To Love and Protect

Just Like That

Eto's head perked up when she noticed someone entering the room from the window. A smile tugged at her lips when she realised who it was.

"I don't recall asking you to come back for any missions, Ayato," she greeted, a hint of curiosity in her when she sensed anger and sorrow radiating off him. "What's the matter? Couple fights?"

"She's dead."

She didn't expect that. "What'd you mean?" The playfulness in her voice disappeared. Ayato gritted his teeth and clenched his fists as he took in a shaky breath, the inside of his chest twisting painfully like never before.

"The Doves got her when she tried to save Hinami from Cochlea... I should've stopped her from going..." He growled, "I should've just been stubborn about it."

A small stinging sensation shot through Eto's chest, perhaps it would've been a better idea not to let the two of you go. "So," she said, looking back at the book she held open in her hands but she did not read, "why're you back, then? Revenge?"

"What else?" The ferocity in his voice made him sound like the old Ayato from all those years back. Eto couldn't decide if that was a good or bad thing.
--
You strolled down the streets alone, it was late at night and you were tired. Haise had called you a few minutes ago asking where you were, you told him the truth and he sighed before saying, "I'll drive you home, just meet me at the bus stop by the park you're heading towards."

You smiled, a warm sensation lingering in your heart, he was extremely sweet and it was almost everyday you felt your infatuation towards him grow. But he always seemed to be keeping something from you, something important... You just couldn't put your finger on it...

"(Y/N)." You stopped in your tracks when a mysterious figure appeared in front of you. The person looked like a male, but you couldn't really tell since he had a purple scarf wrapped around the lower half of his face.

"Who?"
--
He was basically running his feelings away. Ayato had never been someone very in-touch with his emotions so the devastation he felt when he heard you were dead was one that he couldn't cope with without you, ironically. You were always the one person he could rely on when it came to his emotions.

The ghoul felt his legs go numb with exhaustion as he stopped and fell on his knees on he rooftop. He'd been running and jumping from building to building, masked by the darkness of the night. Ayato's breaths were heavy and unstable as he struggled to recover from his overexertion.

It was then he looked down and spotted you. The very person he was mourning over. It was you. His eyes widened as he stopped breathing completely, his mind flooded with questions he couldn't seem to answer. You looked exactly the same, except that your hair looked lighter in tone, it wasn't extremely obvious but the difference was definitely noticeable.

Before Ayato knew it, he'd leaped off the structure and ran towards you. He stood before you and said your name, hoping you'd respond the way he hoped.
--
"Who?" You asked, your body immediately tensing up, subconsciously you were preparing to battle.

"(Y/N)... Don't you know who I am?" He looked at you in the eye, his were begin to tear up slightly and an immense amount of sorrow could seen behind his gaze; while yours were hard, cautious and observing him carefully like a hawk, he'd never seen you look at him like that before. You were not you. "We've known each other for so many years and this is how it ends?"

"What're you talking about?" You squinted, hands already up in front of you, ready to fend off any unwanted contact.

"If you're just pretending, you can say so!" The stranger suddenly raised his voice. "Are you angry at me?! Did you find someone else to love?! Is that why you left me waiting for you?" He shouted, you should've attacked him a long time ago but some part of you didn't want to, it wanted you to wait and see what happened next. "Are you upset at me for something?! If I did something wrong you can just say so, (Y/N)! Don't leave me like this! Don't let what we had just go to waste like that! Please!"
--
"Enough." Another voice spoke from behind him calmly, "leave Atsuko alone, scum." And within a split second, Haise's kagune shot through Ayato's torso from the back. But the latter made no move, the Doves obviously did something to your memory, so Ayato was going to get the real you back no matter what; even if it meant that he had to die in the hands of Sasaki Haise.

He laid on the ground, bleeding profusely, head propped up a little just to have a glimpse at you. You looked at him, your eyes held conflicting emotions: shock, anger and most of all, sadness.

'C'mon, (Y/N),' Ayato thought as the pain got worse the longer he laid on the ground like that, 'come back to me...'
--
Haise was about to kill off the man on the ground once and for all, only to be stopped by you.

"What're you doing, Atsuko? He's a ghoul and he's deliriously dangerous." Haise said monotonously when your hand pressed against his chest to stop him from moving any closer to the stranger. He had to admit, being so close to you was making his heart pound amazingly fast but now wasn't the time for that.

"I... I'll take care of him," you said, unsure of yourself, "you wait in the car, alright?"

Haise looked hesitant but sighed and smiled in defeat, "I can't say no to you, can I?"