Man, I feel a little rusty. It was so hard to find the right time to end it? Like, it was supposed to be kept short. Just a little action, tiny angst thing but I always tend to write too much. God damn it, haha. But it has to end; I'm already so slow concerning updates!

(This will be the last chapter and final. I only wanted to write a three-shot anyway. I'm not certain if I'll return in the future and make more of it or not yet. We'll have to see.)

Thank you for reviewing Lily! And sorry for the long wait. Updated!

Thank you so much for reading this little Tokyo Ghoul adventure! I was so happy to meet other TG fans here in the KnB corner. And I hope that you could enjoy this tiny slice of another universe! I'm always at war with drama, haha.

CRY

The first drop from the sky hit the asphalt of the street as the clouds slowly started to spread. The blanket of grey and black was thick enough to hide the bright stars behind it, drowning the big city lights in a film of rain and mist around the roofs of the skyscrapers.

Aomine's fist collided with the jaw of his opponent, his other hand immediately darting out to grab the man's shoulder. He wouldn't let him get away. Instead of allowing his opponent to stumble back a step or two he used his strong hold to crush the collarbone beneath his skin. The tentacles on the stranger's back were stubbornly trying to keep the blue haired ghoul away, tearing at his arms and legs - but Aomine was stubborn. His gritting teeth and glare intensified as he felt the thick bone give away beneath the pressure, snapping in half.

Unlike Kagami's blooming wing, Aomine's was hard. Sturdy like a dark crimson colored crystal whose spikes were sharper than any blade humanity could have ever crafted. And he certainly had at least a bit of stamina to maintain his pace for a while. Stepping around his opponent's feet; dashing forward or backward if needed.

The young man wasn't part of the crew who controlled this ward for no reason after all.

However, the stranger was so thick-skinned, not giving in even though his jaw hung loosely down. The joints were busted by the last hit Aomine had landed but the guy still stood on his two legs - his wounds healed again right in front of the young man's eyes.

If it would continue like this, it could actually turn annoying.

Aomine gritted his teeth as his fingers dug into the shoulder blades of the other ghoul, hauling him into the ground once again in hope it would break his legs long enough before he'd heal up yet again. No matter how often he broke him, no matter how often the hostile man grunted in pain - his damn healing ability was faster.

"Aomine!"

Kagami's sudden call forced the blue haired man to twist around only to see one of the stranger's tackle him to the ground.

"Foul play, eh?"

Aomine grunted the few words out, his fall nothing but an uncomfortable landing thanks to his Kagune. But it was a little struggle in the end, pressing and kicking. Aomine dodged the sharp drill of blood which wanted to pierce through his eyes. It reminded him of past street fights to be honest.

Where everyone used all the strength they found in their fibers to tear the body of the other apart.

It was an unpleasant and not cool sight for sure. Kicking and growling at another, sliding over the muddy ground and the puddles which slowly appeared thanks to the terrible weather. But even the blue haired young man couldn't just shove off the absolutely heavy manifestation of the other ghoul's power. It felt like a truck was upon him. The crimson Kōkaku the stranger tried to lift high enough over and over again to just pierce through Aomine like he was nothing but a piece of paper had to weigh tons.

"Are you shitting me?" The man upon him barked, once more trying to aim his crimson drill at Aomine's face. "You never cared before about what we did! And now you suddenly do!?"

"It ain't your territory."

The blue haired ghoul growled in return, wrestling his way out of his position after a felt-like eternity. He pushed his opponent onto the floor beneath him, ramming his knee into the man's stomach to keep him immobile even if only for a second. His arms and legs actually started to sting; his hunger from the past days caught up. Aomine blinked away the pulsing ache in his guts, gritting his teeth to not lose the control in this fight he had finally won.

And the crystallized wing on his left shoulder spread its spikes, like an omen against the faint streetlights in the distance.

The scream of his opponent was painful. In between the burning of his cuts and bruises and the cold hunger in his veins, his ears rung. Countless shards pierced through the stranger's body, pinning him to the muddy ground beneath them just where Aomine wanted him to be. And right when the young man could see how the bone of the shoulder he had broken slowly seemed to adjust again all by itself, he reached for the ghoul's head.

