Welcome back! Hope you didn't wait long. For me, I had a good time in Florida. Always good to see family, a few attractions, and the beach. But I'm back, and ready to write again. In this chapter, Kanae makes a decision that eventually leads to a Faustian bargain. Meanwhile, the actions of Yashida Industries become a little more noticeable. And during all this, Shuu reunites with a number of people that compel him to act reckless.
Chapter 11 – action: I want to see him again…
Kanae went to a restaurant to meet with Chie. In disguise, she asked her,
"So…what's your idea of saving master Shuu, little mouse?"
Chie took a bite of her parfait before speaking.
"…Tell him Kaneki is alive."
Kanae felt insulted by such a simple solution.
"Are you trying to be funny? Didn't you think I would've thought of that already?"
"If you did, but didn't do anything…that's the same of never having the idea at all."
Kanae wanted to hit Chie, but held back his anger.
"Do you know the reason why Tsukiyama is acting the way he is now?"
Kanae responded with somberness,
"Ken Kaneki's death…"
"Exactly. You tell him Kaneki's alive; he feels the will to live again."
Kanae felt at a loss of word at how simplistic a solution Chie made it sound.
"But…there's a risk…"
Now Kanae listened closer.
"Like I said before, it could bring down the Tsukiyama family."
Chie took a couple more bites of her parfait before speaking further.
"When he last met with Kaneki, he was a full-fledged X-Man. Like his dad. But now, for some reason, he's a ghoul Investigator. However Shuu reacts to the news could get the GCB to look into the Tsukiyama family."
Chie then finished her parfait before speaking again.
"I'll do anything on my end, but you and I know him. He's so energetic that it feeds into how unpredictable he acts."
Kanae silently muttered in agreement to Chie's statement.
"This is the best way to get him back on his feet…but you're on your own after that."
Although Kanae felt a little angry when Chie said that; Largely, he felt curious as to why Chie wanted to help Shuu like this.
"Why go so far…to help him?"
"…Believe it or not, I'm afraid of dying. I mean try to imagine disappearing forever. When it comes to my death, I want it when I'm ready. And when I make that choice, I want all my last moments to be fun. And…I find Tsukiyama fun."
Kanae sat stunned by Chie's positive disposition, even when talking about a heavy topic such as death. It blew Kanae away by how Shuu's influence reached the heart of this human sitting in front of him.
"Perhaps the reach of Master Shuu's charm goes beyond ghouls…"
Kanae made his choice.
"What should I do then?"
Chie took it as a yes and gave him a series of envelopes, numbered one through five.
"I brought these with me, in case you said yes. There are photos in each of these envelopes. Give Shuu the envelope with the number that I tell you."
Kanae took the envelopes in front of him. Before leaving, Chie told him,
"I also need you to promise…"
"Promise what?"
"That you'll respect his feelings, no matter what…if you'll do, start with number one."
As Chie left, Kanae felt a little conflicted, but remained resolved.
xxxxxx
(Nighttime)
Kanae went to Shuu's room. He saw him entering and asked,
"Kanae?"
"Forgive me for interrupting…but I have something to show you…"
Kanae opened the envelope labeled number one. Shuu opened it to reveal a picture of a person so eerily similar to Ken Kaneki, Haise Yashida. Shuu's trembled as he continued to look at the picture.
"Kanae…tell me more…"
Kanae proceeded to tell Shuu everything he knew about Haise Yashida. After a night of questions and answers exchanged; Shuu, in a calm manner, asked Kanae,
"Would you please retrieve my wheelchair?"
"Yes, Master Shuu."
After giving Shuu his wheelchair, he says to Kanae,
"Thank you."
Then, with almost blinding speed, Shuu wheeled himself out of his room. Kanae stood flabbergasted before chasing after him. In Shuu's mind, one word repeated itself.
"RUN! RUN! RUN! RUN! RUN! RUN! RUN! RUN!"
One of the servants sees Shuu speeding by.
"Master Shuu?"
The servant then sees Kanae, stopping to ask her,
"Which way did he go?!"
The servant pointed the way she last saw him.
"Danke!" (Thank you)
Soon, Shuu made it to the front door of the mansion. However, the chair tripped, causing him to fly out of the wheelchair. Two servants working on the front garden see him and attempt to help him.
"Master Shuu!"
"Where are you going..?!"
"I have to see him…I HAVE TO SEE KANEKI!"
Shuu tried so hard to get back up, but his frailty stymied him at every turn. Aliza was one of the servants working at the garden. She says to him,
"But your health…"
At that moment, Kanae caught up to him and says,
"I will accompany him."
Aliza and the other servant returned to their duties. Kanae then says to Shuu,
"Master, allow me to retrieve some clothes to you."
"…Thank you, Kanae…"
As the morning arrived, Kanae guided his master to where Kaneki usually is. During the trip, Shuu recalled what Kanae said to him last night.
flashback
"His name is Haise Yashida, grant-grandson of Ichiro Yashida."
"You mean the retired CEO of Yashida Industries?"
"Da. He hasn't made a public appearance for quite some time after the Shi'ar incident…but recently he's received attention as the leader of a specialized task force with the GCB for their part in the Jean Jacket Incident."
"Jean Jacket?"
"Believe it or not Master, A kaiju arrived in Japan."
"Mon dieu! An actual kaiju? Like Godzilla?"
"In a sense…it came from outer space and arrived in the Kanagawa prefecture of Tokyo. Haise Yashida led the team that discovered the kaiju, as well as confront it in the area that formerly held the Takao-San temple."
"Formerly?"
"It destroyed the temple, Master."
"Sacre…"
"I know, Master. But please…"
"You're right. I lost focus. Please."
"Danke…In between said incidents, Haise Yashida has been in the service of the GCB. He bears the same mutation as Ken Kaneki…however…"
"Kanae…"
After a short pause, Kanae resumed,
"However he strongly resembles him, please do not forget…he is a Dove now. He means to kill us all…"
end
In disguise, both Kanae and Shuu see Haise exiting the building. Alongside the rest of his team.
"Is that them?"
"Yes, Master Shuu. The X-Force."
Shuu, being him, instantly got off his wheelchair and ran towards Haise. Shuu kept on running as he "remembered" his time with Kaneki.
"Sweet Kaneki…the time we spent together was nothing less than the brightest times of my life! And we'll have them again! I'M SURE OF IT!"
Unfortunately, he tripped in front of both Haise and rest of the X-Force. The ones most disturbed by this were both Harada and Yukio. Within Haise's mind, this individual stuck a familiar chord with him. As Shuu raised his head, he and Haise exchanged direct eye contact. Haise then asked him,
"…Are you all right?"
Saiko, with a smirk on her face, added,
"I love your suit."
"…Let me pick you up."
Haise then began to pick Shuu up. During this, Kanae felt a great deal of anxiety from this scene. So much so, he immediately ran to where the X-Force were and took Shuu off Haise's hands.
"Thank you…"
As Kanae took Shuu away, he scolded him for his actions.
"Master Shuu, what were you thinking?"
"…He didn't seem to recognize me…"
Kanae worried for his master.
"The moment he saw him, Master Shuu lost all sense."
As Kanae got Shuu on his wheelchair, Shirazu asked Haise,
"Who was he? He looked all scrawny…"
"Don't know…but I hope he's alright…"
Harada whispered to Yukio,
"We should look into him later on…"
"Agreed. Hopefully, Delta caught a good look."
Meanwhile, another figure in the crowds; wearing a purple hoodie, sunglasses, and a black cap took pictures of the scene on her smartphone.
xxxxxx
Soon, The X-Force arrived at the HySy studio. As Haise opened the door, the owner sees both him and the team.
"Hello Again, Uta."
"This is your team? Some of them seem awfully young…"
Shirazu whispered to Mutsuki,
"He's gotta be a ghoul, right? I mean, look at him."
"Maybe…but Sensei wouldn't want us here if it wasn't for good reason."
Uta spoke with Haise.
"You're here for the commissions, right?"
"Yes. You said you needed measurements?"
"Measurements for what, exactly?"
