Spending A Few Nights With An Orange Haired Ghoul

From the moment he walked through the door and she saw him, Itori didn't realize how attractive she found her strange new customer until he sat down in front of her and she could really look into his mesmerizing golden eyes. She almost choked on her words before she swallowed and put on a false front as she invited him to sit at the bar. She was sure she'd never seen him in this bar before as she was sure she'd remember a guy who looked like he just walked out of a magazine cover. He looked so good she wondered what he'd taste like and she was considering tracking him down after he left for a bite as she waited to hear his drink order. "No thank you I just came in to check out this place. It was referred to me by a friend. Sorry I don't really enjoy alcohol" he replied with a shy smile that lit up the room. Itori could already notice other female customers and some males discreetly checking him out. They quickly turned their attentions back to their drinks as the dashing young man turned his head to look around and check out her bar. His gaze seemed to linger on the lounge piano set up on a dais situated in a corner of the bar. "My my who comes into a bar and doesn't bother to get a drink. Are you trying to run me out of business? Oh, or could it be you saw this beautiful lady outside and tracked me down to this bar to flirt with me. My I'm so flattered if not a little creeped out by the fact that you might be a serial killer." She spoke with a sultry tone as she leaned over the bar in a low cut maxi dress that clung to her curvy figure. She flashed him a little smile. She noticed his cheeks began to blush as his gaze was in direct line with her deep cleavage before he quickly turned away once again looking towards the piano with the look of a child who really wanted to play with a toy that didn't belong to him. With his gaze not on her he shyly refuted her statement, "I'm not a serial killer and I've never seen or met you before now miss. You may be beautiful but it's not good or polite to be so self centered. I don't drink alcohol because I don't like the taste but I'll have your most expensive water if it'll make you feel better." He turned back to look into her eyes with clearly false bravado before quickly looking away again towards the piano again like he wanted to rush over there at this moment. Stifling a giggle as she got him his order, Itori served the golden eyed stranger the most expensive brand of water she had in stock before continuing to question him. "So tell me my cute stalker, who are you, what's your name and where do you come from?" Drawing his gaze away from the piano, he turned to reply with his hand on the back of his neck and a bright smile on his face. "Oh me, I'm no one special. My name is Shiki Katsune and I'm not really from anywhere. I was raised in an orphanage outside Tokyo and came to the city a few to settle down and find work. Nice to meet you Miss pretty and vain. May I know your name?" A little miffed at being called vain, Itori had a tick on her forehead as she smiled and introduced herself. "You can call me Itori, I own and run this bar. I see you're interested in the piano over there. Do you know how to play? Why not go give it a try? Knock yourself out." He seemed to jump as he looked like an excited kid who just got the present he wanted for Christmas. He moved towards the piano and ascended the dais before sitting on the bench. He stretched his fingers before running his fingers over the keys. His posture and presence suddenly changed as he began to play a slow jazz piece. Itori was a bit surprised as the atmosphere in the bar changed. Everyone in the bar looked towards the handsome figure with golden eyes and a dazzling smile on his face that lit up the room. He sat at the piano in the corner seeming to be in his own world as he played a moving jazz song. His hands seemed to be at home with the piano as they played and caressed the keys as one would a lover. Itori hardly took her eyes off him as he finished his performance and looked towards her. The bar erupted in applause and whistles before immediately calling for an encore. He seemed a bit embarrassed before turning back to the piano as he went on to play an assortment of different but each equally beautiful jazz songs.

