Chapter 36: dinner

Kuro and Shiro were walking down a random path in the fourteenth ward. They had decided to walk around the ward as they thought about Itori's request. "Get Tsukiyama to give us the location of the ghoul restaurant that he's a member of, huh?" Kuro thought out loud. Her sister looked pensive as well.

The request seemed somewhat simple. They just had to get the gourmet to reveal the location of the ghoul restaurant as well as try to find some information on who ran it, how to become a member, and possibly a bit on those who were already members. But while it sounded simple, the fact that Itori needed their help with it instead of getting it herself hinted at there being something more. Either the information was well guarded, or their old acquaintance and information dealer already had it and was really setting them up for one of her infamous "practical jokes".

"Should we really have accepted her request?" Kuro asked her sister. Shiro turned to her and answered, "I'll admit, Itori's request does seem somewhat… suspicious but I still think we should do it. Besides we could easily turn this to our advantage."

"How so?" Kuro asked. Shiro took a minute form her answer. Placing all the bits and pieces together in her head. "Well first off, in the ghoul world, information is one of the deadliest weapons there is. With the right knowledge, one can escape an inescapable situation or set the doves loose at your enemy's front doorstep. Who knows what we could get out of this place; a high class restaurant is just a treasure trove waiting for us to plunder it. But that's not the biggest plus to accepting my dear sister."

Kuro quirked her eyebrow up in confusion. "So then what is the…biggest plus then?" Shiro smirked at her before, with an over exaggerated pose, she shouted, "Having Itori owe us one of course. Despite her mischievous personality, Itori is overall a trustworthy person. At least when you know how to play her. She may leave some things out and messes with your head with what she does tell you, but for the most part what she tells you is the truth."

"We could use this to get her to tell us more about Kanou and what he did with Auntie Rize!" Kuro finally caught on to what Shiro was saying. "Yep. She's an information broker after all. So she should have something on a thing this big and I say we should make her spill it all before we give her what she wants. She should at least have some knowledge on where Satou is at least. Being in the same pack and all."

But anymore conversation on this matter was cut short when they heard the sounds of a scuffle of some sort around a corner. The two girls looked at each other for a second before they snuck quietly over to the corner and peered into the loading dock-like area before them. There they saw a group of people picking on another one on the ground. Being downwind, they could smell that all four of them were all ghouls.

Both girls watched for a bit conflicted on what to do. On the one hand it was morally right to step in and help the ghoul on the ground currently being beaten by these lowlifes. On the other hand, it wasn't any of their business or even their ward so they were supposed to leave it alone according to the social rules of ghouls unless they were intentionally wanting to cause trouble. Besides it wasn't like they weren't guilty of acts just as bad if not worse so what right did they have to step in?

As they watched though, Shiro caught a glimpse of who it was being beaten. It was Nishiki Nishio. She remembered what he did to her and Hide. Her anger destroyed what good will she had left and she turned to leave; ignoring the questioning glance from her now following sister. But her conscience had to step in and she found herself stopping in her tracks when a pained scream came from her one time adversary. Shiro trembled a bit as gritted her teeth as her conscience and anger at the man fought each other inside her.

The ghouls who were currently trying to rip off Nishiki's arm were shocked out of their attempt by the sudden and loud scream of, "God Dammit!" from an angry sounding young female nearby. Suddenly two girls appeared in the entrance to the loading dock they were in. The white looked angry while the black one just seemed confused as to what was happening.

Shiro just pointed at them all and said, "You three dipshits, leave." Kuro shrugged her shoulders at this; not knowing why they were helping but deciding to just go with it. "Hah?" one of the ghouls said back at her. He slowly walked towards them; trying to be intimidating but just succeeded in irritating the two girls. "Oi Bitch, where do you get off on telling us what to do? You a friend of his?" he asked. Both girls' faces scrunched up in disgust. "No," Shiro icily said, "And I can tell you what to do because, I'm stronger then you. Simple as that." She finished with an aggressive grin at the man; challenging the other ghoul.

The other ghoul just stepped right into her personal space with his disgusting breath wafting through her nostrils. "You little… Do you know where you're at?" Shiro could care less what he was getting at but sarcastically replied with, "No, we're actually a little lost good sir." Both girls could barely keep their straight faces at the look on the thuggish ghoul's face. "Where are you from?" he asked. "The twentieth," Kuro answered without a moment's hesitation.

