Archive of Our Own ^beta

Chapter Text

Reina Nakou, was a mystery to almost everyone who worked with her at the CCG. Her lively—almost childish manners—seemed to drive everyone away from her. And it didn't help that the way she dressed wasn't in any way modest.

Her lilac hair swayed behind her, her eyes glued in front of her. She wore black button up leaving the first two open revealing a bit of her cleavage. A tight blazer that accentuated her big bust, and a tight fitting skirt that hugged her curves. Her 3'' high heels clicked against the concrete floors, manicured nails raking through her hair.

People around the building mumbled about how provocative she was. Her name rolled off their tongue with distaste, rumors of her seducing the higher ups led to her promotion to become a Rank 1 Investigator. They rumored her to be a dumb bimbo who had no skill on the field, but was kept because she was a good fuck once in a while.

"It's a shame, she's got the body—but that's all she's got." They'd pity her.

Not once did they ever seek her out either, not unless some horny co-worker of hers tried to seduce her into bed. She'd always reject every advance,

"I'm sorry, but I'm not interested." She tucked a loose strand of hair behind her ear.

"So you only whore yourself out with men with money? Just say you're a prostitute. How much is a night with someone like you?" He tried to negotiate with her, not noting her body language.

She was irritated to say the least, her eyes screwed shut as she sighed,

"Look, I'm not a prostitute—and I already told you I'm not interested. So, please, leave me alone." She argued, fists balled up ready to strike the bastard.

She left him outside the street as she walked herself home that night. Occurrences like these were becoming the new normal for her. It also didn't help that she was in the Quinx Squad.

The Quinx Squad made up of five other people (not including herself) were treated like a joke with little to no respect for them. It even tore the reputation of Investigator Akira Mado, daughter of Kureo Mado—a renowned Ghoul Investigator in the 20th ward. 

She was a blonde girl with deep purple eyes, and always acted professional no matter the circumstance. It's what she was known and respected for in the CCG.

Walking back out the building she called the first person that came to mind.

"Hey, Haise. Where are you?"

"By the Main Office with Mutsuki, but we've got bigger issues to deal with-" He sounded out of breath, the sound of wind prevalent in the audio feedback.

"Oh I just passed by there— hey wait I see you. Hold on, I'll come to you." She hung up quickly and ran towards the duo.

"What's wrong—and why are you both so out of breath?" She asked confusedly as she watched them gasp for air.

"Urie and Shirazu are probably pursuing a ghoul without notice." Mutsuki huffed.

"You mean the Torso case? Everyone's been talking about it—specifically Shimoguchi Squad since it's their case-" she was interrupted by a yell,

"You knew and didn't report this-"

"How was I supposed to know they were gonna pursue this fucking guy?! Ugh let's go, you've already read the details, haven't you?"

They nodded at her question and made a run for it.

"Those fucking idiots." She mumbled under her breath as the now trio grew closer and closer to the scene in front of them.

The idiots let their guard down after seemingly "defeating" the ghoul they were attacking which left an opening for the old ghoul to attack those two boys behind their backs. But before his kagune cut through their flesh it was stopped by a quinque making it rebound back to the owner.

"You fucking idiots can't even kill a ghoul correctly and you wanna do missions together." She sighed in disappointment while Haise only looked back at them and lightly scolded them.

"Never let your guard down," he said.

"Investigator Sasaki..." the monotone boy lulled out.

The sharp toothed boy only blanched seeing both of his mentors there; one looking upset and distressed and the other disappointed.

"I'll finish him off." Urie claimed more than offered to do so.

"No. 'The infliction of unnecessary pain against ghouls is strictly prohibited.' It's in the Ghoul Countermeasures Handbook. He could provide us information."  Haise remarked.

"But more importantly I said not to act alone." He warned them.

"But I'm with Urie." Shirazu started.

"He's right." Urie agreed.

"Don't be cute with us now, boy. Don't you know how dangerous it is to act alone?! For fucks sake you're injured." She groaned, pinching the bridge of her nose, her patience wearing thin as she pointed a finger in his direction warning him about his behavior.

"But we got results, didn't we?" He mocked them as he took his headphones out blocking their comments.

"Even if we gotten wounded, we would've regenerated eventually."  The monotone boy defended their actions mumbling a little 'takes a bit longer for me but...' under his breath as he walked away.

"If we keep following article thirteen we'll never get rid of ghouls." 

Getting tired of his shitty attitude she walked up to him grabbing him by the shoulder and slapped him. Everyone stood surprised, including the boy. His cheek stood red, a small cut from her nails led to small dribbles of blood flowing down his face from the small cut.

They'd never seen the kind, patient, and childish mannered woman become so serious and fueled by anger before—up until now.

"Get your act together before you regret your actions, idiot." She warned him.

"Let's clean this mess up..."

"That's 902 for squad leader Urie and 850 for Yonebayashi. 920 for Shirazu and 655 for Mutsuki." The doctor spoke as he handed the results to both Haise and Reina.

"Urie and Shirazu have RC factors on the higher side, since they've been using their abilities." He mentioned.

"I think they're using their kagune outside our supervision, should we stop them?" Haise asked worriedly.

"Tell them I said not to have too much fun, after all the quinxes are still a research project in progress..."

"But on the other hand Mutsuki's levels are basically the same as a normal humans. It goes against the original Quinx plan of utilizing ghoul characteristics." He finished.

"Makes sense as to why his progress in training hasn't improved much. He's still weak and slow." She muttered under her breath.

"And he can't control is kakugan. It's activated all the time."

"...well it's better than having no control and high RC levels. Too many RC cells and like a ghoul—he might not be able to eat normally."

"I'm sorry, I didn't mean to."

"It's alright. Oh we should get going, we have a meeting in a few." Haise waved off awkwardly.

"Alright. Oh and... Investigator Yonebayashi is a bit on the heavy side... tell her to watch herself." He concluded.

Both mentors said their thanks and walked to the exit.

"Seems the ghoul that Investigator Urie from Mado Squad confronted the other day wasn't Torso. Torso's currently an A rated Ghoul, but because no one has actually encountered him in battle, his rank is unknown."

"Maybe it's better they didn't encounter him." Mado said.

"In any case, we're on the Torso case. The Mado Squad needs to their own case." Someone on the Shimoguchi Squad barked out.

"That reminds me... I understand that the Quinxes followed up a tip about a possible Ghouls sighting. Something about growls... what did they find?" A different member of the squad snickered out with a cocky raised eyebrow.

"Stray dogs?! That's what the Quinxes do? They find dogs?!" They bursted out cackling.

Both mentors sat awkwardly watching their fits of laughter and mocking words towards them. Haise could only attempt to laugh with them in hopes to appear less embarrassed about their findings while Reina played neutral and oblivious to their comments.

"Ha-ha... yeah... it was a bit of a let down, but we're glad it wasn't a ghoul." Haise smiled awkwardly.

"Wipe that grin off your face. It seems Investigator Sasaki is something of an idealist..." the squad leader of the torso case  sneered at the way Haise was treating this case so lightly.

"Why wasn't a ghoul of that rating taken care of right then and there? He had no useful information. He's rate B at best."

"Civilian safety is our highest priority. That's what it says in the Ghoul Countermeasures article thirteen. Ghouls need to be dealt with swiftly."

"But clause two says 'the infliction of unnecessary pain against ghouls is strictly prohibited.'" Haise said as a matter of fact Lu only to be turned down.

"I think you're misinterpreting. Clause two doesn't prohibit us from killing ghouls, just causing them 'unnecessary pain.' In other words ghoul investigators are expected to kill them instantly."

His lips puckered up as he continued trying to rile Haise up. Though it wasn't working because the man was too good for everyone, and Reina stayed acting oblivious letting Haise take the fall.

"Or do you sympathize with them... Investigators Sasaki? It's certainly a possibility with you. After all, a ghoul did-" he was interrupted by investigator Mado.

"Investigator Shimoguchi. Training my team is my job. I'll talk to him later." She reassured him.

"Investigator Mado, maybe you're not doing your job well enough. He demanded we hand over our case files the other day. I was shocked—thinking he could just take over our case!"

"Maybe he just got tired of your investigation being conducted at a turtle's pace... and tried to help." 

"What?!"

"Sasaki and I could close that case in ten days. But unfortunately we're busy dealing with Aogiri Tree. Even Sasaki and the Quinxes could get a physical description of Torso in a month."

"You little-"

"Mado, Shumoguchi... that's enough." Take Hirako, leader of the Hilario Squad intervened before the discourse could get more physical.

"The Torso investigation will be handled by both the Shimoguchi Squad and Mado Squad. So please share case files."

The room was silent until Shimoguchi caved in and reluctantly handed over the information.

Mado Squad: 1

Shimoguchi Squad: 0

"Hirako Squad will continue our investigation of the rate ≥S Orochi. That concludes our meeting for today." Hirako ended.

Everyone started gathering their things, all of the Hirako Squad left leaving both the Mado Squad and Shimoguchi Squad alone. Taking this opportunity Shimoguchi spoke up.

"Investigator Mado. A physical description of Torso in a month? I'm looking forward to it." He taunted, obviously thinking they couldn't do it within that 'deadline'.

"Yeah, and when we do, I hope we can look forward to some willing cooperation from your squad in the future." She ended.

"...fine." He said as he left.

A few seconds passed before Haise looked in Mado's direction.

"I'm sorry you had to cover for me, Investigator Mado." He apologized.

"Sasaki." Was all she said before she pulled him by the shoulder and landed a signature punch onto this abdomen.

She looked down at him as he crumbled to the floor by the sheer force of her previous action.

"I don't dislike your gentle temperament, but ditch it when it comes to battles. Your comment on clause two embarrassed me even."

She looked at the other girl who was standing behind Haise.

"As it is that you're already discriminated against more than the Quinxes. Don't defend ghouls. If you want to avoid any more Mado Punches. That kindness... it'll kill you." She turned away.

"We got Investigator Hirako's authorization. Get me a physical description of Torso within a month. I wanna see Shimoguchi's lips quiver in shame. And you," she turned to the lilac haired woman.

"When are you going to apply yourself? You're smarter than you let on, and yet you bring more shame and embarrassment to the Quinx Squad... I expect better from you the next time we meet." She hung her head low as she walked away, heels clicking every step she took until the sound quieted.

...

"Let's get you up. Come on." Reina said as she hauled him up.

He leaned over her shoulder in pain.

"Thanks." He grinned shyly at her.

""Investigators Sa-sa-ki, Re-i-na! Quite a scene in there." Spoke Ito. Another investigator from the Hirako squad.

"Oh, Investigator Ito." Haise acknowledged the man.

"I'll go check up on the rest of the squad, I'll see you at home, Haise. Investigator Ito." She clasped her hands together pushing her breasts together and bowed—taking her leave.

"I'm home!" She yelled once she closed the front door.

"Instructor Nakou? Where's Instructor Sasaki?" Mutsuki asked, his face a bit disappointed to see only her walking up the stairs to the living room.

"He got caught up with Investigator Ito, he'll take a while. Where're the others?" She stretched herself out on the sofa.

"They left to blow off some steam.. I think." He strung off.

"Do you know where they left specifically?" She straightened herself up-right on the couch.

"They wouldn't budge when I asked them." He shook his head in defeat.

"You tried your best, that's what matters most. I'll be in my room if you need me, night, Mutsuki."

"Goodnight, Nakou."

"A physical description of Torso in a month?"

"Yeah."

"A case Shimoguchi Squad is already struggling with in a month?"

"I know I'm asking a lot, but I think it's possible if we all work together. If the quinxes can come together as a group..." Haise remarked.

Shirazu just chuckled out a bit at his words.

"You really are something, Sassan."

"Shirazu..." Reina warned.

"I'm goin' it alone."

"No you're not. Sit your ass back down, kid."

"What's your deal? Got a crush on Sasaki?" Urie countered.

She whipped her head to look at him.

"I don't." She crossed her arms in front of her.

"Sure seems like you do. Always kissing at his feet since you've joined, praising him in every way. Seems like you really like him." He taunted.

She inched closer to the brats' ear. She didn't care for his words, she found them hilarious.

"I don't, but what's it to you? Mad that he's got my attention unlike you? Mad that I'm praising him instead of you? How cute. Maybe it's you who's got a crush on me. You want me to get on my knees and worship you like a god? I can do that."

She peeled herself away from him, fixing her gaze on his face. He was disgusted by her words and upset at what she was trying to imply. She just grinned mischievously and patted his cheek.

"Cheer up, maybe if you put your ego aside and actually thought of someone else other than yourself—you'd earn my attention and respect rather than hearing me berate you like a little puppy."

He just clicked his tongue and brought the conversation back to what it was originally about.

"I'll collar Torso in a month." He started before he made his way out of the meeting room.

Haise tried calling out to him but to no avail, he didn't care. Turning around, Reina looked at Haise's figure and saw him beating himself up for not being able to keep his team together.

"It's not your fault, they're just stubborn." Reina tried to reassure him.

Tooru just looked at them with a worried expression. So far it's only been him and Reina who's been making an effort to actually work together as a team. Everyone else like Saiko, Urie, and Shirazu work alone, or sometimes don't even bother to get up. More than anything, Tooru was losing hope.

"So they insist on acting independently, huh?" Haise started with an ominous tone.

"Fine, I think it's time to show those boys what I'm capable of. The three of us are going to bring in Torso, Mutsuki, and Reina. Before those two do!"

Haise started spewing a lot of things, things she wasn't bothered to really listen to.

"If you're done shouting then maybe we can get started with the actual investigation, Haise." Reina sweatdropped.

"Right. First step: Cochlea."

"Investigator Sasaki. Investigator Mado told me you'd be stopping by." The warden said as he was met with three faces, two of them being more recognizable than the third.

