Archive of Our Own

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Chapter 1
 
It was already dark, the streets now lit up with neon lights from billboards and flashing shop signs that mixed with the orange glow from the street lamps around the area. Touka tightened her jacket around her, shoving her hands into her pockets as she continued her way down the crowded streets, ignoring the constant catcallers she passed by.

She eventually found herself in front of what looked like an abandoned building, the windows boarded up and yellow tape across the crooked doors. Checking her surroundings, she went into the alleyway to the side of the building and climbed the rusting flight of stairs to the third floor. The window slid up with some effort and she crawled into the dark room.

“I’m home!” Touka called and she heard a patter of footsteps that made their way towards her as she switched on the light.

“It’s Touka!” They called out and a bunch of children crashed into Touka’s legs, knocking her down onto the ground. “We missed you.”

“Easy, easy.” Touka grunted as she sat up, lifting a bag filled with stolen goods. “I wonder what’s in here-”

“Give it!” Yuki grabbed the sack and the other children crowded around him as they rummaged inside to find treats and toys Touka swiped for them.

Once she got up, she admired the lit up faces and excited reactions of the orphaned children she took in when she made a home of this runned down place. Touka herself was a well known thief, alongside with her brother, Ayato, who helped her every now and again. Eventually, after they settled into their newfound home, they started to take in the stray kids of the area, creating their own small band of thieves where they lived off the items they stole from others. It wasn’t much, but it was a living nonetheless.

“If you’re gonna keep spoiling them, they’re never gonna learn anything.” Ayato complained as he leaned against the doorway.

“You’re just jealous that I didn’t get anything for you.” Touka flicked his forehead with a smug smirk. “Admit it.”
 
“Piss off,” he waved her hand away. “I don’t need you to get anything for me. I can do it just fine by myself.”

“That’s not what you said last time you went out.”

“That wasn’t my fault!” Ayato protested with his face now flustered. “The guy was stronger than I thought-”

“Keep it down.” The leader of them all, Renji Yomo, stood besides the two squabbling siblings. Touka and Ayato immediately quietened down with utmost obedience as they watched Yomo walk past them. He wore his usual leopard print coat, which often had him confused to be a pimp instead of a thief, and black suit underneath. He was currently taking a call, responding only with short answers and very little expression, leaving both Touka and Ayato curious as to what the discussion was about.

“I see.” Yomo quirked, brushing back his long, grey hair. “Interesting. I’ll ask her now.”

He placed his phone back into his pocket and gestured for Touka to follow him. Ayato gave a small shrug and with some nervousness mixed with some curious excitement, she decided to follow Yomo up to the top floor where his room and office were.

Despite what initial appearances may suggest of this building, Yomo’s room and office were lavishly redecorated with expensive rugs across the oakwood flooring, satin, grey curtains across the windows and the room painted a dark, emerald green. In the centre of the room, there was a large, mahogany desk with an expensive computer setup and multiple files and bags scattered across the surface. Across the walls were shelves filled with souvenirs and even more folders filled with valuable information they sold to buyers every now and again. Then there was the prized safe in the corner of the room with all the savings the thieves kept. A room truly fit for an aged thief.

Touka couldn’t help but admire the room every time she walked in, not that her own room was in anyway bad, but there was always some envy that followed her whenever she entered this room.

“What’s up, Yomo?” Touka asked as she flopped down onto the leather sofa near the door. Yomo sat down in his large office chair behind his desk, tapping away on his computer.

“Koma gave us a very interesting offer.” He explained. “Something that will give us enough money to last the rest of our lives and I think you would be great for the job.” Interested, Touka leaned forward with her eyes widened. Yomo turned the monitor of his computer around and she saw schematics and blueprints of what looked like a mansion. “It’s belongs to the One Eyed King, the head boss of the mafia gang known by the name of Goat.”

“Goat?” Touka froze and a cold chill ran through her. The mere mention of the group made her shiver. “But…that place must be a fortress. Why are you even considering-”

“Touka, think of the prize.” Yomo said simply. “This guy owns the most expensive prizes on this earth and he’s within our grasp. You’re one of the best thieves I’ve come to known and if you’re as careful as you always are, then there’s nothing to worry about. We’ve discussed this in detail and have came up with a plan that should work. It just depends on your say so.”

Touka sighed, rubbing the back of her neck with her eyes roaming the layout of the house. It wasn’t all too complicated, but the security will no doubt be the best there is and Touka knew of the rumours of those that meddled with the One Eyed King - nothing more than a smear of blood and an eyeball left from his victim. But, as Yomo said, the risk would definitely be worth it. To think of all that money…

“What’s the plan?” Touka finally said, looking back up and Yomo gave a small smile.

She sincerely hoped she wouldn’t regret this.

…

Touka tightened her belt around her waist, pulling down her black shirt and tucking it into her trousers. Whilst she gathered her equipment and placed them into her backpack, she noticed her hands were trembling slightly. She couldn’t deny that even with the plan, that in itself seemed pretty solid, she was shitting herself scared. One wrong move and it was all over.

Of course, she faced challenges before - she broke into expensive apartments of CEO’s, pickpocketed high class socialites and swiped goods from designer stores just for the fun of it, but this…This was, without a doubt, the most dangerous of them all. She couldn’t seem to stop her heart from racing as she finished getting herself ready for the mission, pulling on her black, leather gloves before stepping out her window.

“Wait, Touka!” Ayato called out, grabbing her arm from inside. “You don’t have to do this. Maybe I should come with-”

“No. It’s way too dangerous. It’ll be a lot easier on my own. Besides,” Touka turned to face him with a reassuring smile. “Irimi will be with me for surveillance and back up.”

“That’s not enough.” Ayato protested.

“Don’t question her skills. She’s very experienced in these things. I promise you everything will be fine.” Touka squeezed his hand, a firm look in her eyes. “I’ll be back before you know it.”

Before Ayato could say anything more, Touka pulled her mask up, leaving only her eyes revealed before she rushed down the stairs and towards the parked car in front of the building, giving Ayato one last wave before she stepped into the passenger seat. He watched the car drive away into the next turn, a heavy sigh escaping him before he shut the window and moved back inside.

“You ok, Touka?” Irimi asked.

She was dressed in a long black coat, her silky black hair tied back into a tight bun. Her face, however, always had this gentle look, her eyes soft and her warm smile that always gave Touka the reassurance she needed. To her, Irimi was a big sister of sorts, helping her more when she was still an amateur and gave her advice when it was needed, her wisdom and knowledge from the days she was a thief handed down to Touka to help guide her.

“Y-Yes.” Touka nodded, her hands fidgeting in her lap. “Just nervous.”

“Don’t worry, I’m here to help.” Irimi told her, though her words didn’t help settle the nausea in Touka’s stomach. “I’ve been studying the area for a long while. There are intervals in which there’ll be an opening and you can sneak in. I would do this myself, but I’m afraid I’m not as fast or sly as I used to be, but you on the other hand…I’m more than certain that you will be more than capable.”

Touka nodded, but Irimi’s words gave her no comfort as they usually did. She told herself to stop overreacting, to keep calm and think of this as no differently as all the other egotistical idiots she stole from and yet, her heart continued to race and goosebumps rose on her arms. It was too late to say no.

“I won’t let anything happen to you, Touka.”

Before Touka could respond, the car engine turned off and right in front of them was a large black fence, golden ivy wrapped around the bars and with a spiked top and barbed wire wrapped around them. With some hesitation, Touka pulled on her bag and awaited for Irimi’s orders, trying to push back the undeniable fear she felt.

Irimi then explained which routes Touka should take, highlighting a map of the area and pointing out blind spots, Touka memorising each path to take. Once ready, Irimi took the laptop from the backseat of the car, using it to interface the security systems of the mansion, hacking into the cameras to replay the same footage for the next hour or so. Irimi had said she was a hacker as well as a thief, which came to use in situations like these. Just before she left, though, Irimi handed her an earpiece with a secure line to Irimi so she could help guide her through the area.

Finally, once all preparations were made, Touka slipped out of the car, the cold wind blowing against her, though she was sure it wasn’t the breeze that made her shiver. Quickly, she climbed the fence and took out the small pliers from her bag to cut the barbed wire, carefully moving them to the side to allow her to climb over. Then, once over, she finally took a deep breath.

She was in.

Quickly, she moved forward, hiding behind the statues and plants placed around the mansion, the pavement lit up by outdoor lights and once she was close enough, she had a clear look at the large mansion. It was like a red brick palace with a black slate roof and each one of the white french windows was lit up. The building was beautiful, with one side of the house covered with ivy that crawled up the wall, large bushes of different types of gorgeous flowers planted on the small green patch of land that surrounded the mansion. For a single moment, you wouldn’t have thought that such a place would’ve been owned by an infamous mafia boss.

“Touka, careful!” Irimi hissed into the earpiece. “There’s a guard coming. Admire the house another time.”

Shaking her head, Touka came back down to reality and hid behind the pedestal for a grey stone statue of a cupid, her small body hidden behind the marble as a broad looking man walked past with a rifle in hand. Once he was out of sight, Touka relaxed a little, leaning against the pedestal with her body still trembling. Too close.

“We can’t afford a single mistake, Touka.” Irimi scolded. “Now then, near you is a shed connected to the west wing of the house.”

After some roaming around, careful to keep out of sight and in the shadows, she found a large, wooden shed that extended from a smaller portion of the house.

“Now careful on this part. From my intel, there should be dogs in there. Big ones.”

“Oh, great.” Touka grumbled, waiting for another two guards to pass by. “Couldn’t have been bunnies, could it? I don’t even like dogs-”

“Quit your moaning and keep going. You have the tranquiliser, right?”

“Sure.” Touka reaches for the small dart gun from her bag, loading two bullets into it. “Ok…wish me luck.”

With some effort, she unlocked the door into the shed and crawled inside, shutting the door silently. The dogs, chained up to one wall behind a wired gate, were asleep, but she saw that they were already stirring upon her intrusion, Touka lifting her gun to aim for the first dog.

“Sorry.” Touka whispered before she pulled the trigger, the other dog lifting his head abruptly but was shot before it could bark out for the guards.

“Great, now there will be a vent-”

“I hate vents.”

“And they hate you. What kind of thief are you, anyhow?”

“Shut up.” Touka found a narrow vent above the door, pushing over a box as leverage. “Is it me, or should security be, I don’t know…better?”

“For one, no one expects anyone to rob from the One Eyed King. Two, you have me, an excellent hacker that can disable all the security systems temporarily before they even notice what we did and three…well, one and two should be enough.”

“That’s…reassuring.”

She opened the vent and crawled inside, the crawlspace uncomfortably tight and claustrophobic, but Touka manages to squeeze her way through until it became wide enough to crawl.

“Now, to your left-”

“Wait, be quiet.” Touka warned, looking down through the vent beneath her where there were people walking around the room.

“My King,” she noticed a tall, purple haired man dressed in an elaborate red suit walk up to a white haired man who sat lazily in a large, black leather seat.

He must be..

“If we want to stop the Doves, we must cut off its head.” The tall man continued, with weirdly exaggerated gestures. “But before that, we must send a message.”

“A message?” The King responded, his voice seemingly tedious and emotionless in comparison to his subordinate.

“Oui, one of war.”

Oui?

“We could send him the heads of his right hand man.” Another man, one with longer brown hair and slim glasses suggested with a wolfish grin. “Gouge their eyes out and shove their tongues up their-”

“Enough.” The King’s voice was powerful and almost filled Touka with a sense of dread. If so…why was she so drawn to him?

“I won’t have us become barbarians because of one clown.” The King’s fingers strummed against the armchair, his other hand brushing back his slicked back hair. “Though we certainly do have to do something about this mess-”

“Touka, what are you doing? I can only keep security off for a certain amount of time. Get going.”

A deep nausea was sent through Touka upon hearing those words those men spoke, the images that crossed her mind leaving very little to the imagination and a sudden fear arose once again at the idea that they could easily do the same to her if she got caught.

No, she can’t think like this right now - not when she was so close. Just focus on the goal. Just focus on the goal. These words repeated in her mind until she followed the directions all the way to another thin vent. With ease, she opened the vent and crawled out, getting up to brush off the dust that covered her.

Her eyes widened when she looked around her to find an amazingly extravagant room that was bigger than her whole apartment. In the centre was a large king sized bed (ironically) covered with black linen bedsheets and there were giant bookshelves that covered the wall to one side whilst the other was a large wooden dresser and wardrobe.

Walking over, she saw the dresser was filled with expensive watches, cuffs and rings that were decorated with beautiful gems and jewels.

Without wasting any time, she grabbed as many as she could, stuffing them into her bag quickly with an excited glint in her eyes. However, her eyes then caught one cuff that rested on a velvet cushion inside a glass case, the design being of a golden horse. It didn’t seem special, but judging by the specially given display, she didn’t want to trigger any special alarm that may have been attached and so left it as it was.

Then, once she collected all the jewellery, she turned only to notice something else that was hung on the far wall at the back over a fireplace that were surrounded by a couple of seats. Up close, she saw that it was a long, black cane with a golden bottom and at the top, there was also a golden skull with a black centipede wrapped around it, small diamonds placed on segment of its body. Touka’s eyes glimmered with desire and after she checked with Irimi for any pressure plates or traps, she grabbed the cane and held it delicately in hand.

“Shit, Touka! Get out of-”

However, it was already too late for the door quickly opened with the three men standing behind, all of them stopping abruptly to stare at the intruder before them. Touka heard her heartbeat in her ears and her body remained completely paralysed, her mind demanding her to move but was unable to do a goddamn thing.

“Kill her.” The King ordered coldly, his voice like stone and his expression nothing more than a icy look of death.

The purple haired weirdo and four eyes rushed into the room with their guns in hands, aiming straight for Touka’s head and all of the sudden, the adrenaline kicked in and she took action.

Ducking from the gunshots, she sprinted to the first guy in the red suit, slamming the head of the cane, which was unsurprisingly heavy judging by its value, into his stomach. He choked and gagged from the heavy blow, lunging over with violent hacking whilst Touka leaped to the other subordinate, tackling him down and grabbing the gun that was dropped inches away from his hand.

Just when Touka felt the thrill of triumph course through her, it was quickly cut off by the cold feeling of metal pressed against the back of her neck. Her eyes slowly moved to glance over to the towering man before her - it was the first time she finally got a look at him.

He wore a plain white suit with a black shirt beneath, the top few buttons undone to reveal a centipede tattoo that snaked its way up his chest to curl around his neck. His face was definitely something to look at; his slicked back snow white hair revealed all his features, his strong jaw, pale skin and his one uncovered eye that was a beautiful shade of grey with an almost sorrowful depth within. His other eye, on the other hand, was covered with a black eyepatch with a white, sewn shut eye on top to create an almost disturbing image.

To make it worse, there was also a razor sharp katana in his grip, the koshirae wrapped in smooth black leather, a red cloth wrapped at the bottom and the tsuba was silver with the decoration of a Japanese dragon. The blade gleamed in the light, the edge pressed harder against Touka’s neck before she tossed aside the gun and lifted her hands in surrender.

“A little bunny made it all the way to my room.” He said with a mocking tone, Touka wincing at his harsh tone. “Tsukiyama, Nishiki, leave me here with this pest. I’ll handle things from here.”

Touka got off from the man she sat on, the King keeping her in place with his sword still on her. With cocky smirks and amused chuckles, they both left the room with Touka now at their leader’s mercy. Or, rather, at his disposal.

“Touka! Can you hear me? Are you ok?” Irimi’s voice blared through the earpiece and the King tugged it off the girl’s ear, examining it in his spare hand.

“Seemed you had help for this little thievery.” The man scoffed. “You know, I could always trace this call, locate the woman who helped you. The things I could do-”

“What do you want?” Touka snapped, immediately regretting her outburst when she noticed the surprised look on the King’s face.

“What a surprise, this little bunny has a temper.”

He smiled a little and stepped closer, pocketing the earpiece to pull down the mask that covered most of her face. She sneered at the man, turning away from his frozen touch. However, she noticed his eyes widen when he saw her face, his mouth hung agape slightly and the pressure of the blade lightened slightly.

“What a pretty bunny you are too.” His smug look returned, brushing the strand of her hair away and she felt like she was about to puke, flinching at the feeling of his fingers against her.

“Are you going to kill me or not?” She hissed. He laughed, cruelly teasing her.

“I do wonder…” His response left Touka complexed, but she didn’t dare open her mouth again. “Well, it’d be a shame to waste someone as valuable as yourself.”

“Valuable?” Touka gasped, his words only bringing more unease. At this point, maybe death was the better option. “What do you mean valuable?”

“Don’t look so scared.” He walked around her, his eyes roaming her small body with his blade still at hand. “You’re skills are quite admirable. You made it this far after all.”

Where was he even going with this?

“I want you to work for me.” He finally declared, slamming his sword into the ground where it stayed standing.

“W-Work? For the Goat mafia? No-”

“Or would you rather I kill you and your concerned friend who’s begging for your response?”

That bastard. There really wasn’t no other option, she was at the dead end and yet here he was, the King offering an escape only for it to lead to more trouble. What other choice did she have - she couldn’t let Irimi get caught because of her and she promised Ayato her safe return…

“I don’t really have a choice.” Touka murmured, lowering her arms with a frustrated sigh. Her eyes glared through his, neither turning away.

