Restlessness!
It hit him in waves. He'd never felt this before. It was in his bones, the way his breath caught in his throat, waiting, for something. Anything.
He hated this unfamiliar quirk. Overexercising didn't work. It was like a heartburn, but he hadn't eaten for a month since his last feast. There was a thought always clawing at the back of his mind, demanding his attention, but for the love of his cursed soul, he just couldn't put a finger on it.
"Ugh! Watch where the fuck you're goi—" the poor attempt at intimidation died in his throat, he gulped down further insults as he craned his head towards the person he'd just bumped into.
Strands of hair swayed lazily over his face, the tips hung past his nose. Every time a breeze kicked up, they swayed like leaves; revealing indifferent orbs for a split second then back to settling over them like a magic trick!
He just stood there. Menacingly!
The weaker man escaped, his heart pounding in his throat. That was scary! Unlike any other encounter; whereby he would intentionally bump into anyone and flaunt his superiority over the poor victim so as to get high on their humiliation...today was different!
He'd intimidated much taller and bulkier opponents in the past and had gotten away with it since the local gangs lined up to kiss his ass over the weekends. But that guy! He wasn't affiliated with any gang. The window he'd been allowed to glimpse at his eyes was all it took. You cannot fake such an expression.
He knew he'd regret it if he kept talking.
Kaneki grumbled. These days he'd been grumpy; if Hide's feedback was worth its weight. Small talk irritated him to no end. Ram and Rem had offered him the day off, to go sightseeing and better his mood. That is why he was out here, walking aimlessly, no goal in mind.
Suddenly —
His head snapped at a random direction, shocking passersby. He raised his chin and felt the wind caress his face. Enticing. Seductive. Elusive.
Then it was gone.
His heart sank, there was an aroma left behind by the breeze. A cryptic suggestion that disoriented his guts.
Where is it!
He sniffed at the air again, but the scent had been diluted, broken down and infected by the various smells around him; cheap perfume, sweat, vomit, pheromones charged with heat—
He grunted and walked away, his feet allowed free reign once again. Absentmindedly, his idle mind (which is a rare occurrence in and of itself, but had been recurring these past few weeks) reverted to an old habit he'd picked up ever since he was in the nether.
'590–591–592—598–599–60..'
He'd just made it to the tenth minute when it came back.
It was an indescribable scent. Like flowers. Like the moon. Deceptive as life. Compassionate as death...
He stopped in his tracks as his nose flared, taking in copious amounts of scent–laced air. His brain ignited, the three entities housed in his mind churning with purpose and veiled desperation. But the wind was letting up again.
One command was issued to his being.
Follow!
Power surged from his core, pumping into muscles–like sponge. His clothes stretched thin against his frame as he prepared to unleash the build up.
Whoosh!
Passersby were knocked down like bamboo sticks before a charging buffalo. Cement became fragile in his advance, being redecorated into intricate cracks.
He was gone!
••• •••
Izuku was tired. Despite having her sleeping shedule suddenly restructured a while back; now she slept for thirty six hours at minimum! Still, fatique plagued her. Her mood was constantly tipping off the scale on the fly. She knew she was Bi–polar, but this, this?!
Tatara had even dismissed her from the conference last month, offering her a vacation. They had no problem with her crazy, oh no, but she'd been stupid crazy the past weeks. At one time, she'd been in a depressive state,almost getting caught by some rookie doves! By fucking noobs! She was a freaking SS rank ghoul for crying out loud!
Izuku grimaced at the memory of Tatara giving her a piece of his mind. She'd never seen her Tatara that pissed off, she snickered at the memory.
However, her mirth died in the next second. Her anger and confusion bubbling within her chest. She was (Izuku would never admit it) getting scared. What sort of illness was this? Had she consumed some parasite? Is this someone's kagune at work? The thought of some unknown lifeform dwelling within her with the sole purpose of having control over her, enraged her to no end. But, fear too, was screaming at her.
What would happen now?
'Mama didn't have this in her diary.'
Unceremoniously, a thought of the raven–hair lad bloomed in her mind. Of his eyes that stared at her with crumbling attempt at trying to analyze the magnetic effect she had had on him that fateful day. Knowing that she too, had the same expression as his. Then the thoughts scrumbled in all directions like headless chickens. Shattered like glass, each shard reflecting a memory of him; his bare chest, the contraction of his muscles as he exerted himself, the way his blank gaze wandered to her in more than one ocassion.
She felt heat rise within her. Then the pieces of glass merged into a massive screen. And here, her wild imaginations were displayed for the world to bare witness.
Countless nights she'd tossed and turned, a furnace denying her comfortable slumber.
She felt it now. That accursed flame sparking in her breast, with each breath she took, it became hotter, wilder...needy.
"Enough!"
Her left arm snapped like a whip, too fast for the eye to trace, her clenched fist embedded into a wall, all the way to her forearm. The cement and metal offered as much resistance as plywood against a nail.
This was not her. She was not made for this. There was no hope, no room for her in such a chapter.
Do not forget your vow!
'I will not, mama.'
Yes, that was a world not meant for her. Her path was devoid of any sunshine and flowers. Her eyes glazed over, resolve rewiring her feautres back into cold indifference.
Whatever was gnawing at her, she could live with it. She was strong. She didn't need the weak emotions. She had made a promise to her nonexistent mother, and she was hell–bent on keeping it.
She sighed, heavy and with resignation, and felt a dull throb at her chest.
She stared at the settting sun, wedging itself in–between the tall handsome buildings, rays of red, orange and pink bouncing off the glass of said structures. She sauntered forward, escorting the blob of light in its descent.
The evening sang to her, birds rising in chorus to usher in a saxophone of nature.
Izuku allowed the melody to flutter her heart, she permitted her mind to dream. Of a future. Of a life that might have been worth living. Worth protecting. Worth...loving. She now realised that she hadn't included herself in the future she and her people were hell–bent on creating.
For her, it ended with the succession of the roots digging deep into the soil. That was enough for her...she had believed so. The tree would sprout and become stronger with the management she'd leave behind. Yes, Tatara would take care of the rest after she'd planted the seed.
Yes, that was all to it...all there is to it!
Yet. Yet she couldn't help but dream of being there, watch the tree grow, the branches extending to all directions. Eating the fruit of her—
No! She'd indulged enough, it was time to nip this at the bud.
All of a sudden, she became alert! Her senses flaring, spreading out of her like a virus. She touched her surroundings with her ears. Her skin had roughened up, stretching taught against her form as gooseflesh.
A hand wrapped around her wrist. She hadn't sensed it until the moment is grasped her. Seemingly, the hand materialized from the dark like a phantom limb; silent, sure, inescapable. It didn't grab her. It claimed her.
One second it was not there, in the next, it was, like a vice!
A lump formed in her throat, and before a coherent thought could form in her mind, the firm hand yanked her into the mouth of the alley.
She was surprised at how easily she'd been pulled. Mind you, she was strong! Nothing should have been able to pull or push at her this effortlessly!
Well, nothing from this ward.
The silver light of the moon was banished as her sight plunged into thick darkness.
Calm down first, get a bearing.
It became a mantra to her as the seconds ticked by. She could still feel the hand on her, but now, rather than a disembodied limb, it was now whole. How she knew without yet seeing?
The presence was thick in that alley, they were the only two people in the vast darkness. He was overbearing and solid, like the heavy blanket of night itself. Then...
"Ahhh~ I finally found you."