Over the years, the number of ghouls has dramatically increased. The CCG is struggling to keep all the citizens of Tokyo safe until a girl with unique talents shows up.
Kogame Kimura tries to fit in, but she is just different. She is extremely tale...
"Who? Who's coming?" Tora snapped, storming right behind me. I couldn't speak. Not to them. If I did, I would burst into tears. I had to speak with him- with Kazz, alone. Surely he knew something about all of this, but what if he did? What if he knew I was a ghoul all along? What then? What could I do?
Soon enough, 17 emerged behind me, he stumbled out into the doorway, into the light. He was still extremely scrawny, but now he had gained some sort weight about him. Tora had convinced him to eat and eat and eat. You could almost say he was attractive, besides the fact that he still wore bandages and a tank top.
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First off, I should explain who 'they' are. 'They' are a highly advanced ghoul association, The Shiin, the 'cause of death.' They had their beady little eyes all of Tokyo, inside and out. They knew where everyone was at any given time. Terrifying. Worst of all, they had their sights on our little group, all thanks to 17. If he had just kept to himself, maybe, just maybe they wouldn't be heading here right now. Or maybe they were already here.
"We've got to get out of here!" I shouted to Kazz. He didn't waste time arguing, but it was too late.
Those ghouls, masked and cloaked in their own gruesome ways, had surrounded our building. Every inch of the place had a single, ghoul, stationed whenever they saw fit. Still strategically placed to avoid injury to their own lines. It had happened too quickly, much too quickly for us to comprehend.
"Oh." Hanako murmured. "I see now."
~~~
Aiko's POV
A moment ago, everything was fine. Right up until the Shiin showed up. Thank goodness for Kagome's foresight, or her gut feeling. I would have never thought that they would have come to us. They rarely show their faces- masked faces that is- to anyone who they don't deem important. Perhaps this 17 dude was truly a bother. I grunted, slipping out of the booth. I wanted to stall as much as possible. There was no way my bladder could hold up against the Shiin. They were feared amongst everyone. Rumour has it, they use the most brutal torture methods to all of their victims.
~~~
"What do you want with us?" Tora asked, her voice surprisingly calm. She was much more level-headed than I was. If it was me, I would have lost my temper the instant they showed up on our doorstep or lost my shit.
In response, a small female stepped forward. She wore a circular mask, carved with a variety of flowers that twirled and shifted to conform to her head. A singular hole in the left side of her masked glowed a deep red, almost as if her eyes underneath glowed.
"The man you keep under your custody, he is of a great threat to both the humans and the ghouls alike. Give him to us and we shall dispose of him in the appropriate manner." Her voice sent shivers up my spine. It cut through the air like a knife through warm butter, piercing my ears. If I had the strength, I would have loved to rip her vocal cords right out. Hanako glanced around, her face was paler than usual. That made my stomach turn.
"What threat? 17 can barely even walk without assistance!" Kagome yelled, her eyes vibrant. They almost appeared to be glowing, glowing a very deep red. I noticed her fists were clenched, and I knew that with any sudden movements, I had no doubt that she would slice the ghoul to bits.
"If you do not wish to cooperate, then we shall use force." I shivered. What could I do? I was pretty well useless in terms of face-to-face battle, and things seemed to be f escalating far too quickly. These Shiin were willing to murder us over some stupid boy whom we just met. If only Kagome wasn't so stubborn, we might get out of here with our heads still attached to our bodies.
"Just hand him over, Kagome." I said. "He'll get us all killed."
Kagome shook her head.
"Why are you defending him, Kagome?" Tora questioned, her face still remaining expressionless. How she stayed calm, I was perplexed.
"Because-because..."
She stayed silent.
~~~
The exchange was completed in silence. The Shiin took 17.
"You'll be fine, Kagome." 17 muttered, just loud enough for her and me to hear.
"After all-
I'm not really 17."
What did that mean? Was he just stating his age or was it something they had discussed in the room? Whatever it was, I had a terrible feeling about it. If the Shiin were after this '17' and the person we know as 17 isn't really 17, then who is? Boy. Man, my head hurt. There were too many numbers and not enough answers.
~~~
Kazz's POV
Despite all the events of the afternoon, it was getting late. I still felt uncomfortable around the ghouls, but they- including Kagome- insisted we stay the night. It was dark out and we had little way of getting back to headquarters. I knew Kagome would be sad, and it would probably benefit her to be around her friends. After all, I am no emotional support coach. Kagome had her friends who could help and the Shiin- they had shown up to our doorstep only hours ago to take a stranger into their custody. No doubt 17 would be brutally tortured, despite his innocence or whatever.
Surprisingly, Kagome didn't run after the Shiin. Perhaps she had finally learnt her place, that she couldn't take on the entire world with only her quinque in hand. Or maybe, maybe she had been plotting something. Something absolutely cutthroat and reckless. That sounded more like her.
Whatever it was, I wasn't willing to spend another life. All I wanted was to keep Kagome well and alive, even if that meant trading some stranger and living with ghouls. Whatever kept her safe, I was willing to risk it. I knew alone, I wouldn't be able to defeat the Shiin, despite my efforts and the growing tinge in the pit of my stomach, I had to learn to work together with the Altair ghouls. Kagome trusted them, so perhaps I had to learn to trust them, too.
"Yo Kazz, why don't you join us for some food?" Aiko called, his voice respectfully calm. It pierced my thoughts and I guiltily welcomed it.
"I thought you guys couldn't eat human food let alone cook it?" I called back. He chuckled.
"I thought it would help if we went out- got our minds off the whole events of this afternoon. Also, we can't cook so we're going to get some take-away."
For some odd reason, the thought of oily, completely processed foods comforted me. Maybe because I knew I could spend time away from my thoughts- or because I was really hungry. Either was a perfect excuse to go out.
And maybe, I could finally get some answers.
(ó﹏ò｡)
I dunno. New chapter is done I guess?
It feels like a century since I've written.
I hope you enjoy this new chapter! Please comment and vote, it always brightens my day.