Asked Yukio. Uta picked up on this and says to Haise,
"I'll let you talk before we start."
Soon the rest of the team grouped together to listen to Haise. Shirazu started by asking,
"Haise, you know we're not ghouls. right?"
"Yes I do…but we're to dress like them. At least for a while…"
The team all stood confused. Haise explained further.
"We're going to disguise ourselves as ghouls in order to get more info about Rosé. If they're connected with affluent ghouls, then our best bet is to infiltrate their community and find ghouls who know anything about them."
"Hence going undercover?"
Asked Harada.
"Yes…and he's gonna help us to do that."
Haise pointed to Uta with his mask-making kit out. Taking it as a cue, Uta asked,
"Who's first?"
Shirazu stepped up the first to go.
"I like your jagged teeth."
"Thanks."
As Uta took Shirazu's head measurements, he asked,
"You single?"
"Yeah."
"You like girls? Guys? Or are you Ace?"
"I-I'm straight."
"Anyone in particular you like?"
"…Not really…"
Uta then did Saiko's next.
"You're tiny, but in a fun way. Like a Koropokkuru."
Saiko laughed a little before introducing herself.
"My name's Saiko. Some call me the fairy of the Chateau."
"What do you like?"
Saiko listed her interests connected to her appetite or otaku lifestyle.
"That's quite a lot."
"Yeah…"
Next was Urie, whom he did not feel comfortable around Uta.
"Your moles are sexy."
"Whatever you say…"
"He's totally a ghoul…"
"You seem the smart and diligent type. I want to makes yours freaky."
"Hell no!"
"Why exactly?"
"It'll be fun…"
As Uta measured him, Urie thought to himself,
"I gotta do a background check on this guy…"
Next was Yukio, whom Uta tried to hold himself back from gushing all over her.
"I love your style. Samurai meets idol."
"Thank you. It's about time someone noticed that."
"You tried to make others pay attention?"
"Well…the nature of my work demands a good deal of secrecy, but on my off time…"
"Guys pay attention?"
"Handsome ones."
Then Mutsuki sat in front of Uta. During their measurements, Mutsuki felt something familiar when speaking with Uta.
"Your eyepatch is cute. You like it?"
"Yeah…"
"His voice sounds familiar…"
"Despite being a boy, you very cute…"
"I'm non-binary."
"Oh…forgive my ignorance."
"It's all right."
After a pause of silence, he finished.
"All done."
Last, Harada sat in front of Uta. No sound existed between the two of them. To which Urie commented,
"He was willing to talk to us, but not him?"
"Oh I don't have to. I can read this man like a book, but I'm on the clock."
Urie did not know whether to freak out about Uta's sense of hearing or his contradictory work ethic. As soon as Uta finished with the entire team, he says to them,
"I'll contact you when I'm done."
As the team left the studio, Shirazu asked Haise,
"You didn't ask Deadpool to come today?"
"For two reasons. One, his media appearances would've made him too obvious for the mission to work."
"Okay…"
"But more importantly, his parole hearing is today. The raft is located near North America, so he has to travel under a GCB guard."
"Who's guarding him?"
"Shimoguchi. He was assigned a new team."
"Okay, I believe it…but even with or without him, don't you think this idea is pretty dangerous? I mean, we're gotta get approval for this?"
"Well, I'm working on that…"
xxxxxx
"Absolutely not!"
Said Investigator Ui as Haise presented his plan to him. Fura looked on with concern.
"I know it's not unorthodox…"
"Understatement of the year!"
Haise winced a little when Investigator Ui scolded him for even entertaining an idea such as the one he currently presented.
"Investigators pretending to be ghouls? Do you even realize the ramifications behind such an act?"
"I'm not saying the ends justify the means. Rather, my team works at their best when we think outside the box."
"I'm sure such an approach helped you in both the Jean Jacket Incident and your operations after them…but this…I cannot approve…"
"Sir…"
"Investigator Yashida…how can this approach achieve justice? For me, the leader of the S1 squad, this method screams 'the ends justifies the means.' In good conscious, I cannot authorize this."
Crestfallen, Haise somberly responds,
"I understand. Excuse me."
As Haise left the room, Fura spoke with Ui about Haise's plan.
"Personally, I think it's a good idea. Another win for us, courtesy of the X-Force."
At that moment, Ui lit up a cigarette to start smoking.
"And we should sacrifice being the good guys in the process?"
"The good guys? Why say that?"
Ui took a puff of his cigarette, to which Fura asked,
"May I?"
Ui gave Fura one cigarette and lit t up with his own lighter.
"Won't your wife be upset, Investigator Fura? Not to mention your daughter as well."
"That's why I smoke here."
After Fura took a puff, he asked Ui,
"Sounds like you're just opposed to Haise in general."
Ui then told Fura about an operation that he and Haise both participated in.
flashback
'I once worked alongside Investigator Yashida on an assignment. We were hunting ghouls in the sewers…'
Ui, alongside Ihei and Arima, take down said ghouls. While Haise does the same, only to experience an unfortunate turn.
'However, some of the ghouls surrounded him and began to overwhelm him…'
Haise got dogpiled by the ghouls while they stab his entire body with their kagunes. During such an event, Haise's anger skyrocketed.
'Which in turn, made him angry to the point that his rage overwhelmed his mind.'
Haise roared like an animal and began killing all the ghouls in his sight. The slaughter made Ui nervous.
'Seeing him going in a rage like that…I questioned why Arima wanted him in our organization…'
Ui stood ready to fight Haise, but Arima stopped him from doing so.
"Koori…I'll handle this…"
Ui, and the rest of the Investigators saw the fight between Arima and Haise. Although Haise had the upper hand initially, Arima turned the tide and defeated him by brutal, but precise strikes.
end
Fura stood a little stunned by Haise's behavior within Ui's tale.
"Maybe a little biased…but what he just said gives facts to the rumors…"
Ui finished by saying,
"In the end…he's nothing more than an animal playing hero…"
xxxxxx
(Tsukiyama Manor)
Mirumo currently ate his dinner as he spoke with Kanae.
"I heard Shuu went out today."
"Ja, Master Mirumo. I accompanied him. To make sure he did not push himself."
"It makes me happy to hear that he's active. And of course, I do appreciate you helping him, Kanae. I'm truly grateful."
"…Danke."
In his mind, Kanae cannot help but feel that his actions soon led to the downfall of the Tsukiyama household.
"It was the right to do, wasn't it? Master Shuu is regaining his appetite, exercising to regain his health…Still, I'll have to monitor his actions. He cannot afford to act predictable…or rather, I can't…"
As Mirumo finished his dinner, he asked Kanae,
"How is he doing now?"
"Last time I checked, he currently doing some research in his room…"
xxxxxx
(Play A Lonely Night - The Weeknd, start at 0:49)
Shuu sat in front of his computer, furiously typing topic on a search engine page while playing music that Kaneki once shared online years ago. His search topics included; Yashida Industries, amnesia, Weapon X, Ghoul Countermeasures Bureau, Kuzuri. Although such topics bore little fruit, Shuu persisted in his search for answers.
"It's not the first time Kaneki possessed amnesia…the question is what caused this to happen again?"
Shuu then remembered that it took more than the X-Men to help him confront the mutant underlings of Weapon X.
"But Anteiku burned to the ground during the Shi'ar Incident…but what about the staff?"
As Shuu felt almost done with searching, he internally commented on Kaneki's music.
"It's not classical music, but it's honestly pretty good in its own right…"
(end music)
xxxxxx
Meanwhile, Mirumo was approached by one of the manor servants who brought something that demanded his attention.
"Sir…there's something you honestly have to see…"
Mirumo followed the servant to one of the manor's living rooms to see an open laptop. The servant explained.
"It's an upcoming livestream, dedicated to Rosé…"
This compelled Mirumo to sit down and stare at the screen. Soon, the live feed started, instantly displaying Investigator Kijima…and Yuma, tied to a chair and blood on his clothes. Kijima held the camera above him.
"Hello, Rosé. Let's go with that, for the sake of convenience."
