Weeks passed after the last interrogation with Watanabe Riku, which always left her physically, mentally, and emotionally drained. As a sort of therapy, she had been consulting to Yoshimura at Anteiku every so often, as well as taking frequent trips to VICE to talk it out with the bartender she had befriended there. If any problems arose, she would immediately run to Anteiku and demand a meeting with Yoshimura, who always took her in gratefully into his office to talk. She couldn't remember the last time she could talk to someone so freely with her problems, with such great advice in return as well; furthermore, it soothed her quite a bit knowing that she didn't have to shoulder all of the weight on her own anymore, and for the first time since Takashi had been taken to Cochlea, she could breathe without any aches or constrictions tightening her lungs.

Weeks turned into months, and she finally began to get the hang of eating human food without wanting to vomit every few bites. It was a huge milestone, especially since she continued taking notes on which tastes appealed most to humans by comparing them to how they tasted on her own alien tongue. Dirty socks and salty, crusty grime equated to something like tempura to humans, and over-seasoned, thick globs of muck were something the Japanese called "curry." Paying careful attention to Ichijou's occasional cooking lessons gained her the skill to become a mediocre cook, and soon she began readying meals for him almost every night when he came back home from work. She took the liberty to go out and purchase some cook books as well, practicing at home with terrible-tasting results, but seeming to be quite delicious to someone with a human tongue. Slowly, her skill as a cook steadily improved, and soon, even Ichijou was praising her for the delicious meals she would concoct just from simple ingredients from the nearby Tsukiji Market.

Grocery shopping became a regular chore, as well as doing laundry, cleaning, dusting, and organizing the apartment. They both took on the traditional gender roles, with Ichijou working and bringing home the rent money while Etsuko stayed back and tended to the apartment, preparing things and keeping things in order as a way to ease her mind; it was a good pastime, since taking care of and looking after Ichijou was something she greatly enjoyed doing. She was glad that something other than a killing instinct resided within her unconscious.

As time went on, her kills as Mad Temptress slowly diminished, going from three murders a month to two, from two to one, and then from once a month to one every two months. Yoshimura himself had suggested the pace, and she trusted his judgment fully; so far, the CCG had not bashed at her for being anymore suspicious than she had been the first few weeks, which was always good on her part. Soon, all of the flurries of her as the prime suspect died down to the point where she was just another name on the list, and that in itself was something to celebrate.

It was winter, over a year since the couple had first met, and the snow outside in Tokyo was subtle and soft, as though puffs of cotton were drifting down from the heavens. She was standing outside on the terrace, sipping a mug of steaming coffee as she stared off into the bustling city, hearing the cars rumble and the trains rattle on their steel tracks in the distance.

It had been a tough year, full of unsuspected turns of events and one-eighty flips and backbends; however, the storm seemed to have settled, with a few whisks of wind every now and then, and she could breathe easier knowing that she didn't have the damn CCG - also known as the incompetent, good for nothing brute Watanabe Riku - breathing down her back anymore.

She sighed, puffing out a cloud of steam from her slightly parted lips as she tipped her mug back again, taking a hearty gulp of her hot coffee as her eyes remained trained upon the scene before her. Tokyo. Even more impressively, Chiyoda - the First Ward out of all places - has grown onto her as her new home.

The feeling of two long arms snaking across her waist, warm to the touch and soft as though they were caressing the fragile body a newborn fawn, abruptly severed her thoughts. She felt warm lips kiss the tip of her chilled ear, making their way down her jawline and across her shoulder.

"Tadaima," his voice murmured softly, sighing into the crook of her neck.

A little smile appeared upon her face, lighting it up like a glowing candle in the middle of a darkened room.

"Welcome back," she breathed back, chuckling a little as the blush dusted across her face. She merely blinked, leaning back into his sturdy body as she sighed again. "You're home early."

Ichijou let out a deep chuckle, kissing the nape of her neck as he brushed the hair aside, breathing in her scent of caramel and fresh linen.

"I'm finally off for leave," he said, excitement brimming his low tone. "After a whole goddamn eighteen months."

Etsuko smirked.

"Finally," she sighed, exasperated. "I've been getting pretty lonely since the whole shitload started back up again. Any new leads?"

"Nothing," Ichijou breathed, as if relieved, cradling her in his arms as he rocked her back and forth ever so slightly. "She seems to be dying out. The number of victims has been steadily decreasing. If the trend stays true, she'll be completely gone by the end of next year."