"Why hello, Haisaki." Reina waved at him with a smirk.

"Welcome back, Nakou." He welcomed, his voice void of enthusiasm.

Both Haise and Mutsuki looked between the both of them trying to figure out how they knew each other.

"As I was saying, Cochlea was hit hard when we lost Warden Misaka at the hand of Aogiri Tree. I personally have high hope for the Quinx Squad." Haisaki admitted.

He mumbled a little praise and continued leading us to where we were headed. Mutsuki was a tad bit nervous mainly because they were visiting a prison full of ghouls.

Reina noticed his worrying and hoped that her reassurance would calm him down a bit.

"Hey, don't worry. The walls are made of Quinque steel, and they’re weakened with RC Suppressants.." she scratched her nape.

Sasaki on the other hand just watched the two with a dazed look. There were dark circles under his eyes and small eye-bags that could be seen if you studied his face close enough. She nudged him a bit to wake him up from his little daze and he perked up a bit, seemingly startled for a little until he looked at the girl. She just smiled and nudged her head towards the big door that held who they were scheduled to speak with.

"Well, well, if it isn't Haise and Reina. I was just getting bored." Donato Porpora grinned whilst rubbing his shoulder.

"I'm surprised to see you've sided with the CCG, princess. Hey, where's your commanding investigator, Haise?"

"Akira Mado is on a different case." He put it simply.

"How does it feel to be under the thumb of a female investigator?" The man behind the shatterproof glass asked.

"It doesn't feel so bad when it's the thumb of a brilliant woman. How about you, Father?"

"You brought a new face with you today. Very young and... appetizing." Donato growled out getting as close as he could to Mutsuki with the glass being the only thing separating the two from his bloodlust and insatiable appetite.

Mutsuki could only stare in horror and backed up slowly as he felt himself pale at the SS rated ghoul words. He ended up tripping over his own two feet and fell to the ground looking up at the terrifying Russian ghoul.

"I would like to rip that stomach open at my leisure, and stuff my mouth full of plump organs." Donato's eyes went wide as he salivated and went on and on about how he'd kill him and eat him up.

"Oh, you! Take it easy on him." Reina scolded the old pastor.

"I apologize." The elder said with a small smile.

Haise stooped down to Mutsuki and helped him calm down.

"So... what are you investigating?" Donato asked as if nothing happened moments prior to his question.

"A ghoul that goes by the name Torso." Haise said as he pulled up the information.

The glass separating the prisoner from the investigators then displayed a map of every single crime scene.

"We believe he's using a vehicle to get around since his feeding range is so broad. All victims have been females." Haise explained.

"In addition only their torsos have been taken." Reina added.

The old pastor looked at the girl expectantly to continue. He knew the girl for quite some time, well enough to know that she already knew who the ghoul really was. But she didn't relent.

"I see.. the head is a very important part for a ghoul. Understanding what one is eating enriches the experience. Enjoying the rest while appreciating the face—or perhaps going straight from the head... to each their own." He kept his gaze fixed on the lilac headed girl.

"The head truly is the centerpiece of a meal. It's a single flower as the only garnish to a meal that may seem insipid to humans."

"To show no interest in that flower and to leave it behind—he must either be an awfully picky eater or have a refined palette." Donato put it simply.

Haise was ruminating. He felt as if there was more than just hunger fueling Torso. There was definitely something more and he felt it.

"...or does he feel threatened." Haise began.

"The eyes express emotions—the mouth utters words. A face contains an enormous amount of information. What if he's trying to block all that information... entirely?"

"A ghoul aware of his own powers... afraid of humans.. because-"

"He's blending into human society." The old man finished.

"Concealing his identity as a ghoul... working for a normal business. Most likely some kind of an errand boy. Cleverly fooling everybody around him while being tormented by his boss, the clients... a position that requires familiarity with the streets. For instance a cab driver."

With that everything in Haise's mind went off and memories of Urie submitting hundreds of cab receipts. All along Urie was on the right track, but because of the lack of communication Urie was holding everyone, including himself, back.

"Thank you for the insight, Mr. Porpora." Haise thanked as he left the room leaving Mutsuki and Reina inside.

"Have you told all of them?" Donato asked the girl.

"No." She replied, gathering all the materials left inside.

"When will you?"

"Soon." She hummed.

"C'mon. Let's go, Mutsuki." She waved her hand to signal the boy about their departure.

"Nice seeing you again, Father."

"Instructor Sasaki... why does the CCG keep that man alive?" Mutsuki asked, still spooked and upset between their previous interaction with him.

"When I look into that ghoul's eyes... I'm terrified." He shuddered.

"It's because he's a valuable source of information for the CCG. That's why the Bureau uses him. At least until... and I don't like how this sounds like either, but.. until they get rid of him." He explained the boy trailing behind him.

Though Haise works for the Commission of Counter Ghoul, he doesn't find pleasure or satisfaction in killing them. He's a gentle soul who tried to find the good in almost everyone, even if they are cold blooded convicted killers. He sighed silently in his mind as he looked to his right, Reina walking with a high held head. Meanwhile Mutsuki trailed behind them both with a low strung head.

Chapter Text

"Mornin boys, I'll be your escort today." Reina saluted them as they walked out the front door.

She wore a white button up blouse, leaving the first few unbuttoned to show off a good chunk of her cleavage. A coffee colored skirt that hugged her thighs, and her signature 3'' heels. She decided to forego the white coat with something more fashionable—a long beige coat that covered most of her from head to toe. Her hair tied up in a high ponytail.

Shirazu greeted her with a big smile and started to chat with her, but Urie on the other hand wasn't amused. In fact he was annoyed, but at least she was better than their other useless mentor—Haise Sasaki.

He rolled his eyes and walked away from both of them.

"Sorry to interrupt, 'razu, but Urie's leaving without us." She motioned with her thumb that he was at least a good foot away from them.

Quickly apologizing, the blonde boy scurried to catch up to the other boy and whined about how heartless he was for leaving without them. The purple haired boy remained quiet and didn't say a word and instead just kept walking.

Walking behind them she admired the scene in front of her, reminding her of the good times she had with her older sister before they started drifting apart. A small smile was etched on her face.

As they arrived at the warehouse the trio was met with an investigator.

"Aki—I mean Investigator Mado! I came to escort the boys to get their back up quinques." She bowed.

"Investigator Nakou, good to see that you're cleaning up your act. Good to see you too, investigators Urie and Shirazu." She nodded their way.

"Hey, I don't like what you're implying, Mado!" The lilac haired woman argued but sighed in defeat knowing it was true.

During the past few days she's been stepping up and acting more like a mentor than before. But she had yet to drop the facade she'd put up since she entered the CCG as mentioned after Akira spoke to her directly—though she had reason as to why she wanted to sell herself as the dumb-good-for-nothing-bimbo.

"Any progress with the case?" Mado ignored the whining woman and proceeded to converse with the two boys.

Shirazu beamed at the acknowledgement meanwhile Urie just answered her question—annoyed by all the small talk getting in the way of what they were originally came here for.

"A plain Tsunagi." Akira motioned as they were handed their quinque.

"That's so boring." Reina nagged.

"They're backups, and they're still as good as your own quinque."

"You mean Widow? My baby glides through everything so smoothly, I doubt these can be as good as Widow. Can't wait till you both get your own!" She turned to the boys and patted them on their shoulders.

"You two, don't neglect your quinques just because you can use a kagune. The quinque is an anti-ghoul weapon developed by former general chairman Yoshiu Washu—the father of General Chairman Tsuneyoshi Washu, in partnership with the German Bureau Chief Adam Gehenna." Akira went on,

"The CCG engaged ghouls with firearms back then but were ineffective against a ghouls' kagune. Research into an alternative weapon gave birth to the idea of using their own kagune against them—manufactured weapons based on a kagune. Quinques."

Reina shifted from side to side seemingly uninterested with the topic at hand. She ended up zoning out in between the woman's history lesson on how they came to be.

"A soldier with a built-in quinque, if you will. That is what you Quinxes are. But, even with that ability—you are not ghouls. There are limits to a Quinx's ability." Akira turned to face them all,

"You've never seen Sasaki fight at his best, have you?" She asked.

Both males shook their heads at the higher up, meanwhile Reina just smirked at her question.

"No. But he uses a quinque very skillfully. There's much I can learn from him." Urie reluctantly complimented his useless mentor.

"Well if you both want to know, he's an interesting fighter. He uses techniques he's learned from the CCG until-"

"I think that's enough of that." Akria gave her a pointed look, meaning she's crossing a line that shouldn't be crossed.

"I didn't say anything."Reina giggled and surrendered.

The boys just looked confused as to what was going on between both their mentors. Urie though understood that Reina held a lot more information than she led on. Just how much did she know about Haise Sasaki?

Turning back to the boys, Akira told them to always use their quinques and bid them goodbye.

"Let's get going. I know you both want to go find Torso—and I know you both have a lead on him." She crossed her arms across her chest.

Her face was uninterested as she told them. Immediately Shirazu tried to deny her claim, but quickly came to find out that he was a horrible liar. She could clearly see through him and it didn't help that Urie's usual poker face was falling apart. Veins littering his forehead indicating he was upset at being caught. How foolish could he be thinking that he could get away with such information.

"So you mind telling me your lead or should I tell Haise about this little scheme you have?"

"I think you might wanna speed up if we wanna catch up with them!" Reina yelled, gripping on to Urie's waist so as to not fall off Shirazu's motorcycle.

The three of them piled onto the vehicle, while both boys wore protective gear in case of an accident, Reina wore none at all seeing as she was not involved in the original plan to capture and eradicate Torso. Urie inevitably squished between the blonde boy and lilac haired girl.

"Karao Saeki!" Shirazu yelled.

Behind him Urie urged the same message realizing that they had no chance unless they did so. The blonde concerned about breaking the law hesitated to do so until both of them yelled at him to hurry up. The cab in front of them waved side to side in an attempt to avoid oncoming traffic.

Quickly Urie realized they could have an advantage if a certain person had the capability to do so.

"Take out the tires with your kagune!"

"Are you serious?!"

Looking behind him he saw that the purple haired boy was serious about his idea. Groaning at the plan he did so but warned him that if he missed they weren't to blame him.

Swiftly pushing on the gas pedal the blonde released his ukaku. It branched out, spikes formed threatening to detach themselves from their place. Attempting his best at aiming at the cab he released three missiles continuously all imploding as they missed the cab.

Groaning at his incompetence, Urie jabbed at his horrible aim, but Shirazu just threatened to knock him off the bike.

"Could you both shut up and concentrate on the task at hand?!" The forgotten girl scolded the arguing duo.

At this point they were noticed by the cops and were told to pull over. Taking this as an opportunity to alert the cops of the upcoming danger Reina looked behind her and motioned her hand in an upward direction. As if getting the memo immediately the cop car sacrificed itself and pulled up by the cab attempting to tell them to pull over .

But in doing so—Torso—ripped their faces off with his kagune and flung them through the window to dispose of them. With no driver to maneuver the vehicle around it slammed into the wall of the tunnel they drove into. Just as Torso thought he had escaped law enforcement officials, the end of the tunnel was blocked off with a few barricades and cop cars surrounding them.

The cab came to a stop and the drivers door opened revealing a thin, half-naked man with his shirt wrapped around his face in an attempt to keep his identity anonymous. Hopping off the bike they all assumed a stance, not even a few seconds later Torso released his kagune and struck at the trio.

Unsurprised they dodged his attack and moved aside letting the expensive bike take the hit. Regaining his composure quickly, Shirazu released his ukaku and launched his projectiles towards the "masked" man. Shocked, the man was glued to the ground which left him to be the perfect target for the Quinxes onslaught.

They made quick work of him until a new obstacle made themself known to the trio. A masked person in a coat walked out of the shadows, their kagune ready to strike at anyone that gets in their way.

"I'm sorry but that scrawny half-naked guy is ours. You guys are Quinxes right? You use a kagune, right? You Doves make me downright sick. You're no different from Aogiri." The clearly distorted voice echoed throughout their ears.

A sense of familiarity struck the girl. That bikaku, that tone of voice—she swore she heard it from somewhere.

"And now that you've made me sick... I wanna have some." He snapped his head up eyes piercing through the mask,

"Nish-" Reina was interrupted with a strike thrown her way. She backed up and instinctively hid behind the abandoned cars.

Decidedly done with her he switched opponents, Torso long gone from the battlefield. Rate: S Orochi was now the main target. He dashed past the girl and swung his leg into Urie's gut—sending him flying into the wall of the ditch. The boy coughed up blood from the sheer force of the kick to his abdomen.

"Sorry, but I don't hold back against Doves. You'll get in my way one of these days. Better to nip you guys in the bud when I can." He sneered as he neared the bloodied up boy. Behind him Shirazu snuck up behind him and released a few missiles his way thinking they'd absolutely obliterate the masked man.

"What was that? A pea-shooter?" He mocked the blonde boy as he simply dodged them.

Both boys quickly got fed up with all his taunting. Wanting to get this over with, they came at him with all they've got. They swung their kagune and attempted to strike him, but all that came was more frustration. They jumped and leapt from place to place destroying more and more of their surroundings.

He kicked Urie down to the ground, his kokaku shattered and destroyed. He sat down on top of the destroyed cars and looked down at the furious boy, mocking him.

"That's it? For a kokaku? All it took was a kick? Guess it's an imitation after all." He chuckled.

The sound of footsteps could be heard growing louder and louder as they neared—Shirazu. He quickly took a stance and swiped at him releasing his missiles a dust cloud quickly forming not allowing them to see the extent of how much damage the blondes kagune actually did to the ghoul.

Once it cleared away he was left unscathed. Realizing they didn't have a chance to exterminate the Rate: S Ghoul Shirazu opted to retreat until backup came, not wanting to risk his life for something he knew they couldn't handle yet. Angry at his words Urie didn't relent, but instead tried to push forward. His method of keeping alive—self cannibalism.

