What The Hell Is He Saying

You don't understand. I only did it because it was Kaneki.

—Yasuke Yashidu

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Yasuke wasn't out for long. He woke up to see a standoff between Ayanakoji and his three—no, the last one had recovered and regrouped, so they were four now. He and Kaneki were in the middle. On his right was a middle-aged man.

He's the man from the shop, Yasuke realised.

"Ayanakoji," the man said, "it's in your best interest to let these kids go."

Ayanakoji retorted, "And it's in yours to stay out of my business, old man."

"I'm not that old, but you should mind your tone." The man's voice had a tint of anger. "Someone could get hurt."

"I totally agree with you. It would be sad if you lost your other hand, wouldn't it?"

What the hell is he saying? Yasuke looked—for the first time—at the man who had been their saviour. He nearly gasped in fear. The man's left hand was missing. It looked like something that had healed quite a while ago. Still, Yasuke couldn't help thinking:

It's impossible to fight with one hand. This man is going to get himself killed.

He started to get up on his body's accord, not his own.

"Looks like you still got some fight in you, huh." Ayanakoji smiled, then in a lower tone, "Didn't you knock that kid out?" he said to one of his men.

"I did," the man said, his face a mixture of fear and surprise.

Yasuke's head still rang. He still hadn't fully assessed the situation. He was still unbalanced, his knees shaking.

The man put his hand on Yasuke's shoulder. Yasuke stiffened—no, froze.

The first thought that came to Yasuke's mind was to flinch. He turned slowly.

It was the man's other hand. Yasuke sighed with relief.

I'd have totally freaked out if it was the stump, he thought, feeling a bit guilty as he thought so.

"Just stand down for a while, boy," the man said finally. "I won't take long."

"But—"

"No buts, boy." The man walked past Yasuke to face Ayanakoji. "He called me old."

The man walked up to Ayanakoji's group. Everyone was still, as if waiting for someone to signal the beginning of the fight.

Kaneki was beginning to stir.

Ayanakoji's man threw the first blow.

The old man was not there.

He appeared on the third man's shoulder. He was literally standing on the man's shoulder. The man was straight for a split second, and then he crumpled under the weight the next. Then the old man was in front again. They had all turned when he brought down the first person, and as the man in front turned, the fist of the old man's good hand connected instantly. There was the sound of bones crushing, and the man flew to the side from the force of the hit.

The old man raised his handless arm at them like a weapon.

"Two more to go."

Ayanakoji felt a breeze. An elbow cracked against the back of his head. He fell all the way at Yasuke's feet. The last man standing was instantly flipped and flung into the ground.

"Stop!" Ayanakoji screamed. He had a knife to Yasuke's throat now. "Stop, or I'll kill the boy!"

The man moved a step closer.

"Don't come any closer! I'm warning you!" Ayanakoji said, but all the confidence had left his voice.

"Be my guest, Ayanakoji," the man said. "That is, if you can actually slit his throat."

All this while, Yasuke couldn't even believe what was unfolding. The old man was daring the maniac to slit his throat open.

I shouldn't have stopped.

I should have run when the man saved me.

I should have carried Kaneki home while they were fighting.

I should be home with father.

The last one stuck. Was Yahiko even still alive? Yasuke didn't know, but he knew that he'd kill Ayanakoji if his father was already dead.

Yeah, killing Ayanakoji sounded nice. He'd step into the guy's house with a katana and then proceed to stab him. He wouldn't slash or try to cut him. He'd stab him and then skewer him.

No.

He decided to actually cut him. He'd cut off all his fingers on one hand, and then he'd cut off what was left of the hand. Ayanakoji would scream and beg. Then he'd smile and cut what was left at the elbow, and then at the shoulder. He'd do the same on the other hand and then on the legs. Then he would skewer him. And if any—

If— All this was if he would even survive this night.

Then Ayanakoji's hand started to move.

This is it, Yasuke thought. Sorry, father. Sorry, Kaneki.

Ayanakoji's hand slid across his neck.

But that was all it did. It slid—it didn't slit. It slid.

The old man was still standing but with Ayanakoji's knife in his hand.

"You're quite slow, you know." And then Ayanakoji was flying into the wall of a nearby house.

The man helped pick up Yasuke's pack of steroids. Kaneki had recovered enough to walk.

The man escorted them home. As they went, they discussed. Some streets away from home, the old man asked Yasuke an unexpected question.

"How much do you weigh, Yasuke-kun?"

Yasuke hesitated a bit, then: "Not much, I guess. I don't exactly get three square meals."

"I see."

Silence, then:

"Did you ever learn how to fight?"

"No."

The man stopped. "Yasuke, how would you like a permanent job?" he said. "One that pays well even after retirement and allows for extra profit-making while on the job."

"What do you have in mind, sir?" Yasuke felt like he could at least trust the man at this point.

"The work of a slayer," the man said. "How would you like to kill demons?"

Demons.

The thought of them ran through Yasuke's head over and over again. They were said to have plagued the world for at least a thousand years—beings that killed people. They were said to have supernatural abilities and also behaved the way they did of their own accord.

Slayers.

Humanity didn't take the massacre lightly. About 758 years ago, the Slayers organisation was formed. Yasuke didn't know much about them aside from the fact that they killed demons and harvested steroids.

Steroids.

About 500 years ago, parts of demons were found to be medicinal and aided healing. Those parts were later called steroids. They could work wonders, healing wounds and curing poisons.

Yahiko had been poisoned by a demon. That was why he needed steroids. But since they couldn't buy steroids powerful enough to completely erase the effects, they just had to settle for what would preserve Yahiko and prevent the poison from spreading.

Yasuke wanted to get back at the demons for what they did to his father, but Yasuke was a dreamer, not delusional.

"I can't kill demons. I'm too weak."

"You've got the talent and the strength," the man said. "And most importantly, you've got heart. You were ready to defend Kaneki at the cost of your own life."

Yasuke said nothing until he got home. And when he did, he met his father sleeping soundly on a rocking chair. He woke him up and applied the steroids. Yahiko felt stronger and was able to walk on his own. Yasuke just stayed outside, thinking.

I'm a coward.

I'm not brave.

I only did it because it was Kaneki.