Hide has always loved ghouls.

Well, better said, he's always loved to study them, as a sort of weird hobby. Despite his hyperactivity, he's always been the curious, observant type. Hungry for knowledge. Especially when the subject is social taboo. Most people in Tokyo develop a healthy fear of ghouls as soon as they're able to comprehend their monstrosity. Hide, though—he knew that there had to be more behind the masks. Throughout his childhood, others tended to avoid him due to this morbid fascination, overshadowing his bright personality and kind demeanor. He grew up kind of lonely, but never felt alone in the company of a good book.

After middle school, his parents realized that no, he probably wasn't going to grow out of this, and enrolled him in the Junior Academy, much to his excitement. The school didn't teach him anything he didn't already know, though, not really, and he felt out of place in the sea of people that found the ghouls they studied repulsive and vile. Not that they had a reason to think otherwise, given what the school was geared towards. The only good thing to come out of the Junior Academy was meeting Akira Mado. Hide recognized her name from the news, and figured that if he followed her lead, they'd both end up in high places. From her, he learned firsthand of the terrible personal effects of ghoul predation, the likes of which aren't really captured in textbooks. They quickly became friends, united in their fixation. Another classmate, Seido Takizawa, thought Hide's easy acceptance of second place was reprehensible, and vowed to surpass them both. In other words, they were definitely friends.

The three of them moved on to train at the Academy, and Hide finally learned all that the CCG has to offer about his longtime obsession, although hearing about them in such a clinical and detached way felt almost jarring, so different from the nitty gritty news reports and the enthralling novellas. It was also very intense, both physically, and mentally, and he isn't really allowed to talk about it much more than that. He is allowed to say, however, that he became a damn good Investigator, and graduated salutatorian to Akira's valedictorian. Seido was predictably upset, but the day after graduation he and Akira were holding hands and smiling, so he assumed they kissed and made up. Unfortunately, after that they got split up, with Akira stationed at Headquarters while Hide and Seido, along with Mado-san, her father, left for the 20th Ward. She excelled, much like Hide knew she would. Seido and Hide, on the other hand… they didn't do much personally in the hunt for the Binge-Eater, Jason, and Rabbit—stuck with much of the deskwork like Bureau employees—but Hide wishes they had.

He was the first one to hug Akira at the funeral.

After that, she went off the radar for a while, before popping into the 20th Ward's branch offices, proclaiming Hide himself as her new partner. Both he and Seido were really over the moon to have her back, but her father's death, and something else, made her colder and withdrawn. That is, more so than usual. Still, it was nice to have her back, and they did make a killer team. Most called him a natural talent when it came to investigation, and Akira was more then capable herself, especially when it came to extermination. They were, and are, the exemplary team of the 20th Ward.

Hide likes being a part of the CCG, he knows that he's helping people and putting his natural curiosity and penchant for studying ghoul behavior to good use, but some aspects of his job just don't sit right with him.

Everything begins to make sense during the worst twenty-four hours of Hide's life.

oOo

Hide scratches absently at his wrist as he prepares for bed, making sure that his work uniform is hung up nice and tidy for tomorrow morning, before slipping into his comfortable pajamas. He climbs into bed, the soft sheets like butter, and banishes all thoughts of ghouls and the hellish underbelly of Tokyo for the night. He reaches over to his left to turn off the bedside lamp. An unusual flicker of movement distracts him, though, and his eyes are drawn to his wrist. The skin is obviously prickling now, around the inky black numbers tattooed there. Only, the digits, usually a resolute 24:00:00, are ticking away the seconds. He stares in disbelief for a few seconds, a feeling of overwhelming fear and delight coursing through him. Hide would meet his soulmate in less than twenty-four hours. Despite being textbook, he honestly can't believe it.

