This was requested by: @meurtredutemps I HOPE YOU ENJOY YOUR ANGST THANK YOU FOR REQUESTING IT!
*Cracks knuckles* Time to bring out the good old Google Translate. This is a lot of German, holy crap. And idk how the reader got into the whole Haise vs. Karren and Shuu but let's say they d i d get into it for the sake of the plot.
THIS HAS SPOILERS FOR THOSE OF YOU WHO DIDN'T READ CHAPTERS 52-58 (around that, I think)!
"Yeah, you'll like him!" Your new friend assured, dragging you towards where she told you you'd meet the said man.
"I've only known you for a week and you're already dragging me to meet strange men, Hori?" You sassed. "It's not because he's German that it means I'll know him."
"But you're German too, no? At least the two of you have that in common." She said, not slowing down her pace. "I'm just trying to get you new friends so you'll leave me alone one day."
"I swear, you have some ulterior motive, and that isn't it..." You muttered.
The two of you turned another corner before coming face to face with the person she was talking about. Huh, apparently she was right about that whole German thing...
You stopped abruptly, ignoring the tug Hori gave on your wrist. "Oh mein Gott, Nathanael, bist du das (Oh my god, Nathanel, is that you)?" You said in bewilderment. The man in front of you looked just like him, that's for sure. "Ich kann nicht glauben, dass du überlebt hast (I can't believe you survived)!" You exclaimed before approaching the man, who simply looked shocked.
For a moment, you hesitated. Maybe it wasn't him... People could look similar sometimes, too... Besides, no one escapes the CCG that easily...
You were proven wrong when the guy in front of you finally spoke.
"Bist du... (Y/N) (Are you... (Y/N))?" He hesitantly asked with a hint of recognition in his eyes, causing you to smile widely.
"Ja! Ja, da ich bin (Yes! Yes, it's me)!" You exclaimed, the both of you smiling at each other. It's not everyday you met up with your childhood friend, after all.
Running up to the man, you grabbed him by the forearms. "Du siehst so jung aus (You look so young)!" You exclaimed. "Wie geht es Arunolt und Karren (How are Arunolt and Karren)?"
That's when he hesitated, making you believe that what ever happened to them hadn't been pretty.
"Es tut mir leid, ich sollte nicht (I'm sorry, I shouldn't)--"
"Es ist in Ordnung, aber ... Ich bin nicht Nathanael. Er ist verstorben (It's okay, but ... I'm not Nathanael. He died)." The purple haired man sadly said, causing you to let go of him and frown. If he wasn't Nathanael, then...
"Arunolt?" The male shook his head, leaving you to gasp.
"Karren, was ist passiert (Karren, what happened)?" You asked in a heartbroken tone.
"Er... I don't know what the two of you are saying, but do you want some privacy? I feel like I shouldn't be here." Chie spoke up, interrupting your childhood friend before she could even start talking.
The interruption caused her to glare at the small Japanese woman. "Please." She growled, making you frown. Were those two not on good terms..?
"Alright!" Hori exclaimed. "I'll be back for you later, (Y/N), call me if you need anything!" With that, she bid you goodbye and left, camera in hand.
**I'm changing the German to English because I don't wanna be using Google Translate for this entire one shot. Please know that they are still speaking German, they're both fluent, after all.**
"What happened?" You repeated, placing a hand on her shoulder. "We were all worried."
And so she explained her painful and sorrowful story. You had to sit her down at one point because she was getting a bit overwhelmed with her story telling. But she pulled through, and by the end of it, she was clinging to you, sobbing into your neck while you rubbed her back, providing her with the comfort that she probably needed (and had been denied) for all these years.
"I'm sorry, I'm a mess." She apologetically said, pulling away from you.
"You don't have to be sorry, this is a normal reaction. I'd be worried if you hadn't cried at all." You waved off, giving her a soft smile. Even if the two of you had been apart for so long, you felt like the friendship the two of you had was still there and still strong. It was a nice feeling.
Karren laughed. God, did you miss hearing her laugh. "I'm glad to see you, though. I was starting to get a little homesick if I have to be honest with you."
"No kidding." You huffed. "I would have gotten homesick two weeks after arriving here if I had been in your place. You're a pretty tough rose, Karren."
You didn't miss the soft blush that appeared on her face at the nickname. So she still had that crush on you, then... It's amazing that it stayed this long, really. If only you could return the feelings.
