Disclaimer: I do not own Tokyo Ghoul.
Each time a character thinks the words will be Italic
Dialogue instructions:
Kaneki: "-speaking-".
Kaneki: "-thoughts-".
Thank you for the reviews! They inspire me so much to continue this!
REVIEW ANSWER:
1) I don't have a schedule on when I update, but I have been planning on doing one soon! :) Thank you for reading~!
2) This story isn't really following the Tokyo Ghoul timeline. It's more like following the timeline but with added events into them. Thank you for reading~!
Kaneki has white hair here.
Enjoy!
WARNING: This is more about friendship! If you want smut, please go somewhere else. ^^; Thank You!
"There is no better than adversity. Every defeat, every heartbreak, every loss, contains its own seed,
its own lesson on how to improve your performance the next time."
-MalcolmX
The wind blew fiercely, ruffling the half-ghoul's pale hair and massaging his now weary skin. His mind and vision was still in limbo, making it hard for Kaneki to identify where he was. He could feel an arm around his frail body, carrying him like a sack of potatoes. He squirmed very slightly, causing the arm that was carrying him to tighten around his abdomen. His eyes slowly began to flutter open; the first thing that he saw was a metallic looking floor. His breath hitched, feeling a sudden pain around his lungs.
Suddenly, the memories came back to him of what had happened. He felt his heart began to beat in utter panic; he began to squirm more, trying to adjust to the terrible pain that his backbone felt.
Tatara: "Don't move or I'll break your back." Kaneki stopped squirming to hear the familiar voice. His eyes narrowed slightly, his face turning to pure bitter betrayal.
Kaneki: "…Bastard." He muttered, remembering all too well how Aogiri had betrayed him just yesterday—or had it been a few hours ago? He wasn't sure. He lifted his head slightly, seeing the structure around him. Everything was made out of metal, there were pipes around, steam coming out of tubes and an awful smell was around the air. "Where am I?" he asked in a whisper, deciding to let himself be carried for now.
Tatara: "You will soon find out." He replied with a monotone voice.
The half-ghoul didn't talk after that. He stayed silent, though felt his body beginning to ache at how long Tatara had been carrying him. A door suddenly opened, creaking noises could be heard due to its immense weight.
Tatara stepped in, pacing closer towards the middle of the gigantic room. Kaneki raised his head, before his eyes widened to what was displayed around him. There were many capsules that held what appeared to be 'people' inside. They all seemed to be in a deep slumber, though the tubes that were everywhere in the walls were connecting straight towards the person inside each of the capsules.
Kaneki tried to squirm a bit, wanting to be set free and able to walk for himself. He received a stronger grip then the first, causing his breath to hitch due to his lung still repairing from the wound before. He gasped slightly, trying his best to breathe at an even pace.
Tatara: "I will set you down when he comes."
Kaneki looked up slightly, his eyes narrowing. Who did he mean by 'he'? His mind still lacked what was happening around him, yet he was trying his best to stay awake. His thoughts were soon interrupted by another steel door creaking at its weight. His eyes that had been fixed to the metallic ground gazed up, though he frozen in mid-process.
There, in the middle of the many capsules and wires, stood the very doctor that had operated him.
Kanou: "It's been a long time, my dear patient. Have you taken your medicines as I instructed?" he asked calmly as his lips turned to a smile that held many daggers behind it.
-Kaneki's apartment-
Banjou stood still, staring at the mess in front of him. The wooden floor and ceiling seemed pierced, the couch was shredded to pieces, each bedroom had its doors wide open and papers were scattered everywhere in the ground. Many books lay with holes in the middle of them. Clothes were thrown everywhere, causing it to look like the apartment had been thrashed.
Banjou: "What…in the hell happened here?" he asked himself, slowly stepping into the living room as he stared in shock at the unrecognizable place.
Tsukiyama: "Why, it is as you see. It was clearly crashed, mon chéri." The French man stepped out from the kitchen, his expression clearly unamused at who would have dared to do this.
Banjou: He frowned slightly at the sight of the purple-haired male. "How long have you been here?"
Tsukiyama: "Long before you came here. I was going to visit dear Kaneki-kun, due to him looking quite jumpy lately. The dove seems to have brought trouble upon him." He mused as he leaned down to pick up a shattered glass from the window, examining it closely. "Who did this was not a dove, so it was not betrayal." He spoke a slight bit more serious.
Banjou: "And how are you so sure of that?" the other asked, slightly a bit more skeptical.
Tsukiyama: He smirked at the other and stepped towards the holes that the floor had. "If you look closely here, there seems to be holes that are scattered about. One is in the far wall, and the other is on the floor. There are four other holes that are much bigger, and I presume does are Kaneki's Rinkaku. The medium holes are similar to Kirishima-san's. So, in conclusion—Kaneki had a fight with a ghoul, not a dove. And the only second ghoul I know that has this kind of ability aside from Kirishima-san would be Ayato-kun. He was clearly not alone when he ambushed poor Kaneki-kun, because he is not easy to defeat." He frowned, turning thoughtful for a moment. "But that's what worries me—who was stronger than Kaneki-kun that they would manage to capture him?"
