Chapter 10
If training with Ito Oshiro was a walk in the park...
Then training with Abe Saito was a dive into an icy hell...
Beneath the IRF complex, Kaneki lie bound to a metal seat, leaning precariously over a tank of icy liquid.
Abe Saito told him that the liquid was special in that it instantly dropped the body's temperature to the point of death.
However, The metal band sent shocks to keep the body from dying when it reached that point.
The band carried a module that he wrote himself.
He said it would help Kaneki to overcome his fears of losing those he cared for; Kaneki couldn't imagine how he'd overcome anything when the idea of the session from the first day was fear.
In fact, it was a nightmare.
After being given a small introduction, the ghoul showed no mercy and no patience.
The module ran a simulation of his friends, all in dangerous situations and all at the same time; He was to do a specific task...and if he failed he would have to watch them die.
He had to overcome his urge to lose control and not consume his enemies for strength; It was a scene he would never wish on anyone.
The feeling of being suspended made it worse; Now he had to battle with vertigo, his fear and the punishment that would result if he should fail.
"Dunk him." Those two words Kaneki grew to hate with a passion; They were cruel and without remorse. When coming from his submerged hell he shivered to the point of hysteria.
His body burned as if on fire, his head pounded furiously, the taste of blood was in his throat as the frost made it raw; it was a cold no ghoul could stand. He couldn't think, his mind a blank space that not even the Centipede could pierce.
His teeth chattered until they slowly wore down and it was painful for teeth to regenerate. His muscles spasmed continuously as the shivering drove his body to the brink.
Skin tinged blue and a mouth open in shock greeted Abe Saito as he signaled for the boy to be lifted.
"Kaneki Ken!" He bellowed impatiently "Why do you keep making the same mistake!" He yelled, banging an angry fist onto the table.
"I-I-I-I..."
"STOP. Stuttering." Abe snarled
"I CAN'T SEE!" Kaneki croaked, the force of the yell sending him in agony.
"You don't need to see!" He yelled "Hinami is falling from a building, Hideyoshi-kun is in the clutches of a ghoul, his bones are being broken I might add; BOTH of them are in distress, who do you save?" He questioned
"Hi-hi-na-m-"
"WRONG!" Abe Saito yelled angrily, signaling for him to be dunked again.
When he rose from the icy fires again he could not find his voice.
"Are the injuries from a fall and those of broken bone the same?!" Abe Saito continued to rant
"Ito Oshiro was right! You DON'T need to be fighting, you need to LISTEN!" He snarled
"The scent of adrenaline from fear and that of physical trauma is different! The sound of a shocked spine and marrow seeping into the blood stream is different! In this case, if you had LISTENED Hideyoshi wouldn't be dead!" He barked "No ghoul has ever died from simply falling." He grumbled
"Don't...don't say their names...bastard..." Kaneki managed to gasp, the shocks bringing him back to coherency.
Abe snorted "I only repeat what I see on the neuron monitor and what you say, I'm not mentioning them in any way other than a training aspect. "Now..." He began, exasperated "All I'm asking you to do is save everyone...in order of importance. While Hinami is a girl and young, keep in mind she has kagune from both parents and they will brace her for impact. Hideyoshi has but one powerful arm and no kagune to defend himself; the goal is to protect the one who needs you most."
The man was right, Kaneki thought, Hide was human, it should have been him he saved...but Hinami was like his little sister, how could he-
"Being a leader isn't just about running into the fray and saving everyone, Kaneki." Abe said, interuppting his thoughts
"Its about making wise and calculated decisions; right actions, actions that have outcomes that benefit the whole. Losing Hideyoshi is now a chink in the armor of defense..."Understand, in order to guide and command others, in order to take control and have power, you need to exercise that over yourself."
He sighed, rising from his seat "For today's session at least, you did NOT do that...you fail today."
Thus the sessions would end and he would be left a wreck.
One thing that made the sessions bearable was the process by which he was 'normalized'.
Abe Saito would place him into a solution that would raise his temperature to a relaxing warmth, he would press his muscles here and there, suddenly very gentle and make him feel like he'd just rested for days.
He was allowed to shower and his clothes were cleaned; He was given a quality meal to bring back his nutrients and then had to record his experiences in a journal that Abe Saito would read; He had to be honest in them because it would be the difference between having a mildly traumatic session and a disaster.
