Hello readers. I don't really have much to say, so please read and enjoy!

Chapter 1:

Two sides of a coin

(Secluded alleyway):

Rain was steadily pouring down, lightly hitting against every surface. The early evening was quiet and empty, the patter of the raindrops being the only sound breaking the silence. However, two figures were standing alone in the alleyway.

"I told you, give me everything you have if you want to keep that pretty little face of yours the way it is!" demanded the thuggish man. His breath smelt of alcohol, his teeth were stained and deformed, his hair was a shaggy, soaked mess and he had a knife in his right hand, which he was holding up to the young woman whom he had pinned against the wall.

The woman continued to cry, the rain mixing with her tears. She had given up calling out for help two shouts ago, accepting the fact that there was no one else around to assist her.

"P-please," she choked out. "Please, just let me go."

The man pressed the blade of the knife against her cheek, but not enough to draw blood.

"If you want to go, then give me what I want," he snarled.

Up above, on the edge of the roof of the building just behind them stood another figure. He had messy red hair and was garbed in a dark brown leather jacket that had a scale-like design imprinted on its surface and black tracksuit trousers. However, the most striking feature was the pitch black mask covering his face. It was vaguely in the shape of a draconic face, with an engraved scale patterning and the eye holes revealing his eyes which had black sclera and red pupils. He looked down, observing the pair beneath him for a few seconds before dropping down off the roof's edge.

He landed on the floor below with a loud splash, water briefly surging up from the impact. Despite the large distance, he didn't seem fazed in the slightest. Turning around at the noise, the thug caught sight of the unexpected drop-in. His eyes widened the moment he saw their inhuman eyes that were glaring at him with the look that a predator gives its prey.

"A ghoul!?" he almost shrieked as the figure rose to his feet. The thug held up his knife. "S-stay away you monster! I'm not afraid to use this thing you know!"

"You're pretty stupid aren't you?" commented the ghoul, his voice soft and even with a slightly deep tone. "Picking a fight with a ghoul."

His drunken state impairing his ability to think logically, the thug gave an enraged shout before charging forward whilst readying his knife for a swing.

The ghoul simply stood nonchalantly as the lumbering man approached. Then, he thrust his arm out as the thug swung his knife, meeting the blade with his bare flesh and promptly causing the metal to snap off and clutter to the floor uselessly.

"You really are an idiot," said the ghoul whilst the thug looked at him in terror. "Don't you know that ordinary knives can't even pierce a ghoul's skin?" the ghoul then intensified the glare he was giving the trembling man and grabbed his right arm. "Although I suppose scum like you doesn't really care for anything besides yourself." He used his free hand to slide a concealed switch located on the left side of the mask's jaw.

Without warning, the ghoul opened his mouth wide, the mask's fanged jaw opening along with his and savagely bit into the thug's upper right arm. The thug screamed in agony while the ghoul tore away some of the flesh using his jaws and threw the man to the ground. As the whimpering man lay clutching his mutilated arm on the wet floor, the ghoul slid the flick on his mask back into its original position, locking the jaw in place once more.

"As I thought, you taste disgusting," he remarked, slowly walking towards the thug. "It's probably all the booze and drugs that you took corrupting your body."

"S-s-stop! S-stay away from me!" the thug shouted fearfully.

The red-haired ghoul crouched down to eye-level with the man. "You should learn to shut up." He swiftly punched the man across the jaw, knocking him unconscious, but not killing him. Rising back up, he turned around to look at the young lady who the man had attempted to extort. She was rooted to the spot with fear, staring at him in absolute terror, as thought she was looking at death itself.

The ghoul carefully approached the woman, who tried to say something, only for strangled sounds to come out of her mouth. The black colouring of his sclera receded, leaving normal white and his red pupils reverted to an amber.

"Are you alright?" he asked. The lady made a sound of confusion. "I asked if you're okay," he repeated. "Did that guy over there hurt you?"

"A-aren't you going to eat me?" she inquired in a frightened tone.

