You know what's the most deceptive thing in the world?
Time.
It flows like a river, carrying us inexorably toward a destination we cannot escape.
Life, in all its complexity, seems to be a mere facade for this relentless march. We strive to fill our days with purpose, stretching each moment to the fullest, yet time's hands never waver in their steady progression. It reminds us, with unwavering constancy, that our existence is but a simple, unwavering journey towards the inevitable, where all our efforts and aspirations ultimately converge.
Or that's what I thought at least...
In a moment of reckoning I realized the passage of time in my life wasn't measured by a regular clock but by the shifting sands of an hourglass.
When everything fell apart and I embraced the inevitable, it turned around, offering me another chance.
Though, I was unsure if it was an opportunity or a path to another demise.
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Raindrops dance on the neon-lit streets of Tokyo, casting a melancholic glow on the cityscape. The air is heavy with the scent of wet asphalt and the distant hum of traffic.
In this moody atmosphere, lone pedestrians, draped in layers of warmth, sought refuge beneath a myriad of umbrellas. Each individual, cocooned in their protective shield, hurried through the wet labyrinth of streets, a collective determination to move together against the unpredictable weather and retreat to the comforting embrace of their homes.
As the rain intensifies, the silhouette of an old, abandoned office building emerges from the mist. Its windows, shattered and forgotten, reflect the city's shimmering lights like fractured memories.
Inside, the solemn quiet is interrupted by the murmur of footsteps. One set moves with a leisurely grace, almost like it was exploring the forgotten spaces, while another, more hurried and restless, adds an undertone of urgency.
Through the desolate halls, a young woman who bore a pained expression was tightly clenching her midsection. A deep, clean cut was visible beneath the torn fabric of her shirt, the material uncomfortably pressing into her fresh wound.
"Damn it," she cursed under her breath, pushing her legs to move faster than they already did as blood started to leak through her fingers.
On the other hand, her pursuer seemed to be in no hurry to reach her as he walked at a slow pace while whistling a tune to himself. The sound of it making her skin crawl.
Ren was stupid.
She fell blindly in a trap.
It should have been obvious that the information she needed wouldn't come in so easily.
Her strength soon faltered, transforming her sprint into a painful hobble. Despite her pursuer still on her trail, the need for a brief rest compelled her to slow down.
Coming to a stop, she pressed herself against the cracked and soiled wall. The residue of crumbling lime met her fingertips, and the dampness from lingering condensation intensified the grime, leaving her hand not only dirtied but uncomfortably sticky.
Gritting her teeth, she stole a glance behind.
Cloaked in the night's darkness, a figure strolled a few feet away from her. Nonchalantly kicking aside some overturned chairs as he had a light, cheerful bounce into his walk.
She swallowed the lump in her throat and pushed herself forward again. The metallic scent of her blood combined with the building's humidity and rust reaching her nose.
As she finally reached the end of the corridor she was met with a staircase that lead up while on each intersection there was a pair of degrading doors. Recognizing the futility of climbing with her injury, Ren knew going up was impossible.
With a heavy groan she turned right and pushed open the half-busted entrance, stepping inside a lowly lit workspace.
In the vast, abandoned room, expansive cubicles sprawled with acrylic panels on each side, creating small workstations. Dust-covered desks with cracked computer screens stood inside each one while papers and documents littered the laminate floor.
Tall, glass panels replace the walls inside the office, allowing fragmented glimpses of the city below. The lowly lit interior bathed in the ambient glow of city lights and moonbeams, casting a subdued aura over the deserted workstations.
"Oh no..." Ren sighed, slowing her pace as she approached a glass pane, peering out at the city. Raindrops gracefully traced their paths down the window, distorting the nocturnal panorama beyond. The softened city lights painted a muted glow on the glass, casting a melancholic ambiance.
If it was any other day she might have enjoyed the dream like scene.
But today it only looked like a dead end to her.
Ren's breathing was slow and heavy, the cold air slicing through her neck with each inhale. Sweat coated her forehead, and her clothes and mask, now sticking to her pale skin, bore witness to the intensity of her exertion.
She knew she was approaching her limit.
