This crossover oneshot has been sitting in my drive for YEARS now. After reading it, I fell in love with the plot and decided to make an original story of it, but first here is the ManaxTokyo Ghoul crossover fanfic that I started writing years ago and just finished now.
~*~
~ 1 ~
9TH WARD, TOKYO | 11:45PM
There were no remains left from the victims but for the blood that spilled in the home. The medical team that arrived wondered why they were even asked to report to the scene when it seems the ghouls had no problem in cleaning their plate to the bone. Entering the home, a Dove entered to inspect the scene, upon his arrival the other officers and detectives gave their respect by bowing slightly and giving him the path.
“Associate Special Class Investigator Hatake.” The man greeted the detective speaking to one of the officers
“Ah, Shisui, glad you can make it.” Kakashi greeted the young man, smiling under his mask.
Uchiha Shisui smiled in return but then frowned when his gaze went to the scene before him. Another tragedy as struck in the streets of Tokyo, and he doubt that this wouldn’t even make the press since the reported ghoul who did this was not as well known as the others. How twisted this world is, he thought as he realized that the only ones who will known of these people’s deaths were the Investigators in sight.
“It seems that our little friend was really hungry.” Kakashi mused. “Didn’t even think to leave any leftovers… not even the bones.”
“It’s not new.” Shisui spoke. “There is a higher population of Ghouls in the 13th Ward… they’re making due with what they could find… even if it means sucking to the last drop of the bone marrow.”
“I prefer if you lessen the graphic description, First Class Investigator Shisui… not everyone has a tough stomach as you do.” Kakashi gestured to the two investigators who looked green. They looked young, fresh from the Academy. “I don’t think these rookies are used to the sight of this… or even the smell.”
“They’ll get used to it… it’s in the job description.” Shisui shrugged. “So, any leads to what might have done this?”
“No… I have to say, this Ghoul really knows how to clean their traces… well, not entirely… there’s no sign of forced entry so it means that the people who lived here knew that ghoul and had no idea that they were its next meal.” Kakashi sighed.
“Have you started to question the neighbors?” Shisui said.
“Hai, Sai is already on it…”
“Sai?” Shisui said, a hint of worry in his tone.
“Do you suggest anyone else? Sai’s tactics are unconventional, but he never fails to drag the ghoul out from where they’re hiding.” Kakashi said. “Is it alright if I leave this case to you, Shisui? I still have the Kyuubi case to look into.”
“Hai, have a good night, Associate Special Class Hatake.”
“And you, First Class Uchiha.”
After Kakashi left, Shisui asked everyone in the room to leave, no one argued nor questioned his command as they knew that Uchiha Shisui had “special rituals” when it came to reading the crime scene. He didn’t want to be disrupted by anyone. Once the last person has left, Shisui took chair and stood on it, he turned on the UV-light he borrowed from the investigators and held it, enough to light up the whole scene, and once he turned off the light, there he saw the invisible message left by the ghouls who did this. The splattered blood was no mistake nor accident made when the ghoul ate the humans that lived in this home, they purposely did to make their art. And here was only one ghoul that he knew was this prideful of their work.
“Just as I thought.”
~ 2 ~
7st WARD | 9:10 AM
Running through the halls of Konoha Gakuen, Konohamaru cursed under his breath as he once again woke up late, and what made it worse was that his first class was Modern Literature, and the teacher was Kurenai-sensei, and she wasn’t so kind for tardiness. He finally came to the door of his classroom, he made sure to keep his head down to hide himself from the windows of the classroom and be caught by Kurenai-sensei or that suck-up student Natsukasa Itona. He peered at the small window of the door to see if their Sensei was in the classroom but he couldn’t seem to find her, but he does his classmates doing some kind of worksheet at their desks.
“How lucky am I!” Konohamaru grinned as he reached for the door handle to pull open the door. “Kurenai-sensei must’ve stepped out… I’ll just go inside and if she asks how I’m there, I’ll just say that she must’ve missed me at attendance – ha! This’ll be a piece of cake!”
“Is it, Sarutobi-san?”
The sound of the woman’s voice made Konohamaru freeze on his spot. Stiffly turning, he found himself look up to Kurenai-sensei herself, and the very aura she emitted said danger. Konohamaru was about to make a run for it but Kurenai grabbed him by his school uniform and dragged him inside the classroom.
“Kurenai-sensei! Sensei!” Konohamaru begged for mercy as Kurenai slammed the door shut and made Konohamaru stand in the middle of the classroom. Konohamaru stood timidly, his eyes went to his friends – Udon and Moegi – who were snickering as Kurenai would not show mercy in embarrassing him in front of everyone; then his gaze went to another group of students, and one of them was Natsukasa Itona, and the girl beside him. The last person that Konohamaru wanted to make a fool of himself in front of.
Uchiha Mana.
“Mina-san, it seems that Sarutobi-san finally decided to join us for our class.” Kurenai said. “So, Sarutobi-san, what is your excuse for being late today? Please, entertain us with your story.”
“Story?” Konohamaru exclaimed.
“Yes, since you’re such a wordsmith with your last essay, and I presume the reason why you’re late is because you stayed up all night reading Akutagawa’s In a Grove. Maybe you could enlighten us with your story on why you’re late.” Kurenai sat down at her desk with her arms crossed over her chest.
“Eto… Ano…” Konohamaru fidgeted at his place, his eyes would glance from his friends, his classmates, a snickering Itona, and Mana – who seems to be trying to stop smiling by writing down at her worksheet. “Where to begin… ano… I was at my laptop… trying to… trying to finish my –”
“Sensei, I don’t think the school is a good place to be talking about Konohamaru’s late night activities.” Natsukasa Shou spoke up with a mischievous look at his face.
The class erupted in laughter, even Udon laughed but was stopped by Moegi by slapping him at the back of the head. Konohamaru could feel the blood rise to his face that he was sure made him look like a tomato, he found the floor to be a lot more interesting and the safest place to look at the moment, but he couldn’t help but take a peek at Mana’s reaction. She wouldn’t believe that, right? And she won’t find this funny, right? She’s way smarter than anyone in this class! Taking a risky peek (risky for his heart), he found Mana simply staring at him. The look on her face looked like she was waiting for him to do something.
But nothing. He said nothing. Not even something stupid.
“That’s enough!” Kurenai spoke, she handed Konohamaru a copy of the worksheet and then motioned for him to sit. “Konohamaru, take your seat, I’ll talk to Ebisu-sensei to discuss your punishment. And please, do use an alarm clock next time.”
“Hai, Sensei… sumimasen, I won’t happen again.” Konohamaru said with a dull voice. He bowed before Kurenai before he took his seat just behind Moegi, who seems be sending him a pitiful look. He took out his book and then his mechanical pencil, and then started his worksheet, but before he did, he made one last glance at Mana’s way and saw her focused at her worksheet.
~*~
“Cheer up, Konohamaru, it wasn’t that embarrassing.” Moegi said.
Sitting at their seats with their desk brought together to make a wider table for the three of them; Moegi, and Udon had their bentos on their desks and ate their food, while Konohamaru stuck with drinking some ice-cold coffee he bought from the vendo, and wasn’t interested in eating his lunch… especially in front of his friends.
“Konohamaru, you really should eat your lunch.” Moegi said, “Here, have some of mine!”
“I’m fine, Moegi, besides, I am having lunch.” Konohamaru raised the can of cold coffee with a forced grin.
“Coffee is not lunch!” Moegi said.
“Hey, if Konohamaru doesn’t want it, can I have a piece?” Udon asked, about to take the piece of pork from Meogi’s bento, but the girl immediately shoved the piece of fried pork into her mouth. “Oh, come on!”
