I'm embracing a lot of new things in my life, but I think one thing that won't change is me tossing up new stories I got cooking in my oven. Sure, it says that I can't be very consistent in finishing a story, but as I said in another story, sometimes I just can't let certain stories sit on my pc. Sometimes I need to at least showcase yall what else I have been writing.
Chapter 1: We're part of Zahn
The sun blaze over the city known as Piltover. One where its citizens enjoy each and every day in clothing that represent the city itself; gold, blue, auburn, and castleton green are the colors that are on display from the clothing, its buildings, nature, and technology that they had on display.
Everyone enjoyed the fine lifestyle of what Piltover offers them with no sense of ambiguity that needs to change in the city. Every corner has enforcers patrolling through the city to keep the peace, but all the more have childrens to aspire to be something more; whether it's to enforce the law, or create new and exciting things for Piltover through technology and science.
In a small cafe, one that has not as many people due to it just opening up for the day, lies a teenager who sat ildy in a seat with a book in one hand while sipping a coffee with the other. He had black hair that was fighting over to be more sprawl out then it to be padded down, wore a gold and blue button down shirt with a tie by his collar, same color to his pants and black shoes, "Several orders of sandwiches for the one and only Haise Sasaki," the teenager that went by the name Haise didn't hear his name being called out by an elderly man, who couldn't help but smile at his hazel eyes wandering through the book he's reading, "What are you reading this time?" He asked politely.
This then got Haise's attention to where he closed his book, "Oh! Found an interesting book about ghouls. Seemed Mr. Heimerdinger was very intrigued by them before they were exiled from Piltover and Zahn. Sorry I didn't hear you call me Mr. Yoshimura," he both chuckled and scratched his chin.
He gave his own light, deep chuckled, "It's quite alright, a young boy like you is far more interested in learning about the world than what's in front of him, eventually, you will learn to see what's in front of you."
"Ha. Right," he took the bag of food and placed it in his bag along with his food, "I'll see you some other time Mr. Yoshimura."
"Always glad to have you here in the Anteiku, Haise," he said while waving goodbye to the teenager.
Haise would proceed through the streets of Piltover. Like everyone else, he was just a simple ordinary person living in Piltover, likely going to school for educational purposes. Yet, when he crossed a bridge, he took the stares down under the bridge where boats and ships passed by, either around the city or other regions.
He would then proceed to run forward, leaping onto multiple boats where he reached where he wanted to reach, a sewer tunnel that would be somewhere else beyond Piltover.
He would navigate through the tunnel with ease; vaulting over obstacles, using momentum to wall run over gaps, pass by rats and other rodents without worrying about them gunning for his food.
He was like a completely different person when traversing deeper and deeper through the tunnels, one that led dowards, air becoming far more thick and even having the water itself fuel with pollution compared to the upside having more clean water.
Soon enough, he reached a ladder he slid down where an average gate was at, one where a person of his stature could slide through. Yet it wouldn't budge with how tight it was, causing him to sigh, 'Didn't I make sure the last time it wouldn't be too tight to open? So that if they want to, Vi and them can use this as a passageway if they go back to Piltover?' Haise shook his head before thrusting his feet forward, making sure the gate opened this time.
When he slid through and closed it behind him. He was in a completely different atmosphere then Piltover; one where there was no ounce of richness from the city, people, and culture itself but replace by poverty, green color that surround the city itself with purple adding to the mix of it, its people wearing whatever works for them then something that actually can suit them, and the sun can barely be seen from below, only glimpse and that was block by either old architectures, or the fumes of smoke blocking the sky above, 'Out of the blue skies, and now down into the polluted side where the sky is harder to see, known as Zahn. Homey as ever,' Haise commented on the city known as Zahn to himself.
Haise would walk through the streets of Zahn, one where brokers, dealers, traffickers and entertainers mingle in cliff-dug trading posts and workshops. Not to mention the bars, and clubs that have the saying of everything goes is where most people of Zahn reside into making a living or keeping Zahn just the way it is.
They call this part of Zahn the Entresol side. Exactly where Haise would also reside as he made his way to his home. It had a sign of not being open at the moment, and furthermore, Haise would scale his own roof, reaching for a hatch that opened up with a ladder in place for him to slide down once again before closing the hatch.
First thing Haise did was put his bag on the table in his small home; one that had a library of books just by his bed head, a kitchen, and a bathroom all in one place. The only sign of a living room was one couch he had and two tables, one for the kitchen and the other for something else.