Six numbers are imprinted on every person's left wrist, representing hours, minutes, and seconds. The tattooed numbers grow with a person, set at the default 24:00:00, until the day that they are fated to meet their soulmate. Exactly 24 hours before they meet each other's eyes for the first time, the numbers begin counting down, like clockwork. Even before that, though, the two are instinctively synchronized, and end up developing a couple of similar interests to stimulate their bond. Hide's interested enough in the science of it all, but doesn't dwell on it too much, liking to think that it's more to do with destiny than chemicals. At 23, he is an incredibly late bloomer, with most soulmates meeting as children or teenagers in school. In his younger years, he didn't have many interests outside of reading and ghouls, which naturally alienated him from others. After he joined the Junior Academy, it was easier to find himself, of course, but he still battled the fear that he might be one of the unlucky ones. The system isn't perfect, and some people don't get happy endings, but Hide's always been a romantic. He watches the time pass for a few moments more, before deciding that the faster he goes to sleep, the sooner he will meet his soulmate. As he drifts off, his heart flutters with the thought that somewhere, someone is watching the exact same numbers tick away the seconds.

oOo

Hide is incredibly overwhelmed at work the next day by well-wishes and advice, even by people who haven't so much as spoken to him in the years he's been stationed at the 20th Ward Branch. He'd finished his morning routine in a haze, arriving at work earlier than usual, eager to power through it and meet his soulmate that evening (that evening!). His fellow employees caught on too fast, not that he's ever been one to keep a secret, and Akira noted very dryly that he looked like a lovesick puppy already. She has some sort of grudge against the whole soulmate business, for reasons unknown even to him, her best friend. Unlike Hide, who wears his heart on his sleeve, she's much more restrained with her feelings, but he knows that she's happy for him. Seido, on the other hand, is unabashedly over the moon about the whole thing. He spends nearly the entirety of their uneventful shift—looking over case notes and drawing up reports for the Bureau—badgering Hide about what he hopes she's like.

"I don't really have any expectations," Hide says, grinning dopily at his computer screen. From her adjacent cubicle, he can practically feel Akira roll her eyes. "I think part of the fun is getting to know your soulmate, whoever they are—knowing them better than anyone else. I'm sure I'll love them no matter what."

Akira is definitely rolling her eyes now, but Hide is giddy as the word love leaves his mouth. Is he jumping the gun? Maybe so. Seido eats it up though, slapping Hide on the shoulder. "You are so cute, Hide."

Hide just rubs his wrist over the fabric of his sleeve, then shoos Seido away halfheartedly. "Get back to work, Takizawa."

Precisely five minutes before the end of his and the Mado-squad's shifts—and less than an hour before he would meet the love of his life, according to his steady counter—their team gets a call. Hide has hardly done any work, too distracted by the ticking of the analog clock on the wall opposite his cubicle. Being ghoul investigators, they naturally work late, and getting a call after dark is never a good sign.

Akira answers the phone with a cool, professional "hello", then leans forward on her desk, face screwing up in concentration. Hide eyes her warily, pausing in the middle of turning his computer off and tidying up his files. She waves him over, along with Seido and Houji, and then begins jotting down notes on a scrap piece of paper lying on her desk. Even after years with the CCG, Hide's heart still drops.

Akira hangs up, thanking the caller for their time, and turns to Hide, eyes like steel. She picks up her note pad and reads, "A mutilated body was found in a subway tunnel entrance. The witness contacted the police, and then the CCG hotline just in case. Suspect may be a ghoul and may still be in the area. The Mado Squad is to be deployed for investigation and possible extermination."

Hide sighs and adjusts his tie, nervously straightening his cuffs. The skin of his wrist tingles faintly, and he can't help but grimace. Akira notices, but before she can dismiss him, force him to go home, Hide beats her to it. "I'm coming with you. Maybe this won't take any more than fifteen minutes."

She nods. "Alright. I assume we can handle this fairly quickly. I'll see to it that we're paid overtime. Seido, put out a warning for the area that the body was found in, with a three-mile radius I'd say. Probably just a loner passing through, we can take it out, if it's still in this Ward."

Seido rushes back over to his computer, frantically aborting the shutdown sequence, as Hide and Houji follow Akira to the company garage. They grab keys along the way, Hide ignoring the slowly mounting tension in his body.

oOo

The Mado Squad is first on the scene, beating out the police and ambulance, though by the looks of the mangled body the victim won't be needing the latter. They park on the street as close to the subway tunnel as possible, right up against the curb, and the gore is in clear view out of Hide's passenger-side window. No matter how long he's been in the field, it never gets easier. Hide manages to quell his reaction for the sake of professionalism, but Seido pulls a face as the four of them slip out of the car, briefcases in their grasps. "Wow, that guy's more bone than anything."

