NOTE: Knowledge of Tokyo Ghoul is highly recommended if you are reading this one-shot, because if you haven't read/watched it, you might be a little confused.

If you don't want to read Tokyo Ghoul, here is a bit of background knowledge:

Ghouls: human-like beings who can only survive by consuming humans (though they only need to eat about once a month). They have advanced senses, speed, strength, and durability. Regeneration helps them survive serious injuries.

Ghoul Investigators (aka Doves): Humans in charge of hunting down and exterminating ghouls.

Kagune (picture shown above): A ghoul's built in weapon. It's a retractable organ in their body that can take on the deadly shape of a piercing tail (bikaku), scaly tentacles from the lower back (rinkaku), a defensive shield/sword-like object from beneath the shoulder blade (koukaku), or large wispy wings that protrude from the shoulders and are capable of flight and shooting projectiles (ukaku). Each ghoul has their own unique kagune.

Quinque: A ghoul investigator's weapon. It's made from the kagune of deceased ghouls, and is the only weapon capable of harming ghouls. They take on the form of suitcases, but when activated, they turn into a weapon.

Masks: Ghouls wear masks that cover their faces when they hunt, so they won't be identified by ghoul investigators.

***********************************

"How's this?" Levi asked, sliding out from under the car. "I think you won't have any more problems with the brakes, they just needed some tightening up."

The large, blond haired man nodded gratefully. "Thanks. It really had me worried." He opened up his wallet and handed Levi his payment. "I'll come again if it causes me anymore trouble."

Levi nodded, and the man picked up his enormous suitcase. Stepping into his car, he drove out of the auto-mechanics station, giving one final wave.

As soon as he was gone, Levi gestured to his assistant to come closer. "Eren. Do you know who that was?"

The brown haired, green eyed boy shook his head, puzzled. "No. Should I?"

"It would be best to remember that face," Levi said grimly. "That's Erwin Smith. He's a famous ghoul investigator, known for subduing SS rated ghouls."

Eren gulped. "Ahh...that's bad news for us, isn't it?"

Levi grunted. "As long as he doesn't figure out what we are, we should be fine. He doesn't seem to suspect us, but it's always best to be on guard around these guys. One slip up, and you're dead, or you land in Kokuria, the ghoul prison. Although, for a weakling ghoul like you, they wouldn't waste their time capturing you. You'd be killed in a second, Eren."

"Hey!" Eren said indignantly. "I'm not weak!"

"Don't tease Eren, Levi." A new voice chastised. Mikasa stepped into the garage carrying a box of car parts.

"You don't have to stick up for me," Eren grumbled. "I can handle myself just fi--"

"A ghoul investigator was just here," Levi interrupted. "Erwin Smith. I don't know if he's onto us or not, but be careful, Mikasa."

The Asian girl nodded, setting the parts down. "I will, thanks. I doubt he is, though. I mean, we've kept our existence a secret for what, three years now? There's no way he would pick up on the fact that we're ghouls just from one harmless visit..."

"Still," Levi said as he lifted his hawk-like mask from his pocket. "You never know."

***********************************

"Found him," Erwin Smith said as he walked into the CCG building (The Commission of Counter Ghoul). "He's working at an auto mechanics shop about ten miles west from here."

Hange looked up in surprise. "You found the ghoul known as Hawkeye? But you were just assigned to him two weeks ago!"

"That's Erwin Smith for you," a worker passing by chuckled. "He's the best of the best."

Hange nodded, pushing her glasses up her nose. "So, how did you know it was him? And how did you know where to look?"

"Well," Erwin said. "I began by tracing his hunting patterns. They were mostly concentrated around that area, though a few were in random areas around the city. Those were likely done to throw us off his trail, but he obviously couldn't go that far every time he needed a meal. I began to ask around a bit, getting exact locations on where he'd been hunting, and eventually, I narrowed it down to a few shops. The auto mechanics shop was the last one I checked, and it bore fruit."

Hange was eagerly scribbling down details. "And? How were you able to identify him?"

"While he was working on my car, I took the time to examine him. The apron that he was wearing was smeared with grease stains and such, normal if you're working with cars, but there were also some small flecks of what looked like dried blood."

"And that's all you're going by?" Hange asked. "Isn't that a little too unreliable?"

"No," Erwin replied. "I also looked at his shoe size. It was an eight, just like the footprints I found at one of his hunting spots. My intuition is telling me that he's the one."

"So you're just going to storm in there on the basis that he might be a ghoul?" Hange frowned.

"Pretty much," Erwin smiled. "And if I'm wrong, then we'll apologize and leave. It's better to be safe."

Hange sighed, shaking her head. "I don't know. But whatever. If he is a ghoul, please let me conduct some experimentation on him when you capture him! I need to collect more data!"

Erwin raised an eyebrow. "This is an SS rated ghoul, Hange. He's killed some of our best investigators. He should immediately be taken to Kokuria, and stored there to be made into a quinque."

Hange pouted. "Fine. When are you attacking the building?"

"Tonight," Erwin replied. "It's been about a month since Hawkeye last hunted. He won't be at full strength tonight, so it will be easier to capture him."

