This was done for as a request. It's a simple one-shot, which merely covers the first chapter, that took awhile for me to write, because I'm a slow writer who writes on intermittent intervals. For the sake of the one-shot there's going to be a bit of suspension of disbelief. Meaning a slight bit of OOC due to environmental changes.
Disclaimer: I own nothing
Something, Something Title
A man walked down a dimly lit corridor, the shadows obscuring his features. His research was at a stall as all his subjects unfortunately died from the procedure. It was at that time that his phone rumbled from his pocket.
Not bothering to look at the caller, the man spoke, "What is it?"
"Doctor Kanou, I found a particularly interesting specimen and have sent the data to your inbox," the caller abruptly ended the conversation after speaking its part.
Kanou's mouth distorted into a crescent arc as he viewed the screen. It was perfect. The child was born with an abnormally high concentration of RC cells which his previous subjects lacked. His mother died, and his relative, his aunt, wanted nothing with the child; she sent him off to live in an orphanage.
Under the pretense of adopting the child, Kanou would expand his research to horizons undiscovered.
The next day, Kanou, dressed in slacks, a white dress shirt under a button vest and a brown overcoat, met with the kindly matron of the orphanage, "Miss, I would like to adopt a child."
「-」東京 喰種「-」
"On the twenty eighth the remains of a man's body was found on the street by the Takeda building. Fluid from what seems to be a Ghoul was left at the scene . . ."
On the television screen a reporter droned on. In front of the television and sitting at a table were two university students in a cafe.
"Scary, the Takeda building is pretty close to here. You better watch out Kaneki, a scrawny guy like you who reads incomprehensible books would be eaten in a second."
Kaneki, with his ear buds in, scoffed jokingly, "Incomprehensible? Maybe if you picked up a book and read it then you'd understand the magical wonder of literature."
Nagachika Alice laced her slender fingers above her head, palms facing up, and stretched pushing out her ample bosom. Her face hit the table, "But I can't! I'll fall asleep after five seconds," she complained to her friend since childhood. Looking up, she blew a stray lock of blonde hair away, "Hey do you think they exist? Monsters that eat people?"
Kaneki yawned then rubbed his cheek with his left hand. He took a few moments to think before shrugging, "Who knows, if they did then they must be disguised as humans, lurking in the shadows waiting for the opportune time to collapse upon their prey."
Alice pointed a finger at her friend, "Kaneki, maybe you're a Ghoul," she accused him.
Kaneki read down to the end of the page before flipping it and closing the book. Without forewarning, he gently flicked Alice's forehead with his index finger, "Make up your mind all ready Alice, am I a scrawny bookworm or a man-eating abomination. Maybe next, I'll get to be an alien from a race of intergalactic planet destroyers."
She glared at him, and inflated her cheeks with air. He laughed quietly.
Kaneki valued these peaceful moments.
A soft chime rung out. It was an alarm. Checking his watch, Kaneki said loftily, "Oh, time for my medication."
His hand dipped into his pocket to retrieve an indiscriminate, orange bottle full of pills. The medicine was for Kaneki's anemia. For as long as Alice knew Kaneki, he would all ways carry it around with him. He never missed a single dosage. He brought the assortment of pills to his mouth.
"Ah, I don't have anything to drink it down with," said Kaneki before hastily calling the server over.
She, the server, came over to their table. Their server wore a black and white uniform akin to a butler's attire. She had dark hair, and long bangs covered the right side of her face, hiding behind them her right eye.
"What can I get you?" inquired their server.
"I'll have a cappuccino," said Kaneki.
"And you miss?"
"An espresso," answered Alice.
The waitress smiled at them saying that she would return briefly with their hot beverages.
The door opened and a woman walked through. The women had a quiet beauty about her; her glasses and luscious purple hair furthered perpetuated the image. She walked past the two friends to a table where she sat down. Kaneki looked over at her, only interested in the novel that she was reading. The author of the book was Tatsuki Ren, one of Kaneki's favorite writers. But that was all. His eyes dropped down to the fine print on the paper.