The three ghouls who had been picking on Nishiki smirked at this. "The twentieth ward?" the thuggish one asked his other compatriots. The one that looked like a goldfish just laughed at this. While the one that Kuro thought looked like someone she had seen in a gay porn said, "That's what she said," with a stupid grin on his face that she wanted to punch.

The thug turned around to them again; now further underestimating them. He gave them the most condescending smile as he began to say, "Young ladies. Let me tell you something interesting. Do you know what we are doing here?" "Jerking each other off?" Kuro replied. Shiro giggled at her sister's comeback. Now angry the thug tried to unsuccessfully hide the fact that he was preparing to strike. "We are just participating in a new trend…"

He swung a punch but it was so slow and obvious that both girls dodged it. "…called cannibalism." The ghoul began to brag about it but neither girl cared anymore to listen. They just lazily dodged the man. Compared to previous fights and spars with their brother, Yomo, Mado, Touka, numerous other ghouls and investigators they didn't know the name of, and even each other, this man's skill level was just pathetic. Yet he still seemed to think that he was better.

"Oh," said as Shiro dodged again. "Seems that you have some unexpectedly good moves." The other two joined in the taunting as well. "All they are doing is just dodging," goldfish remarked while the other said, "Hurry up and kick their asses already. Maybe we could have some fun afterwards."

Shiro now tired of this, finally jumped up and kicked the man in the face sending him flying down the dock. Both girls laughed at the idiot as they calmly walked over to where Nishiki was. "You want to cannibalize when you guys are this weak? You can't even tell the difference in strength between us dumbass," she said to the three. She placed a foot on Nishiki before stating, "As of now, Nishiki is under the jurisdiction of the twentieth ward. If you have problem with that," they allowed their kagunes to be unleashed, "then just come and try to take him."

It seemed the men recognized their rinkakus. Now realizing both who they were and who they were related too, the group of cowards, scurried away. Kuro let out a deep breath before putting her Kagune back in; remarking, "Well that was easy." They both soon picked up the injured, Nishiki and began carrying him to his home.

After an unpleasant trip with Nishiki complaining the whole way, the three of them reached the apartment. They unceremoniously tossed him on the floor of his apartment. "When I recover…I'll have my revenge on all of you…bitches," Nishio wheezed on his dirty floor. Kuro sighed and sarcastically said, "Sure you will." But then she formed a devious grin and said, "Maybe, you could get some help from the manager." Just as she had delightfully expected, Nishio's face scrunched up in disgust at the idea and he stated, "I don't need any help from that sly old bastard."

The two girls got up to leave but before they could, Kuro saw movement from the doorway and moved out of the way of an angry human woman who struck at her with a stun gun. Quickly she yanked the woman by the hand that held the stun gun and slammed her onto the nearby wall. Kuro gave the woman a threating look before asking, "Who the hell are you?!" the woman struggled a bit before they heard Nishio call out, "Kimi… stop it… these wounds weren't caused by those two."

Kuro let Kimi go and she ran to her wounded boyfriend. They watched as she fretted over the wounded ghoul while he just joked about his hunger getting the best of him. They also heard that Kimi had seen Tsukiyama at the Kamii campus not long ago. Was he looking for their brother perhaps?

"Why?" Shiro asked out of nowhere; now curious about her relationship with Nishio. "Why are you with a ghoul? Aren't you scared?" For some reason, Shiro found herself desperate to know her answer. A memory of her parents fluttering in her mind. In a way, she was asking both Kimi and her deceased mother how they could truly love a monster.

Kimi walked outside with them; away from Nishiki's ears. Her face in a neutral expression as she thought about her answer. On the walkway outside the apartment she finally answered, "It's true I was shocked in the beginning. He even attacked me once when he lost control. But… I still want to be by his side."

"Even though he kills humans?" Kuro asked. She too found herself desperate for an answer for a reason that even alluded her. "I can deal with it as long as he doesn't kill my friends or family members. After all he needs a dead body and those aren't easy to just come across." She stopped for a moment; trying to come up with the best way to explain her actions.

Kimi looked them both in the eyes with her own filled with resolve. "If I had been born a ghoul too," she told them, "then I would have had to kill people too. I was just lucky to be born human and have a happy, peaceful life. So what right do I have to judge him when he has no other option? If it comes down to it then I'll… I'll…"

Before she could finish though, Shiro sighed and flicked the older woman rather painfully on the forehead. "Idiot," she whispered before turning to leave with her sister. "And don't worry we won't tell anyone where he is." She stopped at the stairs and lastly said, "And if you need some meat then stop over at the shop sometime. I'm sure the old man would be more than willing to help you."