If there was one perk that came with growing up in a training facility as a genius, it would be the limited restrictions placed on you as long as you learnt everything they had to teach quickly as well as the unlimited access to any non-sensitive information you wanted in any format. Kichimuri had grown up with a lack of entertainment and so had taken the time out of his days when he was done training to pick up any skills he had access to learning about. He'd started with musical instruments since there were so many of them and soon found himself quickly mastering all of them. It had been on a day while he was playing one of his many instruments in his room that the institution had specially ordered and brought in for him when an instructor passed by and heard him. Later he was given limited access to the internet so he could learn more music to play. He was also allowed access to a vast music library consisting of many genres with songs dating back approximately two centuries. And so our little musical prodigy began his deep dive into the world of music. He quickly listened to and picked up classical music from the different eras but he soon found himself drawn to Jazz and a little bit of soul music. Muri found that listening to music really helped to slowly fortify his state of mind. He'd never really found a way to train his mind before apart from his soul techniques but they were mainly used for combat. He enjoyed jazz and soul music as they especially seemed to calm him down and keep his mind at peace. He'd absorbed countless souls throughout his existence and he required a strong mind state to subdue and erase the consciousnesses in them. He went through and listened to every song in the genre he could find while picking up how to play a number of them on any musical instrument. That's why when the lady bar owner asked if he wanted to try his hand at the piano, he didn't have to think twice before he played a piano rendition of 'In A Sentimental Mood' by the great jazz composer Duke Ellington (A/N: check it out on Spotify or any other streaming platform). He found the piece appropriate for such a setting in a dimly lit bar with drinks flowing and people having a fun night out. Kichimuri wasn't playing around when he decided to act the part of a shy, childish and easily seen through young man when he walked into the bar. He'd smelt heavy ghoul traffic coming in and out of the bar plus the fact that the bar owner was also a ghoul had Muri curious about what was going on here. He decided to act the part so she'd let her guard down as she'd perceive as weak human prey. People tend to be more open when they don't feel threatened by you. Plus having a face like his always helped to disarm people into letting down their walls and opening up easily to him. People seemed to easily trust him because of his appearance, now couple that with a non threatening demeanor and Kichimuri was able to easily converse with anyone he met.

Back to the moment the last person left the bar, Muri was now all alone with the bar owner as she got ready to close for the night. He stopped playing and asked in a polite nervous voice, "Hey miss doesn't it ever get dangerous owning a bar and running a bar at night considering how you're an attractive who looks like she couldn't put up a fight." He could heat her giggle as she replied, "My my Mr Stalker are you finally revealing your true colors? Is this the part where you assault me on the bar top considering there's no longer anyone around to witness and stop you? I'll have you know I may look harmless but I fight back pretty. My bites and scratches are sure to leave scars." Switching to a slightly annoyed tone he countered, "There you go again with your crazy self centered delusions. I told you already I'm not a stalker and tonight is the first time I've seen you. You may look like a harmless beauty but I'm sure you could handle yourself easily against any attacker considering what you are. Say tell me, why is a ghoul owning and running a bar when you don't even drink alcohol. What kind of operation are you running here." Again he heard her giggle but this time it was slightly forced. She spoke with a sultry tone, "My My what kind of joke is that Mr Stalker? I have no clue what you're talking about. What about me makes you think of those urban legends filled with monsters who feast on human flesh." With the bar now silent Muri spoke up with a cheerful tone, "Nothing really, I can just tell." She had stopped moving not even cleaning up the bar anymore when he sensed her suddenly rushing towards his location at a speed that clearly wasn't human. He felt the rush of air on the right side of his face as she moved to take off his head in one swing.

