"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.
"No..." Her golden eyes, blearing with large tears, stared up into the dark sky, the waning moon only a sliver of light in the night. There were no stars. "No..."
She could hear the fighting in the background, but she couldn't bring herself to move. Her mind shrieked out for her limbs to move already, but they refused and remained still as stones; they lay limp on the ground, splayed out around her just as her glowing white hair did. Tears spilled over her eyes and flooded down her cheeks, her face contorting into a horrible sob.
"No! Get up. Get up, goddammit! Etsuko you piece of shit, get up! GET UP! TAKASHI!"
She writhed in place, feeling her spine realigning in her back as the seconds ticked by. Despite the pain that spiked her, she rolled back on her belly and began pulling herself forward towards the cliff's edge, her brow dripping with sweat and her pale face scrunched up in agony. She let out a hissing grunt, clenching her teeth so they felt like they would shatter. She heaved herself onward, his name an encouraging, sad mantra upon her desperate lips.
The fighting had ceased, and the night was dreadfully silent once more. Her sobs were the only thing that could be heard, besides the cold wind that howled in her ears. She hiccupped and coughed, finally reaching ledge that overlooked the ravine. Her weeping grew louder as she slammed her hands down and curled her fingers on the edge of the cliff, heaving herself up one last time before she brought her glowing red eyes to look down upon the scene.
It was heartbreakingly empty, nothing but a thin pool of thick dark blood splattering on the abandoned sidewalk. They had gone - and they had taken him with them.
She broke down into a wailing lament; screeching out and bawling like a lost child as she screamed. Her tears soaked the ground as they poured down her flushed, tormented cheeks, and she slammed an infuriated and defeated fist into the hard ground, sinking her clenched hand deep into the rocky earth.
"Takashi!"
"Takashi!"
She woke up screaming his name, panicking in her bed as she frantically snapped her head from side to side, looking for the man who wasn't there. She let out frightened whimpers as her scarlet eyes pulsed, round and filled with fear. Her chest heaved and her breathing was rapid and ragged, her heart pumping wildly inside her painfully numb chest.
As reality slowly crept up on her like a cruel fog, her eyes merged back into their original golden amber, swirling solemnly with loneliness and a desolate sorrow. Still, she got up and readied herself for the day, brushing her teeth and washing her face before she slipped on a simple white dress that hung from her slim figure, reaching the middle of her shins. She applied some dark makeup around her eyes and powdered her face, etching some powder and pencil upon her straight eyebrows as well. With a swipe of rouge lipstick expertly slathered across her lips, she tugged on a long, power pink knit cardigan, which tumbled down to her knees, and pulled on some white stockings before she slipped on her round-toed black shoes. She headed out with her leather satchel slung across her torso, glancing at the clock before she clicked the door shut, a little frown carved across her porcelain face.
7:32 am
Reaching the Nerima station, Etsuko hurried down the street and took the same turn, scurrying up the staircase and opening the door to the café gently, her breath heaving. The bell chimed delicately as she entered the coffee shop, some of the workers bidding her welcome and a good morning. She caught the eye of the one she had been looking for from across the room, sitting at a table for two by himself at the corner. With a sheepish grin and a light blush creeping up across her face, she dipped her head slightly and clasped her hands in front of her, walking timidly over to the table where Ichijou sat.
"Sumimasen," she mewed in a soft voice, bowing to the sitting man as she arrived. "I slept in this morning."
"Ah, that's alright," Ichijou chuckled, beckoning her to take a seat. She accepted, swerving around and setting herself down on the wooden chair. "I was just talking to the waiters."
A mischievous gleam glinted in her eye as she surveyed his figure. He wore a casual white t-shirt over his muscular torso with a pair of faded jeans, a pair of dark loafers slipped onto his feet. His black wavy hair was tousled back, a few loose locks hanging in front of his eyes.
It was rather attractive - she had to admit.
"Do you have a day off today?" Etsuko asked him.
"I asked for one especially for today," he laughed, flashing her a garish grin.
She giggled.
"Well that was very kind of you. But you really didn't have to do that especially for this."
"Oh, believe me," Ichijou murmured, leaning against the table. His enigmatic eyes locked with hers, a warmth radiating from his starlit gaze. "I wanted to."
She felt her face flush and she ducked her head under her long hair, embarrassed and flattered. He stared at her for a moment, his expression awed, before he spoke up again.
"You look beautiful today," he murmured softly.
Her face flushed an even brighter shade of red.
"Th-thank you..." she whispered shyly. "You look very handsome yourself."
