A Silent Human

[Warning: May contain implied underage scenes!]

[Warning: May contain gore!]

~Renji Takahara POV~

Three years ago, I started a small gang with a few friends from high school. It wasn't meant to be anything big, just a way to have each other's backs. But only three weeks in our lives were upended. We were cornered by Ghouls.

Shunji Mori, the green-haired one stopped his younger brother, Kazuya Sakamoto from killing us outright. Instead they "spared" us under one condition, we had to provide food for them. And for ghouls, that meant human flesh.

For three years, we've been taking humans who couldn't pay the outrageous protection fees imposed by us and delivering them to the brothers. The guilt ate at me, slow but relentless, like rust corroding iron. Tonight, I swirled the whiskey in my glass, hoping its burn might dull the weight pressing on my chest. 'Fuck the CCG.' I remembered when a member of the CCG told us they would get rid of the Ghouls in Kyoto. 

I glanced around the bar. Shunji stood behind the counter, pretending to be a bartender. I snorted to myself at the absurdity of it all. '"Red Peacock Gang." What a fucking ridiculous name.'

Out of the original members, only three of us remained. The rest? They became meals when we failed to make payments on time. Watching the brothers devour our friends, seeing their twisted pleasure in forcing us to witness that slowly became like a nightmare that refused to end.

A loud, heavy thud broke through my thoughts. 'Who the fuck is stomping around?' I turned to the entrance, and my breath hitched.

A giant stepped through the doorway. He had to be over 6'6, with shoulders as broad as a damn doorway. His black shirt clung to a muscular frame and even from here, I could tell he was strong. Not just strong but dangerous. His knuckles told the story, scarred and worn, the kind of hands that knew exactly how hard they could hit.

{Pic}

I shifted my gaze to Shunji behind the bar, then to Kazuya lurking in the shadows on the upper stairs. My eyes darted to the newbies that had entered earlier all battered, their girlfriends were dragging the beaten boys to the front of the bar, clearly terrified. I sighed already feeling a headache coming on.

One of the girls bolted toward me. "Takahara-san!" she cried, her voice trembling. I caught a faint whiff of something unpleasant and leaned back in disgust.

"We didn't pee ourselves! It was him!" she protested, pointing to one of the boys whose pants were clearly soaked.

I raised an eyebrow and turned my gaze back to the giant, who now stood silently at the bar. His presence was unnerving, not because he was doing anything threatening, but because he didn't need to. 'There's something odd about him.'

"W-we were collecting the protection fee from that old geezer at the ramen stall when… when he showed up!" the girl stammered, inhaling sharply before lighting a cigarette. She barely got a drag in before I smacked it out of her mouth, my patience wearing thin.

I turned back toward Shunji. His expression said it all, he wasn't looking at the giant as a threat. He was looking at him as a toy.

I groaned and pushed past the girls and unconscious boys. My instincts screamed at me to act before Shunji made his move. Without hesitation, I launched myself forward, jumping into the air for an axe kick aimed at the giant's head.

But it was too late.

The giant moved faster than I expected. He caught Shunji's knife hand mid swing and snapped it like a twig.

'What the hell? Is he a ghoul?'

I didn't wait to find out. Mid air, I twisted into a spinning heel kick, aiming for his head. He must have sensed me because he kicked the bar table, sending the chair he sat out sliding away. My kick missed and I crashed through the table instead.

I backed off, assessing him properly up close. He turned to face me, and as our eyes met, I felt cold sweat drip down my back.

Silver eyes locked onto me calm, unyielding, and impossibly sharp.

'He's not a Ghoul... he's a fucking monster.'

Clicking my tongue, I lunged forward aiming a high front kick at his chin. He dodged with an almost casual ease, which only made my irritation grow. My frustration doubled as I caught sight of one of the idiots behind him rushing in with a knife.

