Tokyo Ghoul - NEST

Vincent Valhalla

"Levin..." I whispered, tapping his leg weakly, getting his attention. "There's some things... I need you to know. Want to talk?" I asked, smiling a bit.

Levin' face stayed blank, but he nodded. "Let's talk." He said, finally letting his voice out.

Levin POV

(Cue the sad music)

When I found out from Eto that the Nest was being attacked, I spared no time in rushing there, only to find this mess. While it was admirable, it was stupid.

But I held back from saying so and listened to Vincent talk, his blood leaked through his clothes and went into my pants, from him laying on them.

His body was full of holes, and he wasn't healing.

"Do you remember... you saved me like this awhile back... from Aogiri." He said, looking off into space, as if talking to nothing.

"Yeah." I said, monotoned.

"You asked me... what it meant... to be human. I'm not human, but I do know... what you were asking." He said, as he reached up his hand and tried to grab at nothing in particular.

"What it means to be alive. What it means to be here. What it means to care. All of these things... are what you asked me." He said, taking another deep breath, his voice shook a bit as he talked.

I suppose that is what I was asking. What does it mean to be alive in this world? What does it mean to be here, right now? Does my life really count?

Vincent closed his eyes and sighed. "There's one clear answer... there isn't one."

I flinch, surprised by this answer. There isn't an answer? What does that mean?

"There's no point in thinking about those things, Lev. In life, you simply live... then you die." He said softly, opening his eyes again and staring up at the street lamp.

"I suppose... your right." I said slowly.

Vincent nodded. "Yeah... hey Lev? I knew about your past, y'know?" He said.

"I know." I said softly, closing my eyes.

"I'm sorry... that I let you suffer alone." He said, making a part of my chest hurt. No, I'm not weak anymore, I shouldn't be feeling this way.

I sigh. "I'm fine, worry about yourself." I said in a mumbled tone.

Vincent smiled. "Broken... like shattered glass." He said, making me flinch from this. Was he comparing me to that? How was I glass?

"But... there are people... that can put that glass... back together." He said, a smile growing on his face. He then reached into his back pocket and brought out a small notebook, filled with notes and such.

He reached up at me and grabbed my hand, placing the notebook into it carefully. "This... contains info on certain things you should know..." he mumbled.

I look at the notebook and set it aside, focusing on him. "We should get a doctor-"

"No need." He said, making us have a long silent stare off. Our eyes were locked, that stubborn nature of his passed through them.

The snow silently falling around us made a shiver go through my back, as I kept eye sight with Vincent. The blood now was spreader across the snow around us, making a puddle of red slush. A slow amount of steam rose from his wounds, the heat emitting off of his warm blood.

"Hey... what was your father's name?" Vincent suddenly asked me. I'm caught off guard by this, but I reluctantly oblige.

"Ryuunosuke Seto." I said, the name echoed in my head, reminding me of his face every time he came home from one of his trips.

Vincent slowly smiled, and surprisingly a single tear came down his face. "Good... good." He repeated, then looked up at the sky.

"That bastard... was a real ass." He mumbled. "But I guess... he only had two choices... and he picked you."

"What do you mean?" I asked slowly.

Vincent stared up at the sky for quite some time, then he looked me in the eyes. "Vincent Valhalla... that's my mother's Maiden name." He said.

What was he talking about? Did he know my father? Is that why he helped me escape? Did he owe my father a dept like he did with Old Man Owl?

"My real... birth name is... Vincent... Seto." He said.

For a second, my mind didn't think anything, and my body went numb. As soon as the words processed through me, my eyes grew wide with shock.

"Thats why... I helped you... escape. I didn't need some stupid Crow... I was just a lonely man looking... for his family." He said, reached his hand up at my and brushed it across the top of my head, patting me. "Heh, I always wanted to do that..." he mumbled.

"The info... is in the notebook." He said, looking at it aside his head. I glance at it, feeling as if all the answers were hidden in the pages.

But as I'm thinking this, I hear a choking sound, not the violent type, but of sobs. I look back at Vincent to see more tears streaming down his face.

"Y'know, I thought this would be... easy to do. But now... that you know... I want... to spend more time with you... and the others." He said, gritting his teeth. "Damn... this world is cruel."

I gently squeeze his hand, not saying anything. If I do I think my feelings, all the time I spent holding them in, will pour out. I don't want to be weak, not in front of this person.

Vincent sniffles, his breaths starting to slow. "Finally... retribution... somehow... it feels... nice." He whispered.

He slowly smiled, his hand slipping from my grip. "Give 'em... hell, little bro..." he mumbled.

His hand slowly slipped from mine, falling onto the concrete. There was a long silence. My chest twisted into different directions and my mind was growing tired of all of this. I hate this. I hate this feeling.

It's that same hopelessness I felt when I arrived in Cochlea, the despair and loneliness. This man... was my last family I ever had. And I never knew until the last moments.

That isn't fair.

Why isn't my life ever fair?

I look over at the notebook, snatching it up and putting it slowly and safely into my bag. I then reach to Vincent and slowly close his eyes, gently.

I reach down, lifting up his body. My heart was in a pulp, and my mind only had one thing on it right now.

"Let's go home... brother."

(Rest in Peace. Levin and Vincent were a lot like Kaneki and Hide in this story, best friends. The last twist there was something that made the loss even more worse. If you don't get how this is, then it'll be explained in the next few chapters. Nonetheless I hope you enjoyed, and have a wonderful day.) - MnMs171

PS - The tarot card 13 in the last chapter was "Death". Spells itself. I might use more in the future, so watch out for numbers I use.

PSS - And since I'm done with this arc, I might take a bit longer to come out with more parts after this, but you never know, inspiration is a cruel mistress.