A pleased smile spread across her rosy face, and she closed her eyes in blessedness as she leaned her head against his strong chest.

"I've missed you," she whispered.

A confused look twisted upon his features.

"Hey, what's the matter?" he asked her softly, craning his head to look down at her. He brushed a chaste kiss upon her lips, lingering like the light graze of a warm breeze in the summertime. "You're acting as though I've gone off to war for five years."

Etsuko just let out a low giggle.

"It's felt like five years since you left this morning," she sighed.

A comforted smile crept across his features, content and utterly at ease.

"We've only known each other for one and a half," he jested lightly, brushing another kiss on her lips. "But I guess I can relate. I've missed you too, my sweet."

She nuzzled herself into his warmth, feeling it radiate all throughout her body as she stood there, protected from the icy breeze that whisked through the sky.

Finally, after everything that had inflicted pain and stress and hardship on her, she could finally step back and catch her breath. Everything was going to be perfect now, and though the picture wasn't seamless, it was better than anything she had experienced in her entire life.

Life was good, and it made her anxious.

"Oi, Etsuko-chan," Ichijou called to her suddenly, his voice smooth and commanding.

His tone piqued her interest, seeing it was so spontaneous and unprompted, and she trained her gaze up to look at him with loving, goldenrod eyes.

"What is it, Ichijou-kun?" she asked him, her own voice velvety, low, and incredibly enticing.

Somewhat of a purr escaped the man's throat.

"So what do you think about going on a date tonight?" he inquired politely.

That certainly poked at her.

"A date?" She tested the word upon her tongue. "To where, exactly?"

The man beamed, flashing pearly white teeth as his dark eyes shimmered with glee.

"How does a nice hot spring sound?" he offered excitedly.

Etsuko's wide eyes grew even more round, baffled at such a random suggestion.

"An onsen?" she sputtered. "But aren't we supposed to spend time together on a date?"

Ichijou only rolled his eyes, as though she was a child and he was the adult.

"There are mixed baths, silly," he teased, poking her on the nose once. It was a cute gesture that made her smile. "In Nakano."

As quickly as the smile flickered across her face, it disappeared just as well. She gaped at the man in shock as a bolt of disbelief sparked across her glare.

"Nakano?" she hissed. "We're going to the Fourteenth Ward?"

Ichijou cocked his head to the side curiously, as though he were a confused puppy gazing up at his master.

"Yes. It's quite difficult finding a mixed bath, you know," he explained. "Everything these days is separated by sex. Nakano happens to have one of the last mixed onsen in Tokyo."

Etsuko deepened her frown, clearly troubled.

"I see," she murmured darkly, dropping her gaze down to the ground.

He noticed her distress, and in response he raised a worried eyebrow.

"What's wrong, Etsuko-chan?" he asked, tightening his embrace around her slim figure. "Do you not like bathhouses or something?"

Etsuko chewed on her lip, contemplating on what she would say next. She sighed.

"It's not so much the bathhouse that's bothering me," she admitted softly, grumbling as he fiddled with his crisp white button-up. "I've just had some history with the...area that it's located in."

Ichijou twisted his lip in understanding, blinking his eyes a few times before nodding his head curtly.

"I see," he murmured, circling his thumb against her back. The sensation always soothed her, and it comforted him knowing that he could at least do that to ease her troubles whenever they arose. "Would you rather we do something else then?"

The last suggestion came out of his mouth a bit more lightheartedly than she had anticipated, and she could tell within his lowered tone that he had been looking forward to the date for quite a while; she narrowed her eyes and took a sharp, silent breath, exhaling it out as she twisted her lip in anxiety. She swallowed.

"No," she said simply, trying her hardest to keep her tone up. "An onsen sounds excellent."

Easily convinced with any words that sputtered out from her lips, Ichijou's face lit back up again like an alley lined with candles.

"We'll go later on in the evening. How about a little movie time for now?"

Etsuko gazed up at him with round eyes, sparkling like pools of liquid gold, and gave him a small, fervent nod. Thus, they spent the rest of the afternoon sitting on the couch while sipping some more coffee, watching the TV monitor but paying no attention to what was going on at all. They just sat there, her body buried into his embrace and his arms hugging around her protectively as they snuck glances at each other from time to time, never meeting eyes but just barely dodging them as they tried to avoid each other's gazes like giddy little children. It made her heart flutter, and it was a blissful feeling that warmed the deep recesses of her heart.