Aomine felt lucky that Kagami didn't see him right there.

It actually took him two attempts to tear the head off. The man was struggling again as he realized what the blue haired ghoul was about to do. Blood gushed out of his wounds, anger, rage and panic gurgled out of him as he sputtered and attempted to lift his right arm. The bloody limb which was engulfed by the damn heavy drill which had nearly torn through Aomine's chest earlier-

-but then the skin and flesh gave away.

Aomine growled as he tossed the now lifeless skull away, his head pounding with the terrible hunger and his brain which reminded him over and over again how he needed something to eat if he wanted to heal. The cuts and bruises, the wounds and tears - they all burned and stung after he had rolled around in the mud and had fought with that stupid coward like a fool.

But there was no time.

There was only a low grunt escaping him as he stood up and dashed towards Kagami's position. He tackled the ghoul behind the redhead with full force, using his enormous speed to send the stranger and him flying across the floor. Kagami only turned towards them in surprise, too caught up in the fight with his opponent to have even realized that someone had wanted to attack him from behind.

And in any other situation Aomine would have joked about it. Would have told his friend that he was saving his ass yet again - but there was no time as the long bloody limbs of the man he had thrown to the ground whipped around. The Kagune of the smaller ghoul wrapped around his legs, attempting to pull him off while the blue haired man did nothing but punch and punch and punch...the spikes of his crystallized wing bore into the tentacles. Every sense of Aomine's body pulsed as he heard something crack beneath the strength he had used until-

"Heh-" A cough, a sputter of blood. "-you're really a fuckin' idiot."

Aomine came to halt. His bloodied fist hovered right above the swollen cheek of the man beneath him - and only then the young man realized that it was the guy with the bandaged ear. The very ghoul he had seen in that night he had saved Mia from getting eaten. He had torn them apart there as well. He was the reason why that moron had to walk around with that bandaged head of his so that no one would question the injury and ear which was growing again. For someone like him, with a Kagune of his caliber, he had a terrible healing ability.

And he dared to insult him. He dared to grin at him through red and dark blotches of his face and blood which was covering every corner and inch.

"Any last words?"

Aomine lifted his fist a little higher. It would be the last blow before he'd tear his god damn sorry excuse of a Kagune out of his back. He'd watch him suffer while he lost everything which ever made him into something.

And Aomine would have enjoyed every second of it...

...if the next words hadn't reached his ears-

"Where ya think..." Another strangled cough. "...is my damn partner?"

-and something inside of the blue haired ghoul turned suddenly cold.

He wouldn't have dared.

He wouldn't.

Aomine's hesitation was enough to make the man laugh. It was a choking noise, no matter how strong the stranger wanted to appear his air pipe was busted. His lungs were filling with blood. But his threat was real and the tall young man gritted his teeth as he sent his fist flying. The spikes of his wing shifted and moved with his mood. Aomine's head was pulsating, the noise in his mind so loud that he couldn't hear the pained screamed of the ghoul who was now impaled by shards of solid blood.

But that couldn't be true.

She was just a human.

A mere human.

Tokyo was filled with so many of them and they were all the same. Their heights differed; their looks were maybe not the same. But their value was. Each of them was cattle. So why her. Why would they target her - she was his damn human. She was like his puppy which had trailed after him as he was covered in blood and gore. Who spoke to him like he was a person and fussed over what his friend Satsuki would like as if the pink haired girl was nothing but a fellow human being to her.

"Aomine!"

The blue haired ghoul didn't turn around once as he suddenly ran away, leaving the lifeless corpse of the ghoul behind who had been impaled by countless shards.

He felt like a fool again.

Running down the busy streets in his bloodstained shirt, not registering how lucky he probably was that his clothes were rather dark today. Or that every person outside hid beneath their umbrellas from the rain. Who would pay him any heed in this gruesome weather anyway? He was shoving his way past the strangers either way, his pulse actually fast and loud enough to echo through his head.