The giant barely glanced back. With those abnormal reflexes of his, he grabbed the blade mid-swing and snapped it like it was a cheap plastic toy. Then with no hesitation, he hurled the broken knife at another approaching member, striking them squarely in the knee. They crumpled instantly, crying out in pain.

I clicked my tongue again, this time in frustration, and turned to Shunji. My stomach dropped when I saw him. He was blushing, staring at his broken wrist with a look I'd seen too many times before.

'Damn it.'

I knew that expression all too well. If I didn't end this fight soon, Shunji would lose control, and when he lost control he'd take everyone with him.

Grinding my teeth, I went for a quick jab to the giant's chin as he turned back toward me. My knuckles smashed into his jaw and for a second I thought I'd landed a solid hit, until the pain shot up my arm like lightning.

'What the hell is he made of?!'

Grimacing, I shook my hand to dull the ache and shifted to another attack. I feinted a front kick, flowing into a question mark kick aimed at his chin. My foot made contact, but the moment it did, I felt something crack.

My foot.

'Oh no.'

The giant didn't flinch. Not a single muscle in his face moved. His silver eyes remained locked on me, calm and unshaken, as if I were a fly buzzing around his head. I stumbled back, the pain in my foot radiating up my leg.

'This was bad.'

I glanced past the giant, toward Kazuya, who was standing on the stairs with a wide, twisted smile on his face. He was clapping slowly, the sound echoing through the tense air.

Then it got worse.

Kazuya's Kagune began emerging from his arm, a red and black tendril that shimmered menacingly under the dim lights of the bar.

'Shit. This isn't good.'

The giant finally turned to face Kazuya, his heavy footsteps thudding against the floor. Kazuya stopped clapping and tilted his head, his grin widening. "My, my... You've caused quite a scene, haven't you?" he taunted, his voice dripping with mocking joy.

I held my breath, expecting the giant to finally say something in return. But he didn't.

No words.

Instead, the bastard lifted his hand and made a single gesture.

His middle finger.

The room fell silent. Even Kazuya's smug grin faltered for a moment.

'He told Kazuya... fuck you?!'

Around me, everyone took a collective step back. Kazuya's expression quickly twisted into something dark and furious.

And the giant?

He didn't flinch.

~Takeshi POV~

I watched as the brown haired Ghoul's expression shifted to anger before he charged at me, while the green haired one stood back, watching with curiosity. My focus locked on the brown haired Ghoul as his tendril formed into a blade like extension along his forearm.

"Die, filthy human!" he roared, slashing toward my midsection. I raised my arms slightly, bracing for impact. The blade connected, cutting into my skin. I glanced at the wound, surprised. 'Sharper than most blades I've been cut by.'

For a moment silence reigned, broken only by the steady dripping of my blood onto the floor. The brown haired Ghoul froze mid-motion, his nostrils flaring as he took in a deep breath, purring.

"Fuck, you smell good!"

He slashed again, but I sidestepped, grabbing his elbow. With a single tug, I ripped his arm off at the joint. Crimson sprayed across the room as I kicked him square in the chest, sending him flying to the green-haired Ghoul's feet. I threw the severed arm at the downed Ghoul, whose cries of pain were punctuated by a string of curses. Around me, the remaining patrons scrambled out of the bar, except for one, the long haired, green eyed man who stood frozen, wide eyed as he watched.

'I guess Ghouls aren't as strong as I thought.' Tilting my head, I crossed my arms and studied the two.

The brown haired Ghoul clutched his severed arm and pressed it against the wound, his limb stitching itself back together like threads sewing fabric. He stood trembling with rage, his glowing red eyes locked on me.

"My~ Aren't you a strong one." the green-haired Ghoul purred, stepping forward as his gaze flicked to the blood on the floor. He inhaled deeply. "My~ Kazuya is right. Your blood smells absolutely delicious."

I dropped my arms and took a step toward them, hoping they'd retreat. 'No reason to kill them just for being Ghouls.'