As it neared five in the afternoon, Etsuko turned to Ichijou, who had long finished his single cup of coffee, while her sixth that day remained clutched in her hand, still steaming and piping hot. He flashed her an impish sort of gaze, playful and mischievous in all of its essence, and then got up from his spot to get ready. Etsuko blinked after him, a smile lingering upon her rosy lips, staying on the couch for a second longer before hopping up herself to bound after him into the room, where they both began to prepare for the bathhouse.

He changed into a pair of loose pants and one of his white baggy t-shirts, watching her change in turn and wearing that cheeky grin he always wore while tormenting or teasing her; it never failed to render her cheeks to blush a violent shade of crimson, and she quickly averted her eyes to prevent any more embarrassing situations to surface.

"Let's go," he chuckled, flashing a brilliant smile at her as she wiggled on a pair of shorts, her face flustered. "If we get there before six, the admission will be cheaper."

Etsuko gave him an enthusiastic nod, as well as a slightly nervous giggle, as she fumbled out the door, tugging on a pair of battered white sneakers as she hopped right behind Ichijou. He locked the door and offered his arm to Etsuko, which she gratefully took, and then walked her down the stairs and to the train station.

The ride was only a short ten minutes, and they arrived at Nakano Station at around five-thirty. Ichijou led her down the road and navigated through the dim streets, winding through alleys and turning sudden corners before discovering the bathhouse, shoved in a little cranny between an apothecary shop and a small local grocer.

They entered the bathhouse and were greeted by an elderly woman, who looked upon the two with happy, squinted eyes and a kind, pink gummy smile. They paid their admission before a much younger woman led them to the locker rooms, which were separated by gender.

Their parting was short-lived, as they both swiftly undressed, showered, and redressed in traditional yukata, embellished with dark navy designs against a backdrop of white linen; they tied thin mossy-green obi around their waists before heading out into the hot spring. He met her at the steamy banks, the warmth of the hot spring tingling their bodies with mere brushes against their skin. They gazed at each other for a time before she smiled at him, warmer than the spring itself, and beckoned him inside the water.

He complied, of course; there was seemingly no denying this woman. The woman that he loved.

They sank themselves into the searing hot water, quietly screeching and squealing a bit before fully submerging their shoulders inside the pools. They waded around, sighing and laughing as they glanced occasional looks at one another, lost in their own little world of a population of two. For the night, they ruled the springs, and there was nothing anyone could do to change that.

Eventually, they rendezvoused back at their initial sinking point, with him wrapping loving arms around her reddened shoulders and her own scarlet arms curling around his tender torso. She could feel his muscles unraveling, unwinding in this paradise, and sank herself into both the boiling water and his warm, inviting embrace.

They remained there for the remaining hours of the night, only getting out once the elderly woman at the front finally asked them kindly to leave; there was an end to all things that was euphoric, and closing time for this hot spring was the termination of their rapture. However, they didn't mind, thanking the old woman before getting out and wrapping their yukata around their soaked bodies again; they glanced at each other with playful looks before disappearing back into the locker rooms.

They left after eating a small dinner, provided by the hot springs, and left the facility with warm bodies and full stomachs. Etsuko clung onto Ichijou's arm, laughing as he led her down the street and back towards the direction of the train station. The streets were empty, with the lights flickering and the moistened asphalt adorning the black floors. Etsuko felt something inside her shift, and immediately whirled around.

Her eyes fell on darkness, with nothing but the wind to welcome her ears.

"Etsuko-chan?" Ichijou asked her, slightly concerned. "Is everything all right?"

Etsuko blinked, only to shake her head from the matter.

"Dandy," she answered curtly, her nostrils flaring. "Shall we?"

Ichijou blinked, cocking his head slightly to the side, confused.

"Of course," he said. He offered his arm to her again, to which she grasped, and led her back down towards the station.

They walked for a time, her senses now explosively hyperactive and paranoid, the unease picking at her mind like a crow. Further down the road, there was an unsettling howl that resonated through her ears, and thus sent her to twist back around again, alarmed.

There was definitely something back there. The scent, the strange aura that she was detecting from the shadows, everything was inauspiciously strange.