“Then it’s settled.” The King nodded with a satisfied smile. He reached over to the bag of valuables Touka had before and rummaged inside to find a beautiful gold and diamond ring that he placed into her hand. “Here’s something to make all your efforts worth some value, though I’m afraid you can’t have everything that’s mine. Now tell your friend you’re fine and that you will be joining her shortly.”

He took out the earpiece and handed it Touka, who reluctantly repeated everything he had just told her to. If life taught her anything, it was not to mess with the guy with the big fucking sword.

“I’m glad you’re an obedient little bunny.” He grinned after he called for someone called Miza to escort Touka out. He watched her as he poured himself a drink, the sound of the ice falling against the glass leaving her on edge. “The name is Ken Kaneki, by the way. Thought you should know since we will be working very closely for upcoming events.”

She wanted to spit in his face and wipe away that giddy look.

“The name is Touka, not little bunny.” Though Kaneki only laughed at her remark.

It wasn’t long before there was a knock on the door and standing behind it was a small woman with an annoyed look on her face. She must be Miza.

“See you later, Touka.” He said raising his drink as she walked out. The way he said her name…why did it make her heart race like this?

As Miza guided her through the rest of the exquisite mansion and out the front entrance of two large doors, Touka couldn’t help but feel all the eyes of the guards and other strangers stuck onto her, the feeling of spiders crawling up her spine making her even more uncomfortable than she already was.

Outside, they walked down the many stone steps and pathway, Touka catching a quick glance of the beautifully crafted fountain in the centre and many top model cars in the driveway before they stopped abruptly at the front gates. Miza turned to the girl and handed her an expensive phone with a card that held contact information.

“Well done, you survived your first encounter.” Miza said in an almost stoic voice. “He will contact you via this phone. He will call you when needed and you better not ignore his calls or decide to toss this new deal aside or he will find you and make you regret it.”

Her words made Touka’s stomach churn at the thought of him finding her and her family.

“See you around, Touka~” She waved her off as she walked off, leaving Touka on her own with nothing but confusion and fear.

What the fuck just happened?

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Chapter 2

Touka rested her head on the desk, turning to see the new phone that was a few inches away from her face. She was almost afraid to even look at it, let alone use it, and yet she continued to follow Miza’s words of caution - if she threw it away or decided to neglect the newly made deal with Kaneki, she will likely regret the consequences that would follow. 
It was all just fucked up.

There was suddenly a loud thunder of footsteps before her door slammed open, Ayato standing behind it with a furious snarl and his eyes filled with boiling rage. He walked right up to Touka, who at this point hadn’t moved an inch since his rude intrusion into her room, and turned her chair to face him. Lazily, she straightened herself and looked up to her brother, who continued to scowl at her.

Despite her tired state, she sympathised with the anger he felt, knowing how this must be tearing him apart right now. She was also partially responsible for this burst of anger, considering how she explained nothing as soon as she returned from their miserably failed mission. Irimi had likely explained what had happened whilst Touka recovered from her turmoil in her sleep.

“You got captured?!” Ayato yelled, Touka wincing at his loud voice. “What the fuck happened? Did he just let you go? Is he making you do something-”

“Ayato, please stop.” Touka rubbed her temples and leaned back against the chair. “It’s…complicated.”

“Big fucking surprise.” Ayato snapped, slamming his hand down onto the desk. His eyes then caught sight of the new phone that he didn’t recognised, snatching it before Touka could take it away. “The fuck is this?”

“Give it back, you brat.” She reached for it, but with Ayato being a good foot taller than her, he held it over her and glared at the device at hand before his gaze turned back to her. “That mafia boss gave this to you?”

“Please, Ayato. I’ll explain everything later-”

“No, now!”

Touka gave Ayato a stern look, her glare filled with agitation and her hands now clenched into fists.  Her fierce look wasn't something he saw often - not since he got into trouble with Yomo many years back - but he refused to be intimated by one look. Not until she gave him the answers he needed from her. 
Touka was close to losing her temper, but everything seemed to stop when the phone began to ring in Ayato’s hand. The siblings both watched it light up, an uncanny tension replacing the silence they were now left in. The only noise they heard was from the vibrating phone that continued to ring, each passing second only adding to the suspense they both felt.

Ayato, as he looked between the phone and his sister, felt a deep temptation to smash the phone onto the ground, knowing fully well who it was that was calling her. Hell, he was willing to pick up the phone himself and give this King bastard a piece of his mind. However, looking back at his sister, he saw the hollowed stare she was giving him, her hand still held up, and he began to waver with his thoughts. With some hesitation, he reluctantly handed her the phone, Touka answering as quickly as she could.

“Hello, little bunny.” She heard Kaneki say, cringing at the name he insisted to use. “I’m glad you were wise enough not to throw away the deal I proposed.”

“That you threatened me to make.” Touka corrected, a slight edge to her tone. “Did you only call me to check if I would pick up?”

“Of course. I wouldn’t want to make assumptions about your...loyalties towards me. We’ve only just met after all.” 
Instead of answering, however, Touka simply hung up and tossed the phone aside, her arms crossed and her face now an angry pout.

“I don’t see why you answered at all.” Ayato said, sitting down onto her desk, his eyes staring at the new phone. “Just throw it away-”

“Don’t you see?” Touka finally snapped, slamming her hand down against the desk with her head thrown up, her eyes wide with apparent fear. “I can’t. God knows what would happen to you lot if I tried. This…This was my mistake and I won’t let anything happen to you because of it.”

There was a thousand things Ayato could tell her now, but he decided to say no more. It was painfully true that there was simply nothing they could do - the One Eyed King, Ken Kaneki, was a mafia boss. It doesn’t take a genius to know how troublesome it would be to resist or make a fool of him. Yet, he couldn’t help but feel his anger overflow within him, the whole situation unfair and unjustified and all the while, he was unable to do a single thing about any of it.

“Big sister.” Yuki peered his head around the door with the face of a kicked puppy. “Are you in trouble?" 
The siblings froze in their spots, watching the small child look between them with sorrowful eyes as he rocked back and forth on his toes. With a deep sigh, Touka slumped back into her seat, rubbing her tired eyes before she opened her arms invitingly for Yuki, who quickly ran into her embrace. 
“It’s ok, Yuki.” Touka whispered, brushing her fingers playfully through his soft hair. “I’m fine.”

“For how long?” Ayato scoffed and Touka shot him a hard glare that told him to shut his mouth and he decided not to argue any further. 
They stayed like this for a while with nothing but the stinging awareness of their current situation. They all reflected on their own thoughts, unsure how to even feel about any of this. Angry because of the unfairness of it all? Pity or sadness for the situation and future events Touka will be forced to face? Happy that she was even alive to see the next sunrise? All t
here was left from all of this was an entanglement of heavy emotions that left them wondering if there was any simple answer buried beneath all of this mess. Though, of course, it was never that easy.

It wasn’t long before Yomo appeared in the doorway. He said nothing more than for Touka to follow to him to the top floor and after a quick peck on Yuki’s forehead and a small nod to Ayato, who stubbornly turned his face away with his brows furrowed, Touka followed Yomo up the stairs. 
In the office, Touka took a seat on Yomo’s bed with him sat down besides her after he made them both a hot cup of coffee. Touka’s eyes fell shut as she took in the sweet aroma of the beverage, almost already tasting the deliciousness of the drink. She took a quick sip, savouring the taste before she opened her eyes again to see that Yomo was only staring blankly down onto the ground, his hands gripped tightly around the mug and his shadowed eyes narrowed. 
It has been a while since he looked like this depressed and at this point, Touka could read him like an open book. He felt guilty. Responsible, even, for what had happened and understandably so - he sent her on the mission and was the one to convince her to go along. Of course, she didn’t blame him at all, but his contorted face and rigid body told her what he wasn't willing to say.

“Yomo.” Touka placed a hand on his shoulder and she noticed him flinch slightly from her touch. “It wasn’t your fault.”

“You’re in this mess because of me.” Yomo cut her off, standing from his seat and placing his coffee aside. “And now, it’s as if he owns you. If you try to run, he’ll kill you. If you try to fight, you’re dead.”

“I know.” Touka agreed quietly, her face lowered as he continued.

“And it’s all my fault. I- I just- I should’ve thought it through better. Fuck, I promised Hi-” Yomo shook his head, rubbing the back of his neck. “I promised your mother that I would protect you.” 
Touka's breath hitched for a moment, Yomo shaking his head slowly as he scratched the back of his head. He rarely mentioned her mother and when he did, he was either blind drunk or going through the same battle of guilt as he was going through now. She wanted to help, but she wasn’t sure on how. If she told him that he wasn’t to blame, he wouldn’t believe her. She was only proving herself to be more of a burden with each person she was hurting and all of it because of her one mistake.

“Yomo, I know you care. Anyone can see this and no one could possibly agree in any way that you were somehow the blame for what happened.” He opened his mouth but quickly shut it again. Touka stood up and took his hand into hers. “But you don’t always have to place my burdens onto yourself. I’m an adult now and can handle the responsibility of my own actions.”

“I can’t let you do this on your own-”

“It's my choice at the end of the day.” Touka squeezed his hand, her voice firm. “I can handle it.”

“That’s not for you to decide." 
Yomo took his hand away and brushed his hair back, moving away to his desk where he looked down to the plans of the mission he had sent Touka on. He scrunched up the blueprints and notes in hand, his teeth gritted and eyes squeezed shut. With some hesitance, 
Touka slowly walked over and rested a hand gently onto his shoulder, her eyes filled with pity and her words failing on her tongue. He was so shaken from all of this that even with her attempts of consolation, he wouldn’t even hear her words. No, it wasn’t that. It was rather that he didn’t want to hear them at all.

“I’m sorry, Yomo.”

Then, without another word uttered from either of them, she left him in the dim room alone whilst fighting back the tears that threatened to fall from her eyes.

She shut the door to her room and leaned back against the door, her eyes staring at the window at the far end of her room. It was pitch black outside now, the window still opened ajar with a cool breeze flowing through. With her feet dragged behind her, she knelt on her bed and rested her head against the windowsill, finding comfort in the slight chill of the air. 
“I wish I could just wake up from this ongoing nightmare.” Touka whispered to herself, her hand wandering to her chest where she felt the ring that hung from the necklace beneath her shirt. “As if nothing ever happened. That would be nice…”

But Touka never believed in fairy tales.

…

A few days passed by with everyone too on edge to even do anything as the long summer days passed by in impatient wait for the King’s next move. Touka kept to herself in her room, avoiding Ayato and Irimi, who apparently visited a few times, whilst Yomo decided to avoid her in return. No one was taking this well, that was for sure. 
The only people Touka allowed into her room, in which she declared she’d stay in until anything new occurred, were the children. Especially Yuki, who would beg for constant need and attention with reading, playing or stories Touka would share about her younger years as a newly made thief.

“Touka.” Yuki hung on her shoulders from her back, tilting his head to look at her. “Who’s the One Eyed King? Is he from a story? Ayato won’t stop yelling about him.” 
Touka shook her head and turned to sit Yuki on her lap. “He’s a very dangerous man.”

“But aren’t you doing things for him now? That’s what I heard.”

“Yes…” Touka avoided his wide and curious eyes, not exactly sure on how to explain her situation. 
“What’s he like?” Yuki asked all of a sudden. “The King?”

“Wha- What’s with all these questions?” She pinched his cheek playfully but repressed the chill she felt upon remembering that face. 
Even so, with his question came a creeping thought of the kind of man Ken Kaneki would turn out to be. His reputation precedes him and nothing good was said of him. He was a brute, a monstrous beast that shed neither blood or tears and whatever it was he desired, he would get. Like any classic villain, his past is shrouded in wild mysteries and endless rumours, though Touka never thought that she would of had to think about such things before this day. 
But before Touka could answer any questions, the dreaded phone rang. It stayed on her desk where she left it a few days ago, refusing to even touch it after the first call. However, it was now calling for her insistently, both Yuki and Touka tense with their eyes locked onto the device.

Reluctantly, Touka lifted Yuki off her lap and she rushed to the phone, picking it up to hear a very familiar, very disturbing voice through the speaker.

“Touka, it’s been quite some time since our last meeting.” Kaneki said smoothly, his voice filled with confidence and arrogance. Just like how she remembered.

“Not long enough.” Touka mumbled in return, but she knew he heard what she said by his distinct chuckle.

“Don’t be like that, little bunny. I’m sure with time, we’ll become very close indeed.” 
Touka’s face twisted with disgust and it took all of her will to stop her from hanging up right then and there, but she knew when not to cross her limits with him. Instead, she sat down onto her chair with an agitated sigh, shutting her eyes and mentally counting to ten to calm her quickly rising temper. 
“Sounds like I’m getting on your nerves.” Kaneki teased. Oh, how he enjoyed his teasing. “Now then-”

Before he could continue, a loud scream erupted from the speaker, presumably from someone in the background. However, that single scream tainted with terror and pain left Touka ghostly pale with her own fear that ate her away at her mind. The sudden panicking rush that ran through her left her frozen, the pounding of her heart too loud for her to hear Kaneki's words. As if it wasn’t bad enough already, she heard him tut over the speaker, the cries for mercy obviously nothing new for this sadistic fucker.

“Excuse me.” Kaneki said simply and for a moment, the screams grew louder before they ceased altogether, a garbled voice fading into heavy silence. 
Touka pressed her shaking hand against her mouth that was now wide open with stunned silence. The bile rose up her throat whilst the whole scene of the torture played out vividly in mind, every single gory sound sending horrifying images through her mind. 
“Sorry about that.” Kaneki sighed, his voice as casual as it was before. “Some business to attend to. People can be so rude sometimes.”

Touka couldn’t speak - if she tried, she would either vomit or start to cry. So instead, she just sank into her seat with her head shaking quickly in disbelief and Yuki worryingly watched her from the side. 
“I’m afraid I’m going to have to cut this conversation short. Miza, the lovely woman who helped you out of my house the other day, will pick you up down your street in two hours. You will go into the car and she will explain what will be happening. See you later, little bunny.”

And just like that, he hung up, the phone slipping out of Touka’s trembling hand before she reached for her bin.

After the first hour of hiding under the covers of her bed, Touka too frightened to do anything, she finally forced herself out of her room to prepare for Miza’s arrival. Since she vomited in her bin, something she regretted after she realised she would have to be the one cleaning it up, Yuki ran out the room to presumably ask for aid and it wasn’t long before Ayato appeared once again. 
However, unlike his previous visit, he remained quiet, entering silently and he took a seat at the edge of her bed with his hands in his pockets.

“What’s up?” Touka asked as she brushed her hair, trying to hide the trembling anxiety in her voice. 
He shrugged, lying down onto the bed. He stared up at the ceiling, Touka watching him with some perplexity at his purpose here.

“Would it be unfair,” Ayato finally spoke, startling Touka. “If I asked you to, I don’t know, run away or something?”

“Ayato,” Touka sighed, sitting besides him. “You know I can’t-”

“I know. I just want to believe in some way that you could. At least promise me you’ll come back alive.”

Her throat felt tight. “I promise I will.”

She ruffled his hair and he batted her hand away playfully, giving her a sad smile before he got up to leave. 
“Do me a favour and punch that bastard for me.” Ayato said on his way out. Touka of course took it simply as a joke, but she knew somewhere that he said this with full seriousness. Though the idea was certainly tempting.

She got ready quickly after the quick chat, changing into a simple white shirt, black shorts and tights with a hoodie on top. She would’ve chosen her usual bunny hoodie, but considering the man she was dealing with and that horrible nickname he had given her, she decided against the idea. Regardless, her time was running out and so
 Touka quickly slipped on her shoes and climbed out her window, looking back only once at her home before she headed down the steps to the streets. Ayato watched from his window as his sister walked quickly to the end of the street, her worried face anxiously checking her watch multiple times as she waited for her ride to come.

“Where’s Touka going?” Yuki asked, his voice small and sad. Ayato, offering only a pitied smile, pulls the small boy into a slight hug.

“She’ll be fine.” He said, avoiding Yuki’s eyes. “Don’t worry about it.”

Yomo watched Ayato comfort the boy with uneasy lies from the hallway. He paused for a single moment, tempted to join them as they watched over Touka, but as usual, the small jabs of guilt only grew more painful and so he slipped away back to his room.

…

Touka couldn’t keep still, her body moving involuntarily as she moved her weight to either foot and fiddled with the buttons on her shirt. Though she continued to check the time, she wasn’t really paying attention except for the fact that the minutes weren’t moving fast enough. Actually, she didn’t want them to move at all - she’d rather go back in time to undo all this shit. No use complaining now.

Eventually, the car did arrive. Well, it wasn’t exactly a car but rather a black limo, everyone in the streets turning their attention to stare at the no doubt expensive car as it turned the corner, stopping right in front of Touka before the driver came out to open the door for her. She stared at the vehicle before her, the door opening to reveal Miza and another man that sat inside. 
Looking around hesitantly, she slipped into the spare seat presented to her. Inside, she was engulfed in wave of cosy warmth, the seats made of smooth leather with a padded headrest, a selection of drinks in a bucket of ice besides her along with small bowls of food. Even the floors were carpeted. She thought things like this only existed in movies. 
Opposite to her, there was a stranger with pale blonde hair brushed back, his eyes surrounded with dark shadows Touka had questioned to be eyeliner at first and he was dressed in a similar white suit she saw Kaneki in that unfaithful day. He must be one of his lackeys, but there was something about his dazed and lost face that made her think otherwise.