Itori had stopped dead cold the moment the words had come out of his mouth after she denied his baseless accusations. By the time the last word had come out of his mouth, she'd hopped over the bar and dashed over to him pulling her hand back as she swung with all her might to take off his head. Her hand felt like it hit a steel wall as pain shot up to her brain from where someone was currently holding her wrist in an iron grip. She immediately felt an iron grip close around her throat as she looked down to find the shy naive heartthrob gone and in his place was a man who looked just like him with the majestic demeanor and seductive presence of an apex predator. His aura was so powerful that it scared and aroused her at the same time. She was unsure if the tingle in her nether regions was as a result of arousal or a need to pee herself. She didn't really care for the answer as she looked down at her possible killer's golden eyes only to find his dreadful seductive aura gone. He had a smirk on his face before he started laughing like someone who just pulled an epic prank. "Wow hahaha you just got so serious and dark didn't you? Trying to get the jump on me because I said you're a ghoul? If I didn't know any better I'd say you were trying to kill me because you thought I was a Dove who tracked you down. Hahaha, you should see your face. You look like you're about to piss yourself. Don't worry I'm not here to hurt you. I'm just new to the area and thought I picked up the scent of a fellow ghoul as I passed by here so I decided to check this place out. Who'd have thought I'd find such a beautiful self centered ghoul owning and running a bar? Hey are you still scared? Hurry up and snap out of it. Don't tell me you can't smell the fact that I'm a ghoul like you." Itori snapped out of it calmed down before concentrating her sense of smell on the man with a grip on her neck. She quickly picked up his scent once she concentrated and confirmed what he just said, he really was a ghoul like her. She suddenly felt so stupid and embarrassed as she was sure her close friends Uta and Romo would make fun of her for mistaking a ghoul for a dove. Feeling the urge to crawl under the bar and die, she apologized profusely as he let go of her. He just gave a nonchalant bright smile as he accepted her apology. Turned out he was a ghoul fleeing the 16th ward who'd been living here for about two weeks because there were a lot of disappearances caused by someone or something people had started calling Eraser. He said rumors claimed it was a cannibalistic ghoul with an eating disorder who'd decided to go an a bender devouring any ghouls he or she could find without leaving behind any traces. Itori had been getting similar reports of mass ghoul disappearance from different parts of Tokyo over the past few months. She couldn't even begin to imagine a single ghoul doing all this. She could only guess it was a group of powerful cannibal ghouls coupled with an increase in covert ghoul extermination's by the CCG. Itori didn't think more about it as she again apologized profusely to Shiki for her lacking abilities as a hostess before welcoming him to the 14th ward and inviting him to visit her bar anytime along with a lifetime supply of her most expensive water. He laughed as they talked some more before he disappeared into the night and Itori hoped she'd see him again. Turning back to her bar, Itori cleared up and closed up before turning in for the night. She'd had a hell of a hectic night and needed some well deserved sleep.

Kichimuri decided to take Itori up on her offer to visit her bar as he spent the next seven days going there daily to drink expensive water, play smooth jazz on the piano and flirt heavily with Itori the ghoul bar owner. Turns out she was also an information broker which explained the heavy ghoul traffic in and out of the bar as her clientele were mostly ghouls who wanted information on what was currently going on in the ghoul community and were willing to pay for it. Through her he heard a lot of information he wasn't privy to as a member of a ghoul hunting organization. He learnt about which ghoul ran which ward, who was moving in on whose turf starting a fight for hunting grounds, which ghouls were being hunted down by the CCG after they had caused chaos drawing attention and which areas were infested with ghouls who feasted on their own kind to become much stronger. He learnt about many other oddities and events occurring in Tokyo's underworld. Meanwhile he and Itori had been getting along pretty well all week as he'd spend all day playing piano in her bar before taking breaks to explore more of the dessert scene in the 14th ward. Itori always put up a front l whenever he invited her on his outings but he could see the blush creeping up her face as she refused claiming who'd want to go on a date with their stalker. He'd soon forgotten about the date he was supposed to have with the lady he'd met on his first day in the city. That is until she showed up one night out of nowhere in the bar while he was playing jazz on the piano. He'd sensed her start to come up behind him the moment he'd finished playing for the night. "Hello there, I don't know if you still remember me but we met almost two weeks ago after I sprained my ankle on the street and we were meant to go out for a drink after it healed. I'm sorry if I stood you up but my ankle took a bit longer to heal and I couldn't contact you since you didn't call me after I gave you my number before you dropped me off at the hospital. I came by the bar just now to see if you'd dropped by and maybe get your contact information if you'd left it at the bar. I hope you're not too upset. Did you come here everyday to wait for me? Again I'm really sorry and would like to have our drink now if you'll have me. I'm really sorry and please forgive me." The lady directly bowed in apology as Kichimuri held in a giggle from noticing the way Itori was doing her best to not be obvious in the fact that she was eavesdropping on their conversation. She clearly did not like what she heard as she mistakenly exerted too much force on the pitcher she was cleaning and caused cracks until it broke down into pieces. As Itori scrambled to clean up the mess she made, Muri turned his attention to the lady bowing in front of him. She'd already begun to draw attention from the other customers and he could hear them whispering about him. He tuned them out as he spoke to the lady, "Miss Haruna Moriyama it's so nice to see you again. Don't worry about it, you're forgiven. You were injured after all and I occupied myself in your absence with this piano. It's great you're finally healed and on your feet. It would be my pleasure to have that drink now and get to know each other." Spotting Itori doing her best to keep a straight face as she headed over to take their drink orders, Muri and Haruna ordered a few glasses of wine as they got to talking and he showed her a little bit how to play the piano.