He couldn't hear the curses; he couldn't hear a stranger throw some insult after him as he had bumped into the man carelessly. Aomine wasn't even present he believed, his mind was elsewhere as he dashed over the street, ignoring the red light without hesitation.

Had he willed his Kagune away?

For a second he didn't know. He hadn't cared. But the lack of the weight on his shoulder, the burning feeling of his blood forming and hardening wasn't there. So he must have been still sane enough to at least mind that before storming through the city. Aomine couldn't think. His guts squirmed in hunger and discomfort; his veins were boiling in rage and something else. Not panic. But something similar. Something which was enough to make him climb over a fence of an apartment block to take a shortcut towards that stupid apartment complex she lived in.

Why hadn't he thought about this earlier?

These goddamn lap dogs of the government were patrolling this area often; the ghoul had been certain she'd be safe if she stayed at home. He would have killed every single moron who dared to oppose him - and everything would have been fine again. So how could this happen?

Aomine climbed the stairs instead of using the elevator, his inhuman strength easily jumping four steps at once. He would be faster this way. He would be there. He would find her answering her door, staring at him confused and terrified because he still looked like a bloody mess. Not even the rain could wash away everything. His wounds were still open, his gaze wild.

And then he finally reached her home.

The door he knew so well and the small yet comfy apartment behind it.

Aomine's broad shoulders lifted with every breath he took. His right hand reached for the doorknob, his senses still blind in the heat of the moment. But the second his dark fingers graced the metal, the door slid open. Not closed. Not locked.

Busted open.

And the apartment was empty. So empty even as he called her name. First a quiet, 'Nidori', before slowly his voice rose to a serious yet demanding 'Mia'.

But there was no answer.

There was nothing.

And Aomine felt cold.

Mia gasped as she pressed her back against the wall of the alley, squeezing her eyes shut for a second.

She had been so stupid, hadn't she? Why did she go out? She could have tried to lie to her best friend or make up some cheap excuse - or at least something which kept her from landing in this alley because of some lunatic. The orange haired student bit her bottom lip as she crouched down, trying to become as small as she possibly could.

Who was she lying to?

She had recognized his face the second he had stood on the other side of the street. The same impish features she had seen that night before her whole life went out of control. And she had turned away from the red light, turning him her back as she had tried to get home as fast as possible without showing that she was desperate as she was.

So much for that...

"I know you're here."

Mia jumped behind the dumpster she had ducked; the shortcut she had taken hadn't been the best. At least not since two weeks apparently, because the end of this alley had been closed off with a fence. It hadn't been before, her mind screamed. Why now? Why today?

She was so goddamn stupid.

The orange-head could hear the footsteps, they were already so close. So very close. And she was hiding, staring at her mobile phone desperately. Oh, why didn't Aomine answer? Where was he right now when she seriously needed him? No matter how often she had tried to call him on her way here, he didn't pick up. And slowly her emotions took a toll on her, wringing her nerves painfully until her heartbeat was loud enough to be heard by the ghoul, she believed.

Maybe Satsuki would pick up, maybe she could do something- and the display of her phone actually changed and showed that the pink haired ghoul had accepted the call unlike her friend.

"Satsuki-san."

Mia only dared to whisper shakily into her phone as she pressed her other hand against her burning forehead.

"Mi-chan, is that you? Is something wrong?"

"I, I couldn't reach Aomine- but, but there is someone. I went out. I was stupid, I know-"

A sudden bang and clattering resounded above the student's head. Mia gasped, trying to keep her voice down as the trash bin nearly exploded against the brick wall above her. The trash inside flew around the alley; the metallic bin fell to the ground not far from her. Rolling to a halt as it touched the fence which trapped the young adult in this dead-end...and after the drumming rain returned once more to her hearing senses...there was a laugh.

So low and dark that Mia was certain she wouldn't survive this night anymore.

"Mi-chan!?"

"I. Found. You."