He dug his teeth into the flesh of his forearm, the sound of squelching and the aroma of blood overwhelmed his senses. Reina looked his way, the smell of blood enticing her to take a bite of him. She shook her head and walked towards them.

"Hey four eyes! Seeing as they're useless, how about we have a match of our own?" She yelled out, a smirk creeping up her lips.

The ghoul turned around and looked at her,

"What's a bimbo like you doing in the CCG?"

"Still judging others based on their looks, Nishi? How about I remind you how strong me and my sister were when we kicked your ass."

She released her rinkaku, purple like tentacles reached out in front of her and in the blink of an eye they cleanly cut his hand off. She sighed and rubbed the bridge of her nose.

"Shit, I'm getting rusty. I meant to go for your whole arm. Luckily I got the other one though." She mumbled as she waved it around in her hand.

Her squad looked at her in awe and fear, the sheer speed and talent to distract someone was a talent to have at this point. They looked back at his figure and noticed that he was regenerating at a quick pace. His thick bikaku swayed back and forth before it readied to strike her until a quinque split it in half. She dissolved her kagune and watched the back up she called come to their aid.

"Sasan!!"

"Sir!"

"Who the hell are you? The king of the imitators?"

"Mutsuki, contact Investigator Mado.

The man didn't respond to his taunting voice and instead went to attack the ghoul without a second thought. He uttered a word in between every attack and dedicated each attack with his heart—thinking about his squad with each swing of his sword. The Rate S ghoul eventually caught up to his attacks and gave him a taste of what he was like.

The ghoul muscled him in the gut like when he did so with Urie a few moments ago. Haise doubled over and screamed in pain, his quinque out of reach, probably somewhere behind him. He stayed there for a while until he rose to his feet, raising his right hand—he cracked his pointer finger, the same crack released his kagune.

In an instant Haise's demeanor changed. No longer was he the looked down upon investigator, but rather a strong, intimidating man. Just as the ghoul tried to attack Haise, he moved out the way like this wasn't the first time he engaged in a fight with a high rated ghoul. This was the first time the squad saw their mentor use his kagune at all. 

He skillfully jumped and leapt away whilst keeping up with his attacks against the masked ghoul. Within a few seconds Haise had shattered the ghoul's kagune, and though it regenerated almost instantly, it was still a major feat for them.

"You're— tough." Haise gritted through his teeth just as Orochi approached him face to face,

"Well, thank you." He kicked Haise in the gut just like before, but this time Haise regained his composure in an instant and his kagune reached out to grab his quinque and it settled in the palm of his hands.

The squad noticed that he was depleting in stamina, his dodging time slowing down to the point where he was dodging the attacks just in the nick of time. When Orochi struck him again he fell to the floor, immediately coming to his aid the squad reached out for him but he put his arm out.

"Stay back-"

"We can still fight!"

"We're not just gonna stand here and watch-" they protested, but all Haise did was look back and grin at them.

"That's an order. Reina, help me would ya?" He motioned.

Grinning from ear to ear she slid her coat off her back and let it fall to the floor. She released her kagune, long, thick, deep purple tentacles following behind her as Haise stretched before going back to attack the Rate S ghoul.

"You definitely intrigue me more than those punks." The masked ghoul hummed.

Haise chuckled, "I'm not sure if I should be honored. But I don't think you want to get to know... me." He cracked his knuckle and attacked him without a warning. 

Haise showed no mercy, his actions were a lot more fluid and natural, his instincts told him what was right and what was wrong. When Orochi leapt away from Haise's attack, Reina formed her kagune into thin, razor sharp arms and pinned him into place... like a spider with their prey. They pierced through his skin, his shoulders and hips; the areas bled profusely.

This gave Haise the perfect opportunity to pierce Orochi's abdomen like before. Haise didn't have any reaction, he just looked concentrated as his hand contorted as if it was the one controlling his every move. That was until his second tentacle pierced through another part of his torso. Haise began grinning from ear to ear as he continued his onslaught of torturing the ghoul. Painful groans along with squelching noises could be heard from the pinned body.

"Just returning the favor.." he smiled manically, clearly enjoying this little show of theirs.

Removing his kagune from the ghoul's abdomen Reina shoved and grated the masked ghoul into the wall of the tunnel. When she let go he dropped to the floor like a rag doll incapable of moving himself around.

Pushing themselves off their kagune they reached the now unmasked ghoul. The girl picked up the mask and hid it behind her, meanwhile the boy straddled him and looked like he was going to give him the easy way out.

"'I'm dying I'm dying...' is that how it goes?" He coughed out as he laid on the street

The duo paid no attention to his words.

"Oh buddy, guess you still haven't found salvation, huh... Kaneki." He revealed his face from underneath the hood he had on.

That familiar face... orange hair..

"...nishio..?" Haise slipped out.

Haise lost his mind. Memories distorted, blank faces haunting him, mouths moving but no sound coming from them. The only sound he could hear was his name ringing in his mind... Kaneki.

"Guess playtime's over Nishio, take care." She said as she tossed him his mask. 

Walking over to Haise she hugged him, her kagune shattering his. She held him as he thrashed around her hold, her grip never letting loose. His nails dug into her skin drawing blood from the scratches, his screams and wails echoed throughout everyone's ears. The pain he inflicted onto her was nothing compared to his.

Memories of her hugging her restrained sister filled her head. She called out her fathers name, her name, she seeked comfort from those she trusted. Haise in return had no one to tell him to cry it out, to let him feel. No one but himself, and not having anyone to remember them by was a greater pain none of them would ever understand.

She took his hits, his scratches, until they ceased into small cries. The RC bullet put him to rest for a while. They both collapsed onto the floor as he muttered his name, Haise Sasaki, over and over again. Looking down at him, Reina brushed his hair aside in a comforting manner hoping he'd find comfort in it as it was the only thing she could do at the moment with all eyes on them.

Although he still clawed at her, the pain was much more manageable. She ran thimble fingers throughout his full head of hair and nodded at his words. "You're you," she caressed his face with her free hand, wiping his free flowing tears. She noticed her subordinates looking at them... fear... jealousy... and awe was clear on their faces. She felt his hand grasp her wrist, she looked down. He looked into her eyes and was about to speak up—almost expecting his words she reassured him,

"You didn't kill anyone, don't worry. We're all safe. Get some rest now, Haise."

And with those words of reassurance he closed his weary eyes. A deep slumber falling upon him. Sighing in relief Reina picked the man up with ease and carried him into one of the cars their back up came with. Closing the car door she went to pick up her discarded coat on the floor and threw it over herself.

"We're riding elsewhere, I'm driving."

"Will Sasan be okay?" They mumbled out.

"Of course he will. He always bounces back." She smiled back at them before she entered the escorted car.

Chapter Text

The sound of skin to skin contact echoed throughout the meeting room. Pale skin becoming red as blood flows to the surface of it. A mild stinging pain could be felt, the feeling of embarrassment flooded his senses, but he kept a cool front. His poker face never faltered no matter how humiliated he was.

A sense of lingering anger and authority dropped from the hand that slapped the boy. His face filled with worry as his voice spoke out,

"A squad leader can't put his squad members' lives at risk." His voice was serious. 

He was dead serious, and it showed not just through his expressions, but through his violent actions. He'd never once laid a hand on them no matter the circumstance, but he felt the need to express it this time to show that he was the one in charge for once and wouldn't be out down.

"It's dangerous to show our back to the enemy. I took the possibility of Orochi pursuing and attacking us from the rear into consideration." He defended himself. 

He stared at Haise the whole time and asked him, "does that warrant a slap in the face?" 

"You think you're so smart. Why else do you think I called for Haise? You would've died had it not been for me telling him as soon as we left to pursue Torso." Reina yelled at the foolish boy.

His ego got too big that he almost killed himself and the rest of his team all because of his selfish desires. Haise stood still as everything unveiled itself.

"Ghoul investigators must run even if their arms and legs are torn off!!" He raised his voice, veins popped out the side of his neck. His face contorted into one of worry.

"We'll have our chance as long as we're alive. What can we do if we're dead?!"

Sighing, Reina got in between both boys and put a hand on each of their shoulders. She pushed Urie away a bit and turned to face him.

"Urie I'm relieving you from duty as Squad Leader of the Quinx Squad." She stated

Again Urie started arguing, he made sure his voice was heard when he said, "I find this unacceptable," but both of them didn't budge, instead Haise put his foot down and in an authoritative voice jibed, "it's an order."

Gritting his teeth Urie breathed heavily leaving a heavy suspenseful silence in his wake until he sneered at both of them, "but you're both ghouls..."

His eyes widened meanwhile the rest of the squad squeaked in surprise at his bold claim. How could he disrespect their mentors?! Shirazu wasted no time in beating some sense into the boy.

"You're a piece of shit!!" He yelled as he kicked the purple haired boy.

He continued to lecture the boy about how responsible and considerate their mentors were. How they both risked their lives for theirs. He tussled him around like a rag doll, Urie having no reaction to the treatment he was getting at the moment. Instead he looked behind him where Mutsuki was standing.

There the shy boy stood watching Shirazu manhandle Urie. Noticing that he was looking back he decided to speak up.

"Urie.. I.. I'd like you to apologize to Instructors Sasaki and Nakou."

"Shirazu let him go." Reina raised her hand in a stop motion.

Following her order he did so slowly. Looking back at his mentors he noticed that Haise was about to speak up.

"No matter what he says, my decision is final. Besides, I'm appointing Rank 3: Investigator Shirazu as Squad Leader." He pointed at the blonde.

Shirazu screeched and tried to protest. He had no idea what Sasaki was thinking, but this wasn't right. Him? Squad leader?! Those two things should never be in the same sentence. Haise reassured him that he'd teach him what it means to be a leader.

Turning to face the boy that was walking away he playfully hit him a small smile gracing his lips that didn't quite reach his ears.

"Urie. You keep disobeying me and I'll eat you! I'm a ghoul, remember?" He chuckled softly.

Having nothing else to say, the denoted boy just walked out the room. Noting Haise's weird behavior she walked behind him and patted his shoulder making him look down at her figure. She smiled weakly at him and left to follow after Urie.

She looked around everywhere and found him sitting on the couch by himself in the living room. Deciding to sneak up on him she quietly approached him and hugged him tightly against her chest. Startled at first he tried to pull her arms off of him until he heard the familiar sound of her voice reach his ears.

"Got ya." She tilted his head so he could look up at her.

Huffing he let her have her way with him. She let go and climbed over the couch to sit on the glass coffee table. Her small figure leaning back, strands of lilac hair letting loose from her messy bun.

"I'm going to make it quick since we have to wake up early tomorrow." She put it simply as she crossed her legs.

He looked her dead in the eye and motioned for her to get on with what she initially came here for.

"You need to learn to respect others, you know. If you keep up this rude attitude it won't make others like you. Now since I started living with you I've learned a few things." She started.

"You don't like sweets, so I don't know why you have that with you.” She motioned to the can of sweets Shirazu had given him moments before they began talking.

”Two you don't care for relationships, whether it's romantic or platonic it doesn't matter. You push those who care for you away all because of your personal goals." She sat upright and stood up walking behind the couch.

"Let me tell you from personal experience... you'd rather have friends or people you can call acquaintances than enemies. Why? Because you don't know when the last time you'll need them by your side is. If you have no one to be there for you, you'll feel lost." She leaned over it and whispered in his ear,

"I know you don't care about these mundane matters, but it'll come and bite you back in the ass. Especially if you mess with the wrong people." She breathed out and turned around to leave.

"And who would those people be?" His voice echoed throughout the vacant room.

The girl stood stuck in her place.

"Since I started living with you I've learned a few things." He mocked.

She turned around and smirked.

"Yeah? Like what?" She taunted.

"You've been acting up since you moved in. Not a single time have you actually acted like yourself. This little vulgar act you're putting up isn't fooling anyone. Who are you? Is the real question, Reina Nakou." His voice dripped of venom.

She smiled at his words and walked up to pat his cheek.

"I hope you know what you’re getting yourself into, darling."

Chapter Text

The next few days were pretty uneventful. Most of the stuff that happened was meeting with Shimoguchi in the hospital. After his whole team was slaughtered mercilessly he resided in the stiff bed after help arrived and rescued him, treating all his minor injuries.

Although it was Reina’s job to join both Haise and Akira during these moments she decided to leave it all to the both of them deeming the task, "boring." Instead she walked over to the familiar scent of ground coffee and sweet, sweet, sugar. Her beige coat engulfed her curvy figure as she entered the warm café. A little bell at the top of the door alerting the barista upfront.

Her dark purple swaying behind her as she greeted the new customer with a small smile. Her voice coming out smoothly, her upturned smile making itself present in her voice.

"Welcome to Re, what can I get you..?"

Her eyes widened in surprise as she trailed off. In front of her stood the short woman. Her lilac hair pulled up into a messy bun, her lips stained a bloody red making her pale complexion stand out even more. Her lips curled into a small smile, "Hi, Touka," she waved.

The woman felt conflicted, but a small warmth spread throughout her chest seeing a familiar face after all these years of living in solitude.

"I hope you don't mind brewing me a drink." 

"I.. uh. Sure, plain brew?"

Nodding she sat by the counter up front and waited patiently. She looked around the place and noticed shelves and shelves of books on the walls of the café. They varied from informational novels, romance, historical fiction, thrillers, and other varying genres. The vibe of the café was calm, cozy—it felt like a safe haven, the dim lights making her feel at home.

In an instant Touka came back and settled the cup in front of her.

"Nice place you got here, Touka. Reminds me of Anteiku, you know? But the books are throwing me off." She said as she sipped the scalding liquid, her throat burning at the temperature, but she managed the pain.