Mirumo instantly worried for Yuma.
"I wanted to give you an update on one of your…henchmen in our custody. You see, no what been done to him, he just won't talk."
Kijima then walked while holding the camera to another spot in the room.
"So I figured…"
Kijima then showed a dismembered tongue.
"He doesn't need his tongue. Or for that matter…"
Kijima then showed two detached eyeballs and ears.
"He doesn't need a lot of things."
This not only disturbed Mirumo and his servant, but anyone watching the livestream.
"If you want to save him, then I suggest you find me. And a face like mine…it honestly unforgeta-"
Just then, a loud blast wrecked one of the walls of the room where both Kijima and Yuma occupied.
"What the hell?"
The only video Kijima recorded were a pair of glowing objects shaped like almost edged circles before he dropped the camera due to some individual emerging from the dust of the damage, but moved so fast that barely anything of the individual can be clearly recorded. And yet, Kijima felt a measure of pain before dropping on the floor, unconscious. Only footsteps were heard before the camera seemed to be crushed for some unknown reason. The livestream instantly stopped. Mirumo felt at a loss for words. As did the servant.
xxxxxx
(The next day)
Kijima stood in front of Investigator Ui, being scolded for his actions during the livestream.
"The hell were you thinking?! A public livestream of a dismembered ghoul?!"
"In my defense, whoever attacked me stopped it from getting worse."
Ui now became furious.
"YOUR DEFENSE IS PURE BULLSHIT! You little…stunt almost reached a quarter of a billion views."
"I saw that, and I had the video pulled. However, I believe that despite how it turned out, the original goal has been accomplished."
"Which is what, exactly?"
"Rosé has taken the bait."
Ui stood stunned by the audacity of Kijima's actions.
"And have you considered the risks when you decided on this course of action?"
"I have…and I'm currently experiencing them. After this meeting, I'm expected at an inquiry."
"And yet…it doesn't seem to faze you…"
"The only thing I gambled was my life. And it paid off…the reason why I did is because if I had a body like yours, I'd be more reluctant to part with it."
Ui felt Kijima accused him of something.
"But when you look like a round goblin amateurishly stitched up by a back-alley doctor with piss poor eyesight…one becomes…indifferent to one's self."
Before Kijima left the room, Ui says one more thing to him.
"What you've done is against our laws…"
"And I'm going to face the consequences of my actions for it…but let's be honest: people like me make up more of this organization than people like you."
"…Are you suggesting that I'm most likely to end up like you?"
"When it comes right down to it, our job…is the genocide of an entire species. It'll get to you, one way or the other…"
As Kijima left the room, Ui muttered to himself,
"Crazy ghoulish bastard…"
xxxxxx
As Mutsuki and Urie walked down the streets of Tokyo following on a lead, they heard some of the people talk about Kijima's livestream posted on the Bureau's website.
"You see that livestream last night?"
"Dude, that was sick! Like nasty sick!"
"Guess some of those ghoul Investigators can get crazy on the job."
Mutsuki felt concerned that the Bureau was being put in a negative light because of the livestream. Urie noticed this and says to them,
"Don't give them attention…"
"Right…"
Just then, Mutsuki was approached by someone. The person seemed to be about Mutsuki's height, possessing a green and beige school uniform. The individual also had blonde hair and blue eyes, and a welcoming demeanor.
"Excuse me, are you Tooru Mutsuki?"
"Who's asking?"
"I'm sorry if I'm interrupting your work…I just wanted to meet you."
"Meet me?"
Urie thought of this person as belonging to some news organization.
"Probably a reporter who wants the X-Force's opinion on Kijima's actions…"
Urie got between Mutsuki and the person.
"I'm sorry. We're not giving any interviews."
"I'm sorry. I'm not a reporter. I promise."
"You're not?"
"Let me introduce myself. I'm Taichi Haruo. I wanted to ask on how to sign up for the Bureau."
Urie felt a little confused.
"You want to sign up?"
"Yeah. Investigator Mutsuki is my inspiration, actually."
Mutsuki felt a little humbled.
"Really?"
"Yeah. I'm non-binary myself, and hearing about how you helped to take down Jean Jacket…it finally gave me the direction I was looking for."
Now Mutsuki felt a little embarrassed by how capable they were of being a positive influence on somebody.
"I'm in my senior year in high school, and I wanted to ask about what kind of education requirements there are about the GCB academy. I also wanted to know what to expect based on your experiences. If you'll let me, of course."
After taking a moment, Mutsuki responded,
"Well right now, I'm on assignment…but I'd be willing to make a little bit of time to answer your questions. As long it's about the academy only."
"I promise it's just that."
Urie interjected by asking,
"Investigator Mutsuki, may I assist?"
"…Investigator Urie?"
"If you keep your word, I can help you give this prospective recruit what…"
"They."
"Thank you. They want to know about how to be an Investigator."
Mutsuki saw how helpful Urie wanted to be. After talk that lasted for half an hour, Taishi walked away satisfied. As the two Investigators continued on their way, Mutsuki said to Urie,
"Thank you for helping."
"Well…I'd say it's a win for the Bureau. Despite what Kijima did, some still believe in us. I didn't want to disappoint them. Or you."
Mutsuki smiled as they responded,
"Thank you all the same."
xxxxxx
Back at the Chateau, Shirazu saw Haise in the living room. He approached him before asking,
"Mr. Yas…you saw the video?"
"…Yes…and it was a disgusting thing to see. It was too brutal…even for me…"
Shirazu took a moment before responding,
"But…that's our job, right? Killing ghouls?"
Haise felt at a loss for words when Shirazu said that. To which Shirazu noticed, and attempted to take back.
"You know what? Forget I said that."
"Wait."
Haise felt at a loss for words. He remembered the advice he told to Shirazu, and worried that it came back to haunt him.
"What we do…does involve killing…but the ghouls kill humans in order to live, and we fight them in order to live…but we don't sacrifice our humanity in the process…at least, that's what we're supposed to do…"
"Right…"
Somberly responded Shirazu.
xxxxxx
(Tsukiyama Manor)
Shuu asked for Matsumae, Kanae, and Milo in one of the living rooms. He discussed about what caused chaos in the manor.
"So, you went to harvest food for me when I was sick…and the Doves caught on to you and caught Yuma in the process."
"Yes, Master Shuu."
Said Matsumae.
"Then…it was my fault. Yuma got caught on my account. What he went through…devastated Aliza…"
Milo responded,
"Master, with all due respect…we acted on our own accord."
"I agree with Milo, Master Shuu. Yuma got captured because of our own incompetence."
Added Matsumae.
"I know you feel responsible…but please, don't punish yourself on my account. Besides…"
Shuu then brought out a pair of photos from one of his vest pockets.
"I have a good feeling that Yuma is in better hands, so to speak."
"Master?"
Asked Kanae. Shuu gave him the photos in question. Both Matsumae and Milo went to Kanae's side to look at the photos Shuu gave him.
"I had the IT company the Tsukiyama group owns to clear up a screenshot of the livestream video. Specifically, this part. Kanae, I gave you two photos. What does the first one show?"
Kanae remembered the image as he looks at the photo Shuu gave him.
"A pair of glowing objects."
"Now check the other one."
Kanae felt another photo behind the one that Shuu gave him. He places the second over the first, and sees that the second photo was a copy of the first one, but cleared up. Kanae sees what the two glowing objects were.
"They're hands."
Both Matsumae and Milo stood surprised as well as Kanae felt.
"Specifically…they're fists."
"Fists?"
Asked Matsumae.
"Yes…and I know exactly who it was that rescued Yuma from that Kijima psycho."
Milo then asked,
"Who was it Master?"
Just before Shuu spoke, one of the servants entered the living room. He looked to be in a rush.
"Master Shuu!"
"What is it?!"
"There's some individual in a gold cloth mask in the manor."
"Did you let him in?"
"Yes, but was because Yuma was with him!"
All stood surprised to hear Yuma in the manor, and instantly ran to the mansion foyer. Along the way, Aliza, carrying a vase with flowers, sees them and asked,
"What's happening?"
