Friend, or foe?

(Sorry I've been gone for so long, I hope everyone is having a wonderful 2021! I'll most likely continue this FF for a while or until I complete it, so strap yourselves in!)

I turned my head and saw a ridiculously handsome man with long black hair tied back neatly, two glowing orange eyes that radiated a sense of nobility, yet also contained an infinite amount of kindness, and the man wore a nice black suit with a white undershirt and a dark blue necktie.

I turned around fully and bowed my head, saying "Greetings, my name is Ryu Takao. May I ask for your name, sir?" I struggled to keep my composure under the man's natural aura; a domineering and tyrannical feeling that betrayed his seemingly calm and caring demeanor. The man laughed and restrained his aura before saying "Very well. My name is Tsokuma Matsumoto, the current head of the Matsumoto Family. It is a pleasure to meet you, Ryu..."

I relaxed my tense body and adopted a casual expression before extending my hand and saying "Thank you for having me, Mr. Matsumoto." Tsokuma chuckled and grasped my hand firmly before moving next to me and once again gazing at the beautiful city of Tokyo below. "It's a wonderful city. It truly is a shame that Ghouls run rampant in the world. I wish they would strive to make peace with the Humans in some way..."

I nodded my head in agreement as memories of my various battles with Humans flashed through my mind. I knew that, if I was alone with no one to care for, then I would have hesitated to kill. However, I have people that I must protect, no matter what, so I can't hesitate. I have to be cold and ruthless to those who want to do my friends harm.

We stood there in silence as a cool breeze swept over our bodies and ruffled our hair. "Mr. Tsokuma, why do we have to eat Humans? Why did it turn out this way?" Tsokuma smiled and said "That I do not know, dear Ryu. It is a curse that displays itself proudly, while we cower behind it, afraid to see what we have become because of it..."

Suddenly, the door to the roof opened and Yami stuck his head out and said "Oh, you've already met him, father. Well, are you gonna tell him?" Tsokuma chuckled slightly and said "Yes, yes. Now quit your worrying." Yami nodded his head and closed the door as Tsokuma faced me and said "Ryu, we have had problems with the Ghouls in our domain. We've lost quite a few men in the process, and it is getting increasingly difficult to deal with them on our own..."

I knew where this was going. "So, you want me to help you out?" Tsokuma clapped his hands and said "Very perceptive! Of course, you will be compensated quite handsomely..." I let out a small sigh and smiled before saying "Alright fine. I'll help you out. Just make sure that you keep everyone safe, ok?" I knew this man was using me, a random boy who he had never met before, so that he could properly gauge the enemies strength, or just so he wouldn't lose more men, but I wanted to see if my hunch was correct...

Tsokuma and I shook hands after he gave me the address of the Ghouls and I watched as he walked back into the house before Yami bolted out at lightning fast speeds. "He didn't torture you, did he? He didn't force you to agree to something by holding your friends hostage, right!?" I put my hands up in a calming gesture and said "Woah, Yami, calm down. Everything's fine, I'm just going to get rid of a few pests that I volunteered to take care of."

Yami blew a sigh of relief before looking me in the eyes and glancing around hesitantly as he said "Look, Ryu, don't trust that old man, no matter what. He's just as ruthless as the Doves." Yami disappeared into the winds and I once again looked out toward the city below. "Why can't we just have peace..." I sighed and jumped from the building, landing quietly below before activating my kakuja and darting through the shadows.

I reached the address, a large abandoned warehouse in a secluded area, before hopping the gate and activating my rinkaku kagune. My eyes darted back and forth as I strut up to the front door. A group of five cloaked Ghouls jumped from the top of the warehouse to intercept me. "Who do we have here? Someone lookin to die tod-" I stabbed out with one of my tentacles, piercing the man's head in one swift movement before tossing him away.

The other four Ghouls flinched before activating their kagunes, two koukaku and a rinkaku and bikaku. I blocked their attacks before activating my ukaku kagune and showering them with red-gold spikes that crackled with electricity. I walked through the carnage and blood before busting the warehouse door open. The smell of decaying flesh hit me immediately, making me cringe from under the white skull mask adorning my face.

"Ah, another dog from the Matsumoto family has shown up. Greetings, young pup, my name is Baron." A Ghoul in a fine black suit with a red tie and a black-and-white mask with a large smile on its surface appeared from the shadows before bowing deeply. "My, you're a quiet one. Say, why do you think you're here, young pup."

I looked at the man before glancing around the dark warehouse and saying "To kill you and your friends..." The Ghoul laughed maniacally and said "I thought so!" before activating his kagune. a single cyan-blue wing grew from his back and he took off into the air above me as three masked Ghouls charged at me with their kagunes. I dodged their combined efforts to skewer me before appearing behind one of the Ghouls.