"What are you doing here?" Touka inquired, feeling a bit at edge at her sudden appearance.

"You know you aren't being slick with the books. I bet if Kaneki visited he'd move in—in point five seconds." She chuckled as her fingers traced the rim of the coffee cup.

The dark haired woman blushed at the words and tried to deny every word that came out of the busty woman's mouth. Cheeks became increasingly red as she stuttered over her words. Akane just laughed at the younger woman and shook her head.

"You're so easy to read, grape."

"W-what are you doing here?" She crossed her arms.

"Can't I visit? Damn, first, Nishiki, now you? Guess I'm unwanted everywhere I go." She joked about blowing on her cup.

"That's not what I meant, and you know that."

"Yeah, yeah." She rolled her eyes as she sipped on her cup once more,

"I wanted to escape from my job real quick." She shrugged as she looked into the brown liquid, her reflection gazing up at her.

"They're being a pain in the ass and I can't escape from them. I just wish I had my old life back, you know?" She chuckled whilst stroking the handle of the cup in a slow manner.

"Yeah. I know." Touka sighed 

"What.. happened after we-"

"A lot. But it's best if we catch up at a later time, right now it's isn't safe to. Not here." She shook her head.

"You know, Anteiku was more like a family than my sister was, to me. I hope you know that I care for you and the others, Touka." She smiled as she picked her stuff up and pulled out a few bills leaving it on the counter as she left the café.

The purple haired girl watched her walk away leaving her glued to her spot as she looked down at the now vacant seat, her chest warming up for the first time in a while.

"You too, Reina."

The walk home was a bit slow and carefree. It's been a while since she decided to take up to enjoy the beautiful scenery surrounding her. It made her feel nostalgic of all the times her and her sister snuck out of their fathers place and wandered around without a care in the world. Soaking in the beauty nowadays was a luxury for most people.

Days consisting of work, barely any time to spend time at home relaxing, spending time with the family, with the kids, taking time for yourself was taboo. Forced to drink and make social relations with humans was growing tiring for Reina, she just wanted to rest and dream about the good old days.

Anteiku. The old coffee shop that used to stand in place of the newer shop, :Re. A family she found after her sister disowned her and left her to stay with her father. In an attempt to search for her sister she also fled to the 20th ward where she found home. She ended up transferring schools after she decided to live in the 20th ward, the safest ward up until a few years later.

She opened the door and sluggishly hung up her coat and kicked off her heels, as her hand reached up to unclasp the anchored claw clip in her hair. Her eyes felt tired and watery.

"Damn it." She cursed as the hand in her hair came down to wipe away the free flowing tears, her hair now unraveling itself down her back as it settled to frame her face?

At the top of the staircase was a shadowed figure that made itself known after hearing noise coming from downstairs. She gazed up at the person and quickly settled her eyes elsewhere upon realizing who it was. She didn't say a word and instead just walked all the way up to her room and shut it. She laid on her bed all sprawled out and looked out the window. The bright sun peeking out from the thin curtains, rays of sun peeking through the gaps.

The whole room illuminated in a golden cast, the rays that hit her body warming her up more than before—but in a comforting way. All that was missing was a hand running through her hair murmuring a few words about an old story her sister heard a few times before they escaped that god ridden place.

She turned over and looked at the propped up frame on her nightstand. A picture of her older sister and father enjoying quality time together. Their faces calm and collected as he braided his daughter’s hair and she read with a book in her lap. The same rays of sun in her room showed in the picture, the warmth in the photo could be felt outside of it. She took the photo in secret after finding the discarded camera in an empty alleyway the day prior. The picture had been a fond memory of hers as she remembered what happened after they found her sneaking up on them.

The sound of a camera shutter could be heard from a few feet away which alerted the two. As her father tied up his little girls hair he stood up and walked up to the door of the room and pushed it open only to find his other little girl with a camera in her hand as she smiled up at him with innocent eyes.

"Where'd you get this from, Reina?" He asked as he picked up the device and inspected it closer. He certainly didn't remember gifting her a toy camera—let alone a real one.

"I found it! Remember when you sent me and Rize to go shopping? I saw something white in an alleyway and so I told Rize that I saw something and we checked it out! It was a camera! It might be a bit dirty and scratched up, but it works fine." She explained twirling a strand of her lilac hair between her thumb and pointer finger.

She looked up at her father and shied away from his gaze.

"So you didn't steal this?" He lowered himself to meet her face.

"No! No! Rize, tell him I didn't! You were there with me!" She pointed at her sister, hoping he'd believe her word.

The older girl just chuckled and shook her head in a playful manner.

"Hmm, I think I remember someone running after us saying 'you get back here you thieves!'" She joked.

"Hey! You know that's not true!" The younger girl furrowed her eyebrows as she crossed her arms.

The older girl just laughed and walked towards her younger sister and picked her up. "I'm just joking, queenie. I know you didn't steal it." She looked up at her father and explained that it was by a garbage can and they asked the owner if they could take it with them.

"Can't have my daughter thinking it's okay to steal. I've raised them to be respectful, kind ladies." He scooped them up and handed the camera back to his youngest.

"I know I may not be your biological father, but I hope you know that I care for you both and will try my best to be the best father to the both of you." He whispered as he kissed the crowns of their heads.

The boy had walked back to his place on the couch after the girl went up to her room. He noticed that her eyes were a bit puffy and red, her hair a bit disheveled. Hell, she hadn't even insulted him as she passed him. He found it weird but didn't think of it much. Pushing his thoughts aside he sat back down on the couch and scrolled through his phone for a while until he couldn't shake the thought anymore.

Curiously he made his way upstairs and walked to the wooden door. The scent of perfume lingered from her room, often nauseating the rest of the team with how strong they were. She'd taken their reaction into consideration and threw them out and swapped them for more faint scents. Often not she'd bring home samples and ask around the house whether they were good to wear or not.

His hand reached for the door handle and pulled it open as it revealed the girl curled up on her bed. Her hair splayed everywhere on her pillow, the sun hitting her curled figure, her arms cuddling something. A picture frame? As he was about to close the door the faintest mumbling could be heard, "Dad... wher..Riz.?" Her voice slurred. He assumed she was reliving a memory.

Her voice groaned before she spoke, "n.. left..? Wh.. she at.?" Her chest started heaving, breaths getting heavier and heavier as her face scrunched up, eyes wrinkling. Tears free flowing down the side of her face. She continued muttering under her breath, "not safe", "find her", and "no's" escaped her mouth until her tears stopped, her breathing evened out as her tense body finally relaxed once more.

"I'll.. find her... dad.." she whispered.

Hearing enough he shut the door and headed back downstairs, this time returning to his newspaper.

After a few hours there was a big bang that woke her up. Groggily getting up she rolled over and dropped the framed photo on the carpet with a thud which caught her attention, she looked down at the object and picked it up.

"When did I move you?" She mumbled as she examined it making sure nothing broke or got scratched. She put it back on her night stand and walked to her mirror.

She muttered a curse under her breath as she saw her reflection. She was a mess. Eyes bloodshot red, puffy, makeup all runny staining her face. Her hair stuck to her face from the tears—which acted like an adhesive. Sitting down by her vanity she pulled out a makeup remover wipe and began to scrub at her face. Throwing it into the trash can, she walked out and checked out what the murmuring in the hallway was about.

"What the hell did you do?" She loomed behind them.

Saikos room was a mess. Trash everywhere and the door was knocked off of it hinges. Mutsuki, Urie and Shirazu were all huddled around the small girl cornering her on her bed. The quartet paused their little argument and turned to the older girl.

"Saiko's finally going to work with us during missions!!" Shirazu and Mutsuki exclaimed.

"Okay, okay, calm down you guys. Clean this mess up while you're at it." she turned to Urie and winked at him,

"If you wanted to wear my perfume, you could've asked instead of sneaking in." She chuckled and left.

"That little... what happened to the Saiko from last night?!"

They were all outside the house waiting on the stubby girl to join them, but it seems that wasn't the case even after last night's convincing. Shirazu seemed to be the most irritated out of all them, his mood clearly worsening the longer they waited.

"Didn't you all convince her to finally start working?" The girl teased.

"We should get going, we'll be late." Haise jumped in trying to get the message across that Saiko wouldn't join them no matter what, but Shirazu was determined.

"What do you wanna do? Squad leader?" 

"Sasan. Go ahead, I'm going to wake her ass up!!" He insisted.

"But.. when Saiko sleeps in, nothing wakes her up.." Haise said helplessly.

"Everyone wakes up!!" His voice getting smaller the farther he ventured inside the house. 

There was no stopping him anymore. As they all headed into the car Mutsuki asked if they really believed if he could actually get her to wake up and get to the meeting.

"She didn't wake up when I banged on pots.." Haise added with a troubled look remembering that day.

"It'd take a miracle if she even woke up let alone join us for the meeting." Reina commented as she buckled up in the backseat with Urie.

Stumbling to get to the meeting room in a rush, Haise opened the door and bowed, "I'm sorry we're late.." as Reina followed suit.

"We've been expecting you, Investigators Sasaki, Nakou." Rank 2: Hanbeh Abara stood by the door and greeted the squad.

"Where's Juuzou?" He asked.

"He overslept.. we'll start without him." 

Situating themselves in their respective seats Hanbeh then began the meeting. He stayed standing up as he presented the case regarding the Nutcracker, the Madames, and the Gourmets. Interested Reina stayed paying attention after hearing that the Gourmets were involved.

She turned to look at Haise—who was all the way to her left—who surprisingly wasn't paying attention to the meeting at all. Instead his face was screwed into confusion and worry. Knowing there was nothing she could do at the moment she turned back to pay attention to the case. There was no harm in asking after the briefing.

Chapter Text

As the case came to a close one of the Suzuya squad members abruptly spoke up, "By the way, I thought the Q's squad had five members?"

"Oh, the other two are..." Reina rubbed the back of her neck anxiously, knowing that Shirazu most likely gave up trying to wake up the blue sloth.

The other two—Mutsuki and Urie—beside her murmured quietly. "I wonder if he couldn't wake up Saiko.."

"Can't be helped, but it doesn't reflect well on Q's squad."

Mutsuki looked at the vacant seat across from him, "their squad leader isn't here yet either." He noted to the boy next to him.

And just on time the short male sprinted through the door making quite the entrance.

"Sorry I'm late!" He marched on in as his squad rose to greet him, a rush of good mornings flooded the room.

Once introductions were set, Suzuya turned to the two instructors and greeted them with open arms—but instead of a hug, Suzuya instead began to pat the taller man down. Handful after handful of candy piling up in the palms of his hands—stuffing them into his own pockets for later. He then turned to the girl and stuck his hands out expecting her to pull out another handful of treats just for him.

"You know candy'll give you cavities Juuzou." She said as she handed the small handful to him.

"This is less than last time." He pouted as he counted each piece.

"Did you not hear what I just said? Haise gave you enough as it is." She quirked a brow at him.

He smiled at her and popped the lollipop she gave him into his mouth before turning to Abara.

She smiled once he turned away. Ever since the owl Suppression eradication had ended she'd had a bone to pick with everyone involved. One of the investigators happened to be Juuzou Suzuya.

He had white hair back then, before she got to know him. After being held in Cochlea for a while she'd gotten used to the visits, to the investigators probing at her, all the torture she endured. When she finally relented to join—that's when everything changed. Most people still viewed her as a threat, a ghoul who had been tamed by the CCG—but were evidently still afraid of her.

By putting the bimbo act on she had gained the trust and lost respect by her fellow coworkers. They thought of her as less as time progressed. Now here she was, doing the dirty work for the higher ups. The Washu clan.

When Haise and her had been partnered together she knew it was because they didn't trust her. After a year later the both of them were assigned a case with Suzuya squad—and there she learned more about him, what happened during the Owl Suppression.

"I was just doing as I was told." He shrugged off when he explained himself.

She decided to forgive him and let her act dissipate into nothing when she was around them, and soon after he'd gotten more comfortable around her enough to joke around and view her as an equal. After all, he knew what she was capable of.

"Sir, the meeting has concluded.." the taller man noted.

"Then gimme the short version. But before you do-"

"I'm sorry... we're late!!" A loud voice echoed throughout the room and small snores could be heard from behind the man.

"Shirazu?!"

"Im impressed. Maybe putting Shirazu in charge was a good idea, Haise." She smiled at the younger boy as he blushed at the compliment, behind him Saiko seemed to have been half awake, mumbling incoherent words.

"I met them in front of the elevator.. give me the rundown once they're seated, please." Juuzou finished his sentence as Abara nodded at his word.

"Sorry Sassan, Nana.. we're so late.." he frowned.

"I-it's alright. Thanks for bringing her here... you did great!!" Haise smiled awkwardly trying to calm the panting boy.

"Stop acting like you did something bad," Reina rolled her eyes at the dramatic boy, "just be proud about the fact that you were able to bring her here. Give her to me, just sit." She extended her arms out and reached out to grab the drooling girl on his back.

She carried her to an empty seat and tried to wake her up.

"C'mon Saiko, you're here already might as well try and be present for the meeting, yeah?" She cupped the girl's chubby cheeks. Instead the girl just kept nodding off, a string of drool dripping on to the older girls arm.

Instead of getting grossed out by the wet-slimey feeling she just brushed it off and continued shaking the sleepy girl awake. "Saiko... if you try your best throughout this mission I'll buy you that new DLC you've been wanting." She bribed.

How the girl caught her words, she'll never know, but they seemed to work as the weariness was slowly washing off of her and a sudden consciousness came to front for a bit.

"You promise?" Her raspy voice called out quietly.

"Have I ever broken a promise, Saiko?" 

"Nuh-uh."

"So you promise?"

"Pinky promise?"

