Chapter 1

In a dark room, far from human reach is a young man with completely white hair. His mask bore teeth he never had the guts of revealing, pure white marbles engraved with blood. And beneath him. Beneath him, countless of dead bodies lined up from those he cared the most. The last among the line was himself, Kaneki Ken, laying on the pure black floor motionless. His eyes rolled back, his lips slightly parted until the dead being sat up suddenly. It's inhuman actions move forward, devouring the bodies he held so dear. He couldn't stop him. He tried to move. To scream. Everyone is dead yet he wants to save them. He wants to save those destined to die, fated to die, but his hands won't move. His dead self filed the bodies in his mouth, which stretched impossibly, and his stomach getting wider by the second. When it reached him. The two duplicates stared eye to eye like a mirror.

And then…

Poof.

"Oni-chan!" a voice rang through Kaneki's ears as he was being shaken awake.

"That's it Hinami, keep at it."

"Oni-channnn!" the scream of a young girl unpleasantly damaged his ears. Kaneki opened his eyes slowly, wiping away his tiredness until feeling sweat drip on his hands. Touka carried Hinami off of him and went to his bookcase, admiring the well placed collection, "You've been having nightmares again." Touka spoke, picking one book out. Hinami tip-toed next to her, trying to see what she pulled out. Kaneki sat up on his bed and leaned forward, "Nightmares again, huh? Sorry senpai for having you come here everyday…" he bitterly smiles, "Sometimes I wonder when it'll stop."

Touka glances at him and hands Hinami the book, "Go read this in the living room while I talk to Oni-chan for a little while."

Hinami pouted, "But I want to talk too…" one look from Touka made her grab the book and sent her away, "I'm sixteen you know, I'm old enough." She left the two alone.

Touka sat besides Kaneki and the silence between them grew. Kaneki moved away from the Anteiku and Aogiri after his little incident with the Doves. When he initially joined Aogiri and teamed up for them a while, he assumed he was trying to protect the Anteiku, after coming back to Anteiku, Yoshimura convinced him what he was doing was wrong and sent him to live in a house all by himself, since then, he's been feeding from recently dead people given to him by Renji. Touka got admitted to the university so rarely has time to visit Kaneki but during holidays and breaks, she comes to Kaneki's little home to stay for a while. Kaneki felt uncomfortable at first but couldn't go against it since he's not paying for a single thing. It's completely being financed by the Anteiku.

"Hows everyone…back at Anteiku." Kaneki asks awkwardly, he was fired a long time ago and it's been months since he's seen anyone besides Hinami and Touka. His friends at Anteiku rarely come by because they're busy with Yoshimura and his plans to restore balance. The Aogiri is still at large but the Doves sent them packing since their attempt to capture the 10th ward. Ghouls and Doves working together for a single cause. That's the only way the Aogiri would lose. Kaneki knows this, but he does not make any progress in lightening the relationship.

It's still pretty cold with everyone.

"Everyones doing okay. They miss you, you know. If you'll just pledge your allegiance to Yoshimura I'm sure he'll give you your job back." Touka puts her hand on his shoulder but Kaneki weakly shakes it off, "You know I can't." Kaneki said, "I've broke that allegiance once and when that happens, you don't deserve to be with the Anteiku anymore. I'm content with what their giving me…"

"Being trapped like a rat?" Touka snaps, tears brimming on her eyes, "Does your cage suit you?"

Kaneki cringes a little when she said cage. The memories he had with Aogiri and how they treated him. It was horrible. But he never felt more free in his life. If he's honest, he's really content. The idea of turning back to the centipede is harsher than any punishment in the world. But it's not really a punishment, it's more like a desire, it can be a punishment, fighting back makes him feel like he wants to die, allowing it to control him…it's like giving yourself to your true side. It's like spreading wings and flying for the first time…

"Are you even listening Kaneki!" Touka shoves him but Kaneki doesn't move. A black aura animates around his body as a stare with cruel intent spreads on his face, "Shut up." He said. Touka stood up and stepped back, a little frightened. Kaneki's face turns back to normal as he shakes his head to regain consciousness, "Touka…" Kaneki stood up in front of her, reaching his hand out which is trembling, "I-I'm sorry. Please, help me."

Touka didn't hesitate to grab his hand. She moves closer to him and embraces, "Of course I'll help you. Kaneki…I-"

Her voice was cut short as another voice appears, coming from the living room, "Oni-chan." The voice said calmly as Kaneki and Touka walk outside to the living room. Hinami points at the screen, still staring at the book Touka picked out. The ancient T.V displayed the news as a young man with blond, orange-like hair appears, smiling, and the bold letter underneath brought a painful ache in Kaneki's heart.

BREAKING NEW: YOUNG CCG EMPLOYEE MISSING (SUSPECTED GHOUL VICTIM)

"Hide…" Kaneki whispers, in pain, thinking about the last moment he met him. The moment he left him, "I'm such a bad friend." Kaneki said. Touka sympathetically staring at Kaneki as she grabs the remote and turns it off, "I'm sure he's fine Kaneki. Hide isn't strong as us but he's definitely smarter. I'm sure he's around and about looking for you." Kaneki didn't answer back as he sat down on his couch. Touka looked patiently at him until an idea popped into her head. She walks over to the door and brought a box plate, ones normal humans would get at stands during festivals.

