" May your trails be crooked, winding, lonesome, dangerous, leading to the most amazing view. May your mountains rise into and above the clouds."
- Edward Abbey
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Kaneki POV
Clenching my fists, I took a step back cautiously. The man in the wooden mask took another step forward, finishing his bow with excellence.
Nishiki placed his mask over his face, as did I. If we got attention then we wouldn't want our faces seen. As the man stopped in his tracks, he tilted his head at us.
"I'll ask again... do you have time for a laugh?" He asked.
Nishiki answered before I could say something. "No. We don't have time for you right now, Clown." He said with a measure of bitterness.
"Now that's rude. And I was just trying to be nice." The clown said, then bowed deeply. "I have a question before we have our bout."
"What is it?" I mumbled, getting ready.
"You are the One Eyed King, correct?" He asked, rubbing the chin area of his mask as if he were thinking hard about something.
I bit my lip, but didn't falter much. "Yes." I answered.
The clown was silent, then turned around, walking away. "Good. I will take my leave. But I'd go help your friends if I were you. This is obviously a trap."
I blink, why would he tell us this? He has the perfect chance to fight us yet he doesn't take it? Maybe because me and Nishiki would be too much for him at once? Or maybe he's just toying with us.
The clown descended slowly down into the building, and disappeared. Nishiki let out a small sigh before looking over at the building we were heading towards.
"A trap. Should've known. Damn, what is Tsukiyama getting us into now?" He mumbled under his breath, then began towards the target building.
I stare off for a moment where the clown walked away. I do not know why, but that Clown, seemed very familiar. I shake my head out of it and leave, making my way towards the goal which was so close.
Rize POV
"Are you two done yet?" I asked, crossing my arms impatiently. These two clowns were annoying. Though I've never heard of the striped shirted one being a clown, I thought he was with Aogiri.
Shikorae, the striped one, scratched his head and looked about confused. "Attack? Them? But they look strong 😫."
The small woman growled angrily. "I. Don't. Care! I want you to take the girl!" She said with an attitude.
Shikorae groaned in displeasure, a very odd and grotesque sound. He looked over at me and scratched his eye, so much his eye lid was pulled back.
"But she looks pretty, unlike Roma." He said bluntly, making the woman, who I was guessing was Roma, even more irritated with him.
Levin nudged me to get my attention. I take a step closer to him to hear what he's going to say. I'm surprised with all the ruckus no one has come into the alley wondering who was back here.
"We can't waste our time here. Though you go after Shikorae, and I'll go after this is Roma woman." He said, zipping up his jacket a bit more and starting to walk towards Roma.
Roma panicked. "W-What?! Your supposed to wait until I'm ready! Woman hate impatient men, y'know!" She said, as Levin's kagune slowly emerged from his back, two talons arched over his shoulders. The kagune wrapped around his rib cage and chest. Was he using more than before? Just proves that he's gotten stronger, being able to shape it like that without going Kakuja.
I release my four tendrils and smile under my mask. Shikorae shrugged comically at this. "Fight? Oh well." He said as if he had no choice.
Levin gave Roma no time as he ran straight at her, as she responded by pushing herself up into the air with her kagune, and landing on top of a dumpster. "Whoa there!" She said playfully.
Though I bet Levin was in no mood to let her rest, because he quickly jumped at her, making her dodge again and instead of hitting her slashing the dumpster into three pieces, making garbage fall everywhere.
As for myself, I tried for a normal jab at Shikorae, but he dodged it with a weird angle of his body. A bikaku sprouted from his back and he took a long arc of a swing at me.
I grab his single tendrils with two of my, and with the other two I slash off the kagune. He backed off, scratched his neck with both hands.
"Not good!" He murmured, then let out a disturbing noise, another kagune coming from his back. But this time it was a koukaku. I blinked as I processed this, is he a chimera type?
He tried to rush at me once more, but I quickly jump out of the way from his strike, and kick him in the gut with my boot. He gargled on some words, but all I got was: "my tummy!"
Suddenly he rubbed his belly, and turned around, running out of the alley. I stared at him go in a daze. Did he just run away after taking... one hit? I couldn't display my confusion any longer, hearing the loud crack echo through the alley.
I look over to see Levin standing over Roma, twisting her arm in an awkward angle. She was laughing though, the pain making her face turn red with delight.
"Ah~, this is real pain right here! I bet your such a handsome young man under that mask! C'mon, show me that face!" She said with a insane grin. Levin responded by stabbing her in the leg and ripping it off.
Roma let out a short scream, then froze as he aimed at the other leg.
Levin's eyes glowed a darker red at he glared down at her. "Anymore bullshit I here from that mouth of yours and I'll cut all your limbs off. Then I'll go for the organs... then maybe layers of skin. You choose." He said with a blank face.
Roma put her hands out in defense. "Y-You got me! I surrender! Giving up!" She said quickly, getting on her knees.
Levin turned to me as I got closer. "Watch her when I head inside. If she gives you any trouble, kill her." He said as he walked past me and kicked open the door to the building we were entering before.
Turning to Roma I smile. "With pleasure."
(Taking longer to update. You know what that means~! This is gonna be the last arc before the end. The climax is building in my head, but this arc is probably gonna be rushed a bit, and I'm sorry. I was feeling it, now I'm not. I want to get to the end because the end is where I have big things planned. Nonetheless I hope you enjoyed and have a wonderful day!) -MnMs171