Leaving the window open was just an accident, but the petals lying on the floor gives their apartment a new sort of beauty.
Some had fallen near the bookshelves, full with books that they have found here and there. Perhaps taking this apartment with a cherry blossom tree outside was the best idea he ever had.
Koutarou is sitting in the sofa, a cup of coffee in his hand and looking like he’ll probably fall asleep at any minute. Honestly, this man… but it’s his birthday, so Kaneki decides to not tell him anything.
Their apartment is small, with just enough space for both of them, and Kaneki wouldn’t have it another way. Here he has everything he always liked: a nice collection of books, the best coffee and company. It’s too good to be real, and maybe it isn’t, but he doesn’t want to shatter the illusion.
Too much had happened. They had suffered too much, and too many things had been taken away from them. This gave them a chance to start over, far away from the problems and the tragedy that their destinies once gave them.
Kaneki cuddles next to Amon, enjoying the warm the man irradiates and takes a sip from his own coffee. The view outside is beautiful, with the last rays of the sun illuminating the room just right, and the wind moving the cherry tree branches with a soft breeze.
“We should get ready” He whispers, knowing that Amon is hearing.
“I know” Amon mutters tiredly, leaving his cup in the coffee table. “They do the same every year, and while I appreciate the sentiment, I really want to rest”
“Do you know how old you sound? Really, Koutarou… Akira is your friend, and Kurona is like a little sister to you” Kaneki says, and he knows he made a really valid point. “Come on, old man, they’ll arrive at any minute”
“Don’t want to” Amon lets himself fall over Kaneki, crushing the younger man under his weight. “I will even make you coffee, but I don’t want to get up”
Is this man really turning 33? God, he sounds like a whining child.
“Nope, and the last time you attempted to make coffee, you ruined the beans, and I didn’t know that you could ruin them here”
“Well, that proves the theory that I’m terrible handling any kind of food and beverage, even here” Amon chuckles. “But really, do I have to?”
“They come for you, so yes, you have to” Kaneki is tempted to grab him by the ear and force him to stand up, but his strength is still no match to Amon’s.
“Okay… but I expect something in return”
“They will bring offerings for His Majesty” Kaneki knows what Amon actually wants, but he’s not going to give in so easily. “I’ll give you my gift later, once…”
He’s interrupted by the sound of footsteps.
“They’re here”
“Yes” Amon sighs, “shall we go then, Eyepatch?”
“Lead the way, Koutarou”
“Do you think they’ll bring Donuts?”
"You’re such a child, I swear to God, Koutarou…”
There are petals in the graves.
The scene is pretty, with the wind gently blowing petals from the cherry trees nearby. Akira leaves the flowers she had been carrying in front of one of the graves, leaving a few of them in the other one.
"It’s been a while, Special Class Amon” Akira whispers gently, tracing the letters engraved to the stone with her fingers. “ I know I promised to come earlier, but life has been busy”
Since the fall of the CCG 2 years ago, the scandal that followed and the loss of credibility the investigators had, it was a hard time. It hadn’t been pretty, with too many lost comrades and the return of people she thought were death, it seemed like a nightmare.
Especially for her, seeing Takizawa and later Amon again, both turned into half ghouls thanks to Kanou. More, even, when Haise disappeared to make room for the return of Kaneki Ken.
The war had been terrible for all sides. The ghouls, the investigators and the civilians were still trying to heal from the damage they suffered, but like it had been proved over an over in time of disaster, humanity left behind their prejudices to work together for a better world.
A world that neither Amon or Kaneki were alive to see.
Their deaths had been unexpected, and they still haunted her. Having to deal with the pain of losing the young man that called her “mom” and the one she grew to love like he was indeed her child, and losing Amon for a second time. She still doesn’t know how she managed to survive the pain.
"Kurona came with me, since she wanted to see you. I’m sure that she still doesn’t forgive you for breaking your promise, and probably never will” Akira sighed. “But she understands the reasons you had, and you didn’t left her alone”
Even when he was in his last moments, he begged her to not let the girl alone. God knows what would have happened if she didn’t take care of Yasuhisa.
“Hai-… Kaneki, the Quinx are fine, and Saiko is currently living with Kurona and me. They get along really well” Akira says to the other grave, and for some reason, she feels like they’re truly hearing her.
” I hope that wherever you are, you two are together and happy. Everything will be back to normal here, giving time, since we’re so quick to adapt. I’ve been visiting that coffee shop, :re, and the coffee they serve taste exactly like yours” she says to Kaneki. “And Donut Meister is planning to make a donut in honor to their most important client”
No matter if he couldn’t ate them anymore, Akira still remembered the enthusiasm of Amon when it came to Donuts.
