Into Tokyo Ghoul! (discontinued)

• c h . 1 6 • The Real World

• k i r i s h i m a - t o u k a •

I ran up to the rooftop with heavy panting. My steps were getting slower and slower due to the countless stories this building has. I stopped for a moment and took a short breather. I leaned against the cold wall and sat. "Damn, my legs are tired."

I closed my eyes and stood up. An image of Kaneki flashed into my eyes. A smile crept to my lips. I opened my eyes and let out a sigh.

Just wait Kaneki, Just wait.

I continued running on the stone stairs. For every step I took, the closer I felt to him. I sped up and saw a door ahead. A small bit of light was seeping through the frames. I made my steps more slower then reached out for the doorknob. I turned it without hesitation and felt the cold breeze. I shifted my gaze then saw the night sky powdered with twinkling stars.

I ran to the edge of the rooftop and crouched. A small bead of sweat fell down my face. I shifted my weight to my toes and activated my kakugan. I jumped off with the wind crashing to my body.

Before I knew it, I was on solid ground again. I made a soft chuckle then started jumping off buildings until Kaneki's scent was just below me. I saw an elevator nearby and walked towards it. My index finger tapped the down arrow button. I waited patiently for the steel doors to open. I gazed around me to make sure that no one was on the rooftop. No one in sight, phew.

I heard a soft 'ding' and looked back to the elevator. It was completely vacant and clean, I entered it and stopped my finger from tapping a floor button.

Agh, I forgot about that...I don't know where Kaneki's floor is!

I tapped all buttons and crossed my arms. I sniffed the air and smelled something else. It smelled like the girl we encountered when we were escaping from Aogiri!

I dashed out of the elevator and sniffed the air again. My head turned to the left. It lead my eyes focused on a small donut shop. I covered my nose in disgust.

I went inside and heard heavy wheezing. I was sure that it came from the window. I headed there with quiet footsteps. I leaned my head on the glass and saw a glimpse of auburn hair-- It was definitely her.

"Oi." I whispered against the thin glass window.

Her shoulder tensed up and she started shivering. I scoffed lightly. "It's me, remember?"

She turned her head to face me and calmed down. She gave a smile.

"Yes."

I returned the smile and pushed the window up. I reached out my hand and she lifted her's. My eyes widened in shock when I saw her hand. She retook and covered it. Her deep blue orbs looked away from me.

"W-what happend?" I asked.

She shook her head and entered the window by herself. I ran to her side and gave her a shoulder. (A/N: Not the ghoul-ish way haha) I lifted her arm and put it across my neck for support. We headed towards the elevator and pressed the familiar button. It opened and we slowly went in. "By the way, where is Kaneki?"

"He's probably above our floor." She said.

I pressed the floor above us and gave a tired sigh.
--

• k a n e k i - k e n •

"A deal?" I questioned with a muffled voice behind my mask.

"Yep, and it involves Izumi. Well...The deal is about her safety so you can relax."

I gave a rusty scowl. "Give me the reason why I should trust you."

He made a chuckle. "You see, we come from an alternate universe where we can watch you like an one-way mirror. Watching your character develepment, watching your deep struggles--Oh and especially the torture, it was really worth watching."

I gave him a blank face and stayed silent. However, a pit of endless flames was reflected upon my eyes.

"I created a bridge to connect our universe to yours with the help of technology and we began inviting people and made them our guinea pigs. Some succeeded, some failed until we made our project to perfection. I knew that Izumi liked anime so we made her give it a try..." He stopped for a moment and lowered his head.

"However, there was an error in the system. It caused the her bridge to your universe to dissipate--Meaning, she can never go back again."

My eyes widened in shock as I stood back. "So what happens to her now?" I asked in a polite manner.

"That's why we're going to have a deal."

He grabbed a big black suitcase. And put it on the floor. He opened it slightly and carefully.

"This." He said pointing at the inside. "This is the 'bridge' that can reconnect Izumi."

A bright, luminous blue seeped from the inside of the briefcase. I moved closer and lifted my hand towards the light.

"It's hot." I mumbled, feeling the rays slowly burning my skin.

He closed the briefcase silently and held it. "Besides that we've recreated the bridge, we need Izumi to go back."

I gave him a puzzled look. "Why?" I asked.

"She's gonna die if she stays here too long." He whispered loudly. "We need her to come back, the rest lies on your hands."

I gave him a short nod while he made a smile. He looked at his wristwatch and mumbled under his breath. He headed towards the stairs and waved a goodbye to me. After that, I heard his footsteps slowly fading away.