1 Girl Meets Anomaly

She was Rize, the binge eater that ravaged Tokyo without a care leaving skeletons in her wake. While others might eat one or two a month, she devoured two or three dozen. Over the years she became an expert at striping corpses of their choicest parts. By the time she finished investigators were left jumping at shadows only ever finding her leftovers. After tearing through the 10th ward and stomping a hole in Jason's ass she set her sights on the 20th ward. That's where she found the strange smelling youth.

How else could she classify him? She hadn't learned his name and no one in Anteiku, the local ghoul gang of the 20th ward, knew of him. Rize knew she wasn't going crazy she saw him often going after the same type of prey as her. It was weird.

When their eyes met on that destined encounter, she expected him to fall head over heals for her. He was her type. The buttoned shirt, dress pants, and shy eyes were her favorite. On top of everything he exuded an aura of danger the likes she'd never felt. He radiated secrets and death. But with all great meetings there was a problem. For once her mouth didn't water and he didn't give chase.

Just thinking about it made her eyes twitch. It was an insult, she was beautiful and definitely his type. Rize dressed modestly in a white dress cut low enough to tease the imagination yet long enough to hide her modesty. She spent hours preparing her hair for the day ensuring it was perfect. If her perfect figure and bookish persona, complete with sexy black glasses, didn't draw nerds like Otakus to an hentai convention, then a bit of cleavage worked just as well. Men couldn't take their eyes off her breasts most dates. Few college students could resist blushing in her presence. This guy didn't even look at her.

It made her want to tear her beautiful purple hair out. She nearly chipped a nail ripping the spine out of a look alike. Some college student she black widowed away from medical school. The look on his face when she started accusing him of ignoring her was priceless.

Flashback!

She made sure to undress slowly to the boys flushing face. He smelled yummy so different from the clearly not food smell of the youth. The mole Sato's face was breaking her immersion, so she turned the lights off and closed the blinds. Slowly, she closed her eyes and pictured herself with the youth.

"You ignored me! Do you know how that makes me feel? Why didn't you chase after me when you had the chance before?" Rize demanded.

"Rize chan, I'll never ignore you I promise. Please don't be angry I'll do whatever I can." She didn't want to hear it.

She plunged her hand into his stomach and took hold of his spine. "No one ignores me." Rize said. Her kakugan emerged in all their black and red glory.

"Rize, you're a ghoul." Those were the words she wanted to hear the big reveal. She moved quickly and turned on the lamp beside them.

"Mole," Rize said and pouted.

She sighed as her immersion shattered before digging around for Sato's liver. The boy was in shock and couldn't move. She yanked the organ free and took a bite, delicious. The expression of surprise wasn't bad, but it just didn't do it for her. She reached out and ripped the mole off his face, much better!

Flashback End!

After that day she had to come to terms that he might be gay. It was the only possibility in her mind. Normally, she'd avoid someone like that like the plague. People who weren't drooling over her might catch on at an inopportune moment. If she couldn't eat him then he was useless. Unfortunately, they were chasing the same prey.

She had followed a delicious smelling corporate type back to his office. An hour past midnight was the perfect time for a late-night snack. Just as she prepared to slip into the building the youth appeared. Everything started making sense, he always chased after the same prey she did. Things were starting to make a lot more sense. Obviously, he was gay and had a similar type as her. Well, this was her territory and things in common or not she would chase him away.

Just as she prepared to strike something unbelievable happened. Instead of sneaking in and leaving his back exposed to her, he floated. She stared as the youth's feet left the ground and his body shot up several stories until he vanished. Rize took her glasses off and cleaned them with a silk handkerchief she kept for the cleanup.

That settled it he was the most interesting thing in the 20th ward. Tsukiyama was a bore and the anteiku people while entertaining were predictable. They were the goody types who wanted to blend in with humanity. It was impossible for her to get along with them.

She watched him vanish into the darkness. Still, his scent lingered. Was he a strange form of ghoul or an honest to god vampire? She fought a giggle at the last part. Vampires were just romanticized ghouls. She paused in her strides to the door. Weren't they?

Rize slipped into the building using a poorly shut door to her advantage. She wanted to see what this strange smelling ghoul did to his victims. She loved playing with her food, did he?

Riza did as she was born to do and followed her nose. Hopefully, she'd make it before the fun begins. The door closed behind her as she stealthy caught up to her prey. She wondered how he'd take it if she nibbled on the man a little.

It didn't take her long to find the man sitting in his office before she could have a little fun her point of interest stepped out of the shadows. One moment only her prey was there then the youth appeared with a casual smirk. The shadowy teen walked through the room like he owned the place and even to her ghoul hearing never made a sound.

She brushed her hair to the side and focused on listening in. "I thought you'd be celebrating." The youth's statement held heavy in the air as his deep voice reverberated around the room. The man jumped and she almost lunged stopping herself at the last second as her primal instincts nearly took hold.

"Jack! Are you trying to give me a heart attack?" The prey asked.

Jack gave a bemused smile. Rize joined him with a smirk of her own. This was her favorite part, when the prey was unintentionally correct. She reveled in those tiny moments when the absurd became the inevitable. The prey always looked so surprised.

"You did well, is it official are you on the board." The man nodded to the youth. That's quite an achievement at such a young age. You're only 35. What's your next step and how can I help?" Jack asked.

"I'm done, there is no next step. The CEO knows what he's doing, and the board is as far as I want to climb. Your services are no longer required Jack." The man said. Rize rubbed her legs together as the tension in the room increased it was coming and she couldn't wait.

Jack's face twitched. He took a deep breath. "Shiro think very carefully before you decide to stop. Don't you want to stand at the top. What about places of office, you could use your new position as a springboard into a high government position. You do have the background for it." Jack suggested.