“I still have a lot of work to do, reports to sign and taking care of two girls and a cat” Akira cleans the graves free from petals, leaving only the cold, hard stone. “I’ll be going now, but Kurona will stay a bit longer”
Akira bows in front of the stones, feeling the sadness grip her heart in a painful way.
"Happy birthday, Amon, and I hope that you’re finally at peace”
The breeze gently blows her hair, and she thinks she hears a “ thank you”. It’s perhaps the pain making her imagine things, but she likes the idea that they still hear her, that they watch over her and everyone they loved.
Maybe death brought them the peace they didn’t have in life. The happiness and the love.
Maybe they’re together in Heaven, enjoying each other’s company and having the long talk they deserved to have.
It’s a thought that warms her heart, and she wishes with all her strength that it becomes true, that they somehow managed to find each other in the afterlife.
For now, she leaves with a smile on her face. She has 2 girls to take care of, and a cat is waiting for her at home.
She smiles at Kurona, letting her know that she can she’s ready.
She leaves Kurona alone fora while, letting her talk as much as she wants to the man she loved like a brother.
By the time the girl is ready, there are no tears in her eyes, just a small smile on her face.
"Do you think they heard us?” Kurona asks.
"I’m sure they do, and if they didn’t, I’ll have to punch them”
They leave the cemetery, covered with cherry blossom petals, and the lingering warmth of a “ thank you” in their hearts.
♠♠♠♠
Whoa.
We did it.
Thanks to every single one of you who decided to participate in this week, all your works have been amazing! I’ll try to write a more heartfelt note in the blog…
Thanks for reading my works. I had a great time writing them.
Day 7, free day, also known as I attempt to do a thing. I know this is my worst entry, but I tried to. In the grand scheme of my AU, this is when Amon was a sophomore, and just starting out on the piccolo. That giant shadow in the corner is from my cat, who showed up. His shako hair is surprisingly tame, because he keeps a comb on him, always inside the shako so he can always take care of it. I wish I was able to draw him as a senior, and being the protector of woodwinds!
It’s a cold night, and Kurona is sleepy, but she needs to find it.
Traveling from ward to ward, searching for information, hunting and eating it’s an exhausting, never ending cycle. One she has yet to get accustomed, but she knows she must do it.
This was the life she chose, and the decisions she took dragged her to this path.
But even after all what happened, her ghoulification and the death of her twin, she’s not alone. Someone has been looking after her, taking care of everything and protecting her like a parent.
Amon was more her father than her real one, and obviously even more than that monster.
So she needs to find it, the perfect gift for him. He has often said that he doesn’t need anything, if she’s safe then everything is okay, but she can’t help it. This man has done more than anyone to keep her safe, and perhaps give her the family she lost.
But it’s late, everything is closed and she doesn’t have enough money to give him something he deserves. Perhaps a new cloak would have been nice, the one he was using to hide that weird armour was a bit worn down...
It would be a late birthday gift. And incredibly late one.
Kurona sighs, if only she had remembered earlier... but it’s too late to lament over the spilled milk. I hope he understands...
She arrives to their hideout, the nicest thing Amon could find for them (that’s what he said, but she knows that all the nice things are for her), and the man is awaiting for her, a book in his hand (the normal one, she notices) and doesn’t look up, but...
“How was your walk?”
“It was fine, big brother” Originally, it was “father”, but the face Amon made the first time she called him that way made her rethink the way she named him. “I couldn’t find it, but it was fine”
Amon notices the annoyance in her voice, and closes the book. “Were you trying to find something?”
“Yes, a gift for nii-sama, it’s your birthday after all”
Surprise flashes through Amon’s face. Of course he had forgotten his birthday. “... Oh. But I told you, I don’t need anything”
“So you have said, but I still want to give you something” Kurona walks and sits next to him. “Nii-sama has done a lot, and I wanted to-”
“I know, but you don’t need to search this late for something. This day has almost ended, and being honest, I stopped celebrating my birthday a long time ago” Amon takes her hand, and the three-fingered hand doesn’t freak out.
It had never scared her. His hand is still huge and warm, compared to her tiny and cold hands. His touch is still comforting.
“But I wanted to” Kurona looks up, meeting his eyes.
There’s a soft smile in his face. “The only thing I could ask you if for you to stay safe. I don’t need anything else, really”
Oh.
Perhaps did he too felt alone until she found him? She remembers meeting him, over a year ago, and the man in front of her is too different from the one of that time.