Banjou: He followed what Tsukiyama was speaking, and he had to be honest, he was amazed at how 'detective-like' Tsukiyama could be."Then—Aogiri betrayed him?" He asked his tone a bit with anger.
Tsukiyama: He looked towards Banjou, his expression annoyed just as the others. "Non monsieur. It seems they betrayed us." He corrected, his tone holding slight rage as well to the thought of all this happening.
Banjou: "Well, where do you think they might be holding him?"
Tsukiyama: He smirked slightly as he looked at him. "Kaneki-kun once gave me the information of the theory he and the dove had come up with not too many days ago. That the doctor was behind this and that the fact that when he went to the hospital the nurse had said that he was in a 'vacation' had only made the theory more believable. Do you see now?"
Banjou: He stared in silence, seeing how the theory was more like solid proof. "Then—Aogiri is with the doctor? Are they connected with him somehow?"
Tsukiyama: "Oui. That's what we will find out soon enough, mon chéri. However, we don't have a clue where they took Kaneki—but I believe I know how we can find him."
Banjou: "How do we find him then?" he asked, feeling slightly irritated to the suspense.
Tsukiyama: He looked at him and smiled. "We follow the doves."
-The CCG Headquarters-
Shinohara paced down the hall, holding onto his suitcase by his left side. Suzuya smiled and paced by his side, swinging his arms back and forth. Behind them were about forty doves, all carrying suitcases as well. Arima paced a bit ahead, carrying his own suitcase as he stared on forward. Everyone's destination was assigned and aimed for, they could not waste time.
Shinohara: He looked down to the white-haired male, his lips twisting to a warm smile. "Did you talk with him?"
Suzuya: The shorter male looked up at him and nodded his head. "Otherwise we wouldn't be charging for that place, right?" he asked smiling creepily.
Shinohara: He smiled at him, already used to his smiles and his way of speaking. "That's right—"He gazed back and looked at one specific member in the middle of the doves—Hideyoshi Nagachika. "Hey, Hideyoshi-kun." He motioned his hand forward, signalizing for the young man to come by his side.
The blond-haired man looked up when his name was mentioned. He noticed the gesture and quickly paced to the older man's side.
Hideyoshi: "Yes?" he asked, giving off one of his familiar happy smiles though they held hidden fear.
Shinohara: "You must already know the consequences of this mission…"He began, his face turning slightly worried. "You spoke with Arima, I presume?"
Hideyoshi: He smiled a bit, though more bitter than happy. "I know—Yes, although—"He looked towards the man. His back was the only thing visible, his white coat elegantly swinging back and forth at each step he took. "He promised me. He would not hurt him regarding how unstable he was." He looked down at his feet, his face turning slightly worried before he looked up at Shinohara and smiled a bit. "You know, Kaneki has always been the type to blame himself." He spoke as he laughed quietly. "Always…" he muttered to himself. Shinohara regarded him with silent sympathy.
~Flashback~
Suzuya: He shook his head and grinned, twirling his fingers together. "I want to verify something—it's going to be fun." He said as he jumped from one tile to another, avoiding the lines that divided each of them. Shinohara simply smiled and nodded his head, leaving things in charge for the other.
Suzuya: "Hideyoshi Nagachika~. It's time to question you~!" He thought as he happily spun around Shinohara.
~Suzuya and Hideyoshi's conversation~
Hideyoshi was simply working on delivering other packages. Recently, he had been given another job as well, to become part of the team of the doves. He hadn't refused, yet he did felt nervous over this.
Hideyoshi: "Was this a good idea?" he thought to himself. He was taken out of his thoughts when a Special Class investigator came inside.
Shinohara: "Ah, there you are! Hideyoshi-kun, was it? You have been summoned by Associate Special Class Suzuya." He gently handed the envelope to Hideyoshi, whom he took it with gratitude.
Hideyoshi: "A summon? Why now?" He asked himself as he read the envelope. All it said was to meet in a certain room with the specified number of where it would be. He shrugged a bit and paced quickly to where this room was. He was surprised to have been led to none other than Arima's office. He had heard rumors about him, how he was the strongest in the CCG, yet he hadn't thought he would meet him this suddenly. "But—wasn't Suzuya-san the one who summoned me?" He thought to himself as he knocked. He received a response to enter and slowly let himself in. The room was very spacious; a table that seemed like a black squared shape was also on the middle of it. Though what caught his attention was the man that set at the far end: Kishou Arima. He noticed that there was another by his side, and soon noticed it was Juuzou Suzuya.
Hideyoshi: He stepped towards them, sitting by a chair that had been placed for him to sit in front of the two. "Ah—I heard you summoned me, Suzuya-san." He spoke respectfully, regarding them both with a bow and a smile.
Suzuya: "That's right~. It has come to my attention over something—" Suzuya reached down the table and grabbed what sounded like paper and plastic. He brought the paper up for Hideyoshi to see. Hideyoshi held his breath to the sight of who was in the poster.