"Thunderclap..." I clapped my hands and a torrent of electricity filled air, stunning the Ghouls next to me before sending them flying backwards into the wall. Baron, the Ghoul with the smiling mask, laughed once again before shooting down toward me while sending out a barrage of blue spikes. I countered with my own spikes before swatting the Ghoul away with my rinkaku kagune.

I spun and blocked a punch from one of the Ghouls I knocked back before throwing him into the other two. The two Ghouls dodged the body and leapt toward me as Baron barraged me with spikes from behind. I internally cursed myself before spinning and creating a whirlwind of fire and electricity. I scorched the Ghouls while creating an opening for me to catch my breath, making me wonder what was keeping me from just killing them.

Memories of all the CCG I've killed up until now flooded my mind along with the memory of Kaneki being crushed by the steel beams. It wasn't my fault that they all died on those days, but it still weighed my mind down enough to effect my every move. I wasn't a killer. I didn't want to kill anyone, even if it was self-defense. Even though Kaneki didn't actually die, his humanity did, and I was to blame for it, just as Yomo is.

'I may be artificial, but I'm still a Ghoul, just as much as I am a Human. I make mistakes, and I sure as hell know when I'm doing something wrong. This...this isn't wrong, protecting my friends from harm. These Ghouls don't deserve the lives they've been given, I can tell from how they act and from the smell of this place...I'll erase them from this world so that it may take another step toward peace!'

I swiped my hand across and released a line of fire before dashing behind it and using its scorching heat as a decoy to hide my own presence. I appeared behind a masked Ghoul before piercing their body with my hand and lightning them on fire. Another Ghoul was too slow to dodge my fire from before, so he was burned alive; leaving me with only two more to go.

I fired a few spikes at Baron before releasing a flurry of stabs and slashes at the remaining masked Ghoul; his body torn to shreds in mere minutes. Baron landed nimbly on the ground before clapping his hands and saying "Bravo, bravo my dear pup! You have the heart of a Lion, and the strength of a, well a Ghoul! Would you..." Baron's voice cut off as he disappeared before appearing behind me and continuing. "Entertain me a bit longer..."

I was sent crashing into the ground as Baron's back began to bulge before four black and white tentacles burst out. Baron looked at me and smirked before saying "Just like your special attribute is being able to use both fire and lightning in your attacks, mine is the ability to copy one's Kagune and use it to its full capabilities. In short, the stronger my opponent, the stronger I become!"

His wings began to morph and grow thin until they resembles two scythes with razor sharp edges. A thin, frayed cloak began to form over his body as a cyan skull mask formed over his face, making him an almost perfect copy of me. I clicked my tongue and dodged his rinkaku before slicing two of the tentacles off with my own, however, in return he pierced my right arm with his ukaku kagune.

I spun and deflected the rest of the spikes with my rinkaku before using the tentacles to propel myself toward Baron. I cocked my fist back and clad it in flames as Baron shielded himself with his two remaining tentacles. My punch collided and tore through his kagune before being stopped by the cloak covering his body.

'Damn...I forgot that this isn't just a piece of cloth.' I spun and kicked Baron in the stomach, sending him sliding across the floor. I followed up with a series of punches and stabs before Baron's kagune could regenerate, however, when I tore through his ukaku and what was left of his rinkaku and went for the finishing blow, his original ukaku kagune sprouted from his back and shot out dozens of spikes aimed for my head.

I smiled slightly and ducked before grabbing Baron's leg and slamming him down onto the ground, knocking his breath from his body and dispersing his kagune. I combined my tentacles before aiming it at Baron's head and saying "Talk. Or else you die. What were you doing here, and why are you causing trouble for the Matsumoto family."

Baron laughed lightly and said "Why? Well, that's a simple question. The head of the Matsumoto family is a demon that will do whatever it takes to fulfill his desires, be it world domination or world peace, neither will be truly completed if that man is at the front. We worked to foil his plans so that we could obtain real peace with Humans, not the flimsy excuse for a threat that Tsokuma offers..."

A thin cloud of smoke began to swirl behind Baron; soon taking shape into that of a woman whos pink hair sent chills down my spine. "What will you do, my dear Ryu? Will you kill him and help Yami's father...or will you allow him to live on, causing Tsokuma to fail in his unknown plans..." I tried to speak, but my palms were beginning to sweat the longer I looked into Naomi's now red-gold eyes.

I felt a pressure like never before weighing down on my shoulders as I looked at Baron then back at Naomi. Naomi appeared behind me and whispered into my ear. "I say you kill him, but you're in control not me...kill...kill...kill...kill him..." I began to slowly raise my hand into the air as my eyes turned vacant and my consciousness screamed out.

"I...I don't...want to kill..." My hand dropped limply at my side and Naomi clicked her tongue before disappearing into a thin veil of smoke as Baron bolted up and disappeared into the shadows, leaving me all alone under a dim light, wondering why I was questioning myself, my actions.

Why I was questioning my purpose. Was I supposed to fight, or protect humanity. Why was I even a Ghoul in the first place...