Wilting Roses (Arima Kishou fan fiction)

seven

    "Well, Ukuzen, there's a funny story behind that" He smiled to her. "I've known you now for close to ten years. And all that I've learned from you is at work or from your file. So I wanted to get to know you better, and of course, we're both older now than we were the last time I worked with you. You're a unique woman, who caught my eye with your wits when I met you, and then you impressed me with your skill when you became my partner. We've helped each other grow as investigators, and even as people. That's why I wanted to learn more about you, why I wanted to become closer than just... Colleagues, or friends." He tried to hide the blush that was spreading onto his face, but he could feel his cheeks flare a red tint. He looked at the woman, whose face had turned a rosy pink tone.

     "I-i didn't know that you felt that way, Arima. I honestly feel the same way, but I would rather get to know you better before we take anything further than friends." She smiled to herself, seeing the blush on his face. "I'm glad you feel that way about me, however. I think it's sweet. I appreciate that you feel this way towards me" she felt odd, it was odd talking to him in such a formal manner, wondering how he'd react if she dropped the formalities. "I believe that it would be rather nice to be your significant other. I would enjoy being with you, honestly." she felt her cheeks warm, Smiling at the feeling that she got from him. She felt warm inside.

     After they left the restaurant, she noticed something off. Anou was being watched from the shadows, she could tell that they were men from the CCG. She felt her cheerful face drop, turning to Arima. "Did you set me up? There are at least twenty men out here." She looked at him, feeling anger bubble inside her. "I thought that what you said was true... I believed you, I really thought that we could have something." She went to slap him, but couldn't bring herself to. His hand had already stopped her stalled hand, gripping it tightly. She pulled her hand away, seeing the pain in his eyes. Her heart hurt. She felt her eyes brim with tears, taking off into an alley.

     She was stopped by a team of men, their qinques in hand. A gasp escaped her as she looked for an exit, finding herself trapped by two teams of men. She knew that she was now a fugitive. No longer a first class investigator in the CCG. She felt a warmness around her eye, knowing that it had just turned the black and red colors that meant she'd never have a fulfilling life. She'd always be on the run. She had always been on the run. Now, it seemed like the last ten years of her life inside the CCG had changed her, had made her into a stronger woman, had helped form her into something more than a ghoul, or an investigator. She was both. Both ghoul and investigator, no, something stronger than both. She had experience as both. She was skilled enough to make it on her own as both a ghoul or an investigator. Watching as the men closed in around her, some fearful, others with a confident smirk on their face, she recognized their faces. They were people that she knew, people that she had worked with in the past.

      She looked for an exit, a way she could get out of this situation, frowning, feeling a tear slip off her lashes. She let her Kagune out, It sprouting out like wings and then folding over her shoulders. Looking at them, she whispered a, 'I'm sorry' before her Kakuja decided to take control of her body. It grows around her shoulders and down her back. She felt the mask take form, covering her face and giving her the appearance of the Little Owl. Small, quick, and extremely dangerous. She thought about her father, Touka, Enji, Irimi, her family. The only family she's ever had. She was distracted up until she felt something plunge into her stomach, setting her into an aggressive rage. She struck at the men, using her shoulders to knock them back. She didn't notice the blood coming from her stomach, she didn't even really care that she was injured. She moved fast, Injuring the men so they couldn't fight her. She didn't want to kill anyone. She only wanted a normal life. She wanted her life back, the life she had with the CCG. She took off running, she didn't know where she was going, but she needed to get out of there. She didn't want to face him after what had happened and she didn't want the men she once worked with to see her. She took the small break she had and leaped onto the rooftops.

     She gasped, seeing the one person she did not want to see had already guessed her path of escape. She stopped, not willing to fight him, the reaper himself. She looked at his opened quinque, feeling a shiver run down her spine as she mumbled: "I can't fight you.." She watched as the man walked towards her. She looked at his apathetic features. She couldn't read his eyes this time, no, they were too muddled to even decipher. "This is my job. I should have known not to fall for a ward. How'd you even make it this far?" He frowned, it being prominent on his face. She watched as he raised his quinque. She smiled a bit, knowing that its name was IXA. He started to bring it down on her, she falls to her knees in an anticipation of the coming blow to her head, that never came.

      She looked up at him, tears rolling down her face. It was just the two of them on the roof, She knew the others that are a part of her investigation and extermination are expecting him to return with a dead body. What if he just arrested her and took her to the prison in the 23rd Ward. Would her life be a meaningless blur to her then? Would she no longer have the purpose the CCG had instilled into her mind? Would she get to see anyone she knew again.? Well, she knew that she'd be questioned vigorously, as it was very unusual for a ghoul to want to work in a field that requires the killing of massive amounts of ghouls. She had heard her name whispered in the breaths of the ones she knew and had mercilessly killed. She was as bad as the ones calling themselves ghoul investigators, ghoul or not. They had both killed innocents. She choked back a sob, Watching his eyes turn a shade of pity. He looked at her, not knowing what to do. He didn't want to hurt her, he only wanted the woman who he thought was human to work by his side. She would be safe in Cochela, yes, but he wanted to be with her, to work with her, to watch her small blunders.

      He dropped his head, mumbling to the woman "I'm going to hurt you just this once. Please don't hold this against me, Anou, sweet, dear, Anou." He then brought IXA down on her, watching her sad, green eyes fade to nothingness, a dull green with no life to them.

      Yo! Wassup guys! I'm going to switch the date for weekly uploads to Wednesday. I know that this might make a few of you upset, but I think it's easier to write at school and have time to do my homework on the weekends. Thank you for reading, and come back next week for another, thrilling chapter!

~Wandering-chan~