3 YEARS AFTER CHAPTER 11
[Voice: "...Wake up."]
Something echoed in my subconsciousness.
[Voice: "...Kaneki! Wake up, you sleepyhead!"]
I felt a heavy weight crash onto my chest, and my eyes shot open upon the impact.
[Kaneki: "E-Eto?! W-what are you do-"]
Her face was inches away from mine. She sat on my chest, still half-dressed. Her eyes peered into my mine with a soft smile.
[Eto: "It's time for you to wake up for school, dummy..."]
Ugh...that's right. School. No matter how many years pass by, it feels as if I'll never be able to escape the hell that is school.
[Kaneki: "I-I could've woken up by myself, you know..."]
She wore an expression of disbelief and crossed her arms.
[Eto: "Last time you said that, you were late for school. And, it's fun for me to wake you up like that."]
I grumbled to myself.
[Kaneki: "Yeah, fun for you. ...Put some clothes on."]
She giggled to herself as I walked out of the bedroom and into the bathroom to prepare myself for the coming day.
We moved out from our old, tiny apartment. Eto had managed to get more than enough money from her last novel to buy an entire house, just for her and I. It's a little big, especially for two people, but it's whatever. That one novel she had written about three years ago happened to sell more than "Dear Kafka." It was quite amazing to see her blow up over the internet as a famed horror-tragedy novelist. I'm... proud of her, to say the least.
Eto was able to establish a stable career for herself, whilst maintaining Aogiri. She's been keeping up her schedule with Aogiri, and now most of Tokyo knows it as a ghoul "terrorist" organization. It's currently the CCG's biggest threat, and they've taken counteractive measures to crack down on Aogiri numbers.
I finished cleaning myself and put on my school uniform. I walked out onto the living room, where Eto had laid a neat breakfast of bacon and eggs on the table for me.
Well, even though she's a half-ghoul, Eto still insists on making me breakfast everyday. It's actually... pretty good, frankly speaking. I tell her that it's delicious, but her ghoul taste buds seem to tell her otherwise.
Eto grabbed a nearby coat and put it on herself. She was beginning to put on her shoes for an early book signing.
Eto's made it a point to wake up earlier than me for some reason. Even if she doesn't have appointments or book signings, she wakes up ahead of me, early enough to put out food and a cup of coffee on the table every morning.
I sat down and quickly began to eat.
I've expressed my gratitude towards Eto time and time again. No sixteen year-old lives a life this spoiled. Seriously, who else lives alone with a beautiful well-renowned author at the age of sixteen? I've said it so much, but it feels like a fairy tale. I just can't believe that this is how things turned out.
I scarfed down the food in front of me, leaving only the cup of coffee.
[Kaneki: "Be safe out there, Eto. The CCG are beginning to make moves."]
Eto reached for the doorknob, but paused.
[Eto: "Don't worry, it's impossible for my cover to be blown. And I've got everything at Aogiri under control. You should be the one being safe today. There's a reason why there are more doves out than usual, and that's because there are more ghouls roaming about."]
I gulped down the remaining bit of coffee I had left.
[Kaneki: "O-oh. I'll try to be more careful, then."]
She had a serious, but worried look on her face.
[Eto: "Don't say 'try'. Promise me. Promise me you won't get into trouble."]
I sighed, feeling like a child being lectured by his mother.
[Kaneki: "Y-yeah. I promise."]
She has all the reason to be protective of me. After what's happened with that ghoul who impaled me and almost left me on death's doorstep, Eto has been set on making sure I never get into that situation again.
Eto breathed a sigh of relief and opened the door slightly.
[Eto: "...Okay. I'll see you later, Kaneki."]
[Kaneki: "Good luck at the book signing."]
I got up from the table and began to gather my school belongings. On top of making a breakfast, she also packed lunch for me.
I smiled to myself, putting the lunchbox inside of my bag. I proceeded to leave the house a couple of minutes after Eto.
I usually walk to school with Hide, but he took a little bit longer to get to the place where we meet up everyday.
Eventually, Hide came into view, obnoxiously waving his hands while yelling my name.