The day for their "date" as Itori jokingly called it with Tsukiyama turned out to be a pleasantly warm day despite it being later in the year. First they played some game called squash for a reason that confounded Shiro. Tsukiyama said something to her about "adding a little spice to their day"; whatever that meant. In the end she sat on the edge of the court with her phone while Kuro played against the man. It took her a little while to learn the rules but after a bit, she proved to be a match for the purple haired ghoul. Eventually she won by one point and the trio finally headed over to the book café with neither girl noticing the way the man gazed at the sweaty Kuro.

Once there he ordered the three of them iced coffees. "The ice will cool us off so we can more easily enjoy the taste of the blend," he explained. While they waited the two girls took in their surroundings. The café appeared rather chic and modern with a light colored wood décor, many books out for the customers to read at their leisure and the fresh scent of coffee wafting through the inviting air. The whole place felt calming to the soul to the girls. Shuu smiled as he watched the two lovelies he had took in their surroundings.

After their coffees arrived, he asked, "How do you like the place?" Shiro turned to him and happily replied, "It's nice. The calm atmosphere here really makes me feel at peace. I could just read for hours here." Kuro nodded her agreement. "It may not be Anteiku, but this place isn't half bad," she added. "Merci, that's good to hear," said Shuu. "This place is one of my favorites after all. I was quite afraid that you'd dislike it."

He looked around the café before stating, "Quel dommage. It appears that Takatsuki won't be coming in today." Shiro visibly deflated at this but Kuro only seemed to be mildly disappointed. "But perhaps that's for the best. After all, neither of you are really dressed appropriately for such a meeting." Kuro took offense to this and asked, "And what's wrong with what we're wearing?"

He smiled at her. "It's not really bad, but it's still missing a certain, je ne sais quoi if you will. For meeting a person such as Mr. Takatsuki, I feel one needs to at least be a little more fashionable." He pointed at Shiro and informed her, "I believe something delicate would work for you. Perhaps a nice short summer dress and some cute shoes along with some well-placed jewelry to accentuate your natural beauty." He then pointed at Kuro. "For you I feel a more tomboyish look would work with some shorts and maybe some nice boots and hat to go along with it."

He noticed the surprised stares from the girls and laughed nervously. "Pardon. I happen to enjoy coordinating. Depending on how you mix it, one can make many different outfits from only a handful of clothing. Sadly most of the regulars at Anteiku are rather sloppy and uncaring in their appearance. I feel that one should always try their best to find outfits befitting them and care for one's appearance."

He then turned to Shiro and asked, "Do you perhaps know of the French gourmet, Jean Anthelme Brillat-Savarin?" Shiro nodded. "Yes, I actually read his book after big brother finished it. Kuro tried to read it too but…" Kuro huffed, "It's not my fault. That book was just so dull that I could barely read a couple pages before feeling sleepy." Tsukiyama laughed at this interaction and continued, "The books of gourmets are of great interest to me actually."

He looked out the window longingly while he talked. "The tastes that I can never experience…are exciting and interesting. We can't even imagine how they taste. I still wonder what he truly meant by, 'A desert without cheese is like a beautiful woman with only one eye'. Even now, I still hunt after what that cheese is for us… for our kind. I've tried hundred, no thousands of combinations and yet my fascination has not yet waned. Truly, the path of the gourmet is a perilous and long one."

Shiro remarked, "That's a little deeper than I've ever thought about food before. You have very unusual view on food Mr. Tsukiyama; at least for someone with tastes such as ours. Was it this sort of stuff that you spoke with Rize over?" Kuro immediately noticed the change in his mood at the mention of her aunt. It frightened her a bit and made her start to rethink their plan to get Tsukiyama to tell them where the restaurant was. But the moment passed fast enough to make her think that perhaps she'd just imagined it.

Shuu was quiet for a moment as he controlled his emotions so as not to alarm the girls too much. "Ah. We did speak a bit about food. Books as well since both she and I were avid readers. Even how our lives were before we reached the twentieth ward. I also invited her out for a nice dinner once or twice." His mind turned to the memory of when she had cruelly turned down his gracious invitation to join his exclusive dinning group. Without his notice, he became so focused on his anger at that pig, that it soon alarmed both girls and he cracked his cup of coffee. "Sorry," he apologized, "While we had a favorable relationship, near the end, we ended up in rather large disagreement. It appears that I'm still a bit sour over it."