Kaneki took a sip of the cappuccino. The hot drink flowed down his throat as he read. It was bitter, but filled his weary body with warmth.
Later on, Kaneki and Alice were to be found walking on the streets.
"Hey Kaneki, the release of the new game is tomorrow, let's go grab it."
As Kaneki listened to his friend, his nose picked up the a strange and faint smell lingering about in the air, "Okay, we'll meet up at the station in the morning."
「-」東京 喰種「-」
Kaneki stood in front of the lamppost which lay directly left of the station. The clothing he wore was simply described as simple. Kaneki laid out his clothes the night previous, a pair of khaki colored jeans, a plaid shirt and a white shirt. He also brought along his book bag filled with essentials.
The unassuming youth placed his thumb over his index finger.
Crack.
His middle finger.
Crack.
"Kaneki! Sorry for being late!"
He looked in the direction of the voice. Alice arrived disheveled. Her blonde hair which had the brown tips was gracefully slung over her shoulder and tied with a black scrunchie.
"Sorry," she apologized once again, "Did I make you wait long?"
Smiling wryly, "No, not really, I just arrived five minutes ago."
Alice patted her thighs announcing that she was ready. In that time, Kaneki took in the sight before him of his childhood friend. She wore a cream colored sweater, a dark-blue miniskirt that was cut off halfway down her thighs and black knee socks.
She noticed his gaze, "Oh ho, is there something wrong?" she asked grinning.
In face of her question, Kaneki scratched the back of his neck and honestly answered, for he wasn't much of a romantic, "It looks good."
He, of course, was referring to her attire and the overall appeal of her feminine charm. Alice instantly blushed. The teenaged males around her were haplessly entranced by her unearthly beauty. Even a few girls were smitten by her looks, out of admiration to clarify. Ignoring the pointed daggers, forged of jealousy, being shot at him, Kaneki grabbed Alice's hand, pulling her into the train heading towards the central hub of entertainment in Japan. The city called Akihabara.
Because he was facing forward as he pulled Alice along, he missed the faint smile she aimed at his broad back.
During the train ride Alice took the time to fully catch her breath. Kaneki stood off to her right side staring blankly out of the window. A delinquent stood behind the two, staring lecherously at Alice's body. Describing this youth as a delinquent was erroneous; instead, the label of a molester fit him better. This train was good ole' Molester-san's hunting ground. Stored in his phone were images of countless victims which he could use as blackmail. And he decided Alice would be his latest victim as his beady eyes roamed her slender back before landing on her delectable ass.
With practiced motion, he reached into his pocket for his phone and reached out with his free hand. But he never made contact. A vice like grip held his hand in place, mere centimeters away from his prize. Kaneki smiled at Molester-san, but his smile never reached his eyes.
Molester-san pulled back although in vain. Kaneki's grip held.
Kaneki stomped on the perpetrator's foot making the man release a silent shout and unconsciously releasing his hold on the cell phone.
The cell phone broke under Kaneki's sole.
Kaneki made an apologetic face, lamenting the loss of the molester's hard earned data.
"The train stopped, let's go Alice."
People began shuffling out. Kaneki and Alice left.
The molester bit his tongue with such force that it bled. The pain and blood was ignored.
Pay.
He would make Kaneki pay. Make Kaneki experience despair.
「-」東京 喰種「-」
By the time Kaneki and Alice entered the back of the line for the game release, it had stretched considerable. Eager buyers conversed amongst themselves, the disjointed voices melding into an incomprehensible cacophony. That was the noise to which the two arrived to. As they waited, the sun climbed higher into the sky; they were thankful it was early into the winter and they had applied sunblock as a precaution. UV rays, after all, were carcinogenic. Having bought the copies, they stood outside the store awaiting their next course of action. It wasn't long before their stomachs decided for them.
"Hey, that cafe looks nice," Alice pointed to a quaint store nestled off to the side.
Kaneki opened his mouth to speak, but was pulled into Alice's flow when she grasped his hand and tugged him along. His mouth dropped slightly, he shook is head with a small smile tugging at the corner of his face.
"Thank you for the meal," Kaneki commented clapping his hands in front of his face.