"Alright, pinky promise." Both girls intertwined their fingers together swearing not to break this vow, not wanting to disappoint the other as it'd give them something valuable in return.

A significant gift from the girl she looks up to, and a better relationship with the girl she wants to protect the world from.

A ghoul who consumed only genitals from the opposite sex wasn't uncommon to hear, but was pretty unsettling to hear the least. As her name suggested, she only ate testicles—and her traces were rather odd.

Cases of human trafficking in ghoul society wasn't uncommon at all. After all that's how the Gourmet's eat after all—and ghoul restaurants were still as popular as ever, but that may just be considered kidnapping and homicide.

"Well..?" Haise muttered into hi in-earpiece.

Seated at the designated restaurant, the Quinx squad was separated by tables. A group of three by the back of the restaurant and one closer to where The Nutcracker and her accomplice were seated, those being Mutsuki, Shirazu, and Saiko.

Haise, Reina and Urie situated farther away guiding the rest of the squad from afar. So far they were able to barely get anything in either of them.

"It's no good. My ears aren't up to par today." Shirazu scolded himself growing increasingly frustrated at his incompetence during an important point of their main mission.

Turning to the small blue haired girl, Shirazu nudged her and asked if she could hear anything, but all that came out was her describing the sound of the meat grilling in the kitchen. Unable to hold back his frustration he took it out in the girl and whacked her on the head while cursing her out.

Sighing, Reina looked up from her phone and turned to the other two boys beside her and noticed that they were equally as stressed, though Urie was hiding it a lot better than Haise. Speaking of the boy, he looked to be lost in thought until Shirazu spoke into the earpiece.

"What do we do? S-should we move closer?"

"No. Knowing that when ghouls are out they're already hyper aware of their surroundings. They'll just get more suspicious of us. Plus, you guys look so out of place." She scrolled on her phone and mumbled the last part more so to herself, but Urie happened to overhear her but decided not to comment.

"Shit, I can almost hear them too-" Shirazu's arm pushed his cup over the edge of the table. The fragile glass shattering as it came into contact with the floor. Shards of glass and juice spreading all over the floor.

Haise covered his face in dread, Saiko looked at the boy in an unimpressed manner. Mutsuki turned to nervously look at the boy who was probably shitting bricks and pissing himself right about now.

Trying to act nonchalantly Urie took a sip of his coffee, and Reina continued to scroll on her phone acting as if nothing ever happened. 

The Nutcracker and her accomplice turned to look over her shoulder back at the blonde before she got up to pour herself a cup of iced coffee. Her gaze never leaving his.

"I'm sorry Investigator Suzuya... the Nut seems to be returning home earlier than we expected. She may have caught onto us. I'm sorry. It was my fault.. yes sir." Haise cut the call and turned to the sulking boy.

"Squad leader. It's alright. We'll make up for it next time."

"Shirazu. Look at me," the girl ordered. He hesitantly looked up at her, "Mistakes happen. You'll get used to things not going as planned. Cheer up."

Once the squad back home Shirazu locked himself in his room out of sheer frustration and embarrassment from his supposed failure. Leaving him be Reina went up to her room and grabbed a few toiletries before heading into the bathroom and taking a warm bath.

She stripped of her day clothes and stepped into the warm water, her mind running wild until she sat down letting the warm water relax her body and mind. Slipping further and further into the tub she let herself get consumed by the water, numbing her senses letting the wave of calmness take over.

She recalled a memory. They were in the comfort of their own home, she was on her bed reading while her sister was by the windowsill painting her nails. She'd gotten to a chapter that described a new setting she was totally unfamiliar with.

The sandy, sunny beach. Where there was an infinite amount of sand and water—inches, feet, kilometers deep. Waves that crashed up against the rocks that bordered the shore line. The feeling of cold salt water splashing against their warm skin.

"Rize, what's a beach?"

"A beach? Well they're usually considered a tropical place, but not always. They're apparently great vacation trips for when you want to take a break from everything."

"How come we've never been to the beach?"

"That silly girl is because there's no big bodies of water here in the city. We need to be by the coast in order to be by the beach."

"I wanna go to the beach!"

"Do you know how to swim?"

"Of course! Why wouldn't I? Kichimura taught me how to-"

A knock at the door brought her back to reality. She pushed herself up and out of the water, hands wiping the liquid out of her face before responding.

"Yeah?"

"I need to ask you something."

"I'll be out in a minute—hold on."

She pulled the drain plug and stepped out of the tub onto the floor. Droplets of water soaking the dry floor. She wrung her hair and wrapped it up in a towel. She grabbed her other towel and began drying herself as quickly as she could. Deciding she was dry enough she put her underwear on and messily put her outerwear on.

Leaving the bathroom a mess she opened the door, her face being met with a poker face.

"What is it?"

"I need you to sign this." He handed the sheet of papear over.

Reading it over it stated the following, surgical consent form... frame procedure... healthy... next step.

"If I don't sign this, what'll happen?"

...

"And what did Sasaki say?"

"He'll give it some thought."

"Let's go to my room. We can discuss this more privately in there." She grabbed him by the shoulders and turned him around whilst guiding him to her room. Opening the door she pushed him inside and closed it behind her.

"Okay first thing first, why do you want to get it done?"

"I-"

"And be honest with me, I don't want a bullshit answer."

"As I was saying, I feel like I'm handling my kagune better than before and my rising RC levels have stabilized. Taking the next step in the experiment would be best for me."

"No. That's the answer you should give me, I want your personal belief. I know there's a stronger feeling that's making you feel strongly about the surgery."

...

Sighing she pinched her nose bridge knowing it would get her nowhere with him. Knowing Kuki Urie, there would be no coaxing his actual feelings out. He was a smart boy, knew exactly what his peers and everyone else wanted to hear. But when it came to Reina there was no use trying to suck up to her.

"Look, I know we're not as close as I am to the other members. But you keep pushing yourself away from emoting how you truly feel in the moment, and it's not just that. Remember how you asked for the reimbursement, and how you kept handing us receipts?"

He blinked.

"You never communicated with us. Had you told us your idea, your plan, anything at all! You wouldn't have put anyone in danger. You're holding yourself back and you don't even know it because that's been your whole li-"

"Don't act like you know me-"

"But I do know you. See how you're acting defensive? You know exactly what I'm talking about, Kuki Urie."

"Shut your mouth."

"You know, I wish you would just speak your mind no matter what. I can tell that you're hurti-"

"Will you sign the form? Or not?" He cut her off before she could say anything else.

"No." She crossed her arms, her voice dripping of disapproval.

He walked out of the room and slammed the door. 

"Please take a look at the files in your hands... it's a copy of a list discovered at The Nutcracker's residence.

"A list?"

"Yes. It's a grocery list. It suggests there's a connection between the Nutcracker and the madames." 

"So the Nut also kidnaps people, maybe she's collecting things for the auction."

"An auction..?" Mutsuki asked after hearing the word during the case.

"It's a bidding event that the madames hold—similarly to ghoul restaurants. They bid off the victims they kidnapped," Reina explained simply, "or in other words human trafficking."

"The ghoul known as the Big Madame—the chairperson of the restaurant and the show—is notorious throughout the CCG. We've had numerous chances to eradicate her, but they all ended in failure."

"So she's a vicious ghoul..?"

"If the Nutcracker is working for the Madame this could be an important case."

"If needs be, we may work, with Countermeasure II..."

Leaving the briefing was pretty eventful. With the newfound information of the case, everything had now changed. This was going to be the first case in a while where they would actively pursue a rate: ≥ A  ghoul. It was like a scary thrill ride with how surreal the moment felt as it sank in.

The five of them walked out together and murmured a few words to each other about the case.

"Sounds likes it's bigger than I expected..."

"Yeah. A joint investigation with Countermeasure II rarely happens. Guess it's all up to the Nut... we need to be at our best." Haise stated, everyone else knowing that it was true. If they lacked competence in any way, shaper, or form they'd end up six feet under.

"Hey, Sassan, Nana."

Bothe mentors perked up at their names being called upon by the blonde boy beside them.

"Is Urie okay? Being sent to the hospital out of nowhere like that."

"Sorry, I don't know. I was just informed myself."

Reina sighed knowing exactly what happened. After the argument that ensued the night he presented her the consent form, she knew that he'd still get the surgery behind their backs. How he was able to go through with it? She didn't know, but she probably had a feeling he forged their signatures or something.

"I'm sure he'll be fine, Shirazu. Urie's a tough nut, he'll get through whatever's going on in his immune system." She reassured the boy, not letting anything slip.

"I don't know. I can't reach Dr. Shiba either."

"I hope it's nothing serious."

"They said he'll be back in a few days. It'll just be us then."

"We have a meeting tonight. Shirazu, there's someplace I have to go to after I lecture Saiko. Can I have the car keys?" Haise reached his arm out as the boy pulled the keys out without hesitation and passed them to the man.

After Haise came back, he wasted no time to call everyone into the meeting room to announce their new plan. He sat everyone down and gave them the shorter version of what he was told,

"The Nut is scoping out potential victims in clubs and other places in the 13th ward. The list includes some unusual criteria for victims. Ocular prosthesis... vocalist, and some general ones like specific height and weight."

He stood up, "guys. We're going to become women."

"Huh?"

Chapter Text

"This is the club where the Nutcracker has recently been spotted."

"It's kinda fun."

"The crowds making me sick

"I think we- no- I think I'm outta place here."

"Nah, you look cute, Shirazu." Reina smacked his shoulder and winked.

Instead of taking the compliment to heart he just grumbled about how horrible he looked in feminine fashion. But she didn't blame him, he did look out of place—for the wrong reasons. 

Shirazu had decided to wear a plain strapless bodycon dress, a cardigan thrown over top of it—with a zebra print scarf wrapped around his neck. His makeup looking all bright—clumps of mascara sticking to his eyelids. His hair brought up into a side drill ponytail.

Meanwhile the rest of them had worn calmer outfits, soft flowey dresses, soft makeup, modest clothing—nothing too out there. And yet here he was standing out like a sore thumb. Though he swore it was because of his height—it wasn't.

"The difference isn't your height. Now shut up, and focus on the mission at hand." Reina smacked his arm and left to talk with Haise.

"Hey."

"Hey.."

"I noticed you weren't paying attention during the briefing the first time around." She looked up at him worriedly, "what's on your mind?"

"It's.." he sighed.

"Promise you won't laugh at me?" He smiled down at her.

"You know I wouldn't, Haise." She grinned.

He chuckled and looked at the dance floor, his arms falling behind his back after tucking the white wig behind his ear.

"I took the rest of the squad to this amazing cafe, I mean it was filled with amazing decorations, books, it felt so... comforting.."

She looked at his face, his eyes reminiscing the warmth of the said café, his eyes sparkling under the vivid lights. His lips quirking up into a soft smile.

"We sat down and got served by this beautiful... stunning.. woman—"

"Hmm, someone's got a crush." She laughed at him.

"You promised you wouldn't laugh!" He whined embarrassedly.

"Too late for that, lover boy. Now what's she got to do with it?"

"She uhh.. she served us our coffee and when I took a sip of it—it—it... it felt so... familiar.. like I've always known this exact taste my whole life, but this was the first time I've ever visited... the place." His smile dropped into a frown, his eyebrows furrowed, hands balled up behind him.

"It felt like I was.. home for the first time since.."

"I know. It's been a long time since we both felt.. at home. Even with the so called 'home' we live in, it's just a prison we're bound to. Its nothing like—"

"Hey, Sassan!" 

Both mentors turned to the boy calling out to his mentor.

"I think the Nutcracker's evaluating someone." He whispered, pointing at the corner she was seen talking to someone in.

Just then the girl stopped talking and pondered the idea.

"This isn't good.. that girl might go with the nut. If the nut gets to her, she may be taken to a different location."

...

"Sassan, Nana. About Saiko.. I think you're both too easy on her. Is.. there.. a reason?"

Looking up at the older man she waited for him to answer first. Haise looked down at the ground and thought back to old memories.

"Saiko's... mother left her father and took her and her brother with her. She opened up a bar with help from her boyfriend, but things didn't go well." He paused.

"..Saiko and her brother were sent to the CCG Junior Academy because tuition was cheap. She never wanted to become an investigator in the first place."

"When the time came to choose a career path, she still had no intention of becoming a ghoul investigator. Then the Junior cadets were given a Quinx aptitude test, of the six who passed, Saiko was by far the most suitable subject."

"When her mother found out there'd be compensation she immediately agreed to the procedure. The risk didn't seem matter to her mother—that's what I was told." He turned to look at the boy and acknowledged that he was her mentor for the squad, so that she could do her job, but he felt compelled to doing his job knowing that this wasn't what she wanted to do in life.

"I hesitate to lay more on her than I have to when she can't be motivated."

"Guess having parents doesn't mean being happy. She's the only one with either parent close by." He sighed.

"Both of Urie's are gone. Tooru's family was killed by ghouls. My dad's—my mom's around somewhere, but.. as long as we're in that house, I think we gotta do our jobs!! She's just bein' lazy!" He yelled frustrated that there was such a simple solution that was being overlooked.

"If she's hurting for money, she can work... she should cut ties with her mom."

"Maybe..."

"No, she should!!"

"I don't think it's that simple as you think it is, Shirazu." Reina whispered knowing he didn't hear anything over the loud music.

"H-hey, Sassan? If you regain your memory... are you.. going to quit the commission? You too, Nana... since you're both..." 

"Since we're both what?"

"You know.." he brought his hands up and put his pointer fingers together, hinting that he thought they were dating.

"W-wait a second. Me and Haise aren't.. you think we're..!?" She screeched out horrified.

"Me and Reina aren't—"

"Wait really?! This whole time I thought the two of you were—"

"Oh, god, no! Not that there's anything wrong with Haise, but he's like a brother! Ew." She cringed as he just watched and laughed at her dramatics.

