Disclaimer: I own nothing.
Author's Note: Alright. Well, this story will be a bit different from my others for a few reasons. I'll explain more at the end, but for now just know that although the plot relies heavily on canon events (primarily from the manga), there are a few things that deviate a bit. Particularly in terms of a character's status (since pretty much everyone was missing or dead after the Anteiku raid and I can't work with that) or their backstory. Hopefully all will make sense in later chapters, but for now, Hide, Amon, and Seidou are happy and healthy while working at the CCG post-raid.
Anyway, this is the obligatory Anastasia!AU fic for the Tokyo Ghoul fandom. Please enjoy!
Flashbulb
A flashbulb memory is a detailed and vivid memory that is stored on one occasion and retained for a lifetime.
[It is important to note that flashbulb memories are not necessarily accurate in every respect, but they demonstrate that the emotional content of an event can greatly enhance the strength of the memory formed.]
- Catherine E. Myers
If Hideyoshi Nagachika were to describe his perfect day, it would most certainly not include a mountain of paper work and an unbearably annoying clock, which is ticking far too slowly in his opinion.
Needless to say, today is not a perfect day. On a scale from one to ten, he thinks he would actually rate the day as a sub-four, because after all, that clock is incredibly infuriating.
As he glances from the towering pile of unsolved files to the significantly smaller pile of solved cases, he wonders what possessed him to accept the promotion in the first place. Although the offer seemed excellent on paper, Hide is currently beginning to question his once sound judgment. After being chained solely to his desk for two weeks, he realizes how much he missed his previous job as an investigation assistant. At least he could still roam freely around the building, even if it was to deliver papers or fetch coffee for his superiors.
Now as a junior investigation analyst, he does little else except scour page after page of outdated records in hopes of finding an obscure connection to one of the CCG's countless open cases.
He drums his fingers against the cool metal of his desk, wishing the muted sound could drown out the relentless ticking of the clock.
He really hates that damn clock.
Hide sighs and reaches for another case file off the gigantic pile. He hums nonchalantly while he casually flips through the hefty folder that's dated five years before his birth year.
I really doubt any ghoul that killed that many people would be still around after nearly thirty years, he reasons, aching to fling the aged file aside. He feels his eyes glaze over as he taps the end of his pen against the yellowed paper in time with the beat of the song in his head.
What I need is a fresher case. All of these files are too stale to be of any use.
Hide groans and tosses the folder to the side. He stifles a yawn, bringing his slender fingers to his mouth and patting his lips gently. He turns his weary gaze back to the giant stack of files, wondering if it would be really worth it to try to start thumbing through another case before his lunch break. He decides to compromise, carefully sliding the largest folder out of the pile and tucking it under his arm as he stiffly unfolds his cramped body out of his desk chair.
I'll just take it to lunch with me, he settles, figuring his superiors can't fault him for slacking off if he works through his break. To make sure that everyone knows he's working overtime, Hide purposefully ambles past the multiple meeting rooms on his way out the main door, brushing off eager compliments on his work ethic with an embarrassed smile.
Hide shifts the folder to the other arm as he waits for traffic to clear. Even though the papers inside are most likely useless and he probably won't even bother to glance through them at lunch, they at least made him look good, even if just for a forgettable moment. At this point, he's praying for any miracle that can lift him or drop him from desk work.
He crosses the street and makes a sharp left, deciding to spare his favorite hamburger joint a few moments of his time.
On the way, he passes by a popular café, often frequented by many of the investigators during their lunch break. He catches a flash of blonde and hears Seidou's dejected whine rise over the gentle murmur of the customers' conversations. Hide grins and waves at his former team, seated at one of the outside tables. His feet automatically move in their direction; he's desperate for some sort of human interaction that doesn't revolve around dusty files.
"Hello, Amon-san! Hello, Akira-san and Seidou-san!" he calls, wandering towards their table. "Fancy seeing you here."