Not only did she fight with other ghoul investigators a few minutes prior but the person pursuing her had also managed to cut off two of her rinkaku tails, leaving her only two to defend herself with.
Furthermore the wound the bastard gave her was from a quinque. Meaning it will take a while for it to heal.
"Excuuuse me?" A voice, in a sing-song cadence, called out playfully just as the door swung open with an assertive kick. Laughter mingled with the creaking of the door, creating a lively and unexpected entrance.
Ren's eyes narrow as moonlight unveiled a bit of the person's appearance. White hair framed his features, red eyes sparkled, and an innocent smile played on his lips.
He looked like a brat but she knew better than to underestimate him. Despite his age, his skill was evident in the clean slice across her waist.
His head tilts to the side, hands slipping out of his pockets while his smile turned to a pout. "Are you gonna continue running or shall we wrap this up? Getting kinda bored here..."
"Is there any chance you'd consider letting me go?" Ren asked with a dry chuckle, the remnants of her kagune responding to her summon. Two red tendrils extended from her lower back, their pointed tips, reminiscent of scorpion tails, added a touch of menace to her appearance.
She knew it would be impossible to win in her state but at least she didn't want to go down without putting up a fight.
The boy, whose name she managed to catch earlier that day, Juuzou hummed in thought as he didn't seem bothered by her defensive posture. "Depends...got any candy?"
Ren blinked. "What?
"You heard me." Juuzou's eyes glint with a mischievous spark, a playful smirk tugging at the corners of his lips. "Caandy~ Do you have any?"
She frowned at the question, sensing he might be teasing her. "No."
"Awh, that's a shame," he mused, unfurling his jacket to unveil an array of concealed knives meticulously arranged within.
"Well then. Time to say your goodbyes~."
In an instant, the boy flung the knives her way, giving her little time to react. Quick on her feet, she arched her kagune. With a deft swing, it effortlessly redirected the knives, sending them off course. The metallic clatter filled the air as the blades clinked away, narrowly missing their mark.
Seizing the moment when she was distracted by the knives, he swiftly lunged at her, intent on slicing her neck.
Blocking his attack with her other rinkaku tail, Ren leapt back, landing gracefully on one of the desks. Yet, as her feet met the surface, a wince crossed her face, and she instinctively doubled over, cradling her wounded side. Crouching down in a defensive stance, she fought to suppress a groan, the wound worsening and darkening her cargo pants with warm blood.
"I'm curious... how long can you keep up this little race?" Juuzou grinned, twirling another knife between his fingers. He knew he had the upper hand but it didn't make the situation any less enjoyable.
Panting heavily behind her mask, Ren's hand trembled slightly as it hovered over her wound. The inclosed space added an extra layer of challenge for her.
"Hmph," she pulled out a pair of short blades that were strapped into her thighs and deflected another anslaught of knifes. Some of them brushed dangerously close to her skin, and she couldn't ignore the toll it took on her as Juuzou relentlessly continued his barrage.
She grunted and had to duck behind the acrylic panel, using them as makeshift cover.
"Ah ah, no more hiding~"
Ren flinched when he suddenly appeared beside her, swinging his blade toward her face. Reacting swiftly, she dodged, but a hiss escaped her lips as he sliced a clean line of pain down her arm. "Agh!"
Stumbling back, her back hit the glass pane with a small thump. Blood dripped down her fingers, making her grip on the blade more slippery, prompting her to secure it back into its holster.
Her breath escaped in rapid, fast-paced beats as her kakugan flared with a fierce glare, her growing rage evident.
"Fucking brat, I'll end you!" she hissed, unleashing her rinkaku in a forceful swing.
Juuzou's almost childlike giggle echoed through the chaos as he effortlessly dodged Ren's attacks. Her kagune tendrils tore through panels and floor, turning the abandoned office into a chaotic wreckage.
The boy moved with agile ease, effortlessly jumping and flipping amidst the rampage. "Heh, bothered by that tiny scratch?"
The young investigator executed a nimble backflip to evade another of Ren's attacks, seizing the mid-air moment to skillfully launch another knife in her direction.
"I'm just getting started, so buckle up!" he declared with a confident grin.
The searing pain hit her before she noticed the knife embedded in her shoulder, causing a involuntary hiss. As she reached to pull it out, the boy was already standing in front of her, catching her off guard.