"Excuse me, we currently have a couples offer. Would you be interested?"
"Yes, please."
Kaneki nearly choked on his drink.
"What was that for Alice?" Kaneki spat out his words between breaths.
However, Alice's radiant smile cut through any words that he may have had.
The waitress came back with the special, "Sorry for the wait," and placed a plate on the table.
One cheesecake, one fork and strawberry syrup.
Noticing the questioning look, the waitress told them that Alice was to write a message with the syrup and feed her boyfriend.
Kaneki's face paled instantly. He suppressed the urge to run away, submitting himself to her friend's expectant gaze.
"Here say 'Ah~'," a blushing Alice fed Kaneki.
"Open wide, Alice," prompted he to a even deeper blushing Alice.
Kaneki and Alice exited through the store's single door as the sole bell chimed, a signal of their departure. The sun sunk behind the buildings, disappearing into the horizon. A chilly breeze swept across them, making them shudder. A simple, cursory glance at the phone showed that the time was five o'clock.
Where had the time flown off to?
Alice released a wistful sigh, "Guess it's time to go, huh."
"Looks like it."
From the store, they walked to the station, soaking in the silence. Once the train came to a halt, they got on and rode it back to their district.
Kaneki felt uneasy, so he escorted Alice home, unable to bear the guilt if something were to happen to her.
"Kaneki? Why did you stop?"
Kaneki's eyes warily scanned the surrounding. The feeling of unease grow rapidly. Since Alice lived in an apartment, they took a detour through the alleyways. Thinking about it now, he lacked hindsight. Reaching back, he grabbed Alice's hand, and refused to let go until he was certain everything was safe.
"Kaneki, seriously, what's go-"
Kaneki pulled her into his embrace and jumped to the side as a figure broke out of the bleak darkness. He cushioned the fall. His body taking the full brunt of the force.
"A ghoul . . ." Kaneki leaked a murmur under his breath. At least Kaneki knew the source of his uneasiness was this ghoul.
Beside him Alice was wide eyed. Her body was trembling when confronted by this monster, "A ghoul?! Kaneki, we should run!"
"Alice, you run and go get help. I'll stay here and keep him busy," Kaneki, eyes glued to the solemn figure, spoke over his shoulder.
"But if I do that then you'll . . ."
"I'll be fine," his urging forestalled her, "If we both go them he'll catch up to us in a blink of an eye and we'll both die. Leave me behind! GO!"
A tendril shot out from the ghoul's back and rushed straight towards Alice.
"Not today!"
Kaneki jumped into the path of the rinkakou. It pierced through his body, meeting no resistance, continuing its deadly path towards Alice.
The tip stopped mere centimeters away from her face.
Kaneki coughed up blood, "Hurry, run . . . Please."
Alice made no reply. She summoned her courage and ran into the darkness.
The ghoul withdrew his rinkakou from Kaneki's body. He walked past the dead body, "Tch, I wanted to eat that girl as this guy helplessly watched."
The force of a kick that sent him barreling into the wall interrupted his reverie.
"Ack, what the hell hit me?"
The ghoul groaned from beneath the rubble. He exploded from underneath, pelting the surrounding with deadly shards of concrete.
"Haah, sorry, close but no dice," a voice called out from behind.
He turned to the being behind him and leaked out a sound of disbelief. Standing there before him was Kaneki with a sizable hole in his navel. Kaneki gingerly held the wound. Though as if the action could stem the steady flow of blood.
How is he alive? How is he standing? What is he?
"Oh, that scum of society, the molester from this morning. I thought you were familiar," Kaneki, despite the tense situation, had a realization.
Molester-san growled. Hungry and irritated because of his hunger, Molester dashed forward and drew back a taunt fist with his kagune poised. Kaneki stumbled forward, coughing up blood. For Molester it was too easy. It was child's play. He'd kill Kaneki and hunt down that girl afterward. He salivated thinking about how savory his meal would be. To his surprise, he blinked when he hit nothing be air. His surprise was short-lived.