He let out a sigh. It seemed everyone had only the stereotypical image of ghouls, that they were mindless monsters that just killed, ate and repeated the process. "No, I'm not going to hurt you," he assured. "Besides, don't you think that if I wanted to, I already would have?"

"Y-yeah, I guess so," she admitted, a little calmed down.

"So, I'll ask you again, are you hurt?" he asked her.

"No, I'm fine," she answered. "You came just before he used his knife." She hesitated for a few moments. "Thank you… for saving me."

"No problem," the ghoul told her. "You should try to avoid places like alleyways where less people are around. You might not be so lucky next time."

The young woman nodded hesitantly before she turned around to begin making her way out.

"Although you might want to call the police to make sure that this piece of trash here doesn't commit another offense," the ghoul called out, motioning to the unconscious thug on the floor. Stopping in her tracks, she gave a nod of understanding as she took out her phone and began making the call. In the meantime, the red-haired ghoul scaled up the side of one of the buildings, disappearing from her view over the rooftop's edge.

After reporting the incident to the authorities, whilst leaving out that the stranger who saved her was a ghoul, the young lady walked out of the alley and continued moving away. What she was unaware of though, was that the ghoul with the draconic mask kept a silent vigil over her from the rooftops, ensuring that nothing else happened to her until she went into her house.

(Another part of the 20th ward):

Meanwhile, a young man with straight chocolate brown hair and determined hazel eyes jumped back as he avoided a swipe at his stomach. He stared back fearlessly into the menacing inhuman eyes of the blond-haired ghoul that tried attacking him. He watched the ghoul leaped to the side as a man wearing a long silver/ grey coat like his own charged in and attempted to smash it with a large club-like quinque.

The ghoul they were against wasn't wearing a mask, so it was doomed even if it somehow escaped, since they could just track it by his face. He had his kagune out, a bikaku type. It was a dark blue colour and looked like a tail, which was how the ghoul was using it, with a small, scythe-shaped protrusion at the end. Even with his predatory organ out, he was surprisingly weak for a ghoul, possibly not even being used to fighting, although how that could be, the young man had no idea. Behind the mask less ghoul stood a teenage-looking female ghoul who also had blonde hair, possibly his daughter. The brown-haired youth gripped his slightly broad, single-edged sword-shaped quinque in preparation. The rain continued to drizzle down, making slight sounds all the while.

"You okay Kurokumo?" asked the one with the club.

"Yeah, he didn't manage to get me," answered the brown-haired young man.

"Make sure to still stay sharp though Kaze," said another ghoul investigator, calling him by his first name.

"Got it."

The two besides Kaze bolted at the ghoul. The one with the club swung his weapon horizontally, causing the ghoul to jump up in order to evade it. His partner thrust his spear-shaped quinque forward to try and impale the ghoul, who twisted around in the air to dodge while using his kagune to smack it away. While the three remained in combat, Kaze kept a watch on the girl ghoul, making sure that she didn't try anything. Despite not being a human, he couldn't help but notice the very humane look of worry and fear on her face, especially when her kakugan wasn't active, showing normal green.

Hearing a strangled sound of surprise coupled with a retching cough, Kaze turned his head to see the ghoul with the spear quinque impaled into his chest, directly where the heart would be. He hacked up blood once more and fell to the ground as the CCG agent removed the spear from his body.

There was an ear-splitting scream from the ghoul girl. Holding one of his ears due to the slight pain caused by the sudden noise with his free hand, Kaze turned his head to see her looking at the almost dead ghoul with a terrified expression.

"R-run," the fatally injured ghoul told her, blood pooling out from his chest. Heeding his words, the teenage ghoul bolted away.

"Kurokumo, after her!" shouted the investigator with the club quinque.

"On it!" he shouted back, already sprinting after her in pursuit.

While she was inhumanly fast, he was able to stay relatively close to her as they both continued running. He didn't receive all those sprint race and long race medals in sports tournaments for nothing. Eventually, after a few minutes, the ghoul made a mistake by turning onto a street which he knew had a dead-end.

