It is examination time in my country, so I must leave the computer for a while, since Vietnam's study is kinda hard. I don't want to leave a short notice for a chapter, so I wrote the new chapter as fast as I could. ^^

Chapter 3: The fickle and unpredictable fate

Well, what do we have here?

Please have a sit, boy, and welcome to my shop. I am a fortune-teller, but it seems that you can already see it.

Do you know about Tarot? Or have you heard about it?

Well, let me explain. These cards, Tarot, or Major Arcana, are your 'fortune-teller', somewhat. Cards do not lie to you, so why don't you give it a try? Just pick one card from my hand, that's all.

You know, you used to have such an interesting life, and even now. You're the most interesting guest I could ever have. So this shall be on the house.

You look like a fool. Hey, don't get angry yet, I didn't mean it. I meant that that's your card. The Fool. It is your fate.

No matter how fickle your fate is, it'll eventually end as this card told you. Oh?

Ara ara, what do we have here? Please take a look at your cards, boy.

They're The Fool and…

He opened his eyes, only to see the familiar gray ceiling. He narrowed his eyes, yet everything is still the same, tidy as always, since he had long-lost interest in anything. Then he remembered the dream. That indeed a weird dream. But, maybe, a dream is just a dream. He didn't have to think about unrealistic things or make it too complicated, since he had more important things to think about.

Like now, he seems to doubt that if this world was truly another world.

This world still had ghouls, CCGs, and everything like his world. Then maybe it was a parallel world? Well, he never believe such things before, since it was impossible. However, ghouls were the same thing if he thought as that. Why are they exits? As long as the existence of a particular creature named Ghoul wasn't have a properly explain about it, things as parallel worlds is might happen. But if it is, then…

This world's Kaneki had die? Or else, it would've caused a paradox. And maybe, this world still had Hinami? Utau? Anteiku? Or... Touka?

But, leaving that aside, he grabbed his uniform and walked into the kitchen. He can investigate that later, with Hibari's power.

And more importantly, he had school to attend.

"As you know, next week is the school festival." The teacher said as Kaneki just looked out the window with boredom, but with a little interest when he heard that.

"So any ideas for this festival, class?" The teacher said as the room became filled with excited noises.

"Coffee!" "Maid coffee!" "Cat coffee!" "Supernatural coffee!" Wait, what's with the class? Why only coffee? Are they that hungry? And why such weird themes? "Ghoul coffee!" Okay, Who said that?

In the middle of the topic, a sweet angelic voice interupted. "How about a play?" The seems-to-be idol of the school, Kyoko-san talked, and somehow succeeded to quiet the only-coffee-topic class.

"Yeah!" "If our Kyoko said so, then let's do it!" The girl is truly a powerful empress with her innocent charm, she could do anything without doing it herself. Let's just sincerely hope that she won't turn out to be a spoiled girl.

"Alright then, what's the play?" A simple question of a powerless teacher caused the classroom to plunge into chaos, again.

"Ghoul!" A boy shouted. He didn't know that in this class contained a fan of ghouls.

Since he had no interest in the play, he just continued looking to the cloudy sky. It seems that today is going to rain. Although, he still know the basic of the conversation, as Kurokawa Hana, the smart girl, spoke:

"Shut up and let Kyoko give her idea, monkeys!" So that was how the girl viewed the boys, he thought. With her amazing intelligence, it may affect her view on the world.

"Thank you, Hana-chan." The class' flower replied with her sweet voice that melt most of the boys, including Tsuna. Kaneki realized that when he saw a small clumsy blush on his face.

Soon Kyoko continued her speech, "How about Little Red Riding Hood, teacher?"

The teacher nodded as she asked the class, and it was predictable, when most of the boys agreed in unison. Some of them was neutral, so they agreed with the final decision no matter what is it.

"Then now to the cast. We will take it by slots to be fair." The teacher brought up a small blue box which contained a lot of paper pieces. The students picked it in turns. Then the teacher approached our white hair boy, smiling gently as an invitation. Kaneki just picked a piece for a reply. He took a glance at Tsuna, and saw the boy picking it with a shiver.

"Now then, let's open it!" As he heard the cue, he opened it with boredom, then his eyes widened a little. He could heard many cheers and many voices of disappointed from the fanboys. While the others just circled around the idol and asked "Ne ne, what's yours?"

Kyoko beamed. "The little red riding hood." "Then who's the wolf?" He sighed, then muttered out loud which caught everyone's attention. "Me."

"Kyaa! Bite me Kaneki-sama!" Many girls shrieked, which annoyed him. They couln't see the small tick on his head. Bite me? Sounds like a certain prefect everyone knew. He wondered if now Hibari had a slight sneeze.

