DISCLAIMER

The following is a fan-based

FICTION

Tokyo Ghoul, Tokyo Ghoul Root A and Tokyo Ghoul:re and other products related to the TG Series are all owned by Sui Ishida, Shin Towada and Shueisha.

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Prologue: Starting with a loud bang (3)


Eto was grumbling behind her faux mask of cheerfulness.

What had been meant to be an easy attack with acceptable losses turned into a disastrous action that costed them more than half the men they had deployed.

Cannon fodders those might have been in her plan, she needed some grunts doing measle works to achieve victory.

She was ready to whine and rant about this to the ever-stoic Tatara, possibly returning from a stroll of curiousity the half-ghoul wanted to learn more about.

It had been pretty embarassing to create a good act with Kishou with four-five senior investigators joining what was meant to be a 1v1 fight and the escape had almost felt too much forced from her point of view.

The door of her little office opened and her mouth opened by habit as she spotted the familiar white-hair, yet sounds failed to leave as she noticed the state her close subordinate had returned.

"Eto-san."

Several cuts were slowly closing in his toned chest, two thin, red line going around his now exposed arms.

"When you said that something catched your attention, I had not considered you would have gone and play with some explosives."

"That sounds like something fitting with you doing it but.. your statement is just slightly far from the real reason behind this.." The man sighed as he contemplated where he was supposed to get another white tunic. "Let's just say that I am satisfied by what I found."

"I hope that whoever did this to you was dealt with. Even I would recognise a possible new threat that needs to be curbed early on."

Tatara decided to keep quiet, still thinking about his cloth dilemma and ignoring Eto's gasp.

"They still live! Is it a boy or a girl?" She stared at the ceiling in fake innocence. "Have you fallen in love with some dangerous girl, Tatara? I thought you only loved me."

A mock sniffling added more to the 'authenticity' of her act but the chinese man merely sighed at her antics.

"The foolish boy had two Quinques but decided to use only one against me."

That piqued the real interest from the leader of Aogiri Tree.

"What about that? I don't think that is actually a good reason to spare one of our enemies.. you growing softer, Tata-chan-" "The Quinque he refused to use was based from my brother's kagune."

His tone strained a little to impress the seriousness of his decision. "He wanted to be 'respectful' and when I asked what was his name.. he said he was a dropout student, not a rookie from the CCG camp."

It was already difficult to believe himself he had done that, showing mercy to someone who wouldn't hold back against Ghouls.

He recognised the will to live, the spark to fight for what he believed in. The same flame that once burned in his brother before he died.

Sure he wasn't being overly emotional- "BWAAAAAAHAHAHAHAH!"

Red eyes blinked as Tatara catched the shorter Ghoul rolling on the ground, laughing loudly while pointing one of her fingers at him. "Tata-chan was beaten by a cheap failure! I wonder if he is getting some gray hair under that silver on his head."

He continued to stare, letting the murderous sensation cool in his head as Eto finished to ridicule him with her childish remarks.

"All jokes aside, how good is this guy?" Genuine intrigue was falling off her words and the subordinate nodded.

"He has a good physical capacity for a human, he was able to keep up and react with my early attacks and use the low-grade Quinque to its optimal state." It was in that little verbal report that Tatara found how to return to Eto her previous insults.

As she was nodding at his early statement, the man dropped a small revelation.

"He was also the one leading the contingent of enforcers that crushed a quarter of our forces. In.. a certain way I could say that you too were beaten by a cheap failure."

The young woman froze at the fact that the reason she got so much paperwork to deal with was the same reason that had kept her minion busy.

She also didn't miss the silent jab and she knew how to comeback from that one.

"Tatara-chan.. did you just called me old?"

Sweat started to pour out from his forehead as he felt an oppressive KI being released by Eto, realising that he had just angered someone quite sore regarding age.

His fears materialised in the form of a mad chase around Rushima Island with a furious Kakuja following him through the facility.


I could now attest without any doubt that being hospitalised sucked.

There was literally nothing to do but stare at the grey ceiling and the dark-green wall in front of me.

No magazine, no TV and especially no humanly food to consume and drow the sadness of still having to repeat the last Academy year because of a crappy teacher.

I, Ryouga Kaizo, was the most miserable in the room... well, I was the only one in that room.

I was expecting to suffer the boredom of this senseless recovery and was already surrendering to the incredibly boring hours that would follow when the door was slammed open by a very familiar individual.