Konohamaru chuckled as he watched his friends’ bicker about sharing their food. It was another regular lunch with them, which he enjoyed dearly. Enjoy the little thing, he reminded himself – a mantra he would always tell himself as a reminder to never take things for granted…
“Sumimasen, but I have to go to the bathroom.” Konohamaru said as he got up from his seat.
Leaving the classroom, Konohamaru walked down the halls of Konoha Gakuen to go to his much preferred bathroom at the fifth floor – it was at an isolated place, far from the rowdy high school students his age where he could be at peace for personal reasons, though he wasn’t in the mood to “take a shit” – as he would always say to his friends when he would – he simply wanted some peace and quiet and to try to get rid of the embarrassing experience from earlier. Finally coming to the last staircase headed to the fifth floor, Konohamaru noticed two students talking by the window, they were close to each other – closer than they should be – and seems to be something he shouldn’t bother himself wi –
Konohamaru stopped at his step, just before his presence was noticed by the two students. His eyes widened as he watched the scene before him: Natsukasa Shou towering over a girl who seems to be frightened by him. The girl looked frail, especially with her pale complexion, and the added layer of her cardigan, the look at her face screamed help as Shou took a step closer to her. A dangerous step closer.
“— you, worthless parasite.” Shou said through gritted teeth.
“Please… it won’t happen again, I swear!” The girl begged.
“If I let you go now… then the respect we worked hard to gain would slowly crumble as parasites like you steal any more from us. Have you forgotten, Yoimura, that the Natsukasa family is keeping you and your family’s worthless lives safe? Or maybe I should call my Oniisan and tell him to leave the 9th Ward unguarded – and from what I remember, there is a high rate of ghouls living in that area and are hungry enough to eat you to the last drop of blood.”
“Please, Shou-kun, it won’t happen again, I swear!” the girl, Yoimura cried.
“Oi! Nastukasa!” Konohamaru spoke up, finally revealing himself to the two. “That’s enough. You’re scaring her.”
“Sarutobi, just walk away. This is none of your business.” Shou said, glaring at the boy. But Konohamaru didn’t find his glare intimidating and stood his ground. “Teme… do you have any idea who you’re messing with?”
“Sarutobi-kun! Please, it’s alright!” Yoimura said. “I’m fine, just leave!”
“You heard her, monkey bastard! She’s fine, now leave!” Shou said.
“She doesn’t look fine from how I see it.” Konohamaru said.
“Teme… you have no idea who you’re messing with.” Shou growled.
Konohamaru felt a sudden dark aura surrounding Shou made him slightly fear the boy. He wasn’t sure if it was because of how bigger and stronger Shou was – considering he was part of the Martial Arts Club – or maybe it was because of the threat he overheard earlier about his family. Was Shou’s family a yakuza? Konohamaru thought.
“I’ve been waiting for an excuse to kill you, Sarutobi… and I guess you bumping into us was fate.” Shou said.
Kill? He can’t be serious, right? Konohamaru thought, but the longer he stared at Shou, the more he believed the boy’s words. He can’t kill me! He’ll be arrested! But if his family is a yakuza, then they might –
“Shou.”
The sudden sound of a familiar voice caught Konohamaru, Shou, and Yoimura’s attention, looking up the stairs, the three found the two Top students of their year – Natsukasa Itona and Uchiha Mana. The sight of Mana made Konohamaru’s eyes widened in shock, especially how her eyes glared down at Shou as if she were ordering him to stand down.
“I don’t think Ojii-san would be pleased to hear that you got in trouble in school again, Shou.” Itona said. “Please, do us a favor and not break his bones… I’m really tired from all the school transferring and would much prefer to graduate from Konoha Gakuen.”
“He’s was eavesdropping! The little bastard heard our –” Shou tried to make up an excuse.
“And whose fault was that?” Mana spoke. The coldness in Mana’s voice made Konohamaru shiver, it was different from the Mana he once knew… this was different.
Itona went down the stairs and grabbed Shou by his uniform and dragged him up-stairs to where Mana was. He whispered something to Mana’s ear before leaving with his cousin, dragging him along as Shou cursed Itona for treating him like a child. Mana’s eyes went from Konohamaru then to Yoimura, who was still standing at the corner, shaken from what happened earlier.
“Yoimura Remon, I apologize for Shou’s rash actions – I hope he didn’t hurt you.” Mana said.
“Iie, he didn’t.” Yoimura said.
“Good… and don’t worry about your family. I’ll make sure to talk to Natsukasa-san in continuing their protection, and their services.”
“Hai, arigatou, Uchiha-san!” Yoimura said, bowing before Mana.
“But if you step out of line… I will personally make sure that you learn your lesson.” Mana said, glaring down at Yoimura before she left to follow Itona and Shou.
Konohamaru was left to ponder what he just saw, what he just heard. He couldn’t comprehend Mana’s actions earlier – how she dealt with Shou, how she spoke to Yoimura as if she had higher power than the girl. All he could think about was… was Mana part of the Yakuza? Were the Uchihas yakuza? Snapping out of his reverie, Konohamaru found Yoimura picking up her things on the ground. He jogged up to the girl and helped her retrieve her scattered things.
“Gomen… if I wasn’t any help earlier.” Konohamaru said.
“Iie…” Yoimura shook her head with a smile. “You helped enough… Sarutobi-kun.”
“You’re Yoimura Remon, right? From Class 3?” Konohamaru asked.
“Hai.”
“How long have you known Shou, Mana and Itona?”
“Not long… I’ve known Shou-kun and Itona-kun for some time now because of my parents’ business with theirs… but Mana-san… I rarely talked to her.”
“Business?” Konohamaru asked, a bit suspicious about what business she meant.
“My family lives in the 9th Ward, and there are a lot of ghouls in that area… and we pay the Natsukasas for protection.” Yoimura said.
“Protection? How? As far as I know… you can’t kill Ghouls with simple bullets and knives.” Konohamaru said, with a raised brow.
“Please… don’t ask any more… the less you know. The better. Besides, I was my fault why Shou-kun confronted me earlier… please.”
I guess she has a point… if the Natsukasas are protecting their family from ghouls at the 9th Ward, she does owe them something… but not like this… right? Konohamaru thought. But what does Mana have to do with any of this? Why is she with Itona and Shou?
“Okay…” Konohamaru reluctantly nodded. He was about to get up and leave but he noticed something on the ground. It was some kind of yellow sack-cloth, picking it up, he was about to investigate it until he suddenly felt a stinging pain at his palm. “Kuso, what was that?”
Dropping the object, Konohamaru checked his palm and saw a deep cut made, he turned to the yellow-cloth sack and wondered if that was where he got injured.
“What was that –” Konohamaru was about to grab the object but Yoimura quickly took it from the ground and stuffed it inside her bag. “Yoimura, what was that –”
“Oh, you got cut by my cutter… gomen, I’m currently doing a project, I must’ve forgotten to hide the blade.” Yoimura got out her handkerchief and dabbed it on Konohamaru’s palm.
“Ow! I’ll just wash it at the bathroom.” Konohamaru said, pushing away Yoimura’s handkerchief and getting up. “You should head back to class before your sensei gets there.”
“But what about you?” Yoimura asked.
“I’ll be fine. Besides, I was already late earlier – nothing new if I was now.” Konohamaru said as he walked up the stairs and to the bathroom, leaving Yoimura at her spot with the blood-stained handkerchief.
~ 3 ~
9th WARD, TOKYO | 10:33 PM
“The ghoul wore a lemon mask. It looked like one of those jack-o-lanterns that would be made for Halloween, but instead of a pumpkin, they used a lemon.” The Investigator gave the report. The man barely got out of the fight alive and was still bleeding when he disregarded the medics to tell Shisui when the man arrived at the scene.