"To answer your question, Shirazu, I won't quit." Haise reassured the boy who looked at him with a wavering smile

Just then a loud laugh erupted from the other side of the club.

"I like your hair!! It's cute!" Mutsuki a voice rang out surprising the person he was talking to—which was none other than the Nutcracker.

"Is he drunk?" A pull at Haise's dress pulled him out of his thoughts as he looked down at Saiko.

"What is it, Saiko?"

"I think Mutsi had something to drink. He reeks of alcohol." She recalled the unpleasant smell on him.

"Looks like that'll be one hell of a hangover for him tomorrow." Reina laughed.

"He's coming over!"

Mutsuki ran over to the group and greeted them with a salute before announcing that he successfully earned a job from the Nutcracker. His words slurred as his eyes focused on Haises before blinking away from the older man's gaze, and turning to drag both Saiko and Shirazu with him to the dance floor leaving both mentors by the wall.

They watched as they shouted, complained, and enjoyed themselves without worrying about their jobs, and instead focusing on being the children they still were at the moment. Both Haise and Reina admired them from a far, their faces smiling sadly as they took in this innocent moment.

And now, there she was. Sitting in front of one of the members of the Washu clan. Matsuri Washu. She's always hated him ever since she first met him. To be honest, he gave her the creeps whenever they spoke. She couldn't explain it.

Joining her was Juuzou and Haise, running the meeting was the damned Washu man. So far she'd done nothing but pick at her nails and pretende to read over the so called documents he gave the trio. She didn't care for what he had to say, plus Haise was there. Surely he would fill her in.

She found it funny how one could be so proud of his lineage without knowing all the actual problematic things that happened under his very nose. He'd been so sheltered, that he was blind as to what was right in front of him.

"...have investigator Mutsuki attend the auction." Matsuri said annoyed.

At that Reina perked up and looked at Haise who glanced at her quickly and asked if he heard him correctly.

"A-alone, sir?" He stuttered.

They both knew that even if Mutsuki did get the lead, he was in no way fit to go alone no matter the circumstance. If they could decide who to take to the auction, Reina would offer herself. She didn't endure a year of torture for nothing.

"Of course. It'd be suspicious otherwise. It's to avoid arousing suspicion, and so we can mount an attack from within." His voice echoed throughout the room.

"He won't be able to carry a quinque in with him if there's a security check. And that is what the quinxes ability is for, no..?"

Haise panicked and blurted out the first thing that came to mind to protect the boy from any imminent danger, "But Investigator Mutsuki isn't ready for such an important mission!!"

"What do you mean by 'but,' Investigator Sasaki?" Matsuri voice lowered by an octave, an almost animalistic—irritated growl came out from the man.

Haise cowered and just watched as Juuzou stepped in to save him from. Raising his hand, he asked for permission to speak before asking if he could join the auction too. His bubbly voice cutting through the tension between both guys.

"What if I pose as Investigator Mutsuki's friend? Might be good to have one more on the inside if you want to mess things up from within." He smiled innocently.

The discussion only lasted a few more minutes until the Washu man finally relented and allowed the boy with red stitches to attend and pose as an average citizen.

Just then there was a knock at the door, Investigators Hirako, Akira, and Shimoguchi entered the room. They stood tall as Matsuri addressed them a lot more formally than he did with Haise and Reina. She scoffed but covered it up as a cough and sat forward in her seat, her arms crossed across her chest, and leaned on the table. After that the meeting had officially commenced.

"Now let me explain the details of the operation auction sweep."

As everyone left the room Juuzou caught up to mentors and chatted up a small conversation before Akira came over and spoke to the both of them as well.

"Reina, Haise. If Squad 2 is involved, it's a big operation. That doesn't happen often." Her words struck them as she wasn't holding back.

She wanted them to understand the severity of the operation and what it entailed.

"I know neither of you have any career ambitions here, but what you do here will go a long way. That of course applies to your squad too. But the bigger the reward..." she sighed looking away from them.

"The bigger the risk." Reina muttered as Haise continued from where she left off.

"Thats what you were going to say, right..?"

"Yeah.."

Reina stayed silent as she stayed listening to the older woman. She knew that she hated her, and yet she still warned her—them— of the dangers that lurked in future operations whilst working at the CCG. A small fire erupted in the younger girls chest. Maybe it was because she thought they were finally getting along, that she was pushing their differences aside even. That feeling died down into nothing but wisps of smoke when she thought that it was all meant for Haise.

But why did she care? She was a human, nothing but food for her. She shook those thoughts away and buried the feeling deep down. She'd deal with her feelings once they were ready to burst in the near future. As for now she'd just have to focus on her words.

"You need to be stronger, Haise. Be stronger and kill ghouls. Those with the least to lose... are the strongest." And with that she left them. She didn't even bother to spare the girl another glance either.

Once she was far enough away Reina turned to Haise and found a conflicted expression on his face. Grabbing his shoulder she rubbed it.

"Hey, if you really want to be stronger don't listen to her words. Killing does nothing, it only feeds into the conflict you have between yourself. Instead, do what feels right to you, Haise. You're your own person." She smiled before grabbing his arm and dragging him to the car.

"Let's go home now. We've got the rest of the squad to debrief."

Once they both got home she left to her room and changed out of her clothes and into some shorts and an oversized shirt she'd stolen from one of the boys. Walking to the bathroom she shut herself in and started her nightly routine. Making sure to wash her face, and moisturize properly.

It had been getting a bit chillier as autumn was coming to fruition. The wind nipped at her skin everytime she left without a scarf, leaving her skin dry.

Leaving the bathroom she went back to her room and thought of the squad and their first mission. She wondered how they'd hold up. She remembered the first time she'd ever fought against an operation. The day the coffee shop became nothing but burnt bricks and ashes. Tragedy following moments later.

She sighed and sat on her bed. The blinds were open allowing her to see outside the big wall of windows that so generously came with the house. Her thoughts suddenly turned to a certain boy in the hospital.

"God, what the hell am I going to do with him. He doesn't listen to either of us, now look at what happened. Turning himself into a little guinea pig." She flopped her head on her pillows and tugged the sheets over her body shielding herself from the cool air circulating throughout the room.

She stretched her hand out above her head, reaching for the ceiling. 

"What would Yoshimura do? What would dad do?"

Pulling her hand down she turned to reach over her nightstand and turned the lamp off before heading to bed. That would be a problem for the furture her. For now she'd rest for there were big days ahead of them leading up to the raid in November.

Chapter Text

The next day had passed and Urie was finally discharged from the hospital and was told to take the next few days easy. Taking this opportunity he stayed cooped up in his room, only coming out to eat breakfast or to use the bathroom. The rest of the squad was currently downstairs in the training room, getting their asses handed to them by Haise. 

As entertaining it was to watch them eat shit, Reina on the other hand had other plans. Since he thought he'd be let off the hook so easily, she decided to become a pain in the ass for him. She knocked at his door and waited for him to answer the door patiently. 

The shuffling from the other side of the door came to a stop as the door opened revealing the purple haired boy. An annoyed expression taking over his whole face.

"I need to speak with you." She said as she pushed him aside and entered his room without his permission.

He rolled his eyes but let her do so knowing she was as stubborn as him when it came to getting what he wanted.

"What is it?"

"Well you're not off the hook just yet, you know?" She smirked as she got closer to him. The aroma of oil paints consuming her sense of smell as she tugged on his button up's collar.

His breath hitched, but his face never faltered.

"You know it was disrespectful to threaten your superiors, and might I add going against their wishes is an even more heinous act." She pulled him down to her face and pinched his right cheek.

"Slap me if you want. I don't care."

"Oh, but where's the fun in that? You know maybe it's better to teach you a few lessons."

"What the hell are you talking about?" He growled.

"I'll help train you with that new upgrade you've given yourself." She released his collar and walked around the room.

The easel in the room caught her eye and stooped closer to it, admiring all the details in it before she looked back at the boy.

He stood there unsure of himself. Living with her he still hadn't learned a lot about the woman. She'd always been unpredictable and random, her face never let on what her actual intentions were. She was a force to be reckoned with and it didn't help that she was as closed off as he was. She just... managed it in a different manner.

Reina quirked a brow at him and stood up right. Walking up to him she wrapped her arms around his neck and whispered in his ear, "what's it gonna be, Kuki?"

She looked glanced down at his neck—his adams apple bobbing up and down as he swallowed harshly. He was caught. Would he be falling right into the palm of her hands? What would she get out of this? He was—for once in his life—unsure of what the right choice was.

"Do as you please, Reina." He said plainly not letting his true feelings show.

"7 pm sharp. Be dressed by then and don't be late. You haven't seen me furious, and frankly you don't want to. No headphones either." She pushed him back and left the room.

Knocking on Haises door she walked in and searched for him around the room. He was sat by his desk typing away at his laptop—probably going over some documents about the operation for the millionth time that day.

"Hey, just wanted to let you know that I'm going out with Urie for a while and we won't be back till late."

"Are you taking the car?" He turned to look at her above his glasses.

"Yeah."

"Alright. Stay safe, and comeback before midnight. I can't rest properly knowing that something bad could happen while you're away." He sighed.

"Don't worry. I won't let anything happen to us. Plus I have you on speed dial, so it'll all work out." She smiled as she left downstairs waiting for the boy to come downstairs to the front door.

She had changed into a pair of leggings, a compression shirt and an oversized hoodie. It was going to be chilly so she wanted to at least dress appropriately for the occasion. Her watch reading 6:56. She put her shoes on and grabbed the keys off the hooks on the wall and toyed with the them until she heard footsteps growing louder. Looking up she found herself staring at the boy who just got there in the nick of time.

"Took you long enough. Now get in." She motioned to the car waiting outside for them.

Locking the door she hopped into the drivers seat and buckled her seatbelt in before starting up the car. She looked around her surroundings and to the boy next to her. "You good?" She asked, receiving a nod from him. She slowly pulled out of the parked stance and drove off to a familiar place.

"So why did you get the operation done?"

She'd decided to make communication one of her areas of training for him. She'd realized that if she were to work with him and whatnot she'd have to learn more about him and his personal experience. Building trust and understanding between them was a big focal point for her.

"Why not?" He shrugged.

Sighing she looked at him and looked back on the road in front of her.

"You really are a one word man." She smiled.

He looked at her with his head propped up on his elbow. Taking his silence she understood that he wasn't going to say anything else, but she still tried to reach him anyway.

"Do you only like talking about deep stuff?"

"Deep stuff?"

"Like, what's your favorite color?"

He scoffed and smiled a bit at her little joke. How could he not, it was a witty comment, but he went along with it anyway and humored her.

"You've stepped over the line." And at that she chuckled at his response.

"Seems like I've hit a nerve, huh?" She turned to look at him with a big grin splayed across her lips.

"You're just annoying is all." He bit back a grin.

"Oh please. You're more annoying than I am. You basically embraced the mysetrious role, and make it your whole personality." She jabbed lightly.

"I could say the same for you."

"What ever do you mean?" She looked around the road before making a left turn.

"You're not acting like it now, but you usually act dumb."

"Ahh.. that's because I want people to underestimate me."

Silence fell upon them as she parked the car and exited the vehicle.

"If you want to actually have a good relationship with someone who'll trust you, lose the attitude. We might even get to know each other. Though I'm not sure if you really want to get to know me." She mumbled the last part more so to herself than to him. He heard her anyway but didn't bother to comment on it knowing he wasn't meant to hear it in the first place.

"Follow me." She said as she walked down an empty alleyway.

The place looked pretty sketchy, but he followed her anyway knowing he had no choice but to follow her. At the end of the path a dim yellow light flickered in and out. He found her waiting for him by a door that led to a specific rundown building.

"Found this bad boy out when I ran away my second time 'round. Geez, I haven't been in here in a while." She smiled giddily like a child as she lifted the door up from its hinges and opened it like so.

Entering first she switched the lights on and blinding lights enveloped their sight. The dark room was now lit and the rundown building showed to be nicely furnished with decorations and furniture framed nicely across the room. Lampshades standing tall in the corners of the room, two mini fridges connected to the light sockets by the wall.

"Let's go downstairs, that's where the magic begins in here." She waved.

Heading further down there was a lit up studio. Concrete pillars holding the room above them. The white walls surrounding them were littered with scuff marks showing the usage of the room. Some blood stains could be seen on them too, the dark—almost black color all dried up.

"This is where we'll be practicing. It's not much, but this'll do." She shrugged and dismissed her previous statement.

"Anyway, I brought you here because you deliberately disobeyed me. You got the surgery done without anyone's consent! But... I'm willing to forget everything that happened if you take this training like a champ-"

"Sure."

"I wasn't finished—" she looked at him pointedly, "and if you start communicating with us better. If not the whole group then just with me. I'm really trying here, Kuki." She leaned up against a pillar.

He looked at her for the first time since they were all introduced, and saw her as the tired woman she was. Her hair was messy, eye bags and dark circles present under the bright lights they stood under. Her figure shrugging forward from sitting through multiple meetings at a time. She genuinely looked tired but tried her best to downplay how she truly felt. It was a true contrast from her bubbly and erotic facade.

"I want to examine your endurance, see how last you long without your kagune."

"Why not with it?"

"Well, genius—If I don't examine your physical health beforehand I won't be able to measure your progress." She said as a matter of fact.

"I want you to evade my attacks. Mind you I won't take it easy on you. You're a promising investigator and I truly want you to do well, but first we need to discipline you." She took her phone out and opened to the stopwatch option.

"On three we begin, got it?"

He nodded and waited for the word.

"One.."

"Two..."

"Three!" She released her kagune and shot it out at the now fleeing man.

He scurried across the ground and almost dodged one of the tentacles flying at him. The feeling of his own blood cascading down his face made his heart race. She certainly could've killed him if she wanted to but she was holding back.