"Alright," Hange said. "I'll go suit up for battle."

***********************************

"You should eat, Levi." Eren said. "It's been almost a month."

Levi, Eren, Mikasa, and Armin were sitting in the back of the auto mechanics shop that night. The last customer had just gone home, and the four ghouls could finally relax.

"I know," Levi said. "I'll go hunting tomorrow. I need to find a hunting ground farther away from the shop. The Doves have been closing in."

"We'll all go tomorrow," Mikasa said. "None of us have eaten in a while."

"That's fine," Levi replied. "You three kids can go home early tonight then. Leave the tidying up around here to me."

"Are you sure?" Armin asked. "I don't want to leave all the cleaning to you."

"Go on," Levi waved him off. "I don't mind tonight."

"Alright then," Eren said, standing up and stretching. "See ya tomorrow, Captain."

"Shut up, Jeager." Levi muttered. "Get going, you're disturbing my peace."

The three younger ghouls each stood and walked out of the room. Levi listened as they opened the back door and slipped out into the night.

"Good," he whispered softly. "At least they'll be able to live, even if I don't."

He settled back in his chair, awaiting the Doves.

***********************************

Erwin Smith settled into his position outside the auto mechanics shop. His two best partners, Hange and Mike crouched beside him.

"When do we attack?" Hange whispered.

"In an hour," Erwin said softly. "Right now, we're waiting for everyone else to get in place. Remember, this is a Kakuja ghoul we're facing."

Mike shook his head. "This will be the first time I've seen one of those. Remind me what they are again, Erwin?"

"Kakuja are ghouls that cannibalize their own species. Due to that type of diet, their kagune changes, morphing into an armor like shell that far surpasses any normal kagune." Erwin replied. "They're nasty ones to fight. I've only exterminated one in my lifetime."

"And this Hawkeye ghoul is one of them," Hange shivered in delight. "I can't wait to see it."

"Don't be so eager," Erwin said grimly. "You never know how these fights will end."

***********************************

Levi had known the investigators would be coming that night the second Erwin Smith had set foot in his shop. The man had looked at him in a sinister way, and when facing such a renowned investigator, that look was nothing to take lightly.

So he'd sent the younger ghouls home early that night. There was no point in him running. If he did, they'd track him down and Eren or Mikasa or Armin might get hurt as well.

It wasn't that he wouldn't fight them.

Oh no, he'd battle for all he was worth, and take as many of them with him as he could before he was killed. Because he would be killed in this fight. It was something he'd already planned and accepted.

And so, although he could hear the vibrations of the Doves' footsteps outside (they thought they were so quiet, those humans), he made no move to leave.

Instead, Levi sat watching the clock, waiting for his time to come.

He pulled his mask from his pocket and slipped it on over his face. It was an evil looking thing (fitting for a vile creature like himself). Two narrow slits for eyes gave way to a cruel, hooked beak that looked deadly enough to pierce flesh.

Throwing a cloak around his shoulders and pulling the hood over his head, Levi walked slowly to the back door where he knew Erwin Smith was positioned. That man, for destroying his peace, for tearing down the walls that provided some semblance of safety, would be the first to die.

***********************************

"Is everyone in position?" Erwin called back to his men in a loud whisper. "We charge on my call."

His men nodded grimly, each of the forty men prepared for the fight of their lives.

"Ready...ATTA--"

Creak.

Erwin's cry froze in his throat as the back door of the shop slowly squeaked open. He could hear his men gasp in terror and fear as they awaited the sight.

Gradually, a shadowy figure came into view. However, as the light from the street lamp fell upon it, a glaring hawk eye came into view, the deadly beak in a hooked curve. "Good evening."

Erwin raised his quinque. "Hawkeye."

The ghoul stepped out into the street light, his whole figure illuminated. "I'm sorry. But you're going to have to..." He lifted his mask the tiniest bit to expose a feral snarl. "...die."

With a loud snap, Hawkeye unleashed his kagune--an enormous bikaku that quickly began morphing into something much more terrifying. It split into two different parts, each growing in size until they resembled the talons of a hawk, hooked at the end.

Parts of his kagune curled around his body, forming a type of jagged armor that looked sharp enough to cut through stone.

"Attack!" Erwin yelled. "Before he completes the transformation!"

The first wave of men ran in, but in the next moment, the ghoul had disappeared.

Erwin blinked, scanning his surroundings. Just then, he heard it. The air over his head whistled, and he ducked just before he was decapitated. The kakuja didn't give him a chance to recover before he stabbed at Erwin with his kagune.

The blond man countered with his quinque, straining against the weight of the bikaku. "I will not...lose to you!"

***********************************

The men were attacking Levi from all sides now. The brown haired woman with the smeared glasses danced around him, stabbing with her own quinque, while the man called Mike delivered swift yet powerful blows.

Levi was forced to turn away from Erwin to avoid the hits. He wasn't at full power tonight, and it was becoming difficult to control his kagune. Desperately, he swung it in a wide arc. Erwin and his cohorts easily dodged it, but a few unlucky men took the full on blow. They were killed instantly.