A sharp kick form below propelled him upwards. Molester's body flew in a beautiful parabolic arch where his head made contact with the ground. Kaneki retracted his leg. The youth reached into a small compartment in his book bag to retrieve a cylindrical tube filled with green liquid. Pressing a button that shot out the needle, Kaneki stabbed it into his neck. He grunted as the drug worked its way through his system.
He felt the change in his body. His skin tingled.
Reaching once more into his bag, Kaneki pulled two throwing knives with the handles welded to metal wire. He connected the wires to a special belt he wore on him at all times.
Taking the initiative, Kaneki darted forward with the intent to crush the Molester. His form blurred reappearing above the downed ghoul. Kaneki plunged forward with his knife. Kagune and knife clashed, sparks scattered. However, Kaneki forced the kagune down. Rotating on his center of gravity, Kaneki gracefully rolled over and lashed with another kick. Sadly, his attempt was foiled by a second rinkakou that erupted from Molester's back. Kaneki leapt off the kagune and landed three meters away.
The two rinkakou slammed into the concrete beside Kaneki. The aim was completely off. However, that wasn't the intent. Using the power behind his kagune, Molester shot launched himself at Kaneki.
Dodging to the left or right was out of the option. He crossed his arms in front of his chest and waited. Just before the blow touched, he jumped back to lessen the force if only slightly.
The blow lifted Kaneki off his feet and a meter into the air. A rinkakou wound itself around Kaneki's torso and slammed him down. Molester grinned hearing the sickening crunch of Kaneki's ribs.
Molester lazily caught the knife that was thrown at him.
"I'm sure that my body can't take much more punishment," Kaneki groaned from his siting position.
Molester's eyebrow quirked up in amusement, "Hoh, what chance do you think you have of defeating me?
He released a disappointed sigh when another knife lodged itself in his kagune.
"I guess that's the extent of your power."
Kaneki grinned back, "I wouldn't say that just yet, Molester-san."
Molester hadn't noticed it before, but there was a strange buzzing sound reverberating around them. From the corner of his eye, he noticed a pale glow radiating from both of the knives. He traced them along the wire to Kaneki, who was strangely alit.
Kaneki brought his hand up and snapped.
A stream of electricity measuring at 1000 volts shocked Molester. The voltage brought Molester down to his knees; his body convulsing from the effect of the discharge. The flow stopped promptly after ten seconds.
"I forget sometimes how a ghoul's body has a higher resistance to electricity than a normal human."
Molester glowered at Kaneki, his hands involuntarily clenching and unclenching, "What are you?"
"Have you heard of the electric eel?" Kaneki asked offhand.
"What does the electric eel have to do with anything?" Molester shot back.
"Despite the name eel are actually related to catfish and carp than an eel. Indigenous to South America, these creatures are capable of producing up to 600 volts, quite the adaptation if I say so myself."
The feeling to Molester's hand and the rest of his body was steadily returning. All he had to do was stall Kaneki for a little longer and he'd rip apart Kaneki.
"So are you some sorta hybrid?"
"Not a shabby answer. You see, unlike most humans I had a special organ. An organ that produced, controlled and managed the flow of RC cells in my body. That lead my body to having an absurdly high concentration. After I was taken in by my benefactor, he discovered the organ and named it the mosaic organ since its true potential can only be unlocked once two different cells are fused. Through a process of trial and error, I was finally able to assimilate the abilities of the electric eel."
Kaneki paused to look off into the distance.
"I bet your wondering why. Why am I bothering myself to tell you all this. Quite simple really . . ."
Another intense surge of electricity wrecked havoc upon Molester. This time he smelled the burning of his own flesh. The momentary paralyzation provided Kaneki the opportune moment to prepare.
In one fluid motion, Kaneki grabbed the expandable bo staff strapped underneath his shirt. He spun it once to test the weight and what not.
He raised it high and swung down.
The impact caved in Molester's skull.
A silence hung in the air.
Kaneki grumbled.
"How am I going to explain this?"
Wait a minute, where's Hide? Well there's two explanations for Hide's absence. One, Alice is Hide genderbent or two, Alice is Hide's sister and Hide is dead.