“Good afternoon, Touka.” Miza greeted. 
Touka, with some surprise, saw that she was only dressed in a long jumper and a skirt that went down all the way to her ankles, her hair the same high ponytail and braids that she saw her wear last time. It occurred to Touka for a moment that this woman looked like any other regular civilian, rather than someone who worked directly for a mafia boss. Somehow, it only made her more uneasy.

“Do you want a drink-”

“Vodka.” Touka answered immediately before she awkwardly cleared her throat. “I mean…do you have any?”

“Certainly.” Miza smiled, pouring some into a whiskey glass that was branded with the initials of OEK and added some ice as she glanced up to Touka’s tensed body. 
Handing it to Touka, she downs the cold drink in one go, wincing at the burning sensation that pours down her throat with only a faint taste of citrus followed afterwards. She grimaced as she placed the glass aside, leaning back into the seat as the car drove away from her home, her hand pressed firmly against her thighs.

“So let’s get a few things clear,” Miza began, wasting no time. “As you know, my name is Miza. I’m a sort of…secretary of sorts to the King. If you have any questions, you can always direct them to me.”

“How did you know where I lived?” Touka asked immediately, not even turning to face the woman. 
“The King has his sources.” Miza chuckled, as if was some inside joke Touka didn’t understand. “Oh, by the way, that man over there is called Naki. He’s a sort of bodyguard of mine as well as the leader of the White Suits.”

“White suits?” This time Touka did turn to look at them. “The group that was led by the gang leader Jason? Those guys are psychopaths!”

“Watch your mouth.” Naki yelled and she then noticed a small pocket knife he fiddled with in his hands. “Don’t you dare taint the name of the White Suits.” 
Touka stopped then, intimidated by the intensity in his eyes. He may seem like an idiot, but that was probably what made him the dangerous psychopath he was. Miza laughed though, much to Touka’s dismay. 
“Oh, don’t look so frightened, kid. He may be the leader, but he’s harmless unless given orders to attack. Like a dog, if you think about it.”

“What did you call me, old lady?” He glared at her, pointing the small knife towards her, but Miza looked bored at most. “I could take you down any time I want.”

“Is that a fact? Try telling me that when you don’t start a fights with teenagers at some park.” She paused, relishing the embarrassed look on the guy’s face. “And lose.”

“I- But-” He stammered, clearly trying hard to come up with a retort. “They took my food!”

“Whatever.” Miza turned back to Touka, who wasn’t sure whether to be concerned or confused. “We’re wasting time. Now, the mission tonight will be quite simple and if you play your part well, nothing should go wrong.” 
She handed Touka a couple of photos, all of them focusing on a laptop, a man and a grand-looking mansion. Looking up with a raised brow, Miza smiled and continued with the plan. 
“There’s very important information within that laptop that we need you to steal.” She then handed over a memory stick. “All you need to do is pop this in and wait for the files to transfer.”

“That sounds too easy.” Touka examined the memory stick in hand.

“Oho, of course it’s more complicated than that.” Miza smirked. “You will need to attend a party with a rival gang as the King’s plus one. Whilst he distracts the host, you will sneak off to find his laptop which should be located in the lower office. Considering that you’re a thief, this task shouldn’t be too difficult for you.” Indeed, t
he task didn’t appear to be too difficult, but there was something about the idea of a rival gang that left her somewhat shaken by all this during the rest of the journey. However, even if it may seem petty, the idea of attending the party with someone like Kaneki as her escort made it all the more worse.

Shut up and deal with it, she scolded herself. You got yourself into this mess, so deal with the responsibilities.

It wasn’t too long before they arrived at the mansion, the large gates opening and the limo drove to the driveway in front of the steps that led up to the mansion. Looking up, Touka shuddered at the memory of first encountering this awful place but she shoved the nausea she felt back and moved up the steps with Miza and Naki. 
Once inside, she took a moment to marvel at the entry hall, her eyes first noticing a large, diamond chandelier that hung above her, looking down to see the same OEK brand in cursive letters marked into the smooth, marble flooring. In front of her were stairs that led up to the next floor and behind the second floor banister stood a curious looking woman. 
She had short mousy brown hair that framed her pretty round face and her fringe clipped back with a four-leafed clover pin. Her deep brown eyes were wide and lit up with wonder, the rest of her dressed in a short sleeved, button up dress with a thin white belt around her slim waist. From her appearance, she looked a few years younger than Touka, making her curious as to the relation this girl had with the King.

Maybe she was some kind of harpy…

“Hinami!” Miza called with a warm smile, waving for her. “Come meet Touka, the Goat’s newest recruit.” 
Touka stood awkwardly in place as Hinami rushed down the stairs excitedly, a slight skip in her step. Once near, Hinami took Touka’s hand into hers and squeezed it tightly with a bright smile. Confused, Touka tried to return the smile, but she guessed that she probably looked as uncomfortable as she felt when Miza let out a small giggle.

“Hello, Touka. As you probably heard, my name is Hinami Fueguchi. I’m sort of a little sister to Kaneki, but I also work in gathering information sometimes. It’s great to meet you.” 
Hinami said this all in a quick flurry, overwhelming Touka a little. Though to be honest, seeing such a friendly face in this place helped her relax, even if just a little.

“Nice to meet you, too?” Touka coughed awkwardly, pulling her hand away.

“You overwhelmed the poor girl, Hinami.” Miza teased playfully.

“Sorry!” Hinami burst out. “I do that a lot, it’s just…you seemed so cool. I’ve never heard of anyone who’s tried to steal from this place before.”

“Shouldn’t that make you…Angry?” 
Was everyone on the brink of madness in the mafia?

“Well, you really impressed big brother and me. You must be very skillful if he wanted you to join Goat.” Touka nodded, though her words still made no sense to her. 
Impressed Kaneki…she knew she shouldn’t have felt as smug as she did when she heard those words, but she just simply couldn’t stop herself from relishing the thought of it. Wait, no. She doesn’t want to impress him. There’s no reason for her to-

“Hinami will help you get ready for tonight and show you to your new room.”

“Wait, room?” Touka let out with a gasp. “What do you mean? I’m not going to live-”

“Come on, bunny.” Hinami tugged her arms towards the stairs, Touka stiffening at the nickname. “Is it okay if I call you that? That’s what big brother said I should call you.” 
Hinami had this naive, innocent look that reminded her so much of the children back at home and even with the name she despised, she felt like she couldn’t say no to this girl she had only just met.

“I guess not…” She was going to throw up again.

With an excited giggle, Hinami continued to guide Touka up the stairs to the second floor and down a few hallways until they stopped in front of one door at the end of the wide corridor, the room opposite to another. 
Opening the door, Hinami shoved Touka into her new room and she stood stunned with amazement as she looked around; the room was brightly lit, the walls a dark purple with white lilies painted in a detailed pattern and in the centre, there was a queen sized bed with pink silk sheets that also had daisy patterns sewn in, many feather filled pillows on top. There was a soft, white fur carpet beneath the bed that covered a large portion of the dark oak flooring, two bed stands either side with old fashioned lamps, one also with a small tray of beverages and the other with a coiled phone. 
A large white dresser was placed in one corner of the room with mirrors on top, the surface covered with different types of makeup Touka had only seen in exclusive shops, along with designer perfumes, hair accessories and jewellery. She took a moment to admire each piece, knowing that she would’ve stolen them in a heartbeat if it weren’t already hers.

“The new girl back home would like this.” Touka murmured as she picked up a silver chain bracelet with a love heart charm attached, pocketing it before anyone noticed. 
“Touka, over here!” Hinami called over enthusiastically. “Look at your wardrobe.”

She joined Hinami in front of a panel of mirrors, Touka staring blankly at her own reflection whilst Hinami reached over towards the handle on the farthest mirror, sliding open the doors to a walk in wardrobe that stretched into a whole new room. Walking inside, Touka’s eyes roamed the different clothes that were hung up, from shirts to dresses to pyjamas. Then there was the impressive collection of shoes of all different types with more accessories and bags on shelves on top. It was just simply amazing.

“Big brother really does go all out to impress those around him.” Hinami giggled, admiring the clothes with Touka. “Here’s what you will be wearing tonight.” 
Hinami grabbed a coat hanger which was covered with a protective layer that went over the dress. Walking past, Hinami stepped out of the wardrobe and beckoned Touka to follow and after one last glance over the new luxurious addition to her room, she went back into the main room to see the young girl removing the cover.

“It’s beautiful.” Touka gasped, her eyes widened slightly and her jaw hung open. Hinami nodded along with a wide grin.

“After you have a shower let’s get you dressed.”

…

Touka stepped out of her en suite bathroom, her body now cleansed and relaxed. She pampered herself with a nice warm bath filled with sweet lotions that sent off a sweet aroma in the hot air and for a brief moment, she almost felt like the nightmare of her life was over, that instead she was now in a wonderful dream she didn’t dare to wake up from, but she knew better. 
It would only be a few more hours before the next task began and even with the fancy room and treats handed to her on a shining silver platter, the danger in her life was still as prominent as it was before.

Hinami, along with a few maids, (the idea of maids something she would need to get used to), helped her into her dress - it was a strapless navy blue, mermaid tail dress with a long train that dragged behind. There was a sapphire gem at the middle of the rim of the heart shaped bodice that fitted around her figure perfectly. Finally, there was a black silk shawl draped across her arms with blue, velvet heels to top it off.

Then there was the makeup. Touka wasn’t much of a fan for makeup and if she did use it, it would be kept at a minimum at most, opting for the more casual and comfortable look. But tonight, she would need to be dolled up for the King himself - her hair was curled, small waves of her hair combed over to one side with a silver pearl pin to hold it in place. Looking in the mirror, she saw that her eye shadow was a black and dark blue colour that matched her dress, her lips a dark scarlet with a dark blush on her cheeks. She hardly looked like herself at all.

“You look so pretty, Touka.” Hinami clung to her arm, shaking it slightly with excitement. “I wish I could be as beautiful and skilled as you.” 
Touka looked up with surprise at her comment, a more thoughtful yet almost disappointed look replaced the cheerful attitude she had only a few moments ago. She could sense a deep insecurity, but Touka wasn’t sure if she was willing to pry or if she even should. The limits of her new life were still unclear.

“Oi, girls.” Naki slammed the door open, everyone turning their attention to him. “The King is here and he’s asking for her.” He pointed at Touka who was sat at her dresser, the maids applying the last few bits. “Hurry it up.”

“Don’t be so rude to the beautiful ladies.” Tsukiyama pulled Naki away from his collar, his loud voice quickly being cut off by Miza in the hallway.

As Tsukiyama stepped into the room, she noticed all the girls, excluding herself and Hinami, started to swoon for the man. Touka won’t deny there was some handsome aspects in that unlikable face of his, but by the way he dramatically flicked his fringe to one side and the slight pose he put on were what made him probably the most unattractive man Touka has ever came to known.

“What do you want?” She huffed. “Want me to beat you up again?”

“Such a mild tongue you have, mademoiselle.”

Madem..what?

“Too bad I can’t kill you now.” The mobster neared, moving behind her and he stroked her shoulder with a light brush of his fingers. Leaning down, he whispered the next few words into her ears. “I would’ve taken much pleasure in torturing you after what you did-”

“Tsukiyama.” Hinami slapped his shoulder lightly with a concerned frown. “Don’t talk to her like that. I thought you were a gentleman.”

“Ah, oui, mademoiselle.” He straightened and smoothed down the creases formed on his purple suit. “It was wrong of me to act out of place.” 
Touka let out a breath when he exited the room, trying to stop her hands from trembling. She won’t let these guys get to her. She mustn’t. Instead, she only reminded herself to keep strong - what other choice did she have? Times like these, she could really use an encouraging word from Ayato or Yomo.

Once the final touches were put into place, Touka was led to the stairs where Kaneki stood in his dark crimson blazer, dark grey shirt and black trousers, his tie red with black thorns. His hair was parted, a few strands over his right eye whilst his other, unlike before, was now replaced with a plain black eye patch. 
Touka froze when she saw him, her hand gripping the wooden banister tightly and her heart started to race. Nonetheless, she kept a stoic expression as she walked down the stairs, trying to keep a steady step with the heels that were too high for her. 
Kaneki turned and caught her eye, an impressed smirk appearing on his lips and his eyes slowly took in her incredible appearance. If she wasn’t mistaken, he even licked his lips like she was some meal he desired. It sickened her, but it also excited her. No, she despised him, loathed him, wished he would simply disappear.

On the last step, she ended up loosing her focus and her foot misses the next step, Touka tripping forward with a loud scream until she fell into something, or rather someone. Kaneki’s hands gripped her waist, Touka clinging onto his shoulders and when she opened her eyes, her face was only a few inches from his. However, she noticed his eyes were focused on…other areas. 
“You look beautiful, my little bunny.” Kaneki spoke, finally moving his eyes back up to face her. With a snarl, she shoved him away and headed towards the entrance. “Don’t be like that. I’m your escort after all.”

“You’re disgusting.” Touka glared, not giving him the satisfaction. “I’m not doing this willingly, remember.”

“Of course.” He stood besides her, wrapping an arm around her waist with a grin. “Strictly professional.”

“And my name is Touka.”

“Oh, I know.” She wanted so desperately to slap him. “Oh my, you’re not wearing anything around that pretty neck of yours.” 
His fingers brushed against her skin, making her shiver and she shut her eyes for a moment to force back the urge to slap his hand away. When she opened her eyes, he was moving quickly up the stairs and Hinami joined her side.

“He,” Hinami squeaked before she coughed, avoiding eye contact with Touka. “He’s always like that with women…I think.”

“And you still respect him?” The question escaped her before she could hold back, but Hinami only shrugged. 
“At the end of the day, he’s still there for me. I had hoped…that I could’ve helped him, but all I can do is watch from the side.” 
Touka wasn't sure if it was exactly admiration she felt for Hinami then, though she supposed there was more that she didn't know about and kept silent. Besides, Touka would rather not spend this temporary placement as an opportunity to bond with questionable strangers.

Thankfully, it wasn’t long before Kaneki returned with a small, flat velvet case. He stood in front of her and opened the case to a simple diamond choker, each gem glimmering brightly against the light. Touka’s jaw dropped and Kaneki laughed a little as he helped her put it on. He was even closer like this and she could smell his cologne, biting her lip to try to ignore the close proximity. 
“Thanks, I guess.” Touka turned her gaze away as soon as he stepped back, crossing her arms stubbornly.

“Come now, we don’t want to be late, little bunny.” She didn’t even try to protest at this point and he guided her towards the doors that were opened for them. 
“Goodbye, brother.” Hinami waved off, Kaneki offering a warm a gentle smile with a wave of his hand. Touka hadn’t seen him smile like this before…

There was a cold chill in the air and Touka tightened the shawl around her, hurrying down the steps and towards the car that was different from the one she saw earlier. How many cars did he have anyhow?

“Wait here for a moment, Touka.” Kaneki whispered into her ear before he walked towards some guards nearby.

“Oi, you.” The man she remembered to be called Nishiki stood besides her by the car, dressed in a simple black suit and an earpiece in his ear. “Remember me?” 
Touka eyed him up and down in an unimpressed fashion and leaned against the car, brushing her hair out of her face. He didn’t seem in any way as threatening as Tsukiyama was with her, but she remained cautious nonetheless.

“What do you want?” Touka asked. “You gonna warn me not to mess you either?”

“Not quite.” He leaned against the car with her, almost mimicking her actions. “It’s your lucky day. I’m your personal bodyguard.” She grimaced, Nishiki tensing at her rude attitude. “Don’t give me that look.”

“Excuse me if I don’t bow down to you to thank you. I didn’t want any of this.”

“I get it.” Nishiki nodded understandably. “This sudden change of life has taken its toll on you. Really, I understand because it was the same for me. Well, except I wasn't so stupid enough to try to steal from a mafia lord.”

"The same for you." She repeated, ignoring his comment. “Is that a fact?”

“Yes, it is. I also know how things can turn to shit real quick, especially if you’re the mafia boss’s new pet.”

“Hey-” Touka felt her cheeks flush, her hands clenched into fists.

“Here.” He handed her a small purse, decorated in diamonds that matched her choker. “Inside is the memory stick you need to obtain the data, an earpiece that’ll allow you to keep a secure line directly to me, a knife and-” he reached inside and pulled out a small single bullet pistol, Touka’s body tensing as he dropped it back inside. “That. Only for emergencies though as there’s only one bullet. Make it count.” 
She nodded dumbfounded, pressing her lips together to hold back her frustrated screams. She had only held a gun once and that was when she found it in Ayato’s room. It wasn't as if she was afriad of the gun itself, so she'll manage as long as she was careful not to ki- to cause any major injuries. Besides, as a thief, it was her job not to get caught at all.

“Sorry for that.” Kaneki appeared behind her, startling her and Touka let out a small gasp and took a few steps away from the man. “I trust you gave her the necessary accessories.” Nishiki nodded and Kaneki went back to his usual snarky smile. 
He opened the door for Touka, but being too proud to give in to his cocky ways, she went around the car and sat down in the other seat. Kaneki chuckled and sat down besides her, his eyes not leaving her body. She tried her best to ignore his heavy gaze, staring out of the window and focusing on her reflection - she really did look different.

“Tell me something.” Touka said after a while during the journey to the party. She turned to him and he gave a warm smile. It made her uncomfortable, but not in the usual sense. “Why did you keep me alive that day?”