He would take off his clothes to rest it on the bed so he could shower and change into his clothes he had for Zahn. His body had some scars, and his body had noticeable muscles that danced between actual muscle and the skinny type of muscles that went along with how he moved so well through the sewers.
Once out of the shower and drying his skin, he look himself in the mirror, no longer having black hair, now having white hair that was both set free from the oil that kept it black and letting loose from it being padded down.
He would open up the mirror, having tools to keep him hygienic, medical tools to keep him alive, and most of all, a pair of eye patches he put on his left eye.
No longer he was Haise Sasaki from Piltover, he was a completely different person when it came to the under-city known as Zahn.
"You think you can steal from us?! Just because you're Vander kids?"
"Oh hop off! We didn't steal anything!" a teenage girl with pink hair swept back stood up to a group of people that accused her and her three other friends of stealing, "Did you even check your pockets? Or how about the many other Zahnites that pass by every single day? What sort of beef you got with us old man?"
"I ain't old! You ever spent years in that toxic waste all the way down the sump? Cause it'll eventually get to you!" He gestures to his wrinkly face, eyes that look to be squinting as if he can't see as clearly as he should, even with glasses on.
The pink-haired girl could only shrug, "Can't say I've been there cause as you say, it's toxic down there," there was a bit of sympathy on display here, both with her voice being more calm and her frown also on showing.
"If anything, maybe Kaneki stole whatever you had since he always gets job to steal stuff, not just the upside," the mouthing green eyes and spikey hair teen who's friends with the pink hair girl was now being glared at by his group of friends, and didn't go unnoticed, "What? It's true though. We all know he has a lot of clients these days who want him to steal stuff, not just from the upside."
"You're literally throwing him under the bus, you ass," said a more shorter, blue-haired girl that has her tie down into a braided ponytail.
"And who's fault was it that jinxed the plan huh?" the mouthing teen threw back to the younger girl, both were now irritated by each other's presence.
"Mylo, Powder, chill," the pink-haired girl tries to maintain her group as cool headed as she can.
"Hey look! They're fighting amongst each other."
"They're kids, what you expect? They're bound to argue with one another," the man chuckled, "Look, just give us what you stole and we won't have to hurt you good," each one of them had weapons, ranging from knives, pipes, bat, and brass knuckles, "We don't also want to get on Vander's bad side either so just make it easy on the both of us."
"Well," the pink hair cracked her neck, "If you won't let us leave then we'll just fight our way through you," she got into her fighting stance; one hand up and one hand by her waist showing off banded hands just for this very thing.
"You sure this is gonna work Vi?" A husky voice spoke, questioning Vi motives at this very moment.
"He should be here, Clagger…. Any moment now," as she moved forward with the rest of her group following; Mylo wiping his nose, he too had tape around his hand but he wasn't moving into a fighting stance like Vi, Powder grab a metallic object from her bag, one that a mean face color around it but yet she was more nervous and at the sametime try to be fierce like Vi, and Clagger simply his goggles on to prepare for the worst.
Suddenly, Vi saw someone coming straight into the alleyway, his white hair, ragged white clothing, brown pants, and no shoe's on caused her to smile when she saw him throw rocks at the group that blocked their way from escaping. Each were dazed enough that allowed Vi the opportunity to run forward and went for a drop kick as they were distracted. That familiar white hair teenager ended up tackling multiple at once as soon as Vi landed a drop kick to the leader's stomach, "That's our queue!" She shouted
Vi's group now had the opportunity of escaping with the white hair teenager catching up to Vi's side quickly, "You had us waiting there! What took you so long Ken?"
"Must be sight seeing too much in Piltover," Mylo spoke behind.
"Or his job took longer than expected!" Clagger also brought up a reason for his lateness.
"Were you busy reading again, Kaneki ?" Powder question to, another reason likely for his reason of being late.
Kaneki Ken's response was to throw more rocks at the people that were chasing them still, "Getting food, and yes, reading as well. I'm just happy I got here in time as planned."
Mylo made a disgusting noise at hearing Kaneki getting Piltover food, "Well, they now know who stole from them, because someone really wanted the wrong people knocking down your door Ken," Mylo winced in his running, knowing Vi meant him.
"I really don't want to have to relocate again," Vi and Kaneki would vault over obstacles just as the rest of the gang followed in the same footsteps. They would cut corners, use broken pipes to create smoke, and or find anything in the streets they can use to throw more obstacles at their prusiters, "My landlord actually doesn't want me to pay as much, just keep bringing in clients."
