One-Eyed Reaper (Discontinued)

Chapter 5: Doves Pt. 2

Chapter 5: Doves Pt. 2

CCG 20th Ward Branch.....
Kureo and Amon sat on a bench as Kureo, in a rare moment, was frowning. He had looked back on his fight with the masked ghoul and found himself surprised. The ghoul was powerful and incredibly fast. The ghoul hadn't even released his kagune during the fight, so he wasn't sure who they were fighting. Amon, on the other hand, was berating himself for being too slow and weak. This was a very common occurrence for Amon that Kureo decidedly ignored for the most part. Kureo looked up as he replayed the memory over and over.
"Whoever the ghoul was, he knew how to fight. We will need to catch him off guard for this work." Kureo said with Amon nodding. He looked at Amon.
"I think I know a way."

4th Ward.....
Kaneki and Touka were currently heading to mask maker and vendor to get his ghoul mask made. Kaneki found out it was a ghoul by the name of Uta that helped design most of the group's masks. As they walked down a relatively deserted alley Kaneki saw a neon sign shining dimly over an entrance.
"HySy ArtMask Studio." Kaneki read out. "Seems legit."
"Come on, Kaneki!" Called out Touka as she opened the entrance door. Kaneki shrugged and followed. Kaneki found himself in a relatively spacious room that was full of masks. They were adorned on the walls and a few pedestals were showcasing masks.
"Uta! It's Touka! Come on out!" Touka called out while Kaneki was looking at the masks impressed.
'He certainly knows his masks. I'd honestly buy some of these just to be fun.' Kaneki thought with an impressed smile. He found a pedestal that was covered by a white cloth. He lifted the cloth and found himself looking at a tattooed man with long black hair with red and black eyes crouching.
"Boo." He said. Kaneki raised an eyebrow.
"Do you do this often?" The man smiled and hopped off.
"I thought I heard a second pair of feet. I'm Uta by the way." He said casually. Kaneki nodded politely.
"I'm Kaneki. Touka brought me here to get a ghoul mask." He said casually.
Uta nodded and walked over to his workbench while nodding to Touka.
"How do you pass off your kakugan, by the way?" Kaneki asked.
"Didn't seem like you were hiding it."
Uta shrugged. "I have a number of excuses. Anyways, let's get you measured up." He said while taking out a tape measure.
"This one's a special case Uta." Touka said while leaning against a wall. Uta raised an eyebrow.
"How so?" He inquired. Touka looked at Kaneki and he nodded before activating his one-eyed kakugan. Uta, in a rare show of emotion, had his eyebrows shooting up and an expression shock and interest.
"Definitely a special case." He said as he began to measure Kaneki's head shape and size.
"You have any preference in terms of a mask?" Uta asked as he examined Kaneki's features. Kaneki thought for a moment before smiling.
"How about an eyepatch? And maybe something akin to a smile? If I'm going to be hunting and fighting, might as well look creepy or intimidating while doing it."
He said while thinking of his Reaper mask. Uta smirked and nodded.
"Right up my alley. I should be done by tomorrow since I already have a few parts that could work for the design."
Kaneki and Touka thanked Uta before walking out and taking a long walk back to Anteiku. Touka guided Kaneki to the entrance of an underground training area for ghouls. They stood apart from each other as Kaneki shrugged off his jacket.
"We'll start with hand-to-hand and move on to kagune use after." Touka said as she went into her stance. Kaneki nodded and assumed his stance.
"Ready....go!" They dashed at each other in a blur of speed.