As the night wore on they kept laughing and she was getting more intoxicated the more glasses of wine they were ingesting. Itori would periodically discreetly try and spy on their date by coming to collect empty glasses or even by eavesdropping from the bar while unsuccessfully doing her best to keep her face straight as she listened to their conversations and laughs. It wasn't like she was being obvious about it. It's just that Kichimuri's eyes were just so sharp, he could spot the most minute of her facial and body movements. It wasn't until it was almost midnight that the date ended and Haruna had to head home. Taking a moment to head to the bathroom with the excuse being urination but more as a way to cover his fake regurgitation of the alcohol he'd consumed all night so that Itori wouldn't get suspicious. After all ghouls aren't supposed to be able to digest alcohol unless it's in the form of specially made ghoul beverages like blood wine. Kichimuri stepped out of the restroom to find that Haruna was no longer in the bar. Turning to find Itori he found she wasn't at her usual spot serving drinks. She had also disappeared. Feeling something was up, Muri ran out of the bar to find heavy rainfall pouring down outside. Tracking Itori's scent he followed it to a dark alleyway a few blocks down where he went down to find something he'd already sensed a few blocks away. He found Itori covered head to toe in blood standing over a decimated corpse looking as though she was about to feast. She jerked her gaze towards him upon suddenly sensing his presence. Panic filled her eyes as it replaced the wrath and sadistic bloodlust that he'd seen when he'd entered the alleyway. He didn't need to look closer to know whose corpse lay at her feet. It seemed like Haruna Moriyama wouldn't be showing up at work tomorrow. Her body was savaged and torn apart in a way that showed great wrath and bloodlust but also a bit of sadistic control as whoever did this made sure she died while experiencing the worst possible pain. Kichimuri turned his gaze from Haruna's cooling corpse to Itori with a cold look on his face. He began to move towards her as she staggered backward while half heartedly preparing for a fight before deciding to try and talk her way out of this mess. Kichimuri didn't let her get a word out as he sped up and suddenly appeared before her holding both sides of her face before moving in to forcefully take her pink full lips. Her body seemed to freeze for a second before she melted into him and began to reciprocate his kiss, wrapping her arms around the back of his neck as she pulled herself deeper into his embrace. Kichimuri could taste the blood on her lips as the rain poured down on them, slowly washing away the blood covering Itori. He kept sucking on her lips before invading her mouth with his tongue and twisting it around hers. Increasing the intensity of their kiss as Itori began to grind her crotch on his, Muri picked her up wrapping her legs around his waist while they continued kissing before proceeding to push her up against the wall of the dark alley. Feeling her breasts pressed up against his chest with the only thing separating them being some wet cloth, Kichimuri slid his hands down to cup her soft elastic buttocks. He grabbed them and squeezed hard as Itori moaned breathlessly into his mouth. Kichimuri stood there in the dark alley with Itori's legs wrapped around his waist grinding their crotches together, his hands busy squeezing her ass feeling their soft elasticity, with her back against the alley wall and her arms wrapped around his neck as they continued their intense make-out. Meanwhile a short distance away from them the cooling corpse of his date earlier tonight lay on the ground as the heavy rains washed away her blood into the gutters.