Erwin snarled in rage. "DONT--" he thrust his quinque at Levi, catching him in the side "--LAY A FINGER--" the end of Levi's kagune was cut off "--ON MY MEN!" Erwin delivered the final blow, sending Levi flying into the side of his shop. "Die, scum!"

"Not yet," Levi hissed. "I'm taking as many of you with me as I can before I go!" He lunged forward, allowing his consciousness to leave him, surrendering his mind to the hunger of a ghoul.

And although he hadn't eaten, he could feel the sheer power coursing through his veins as he took down five, ten, fifteen of Erwin's men within seconds.

"Hold your ranks!" Erwin yelled. "He's only one ghoul, he can't be in two places at once! Attack from behind, while he's distracted!"

Levi barely avoided a blow from the glasses woman, who was cackling as she swung back and forth. "Ooooh, I can't wait to study you! I want to pick you apart and find out how you work! Your kagune is really unique, you know? You'll make an amazing quinque!"

Levi responded with a inhuman hiss and attempted to stab at her heart. The woman's eyes widened as she dove out of the way, but his talon like kagune managed to pierce her upper arm. She cried out, clutching the wound.

As Levi moved in for the kill, he heard Erwin shout. "Hange!"

Cursing, he leapt into the air over the charging blond investigator. Landing behind him, he swung at him, but Erwin whipped around and countered with his quinque. They stood there in a deadlock for a few moments.

Then Erwin smiled triumphantly. "Got you."

Levi's eyes narrowed as Erwin's quinque suddenly split into two. Quick as lightning, Erwin grasped one half in his left hand, and using the other to still push against Levi's kagune, brought the first half down hard upon it.

"Argh!" His severed kagune fell to the ground with a dull thud.

"Now, while he's defenseless!" Erwin yelled. He and Mike both ran at him, weapons raised.

Levi cried out in pain as the first quinque pierced his stomach. The second speared his upper left arm, pinning it to the floor, and the third did the same to his right. He lay there, weak, badly injured, and immobilized.

Erwin approached him. "The men at the CCG have been searching for you for a long time, Hawkeye. Or perhaps I should say...Levi." Reaching down, he pulled the mask off of Levi's face. "Hah. Just as I thought. It really was you."

Levi glared. "Just...kill me already!" He spat out, the pain in his body growing by the second.

"Kill you?" Erwin raised an eyebrow. "No, that won't do. I mean, look at how many of my men you've killed. You think I'd give you such an easy escape as death?"

Levi scowled fiercely. Erwin smiled cruelly. "No, not for you. You're going to Kokuria to be experimented on."

Levi hissed, throwing himself back and forth, struggling to free himself from the restraints that pinned him to the floor.

Erwin just lifted his foot and kicked him hard in the side. "Quit struggling and just submit. Mike, help me get him into a truck and restrain him." He reached down for Levi, only to pull back as a hail of needle like objects rained down on him. "What the--"

Another ghoul leapt out of the darkness. She was an ukaku ghoul, her glowing redish black wings hovering above them. Black hair whipped around her covered face. Her mask had the likeness of a skull, the teeth pulled back and bared in a snarl.

Erwin glared. "Who are you? One of Hawkeye's friends?"

The ghoul ignored him and dove down, shooting the deadly needles as she flew. Erwin was forced back, using his quinque to deflect them.

"Erwin!" Mike yelled. "There's two more!"

Levi glanced around to see another ukaku ghoul, a male wearing a plain black metal half mask that covered the bottom of his face, and a rinkaku ghoul who wore something similar to a gas mask on his.

Erwin cursed and tried to rush to Mike's aid, but the female ghoul was relentless. Blocking his path with a barrage of needles, she motioned to the other two and pointed at Levi.

The gas mask ghoul rushed to Levi's side and began yanking out the quinque embedded inside him.

"You...stupid brats..." Levi said faintly. "I...told you to go home for tonight."

The ghoul lifted part of his mask, exposing a brilliant sea green eye. "We'd never leave you, Captain."

"Don't...call me that..." Levi snapped. "Hurry up...and leave before...you die."

"Alright!" Eren said. "But you're coming with us!" He lifted Levi up and helped him onto his shoulder. "Let's go!" He shouted to Mikasa and Armin. They nodded and immediately fled to the rooftops. Eren dug his rinkaku into the side of the wall and used it to propel himself up.

They could hear Erwin Smith shouting in fury down below them.

"Idiots..." Levi sighed. "I...told you to...leave me alone..."

Mikasa and Armin joined them as they ran from the scene.

"Are you alright, Levi?" Mikasa asked.

"I...could be better," Levi said. "I just...need to eat...so my regeneration will work."

"What should we do now?" Armin asked worriedly. "They've seen your face, Levi. There's no way you can live out in the open."

"Then...we'll leave the country," Levi decided. "And start fresh somewhere else...what do you guys think of a coffee shop in Japan...?"

The End.

If you've read Tokyo Ghoul, you'd know why the last sentence is ironic.