Meanwhile....
"Kaa-san, why isn't Kaneki-san here with us?" Hinami inquired to Ryouko as they walked along the road. Next to them, was the ghoul Kazuo Yoshida who Kaneki asked to protect them. The ghoul agreed as he wanted to repay Kaneki.
"It will be alright Hinami, he's just getting a mask and training with Touka-san." Ryouko assured her daughter. Hinami perked up at that.
"Can I watch Touka and Kaneki-san fight?" She asked excitedly. Ryouko smiled at the girl's excitement and gave her nod.
"As long as he says it's alright." She said. Hinami cheered before she froze. Ryouko followed and her eyes widened as her kakugan flared to life. Kazuo was tensing as he was looking around. There was a small rumble in the ground before a spine-looking whip emerged and impaled Kazuo through the gut while Ryouko was sent flying by an impact to her back by a red cylindrical club. Kazuo coughed blood as the whip withdrew and he fell to his knees gripping the bleeding wound. Ryouko struggled to her feet before faltering as Amon held a struggling Hinami in a grip while Kureo faced them with his whip at the ready.
"Let my daughter go you bastards!" Ryouko screamed as Kazuo held her back. Kureo smiled amusedly at them.
"So the ghoul cares for her spawn. I'm almost sorry for taking the girl. Amon, hold her still." Kureo ordered as Amon nodded and held the crying girl in a grip. Kureo waved the whip around lazily.
"I'm going to give you a message, and if you will repeat to the ghoul in black. Do this, and I'll spare your little spawn in exchange for the other ghoul's life. You have two days to do this. Fail to do this, and I'll kill your spawn and harvest her of her Kakuhou like I did her father. Now, the ghoul in black will meet us in the entrance of the tunnels under the 20th Ward. He will meet us alone and if I catch a whiff of company I'll behead this little spawn of yours. Do you understand?"

Ryouko nodded as tears slid down her cheeks. She glared hatefully at the two Investigators while Kureo gave her an amused grin and Amon gave them a look of disgust. Kazuo and Ryouko walked away as Amon brought the girl in a headlock until she passed out.
"What now Mado-san?" Amon asked. Kureo smiled.
"We wait for them to take the bait."

Back at the training area a few hours later....
Kaneki ducked under another kick before twisting and kicking Touka in the back sending her into the ground with a grunt. They had sparred for a while and took a break midway before starting up with kagune training after Touka considered Kaneki to be up to par with her. She didn't realize he was purposely holding back. Touka got up with a groan and watched as Kaneki held a hand out. She took it with a smile as they slipped their jackets on and walked back to Anteiku. The pair had talked a little and Touka opened up a little about her family. Her mother was killed by ghoul investigators and her father had disappeared. She had a younger brother who she hadn't seen in a while. Kaneki, in return, told her about how his parents were killed by a ghoul as a child and how he was raised by Kureo Mado as a child and was his initial apprentice. This piece of info shocked Touka and Kaneki explained that while he thought of Kureo as something of a father, he knew what he had to do should they meet. Touka nodded at this and informed him that she would keep his secret. Kaneki was thankful for this.

As they approached the entrance Kaneki saw a sobbing Ryouko sitting near the counter and an injured Kazuo who was being bandaged up by Enji. Kaneki's eyes widened as he looked at Touka. Touka shared an equal look of worry as they ran to the cafe. Kaneki ran over to the injured Kazuo while Touka ran over to the crying Ryouko.
"Kaneki-san, I'm sorry. They caught us off guard." Kazuo apologized while Kaneki shook his head.
"They took Hinami!" Ryouko wailed as Touka's eyes widened and Kaneki looked down while clenching his fists.
'Kureo....why....' Kaneki thought as he stood up and walked over to Ryouko and gripping her hands reassuringly.
"What did they want?" He asked calmly. Ryouko looked at him sadly.
"They wanted you. In exchange for Hinami." She said while Kaneki nodded. Touka looked at him with sympathy as Kaneki nodded to himself before standing up.
"I'll go." He declared while the members of Anteiku plus Kazuo and Ryouko were protesting to what he was doing.
"They'll kill you!" Touka said angrily.
"They'll harvest you!" Ryouko cried out. Kaneki silenced them all with a raised hand and a sigh.
"I know." He sighed. "But if I don't, they'll kill Hinami. I won't let that happen."
"At least let me go with you." Touka offered, but faltered as Kaneki fixed her with a look of steely determination. His gray eyes were a storm now.
"No. I won't allow anyone else to get hurt or die because of me. This is my responsibility. Understand?"
The group nodded begrudgingly. Kaneki nodded as Kaneki looked out the window.
"I'll wait for the mask to arrive. Then I'll head out. For Hinami's sake, don't follow me." He said as he walked out into the rain. He looked up at the rain and sighed.
'Fitting.' He thought.