So here's to the start of a new story. I've had this idea stuck in my head for a while now, and while I have other works in progress, I couldn't resist the temptation of putting finger to keyboard and so here we are. In this fic Haise and Arima will develop a father-son relationship just as a heads up. I hope you enjoy and thanks for reading!

The nurse looked up from her computer, her eyes sparking with quick recognition as she surveyed the visitor. Tall and stoic, he loomed over the desk with a placid expression as he waited to be signed in. With a few clicks of her mouse the nurse finished her task and got up to help the man to the room.

"We've been expecting you," she said respectfully with a small smile. It would do her no good to offend this man whom they called a Shinigami. With a nod he acknowledged her, stepping back slightly to allow her to take the lead.

The walls of the facility were pristine. The air was stale and smelled of disinfectant with a hint of death that the reaper was perhaps too accustomed to. Silently they approached the room where he would find his charge. As they wound through the halls he memorized the path with ease. It would be a grim folly if he got lost amid the maze of endless passages and steel doors. With a final turning of a bend they arrived.

The door was identical to the others they had passed, but unlike the others, this one held something behind it that Arima didn't understand. He could understand death. In fact he seemingly relished in the thrill of causing it. The reaper felt uneasy at the thought of entering the room, possibly caused by the fact that he had consciously chosen to save this person, stilling his hand before making the killing blow. Imperceptibly berating himself for the thought he nodded once more at the nurse before entering the key code that would unlock the door and give him access.

"Just use the button if you need me. We have RC suppressants in the ventilation that will be triggered in case of an emergency if things get out of hand. So far we've had no problem with the patient. He is on a heavy dosage of suppressants so don't be alarmed if he doesn't talk much."

With a simple 'thank you' Arima entered the room. The automatic door closed behind him. With a whir the door sealed itself and with it the sounds of the busy intersections beyond. The only pervasive sounds in the room were of the many monitors connected to the figure lying on the bed and of his gentle breathing. With a sharp intake of breath the hospital gown-garbed patient stirred, head tilting slightly in the direction of the intruder. Bandages wove their way around his head to cover his orbitals, effectively blocking the depthless voids where his eyes should have been. "H-hello?" he questioned in wary voice, shrinking in on himself.

Arima arranged his thoughts before approaching the bed. He could see the straps that lay unused along the bottom hem of the bed. Luckily it seemed that he was indeed cooperating as the nurse had told him and they were deemed unnecessary. It seemed like a good sign, though Arima wasn't all that prone to being optimistic.

"Hello," replied Arima smoothly, no inflection whatsoever reaching his voice. He had to be prepared for anything and thus adjusted his hold on the quinque case he had with him experimentally, just in case it was needed.

Taking this as a sign that this visitor would cause him no harm the young adult minutely relaxed, causing the machine monitoring his heartbeat to extend the time between its relentless beeps in response. "W-who are you, if I might ask," questioned the boy with a slight blush.

"My name is Arima Kishou. I work for the Commission of Counter Ghoul as an investigator," he answered the question as clearly and professionally as possible, still testing the boy's supposed amnesia in case of a relapse. It was well known that he had previously been fighting against the CCG and had in fact been placed on the list of ghouls to be exterminated on sight as the SS rated ghoul Centipede before Arima had decided to save him instead. There was still a chance that he would remember and try his luck escaping from the heavily guarded facility though the drugs in his system would prevent him from getting very far. Therefore, before allowing him to become Arima's charge in full, it was decided that he would test the boy to see if the diagnosis would indeed hold up when potential memory triggering topics were discussed. Especially when considering the fact that Arima had a hand in the events that had led to his hospitalization.

Arima remained inspecting the boy for any indication of recognition but found none. His charge simply cocked his head slightly, contemplating his response. The action itself was sluggish, instead of a graceful movement his head simply lolled. Arima could possibly suggest a reduction in his dosage of suppressants depending on the outcome of this meeting. Finally organizing his thoughts the boy asked the question Arima had least been prepared to answer.

"Why are you here?"

A moment of silence invaded the air between them as the investigator decided on the best course of action. He could of course lie. This would be the standard procedure but considering this in his calculations and overall goal involving the young adult in front of him he decided against it and instead chose to go with the truth, disregarding certain features of it as he saw fit.

"I'm here to check on you. You were in an accident," if you could call being stabbed through both eyes an accident.

"Oh, I see," replied the boy thoughtfully. He took a long pause before speaking again. "Well, I'm okay if that's what you were wondering." He said this as he reached up with his free hand not connected to wires to touch his chin.

While Arima couldn't be accredited as a profound reader of people he could spot a tell when he saw one. "Really? If I was in your position I don't think I would feel the same."

This was meet with silence, until a small sob emitted itself from the boy. Tears that couldn't be shed due to the absence of ducts were evident from the noises of distress coming from the boy. Arima watched patiently as he quieted, having worn himself down in his emotional display. "Sorry," whispered the young man, remembering that he had company at the moment. "I just don't understand. Who am I?"

Now this was something Arima was prepared to answer. "You are Sasaki Haise, potential CCG investigator candidate." This was a moment of truth in which the flexibility of his seemingly empty memory would be tested. If he indeed had forgotten himself he should have little problem accepting his new identity. If this was not the case he would be subjected to an interrogation session in which his memories would be tested, potentially leaving him unfit for Arima's suggested proposition regarding the half-ghoul.

"Sasaki Haise," murmured the boy. "Thank you."

Arima waited for more questions until he noticed that his charge had fallen asleep. He waited a few moments before leaving, observing the sleeping figure with a final glance before entering the code to open the door. It seemed like his plan could be initiated after all.

The man walked down the halls leading to the exit in a thoughtful haze until he reached the nurses station where he stalled. The nurse looked up from her work as Arima addressed her. "Please reduce the amount of suppressants. I will return tomorrow to visit with Haise again."

"You finally decided on a name then," replied the nurse opening up a file on her computer while she spoke.

"Sasaki Haise," replied the reaper. "I would appreciate it if you began addressing him as such."

"Of course," assured the nurse.

With a nod of thanks the reaper left the hospital. One thought entered his mind as he left; it appeared that he would have an apprentice after all.