After the normalization process, they'd travel to the surface and Abe would talk about himself.
He didn't really care that the ghoul liked humans or the funny things he thought humans did. He went on about his sculpting hobby and bonsai tree lessons; things that were inane. Still, when he was left to go home, the session always seemed like a dim nightmare and he could let it rest in a small corner of his mind in peace...at least until the time came again.
Maybe Abe Saito wanted to remind him that he was not the devil's incarnate, but a living breathing person; tasked with a cruel and unusual job.
Kaneki rose early, leaving Hide and Rize, who now permanently occupied a room upstairs *much to his displeasure* to go to the IRF Headquarters.
It was only two days a week he did this but over the past few weeks they had become his two favorite days.
He carried a bag full of colorful things Rize had helped him pick out; he had an apron for everyday of the week.
He rode the train humming lightly, songs he would sing and silly poems he'd recite.
He saw their faces in his mind's eye; knew them by scent and by name. He could think of every word they said and which ones made him smile the most.
He approached the IRF building and entered from the West entrance of the complex.
These alternative entrances were secure and he had to submit finger prints and go through DNA sampling each time. Upon entering he flashed his ID to enter his arrival in the system.
He walked the grounds for a while until he came to a square building; hand prints in different colors decorated the white building. Paintings and misshapen letters decorated the windows. He entered happily and greeted the lady at the desk.
"Good Morning, Sanae-chan." He said
The young woman smiled "Morning! They're all ready for you, Kaneki-san." She said laughing "They're roudy today...someone leaked that you have a surprise for them."
Kaneki smiled "Hmm...I can guess who."
Kaneki walked to the end of the bright hallway, passing rooms with classes going on.
There was only one room that was his, it had the sky blue door on the right.
He stood before it now, looking through the large window adjacent to it. He watched as the children milled about, removing their jackets and putting up their back packs. A woman inside worked to keep them contained as they bounced around playfully; she seemed overwhelmed.
He entered with a round of squeals and a look of relief from the woman.
"Neki-sensei!" The group of little faces cheered, rushing him and climbing in high speed. He swayed, lifting as many as his arms could hold. When his arms were full he released his kagune, wrapping the rest safely in the arms of his rinkaku.
And this was okay, because these were ghoul children. Often cradled by their mothers and fathers and exposed to its use in the same way.
They wiggled and laughed in the glowing tendrils, squeezing them affectionately.
If someone had told him that such a sight was possible, he might not believe it until he saw it. Here in this place, he lived such impossible sights. Everything that made him a ghoul was okay and an instrument to care for the children.
From the first day he arrived the children welcomed him; they misbehaved, they asked a lot of questions, they cried and wanted attention...everything kids should do.
The upside was that he didn't need to work to gain their trust...a ghoul's scent told a lot and they had decided from day one that they liked his.
He loved it even more when it came to learning. They were so smart he could go over advanced texts with them and they'd understand the concept...never like an adult but in a way that showed a high level of intelligence.
He wondered if it was because they used the 'complete' ghoul brain, as the Centipede was trying to get him to do.
For every name he had a title; Shouta Kenma was the 'trouble maker', Itsuki Sakura was the 'princess', Mori Takuya was the 'wild child'...Every one of them had a personality of their own and together made every day lively.
Walking slowly with the weight of little people, he relieved the woman and delivered them to the multicolored carpet.
"Neeekkiii Seennseeiii!" The children would sing, a little tune that warmed his heart. "What did you bring us today?" They chimed
"Hm...I wonder." Kaneki said, feigning innocence
He meant to tease them a little, but when it came to his presents, things got out of hand.
"I thought you told us he had a surprise Shouta!" A little girl known as 'the boss' yelled.
"Kikuri-kun...We don't yell in our friends faces." Kaneki chided
"Yes sensei..." She said, pouting "...but he did say it."
"I hear it!" Mori the 'wild child' spoke up; His english wasn't as good as the others but his intelligence was the same. "Him say Kaneki bring present!" "Present not here!" He barked
"Takuya-kun, your grammar..." Kaneki said; it was cute though.
"Excuse me..." An airy and pitched voice said; it was 'the princess' "Neki-sensei..." He could hear the flutter of her eye lashes, the flow of her dress as she pirouetted.
"Yes, Sakura-kun?" Kaneki said, gathering the materials they'd need for morning activity.