Ichijou chuckled.
"Thank you," he sighed.
"Can I get you anything?" the voice of a waitress asked from the side.
Etsuko's nose twitched, her lip twitching as it threatened to tug up into a smile. She flickered her golden eyes to the young ghoul, her short violet hair shielding the right side of her pale face.
"Just a cup of coffee for me," Etsuko sneered.
The waitress' violet eyes flashed.
"I'll have the same," Ichijou said, oblivious to the electrifying hostility in the thick air.
"Two coffees," the waitress murmured, scribbling the order down on her notepad. "If you need anything else, my name is Touka."
"Thank you, Touka-san," Ichijou said. The waitress nodded her head once and turned away, her violet glare lingering on Etsuko.
The older ghoul smirked.
"So, Etsuko-san," Ichijou continued, his eyes bright. "Do you have any other hobbies besides reading?"
Her eyes snapped over to look at his, stifling a sputtering laugh.
"Well," she snorted. "I've recently piqued an interest in sewing."
Ichijou raised an interested eyebrow.
"Sewing?" he asked.
Etsuko smirked, nodding once.
"I made this dress," she murmured shyly, smoothing her hands over the white fabric. "I'm not very good at it yet as you can see, but I'm learning rather quickly."
"No, it looks really good," Ichijou commented enthusiastically. "It's very pretty."
The light rosiness remained relentlessly upon her cheeks as she tilted her head, giving him an innocent, close-eyed smile.
"You're so flattering," she giggled. "Thank you."
Ichijou blushed, running a hand through his wavy hair as he flickered his eyes away for a moment.
"So you asked for a day off today," Etsuko murmured playing with the fabric of her skirt. "Do you like your job?"
Ichijou blinked.
"Well, yeah," he said, leaning on the table once more. "It's very stressful at times, but it eases the mental strain knowing that I'll be bringing justice to those beasts."
A flare of anger erupted from her chest, a low growl rumbling from deep within her throat. Her eyes flashed into a dark burgundy, her face hidden beneath a screen of glowing white hair. A ghost of a smile wisped onto her pale features.
"Beasts?" she murmured, a bit amused.
Ichijou stared at her, perplexed.
"Don't you think so?" he asked cautiously. "I mean, they eat our kind, for Christ's sake!"
She raised her golden eyes up to meet his own dark ones, and she gave him a small smile.
"Of course," she murmured. "But then of course, we all deserve to go to hell."
Ichijou scoffed, leaning back against his chair and crossing his arms, a wave of amusement running across his beaming face.
"Perhaps so," he chuckled.
"I have two coffees," Touka interrupted, her voice soft but chirpy. She placed both of the orders down in front of them and tucked the serving tray under her arms. "Can I get you anything else?"
"I think we're fine for now," Ichijou said, his eyes never leaving Etsuko's face.
She flushed again.
"Alright. If you need anything, please don't hesitate to call." And she was out of their hair, leaving them to talk once more.
Etsuko cleared her throat.
"So, you would think the Mad Temptress would make it over here to the Twentieth Ward?" she asked, prying.
Ichijou raised an eyebrow.
"She's an S ranking ghoul," he explained. "Her odd habit of moving from one ward to another is very unusual, and investigators everywhere have been informed of her activities. So yes, I do think there's a chance that the Temptress could most definitely make an appearance in the Twentieth Ward."
"Interesting..." Etsuko mused, taking a sip of her coffee. It emitted the most delicious aroma, next to that of her favorite of course, but delicious all the same. "That's some fair deductive reasoning. Where was her most recent activity again?"
"About a week ago in the Tenth Ward," he said darkly. "A little girl and her mother were killed at around eleven at night."
"That's rather...unfortunate," Etsuko murmured, stroking the lip of her ceramic cup with a long slender finger. "To die so young."
"Ah," he agreed gruffly. "And it's my job to avenge them."
Etsuko's eyes widened.
"Your job?" she sputtered. "You mean...you're in charge of the Mad Temptress?"
Ichijou nodded.
"My partner and I have been going around different wards every week to get any information on the ghoul," he said. He leaned forward and took a sip of his coffee. "Wow, this is really good."
Etsuko gave him a curt nod.
"It's the best I've ever had. So have you found about anything on the Temptress then?"
Ichijou knitted his brows.
"You're awfully interested in her," he pointed out grimly.
Etsuko opened her mouth, but shut it closed as quickly as it widened. She shrank back in her chair, staring uncomfortably at her hands.