[Hide: "Yo, Kaneki!"]
[Kaneki: H-hey, Hide..."]
Hide always brings up Eto and the relationship between us. He always asks if we've done 'it', yet. I didn't understand what he meant years ago, but now I do. I always make sure to deny those false allegations. Eto and I haven't gone that far... yet.
[Hide: "Have you heard about what's happening with the ghouls and the CCG? It's pretty crazy, dude!"]
Hide doesn't know that Eto is a half-ghoul. I've made sure to retain that kind of information from him. He just knows that I'm living with a girl alone, and that she's really cute. I don't know if he's jealous, but Hide always says that I'm lucky.
[Kaneki: "Yeah, I have. It's kinda scary, to be honest..."]
[Hide: "Have you ran into any ghouls before? Do they look like crazy monsters? I've never seen one in real life before!"]
It was strange, the fact that I was secretly associated with the leader of a large scale ghoul organization. I also never told Hide about that one time I almost died from a run-in with a ghoul.
[Kaneki: "I actually have seen a couple of ghouls before. They look... just like humans. They camouflage with human civilization. You can't tell the difference between them until you're dead."]
[Hide: "E-ehhh?! I always thought they were like Lovecraftian horror monsters or something... but how do you know all this stuff? You've almost been eaten before?"]
He always manages to sneak in a couple questions here and there. Hide is surprisingly quite intuitive and intelligent, despite his outside appearance.
[Kaneki: "Well... that's a story for another day."]
[Hide: "Whaaat?! You can't leave me hanging like that, dude! Why won't you tell me?!"]
We continued to argue and bicker at each other until we finally reached the school. Hide and I separated, and I returned to my monotone life of being a nobody at school.
After School
Finally, it's over. I'm sick and tired of school, and it's only halfway through the year. I made plans with Hide though, so I have to message Eto that I'll be late.
I sent a text message to Eto, saying that I'll be going some place with Hide. She quickly responded, saying that it was alright as she had other things to do as well. It probably had to due with Aogiri.
I almost forgot that Eto bought me a phone so I could contact her in emergencies. I rarely use it except for that purpose, though. I've never really been that tech-savvy.
I saw Hide's head in the distance, and I briskly walked towards him.
[Kaneki: "...You said we were going to Anteiku, right?"]
Hide put his arms behind his head, casually strolling along.
[Hide: "Yeah, there's this really cute girl I want to talk to that works there."]
I sighed and stared at him.
[Kaneki: "...Are you serious? You're really that desperate?"]
[Hide: "Dude, you're the one who got a girlfriend at the age of twelve. It's hard not to be jealous, okay?! Let me live my youth to the fullest!"]
Well, I guess that's how most people my age would perceive my current lifestyle. I can't blame them, even I think that our relationship is strange.
Hide and I continued to talk about his inability to establish a proper love life. I told him over and over again that nothing will happen if you try to force a relationship, but he constantly denies it over and over again.
We finally reached Anteiku and sat down at one of the round tables.
[Kaneki: "So? Who's this girl you were talking about?"]
Hide pointed to one of the employees serving another table.
[Hide: "That one! The one with the blue hair! She's pretty cute, right?"]
He's so loud... I'm pretty sure the girl Hide was talking about overheard what he said.
[Kaneki: "Uh... I don't think she's your type. Have you even talked to her?"]
Hide scratched his head with his finger.
[Hide: "...Of course I have!"]
Whenever he scratches his head with his finger, it means he's lying. I don't know if Hide does it on purpose or not, but it's really obvious.
[Kaneki: "Well, if you're so interested in her, then shoot your shot."]
[Hide: U-uh... okay! I've got this!"]
Hide prepared himself mentally and made sure to make himself look proper.
[Hide: "E-excuse me! Waitress with the blue-purple hair!"]
The blue haired girl turned around, and began to walk towards our table. Upon looking at her face, I realized she really was pretty. Looks like Hide does have good taste after all.
She reached our table and asked for our order.
[Hide: "H-hey miss... what's your name?"]
The waitress seemed to be a bit annoyed at his question. She probably knew he was hitting on her.