He's immediately pinned by Akira's flat expression. It's not quite a friendly greeting, but it's significantly warmer than the glare she had offered when they had first met.
"We eat here every week," she states, freeing him from her basilisk stare with a slow blink. "We did it when you were with us, and we still do now."
"Ah, yes. How could I forget?" Hide chuckles weakly, rubbing at the back of his neck.
"How's your new job?" Seidou spares a moment from chewing to look at his former teammate. "We miss you," he adds. Hide has a feeling the pronoun should be a bit more singular, judging by the others' blank stares.
"Oh… It's…fun," he answers with a forced grin, resisting the urge to rub the back of his neck again. A disbelieving bark of laughter rumbles from Amon's throat before he conceals it with another mouthful of food. His mentor's uncharacteristic snicker further proves Hide's steady affirmation that his job is comparable to hell.
If even Amon is laughing at me, things really are bad.
"Really? It sounds awful." Seidou at least has the dignity to look sympathetic.
Hide's shoulders drop and he utters a pitiful laugh, partially relieved to vent his frustrations. "It's awful," he admits. "There's so many old files I have to sort through," he continues, "but most of them are completely useless. I feel like I'm doing absolutely nothing."
Akira's eyebrow lifts in a rare expression of amusement. "If you're as completely useless as you say, you'll be demoted soon. Then you can come back to us and we can finally have warm coffee again."
"Hey!" Seidou interrupts with an affronted scowl. Hide tries to cover his growing smile with little success. Apparently, in his absence, someone else had been downgraded to errand boy.
No wonder Seidou wants me back the most.
"That…actually doesn't sound too bad," Hide shrugs with a wry smile, surprised by the honesty in his voice. Now that he's standing on the outside of his old squad, he realizes that he sorely misses their company, even if two-thirds of the group genuinely terrifies him.
"Just give me a few more weeks and I'll be back to running for coffee," he offers them a wide smile before nodding politely and backing away. If he actually wants to eat, he'll have to leave soon before the lunch crowd alights on Big Girl.
He takes another step backwards, ramming the back of his thigh painfully into the corner of another table. He hears a startled gasp and rattling china. Hide quickly spins around and automatically slams a palm on the table to stabilize it, nearly knocking off a quivering coffee cup. Although the action was intended to stop the table's rocking, he thinks he's only frightened the poor stranger even more.
A young man about his age blinks at him, clearly disoriented by the rapid unfolding of events. Hide supposes he would be a bit alarmed too if a stranger had forcibly thrown himself into his table and then almost shoved his coffee off the edge.
"Ah…sorry," Hide weakly stutters, trying to ignore the muted sound of Seidou's chuckles in the background or the obvious gawks from the other customers. He's relieved to notice that the young man hadn't ordered anything apart from his cup of coffee; the situation would have been infinitely worse if Hide had caught the rim of a plate and sent pieces of food somersaulting through the air.
He apologizes again and turns back around, hurriedly rushing out of the outdoor dining area. Once he's at a safe distance from the entire ordeal, he spares a curious glance over his shoulder, catching the shell-shocked stranger shake his head before returning to his book.
No harm, no foul, Hide assures himself as he whistles his way towards lunch.
As he had correctly predicted, Hide had spent his entire lunch break inhaling as many fries as possible, completely ignoring the discarded file to the side of the table.
Sitting again at his tiny desk, he exhales loudly and decides he might as well look through it. Rather, at least look semi-productive as he thumbs through the pages with more ostentatious sighs. However, when he flicks the hefty folder open, he's surprised to see a comparatively recent photograph of an inconspicuous building front. Hide frowns and flips the photograph over, squinting to read the messy scrawl on the back.
Helter Skelter, he murmurs, drawing his lips into a wry pucker. The name doesn't sound familiar, but he knows it has to be important to have such a large folder.
He tosses the photo to the side and spreads the file's contents across his desk with a quick sweep of a palm. With the individual papers and photos all visible, Hide starts to connect the dots.
