A Silent Human

I was strong.

My strength, a curse in my younger years had also been one of my greatest blessings. It had allowed me to aid the man who gave me an identity and for that, I would forever be grateful.

But while I had my physical prowess and believed I could weather any emotional or physical storm, there was one thing I had never been or would mostly like ever be prepared for, women.

The old Boss's wife had been my first true test of emotional endurance and patience. Never in my life had I been so baffled by a person. One moment, she'd smile sweetly and call me cute and the next, she'd be yelling at me for not sitting up straight. The contradictions were endless. Why did women insist on buying clothes they'd wear once only to let them gather dust? Why did they twist every situation to avoid admitting they were wrong?

Which brings me to now.

I glanced away from the bread in the toaster and over to the bed where Suzuya's small form was still curled up sleeping soundly. My original plan had been simple, leave when I woke up and head back to the bar to carry on with my day as if last night had never happened.

'It's not like anything actually happened anyway.'

Sighing, I turned my attention back to the toaster as it dinged, signaling the end of its work. The toast was slightly burnt, about as good as I could manage. I added it to a plate with the burnt eggs I'd cooked earlier. Cooking wasn't exactly my forte, but it was something.

I shrugged at the less than stellar breakfast and carried it to the bedroom, placing the plate on the desk near the bed. Gently, I nudged Suzuya's shoulder.

"Mmmm?~"

She let out a low moan, her voice thick with sleep, before cracking one eye open. Her expression shifted as realization dawned and she shot upright, delivering a sharp kick to my chin in the process.

"What are you—oh, my head!"

I barely registered the kick and was already moving to retrieve the glass of water and headache medicine I'd prepared. Walking back, I handed them to her without a word. She accepted both, her grin sheepish as she spoke.

"Sorry, Take~"

I shrugged nonchalant, and walked back to grab the plates. Sitting beside her on the bed, I handed her one and started eating in silence. My mind wandered but every thought seemed to hit a wall.

'I'm stumped.'

Was this just a one-time thing? Or was this a door I'd thought impossible to open?

I glanced at Suzuya, who was focused on assembling the perfect bite of burnt egg and toast. Her presence though chaotic wasn't unpleasant. But beyond the obvious logistical issues of pursuing a relationship with someone from the CCG, there was a more personal question lingering in my mind.

'Could I even do anything with her?'

Whenever it came to interacting with another person, Ghoul or human I always held back when touching them. It was a habit born from when I had grabbed the shin of one of my trainers when I was younger and shattered it. Learning to control my strength hadn't been easy, and it came at the cost of maintaining constant calm and restraint.

'Suzuya's fortunate. If we'd actually slept together and I lost control...'

I sighed at the thought, drawing her attention. She'd just finished eating and turned to me with an even wider grin than before.

"What's wrong, Take? See something you like?~"

She teased, shifting her shoulders and moving her elbows closer together to accentuate her bra covered chest. I responded with a deadpan expression.

"Hmph!"

Pouting, she threw her plate toward the ceiling and flopped dramatically onto the bed, throwing an arm over her eyes. With a sigh I caught the plate mid air, setting it on the desk before turning back to her.

"..."

I heard her mumble something under her breath and raised an eyebrow. She peeked at me from under her arm, her grin mischievous.

"Ta~ke~"

I hummed in response, wondering what fresh nonsense was about to spill from her lips. She sat up, her smile widening and hit me with a question I wasn't remotely prepared for even though I had thought about it.

"What are we now, Take? Are we in a relationship? How's this going to work with you being in the Yakuza?"

Her tone wasn't panicked or accusatory. It was curious, as if she were merely asking about the weather. I blinked, my mind scrambling for an answer. I gestured for a notepad. To my surprise, she produced one from seemingly nowhere, handing it to me with a playful flourish.

I wrote quickly and held it up for her to read.

"That's so mean, Take!" she pouted, puffing her cheeks. "So what if we didn't have sex? We still shared an intimate moment!"

I sighed softly, lowering the notepad to think. I needed to approach this carefully.

'She drank a lot last night. We talked, and then we slept on the same bed. That was it. There's no path to romance here, not for me.'

I glanced at Suzuya. She was now swinging her legs back and forth over the edge of the bed, her playful grin unchanged.

'Not only are we on opposing sides that could become enemies at any moment, but we wouldn't be able to share our burdens, either. I'm... Not someone she should walk through life with.'

Resolute, I wrote again and held the notepad up for her.

Her grin faltered into confusion. "What do you mean we should forget about what happened?"

I wrote again, keeping my expression neutral.

"You aren't interested in a relationship?"

I nodded while crossing my fingers behind my back, a childish habit I hadn't quite outgrown.

"Hmph! Fine, I'll let you forget about it~"

I raised an eyebrow at her sudden shift. Just as I was about to write something else, she leaned over, rising onto her knees.

Her teeth sank into my neck, hard enough to break the skin and enough to leave a mark. I shivered involuntarily as her tongue darted out, licking the spot where she'd bitten me.

Before I could react, her hands cupped the sides of my face, forcing me to meet her wide, crimson gaze. Her grin was unsettling, almost too wide, and her tone sent a chill down my spine.

"But I won't forget~" she purred.

