Hah? Where am I?
"Ohayo."
"!" I turned around to see a boy sitting at a round table. We were at a shop, it seemed.. ".."
For some reason, I was cautious. I didn't trust him.
"This is my world."
He had black hair and only one ghoul eye.
"Anteiku is the name of this place. It's a shop owned by ghouls in the 20th ward. Both humans and ghouls are customers here. It's a nice place. I like it. Come. Sit with us."
Us..?
Hesitantly, I sat down across from him.
"Did you know? My favorite burger was always the hamburger steak at Big Girl. Me and my best friend, Hide, would go there on special occasions.. But you know... when I was discharged from the hospital after the accident.. Hide and I went there to celebrate. His treat. But I couldn't eat. Normal food tasted absolutely awful to me. Disgusting. Because I had become a ghoul. Rize's organs were transferred into me. It was horrible.. I wasn't able to taste that burger.. I wasn't able to eat with Hide.. that's one of my first memories. My first memory is so vague, you know? So I don't usually count it. Kaneki knows more about it."
Kaneki..? Where have I heard that name before..?
Before I could ask who Kaneki was, I was surrounded in books. A classroom filled with books.
"Nice to meet you, Haise." A little boy was sitting on the floor, reading a book. He had neat black hair, his eyes hidden behind his book.
"..."
"This is my world. What's important to me. It's a mix of my father's book room with my classroom. Hide and I were always in the same class." He set the book down, and I saw the full cover: The Egg of the Black Goat.
".."
"My Dad died when I was young. My mom died from working too hard. Hide is my best friend. We get along really well. He likes me, and I like him. Do you have a best friend, Haise?"
Why does he seem.. so sad?
He stood up, and he grew. He wasn't a kid anymore; he was like a teenager.
"We went to Big Girl for special occasions. To celebrate stuff. I got a crush on a girl named Rize. Rize Kamishiro. She had purple hair and purple glasses. She was very pretty. And she likes books. She liked the same author as I did. And she seemed interested in me, for she'd smile if she caught my gaze. Hide wanted to see Rize, and when he did.." the boy smiled softly, "He said she was too good for me, that I should give up. Me and Rize went on the date of my dreams.. a bookstore date. It was my first date. When we walked home.. she turned out to be a ghoul. She tried to eat me. Luckily, steel beams fell on her, killing her. And her organs were transferred into me to save my life. Since she'd stabbed me with her kagune."
By the end, the boy was pale as a white piece of paper. He sat back down, his age receeding once more.
"I like to envelop myself in my books.. I stay here, reading books all day. If I wasn't doing something like reading books.. it would go over and over in my head. That horrible moment. Why don't you meet HIM next? He saved us all from being eaten.. and instead ate himself."
"?"
Before I could ask what he meant, I was put in a giant birdcage-like thing. For some reason, paranomia set it, and I was freaking out.
"Ohayo.."
"!" I looked behind me, where a boy with white hair and a creepy smirk stood. He had one ghoul eye, and it was awfully active..
"This is the place where it all changed for me.. Oi, Kaneki, why don't you say hi?" he looked behind him, where another boy was sitting in a chair.
".." I was horrified. The boy had white hair covering his eyes, battered clothes on. In front of him was.. was..
A boy with black hair, laying lifeless.
The boy didn't respond, so the creep resumed talking.
"Yamori-san hurt us here. This is where I threw away all my morals. All I care about are my friends. If they're safe, nothing else matters. That's why.. I hope you'll take care of my friends. Right, Kaneki?"
Looking out from the birdcage as if there was something beyond was another person. He had hardcore clothes on and a mask. His ghoul eye was peeking out though. He looked at me, and honestly, he looked freaky.
"Get stronger so that you can protect them.. that's my advice to you."
That was all he said.
"Auh, Haise.." the one smiled at me, "If you get stronger.. both physically and mentally.. you won't end up like we ended up.. Don't get too obsessed with your eating, okay?"
A raspy voice came out, "Are you sure you should take him to that one?" It seemed to resonate from the boy in the chair and the boy in front of him.
"Of COURSE, Kaneki! After all.. that's the lowest of the low."
"?"
Before I could ask what horrible thing they were going to show me, I was now in a place that looked eerily similar to Cochlea.
"This is where I went crazy. I wanted to eat."
"!" Startled at the voice (maybe I should be getting used to people popping up from now on T-T ), I turned around to see a crouched person with a mask on. Unlike the last one with the mask, its mask covered both of its eyes and not the mouth.
Voices began echoing through the place, chanting the same thing over and over again.
"I don't want to eat anymore... I don't want to eat anymore..."
Then a shrill sounded through the place.
"Ghouls are more tasty than humans.. Have you ever eaten a ghoul? Humans aren't as good.." another person - looking just like the last one only with a creepy smile instead of a sobbing face - cocked his head back and forth as if having a seizure. "Are you a ghoul? I wonder how you taste.."
"Centi-san, you shouldn't eat.. one per month is all you need.." the other one mumbled.
"I want to eat you.. I want to taste you.."
"Haise, maybe you should go now," the other looked up at me, and I could've sworn, I saw pity, exhaustion, and sadness behind that mask..
I gasped awake, back in my own bed. The sun was starting to rise.
What a weird dream..
Unnerved by it, I walked into Dad's room. Seeing as he was still asleep, I crawled into his bed with him and quivered until he woke up.
When he asked why I was quivering, I told him it was a nightmare that I didn't want to talk about.
"Aww, Haise.." I heard all their voices tumble through me, "You think that was a nightmare..?"
They all said their own comments at once after that. I couldn't understand any one of them.
"Rize is a nightmare."
"Being a ghoul is a nightmare."
"Yamori-san is a nightmare."
"There's worse things than meeting us, you know, Haise.."
"If you see your friend smile as he's dying.. you'd wish you were alone with us."
"If I ate you, you wouldn't have any more nightmares.. right?"
"Try going on an eating spree. Once you catch your reason, you'll understand what a nightmare is."
"Haise.. accept me. I just want to be accepted.."
Alright, I updated this a little since I've read :re now, but.. I mean, I guess in this fanfic, Haise still lives with Arima. I couldn't really change that, or.. it wouldn't be the same, you know? So instead of living with the Quinx Squad, I kept Haise living with Arima.
