Masquerading Virtuoso【Tokyo Ghoul Fan-Fiction】

xiii. Serenade

Yoshimura shook his head and reached over with his small tongs and plucked the two blood-soaked sugar cubes from her saucer, then plopped them into her coffee. He used a clean cloth, and wiped away any remnants of the morsels. His eyes suddenly opened, revealing their ebony sclera and ruby irises. "You did the child a favor," he said, almost apathetically. "Her parents had perished just moments prior in a crash less than half a kilometer from that alleyway. Her mentality would have been far too warped to have allowed her a normal life after witnessing such a gruesome sight."

Tsuki's eyes were agape and horrified by Yoshimura's words, however, she realized how painful it would have been for the child to have gone on after their parents' death. She had been a victim to such a fate, though, being a ghoul, she had known death at a very young age. Her parents had brought home the fresh corpses each month, but she never fully approved of the killing.

Within the past year, however, she had come to terms with herself: she was inevitably a wolf in sheep's clothing, like many other ghouls. A slip-up was bound to happen eventually for her, and tonight had been one such occurrence. Tsuki's true nature had bested her reasoning and the hunger had overturned her morals, forcing her into an inhuman-like state as she slaughtered and devoured that mortified child.

Grasping of her cup, she examined the cubes slowly dissolving within the dark liquid, the tiny bubbles escaping and traveling to the surface. She heaved out an exhausted breath, then shifted her chocolate eyes back up to Yoshimura; he closed his eyes and lightly bobbed his head once. "Can you ... answer my question now?" she asked, her thumb massaging the rim of her cup out of frustration.

"Your scent ... it's the same as your mother's," he admitted, a delicate smile spread across his aging lips. "From the moment you entered Anteiku, I knew who you were." He sighed slightly, his features donning on that same expression. "Your mother held a certain, pungent aroma that managed to fill the other ghouls with an inexplainable joy and that very same scent lingers on you, Nomura-san."

The black-haired woman brushed a stray dark lock behind her right ear and glanced away, a hint of blush apparent on her light olive cheeks. "You sound as though you knew my mother personally, Yoshimura-san."

"I wasn't," he confessed, a gruff chuckle trailing at the end. "She was once a regular here, along with your father."

She smiled and stared into her cup, small ripples emitting from the ebony center, as if a small pebble had been dropped inside. "They never spoke much of this place, however, when they did ... they held it in such high regards," she paused, a laugh bubbling from her throat. "They not once allowed me to partake of such a profound cup of coffee when I was younger." Tsuki carried the glass up to her bare lips and drank leisurely from it.

"Nomura-san," Yoshimura began, his gaze shifting over to the tall, silver-haired fellow standing next to him, then slowly faded back at the young woman. "If you ever find yourself in need of a meal, you are more than welcome to---"

Tsuki shook her head as she stood up from her seat and gave the man a quick bow. "Your offer is very generous, Yoshimura-san, however, my pride denies me the ability to ask for anything further from Anteiku." She smiled solemnly as she fixed herself upright. "My only wish is that I am capable of stopping by, as a normal customer, for some of your delicious brew."

Yoshimura gave a single bob of his head. "Just know that the offer will still stand, if you ever find yourself in need, Nomura-san."

"Thank you very much," she replied, her expression suddenly shrouded in a sort of regret. "I would ... like to apologize for earlier, Yomo-san," she murmured, peering over at him in an ashamed manner. "For refusing your aid when the investigators were following me. I ... I suppose it was rather idiotic of me to feel the need to give up so quickly."

Renji stared at her in silence for a moment, his grey eyes not straying from hers. "I understood your reasoning," he admitted, causing Tsuki to arch her eyebrow at him. "However, I knew you didn't mean to kill that girl, which is what I wanted you to understand."

"I ... understand that now."

Yoshimura glanced over at Renji, then back to Tsuki, a thoughtful look lingering in his gaze. "Yomo-san," he interrupted. "I realize you have been training Kaneki lately, and would like to request that you do the same for Nomura-san." He snatched up Tsuki's cup and washed it for the next day. "Your parents seemingly placed more emphasis on training you on the piano, than self-defense. Yomo-san can help to enhance your likelihood of surviving, if you ever encounter any more ghoul investigators."

"That's very kind of you to offer his assistance, but if he's already helping another," she said, her chocolate eyes drifting over to Renji. "I managed to get away from them earlie---"

"You narrowly escaped," scolded Renji, his voice stern and arms crossed in front of his chest. "Yoshimura-san," he said, his eyes firmly fixated on Tsuki. "I'll do as asked, but only because Nomura-san seems to be a bit oblivious to the bigger picture here."

Appalled by his brashness, she furrowed her eyebrows and looked to the floorboards. Why had he taken on such a bitter tone? Was she missing something? Cautiously, she raised her head and glanced between both men.

"Nomura-san, I ask that you return home for the night and get some rest. Come back tomorrow, during the after-hours, and we'll talk further on the matter." Yoshimura suggested, sending the young woman a reassuring, yet forced, smile.

Tsuki didn't verbally reply, rather, with a nod. She couldn't muster up the courage to speak any further; Tsuki was tired, embarrassed, insulted even. With her hands inside the pouch of the hoodie she wore, she lowered her gaze and left Anteiku, heading back to her apartment to wallow in regret for her actions towards the young girl and mull over Yoshimura and Renji's suggestion.

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A bit awkward, I know. I do apologize for the lengthy delay on this update, but I'll be working on the next soon. Things will be coming together shortly, I assure you guys. ;3