This was an SS ghoul, he muses, reaching towards the faded image of a shadowy figure ducking into the bar. He gathers the other photographs and shuffles through them excitedly.
Here's another one. And another.
Why are so many ghouls going into this bar?
He sets the photos down and rummages through the opened files for case notes from other agents. His roaming fingers land on the thicker stack of sheets and he quickly tugs it from the pile.
Helter Skelter is a highly suspicious location famous for attracting the foulest of monsters. His eyes quickly dart around the page, taking in each of the investigator's carefully printed words. Although the reason for this is unknown, multiple high-ranking ghouls have been documented inside the premise. No further action will be recommended until the true nature of the building has been discovered.
It's a bit childish and very unprofessional, but he can't suppress the triumphant crow that tumbles out of his throat. For the first time since sitting at his inescapable desk, Hide's finally found a case he doesn't mind investigating. His excitement simmers down to a strangled titter when one of his coworkers sends him an irritated glare from across the room.
"Ah, sorry," he hastily apologizes, rubbing the back of his neck as he offers his disgruntled neighbor a vibrant grin. "Just found an interesting lead."
The investigator scoffs, far too disillusioned by his wasted years of pouring over dusty files to humor the rookie. He returns to his scanning without another word, leaving Hide alone with his discovery.
Hide tries to stay calm as he eagerly absorbs the information in the folder. Although some of the information is old, other additions are much newer, promising a case that's simultaneously relevant and complex.
Just the way I like 'em, he adds with a muted smile, keeping his roving gaze firmly on the papers before him.
After reading and rereading each component of the file, Hide finally builds a rough picture of the bar. According to the case notes, it's a popular location, frequented often by high class ghouls for a particular reason.
A reason he's absolutely determined to uncover.
In the moments after sprinting to his apartment and panting on the floor from a thinly suppressed panic attack, Hide had sworn after that he would never try anything as risky as infiltrating a ghoul location singlehandedly again.
However, he knows more than anyone else that success tastes sweeter when the impossible is pulled off twice.
Now, he currently finds himself sitting on the stained seat of the subway, swaddled in the same jacket he wore when trailing after Yamori years ago. He mashes his lips and rolls his shoulders, wishing the previous owner of the jacket had been a bit more conscious of modern fashion or comfort.
Beggars can't be choosers, he laments, tearing his gaze from his folded hands in his lap to the sparse smattering of fellow patrons also in the car. Although most mind their own business, he catches the confused frown of a gaunt brunet a few seats away. The man's nose wrinkles at the distorted scent and Hide drops his gaze quickly in hopes of deterring any unnecessary questions. Betrayed by his sensitive nose, the man's true nature had given him away.
To think—that mild mannered office worker is actually a ghoul. Imagine the number of hiding ghouls the CCG could discover if they started going undercover.
Thankfully, the man does not approach Hide when his stop arrives, only tossing a startled expression over his shoulder as he disappears through the sliding doors. Hide sighs and rubs his arms, fingertips brushing against the coarse material of the stolen coat. He needs to refocus his mind on the mission.
After all, one slight mistake and he'll be dead meat.
In more ways than one, he supplies with another wry smile.
Hide takes a steadying breath and casually flips through the investigator's notes on the bar until his stop arrives. He tucks the folder away, shoulders his bag, and darts out of the subway car. Although he would prefer to take his time and approach the bar at his own pace, if he allows himself too much time to think, he'll convince himself to abandon the mission before it even begins.
A small corner of his mind still pleads with him to turn around and run away as fast as possible when he reaches the bar's entrance. He tries to bury his nerves with little success as his faintly trembling hand reaches for the polished doorknob.
Yanking the door open, he all but throws himself into the bar. It's not particularly crowded, but the hushed murmur of friendly banter pauses as the customers stare at the newcomer. However, they quickly return to their own conversations, paying no mind to the recent arrival.
Smooth, Nagachika, Hide chastises himself, willing his trembling knees to stop rattling. You just about alerted everyone in here that you're some weird stranger.