"But hey, if it makes you feel any better, I'm supposed to stay in Japan for a long while. At least you'll have something from your childhood, now..." You said, keeping a hand on her shoulder.
"It's even better than what I could ever dream of." She answered, sniffling. You couldn't even describe how much it pained you to see her sad, especially since she didn't deserve this fate.
"Aw, you flatter me." You cooed. "Now let's get you cleaned up. Bystanders are going to think I broke up with you or something." You teased, helping the girl up. She gladly accepted your help, not letting go of your hand once you were both up.
"Can you promise me something, though?" The woman next to you asked in a rather nervous manner.
"Yeah, sure."
"For one, you'll need to call me Kanae when we're in public." She stated and you nodded, although you were still a bit against the whole gender switch thing for the sake of her family name, but you weren't going to go against her wishes if that's what she truly wanted to do. "And secondly... Could you promise me to stay by my side? Even if it's just for a little while?"
"Of course. I'm not planning on going anywhere. You lost enough people in your life already." You answered, giving her a soft smile. "I'll be there for you, Karren."
Yeah, you're not going anywhere.
••••
You couldn't believe it. You had promised her that you'd stay by her side, but this still happened, she still went through what you guessed was terrible torture. And what were you doing? Helplessly staring because you just couldn't believe you let that happen. You didn't care if it was that half-half bitch that did this to her, she was dead fucking meat once you got your hands on her.
Although the staring didn't last very long when you noticed the dark haired investigator had thrown Shuu off the building.
"Shuu!" You exclaimed, finally jumping into action and hurrying to where the man was falling. If you let him die, Karren'll kill you, and so will Chie. That man cannot die here today, and apparently you weren't the only one thinking that way.
"Karren, no!" You shouted, seeing the girl jump off the edge as well. You didn't even have time to regret using her real name. Things were happening too fast for that.
The two people you cared most about were falling to their deaths and you had no idea what to do with that.
You just jumped in after them, forcefully pushing the black haired fucker back for an extra boost. You were far away from them, you had no idea if you'd be able to catch up with them just like this.
For an instant, you chuckled at the silliness of the situation. Three ghouls falling off a building, each desperate to save one another. How stupid. But, stupid was a trait the three of you shared, apparently.
An idea popped into your head when you noticed you wouldn't make it in time. Just when Karren unleashed her kagune, you unleashed your own, the chimera adding weight to you and allowing you to plummet even faster to the ground, catching up to your childhood friend just when she tossed Shuu away towards an area covered in trees. At least you knew where to aim, now.
You passed her without much difficulty, although she seemed to get a tad bit troubled noticing you falling underneath her.
Seeing the ground approaching a bit too fast for you, you pulled the girl into a hug, momentarily resting your head on her shoulder before your kagune formed a spring under the girl's back and you propelled her in the very same direction as Shuu, hoping the two could make it out alive.
Karren could only scream as your body hit the ground with such force that even with your strong abilities, there was no way you'd survive.
The landing was rough for her, but nothing could compare to the pain her actions caused her. Yes, she wanted to save Shuu. He was family after all, but... She didn't want this. She didn't want you to die, too... She wanted you to live on, to go on remembering her and her family.
"Karren?" Shuu called out, causing her to lift her head at the sound of his voice, not caring whether or not he saw her in this broken state. "You lived..!" He exclaimed, tackling the girl in a hug while she simply cried.
Yes, Shuu was alive, but at what cost? She saved a life only to end another, and both belonged to people she loved.
The heartbroken woman curled up on herself, sobbing as Shuu reeled back from her, confused. "What happened?" He worriedly asked.
She couldn't give him a complete sentence nor an explanation for what happened. Karren only muttered out your name before slapping a hand on her mouth, attempting to mute her loud wails.
If only she had been a bit more careful. If only Karren had been able to control her anger. If only she hadn't succumbed to Eto's relentless teasing. If only she hadn't been so selfish, you'd still be alive. She was the one who had made you break your promise to her.
But at the same time, you hadn't broken it. Until your last living moment, you were there for her, and you'd still be there, because... Because...
You wrapped your arms around the girl, pulling her into a hug and momentarily resting your head on her shoulder, lovingly pecking her cheek.
"It'll be alright, Karren. I'm not going anywhere."