Mourning Doves | Tokyo Ghoul

3 | D a n g e r o u s

"Etsuko, listen to me," a voice hissed frantically in the shadows, tugging the woman close to his firm chest.

"But Oniisan...!"

"I said listen!" he hissed back. "You have to get out of here. If you stay here any longer, they'll definitely catch you."

"But Oniisan!" Etsuko cried out again, tears brimming her eyes. "What about you? They'll capture you!"

"You have to go!" he snapped back, whirling her around by her shoulders. His dark eyes pierced her own, a fiery determination sparking within them. "You can't go to Cochlea. You have to -"

"I'm not leaving you!" Etsuko wept, launching herself back into his embrace. "Dammit, Takashi-nii, I'm not leaving you!"

"You must!" he retaliated, burying his face into her soft white hair. He closed his eyes, clenching his jaw as he sucked in a nervous breath. "If anything happened to you when I could help it, I would never be able to forgive myself..."

"What about me, Takashi-nii?" she sobbed. "What about me? Have you ever thought what I would do without you?"

"You must live," Takashi insisted, tears tumbling from his tightly clamped eyes. "You're stronger than me. You have to live. Who knows what they'll do to you in there."

"That's not a good enough reason, you little shit!" Etsuko gripped his dark shirt, crumpling the fabric in her fists as she pressed her forehead against his chest. "If anything, I should be the one protecting you!"

"Can't a guy go and protect the woman he loves?" Takashi seethed fiercely through clenched teeth. "Is that a good enough reason for you?"

Etsuko's eyes widened, her breath hitching in her throat and her heart halting in its continuous beating. The tears froze for a moment, and she felt time slow to a murky grogginess.

Takashi cradled her head with one hand, and brought up the other around her shoulders, hugging himself closer to her as his face remained buried in her hair. The tears were ever flowing, his mouth trembling as he tightened his jaw.

"I love you, Etsuko," he sputtered, murmuring to her softly. "And I'm going to do whatever it takes to keep you safe."

"Oniisan..." Etsuko whispered blankly.

"And if you won't go by your own will..." Takashi murmured under his sad breath, shutting his eyes even tighter. "Then I'll have to force you..."

A massive shard cracked and splintered from his back, curling around Etsuko's delicate frame and bringing her up into the air. She flailed around, unable to move as the single tail lifted her higher and higher.

"Forgive me, Etsuko-chan..."

"No!" she screeched, struggling against the kagune with her hands curled up into fists. "No, Takashi!"

In the distance, she could see a group of six investigators rushing towards the scene, their briefcases glinting evilly in the moonlight.

"Oniisan!"

"Etsuko, forgive me, please..."

The tail flicked her body to the side, crashing her up onto an elevated ledge, high above the scene where Takashi stood. She landed hard on the ground, rolling over as she felt some of her bones fracture from the impact, her spine breaking as a result; she let out a cry of pain. Her breath hitched, her eyes widening as she laid there on her back, stunned with disbelief.