Matsumae explained,
"Yuma's returned!"
Aliza dropped the vase as her hands felt weak when hearing the news. She ran right past Shuu and the others.
"My goodness…"
As Shuu arrived, he sees not just Yuma surrounded by some of the servants who heard the news, including Aliza who instantly attached herself to him while being a crying mess, but a very familiar face. Kanae, having caught up, sees the individual in the cloth mask.
"Master Shuu, do you know who that is?"
Laughing, Shuu exclaimed,
"Daniel Rand!"
Shuu continued to laugh as he made his way down to the mansion foyer.
"You have no idea how good it is to see you!"
Danny half-heartedly laughed back as he responded,
"Likewise…"
Kanae attempted to remember where she heard the name before.
"Daniel Rand…"
"He is the Iron Fist."
Said Matsumae.
"Really?"
"From what I heard, he's an expert martial artist that participated with the X-Men in the Shi'ar Incident."
Kanae stood speechless as he sees Shuu being actively friendly with Daniel. Shuu says to them,
"How is Irimi, by the way?"
"She's good. She took great care for me after the incident."
"Yes. I remember when you disappeared after the Phoenix was defeated."
"She helped me recover. Both physically…and emotionally…"
Shuu guessed that Daniel referred to Kaneki's death.
"I couldn't even go to his grave after that…"
"That grave is more his mother's and father's than his."
"I know…"
Surprised, Shuu asked,
"You know?"
"Laura has been in contact with me."
"Laura? His sister?"
Daniel placed his hand on Shuu's right shoulder as he says to him,
"Shuu…your family has to stay low for a good while. The GCB are already on to you. Even though Yuma told that he never said anything to that…psychotic Investigator, it is important that your Rosé group cease all activity from here on out."
This not only worried Shuu, but the rest of the servants within earshot of the conversation.
"I'm…working with Laura on something big. And we don't anybody caught in the crossfire…"
Feeling a small measure of fear within him, Shuu asked,
"How big are we talking about?"
"Shuu!"
Both he and the servants turned their heads to see Mirumo entering the foyer.
"Father…"
"Son…let us focus on the fact that Yuma has returned to us…and in one piece, I might add."
Danny explained,
"Before I could return Yuma to all of you, me and my colleagues kept him somewhere the Doves couldn't find him."
"I see…"
Said Mirumo before extending his hand to Danny.
"I thank you, Mr. Rand."
Danny shook Mirumo's hand before giving him a card.
"If you need food, have any of your servants come here. We get as much as we can without the Doves catching on."
"Thank you."
Danny bowed to Mirumo before leaving. Shuu attempted to go after him, but his father held his son back.
"Father…"
"Shuu…for the safety of this family…do not pursue this any further…"
Shuu could only look on as Danny left the mansion.
xxxxxx
Later on, Shuu sat in the rose garden in contemplation. Kanae arrived with a cup of coffee on a platter.
"Thank you."
Shuu took a sip before Kanae asked him,
"Master Shuu…you intend to disobey Master Mirumo?"
After taking another sip, Shuu responded,
"Yes…I do not intend to endanger this family…but Kaneki is under the control of the Doves. If my memory is correct, Weapon X implanted a sort of microchip within him to ensure his obedience. And if the GCB has all the accumulated knowledge of their projects, then it stands to reason they would've utilized it to ensure Kaneki is under their command."
"Do you think so, Master?"
After taking another sip, Shuu responded,
"This is but one hypothesis. The other…is Yashida Industries."
Kanae remembered that Haise is the great-grandson of Ichiro Yashida.
"I did some digging, and it turns out that Yashida Industries has a rather large contract with the GCB. Perhaps they're playing a part…but the how remains out of my reach."
After finishing his coffee, Shuu concluded,
"I have to meet with Daniel again. And his colleagues…"
"Do you have any idea who they are, Master?"
"I do, actually. I hope I'm right when I say this…Yoshimura's legacy lives on in those who were most affected by him."
Shuu began to act like himself again.
"What matters is Kaneki is alive! Tout va bien! I will do everything in my power to restore Kaneki to his rightful self!" (Everything is fine!)
Kanae, however, felt otherwise. Considering his part.
"I'm glad he's back to his old self…but will everything go as he plans?"
xxxxxx
A little later, As Shuu used his connections to locate Haise, Kanae went on his phone and contacted Chie while on the move with his master. He told her about what happened.
"Well, the Iron Fist arriving was something I didn't expect…but how Shuu reacted is definitely in line with what I thought will happen. Thanks for contacting me…"
Chie went unresponsive before talking further.
"Sorry, I'm pressed for time!"
"Seriously?!"
"Go ahead and show photo number two. And remember to respect his wishes."
Chie instantly hung up. Kanae felt a little snubbed at the last moment.
"Why hang up so fast…?"
"Doesn't matter. I don't need that little mouse to tell me of my Gebot…" (Commandment)
Kanae then sees Shuu approaching Haise, who sat by himself in a park where Shuu was informed to be at.
"Together forever…Glorriech…" (Glorious)
Haise felt someone approaching him while reading. He looks up to see a familiar face.
"Hello…we met the other day…"
"…I remember. And you're not on your wheelchair."
"Indeed. May I sit though?"
"Please."
As Shuu sat next to Haise, he internally commented,
"Kaneki, your hair is slowly turning black…almost like when we first met…"
Shuu noticed that Haise held a book.
"So, I see that you like to read…"
"Oh yes. I'm usually reading in my spare time. Sometimes I get anxious if I'm not doing something."
"Oh, I can relate. I'm an avid reader myself."
"Really?"
Shuu thought to himself,
"This is it. The moment where I prove that I know you better than you know yourself."
"Believe it or not…I can guess what kind of books people like to read with accuracy."
"Care to prove it?"
Asked Haise.
"Okay then…"
Shuu pretended to take a moment to act out his ability.
"You're a fan of Sen Takatsuki."
Haise sat surprised by Shuu's guess.
"I do…but I find something disturbing about her writing…"
Now Shuu sat surprised.
"Really? How so?"
"Well…other than her short stories, all the main characters in her stories end up dying. And sometimes in the most gruesome ways. It's tragic really…there's some instances of mystery, but they're buried under great sadness, anger, and emptiness. Although, to her credit, she expresses them with masterful subtlety and a refined style similar to Stephen King…at his best, mind you, like when he wrote Misery or the Shining. But back to Takatsuki, her writing indicates that she's lost all hope for a better future, expecting nothing from anyone or anything…and she seems to want to destroy everything…"
Shuu felt a mixture of bewilderment and familiarity at how Haise thought of Sen Takatsuki. The familiarity came from Haise talking about the author the way Kaneki would describe her, but the bewilderment came from Shuu at attempting to distinguish Kaneki from Yashida.
"Astounding. You described her in such an…unprecedented light. I've yet to meet anyone who analyzed her like that."
"Just play it cool, Tsukiyama…"
"You know, I'm not just into literature, but art as well. Recently, I've taken an interest into…street art. Such as graffiti paintings."
"Like Banksy?"
Asked Haise.
"Yes…but also…"
"Maman!"
Shuu heard someone calling out for someone named Maman. Haise elaborated.
"It's one of my subordinate's nickname for me."
Both Mutsuki and Saiko approached Haise.
"Mutsuki, Saiko…next time, don't keep your superior waiting."
"Saiko wanted to stop by an arcade, even though I told her no."
Saiko instantly rebuked it.
"No! It was Mutsuki!"
"Saiko…"
Said Haise in a semi-scolding voice.
"Don't deny it."
Saiko then got into a sad mood when she got caught on her lie. Haise says to her,
"An Investigator must be honest to the people. Remember that?"
"Yeah…"
Shuu wanted to speak with Haise more, but felt stymied by the younger Investigators.
"Little nuisances…"
Haise says to Shuu,
"Sorry, I have to work. Please take care of yourself."
As Haise ran further away, Shuu had flashbacks of Kaneki walking away from him. Only when Kanae spoke out his name did Shuu snap back to reality.