"Seido, be respectful," Akira admonishes, and crouches by the victim. It's practically unidentifiable, and Akira merely hovers her hand over the mess. Hide walks around in a tight circle, eyes scanning the darkness for any sign of the perpetrator. He's close enough to hear Akira sigh deeply. "It's still warm. The ghoul must be nearby—keep alert, please."

He tosses Akira a forlorn wallet lying in a pool of blood nearby, wincing at the tacky blood on his fingers. He wipes it on his sleeve without thinking, slowing to brush the faint tingling over his pulse—not the time. "There's ID in there. Cash, too- definitely not a robbery gone wrong, if that was even on the table."

Akira flips it open, and stands, moving under a streetlight to see better. "Right. Let's spread out."

They branch off, fanning out from the body, tense and quiet. This area of town is pretty decrepit, lots of alleyways and broken streetlamps. Hide has to wonder what the vic was doing so far out from the hustle and bustle, but he supposes it hardly matters now. The crime scene is blockaded in by vacant buildings, all with boarded up doors and windows. Unfortunately, that means too many places for a ghoul to hide. Hide's listening hard for any disturbance, squinting in the darkness for any clues, as he tiptoes farther from the rest of his squad, towards a foreboding looking alley. He knows that ghouls can be dreadfully stealthy. If they're hungry enough, though, they won't leave prey like this unattended for long. If he were the ghoul, he would've booked it through the subway tunnels and left the ward entirely. But, his instincts tell him it's just as likely that the ghoul is lurking somewhere just around a corner, waiting to make its move—

Hide jumps ever so slightly as a police car swerves onto their street, screeching to a halt behind their vehicle, casting the area in a red glow. He shakes his head, trying to calm his nerves. He's definitely more on edge tonight, likely due to the fact that his counter is still dutifully ticking away despite the terrible turn his night has taken. The red doesn't help much in terms of visibility—in fact, it makes every shadow seem that much more sinister—and as Hide peers further into the dingy alleyway, the hair on the back of his neck stands up. He catches slight movement between the pulses of red. His thumb jolts to unlatch his briefcase, pulse hammering, but stops short as he hears Seido shout, accompanied by sharp gunfire.

Adrenaline thrums in his veins as he spins to see the man struggling with one of two ghouls near a dumpster where they must have been hiding instead. Two policemen stagger away—when will they learn that regular bullets just make the ghouls angry?—as Hide, along with Akira and Houji, double back to help Seido subdue the two predators. Akira, the closest of the three of them, whips out her brutal, spine-like quinque and knocks one of the ghouls away from Seido. It crumples onto the sidewalk, and Hide rushes in to get the jump on it before it can recover. His quinque snaps into a lethal bikaku dagger that he drives into the incapacitated ghoul's shoulder. He hears, faintly, Houji and Seido battling the other ghoul, over the ringing in his ears as the ghoul slams their foreheads together and snarls at him with revulsion. Bristling, Hide deftly rolls away just as Akira's heavy quinque smashes its head into the pavement.

He shakes his head, both to dispel the concussion and the viscera spattered on his face from Akira absolutely annihilating the thing's skull. "Oh, sorry," she says, very much not sorry about it. Hide just chuckles, makes to grin at her, but catches more movement in the dark just behind Akira's line of sight as she draws back her quinque.

"Akira! Two on your left!" Hide calls, and his partner instantly darts towards him, away from the reaching kagune of the ghouls attempting to snatch her up. Rinkaku. He unfurls his longer, whip-like quinque that's lighter and faster than Akira's Fueguchi, quickly lashing out to keep the ghouls from rushing them. One veers off, but he catches the ankle of the other, pulling his quinque taut to trip it. He subtly sidesteps, dragging the ghoul with him, and Akira adjusts perfectly to intercept the ghoul coming in from the right, shielding itself with its kagune. Its kagune shatter from the force of Akira's swing, and it howls as Hide drives the two ghouls into each other. Akira makes quick work of the pair, cut down effortlessly and efficiently. He and Akira take a breather, surrounded by the carnage.