The orange-head dropped her phone as she heard the deep voice right above her head. With wide eyes she glanced upwards, watching the stranger loom over the top of the big blue dumpster as he smiled at her in such a loving way. His black and red eyes glinted in the streetlight, his pale teeth shined through his open smile. But Mia could barely see his expression as the raindrops from the sky hit her face and blurred her sight.

"Mi-chan! Please answer!"

With trembling cold hands she reached for something, anything beside her until her fingers graced the rusty surface of an old pole. It all happened quite fast. The orange-head grabbed the pole and flung it into the direction of the ghoul in panic. The metal hit the stranger's head with full force but he didn't even flinch.

Mia let go of the pipe in panic, dashing forward to run around the dumpster - she had to get back onto the main street. Back to where witnesses would be. People. But the ghoul landed right in front of her, his smile spreading into a thin grin.

She tried to press past him, only to be pulled back and thrown to the ground like a rag doll. In the end she was nothing but that in his eyes, she thought. His voice was right above her, his fingers closed around her arms like vines. And then there was pain. Bruises forming beneath her skin where his inhuman strength nearly crushed her limbs - it hurt, it hurt so badly - and he hadn't even started yet.

"Stop!"

Mia tried to kick out; pulling her knees closer in hope she could push them in between their bodies. But all the ghoul did was let go of one of her arms, reaching for her bright colored hair to expose her neck and shoulder properly. He was going to eat her. He was going to bite her and pull a chunk of her flesh out while she was still alive and struggling.

The tears finally run down her temples, burning their way down to her ears before she tried to fight back for the last time. The stupid pepper spray was in her jacket pocket, her throbbing arm free to reach for it and pull it out in that short moment where the ghoul only laughed at her misery with his impish grin. And then Mia gritted her teeth, spraying the useless thing right into his inhuman eyes. She watched him lean back, the liquid not burning or hurting him - but blinding him with its strange texture just for a little tiny while.

He rubbed it away, as if it was nothing but water, but that was enough to push him onto his side with all her might. Her arms and knees used all her weight and strength and the awkward angle and any other excuse she could think of to push him off her. Her adrenaline had probably reached its peak in that second. Forcing the orange-head onto her shaky feet as fast as she could, ignoring any pain or bruise or scratches to make her hurry and flee.

She ran and didn't stop.

The ghoul's hand immediately darted out, grasping the hood of her jacket. But Mia's fingers already unbuttoned her drenched jacket, letting the man jerk the clothing off her instead of pulling her back into his deadly arms. Gritting her teeth, she dashed into the main street, nearly colliding with a pair of strangers who were crossing the sidewalk.

Mia didn't really know what to do.

Her arms were shivering; her sweater was too thin to keep her warm in this cold rain. But she couldn't call the CCG, could she? They would question her. They would find out about Aomine - about Satsuki. Her phone was somewhere in that alley with that ghoul. And she probably looked like a runaway child in the middle of a rainy night.

The orange-head quickly glanced around, her feet carrying her over the street towards an internet café in hope that the ghoul wouldn't immediately chase after her when humans were around. The glass door was easily pushed open, the man behind the counter looked up from his manga - and Mia already felt overwhelmed by the contrast. The lack of cold and rain and sheer panic in this building...

...as if no one ever noticed her almost death in the dirty alley across the street.

"You a'right, young lady?"

The bald clerk sat up straighter on his barstool. The wrinkles on his face increasing as he frowned at her appearance.

"Do you want me to call the police?"

"N-no, I just, can I just-"

Mia shook her head wildly, her mind still nothing but a whirlwind in the desert. His accent was heavy, he was not from Tokyo, but that wasn't why she was struggling to find the right words to answer. The orange haired student glanced over her shoulder, her dark eyes taking in the street outside where nothing out of ordinary had appeared yet. She had to calm down. She had to call someone. But who? Mia hadn't memorized any phone number in years, it was never needed. She only knew the one of her father...but that would be the most terrible idea ever.

"-could, could I call someone? Please?"

The middle-aged man could hardly say no, she guessed. As drenched and lost as she looked, she was just grateful that he didn't force her to call the police anyway. He bent down behind his counter before he held a cordless telephone into her direction. But she hesitated. Her fingers were still trembling just like her knees. Who could she call?

