A week passed by quickly and most battle scars from the encounter had vanished for the most part. Sojin had told Hide how Kaneki had left him, choosing his words carefully as not to put the half-ghoul in a bad light. The red-headed boy had surprised him by remaining calm and refraining from visiting the cafe the moment word of Kaneki had reached his ears.
"Last time I rushed in without thinking, you ended up getting injured. I don't want that to happen again..." he had told Sojin, while patching up his own wounds. However, now that their wounds had finally healed, Sojin could tell that the older boy was getting impatient. He rose from the chair he had been sitting in and joined Hide on the couch in the living room, draping his arm over his shoulder.
"Do you wanna visit the coffeeshop now?" he asked, Hide's ears perking up at the offer. "I think Kaneki and the purple-haired girl will be there!"
"If he's wrapped up in all this business, do you think he even wants to see us anymore?" Hide asked, his spirits visibly dropping. "He even looked like a ghoul himself..."
Sojin had half a mind to agree with his roommate so he could keep him for himself. Guilt got the better of him and he lightly pulled on Hide's arm.
"Don't say that! He was-he IS your best friend! I'm sure he still feels the same way and wants to see you!" Sojin exclaimed, rising to his feet. The sun outside the window was high in the sky, signaling midday. If the pair left now, they'd be able to reach the coffeeshop and spend a good amount of time there. He glanced down at Hide, who still seemed somewhat unconvinced. Pulling the boy to his feet, he assured him that it would all work out and with a resigned sigh, Hide followed him out of the door.
Sojin managed to lift the boy's spirits along the way, chatting about ways for them to spruce up their apartment, when the coffeeshop finally came into view. A pang of fear struck Sojin as he remembered his last encounter here. He hadn't told Hide the whole story, but he was riding on the hope that Touka would not attack them now that they had helped her. The duo approached the front door, Sojin holding his breathe as he pushed into the cafe. A quiet chatter filled the air and the scent of fresh coffee wafted across his nose, making him feel almost at home. However, he could feel a gaze from behind the counter cutting icily through the warm air. Touka circled out from behind the counter, walking briskly to the entrance where the two boys stood.
"What are you doing here?" she whispered, annoyance in her voice, but a smile still across her face.
"We came to see Kaneki," Sojin replied. "He's here...I heard you guys talking about it."
Touka let out a sigh and signaled towards the door leading towards the back.
"Let's talk about this somewhere less public."
Hide nodded and headed towards the door, but Sojin hesitated, recalling his last experience behind that door. Touka waited for him to follow Hide, but he held his position until the older boy had moved out of earshot.
"You're not going to try anything, right? This is really an innocent visit! Kaneki is his best friend," he whispered to Touka. The girl narrowed her eyes.
"So I've heard. I'm still not fond of you, but since you didn't betray me during that battle...I guess I can deal with you."
Sojin's face lit up. He knew they were far from being friends, but to hear that he was no longer on the girl's kill list was heartening.
"Sojin?" came Hide's voice as he looked over at the two, confused as to what was taking so long.
"Haha, sorry!" Sojin replied, walking over. "I was just talking about our last encounter with..."
He hesitated as he realized he still didn't know the purple-haired girl's name.
"Touka."
Without another word, she pushed past them into the back, heading down the dim hallway. Near the end of the hallway, she stopped and turned to face them, pointing to her left.
"He's in there. Don't cause trouble...don't think I forgot about my promise from our first meeting," she stated, turning her gaze to Sojin. He shuddered, but nodded as they approached the door. He let Hide take the lead and knock, the sound echoing through the silent hall. After a few moments, the door opened wide, Kaneki appearing before them.
"Yes?" he asked, before he could register who stood before him. His eyes widened as his gaze went from the red hair to the person before him.
"H-Hide?! How did you find me? How did you get back here?"
"Our friend Touka-chan led us here."
The girl let out a scoff before walking away. Kaneki took a step back into his room, signaling for the two boys to come in, before closing the door behind them.
"Are you crazy?! What are you doing here?" Kaneki asked, his eyes moving between Sojin and Hide with worry. "You know that Touka's a ghoul! And I'm...I'm a..."
Hide placed his hand on the boy's shoulder, looking him in the eye. "I know. I don't care! You're still my best friend!"
Kaneki pulled him into a hug. "Still! It's too dangerous now...I don't want you to get hurt because of my issues."
Sojin watched silently, a bit annoyed that Kaneki had yet to even acknowledge him and his jealousy slowly rising. The two boys released their embrace.
"I'm not going to abandon you when you need me most. Your problems are my problems," Hide stated. Sojin finally broke his silence, turning his attention to Kaneki.
"Speaking of problems...I guess you can see that I'm not on Mado's side now," he stated, a tinge of bitterness in his words. Kaneki looked down, trying to avoid eye contact.
"Let's just forget about that. Who is that Freed guy and why did he try to kill us?" Sojin shifted his weight. "And why were you with him?"
"Sojin!" Hide exclaimed, surprised by his friend's forwardness. Kaneki finally looked up to meet Sojin's eyes.