Arima: "This here is Kaneki Ken. He's a student that went missing quite a while ago—far too long. But, we have suspicions about it. This young man was mixed in an accident. Steels had suddenly fallen on a person, yet one had survived. The one who survived had been Kaneki Ken, but the other did not make it. Later on, the doctor went missing as well. But do you know what is strange about this?"
Suzuya: "At the same time that Kaneki-kun went missing, Eyepatch came into view with Rabbit. Their first ever crime was when Kureo Mado fought with Rabbit and was killed in the process. At the same time, Eyepatch had confronted Amon Koutarou. This was all connected with the mother and daughter case as well. Then, if you sum all this, what do you get?" He asked, smiling cheerfully.
Hideyoshi: He remained silent, taking in their information. He had known all of this; he had made his own research and knew far more than they did. He clutched his jeans, feeling weary and nervous in front of them. "What you get is—"
Arima: "Kaneki Ken is the Eyepatch." He interrupted, staring hard at the blond-haired boy. "And you, of all people, were connected to Kaneki Ken. We researched your data, and it seems you were both known as 'best pals' in your university."
Hideyoshi felt nervous from all of this, he averted eye contact from the intense stares that were being aimed towards him. There was no use hiding it, he knew it. He knew what Kaneki was, he had known all along. Not just by simply hearing it being said when he had been 'unconscious' due to Nishiki's attack, but he had known by the differences in Kaneki's behavior as well. He looked up, his face serious and nervous. "Yes—you're right. Kaneki—Is the Eyepatch."
Arima stared at his eyes, seeing the truth placed before him he relaxed his hard stare and leaned back on his chair, his face turning to that of peaceful.
Suzuya: "At least our hard stares paid off, Arima-san!" He chirped up cheerfully as he also seemed relaxed. "We needed confirmation—the reason is because I met with him yesterday."
Hideyoshi felt surprised to this, he quickly stood up, his heart beating quickly in his chest.
Hideyoshi: "How is he?! Is he alright? Does he look any depressed or—or—"He was stopped by Suzuya when he held his hand up, signalizing to be silent. Suzuya smirked and laughed childishly.
Suzuya: "Such a worried friend! Neh, Arima-san?" he gave the other a cheerfully smile though Arima merely stared up ahead, clearly ignoring him.
Suzuya: "He's alright. He saved one of us, Amon Koutarou! I was really surprised to see a ghoul saving a human!"
Hideyoshi: His eyes stared at Suzuya and he smiled a slight bit. "Please…don't call him a ghoul. He's—He's just bookworm Kaneki." He spoke, his smile still in place. "He's still acting the same way. Saving people he doesn't even know—so Kaneki-like."
Suzuya: "We're going to attack soon~."
Hideyoshi was taken out of his thoughts and grew serious and felt fear to hear his words. "
Hideyoshi: "Attack? Who? Why?" He asked quickly, feeling afraid that they were planning to kill his best friend.
Arima: "The doctor of course. Amon Koutarou has confirmed to us that Kaneki Ken and he believe that the doctor had something to do with him turning into a ghoul. No human could turn into a ghoul but if you're a doctor, you're bound to find many ways. And we have a hunch in where he might be hiding."
Suzuya: "An underground laboratory is a theory but it has been proven correctly. There is an abandoned mansion that has seemed to have—odd activities. We are sure that something is inside or someone as well."
Hideyoshi: "Then—I would like to come with you!" he quickly yelled out, feeling his heart thumping in his chest.
Arima: "You can't. This is a mission that only official CCG can—"
Hideyoshi: "Then if I can't go—I ask of you to please," The blond-haired male drifted to his knees, kneeling before the other as he bowed his head, pressing his forehead to the polished floor. "Please…don't hurt Kaneki." He gritted his teeth, shutting his eyes tightly. "Don't hurt him, I beg of you. He's not the monster you think he is! He's—Just Kaneki Ken!" he yelled out, his shoulders trembling slightly. "I don't see him as Eyepatch—I see him as my friend."
Arima stayed silent, staring at the boy. "He would go this far?" He thought to himself as he closed his eyes, thinking of all the possibilities in front of him.
Arima: "Alright." He finally answered after being thoughtful for about a few minutes. Hideyoshi looked up, hope lit up in his eyes to hear his response. "But on one condition."
Hideyoshi: He quickly stood up, nodding his head, feeling glad yet devastated that there were always conditions.
Arima: "It depends on him. If I see he is not sane, his life will be over. If he seems to be worthy of fixing, then we will let him live. I will—half kill him." He responded, his words filled with tone of authority yet acceptance towards Hideyoshi's generous request.
Hideyoshi: He stayed silent before he bowed his head lower than usual, his eyes shut tightly as he spoke his words. "Thank you…very much." He spoke with a heavy heart, though believed in his friend and knew that he would be okay.
~End of flashback~
—To be continued—
PHEW. This is longer than usual, but I hope you enjoyed it!
Thank you for reading! Stick around and you'll see a friendship being built! ^^
Please review! Have a nice day!