"Master Shuu…"
"Kanae…"
"…This will not be the only time…"
"Yes…you're quite right…"
Both Shuu and Kanae spent the entire week shadowing Haise. Unfortunately, at every turn, either the Quinxes or Haise's personal guards got in the way. Eventually, Shuu was back in his room, sulking about his failure to be near Haise.
"I can't get alone with Kaneki. If it's not those kids, it's his personal servants. And the irony is I'm still wrapping my head around the act that he has personal servants! I mean, the Kaneki I knew was a self-made artist, not this…puerile soft-boy!"
Shuu took a deep breath before continuing.
"I have to speak to him alone…"
Kanae replied,
"Doves tend to operate in groups…"
As Shuu lamented on the obstacle before him, Kanae took the moment as the opportunity to do what he planned on his own.
"Master Shuu…I have something…"
Kanae showed Shuu the address of the place that Danny gave to Mirumo.
"I managed to get this from Master Mirumo's personal rolodex. As well as…"
"What?"
Kanae then showed a photo of Haise in a cage match with Kisho Arima.
"This looks like…where did you get this?"
Kanae almost said where, but Shuu interrupted.
"Wait…Chie, right?"
"Ja…"
Shuu chuckled a little before speaking further.
"She knows me all too well…but this gives me hope!"
As Shuu felt a little elated as he stood, his mind began to think about Chie.
"I wonder…what that little mouse is doing now?"
He then looked at the card again.
"As well as…the people of Anteiku…I wonder if they know?"
Shuu then gave an order to Kanae.
"Kanae…"
"Yes Master?"
"Make full use of any information network we can hire. Perhaps the reason why we failed to take any direct action is due to our lack of knowledge on our part. Contact Chie. Have her dig on anything she can on…Yashida Industries…"
xxxxxx
Chie currently ran away from GCB Investigators on charges of associating with ghouls and providing underground services to them. She managed to give them the slip, but the Investigators did not stop looking for her.
"Find her!"
Said Shimoguchi as he took the lead of locating Chie Hori.
"Photographing ghoul attack scenes, assisting them with their hunts, and hacking into the GCB servers…this little lady has a rap sheet as long as my right arm."
As the search continued, Chie hid thank, luckily for her proved itself to be out of the Investigators line of sight. She lamented to herself,
"I keep doing stuff like this, I'm likely to become an outlaw…Kanae, I hope you're having better luck than me…"
xxxxxx
At a concrete bridge overpass, some ghouls were waiting for someone. Three of them wore robes with the Aogiri symbol on them while one of them was identified as Torso.
"Is this guy really gonna show up?"
"I hope so. We need new income now that the Madames are gone…"
The person turned out to be Kanae as he approached the robed ghouls.
"You with Aogiri?"
One of the Aogiri ghouls responded,
"Who's asking?"
Kanae then presented to them a stack of Yen bills, amounting to 10 million. Along with an envelope containing the info. As the lead robed ghoul finished counting the money before taking off the hood from his head, he asked,
"What's the job?"
Kanae remembered when Shuu said that both the Quinxes and Yukio/Harada made it hard for Shuu to get close to Haise.
"Then I will get that time for you…Master…"
Kanae explained the job.
"I need you to take down the X-Force."
The Aogiri ghouls stood surprised when Kanae explained the goal. One of the Aogiri ghouls that sported a cowlick hairstyle said to Kanae,
"You realize that's a big ask?"
"Damn right, Shosei. We're gonna need everyone on this."
"Everyone, Hohguro?"
Asked Torso. One of the robed ghouls named codenamed Grave Robber explained to Torso.
"You've been living under a rock? The X-Force are a Dove team that took down a kaiju from space."
"I…may have heard something like that?"
"Something like that?! It was all over the news!"
Hohguro then had a thought.
"Well now we have a good reason to milk this…"
"Something like this, we're gonna need more than what you gave us…"
"I know that…this is simply a down payment."
Intrigued, Shosei asked,
"Is that right?"
"Yes. You'll receive twice his amount for every member of the X-Force you've killed."
After a moment, Shosei then asked,
"What about Kuzuri?"
Kanae stood a little surprised when Shosei knew who Haise used to be called.
"Yeah…he may go by a different name, but I recognize him."
"…Alive, but unconscious…"
After taking a while to think, Shosei gave his answer.
"Sure. Name the time and place."
xxxxxx
(The next night)
The X-Force (minus Harada) gained a lead on Rosé, which led them to a parking lot complex. As they searched the complex, Mutsuki asked Haise,
"Haise, how are the other squads on leads?"
"I think they're pretty lacking for some…"
Yukio gave her thoughts.
"Perhaps Rosé are acting extra cautious…since Kijima's livestream…"
"Tell me about it. If someone hunted me down like that, I'd dig myself into a hole and stay there 'til doomsday."
Said Deadpool. Mutsuki then says,
"Too bad Harada couldn't make it."
Haise explained,
"Great-Grandfather needed him for something. It couldn't be helped."
Shirazu then asked,
"So how did we get this lead?"
"Deadpool, you received this about a day after you came back, right?"
"Yeah. Some rando fan of mine saw me on the street and told me about this lead."
"And you did not bother to do a background check?"
Asked Yukio.
"We do those on humans?"
Haise sighed as although Deadpool was not wrong, he still felt that the masked Investigator still lacked a grasp on the fundamentals of investigation work.
"It helps to double check your information. Before you act on it."
Deadpool sighed at the mistake he made and replied,
"I'll definitely do that in the future, Boss man."
Just then, Urie spotted a very familiar figure, wearing a Rosé mask, in the distance.
"That guy's from the auction!"
Shirazu spotted him as well.
"Oh crap, that's…!"
The masked ghoul instantly left, prompting the two to chase after him. Haise yelled,
"Shirazu! Urie!"
Deadpool went after them while exclaiming to Haise,
"I got their backs!"
As Deadpool ran after the two, the Aogiri ghouls looking over from the top of the parking lot complex see the X-Force arriving and taking their bait.
"Let's start…call the white suits."
Soon Shirazu and Urie finally caught up with the Rosé ghoul.
"Got him where we want him."
The masked ghoul did not express any fear, which concerned Urie.
"Don't you need your baby-sitter?"
Shirazu replied,
"Not for you!"
The masked ghoul summoned his kagune and aimed it towards the two Quinxes.
"Borg!" (Pigs)
However, said attack got interrupted by the arrival of Deadpool as he shot a couple of rounds of Q-bullets, fired through a pair of Desert Eagle pistols. The masked ghoul looked at where the shots came from.
"You jackasses!"
Exclaimed Deadpool at both Quinxes.
"You ever stop to think that maybe this is what he wanted?!"
"DO NOT INTERFERE!"
The masked ghoul then aimed his kagune at Deadpool. Deadpool moved just in the nick of time to avoid his attack. While Deadpool kept on dodging, Shirazu asked,
"Well, what does he want?"
"Where's Haise right now?"
Shirazu realized,
"Someone's after Haise!"
This realization shocked Urie as well.
"Is this Yashida Industries?"
Urie went for the offensive as he attempted to pin the masked ghoul. The ghoul dodged at the right moment. Nevertheless, Urie asked,
"Is Rosé with Aogiri? Or…"
Slightly curious, the ghoul asked,
"Was?" (What)
"Is Yashida Industries paying you?"
Mentioning Yashida Industries caught not just the ghoul's attention, but Deadpool's as well.
"Why did this Dove mention Yashida Industries? Was Master Shuu correct?"
Shirazu launched some of his kagune missiles at the ghoul. The ghoul dodged again. However, Urie did not feel happy about this.
"Shirazu! What the hell?! I needed answers!"
"Go to Mr. Yas!"
"What?"
"If Yashida is after Mr. Yas right now, you need to cover his back! Me and Deadpool got this!"
Shirazu lunged toward the masked ghoul with his quinque out. As soon as he and the ghoul were in a weapons-lock, he exclaimed to Urie,
"This is an order from your squad leader!"
Urie felt a little floored by how Shirazu acted, but Deadpool snapped him back to reality.
