Short AN: I know this must be sort of annoying, but if you otakus have an Instagram, you could follow Cloudypelt, my other friends and I's anime fandom account. It's multifandom and includes fandoms like Tokyo Ghoul, Fairy Tail, and Attack on Titan. It's called theghoulmetaltitans and we would really appreciate if you could follow! Also follow Cloudypelt's Instagram, possessed . by. fandoms (without the spaces in between, of course)!

Kazumi

Juuzou smiled. "Let's see if you can..."

Dropping me, the ghoul spread his bright red rinkaku kagune and his kakugan, pure black and red, gleamed in the bright lights. Grinning, he dropped me and announced, "I have others to deal with. You're just an obstacle. But if you must, I shall, eh?"

The world went dark and I closed my eyes, head hurting and blood flowing.

My lungs were on fire. I couldn't open my eyes, and I couldn't take a single breath, no matter how much the strain. I needed oxygen, I couldn't breathe, I could not breathe.

I felt dazed and sick to my stomach. My head throbbed; the pain was unbearable. Suddenly, opening my eyes, I was perplexed.

I saw nothing.

What I saw before me was nothing, a void of darkness. Was I in space? No, I wouldn't be able to breathe.

But I couldn't breathe.

Nothing entered my empty lungs.

I was walking, though, on what seemed to be a floor. Nothing below me, just darkness. "Kazumi...Kazumi..." Voices called for me. "Kazumi!" I could not breathe. I could not breathe. I needed air. My lungs needed air, yet I kept walking.

"Kazumi...Kazumi..." I knew them. I knew them. I knew them! Kaa-san...oto-san...Taiki...

I needed to go there...no...air...no...voices..."Kaa-san..." I rasped. My voice was almost entirely gone. "Oto-san..." I choked on nothing. Before I knew it, something spurted out of my lips and onto the darkness that resembled a floor. The metallic taste covered my tongue, offering nothing for oxygen.

I gasped for air; nothing came. "Taiki-san..."

I heard a scream. As it got louder, the more twisted it became. Coming for me. I dropped to my knees and tried to lift up my hands, but I couldn't. The thing came out of nowhere. I tried to scream. No...no...My mind raced. I looked up at the face that was glaring at me. There was not a face, but it was an eye in the wrong place, no nose and long hair.

The mouth had a tongue that slithered like a snake, with razor sharp teeth. I wanted to scream.

My lungs could not take it. My lungs needed air.

"You need oxygen?" It said.

Suddenly, we were in a room full of people and I could breathe. Air. Air. Air! I sucked in the sweet necessity, savoring life. The floor that I was laying on was cold and hard. Coughing and wheezing, I looked above me. The thing was floating there. "What are you?" I asked.

It ignored me and kept on going. Stepping in front of me, it cocked its head and stared at me. "You are a human," It said.

I looked away, scared. "Are you scared of me?" It asked.

"Um..." I didn't know what to say.

"Everyone hates me and is scared of me," it whispered. "Why?"

"...I...I..." I could not speak.

"When I see the city, I see things and hear things that are beautiful. Why can't I be as good as them? When I look at you, I am perplexed. You are a hateful person," it said.

It bumped our heads together. "Are you afraid?" It hissed.

"There is blood on your clothes," I commented, not wanting to answer its questions. Its tattered robe was worn with years of left care, black and sad.

"Come here," It reappeared on a bench in the room.

I sat on the bench. "I want to be normal. Underneath this robe and this mask, I want to be normal. I want to be like you, and even though you are hateful, you are beautiful. All you people are. I...I am a monster. I'm not sure I'm human."

"Why?" I asked.

"I don't know what to do. Whenever people see me, they run away. Why have you not ran?" He asked more questions.

I did not answer.

Instead of questioning, he talked.

"I remember when I saw candy for the first time. I was older; and I did not know what it tasted like. It tasted sweet. I liked it. It tasted of happiness and warmth and niceness."

"I like candy too," I said.

"I remember when she used to say 'I love you', but I don't know if it's real anymore. She said I was a very nice, good boy, but I don't know anymore. She said I was very good at what I did." It continued. "You're the only one besides him who listens to me. Even he doesn't listen. He doesn't know. Someday, I'll tell him everything. And he'll understand. He'll know."

"Who is he?" I asked gently.

"He's my partner-in-crime. We do everything together. Well, almost everything. He buys me sweets almost every night, and we fight together," It said. Its mask seemed to slowly fade away, and I saw the stitches and his white hair and his broken smile. "I don't know if anyone cares anymore, but he does.

"I know he does."

He continued on. "And one time I was drawing and he smiled at me and it was like he was my dad and I was really happy...I don't know why I felt that way, but he...it felt really nice. I liked it. I don't feel pain anymore; but I do. It's so complicated. But do you like me? I'm not sure if you do, so do you?"

It wasn't an it.

I took his hand in mine and smiled. He stared me straight in the face.

He slowly smiled as well.

LINEBREAKLINEBREAKLINEBREAKLINEBREAK

"Kazumi! Hey, Kazumi!" A voice called. Opening my eyes, I looked around the room.

It was a dream.

And Juuzou was in it.

ROOT A IS OVER AND I WAS SO EFFING DISAPPOINTED AND HIDE AND KANEKI AND ;-;

THERE WAS NO FIGHT WITH ARIMA ;-; WAIIIIIII

oh well, at least we can count on the OVA ;-;