A few seconds later, he slowed to a stop a small distance away from the cornered girl. She turned around and looked to him when didn't advance any further, keeping a safe distance so that he wouldn't be surprise attacked. Kaze's eyes widened slightly when she faced him. She had tears streaming out from both of her green eyes and her face had a look of extreme pain and hurt. Her kakugan still wasn't active, making her look so very… human.

"Why?" she asked in a sobbing voice. "Why did you kill my father? Why do you always hunt us?"

He held his sword quinque with both hands, staying alert for anything. "Because you hunt humans and cause suffering to the families of those who you kill," he replied with an even tone, but the look on her face made him feel an unexplainable sense of guilt in his heart.

"But me and my father never killed anyone!" she protested. "We used to only feed off people who'd died from accidents near a certain mountain route, and even then, it was never more than one limb!"

Kaze didn't really have anything to say to that. In fact, the slight shock he got from her words and the pleading tone she spoke in made him subconsciously loosen his grip slightly on his quinque. 'Damn it,' he thought in frustration. 'I've been taught and I know that ghouls are experts at imitating and deceiving humans, but I just can't shake the gut feeling that she's saying the truth. She doesn't even act like other ghouls, otherwise she'd have lunged at me ages ago. I'm hesitating too. Everything about the way she's acting, it all seems so truthful, so genuine, so… human. Damn it, did we do something wrong? Are we just killing innocents here? Why is this world so messed up?'

"We never chose to be like this," the girl carried on, still crying. "We don't like having to eat others just to survive, that we can't eat normal food like everyone else. Even ghouls have feelings! We have people we love, we have things that make us happy, and even we feel sad when someone close to us dies or gets killed. My father was all I had left, my mother was killed two years ago."

Before any response could be given, the pair heard splashing as someone ran towards them. Looking back, Kaze saw that it was one of the other CCG agents from before, the one with the spear quinque.

"Kaze!" he called out as he approached. He took a stance next to him, holding his weapon firmly and keeping his sight trained on the teenage ghoul. "What's going on?"

"She hasn't made a single move," Kaze informed. "No attacks, insults, anything."

"When did you corner her?"

"A few minutes ago."

"Why didn't you end it? You're more than skilled enough, able to hold your own against an A class ghoul with no backup."

"I was keeping a safe distance for any surprise attacks and was waiting for her to make the first move, but she just kept crying."

"Don't let her tears fool you Kaze," warned the agent. "She would have ended up gutting you the moment you got close."

Kaze let a small, practically unnoticeable sigh escape his mouth. He didn't know how the man would react to this, although he had a feeling that it wouldn't be too positive.

"Somehow," he began. "Somehow I don't get that feeling from her. I only feel that she's genuinely sad and afraid."

"What are you talking about?" said his partner in an incredulous tone, all the while not taking his eyes off of their target. "With all the ghouls you've had to go against, you should be able to see through that façade easily."

"That's the thing," Kaze argued. "I just don't get that feeling of deception or hostility from her. It's as though she's just an ordinary girl who's grieving over the loss of her father, not a ghoul. Like I could stand right next to her and she wouldn't do anything except for maybe keep crying." His statement caused the ghoul girl in front of them to look at him with wide eyes.

The other man tightened his grip on the handle of his quinque. "Kaze, I know that you've had this whole 'there must be some good ghouls' idea for a while since that 'dragon' ghoul refused to fight you and simply ran away, twice, but this is seriously not the time or place." The tension was starting to build up in the air, a thick, heavy feeling that hung over all three of them.

"How? She could have already taken advantage of our arguing and jumped the two of us or made a run for it, but she's still standing right there!" Kaze argued.

"She's a ghoul damn it! One whose dad we just killed! Do you really think that she doesn't want to rip our guts out?!" the other CCG agent shouted.

"Is that why she's still just in the same place and crying instead of attacking us?!"

"Remember which side of the line you stand on, field agent Kurokumo," warned the other man. "Talented as you are, this kind of attitude will end up getting your CCG license revoked, so I suggest you drop this matter and get back to finishing this confrontation."

"This is all wrong! Why can't you see that?!"