"How are you doing?" she asks, nodding to Hide's left hand. He looks around furtively, and then rolls up his bloodstained sleeve. His racing heart freezes as he sees mere minutes on his timer. She blinks, and glances at the two policemen cowering by their vehicle. "Do you think—"

"Let's just not worry about it," Hide says, definitely worrying about it—there is no one really around, but he'd hate for a civilian, especially his soulmate, to wander into an active investigation. Especially one way more intense than they'd suspected. "That was a lot of ghouls for one body…"

"Too many," Akira agrees, and finally steps away from Hide to check for Seido and Houji. Houji is leaning against the dumpster, obviously injured, as Seido shakes a disembodied head from his quique. Pleasant. It thumps on the asphalt and they jog over, Hide noting with a turn of his stomach just how many ghouls had crawled out of the woodwork in the space of an hour. It's unusual to say the least. One of the nearby policemen retch. An ambulance pulls to a stop some ways away, but no paramedics leave the vehicle.

"Akira, Hide," Houji grits out, Seido stepping over a body to hoist him up, "an ukaku escaped down that alley, we couldn't catch it. It's probably long gone by now, but-"

"I've got it," Hide affirms, letting his quinque shift into its dagger form. The quicker he gets this over with, the sooner he meets his soulmate. "Just get Houji some medical attention."

"Alright. Radio in whether you find something or not. I'm going to go talk to the police to issue a statement," Akira instructs, and Hide nods, adjusting the communication device in his ear. It got knocked a little loose in the scuffle.

The red lighting still makes the alleyway seem creepier than your average grimy alleyway, but the weird figure he saw (or maybe, like, hallucinated) is no longer there. There's a few overturned boxes, obvious signs of a scuffle. He finds a crumpled body in the back corner, prone and lifeless. It's a ghoul, probably got into some territorial fight with those others, and Hide surmises that there's no reason to think that anything is still hanging around. Something red does catch his eye, though, and he kneels to get a better look. It's like a shard of red glass, almost glowing in the darkness, and he slices his finger on it trying to touch it, like a papercut. It's kagune, but still almost living, recent. Something thwips just past his cheek. "Ah."

Hide brings his hand up to radio for Akira, other hand gripping his briefcase, when he feels a stabbing pain in his shoulder. With a snap, his quinque flares out of his briefcase, and he swings the long appendage around to block the ghoul behind him from making another attack. It's the ukaku, and it's bulletlike spines flicker in the darkness. He feels confident, what with the small army they just took down earlier, until he registers the rabbit mask staring back at him. Hide stands stock-still for just a fraction of a second, glaring at the soulless expression on the ghoul's mask. She tenses, just slightly, but it's enough of a warning that Hide can react in time to keep from being impaled further. He dives forward, brandishing his quinque, trying to close the distance between them and prevent the ghoul from using her impressive range of attack against him. He knows he can't take Rabbit alone, but if he can radio his squad, he just needs to stay alive—

The ghoul spins, sending a barrage of spines his way. They just barely graze his skin, but it stings like hell, and the one still making its home in his shoulder is proving to be really fucking inconvenient. Hide has to abort his assault to duck and roll, back further into the darkness of the alley. He's being cornered, and worn down, toyed with, he knows it, but all he needs is a second to press the comm button. He quickly switches his quinque to its smaller dagger form, spinning to face his opponent, but… it's gone. The only trace of Rabbit is sticking up out of the pavement, red and pulsing. Hide feels himself start to tremble, and he catches his breath. God, what was Rabbit doing at some smalltime crime scene? The last time the ghoul had been spotted, an incredible Investigator had died. God, he almost died. This is why Investigators use the damn buddy system.

His in-ear communicator crackles, and he hears Akira say, "All clear over here. We're going to head back soon." Hide has a split second to decide whether to mention Rabbit to his partner knowing that she would probably lose her head.

