Tokyo Ghoul - NEST

The Circus Is In Town

" To say 'I love you' one must first be able to say the 'I.'"
- Ayn Rand

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Levin POV

I push open the hatch to an alleyway near the target building. Glancing around I feel the cold bite at me, I rub my shoulders and climb out. Rize climbs up also, to which I help her stand to her feet.

"Do you think the others are okay?" I asked, putting my hands on my waist. Rize just gave me a blunt shrug. She seemed to be in a sour mood because of that small argument.

How do you cheer up a pouting Rize? I frown while thinking of ways, only to find out she was leaving me in the dust, she had already made it to the back door.

I tail behind her as she looks through the small door window. "Doesn't seem like the lights are on..." Rize trailed.

I'm about to try the door when a peculiar smell hits my nose. I freeze, then turn around quickly. Rize follows my gaze as they rest on a girl.

Well, she looked to be a woman, but she was just really small. For a long while we stared at her. She wore a taskbar covered the top half of her face, with a clown themed mouse of some sort. She had short dark maroon hair, and her smile sent a chill down my spine.

"Who do we have here? What? An intruder? We can't have that! Intruding on private property is bad, y'know." She said, waving her finger about it as if she were teaching us a lesson.

I raise my hand a bit. "N-No, I don't think this us private property." I mumble.

"Why are you trying to talk with her? She obviously with V." Rize said, her eyes turned ghoul already.

The woman grinned at this statement, and let out a hysterical laugh. "Me? With V?! Oh that's rich~!" She crackles.

"Then why are you here? What do you want?" I asked, glaring at her.

She just smiled at me sweetly. "Why do you have a mask on, Seto~? I heard you were a real hotty!" She said.

"I'm officially creeped out." I mumble to Rize, who is ignoring my bickering.

Rize let out her kagune and got into a battle stance. The woman didn't seem to mind, weighted did she seem ready for anything. She looked like she was at a festival having fun on a walk. Not a care.

It irritated me a bit.

I begin to get ready, but then she shakes her head nervously, her attitude changing. "Oh no~! I can't fight the Crow, I'm no match to such a man!" She said squealing.

I turn to Rize with a blank face. "Why do I attract the weird ones?" I said with a hollow voice.

Rize frowned at me. "I'm gonna pretend I didn't hear that... she's not alone." She said, nodding her head behind the woman where a man stood.

He wore a striped shirt, and black pants. His face was rather messed up, long black hair and a creepy looking face. The weirdest part was he wasn't even paying attention to any of us, and instead was looking at a flower that was growing in the middle of the concrete.

The woman turned around and puffed up her cheeks. "If only a Knight in shining armor were to help me!" She said.

There was a long moment of silence.

"Um... is something supposed to happen?" I asked slowly.

The woman got angry, walking up to the weird man and hoisting him up by his shirt. "Shikorae! It's not that interesting! We rehearsed this!" She complained. "This is supposed to be my big opening into the story!"

"Is she breaking the fourth wall?" Rize asked blankly.

"Just stop talking about it." I mumbled.

Kaneki POV

Down the street I seethe building. I'm on top of a rooftop with Nishiki, who is looking down at the streets also. He glances over at me and smiles.

"This remind you of anything?" He asked.

A grin comes to my face. "Yeah. That night, right?" I wondered.

The sight we beheld watch like that of the night we said goodbye before I went to save the manager. The lights of the city shone bright, Tokyo in its finest.

"So did you end up doing it?" I asked out of the blue.

Nishiki raised an eyebrow. "What do you mean?"

"I believe you described it as 'hitting that one last time', right?" I said with a grin.

At this Nishiki laughed bitterly. "Oh yeah. I did... I did, didn't I?" He said, looking out at the city.

We were both silent at a breeze blew past us, you could really feel Fall now. Soon it'd be Winter. Then another year would've passed. Actually, it's been a year since Levin left, and then came back.

So much has happened in that short amount of time. I turn back to Nishiki. "Is she gone now?" I asked.

Nishiki nodded, still the same face as before. I felt nostalgic, because I felt like it was the same look he had when we said our goodbyes that night. But this time were not saying goodbye, I feel like he's coming to an understanding.

I follow his gaze and look out at the city. I've lived in this city my entire life, and through most of it, I've suffered. I bet there was a time that I thought this place was hell.

But I think even if I have less happy moments in this city, the good are always better in quality, enough to even out the bad just enough. Proof of that is e standing here, I suppose.

I turn back to Nishiki, but he isn't looking out at the city, but at me. "Hey, Listen Kaneki." He said, scratching his neck.

"What is it?" I asked slowly.

He took a deep breath. "I've never been good at talking about things like this, but... don't just give up." He said.

"Give up?" I wondered.

"I'm talking about romance here, get in the program." He said blankly.

"R-Right." I mumbled in response.

"So I heard Touka rejected you." He said.

"Yeah."

"It hurt you, right?"

"Yeah."

"That's good. Means your feelings are real." He said.

I blink in surprise, then let out a small smile. "You are bad at this." I observed.

"Shut it. What I'm trying to say is..." he trailed off, then picked himself up again. "Don't fail where I did."

The weight of these words went down on me, and I felt my chest tighten. Nishiki put a hand on my shoulder and grinned. "I'll even help you if you want."

"Thanks." I said, as he walked past me and towards the building. I stare out at the city one last time, then sigh, rubbing my shoulders from the cold.

Taking a deep breath I turn back around, feeling ready.

But then I freeze along with Nishiki, who is seeing what I am also.

Before us is a man with a mask of wooden design, with many holes in it. He wore a suit, with a funny patterned tie.

"Hello gentlemen." He said, then bowed to us, looking up at us. Even I could feel the sinister thoughts through that mask. "Would you spare a moment for a small laugh?"

(Get ready for that Clown hype. I recently read the Re chapters I've been missing out on... Shikorae is best boy in Aogiri right now. Couldn't stop laughing. So why not put those characters to use here? Nonetheless I hope you enjoyed and have a wonderful day!) - MnMs171