"Stop it!" shouted the girl, shocking the other two with her sudden outburst. She dropped to her knees, arms at her sides. "Please, stop arguing. Why do people have to always fight each other? Why can't we all just get along?"

Kaze turned to his partner. "Look, I'm sorry for the argument that we just had," he apologised. "I'd be more than happy to forget that it ever happened and I'd appreciate it if you don't mention it in our report to the higher-ups, but please… let me handle this."

The other ghoul investigator gave a sigh, lowering his weapon. He then collapsed it and stored it back into the silver briefcase at his feet. "Actually, I'm sorry about it too. I also let my emotions get the better of me and let things get out of hand, so I'm at fault too. Just because I lost one of my close friends a long time ago to a ghoul, it doesn't mean I'm supposed to try and push that onto you as well, even though you know about it. I forgot that I'm not even your superior, I'm just an operative who you allowed to accompany you on this investigation as optional support. I won't mention anything to the uppers. Go, deal with this your way. I'll respect your decision and trust your instincts, after all Kureo Mado-san always says to do that."

"Thanks," said Kaze appreciatively.

Slowly, he began walking over to the crying girl in front of them. The rain had soaked his hair and it was still falling. She looked up at him when he was right in front of her, not knowing what to expect. He dropped his quinque from his grasp, allowing it to clatter against the wet ground. He knelt down level to her before putting his arms around her in a light embrace. She put her own arms around him and began weeping into his shoulder. He knew that the other CCG agent was watching like a hawk in case it was really a trap, but he was certain that the ghoul he was holding wouldn't harm him. It was odd, they were technically enemies, polar opposites if you wanted, yet he felt no danger from what he was doing.

"I'm sorry about what happened to your father," he told her softly. "I know that won't bring him back, but I still wanted to say it anyway. I guess that humans don't know as much as we like to think and do some pretty stupid stuff at times. Mind telling me your name? Mine's Kaze. Kaze Kurokumo."

"Yuki," she whispered in response. "Yuki Soraka. I'm fifteen. I guess I should thank you at least for believing me, Kaze."

"Listen to me Yuki," Kaze said gently. "If you willingly come back with me to CCG, then I can give you protection. It won't be much, since I'm no one significant, but other investigators won't hunt you and I can push some things and pull a few strings to make sure that they don't just simply lock you away into a cell either. I can try to put you under my custody on a sort of trial basis. It's not much of a life, but I don't want to have to hurt you more than you already have been and there are others who wouldn't give a second thought about killing you on the spot."

He waited patiently for a few moments as she stopped crying, giving her time to think his offer over. It was a big thing that he was asking of her; she'd be practically losing her freedom, but it was either that or be executed. He couldn't prevent the bitter taste that was left in his mouth.

"I'll do it," Yuki said quietly. "I don't want to die, and I don't want to live in constant fear of being hunted down. Please, take care of me." She gripped onto his coat tighter, as though he was a lifeline, which in a weird, slightly twisted sense, he was.

"I'll do whatever I can Yuki," he promised.

Kaze stood up, lifting the blonde with him. He broke off the hug, making her let go of him as well.

"Takahiro," he called to the other investigator. "Please call Rin and tell her to get over here, we're gonna need a ride. This 'little job' has been pretty tiring."

"Sure," said Takahiro, taking out his phone from a pocket.

Kaze took out his own phone and turned it on, going through his contacts for a particular person.

"Who are you calling?" inquired Yuki.

"Just an old friend," replied Kaze, pressing call.

(Elsewhere in the 20th ward: Apartment building):

A ghoul with messy red hair and amber eyes carefully approached the door to an apartment. He gently removed his black draconic mask and held it in one hand before using his other to fish a key out of a pocket in his trousers. Unlocking the door, he stepped inside into the darkness, closing the door behind him. He turned on the light switch and removed his shoes.

"At least nothing else happened to that lady on her way home," he murmured to himself, hanging his jacket on the wall then walking over to the bedroom door whilst stretching his arms out. "And the taste of that disgusting thug is still in my mouth," he complained. Upon reaching and entering his bedroom, his phone suddenly started vibrating in his pocket. He took it out and checked the caller ID.

