"I still can't believe you went out and bought this thing just because the girl you're crushing on has one."

"It's not like I got it just for that, Hide!" Kaneki sputtered. "I've got plenty of reasons, like how it improves your sleep, and improves reflexes and memory, and…"

"Like that matters! You just went out and bought a VR console," Hide continued, "Which is crazy expensive, I don't know how you could afford it, because you want to impress a girl you've never talked to."

"When you put it that way…" Kaneki mumbled.

"Man, I feel lame. I've been telling you to get one for ages! Do you listen? No. But then you go get one at the drop of a hat. I've never even met this chick!" Hide said, gesturing wildly. "I see how it is. You'd ditch your childhood friend for a girl!"

"Hide!" Kaneki hissed. "Keep it down! You're bothering other people!"

"Fine, fine, you party pooper. I've got to go to work now, but make sure you friend me on Gaiasphere! Shoot me a PM while you're at it."

Kaneki waved before turning around. Sighing, he hefted his newest purchase: a brand new Virtual Reality Console.

The Virtual Reality Console, more commonly known as the VRC, was the newest in virtual reality technology. It was a headset, meant to be worn when asleep, and boasted the fastest, most seamless transition from sleep to virtual reality, and maintained the strongest connection. As a result, it was head-and-shoulders above the next leading console, and cost much, much more.

Because of his limited budget, Kaneki had put off buying it for a while, in spite of Hide's constant pleading. Though he could have used his savings, he had been torn, and the fact that Rize had one was the concluding factor.

Rize Kamishiro. A patron of the same book store as Kaneki, and a few years older than him. Kaneki had only known her name for a few weeks, when he had overheard her conversation with a friend. Kaneki grimaced. If Hide had known that Kaneki had 'overheard' her, he'd never hear the end of it. She was certainly very beautiful, but that wasn't why Kaneki felt drawn to her. When he'd first seen her, she was reading the same book as him. Not only that, but she'd looked up and met his gaze. Then she smiled.

Even now, Kaneki felt a burst of warmth when he thought of her smile. She could have averted her gaze, she could have looked disgusted, but she had smiled. Maybe he was overreacting. After all, she was the first girl who had looked at him in that way since… well, ever. But Kaneki was sure. Even after their first encounter, Rize had remained as lovely as she'd seemed when Kaneki first saw her; her smile had remained as radiant as ever.

So, when he had heard that she played Gaiasphere, Kaneki jumped at the opportunity to have something in common, even if he might never see her in-game. So, he went to the store immediately and got the newest model of the VRC.

Now that the result of his impulsive decision was in his hands, Kaneki began to berate himself – after all, there was no guarantee that buying such an expensive console would help him at all with his love life. He seldom played games, and how was he going to impress a girl by playing one? The receipt, taped neatly onto the box, crinkled as he shifted. He tamped down on his sudden desire to just go back and return the damn thing.

But... there was still a chance- a miniscule chance, sure- that he might see Rize in-game! Kaneki ignored the little voice in his head that told him he was such a sucker. (It sounded suspiciously like Hide.) Nodding decisively, he opened the door to his apartment and stepped in, toeing off his shoes.

The store attendant had recommended that Kaneki test the VRC, so that if there were any problems, he could bring it in for exchange as soon as possible. But it was four in the afternoon, and Kaneki doubted that setup would take all that long. He hummed. Maybe he could take an afternoon nap, and wake up in time for dinner.

His phone suddenly rang, and Kaneki reached for it, setting the VRC aside.

"Hello?"

"Yo, Kaneki."

"Aren't you supposed to be at work, Hide?" Kaneki asked, surprised.

"I'm on break. When are you planning to play Gaiasphere?"

"I hadn't decided, why?"

"Why don't you amuse yourself for an hour or so before starting? I'll be done work by then, I'll even spare time from my busy, busy schedule to show you the ropes."

"Uh, sure. I need to charge the VRC first anyway."

"Sweet. Later." Hide hung up as abruptly as he had called. Kaneki huffed, knowing that if anyone else had done that, Kaneki would, at the very least, be miffed. Hide meant well, though, so Kaneki couldn't bring himself to be angry. In fact, what he was feeling was dangerously akin to fondness.

Putting his phone aside, Kaneki carefully opened the box and lifted out the headset, setting it gently on the bed. He plugged it in and made sure it was in no danger of falling. This was by far the most expensive item he had ever bought, and the warranty didn't extend to ordinary accidents or everyday wear and tear. If he dropped it, he'd be forking over a ludicrous amount of money just to get it looked at.

He flipped open the booklet that rested at the bottom of the box, labelled 'Safety Instructions.' The first page had a disclaimer, followed by a chapter on the basic mechanics of the VRC, basically a reassurance to customers that the device was harmless. Kaneki skimmed the next chapter on safety restrictions, and easy instructions on how to operate the VRC.

In the manual, there were a few games recommended for VRC, with encouragement to at least try every game. Clearly, those games lacked the huge fanbase of Gaiasphere, and needed advertisements. Kaneki was surprised that there were other games on the VRC; most people bought it simply to play Gaiasphere, himself included. Kaneki was also surprised that those games would be included in the safety manual. Maybe the company didn't want to print another booklet?

There seemed to be mostly MMORPGs available. That was the original purpose of the VRC, after all: to create an immersive environment in which users could interact with, while providing sensory data.

