The Hardships and the Happiness in Friendship

It was an ordinary boring Monday evening in Tokyo the same old street lights lit the dark city in an orange glow that would of looked beautiful to a tourist. The normal people such as school students, workers and shoppers stayed walking though the main street with the huge crowds and the lights staying away from the dark alleyways of Tokyo that was free of any source of light. The alleyways were the perfect place for gangs and criminals to hang out and of course the things that human society feared most, Ghouls…

Everyone knew about the ghouls the man eating monsters that lurked though Tokyo's shadows like a plague killing children, adults and (sometimes) the elderly for food source, this is why the citizens relied on ghoul investigators, they were the only ones who could rid Tokyo of these monsters. No one crazy enough would make friends with a ghoul if they knew about it, helping a ghoul would be seen as an act of treason to your own kind and would be seen as helping a murderer, not like anyone would want to help a ghoul anyway expect for one guy.

Hideyoshi Nagachika, or most commonly known as Hide was one of the fools who ran though Tokyo's darkest corners that night, he wasn't a complete idiot he knew what he was doing was dangerous. He expected a ghoul to pounce on him any moment or a group of thugs would appear out of nowhere blocking his path, but they never did and Hide had done far more dangerous things in the past.

He scanned the roof tops, checked every corner and passageway for a shot of white hair or a single black and red eye but he could see no sign of Kaneki, his one-eyed ghoul friend.

He had known that Kaneki had been a ghoul for a while now, since the 'car accident' but hadn't confute Kaneki about until he had found him in the sewer with his half-kakuja out. Hide wouldn't admit it but the sight of his friend like that, the guy who wouldn't even kill a spider had shook Hide up, he was scared! But Hide had pushed those negative emotions away and pulled on a smile and a relaxed face went over to comfort his friend which was probably the most dangerous and stupidest thing Hide had ever done! As a result Kaneki had attacked him eating chunks from him but it wasn't enough to kill him and was able to bring Kaneki home. How you ask? Tell you later I'm going off topic.

Anyway Hide was lucky enough to run though the alleyway without any trouble, he didn't slow down until the smell of blood writhed though his nose. Now Hide didn't have the same high scene of smell as ghouls, it was a faint smell of blood and death and if a human like Hide could smell it, then a lot a people must have died and it was very close.

Around the corner in fact.

Hide took a deep breath and turned the corner knowing that he was going to face a gruesome scene but nothing could of prepared him enough for what he saw. Hide gasped in shock and disgust when he saw limbs and blood spayed out across the ground, hands had been separated from arms and stray legs where covered in bite marks Hide didn't fancy examine at them any further but the bites weren't really that big, only a ghoul could of done this but the amount of flesh that could be seen on the limbs Hide could only theorize that the ghoul who had done this wasn't planning on eating but more as an act of self-defence or just wanting to kill something. Hide would off tried to examine the scene more to see if these bodies belonged to ghouls or humans or if Kaneki had something to do with it but once his eyes had landed on severed head with it brains eaten out Hide was more than ready to throw up and leave the scene.

Maybe he should call the ghoul investigators, but then he didn't want to explain why he there at the first and be asked awkward questions he was sure some else would find the scene and he had more important things to do. For some reason he didn't know why but Hide's mind couldn't shake of the feeling that Kaneki had something to do with this, and Hides theories where usually 99.9% right and if the theory that Kaneki had done this was correct then it was safe to assume that Kaneki had gone back to flat already wondering where Hide was.

Hide went to the direction of home.

Xxx

The only noise that could be heard inside the dark dismal flat was the harsh sound the shower running water in the bathroom, Ken Kaneki ran his figures though his hair washing the blood and gore out of the snow white strands. He sighed as he watched the red coloured water trickle down the plug hole, he hoped it wouldn't stain.