"Definitely an ukaku ghoul, escaped. Can't pursue. Otherwise, all clear," he mumbles into the air, pressing and releasing the small button with shaking fingers. Not a lie, just... not the whole truth. He'd spare Akira all the gory details for now.

"Roger. Cleanup will be here in 5."

Hide leans up against the cool brick wall when a twinge of pain shoots down his arm. Ah, right. He reaches back and pulls the red spine out of his shoulder blade, slick with blood. He's dealt with worse, but he tries to keep the right side of his body still to avoid aggravating the wound til the paramedics can bandage him up. He's got some shallow scratches too, but those are less of a bother. With a sigh, he tosses the spine into the darkness and fusses with the bloodstains on his pristine white shirtsleeve, rolling them up. At least he left his suit jacket in—

His mouth dries up like the desert when he sees that he has less than five minutes remaining on his timer. Time freezes, and he goes lightheaded, from more than just his injuries, until a body slams into his side in a sort of messy tackle, sending them both to the dirty concrete. Instinctually, Hide uses the momentum to throw his attacker off, rolling further into the dark. He can hardly see, and his pulse thrums in his ears, matching, he's sure, the ticking seconds on his wrist. Luckily, he still has hold of his quinque. Guess that body in the corner wasn't as dead as he thought.

"You killed them!" A voice shrieks at him, making him jump. It comes from ahead of him, and he makes out two red irises as a ghoul limps towards him from where it was thrown, still mostly hidden by the darkness. Hide blinks, shrugging off the ache of his earlier fall and twinging shoulder, and readies his weapon. Adrenaline makes it easy to focus on staying alive.

The terrible, taut hurt in the ghoul's voice gives him pause, though, and his curiosity gets the better of him, as always. "Who?"

"We were just supposed to be passing through…" it wails, oblivious to his question in its distress. And Hide, stupidly, waits long enough for it to strike, taken aback by how awfully human it sounds. Ungracefully, and with a noise that's a cross between a shout and a gasp, Hide shoves the ghoul back, bringing the knife up to slash at his chest. In his momentary lapse, the ghoul had managed to compose himself—itself—enough to intercept the strike, knocking the dagger out of Hide's fingers deftly. The tingling sensation on his left wrist goes woefully unnoticed as he wrestles with the bloodthirsty ghoul, all trace of sympathy gone. The pair drift further down the alley, nearly up to the wooden slats of the backing fence, plunging deeper into darkness. Hide operates by instinct alone, hoping to get one hand free enough to call for backup. His opponent is weak from its earlier tussle with Rabbit, he assumes, but not enough to make it a fair fight between the two.

Without warning, the ghoul is wrenched from Hide's hands, and he watches with mouth agape as it is slammed against the opposing wall by another attacker. Like lightening, he presses his communication button, and holds it, intending to rattle off a quick S.O.S. There's no crackle of static at all, god, it must be fucking busted, and Hide scrambles to his feet as he realizes he's totally on his own. He has to find his quinque. By now, his eyes have adjusted enough to make out the new figure, whose white hair nearly glows in the low light.

Oh god, oh fuck.

He doesn't even breathe as Eyepatch crushes the other sobbing ghoul into the bricks with a single sinuous kagune. He unzips the snarling teeth of his mask. Hide expects a growling threat, or perhaps even for the ghoul to tear the other's throat out in front of him, but the voice that comes from the fearsome ghoul is startlingly soft and convicting. "I think my associate made it perfectly clear you were to not engage the CCG further."

The ghoul can do nothing but choke and flail as Eyepatch literally squeezes the life out of him, kagune like a terrible boa constrictor. Hide, snapping out of his trance, as quietly as possible, begins to root around in the low light for a weapon, any weapon. Or should he run? Could he run? Amon always says Investigators, even the best of the best, tend to die young. Maybe there is nothing he can do, he thinks, his blood ice in his veins. His panic only doubles as his hands meet nothing but pavement.

"And you—" Before Hide can even blink, one of the ghoul's four tentacles wraps around his ankle, hosting him up into the air. "You aren't going anywhere."