Kaneki looked oddly surprised by her question, his head turned to one side as he tapped his chin in a thoughtful manner. 
“Because I could see that you were an excellent thief.” He answered with a cheerful smile. “I didn’t want to waste the opportunity of someone as skilled as you in my ranks.”

His hand moved to rub his chin, his smile still present but his answer seemed…off.

“That’s a piss poor excuse.” 
Touka turned back to the window without saying another word. She could still feel his eyes on her, but it wasn’t as intense as it was before. This time, he had nothing to say back at her.

That’s when the car finally came to a halt and Touka realised that it was finally about to begin, her heart beginning to race a little. 
In and out. Don’t get caught. Simple.

This isn’t going to go well at all.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Touka stared at the building before her, this new mansion standing tall with long white pillars that surrounded the crowded porch. Kaneki joined her side and linked his arm through hers and she swallowed the lump stuck in her throat, holding onto his arm like they were some couple. Disgusting. They walked down the paved path that led up to the white planked porch, Kaneki going past the uneven line of guests and straight to the entrance. The doors were already wide open with two bouncers stood on each side, checking the lists in their hands. One caught Kaneki’s eye and gave him a small nod, directing them through the doorway and into the entry hall. It was a smaller area with red velvet floors and dark maroon walls where many portraits of unrecognisable people hung. In the centre of the room was a small rounded table with a large glass vase filled with white flowers of all sorts. At the end was another door to the next room with a metal detector placed in front and another few guards.“Whose place does this belong to?” Touka asked him in a hushed voice to. He glanced down to her with an amused look before he spoke.“The Doves.” He whispered into her ear. “The mafia gang that owns the CCG police force.”“Wonderful.” With her nervousness, she unconsciously squeezed Kaneki’s arm tighter. From what she knew, the CCG were some sort of private police force, though it seemed the rumours were true in how they were the property of the underworld. The Doves, on the other hand, were the rivals to Goat and whilst Kaneki was known to have close ties to those in the criminal world, the Doves had connections to the more privileged figures in society. To put it simply, if there was a need to put a corporate head out of commission, the Doves were usually the ones being called.  “I promise I won’t let anything happen to you, Touka.” Kaneki promised, though it did nothing to soothe her nerves.As they neared the other guards, Touka suddenly halted in her step and gripped her clutch tightly, Kaneki pausing to turn back to her, noticing the strained expression she now wore. She made a subtle signal for him to step closer and luckily, he caught on and leaned down towards her. “They’re going to check my purse.”Kaneki smiled, apparently already prepared for this inconvenience. “There's no need to worry. Just watch.” He then turned away from her and handed one of the men a pad of money, pressing it discreetly into his hand and he gave a firm nod and smiled. He then took Touka’s hand and gave her clutch to the guard who looked inside briefly before handing it back to her after she passed the metal detector tests. With a tensed nod, she took her purse and Kaneki guided her through the doors into the main hall.“See, no problem.” Kaneki chuckled. “Trust me at least a little, little bunny.”“I don’t see the point in trying when all mafia gangs are filled with nothing but sly dogs.” She hissed.“Ouch.” Kaneki laughed, a hand pressed mockingly against his heart. “This bunny has a nasty bite.”“I’ll claw your other eye out of you don’t quit with that name.”“I’d love to see you try.” He wrapped an arm around her waist and she was about to shove him away until she realised she was meant to act as his pretty plus one. “Now listen closely. I’ll be showing you which of these people are Doves and which members to avoid.”The main hall was beautiful, a warm light from the golden chandelier and candles on the wall, the dark wooden flooring smooth with all kinds of elegantly dressed people that danced across it. The long arched windows revealed the dark sky outside, white drapes pushed to one side to show the garden and pool on the other side. To one side of the room was a buffet table and the other was a band on a small stand, classical music filling the room as the guests danced along. Waiters dressed in tuxedos weaved through the crowds, holding up trays of food and drinks, though they seemed invisible to those they served. It was as if this were a scene from a novel, a grand picturesque image of wealth and elegance. “You like the look of this place?” Kaneki grinned at the awestruck look on Touka’s pretty face. “It has its charms, I guess.”“What?” Touka smirked. “You jealous-”“Mr. Koutarou.” Kaneki nudged Touka and she straightened, stepping closer to Kaneki with a pleasant smile she'd usually use to charm those she pick pocketed from. A man, a very well built man with a stern face and dark hair approached the two, his eyes immediately set on Touka with a suspicious look that set her on edge. “It’s been a while, Kaneki.” The man said, turning his attention away from her. “I didn’t expect you to come here of all places.”“I was invited by your boss, believe it or not.” Kaneki pulled out a small card Touka assumed to be an invitation, but Koutarou scowled at the sight. “From what I’ve heard, he had to step out for last minute business-”“That’s something I’m willing to discuss in a more private area.” He said quickly in a lowered voice before changing the subject. “I see you have someone new with you yet again.” Again? She supposed she shouldn't be surprised.“Ah, my apologies.” Kaneki laughed politely and turned to Touka. “This beautiful woman is Touka Kiri-”“Just Touka.” She cut in, slyly kicking his foot. “Nice to meet you..”“Amon.” He took her hand and planted a soft kiss. “Amon Koutarou.”“And where’s Akira?” Kaneki asked and though he had a pleasant smile, his tone sounded unusually tense.“Had other business to attend.” Amon’s eyes darted around them. “I’ll fill you in later.”“Then our business is done here. If you will excuse us.” Kaneki pressed his hand lightly against Touka’s back and guided her away. “Just an old friend of mine.”“Who’s also a Dove?” She raised a brow and he gave a small nod. “Like I said, sly dogs.”“It’s called business, darling.” He spun her around, lifting one hand and held it in his own raised hand, his other moving to her waist. “Speaking of which, we should probably blend in before you begin the task.”“Why?” Touka leaned her head back, her nails digging into his shoulder. Kaneki grinned, tugging her closer until her body was pressed against his. “I haven’t found the person I’m looking for. Once I find him and have him distracted, you should be able to slip away.” He tilted Touka’s chin up and she flinched away with a snarl. “Humour me, won’t you?”“I’d rather not.” However, the music began to play again and they started to move. “W-Wait, I don’t know how to-”“It’s okay. It’s simple, just follow my lead.” He glided smoothly across the dance floor, Touka carefully making sure not to step onto his feet and her grip on his hand and shoulder tightened as she held in her breath.“Relax, Touka.” He whispered into her ear. “Don’t be so afraid. I’ll catch you if you fall again.”“I hate you.” He chuckled and slowed his movements to make it easier for Touka to catch up. “Can’t believe I’m dancing with some psychopathic murderer.”“You’re enjoying it though.”“Shut up.” Her face felt too warm and it was hard to focus on anything besides his face, his gaze focused only on her. “Is that guy here yet?” Kaneki looked up, his eye scanning the crowd around them until they widened briefly with a dark smile formed on his lips. Looking down, he stepped back and placed her hand onto his arm, leading her away from the other dancers.“The man you will meet right now is called Ui Koori, the right hand man of the leader of the Doves and his girlfriend, Ihei Hairu. Be careful of her, she’s a trained assassin.” Touka grimaced at his words but quickly replaced her expression with a warm smile when she saw the couple Kaneki spoke of.Ui Koori was a lean man, his hair a black bowl cut that gave him a quite feminine appearance along with his cold, round eyes and defined jaw. He wore a simple black suit and grey waist jacket that had a faint pattern of roses. Well, he was certainly flamboyant for a mafia boss’s right hand man, but then again, there was Tsukiyama. To his left was a gorgeous looking woman with short pink hair, two longer strands that hung at either side of her rounded face. Her downturned eyes were a light grey with long lashes, small lips and a cute button nose. Her outfit complimented her features nicely; it was a long slim gown that was a pastel pink that matched her hair, a long slit on one side to show off her slender legs in black stilettos. She may not have looked like an assassin, but she certainly gave off a dangerous aura.“Mr. Koori.” Kaneki shook his hand, but Ui gave him a strained smile that seemed uncomfortable at best. “And Miss Hairu, it’s a pleasure to meet you two again.”“Such a warm greeting.” Ui remarked, withdrawing his hand and instead placed it around Hairu’s waist. “I’m sorry that my boss wasn’t here to meet you in person.”“Please, don’t think anything of it. In fact, there were a few things I wanted to speak to you about in person.” He gave Touka a quick glance that she took it as her signal to move. “Ah, Kaneki.” Touka switched to her now worried expression and took his hand into hers. “I need to go use the restroom.”“Now, darling?” Kaneki gave a small smile and Touka had to force back a shudder and nodded. “Down the second hallway on the left.” With another cheerful nod, she walked away, but not before she caught the eye of the Ihei woman, who smirked back in response. Touka’s stomach tightened and a deep sense of dread hung on her shoulders, but she continued on her way with no hesitation. She mustn't give herself away now.Once she pushed herself through the crowd of socialites and aristocrats, she moved down the hallway and past the toilets that were busy with long waiting lines, allowing Touka some cover in case anyone decided to keep an eye on her. She wandered further down the hallway and took the next turn to a quieter corridor, the music and chatting crowds growing distant. After checking her surroundings, she slipped a hand into her clutch and grabbed the earpiece Nishiki had given her before she got out the car. With a few adjustments, she switched it on, checking her reflection in a nearby mirror to see if the earpiece was visible.“Yo, bodyguard.” Touka said, her voice lowered.“You’re still alive.” Nishiki sighed, Touka’s face twisting at the comment. “Wait, let me bring up a map…” After a few minutes with Touka giving details on her location, Nishiki directed her through multiple similar looking hallways, the mansion more like a maze as she began to forget her way back. With a worried glance behind her, she carried on until she was in what looked like a living area. “You still there? It’s possible the laptop could be in this room.” Nishiki said and Touka started to search the room as quietly as she could. The heels didn’t help. “Make sure you’re paying attention so you don’t make the same mistake like you did back at the King’s place-”“Shut it, four eyes.” Touka hissed, taking in the more dark, unnerving appearance of this area of the mansion. “I could easily kick your ass like I did last time too.”“I’d love to see you try.” Nishiki scoffed. “You were just lucky.”“There’s no such thing as luck. I thought you would know that as well as I did.” She walked over to the large stone fireplace, some pictures and ornaments placed on top. “Nothing in life comes easy.”“That’s certainly true.” Touka stopped when she saw a particular photo, glaring at the people within it. “You’re pretty wise for an annoying rodent.”Despite his comment, her attention was now completely focused on the picture she now held in hand; it was an image of three people, one of a gorgeous, elegant woman with long violet hair and glasses, another man with a wide grin and a distinctive beauty mark under his left eye and the final person was of a smiling slender man with raven hair and beautiful grey eyes. It then struck her that she saw those eyes before - it was none other than Ken Kaneki. “Oi!” Nishiki yelled and she almost dropped the image. She gritted her teeth and carefully placed the picture back in place. “You do realise that there are patrolling guards around this place, right?”“Whatever.” Touka forced her eyes away from the image, a rush of questions running through her mind. She became eager to find out the story behind the photo, yet she decided it was probably best to ignore it until later. “There’s no laptop here. Let’s move on.” Nishiki guided her through some more rooms until she reached one locked door. The lock didn’t seem like something she couldn’t handle, but unfortunately for her, she didn’t have the usual resources she carried with her and her hairpin wouldn’t be enough. “It’s no use.” Touka shook her head, straightening but her eyes still set on the keyhole. “Is there a key nearby?”As Nishiki spoke, Touka froze, her head bolting up to see a man walk down the hallway. Before Touka could slip away, his eyes were already set on her. Shit. Her hand hovered over the opened clutch she held in hand when she saw the man begin to approach her, her heartbeat slamming against her chest whilst she tried to focus on grabbing on the dagger rather than the gun. The man then stopped suddenly and when Touka looked down, a small fluffy Shiba Inu jumped up besides him, leaping up and barking cheerfully. The dog then ran towards towards Touka, who tensed up as the dog sniffed her, his tail wagging quickly. The owner simply walked over and picked up his panting dog, Touka staring wide eyed at the man before her. Was he just a guest after all?“Sorry.” The man bowed slightly. “He seems to like you.” Touka didn’t even speak, her eyes wide and jaw clench at the plain looking man - he was simple in looks with short brown hair and a dull, stoic expression and was dressed in a long grey trench coat and trousers. He held no weapon in hand and hardly looked like someone involved in any kind of mafia, though she knew appearance didn’t necessarily match up with professions in this line of business.“S-Sorry.” Touka stammered, trying to conjure up some kind of excuse. “I got lost and-”“Do you want to go into the office?” His voice was as bland as his appearance, but he showed no aggressiveness. Then again, she shouldn’t let her guard down. “I was told to meet here. Ken Kaneki said so.” If Kaneki was able to hold some influence over the guards before, perhaps it would work now.“Ken Kaneki?” The man thought for a moment whilst Touka’s eyes remained on the dog he continued to hold in hand. This situation couldn’t have gotten any weirder than it was now. “I...will assume I'll be told about this later on by Amon. Let me help you out.” He moved past her and grabbed a key from his pocket, unlocking the door and opened it for her. She stared, perplexed and cautious, the situation way to easy for this not to be a trick. “I’ll leave you to it then. I'm afraid I won't be able to help you after this.” The man nodded, walking back down the hallway. “So make sure you’re more careful next time.”Touka took a moment to stare at the opened door, her eyes roaming around the doorway for any traps before she hesitatingly took a step into the room, tensing up in apprehension for something to happen. Nothing. With a relieved sigh, she peeked back round the door for the strange man, but it seemed he was already gone. “The fuck was that?” Touka asked Nishiki, tossing her shawl aside and closed the door behind her.“Take Hirako.” Nishiki told her as she began to walk around the dim lit room. “He’s a freelance assassin as far as I know, but according to our informant, Chie Hori, he was apparently hired by the Doves to hunt down some guys. He doesn’t seem to show much loyalty to the Doves though. Perhaps Kaneki has been in contact with him lately, considering they used to work together.”“Works for me.” Touka searched through the different cabinets and shelves across the walls, looking behind each of the beautifully painted artworks that were hung up and finally made her way to the desk at the far end of the office. For a mob boss, the desk was surprisingly unorganised, different files and papers scattered across and a map hung off the edge. Out of curiosity, she lifted the map, half of the city highlighted in blue and the other half of the area was bordered with red markings. Within the area marked in red, there were different places circled with small scrawled out notes besides them, along with different images of what Touka assumed to be rival gang members. One of them included Kaneki, a dagger slammed into his photo right between the eyes. “I’m guessing there’s a reason the Doves have something against you lot.” Touka raised a brow, moving past to look through the desk drawers. “Especially Kaneki.”“To put it simply, Goat tried to keep the peace, but then some drama occurred between the King and the leader of the Doves and well…It didn’t end well. Since then, the Doves have tried to move and take our territory by any means possible.”“How horrible.” Touka said sarcastically. “I can only imagine how much blood is spilled when your boss gets a little pissy one day. All of these conflicts because of a little falling out - it's ridiculous.”“That’s why it’s our jobs to make sure it doesn’t get to that point.”“I don’t see why you would choose a life like that.” Touka sat down onto the large leather office chair, lifting the papers carefully as to not misplace them.“We all have our different stories. Some had no choice, others know no other life and some think it’d be a fun way to pass the time.” He paused for a moment, Touka waiting for him to continue. “It doesn’t matter. Besides, you’re a part of us too, little bunny.” With an annoyed shudder, she clenched her hand and was about to snap back, but she then felt something beneath her roaming hand, pushing aside the papers to find a silver laptop rimmed with gold on the desk.“Bingo.” Touka smiled, grabbing the memory stick from her purse. “Oi, bodyguard. I found the laptop.” Static. “Nishiki?” There was only more static with no response. “Shit. Lost contact.” She tugged the earpiece out and switched it off, dropping it back into her clutch and stood up, waiting for the memory stick to download all the needed data. “Hurry, you piece of-”“You should really watch your language.” Touka then felt a cold blade pressed against her throat and gasped, her body tensing with fear. “Or maybe I should just cut off that tongue of yours. I’m sure your boyfriend won’t miss it all that much.” The woman behind her raised the knife to the edge of Touka’s mouth, dragging the tip slowly across her cheek. In the corner of her eyes, Touka noticed the tip of the pastel silk dress she saw earlier on Ui Koori’s girlfriend - It was Ihei Hairu. Didn’t Kaneki say she was a skilled assassin?  “Now, why don’t tell me what a little rat like you is doing all the way in this restricted area.”“O-Oh, I hadn’t realised it was restricted.” Touka squirmed slightly, Hairu pressing the blade harder against Touka’s cheek. Her eyes remained focused on the memory stick that was almost done downloading all the data.“Don’t act so coy. I don’t think you realise the situation you’re in.”“Perhaps.” Touka’s voice was strained and she winced at the knife that bit into her skin. “But do anything to me and you’ll have an even bigger threat to deal with.” Hairu tutted and grabbed Touka by the back of her hair, slamming her head down onto the edge of the desk. Touka’s vision became blurry for a second, everything hazy as her head began to throb with a deep ache. Hairu kept her head pressed against the desk and stood in Touka’s line of sight, who noticed a wide grin on the assassin’s lips.“You think I care if you’re the King’s whore?” Hairu giggled, but her eyes then caught the memory stick that lit up to signal it had finished it’s download. “What’s this-” With Hairu distracted, Touka grabbed the dagger that was stuck into the desk where the map was and slammed it into Hairu’s hand and through the laptop, the woman screaming in pain as her grip loosened from Touka’s hair. She took this opportunity to step away, shaking away the slight dizziness she felt and grabbed her clutch for the gun, clumsily pulling it out.She held it up with trembling hands whilst Hairu pulled out the dagger from her hand with agonised grunts at the pain she must’ve no doubt felt. Touka’s eyes immediately fell onto the blood gushing out of Hairu’s wounded and she once again felt the bile rise up her tight throat. She tried to avert her eyes, but she couldn’t help but stare, her palms sweating and stomach clenching. But now wasn’t the time to panic.“Don’t move!” Touka ordered, trying hard not to show the fear in her voice.“Or what?” Hairu smirked, but she was breathing heavily, the blood from the wound spilling down onto the ground at a rapid pace. “A little scared rat like you wouldn’t be able to-” Touka then moved her aim and shot a bullet into Hairu’s thigh, another scream escaping her lips as she buckled down onto the ground with quick gasps. Out of shock, Touka dropped the gun and took a shaking step back, watching the woman cling onto the desk with the blood staining her exquisite dress.Touka leaned against the wall for support, her nausea growing at the sight of Hairu’s pained expression. She stared at her hand, the gun slipping from her grip and it was as if she could almost feel the burning pain from the bullet she fired. Even so, she refused to let her mind become clouded with guilt. Touka stumbled her way to the USB and tugged it out of the port, grabbing her clutch and heading towards the door. It was then she heard footsteps a small distance away with a rush of different voices. It was already too late for her to leave now.“Little fool. You took too long and now-” Hairu slid to the ground, now unconscious with the loss of blood.Panicked, Touka scanned her eyes across the room for another exit, noticing another door besides one of the shelves and quickly made her way through it just as the guards flooded into the room. With no hesitation, she moved on to the next hallway and down another before she was certain she was at a safe enough distance. She took a moment to catch her breath, breathing heavily as she leaned her back against the wall and brushed her hair back. That was too close to comfort and Touka’s heart could not settle from the sudden panic of the situation.Opposite to her was a mirror and she caught a glimpse of her reflection, noticing a bruise was already beginning to form just above her brows. She adjusted her hair to try to cover up the injury and smoothed the creases out of her dress, moving back towards the main hall. The mansion may have been a maze of hallways, but she relied on the music and chatter from the hall to guide her until she finally found herself back where she was before. She kept her eyes opened for any Doves or guards, keeping close to the crowds until she saw the back of Kaneki's head some distance away. Despite the spite Touka felt towards the man she now worked for, she couldn’t help but relax a little upon seeing him, a sense of security easing her mind as she neared him. Or at least, that was how she felt before she saw him pull out a gun and press it against Ui’s head.She froze along with the other large crowds of people who started to distance themselves away from the two, some screaming whilst others watch in anticipation. Touka shoved her way through the other guests and closer to where Kaneki was, her breathing quick and her body moving before she could think. Once closer, she could finally see his face - he was scowling, his face twisted in rage and murderous temptation. He held Ui up by his collar, but the other man seemed almost amused, taunting Kaneki to pull the trigger. All the while, other guards started to surround the two, their guns aimed towards Kaneki’s head.“Kaneki, what the fuck are you doing?” Touka hissed and he glanced over to her only for a moment before his grip on Ui tightened, his finger already pressing down on the trigger.“Do it.” Ui hissed, glaring at the man that held him. “Do it and see what will happen. To think you would be so weak-”“Kaneki, if you shoot him, you’ll be giving the Doves what they want.” Touka tried to convince Kaneki and he seemed to hesitate then. “He's trying to make you angry. Don’t give in to your impulses.” He looked over to her again and his expression softened, changing from the blind rage from before to a more defeated look of shame. He then threw Ui down onto the ground and pocketed his gun. Ui then called off the other guards with a satisfied smile.Brushing his hair back, Kaneki returned back to how he was before, his relaxed expression filled with cocky triumph. It was almost as if nothing had occurred just prior. It was almost frightening how quick the change was. “My apologies.” He said to no one in particular. “It seems I lost control of my temper for a moment then. I’ll be taking my leave. Come, Touka.” He wrapped Touka’s arm through his and they made their way out of the mansion, Touka glancing back once to see Ui smirk with some delight.“Please, come back any time when you have the guts to actually finish what you started.” He called out and Kaneki paused for a second, his head lowered and his breathing heavy.“Ignore him.” Touka whispered. “It’ll do you no good if you give in to your anger.”“Right.” Kaneki didn’t seem convinced though. “Let’s leave.”In the car, Kaneki seemed even more agitated, his foot tapping impatiently and his fingers digging into his knee. Touka sat there awkwardly, glancing back towards him every now and again during the journey. It seemed whatever purpose they had in going to the party before meant nothing to him now and it was clear that his thoughts were consumed with nothing but bloodlust. It made her all the more worried as to what it was she now involved in; this whole thing she assumed to have been petty drama was now turning out to be something dangerously personal on both sides of the dispute. And yet, here she was, caught right in the middle of it. She wanted to go home.“I…” Touka’s voice cut through the awkward silence and Kaneki looked back towards her, his gaze heavy and uncomfortable. “I got what you wanted.”She took out the memory stick and held it out for Kaneki. He stared at it for a moment, as if he didn’t even remember what it was she was giving him but he then smiled pleasantly, taking the device from her hand. But before she could take her hand away, Kaneki took her wrist, his touch gentle and soft. There were goosebumps on her arms when he leaned down to plant a light kiss on the back of her palm. She was certain she was a blushing mess at this point with her heart fluttering and butterflies in her stomach.“Thank you, my little bunny.” He pulled away, Touka quickly taking her hand back. “You’ve done me a great service.” She was about to speak, but no words left her. Instead, she awkwardly hid her flustered face behind her hand and nodded. It was then Kaneki frowned and he leaned in again, Touka’s breath hitching as he brushed away her fringe, his brows furrowed. “What’s this?” His fingers lightly brushed the bruise on Touka’s head and she winced slightly from the pain. “It was that Ihei woman, wasn’t it?”Touka turned away from his hand and worried eyes. What’s with him with all this sudden concern? “I managed.” Touka mumbled, staring out the window, shuddering at the memory of the blood. “It's no big issue-”“I said I wouldn’t let anything happen to you.” Kaneki sighed with frustration. “I’m sorry. I’ll take better care of you, I promise.”“I’m not yours to take care of.” Touka glared, but her words didn’t seem to affect Kaneki. “Why would you care anyhow?”He only smiled then and Touka felt her cheeks heat up again and she stubbornly looked back through the window before he could take notice. He didn’t answer her question and the question was left as it was for the remainder of the journey back, eating away at her mind as he kept his reasons to himself. It was cruel, to have done and said all that and then act as if she had no right to know anything of his motives. There was that chance that he had no real reason, but it seemed too odd for all of this to turn out the way it did without there being some purpose. They've only just met, after all.They eventually arrived back at his mansion and Touka noticed it was already past midnight, her own fatigue starting to take over.“It’s late, you should sleep here for the night.” Kaneki suggested and Touka knew that she had no real choice in the situation and only nodded.Getting out of the car, she noticed Nishiki standing some distance away. He seemed to be waiting to speak to her.“What happened?” Touka crossed her arms. “You suddenly lost contact.”“They seemed to have figured out you were communicating with me somehow and blocked out the signal.” Nishiki scratched the back of his head, avoiding her eyes. “Sorry.”“You better be.” Touka sighed, noticing the guilty look on his face. “It’s…fine. Just make sure it doesn’t happen again.”“I mean, you’re not dead so it’s fine, right?”“That’s not-”“Come now, darling.” Kaneki started to guide Touka away, but not before she saw the Nishiki give her an amused smirk. “You’re going to catch a cold if you stay outside for too long.”“You can d-drop the act now, idiot.” Touka shoved him away and headed towards the entrance herself.“Who said it was an act?” Kaneki chuckled as he walked besides Touka.“I did.”The mansion was quiet when they entered, the lights dimmed and the servants by the door ready for whatever their precious King needed. Touka kicked off her heels, regardless of their price, and ruffled her hair, a wave of exhaustion going through her. “Would you like me to carry you to bed?” Kaneki whispered into her ear, his sultry voice sending shivers down her spine.“Piss off.” Touka walked up the stairs and straight to her room, ignoring the persistent calls from Kaneki behind her. “How irritating.”She slammed her new bedroom door shut and dumped herself onto her bed, the mattress soft and comforting. Touka let out a sound of satisfaction as she ;aid still, relishing the moment of complete solitude and peace. So much had happened tonight and yet all Touka wanted was for the heavy pull of sleep to take her. She sat up and quickly removed the jewellery and makeup she wore, taking off her dress and pulling on one of the silk red nightgowns from her wardrobe. Pinning her hair back, she got under the covers and sank into the many pillows that surrounded her. It was then she felt something hard against her head and she lifted herself onto one arm to notice a gift wrapped neatly with a red bow and a note on top.‘A welcome gift from your favourite boss.’She scrunched up the note and was tempted to throw the gift away, but her curiosity got the better of her and she opened it up to find a small silver box with small blossoms decorated on the top. Opening it, she saw a plush bunny inside - it was white with floppy ears, its eyes two violet beads and the stomach, paws and feet a purple velvet. In all logic, it would make sense for Touka to become annoyed with such a teasing gift, but instead, she admired it as she held it delicately in hand. She’s hardly ever received any gifts before, but to think he’d actually buy something like this for her. Even if it was to tease her, she couldn’t bring herself to toss it aside and chose to place it on her bedside table instead, her eyes still on it whilst she drifted off to a deep sleep.It was with this that she questioned if he only saw her as a tool to use. Was it possible that Kaneki, this complete stranger, actually cared for her?