"You helped me get to where I am today and I'm grateful but it's time to quit while I'm ahead. I'm sorry to say this Jack but you're fired." Shiro said.

Jack let his hands fall and turned to the window. A look appeared on his face that Rize knew she'd worn many times. This was it.

"How long has it been since I pulled you from the roof top?" Jack said. Shiro looked up with an adorable frowny face. Rize wished she'd saved some of Sato for this. She loved to eat while watching drama.

"Five years ago, you put me on the path for revenge. I didn't know then you pulled me from death's clutches, handed me a knife, and I killed my cheating wife. She cheated on me with a member of the board and there were so many people in on it. We stacked the bodies like firewood until I killed Nakamura this morning. Now I can finally move on, I'm done with this life. If I don't do this then soon it'll be too late." Shiro said.

Jack appeared on the desk in a brief flash of speed. Even Rize was reeling at how fast the youth moved. He stared down at Shiro. A look bouncing between exasperation and elation played Jack's face. "The karma I sowed must be reaped. I took your life in my hand and gave it back to you. You were insatiable, revenge, power, and position you took each when I offered them. This is the end of your growth." Shadows stood on end and swirled protectively around Shiro.

Rize edged back. This was getting weird. She had enough issues on her plate dealing with super powered humans wasn't on her to do list. But she didn't move. Despite the strangeness she wanted to see this through to the end.

"I've grown powerful in the five years and long since surpassed your training." The shadows struck the youth. Everything the shadows touched rotted away. They roiled and formed strange symbols as they gathered around the youth.

Jack snorted and the shadows shattered. He pointed his fingers forward and a black shadow traveled forward. Through Shiro's back protruded a black blade made of shadows extended from Jack's fingers.

"What was I to you Jack?" Shiro screamed as blood filled the black blade extended from Jack's hand.

"You were an investment. I bought you when you were at your lowest. A little hope brought you back from the edge of suicide and you took the power I offered. You nurtured it with your ambition and fed it with the deaths or everyone who stood between you and power. With each kill, power breakthrough, and climb in position you paid me a dividend and I reinvested it in you." Jack turned to the window and the shadows rose to shatter the glass.

"No, not like this." Shiro screamed.

"We have come full circle. After five years of staving, I've finally fed. It is time to meet the fate you chose for yourself." Jack said.

"No, I changed my mind I'll run for office, I'll become the prime minister and conquer the east in your name." Shiro screamed.

Rize snorted the show was almost over she'd better get out before she was noticed. She tried to move but found herself stuck in place. Her eyes widened; shadows covered her legs binding her in place. Her kagune emerged rinkaku tentacles slashed at the shadows only for her tentacles to fall apart on contact. She shifted and struggled against the binding to no avail they were too strong.

"Its much too late for that now. Goodbye Shiro." Jack said before tossing the new board member out the window.

"If you help me with the desk, I'll release you." Jack said. The youth looked at her like she did many bookish types. It was unsettling. "Have you ever wanted the power to get back at your enemies. Perhaps, there is an investigator you just can't beat or a ghoul from a gang that just too powerful for you." Jack teased.

"No, I know where that path leads, I prefer freedom." Rize said. Jack snorted and the bindings on her legs vanished. She thought about leaving but was she really free. What was his range? If she fled would he just bind her and leave her for the CCG?

"That's the best answer I've heard in a long time. Still, you fucked up the crime scene with your rinkaku. I think I might have to set up a gas explosion to cover it up." Jack said with an annoyed drawl. His Japanese was terrible. The more she looked at him the less he looked like he belonged. His image changed. His cheek bones were higher than she remembered, and his chin stood out with an annoying dimple in it.

"I don't know why you bothered tossing him out the window, I could use a meal." She glared at him waiting for any sign of discomfort. The more she stared at him the more human he appeared.

He walked over to the side of a wall and stabbed his hand through it. She heard a terrible wrenching sound as he tore a pipe out. Gas poured into the room.

"Well, I have another stop. This one I saved from a ghoul." She raised an eyebrow.

"Is this what you do?" Rize said.

"You'll have to be more specific than that." Jacks said teasingly. It annoyed her to the point she wondered why she bothered taking an interest in him.

She growled but gave in. "Do you go around saving people from certain death, to give them power, only to kill them later?" Rize said.

"Yep," Jack said noncommittedly.

"Well, why do you do that?" Rize asked.

"It's how I feed. Unfortunately, it's a bit complicated." Jack said. He stared down at the city below. After a moment, sirens began to go off. He reached out a hand for her. Rize wondered if she should take it. This was an unknown creature he wasn't human, and he didn't smell like food at all. He preyed and killed to eat with no rules and disposed of his evidence by blowing things up.

Maybe joining him wouldn't be such a bad idea. She took his hand and he pulled her out the window with him. "Think a happy thought or you'll plummet to your death." With the sudden rush of air, she felt nervous. They were plummeting. Her mind raced for anything happy she could use to fly. She couldn't help but think that a little warning might have been a good idea.

Then their fall stopped, and they zoomed through Tokyo at impossible speeds. She stared up at Jack. A glimmer if mischief appeared in his blue eyes. "Sorry, I had to get closer to make sure

Shiro didn't land on a pillow truck. That would have been embarrassing." Jack said.

She wanted to use her kagune to rip him a new one but held off for now. They floated through the city just high enough to give her problems if they fell. He also promised her a snack to replace the one he'd rudely thrown out the window.

They stopped in front of a mansion that she'd never seen in her life. Rize was sure it was in the 20th ward but had no idea why she hadn't seen it before.