Juuzou's eyes were wide open and showing an absurd amount of worry as he catched my bandaged form.

I opened my mouth ready to greet him but.. when I saw him pouncing at me I kind of let a manly shriek as he impacted on my sore body.

The fact he also snuggled at me like I was some full-body pillow sent quite the weird signals to my poor brain.

"J-Juuzou!"

He seemed to realise that my greeting was tending more on a pained note than the happy one outdone by the former and jumped off the bed with a panicked expression.

"I-I-I'm sorry I didn't mean t-to hurt you and-" "Calm down, I-I am just a bit sore, nothing to worry about."

My explanation managed to get him to calm a little bit down and soon he pulled out some box with sweets inside. My mouth watered at the sight.

"I heard what they were feeding, Ryo-kun, and I decided to smuggle in something to keep you alive."

I was immensely thankful with that gesture of true friendship. You never leave a bro to suffer like that!

"You are a lifesaver, Juuzou." He blinked with wide eyes, a small red blush hanging on his nose.

"I-It was nothing, Ryo-kun- And it was the least I could do when you did that."

"That?" The new investigator frowned at my faux ignorance.

"You took an hit when it was mine to take. Y-You lost your chance to be an investigator-" "Because I could easily do another year of studying, plus you wouldn't have to deal with Goumasa-" "I don't care about that!"

I.. I kind of flinched at his loud reply. It was the first time I had heard him yell so loudly.

"W-We will still keep in touch! I will manage-" "I don't know if they will ever let me have fun with the various cases, Ryo-kun. I think they are.. trying to pamper me to become one of their bigshots."

"Bigshots?" I was confused at that thinking. Sure Juuzou was quite good with using Quinques, much better than I was that for sure, but to actually prepare him to replace someone of grand importance? And who should be the one he should replace?

Itsuki Marude was too much level-headed to be considered a deign candidate in his list, especially since he disdained personally using Quinques.

The only one that jumped at my mind was-

The door of the room opened again, this time someone incredibly familiar and known entered the room.

I blinked twice, thinking that it was just some crazy dream, yet he was there.

White hair, formal suit and glasses. Arima Kishou, the White Reaper, had entered his hospital's room.

Juuzou seemed confused by the man, possibly having not heard of the infamous investigator.

"Arima-san?" The man nodded and extended his open hand at me, which I took as a sign to shake it. "Forgive me for asking but what are you doing here?"

"Director Tsuneyoshi wish for you a quick recovery and to thank you for your helping hand in intervening in the 4th Ward." He smiled a little. "I also wish to thank you for having saved many of our enforcers with your quick-thinking."

I nodded shocked by his words. Tsuneyoshi Washuu knew what he had done and was thanking him!?

"I-I don't have words to express my s-surprise-" "You could just say that you accept this."

He pulled a small form from his satchel and handed it over to me, my eyes instantly scanning its content and getting wider the more I read.

"Y-You mean I.. I am officially joining the CCG?" The man nodded. "Your actions and your curriculum at the Academy made a good impression to the director and he has.. looked at the papers that would have caused you to not pass."

"You mean Ryo-kun is going to become an investigator?"

Arima nodded once more. "Yes."

My body felt numb even through I could feel Juuzou crushing my ribs with his quick embrace but I smiled widely. "T-That is amazing."

"And there is one last thing I have yet to tell, Ryouga-san. The director has already chosen a mentor to pair you with."

YATTA! I was an investigator and I was joining the CCG with Juuzou! But who was my partner?

I blinked calmly and waited for the man to continue, to reveal the name of the senior investigator that was going to teach me through the first few years as a rookie.

Nothing was said and I waited a little longer for him to truly speak.

I started to frown when the silence continued and felt even more confused when the thin, blank line in his face twitched upwards when- "You... you are going to be mentoring me."

"That is a correct deduction." He replied with a soft tone of delight. "I am happy to see that you could recognise this with little hints."

I took a breath and smiled. "Then I will entrust myself to you, Arima-san."


AN

Before anyone asks no, Ryouga will not be Haise v2. I had thought of that possibility but I have to admit that Haise's perspective in the CCG is quite limited by both his nature and the fact the action is centered with the Quinx Squad.

Ryouga's perspective will be go even deeper than the one I had in the CCG Repairman with Shirou. Our protagonist will know more characters as he climbs up the ladder to become the strongest Investigator... and not only that.