"Forgive me. My parents were killed by a ghoul."
Ichijou widened his eyes in surprise.
"I-I'm sorry," he stammered. "I didn't know."
Etsuko lifted up her head and gave him a forgiving smile.
"It's alright," she said softly. "It's not something I talk about very often."
"You can tell me if you want," Ichijou offered quickly. Upon realizing his haste, he smashed his lips together, cursing to himself. "I-I mean...if you want."
Etsuko fumbled with her fingers, taking a deep breath as her body quivered; her jaw was tightly clenched, tense.
"I was very young," she started softly. "I don't really remember anything other than that it was suddenly there, and my parents were on the floor in a sea of blood."
"That's tragic," Ichijou gasped. "If I may ask, do you know which ghoul it was?"
But she was already gone, looking at her reflection within the dark surface of the coffee. Her eyes were strained, as if holding back a sort of scream; they emitted hate and loathing, a nasty expression only those who have undergone brutal suffering could ever understand.
"Here, Etsuko-chan," the voice of a woman prompted a little bit too enthusiastically. "Be a good girl and eat what Okaasan has brought home for you."
"But I don't want to," a little girl whined, her eyes bleary with tears. She lay sprawled across the ground, her long white hair splayed around her as she stifled a sob. "It tastes gross, Okaasan. And it makes me hurt a lot."
"Eat it," her mother growled, her eyes merging into a sinister scarlet hue. Her breath quickened into wheezing gasps. "Be a good girl, now. This will make you nice and strong - stronger than me or Otousan!"
The young Etsuko gulped, staring at the chunk of glowing meat in her mother's bloody palm. She hiccupped, the pain sprouting from her burning back once more as she grunted, sitting up slowly and opening her palms in front of her solemnly.
"Okay..."
There was a shriek - it echoed through the darkness of the corridors, a cold wind hissing from the concrete chamber that remained immobile and locked.
It hurt.
It hurt so much.
She laid on the couch in the basement, where she was kept, and writhed on the bloody cushions as she let out a series of screams, tears flooding her eyes and running down her cheeks like an eternal stream of agony. She clutched her face, calling out for her mother and father, who stood in the corner watching her. Just watching her, with those darkened expressions of pride and endearment.
She jerked around, falling off the couch and onto her hands and knees, letting out one last scream before a long, muscular black tail erupted from her tailbone with sickening wet crunches, curling up over her small body and looming before the three of them like a menacing predator itself. Two plates, black as ink, closed around her face, connecting into a tapering peak from her forehead and down to the tip of her delicate rosy nose.
However, the lower portion of her face remained exposed, and the two plates jutted down the sides of her cheeks like ferocious fangs; a single strip of hard black armor connected the tail and the mask, running along her spine and up over the back of her head. From the hardened strip, a black exoskeleton began to form, locking together like pieces of a morbid puzzle as she screamed yet again, clawing at her armored face as she convulsed on the ground in a little ball of terror and pain.
A pair of wings then exploded from her shoulders, two massive structures of fire and ice. Each wing split in half, the sound of tearing flesh filling the concrete basement, and hardened into long tapering stakes. The legs jerked around in the air before they slammed their sharpened tips into the ground, carrying the little girl up into the air as she shrieked still, her eyes rolling to the back of her head. She convulsed in the air, her crystalline legs staggering and her massive curled tail swaying above her, her little fingers still clawing at her tormented face. She took a massive gasp of the dank, deathly air, and then let out another earsplitting scream.
"It worked..." her mother gasped, her maple eyes staring up at her and shimmering with excitement. "Our little angel...a kakuja...
"Our little angel...
"Our little angel...
"Etsuko-chan..."
"Etsuko-san? Etsuko-san?" A voice of a man called out to her, snapping her conscience back to reality.
She fluttered her golden eyes, shimmering with tears and her jaws clenched tightly. Her gazed locked with Ichijou's, and she shook her head to clear her mind from the awful memory.
"Are you okay?"
Etsuko blinked her round eyes, cocking her head to the side as she let out a small chuckle.
"Oh goodness, me. I'm so sorry, Ichijou-kun. I seemed to have spaced out."
The man fluttered his eyelids, dumbfounded and his eyes hinting in a playful offense.
"Do I bore you, Etsuko-chan?" he teased, rubbing his smooth chin.
"Of course not," Etsuko jeered, jest glinting in her eye. She leaned upon her elbows and rested her chin on her weaved fingers, smirking as she giggled. "You're interesting to me, Ichijou-kun."