When he's convinced that he's been thoroughly forgotten by the resident ghouls, he relaxes slightly and takes a moment to study the interior of the bar. There hadn't been any pictures in the file, so his imagination had run wild, picturing half eaten corpses thrown in corners and blood dripping from the walls. He hadn't expected the bar to look so normal.
He eyes a pair of ghouls sipping something thick and crimson at the bar—he does not want to think about what that might be—and decides they are too preoccupied in their loud conversations to pay much attention to an eavesdropper. He slides up to a seat at the bar, leaving an open gap between himself and the closest ghoul's back.
"D'ya think the rumors are true?" Hide immediately perks up, excited to have stumbled upon such a promising lead. "About the missing kid?"
Missing kid? Hide tries to focus on the bustling bartender in front of him instead of on the ghouls' conversation. Many people are missing right now. Who's he specifically talking about?
"Damned if I know," another ghoul grunts, sloshing around the remaining liquid in his glass. He tosses it back and swallows, slamming the empty cup on the bar surface. "I think it's none of our damn business if ya wanna know what I think," he slurs. "That's between them and them other ghouls."
Hide suppresses the urge to roll his eyes. The second ghoul's tongue has been significantly loosened by his drink; however, instead of revealing valuable information, he's revealing his supreme stupidity.
Them…and them other ghouls. Is he talking about Aogiri? Another group? Who?
"Well, I heard that the Gourmet is backing those rumors," the bartender purrs, entering the conversation with a sleek smile. She rests her elbows on the bar and leans towards the two ghouls, her fiery hair cascading around her slender shoulders. "He's offering a pretty prize for anyone who can bring home the Anteiku Prince."
Hide stiffens, breathing shallowly to avoid missing any more of her soft whispering. A missing person from Anteiku? I thought the whole organization was destroyed—but that makes it sound like it's still active. Hide's head spins as he considers the ramifications of the surviving organization.
That means our raid all those years ago was useless. If Anteiku is still around, then that means there's a new leader who's come to take the place of the One-Eyed Owl.
He pauses and suppresses a shudder. Or the One-Eyed Owl survived, he adds darkly, thinking back to the countless casualties from the fateful night. He had been luckier than most of his comrades, but he had faced certain complications of his own on that night as well.
Hide forcefully shoves the pointless thoughts from his mind. He can reminisce later when he isn't sitting in the middle of a ghoul bar. Now he needs to devote all of his attention to the matter at hand: recovering as much intel about this Anteiku Prince as possible without being eaten alive.
"If that damn Gourmet is paying…" The drunker ghoul trails off, glaring blearily at his empty cup. The bartender catches Hide's curious stare before he can yank his eyes away. She tips more crimson liquid into the second ghoul's empty glass, offering Hide a knowing wink as she sets the crystal decanter to the side.
"What were you saying?" she asks sweetly, sliding her gaze back towards Hide's paling face.
She's purposely getting him drunk so he'll share more information. She's much smarter than she lets on. Hide swallows, uncomforted by that knowledge. She'll figure me out; after all, why else would she be staring at me like that?
"I said," the second ghoul mumbles thickly, "if that damn Gourmet is paying, then…then…" He frowns, obviously confused by what he was going to say next.
"He must've come out of retirement," the drunk ghoul's companion adds. "I haven't heard of the Gourmet being active since the raid. Thought he died," he admits with an indifferent shrug.
"Mmm, that has been the general consensus," the bartender nods with a knowing smile. "I wonder what's caused them to rise from the ashes." She turns her head and fixes Hide with another unnerving expression. "What do you think?"
Hide feels as if his stomach has suddenly dropped out. The two ghouls turn to face him, blinking as they notice his presence for the first time.
Damn.
"I…I uh," Hide forces a weak chuckle and scratches at his cheek. "I'm afraid I don't have much of an opinion," he offers with a hopeful grimace. "I just moved here, so I'm a bit behind on all the local news. I don't know who any of these people are."
