Chapter 68 - 66

"… I cannot believe it…" Takamori says in the end, now looking closely at me. "I mean, I believe you, is just that is so… surreal. There is so much we do not know about the ghouls, how they came to be and… you just managed to stumble into a one of a kind and, not only that, bond him to you in a way never seeing before? I always knew you had good luck, but this… this is far beyond that."

As he says it Takamori cannot help but stand and pace back and forth, hand on his forehead and a worried look on his face. "Plus now with those ghouls acting up outside, things are not looking good overall, new types of creatures coming to life, and I can only fear for our lives if there is more of his kind out there. So what now? What are you going to do? Please tell me that is not something stupid…"

"…" Asher keeps quiet and I, partially understanding the flow of the conversation, find that I'm more interested in the way they are acting than in what they are actually saying, most already known by me since, well, I'm basically the topic they are talking about, most of the time at least.

No… What intrigues me is the fact that the so cold and demanding Asher is patiently waiting and obeying Takamori, the so closed up controlling captain is listening to someone beyond himself for once.

That makes me wonder just how far their relationship goes, just how long they know each other… just how deeply they do so.

I catch myself narrowing my eyes and studying Asher's behavior and body as they talk, in how… relaxed he appears to be, nothing major that can be noticed with just a quick glance, but observing I can see his not so stiff shoulders, his open palms, but mostly his not as defensive eyes.

And for some reason that annoys me quite a bit.

In a foul mood I'm taken by surprise when Takamori gets angry at Asher; once more; but this time for a different reason that I try to figure it out.

"You cannot be serious now! What if they find out? No, when they find out, then what? This is a terrible idea and you know it, it will be the end of you both like that!"

"…Takamori, calm down, you know I'm right about this."

"Right? Right?! You always think is about that, and you are smart, you are mostly right, but is not a matter of having reason now, is a matter of putting your life in even more danger, like always! You have to stop pretending you don't care about your own life and stop being so reckless! I know part of it is your duty, and the other part is because of the world we live in right now, not only after the war but because of the ghouls, but still you don't need to make things worse for yourself and go after risky situations! You are not untouchable! Also-"

"Takamori!" Suddenly Asher says, high enough to count as a scream coming from him, which makes Taka stop blabbering and look back at him.

"You know as well as I that is only a matter of time before they find a reason to dispose of me."

"But…but you are a hero, you even have medals for it, you are a captain for crying out loud! They cannot be unto that still!"

"And that is even more reason to do it. A mixed blood would never get this far in the ranks if not for what I did. It…bothers quite a lot of people."

Wait, hero, rank, what? What did he do? Now I'm curious.

"He-ro?" I try saying, and my small attempt in talking makes both men who had forgotten about my presence until now turn their heads towards me.

"Oh, yes, you don't know about it do you Seiji? Sorry, it must have sounded confusing to you. Well, it may not seem like it but this guy here is a big shot, when the first wave of ghouls came most panicked when they realized normal bullets and guns did not kill them, and the Citadel may not assume but they were close to collapse."

"You can imagine right… an army of unknown undying creatures advancing through your lines… a scary thought, hell on earth for them, and back then they did not have their walls to protect them, so all the continent was bound to fall into ghouls claws at the first dreadful night."

"However, this guy here was at the front lines within Shinzaki war, and instead of running away he observed as much as he could, and figure out that ghouls are weak to fire and used that to back them off from Wilraine territory."

"Holding off the first night was the hardest and the most important one, so thanks to that, even if against their politics, they had to give credit for his actions and make him captain, a title that only his mixed blood was holding him off from."

Oh, that sounds interesting, so the Citadel and humankind only exist today because of his quick thinking… is actually quite the badge to have.

And yet there are people who want him dead… jealously? Prejudice? Such a good useful asset like himself to be ended just for such stupid reasons… sometimes I wonder just how humans are still alive until this day, they are definetly not as smart as they think they are, at least the animals outside know how to embrace their own nature.

But what is the human nature after all? I can only wonder…

"Which only makes me wonder more… are you even a ghoul, Seiji? You can breathe fire after all… something deadly to ghouls, and even hunt them down too… Never seeing a ghoul eat another one, kill perhaps, but they never feed on each other, so that's quite odd…"

He kneels in front of me, raising strange questions that make me uneasy, only to continue his stream of inquiring:

"What are you, Seiji? You have a human form after all, but your other form is completely off from it, and all the ghouls have some human resemblance, but not you. I don't think you are even a ghoul. Strange… don't you know? Do you remember anything?"

Remember…? What is there to remember? I… I don't know…

"Which reminds me… how do you know his name, Asher? You did not simply gave him one now, did you…?"

That makes my ears perched too as we both turn to stare at Asher, waiting for an answer.

But I would have never guessed what comes out from his mouth moments later.