"And you to me, Etsuko-chan," the man replied, taking a sip from his coffee. His eyes bore into hers while he drank, sending a ripple of excitement through her body.
The two remained there for a majority of the day, ordering a few more cups of coffee each as they talked. It was only when Etsuko offered to walk around when they left, Ichijou placing down a few bills before he followed her out into the street.
They walked around Nerima and stopped by a few of her favorite shops, including a bookstore where they each bought a copy of Takatsuki Sen's The Black Goat's Egg. Etsuko giggled as she tugged him along, who carried more than a few bags from the various shops they had already visited.
Night soon fell upon them, and it was only then when they had realized how much time had passed by. They headed down into the subway system and took the train back to Shibuya, where Etsuko lived.
"I live in the First Ward," Ichijou explained as they sat in the cart. "But I'm going to walk you home first."
"Such a gentleman," Etsuko teased, smirking up at him.
Ichijou rolled his eyes.
"Is there something wrong with that?" he muttered.
Etsuko giggled, beaming.
"Not at all," she chuckled.
They reached the stop at Shibuya and stepped off the train, heading up into the city as Etsuko took the lead. She led him back to her apartment complex, which stood on the outskirts of the district, nearly empty and almost completely dark.
"This is where you live?" Ichijou asked, looking around at the place.
"Ah," she murmured, flashing her eyes back towards him. "Is there something wrong with that?"
"N-not at all!" he insisted, waving his hands innocently in front of him. "It just seems a bit dark, that's all."
Etsuko blinked, dropping her gaze to the floor.
"It does get a bit lonely here sometimes," she whispered.
Ichijou furrowed his brows, pressing his lips into a thin line.
"Well," he started gently. "You don't have to feel so alone now. You can talk to me anytime."
Etsuko scoffed.
"You have work, dummy," she chuckled, flickering teasing eyes up to him.
Ichijou scratched the back of his head sheepishly.
"Ah, yeah...I forgot about that..." he muttered.
Etsuko giggled.
"I'll talk to you when I can, then," she laughed.
The pair stood there a while, the silence a little awkward, before Ichijou cleared his throat gently. He swallowed, and then stepped forward and suddenly brought her into warm embrace. Her eyes widened with shock, the touch electrifying her body as she stared up into the starless sky, her neck straining.
Her throat hissed silently as she breathed in his scent, drinking in the delicious aroma as her mouth spontaneously filled with saliva. He smelled like crisp paper and ink and cigarette smoke, mingling with that irresistible flavor of pulsing hot blood.
There was a burning need sparking within her core, the desire spreading throughout her body like a forest fire. She felt her throat dry up as the scent teased her still, scorching her tongue and unraveling her mind into nothing but insanity. She pulled back from the embrace after a while, widening her mouth into a demonic smile; however, that grin was quickly suffocated when she caught a glimpse of his face again.
It was him. She saw him. That face, that familiar face of the ghoul who had been kind to her. Her heart stopped and her breath hitched, standing there in front of him, stunned, as she stared at his face for only a moment.
She saw him, and she couldn't bring herself to do it.
She swallowed hard.
"Goodnight, Ichijou-kun," she whispered. She whirled around and quickly made her way towards the staircase that led up to the second floor, where her apartment sat.
"Etsuko-chan," he called out to her, his voice low.
Etsuko blinked, stopping abruptly in her tracks and slowly turning around to face him, tilting her head to the side slightly, a bit puzzled.
"What is it, Ichijou-kun? Is something wrong?"
"N-no," he stammered, shoving his hands into his pockets. He stared at the ground for a moment, and then flipped them back up to meet hers. The firmness in them shocked her, and it jolted her back a little. "I don't mean to pry, but you never answered my question back at Anteiku."
Etsuko furrowed her brows.
"What question?" she asked bleakly.
"I asked if you knew the name of the ghoul who had killed your parents back then."
Etsuko's golden eyes widened, her skin growing pale as she stood there, stunned to silence. The wind howled, blowing her hair to the side like a ripple of white ribbons, her rosy lips slightly parted as she stared at the man in front of her, clutching at the edges of her pink knit cardigan.
A malicious smirk suddenly stretched across her lips.
"Scorpion," she hissed. "It was Scorpion."
~~~✿~~~
Another update posted! Sorry for the inconsistent posts; AP tests are coming up really soon so I guess you can say I've been rather preoccupied otherwise. HOWEVER, I managed to pump out this last one, so I hope you enjoyed it!!
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And as always, thanks for reading!!