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

Chapter 4

Touka awoke to someone poking her cheek and she grunted as she tried to swat away the person besides her. When her now opened eyes focused on the giggling figure that sat next to her, she noticed it was Hinami. She leaned against the bed and rested her head on her arms, cocking her head to one side with a bright smile. 
Damn, she was so innocent it hurt.

“Good morning, Touka!” Hinami said cheerfully whilst the maids came into the room and opened the curtains, Touka wincing at the bright sunlight that flooded into the room. “You seemed to have been exhausted. You slept for ages and you even missed breakfast! Though big brother strictly told us not to wake you.”

Touka sat up and rubbed her head, a dull throbbing headache pulsating from the bruise above her brow. Grimacing, she leaned back into her pillows, watching Hinami take a silver tray from the bedside table and placed it carefully onto Touka’s lap.

“I did the courtesy of bringing some food to you.” Hinami gestured towards the different plates of food set out before her, Touka’s eyes widening at the various dishes on display. “Eat what you can, you don’t need to eat it all.”

It stunned Touka to see so much luxurious food, from smoked salmon to a buttered croissant, other options of granola and fruit with slices of toasts next to different types of spreads she could use. There was an iced drink of orange juice at one corner besides two small pills and a small vase with an orchid in the other. She blinked slowly, wondering whether she was suffering from hallucinations, but the delicious smell proved her eyes weren't at fault.

“This is…overwhelming.” She finally said in awe.

“I’m not surprised.” Hinami laughed, walking around the bed to her other side, pointing at the pills near the drink. “That’s for the headache. That bruise looks awful, but we can get out medic to help-” 
Her attention then caught the small rabbit plush next to her, her voice trailing off and her smile fell. She picked it up and smoothed her thumb over the soft material, an almost sad look replacing the cheerful one she wore before. Just like last night. 
“Ah, excuse me.” She coughed and forced out a smile. “I’ll let you eat now. Let me know if you need anything, Touka.”

And just like that, she was gone with the maids, leaving Touka alone with all this unnecessary amount of food. She wished she could share it with the other children and Ayato back at home, but it wasn’t like she could carry it with her. With her stomach rumbling, she began to ate as much as she could, but no matter how much she tried to finish it all out of guilt of being wasteful, she was still left with at least a plate full of food. She sighed, patting her full stomach and she stared blankly at the room around her.

It was then she took a moment to contemplate everything that had occurred in the short amount of time she has been here, from meeting Kaneki to the narrowly escaped espionage of last night. It was almost ridiculous how much had happened and yet here she was, still alive and breathing but also in the same place as she was in that day she made that deal with him. It made her question if she would be able to even escape her fate at this point, considering she was already enmeshed in this conflict between the Doves and Goat.

“I wonder what I’m going to have to do next.” Touka pondered to herself. “Perhaps I don’t even want to know.” 
Shaking her head, she got up and pulled on a dressing gown that was hung up behind the bathroom door, glancing towards the clock to see it was already nearly eleven in the morning. It was then her phone began to rang and she quickly dug into her bag and picked it up.

“Where the fuck are you?” Ayato yelled into the speaker, Touka holding the phone away a little. “You didn’t come back last night and you didn’t even think to call.”

“I’m sorry, I'm sorry.” She sat down onto the edge of the bed, tightening her robe around her. “I lost track of time, but there’s nothing to worry about. I’m fine.”

“Fine?” Ayato scoffed. “Ever since this whole thing started, being ‘fine’ hasn’t even been an option.” She couldn’t deny his words, but she remained silent as he took a moment to calm down. “So, how did it go? He didn’t give you any trouble, did he?”

“Who? The One Eyed King?” As she mentioned him, images of last night appeared in mind again - the way he kissed her hand, the feeling of his hungry gaze taking her in, his arm wrapped around her waist. “No…trouble, I guess. Well, I don't know. It's complicated, but I'm in no immediate danger.”

“That doesn’t sound reassuring.”

“That’s because you’re always paranoid.” She was glad he wasn’t here to see the blush formed on her cheeks. “I’ll probably be back later, but if not, I promise I’ll let you know.”

“I don’t like this, Touka.” He admitted, his voice now quieter but filled with knowing dread. “I don’t want you to get hurt.”

Her hand wandered back to her bruise and she grimaced at his words, shutting her eyes momentarily to try to push out the deep sadness she felt; Her and Ayato have never been apart, not once, ever since their parents were murdered and now they’re facing this awkward situation where they are forced away from one another. God knows how she would’ve felt if Ayato were to be in her place. She doesn’t want to know.

“I won’t, you big baby.” Touka teased, her spare hand twisting around the sash from her gown. “I’m going to see if I can leave now, but if not, I will try again later.”

“You’re like a prisoner there.” He grumbled. “I’m going to go over to that bastard’s place and give him-”

“No! For once restrain yourself.”

“But-”

“No.” Touka sighed, though she knew he wasn’t serious…or was he? “I’m going to go now. See you later, Ayato.”

Tossing aside her phone, she got up again and decided to reenter the marvellous spectacle that was her wardrobe. She picked out a sundress that was a light, baby blue with a thick, brown belt around her waist. Pulling on a short white cardigan, she slipped on some sandals and walked out of the room whilst brushing her hair back into a small ponytail at the back. 
Outside her room, as she closed her door, she noticed that the door opposite was opened ajar. Touka curiously took a peek inside until she realised she had seen this room before. After all, it was the room she found herself in on that night that lead her to this moment. Her eyes narrowed at the thought that Kaneki must've done this on purpose.

“You’re not planning to steal his valuables again, are you?” Miza stood a small distance away, her arms crossed and a smug smile across her face. “I came to check up on you, but it seems you’re fine on your own.”

“I am an adult.” Touka straightened, Miza shrugging. She headed back down the hallway, calling for Touka to follow. “The King has requested an…outing of sorts with you today.”

“Another mission?”

“No quite. From what he said, he wanted to get to know you a little more.” Miza turned her head slightly, a wide grin on her face. “You’ve certainly caught his interest.”

“I don’t care.” Touka shook her head and gnawed at the bottom on her lip. “I have no interest in joining the, what I presume to be, long line of women that he’s wooed in the past. I’m not that kind of girl.”

“If that's what you think, I can't change your mind,” Miza turned to face her this time, her brows raised, “but I’ve never seen him so infatuated with someone as he is with you. You should’ve seen him the first night you decided to visit.”

“Infatuated? I wouldn’t say that’s the most accurate word.” Her curiosity peaked upon hearing Miza’s words. “W-What was he…”

“What was he like the night you first met?” Miza chuckled when she nodded slightly, her head turned away. “Well, why don’t you ask him yourself?”

They stopped abruptly by the banister connected to the stairs, Touka leaning over to see the front door open with Kaneki, Nishiki, Naki and Tsukiyama all walk in along with a few other members. However, it was Kaneki’s appearance that really caught her attention - he was dressed in a long black trench coat, a dark shirt and black waistcoat underneath with pinstripe trousers and red leather gloves. His hair, surprisingly enough, was down with his bangs casted over his round glasses. Touka felt a chill when she took in this new look on him, a more sadistic and sinister aura surrounding him. 
After he gave the order for his lackeys to leave, he looked up and caught Touka’s eyes, offering the usual cocky smile he always wore, but her stomach churned when she saw a smear of blood across his cheek. She quickly looked away, clenching her stomach and started to walk away from everyone.

“Wait, little bunny!” Kaneki called, Touka pausing with an agitated grunt.

“I don’t want to even look at you.” She yelled back, forcing herself to face him again. “I’m leaving.”

“Now, now, my dear.” Kaneki chuckled as he pulled off one of his gloves. “There’s this particular café I want to show you.”

“Like I care.”