"Ex...excuse me but...do you have a telephone book?"

His patience and restraint was gold. The clerk stared at her wordlessly, confused and definitely willed to question her about what had happened. But maybe he had already seen enough. Internet cafés were definitely not the most normal places in the big colorful city here concerning their guests.

As Mia had accepted the phone, he once more bent down behind his counter to find what she was looking for.

The young adult could only hope the number she was searching for was in it. That someone would answer and help her. She only wanted to go somewhere safe now. She wanted Aomine to be honest. The gruff blue haired ghoul who always made her feel better. Made her feel safe and sound with nothing but his presence...

Always?

Mia thanked the clerk quietly as she flipped through the telephone book with trembling fingers. Since when did she connect the word 'always' with a guy she barely knew a few weeks? A guy who belonged to the same kind as the stranger outside, the ghoul who was probably waiting for her to come out so that he could finish what he had started...but no. He was not like that. He would never hurt her.

Aomine was Aomine.

Mia pressed the last digit into the telephone, pressing it against her burning ear while the bald clerk slowly sat back down on his barstool once again.

It rang.

It rang.

It rang.

And then suddenly, there was a click.

"G-good afternoon. I'm sorry, but we're about to close now and-"

"Sakurai-san..."

The shy voice on the other end, sounding just as soft as it did in reality, grew immediately quiet after Mia had uttered his name in a shaky whisper. Now where she could actually hear someone she knew. Someone who was so nice and right the adrenaline got washed out of her system in a flash. The bruises burned, her back stung from the rough fall, a knot formed in her throat.

And Mia felt like crying.

"...Nidori-san?"

As her bell rung, Satsuki was nearly flying towards the door. The bright haired ghoul pushed it hectically open, not a second could she wait to check who it would be. But what she hadn't expected was the sight of her childhood friend, completely drenched to the bone.

Satsuki's eyes widened. She hadn't been able to call him all day, something which wouldn't have worried her usually since he liked to ignore her sometimes, but today it would have been so important. She wanted to yell at him. Accuse him of many things. But her warm colored gaze fell to the bleeding cuts and blotches on his arms and dark shirt. The countless wounds he always brought home to her no matter how often she preached him to not get into fights.

Where was his jacket?

Why was he hurt?

"Aomine-kun..." Satsuki was growling by now, using his surname as if it was an insult.

Aomine, however, didn't react right away. He lifted his head slowly, revealing his still crimson colored eyes and heavy frown. The young woman ushered him quickly inside, checking once, then twice if anyone had seen him. She would be in so much trouble if one of her neighbors saw a tall ghoul standing on her doorstep like this, his significant black eyes shining through the rainy weather for anyone to see.

"What're you doing, Dai-chan!" Satsuki whispered in panic. "Your eyes! W-what happened this time? Jeez, I tried to call you countless times and-"

"Mia."

The name of the orange haired student was enough to stop the female ghoul's bickering. His sudden dark tune was something she had rarely heard. Aomine balled his fists, his shaky grip making it obvious what rage he was keeping inside. Always bottled up, Satsuki thought worried. He always bottled everything up no matter how much she tried to make him talk about his darkest thoughts.

"I fucked up." He hissed. "I wanted to clear it up. Make her safe- her fucking house door was busted open. I couldn't find her. Shit, I fucked up, Satsuki. I fucked up real bad and-"

"Calm down."

"How am I supposed to calm the hell down?"

The blue haired girl glared at her angrily, his sharp face framing his threatening grimace perfectly. And anyone else might have made a run for it, not daring to bother the tall young man any longer. His broad shoulders heaved with every breath he took. His shaking fists were ready to lung for anyone who might provoke him in the slightest. He looked like the excellent form of a terrifying nightmare in the young woman's living room - but Satsuki.

Satsuki, however, shook her head sternly. Not once she showed a spark of fear inside of her as she reached for his arm with her small hands to show him the calm she felt. The lack of panic and hysteria and hatred which was boiling inside of him instead...

"Mi-chan is fine."