But my silent warning went ignored.

"Why don't you become one of my playthings?~" the green haired Ghoul cooed, his tone sweet and mocking. "I'd treat you better than the others. Though... you are older than I usually prefer."

A quiet whimper caught my attention. I turned toward the sound, spotting a blond boy crouched near the shattered bar. His wide broken eyes locked onto mine, his terror palpable. He couldn't have been older than seventeen.

"Ah~ Sho-kun, what are you doing there?" the green-haired Ghoul asked, his voice dropping its playfulness. "I thought I told you to stay under the table."

The weight of his words settled over me. I clenched my fists feeling my veins bulge as I held back my rising anger. Reckless rage was a weakness, not a strength.

"Apologies~" the green-haired Ghoul said lightly. "I seem to have lost my temper for a moment." He turned back to the brown haired Ghoul, Kazuya and rested a hand on his shoulder. "But you know how it is~ When something you own disobeys, you have to punish it~"

'Disgusting.'

Taking a heavy step forward, I cracked the wooden floor beneath me, widening the fractures as I shifted my weight onto my toes. The green-haired Ghoul tilted his head, amusement gleaming in his eyes.

"Are you planning to fight us?~ I'll let you know Kazuya hasn't even used all his strength." he taunted, his voice losing its earlier purr.

I clenched my right fist, the sound of my bones cracking and my blood pumping filling the air. The Ghoul opened his mouth to speak again, but I lunged forward.

My punch connected with his chest, creating a deafening boom and the sound of bones shattering as he flew out of the building.

"W-Wha—" Kazuya stammered.

Before he could say more, I grabbed his head with my left hand. My grip tightened and his skull gave way, his brain matter splattering across the ground. I shook off the gore and glanced toward the hole where the green haired Ghoul had landed. Blood dripped from my right hand. 'He reacted to my speed and slashed my hand to lessen the impact.'

To ensure Kazuya was dead, I stomped on his chest, caving it in until my foot hit the floor beneath. 'Hopefully he can't regrow his heart.'

I turned to the sound of shifting rubble. The green haired Ghoul stepped back inside, his injuries already healing.

"My~ That was quite the punch. Are you sure you're not a Ghoul hiding your scent?~"

I shook my head. His face flushed, and a sultry laugh escaped his lips. "Then it seems you really will be the perfect toy~"

He moved faster than Kazuya, striking at my chest with his tendril. I twisted, letting the blade graze my shoulder and grabbed for his arm. He twisted away, kicking my outstretched hand.

'Feels like getting hit by an elephant's trunk.' I noted before his tendril, now whip-like slashed across my waist.

The Ghoul stepped back, purring as he licked my blood from the whip. "Ah~" he moaned, thrusting his hips.

'Gross.'

I ignored his obscene display dropping into a tackle stance. My legs tensed, veins bulging, as the floor beneath me cracked further.

"You're not deterred by my healing?~ Oh well~"

I launched myself at him with explosive speed, creating a blast of wind in my wake. He dodged my punch and retaliated, his whip slashing toward my face. I caught it between my teeth, earning a stunned expression from him.

Stomping my foot to steady myself, I grabbed his face and lifted him off the ground. He flailed, his voice frantic.

"W-Wait! I can help you!"

I raised an eyebrow, my grip tightening.

"J-Judging by the tattoo on your forearm, y-you're part of a gang, right?!"

I nodded slightly.

"I-I can help strengthen your gang—"

"Don't listen to him!" a voice interrupted. The green eyed man from before stepped forward. "He'll use you to collect protection fees, and if you fail he'll kill your people!"

I glanced at him, noting the panic in his expression. Not for the Ghoul, but for something else I knew from being around the Boss. 'I see.'

Turning back to the Ghoul, I ignored his pleas.

"W-Wai—!"

I tightened my grip until his skull cracked, his brain matter splattering the bar for the second time that day.