“Ouch.” Miza laughed. “Give him a chance at least.”

“Mademoiselle.” Tsukiyama’s brow twitched and he placed a hand on Kaneki’s shoulder, who only shrugged him off in return. “Our King has offered you a generous gift of his company.”

“It’s not like you have a choice.” Nishiki added with a smirk. “You’re under his control now-”

Kaneki raised a hand and everyone fell into silence and he slowly took off his other glove as he started to head up the stairs. Touka crossed her arms and felt the compulsive need to walk away, but remained in place, despite what she said only moments ago.

“I won’t force you if you really don’t want to.” Kaneki spoke softly. “But it would be my great pleasure to treat you after the hard work from last night.” 
He stood inches away, Touka biting the inside of her cheek as she continued to stare at the ground, shaking her head. With a small pout, he stepped even closer and lifted her face gently, Touka holding in her breath with his eye locked on hers.

“Don’t be afraid to look at me.” Kaneki smiled, his thumb rubbing small circles against her cheek.

His voice…was this really just a game to him? He sounded so sincere, but it wasn’t like he could be trusted. Then again, after everything he had done already and the words Miza spoke just a moment ago, it left Touka questioning her own thoughts on him. However, her eyes then wandered to the dried blood on his face and reality came crashing back down to her. This wasn't some romantic story with him as the prince. No, he was the villain and she could only rely on herself to her own hero. For the time being, she'll just have to play along before she could find her opportunity to escape.

“I’m not.” Touka pulled herself away and walked past him, hugging herself. “Wipe the blood off your face. It’s disgusting.”

“Is that a yes then?” Touka hesitated before she responded with a quick nod.

“It better be worth it.”

“I assure you, it will.” He rested  his hands on her shoulders, his lips pressed against her ear and her eyes fluttered closed. “I have some business to attend to, but I won’t be long.”

“W-Whatever.” She shrugged him off. “Hurry up. I want to go home soon.”

He hurried back down the steps and the others followed behind, including Miza, and Touka was left alone in the entry hall. She stood there awkwardly, her hand rested over her rapidly beating heart as she tried to calm herself. She hated feeling this way around a man like him, yet at the same time, her own racing thoughts told her a different story.

Checking the time, she decided there was some time to spare and she chose to do what she could do best - poke around the house for a while. She went down to the first hallway next to the stairs, making her way past a large dining hall, kitchen, living area and eventually, she found herself at a different room near the end. 
Peeking inside, she found that the room was surprisingly bare, the furniture covered in white sheets and the pictures that she assumed would’ve hung on the walls were taken down and placed against the wall on the ground. One of these many pictures was placed onto the bed at the far end of the room and when Touka neared it, she saw that it was a portrait of two people, a tall man besides a shorter woman, both of their faces scratched out with a black marker of sorts.

“If you keep snooping into other people’s business, you’re going to find something you’ll regret.” The sound of Tsukiyama’s voice startled Touka and she jumped a little whilst he walked into the room.

“Who’s room was this?” Her eyes took in the rest of the room. Despite the dim lighting and thick layer of dust that covered everything, it seemed to be quite a luxurious space.

“Didn’t you just hear what I said?” He shook his head and neared Touka. “Some secrets are better to be kept hidden.”

“It wouldn’t hurt to know a little more about the man I’m working with.”

“Ah, but curiosity killed the cat.” He leaned over her, a smug grin across his face. “Or should I say bunny?” 
Touka narrowed her eyes and shoved past him, but he caught her arm, holding her back. Despite her struggle, he held a firm grip around her arm, her other hand clenching into a fist. 
“If you hurt my King,” he whispered into her ear, his hushed voice filled with hostility and the promise of danger. “I’ll hunt you down and make you suffer-”

“Just try.” Touka snapped, snarling at the man before her. “Don’t underestimate me, pretty boy.”

He was about to speak again, the anger now clear on his usually smiling face, but the door opened and they both turned to a camera flashing. A little girl, probably a child, lowered the camera from her face with a curious look and Touka heard Tsukiyama tut behind her before he let go.

“Shuu, Kaneki warned you about hurting his guests.” The little girl scolded, but she didn’t seem all that concerned.

“Miss Chie, I’m only reminding our little guest of her place.”

Chie? As in the hacker, Chie Hori, Nishiki spoke of yesterday. This…kid?

“Nice to meet you, Touka.” Hori nodded. “Now, Shuu, I can’t reach a branch from that tree outside. Help.”

“Get one of the servants.”

“No.”

“Miss Chie-”

“I’ll show him the picture.” Tsukiyama cursed under his breath and then sighed, nodding to Hori. “Good. Come on now.”

Touka watched with some satisfaction Tsukiyama reluctantly leave  and she remained in place, looking back down to the ruined painting. The longer she stared at the scrawled out faces, the more disturbed she felt. There was definitely some spite that can be seen through this, the marks dented into this beautifully painted illustration and with that, she sensed something dark hidden behind. Despite his threats, he may have been right on how some secrets should stay buried.

“Sorry if he’s a bother.” Kaneki stood in the doorway with a sympathetic smile. “Come now, Touka. We don’t want to be late for lunch.”

He offered her a hand, but she walked past, avoiding his eyes and he followed behind until they reached the front entrance. Kaneki had changed to a simple white shirt, black jacket and jeans. It was surprising to see him so casual after always being dressed in well made, expensive clothes every other time. They walked towards a different car and he sat down in the driver’s seat, Touka giving him a weird look when she slipped into the seat besides him.

“What’s wrong?” Kaneki asked as he started the car.

“I just…don’t you usually have some driver in a limo or something?”

“I thought it’d be better if it were just the two of us.” Kaneki beamed, turning the car towards the gates that opened automatically. “Allow us to get to know each other better.”

They drive for some time in complete silence, Touka staring out to the passing streets as an attempt to distract herself from the fact that she was actually sitting besides a mafia boss and was about to have lunch with him. He confused her so much; whilst on one side of him, he held so much violence and anger, the other was more lighthearted and gentle. His whole persona was shrouded in mystery and yet she couldn’t help but be drawn towards him. She hated him and yet she remained near him. This dissonance within her never seemed to end.

They soon arrived at their destination, parking in front of a row of different restaurants, souvenir shops and cafes. The area seemed small but peaceful, a tranquil aura that surrounded the pretty scenery. Kaneki took her to one particular cafe with the name ‘Re’ and when they entered the shop, Touka immediately smelled the sweet fragrance of coffee that brought back a sense of bittersweet nostalgia within her. 
The cafe itself was a cosy area, with bookshelves across the walls above the tables, a large chalkboard behind the wooden counter with different orders scrawled across it. Beside the chalkboard were more shelves filled with different coffee beans and other ornaments that gave the place a more homely image. They took a seat on one of the tables in the corner of the cafe besides the window that looked out to the streets outside and were given their menus.

“This place is…” Touka said, still admiring her surroundings. “Breathtaking.”

“It is.” Kaneki agreed, placing his menu aside. “It reminds me of my more younger years. I once visited a café much like this some years ago. They brewed the best coffee.”

“This place does give me some nostalgia.” She thought for a moment and it almost did seem like she had visited a place very similar to this one.

“Anteiku, it was called.” Touka froze and lifted her head to stare at Kaneki, whose eyes were still set on her. “What’s wrong?”

“I know that name.”

“Perhaps you also visited that place?”

“I can’t...remember. I just vaguely know the name. It's strange.”

“No worries.” Kaneki smiled. “Do you want to order?” 
Touka ordered only for the coffee and homemade cheesecake, considering she was still pretty full from her breakfast, whilst he simply asked for coffee. 
“Tell me, Touka.” Kaneki took a sip of his coffee, his eyes examining her. “How long have you been a thief?”

“Nearly five years now. I started after my parents died when I was sixteen.” Touka poked the cheesecake, her brows furrowed at the memories of her old life. “It was the only life I could turn to at the time. I can't say I'm thrilled that it ended up that way.”

“I’m sorry to hear that.” He turned away, staring out the window. “That must’ve been hard for both you and your brother.”

“It was. Though I doubt you would actually care - someone as sadistic as you enjoys taking lives away.” She scoffed, rolling her eyes. “Funnily enough, it was the mafia that took away the lives of my parents in the first place.”

“That was a long time ago with different people controlling the mafia and besides, I personally do not kill without reason.” He stared off to the distance and lifted his hand, cracking a finger and Touka felt a sudden chill run through her. “I’ll only pluck those that threaten the lives of those close to me.”

There was something within his tone that suggested to Touka that there was more to his past than meets the eye, but she wasn’t exactly sure if she wanted to pry. All she could think of was those portraits in that forgotten room.

“What about you?” Touka decided to change the subject. “How long have you been a part of the mafia?”

“Almost nine years now, but I’ve been the boss for only three.”

“And what of the leader from before?”

“Dead.” He said simply, taking another drink of his coffee. “Don’t think I don’t know what it is to lose people, Touka. Even I feel pain.” 
She didn’t respond and instead remained silent as she finished her cake. However, despite her silence, she wanted to ask more - she wanted to know who this man was, even if he hid himself within his own shadows. 
“What’s with that look, my little bunny?” Kaneki chuckled and he pushed his mug aside, leaning forward. “You seem deep in thought.”

“I’m just wondering what led you up to this point. You're still young, I assume, yet you already have so much prowess and power. Yet here we are, drinking coffee like we're old friends. Seems a little out of place, don't you think?” 
He offered a sad smile of sorts and placed his hand over hers and though she felt her cheeks heat up, she didn’t reject him as she usually did. His hands were warm against hers, his touch light and it sent shivers through her.

“Perhaps what you say is true.” Kaneki said quietly. “To be completely honest, being a leader wasn't something I decided for myself. With that said, I'd like to hope that perhaps you wouldn't see me as such. Just maybe, with the right circumstances, we could really be friends instead."

Touka took her hands back, shrinking into herself. “Why would you think that? Do you have any idea what you have put me through these past few days?"

“I am painfully aware, yet I can't help but be drawn towards you. Every time you’re near, I feel like I can relax and smile, even if just a little. You make me happy.”

“Don't be ridiculous. I don't know what kind of games you're playing and-" She pushed her chair back, ready to leave, but he took hold of her arm. She looked back and his grip loosened, Touka's body now still.

“Don’t lie and tell me you don’t feel something too. Don't you think I at least deserve a chance? Despite what it seems, I do care for you, Touka."

“Shut up." Her cheeks were flushed as she hissed at him, staring around at the few customers that now looked their way. "You're being a little persistent here."

His eyes widened and after a moment of silence, he let go of her and sighed. "My apologies. I don't exactly know why I'm acting out like this. I lose my composure around you." He laughed it off, but there was a slight edge to his voice. Touka, and likely Kaneki himself, only began to feel all the more conflicted.

At this point, it seemed there was no clear answer to be had besides the fact that he clearly had some interest in her. The question was why exactly, though he likely didn't know the answer himself considering how ridiculous this all was. In all logic, she should be nothing more than a disposable puppet to him. No, before that, she should've just been killed. Even when she was thrown into life threatening ordeals, he continuously showed nothing but concern towards her. Who exactly was this man?

Once Kaneki paid for the meal, they left the café and started to walk down the street, side by side. She noticed him glance at her every so often and their hands almost touch more than a few times, Touka trying hard to keep a steady distance from him. It was possible he wasn't going to try anything, though she now couldn't trust herself to keep herself restrained. Perhaps what he said was true. Perhaps she really couldn't deny that was something she felt towards him too.

“I wanted to know.” Touka began, deciding now was a good time to get some more answers from him. “Why did you join the mafia? I mean, growing up, I despised them, especially after learning that both my parents were murdered by them. In my eyes, they’re nothing but monsters, so what would make you want to become a part of such a world?”

He stopped in his steps and Touka waited for his answer. He looked up for a moment, sighing as he took a moment to think of what to say. 
“Someone asked me to. Yes, I think that was the reason.”

“Someone?”

“A woman.” He winced a little, shoving his hands back into his pockets. “But I must admit, looking back, I wish I had decided against it that day I agreed to her proposition. It’s brought me nothing but pain since then. Of course, that was a decision I made and so it is my responsibility at the end of the day”

It was an unconventional answer, to say the least. Not many base these kind of choices on love or validation, though she knew better than to simply assume the motives of a man as powerful as him. Still, his answer did certainly hint more towards his character. Despite acting all high and mighty, it was apparent that he too can make mistakes. A man did lurk behind that darkness after all.

“I was naive then.” Kaneki laughed nervously, rubbing the back of his neck. “But it can’t be helped now. What’s done is-”

Touka took a step closer and reached towards him and they fell into silence, Kaneki staring blankly towards her. Her hand flinched then and she pulled it back to her side, much to his disappointment. She wanted to say something, though there was no words she could say. She wasn't even exactly sure what it was she wanted to convey. Hearing him try to brush aside his worries like that reminded her of a time before she met him - he reminded her of herself. To try to act as if that pain had no meaning...she pitied him. She truly did. And that pity was soon becoming a yearning she refused to accept.

"Well, we all make mistakes when we are young. I know I've certainly have." She took a step back and Kaneki grimaced, his head lowered slightly. Instead, he took her hand and squeezed it before letting go again, his back now turned to her.

"Thank you. I didn't mean to keep you here for long, but I'm glad we got to talk for a while. Come, I'll return you to your home."

Touka's eyes narrowed at his glum voice and she felt herself hesitate once again. When he noticed she wasn't following behind, he turned back and she closed the gap between them, leaning up to plant a small kiss on his cheek. She quickly separated herself from him, her breath hitching and Kaneki was left in stunned silence.

"And thank you for lunch. It was...definitely worth it, I guess." Kaneki touched his cheek, which was now red with his blushing, and he smiled. Her heart skipped a beat at the joyful grin he had and he took her hand into his and they headed away from the cafe. He said nothing in response and Touka didn't deny him by snatching her hand back. Instead, they remained in blissful silence before they would finally leave one another for the night.

Touka was certainly in no way the same place as Kaneki when it comes to how she feels towards him, that much was for sure. Even so, she couldn't deny that her spite has lightened with this afternoon. If they could stay like this with this somewhat awkward, less hostile partnership they now had, she could perhaps continue living her life whilst still being chained by his orders. Even though there wasn't much else she could do, she knew this was all an elaborate way of her making light of a bad situation. She'll just have to deal with her morals when things were more agreeable for her.

They headed back towards the car and as they neared it, Touka felt the uncomfortable feeling of eyes on her. She turned around, her eyes carefully watching the other people that walked past her, but wasn’t able to notice anything suspicious. Kaneki called her over and Touka looked around once more before cautiously turning back.

Then, right in front of her, she saw a man with raven hair towering over her. He had an almost crazed look as he lifted a gun and Touka froze in place, her mind going blank. However, she quickly came back to her senses and leaped back just when he pulled the trigger. The crowd of people started to scream and began to ran away from the gunfire, shoving Touka as they ran pass. She fell to the ground after being knocked back and the man pressed his foot against her head, raising his gun again for the next shot. Her blood chilled and her vision grew dark, her body squirming with her quick breathing.

Another shot then fired, but it wasn’t from the stranger’s gun.

Touka’s eyes widened when she saw Kaneki stood beside his car, his own gun raised and a furious look of rage clouded his eyes. She managed to scramble away from her position and dashed towards him, glancing back to see that the man was now wounded - blood streamed down his shoulder and he dropped his gun, his eyes now filled with fear. He started to run off and Kaneki continued to shoot, but she forced his hand down before he continued.

“No, Kaneki.” Touka gasped as he tried to push her aside. “Leave it.”

“How can I?” He yelled, his angry gaze now directed at her. “He was going to kill you. I’ll make him pay. I’ll make him suffer and bleed to death-”

“Kaneki!” She cupped his face and forced him to face her. “Don’t do this.” 
He was panting, his body shaking but as he continued to watch her nervous expression, he started to relax, his anger easing up. He brushed the back of his fingers against her now dirtied cheek, a sorrowful look replacing the rage-filled one he wore moments ago.

“I’m sorry.” He pressed his head against hers. “I’ll make him pay.”

“No, Kaneki. Let’s just go home.”

After another moment of hesitation, he nodded and gives in to her words. They drove away quickly and Touka noticed that they were going down a different direction than the one they took before. Eventually, she found herself in a darker, gloomy area, the narrow streets surrounded with tall buildings with flashing neon signs that loomed over the crowds of hookers, dealers and gangs below. She had only spent brief moments here before and she remembered it well enough to know that it was the red light district.

“Where are we going, Kaneki?” Touka asked, pressing her shaking hands into her lap.

“It seemed that we were followed back near the café, so as a precaution,” his hands tightened around the wheel, “we’ll just be staying around an associate’s place until I call for backup.”

They eventually stopped in front of a building that Touka first assumed were apartments until she saw a group of skimpy dressed women with faces caked with makeup near the entrance, wooing the men that passed by. 
They both got out of the car, the women immediately calling over for Kaneki as he waited for her to come up besides him, taking her hand into his. He ignored the women in tight short skirts and low cut dresses and moved to the alleyway besides the building, knocking twice at the backdoor before someone opened it for him. Touka unconsciously clung to his arm when they stepped into the building.

Inside was stuffy and humid, the room smelling of sickeningly sweet perfume with different dressers with makeup and jewellery that messily covered the table, corsets and other garments thrown across the seats. 
Across the room stood a woman with long, purple hair tied up into a messy bun, her face attractive with dark shades of makeup that added to the already lust filled expression she wore. Her outfit was a dark violet, silk kimono that wrapped around her loosely, the trail decorated with different patterns of blossoms across it. Her cleavage and long slender legs were what really caught Touka, and no doubt everyone else’s, attention.