"Huh, Kaze? Wonder what happened with him," he commented before answering in a somewhat teasing tone. "So, how's our nineteen year old prodigy investigator doing?"

"Shut up Yamato, you're nineteen yourself," came Kaze's voice. "I'm not gonna start calling you Mr Tetsuken just yet. Anyway, I just wanted to tell you that something pretty crazy happened."

"Really? What?" Yamato asked. "And by the way, Mr Tetsuken doesn't sound too bad."

"Very funny," responded Kaze sarcastically. "Anyway, I can't really tell you the full story right now since we're short on time, but I feel like I've just avoided making a terrible mistake."

"That's good for you man," congratulated Yamato. "How about you tell me about it tomorrow afternoon? I'm sure we'll both be free and it's been a while since we actually spoke face-to-face."

"Sounds good," agreed Kaze. "Alright, have a good night."

"You too pal," said Yamato before both him and Kaze ended the call.

He changed his clothes and got into the bed. Kaze was his best friend, one he'd known for over ten years now. Even then, he had never told him the truth about himself, that he was in fact a ghoul. It was ironic really, with Kaze being one of the best investigators that CCG had ever seen, ascending through the ranks in the blink of an eye. Twice he had encountered him while in his ghoul persona. Both times, he refused to fight, opting to evade all of his best friend's strikes until eventually getting an opportunity to escape.

Putting such thoughts to rest, Yamato closed his amber eyes, waiting for sleep to take him.

(CCG headquarters):

Kaze strode through the hallways, leading Yuki by the wrist. Although he didn't pay any attention to them, his hazel oculars noticed other workers giving tense looks. He'd explained the situation to Rin, their pickup, when she arrived. She was more open-minded and accepting to taking a ghoul along than Takahiro had been when Kaze first told him that Yuki wasn't a threat. During the journey, he'd informed his superior about what had occurred. The man had told him to continue with bringing her in whilst he gathered up the CCG higher-ups for when he arrived, even though he himself was against the idea of bringing in a ghoul.

Yuki took a hold of Kaze's arm using her other arm, nervous from all the stares being directed at her. He gave her wrist a gentle squeeze to reassure her as they continued towards the hall that he had been ordered to report to. After a couple of minutes, the two stood at the door of their destination.

"Alright Yuki, this is it," he said to her. "Remember, that most of the people in there won't really like what I'm trying to do. Many of them may say various things to try and provoke a response out of you, but you mustn't let that happen, okay?"

"Okay," she confirmed. "I won't do anything. But, can I still hold onto you?"

Kaze gave her a small yet true smile. "If it helps to keep you calm, then sure." With that, he opened the door and the pair walked inside.

"Ghoul investigator Kurokumo," said a voice that carried authority. "We have heard that you wish to… keep a ghoul from your most recent investigation." The man who spoke wore large round glasses and the lower half of his face was obscured by the high upturned collar of the coat he wore.

Unfazed by the man's disapproving tone, Kaze looked at him calmly, his hazel eyes showing no fear. "Sir, I wish to take her into protective custody under my name rather than simply lock her into a cell," he declared. "She is not a threat and doesn't wish to harm humans."

"What she wishes contradicts her very existence. As for not being a threat, how do you know that this isn't some scheme to simply get into our main base of operations and cause havoc?"

"Sir, with all due respect, if she intended to cause harm, then she had ample opportunity to kill or maim me during our encounter, however she didn't so much as activate her kakugan. As for harming humans, she's never killed anyone. She's been feeding by taking a limb or less from corpses of accident victims at a mountain route."

"How do you know that she's telling you the truth?" asked another man. His face had an almost sneer-like appearance and he had a somewhat pointed nose, making him look a bit like Severus Snape from the Harry Potter series. "These is a ghoul you're talking about Kurokumo; they are masters of deception."