He thought back to a few days ago when they encountered Orochi and Torso, how she completely changed when Haise invited her to fight alongside him. Her speed and accuracy was something to admire and be terrified of. Right now he realized she was the predator and he was her prey.

She ran to him and forced her kagune into a claw like state—the only thing fueling her were the memories of her and her sister hunting in the 6th ward before their father had found them. Her thirst for hunting and blood slowly taking over her body. Reina could already taste the metallic mess of the blood oozing in her mouth, the tender flesh melting in her mouth, but shook those thoughts away and focused on the task at hand. Tire him out.

The cat and mouse game continued for what felt like a few seconds. The redundant hiding behind pillars and running away when she got too close for his liking was catching up to him—but it was evidently shown that Reina has not particularly slowed down. Her attacks did suddenly slow down and eventually came to an end as he hid behind another pillar as he drugged and puffed. 

She'd been putting up a good fight for him and it was something he'd appreciated. He didn't like to be underestimated, nor looked down upon. He wanted to be needed and useful, and if she was able to see his efforts then that's all that mattered to him. He'd take her praise any day.

Throughout all this he hadn't heard a single footstep. He peeked around the corner to make sure the coast was clear, but from above him a slight giggling could be heard. He looked above him and found her rinkaku wrapped around one of the pillars, her frame upside down, hair falling around her as her lips grazed his as she spoke in a whisper.

"You know, you should be more careful and alert when around me." She wasted no time lunging at him and pinned him on the floor, her hands around his wrists as she sat her full weight on him. Both of them panted and caught their breath.

She stared at his face. It was dusted pink from all the running around he did trying to avoid her as she told him to. His chest heaving up and down—trying to catch his breath. God he looked so pretty even with the little droplets of sweat collecting on his face, the beads dripping down ever so gracefully. His hair all disheveled and clothes sticking to his lean form.

He looked back up at her and saw her kagune start to dissipate. Although she was running around as much as him she wasn't as out of breath as he was. Her chest rose and fell in a slightly faster frequency. Her cheeks were still pretty pale and just the tiniest hint of pink could be seen. Her lips moved and muttered his name in a repetitive manner but it never reached his ears. Finally after lifting her hands to cup his face he looked her in the eyes.

"Hey, you alright there?" She asked in a worried tone, her eyebrows furrowed and cheeks puffed out trying to figure out what was wrong with him.

He suddenly felt very aware about the position they were in and awkwardly propped himself up on his elbows. She shuffled off his lap and apologized, realizing why he'd acted slightly uncomfortable, before extending a hand out towards him and waited for him to accept her offer. But he didn't. He instead waved her off got up by himself before asking where the bathroom was.

"It's upstairs, first door to the right." She pointed to the staircase leading up to ground level. He nodded and walked off with his head hanging low. She chuckled when he left and just shook her head in disbelief. Taking her phone out the pocket of her leggings—stoping the stopwatch at exactly 2 hours and 57 minutes.

Shoving it back inside the pocket she walked upstairs and grabbed two water bottles out the mini fridge and settled down on the couch to rest. She groaned in pleasure as the softeners of the cushioned couch relaxed her body. The sound of water running inside the bathroom was followed by the door opening and Urie walking out. He saw her on the sofa and decided to join her. She pointed at the water bottle before he sat down and told him to drink up before they left.

The car ride home was kind of awkward to say the least. After Urie had gone to the bathroom she replayed the moment she pinned him to the floor, her hands wrapped around his wrists and... she swore she could've felt a little something between them. Literally and figuratively. She couldn't get the image of him looking so... it's been a while since she's felt that way before.

"Fuck." 

The boy in the passenger seat looked at her but didn't say anything.

The rest of the way home went by without another word being uttered from her until they got home and headed off to get ready for bed. She'd gathered her clothes from her room and made her way over to the bathroom. She filled up the tub and warmed up the bath before stripping herself of her clothes lazily. She'd been so tired and just wanted to get rid of all the thoughts in her head before throwing herself on the soft cushion—that was her bed.

Climbing over the walls of the tub she stepped inside and sat inside it. The warm feeling got her all relaxed as she settled even further inside it. Memories from earlier slipping through her mind.

He gazed up at her for once seeing her as someone more than a colleague. The way he tensed under her as she sat her full weight in him the more she remembered. How he got slightly hard just from that little moment they had—and his reaction after.

She felt the aching in between her thighs. Fuck how long had it been since she had sex? Since someone else had touched her the way she liked? How long had it been since her last relationship? 

Caving into the insatiable feeling, she dove a hand in between her thighs and pawed at her clit with her thumb a couple of times before delving thimble fingers inside herself. She moaned loudly at the feeling but quickly covered her mouth with her hand.

Muffled groans and high pitched yelps echoed throughout the empty bathroom. Her thoughts clouded with want and need for her high to wash over her. Her fingers pumped in and out, fumbling occasionally when the feeling got too overwhelming. Her mouth cried out his name in response as she got closer and closer to her orgasm. Her palm long gone from her mouth, as she tried to keep silent as best as she could, her hand creeping down to pinch at her neglected breasts.

She felt hot all over, she was certain that her lustful actions and thoughts were a result of the hot bath she ran a few minutes ago, but what she failed to notice was that the water had ran cold a long time ago. She needed him to be by her side so badly. Her heart pounding as she grew closer and closer and—

"Fuck!~" She bit into the flesh of her forearm to muffle the sound of her voice but failed. At this point she was pretty sure that she woke up almost everyone in the house. Her body stayed tense and curled up until she relaxed a few seconds later. She laid slumped over the wall of the tub, arm hangin over it as she released her jaw from it and saw the bloody and broken skin weave itself back together.

She panted as if she ran a marathon and looked down at her thighs as she leaned over to drain the bath before standing up. Her lower body shook from the after shock of her intense orgasm—which made her blush in embarrassment. If she woke anyone up how's she explain to them that she was fine when they asked her about last night?

She took a cold shower that night.

Minutes of laying down in his bed felt like hours had been going by. Urie couldn't shake the thought of his mentor, someone who finally recognized him, pinning him to the ground. He ran his hand down his face and looked over at the clock next to his nightstand.

They'd gotten back at around noon before heading inside and getting ready for bed and only a couple of minutes had passed. He felt restless. He'd decided to go downstairs and train for a bit longer hoping it'd take his mind off of the... sensual moment a few hours prior. Walking out his room he'd passed the bathroom. The lights were switched on and muffled—indistinguishable noises could be heard from behind the door—though he already had a feeling he knew what they were doing.

"Fuck!~" Reina's voice squealed out.

He stood still. He was not meant to hear that, and it seemed like she knew she fucked up. Silence followed before the sound of water draining could be heard along with the dripping of the shower head running. Maybe working out a bit more would help with the tightness he felt in his pants.

Chapter Text

The day after their first training session Reina had noticed a slight shift in Urie's character, but couldn't pin it to anything specific. Maybe it was just her mind guilting her from the activities she indulged in after their session. She left the thought hanging and chalked it up to her imagination.  

Soon enough their time training came to an end. Suddenly in the blink of an eye they were on their way to the auction. She felt the weight of the world on her shoulders as they neared the auction house. She knew there'd be some ghouls she knew on a personal scale and didn't know how that would translate in their relationship if they were to find out she was on the side she used to oppose.

But at the same time she didn't want to disappoint any of her squad members. Although this wasn't the first time she befriended other humans, she still wanted to feel validated by her human counterparts. She remembered her friends in middle school and how they stuck even after transferring to different high schools. Though she lost contact with them she would never forget how in touch she felt with her human side that had been neglected.

Reina then thought over to the boy sitting across from her. He sat silently, probably ruminating how to take as much credit as he could throughout the whole operation. She shook her head to get rid of the creeping disappointment she felt rising inside her. Even though he was closed off, he felt pretty easy to read after knowing what he strives for in his life.

Throughout all the missions they've encountered she'd realized that he only ever wanted to be involved in bigger, more complex tasks. It was childish really, she would've laughed had she not been reminded that their lives were at stake.

The vehicle had come to a stop which meant only one thing. They'd arrived at the auction house. Quickly they all hopped off like little ducklings following their parents one by one. Then they waited outside until they got Suzuya's signal.

"Commence assault."

No mercy was shown in the midst of the battle. Blood splattered everywhere and on everyone. The once pristine auction house was now in disarray with bodies crashing down to the floor. Limbs missing from their bodies, and gaping holes piercing their torsos, guts falling out and spilling all over the place.

Reina wasn't any different. She was covered in blood and her uniform—which consisted of a compression shirt and a pair of leggings. Her white coat sat on top of her, protecting her clothes from the stains of bodily fluids. She had cuts and scratches all over her. A big gash across her back which bled crimson red and revealed her pale skin, and a stab wound that was barely closing.

She didn't have time to stop and assess her wounds as they continued on heading further inside as ordered by her superiors. They'd reached a narrow hallway, a door at the end of it slightly ajar. The scent of blood and a familiar aroma filled Reina’s nose as she led them down the hall. Sounds of grunting and bangs came from around the corner.

She took that as a signal and motioned everyone to be on guard as the barged through the door and attacked a ghoul in a black button down. Reina released her kagune and defended her colleague.

"Mutsuki, get down!" She yelled as she struck the assailant, a tentacle reached out and cut the other rinkaku users kagune. Yelping in pain, Urie used the small distraction to deliver a kick in the gut towards the flamboyant boy.

Haise jumped in and began ordering the other boys around them to help fend the singular ghoul off. In the midst of the trio jumping the lone ghoul, Reina made it her priorities to check up on the boy next to her.

She examined him from head to toe and realized that he was wounded, his own blood staining the pure white dress he wore for the mission. Seeing this she shrugged her roughed up coat off with a slight wince and wrapped it wound the boy's shoulders as he cradled his side. He needed to get to a medic quickly. It wasn't safe for him to linger here any longer especially since he still hadn't fully developed his ghoul like abilities just yet—regeneration.

If he bled out on the floor, that would be one more person that would leave her life. She couldn't have that guilt on her conscious especially knowing there was so much more she could've done in the moment.

"Do you think you can hold out a little longer?" She asked hurriedly as she cupped his face and examined him further.

"You mean this?" He nudged his head down and pulled his hand back from the open wound that was barely regenerating. "It's nothing, I've managed worse." He chuckled and then winced slightly.

"Okay, but you'll be seeing a medic-" the sound of Haise's impressed voice rang out in the hallway. Reina turned to look at him for a brief moment before turning back to Mutsuki and ordered him to stay put.

"A detachable kagune... I didn't know that was possible.."

Reina turned to look at the once vacant hall being occupied by a... thorn bush?

"It's pretty, I'll give that bastard that." She examined it closer and ran her finger across it, accidentally poking herself with the sharp thorns. She pulled her pointer finger back slowly and turned it around before inspecting her finger. The smallest drop of blood pooled at the tip of it before the wound closed shut. She turned around and sucked on her finger to get rid of the blood, pulling her finger out her mouth she was about to speak up until a voice in her ear spoke up.

"This is Nakou." She pressed into her inner ear.

"This is Sasaki." Haise copied.

"Washu here. So you've located investigator Mutsuki." His voice dripped of disinterest.

She looked over at the boy in front of her and nodded for him to continue on.

"Yes, sir. But our advance has been blocked by a kagune wall. We're trying to open the path as we speak." He spoke into the inner ear.

"Investigators Sasaki, Nakou. What do you think of the bodies lying around?"

Haise looked up at her, his face conveying his worry. His brows furrowed as wrinkles etched themselves on his face. She didn't look any different from him. Her lips were turned down into a frown as she looked down at the steel case in her hand. Unopened and unused. She promised herself not to use it unless drastic calls—called for drastic measures.

Speaking up, his work out voice spoke up into the mic and voiced his observations and thoughts aloud. "There should've been guests, if this was an auction."

"The madam and her guests are hiding somewhere on the premises—under Aogiri protection. They're waiting for an opportunity to escape..."

"..We should've been able to locate them using intel Oshiba Squad collected in the administration building. But they've been wiped out.. they engaged the Nutcracker who's been upgraded from Rate: A to Rate: S.."

They immediately both looked at each other, eyes going wide before they heard his voice through the mic speaking once again.

"I want Quinx Squad to take the Nutcracker out. I'm sending Ato Squad too."

They nodded at his word and confirmed back with him. But Reina wanted to ask for something first before they all headed to take out the now Rate: S ghoul.

"Washu." She hissed in the inner-earpiece—not caring about formalities at all when speaking to him.

"Yes?" He huffed at her disrespectful tone.

"Investigator Mutsuki is injured and cannot continue further. May I request to have him escorted out by Urie?"

"Very well." He sighed and dismissed her.

"Roger." She turned around and walked towards the injured boy. She looked for Urie's figure before beckoning him over. 

"Mutsuki. Urie will be escorting you back to the command post where you'll be checked out by the medical staff. Thank you for your cooperation, after you get there you may stay and rest for as long as you need. Your work here is done. Urie, lead the way." She turned around and ordered the rest of them to head out.

Along the way bloodied up and discarded bodies laid there on the streets of Japan. The smell of bloodshed wafting through the air. On the side of the upcoming pathway was a familiar investigator.

"Hey, isn't he supposed to be upstairs fending off the nutjob?" Reina whispered to Haise as she kept her gaze on him. 

The said investigator was heaving heavily, Reina now wished she didn't tune out those group introductions. As the rest of the squad came into view the man turned to them and told them the situation of the Nutcracker.

"The Nutcracker is still upstairs. He squad leader and the rest are still..."

As Haise stooped down to talk to the man, Reina had stopped and looked around to view their surroundings. No place was safe as long as they were still in the vicinity of the auction site. There were multiple high tanked ghouls that still weren't located and it was dangerous to have their backs unguarded.