“Kaneki!” The woman beamed and sauntered over to him, wrapping her arms around him and she planted a kiss onto his cheek. “You never visit me anymore.”

Touka tensed up, watching Kaneki grow flustered as he awkwardly tried to push her away, the woman’s hands moving down his arms before she laced her fingers through his. She side-glanced Touka and grinned, pressing her body against his as he bashfully smiled at the woman that hung off him. 
“To what pleasure do I owe you?” The woman asked and Kaneki finally removed himself from her, but when he reached for Touka, she stepped away, giving Kaneki a hard look.

“We need to stay here for the night. Some trouble with some guys and I don’t want to risk leading them back to the mansion.” His gaze never left Touka, even if she refused to look back at him. “I hope that’s no issue, Rize.”

“And leading them here is fine?” Rize gasped with false concern. “I guess you can always return the favour on a later date-”

“Good.” Touka’s nails dug into her palm, her voice low. “Where will we be sleeping?”

They are shown into a spare room, the room filled with a sweet aroma, despite the appearance of a dingy looking bed, peeling wallpaper and stained carpets. It can’t be helped. 
Once Kaneki shut the door, he went towards Touka who stood near the window, but she brushed him off coldly and stepped away. His face fell into a wounded look as if he was the one being hurt by all this. She rubbed her tired eyes and kept them to the ground.

“How dare you.” Touka’s voice quivered. “How dare you use me like that. This whole afternoon- you just wanted me to think you could be trusted. It was just a big ruse to make me into someone like her. It all makes sense now.”

“I didn’t use you-”

“Don’t you even try to lie to me.” Touka snapped. “I saw that look you gave her. It was exactly the same as the one you gave me. This is all a joke to you, isn't it? Tricking the people around you into thinking you care.” She snorted, turning her back to him once again. “I’m just another pretty girl to you, aren’t I? I'm so stupid. I should've just left when I had the chance. Now I'm stuck here, with you.”

“It’s not like that.” Kaneki protested, placing his hands on her shoulder. She shoved him away and against the wall, her arm against his throat.

“I guess I really am an idiot. After all that grooming and flattery, I became blind to the truth.” Touka glared at his almost hurtful eyes. “Once we’re back at the mansion, I’m leaving and I don’t want to see you again. I refuse to let you make me into one your puppets. I refuse!” 
She stepped back and Kaneki reached out weakly towards her. He opened his mouth to speak but it shut almost immediately. There was nothing else to be said.

“Touka, please.” He kept his distance whilst she started to remove her cardigan. “It’s not as it seems.”

Instead of responding, Touka simply shook her head with some laughter. Even now he was trying to justify himself.

“She’s just…an old friend.”

“Didn't you say you wanted us to be 'old friends' too?”

“This is different.” He turned her around and kept a firm grip on her, despite her struggles. “Yes, Rize and I have some history, but nothing I said before was in anyway insincere. You're not just a tool to me. At least believe that.”

Touka didn’t want to look at him, but even now, his touch sent her heart fluttering. She hated herself for letting her guard down and allowing doubt into her mind. From the start, he had her go through so much stress and turmoil, and still, she allowed herself to believe that perhaps he wasn't exactly the mafia boss everyone said he was. She loathed the fact that even now, she wanted to believe that he was different, that he did indeed care. Why? Why must he confuse her like this and then break her down all over again? He has made a complete fool out of her.

“Just leave me alone.” Touka hissed. “Fuck off back to your bitch and leave me alone!”

With every word she spoke, Kaneki’s grip loosened and he let go of her with a defeated expression, watching her walk away from him as he sat down onto the bed. Frustrated, he kicked the ground and buried his face into his hands. Touka watched with some dread before she laid down onto one side of the bed with her back turned to him. 
This was just all fucked up - how could this day go so wrong? It started with so much bliss and honesty and ended with hurtful lies and danger. It almost felt like a lifetime has passed with nothing but darkness looming ahead. For now, though, all Touka wanted, what she needed, was to sleep.

To sleep and forget everything.