Shisui admired the Investigator’s dedication to the cause but he was bleeding so much. He had to help the man to the ambulance and ordered him to listen to the medic and get treated. Taking the report with him, Shisui went to the scene of the crime where three corpses were found, two of which were CCG Investigators, and one was a hand of the civilian that the ghoul devoured.
There has got to be more than a mask, he thought. Their Kagune at least?
CCTV footage!
The apartment building where the crime happened beside had a CCTV camera. Marching to the front door where the owner of the complex was being interviewed by an Investigator, Shisui excused himself and stopped the questioning and asked, “good evening Oba-san,” he smiled charmingly. “I saw that you have a CCTV camera outside, is there a chance that we could get a copy of the footage?”
“I’m sorry, but that camera does not work.” The old lady said, timidly. “I haven’t had the chance to replace it.”
Well, fuck. Shisui sighed.
“So, it’s just for show?” The young investigator commented.
“I plan to replace it! I have not found the time!”
Before the investigator could say more, Shisui placed a hand on his shoulder and said to the old lady, “it’s okay. Thank you for your time, but please do have that fixed. It is a regulation to have CCTV cameras in establishments such as this.”
“Yes, Sir!”
“Have a good night, Ma’am.” Turning away, Shisui dragged the young investigator away and to his car. He was running out of options, and he did not want to resort to the means he had in mind, especially with how things were going in the family. But desperate times calls desperate measures.
“Investigator Hyuga,” Shisui began. “Make sure to question the houses that are in the radius of the attacks. And see if the establishments do get a glimpse of the ghoul that fled… even if it’s a long shot.”
“Yes, sir!”
Getting in his car, Shisui drove a good distance from the crime scene and parked at a nearby convenience store where no listening ears, no tech to hear his phone conversation was nearby. The phone was a burner, and it only had one number in its contacts. It belonged to the person who gave him the phone in the first place. It rang once, twice, thrice before the person at the other end answered.
“Hey! Just checking on you!” Shisui said with his usual cheerful tone. “Yeah, I need your help… got anything in your little circle that could narrow down a mask user?”
Shisui massaged the bridge of his nose and sighed as he listened to the man at the other line. “It’s a lemon mask, but not the kiddy-type, think of it as those carved lanterns in halloween, but instead of a pumpkin it’s a huge lemon.”
The man was silent for a time, then said, “I’ll see what I can do.”
~ 4 ~
Days passed since the incident with Natsukasa Shou, and Konohamaru noticed the sudden darkness that surrounds the blonde-haired boy whenever he was present. He would usually ignore the Natsukasa’s glare but after witnessing his furry the other day, he decided to keep his guard up whenever Natsukasa Shou was present, especially after hearing that there was a possibility that the boy’s family was yakuza. During those days, Konohamaru have also introduced Yoimura to his friends, letting her eat with them during lunches, and even walking her to the bus stop when heading home. Yoimura Remon was a humble girl and very shy. She had this image of those stereo-typical damsel in distress characters who is being abused by their monster captors – in her case, Natsukasa Shou. But as Yoimura spent much time with their group, Konohamaru couldn’t ignore the gazes that Mana would send their way whenever Yoimura was present.
He first noticed Mana’s stares when she bumped into him walking Yoimura to the bus station. The look she gave Yoimura was threatening. At first Yoimura and him didn’t seem to care nor mind, until she brought it up.
“Konohamaru-kun.” Yoimura began. “Do you and Uchiha-san – were you and Uchiha-san dating?”
“Eh?!” Konohamaru exclaimed, eyes wide in shock.
Udon and Moegi let out a laugh with Yoimura’s question.
“Urusai!” Konohamaru slapped the two at the back of their heads to stop their laughter. He then turned to Yoimura with a smile, “Why would you ask that, Yoimura-san?”
“Ano… because… whenever I see Uchiha-san – the way Uchiha-san looks at me… it’s like she’s trying to scare me away… it’s like she doesn’t like me around you… so I was wondering if something happened between you two.” Yoimura asked.
“You can say that.” Udon said, grinning mischievously.
“Oi, Udon!” Konohamaru chastised but his friend ignored him.
“Let’s just say, Konohamaru and Mana had a mutual understanding.” Udon said, wiggling his brows as he did.
“Eh?” Yoimura said. “Really?”
“Hai, it was back in Junior High.” Moegi said. “To be honest, Mana was actually part of our group back in Junior High, and at the last few weeks of Junior High, she and Konohamaru confessed to one another.”
“None of that matters.” Konohamaru began. “Before, we were good friends. But then… at our first year of High School, Mana suddenly became distant and just started hanging out with Natsukasa Itona and Natsukasa Shou.”
“Did you guys fight or something?” Yoimura asked.
“No, she just suddenly stopped hanging out with us and joined Itona and Shou’s group.” Udon shook his head.
“We tried talking to her but she just avoids us, and we don’t know why.” Moegi said solemnly. Memories of Mana suddenly avoiding them stung as she lost her only female friend – her best friend.
“Don’t worry about Mana, Yoimura-san.” Konohamaru said, “If she bothers you that much, just tell me…”
“Don’t tell me that you’re going to tell Mana off about it.” Udon said.
“That’s right.” Konohamaru nodded.
“Oi, oi!” Udon and Moegi gasped.
“Oi, Konohamaru, you can’t be serious.” Moegi said. “Don’t try anything stupid.”
“I’m not… Yoimura is our friend, and we should protect her from bullies, right?” Konohamaru said.
“Are you seriously calling Mana a bully now?” Udon said, raising a brow.
“What else would you call someone who pushes people around?”
There was an uneasy look between Udon and Moegi and it was expected from them. Though Mana has distanced herself from their group, they always thought that she would come back, they were good friends back in the day. They made hideouts in playgrounds, shared meals, and even their homework. Even Konohamaru hoped that one day she would come back and stop with the cold-bitchy attitude, they would always say to each other that it was because of her family – the Uchihas are known to keep an appearance of power and have high expectations with one another. Mana was a member of the main family, and expectations on her to excel were high, including when choosing her friends. The Natsukasas were a family famous for their company, but with how Shou spoke to Remon the other day, there was a possibility that the family too dwells in businesses involving the yakuza.
But their hope to repair their friendship disappeared as time went on. Mana continued to hang out with the likes of Natsukasa Shou and Itona, and she kept her distance from them. She’s never even bothered to say “hi” to them whenever they pass by the hall.
“Club activities are being dismissed earlier today.” Moegi mused.
“Yeah, it’s got to do with the killings in the city.” Udon supplied. “They say it’s the work of ghouls.” He clicked his tongue. “Why can’t they just disappear?”
“Oi, be careful, you don’t know who might be listening!” Moegi hissed.
“It’s not like there are any in campus. The principal made sure of it, remember?”
How can they forget? Just as they started high school, the school principal worked with the CCG to capture all the Ghouls in campus, there were a couple who were expelled and were given to the CCG to be imprisoned, and since then the gates and classrooms were being monitored closely. Even the students were in on it, all tasked to report to their teachers if they suspect one of their classmates to be a Ghoul, and whoever does so gets a medal for serving the school. There have been a couple who were reported, some were fakes while others were true.
One of those incidents that stuck in the minds of everyone in the school was the one that involved a fellow classmate named Kaede. She was one of the first few Ghouls that was arrested that year. The one who reported her to the CCG was a classmate of theirs by the name of Idate Morino who was later found dead by a Ghoul attack. It was believed that the ghoul who killed Idate was someone who knew Kaede and sought vengeance; there were no traces of the ghoul who killed him but for the Kagune that pierced through his body like a kebab.