"Got you!~"
Without hesitation, Juuzou thrust a knife into her gut, causing her eyes to widen in a cry of pain. She pushed him away, collapsing against the glass as her rinkaku vanished. Her hands left imprints of blood on the surface as she grappled with the intense agony, a mix of exhilaration and torment coursing through her wounded body.
"Ugh..fucking hell," Ren weakly rasped as her body trembled, the sensation akin to a searing fire poker being driven across her abdomen.
"Well, that was fun while it lasted," Juuzou said while licking the blood of his knife. "But all good things must end."
Gritting her teeth at his words, the ghoul slumped back in defeat. "Cocky much? This fight was never fair to begin with."
"Fairness?" The boy chuckled, casually flipping a knife into the air and skillfully catching it in his hand. "Oh, you missed the point. It was never about that, not for a second."
Narrowing her gaze, Ren watched as he turned on his heel and began to casually stroll away.
"I don't know what you did to tick off those old farts, but they definitely weren't happy," Juuzou continued. "And now, I'm just doing what I'm good at."
She flinched when he suddenly spun around, hurling another knife at her. Feeling too tired to move, she closed her eyes, accepting what seemed inevitable.
Even though she wasn't one to feel regret, failing to reach her main goal left a bitter feeling in her chest.
The metallic thud near her face prompted her to open her eyes again. The knife, lodged in the glass, initiated a symphony of sounds as a formidable crack propagated through the tall panel. Within moments, the glass succumbed to the pressure, shattering abruptly, and she was sent tumbling backward, pulled down by her own weight.
Surprised, Ren gasped as the brisk November air whipped against her back. Raindrops lashed her face as she plummeted from the towering building, enveloped in an bitting chill. The somber, gray clouds above seemed to mock her predicament, their presence emphasized by a fleeting echo of a distant lightning strike.
Amid the fall, her eyes roamed, capturing the intricate lights of the Tokyo night and the sprawling urban landscape.
In that moment, an unexpected calm settled within her. For a brief heartbeat, everything about who she was and what drove her faded away. Strangely, there was no pain-just a quiet detachment, as if time had paused for her to find peace before death.
As she fell, Ren consciously let her body relax, sensing an unusual numbness spreading from her fingertips with each passing second. With closed eyes in the enveloping darkness, a brief flash of white light caught her attention yet she dismissed it, attributing it to the gleam of distant city lights.
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A sudden coldness hit her body, jolting her awake as her eyes snapped open with a gasp. As she struggled to draw breath, her lungs filled with water, causing her to choke and rasp for air. Frantically clawing towards the surface, Ren became aware that she was submerged, the water surrounding her in an overwhelming embrace.
Battling the water's resistance with what little strength remained, her weakened body struggled against the currents. Pushing herself towards the surface proved challenging, her limbs feeling heavy and sluggish.
Despite the odds, she managed to break through, gasping for air as her coughs echoed in the surroundings. Fortunately, a broken tree bark provided her support, allowing her to catch her breath.
Her eyes felt heavy as she surveyed her surroundings, her consciousness waning under the oppressive grip of exhaustion. The world seemed to blur around her, a hazy mixture of shadows and dim light. The dull ache in her limbs intensified as her body protested against further exertion.
Disoriented, Ren's mind was a foggy labyrinth, unable to understand what had happened and how she was still alive.
With each faltering stroke towards the shore, her movements became increasingly slow. The water, a murky brown, felt like an unyielding force resisting her every effort. She propelled herself forward with a mix of desperation and resignation, her only goal to reach the safety of dry land.
Clawing through the damp soil, Ren finally dragged herself out and slumped onto the wet ground. A trail of blood being left behind.
As her eyes closed, she silently prayed that she would wake up again.
Had this idea for years and finally decided to execute it!
At first I wanted to make it reader based but since I came to hate seeing "y/n", I swapped it for an random Oc.
Like the cover said I will try to write at least one chapter a month and each are probably gonna be around 2000 words. So nothing short.
Every feedback is appreciated and pardon me if there are any grammatical mistakes. English isn't my first language after all.
Probably gonna edit this a bit in the morning since it 1am here lol