----- CHAPTER BREAK -----

She was so peaceful, sleeping soundly and her breathing slow, her face scrunched up as she tightened the covers around her. Kaneki brushed a strand of her hair out of her face, Touka stirring slightly in her sleep. With a deep sigh, he leaned down and pressed his lips lightly against her cheek. Touka murmured his name with a yawn, only half awake. “Are we back home?”“Sleep.” Kaneki whispered and kissed both of her shut eyes. Touka nodded and she soon fell back to the deep sleep she was in before. “I’ll make it up to you, I swear.”“She’s certainly pretty.” Rize leaned against the doorway, her kimono hanging off her shoulders and her hair now down. “I can see why you like her so much.”“Leave, Rize.” Kaneki got up to shut the door, but Rize smoothed her hand over his chest, nipping the side of his neck. “Is that what you really want?” Rize giggled, pushing him into the room and onto the bed, straddling him. “Every time you try to run from from me, you always come stalking back like the good dog you are. You can’t resist me and the more you try, the more you want me. Even with this new plaything of yours.”Kaneki looked over to Touka, ignoring Rize’s advances and with some annoyance, she turned his face to focus only on her. He placed his hands on her hips and grimaced at the woman before him, pushing her off him. “Don’t.” Kaneki told her sternly. “Not again.”She then leaned in close to his ear, tilting his head up with his eyes now shut. Even with all his resistance, she still left him intoxicated with her poisonous ways. Perhaps that was the reason why he fell for her in the first place. “She’ll be the ruin of you.” She whispered and kissed his cheek, a wolfish grin on her face before she turned to leave the room. “When it all goes to shit, you know where I’ll be waiting.”Kaneki let out another sigh as she left the room, brushing his hair back and leaning his head against his clenched fists. He squeezed his eyes shut and the dread hung heavily from his shoulders with nothing but regret flooding through him. Even with the glimpse of happiness he was given earlier, everything was always cruelly snatched away from his hands. In a way, he should’ve expected it - he was forever the fool he was born to be. Always a damn, predictable fool.. . . Touka moved restlessly in her sleep, the humid air uncomfortable and when she finally woke up, she was somewhat disappointed that whatever had occurred the day before wasn’t a simple nightmare. With an agitated grunt, she sat up to find Kanki stood up near the other side of the bed, a phone in his hand. He was speaking quietly, only giving short responses with the occasional nod or two, all the while avoiding Touka’s burning glare.Even the mafia boss himself looked like shit this morning; his clothes were dishevelled, his hair a mess and heavy bags hung under his bloodshot eyes that were surrounded with dark shadows. He hadn’t slept at all, had he? Perhaps…she was too hard on him. After all, Rize had seemed like the devious type, but even so, every time Touka thought back to that particular moment last night, she couldn’t help but feel her anger swell at the thought of being toyed with to feel special under the corrupted gaze of the ‘King.’“That’s good.” Kaneki said, offering no clue to the conversation as Touka got up and stretched. She caught Kaneki giving her a quick glance, but he quickly turned away, carrying on his phone call. “Till then.”“Touka,” his voice was quiet and small and he remained where he was, his back facing her. “We’ll be leaving in five minutes and we’ll head back to the mansion. We’ll have people protecting us this time.”She only gave him a small nod and went off to the bathroom, splashing her face with cool water and she gripped the edge of the sink tightly with her emotions overwhelming her; after everything that had happened, she had the right to be as mad as she was and yet, when she saw that hurtful, sad expression, she couldn’t help but feel her guilt over the situation consume her whole, his painful gaze piercing through her as if he were the victim in all this. In a way, she even wanted to forgive him, but she wasn’t dense enough to see where that would lead her - an endless cycle of temporary trust and constant disappointment. No, she had to remain vigilant, even if it hurt her in the process. She wouldn't be made vulnerable again.“You’re stepping on some mighty thin ice right now, miss.” A rather busty woman appeared with long peach coloured hair and she was dressed in a loose silk dress that didn’t leave much for the imagination. “My name is Itori.” Itori held out her hand to shake and with some caution and a suspicious look, Touka took it only for Itori to pull her closer, holding Touka’s hand close to her face.“Such rough hands you have.” Itori grinned, looking back up to Touka. “So it’s true - you’re really are just some thief he picked up, aren’t you, Touka dear?” She chuckled upon seeing Touka’s grimaced expression, pinching the girl’s cheek. “Don’t look at me like that, kid. As a mistress of the night, I can gather a lot of information from all kinds of sources. You have been the top gossip as of late, the King’s new plaything. I was pretty excited when I heard he came with you so suggestively draped across his arm last night.”Touka winced and took her hand back, crossing her arms and looked away, using her hair to hide the hurtful expression she wore. She wanted to protest, to insist that they were simply reluctant partners, yet after all this time, she knew she'd just be lying to herself. Even if nothing really happened in the end, they still shared many moments of intimacy - that much she couldn't deny. And now she was labelled as the King's doll, his little vixen that he'll abandon eventually as he hunted for his next prey. She had so much respect before, as a thief, big sister and protege. It was sickeningly humiliating and still, she felt all the more betrayed. Perhaps this was what Kaneki intended when he spared her life. “Guess that’s exactly what I am.” She murmured. “A plaything.”“With that said,” Itori pinched Touka’s chin and forced her look up to her directly. “You may want to avoid tempering the King whilst he’s still…emotional. I’m telling you this for your own sake - you’ve heard what happened to those that cross his path, right?”Nothing but a blood smear and a single eyeball.“By that cute expression of yours, I can tell you already know.” Itori snorted, her eyes narrowed. “Best be a good girl and play along in being the King’s bitch if you want to see tomorrow. Once he drops you for another pretty girl, I’d appreciate it if you came back to give me some intel about our precious King-”Touka tugged her face out of Itori’s grip and pushed past her, shoving aside the sudden chill she felt run down her spine with the woman’s words swirling within her mind. She grabbed her cardigan and pulled it on quickly with shaking hands, trying to take control of her shallow breathing. Kaneki took notice of this sudden change of behaviour and raised his hand in attempt to comfort her, but it fell after some hesitation, remembering the anger she displayed last night. She stormed out of the room, her complexion pale. Itori stood in the bathroom doorway and with a frown, he shook his head at the woman and followed behind Touka out the brothel.Touka stood quietly besides the car, glaring at any passerby that looked towards her direction. She hugged herself tight, flinching when Kaneki neared and sat down in his seat. She took a deep breath and told herself to calm down, her nails digging through her sleeve and into her arm. It was only after a good ten minutes into the journey that Touka’s heart finally calmed itself.“Touka,” his voice startled her, making her jump in her seat. “Pay no mind to the words Itori told you. Unless she’s being paid, her words mean nothing more than mere gossip.” Touka’s grip on her arm tightened and when he noticed at the corner of his eye, he reached over to remove her hand, only for him to be slapped away by her. Glancing over, he saw Touka giving him a scowl, her almost fearful skittish behaviour from before abruptly erupting into a fierce temper.“Don’t touch me.” Touka snapped, her voice cold and tense. He bit down hard onto his lip, hard enough to draw blood, and withdrew his hand, clenching it around the wheel as she turned back to look out the window. Eventually, they arrived back at the mansion, Touka leaving the car as quickly as she could and she went straight into the mansion before waiting for whomever of the many servants to open the door for her. However, what she hadn’t expected was to see Ayato walking out one of the hallways with Hinami by his side. Stopping in her step, she stared at Ayato with wide perplexed eyes and though she should’ve questioned his sudden appearance, her real question was why he was so…calm. Hell, he was even blushing. Could it be because of…it doesn’t matter.“T-Touka?” Ayato rushed towards her, grabbing her by her arms. “Are you okay?”For some reason, it was only now that she felt herself start to crumble apart, all the overbearing struggles of the past few days finally catching up to her and it hit her like a speeding truck, hot tears rolling down her flushed cheeks as she fell into Ayato’s arms. Confused, he held her tight, trying to question her of this sudden burst of tears, but she only pressed her head harder against his chest and gripped his shirt, trying to hold back her sobs with her tears continuing to fall. All the anger, fear, confusion and heartbreak she kept buried within now overflowed out of her in a eruption of emotion which left her with nothing but cold regret and the desire to forget all the pain she was feeling now. If only it were that simple.“The fuck did you do?!” Ayato yelled at Kaneki as he entered the mansion, holding Touka to his side. Kaneki looked over nonchalantly, his expression bored at best whilst he examined Touka’s tear filled eyes. With a raised brow, he shoved his hands into his pockets and he turned to walk away, which only fed Ayato’s consuming anger. “Oi, you one eyed bastard, I asked you a question.” He moved past Touka and headed towards Kaneki, his hands now clenched fists and before Touka could hold him back, he was already swinging his fist towards Kaneki’s head. “The fuck did you do-”Kaneki caught Ayato’s fist in one hand, his other still in his pocket. He turned his face to Ayato with a cold, tedious stare. His one eye narrowed and his expression filled with so much darkness that it even startled Touka for a moment. Then, before Ayato realised what had happened, Kaneki twisted his arm and brought his leg up, snapping Ayato’s arm like it was a twig. Ayato knees buckled and he fell to the ground with a loud scream of agony, his body writhing on the ground and he shakily gripped his now broken arm. Touka fell to his side, her hands shaking as she cradled Ayato’s head on her lap, her tears falling onto his intensely pained face that was scrunched up and drenched in sweat.“Careful, rodent. Try to pull that move on me again and I could easily break half your bones within five minutes. You don’t want to know what I can do in an hour.” Kaneki stood nearby, an almost amused look now on his face. It was clear that he was satisfied at Ayato’s pain and with a rush of rage flooding through Touka, she stood and neared Kaneki. He looked down at her with a glare and a smirk, as if he were taunting her to attack. “Looks like the little bunny’s brother couldn’t keep to his promises-”A loud crack rung out in the large entry hall, Kaneki’s eye wide with his cheek stinging from Touka’s sudden slap. She stood with a vicious snarl before turning back to Ayato. He now stood up, repressing the pain throbbing from his arm. “Don’t touch me or my brother again, you monster.”“You go on ahead.” Touka whispered to her brother. “I have a few things to collect.”With a weak nod, he headed towards the front doors and glanced back at Hinami, who stood by the stairs quietly with an unreadable expression. Touka kept her eyes on Kaneki whilst she walked up the stairs, his bewildered stare focused on the ground and his hand rested on his now red cheek. Looking up, he saw Touka and quickly followed with a dangerous look replacing his shocked expression from before.“Where the hell do you think you’re going?” Kaneki almost growled. “You think you can just leave me?”“Yes, I do.” She then stopped in her step and stood with a taunting smile. “It’s not like you could do anything to me.” As she took a step closer, he stepped back, his body tensing. “Go on, just try to, you bastard. You control the people around you with either flattery or fear, but I’m no idiot - in the end, your flattery didn’t work and so your only option left is to threaten me.” She pushed him into the wall, watching his temper rise. “Do it then. Do it. Do it or I’ll leave and someone as pissy as you wouldn’t be able to handle that, right?” His jaw clenched and he grabbed her neck, pushing her against the wall. He breathed heavily, his teeth gritted but his lips quivering, Touka not even flinching at his actions. After a while, his hands fell from her neck and she moved past him and with a yell of anger, he punched the wall, leaving a large cracked dent behind. “That’s what I thought.” She shook her head and carried on her way, Kaneki crouching with his hands pulling at his hair.Once in her room, she quickly gathered all she needed - her clothes and a few extra from the wardrobe and her phone. Out of spite, she also took the expensive jewellery and products from the dresser - Yomo could sell it all on the black market. She changed into a black shirt and grey shorts, slipping on her boots and hoodie before her eye caught the plush rabbit on the dresser. With a look of disgust, she squeezed the toy and threw it into the bin. Grabbing her bag, she headed towards the door where Kaneki stood with desperate eyes and his body trembled slightly.“I-I thought we could- what about yesterday in the cafe?” His voice was low with an spiteful undertone. “You said-”“That was before I remembered I was talking to a corrupt, lying asshole that leads a whole fucking mafia gang.” She almost laughed at the irony of it all. “Get out of my way, you make me sick.”“Touka, you will be mine.” She ignored his words and moved past, disappearing to the next hallway. He leaned against the wall, raising his hand to feel his cheek damp with tears and his nails dug into his skin. “I don’t want to be alone.”Touka hurried down the stairs and past the doors where Ayato stood, his broken arm cradled with his other. With a hand on his shoulder, she gave him a small nod and they both left the horrid mansion that loomed hauntingly over them, Touka shuddering at the sight of it all. It was then Nishiki stood in front of her, a gun in his hand, but she only raised a brow at her former bodyguard, silently questioning him of his purpose.“I’m not here to kill you.” Nishiki said casually. “This is just a warning.” He quickly raised his gun and fired, the shot inches away from her face. The shot left ringing in her ears and she fell against Ayato’s side as Nishiki stepped closer, wiping off the blood from the scratch on her cheek, clicking his tongue. “We all warned you, little bunny, but I guess it takes discipline to really get the message through. Now that was for touching the King, but he was kind enough not to kill you - he just wanted to leave a message you would likely to remember.”“Don’t touch her, psycho.” Ayato slapped Nishiki’s hand away, who only laughed in response. “It’s fine, Ayato.” Touka grunted and took his hand into hers to hold it back. “I don’t want you getting hurt again.”“Aw, what a good sister you are.” Nishiki walked around them, pressing the gun against her back. “Get moving.”Begrudgingly, both Ayato and Touka followed his orders before they’re both thrown out of the area, the gates closing shut behind them. Turning back to see the OEK symbol so proudly displayed in gold against the black bars. Touka spat on the ground in front of it, saying nothing more as she called for a cab, Ayato also keeping his mouth shut. On their journey back home, Touka stared out the window absently, her thoughts a mess and her emotions a mixture from all this shit and even with her best efforts, her eyes continued to get teary, biting down on her lip to try and distract herself from the pain she felt within.When they finally arrived back at their home, Touka immediately attended to Ayato’s wounds, bandaging him up silently and crafted him a sling to use out of old fabric. Every now and again, the children peered into the room, but unlike what she would usually do, she didn’t invite them in and so they remained silently watching, the house quiet and still. Ayato remained where he was for a while, even after Touka’s help, silently comforting her and though his presence did help her somewhat ease her worries, she couldn’t have felt more alone than she did now.Eventually, as expected, Yomo came to the door, his figure casting a long shadow into the dark room and the siblings couldn’t even face their leader in the eyes in the state they were in. However, when they did finally face him, they only saw gentleness. He came over quietly and sat down between them and pulled them into a hug. Ayato looked uncomfortable, unsurprisingly, but decided to accept the affection, Touka leaning into Yomo’s embrace. It was a simple show of comfort, but it was enough to calm Touka’s thoughts, even if just a little. It was all she needed for her to finally breathe.“It’s okay now.” Yomo said, squeezing them both. “You’re home now. You’re home.”Touka nodded whilst holding back her tears that threatened to fall once again, but deep down she knew it wasn’t over. Despite her sudden confidence in confronting Kaneki earlier, she knew he’d hunt her down - she could tell by the sheer desperation within that eye of his. It was only a matter of time…Until he takes what was his again.…A week passed in contempt peace and tranquillity, Touka settling back into her old life with her paranoia and fear towards any sudden appearance of Kaneki slowly fading away. During the week, Yomo had decided to up the security of the place, Irimi and Koma offering their aid to help protect them. Meanwhile, Touka and Ayato were strictly kept inside the house, though she couldn’t really complain since her home is where she only found real comfort.As the days passed, Touka busied herself by keeping Ayato from sneaking out whilst she took care of the children as she usually did. Of course the first thing they all did, including Ayato, was bombard her with endless questions on what happened to her during her absence and though she refused to answer their questions, for both their and her sake, Ayato was very willing to tell a dramatised story of how he valiantly fought against the wicked One Eyed King. Touka couldn’t help but snicker every time he told the kids of how scared the King was of him, but she decided not to ruin the fun.Right now, Touka sat on her bed, hugging her knees and her head rested against them, watching the few children near her rummaging through her bag. One of the new girls, Ann, picked out a silver bracelet with small diamonds decorated around it. Her eyes sparkled as brightly as the gems, her mouth agape with awe, and slipped on the bracelet that was too big for her wrist.“Who gave this to you?” Ann asked, pulling on Touka’s arm. “Was it the evil King?”“Oh, no one gave it to me.” She smirked, sitting up. “I took it straight from his greedy hands.”“As expected of a master thief!” Yuki exclaimed, shaking Ann’s shoulders. “I want to be like Touka when I grow up.”Touka shook her head with some laughter, his enthusiasm too cute to deny. Ruffling his hair, she sat back and took in the beautiful, shiny prizes that were tipped out of her bag. From rings to necklaces, they were all now in the hands of thieves ready to be sold for all the money they wanted. Yomo had suggested selling them off to a client of his and that once they have all the needed money, they could move out of range of Kaneki and his Goat gang. A part of her felt guilty for being responsible for all this mess, but even so, she couldn’t help but be relieved at the chance of everyone here not needing to worry for their lives - as long as they’re safe, nothing else mattered. It’ll be a chance for them to build up a new life from scratch.“Oi, Touka.” Ayato called from the lower floor. “Yomo is leaving.”Touka jumped off the bed and moved down the stairs to where Yomo stood at the front entrance. He held a small parcel in his hand filled with some of Touka’s stolen goods within, ready to be sold to the first client. “Be careful.” Touka warned him as he raised his hood. He offered her a smile and a nod, moving round to open the door, but Touka felt her stomach begin to churn, dread replacing her thoughts. She pushed this weird feeling back, thinking it was just simple paranoia. “See you later.”However, as soon as he opened the door, they saw a figure stood behind it and in an instant, the stranger raised their hands and slammed something against Yomo’s head before he could react, knocking him out cold as he fell onto the ground with a heavy thud. With a loud gasp, Touka stumbled back against the stairs and once the figure stepped into the light, she could that it was Tsukiyama, dressed in a white suit and black shirt, a satisfied smirk on his face. In his hand, he held a gun, his eyes locking onto Touka and Ayato, who was also shocked from the sudden attack.“Ayato, run!” Touka yelled, shoving him up the stairs before he could protest. “Go to the others.”Touka stood in a readied stance a small distance away from Tsukiyama, watching Ayato disappear to the next floor and pulled out a small pocket knife she always kept at hand since she left the mansion. Tsukiyama stepped over the unconscious Yomo, placing the gun back into its holster and instead pulled out his own dagger from his belt, the knife considerably larger and likely more lethal compared to Touka’s own weapon.“Little bunny,” he clicked his tongue, looking down at Touka’s weapon, unimpressed. “I warned you not to hurt my King.”“So you’re here to kill me? Typical.” Touka scoffed, snarling at the man. However, he only let out a chuckle, twirling the blade playfully in hand.“Non, little lady. I’m here to deliver you.” He grinned. “Our King is expecting your arrival.”With Touka’s confusion, he lunged forward, swinging his dagger across her, but she quickly leaned back, narrowly avoiding the attack and stepped back, raising her knife. He swings again, but this time, she blocked the attack, raising her arm to stop his and she dropped her knife from her raised hand, catching it with her other hand and thrusting it forward to pierce through his shoulder. He gritted his teeth, repressing his pain and slammed his knee into her stomach. Touka fell to her knees, gasping and choking with the air knocked out of her and he grabbed her hair, holding the dagger against her throat.“What was it you said to me last time we talked?” Tsukiyama whispered close to her ear, Touka wincing at his tight grip he had on her hair. “You could easily beat me in a fight? What a shame, I had hoped you could keep to your promise.”Touka spat at him and he slammed her face against the nearby wall, keeping it there as he wiped the spit off his face with a handkerchief. It was then Touka noticed someone else move down the stairs, her eyes widened with fear at the sight of Ayato and Yuki held at gunpoint by Naki, who leads them down the stairs to where Tsukiyama was. He dragged Touka to where her brother was, yelling out at the sharp pain she felt and Ayato struggled in his grip against Naki, but Naki only backhanded Ayato, the strike strong enough to make Ayato stumble to the ground, his hand over his throbbing cheek. When Touka reached for her brother, calling out his name, Tsukiyama pulled her back and she began to writhe under his grip.“Remember, Touka, you brought this on yourself-”“Let go of me!” Touka demanded, watching Yuki tremble and whimper whilst Ayato weakly reached out for her, Naki stepping down onto his hand and ordered him not to move. “Don’t hurt them! Don’t-”“Oh, Touka.” Miza stepped into the room, her hands behind her back. “You should’ve left when you had the chance.” Miza crouched down and pinched Touka’s cheek before her eyes caught Ayato, her smile growing even wider and she walked over and looked down at the kneeling boy before her.“So this is your handsome brother I’ve heard about.” She tilted his chin up, noticing a bruise formed on his cheek. “Idiots, I told you not to hurt them too badly.”“They tried to get away.” Naki shrugged and Miza shook her head in disapproval. “No matter.” Miza continued, stepping back round to Touka. “Take her to the car and lock the rest of them in this house. No need to do anything to them…yet.”Before she could protest, Touka was shoved out the door, Ayato calling her name desperately from behind. She tried to call for help, only for Tsukiyama to cover her mouth, quickly forcing her into the back of the car where Nishiki waited for her. He grabbed Touka and tied her hands behind her back, the rope tight and irritating as she pulled at her restraints. Almost giving up, she then slammed her body against the door, twisting her body to try to reach for the handle, but Nishiki pulled her back and held her in place.“Quit it, will ya?” Nishiki grumbled, avoiding her continuous kicking. “You ought to have known this would have happened.”Touka then paused, breathing heavily with her eyes watching her surroundings as the car started to move, begging quietly for all of this to be some horrible nightmare. However, no matter how unwilling she was to accept it, Nishiki was right - this was bound to have happened, they just simply didn’t have enough time. There’s never enough time.“I see the mark is still there.” Nishiki remarked, looking at the scar on her cheek he created last time they saw each other. “But I guess the King wasn’t satisfied with a warning, though I can’t say I’m surprised-”“The fuck does that asshole want?” Touka snapped, glaring at him.“I’m sure you can take a guess.” He smirked and sat back, not even hinting at what’s to come for Touka and in all honesty, she was terrified.When they arrived, Touka thought at first to try to escape. That is until she saw the increased amount of guards scattered near the entrance and different standpoints that led up to the courtyard. With her body trembling, she was taken out the car and into the mansion, which was hauntingly quiet with nothing but the sound of their footsteps to break the unnerving silence.Then she heard a scream - a pained, desperate cry of agony. Just like the phone call…“No, please.” She leaned her body back, shaking her head. “Don’t do this. I’m sorry, please, just let me go and I won’t ever bother you-”“Too late, bunny.” Nishiki whispered into her ear. “You’re past the point of no return.”She’s dragged down the hallway down to the right from the stairs, moving past several doors until they stopped at the source of the loud screams, Touka pale and her heart slamming against her chest, her knees buckling beneath her. Even so, after two knocks on the door, it opened and she was pushed inside where she fell down to Kaneki’s feet, looking up to see a sharp smile on his face.Scrambling away, she leaned back against the now shut door, her head shaking as she murmured prayers under her breathe. Kaneki, his shirt sleeves rolled up and covered with dark stains of blood with his usual red gloves over his hands, stepped closer to Touka. He then grabbed a small dagger from his desk nearby and Touka knew what was about to come, flinching when he crouched down in front of her.However, what she didn’t expect was for him to reach behind her to where her hands were tied, using the dagger to free her of her restraints before he got back onto his feet to place his knife back from where he got it from. With her knees still trembling, Touka nervously picked herself up with the wall to support her, watching Kaneki anxiously as he cracked his fingers, his eyes roaming down her body.“Did you really think I would hurt you?” Kaneki smiled softly and for a moment, Touka was almost fooled by his gentle tone. Almost.“Go to hell.” She spat, but he only laughed in response. “If you’re not here to kill me, why did you fucking kidnap me, huh?”“Oh, silly, naive little bunny.” Kaneki walked over and brushed the back of his hand against her cheek, Touka slapping his hand off her face. “You see, I get the feeling that you don’t really take me seriously.”“What gave that away?” She crossed her arms, trying to repress the anxiety she felt with his close proximity.“So,” he turned his back to her and ignored her question, his hand brushing against the edge of his desk. “I thought I’d give you a front view seat on what happens when someone thinks they can get away with doing what they want around me.”He signed for her to step closer and though she would clearly rather not be anywhere near that freak at the moment, she really didn’t have a choice. And so, she stepped around the large desk to where Kaneki stood with an almost proud look of satisfaction towards two kneeling men in front of him - one was covered with a sack over his face, his hands and legs tied and his body shivering whilst the other…The other…“That one took me some time.” He walked around the other person, resting his hands on his shoulders. “He helped that man who tried to kill you escape in his car, so I taught him the lesson of what it is to involve yourself with the wrong crowd. I actually found him in a aerobics class - to think he could do something so casual after doing such a terrible crime.”Touka felt the bile rise up her tight throat, her stomach churning and her mouth dry as she took in the stranger’s appearance; both his eyes were gouged out, streaks of dried blood down his bruised, misshapen cheeks and his lips loosely sewn together, his body stripped of his shirt and his bones stuck out, lashes across his back and burns across his chest. His arms hung at his sides, one of them covered black and blue with all his crippled fingers either missing or turning the wrong way whilst his other arm had rusted nails and broken glass shoved through his skin. All the while, the man didn’t speak or utter a sound, only rocking back and forth mindlessly with his body and head twitching every now and again. He wasn’t even living at this point.Touka fell against the desk, unable to even face the tortured body before her and she pressed her hand against her mouth, her body shuddering violently. Kaneki came over and rubbed her back, holding her up so that she leaned against him, Touka finding no strength to push him away. The smell of blood drowned all her other senses, her mind dizzy from it all.“It’s okay, Touka.” Kaneki said soothingly. “I can see that you’re excited, but don’t worry, you’ll be able to take part too.”Touka froze and looked up to see a dark look in his eye and when she tried to pull herself away from him, he only held her tighter against him and started to take her towards the untouched man. Lifting the sack that covered his face, Touka instantly recognised him to be the dark head man that tried to kill her the other week.“This young man here is called Aura, from what I know and unsurprisingly, he works with the Doves.” Kaneki left Touka and grabbed something from beneath his desk and she could immediately see that it was the katana she saw in his hand the first night they met. “I thought it’d only be decent courtesy if you were the one to teach him the lesson to not fuck with what’s not his.”He held the hilt towards her hand, but when she continued to stand there, keeping her distance, Kaneki grabbed her hand and pressed it against the weapon, his hand encircling around her with a tight grip. With a gasp, Touka was placed in front of Aura, who looked up with terrified, bloodshot eyes, whilst Kaneki removed the sheath. The blade glimmered against the light, the sharpened edge soon to be tainted with blood.“Go on, Touka.” He pressed his lips against her ear, his voice sending a violent chill through her. “Do it.”“I won’t be like you.” Touka yelled, shaking her head with tears welling up in her eyes. “I won’t-”“Don’t struggle, my bunny. It’ll only make it worse.” But she continued to fight against him as he slowly raised her arms, her strength no match against his. “It’s cute to see you like this. It’ll be nice to see you coated with blood, your hands that were once of a thief to a killer. Go on, Touka. Do it.”“No!” Touka slammed her foot down against his, but it didn’t seem to even affect him.It was useless, all so useless. She was going to become a killer, forced to kill the frightened man before her without even a word in the say. At this point, she even considered death to be the better option - this torture, this inescapable fate, was so much worse. “Brother?” Hinami stood in the doorway, dressed in a short sleeved white dress that reached her knees. With wide eyes, she watched Kaneki with his arms around Touka as he forced her to keep hold of the raised katana in front of a crying man. After taking in the situation, she stepped into the room and closed the door behind her, her hands behind her back. “I was worried, brother.” Hinami sighed. “With all her yelling, I thought you were fighting again.”“Oh no.” Kaneki let go of Touka and she dropped down to the floor, the katana fallen a small distance away. “I was just showing her what it truly means to be a part of a mafia.”“But, brother!” Hinami grasped the edge of her dress, looking between the two. “She’s doesn’t even want anything to do with us. Look at her! I, on the other hand-” She stepped over Touka and took the weapon into her own hands, only quickly glancing at the injured man nearby. “Could easily do what she can’t.”“How cute of you.” Kaneki leaned against his desk with his hands in his pocket. “Trying to impress your big brother.”“Of course. I’ll show you I can be a far better candidate than Touka.” She looked down at her, who watched Hinami with wide and confused eyes, just like a scared animal. “She’s beautiful, delicate and so, so strong, but I can be like that too!”She stood behind Aura, her arms shaking slightly at the surprising weight of the weapon. With some amusement, Kaneki watched with eager eyes, admiring Hinami’s strong determination to impress. If Touka wasn’t willing to partake, she could at least witness this fine spectacle. She raised her arms and readied her stance, just as Kaneki taught her long ago and she quickly brought down the blade, slicing it across Aura’s back. He spasmed at the sudden pain, a spray of blood splattered across Hinami and her pure white dress and when he started to writhe in pain on the floor, Hinami let out a big smile and brought down the weapon again and again and again.Touka could only stare at the horror being presented before her, the sounds so graphic, the sight so vivid and the smell - oh god, the smell. She even felt droplets of blood land against her frozen face, but it was only when she saw Aura’s face, his eyes rolled back and his jaw opened wide as he let out silent screams, that made Touka come back to reality. Her breathing started to speed up, her head a mess of fear and disgust and her vision started to blur. She couldn’t take it, watching this man being torn to shreds and she couldn’t help but think it was all because of her….no she couldn’t take it. Not anymore. Not any-“She fainted.” Hinami panted, leaving the katana stuck in Aura’s now dead body. “I didn’t think she was that weak- brother?”She expected a smile or an applause even for Hinami’s efforts, but when she looked up to Kaneki, she only saw a frightened yet intense trance from him, his eye locked onto the now mangled body with his hands gripping the edge of the table tightly. He then brought one hand up and gripped his eyepatch, lowering himself onto the floor and hugged his knees. “What have I done?” He finally whispered, looking back at Touka. “Get her to her room and just…leave me here.”“Kaneki-”“Go!”With a small nod, Hinami did as she was told, wiping the blood off her arms arms and hands with a clean patch of her dirtied dress. Looking back only once, she saw him reach for Touka’s limp body, only for him to pull his hand back, burying his head into his knees. What was it he truly wanted?