"It's simple. We were looking for food. I didn't know that it was you and Hide at first. Once I figured it out, I tried to stop him, but he didn't want to give up a meal."
Sojin remained quiet, unprepared for such an honest answer. The room was filled with silence before a loud knocking pierced the air, causing all three to jump. Kaneki looked at the door, his eyes widening.
"Damn it!" he whispered, signaling for the other two boys to stay quiet. "Who is it?"
"Who's visiting?" came a male voice. Sojin thought it sounded familiar, but it wasn't the old man he had seen here last time.
"A friend!" Kaneki replied, trying to mask his nerves.
"Do you think I'm dumb, kid? I can smell them. Humans," he stated, fiddling with the doorknob from the outside. "Open the door before I break it down."
Kaneki let out a sigh, defeated, and unlocked the door. It swung open, revealing a boy with silver hair, cut short and pushed back. His eyes were the same grey color, emitting no signs of warmth as they scanned the room. He stood a good head taller than Kaneki and his physique was quite toned. Although he radiated an aura of iciness, there was a handsome charm about him. Sojin guessed he was older than them, his appearance suggesting he was at least twenty-five.
"Ah, that's what I thought," he stated, grinning. Sojin's heart leapt as he immediately recognized the man's smile.
"Freed..." he whispered, almost inaudibly.
"Ah? You know my name?" the older male asked, turning his attention to Sojin. At a loss for words, he looked to Kaneki for help.
"How could they forget you after a week ago?" Kaneki asked Freed, his eyes narrowing. Freed shrugged, his grey eyes still fixed on Sojin.
"You can't blame a ghoul for being hungry, can you?"
Sojin squirmed uncomfortably under the ghoul's gaze, unable to come up with a response.
"What do you want Freed?" Kaneki asked, annoyed. "Leave if you have no business here."
Freed let out a loud laugh, taking a step towards Sojin. He knelt down and placed his hand on the boy's head, leaning in and examining him. Sojin sat still, paralyzed in fear as he felt the ghoul's cool breathe against his neck.
"I just wanted to meet your friends..." he said, chuckling to himself. He brought his face so close to Sojin's that the boy thought they were going to kiss.
"And your name?" he asked, his eyes scanning Sojin's face up and down.
"Sojin..." he replied, not daring to move. After a few more moments, he finally pulled away and looked to Hide.
"Hide," the red head replied firmly.
"Interesting..." Freed stated, returning to his feet and heading over to Kaneki. The ghoul opened his mouth to speak, but Touka burst through the door, a look of urgency on her face.
"We have a trace on Nishiki!" she stated, causing Sojin to gasp in surprise. To be honest, the ghoul had slowly faded from his thoughts over the months, but he was glad to hear news of him now. Freed raised a silver eyebrow.
"And? You want us to go help him?" he questioned. Touka nodded.
"It's our duty since he joined our organization," she replied. Freed scoffed.
"It's your duty. I'm not taking care of any of you and I don't expect you to take care of me."
Sojin could see Touka gritting her teeth. "If they torture him, they could find out the location of this place. Then it'll be your problem."
Freed ignored her comment, leaning against the doorway and looking at Kaneki expectantly.
"I'll go," he stated, as if on cue. Touka beckoned for him to follow, but paused as Hide spoke up.
"I'm going too. We're the reason he's in this mess and I swear I can help."
Touka and Kaneki shook their heads. They stated their disapproval simultaneously.
"It's too dangerous!"
"You'll only hold us back!"
Hide stood and shook his head. "I'm going. If you don't allow me, I'll follow you anyway, so we might as well come up with a plan that puts me to use."
Touka shrugged. "I guess we can use him as bait."
Kaneki let out a sigh, but did not argue further. Touka began to lead them out of the room, but this time it was Sojin who stopped her.
"I'm coming too! It's just as much my fault."
"No," Touka, Kaneki, and Hide stated as one. Sojin glared at the trio.
"If Hide can go, why can't I?"
"We don't need two human burdens."
"I'm not a burden! I can help! I saved Kaneki from the doves before!"
Hide opened his mouth to object, but Freed cut him off, finally breaking his silence.
"Well, this could make things interesting. If you allow him to go, I'll join the group as well."
Sojin could see Touka scowl, weighing the benefits of having Freed on the team versus defending Sojin. Finally, she gave in with a sigh.
"Whatever, but he's your responsibility," she stated. Sojin saw Hide shaking his head in disapproval.
"Don't worry, I'll take very good care of him," Freed said, once again placing his hand atop the boy's head.
"Here's the plan. Kaneki and I will do the brunt of battling and take out the guards. Hide and Sojin...I really don't see how you can be of help to us so just try not to be a burden. Freed, you focus on collecting Nishiki and making sure no one gets hurt. And remember, that kid is your responsibility."
Freed sat down and wrapped his arm around Sojin, his signature grin spreading across his face. Sojin immediately regretted his decision to take part in the mission.
Sorry for the hiatus! School got so busy. But I'm back! Please remember to give feedback, as that's what motivates me to write! ^^