[Girl: "...It's Touka..."]
Hide used this bit of information to strike up a conversation, constantly complimenting her. Touka looked disturbed and uncomfortable the entire time, but I guess Hide couldn't read the atmosphere.
As they continued chatting, my eyes wandered around the room, until I saw a purple-haired woman with glasses reading a book. The woman aside, the book she was reading was by Takatsuki Sen. ...Or Eto, for short.
I really wanna go over to that girl and talk to her, but she seems a bit older than me. ...I don't want to disturb her. I don't feel comfortable talking to other girls like that, either.
The graceful woman caught wind of me looking at her, and our eyes met.
O-oops...! What do I do now?!
Hide seemed to also realize the situation I was in. Touka had walked off to another table.
[Hide: "Psst, Kaneki, you wanna talk to that girl over there, right? Go for it! She's totally your type."]
[Kaneki: "Hide... did you forget I'm already taken? ...I'm not like that. I just wanna have an innocent conversation about my favorite author with her."]
We continued to whisper back and forth to avoid attention. I had decided to go over to where that purple haired woman was sitting, and I took a seat across from her. Hide kept trying to talk to Touka while I was gone.
[Kaneki: "A-ah... excuse me. That book you're reading, it's by Takatsuki Sen, isn't it? She's one of my favorite authors."]
The woman shifted her hair behind her ears and spoke.
[Woman: "Yes, it's one of her more recent works. She really captivates you with her words, doesn't she? I want to meet her one day."]
It seems like she actually was interested! I've always wanted someone to talk about this kind of stuff with besides Eto.
[Kaneki: "She had a book signing just this morning, actually!"]
We continued to chat back and forth, immersed in the world of imagination.
I had learned that her name was Rize Kamishiro, and that she was the same age as Eto, eighteen. She enjoyed books as well, which allowed us to talk without discomfort.
The sun was beginning to set, and I was ready to leave. Hide had already left a while back, giving up on the waitress and leaving a thumbs up as he walked out. For some reason though, Touka, the waitress, kept looking towards Rize and I, as if she were suspicious of something.
While we were both standing up, preparing to leave, Rize suddenly asked me something.
[Rize: "Um... Kaneki, can you... perhaps, walk me home?"]
Huh? I didn't tell Rize that I was in a relationship because it felt unneeded. ...Well, it won't hurt to help someone, right? I hope she doesn't get the wrong idea.
[Kaneki: "Uhh... sure...?"]
[Rize: "Sorry, I've just been on edge lately, with all the news about ghouls and the like."]
Something felt... off. I couldn't quite put my finger on it. The mood was strange, almost uncanny. I felt like I was forgetting something important, and I struggled to remember what it was.
[Kaneki: "It's alright, I understand."]
We exited Anteiku together, and Touka looked at us with pain as we left.
The way to her house was completely opposite of Eto's. There weren't many houses this way, and it had already begun to turn dark.
[Rize: "Ah, my house is just around the corner here. Thank you, Kaneki, for escorting me."]
[Kaneki: "Yeah, no problem. I really enjoyed our time together. It's not often you find a fellow bookworm, so it made me really happy to see you were reading that book."]
All of a sudden, Rize pushed herself onto me, her head on my chest.
[Kaneki: "U-uh... R-Rize?!"]
[Rize: "...Sorry. There's just one more thing I want from you."]
My heart sank. I felt a pit in my stomach. I felt everything I did that day, that day where I had experienced death itself. Everything turned pitch black, and I struggled straight.
I finally remembered what it was that I had forgot. A flashback to something Eto had said years ago, about a binge eater on the loose.
I asked her what the binge eater looked like, just so I could be safe, in case I ever ran into it. Eto said she had purple hair, and glasses.
...I realized this far too late. My mind went blank after this epiphany, and my body paralyzed, just like before.
I-I have to get myself out of this situation, but she's already on me...
I have to do something. Anything! Or it'll just be like before. Eto will go crazy if she sees me on the verge of death again.
I don't want Eto to feel that kind of pain. Not again. I won't let my mistakes get in the way. Not... not this time. I've failed over and over, but this is the last chance that I have.