Both girls were greatly disturbed by this sudden outburst by the so far, amicably ghoul. But they decided to ignore it. It wasn't unheard of for their aunt, who had seemed to have had a talent for aggravating people, to warrant this reaction from others. Besides, if the worse came to pass, they both had confidence in their skills, and believed they could easily defeat this man no matter what he pulled.

Soon they had finished their coffees and left the store. "Thanks for the wonderful time," Shiro sweetly said. Now was the time to set their plan into motion. Kuro said, "But I am kinda hungry. Would you perhaps know of somewhere we could go? Someone like you must know of one or two amazing places to find food right?" They waited for the man to take the bait.

He seemed shocked for a second, but Tsukiyama quickly put on a friendly smile and said, "How surprising. I was just thinking of inviting you actually. It's normally members only but you should be allowed in with my recommendation. Fine young girls like you should enjoy a high class meal at least once in their lives." Kuro felt that things were going too smoothly but just chocked that up to paranoia and followed the gourmet.

Thy soon arrived at the rather innocent looking building. Tsukiyama whispered something to the man at the door who soon took the girls to a nice shower filled with extremely fancy bathing products and appliances; some of which they couldn't identify. They clean themselves off and dried each other's hair before being led to another room. "Tsukiyama-sama has prepared some dresses specifically for you ladies," their attendant explained to them while opening the door.

Inside they found a luxurious changing room with many outfits too choose from for both male and female. They both were given the dress prepared specifically for them and helped into them by a couple of maid like servants. Shiro wore a strawberry red dress with some brownish-yellow accessories to complete the outfit while Kuro found herself wearing a more raspberry purple outfit with a couple hair accessories. The whole ensemble was finished with some light but well done makeup and nail polish.

They were then led into a rather empty but decent sized room. In the center of it, Tsukiyama was sitting at the one and only table with a cup of coffee. He noticed both girls looking around a bit confused and asked, "Is something wrong?" Kuro answered, "No. I was just expecting something a little more… grandiose." Her remarked caused him to laugh. The disappointment in her voice was just too cute.

"Unfortunately, we came on a rather slow day. I reserved us this private dining hall to eat in for today. But who knows, perhaps next time we can catch one of the shows that are the star attraction for this place. They are just to die for." Both girls sat at the table. After a few minutes of light conversation, the dinner was finally ready and placed in front of the trio.

To the sisters the food did look delicious and well prepared, but also a little too small. Like their aunt and even big brother, they cared more for volume then tastes when push came to shove. Still, when they took the first bite, they were left speechless. It was perhaps some of the best tasting meat they had ever had. They quickly dug into with little care for manners.

Once finished, they were treated to some after dinner coffee. Tsukiyama asked, "So how did you enjoy the dinner?" Kuro took a long a long sip from her coffee and answered, "It was a bit small, but it tasted amazing." Tsukiyama laughed at her answer. "Well I'm glad you enjoyed it." Kuro smiled again and prepared to take another sip but she found she couldn't.

Kuro's body suddenly felt heavy and her mind was in a fog. The cup fell from her hands and crashed on the floor. She felt dizzy. She then heard a thud next to her and saw her sister splayed out on the table, unconscious, next to her. The last thing she saw before she collapsed was Tsukiyama's smile.

Shuu grinned and simply watched the two girls fall. Just as promised, the drug had gone unnoticed by either of them and its effects had easily overwhelmed both of them. He pressed a button on the bottom of the table before walking over to the girls. He noticed a bit of drool leaking from Shiro's mouth. "Ah, Mon Chéri how you temp me with your delectableness. But one must save desert for after the main course. But perhaps a taste." He used his finger to collect some of the drool and taste it. The taste was heavenly. Something he had never had before. He was almost willing to dig in now but the entrance of the serving staff interrupted him.

The staff quickly came over and placed both girls in ornate wheelchairs and used quinque ivs to continue administering the drug to them. "Make certain they are well taken care of. It wouldn't do for the ingredients to become damaged," he ordered. He also went over to where the girls were and removed the phone from Shiro's pocket and a lock of Kuro's hair before they were both taken away. He unlocked the phone while sniffing the hair's bitter-sweet scent and called a particular phone number.

"Good evening Kaneki-san," he said when the phone was answered, "I was wondering if you would be willing to join me for a late dinner."