The excuse is sound enough to convince the two customers, though the bartender looks woefully unconvinced. However, instead of calling him out on his blatant lie or his strange scent, she does something infinitely more surprising.
She gives him the information he sorely desires.
Letting the two customers drift back to their natural conversations, the bartender turns her complete attention to Hide.
"Why don't I catch you up to speed?" Her upper lip rises dangerously, exposing a sharp canine. Hide returns the expression with a weak smile of his own.
"It'll be easier if you tell me what you already know though."
Hide considers the question before answering. This could be part of her test, but he can't figure out the wrong or right way to answer. He can't figure out her motives either and it terrifies him.
"I know a bit about Anteiku," he settles for. It can't hurt to be vague. "I know about the raid and a little bit about the members."
"Ahh, but do you know about the fabled Anteiku Prince?"
Hide hesitates before shaking his head. He knows about most of the members after reading through briefing files, but he doesn't know which one is considered the "Prince."
"Some called him Centipede, but others called him Eye-Patch." Hide forces his expression to remain neutral; he doesn't want her to see how much the name means to him. He finally has an alias to go with this elusive ghoul, but there's something more underneath. "He disappeared during the raid and, well… we both know what that means. We had all kind of forgotten about Anteiku until the Gourmet returned, offering a huge reward for anyone who could bring back their missing member."
His brow scrunches up in confusion. "But all of a sudden? And why would someone have to bring this guy back?"
The bartender shrugs and gives the boy another feline smile. "That's part of the mystery." She tilts her head back, causing her red locks to tumble down her neck and shoulder blades. "Almost as mysterious as his origin," she murmurs. Hide partially thinks she's talking to herself, but now he realizes that everything she does is deliberate. She's leading him on, but he's too far engrossed in the story to stop now.
"His origin?" Hide echoes, expecting an unimaginative story about a bloodthirsty ghoul who literally ate investigators for breakfast. He's heard hundreds of "mysterious" origin stories from his comrades, of monsters who rise from the dark.
"He's a half-ghoul." The bartender laughs at Hide's unconsciously furrowed brow and covers up an eye with her slender fingers. "Some even say that he used to be human and then someone turned him into a ghoul."
"Hey! Iiiitori!" The drunker ghoul turns back and brandishes his empty glass. He's completely inebriated.
A flicker of annoyance crosses the bartender's face before she refills his cup. His bleary stare settles on Hide. He inhales deeply and his rheumy eyes narrow.
"You not gettin' nuthin'?" He sniffs again, confusion flickering across his dulled features. By this point, his sober companion has become similarly suspicious.
"I'm…uh, trying out a new diet?" Hide winces at the lame excuse. They're going to discover he's human and drink his blood out of matching wineglasses.
"Nonsense!" Itori—he thinks it's great that he finally knows his future murderer's name now—pulls out a clean glass and sets it in front of Hide. She tips the decanter over the empty glass; Hide watches with a glum expression as the thick crimson dribbles out the container and into his cup.
"It's on the house," she shoots him another wink, though now he senses a bit of malicious glee in the expression. "Sort of as a welcome present."
Am I really going to drink this right now? What the hell is wrong with me?
Knowing well what would happen to him if he refuses to drink, Hide takes a slow breath and tosses the liquid at the back of his throat. He tries not to gag as the thick, clogging goop clings to the back of his tongue and trickles agonizingly slowly down his esophagus. It's saltier than he would have imagined, but also extremely metallic.
No big deal. No big deal. It's no different than when you broke your nose and you accidentally swallowed some of the blood. Besides, drinking blood is better than losing it, right?
He successfully manages to suppress the urge to scream or choke, and instead offers Itori his brightest smile, ignoring the fact that his teeth are likely stained red.
"Ah, delicious," he titters weakly.
What did you just do?
What the hell was that? Fermented blood?
If any of Itori's suspicions had been confirmed or denied by his desperate action, her face reveals nothing as she studies him.