I was about to fall backwards, but I quickly caught myself and stood on my own two feet.
Rize lunged towards me, mouth open, kakugan activated, and kagune emerging from behind her.
I evaded her lunge by jumping to the side, kicking her head. I tried to get up and run, but her kagune was rushing towards me at a speed that I couldn't outrun. It grazed my leg and slowed down my running pace, leaving me no choice but to try and fight back for as long as possible.
I leaned against a wall and awaited her attack. Rize's kagune came towards me, smashing into the wall behind me. I ducked downwards and slid under the kagune lodged besides me.
As she struggled to pull her kagune, I ran as fast as possible and pulled out my phone. I dialed Eto's phone number, and as expected, she responded as fast as possible.
[Kaneki: "E-Eto! Ghoul... chasing me... at the construction site, near... Anteiku!"]
Rize's kagune were chasing me, all four tendrils behind me. I moved to the left, one of her kagune tails removing a chunk of my arm, causing me to drop the phone.
She continued to chase me at a brisk pace, forcibly stepping on my phone and shattering it.
[Rize: "Putting up a fight, huh? ...Remember your place, human."]
She lunged at me once again. Her kagune came in all directions, leaving me no room to dodge.
If I go towards her, she'll just bite me. To the right or left, I'll be stabbed. I can't go backwards, because there's no way for me to outrun her kagune. Up and down is out of the picture as her kagune can cover my movement...
I ducked downwards once more, two of the tendrils directly above my head. Her kagune was rushing towards my feet, leaving me no choice but to jump towards the gap in between the kagune above my head and at my feet.
My leg got caught as the rest of my body made it out. Rize's kagune went straight through my leg, sending immense pain all throughout my body.
Unable to run any longer, I stumbled on the rubble made by our fight. Another one of her kagune went through my left shoulder, sending yet another shock of pain, blood spurting out all over her.
[Rize: "How unfortunate. You worked so hard... but all you had to do was sit back and let me eat you."]
She licked the blood on her arm, staring at me with her kakugan.
I collapsed, leaning against the debris of the broken construction site.
[Rize: "The harder they fight back, the more delicious they are."]
Rize jumped towards me one more time, mouth wide open.
My life flashed before my eyes. It was as if she were stuck in mid-air, arms reaching for me. I stared at her with no sense of life left in my eyes.
I managed to mess it all up again. It doesn't matter how many times I tell myself that I'll change, or that I'll stop being weak and fend for myself. My death... is inevitable. The world just wants me to die so badly.
Everything had frozen in time. Rize was stuck in that lunging motion of hers, baring her teeth at me. A grotesque sight it was. I couldn't do anything but close my eyes and wait for the embrace of death.
I shut my eyes for what seemed like minutes.
What... what's happening? I'm supposed to die... just let me die already, dammit!
SNAP!
A screeching noise that resembled the clashing of metal echoed throughout the construction site.
I looked up and saw steel beams falling, about to land on top of Rize and I.
All of a sudden, time unfroze, and what was supposed to be Rize savoring my flesh, was replaced with steel beams crushing her mid-flight. My entire lower half of my body was rendered paralyzed, Rize's guts splattered all over me.
Unable to take the excruciating pain any longer, I blacked out, unconscious from all the blood pouring out of my body.
W-what... the hell... is happening...?!
Eto... please. I'm... sorry.
5 Minutes Before
Dammit! What was that call?! Don't tell me Kaneki got involved in something dangerous again...!
He said something about a ghoul, and that he was near a construction site by Anteiku. Kaneki sounded like he was in the middle of running, so I have to hurry and find him.
...Fuck! I don't have time to waste. I'm all the way in the 13th ward, where the Aogiri hideout is. I can't risk anything happening to Kaneki, so I'll have to use my kakuja as the fastest means of travel.
I leapt on top of a building with my kagune, and transformed into my gigantic kakuja form.
I don't care if people see me. Kaneki's safety is way more important to me than anything else in the world right now.