"Etsuko-chan?" Ichijou asked again, this time his voice a bit more troubled. "Baby?"

Etsuko ground her teeth, feeling the growl ripple up her constricting throat.

"Everything's fine, love. Let's just go."

Not even five steps back towards their route, she felt the hairs on the back of her neck stand up again, and she wrung herself back around at an incredible speed to at least get a glimpse on what in the hell was following them.

Her eyes flickered around, feeling a presence spying her from the corner of a building, but saw nothing but the darkness that enshrouded them both.

"Etsuko-chan," Ichijou asked her one final time, his own eyes searching the darkness now, "are you sure everything's okay?"

Etsuko blinked her hard eyes, training her golden irises over the area once more before she responded venomously.

"Let's go. Now."

Her grip around his arm tightened as she tugged him forward towards the train station, walking briskly as her senses became hypersensitive, perceptive even to the slightest breeze that whisked over them like a brush of cold, fluttering wings. Her nose twitched, smelling something oddly and painfully familiar that triggered her body to grow tense and rigid, as though she was in perilous danger. It unsettled her, and the restlessness grew more frantic with every minute that ticked by. She was on high alert, and even then, it didn't prepare her for what happened next.

The pair scuffled through the dark alleyways, Etsuko's white hair fluttering behind her as she tugged Ichijou on further, her goldenrod eyes threatening to fuse into its more menacing shade of crimson against black. Then suddenly, out from the shadows in front of her - she had no idea how - a dark figure assailed her and tackled her body to the ground. Her mouth opened to let out a screech, tumbling and rolling backwards at least three times, simultaneously wrestling her attacker while Ichijou was left behind in his human impulses, sputtering and staring at the battle in shock. A split second after she had been assaulted, the man screamed out her name and charged towards the two figures grappling at each other on the ground.

It was only then when she saw her attacker's mask, framed by a curtain of black hair: it was completely powder white, adorned with slanted eyeholes lined in black and decorated in simple streaks of blood red paint; there was no mouth. Her eyes widened, stunned, as the two haunting words unconsciously tumbled past her parted, trembling lips.

"Noh Mask..."

She saw its crimson eyes flash, and a spine-tingling, maniacal snicker erupted from behind the mask. Then, as soon as it appeared, the long-haired Noh Mask was gone. Etsuko blinked in shock up at the night sky, her breathing rapid and her muscles so tense it seemed they would have turned to stone.

Her mind churned with thoughts of despair and rage. Why now? Everything was going so well, everything was finally dying down, and they were going to have a peaceful life together. Why, out of all times, would this happen to her now? The singular thought of Ichijou crossed her consciousness, and the spark of anxiety triggered her eyes to flash over to the side, where she heard the scuffling of feet and the dying grunts of someone behind gagged.

A bolt of electric shock jolted through her as her eyes fell on the sight.

He was there - the man who had loved her - he was certainly there, but the position that he was in made her stomach grind. His neck being locked behind a ghoul's arm - a different one, with blue streaks this time - was an image that she had hoped a thousand times over she would never get to witness; and yet, there it was, confronting her like a stubborn thorn in the foot, annoying and increasingly painful with every tug she initiated. She trembled, and for the first time in any situation since the predicament with her parents, she was scared beyond comprehendible measure.

"Ichijou..." she breathed in disbelief. Her eyes skimmed over his face, contorted with his jaws grinding against each other, the male ghoul securing him in place with little to no effort. A painful stab pricked her heart, and she felt everything within her crumble and break down like shattering glass; she gave the man she loved a small, fragile smile. "I'll get you out of this mess soon," she whispered. "Just wait a little longer, okay?"

Ichijou's eyes were wide, deep and dark as they had always been, but twinged with a certain pain that could have been anything from grief to betrayal. In turn, her heart sank even further, and only turned her sad gaze back to the ghoul that held him.

"It's been a while," she barked, scanning her eyes around to only see two veiled ghouls, and her tone immediately hardening to cold iron. "Noh Masks."

As if they were waiting for her to address them, several other ghouls materialized from the shadows, their white masks and colorful streaks glowing in the night and menacing as the glare of a snowy white alley cat, watching your every move and waiting for the optimum opportunity to strike. There was a snicker from the female ghoul, standing next to her blue-streaked partner, which resonated through the backstreet clearly like crisp footsteps of a steel-toed boot, deeply ominous and creating such a strained aura it made her soul clench.