Aomine blinked at her, his glare growing more confused than angry. But he was still tense, still caught in the wave of emotions which had hit him like a brick wall before.

"What? What're ya talkin' about?"

"Mi-chan called me, she was in trouble and then she stopped replying."

Her childhood friend was actually about to grow agitated again, his muscles tensing up beneath her assuring touch. Ready to stomp out again. Ready to run back into the cold streets if it meant he had any chance of finding her - but Satsuki stopped him. She shook her head energetically, quickly continuing her tale.

"But a few minutes afterwards Sakurai-kun called me! Mi-chan made it. She quickly contacted the café and asked Sakurai-kun to pick her up. He is bringing her here right now, Dai-chan."

"...right now?"

"Yes, Dai-chan. Right now. Mi-chan is safe."

The young man slowly lifted a hand to his face, pressing it against his burning skin. He didn't know how to react. In between all the drumming and boiling inside of his chest there was relief. She was still alive. He hadn't completely screwed up yet. That little thing which he had actually started to like, the presence of a human who spoke to him, who dared to invite him in to watch TV - it wasn't gone yet. It was still out there.

His little human was a fighter.

But Aomine shook his head; the relief was quickly overthrown by the nauseous sensation which overcame his head. The taste of foul blood on his tongue wasn't good for his stomach - he couldn't even remember when he had bitten one of his opponents back at the bridge to be honest - and his body whined and wrung his nerves around in answer. The hunger he had ignored earlier overcame him once again as the adrenaline drained his body.

"Shit..."

"Dai-chan?"

The blue haired ghoul pushed her hand away, stumbling towards her bathroom where he shut the door behind him. Those idiots had certainly tasted disgusting. Slimy and foul. And his wounds were still bleeding. His healing ability was truly at its lowest point since he hadn't eaten anything in quite some time.

Aomine leaned onto the sink, trying to cough up whatever foul meat or blood he had somehow eaten. Satsuki's concerned voice was nothing but a whisper somewhere in the distance, just like the ringing bell after what felt like an eternity. The disappearance of the adrenaline in his body had been like a kick into his guts, making the blue haired young man nearly coil over as he spit whatever he could into the snow-white sink beneath him.

He looked terrible.

His crimson colored eyes stared at his reflection in the mirror. The washed out dark skin made him look older, but all his mind was able to muster was the thought of how much he hated to look like a sick dog. He couldn't even change his eyes back into the usual smooth blue he knew. His arms twitched as his hold onto the sink grew a little tighter, his hunger not allowing him to think straight.

But there was something in the back of his head.

Noises. Someone who spoke rather softly but was quickly drowned out by someone who spoke louder, sudden steps and then a door which was closed...he wouldn't know that his childhood friend and the nervous waiter of their usual café had quickly left the flat because Sakurai had seen the very ghoul Aomine had yet to kill. The stranger who had dared to follow them and who would now meet the wrath of no one else but an angry pink haired woman...

But what truly made it through the mist of his nauseous mind, the scent of the blood he spat into the sink and his pulsating head was something else. Something small. Something he had come to know so well.

"...Aomine?"

The tall ghoul closed his eyes, still looming over the sink he was clinging onto with his hands to keep them busy.

Yes. He knew that voice. That voice and scent.

That scent.

With a voiceless growl Aomine threw himself back. He collided with the closed door right behind him, sliding down to the cool floor. And he could hear the orange-head gasp, the sudden rumbling probably scaring her but the young man needed this impact. He needed to make himself remember that there is a wall behind him. No matter how thin. And this wall was not meant to be broken.

Ever.

"A...Aomine, are you okay...?"

No, no he wasn't.

He was hungry and she was so close. She was so close and so worried. About a ghoul.

Frustrated he pressed the heels of his hands against his eyes, frowning at nothing in particular. He had imagined it would all be so easy today. He'd rip those fools apart, throwing them somewhere into a dumpster where no one would ever find them. And then he'd shower, get rid of the blood and dirt and everything else which Mia wasn't supposed to see. Not again. Aomine didn't want to see her fearful gaze ever again.