“Do you not like ghouls, Udon-kun?” Yoimura asked.
Udon clicked his tongue. “After graduating, I’m joining the Academy and become an Investigator of the CCG. I’ll take them down one by one if I have to.”
Udon’s hatred towards them were understandable too. His father was killed by a ghoul when he was a kid. The ghoul was a co-worker of his father, one day they were out having drinks then the next Udon’s father was the dinner. It was like the ghoul was just fattening him up before eating him. A horrible thought, but after hearing reports about them – others with their rituals – Konohamaru couldn’t help if these creatures were sadists.
“Hey,” Konohamaru grabbed his friend’s arm. “Don’t get too worked up about it. And Moegi is right, even with the school having their anti-ghoul campaign, it’s not safe for you to speak out loud about it. You’ll never know who might hear, and you’ll never know if the person you’re sitting next to at class is a ghoul.”
“You have a wild imagination, Konohamaru-kun.” Yoimura giggled.
“I’m serious. You’ll never know, they look like us, they talk like us, the only difference is they don’t eat the same food as us.”
“I guess you’re right,” Yoimura sighed. “And I think I’ll skip club meetings later.”
“Why is that?” Moegi asked.
“With the recent attacks, my parents want me home before sundown. They worry that I might get caught in the middle of things. Or be the next meal.”
“You live near the attacks?” Konohamaru asked.
“No, but it’s still under the radius, so best be careful. You all should.”
~*~
PE was the last thing that Yoimura liked about school. She would often faint when doing straining work, such as running. What she hated more about the class was they were forced to participate in groups for team sports, especially when no one seems to like her at all. The girls who picked their teammates have made their choice, and she was the last to choose. As expected, especially when the other team lead is Uchiha Mana.
If that was not enough, after being – reluctantly – chosen to be part of Hyuga Hanabi’s team, she noticed that all of the hits of the ball were directed at her. Whether it was a coincidence or not, she never knew. But she had a gut feeling that all of Uchiha Mana’s hits were purposely directed to her, not because she was the weak link, but because the girl simply did not like her. It was obvious how the Uchiha glared at her whenever they would cross paths.
Putting the volleyballs back in the cart, Yoimura started pushing them into the storage while the other girls fixed the net that was set up. The entire time, she have hoped that it wouldn’t be Mana who would volunteer to put the poles and net in, and she was relieved to see that it wasn’t –
“You’re taking a long time.”
Yoimura jumped at the sound of the cold and alluring voice. Turning, she saw the Uchiha girl standing by the stacked up cushioned mats still wearing her PE uniform and her hair tied up to a ponytail. Her eyes were deep black like an abyss and being under her glare felt cold. Ice cold.
She tried to think of Moegi’s words about Mana, how the Uchiha girl was kind-hearted and considerate, but with how Mana was looking at her it was hard to keep that picture.
“I guess I just got lost in thought,” Yoimura laughed awkwardly. “Is there anything that I could do for you, Uchiha-san?”
“Stay away from him.”
“Eh? Who?”
“Konohamaru.”
“Why? He’s my friend.”
Mana got up from where she was leaning on and marched up to her. Uchiha Mana was taller than her by a few inches, so Yoimura had to look up to meet her gaze. “I said, stay away from him.” Mana said coldly.
Frowning, Yoimura stood her ground and said, “he’s not yours, you know. Konohamaru is my friend.”
“You bastard,” Mana grabbed her by the collar of her shirt. “You forget who you’re talking to.”
“I’m not afraid of you anymore.” Yoimura grabbed Mana’s wrist. “Not your family and not the Natsukasas. If you like him so much then why push him away?”
“Don’t mistake this as a fucking love triangle –”
“MANA!” A hand grabbed her fist. It was Konohamaru. “Let go of her!” As if it were a spell, Mana did as Konohamaru said and released Yoimura. She stepped back and watched as he stood between them. “Are you okay, Yoimura-chan?” Konohamaru checked the frail girl.
“I am.” Yoimura nodded.
“Good. Can you give us a minute, I need to speak with Mana alone.”
“Okay.” Stepping out of the storage, Yoimura closed the doors after her, leaving the two former friends in the darkness with only a thin, peering light that became their border.
Alone in the storage room, Konohamaru glared at Mana. It was the first time he ever looked at her in such a way, even when she deserted them for the Natsukasas. “What the hell is wrong with you?” Konohamaru questioned. “What did Yoimura ever do to you?!”
“It’s none of your business.” Mana said.
“It is when you both were mentioning my name.” He ran a hand through his hair in frustration. “Mana, this is insane – you and I were never –”
“It’s not about that!” Mana exclaimed. “How big of an ego do you have to think that I would pick a fight with a girl for a boy!”
“I would!” Konohamaru bellowed. “I would have picked a fight with Natsukasa if I had to if it was for you… before, I would have done so. But now, I would pick a fight with anyone if its Yoimura. Including you.”
“Why?”
“Because she’s my friend.”
“You barely know her! You only started talking to her for the last two weeks!”
“And you barely spoke a word to Natsukasa before you started hanging out with them.” Konohamaru shrugged. “You don’t get to use that excuse.”
“I have my reasons, Konohamaru.” Mana pressed on. “My family has reasons.”
“What, we’re not good enough for the great Uchiha Mana –”
There was a throbbing pain on his cheek, and an ache at his jaw. He could taste blood at his lip and the inside of his mouth. Mana was small and thin, but she can throw a punch. Stunned with what she did, Konohamaru couldn’t seem to find the words to say what he was feeling now, or the shock of it all. All he could do was look at her. Her eyes. Her eyes had tears building up.
“Fuck you, Sarutobi.” Mana said through gritted teeth and walked out of the storage room.
~5~
The office of the Special Class Investigators were a bitch to get to. Not only does it show how godly they were in terms of power and rank, it would take three elevator rides to get to the top, and some stairs to get to the specific office. In Shisui’s case, the office that he was going to was at the East side of the building, and the elevator he rode on was located at the West, so he had to walk all the way to the other side, dragging his shoes with him and the heavy briefcase that was his weapon.
Arriving at the door, he waved a hello at the Special Class Investigator’s secretary and ignored his caution that the Investigator was currently in a meeting with family and barged in. Afterall, he was family too.
“Do you know how tiring it is to get to your office?” Shisui began and slammed the door shut after him. His entrance broke the serious atmosphere that was between the brothers. “I hate it whenever we meet here, couldn’t we just have met at my office?”
“And risk everyone hearing about the classified job you’re making me do?” Itachi chuckled. “No. You broke protocol in following the chain of command to ask a favor from me, so you better get up here.”
Rolling his eyes, Shisui slumped at the empty chair beside where Itachi’s younger brother was sitting on. “How’s university, Sasuke?”
Uchiha Sasuke got up from his seat. “I better head out. I still need to pick up Mana from school.”
“This early?” Itachi checked the clock.
“Her school is dismissing classes and club activities earlier because of the ghoul incidents.” Sasuke supplied. “Its best that I pick her up from school than have her as a walking target in the streets.”
“You treat her too much like a princess,” Shisui snorted.
“Mana is, after all, the daughter of the main Uchiha family.” Sasuke shrugged. “Humans and ghouls alike would very much like to have their pound of flesh. I’ll see you at home, Oniisan.”
“Drive safely.” Itachi told his brother. It was only when Sasuke left that he finally addressed Shisui and the problem at hand. “No killings today?”
“With the body count they made, I think they stacked up until this becomes a cold case.” Shisui took out the file he was carrying and gave it to Itachi. “They’re calling it the ghoul Lemonade.”