"My beloved Duchess," the female ghoul jeered, her voice high and teasing. "Or, should I say now, Mad Temptress."

At that very moment, Ichijou's eyes grew so wide they could have popped right out of their sockets if the ghoul behind him just so much gently tapped on the back of his head. It was a heartbreaking sight to see, but her expression remained painfully insipid, save for a small twitch of her tightly pressed lips.

"I'm glad we got to reintroduce ourselves," she snapped bitterly, excruciatingly cynical. "Get on with your purpose already so I can officially say that I will never see you again."

The Noh Mask just snickered, hissing and choppy like an old ticking dial.

"My my, your hostility hadn't changed a bit," she mused darkly.

Etsuko snarled.

"State your purpose," she demanded in a loud tone, this time her voice exceedingly more icy and abrasive.

The Noh Mask didn't do so much as flinch in the darkness of the night, and only remained with her arms crossed over her chest, the male ghoul standing beside her with his own arms tightly sealed around Ichijou's larger figure. Etsuko felt her heart crumbling at the sight, but shoved it back and only emitted loathing and belligerence; she scowled.

"That, my dear Dutchess, is quite an easy thing to explain," the crimson-streaked Mask sang, cocking her head to the side like a curious demon fixated on its prey. "You see, these past few years were great. You left, the ward went into chaos, and then we came to the rescue." Red eyes flashed from under the white façade. "However, there seems to be a little itch scuffling around the other ghouls here, and they're gossiping about the reasons why you suddenly vanished. Well, they believe that you chose to leave on your own accord, which makes them more laid-back."

Etsuko scoffed.

"Okay? They've got everything right so far. So what's your deal with me, then?"

The other female just stood there, inane.

"They don't fear us as they feared you," the ghoul hissed, her fingers tapping rhythmically against her arm. "Because they believe that you left through personal means, with no violent motivation whatsoever, they don't see us as apt for the leadership throne as you were."

Etsuko merely snorted, disgusted and clearly annoyed.

"Surely you're not," she snapped back. "Promoting cannibalism as your main campaign? That's something only a dictator would do to scare their subjects into supporting them."

"Quite the reverse, your style of leading this ward was quite authoritative," the Noh Mask purred. "Which is good and all, but only if you're the one on apex."

The white-haired female spat, hissing as she snarled once more.

"So what? You want me to say you drove me out?" she demanded. "As if I'd be stupid enough to make a fool out of myself! What would people think about me then, if they believed that a puny group such as the Noh Masks drove me out of my own territory?"

"It's for the better of this ward." The crimson-streaked ghoul shrugged. "Besides, how can we run a territory if no one fears us enough to listen?"

Etsuko scoffed.

"That's your own fault," she hissed. "Give it up already. You're not fit to keep a hunting ground."

Faster than she could blink, she felt a knee slam hard into her abdomen, causing her to sputter up a mixture of saliva and blood, doubling over on the ground and colliding onto the ground on her hands and knees. She coughed up another mouthful of blood, spitting it to the side as she raised her head, the anger in her eyes brewing like rumbling typhoon.

"You're going to regret that," Etsuko muttered darkly.

"Am I?" the Noh Mask chuckled lightly. "Listen, darling. This can be so much simpler. Just agree to the idea that you were driven out of your own territory, and everything will be just. Fine."

The blue-streaked male holding the hostage tightened his grip on Ichijou, causing the man to growl in warning; his female partner let out another soft giggle, sending shivers up Etsuko's curled back.

Etsuko furrowed her brows, full with nothing but anguish and rage.

"Your stupid pride is the only thing you ever cared about," she spat, the redness of the blood trimming the inner portion of her lips. "You cocky, two-faced bastards!"

The black-haired female just let out a light chuckle, unsheathing a sharp blade from under her clothing, twirling it around on the side of her finger as her glowing red eyes bore down on Etsuko's body, triumphant and exceedingly dominant.

"On the contrary, your pride had always been denser than the Earth's core."

Etsuko hissed, digging her fingers so hard into the asphalt that her fingers began to bleed.

"Go fuck yourself," she snarled.

The Noh Mask sucked in a sharp, disappointed breath.