Kaneki was lucky that the nights where growing early and no one saw him under the cover of darkness as he was covered in blood, not his own blood of course but the blood of those foolish ghouls who didn't know who they were dealing with. He was hanging out the in the alleyways like he did every day since he started living with Hide (It wasn't like he could go out in public now everyone knew he was a ghoul). Usually no one bothered him but suddenly a group of probably five or six ghouls had surrounded him, probably looking for a fight but the ghouls didn't last for more than a minute because before Kaneki knew it limbs and blood where scattered around him.

Kaneki didn't mean to kill them, they were only thugs and not wroth his time but looking on the brighter side those ghouls had probably murdered innocent people and was probably doing a service to the public by getting rid of them. But still maybe he should have cleaned up the crime scene? But that wasn't the main thing on his mind because once he got home the door was locked and the lights where off which was strange because Hide was usually at home cooking dinner at this time so Kaneki had to let himself in.

He looked around the flat for any signs of a break in or a struggle or maybe something out of place but everything as how it should be, the flat was always clean because Kaneki always had time to clean up now and he could see no sign of a ransom note that Hide was kidnaped. Kaneki was always worried that one day Hide would be taken hostage by a ghoul, there were a lot of ghouls who hated Kaneki and would like to try a beat a one-eyed ghoul but this didn't seem to be the case. Kaneki decided to wait and take a shower while he was at it he didn't want Hide to see him covered in blood so that's what he was doing now, standing in the shower, his clothes already in the wash. He probably stayed the shower for about eight minutes washing his hair when he heard the front door click open though the noise of the shower.

'Smells like Hide' He thought as he switched off the shower, stepped out and quickly dried his body with the towel and pulled a t-shirt and sweatpants on and walked out the bathroom into the living room. He could hear Hide pottering about in the kitchen, he opened the door to find his friend sipping a glass of water his face was pale and his eyes where hazy he hadn't noticed Kaneki come in.

"Are you ok Hide" Kaneki asked suddenly Hide jumped in surprise his water leaping out of the glass spilling on the floor.

"Oh s-sorry Kaneki I was in a world of my own" Hide smiled but Kaneki could see the nerves in that smile and his eyes didn't really meet Kaneki's, he saw that his hands where shacking a little as his moved to get the kitchen towel from the sink Kaneki wasn't having that. Kaneki strolled over to Hide and put his hand on his shoulder he could feel Hide jump and tense a little, what was wrong? Why was Hide being so jumpy? Was it something to do with him?

He turned Hide around so that he was facing him Kaneki's eyes fixed on Hides but his friend seem to struggle meeting his.

"Hide tell me what's wrong" Kaneki spoke in his calm and caring yet demanding tone that always seemed to work when he wanted people to talk and Hide was no exception.

"Where were you before?" Hide asked trying to sound casual but Kaneki wasn't fooled he would hear a slight waver in the voice "I went out looking for you and now your back like nothing's happened". Kaneki thought what Hide had said and looked at the clock that hung on the kitchen wall, ok maybe he was back home a little late tonight…

"I'm sorry for worrying you" Kaneki said "I just hung around the usual spot" Kaneki was referring to the alleyways "Must off lost track of time".

No hand to the chin Hide noticed, at least he wasn't lying so far. Hide wondered if he dare bring up the scene he saw before.

"You still don't look convinced" Kaneki said "there is something else isn't there" he said and looking at Hides face he could tell he was right. Was it possible that Hide had stumbled upon the scene of Kaneki's blood shed?

"Well I saw something while I was searching for you, something that kind of shook me" Hide begun, oh no Kaneki thought.

"There is no point betting around the bush Kaneki" Hide said suddenly his soft brown chocolate eyes meeting hard steel ones that used to be so soft, Hide knew his friend was already a murder but hadn't he already moved past it? Only kill when necessary not for power? "Kaneki did you kill a group of people today?"

Silence.

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Then Kaneki dropped his arms from the human's shoulders and his eyes dropped to the ground his head giving a small nod but Hide wasn't surprised but he still stayed unshaken in front of the ghoul. For some strange reason his anxiety levels seemed to drop and he could find himself breathing much easier which was weird a normal sane person would be too frightened standing in front of murderer let alone a ghoul. Maybe it was because he was already prepared for this, he knew what he was getting himself into when he decided to save Kaneki from that ghoul investigator all those months ago and he knew it wasn't going to be easy. Hide needed to keep Kaneki hidden from the ghoul investigators and the public, he was now rated an SS ghoul so now Kaneki lurked in the most deserted and dangerous places where people won't dare look for him. Hide was even in the process of trying to sell the flat so he could move Kaneki and himself out of Tokyo where no one knew them.