“Why name it after a beverage?”
“I don’t know, lemon just doesn’t seem right. We still don’t know what type of Kagune they have, but if we check how the investigators were killed, Its either a koukaku or a rinkaku.” He pointed at the point of entry of the wound.
“Koukaku. Rinkakus usually tear their victims to pieces because of the tail-like design. Koukakus are more like knives.”
Shisui nodded in agreement. “Any idea on who could have made the mask?”
“I have something.” Itachi mused. “He calls himself the Puppet Master, rather the CCG gave him that name too.” The man produced a single page that had a photo of a oddly-looking mask that was made from wood, the jaw was connected to the man mask with some sort of screw so it could move with the wearer’s mouth.
“Based off his get up, his Kagune is a Rinkaku.” Shisui concluded.
“One-tailed.” Said Itachi. “He makes masks at the 9th Ward, expect ghouls living a good ten kilometer radius going to him to hide their faces. One of his best works are –”
“That idiot who keeps broadcasting his name: Deidara. Anything you got from him?”
“He did encounter Lemonade a couple of times. And she bought a mask from him.”
“Oh, so our Lemonade is a girl, huh.” Shisui leaned back in his seat. “You don’t look pleased with the information. Come on, we’re one step away from catching her, be happy.”
Itachi did not smile, which was expected. The man had a permanent frown on his face but for when he was with his siblings. But Shisui could see right through that he was deeply troubled by something, and the last time that happened was two years ago when Konoha Gakuen started their anti-ghoul campaign. Mana has been a target of those attacks –
“She’s a student, isn’t she?” Shisui spoke. Itachi’s silence was an enough answer. “Konoha Gakuen is the closest school to those attacks, in fact, its in the heart of the perimeter.”
“Lemonade was smart enough to travel far from the school to keep the CCG from questioning the campus, but she couldn’t go too far from her feeding grounds which are close to the school. I expect that you will be able to handle this without alarming the school. We do not want another witch hunt in Konoha Gakuen.”
“No, we do not.” Shisui agreed. Getting up from his seat, Shisui grabbed his briefcase and left the office. He will need another weapon for this type of work, one that was stealthy.
~ 6 ~
The sun had already set when Konohamaru finished with his club activities. Moegi and Udon have gone home long before him, their parents went to school to pick them up. If his parents were around, he too would have been picked up by them, but mom and dad were busy working – with dad running the family business, and mom at the Police Force. Their jobs often had them working nonstop, and barely had time for him, but he didn’t mind, he did have his uncle, Asuma, and his grandfather. But they won’t be there to pick him up either, grandfather was too old to drive, and his uncle was working in the CCG.
“Walking home tonight?” Kurenai-sensei’s voice made Konohamaru jump from his train of thoughts. He has been standing by the school gates trying to get a hold of anyone from home to get him, but all were busy.
“Yeah, I guess so.” He muttered.
Kurenai sighed. “It’s late, I know it’s not conventional, but maybe I could give you a lift home? It won’t sit well with me if I leave my student walking home in dangerous streets.”
A grip came to his lips. “You’re a lifesaver, Sensei –”
“Konohamaru!”
Coming from the school building, Yoimura ran towards him with a smile on her face. She still hasn’t gone home? He thought.
“What are you still doing here?” Konohamaru questioned her.
“Club activities. I volunteered to clean up the room before heading home, I guess I lost track of time.” Yoimura sheepishly said. “Are you walking home? Maybe we could walk home together?”
The blush on her face made Konohamaru’s heart race. Yoimura was cute and really kind, unlike certain people who just spits harsh words on your face… and with how Udon has been teasing him about Yoimura always leaned on him, figuratively and metaphorically. Not to mention his confrontation with Mana weeks ago have gone around the school, the rumors of a love triangle only made Mana colder towards him and Yoimura.
He shook his head to rid of any thought of Mana, she has clearly stated that she wouldn’t waste her time thinking of him, besides that confession of theirs was years ago, back when they were kids who only found out about kissing –
Yeah, he should stop thinking about her completely.
“Yeah, we could walk together,” said Konohamaru.
“Why don’t I give you both a lift instead?” Kurenai offered. “It’s not safe for you to walk at the streets at this hour.”
Yoimura shook her head. “I don’t want to trouble you, Sensei. Besides, my home is just close by.”
“Is that why you’re always on time?” Konohamaru teased.
“You could say that. Come on, I want to get some snacks before heading home!” Yoimura grabbed his arm and dragged him out of campus grounds, leaving Kurenai to worry about her students.
The street that Yoimura lives at was close to the school, but with the alleys and construction sites, it could spark one’s imagination of different ways for a killer to make their move. Konohamaru shook his head at such thoughts, he just watches too many movies that his first thought was his classmate being a serial killer.
“Ne, Konohamaru.”
The call of his name pulled him from his reverie. Looking down, he saw that Yoimura have stopped in her tracks and was a few feet away from him. “Hm?”
“Is it true that you kissed Uchiha-san?”
“What? Where did you get that idea?” Konohamaru blushed.
“Be honest. Because I really like you, you know. And I just really want to know since she thinks she has some kind of claim to you.”
“Yeah, we kissed but that was two years ago.” Konohamaru scratched the back of his head. A mannerism of his when talking about something awkward. “Hold on, did you say you like me?”
Yoimura nodded. “I do, but Uchiha-san scares me sometimes…”
Grabbing her hand, Konohamaru made Yoimura look at him. “Don’t be. Mana did mean so much to me, but that was before…”
Liar.
“Before she started hanging out with Natsukasa, and before she started ignoring us. She has no claim over me.”
Liar.
“No one has a claim over me. And if you do like me, Yoimura, then I want you to know that I will not think of her. I haven’t thought of her for a while now.”
“Since when?”
“Ever since you started hanging out with us. You’re easier to hang out with.”
Yoimura giggled. “Easier? What does that mean?”
“With Mana, there are complications with her family reputation and her brothers… especially her brothers. But with you , it’s easier. Maybe we could give this a try?”
“I would want nothing more,” Yoimura brought her arms around him and pulled Konohamaru to an embrace.
Holding her there, Konohamaru couldn’t help but break his promise as he thought of the one person that has invaded his mind for years now. He always thought that it would be Mana who would be his first girlfriend, they did confess to one another, shared a kiss, made promises. But this is how life is, it doesn’t always go your way. And maybe with Yoimura he could forget about his silly childhood crush –
There was a horrible, jagged pain at the base of his neck. It felt like blunt knives were being pierced through his flesh, ripping it apart – not knives, it felt like teeth.
“God, how I’ve waited to get a taste of that flesh.” Her voice changed from the innocent girl to cold and sadistic.
“Yoi – Yoimura?” Konohamaru stuttered.
“You’re so sweet, Ko-no-ha-ma-ru.” Yoimura teased. “You would willingly give your mind for me, are you also willing to give your body?”
Before she could take another bite, Konohamaru pushed her away. He almost fell on the ground when he felt how heavy she was. Her body felt like it was made out of lead, or maybe it was because of his injury? There was so much blood gushing from his arm and it hurt like hell!
“Yoimura, you’re a ghoul?”
“So, are you going to give your body to me, Konohamaru?” Yoimura asked in her sweet voice.
Run. Run. Run. Run! His brain told him but his legs couldn’t move. They were stuck at their place as if glued to the ground. Trembling in fear.
“Don’t worry, I promise that you won’t feel a thing.” It came out from her back – the Kagune – and coiled around her arm like an armor. It was grotesque with how it throbbed like flesh, and glowed red as if it were a beating heart. At the very end of the Kagune, there was a jagged end that looked like a harpoon used to capture whales.