"Always so severe," she mused, a hint of surliness underlining her brutally low tone. Her blade glinted in the moonlight, and her crimson eyes burned holes into Etsuko's very soul; the enemy ghoul's pupils dilated and her nostrils flared, the intensity in the air growing thicker and thicker as her body stiffened, grasping the knife and flipping it around in intricate tricks over and over again, as if to hypnotize her prey. Etsuko expected her to launch herself at her with the weapon, but was alarmed when she saw her bring the metal up beside her, the gleaming silver glaring against Ichijou's soft, fleshy neck.

Her expression instantly melted to a desperate tremor.

"No..." she murmured.

"Ah, so I see you've acquired another weakness," she snickered, digging the cold steel harder against the man's throat; a thin trail of blood trickled down his neck, sending shivers upon trembling shivers down her spine; the man grunted. "Of course, since the other one is dead now. Will this be the key to cracking your stubbornness?"

Etsuko darted her maniacal eyes to the ghoul, the red rage sweltering through her marble face.

"I'm going to kill you," she snarled sinisterly, lowly, hissing like a dragon. "I swear to all that is damned in this fucking world, I will shred you to pieces."

The Noh Mask threw her head back, bellowing out a shrill, piercing laugh that made her spine shudder. She lowered his eyes back down, glaring at Etsuko as she snarled up at her in turn, their gazes locking and sparking so much tension it made the other Masks around them fidget in uneasiness.

"I'd like to see you try, Dutchess," she taunted her, hearing the smile curl up from under her mask.

Etsuko shook violently, digging her fingers into the asphalt still, trying her hardest to keep herself from tearing the ghoul in front of her into a million pieces.

"Go to hell," she spat venomously, twisting the toe of her shoe into the ground before launching herself at the enemy female.

The ghoul just scoffed, the sound of tearing flesh resonating through the alley before a flash of brilliant vermillion blinded her vision, two pairs of long, tentacle-like appendages charging her way. Her arms were caught in the tangle of kagune, the hook-like ends of the scaly organ burrowing deep into her flesh as the sinuous structure wrapped itself around her wrists a multitude of times; she was sent back into the wall behind her, slamming into the bricks so hard the cinderblocks indented in at least a few centimeters. Etsuko let out an agonized screech.

"Tut tut," the other female scolded her, shaking her index finger side to side as if she were admonishing a child. "Doesn't the Dutchess know better than to attack when she knows she outnumbered?" The female's eyes now matched the red glow that illuminated the dark alley, smoldering against a pit of black void that swirled with animosity. "But then again, you never had the prudence to tell the difference between a question and a threat."

Etsuko tensed her jaw, chewing on the inside of her lip as she fought to keep the retorts back. She thought of Ichijou, and how fragile the moment really was; one false move and the female could have him killed.

Her eyes flickered back to him, still trapped in the superhuman strength of the male ghoul, the female's sharp blade still pressing against his flesh, and his face plagued with darkness and hate. Upon seeing this, another sharp crack shattered her heart, splintering it so it pinched at the surrounding flesh, but the wrath inside her still raged on. She chewed harder on her cheek, tasting the bitter, metallic taste of her own blood seep into her mouth; she swallowed.

"My my, Dutchess," the black-haired ghoul snickered, easing the knife off of Ichijou's throat to peel off her mask, but bringing her free hand to cup the man's chin, bringing her exposed white face closer to his so that her lips brushed lightly against his flushed cheek. "Aren't you in a nasty little pickle. Now, what's it going to be? You don't want to be responsible for the death of another lover," she flashed her eyes to the side, the corner of her lip twisted up ever so slightly, with a malicious intent gleaming wickedly in her glare, "do you?"

Her muscles tensed, the growl ripping involuntarily from her beast-like throat; she shook violently, dust and small chunks of debris tumbling down from the crushed cinderblocks, with her head hanging low and her glowing white locks draping terrifyingly over her face.

"Don't touch him," Etsuko hissed, her breath seething through her teeth. "Get your filthy hands off of him, you mangy bitch."

The ghoul twittered, her laugh fluttery like the beating wings of a hummingbird, and released Ichijou's face with a rough push.

"Don't worry, Dutchess," she chimed. "There's nothing I would want to do with a human like him." She saw her hand twitch, and for a moment she was still; then, her fingers were on him, crawling up his torso and around his arm, feeling the tense, hard muscle that clenched from the strain of being trapped under a ghoul's grasp. The man flinched.

