Black Water | Tokyo Ghoul

Chapter 6: Restart

The two ghouls stood before each other, both of them panting hard. There was blood everywhere and the rustic smell was strong in the air, swirling like a cold broth over their heads. The walls of the alley were already a museum of their kagune's abilities. Scarred, deep claw-like marks and tiny, deep craters dug into the cement along with residue from their kagune.

Like their surroundings, the two ghouls had been wrecked horribly by each other after ten full minutes of fighting.

Rin grunted, trying not to stagger back as his chest heaved, blood running down his neck in rivulets. The boy took careful and shallow breaths, straining to see through the haziness forming like fog in his vision.

Touka was exhausted too but unlike her opponent, she still had a tad more energy to spare. She kept a tight grip on the open wound on her stomach, trying not to panic at the feel of her own blood running down the back of her hand like a stream of water. Rin had aimed for the center a while ago, wanting to end everything with a single blow but he never expected Touka to be so experienced in battle and failed to kill her by a millimeter.

Both were drenched in blood and sheeted with sweat but with Rin's shoulders sagging and his breaths coming out in deep gasps, it was clear who was about to win. The girl opposite of her didn't even seem close to fainting yet.

Now, for the very first time, the boy was on the verge of losing.

To think that he was about to lose to someone who served humans with a smile on her face, not even looking the least bit repelled by the idea of bringing them coffee.

Rin wanted to laugh at himself and tried not to growl at Touka, to hide that he was indeed at the end of his rope and was simply hanging unto his consciousness with sheer, stubborn will-power. If only he wasn't stabbed right in the stomach before encountering her, this battle would've been solidified with him coming out on top.

'Make her kneel.' his head hissed, 'How the hell do I make this shit kneel?' 

Make his kagune wider? He could cage her in and like a wet towel, just swirl around her and just squeeze. It was a dirty way of killing his victims but he was running out of time and energy.

Rin felt the way his eyelids had started to fall lower, tempting him to just sit and let the girl do whatever she wants with him.

Rin ground his teeth down, stubbornly pushing away the exhaustion leaning heavily down his back and carefully pulled back his kagune. Her speed was just as dangerous as his own and they had been involved in a flurry of quick stepped dances for the last few minutes.

Seeing the paralyzed state he was in, Touka scoffed, a haughty smirk on her bruised and bloodied face.

"Did you like the way I tried?" she asked. Rin simply shot her a dark glare and tried to think of a way to end the fight and finally kill her but nothing came. There was one idea clinking in his brain, however.

'Why don't you just run?'

The thought was annoying enough to make the boy actually grimace. With this kind of opponent, he'd only remember the shame of scurrying away with his kagune tucked between his legs. He waved off the idea and held his ground. He couldn't wait any longer but instead of rushing out like a thoughtless boar, he asked,

"Why do you even care what I do here?" he spat, suddenly feeling a hatred squirming deep in his chest. "If you think I might end up killing your friends then tell me who they are. I'll happily stick to only half-killing them."

Touka's glare darkened, the kagune on her back shimmering in the color of dark red rubies as her anger started to bubble again. She straightened herself, pulling her chin up and desperately trying not to lash out because for some reason, she started to think that the guy could still be reasoned with.