As I flew across Tokyo, the citizens shrieked and ran at the mere sight of me, calling for the CCG, who were also too intimidated to face me.
I sped across Anteiku, where I saw police cars going towards the construction site.
I can't let them take him away... I have to get there first.
As I got closer to my destination, more and more smoke from fallen debris clouded my vision.
What the hell happened here? There's entire buildings and machinery in tiny pieces...
Kaneki should be somewhere here. He has to be alive, buried under all the rubble. If I just follow the smell of his blood, I should be able to find him before the cops do.
I removed my kakuja, and found a trail of blood that smelled like Kaneki. I followed it, running as fast as I could, until I stumbled onto a pair of mangled bodies, crushed by a steel beam lying on top of them.
I walked closer, inspecting the area. I found Kaneki, unconscious, with blood all over his body.
He... he can't be dead. Kaneki's lived through getting stabbed through the gut, h-he should be able to live through this... right?
In a panic, and tears suddenly streaming down my face, I ran to his battered body and put my ahead against his chest.
Please... please, let there be something. Anything!
*ba-dump*
My heart rose, and my uncontrollable sobbing stopped.
If... if there's a god out there, I thank you for this miracle. He's still alive. My beloved can still be saved.
...I have to act fast, though. I can't lose sight of myself and become psychotic like last time. I have to stay calm and collected, and Kaneki will come back to me. ...I know he will.
I took a deep breath and looked further. I saw a ghoul with purple hair, lying beneath the steel beams and on top of Kaneki, her body crushed, and her face deformed.
It's... the binge eater. Rize. ...I knew I should've done something about that bitch. I just knew that she would have done something.
My anger began to boil up, but I overcame and suppressed it.
I have to save Kaneki first. I'll take both of them in my kakuja and head to Kanou's lab. He usually heads there when he's finished at work, meaning he's always experimenting in his laboratory during the night.
I transformed into my kakuja once more, exerting a large amount of energy. I grabbed Kaneki and Rize carefully, and gently put them inside of my mouth.
As I leapt into the air, I could have sworn I saw something in the corner of my eye. At the top of one of the skyscrapers, I saw something wearing a clown mask.
...What the hell? I'm sure I saw that exact same thing before. ...But I can't remember when, or where. It just reminded me of an uncanny feeling.
I quickly disregarded the "clown", and flew past Anteiku once again, watching the police survey the area. The people of Tokyo looked up into the night sky, seeing a monstrous ghoul instead of the stars.
I'll be on the news for this, but the CCG will be on edge trying to find out what I was up to. ...They'll never imagine that the fearsome leader of Aogiri Tree would have a human she cared for, enough to give up her own life for him. That's just how dense humanity is.
I reached the abandoned warehouse where Kanou's lab was located, and crashed into the ground, signaling that I was here.
I removed my kakuja, exhausted, and carried both Kaneki's and Rize's bloody bodies with me.
Kanou works as a doctor by day, meaning he should know how to operate on humans. I brought Rize too, just in case he wanted to use her.
I kicked open the trapdoor, and Kanou turned to look at me, surprised.
[Kanou: "Hm? What have you come here for?"]
[Eto: "I-I... I really need your help. Please."]
I laid down both bodies softly on the cold floor, and bowed my head towards the ground.
[Kanou: "Hmph. I'll help you, but tell me the details."]
I felt delighted, and quickly rose my head.
[Eto: "This... this boy. Please, find a way to save him. ...He's on the verge of death."]
I laid both bodies on Kanou's working table, where he operated on his experiments.
[Kanou: "This boy... he's not a ghoul. Why are you saving a human?"]
I stammered and tried to regain my grasp on the situation.
[Eto: "It's... complicated. Please, just do what you have to do. I don't care what kind of things you try, as long as Kaneki is alive... then, I'll be happy."]
The doctor smiled, amused.
[Kanou: "I see. ...But the condition of this boy is far from saving, unfortunately."]
My heart sank, and my world turned into darkness.
[Eto: "What... what do you mean? You have to be able to do something, anything!"]
Kanou examined both bodies further, and picked up a couple of tools.