"Actually," the female ghoul sang, "he'd make a pretty hearty meal. Large muscles, very good fat-to-meat ratio, and there's this delicious smell that oozes out from him that makes my mouth water." She flashed the white-haired ghoul a mean gleam in her scarlet eyes, testing and unequivocally cruel.

Etsuko snapped, letting out a ferocious roar, snarling and launching herself at the ghoul who stood calmly in front of her, as if she was standing in the presence of a child rather than the most powerful ghoul to have ever set foot in the Fourteenth Ward; Etsuko struggled against the restrains on her wrists, feeling the hooks burrow deeper into her flesh but ignorant of the ripping pain that spiked through her quivering body. She let out a howl, which echoed throughout the city so forcefully the other side of Tokyo could have heard it like the crisp bellow of a deep church bell, sonorous but piercingly shill at the same time.

The other ghouls, who had gathered around the scene as spectators until then, began to close in on the human, who struggled and tried so hard to wrench himself from their grasp; his screams were drowned in a sea of jubilant laughs, tittering and twittering like crows squawking in the swirling night air.

The sound. It was complete and utter torture; this is what Hell was like. Helpless, defenseless, unable to do anything for the one person she loved in this messed up world, it was the single most painful and dreadful experience she could ever wish to endure. Her body shook, quaking as though she were possessed by some darker demon, and her breath rapidly transformed into quick, wheezing gasps.

The sight of the female ghoul closing her lips around his neck, sinking her teeth slowly and painfully into his shoulder, was her utter destruction.

There was a scream, louder than any noise that could ever escape their throats. It quickly grew silent, just for a brief moment, so they could turn around to see the monstrosity that was looming before them; contorting and ripping flesh was all they could hear, along with cracking bones and tearing tendons. Upon seeing and comprehending the sight before them, the triumphant gleam in their eyes swiftly drained away into complete and utter despair.

The female ghoul's eyes grew round, fear overtaking everything that had previously occupied her ego, and misted over in dread as the long, crystalline legs crept up and slammed their tapered tips into the asphalt below.

Her armored tentacle drew back, getting ready to strike, before frantically stabbing in towards the growing monster that was pinned against the wall; the kagune shattered upon impact with a massive black tail, its thick stinger glaring portentously at its daring attacker. Etsuko, beneath the black mask that had contorted and weaved its way around her face, glared at the enemy ghoul under four glowing, menacing slits of eyes.

She let out an earth-shattering roar. With blazing crimson eyes, she pried herself from the ghoul's grasp, writhing and thrashing around, shattering the organ into a thousand shards of flesh and glimmering vermillion scales; a rippling snarl started in the back of her throat, filled with mucus and utter black hatred. She stumbled forward on her four stilts of legs, unstable and unbalanced from their lack of use for the past number of years; her black tail swayed over her dangerously, her hands clawing painfully at her face as she let out another earsplitting scream.

Alarmed, the ghouls scattered about, leaving the human to drop to the ground, completely disregarded, and trying desperately to evade the SSS ranked beast that staggered and swayed before them. They immediately activated their own kagune, varying in sizes, colors, and types, and readied themselves for the battle they knew they had no hope of ever scraping out of. They trembled, and the sight of them being terrified in her presence only urged her instinct to rampage on.

She immediately lashed out, splintering through a ghoul's hardened defenses of woven fiery wings, and skewered right through him with a clean, wet crunch. She flicked his limp body to the side, doing the same with the next one, and the next one, until there was nobody but one more to challenge her. The blood ran thick, spilling and disappearing onto the dark asphalt, leaving only the thick, warm, sticky odor of gore to linger dreadfully in the cold night air. The wild glare in her eyes bore no mercy or reason, and thus the rage that boiled and coursed icily through her chilled veins distorted her from a restrained, disciplined woman of frightening power to a monster of pure madness and utter destruction.

She was ruthless.

She was Scorpion.

A pale hand sliced itself into the still-warm carcass of a ghoul, bones crunching as though a boulder had slammed into the body, the blood spurting from the impact and gushing up to fill the wound that opened in the tough, stringy flesh. Her hand rose from the corpse, yanking out an apple-sized heart that was still exuding a life-giving warmth. The armored mask melted from her face, sinking back into the pale white skin that stretched across her features, and brought up the heart to sink in a slow, juicy bite.

