"Catch him!"

"Even if he isn't captured we'll leave here with a dead body! So move out men!"

Hide dashed around a corner, using his newfound kagune to propel himself forward. He didn't stop running until he could no longer see the lights of the CCG's tanks and could smell the scent of the park near his old house. He'd already noticed how his senses were stronger, but other than his single, red, rinkaku kagune, nothing that he could see had changed. When he finally stopped, he tried his best to catch his breath.

"Damn. Kaneki, are you still in there?"

"I'm here, Hide."

"Where are we?"

"I don't know. I think we're in the red light district."

"Probably."

"We should stay here until the commotion in the city dies down. I'm tired."

"Then go to sleep."

"I don't know if i can. Our minds are connected. I don't know about my body."

"Just try."

"I'm afraid to."

"Why?"

"What if I fade away?"

"Did Rize ever fade?"

"No...She just slept for long periods of time."

"Then do that. I'll try to find somewhere safe."

"...Okay. Be careful."

Kaneki went quiet then, Hide walking along the streets. The silence was killing him, but, in the very back of his mind, he swore he could hear Kaneki's quiet breathing. He couldn't really remember much of what had happened before now. According to Kaneki, who had evidently been listening the entire time, Hide had recieved one of Kaneki's kidneys, much like Kaneki's scenario with Rize. Kaneki didn't know where his own body was.

Hide had awoken in a hospital bed, completely recovered from whatever surgery they'd preformed on him, and, by Kaneki's instruction, had broken out and run away. They'd been gone for at least three hours now, and there was no telling how much longer Hide could keep going. It felt like his stomach was trying to eat itself.

This is what ghouls have to endure, He thought, and now I have to endure it too. Hide trecked onwards, keeping warm to the best of his ability. He eventually found himself in a public bathroom in the park. They hadn't been in the red light district. They were behind Kaneki's old apartment building.

Hide washed his face and glanced in the mirror, slightly shocked by the small, black spots dotting across his eyes. Certain parts of his iris were turning slightly red, but it was hard to tell with his natural brown color. He wasn't surprised by the change, just intrigued.

While Hide looked at himself in the mirror, Kaneki woke up in a different body all together. It was a hospital room, once again and he still had no control over his body.

"Good afternoon,"Arima Kishou sat in a chair across from him. Kaneki willed his body to hiss, but instead, it did nothing. "How are you feeling?"

"I'm alright."

Kaneki wanted to scream that no, no he wasn't. He was missing his own personality, but Kaneki couldn't even talk in this body, and he could barely keep his eyes open by the time Arima said anything worthwhile.

"From now on, you will be known as Sasaki Haise. Your date of birth is April 2nd. You are the leader of the quinx squad."

The body Kaneki was trapped in glanced to one of the barred windows.

"My body? Then why don't I have control?"He stared at the pale face and white hair. Half of his face was wrapped in bandages and gauze, but it was definately his body. He was so confused by all this. He was with Hide, and then woke up in this body. "Does that mean I can fall asleep here and go back?"

Frankly, he was afraid to try anything, but he was just so damn tired. When he fell asleep this time, he actually got to rest. Hide woke him up the next morning, having slept under the sink in the bathroom. Kaneki was shaken awake by Hide hitting his head as he sat up.

"Hide..."

"Oh, you're back?"Hide winced, rubbing the knot forming on the back of his skull. "Where should-"

"Shh. Get in one of the stalls. There's a janitor on his way to clean this place."

"It's a public restroom Kaneki-"

"That's not why we're hiding. You need food. I can tell." Kaneki paused. "You're going to have to kill that janitor."

"Are you sure?"

"Yes."

"Okay."

"If you're scared, I'm sorry. I was when-"

"I'm not. Just tell me what to do."

"Okay."

Hide stepped into one of the stalls, propping himself up on the toilet. They waited, all the while Hide listening to Kaneki's slow, rythmic breathing in the back of his mind.