It was hard he knew but he had signed up for it and Kaneki was still his best friend no matter how much he changed.

"Do you have a good reason for killing them?" Hide said calmly, wanting for an answer.

"They tried to round me up" Kaneki said his a low voice still with his head down "I was defending myself but I must off got too carried away"

"So they were ghouls?" Hide asked "You didn't have to kill them"

"I know" Kaneki nodded in agreement "But I must of lost control because the next minute I'm tearing off their arms and heads, doesn't matter anyway they probably lost their heads already if they tried to take on me" Kaneki smiled trying to make the situation lighter but Hide wasn't smiling, ok Kaneki bad timing…

"I thought you had control over yourself?" Hide said "That you could handle your power?!"

"I'm sorry Hide" was all Kaneki could say. Hide sighed putting his head in his hands rubbing his face and looking back up at Kaneki again.

"I'm buying you a mobile phone" was all Hide could say to his friend "So you can contact me when you are in trouble and I'm more prepared when these type of things happen"

Kaneki looked at him in confusion "Is that all you have to say to me?" He asked

"Well I don't see the point in giving you a lecture, you already know yourself what you did was wrong even if those guys where ghouls or not, besides I think the sooner we sell that flat and the sooner we get out of Tokyo the better! I think a new environment and new people would make you feel you can live a normal life again".

Kaneki nodded sadly "I will miss Tokyo" He said "But at the same time I feel that it would be best to leave and try to start fresh, I will still have to kill for food but maybe I could try getting a job or go to uni and change my name"

"Sound's a good idea" Hide said smiling "What would you want to do anyway and what would you call yourself?"

"I think I would like to be some kind of teacher" Kaneki said with his arms cross "I mean I did help Hinami-chan and Banjou-san to read and write and I do like kids so…"

"You know I can see you being a teacher now" Hide laughed "I mean you used to be so shy before but I think you have the confidence and the bossiness to do it now"

"Thanks" Kaneki mumbled "But if I wanted to be a teacher I would need someone who is really good at forging things, I can't really go around calling myself Ken Kaneki now can I"

"Naa don't worry I'm sure ghouls do this type of stuff all the time we will find someone, what will you call yourself anyway?"

"I don't know" said Kaneki "I like the name Haise"

"Really?" Hide was surprised "Did you find that name in a book?"

"Not really I just like the name, I did read the name Sasaki in a book once though I like that name too"

"Haise Sasaki…." Hide said specking the name "It's got a nice ring to it"

"You really think so" Kaneki laughed as he sat down on the work top.

"Yeah it does!" Hide laughed "And you can call me Fred"

"Fred?"

"It's a western name"

"Oh…"

Author Note: This is probably not the best Tokyo Ghoul fanfic I've wrote but I wanted to write something different other than Kaneki and Hinami, I'm also not use to writing fanfics that aren't accurate to the original story line so this was a bit of a change for me and I did enjoy writing it.

I'm sorry if the ending was a bit strange I wanted to end the fanfic on a happy and funny note but I can imagine if Hide and Kaneki where having a depressing conversation (Like Kaneki's ghoul life) Hide would try to brighten up the mood at the end and everything would go back to normal.

I also tried to keep Kaneki and Hide in character, I'm sorry if you thought Kaneki's character was a bit bland when specking with Hide but I wanted to keep him in character because in front of his love ones white haired Kaneki is usually very calm and doesn't show much emotion, and I suppose if he thought something was wrong with his friend this is how I see him acting. Hide would also try not to over react in front of his friend when it comes to Kaneki's mental side because he doesn't want to scare Kaneki off or worry him into think he might be bother to Hide.

Please review.