"Do you notice anything different today?" She asked, holding her small chin high.
Kaneki listened intently; He could tell by the feel of the fabric that it wasn't a new dress...and her hair was in curls as usual...So...
"Oh, how rude of me, your new shoes are lovely." He said graciously
The little girl would smile and blush, running to her fellow 'princesses' and gush about the simple complement. Kaneki laughed to himself, they were like little adults.
Bringing the materials he needed to prepare at their desks; He stood above them as they engaged in little people conversation, some students outside of the circle, some doing other things.
He needed their attention now.
Incidentally, he was able to do this by flexing the muscle and bone in his fingers; the same action he'd...inherited from Yamori.
The little ghouls would stop no matter what they were doing and come towards him; he didn't know what about it settled them down, maybe because it was unsettling, but it had come to be an invaluable tool.
They milled around him, all attentive. "Kenma-kun was right, I do have something for you today and after I give it to you we'll use it for this morning's activity."
He reached into the bag he brought with him and pulled out a case of paint sets. "There's one for each of you."
"He got us paints!" Takuya screeched, gripping the oval case with force.
"Yeaahhhh, Kanekiiii!" bellowed the one known as 'lungs'.
Kaneki laughed as she held the set above her head like a trophy and danced; The child could never say anything without screaming it out; like she was in a stadium "Your inside voice, Ayano-kun."
"Thank you, Kaneki-sensei."
Kaneki turned to his right; that was the 'wise one' Fujiwara Kouji; he sat to himself often, watching the others with a smile, he was also one of the only ones to call him by his name. He spent most of his time in books and loved nature; He was a child after his own heart. "Your very welcome, Kouji-kun." He made a point to say.
He placed painting boards in front of them and began to speak.
"Today you'll use your paint to tell me about your dreams." He said "Things you'd like to have, what you want to be...You can put it all here. You can make it however you want."
The students eyes sparkled and with the assignment given they moved to their desks.
It was thought that exposing the brain to creative process in the morning made it easier for the mind to keep up with the rigors of left brain thinking.
After the morning activity the class took on a more analytical focus.
Their curriculum involved history, literature, mathematics and science; all of it within IRF parameters.
The IRF parameters were crazy, Kaneki thought; it was things you taught in high school, not elementary school...As far as he was concerned these were kindergarteners.
He also thought the reading materials and assignments were too much for the children but he tried his best to condense everything and make it understandable.
Surprisingly they kept up and the lowest grade a student ever received was a C+: He wished he had grew up with such an education.
When their left brain processes had been worked to the max, it was time for lunch; To Kaneki, this had to be the strangest and most entertaining part of the day.
"Thats enough for now, lunch time everyone."
With the last three words he would get a cheer; he could sense everyone's kakugan glittering with excitement.
Ghouls were first and foremost predators that hunted, so when lunch time came, that's just what they did.
Coming to a forest that was a contained ecosystem, they were allowed to go in and hunt for raccoons.
Genetically bred to have abnormal speed and girth, Kaneki had failed miserably to catch one the first time. He knew he had failed when they started giving him tips.
He was supposed to demonstrate his expertise and anything else to help them become good hunters not just for raccoons but any mammal.
As it stood, he was now able to round up enough to feed two of the little armies but now was in a position to help them.
"My...my kagune won't turn on!" Yue, the 'cry baby', wailed
Kaneki took the boy into his arms "Its not like a toy, where you press a button and it comes 'on' you have to want to use it...Close your eyes..." He instructed "Now think of how great it would be to have that racoon, right in the palm of your hand."
The ethereal potrusions shot from the boy's kakuhou instantly and he squealed with glee as he let him run loose.
When lunch time was over then clean up was in order. That usually involved the kids cleaning their face, arms and hands; putting their 'inside' clothes back on and leaving the uniforms they had to wear for 'lunch' to the hamper to be washed by the staff.
Lunch time was followed by naptime and naptime was followed by reading hour.
As the sun lowered, the children's parents funneled in to pick them up; all of them were employees at the IRF and not Regulators whose shifts typically started after dark.
When reports on each of the children were given and the last child left the room, he was left with the pleasing echo of laughter and a comforting warmth in his chest.
When the tables were washed, the carpet swept, art supplies put away and notebooks gathered, he would make his way home.