“RUN, YOU IDIOT!” Konohamaru yelled at himself and bolted. Clutching his bleeding arm, he ran to the narrow alleyway, toppling over trash cans and crates, anything to slow her down. But he could hear her behind him, he could hear her catching up, jumping over the obstacles he created. If only his arm wasn’t hurt, he could climb those walls –
Idiot! She could catch you before you could even get one foot on there, he scolded himself. Ghouls were faster and stronger than humans.
He was going to die. He knew that. He stands no chance. No obstacle can keep the inevitable, so why was he still running?
“Konohamaru! I thought you want to give us a try?” Yoimura mocked him.
Run! Run! Run! Ru –
Something kicked him hard. If the trashbags were not there, he was sure that his skull would have cracked with the impact. Getting up, Konohamaru saw for himself the face of death. Yoimura is standing before him with a harpoon for a Kagune, her black and red eyes looking down at him like a predator does to a prey.
“You’re my favorite so far, not all of them could give a good chase.” Yoimura mused. “Let’s show Uchiha Mana that you don’t belong to her –”
There was a tail that pierced through Yoimura’s stomach. It was black with veins of purple and red, the texture looked like jagged scales. Konohamaru was no Investigator, but he knew what a Kagune looked like. Before any of them could speak, the tail was pulled out forcefully, ripping off a large part of Yoimura’s insides, and having the girl drop to the ground, aiding her large wound.
“So, you were following us? What are you – a stalker, Uchiha?” Yoimura cursed.
Standing a few feet behind Yoimura with three, jagged tails was a girl wearing the Konoha Gakuen uniform, her black hair tied to a ponytail and her face was covered by a blue demon theater mask with white fangs.
“Uchiha?” Konohamaru said in a whisper. “Mana?” The blue-demon mask turned to him, and he was sure to see the glare of the red-pupil that was of a ghoul. “You’re a…”
Yoimura laughed. “Yeah, that’s right. Your beloved Mana is a –”
This time it wasn’t the tail, it was a hand that pierced through Yoimura’s chest like a blade, and the Blue Demon knelt beside her, with the other hand clawing at Yoimura’s face. “You’re one noisy bitch, aren’t you?” She whispered. “I did warn you, didn’t I?”
“Fuck you,” Yoimura hissed. “Fuck you, Uch –”
Blood sprayed on the pavement and on Konohamaru as Mana ripped off Yoimura’s throat and threw it on the ground.
“Ma… na…” Konohamaru mustered up to say.
“Oi, oi, Aoi Akuma,” a familiar voice came from the top of the wall. There was a man sitting there, he was taller than Konohamaru, wore a black demon theater mask on his face and a fur-lined hood to hide his white hair. “You made quite a mess here.”
“The CCG are on their way. Make it look clean would you,” Mana removed her mask and tossed it to the Black Demon. “Do you mind making the crime scene more believable?”
The Black Demon was conflicted, Konohamaru could see the hesitation with how the man shook his head, then said under his breath. “Suit yourself.” In one swift move, a black and slender tail appeared and pierced Mana’s shoulder, then pulled out, leaving a gushing wound.
“MANA!” Konohamaru panicked.
“Any more you want? How about a scar across your face?” The Black Demon mockingly offered. She did not laugh, she simply glared at the Black Demon. “I can hear their sirens coming. Best to hide that eye of yours, Aoi Akuma.” With that, the Black Demon jumped high in the sky and disappeared in the night.
“Let’s go. We need to make sure this looks like a believable incident.” Mana grabbed his hand and held it tight.
The first car of the CCG arrived. It was a black sedan. Coming out of the driver’s and passenger side were two men, both wearing the white trench coats of the Doves, and were carrying briefcases in one hand. Looking at them closely, Konohamaru managed to identify the two men: the one that came out of the driver’s side was a tall and lean man, with curly black hair, sharp eyes was Uchiha Shisui; then the man with long, black hair tied to a low ponytail and similar eyes to Mana was Special Class Investigator Uchiha Itachi. A legend in the CCG that was in the same rank as Arima.
“Oniisan,” Mana mustered up to say. “Shisui-kun.”
“Mana-hime, you’re bleeding.” Shisui noted. He walked past the corpse of the ghoul and went to her side, he immediately took out some sort of first aid kit to help with her wound.
“Shisui, tend to Konohamaru first,” Itachi spoke.
Reluctantly, Shisui did as Itachi told him to do and tended to Konohamaru. He had the young man sit on the ground as he checked the open wound, it was a messy one with Yoimura ripping off the flesh. “He needs a hospital,” Shisui told Itachi.
“The CCG are heading their way here, along with an ambulance.” Itachi said, but his eyes remain on Mana who stood unmoving. “I guess this was a bad day to wear your school uniform.”
She was silent at first, her eyes downcast and staring at Yoimura’s body. At her bloody work. “I wasn’t planning to engage in battle.”
“The wound?”
“A favor from the Omukade Clan.”
Itachi clicked his tongue. “The girl’s family?”
“They’re taking care of it as we speak.”
“This blood and theirs will be on your hands.”
Mana nodded stiffly. “I don’t regret it.”
“I know.” Itachi sighed. He removed his coat and placed it over Mana’s shoulders, he made her wear it even when it was too big for her. “They will not be happy about this.”
“I’ll accept whatever punishment they will give me.”
Pulling his sister to an embrace, Itachi let out a breath of relief as he held his sister. “Do not let this happen again.”
“It won’t,” Mana replied.
The CCG arrived moments later with Investigators flooding the streets, covering the body of the Ghoul and placing their tapes to contain the crime scene. Mana’s demeanor changed as soon as they arrived, from a calm and emotionless girl earlier, she was in shock, near to tears, still panicking with what she – he just encountered. She even had a story on how it happened.
“I had a bad feeling about her,” Mana told the Investigator. “So I followed them… and then she attacked us and we just ran. Before we knew it another Ghoul came, it attacked her – I don’t know why but if it hadn’t come we’d be dead.”
There was no interrogation after. Special Class Investigator Uchiha Itachi’s word was law to the other Investigators and had the two teenagers brought to the hospital with proper guards. The entire time, Shisui was there to escort them whilst Itachi stayed at the scene to identify the ghoul, and to hunt down the one that killed Yoimura Remon, also known as the ghoul Lemonade.
~ 7 ~
There was going to be a nasty scar on his shoulder but Konohamaru did not mind. He was more concerned about Mana when they were in the hospital. Mana was a ghoul, and all he could think about were the times that told him that she was one. Ghouls don’t eat the same food as humans. They could get sick if they do, they can only survive with human flesh, but Mana would always eat with them during lunches. She would even bring a packed lunch to share with them, she would even accept the food that Moegi would bring her.
But what was more concerning was her being in the hospital. Ghouls’ bodies were harder than steel, so could those needles and stitches penetrate her skin? Don’t they also have some sort of healing ability, if so why was her shoulder still bleeding when they came there?
He didn’t know what could have happened for those needles to pierce her skin, it was a mystery to him.
Their stay in the hospital was prolonged due to the investigation placed on the ghoul that killed Yoimura Remon (Lemonade), it was for their safety as the Ghoul called Kuro Akuma was in the scene of the crime and could go after them after that. They were visited by their families, with Konohamaru’s parents coming out of work to see him, and for Mana it was her brothers. Sasuke was more guarded with his sister when he came there, he kept looking over his shoulder as if someone would come to attack them, while in there. He was insistent to have Mana’s care continue at home where it was safer for her — completely forgetting about Konohamaru’s safety for a moment – but Itachi was firm in the decision to have Mana and Konohamaru stay in the hospital, which had Sasuke in a bad mood.