However, the sober ghoul to his right has no problem with making his doubts known.
"You smell wrong," he accuses, glaring at Hide. His upper lip rises in a snarl as he takes another deep inhalation. "You smell…human."
Oops. Time to go.
Hide slips out of his chair and takes a quick step backwards as the two ghouls advance on him. Out of the corner of his eye, he spots the decanter of fermented blood. Without missing a beat, he mumbles a small prayer to no one in particular and grabs the cool crystal neck. He swings it at the closest ghoul, relishing the sound of shattering glass and cries of pain.
Blood explodes everywhere, staining his jacket and hands and causing the shards in his palms to slip and cut him. He immediately releases the mangled pieces of the glassware and brushes his stinging hands against his sides. His jacket is already ruined beyond salvation, but he hopes there's still a chance for him.
At the jarring sound, immediately the quiet hum of the bar falls silent. Curious eyes swivel towards Hide and the two ghouls, drenched in fermented blood. He braces himself for the inevitable slaughter like hungry wolves leaping upon a wounded lamb, but nothing happens. He realizes that the pungent smell of the fermented blood masks his own scent.
As far as anyone in the bar is concerned, a simple conversation between three ghouls just got out of hand. However, when the drunker ghoul shrieks in fury and accidentally impales a random customer with his erupting kagune, all hell breaks loose. The once calm ghouls explode from their seats, slurring and shouting insults across the bar.
Forgotten in the turmoil, Hide takes this as his chance to escape. His wide gaze darts around the chaos, searching for a way out.
The front door's an option, but I have to cross through at least ten ghouls to get there. So… I really don't like that option.
"Hmmm… You really made a mess, didn't you, human?"
Hide freezes and spins back towards Itori. He has difficulty placing her expression; she's not particularly angry, yet she seems a bit unimpressed by the carnage. Or maybe unimpressed by you, a voice whispers in the back of his mind.
"I'd say your best chance of escape would be through the back door." She tosses her head to glance behind her, her hair trickling over one shoulder.
Hide swallows, but he doesn't move towards the gestured direction. It could be trap. It could be another one of her games.
"I would hurry if I were you," she continues with another light chuckle. "I'm not sure how much longer those idiots can keep stabbing each other."
Hide slowly moves around the bar, keeping his gaze firmly fixed on her indescribable expression. When he stands only a few feet away from her, he hesitates before moving towards the door.
"Why are you helping me?"
Itori shrugs, offering a cryptic smile. "She's not the only one who can play with her food."
Although he aches to ask her what she means, Hide tears his stare from her face and tenses his muscles to run.
"Before you go," she adds, "you might want to know the Anteiku Prince's name. His real name." A startled frown flickers across Hide's features. He had been so swept up in surviving that he had temporarily forgotten his original purpose for coming to the bar.
"It's Kaneki. Kaneki Ken."
Hide nods once before rushing towards the exit. He inhales deeply once his face hits the cool night air, barely able to keep his knees from buckling in relief.
He sternly reminds himself that he's not safe yet and runs as fast as he can to the nearest subway station, disregarding the horrified expressions of his fellow passengers. He finally stops to breathe again when he locks the doors to his apartment and collapses in a trembling pile of bloodstained limbs.
Thank you so much for reading!
Now, the twist with this fic is I'm going to try to have regular updates (what?!). I've already drafted a *sort of* complete outline with several chapters already written. The main purpose was to make sure I had everything in the first few chapters set up properly to correspond with the later chapters, but it's nice to be ahead too.
The second little twist is I've been meaning to spice up my dusty Tumblr account (just "macrauchenia" like my username here) with updates and snippets of future works. If you have any suggestions on any TG oneshots, feel free to send me an ask and I'll probably make a drabble dump story on here with all of the results. It would just make my day to see a request. Fair warning though-even if the prompt has no mention of Hide in it, you better believe that sunshine star child will find a way to be in all of them.