" WHO ARE YOU? Where are you taking me?"
(Y/N) had her arms stretched out wide to support his frail figure. She was hoping that a simple eye-rolling would do the enchantment to keep his mouth sealed, but his occurring interrogation seemed to go on endlessly.
" Does it really matter?"
" It does!" Kaneki exclaimed, and the female ghoul could only groan, " I don't know you at all. All you did was drag me away from him without saying anything!"
" Isn't getting you out of trouble already enough?"
The question caught the dizzy male unprepared. But it only lasted for a single moment before he decided to go on with his rambling.
" But I don't even know you! How am I supposed to know if you're an ally or an enemy? You can be one of his subordinates!"
Soon, the volume of his agitated voice seemed to escalate the more she had left his questions hanging in a bush furcated with spikes of disregard. And soon, (Y/N) felt shamefaced. Her expression was sheepish, it was so unusual seeing her ears glowing red.
She genuinely wondered how he was not noticing his own buffoonery. It was known thoroughly and understandably amongst her subordinates within Aogiri that it was close to essential to confine the whines and complaints especially when with the executives, especially with those who bear the insurmountable prowess to have your limbs undone effortlessly.
To her dismay, Kaneki was to be seen as worthless, and at the same time, he was a diamond in the rough. She was obviously, utterly vexed from holding back her fist at him, but he absolutely couldn't tell.
" Answer me!"
" Holy shit, actually. Holy shit," she took him by the shoulders and pushed him against a coarse wall, her palm securing his prattling mouth, " Don't you ever stop talking? It's the dead of night. Are you really risking both our lives by talking as loud as that? Shut it, damn."
She, too, had to raise her voice slightly. It was perplexing to speak through a veil she had never worn before.
His lips gaped against the surface of her skin. He was ready to argue, and she was not ready to either listen or answer, but it was ruined when he abruptly squinted his eyes and squirmed. Unknowingly, she swiftly pulled her hand away to give him a better time to breathe. The (h/c)-haired female was dazed, but she didn't react much.
" Ow," he flinched, seizing the surface of the stone wall with his bare, pale fingers.
She squatted in front of him, eyeing his ankle with a calculating look. She had been beside him all this time after all, but this time she was in full sight. She didn't ask for any explanation of what had happened; she understood the situation completely.
" You regenerate quite slowly."
She gave him her usual steely gaze, her eyes piercing as if she could see through everything he hid. Her tone seemed cold, but her voice hid no malice.
" It's because of that dead fatass, isn't it?" she sighed and asked him to confirm, her words spoken carefully, but she gave a look that spoke of doubt.
" I... kinda, y-yeah. I slipped on blood and I lost the chance to land properly," his words were shaky from his current attempt to slip away from the pain. Even so, her ears caught them firmly.
Her eyes narrowed into two slits as her fingers crept up to the back of her head to unfetter the little bind of her veil. The male looked down, sinking his teeth into his lower lip.
" Stay still," (Y/N) brushed her fingertips on his wound, the piece of cloth falling to her thigh.
The ravenette took a peek at her actions as he tried to maintain his balance. His eyes roamed around her features, observing and assessing. Maybe it was the way she willingly used her own veil to help him, or maybe it was just the way she spoke that hushed him to listen. Either way, he was just overthinking everything silently.
" When was the last time you ate?"
" I- uh..." he looked up to escape her gaze, " Uhm... maybe two weeks ago. I'm not exactly sure."
" That explains it," (Y/N) remained to put effort to fold the veil around his ankle. It was like she knew what she was doing, though he wasn't so sure if she actually did.
" Why did you save me?" he tried to strike up a conversation, but all he could hear was just the sound of his rapid heart that sounded anxious rather than fearful, and the cloak of tranquility above them.
She gave out a mirthful, soft grin, " You're still on with the questioning? But I suppose this question sounds less dumb," the female stopped for a brief second before her hands moved once again, " Someone as clueless as you may not realize it, but you catch the attention of many though you're weak and feeble like a helpless hamster," her pale hands that once held his ankle opened, and his feet was released from her touch, " One-eyed ghouls are supremely unique in this world."
" But... why?"
" That's a stupid question," she stood up from the ground. She was waiting for whatever his response was going to be, not looking anywhere else, her (e/c) eyes fixated on his gray ones.
The black-haired male was lured into her magnetic gaze for a temporary instant, but it wasn't long before her eyes caught the scene of his legs starting to wobble.
" I feel...drowsy," his voice began to turn inaudible with each word he spoke, and (Y/N) raised her eyebrow in acknowledgment, " My limbs feel-"
Kaneki gave out a husky gasp and leaned forward, his face mere inches away from hers. His breath was heavy when he leaned toward her. His lips barely brush against her skin, and she could feel his breath against her neck. She gave out a discouraged sigh, still, she held him firmly.
" You're damn problematic."
" Seriously! I feel really tired!"
" So you're suggesting I carry you?" she spoke, having to bear his entire weight on her arms, " How fuckin' funny."
