The New Normal
One Month Later
"Hey, Seido!" The new intern ran up to a brunette in a blue suit, waving a brown envelope in the air, "This one's for you!"
"Ah thanks," Seido smiled and took the envelope from the boy, he opened it and examined the contents. "How you doing today?"
"You know, living the dream!" Hide saluted his superior with a grin and a wink. This of course was far from the truth. In actuality, he was little more than a coffee runner and messenger, his most important job was photocopying documents. "Nah, it's fine you know, gotta start somewhere." This time he gave a genuine smile.
"Don't I know it," Seido smiled back, "We're all busting our asses for that promotion. Here, do you mind filing this? You know where it goes."
"Sure thing!" He saluted again, clicking his heels together before rushing off to the correct filing cabinet. Once in the corridor he ducked into a stairwell, after quickly checking that he was alone, he opened the file. This was the reason he decided to intern at the CCG. He would collect as much information as he could about the ghouls in the 20th ward as discretely as possible. This meant sneaking a peak at any documents that were left in his possession and cosying up to his colleagues.
As it turned out, making friends with investigators hadn't been difficult at all for Hide. His first week on the job, he had met Seido Takizawa, a 2nd class investigator who was prone to bragging about his work. He found that all he would have to do was take an interest in the case he was working and the blonde would learn all he needed to know. Unfortunately, Seido's loose tongue hadn't gone unnoticed by his peers; Investigator Akira Mado was suspicious of Hide and his questions. He had played this off easily by saying he was hoping to become an investigator himself. But Hide knew he couldn't get too comfortable by asking him for information.
After quickly scanning the file he realised that this was his breakthrough. It was entitled 'Eyepatch', a ghoul fact sheet containing a description, strengths and weaknesses and known hangouts. Most of the information was missing from this sheet, it seems that there wasn't much known about this certain ghoul. He was seen at the Battle of the 11th ward, but also seen around the 20th ward in company with the Rabbit. At the bottom of the sheet there was a warrant for his arrest, in conjunction with the murder of an investigator.
He didn't know how, but Hide knew that this was Kaneki. This was the CCG file on his best friend.
Kaneki was in the kitchen of the café, making some sandwiches for the customers. He grimaced at the smell of the snack and wondered how he had ever found this stuff appetising. He cut the sandwiches and arranged them neatly on a plate, ringing the bell to alert Irimi and Koma that their order was ready.
Food preparation was one of the most disgusting and least sought-after jobs in the café. Since returning to Anteiku, Kaneki had refused to return to his role as waiter. As Touka had pointed out, he wasn't going to blend in as he once had with his new appearance. In order to keep his job at Anteiku – as per his agreement with Yoshimura – he would do anything required that didn't include mixing with humans. This meant sorting food prep, deliveries, cleaning and helping Yomo with body collection.
Ken Kaneki has been a missing person for nearly two months and the white-haired boy was hoping to continue this charade. When he was the scrawny, shy, book worm who studied at Kami University, no one but Hide had acknowledged his presence. His chest constricted at the thought of the ever-smiling boy with dirty blonde hair. He realised that he was hurting his friend by avoiding him, but Kaneki believed the little he knew the better. His ignorance would keep him safe.
Being anonymous suited the boy; it helped in his goal to infiltrate the CCG to gather information on Aogiri. Kaneki had taken to shadowing numerous investigators he had seen during the Battle of the 11th Ward. There was one man in particular that Kaneki favoured following. It was the man that he had fought the night that Hinami was kidnapped. He still didn't know his name but knew that he was high up in the organisation.
Later that evening, the half ghoul would frequent the rooftop opposite the CCG office in the 20th ward. He glanced at his watch. 20:36. No sign of him yet. This was hardly surprising; being an investigator seemed to be a lifestyle choice rather than a career.
Wait. There…
The man in question had exited the building. Kaneki donned his mask and crouched, readying himself to stalk his prey. He leaned forward on an outstretched hand, hovering over the edge of the building. The investigator was not alone – again, not surprising, they were known to work in teams – but there were more of them tonight.
Kaneki studied that group: the investigator, two men and a woman. He had seen them all before, but now made a mental note that they were connected. The two men couldn't look more different; one was a tall, dignified looking man with short, neatly combed black hair. He was well dressed and seemed to match the rank of the investigator of interest. The other was shorter, younger, with short brown hair with long parted bangs. He was wearing a blue suit and carried a briefcase which seemed to be bursting at the seams. The woman looked tired, her face uninterested, bored with the conversation. She was tall, slender, a beautiful young woman with neck-length pale blonde hair.
The white-haired half-ghoul watched as the group turned to greet a fifth person-
No…
He recognised this boy. He was wearing a red and white hat over his unruly blonde locks, and clothes that Kaneki couldn't place, but that smile… That laugh…
Hide.