"Do what he says. I got his back."
Urie ran to where Haise and rest of the team could be.
xxxxxx
As Haise, Mutsuki, Yukio, and Saiko ran after Urie and Shirazu, Mutsuki asked Haise,
"Sensei, that ghoul was from the auction, right?"
"Yeah. And since Rosé rescued him, it's assumed that he's aligned with him."
Yukio then yelled,
"STOP!"
The team instantly did what Yukio said before Haise asked,
"Yukio, what-?"
Soon, more masked ghouls arrived. What made these stood out were the white suits these ghouls currently wore.
"We found them…"
Said Shosei. Hohguro replied,
"Knew it…some of them really do look cute up-close…"
The lanky ghoul pointed at Yukio. Haise seemed to know who this group were.
"The White Suits…they often work for Aogiri…"
Hohguro then said,
"Do we really need all of us for this one? Even if two of them are mutants, they're too split up to be a threat now…"
"Don't forget that these are the guys that took down a kaiju. Not only we need everyone on this one, we also need this job. Not to mention…we finally get payback on this guy…"
The cowlick ghoul then pointed at Haise.
"That's right. We know you who you are…Kuzuri…"
Yukio instantly sprang into action, decapitating the cowlick ghoul. This shocked everyone in the area. She yelled to Haise,
"HAISE, RUN!"
One of the white suit ghouls tackled Yukio to one of the openings of the parking complex that offered a view of the city, rushing Yukio through the metal rail and down aside the building. Haise yelled,
"YUKIO!"
Saiko instantly ran toward where Yukio fell. Mutsuki yelled,
"Saiko!"
As soon as Saiko fell out of sight, the lanky ghoul then gave an order.
"Get the eyepatch out of here!"
Another one of the white suit ghouls then tackled Mutsuki away from Haise.
"Mutsuki!"
Now Haise stood alone against a horde of ghouls.
xxxxxx
Summoning her kagune, Saiko separated Yukio from the ghoul just before dropping on the floor. Although unharmed, Saiko felt a little disoriented before snapping back to reality.
"Where's Yuki?"
Saiko looked around to see Yukio unconscious and a minor wound on the right side of her forehead. She then looked at the ghoul that tackled her earlier. As soon as the ghoul slowly regained consciousness, Saiko felt a little scared.
"What do I do?"
Saiko then looked at Yukio again.
"I can't let her get hurt…"
Saiko activated her quinque and swung it at the ghoul's head. The ghoul died when Saiko crushed his head against a nearby wall with her quinque, resulting in a bloody splat. Although Saiko felt a little scared, she didn't want Yukio to be hurt further.
"I know Urie wanted to ask her about what she was doing to Maman…but I didn't want her to die too…"
Saiko checked to see Yukio's health. She remembered what she actually remembered in health class and applied it to checking on Yukio.
"She's alive but unconscious…I should probably call to pick her up…"
Unfortunately, as soon as Saiko took out her smartphone, it was instantly taken away from her. Saiko turned to see who took her phone from her. It turned out to be a ghoul. But this ghoul looked simply nightmarish to look at. He wore a striped shirt that did not seem to fit him as it only covered his upper body. His mask, made of bones that covered the lower half of his face.
"Uh-oh…"
The ghoul then says to Saiko,
"Hi…you look really cute…"
The ghoul then looked at the unconscious woman behind Saiko.
"And so does she…"
The ghoul menacingly laughed before talking further.
"You look very juicy…like Manju cake…"
Saiko summoned her kagune, but the ghoul summoned his faster than hers. It was shaped like a long tail. Long enough to completely wrap Saiko's kagune.
"I can't move my kagune…"
The ghoul then says to her,
"Now I got you."
With his kagune constricting her, the ghoul bit a piece of Saiko's arm. Saiko tried to yell, but the ghoul proved himself stronger than her.
"Oh, very tasty. Very tasty…"
Unbeknownst to either Saiko or the ghoul feasting on her, another figure loomed over the ghoul. Saiko caught a glimpse of a metal arm grabbing the ghoul eating her, and yanked him from her. Shocked as well, the ghoul asked,
"The hell you think you're doing?!"
Saiko then gets a full look of the person. The individual wore a black robe, with only his metal arm and a glowing red eye visible to her. With further strength, the robed metal arm then threw the ghoul so hard that the ghoul ricocheted all over the place. When the ghoul landed, he felt the pain from not just bouncing around against his will, but also from the grip of the metal arm.
"That hurts…"
"Then you're gonna hate this…"
The metal arm person then transformed his arm into some sort of cannon, and shot plasma bolts from it. The ghoul, although wounded, instantly ran from the scene. The metal arm person then turned his attention to Saiko. Saiko feared that it was Deathlok from the auction.
"I promise you…"
The robed individual took off his hood.
"I'm not here to hurt you…"
xxxxxx
Shirazu kept on firing his kagune missiles at the Rosé ghoul, although he kept on missing due to the ghoul's speed. Deadpool, at every opportunity, gets close to the ghoul and attack it with his katanas. He only got two hits, so far. When Shirazu's kagune missiles ran out, the ghoul seized on the chance.
"He's going for my kakuhou…"
Shirazu tried to grow more missiles, but failed. The Rosé ghoul got closer and aimed his kagune at Shirazu's.
"Damn, I can't use it now!"
Deadpool yelled,
"Shirazu, I need you to duck!"
Shirazu did what Deadpool asked of him. At that moment, Deadpool fired a Q-bullet from both of his guns at the back of the ghoul. The Rosé ghoul realized this, but could not do anything.
"Can't move. Got to use my kagune…"
Unfortunately, his kagune aimed at Shirazu's. Soon, the bullets pierced his back and went out his lower chest. The Rosé ghoul threw up a little bit of blood as he fell to the wayside, missing Shirazu. Feeling the pain of the exit wounds, the Rosé ghoul stayed on the ground. Deadpool then yelled to Shirazu,
"Finish him now!"
"But my kagune is still reloading!"
"Use your quinque then!"
"R-Right!"
Shirazu tried to open his quinque, but the shadow of Nutcracker still held his conscience in a vice grip. So much so that he fell on the floor. This slightly angered Deadpool.
"What the shit, Shirazu?!"
Deadpool then notices the Rosé ghoul slowly rising.
"Fuck it, then. It's my kill."
Deadpool holstered his guns and switched to his katanas. The Rosé ghoul sees Shirazu kneeling down for some reason.
"I have to get to Yashida-"
The Rosé ghoul then felt something pierce his stomach. He then sees who it was.
"Hi there. I'll be your executioner tonight."
Deadpool pulled back his katanas as he sees the ghoul's kagune almost hitting him. Deadpool got out of the way in time as he and the ghoul traded blows. The ghoul's kagune attacks were swift and fierce, but Deadpool blocked every strike with precision and skill. Most of all, the Rosé ghoul noticed that this individual was, in fact, stronger than him.
"No matter how I try to kill him, his skill with a sword is undeniable. And there is strength behind every block…"
Deadpool sees an opportunity for an attack, and took it. Deadpool swung his katana at the ghoul's face. Although the ghoul blocked it with his arms, the katana sliced through the skin of his arms.
"It's not just his strength…"
Deadpool delivered an upward strike before headbutting the ghoul. Said headbutt cracked the mask apart, revealing the ghoul's face.
"And here you were…"
Deadpool then grabbed the ghoul's neck and slammed him to a nearby wall.
"Hiding such a good-looking face. It's a shame really…"
With his free hand, Deadpool held one of his katanas o give the killing blow to the Rosé ghoul.
"We know you have your choice of executioners, and we thank for choosing X-Force!"
However, Deadpool did not kill the Rosé ghoul due to said ghoul using his kagune to break apart the wall Deadpool pinned him to, and using the dust of the destruction to escape. Deadpool coughed a little before realizing what happened.
"Shit…I was too slow."
Deadpool sees Shirazu still kneeling down. The mercenary picked him up before criticizing him.
"Hello. You still in there? Or did you shit your brain out of your ass?"
"SHUT UP!"