It usually holds delicious food but since Kaneki is a ghoul and cannot eat that, it held human meat, "I know you don't like eating humans but you have to enjoy it once in a while. Its only healthy." Kaneki stares at the box with fear in his eyes, "Touka…" his breathing became uneasy, "Where did you get that?"

Hinami, who was watching them talk for a while interrupts, "It was from me. I killed a man and severed his organs for you, oni-chan." Kaneki shoots a look at at her and steps away slowly. Hinami watches him carefully, seriously watching his every move until she bops her head to the side and sticks her tongue out, "Just kidding." She smiles. Touka rudely stands in front of her and glares at her for a moment before turning her attention to Kaneki, "That girl…" she sighs, "She's becoming more of a rebel everyday."

Kaneki's face didn't change, horrified, until he realizes it was all a joke. He forcefully provides a smile and looks at the meat in front of him. It was still red, fresh, like Touka said. Touka brought out a knife and a fork for him, "Dig in, it's not from a dead person. It's from an organ donation center down at the hospital. The meat isn't all there but we bought it legitimately, consider it as more money you owe us."

Kaneki still didn't want to 'enjoy' a meal from a human being, being bought or not, but he couldn't turn down their kind intentions. He picks his fork up and pokes at it, cutting out a tiny piece of meat and plops it into his mouth. At first, it normally tasted like the dead meat he would normally bite into until he chewed it for a bit. The feeling blood squeezing out of the piece made a sensation in his mouth. His breathing broke into quick cracks and his eyes widen in frenzy.

Touka glances at Hinami as she looks at Kaneki breaking, "Oni-chan?" Hinami stood up, left the book on the floor and walked to him. She picked up the piece of meat and handed it to him, her perfectly white skin, tarnished by the color of red, "Eat. Eat properly." Her voice changed again, like the time she said she killed someone. Kaneki stared up at her and then at the meat in his hands. Touka didn't do anything because it was she who ordered Hinami to do this.

It's like knocking out two birds with one stone. She can teach Hinami to mature properly as a ghoul, something Kaneki never had, actually the opposite as he grew up as a normal human being. His life wasn't peaches, but it wasn't a ghoul life either. Kaneki lifted the meat to his mouth, but his lips did the opposite of his hands. It shut close, refusing to accept the food as it was. Hinami encourages Kaneki, but before she did that, she turns her head to Touka for confirmation, "You can do it oni-chan, it's the same thing like eating anything. Don't think about them as humans, think about it as a way to survive."

Kaneki's lips slowly part as he finally felt the center of the blood seeping into his mouth. The glorious liquid rushing down his throat, and before he knew it, he was gnawing away, hungry. He opened his mouth wide and bit as much as he could, sometimes swallowing more then chewing. His stomach begged for more and he helped himself with whatever is left, when he finished, he looked around for another source but there was none. His eyes slowly turning blacker, evaporating the white.

Touka stood up and pushed Hinami to the side, directly focusing on Kaneki, "This is where you have to learn Kaneki."

Kaneki didn't respond. He stood up, agitated. Touka followed suit and stood in front of him, "This is where you have to stop. You had your fill, you don't need more."

"I need more…" Kaneki shudders, grabbing a pillow and biting into it. The pillow shredded but no blood spew.

"Kaneki!" Touka's eyes instantly turned dark, as she got ready to subdue him. She didn't need to beat him in fighting, she's sure she's not strong enough but she has a tranquilizer strong enough to keep an elephant down. She can accomplish this if she's in ghoul form, any ordinary gun won't do. Kaneki's too fast, "Kaneki." Touka yelled, "This is my final warning. You don't need more."

Kaneki shot a stare at her, so cold, so mean, "Food." He stepped forward and his eyes slowly covered with darkness besides a red pupil in between. His centipede form extracting from his tail-bone. He charged Touka quickly but Touka switched to a defensive stance. Her eyes close, bracing for impact until she felt none. Her eyes lock onto Hinami, Kaneki lifting her by her shirt, smiling, a black mask appearing out of nowhere on his face.

It was no longer Kaneki.

Touka had to think fast. She didn't have to react, Kaneki would have his mouth in her neck by the time. She can throw the tranquilizer, but he wouldn't go down by that alone. Not when he's completely like this. Hinami stares at her fate in his eyes, but she wasn't frightened, "Oni-chan…" she whispers, she caresses his chin outline softly, "…I know you can do this. Fight oni-chan. Prove everyone at Anteiku wrong, prove everyone from Aogiri wrong, prove the doves wrong, you can do it oni-chan."

Kaneki stares at her at for a brief moment and lowers her down. Hinami smiles, until she tries to move. Kaneki doesn't release his hold.

His mouth spreads open in an awful sort of way and launches at Hinami at incredible speed, "Kaneki, no!" Touka screamed, rushing to Hinami's side but she knows she's too late. Hinami closes her eyes until there was no feeling of teeth ripping away her skin. She opened her eyes slowly and the mask on Kaneki evaporates into nothing. He wasn't smiling, he had death in his eyes and his incredibly white skin got even paler. He looked Hinami straight into her eyes, giving her a reason to fear him.

"Just kidding."

A/N: Tell me what you think.