The taste was as awful as the forgotten memory had prompted her, exceedingly bitter and sour and pungent and foul, the texture comparable to something rotten and stringy like old, gristly beef. She shuddered, feeling the slimy muscle slither down her constricting throat, and closed her eyes as the last ghoul, who stood in front of her, mortified, and stared at her with the widest set of eyes she had ever set sight upon, the white-and-red mask dangling at the end of her long, hooked fingers.

Upon the acknowledgement of the female ghoul again, Etsuko was triggered into another fit of rage, flashing her eyes open and suddenly chomping her jaws down on the heart, devouring it in another two massive bites, swallowing the chunks whole before bringing her red glare back up to her, her blackened soul so intense it could have collapsed in itself to create a vacuum, sucking in everything and returning nothing alive in turn.

With a wicked hiss, Etsuko flew forward, unseen underneath the immense speed, and with one last, resentful glare at the Noh Mask, launched her mammoth stringer-tipped tail deep inside the ghoul's skull, smashing it and crunching the bone so the sound resonated through the alley in massive, sonic echoes; blood spattered against the walls upon the enormous force of the impact, with bits of brain and skull splattering on the brick as well. There was a screech that dissipated as quickly as it was manifested, only to be swallowed up by the darkness that enshrouded the corridor like a demon preparing to devour its next gruesome meal.

There was a light, beckoning her like a lantern in the middle of a pitch-black night, blinding and white in all of its purity. It felt warm, as if heat was radiating from the speck itself, and drew her in as though she were a mere insect.

The light dissolved as quickly as it had materialized, and in its place, a man appeared. He was shaking, with his eyes wide and bloodshot as if he had witnessed some recent harrowing trauma. His face was plagued with a certain distress and misery, stabbing into her chest deeper than any kagune would ever try to attempt. His dark eyes drew every cursed, painful breath from her bloodied lips, and made her heart accelerate to an alarming and dangerous speed. The adrenaline coursed icily through her veins, heightening her senses, amplifying the fear that made her body tremble like winter, and swelled the sorrow that surged from her hollow eyes.

She staggered a step towards him, her lips slightly parted and her breath merely wisps. She was muttering something under the wind - a somber mantra - that was inaudible to the human ear. Her eyes were round, drowned and swollen and red, with her small crimson lips establishing themselves into an inauspicious, mournful smile.

Her quiet chant grew increasingly louder, but only slightly, with every numb step she took forward towards the man she loved.

"For his sake," Etsuko murmured, her voice dead and empty as though a corpse was speaking, "this was all for your sake."

She staggered closer to him, the tears spilling from her eyes and down her cheeks, her mouth slightly parted as it let out an occasional deep sigh, encapsulating all of the mourning and grief this world has ever twisted into form. And with the heaviest heart, she began to deliver the most haunting words she had hoped to never recite. Her voice trembled, and her heart raced so quickly she felt as though she would explode from the pressure then and there; hot tears continued to spill down her cheeks, and with broken eyes, she gazed upon this man. The man who had loved her.

"'It is better to be hated for what you are,'" she murmured, her voice breaking, "than to be loved for what you are not.'"

She gazed down upon the fallen man, unable to get back up from the paralyzing spark that ignited between their locked eyes; an eternal line of electricity exploded between them, and it was her greatest regret to break that sacred bond.

She blinked.

"I love you, Ichijou," she whispered, bursting with ardor, with a sparkling tear trembling and breaking away from her chilled, pale skin. Her form, a sinister silhouette, crept outward like a threatened spider, her crystalline legs stretching out but the tapered tips folding inward, all four ends facing the man like coiled snakes. Her large black tail loomed over her, the glistening stinger bowing in front of her head as it confronted the man with all of the remorse and pain her heart could ever harbor. "Forgive me, for I have not been completely honest with you." She blinked again, and a thousand streams of stars spilled from the overflowing pools of blackness and void. "Forgive me, for loving you as much as I do."

She shook violently, closing her vermillion eyes before slowly opening them back again.

"Forgive me, for this is the end."

There was a hissing inhale, followed by the low splattering of blood against the black, stony wall.

~~~✿~~~

Things are heating up IMMENSELY and I honestly have no idea on how to word this for you guys. I hope you enjoyed it anyhow ♡

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