to mop up some tough shit at my job yesterday. You wouldn't understand the amount of disgust I was feeling."
Her friend laughed, letting her voice ring like bells as she struggled to organize her shelf of cookbooks.
"Yes, yes. What a terrible life you must have." She sang, glancing back at her roommate with a teasing smile. "You have an adorable tutor, good grades, a beautiful body and face, and a decent paying job. How terrible, yes?"
Touka threw the other sock at her friend.
"He is not adorable, my god. And it's a life-threatening job for Christ's sake!" she hissed.
Yoriko - her annoying, shitty, and likable friend - was the only one who knew where Touka worked. She was the only one within her group of friends and peers that knew her secret, and Touka was certain that it was a secret that she could keep. Of course, Yoriko at first objected with her line of work, but soon learned to respect her decision after hearing the reason. She was always endlessly worrying about Touka whenever she was at that horrible looking bar and found it difficult to accept her position as a bartender.
But gradually, she was beginning to embrace the fact that Touka may not be in any danger after all.
And Touka planned to keep it that way for many years to come.
"What did you have to mop up?" the friend asked.
"Some nasty stuff, Yoriko." Touka repeated with a moan, stuffing her face into her pillow. "I'm so tired I could die."
"Go to sleep."
"Then wake up six hours later? That always happens."
"I'll wake you up when it's time for your next class."
Quietly, Touka leaned back on the palm of her hands, listening to the bed creak softly under her weight. She glanced out the window, noticing the gold and crimson colored leaves clip away from their branches and waltz through the air.
The window was slightly ajar, letting the breeze flutter through and shower Touka with its chill.
"Actually, I'm going to go for a walk." She said. "It's nice outside and I need some fresh air."
"I'll catch up with you once I'm done organizing these." Yoriko smiled, holding up a thick book titled 1,000 Different Spices.
The floorboards cried a soft squeak as Touka leapt off the bed. She gave a small nod of goodbye to her roommate before grabbing her coat and heading towards the door.
"I'll make your favorite today." Yoriko quickly chimed after her.
Touka smirked, her fingers lightly touching the surface of the metal doorknob.
"And what would that be?"
"Human flesh."
Touka laughed, turning her head to look at her with a roll of her eyes.
"The juiciest kind?" she asked, her voice dripping with sarcasm.
Hazel orbs twinkled with entertainment as the breeze played with her rusty golden hair. She gave her friend a thumbs up, a pleasant grin tugging at her lips.
"Of course!" she exclaimed. "In other words, I'm making you some chicken. You better be prepared because the best chef in entire city is making you a feast!"
The two laughed, their voices ringing in melodious harmony. Then Touka exhaled and let a warm smile form before waving a final goodbye.
When she stepped outside her breath crashed against the cold layer of air before thinning away. Her hands were comfortably stuffed inside her pockets, her scarf was warmly wrapped around her neck providing her with enough heat, and her coat was thick enough to prevent the sharp chill from penetrating her skin.
It was autumn and yet it felt like winter.
She underestimated nature and her abilities of manipulating the elements. From her dorm it felt so cool rather than dead freezing.
She should probably head back…
The thought of Yoriko's perfect steamy chicken was mouthwatering.
So, flipping her scarf over her shoulder and embracing whatever warmth her attire had to offer, she went on her way.
The leaves rustled overhead, letting some rays of the sun stream through but it did little to crack the chilly atmosphere.
Her boots scraped against the pavement as the breeze playfully teased with her hair, making it brush against her cheeks and forehead.
Then, a familiar voice – cool and calm – laughed with the wind, reaching her ears.
"Touka?" Haise leaned over, a gentle and shy smile painting his expression.
The girl flinched in surprise then quickly narrowed her eyes, annoyed by how close he was and how friendly he sounded.
"What the hell?" she snapped. "Sneaking up on someone is rude."
"Oh, I'm sorry."
His smile faltered and immediately a pang of guilt struck her chest.
"Well, it doesn't matter. What are you doing out here? Aren't you cold?" she asked, avoiding eye contact with him.
He was wearing a simple sweater that was dyed with the lavish color of orange. Comfortable sweat pants and sneakers was also part of his outfit, but the entire thing seemed too thin for this harsh weather.
"A little." He said weakly. "But I'll be going in soon so it's fine."
She raised an eyebrow before tugging at his shirt, feeling the fabric between her fingers.
"Yes?" he blinked almost nervously.
"You must be in the Halloween spirit." She said lightly. "Orange? I'm not so sure if it suits you."
He stammered with his words, not quite sure how to reply but tried anyway.
"O-Oh, um…thank you? I mean, well, m-my friend told me to wear it so I…" he trailed off, scratching the back of his head awkwardly.
She paused then let go with a huff.
A brief moment of silence floated between the two and before she could apologize for her rude comment, another voice – an unfamiliar one – interrupted her train of thought.
This time it was filled with something completely opposite of Haise's. It wasn't soothing or cool, it wasn't soft and gentle, and it wasn't light and shy.
It was extremely annoying.
"Haise!"
She turned and so did Haise whose face immediately lit up the moment he heard that irritating tone.
Touka blinked as something gold fluttered past her, crashing itself against Haise. She stared at them in shock and struggled to comprehend what had just happened. The sugary smell of fresh dew wafted and curled up with the breeze, lingering behind a boy who had tackled Haise with his weight but not quite toppling him over.
His hair was the bright and colorful shade of yellow; it reminded Touka of sunflower petals shining underneath warm rays. His eyes represented the lovely color of slightly roasted chestnuts and a shimmering smile was spread across his face. His aura was strong and his presence was impactful, it was hard not to notice him.
He wore a gray sweater underneath his navy blue jacket and ocean colored jeans. A cute winter hat hid the crown of his head and his backpack was hanging over one shoulder as he laughed at his friend's surprised expression.
"I go looking for you and here you are talking to a girl!" he chuckled and that voice flew with cheer. "My boy, Haise, growing up so fast."
"Uh," Touka frowned, annoyance blooming within her stomach. "Who are-"
She stopped, her eyes widening with realization.
He was known as the star of the school apparently. That little flare of warmth that everybody seemed to cherish. The lovable, exciting, and thrilling boy who was always smiling.
Hide Nagachika.