"Oh great, why am I the mother." Hana growled. "Then the only roles left is..." Everybody glared as Tsuna, the only one didn't said anything about his role. "E... eh? H-Hunter..."

"Gyahahaha! Dame Tsuna!? A hunter? You gotta be kidding me!" A boy laughed.

"Please, the wolf might be, no, he's certainly the hunter here!" Another one teased. Kaneki saw that in Kyoko's eyes, there was a bit of upset, and maybe, impotent. Maybe she felt sad because Tsuna was being teased, and felt impotent because she can't say anything to defend him? If is true, then maybe Tsuna have a little luck on his love road.

The teacher clapped her hand. "It's decided then! Good luck!" Then the lunch-time bell rung as everyone quickly vanished, leaving alone a clumsy Tsuna who, by the way, was still fossilized from the news and the hard-working idol. Kaneki waved as him, but saw no response, he sighed and left him there with Kyoko, since she will take good care of him. Kaneki still had to have a... little research. And a little request to deal to a certain carnivore.

He walked to the Namimori rooftop to find Hibari. And fortunately, he did saw the raven shadow sleeping on the roof. He carefully waked him up. "Hm?" He opened his eyes and frown. "You. Omnivore. Why did you interrupt my sleep?"

"I need to do research about some people, can you do it?" Kaneki asked, hoping the boy would agree. The boy thought for a second.

"After school. Battle. Kagune." He took that as a yes. Kaneki smiled. "How long it will take?"

"After school."

"Okay, then please search about me, and someone named Kirishima Touka." He said and laid his little but strong body to the school's rooftop. He quickly slept, and there, he had a dream.

He walked through the ruined village, with the crimson half-moon reflected in a river of black blood. It was cold, his body felt no warmth. No sound at all besides his footsteps.

Is this hell?

He walked to the collapsed castle. The endless river covered by transparent velvet carpet, and around it was rotten corpses covered in blood, some of them was deep down in the river. Countless of them were piled like a tower, a flawless defense. he can see his own reflection during the walk. His reflection wasn't him. It was a purple hair girl with her hair covering one of her eyes, and her red wings raising gloriously. Isn't that Touka? Why was his reflection Touka?

He remembered his doings in the past. He had eaten countless ghouls, like a sacrifice for his goal which he can never reach. An utopia maybe? An utopia filled with death and blood wasn't the utopia itself.

Touka was crying, yet he couldn't reach her face and wiped the tears for her. He aimlessly walked under the crimson moonlight.

Are, there it is. The collapsed castle with broken walls. There was a boy who had black and white hair, wearing a fur red cloak which was torn apart, sitting on a rusted throne. His eyes covered by a red fabric, maybe he was blind. Judging at his crooked cane, and the cracked crowned, was he the king of this ruins?

He looked down the reflection. 'Touka' reached her hand toward his motionless face. And suddenly, some invisible forced made his hand reached toward the boy too. Why? He saw that Touka was crying in front of his eyes, yet he could do nothing?

But...

The boy grabbed him, by his hand. Touka was still crying, and Kaneki became startled, a cold chill running through his spine. Touka disappeared in countless red spider lily's petals. The corpses now replaced by several petlas of spider lily too. The boy grabbed his hand tight, pulled him towards the throne and whispered slowly as he pointed to the corpse piles, "Their glorious deaths are the proof of your sins." The fabric slipped out, revealing his black aimless eye."Tell me, is your uncompleted death," then he gave him a questioning look, with a small smile.

"Will be enough to pay for your unjudgeable sin?"

He gasped. He felt himself again, on Namimori school's rooftop. Hibari looked at him, surprised. He looked at his hand. A nightmare? Then he's still haunted by his own past, his own sins. The sins that if anyone pry into it, they can not judge.

"Get back to class, omnivore." Hibari just simply ordered him, then walked away. His shadow soon vanished behind the door.

"What's wrong with me?" Kaneki muttered quietly, then shook his head. He should get back to class. He walked towards the door, his hand approaching the door knob. Huh? He can't turn it...

The door's locked.

Kaneki sweat-dropped. It can't be?

So it means that he's stuck here. Well, not completely stuck, since he could just jump down from here, but that'll definitely gain more attention, and that was the worst possible scenario for him. He could break the door with his abnormal strength, but Hibari might get angry at him and desist the deal. But, if he's late, Hibari might bite him to death, which was...somewhat unlikely. So, that left second option's result: refusing the request Kaneki made earlier.

But, let's do it anyway. He quickly swung his fist to the door, and the target was successfully broken apart, showing him the stairs. He quickly ran down, and unfortunately, he wasn't aware of the entity that was also on the roof with him.

An entity that was a small child carried an unwanted curse, who know as an Arcobaleno.

-After school-

He was going to leave to meet Hibari when a girl approached him. "Sasagawa Kyoko , correct?" Kaneki asked, and Kyoko just nodded tenderly. "What do you need, Sasagawa-san?" He asked politely.