But those damn morons dared to trick him. They had dared to go after her anyway even though they should have known it was stupid to oppose someone like him - and his jacket. Aomine had forgotten all about his annoying jacket at the bridge.

"Aomine."

His shoulders tensed up as he slightly lowered his hands. She was right behind him. His sensitive hearing senses could make her voice out clearly, she must have crouched or sit down on the other side of the door.

And if his deluded hungry mind wasn't completely insane yet, he could nearly feel her touch on the back of his neck. Her warmth. He could even taste her scent and very self upon his tongue. But that alone made him already growl again, angry at himself for even allowing such a thought to pop up in his head.

They were all monsters after all, weren't they?

"Sorry."

Mia's soft voice made Aomine finally push away the turmoil in his head. His crimson eyes fell to his bent knees and hands, not believing what he had heard right there. Why was she apologizing? It was him who was responsible for her fucked up life now. It was all him.

"I did something stupid. Even though you told me not to...it's all my fault, I'm sorry."

It was a dry chuckle which escaped Aomine's throat. Dark and short and yet amused because maybe he should have expected her to say that. It was Mia he was talking about.

"Somethin' is wrong with your head, you know that?"

His voice sounded terrible. Raspy and hoarse, but the orange-head seemed to hear him anyway. Or at least the ghoul hoped so. He could imagine her smile, remembering well the day at the café where he had told her the exact same thing as she had asked if it was alright for her to be there. That suddenly sounded like something that had been years ago.

"Yeah. Yeah, I know."

Mia choked on her answer, gasping quietly for air.

"I'm sorry."

Stupid. That wasn't fair. That wasn't fair.

Aomine's fingers dug into his kneecaps, forcing the young man to feel a new stinging next to all his other wounds. He couldn't handle crying girls in the first place. He wasn't made for that. Satsuki had been already his nightmare all these years, making him crumble whenever she did tear up about something. He never knew what to do.

And now he was hungry. He was hungry and angry and somehow a little happy somewhere. Emotions had never been as exhausting as they had been now. Even more than a human was involved.

His ears strained to keep hearing the orange-head's voice. Her short yet heavy breathing, the way she obviously tried to stop crying even if there was no one else but him here. And Aomine would certainly not judge her. He would have more likely expected her to blame him. Blame him for ruining her life because he definitely did so.

"I'll take responsibility."

Aomine's gruff words made the student on the other side of the door sniff awkwardly.

"...I won't fuck up anymore."

Mia laughed weakly in return, her shaky breath overshadowing her reply.

"You never did."

The ghoul could actually crack a faint grin at that. That was something he heard for the first time in his life. And it somehow hurt just like his kneecaps he was slowly scratching out of their joints to keep his nerves at bay. It wasn't fair. Her scent was so tempting. Her presence so close. And yet he couldn't do anything.

There was a wall.

A wall. A wall. A wall.

A wall which could never be taken down, which could never be broken...indestructible.

But then he could hear how the orange-head turned the knob around, about to break the wall he had built in his mind so easily as if it was nothing. Aomine's eyes widened as he glanced over his shoulder, watching the golden doorknob turn and twist just a bit further before he-

"Don't."

Aomine squeezed his eyes shut.

That was not a good idea, it wasn't.

"Don't."

"...don't what?"

Her voice was so much closer this time. He could hear her so well, smell her, nearly feel her and something inside of him was yearning. He was hungry, so hungry - but she wasn't cattle. She wasn't food.

But who was going to tell that to his other half?

Who was going to stop him from hurting her?

"...you won't hurt me."

Aomine slowly opened his eyes again. Mildly surprised that she had spoken against the very thought which plagued his mind. But he was still reluctant to look into her eyes. Let alone to allow her to open this stupid door. His gaze hadn't returned to normal yet, he was certain. Although the question was, what was normal for someone like him? The blue haired young man didn't know anymore. He just didn't.

And his mind was nothing more than a pool of madness, he believed.