(Y/N) was not in the slightest bit fragile, and the claim was defended with the time three years ago when she decided to maltreat an assailant by lighting a tiny match to flare every inch of his skin for twenty consecutive days. The reason was unknown, but during the day he died, and the hour her underlings had to clean her mess up and tremble at her figure leaving the sanguinary boudoir, she was reported to have left the room undisturbed. And the man's final piece managed to make one gag every so often.
But her aftertime now was spent putting effort to carry the male, who was resting behind her. He ended up perching comfortably on her back. Their bodies were interwoven, and her unwavering hands assisted his legs as they solely walked around the wards. His hand was clinging to her shoulder, and the stiff clasp seemed to relax.
She questioned, " Where do you live?"
" It's in this cafe called Anteiku in the 20th Ward. It's not really my house though," he looked to the side, trying to move his injured ankle.
The moon, a radiant pearl amidst a weaving of a million stars, cast a soft, ethereal glow upon the night. Its gentle light filtered through the leaves of towering trees, casting delicate patterns on the ground, as if nature itself was creating an astronomical mosaic for no one to notice.
" Out of curiosity, have you ever heard about Aogiri?" her voice died down asking the question as they meandered along the path. Nonetheless, only silence spoke.
She could feel his head nestled comfortably against the back of her hardened shoulders. His breathing gradually softened, becoming a gentle whisper to his ear. (Y/N) clicked her tongue at the rhythmic rise and fall of his chest pressed against her back, shaking her head.
" This dumbass," she cursed and began to move a little more cautiously, her steps more steady though she had wished she didn't have to.
The streetlights, bathed in a warm golden hue, cast companionable shadows along the pavement. It was guiding her path with its soft illumination, so she had felt less cantankerous about having to pamper a stranger like him.
The buildings of the twentieth ward were no skyscrapers, but they still stood tall and majestic, their windows glowing like distant beacons bounded by the stillness of the night.
" Why do you have him?"
She quickly looks up as she notices something from her peripheral view–a lone figure standing on his own, his coat twirling with the gust of wind.
" Oh? Why are you awake during a time like this? Does sleep kill you?" she simpered, crossing the distance between them with a stride, moving closer.
A little sniff can do great measures, and upon the faint scent of blood creeping up his nose, he frowned. He ran his hair through his (h/c) hair, giving out a confused sigh.
" Maybe if you can explain what the hell happened, I'll consider answering you."
" That's just a way to waste more of my time then. Hard pass," she stopped in her tracks, " You should be glad I didn't end up kidnapping him."
" You... what? You were about to?" his words were clear, and he wasn't playing around anymore.
" He would be a powerful ghoul in Aogiri, don't you think so?" she leered, " Sadly, that fool's got more to know and wander about. He can't even handle a not-so-strong drug."
His eyes slightly widens when he realizes she was taking it lightly, but eventually, the corner of his lips twitched to give out a small smirk.
Aogiri had the faculty to dehumanize each and every entity of ghouls as they please, and no one was there to serve as a barricade for one another, so it wasn't hard to culminate how they were so precedent over power.
" I don't think you'll like him in Aogiri."
" You're right. I won't," she didn't hesitate to answer that, and the way she seemed honest about it amused him more than he already was, " But hadn't I attended that exorbitant-looking dinner by the French fuck, maybe I would be the last ghoul to know this," she loosened her grip on the sleeping male's body, " He screwed up his ankle. I didn't do much, but just... make sure he rests well."
(B/N) shrugged like it didn't matter, but he listened to her words with such keenness.
Time stood still, and the world seemed to hold its breath as if preserving this moment of momentary peace. The quiet streets and houses were embellished with the moon's gentle caress. The quietude of the night alone was enchanting.
" Tsukiyama. That piece of shit," (B/N) delved in his pocket to clench his hand.
" He stirs up trouble. And you seem to know him, so all I can suggest to you is to keep an eye," the female rubbed her hands and placed them on her neck, " Quite the manipulator, but he's childish."
A sharp glint of anger could be seen in his gaze at the vision of the mess Tsukiyama had done.
She held her own hand and played with her own fingers, " Relax. He lacks the ability to cause great harm."
His trust in her was absolute, but the words that she had probably taken in as reassurance didn't seem to take the weight off him. He knew very well that she was the best there was, and the competence he held firmly with him was in no worth and position to be compared to hers.
" Oh, really?" he squeezed his wrist.
" Well, I clearly don't know what you're thinking of doing to him. Perhaps he'll try to use someone to fulfill his wants because that's the only thing he can do," she stretched her legs and lifted herself up, " If there's nothing else, I'll take my leave. I wish you good luck."
" Yeah, thanks," he grabs his coat lolling on the limestone stair, and stared at her as she walked away.
He found it odd when she boldly widened the gap between them, or maybe half of his childhood was taught by stories where endings were shown to have one reaching out for one who's willing to leave. He plunged into it, and the returning gift of his action had him discover the unborn dishonor when he realized he really was supposed to do that–to reach out for (Y/N) now that she was the sole survivor of their family name.
Still, he never did.