Tokyo Ghoul - NEST

After the Storm

" All of us, at certain moments of our lives, need to take advice and to receive help from other people."
- Alexis Carrel

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Levin POV

It's been a month since the summer festival. The CCG was barraged with questions and such by the media, making them pull back momentarily until they get the civilians support once more.

Ayato and Hinami went silent, no idea what happened to them. Vincent and the others at Nest, including myself, are laying low for some time now.

They sighted us fighting the monster, known as Noro. The media blew up, asking the CCG if the Crow was being used by them as a weapon, which is crazy, they wouldn't team up with me over their dead bodies.

I have had a little conversation with Sasaki, but most of it was how are you doing? Other than that, Sasaki has gone quiet. After remembering his subordinate, who apparently had died during the fight, he went dead silent.

Those eyes he had... they made me once again question what he's been through. Somehow, he reminds me a bit of Yoshimura. The kind eyes he shows are only a blinder to cover the truth.

It's sad really.

Even Touka and Tsukiyama have been unable to contact him, he went silent on us, other than a few brief talks over the phone.

But me?

After I got back, I continued doing what I've always done. I will try my best to live in this despair, even if there's no purpose. There's no point in giving up just because of one mishap.

Though I've had many mishaps...

Right now though, I'm in the kitchen, making "dinner" for them all, like usual. Rize is sitting at the table, reading a book silently. She's been distant lately, every time I try to talk to her she backs off.

I glance over at her, tracing her slender figure. Her hair was tied into a ponytail right now, which was different, made her look more like an adult.

She met my gaze and we both look away. Crap, was I staring? I shouldn't stare, I should get back to work. I sigh and begin to chop up the meat.

By now, I'm completely numb by things like cutting up human meat, which makes me worried about my mental state. No that I've had the best mental state lately.

Rize seems to be trying not to look at me in the eyes, glancing over at me every now and then and back at her book hurriedly.

It's kind of cute...

"Hey, Rize?" I said suddenly, making her jump and almost drop her book, losing that cool composure.

She stumbled with words. "Y-Yes, Levin? I-Is there something W-Wrong?" She said.

"Are you okay?" I asked slowly, stopping my cutting and looking up at her.

Rize froze and looked away. She's probably gonna tell me to mind my own business, and I should, but I'm worried. Wait, I'm worried about Rize?

That's new.

She stood and walked over to me with steady feet that seemed stiff, like a robots. She crossed her arms in front of me, making a stubborn face.

"What did you mean, cute?" She asked.

"Excuse me?" I asked.

She puffed up her cheeks. "Back on that train... you called me... cute..." She trailed off, her face downturned.