"WELL I WOULDN'T HAVE TO TALK TO YOU LIKE IF YOU JUST DID YOUR FUCKING JOB!"
Shirazu wanted to yell back, but knew Deadpool to be right about him not doing his part to take down the Rosé ghoul. Deadpool sighed before saying,
"Seriously man. What the hell? We were on the same page before I asked you to use your quinque."
Shirazu gulped before replying,
"It's complicated…"
Deadpool sighed once more before sheathing his katanas.
"Whatever…You head to Haise. I'll check on Saiko and the possible sleeping beauty."
"R-Right."
Shirazu ran to find Haise. During his walk, Deadpool thought to himself,
"That dude needs therapy. I don't care how taboo it is in the country…"
xxxxxx
As soon as Mutsuki took down the ghoul that separated them from Haise, they ran to where Haise was last seen. Unfortunately, someone very familiar to Mutsuki got in the way. And not the good kind of familiar.
"Tooru…"
Mutsuki instantly knew who it was.
"Torso…"
In his usual creepy demeanor, Torso says to them,
"Hi. It's been a while."
Mutsuki instantly felt disgusted by Torso.
"Did you change your hair? It's cute. You really pull it off."
Saying nothing, Mutsuki ran toward Torso (seemingly in a blink of an eye) and gave swift and painful cuts with their knives. Mutsuki juggled at least four knives while attacking Torso. However, the ghoul did not stop talking.
"Something's different about you, Tooru."
Mutsuki kept on attack the ghoul.
"Right, I remember. You recently came out as non-binary. Maybe that's it."
Mutsuki slowly became annoyed by Torso's attempts to make polite conversation with them.
"Not to mention…you've gotten stronger."
Getting irritated with Torso by the second, Mutsuki picked up the pace of their attacks. For Torso however, in his mind, he felt joy for the amount of contact he currently gained from the non-binary quinx.
"You're the best, Tooru. You have no idea how much I want you to be a still life."
Mutsuki felt their disgust rising to their boiling point.
"Are we connected through your knife?"
This comment freaked out Mutsuki a little.
"If we are…I'm excited. Please keep on stabbing me!"
Fed up, Mutsuki yelled,
"SHUT THE FUCK UP, YOU PERV!"
Mutsuki went for the killing blow. Unfortunately, said blow got blocked by another masked ghoul bearing a black steel katana.
"The hell?"
The masked ghoul moved with great speed, but Mutsuki kept up a perfect defense, never getting hit once. During a short break in the fight Mutsuki noticed something about the ghoul.
"She's not using her kagune…no. It's a katana…Like Yukio's?"
The masked ghoul spoke to Torso.
"Torso, you still alive?"
Mutsuki realized what kind of weapon exactly the ghoul used.
"It's a quinque… But how?"
Before the ghoul could fight Mutsuki further, her phone rang.
"Damn it. One moment…"
In an irritated tone, she asked,
"What is it?"
…
"For real?! You had 16 guys on him!"
…
"Yeah…it's a bust…"
After hanging up, she then grabbed Torso and fled. A little confused, Mutsuki breathed a sigh of relief.
"At least I don't have to deal with that pervert anymore. But…should I go for Sensei or Saiko?"
Just then, Mutsuki received a call on their smartphone.
"Urie?"
'Mutsuki, where are you?'
"I'm…?"
Mutsuki looked around to see a sign that said floor two.
"Floor two of the complex. Question: did Haise defeat the white suits?"
"Yeah…how'd you know?"
"I was fighting one of the ghouls who just received the news. And then she left with Torso."
Then the voice on the phone switched to Haise.
"Mutsuki, have you heard from Saiko? Or Yukio, for that matter?"
"Sensei?"
"Mutsuki, I need you to answer my question."
"No I haven't yet."
"…Alright. I'm with Urie and Shirazu. We're coming to you, and then we're searching for Deadpool and Saiko. Hopefully, they're with Yukio."
"Roger that."
xxxxxx
(earlier)
Haise stood by himself against 16 ghouls, all in white suits. He took out his claws…
SNIKT!
And got into a battle stance. Hohguro said to his fellow suits,
"GET VENGENANCE FOR SHOSEI!"
All the white suits all charged towards Haise. To their shock, Haise managed to slice three of them before they ever got to lay a hand on him. Haise then sped toward another ghoul charging toward him, grabbed said ghoul by the suit collar, and threw him to a nearby wall. Before the ghoul realized it, Haise stabbed him in his head and heart before giving a series of claw swipes. The result: the ghoul, diced into bloody chunks. As Haise turned around, he sees the same ghouls, previously eager to spill his blood, now cowering in front of him.
"They're afraid of me…good."
Frustrated by this, Hohguro yelled,
"WHAT, ALL OF YOU TURN INTO PUSSIES ALL OF A SUDDEN?! WASTE THIS FUCKING MUTIE!"
The ghouls charged once again. By then, Urie arrived to help.
"Haise, I'm-"
Urie stood speechless as Haise killed almost every white suit ghoul in his sight with great agility and skill on par with Arima himself. Such a sight reminded of made Urie realize the gap between him and Haise.
"Even with everything happening to him, it hasn't affected…"
Haise was not down to two ghouls left.
"His skill…no wonder he's finally surpassed Arima…"
Soon, Hohguro realized that he was out of his depth.
"I need to get the hell of here now!"
Hohguro left without either Haise's or Urie's notice. Soon, Shirazu arrived. He sees Urie and asked him,
"Urie, what happened?"
"Haise did."
Confused by this response, Shirazu looks to see more than a dozen dead ghouls, lying around Haise. Shirazu felt amazed by such a sight as it reminded him of not only the X-Men manga where he read ahead to the parts that featured Wolverine, but also the day when he watched, along with his sister, the news broadcast of the 9th ward incident. The one where Haise fought against the mutants of Weapon X. Shirazu wanted so much to be like Haise back then.
"Mr. Yas!"
Haise looked around, searching for the ghoul that led the attack against him.
"He got away…"
Haise then looked behind him to see Urie and Shirazu running towards him.
"Haise, are you alright?"
Asked Urie.
"Yeah. They swarmed me, but-"
"You cut those fuckers up!"
"Shirazu…"
"What, Urie? You know I'm right!"
"Yeah, but I would've phrased it differently…"
"Either way, this is what you expect from the guy who finally kicked Arima's ass!"
A little confused, Haise asked,
"Since when?"
This gave both Shirazu and Urie considerable pause as they knew all too well what Haise meant by that.
"…forget it, Mr. Yas. Just one of my usual brain farts…"
Then, Urie asked,
"By the way, anyone seen Mutsuki?"
Shirazu responded,
"Not yet. I think they're fighting Torso."
Haise then asked,
"What about Deadpool?"
Shirazu answered,
"Deadpool is looking for Saiko right now. He and I were fighting that Rosé ghoul together."
"Did you defeat him?"
Asked Urie.
"No…Deadpool pinned him down, but he escaped before Deadpool could take him down."
Haise sighed before saying,
"Call it a draw. I'll call Mutsuki."
xxxxxx
(now)
As Haise, Urie, and Shirazu finally found Mutsuki, the team then ran to the first floor of the complex, Mutsuki sees flashing red and blue colors at the entrance.
"Sensei."
"I see it."
Soon, the team saw an ambulance at the entrance. With Deadpool and Saiko talking with the medic, with a small group of police officers blocking the entrance of the complex.
"Either Saiko or Deadpool must've called them."
As soon as the team arrived, Saiko saw Haise and exclaimed,
"Maman!"
Haise gave a sigh of relief seeing Saiko safe, but also became worried at the sight of Yukio on a gurney.
"Deadpool called for an ambulance for Yuki."
Haise went to Deadpool for the full story.
"Deadpool."
"Hey boss man."
"What happened to Yukio?"
"She's alive, but got seriously knocked out. Saiko told me that she had to fight two ghouls from eating her."
Haise looked at Saiko, who nodded yes at Deadpool's assertions.
"Good job, Saiko."
"Maman, I saw something else."
"Something else?"
Asked Urie.
"A Deathlok clone."