"Sir, as the one who is my direct Director of Operations, you know of my record. You yourself have praised my acumen when it comes to judging a person's character, particularly with the recruits that I suggested three months ago," Kaze replied.

"Hmm, that aside boy, how can you prove that she's not dangerous, hmmm?" inquired another man. This one had a 'groomed/ handsome' face along with a hairstyle that made him look like Elvis Presley.

"I don't mean to appear rude by pointing out something obvious," began Kaze. "But just look at her. She's terrified just being here, so much so that she's trying to use me, an investigator, as support."

"Alright, we're not going to get anywhere just arguing around the same point like this," stated the one with the Snape-face. "I'll cut right to the chase, since you seem determined to go through with this. How do you intend to keep a watch on her and make sure she stays in line?"

"I know that this may not be to your liking," Kaze acknowledged. "However, we could keep her in the empty room adjacent to my office, possibly connect the two. Of course, you could fit a camera and other security devices in the room, and if she wishes to go out for any reason, then we could give her a tracker wrist-clamp."

"While that is a feasible suggestion, how do you propose that we feed her?"

"The same way you feed all the other ghouls that are locked up," answered Kaze firmly.

The man seemed to consider the idea for some time. He set his gaze on Yuki, who tried hiding behind Kaze. "Ghoul," he addressed her. "Tell me, what is your opinion on all this?" That question caught the attention of all the others present in the room.

Yuki met the man's gaze, but not defiantly.

"I'll do it," she said. "I know that I won't really have much freedom, but I want to live. So please, let me stay under Kaze's care. I won't do anything to anyone, I promise."

"Why specifically investigator Kurokumo?" the man inquired with a raised eyebrow.

"I-I owe him my life," Yuki answered. "And, he's the one who offered me this chance to live instead of being hunted down and killed."

"While this is fine, how do we know that no other ghouls will come trying to take you back?"

"That's because she has nobody else sir," Kaze replied for her. "Both of her parents have… passed on and she has no other family or allies."

"There is one thing I have left to ask before making my decision. Ghoul… if you really are as harmless as Kurokumo claims, then release your kagune. Right here, right now, and without harming a single person in this room."

"Go on," Kaze whispered to Yuki. "Do it, it's okay."

Letting go of Kaze, she took a step forward before activating her kakugan, turning her green irises to red and her sclera to black. Then, her kagune burst out from where her tailbone was located. It was a light cream colour and looked like a tail with a scythe-shaped protrusion at the end, just like her late father's except for its colouration. She swished it from side to side a few times as the higher-ups observed her.

"You can put it back," said the director of operations. She did so without hesitation.

After being subjected to a scrutinising stare from his superior, Kaze was given a final verdict.

"Very well," he said. "As chief director of operations for this branch of CCG, I will allow this ghoul to be taken into your protective custody on a trial basis, investigator Kurokumo. However, know this: if any issue does arise, or this proves to be a mistake, then it will be on your head. Do you understand this?"

"I understand the consequences and take them fully sir," Kaze stated.

"You are dismissed. Just for tonight, this ghoul may accompany you for the night at your residence, but must come back with you tomorrow. Consider this the first 'test' of the trial."

Without any further ado, Kaze and Yuki turned around and made their way out of the room. Once they were out, Kaze released a sigh of relief.

"Man, that was tense," he said, rubbing the back of his neck.

"Really? You looked so calm," said Yuki.

"I had to put up a strong front and show how determined I was, otherwise they'd have just pushed my suggestion aside," he explained. "Come on, let's get out of here. I'm pretty sure that you don't appreciate all the stares." Getting a nod of agreement from his ghoul charge, he started leading her out of the building and towards his apartment.

'I'm sure that we've got the wrong idea about ghouls,' Kaze thought. 'There has to be more to them than just the heartless killers that people are led to believe they are. I'm confident that Yuki here is proof of that. Whatever, I'll just discuss all this with Yamato when we meet up tomorrow. I'm sure he'll have some good input, he always has.'

And there ends the first chapter. Please comment/ review. I'm open to suggestions if anyone wants to give any. I don't mind constructive criticism, but please don't flame.