It was during the time their families were at the hospital that Shisui came to give a report of the Black Demon and inform them about the steps to take once they return to school. The school was informed about Yoimura Remon’s case, and for the time being classes were suspended to calm the panic with the students and the parents. There were those who transfered school, believing it was no longer safe, while others stayed but demanded a thorough background search on each student. But such actions were still being debated by the school and the CCG.
When night came, visitors were asked to leave the hospital. Konohamaru’s parents left even before the hour was up because of their work, while Sasuke was reluctant to do so. He tried talking to the nurse to have him stay with his sister but Mana, literally, kicked her brother out of the room.
“Go home!” She slammed the door after Sasuke crashed on the ground. “And don’t come back until it's visiting hours again! You’re so annoying!”
Marching back to her bed, Mana went to the mini refrigerator at the side of the bed to get a snack. A gasp left Konohamaru’s mouth when he saw what was inside. There were two plastic containers one with red meat and the other having a human hand. She quickly closed the door and went to lay down on her bed.
“I don’t mind if you…” Konohamaru trailed off.
“You sure about that?” Mana muttered.
“You gotta eat.”
“I’m not that hungry, besides I don’t like it when people watch me when I eat.”
“You never seemed to mind befo –” He caught himself before he could finish his sentence. “Back then, you said that Onigiri was your favorite… why?”
Mana sighed. She sat up to face him, their beds were just across each other with only a retractable curtain to separate them, ever since they were admitted there she never closed the curtain and always had an eye on the window that was by his bed. “Of all things you could ask, you chose my made up story of liking onigiri? Idiot.”
“Why go through all that trouble, though?”
“Why do you think?” Mana snapped. “It’s so I could blend in…”
“But why?”
“Because I want to live.” She said. “Because I want to have a life outside my family and the compound… you’re asking the wrong questions. Stop hesitating and just spit it out already.”
Konohamaru swallowed, a part of him was still afraid to be in the same room as a ghoul, but another side of him wasn’t because this ghoul was Mana, and Mana would never harm him. She even saved him from her own kind.
“How are you a ghoul, Mana?” she said in a deep voice that mimicked his own, but it sounded like she was mocking him. She then returned to her own voice and explained, “My mother, Uchiha Mikoto, is a ghoul.”
“Hold on!” Konohamaru jumped up from his pillow. “Mikoto-san was a –”
“Keep it down,” she hissed. “But yeah, she is… or was. My father knew about it, but he still married her despite the Uchihas being known supporters of the CCG.”
“Then that means Itachi-san and Sasuke-san are also –”
“Sasuke-niisan is a half-ghoul like me,” she corrected him. To prove her point, her right eye turned black with its iris turning red. “Itachi-niisan, on the other hand, he’s not… he’s what they call a half-human. He’s not a ghoul perse, he just has our strength and speed… we still don’t know what else Oniisan has, we’re still trying to understand him.”
“Does your family know about Mikoto-san?” Konohamaru asked.
“Who do you think killed her and Otosan?” Mana said, bitterly. “I still don’t know why they left us alone… maybe Itachi-niisan made a deal or something with Madara, who knows… but with what I did the other day, it won’t be long until I know what kind of punishment I’m getting.”
“Are you saying that they’ll kill you?!”
She shrugged. “You only have your life because we let you, those were their words to us. Our lives are theirs, they can do whatever they please. I’m sure you want to know why I stopped hanging out with you and the others too.”
“A bit, but now that I know this, I think I get it now.”
She chuckled. “They were rounding up ghouls in the school. It was a witch hunt, students and teachers were having students arrested, even if they weren’t ghouls. It was safer for me and for all of you if I stayed away from you, to keep you off their sight.”
“Then why stick with the Natsukasas?”
“It’s obvious isn’t it? The Natsukasas are one of the families that hold this ward. They give ghouls here protection.”
So, Shou and Itona were ghouls too, Konohamaru thought. That day when he saw them threatening Yoimura, it was –
“The Natsukasas are the ones that keep the ghouls in line in this Ward. If there aren’t any crimes, then the CCG won’t be sniffing around. Yoimura was breaking that peace with her binge eating… that day when you saw them threatening her, they received news of her killing spree.”
“They were telling her to stop.”
Mana’s eye returned back to its onyx color. The way she looked at him said otherwise to what he hoped they were doing. “Sometimes, its best to just pluck out the weed before it starts spreading. And that’s what Yoimura was, a weed in the garden. The Natsukasas have been keeping this ward safe – the closest thing to a haven to Ghouls and she just comes here to break that. I owe that family my and my brothers’ life. They help us hide, they help us find food.”
“So, you don’t kill people to eat?” Konohamaru asked, his voice was trembling in fear of her answer.
“They promised us that they won’t kill anyone, but I doubt that they always keep that promise… but it’s better than having to hunt down people, just like what’s happening in the 20th Ward where ghouls have been running around and Doves are wiping them all out. The Natsukasas are acting like kings because of their power, but if its the way to keep those briefcase carrying asses off our back, then fine. I’ll bow down to those assholes if it means getting to live a normal life… if it means going to school and seeing you.”
Konohamaru felt blood rushing to his cheeks all the way up to his ears. Just as he was to speak, Mana said, “we do things that would hurt us just to protect those who we care about. Those were Itachi-niisan’s words, and he has done so much to protect me and Sasuke-niisan. I don’t want to burden him anymore, that’s why when it came to protecting you, the only thing I can think about doing was to stay away…”
~*~
Mana was losing a battle with sleep, Konohamaru could feel her awake. Her eyes were fixed at the window just by his bed, and her other senses at the entire room, preparing for an attack from a vengeful ghoul. Or the punishment that awaits her from her own family. He wasn’t sure if she knew that he wasn’t asleep, but she did use the time that he had his back to her to have her meal. He heard the curtains closing, the refrigerator opening and the plastic container opening. The smell of meat filled the air, all Konohamaru could do was cover his nose.
Then there was music being played. Not too loud, just enough to drown out the sound of her eating. The song she was playing was from one of her personal metal playlists. Still, the music was not enough to drown out the sound of it all. She devoured her food in minutes, each chew and swallow sent a chill down Konohamaru's spine.
He was coming to terms that Mana was a ghoul, but he was still having a hard time accepting the idea that she was eating human flesh. That she has been eating human flesh.
After her meal, she turned off the music, then there was the water tap going on, followed by the sound of her brushing her teeth. She spent a long time brushing and using mouthwash, maybe so he wouldn’t find any trace of her meal on her. It must hurt though, to keep brushing your teeth until nothing was left of your previous meal.
Silence once again came to the room, and Mana kept her guard up as she laid down in her bed. Her eyes fixed on the window and tried to win the battle with sleep.
Finding the courage to turn over, Konohamaru faced her and saw Mana lying there reading a book by some author called Sen Takatsuki. The book was old, its worn spine and edges showed how many times Mana has read that book over and over, and even from where he was he could imagine the many times she had annotated on that book with her colorful book tags, her neat penmanship written with a mechanical pencil. The bookmark she always used whenever she read that book which was a photo of her family when her parents were still alive.
The book’s title was Dropped Box, from what he remembered from the many times Mana explained it to him, it was a book where the protagonist longs for a father.
Just as Mana longs for her mother and father.
“If you can’t sleep I can knock you out,” Mana spoke.
He knew it was wrong in so many ways, but Konohamaru got up from his bed and crossed the line that the curtain made.
“Mana-chan,” he whispered.
She ignored him and kept reading. Knowing that she won’t listen to him, he did the only thing that could get her attention. He took her book.
