KITSUNE

➖ No Rest for the Wicked

AYA COULDN'T REMEMBER WHEN WAS THE LAST TIME SHE WAS IN SUCH EXCRUCIATING PHYSICAL PAIN. She lay on the roof with her back against the wall. The blood from the last stab wound from Ryuu kept on pouring out of her, creating a pool of blood around her. She wiped away the blood that she spilled out of her mouth and tried to focus on her breathing. But even that felt painful at the moment. It felt as if the blade was still within her, burning hotter with every second.

She tried to focus on something else. She tried to think of someone else. And that someone was Ken Kaneki. She began to wonder about him. She wondered if he managed to defeat Koutarou Amon and save his friends. After all, his primary reason to join Aogiri was to become powerful in order to be able to protect his friends from any danger. Aya wondered if he managed to accomplish that.

Aya could still hear the CCG helicopter in the air – she was hiding from that helicopter a moment ago. Aya thought that the battle had finally ended and that's why the helicopter was searching the area for more ghouls. Aya wondered if Eto managed to acquire her father's body which will come useful in Dr. Kanou's experiments. Aya also wondered if Tatara and Noro managed to get enough Ghoul Investigators that would act as subjects in Dr. Kanou's experiments. Aya wondered if Ayato was well, if he managed to lead the Aogiri and push the CCG forces.

Falling to her side, Aya began to crawl towards the end of the roof. She had to see what was happening. She had to see why the helicopter had been flying only in one place and not around 20th Ward like it did before. She pushed herself with one hand while the other held pressure on the wound that didn't seem to be healing at all. In the loudness of the helicopter, she could hear something. Someone is fighting. And it was strange to hear only one fight. Something's not right.

"Aya!"

Looking over her shoulder, she saw Ayato landing onto the roof. His blue eyes wide open at the pool of blood that followed Aya. She looked exhausted, yet she only gave him a second of her attention. He watched her struggle towards the end of the roof again despite the pain.

"Aya!" Ayato rushed to Aya's body and stopped her from struggling by taking her slowly into his arms. "Let me see..." He removed her hand off the wound and his eyes wide – the wound was barely healing. "I need to get you back to the hideout."

"Ayato, what's happening?" Aya questioned with heavy breaths. "Who's fighting?"

The expression on Ayato's face made Aya's stomach turn with unease. "That's not important now. I need to get you to Aogiri."

Before he could manage to get her into his arms, Aya began to struggle. "No!"

With surprising strength, Aya pushed herself out of Ayato's arms. This time, Ayato didn't try to stop her as she crawled to the edge and looked over it. But still Ayato stood close to her as her eyes examined the light of the helicopter as it shined down onto the road. There was blurriness in her eyes from the tears that emerged from the pain. She wiped away those tears to clear her sight and she instantly regretted it.

Ken Kaneki lay on the ground with a familiar quinque impaled into his left eye. The White Reaper of CCG, Kishou Arima towered over the fallen body of half-ghoul with his hand tightly gripping the hilt of his quinque. Blood oozed underneath his white hair, turning it red. Ken wasn't moving, he was just lying still with his chest barely showing signs of life.

"No..." With newfound strength, Aya pushed herself forwards. "No! Ken!"

"Aya!" Ayato grabbed onto her leg before she could start falling off the edge of the roof. "What are you doing, idiot?!" He wrapped his arm around her, pulling her further away from the edge. "Do you want to get yourself killed?!"