[Kanou: "I'm saying that there are no known methods to save a human in this type of condition. The damage, plus the blood loss, it's a miracle he's still breathing."]
I remained silent. My vision turned pitch black, and I felt I was going to pass out at any moment.
[Kanou: "But, there is one way for him to live."]
A dim light appeared, curing my vision from its demise.
[Kanou: "...And that, is if I implant this ghoul's kakuhou into this boy."]
My heart jumped again. I could barely even think straight. A combination of mixed feelings swirled in my head, conflicted at the thought of Kaneki being subject to Kanou's experiment.
[Eto: "...If, if that's the only option... then... do it. Like you've said, I won't question the morality of your work."]
Considering the results of Kanou's other experiments, the operation won't be successful. At most, Kaneki will be reduced to a creature, incapable of human thought. The thought of this outcome makes me shiver, but it's best to try than let Kaneki die.
He smiled, content with my decision.
[Kanou: "I'll begin the operation. While I work, tell me about what's happened, and what exactly this boy means to you."]
I accepted his orders, and grabbed a chair and sat next to the doctor while he worked.
I talked about how Kaneki and I met, and how much I loved him. I told him about today's events and how this happened. Kanou remained silent until I finished my story.
[Kanou: "...Interesting. Very interesting. A half-ghoul, and a human, who live together in coexistence. The thought of something like that gives hope to even someone like me."]
I didn't quite understand his words, so I sat silently and watched him work his meticulous magic. I didn't know what he was doing, but Kanou seemed to be very experienced. After all, he had worked on many other prototypes before this.
...I don't know what will make this different from all the other experiments. Odds are, Kaneki will just be a failure like the rest. The small chance that Kaneki makes it out alive and normal, is extremely unlikely. ...But, just that small chance is acceptable, if it means avoiding his death.
Kanou continued to perform the surgery throughout the entire night, and I silently cried myself to sleep in his lab.
The Morning After
I awoke to Kanou shaking me. My eyes were red upon waking up, probably because I had eerie nightmares in my sleep. The pure panic of last night was enough for me to faint, and if Kaneki didn't survive his surgery, then... my life would be completely empty.
I was completely on edge, being wide awake even though I just woke up seconds ago.
[Eto: "Wh-what happened...? Was it... successful?"]
Kanou pointed towards the table he was working on, where Kaneki lied, breathing with a tube connected to his mouth.
I felt a surge of relief, and happiness as if I hadn't felt it in years. It was like pure bliss, but I knew that the operation had to come with a couple of setbacks.
[Kanou: "It was... successful, to say the least. I'm still not entirely sure, but things seem to be on the bright side."]
He turned to the left of his lab, pointing at one of the containers.
[Kanou: "...The binge eater lived as well, but in a worse condition. Her kakuhou seems to be great for making artificial ghouls, so I'll be using her for further experimentation."]
The doctor turned back to the unconscious Kaneki.
[Kanou: "...I'm sure you're already aware of the results. Your loved one, Kaneki, is now an artificial half-ghoul. He won't be able to return to his normal lifestyle, but you'll be by his side to support him, won't you?"]
Tears poured from my eyes once more. I held Kaneki's hand tightly, laying my head against his chest.
[Eto: "...T-Thank you... thank you so much."]
Kanou smiled, proud of his work.
[Kanou: "Not only have I completed my first successful prototype, but I've also discovered an interesting side of ghouls. Who knew you, the leader of Aogiri, could feel such love towards a human?"]
He sighed quietly and grinned to himself.
[Kanou: "...That just proves that escaping the birdcage is possible."]
I continued to sob uncontrollably, letting my emotions run wild.
Things... things will be rough for Kaneki. He never did anything to deserve living a ghoul's life. But, as long as he's alive, by my side, I'll make sure he's able to stand on his own two feet. I'll teach him to become accustomed to a ghoul's lifestyle. It'll be tough, but knowing Kaneki, I know he'll work through it.
...That's just the type of person he is. The Kaneki I know and love won't disappear. If I'm with him, I know we'll be able to prevail. ...We'll make it through.
Together.
Chapter 12 ~ Depravity
END