She leaned closer and for a moment, I thought she might kiss me.

"I won't forget the feeling... or the way it made me feel, just like we are now~"

Releasing me, she sat back with that same eerie grin.

I stood, my expression blank and nodded once before leaving the room. My feet carried me out of the apartment on autopilot, my mind preoccupied with one pressing thought.

'I need Renji's help.'

~Scene Change~

"...What?"

Renji barely had time to make it down the stairs from his room at the bar before I dragged him into the basement. After hastily writing down everything that had happened, I tore the paper into pieces and burned it after he read it. Then I sat silently, waiting for his reaction.

I didn't have to wait long.

Though his next response was a stunned "What the fuck?!" I could tell more was coming.

'There it is.'

I watched as he paced back and forth, running a hand through his hair before letting out a heavy sigh. Finally, he stopped and looked at me.

"So, that's what they were playing at."

I raised an eyebrow as he gestured for me to sit down.

"Last night, while we were partying, I got a report from Sparrow. Mado Kureo and Amon Koutarou had gone missing, and... we found some of our files on Ghoul's had been tampered with—C-calm down, Takeshi!"

I'd already stood, slamming my fist into the wall behind me. The impact sent a tremor through the building above, and shaking the shelves and the dim light in the basement.

'Used. Again.'

Memories of the last time someone had tried to use me came flooding back, the poison and the aftermath. I forced myself to take a deep breath, my silver eyes narrowing as I turned back to Renji's nervous expression.

'Stay calm. Think.'

With a sigh, I nodded and sat back down.

"It's not your fault." Renji said after a moment, his tone more composed. "Honestly, I doubt she even knew they were planning it. The way it played out seemed rushed."

I nodded again, raising my hands to sign-Whose information?

Renji's expression grew grim and confused as he sat across from me, exhaling heavily.

"That's the thing." he said. "It wasn't the active Ghoul members information. It was the civilians under our protection."

That made me pause. 'Why would they want Ghouls who aren't—'

'Oh.'

Realization hit and I signed what I suspected.

Renji nodded grimly. "Exactly. I thought the same thing. They might be targeting weaker or non violent Ghouls, maybe even looking for someone specific who's hidden here in Kyoto. But until we know more we can't act."

I clenched my jaw but nodded in agreement. Renji stood up, stretching as though trying to shake off the tension. He turned to me with an awkward smile.

"In any case, I'm heading out to see the CCG members off. They're leaving today. Want to come along and say goodbye to your girlfriend—"

I flicked his forehead before he could finish.

"Owie!" he yelped, rubbing the spot with a mock pout.

~Scene Change / Suzuya's POV~

I hummed a random tune, leaning against the railing near the train station as the others milled about. 'Wonder when he'll show up.'

Takeshi would come, of course. Probably trailing behind that boring boss of his.

"You seem to be in a joyous mood. I take it you managed to get a DNA sample from that man?"

I rolled my eyes and turned to see Mado Kureo, his monotone voice just as dull as ever. 'And people say I'm the insane one.'

"Did you hear me? I asked—"

I cut him off by flipping him the bird and hopped down from the railing just in time to spot Takeshi's towering form in the distance.

"His skin's too hard to pierce with a needle." I called over my shoulder.

Mado hummed thoughtfully, but before he could say anything else, Amon chimed in from behind me.

"I didn't realize you were a woman. My apologies."

I snorted, smirking as I struck a playful pose, not for him of course, but for Takeshi. As he approached I could feel his gaze flicker to me, and I made sure to hold his attention.

"I decided to dress differently today." I said with a shrug.

My usual white shirt and black suit pants were the same just slightly tighter, but the biggest change I had was a bra that didn't strangle me. The subtle change made my curves more noticeable and judging by Takeshi's awkward glances, it was working.

'I wonder if I can make him feel the way I do.'

I was yanked from my thoughts by the dull tone of another voice. My eyes shifted to the man with braided brown hair standing next to Takeshi. 'Tenki Karahara, I think?'

He stood there composed as ever, his presence pale in comparison to the one I was focused on. Takeshi was trying to avoid looking at me while also maintain the calm presence he seemed to exude. Every time his gaze met mine, a jolt of satisfaction and something else ran through me.

'Ah, so he's noticed the coat.'

It wasn't just any coat, it was his. He had left it so I took it for myself, and now it hung loosely over my shoulders, a lingering trace of his scent woven into the fabric.

"It was a fruitful experience meeting some of the famed members of the CCG." Renji said politely.

I barely registered his words too focused on the way Takeshi stood like a wall, his silver eyes betraying that telltale mix of stoicism and uncertainty.

I licked my lips, letting my gaze drop to the faint mark I'd left on his neck. My grin widened as Mado and Amon bid their goodbyes, turning to leave.

As I followed after them, I couldn't help the extra bounce in my step.

'I'll be seeing you soon, Take.~'

Glancing back, I caught his eye and mouthed something just for him. The way he stiffened made a thrill run through me.

'Let's hope the scent on this coat is enough to tide me over until I figure out why I feel this way.'

The train pulled up and I hopped on, sliding into a seat with a satisfied smirk.

'Very soon, my Ta~ke.'

{Pic}