There was, of course, Gaiasphere, the top VRMMORPG worldwide, boasting millions of players. It was the typical fantasy RPG, but with an incredible capacity for growth. Players could build cities and towns, create guilds, make friends, and even get married. Obviously, the marriages were only in-game. Hide had begun playing a few months ago, and immediately began pestering Kaneki to play. He was a level thirty… something or other, Kaneki couldn't remember. Apparently his class was 'the awesomest, ever!' and he demanded that Kaneki be there to watch his awesomeness in action. Kaneki was indulging him, though he was pretty sure Hide was exaggerating.

Call To Arms was a combat game that had a variety of modes: PvP, zombie mode, campaign… the list went on. Kaneki had seen the promotion videos, and from what he'd seen, it was incredibly gory and involved lots of blood. Not really his thing.

There was also Gates of Heaven, a creative building simulation, where players could build whatever they wanted, though the world had an imitation of real world physics. It was also popular, and had a fast-growing community. Rumour had it that the developers were going to include animals and the possibility for domestication in the next update.

Aside from those three, the other games weren't interesting. Kaneki didn't really feel like reading their summaries, because they seemed boring, yes, but mostly because the VRC had just beeped, signalling full battery charge.

Glancing at the clock, he was surprised that an hour passed so quickly. He unplugged the headset from the wall. Taking a deep breath, he input two hours into the alarm and carefully placed it over his head. He lay down and groped around for the switch. His fingers shook, and just barely found the slightly raised power button. Kaneki fumbled his first two tries, and swallowed before pressing firmly on the button.

Kaneki opened his eyes, and was struck by the dizzying feeling of being in two places at once: lying on his bed, and standing in a large, empty room. The feeling lingered for only a second, leaving him alone in the ornate room. It seemed to be empty.

"Are you a new player for Gaiasphere?" a voice said from behind him. Kaneki jumped, turning around slowly.

"Are you a new player for Gaiasphere?" the voice repeated impatiently. "Or are you a returning player?" Kaneki followed the voice, looking down to find... a rabbit.

A pink, very fluffy rabbit, that was tapping its foot as it pinned Kaneki with the most withering glare he'd ever received.

"We don't have all day, you know. So if you'd kindly answer me instead of gaping at me, I'd appreciate it."

Kaneki snapped back to attention. "Um, I'm a new player," he said, nervously. The rabbit was still glaring at him.

"Obviously. Please state your customer identification number. It's so that we may identify you."

"86547H3T."

"Welcome, Kaneki," The rabbit said, its tone brisk. "Did someone refer you to this game?"

"Yeah, his username is Naga, I think."

An avatar appeared next to the rabbit. "Is this the person you are referring to?"

Kaneki glanced at the character briefly. "Yes." It was definitely Hide, with… silver hair? He wasn't going to question it.

"Alright, we'll begin avatar creation. Please choose a race."

"A race?"

"Gaiasphere offers several different races users may choose from. Each race has different characteristics that may benefit a certain class. Races include humans, dwarves, elves, pixies, and many more. There are also many human-animal hybrids."

"Can you explain the class system?"

"At the beginning of the game, you will be able to choose your class by registering at the beginner training area. You may also obtain a secondary class after finishing the quest line, 'An Innate Ability,' which is unlocked at level 32."

"Do the races have different appearances?"

"Yes. Stats also vary by race."

"What about professions?"

"Professions may be obtained after completing the tutorial quests. They include cooking, smithing, crafting, alchemy… Need I go on?

"That's enough, thank you. Just let me think for a minute." Kaneki said, mulling over all the different races. Sure, there was something thrilling about being a nimble elf, or a fierce hybrid, but Kaneki secretly felt that he definitely wouldn't be comfortable in such a different body. He had just barely begun to feel comfortable in his own skin, after eighteen years of living in it. Wouldn't having to switch bodies all the time be disorientating?

"Have you come to a decision?" The rabbit said, beginning to tap its foot again.

"Can I modify my appearance as a human?" Kaneki asked, unsure.

"You may modify your height by 10 centimetres, your hair length and color, your eye colour, and your skin colour."

"Can I change my appearance in-game?"

"There are avatar changing items available for purchase, though those are limited to hair dyes and eye colour changes."

"Can I see a human avatar, five centimetres taller?" Kaneki requested, curious to see the results.

Next to the rabbit, an exact copy of Kaneki shimmered into existence. Then it grew slightly taller, still identical to him except for the height difference.

"I don't know, can you give him white hair or red eyes or something?" he joked, trying to get the rabbit to stop tapping its foot.

The rabbit didn't stop beating a cadence into the floor, but that avatar's hair and eye colour shifted. Kaneki looked at it, and felt a pang of something unidentifiable in his chest. This version of him made him feel distinctly uncomfortable, and a little… sad? Why did he feel sad all of a sudden? The avatar continued to stare lifelessly forward, oblivious to Kaneki's turmoil.

"I was joking!" Kaneki said quickly, feeling relief as the familiar dark hue of his hair returned. "I'll take the human avatar."

The bunny nodded. "Please choose a username."

Kaneki considered this. He wanted to get something cool, but also part of his interests. "Kafka?" he mused aloud, remembering the debut novel of his favourite author, Sen Takatsuki.

"Accepted. Registering customer 86547H3T as Kafka," the rabbit drawled. "Enjoy Gaiasphere."

"Wait, I still-" Kaneki began, before the floor dropped away from his feet.

[Lv. 1 Kafka has joined Channel 20!]

So, this is my first fanfiction. This might not be the most original idea, but I hope you do comment. Please. Reviews would be awesome.