"After school we have to practice the play, Kaneki-san." Kyoko smiled. Kaneki sighed. "Okay, but I have to go to meet Hibari-san first. I have an appointment with him. Kyoko nodded. "O-okay."

He smiled and walked out of the classroom. But he had no need to find Hibari. As long as his job with him involved fighting, he would automatically approached you first.

No surprise, Hibari was already outside the door. Kaneki smiled. "Hello Kyoya. Any information yet?"

"..." Hibari kept silent for a minute, "Kaneki Ken, 19 years old, had black hair, quit school and works at Anteiku, currently known as a coffee shop for Ghouls. Top secret: After the surgery, he became a half ghoul half human known as Eye-patch Ghoul rank SS." After (maybe) the longest speech Kaneki ever heard from the small ghoul, Hibari commented. "Rank SS huh? And you didn't lie to me about your past. Interesting indeed."

So in this world, his life didn't change a bit with his world.

"How about Touka-san?" Kaneki asked.

"Ah, that girl, she used to work at Anteiku too, right?"

"Wait, why used to?" Kaneki raised his eyebrows. Now that was new.

"It seems like when you died, the Anteiku had to close because someone found out that shop had ghouls. And they fleed, of course."

He gave himself a bitter smile,

Touka-san...

He remembered the dream. Touka, reached her hand towards him, crying. Touka-san is lonely. He shook his head.

"I see." Kaneki muttered sadly. "Now, we shall begin." As the sacred word left his mouth, each of them dashed forward with abnormal speed. They took out their Kagune. Kaneki transformed his kagune into a large crimson hand and attacked Hibari, who simply jumped away to dodge it. Unfortunately, smoke blurred his vision. Taking this chance, Hibari jumped behind him and landed a kick. As the prefect expected, his opponent flew off the roof, but quickly returned.

"You're tough." Kaneki smiled. "Then, I won't hold back." he pulled out more kagune.

"But you know this already,..." Familiar finger-cracking sound, echoed. crack, crack, cracked.

He smirked. "R.i.g.h.t...?"

Hibari quickly shivered at the deadly tone. But, the bloodlust prefect then smirked excitedly, because it was fun.

Kaneki once again rushed towards him, bombarding Hibari with attacks from his sword-like Rinkaku. 'Fast!' Hibari thought, blocking the attack with his tonfas.

But, soon, as it was never enough, Kaneki's rinkakus stabbed him repeatedly, causing more blood to splatter on the floor. He quickly pulled back the rinkaku, causing the boy to fall hardly.

And the winner was Kaneki, of course.

"You truly are a carnivore." Hibari gasped in defeat, with bruises and, blood, but soon recovered. After all, he knew best that he couldn't beat a powerful SS ghoul with lots of experiences. "But, it doesn't mean that I gave up, carnivore. Because that's my pride"

Smiling, he then started politely, "I shall take my leave.", then vanished from Hibari's sight. The next moment, he appeared at the school yard, and saw Kyoko, Tsuna and Hana practicing. However, our familiar boy with somehow gravity defying hairstyle was the first one who noticed him.

"Ah, h-hello, Kaneki-san." Tsuna shyly whispered, which caught the girls' attention. They looked at the new shadow.

"Sorry for my late arrival." Kaneki said as he received the script from the annoyed Hana.

"Don't nag at him, Hana-chan." Kyoko smiled. The smart girl just chuckled.

"Now then, let's practice"

- Somewhere? -

A girl with short straight brown hair walked slowly towards the train station. She wore a hair band decorated with two four-leaf clovers. She approached the ticket man.

"Hello, little girl. Where would you like to go?" The man asked politely.

The girl handed over some money. She thought about the conversation with a girl before. Why do you want to go to a small town like that? 'She' asked her curiously two hours ago. Although she didn't know why, she just felt that she needed to go there. 'She' accepted, although she had to go alone, but it is okay. The girl looked at the ticket man with her brown eyes, and spoke.

"I would like to buy a ticket to Namimori, please."

.

.

.

.

.

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"I don't care about getting revenge or not…I…was just sad."

The Wheel of fate is moving faster than you see, right?

It also means that the journey is soon coming to an end.

But, who knows?

Maybe he will fall to the endless loop again.

I pray that wouldn't happen.

After all, he's suffered so much.

Ah, I was revealing too much, am I?

Then, I should tactfully stop fueling your curiousity. After all, this story may let go of the hand of God to walks on its own. Nobody knows the ending until the story reveals it, by itself. And I like an unpredictable story best, more than a beautiful tragic story.

Goodbye, my friend. We'll meet again.

Author note: See you at the end of December! And, now, could you guess who is this Arcobaleno?

Review give me encouragement ~