He couldn't see how Mia let go of the doorknob, sliding slowly completely down to lean, just like he did, against the door with her back. The young student hugged her knees close, shivering in her drenched attire a bit more. The living room was empty. Satsuki and Sakurai still after the man who had tried to kill her to make sure he would never appear again.

And the silence engulfed them.

The drumming rain against the windows was a reminder of how big this world outside was. How small the two of them were. How strange and yet bittersweet it tasted to know one another against all odds.

Aomine wanted it back.

The very late afternoon yesterday...the smell of coffee and the sound of annoying laughter of the audience in the TV show...the feeling of comfortable cushions behind his back and Mia's voice beside him, commenting, arguing light-heartedly about nothing in particular over the rim of her steaming cup.

But his inner instinct was screaming louder and louder.

He was hungry. He was pained. Everything burned. Everything stung.

And he needed something, just something.

He was hungry.

So fucking hungry like he hadn't been in a long, long time.

Aomine grunted, gritting his teeth while his fingers were now truly close to ripping his kneecaps out of his legs, he believed. No matter how much trust the orange-head was putting into him, no matter how naive or flattering it was. He would hurt her. He knew it. And he wouldn't stop. He wouldn't stop.

And that was so frustrating, it was driving him mad.

The tall ghoul nearly jumped as he could hear how Mia got suddenly up, her steps echoing through the living room. Still light, but frantic and Aomine tilted his head to the side to pin point where she was right now. The sound of cardboards being opened and closed met his ears.

Over and over again, a shelf, the freezer - the fridge.

The fridge.

"Mia."

She wasn't doing what he thought she was, right?

But the orange-head didn't give him any time. The wall he had built so desperately was pulled open right behind him, revealing the young adult he had nearly lost today. His little human broke his tough wall without hesitation. And shakily Mia offered him the wrapped cold thing she had found in the fridge. Its softness and texture obviously resembling the meat humans ate themselves. But it wasn't from a pig or cow or chicken or whatever else humanity had deemed necessary to their life.

And a single glance revealed that Mia was aware of that.

"Please. Please, Aomine. Just...just get better."

She looked so lost, just like in that night a few weeks ago. Drenched to the bone with her usual pinned up hair hanging down lifelessly into her face...and after his eyes noticed the blotches and traces of blood on the floor behind her, he finally understood where her panic had come from. He must definitely look so not cool right now.

How were they supposed to make this work?

He couldn't look at her as he ate the meat. The voice in his head was too loud, too angry and relieved as the familiar taste drowned his senses. But there was suddenly something bitter about it. There was something which made it hard to chew and gulp it down.

He was a hypocrite, wasn't he? Did that make her one, too?

He rubbed his bloodied hands against his jeans, getting rid of the crimson colored liquid which probably still clung to his lips if he wouldn't have licked them afterwards.

Seriously, how were they supposed to make this work?

Mia was still glued to her spot, the past few hours too much to bear. She would still have to deal with her busted house door, the police who'd investigate to find the 'burglar', her best friend who was probably ready to tear the world apart since she hadn't answered her phone once. She had even lost it in the alley. She would probably never see it again.

But nothing mattered as Aomine finally stood up; ignoring any cut or wound he had as he pressed the orange-haired student against his chest. She was alive. She was well. And beneath the cold and trembling limbs she was so warm and soft like something precious. Something his restless mind had sought all day to finally find tranquility.

Mia's shaky breath grew heavier as she buried her face in his shirt, her fingers clinging to his back.

And then she was silently crying. All tension of her body getting washed away even though she was hugging someone like him - Aomine never thought he was capable of offering anything but violence and mistakes. His life was certainly full of that. But here she was depending on him, shaking her head as the blue haired ghoul actually mumbled a, 'Ya ain't supposed to do that for me.'

"Just be okay..." She whispered so quietly it barely passed her lips. "...please."

In answer his hold on her tightened. Making the embrace nearly painful until he had to remind himself that his strength could easily break her bones - humans were just too fragile. Aomine wasn't good with fragile things in the first place, he was known for breaking everything he touches.

But this.

This would be worth to protect, his mind whispered, in this unfair world this was worth it.

Even if not easy.