In the corner of her eyes she saw a swift shadow jump down from somewhere. Her eyes narrowed down as she looked at the spot closely to spot any movement. She ultimately thought that it was just her being paranoid and decided to bring her attention back to the situation in front of her.

"I'll get you a medic right away." She heard Haise say and just as he was about to stand back up, a hand had reached out to grab him.

In an instant the ghoul attacked Haise without warning, but he quickly whipped out his quinque. The dual haired man was pushed back, the blade of his sword piercing his shoulder—bright crimson streaks spurt out onto the attackers face and clothes—the sound of his body hitting the floor with a thud echoed the empty area.

"He actually blocked me!!" The unrated ghoul had smiled and yelled in awe, the blood on his face seemed to make him more unsettling to the blue haired girl and blonde boy.

The ghouls face was as pale as a white slate, his lips stained a dark wine—almost black—color, his hair pin white. He adorned a black hoodie that reached up to his knees. His amused face fell as he stared at their fallen mentor. His lips parted and his tongue darted out to lick the blood running down his face.

His eyes widened as he yelled out in delight. A new flavor he's never come across before! Haise got up from the ground and told his juniors to stay back. He had a feeling that the ghoul was higher in ranking than the two rank 3 investigators. He didn't need them to risk their lives when there were more important matters to tend to.

The ghoul kept muttering "sa- sasssa- sasa-" under his breath before he burst out with a manic grin. As if Reina could sense the lightbulb going off in his head, he laughed out loud.

"Oh, Eto... you sly little bitch." He began moving in on Haise.

"Let's see how your flesh tastes!!" He ran at him again and was about to a chunk out of his shoulder, but before he could Haise had released his rinkaku and stabbed the ghoul in the abdomen.

Reina had watched the whole thing. His appearance looked paralleled to Kaneki's appearance after he had escaped Jason... could it be that this ghoul went through something similar too?

Their juniors watched in awe at their mentors skillful thought process and cheered him on until the unstable ghoul had chocked out a laugh. 

"That's not nearly enough to make me tremble... that didn't hurt at all.." he had freed himself from the investigators grasp and cut through the hardened kagune with his own.

"Because I'm used to it!" His kagugan glowed brightly in his left eye.

Realizing that Haise needed help, Reina stepped in.

"Shirazu, I need you to take the man and Yonebayashi." She yelled out before she taunted the ghoul.

"So you're a one eyed freak too, huh? Let's see how much of an imitation you are to the real thing." She smirked.

Wasting no time, both juniors helped the investigator, from the other squad, up and ran away. Through the earpiece they heard the trio discuss the situation. Protests after protest about leaving the duo alone to fend for themselves, but after Haise calmed them down they left without another word.

"Now we can get the party started. Do your worst, emulator." Reina rolled her shoulder back as she got into a defensive stance. Her right hand held out the white briefcase.

"Look at you being a role model and protecting your men. I can appreciate that.. my boss was a good man too." The ghoul looked at Haise before turning his attention to the purple haired woman.

"My, my, look at you. Do they really know who you are? I mean you look exactly like her! No wonder Eto hates your guts."

"Spilling secrets are we now?" Reina grinned.

"How about this, let's talk about our secrets... just the three of us." In an instant he attacked Haise first. Running up to him and gripping him by the throat harshly. 

"Gotta weaken the enemies first if I'm gonna talk to them." He released his kagune and beckoned it towards the woman.

"Multitasking I see. Let's see how good you are." She released hers in return and struck him in the face. His mouth cut open, the top and bottom of his jaw separating before he threw Haise at a nearby wall to cup at the bottom of his face to heal it properly. 

"You bitch. You know you're not even supposed to be here. This is supposed to be between me and him, but since you want to get involved I guess I just have to take you out first." He swung his leg out at her and kicked her in the gut forcing her knees to buck and retch out her meal from a few hours ago.

"Mhm, disgusting. You know as much as I like the taste of human food, it doesn't satisfy me all that much. Let me take a small bite out of that artificial body you have. I bet it tastes just as good as a regular human." She wiped her mouth and stopped playing around. Her kagune shattered his in a second and struck him in the chest, abdomen, and shoulder at once.

His body became a dart board, as her kagune brought his body forward. The smell of mixed blood wafted through her nostrils. Her mouth watering as she gulped down an abundance of accumulating saliva. Her teeth sunk down by his jaw and tore the simple flesh off of his face.

The effects of consuming the flesh was instantaneous. The old wounds on her back closed and she could feel her weakened body rejuvenate itself with more energy. The taste of his flesh was nasty, it reminded her of old man and homelessness. She almost gagged at the thought but forcefully swallowed another chunk of hanging flesh by his throat before throwing him off of her.

"I would say thank you for the food, but you taste like absolute shit. Jesus, you really haven't showered in a while have you?" She winced and chuckled.

"Leave. I'm trying to prove a point. That there's a distinct difference between first and second place. He may be—no he may have been the doctor's masterpiece, but who knows?" He forced himself right up and made his way to the dual haired man lying by the wall he was thrown into.

He picked him up by the collar of his button up shirt and threw him upwards before piercing him with his kagune. "Catch me if you can." Was all he said before he pulled the familiar looking rinkaku out from the wailing man. He grabbed him from the hair and scaled up the auction house.

Reina cursed under her breath and trailed behind the ghoul in a rush. She had to save Haise. Who knew what the psycho was capable of, especially when he just proved the familiarity of his existence. The rinkaku belonged to one person very dear to her. Just as she reached the top she saw him slam Haise into the roof of the auction house. Haise fell through the auditorium and onto the stage, rubble and debris following suit. 

She saw the ghoul jump down and she stayed up there watching his every move. He didn't know what was going on but she could tell he was talking to him. Quickly she jumped down and released her kagune in an attempt to land safely, but fate had other plans.

The ghoul had picked up Haise's limp body and threw him at her as she was coming down. Their bodies collided and a wave of pain shot through her body. She winced and tried to protect Haise from the impact of meeting the wall. Her head hit the auditorium's wall full force. Her head was killing her at this point, but she had to continue to protect her squad. 

She felt the body she was cradling move as a shadow loomed over them, and just as she turned to look at the ghoul the sound of squelching was heard followed by his words, "hey, this is who I was being compared to?" He caught one of Haise's tentacles as the other stabbed him through the abdomen, but he paid no attention to it and instead used it to his advantage.

He grabbed the tentacle and removed it from himself before jumping up high and throwing him around the auditorium like a rag doll. His raspy voice echoing through the vacant room. 

"Weak!! Too weak!!" She watched as he finally settled on top of him and spoke to him with a smile on his face.

"Seriously, why're you hesitating Sasaki? I mean... Ken Kaneki." He stated before laughing out loud in a manic manner, his voice growing in volume and echoing from all around the auditorium.

"Wow! Who did that? Thanks! I can hear myself across the entire site! I got an idea…" he turned around made his way to Reina who was currently hauling herself up with the bolted seats down the aisle. He walked up to her nonchalantly and grinned at her before gripping her disheveled hair and dragged her across the floor. She protested and dug her nails into his forearm, bringing it closer and closer to her lips. He didn't do anything to stop her, thinking she was just trying to get out of his grasp but he thought wrong as he felt something wet darting across his wrist.

Then came the feeling of something running down his fingers. He didn't feel the pain at all, but he knew she did something. Looking down he came across a missing chunk of flesh and the little bit of muscle from his wrist.

"You should really consider taking a deep cleaning bath. Some bleach could do you well to get rid of that pungent taste." She released her kagune and cut her hair freeing her from his grasp, and brought the back of her hand to wipe her mouth clean from the blood dripping down her chin.

"Oh, and you owe me a free haircut. Maybe I should just return the favor?" She giggled.

"You should shut up, you don't want me poking holes throughout his body do you? Let's let everyone hear his screams of agony! How will everyone in your squad feel about hearing their mentor scream for mercy?" He threatened her.

"As if I'd let you do that." She cracked her knuckles and stretched in front of him.

He walked backwards and jumped by Haise's limp body that still hadn't recovered from the ghouls previous attacks. The white haired ghoul had released his kagune and began stabbing every part of her co-workers body.

He laughed aloud as he heard him wail in pain. His screams echoing from every corner in the auditorium. Reina had enough and released her kagune, shaping it into sharp needle-like spikes before running to the ghoul torturing Haise. Her rinkaku pierced the bottom of his jaw and came out his mouth. His teeth and tongue completely severed and destroyed from the intrusion.

Another tentacle of her had wrapped around his waist and struck his pelvis. The other two had wrapped around his right leg and severed his knee. The only thing keeping him up right was the tentacle wrapped around his waist and the one pierced through the underside of his jaw.

He screamed in delight and choked on the blood rushing down his throat. He hadn't felt this surprised since he first woke up in the unfamiliar room. He formed his kagune into a hand-like shape and punched her square in the jaw, throwing her back into the empty rows of chairs. She quickly recovered and spat out the teeth that had been knocked out of her gums. The holes leaked blood, but not for long as she felt a fresh set of new ones growing back in.

"You seemed to like having me wrap my kagune wrapped around you, are you some kind of masochist? I swore I saw a tent in your pants before you punched me like a little bitch." She cocked her head to the side as he gritted his teeth. The wounds on his face, pelvis, and knee had healed right back up.

"That's rich coming from you." He ignored her previous comment and turned his gaze away from her to the bleeding out man in front of him.

"Number 1 Kaneki, all that screaming from you and your colleague, but no back up. Poor guy, feel for you. But that's what they are. They'll use you and throw you out like trash."

"You're empty. A sausage packed with no meat. A person with no reason to exist. At least give me meaning!!" His gravelly voice rang out as he ignored the woman behind him.

He released his kagune and thrashed it around without any visualization. He just hoped it caused enough of a distraction for her, and let him do as he pleased in peace. 

"Are you trash, or are you treasure?"

"...don't want to... disappear..." Haises broken voice cried out as he felt the ache and soreness throughout his body.

"That's it. You're dessert now." Just as he was about to sink his teeth into Haise's flesh, another body had rushed in and pulled Haise's body away from the ghouls grasp and held him in a protective embrace.

"Why are you getting in the way, Hina?" The ghoul asked in a curious tone. It was different from what Reina had heard coming from the ghoul before her.

"Why are you getting in my way? We're on the same side, Hina..."

"He's still of use to us... besides, we need to get back to the entrance to back up The Rabbit and the others." She stated as she cradled Haise's limp body in her kagune. She swiftly passed him over to Reina who held a bittersweet smile and quietly thanked the younger girl. She jumped up to an empty row in the audience—far enough away from the fight—and sat him down on the chair. She pulled his hair out of his face and wiped the blood from his face.

She brought up her wrist and pushed into his mouth before apologizing to him quietly. She forced his jaw closed as it bit down on the supple flesh that adorned her wrist. She tilted his head up and forced him to swallow the little bit she allowed him. She stayed there with him, watching the battle from afar as he recovered slowly but surely.

A few seconds later she saw him twitch and move around as he felt his consciousness rising. He tried to sit up but felt a pair of hands push him back down.

"Don't sit up so quickly." He heard Reina's voice scold him from beside him. He decided to listen to her and asked for help. The pain in his body was still there, but it had dulled down to just being sore—though his head was still killing him. His eyes came to gaze down at the stage where two figures seemed to battle against each other. He could hear their words from when Reina defended him down to when the new ghoul came to his... aid?

"Is... protecting me..?" He mumbled out loud without realizing.

"She is." Reina hummed aloud putting the question to rest. 

The sound of their ongoing fight had dwindled down. The girl protecting him was tired out of her mind and sat on her knees trying to brace herself for any attacks that may come her way from the ghoul across from her.

Sensing that she needed help, Haise had released himself from Reina's hold and had scaled down the second floor of the auditorium down to the stage. She followed swiftly behind him and trailed behind him.

"You've done enough... please... go." Haise begged the girl in front of him.

"Ken..." she murmured but he heard her from under her breath.

"I'm not the person you knew. My body might be Ken Kaneki's... but I'm Haise Sasaki. He must've been a wonderful person for you to care that much about him." He ranted on, but that didn't matter to the girl sitting in front of him, at his mercy. Just as the girl reached out for him, a sudden voice from the audience called out to him.

"Maman!" A stocky, blue haired investigator stood with a tear stained face.

"D-don't go!" She wiped the snot running down her nose.

Reina looked at Haise, his gaze focused on the female ghoul on the stage, his eyes met her and she nodded at him. She stood in front of the younger female ghoul and detained her.

"I'm sorry, Hinami."

And with that Haise stepped forward and cracked his knuckle. And in an instant, his demeanor had changed. His mind, not Haise Sasaki's, but Ken Kaneki's.

His body moved around the stage swiftly as the ghoul before him swung and attacked him without a break. They danced around the auditorium, kagunes clashing against each other, piercing each other's bodies. Until Haise delivered a critical hit against the psychotic ghoul. The battle had ended and in came The White Reaper... Kishou Arima..

Immediately knowing what was to come, Reina told the girl to stay put as she negotiated with the man.

"Kishou.. fancy seeing you here."

"Reina. Step aside."

"No can do. That's Haise's property right there." She pushed his chest back almost as if she was an officer pushing back news reporters from a crime scene. And just in time Haise came rushing down to the stage.

"P-please wait..! She's my...my.." he struggled getting the words out.

"...Haise..?" Arima inquired.

"I hunted her down. May I take charge of her?" Haise stood up tall as blood dripped down the side of his face, his eyes slightly puffy and bruised up—along with the rest of his face.

Reina knew immediately that he didn't buy his bullshit, but still went along with it. He sighed and into his ear piece he muttered that both she and Haise needed medical attention. The operation was a success, but why did her heart feel heavy?