Kurona is the only person with him, after all, they only have each other to rely on. He can’t lose anyone else, a feeling she shares. She can’t lose the last person in her broken family
She surprises him, holding up her hand in a fist and with her pinky finger sticking out. “Promise me”
“Promise you... what?”
“Promise me that we’ll be always together, that you’ll also protect yourself. I promise that I’ll keep myself out of trouble” she says, with a serious tone, her eyes shining with unshed tears.
Amon looks troubled for a second, before sighing and hooking their pinky fingers together. “I promise”
”And if you break your promise...”
“I know, I know. I’ll cut my little finger and swallow a thousand needles” Amon smiles at her. “Don’t worry, I don’t break my promises”
“And I promise to get you a new cloak, this one can’t be repaired anymore”
And Amon laughs at that.
Even if they’re in hell, running from enemies and once allies alike, they still have each other.
And he promised. He would never leave her alone.
“Liar”
♠♠♠♠
Guess who was playing Deemo when looking for a title for this thing? The song is Yubikiri-Genman by Mili.
And soon I’ll post the last work... the last phrase should give you an idea of what will come.
I know he probably wouldn't accept his condition, but I wanted him to be happy... That or he is imagining his old life. My mom called this Angel in a Winter Coat, so that is now this piece's name.
Amon Week - April 9th - Day 6: Floppy This drawing is nowhere near finished ... (sorry, a lot of shit happened). The coloring promises to be long, so at least I wanted to post today the lineart ç_ç This is an idea I had in mind for a long time, so I preferred not to speed things up and risk ruining the drawing (I should had choose an easier subject for today,damn D:) Probably I'll post the finished work on monday *epic fail* (I'm a floppy too ToT)
Summary: He always disliked that flavor, after all.
Eto is fascinated.
It’s been months, and no matter how much he tries, he’s unbreakable. No amount of physical pain can make him admit defeat, no matter how much she hurts him with her words and the events of his past, no matter how much she tries to convince him that everything is his own fault, that his own decisions dragged him here, he doesn’t break.
He admitted, though, his guilts and mistakes. He had taken every broken shard of himself, shards that she turned into anything but dust (or so she thought), and forged them into a sharp blade.
Sharper than her words.
But for the intel she had managed to collect, she knows that today is a special day. April 7th, and her favorite pet is turning 28.
She visits his cell, humming to herself and carrying a tray with what she knows he likes more: hearts. Some of them are still warm, dripping blood and making a mess in the process, but she doesn’t care.
The sight that greets her always makes her smile.
He lies in the middle of the room, gasping for air. The strain of her constant torture and the burden of that quinque is heavy, and he’s thinner than before. But he still manages to be an imposing figure, even with his arms broken, hanging limply at his sides.
His face is ruined, of course, and she feels proud of her work. His eyelids are gone, carefully cutted, and they’re starting to heal (slowly, thanks to his complete refusal of feeding), and half of his face is ripped, by his own handiwork. Ah, such a handsome face, ruined.
But he still looks defiant. She can’t wait to see the moment he finally breaks.
“I brought you something, Amon-san!” she says, cheerfully.
He swallows, heavily. Oh, he’s hungry.
“I don’t want it” Such a stubborn pet.
“We both know it’s a lie”
He licks his lips, eyeing the tray with a mix of hunger and hate. It’s fun to see how quickly or long long it takes for him to admit defeat on this, to see him succumb to the hunger and unleash the monster.
This time, it doesn’t take too much from setting the tray in front of him and for him to start devouring its contents, like a starving animal.
“I see that you like the taste” Eto comments, when half the tray is already empty.
That makes him freeze, but it only lasts a second. He quickly compose himself, licking his lips to clean the blood dripping from them. “It tastes like donuts filled with cherry jam” his voice is rough from screaming, but it maintains his usual seriousness.
“Oh?” and that gets her curious, she knows he likes sweets, but why that particular taste?
He smirks, taking another bite of the tray. “I hate that taste”
And she laughs. Of all the things he could have said, that’s the last thing she expected. Oh, this man is truly fascinating.
She can’t wait to shape him the way she wants.
“Well, consider this my birthday present. Today I don’t feel like playing with you” It’s a small mercy from her part, but she wants to see her pet strong before starting with the breaking process again.
“And you expect me to be grateful for that?”
“No, but I don’t expect your gratitude either” and after that, she leaves the room, leaving him once again in the darkness of his cell in total loneliness.
She has time, there’s still too much she has planned for him.
Her new One Eyed King needs time to be build, after all.
♠♠♠♠
I know, I’m terrible.
This is a taste of what a certain fic of mine will have, those who know what I’m talking about will understand.
I have no idea what the hell I’ll post tomorrow, but be prepared anyway!
