Chapter 7

Dusty day. The sky looked amazing fading like a rose in autumn. The fall matches with Kaneki`s extinsion from two years ago. From the higher levels they were watching it.

"Maman, thanks for spending a little more time with me." She smiles covering her further sadness. If Kaneki will die, Sasaki will be no longer to take care of her.

"Saiko-chan, I wish this day would never end..."

"You can`t stop time."

"No need to. It`s autumn..." He was silent recalling the final battle with Arima. Somehow he smiles at the sky remembering Kaneki`s story.

"Autumn..." She repeat after her looking curious checking with eyes around. The abandoned building that Sasaki picked for thos night wasn`t the right place stuffed with rags that imitate a comfy bed. Though the girl didn`t complain about it. She wanted to help Kaneki because he was Sasaki`s body.

"Saiko-chan, what did they tell you about Kaneki? What do you know about him?"

"Hmm... I don`t know much myself, but Arima said he was strong enough to break his quinque. I also believe in his strength... That`s why he can`t die! If he`ll die, then maman will be gone forever...!" Saiko clings on Sasaki who shoves his hands in pocket smiling sadly.

"Saiko-chan, I don`t want to die either, but if it`ll happen, you can`t cry a life time for me. I know your mother was an ugly person, that`s why I treated you like my own child. I was happy with all of you, but the family link between us was made by my rinkakou..." He didn`t hug her.

"Why not hug?" She frowns hugging him anyway.

"Saiko-chan..." His eyes melt, but he wanted to leave a sore goodbye. "Please, build your future without me..." It hurts to be so frank and cool minded. He wasn`t like that. He loved Saiko so much and he saw in her eyes the child he will never have in this world. He didn`t know about Kaneki`s deep love for Touka till today when he remembered, but it seems that he was the third wheel. Kaneki, Touka and Saiko will make a nice family if Saiko will see him as father instead of "maman".

"Sleep well." But anyway Sasaki was thinking about it, Saiko wanted to share same raged blanket with him. She suffocated him in sleep with her short hands. She didn`t want him to leave. She knew that probably by tomorrow, Kaneki will return and she won`t have another chance to see Sasaki.


Silence of the void.

"I`m sorry..."

Some dark echoes ruins the scare.

"...sorry... I`m sorry... I`m sorry... I`m..."

Kaneki and Sasaki were mirroring each other. While Sasaki wore kindness in his different eyes, Kaneki was masked sobbing without power to scream his anger and lack of power. Sasaki kneels near the down head original self and starts to remove the Eyepatch mask. He was so calm and nice doing it, while Kaneki was at the opposite burst of feelings. When his fingers removed the mask, he lifts Kaneki`s head on his shoulder pulling him in a warm hug. Kaneki`s arms couldn`t hug Sasaki back, but his apologizing words were repeating over and over again.

"Thank you for everything, Kaneki-kun."

"I(boku)..." Kaneki lifts head looking at Sasaki`s peacefully face and clings on his chest growing his confident stare.

"Are you ready...? Let`s go." Sasaki was patting Kaneki`s hair watching how the white haired guy sanity breaks apart as his serious expression curls into a sadistic grin.


A few hours ago Sasaki and Saiko were leading to a certain complex of apartments. That was a new zone for Saiko, but her inspector suit made her fear nothing when she was with Sasaki.

"Here. This is it." Sasaki rings the door bell with a confident smile hiding a thin shyness, while Saiko copies him.

In a few moments, the door was opened and a young wife welcomed them. Sasaki shows Saiko`s investigator badger and the woman allowed them to come in and have some coffee.

"Too much coffee..." Saiko looks disturbed at Kaneki sipping from the coffee cup. She knew Touka made coffee at the shop too.

"It`s okay. I like coffee." He smiles moving his attention at the woman sitting in front of them.

"So how may I help you?" She was gentle and nice and definitely not a ghoul by her scent. Her children were playing in the other room, sometimes running on the small hallway to peak at their mother conversation.

If he would be Kaneki he would never get that far.

Everything in the apartment looked anew. Even the front door was replaced with a better one with a good locker. His eyes seek for something familiar, but only the paint on walls recalls the past two years. He shags a little swallowing the pain and asks anyway. "For how long did you move here?"

"Winter, two years ago... My husband heard about this place five days before Christmas..."

"20 december..." Saiko looks at Sasaki`s concerned face noticing something wrong with him. That date rings in his ears.

"I remember like today, our kids were little and this apartment looked warm..." The woman continues. "Oh, you are ghoul investigators, right? I heard here used to live a college student... They said he got missing a few months before the community agreed to sell his house... Poor boy might got eaten by ghouls..."

"Did they give you any name?" Sasaki listens the woman`s speech hiding his confused sorrow.

"Umm... I think it was Kaneki Ken." The woman smiles taking a long sip of coffee.


[A/N: Kaneki`s birthday was on 20 december.]