Chapter Text
The thought of reaching out to Aogiri was unsettling, but he would go to any lengths for Shuu-sama. At least, that's what he told himself as he walked to the meeting place.
Though the area was covered in shadow, he refused to take his sunglasses off. He didn't want them to see the unease in his eyes.
Three figures, two talking amongst themselves and one crouching came into view. Kanae took a steadying breath and approached them, his heels clicking cleanly on the pavement. The two standing figures turned to him as they heard him coming, their hoods pulled down low to hide their faces.
"Are you the Aogiri representatives?" His voice was much more confident than he felt, a fact he was grateful for. The two ghouls said nothing in response, so Kanae continued. "I have a job for you." He pulled out a crisp stack of bills and held it up for them to see.
"We were beginning to think you wouldn't show up." The one on the right commented, reaching for the money. Kanae had to will himself not to flinch as he took it from his hand.
The third person, still crouched a few steps away, suddenly giggled, earning everyone's attention. He looked up, the sparse light revealing a manic smile.
"Little bird, you're so scared, I can smell it."
Kanae grimaced. What was this guy playing at?
The two hooded ghouls turned back to Kanae. The one holding the money cleared his throat.
"So what are the details?"
Kanae quickly gave them a rundown, glad they seemed to want to end the meeting as much as he did. The plan took little time to lay out, thankfully.
The crouching ghoul stood and paced around them as he spoke to the two ghouls, making Kanae's hair stand on end. He watched him carefully from behind his sunglasses, positive that he was doing the same from the shadows of his hood.
"Is everything clear?" He concluded, his feet itching to leave.
Before the two ghouls could respond, the third's pacing stopped and in less time than Kanae could register, he was standing behind him, his warmth breath ghosting over his neck as he breathed in deeply.
"Takizawa!"
One of the ghouls barked the name as Kanae's kagune ripped through his shirt and slithered around his arm.
Even in his frenzied mind, he realized from the smell of this nuisance that he was a half ghoul.
A light chuckle next to his ear made his blood run cold.
The ghoul left his side as quickly as he had come, opting to stand behind the other two ghouls. Kanae was shaken, but he also felt offended that his already fragile composure had been broken. He tried to will his kagune back, but his heightened sense of fear made it stubbornly stay out.
"Please keep your mongrel under control." He spat, glaring at the third figure.
He laughed again and Kanae could feel his blood boil.
"Takizawa, enough."
Venom seeped through the words, and the man seemed to take it to heart this time, sulking away from the group and crouching again. He hummed a tune lightly to himself, but it was only loud enough for Kanae to pick up a few stray notes.
Unnerved by the eeriness of the man, he pushed his sunglasses up the edge of his nose. "Is that all?"
"We'll get it done, no worries." The two hooded figures turned and started into the shadows, their shoes making nothing more than a whisper on the ground.
The third man, Takizawa, was unmoving. His humming melted into singing, sweet and soft. Though Kanae was not a native to Japan, he knew the children's song.
"Kagome kagome, the bird in the cage, when, oh when will it come out?"
The next verse was cut off with a bubble of laughter.
Kanae sucked his teeth and turned on his heel. His whole being protested having his back to the clearly unstable man, but the urge to leave outweighed it. Resisting the urge to look behind him, he walked briskly away, the only audible sound being the click of his heels and the insistent beating of his heart.
He was back on the street now. The sky was darkening more quickly than he had anticipated. Begrudgingly wishing he had brought the car, he slid his sunglasses into his pocket and began the trek home.
Unease still fluttered though his stomach at the meeting with Aogiri, and he couldn't help but keep glancing behind him.
As the street lights flickered to life and civilians became more rare, he felt paranoia set in with a full force. Fragments of that damned song came to him with every breath of wind.
Surely he wasn't actually hearing it.
He couldn't be, could he?
He stopped in a halo of light, suddenly feeling like the illuminated ground was a boat in a dark sea of shadow. Was something menacing swimming in that inky blackness?
"Lächerlich."
He had hoped that speaking out loud would help ground him, but it did quite the opposite, making the situation seem almost like a dream, and not a good one.
Kanae huffed at his own foolishness and went to go forward but a giggle in the still air made him freeze.
He spun around, facing the rough proximity of where the voice had come from.
"Show yourself!" His voice broke at the end, zapping the authority from the words.
"In the night of dawn, the crane and turtle slipped..."
The children's song rang chillingly from the darkness. Was he closer now?
Kanae wanted to run, but stepping into the shadow was an unbearable thought.
Suddenly, he remembered the last line of the song and it hit him like a truck.
The only line that hadn't been said.
He whipped around just as Takizawa stepped into the light. He pulled his hood back, the same manic smile on his face now joined with two large eyes.
"Who is behind you now?" His smile widened and his head cocked to the side as he finished the song.
"You followed me."
"Yes."
Kanae's fear was still dominant, but annoyance was slowly leaking into his voice.
"You had no right."
"I don't care."
Now that Kanae had a chance to really look at him, he could see that this Takizawa couldn't be much older than himself.
Takizawa tugged at a white lock of hair, his wide eyes looking expectantly at him.
"What exactly do you want from me?"
He tilted his head again as he thought about the question. "Not sure."
Kanae huffed. This obviously wasn't going anywhere. Takizawa seemed to be saying exactly what he was thinking, so Kanae decided on to just outright ask.
"Are you planning to hurt me?"
He thought briefly again. "I don't want to."
"Then what do you want?"
Takizawa sucked his lips into his mouth, contemplating the question.
"I want to see you some more."
Kanae was taken back by the answer. What was that supposed to mean? He had a feeling that if he asked he would get another vague answer so he straightened himself up, holding his chin high to convey the confidence he certainly didn't have right now.
"Well, you've seen me."
With a steadying breath, Kanae began to walk past him.
A hand shot out and grabbed his arm tightly, stopping him in his tracks. He gasped at the vice-like grip, surprised at just how strong this pale young man was. Seeming to realize the strength he was using, Takizawa loosened his hand considerably.
Kanae's heart was beating like a hammer at the close proximity of the stranger, but oddly, it wasn't fear that made his palms suddenly grow slick with sweat. He could clearly smell that unique scent again.
What an interesting smell it was.
Takizawa blinked owlishly at him. "Can I see you some more?"
His pale skin and shockingly white hair gave an impression of coldness, but Kanae could feel the heat coming off him, could feel the warmth of his hand through the fabric of his shirt, the ghost of his breath against his face.
"I-" His voice cracked, so he cleared his throat before beginning again.
"I don't know."
He tugged his arm away and walked into the darkness, aiming for the next streetlight.
He expected for Takizawa to trail behind him, but when he glanced back, he was still under the light, watching him intently.
"Don't follow me."
There was no response from him, but Kanae felt that he probably wouldn't.
Probably.