“What?” she asked, slightly irritated. She must be really tired and wanted to sleep but can’t because of him.
“Move over.”
“Eh?”
“I said move over.” Konohamaru tried pushing her to the wall so he could have some space. He managed to get enough to sit down.
“Sleep in your own bed.” She was about to hit him with a pillow.
“Please?” He took her hand and held it tight. A few days ago this hand was covered with blood.
“I sleep at the edge.” She said. So she could protect him, no doubt.
He smiled. “Fine by me.”
He crawled to the other side of the bed and laid down facing the wall. He could feel her doing the same with her back against him. With the small space, they had to squeeze together in the bed and share the small blanket.
“You could have brought your blanket over here, idiot.” She muttered.
“Sorry about that.” he laughed.
Under the covers, he felt her slender hand take his own and filled the gaps between his fingers, holding him tight. “Goodnight, Mana-chan.”
“Goodnight, Konohamaru.”
~ 8 ~
There were only three ways to be a celebrity in school. First was being the star pupil in school – meaning you gotta be the star athlete and the smart ass. Second was being the pretty boy or girl. And lastly, was for being a survivor of a ghoul attack. In his stay in Konoha Gakuen, he became popular for the latter, and it was not something he dreamed of being popular for. Coming back to school, everyone was asking him about the ghoul attack and about Yoimura. While he was being bombarded by those questions, Mana had her solitude with the protection that the Natsukasas gave her.
He always thought that she was the leader of their little trio, but seeing her with them now he knew that she was there for shelter. Itona and Shou were not the most pleasant people to be around with but they were the closest people she could go to for security. Especially at these times where the school was having another witch hunt.
“I still can’t believe that Yoimura was that ghoul called Lemonade,” Moegi whispered.
“Me neither,” Udon said, bitterly. “Did she really take a bite off of your shoulder?”
“Yeah,” Konohamaru involuntarily reached for his wound –
A hand grabbed his wrist before he could touch it. Looking up, he saw Mana looking down at him with a scolding gaze. “Don’t, it’s still healing.” She told him.
“Mana!” Moegi gasped.
“Hey, Mana…” Udon trailed off, surprised to see their former friend near their group.
“Right,” Konohamaru retracted his hand. “Sorry, but to answer your question, Udon, Yoimura did bite me – she ripped off my flesh actually. I guess I have an excuse from PE, huh.”
“Lucky.” Udon playfully glared at him.
“So, what can I do for you?” Konohamaru turned to Mana. It was his curiosity that had him looking over her shoulder, and just as he thought Itona and Shou were watching them from afar, drinking their cans of coffee. And for a moment, he thought he saw their golden eyes turn red.
“Mind if we talk?” Mana said.
“Sure.”
“In private.”
“Right, sorry. I’ll see you guys later.” Konohamaru grabbed his jacket and followed Mana out of the classroom, leaving his friends, the two Natsukasas, and their classmates to watch and think about what they were going to do, and stir up some new school drama to get rid of the tense atmosphere.
They went to the roof. No one has used that place for a while now with the weather turning cold. He was right to bring his jacket, but he wished he had his coat instead. The wind was piercing cold, he envied Mana’s fur lined jacket and leg warmers.
“Do ghouls get cold?” Konohamaru asked out of the blue.
“Just because we’re flesh eating monsters doesn’t mean we can’t experience the cold, dumbass.” Mana snapped.
“Just a thought, I mean the school skirt isn’t really weather friendly. So, why take me here?”
Mana shrugged. “Madara and the other elders in the family have decided on what to do to me.”
For a moment his heart stopped. If he thought ghouls were heartless creatures before, listening to Mana now about her family had him thinking that the real monsters were humans too, specifically her family. “What are they going to do? Are they going to…”
“No. Itachi-niisan did something to sway them from that, but it did cross their minds… still they’ll be getting their pound of flesh.” Mana sighed as she checked her fingers. “And I just painted my nails the other day, damn.”
“Don’t tell me that they’re going to – Mana, that’s horrible! They can’t!”
“My life is theirs to end, and my body is theirs to break. But don’t worry, I’m stronger than I look,” she tried to smile. “And this won’t be the first time it happened, you’ll get used to the pain… I won’t lie, it will hurt like a bitch, but still.”
“Mana, I’m so sorry… if I hadn’t – if Yoimura have just –”
“OI!” She knocked on his head. “Stop that. It’s not your fault. Maybe I shouldn't have told you, but after that day… that night… I realized that I really, really missed you, you know.” She took his hand and placed it over her chest, just above her heart. “And you have no idea how much it helped to get all that off my chest.”
She didn’t realize that she was crying. Tears fell from her eyes like waterfalls, her lips trembled, and not long a sob came out. “When Okasan and Otosan died, I was falling apart. My brothers did what they could to help but it wasn’t enough. I wanted to burn the world, I wanted to hurt someone and I did. I killed someone and I…” he didn’t need to hear what she did. “I wanted to kill myself… but you were there, and you helped me through it.
“I know that I said that it doesn’t matter, but I’m really scared right now.” Mana let out a laugh between her cries.
He brought her to an embrace, letting her cry on his shoulder. It was the first time he ever saw her cry, he realized. He didn’t see Mana cry during her parents’ funeral nor after. She was just there, emotionless, frozen. A girl who wanted to wake up from a terrible nightmare.
But she wasn’t sleeping, and this nightmare was real.
“Mana-chan.” Konohamaru’s embrace tightened around her. “You don’t have to carry this on your own anymore. I’ll be here to carry half of it for you… if you want we could leave now, we could get away from them and live peacefully. You said that the 20th Ward is a peaceful place for ghouls to live, then we’ll go there.”
“Thank you, Konohamaru, but we can’t leave.”
“Why not?”
“How about the fact that our families will turn Japan upside down just to look for us?” She laughed lightly. “I’ll be fine. Really.”
“But they’re hurting you, Mana. Your own family is hurting you.”
She looked up to him and rested her forehead against his. Back when they were children, Konohamaru would always hit his forehead to hers whenever they had a disagreement, the memory of it made them both smile. “Things will be easier now that you’re here… let this be the only selfish thing that I will do. The only thing that they can’t take from me. Please…”
“They won’t take this from you, Mana. From us, I promise.” He pressed a kiss on her forehead.
~*~
The sight of Konohamaru and Mana holding hands when they went back into the classroom had many in shock. Udon even choked on his ramen when he saw them cross the doorway and doge a few classmates and chairs while still holding onto each other. Just as they thought Konohamaru was going to take her to their little group, he walked past them and brought Mana back to where the two Natsukasas were sitting by the window.
“What the hell is this, Sarutobi?” Shou asked.
“Mana,” Itona called her with a warning tone.
Mana ignored him and continued to face Konohamaru with that soft smile. “Thank you, Konohamaru.”
“No problem. If you need anything, just tell me, okay?” He said. After she nodded, Konohamaru brought her hand to his lips and placed a kiss on her knuckles, which had everyone in the classroom gasping and shrieking. Even Itona choked on his coffee when he saw. “I’ll see you later, Mana-chan.”
“Baka,” Mana took her hand from his hold, blushing deeply.
Snickering, Konohamaru waved goodbye and went back to his seat where his friends started demanding him for answers.
“What, you and Mana are now together just after what happened to Yoimura?” Udon questioned him.
“We’re not together-together, we’re just… together.” Konohamaru shrugged.
“Bullshit!” Moegi told him. “Come on, tell us! What happened up that roof – did she confess – did you confess – did you both –” Their questions went on and Konohamaru didn’t answer any one of them. He simply went on to finish the onigiri that Mana gave him.