Tranquil [Kishou Arima X Reader]

Part 5

Sniffing out ghouls was my specialty, but nothing would have prepared me for our visit to Cochlea. I had to admit that I hadn't interacted much with ghouls, most of the interaction I'd had involved them begging for mercy. There were, of course, a few who annoyed the shit out of me before I had a chance to kill them. 

Arima-san was walking next to me, and though I seemed calm and composed, I was internally freaking out. Our lunch had been a pretty quick thing, and the conversation we had, totally work related. Now we were walking towards Donato Porpora's cell, at least that was what I thought. Instead, Arima-san led me to the video footage room. I looked up at the white haired man in surprise, but he didn't turn my way. Opening the door, he indicated that I enter. After I did, he merely said, "Stay here." And shut the door. I stood there, staring at the shut door for a few minutes, then my anger flared. 

Pulling the door open, I put one step out, only to be yanked back in by one of the operators, "I'm sorry ma'am, my instructions were to make sure you stay put." I was supposed to be Arima-san's partner! Not his assistant! I jerked so that the operator's hand fell off my shoulder, and I turned around to give the poor guy a glare. He looked nervous now. "I am going. If you try and stop me, you will have hell to pay for." I said calmly, and made my way out. 

Congratulating myself on my extremely scary facade, I made my way to the Priest's cell. I knew we were here for information, but I had some questions of my own. And I was his partner. He can't just dump me somewhere and do the exciting stuff himself!   

With a self-satisfied smirk on my face, I nonchalantly walked up to Arima-san and stood next to him. I could feel his glasses flash in my direction, and I immediately knew that he was less than happy. I did feel a tinge of fear, but it was overridden by the fact that I was pissed off. Meanwhile, Porpora's eyes fixed themselves on mine, and I began regretting not staying in the video room. The guy was plain creepy.

"So, this is your partner? That's new. She's pretty." He looked at Arima-san, "Are you f***ing her?" I blinked at his crude language. Arima-san ignored the guy, "Porpora, the Chi She Lian. Tell me about them." Porpora merely grinned, "If you haven't taken her, maybe I should. I would enjoy peeling your skin off, bit by bit. Maybe I could have some fun before I eat." I shuddered involuntarily at that, mainly because I had read his file. And because I knew very well that this guy was a sadist, a ghoul with no moral compass whatsoever. I suppose he noticed me shuddering, because his grin grew wider. "Or maybe I could cut off parts of you piece by piece and hear you scream as I slowly hack you apart. Or, maybe I could cut out one organ after the other!" I maintained a stoic face, knowing full well that if I showed even a moment of weakness, he would take advantage and plan more gruesome futures for me. Before Porpora could begin his next round of planning, Arima-san gripped my arm and dragged me away. 

"I told you to remain in that room." Said Arima-san very calmly. "I didn't want to. Sorry sir, but I prefer to be on spot while the questioning goes on. You told me you wouldn't come in the way of my method of investigation." I knew very well that I was treading a dangerous path when I said that. It sounded like I was accusing him, and the CCG was all about hierarchy. I held my breath as I waited for his response. "Very well." He began, "I apologize. I merely meant keep you away from Porpora. He's a valuable informant, but he taunts and unnerves most people." "I am not most people." I replied confidently. Arima-san merely turned away, "You showed weakness." And he walked away.

I narrowed my eyes at his retreating back, swearing to myself that I would solve this case, even if I had to do it myself. And the first thing I intended to do was check out what the Chi She Lian was. I hadn't heard of it, and it made me wonder just how much information was known to the higher ups. I had been promoted, but had they informed me of everything? Or were they withholding crucial information? 

Smirking, I made a plan to get the information. It was something I had done before, a lot of times. But this time, I felt a bit uneasy carrying out the plan. Was it because Arima-san was going to be around? Or was it because I hadn't had lunch? 

Deciding to go with the second option, I rushed back to CCG headquarters. Taking out my personal laptop, I opened multiple files just in case someone happens to come by. Opening an old computer code I had worked on way back in school, I began hacking through all of CCG's security protocols. There was a flurry of activity on the floor that I was situated, which was normal, considering that my program could be detected. As quick as I could, I downloaded all the files onto an external device which was untraceable. Thank God for the computer age. 

Terminating my program, I decided to head on home to check on those files. They would have gotten erased just after printing, so I had no worries whatsoever. 

Fura-san came by my desk right after I was done, "[Name], Arima-san is looking for you." A sudden fear overcame me for a moment, but I managed to regain my composure. I smiled at him, "I'll go right away." I walked away, moving towards Arima-san's office, except I took a detour. 

I walked into the washroom and washed my face, continually calming myself by repeatedly saying 'It's nothing. No one knows. It's untraceable.' 

I blew out a breath just as I reached his door. After knocking, I heard an expressionless 'come in'. I walked in, "You were expecting me?" "Yes, take a look at those files." He said, pointing at a stack of papers on his desk. I picked them up. "Those were the ones you were trying to download, right?" I froze, still staring down at the files. "You could have just asked. You have the authority now." I blinked, looking up at him. 

He no longer had an expressionless face, it seemed as though he was... amused. 

"Lunch?" 

I stared.

"I'll take that as a yes."