"Go for his throat. If you miss that, the chest. If you miss that, just dig in and forget he's still alive. Don't chicken out half way. That's the worst thing you can do."

"Right,"Hide spoke in a whisper, the door creeking open, brown, muddy boots appearing on the floor.

"Now. Go."

In a flash, Hide's left eye turned completely black and red, his rinkaku bursting from the pods embedded in his back. Kaneki could only watch as his best friend tore his victim apart. Hide had succeeded in stabbing the poor fool, who had been too paralyzed with fear to even scream. That was a terrible choice on the janitor's part.

When Hide finished his meal, he stood, wiping his mouth on his hand. Kaneki swore Hide smiled.

"So? How was it?"

"...So this is what you've been doing for almost two years now, huh, Kaneki?"

"Well, yes."

"It's disgusting,"Hide speaks as he opens the door, pulling the hood on his jacket up. "I'm sorry you had to go through this."

"...Yeah. It wasn't okay."

"How could it have been?"

They found themselves walking towards Ikebukuro, the smell of blood and other ghoul's territory masking any other scent. Kaneki almost cringed at the scent of coffee.

"Don't trust any of the shops around here. Ghoul Trafficking. If they catch you, you won't escape. I learned that the hard way." Kaneki looked around. "Be careful."

"Okay,"Hide glanced around cautiously.

"They especially have a taste for half ghouls, which are rare. For someone like you...I don't know what they'd do."

Kaneki was quiet for a minute, trying to remember where exactly they were. Hide seemed to know, and turned into a cafe. The waitress greeted him in a very familliar way, then lead him to a table, no questions asked.

"You'd better be glad you're wearing black. You would've been caught by now if you weren't,"Kaneki was still wracking his brain. He recognized their waitress, but couldn't place her.

"I know,"Hide spoke under his breath as to not attract attention. "Coffee is okay, right?"

"Yes. Coffee, but nothing else."

The waitress took Hide's order soon after, a plain, black coffee. Hide was lucky. He liked his coffee black anyway.

"Who is the waitress?"

"She went to university with us,"Hide muttered again.

"Oh."

Kaneki went silent and began looking around, trying to figure out his limits while he was stuck in Hide's mind. He couldn't make Hide move, but he did have a body. It was like he was floating constantly though, and his limbs were heavy. Speaking was tiring, but he wanted to be there, to help Hide learn how to survive as a ghoul.

"Thank you,"Hide said, taking his coffee from the waitress.

"Hide, we should get it to go,"Kaneki could smell the outside world. Coffee, sweets, and a faint trace of a scent that could only be described as disgustingly familiar. "We need to go."

"Right."

Hide stood up immediantly and walked out of the shop, making his way down the block. Kaneki noticed the smell fading, then growing stronger, then fading again. Suddenly, Hide turned into an alleyway and broke into a run.

"They're following us,"He spoke quietly. "What should I do, Kaneki?"

"Keep running,"Kaneki did his best to direct his friend, but neither of them had any idea where they were anymore.

Hide continued running, but tired out sooner than most would've. He was doubled over after five minutes.

"Keep running, Hide! Get up!"

"I can't,"Hide panted, taking a couple steps forward. "Something's not right."

"Please, Hide. Keep running. Please, run."

Hide forced himself to move forward, and Kaneki knew that something wasn't right. Hide was a ghoul. He shouldn't be this tired from five minutes of running. Even if he was starving, Kaneki knew that he should have been able to keep going for miles at least. Maybe it was the fact that Hide was only one fourth ghoul, or maybe, it was because Kaneki was attached to his body. Either way, they either had to hide, or they had to keep running.

"Hide, hide."

"Right,"Hide crawled behind a dumpster,pulling his legs to his chest.

Kaneki suddenly felt tired, and tried his best to remain awake. Hide's breathing was evening out, but Kaneki was slipping out of his mind.

"Kaneki?"

"Stay safe."

And it was two years before Hide heard anything from his best friend again.