This shocked the X-Force as Haise asked,
"Are you sure, Saiko?"
"Yep. Saw a red eye and everything."
Haise took a moment to consider all that he learned.
"It's pretty obvious that both Rosé and Aogiri connected somehow. Not to mention…"
"The Deathlok clone?"
Asked Shirazu. Haise explained,
"I don't think it's a clone exactly…but Investigator Madou has been looking into leads of this individual since the Auction operation."
"The auction?"
Asked Mutsuki.
"While we were in that operation, Marude headed another one at the same time as ours. It was a success, but the reason Marude suffered way less Investigator casualties was due to reports of a cyborg supporting them while staying out of sight."
Haise then sighed before continuing,
"Either way, we've gotten all we can. I'm going with Yukio to the hospital. Shirazu, get the team home."
"Right. Urie, you're driving."
"Why say that? After Haise, I'm the only other Quinx that knows how to drive."
As the X-Force made their way to the car, Haise rode on the ambulance with Yukio. He remembered when Shirazu mentioned that he defeated Arima.
"I know Shirazu would never lie to me…so why…why can't I remember that day? Why am I starting to lose more days…?"
xxxxxx
Meanwhile, at a building two blocks from the parking complex; Torso, Grave Robber, and Hohguro recovered from their failed attack.
"Shit, they got us good."
"How are we gonna recover from this? Especially after losing Shosei…"
Said Torso, to which Grave Robber replied,
"The hell should I know? All I do know…is that Shosei was an idiot for taking this job."
"Hey! Don't bad-mouth Shosei, Kobin!"
Said Hohguro, angering Grave Robber for saying her real name.
"Don't call me that! Anyways, where the fuck is that pretty boy?! I say we get whatever he's got on him."
"Lost sight of him…"
Hohguro took out the wad of cash from his pocket.
"But at least I got the advance that Shosei got before he was killed by that samurai chick…"
Grave Robber sighed before saying,
"The X-Force are definitely no joke…"
xxxxxx
At another location, Kanae struggled to make it back to the Tsukiyama estate due to his injuries.
"Master Shuu…"
Unbeknownst to him, somebody currently watched over him. Eto sees Kanae limping to his master.
"Crawl, crawl, crawl…scuttle, scuttle…"
Soon Kanae leaned against a bridge pillar, almost succumbing to his injuries.
"Damn that…mercenary! I'll kill him next time I see him…"
As he felt the pain worsening, Kanae then thought to himself,
"What the hell am I doing? I know it's all for Master Shuu…"
"But am I really making any progress?"
Eto then makes herself known to Kanae.
"Hello…Kanae…"
Surprised, Kanae sees her and says,
"Who are you?!"
Kanae also notices something else about Eto.
"Bandages…why is she covered in them?"
Kanae took a small whiff of Eto.
"This scent is strange…it's almost like…"
Eto noticed this and asked,
"Let me guess: I have a strange scent?"
Kanae felt a little surprised by this.
"Is she psychic? A ghoul with an X-gene, maybe?"
Eto then asked Kanae,
"What do you think I am?"
She then brought out an apple.
"Guess right, and I'll give you this."
Kanae asked,
"What do you want with me?"
"I just wanted to ask…are you a Rosewald survivor?"
Now angry, Kanae's kakugan flared up.
"I don't give a damn what you are…"
He then summoned his kagune and aimed it at Eto.
"YOU CAN SATISFY MY HUNGER!"
Kanae tried to hit Eto with his kagune, but two problems came with such an action. One: Eto was too fast for Kanae's kagune to catch up. Two: Kanae's injuries still had not healed themselves. After a series of misses, Eto got close to Kanae's face.
"Satisfy your hunger, you say?"
Eto laughed menacingly before saying,
"Question: do you have the stomach for me?"
Eto's kagune took the form of tentacles, with a few of them possessing mouths talking while Eto gave nothing but pain to Kanae. Soon, when Eto was done fighting, she detached parts of her kagune to pseudo-crucify Kanae on a nearby bridge pillar. As Kanae hung, his thought were split on how he received one of the most nightmarish defeats he ever experienced, and the nature of his enemy's kagune.
"How is this thing…this lovecraftian creature…a kagune?"
(play Crazy in Love (50 Shades of Grey) – Beyoncé)
Eto explained the nature of her kagune.
"My kagune is like this due to its potential. Or, to be specific, the RC cell concentration. That determines the size of a kagune. What also plays a factor is a certain aspect of intelligence. AKA, imagination."
Kanae coughed up a little blood.
"When it comes to talent, there's a large between you and me…"
Kanae lifts his head up a little to see something very noticeable.
"O-One eye…"
"Yup. Tell me…Kanae. Have you ever read the Bible?"
Kanae did not give an answer.
"I'll take that as a no. There are many books within it. One that sticks to my mind is Genesis. In the book, the apple is grown from the Tree of Knowledge in a location called the Garden of Eden. The book also calls it…the forbidden fruit. When I first read it, I wondered: why did God plant such a thing in his holy patch of land? Seems rather contradictory, don't you think? Of course, in the book the devil was there as well. In the form of a serpent, as well as the two first humans, Adam and Eve. But that just begs the question: why did God allow these things to exist in his garden? Why allow such temptation to affect his first two children in the first place?"
Kanae did not respond to anything Eto said to him. Eto, however, did not seem to mind as she asked him,
"Kanae…what do you believe in? Christianity? Islam? Hindu? Buddhist? Scientology? Or maybe Atheist? Really, what I'm asking is…what comes to your mind when you think of…God?"
Confused, Kanae asked,
"What are you talking about?"
"I just want to know. Because my idea of God is not some…heavenly father figure…but some cosmic, emotionally-stunted child not deserving of the with the power of creation…yet he has it, nonetheless…"
Kanae did not say anything.
"I mean, it explains why this world is so defective. Why someone like you…is incapable of adequately serving his master…or fulfilling your own desires…"
"My desires…?"
"You went after the X-Force not for your master, but yourself…as revenge against someone who didn't even know how much he made your master suffer just by his absence alone…and when your master saw him alive and well, suddenly the will to live returned to your master. Meanwhile, everything you did to keep him alive never amounted to anything more than delaying the inevitable…"
Eto's words slowly encroached Kanae's mind and will.
(skip to 2:39)
"That's why you tried to kill Haise tonight. And not just him, but his X-Force as well. You wanted him to suffer in the loss of his loved ones before snuffing him out, all just to make him feel a fraction of what you felt…"
"I never thought of that…"
"That's why you prefer to stay within your own little garden…the outside world gave you nothing but pain…and fear…"
"No…"
"And anytime your master interacted with someone from the outside, it enrages you to see him happy with anyone other than you…"
Kanae then remembered when he felt angry at how happy he seemed with Chie.
"Maybe…"
"That's why you…honestly enjoyed it when he did nothing but lay in his bed for days on end…"
"No!"
"The days when he relied on you, and only you…"
"Shut up…"
"Were the happiest days of your life…"
"SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP! SHUT UP!"
Eto now towered over Kanae.
"Your love for Shuu Tsukiyama is wasted on him…"
"Master Shuu…"
"He doesn't see you…"
"Master Shuu…my loyalty is…"
"to your desire to have him all to yourself…"
With tears flowing from his face, Kanae then says,
"I…don't want to be…"
"Alone, right?"
Eto then dangled the same apple she presented to Kanae before above him.
"You now know what this is, right?"
Kanae slowly nodded yes.
"That's right…knowledge and power…and in exchange…I will be your God."
(end music)
xxxxxx
(13th ward)
In the Re; café, Touka was all by herself, cleaning some cups before closing the café for tonight. When she heard someone entering the café, she says,
"Welcome. We're closing in about an hour, but please…"
She sees Shuu entering in a slightly disheveled state.
"Bon soir…Miss Kirishima…" (Good evening…)
That's it for today. I hope you've enjoyed the chapter. Please stay tuned as there will two more chapters finishing up the arc before the break. Until then, stay safe and hydrated out there and have an excellent summer. Stay golden, pony people.