Eyepatch releases the body of the now silent, but panting ghoul, body falling in a heap, turning to face Hide as he tries and fails to catch his own breath. It's hard to see in the darkness, but Hide scans up the dark leather body suit with mounting fear until he reaches the gruesome mask of teeth, open to reveal a frown. No. All investigators know the dangers of the job—he won't die a coward. He finally musters up the courage to look his attacker, this ghoul, in the eye, just as the persistent twinge in his wrist suddenly stops. The whole world suddenly stops. Nothing exists beyond the two of them, and Hide, inexplicably, unreasonably, is no longer afraid. The single eye visible from behind the leather mask widens, almost comically, and Hide can barely make out a tiny gasp, too quiet and fragile to belong to such a feared and dangerous ghoul. The adrenaline is numbing his pain, and the blood rushing to his head certainly isn't helping his clarity, but nothing can soothe the aching, swirling, confused pounding of his head and heart.

Eyepatch tears his searching, frantic eye away from Hide's face, briefly darting to his left wrist, before dropping him unceremoniously on his head. The drop shocks him more than hurts him, but he lays frozen on the dirty concrete. Eyepatch, instead of gutting him while he's down, turns to the shaken ghoul on the alley floor, as if Hide isn't there. As if what just happened, miraculously didn't. Hide, shocked and frozen, can do nothing but cradle his head and listen. "You know hunting in the 20th Ward is off-limits. There's a new gang in the area and the doves are on high alert, what were you thinking?"

His voice, so soft, but still sharp, sends a chill down Hide's spine, for more reason than one. With his uptick in head injuries, he's surprised he's thinking at all, but squashes any traitorous ideas that it sounds nice, even.

The other ghoul's face is scrunched up in pain and sadness, and the guilt comes creeping back into Hide's mind, even as he wrestles with his own impossible circumstance. Though he's been nothing but a faithful Investigator, a successful Investigator, he can't help but pity ghouls, even though this one was trying to kill him not 10 minutes ago. It's a weakness that should have been stamped out years ago, after seeing again and again the cruelty, the brutality, of these gruesome predators.

And now, this weakness, his long-hidden almost fondness for ghouls, his sympathy for their suffering—however necessary to keep the people of Tokyo safe—has landed him in some seriously hot water. Broiling even.

Deadly.

"W-we were hungry…" the ghoul whimpers, clutching his bruised throat, and Eyepatch nods his head to the wooden fence with a begrudging sigh.

"Go. We'll deal with this later." The other ghoul hastily obeys, scrambling over the fence, leaving Hide and Eyepatch to deal with… each other.

When Eyepatch turns once more to look at him, there is an age-old sadness in his eye that shocks Hide, along with it being a steely, somber grey. He watches with rapt attention as the ghoul's kagune fizzle into nothing. He opens his mouth, and Hide half expects his lips to pull into the same sadistic grin that his mask depicts, but the ghoul falters, words seeming to fail him. Hide is assaulted by a barrage of different feelings, some of which he knows for certain can't be his own, and he shudders. Now that their moment has passed, reality has taken hold of him once more. This isn't right. This can't be right. He feels fear thrumming in his veins, fear that belongs to them both. Hide, albeit shaky, stands and supports himself on the wall, and they just... look at each other. Size each other up. Waiting for the other to do something, say something. Neither of them have any clue how to proceed.

Hide finds that they won't have to, as Akira's quinque goes whipping just by his head, striking the ground where Eyepatch stood a millisecond prior. The ghoul now scales the wall with terrifying grace as Akira readies another strike, but Hide unthinkingly brings up a trembling hand to stop her. Eyepatch slips over the lip of the building and disappears.

"Hide, what—" Her eyes are blazing with fury and hate, posture rigid, until Hide collapses into her. She drops her quinque to hold him steady. "Oh my god, you called in 10 minutes ago, we figured you found something but when you didn't respond to us, we thought… What… what happened?"

Hide shakes his head, absolutely rendered mute by the whole encounter. He can't force himself to explain, not understanding it fully himself. Instead, he allows himself a brief respite in his friend's arms, cursing the backward state of the world he's forced to live in. This isn't fair. This isn't textbook. In a haze, he's escorted to an ambulance and treated for his various bumps and bruises, and mercifully, no one, not even Seido, asks about his zeroed timer.