Powder would also throw her own object, getting enough time to see that the object itself only puffs up a smaller smoke. Her eyes rolled with an added exasperated sigh, something Kaneki noticed as she kept running with the group, "We're gonna have to split up! Powder, give me the bag, Ken and I would be the distraction," Powder did just that.
"If you all take a right and left from this corner, there's a place you can hide in there," for a moment, Kaneki would stop his running and would bomb rush the group, again, knocking mutiple people down.
"Damn, I'm always reminded of a guy that's your height Vi, Kaneki sure packs a punch when he's up for it," Mylo stared in awe of Kaneki's strength to simply bulldoze the people who were chasing them.
"No time to lollygag, go!" Vi made sure his friends would take the route they were told too. Meanwhile, Kaneki and Vi would take the other direction, having half of the group follow them and the other try to follow Mylo, Powder, and Clagger.
The pink and white teengaers back to being neck and neck. Now back on the market streets where people tried to keep making business happen. It was hard when the two teenagers had to weave past people, or for Vi case, use bystanders to tamper with the group's pace. Both would also flip over or slide under anything that was in their way, even people who tend to stick around in one place, "Tired yet?" Vi asked as she and Kaneki were right by each other, breathing in and out to keep the body moving.
Kaneki answered with a light chuckle as he lightly increased his speed to outrun her, "Oh no you don't!"
They're now out in the open like a main square attraction for all Zaunite. The two teenagers use this as an opportunity to scale to a higher level so they can further avoid the gang that was still chasing them. Compared to Piltover that had buildings, Zahn had no sight of building but architecture works that kept the city going, they would use whatever material that allowed them to scale on.
Kaneki was the faster person, in response, he miscalculated the pipes that were supposed to be secure, and ended up losing his grip on it. Vi gasped, quickly catching Kaneki before he could hit ground level hard. She would use her own strength to swing Kaneki onto another pipe where they both scale up, and somehow manage to not get hit by the gang throwing volatile objects at them as they now had to find another way up there. Vi couldn't help but laugh at their frustration just as Kaneki found it mildly funny as the leader was shouting like a maniac, "Where would you be without me Ken?"
"Shouldn't I ask you the same thing?" his voice softly asked. Vi's answer was a light punch to his shoulder, "We should head to the last drop. The rest probably manage to escape them."
"Eh," she shrugs, "Getting the chance to bring you along for a run is one in a million when you're not too busy keeping the roof over your head. Come on! Let's keep this running up!"
Kaneki would follow and catch up to Vi relatively once again as they sprinted their way to the last drop.
Few minutes would pass by when we find the teenagers walking together instead of running. Unlike Kaneki, Vi was outbreath, "Man… That's some crazy stamina you have there."
Kaneki had a small smile and gave a shrug, "Comes with the job of scavenging stuff for people."
"Ha…" She leaned on Kaneki's arm a little for that support when catching her breath, "Betting that's why we haven't seen for sometime, feels like a year when it really has been weeks."
"Sorry.. I've been rather busy with all these new clients coming to my home," Kaneki brought up while rubbing under his chin, "Word just spread around faster and faster. I really do hope I can keep this apartment this time."
Vi frowned when she caught his hand rubbing under his chin. To his part, he didn't notice she wanted to say something, but the only thing she did was lean off his shoulder. Their conversation went silent as they reached a bar called the last drop, "Speaking of clients, I'm meeting one right now so I'll be down stairs in a bit."
Vi nodded. They headed into what is a bar full of people enjoying drinks, conversation, and playing pool table. Vi would head to the back where she was greeted by the bartender, who seemed to really want to have a talk with Vi. Kaneki didn't pay attention to Vi and the bartender, but instead to the bald head client wearing a hood over him as he waved him over to the table, "Did you get the stuff?" Kaneki sat down, and showed him an extravagant piece of equipment that was golden and it being a brush he stole from Piltover, "Good gracious! Now I can brush my teeth with this!" the man pushed the button and tested it out, moaning as how it properly was cleaning his dirty teeth.
Didn't help that Kaneki looked away from nasty his mouth, "...My payment?"
"Oh yeah," he gave him a bag full of coins.
Kaneki inspected it, and he frowned seeing how little it was in the bag, "Excuse me?" the man was too busy brushing his teeth, "Excuse me!" he tapped his hand.
"What! You got your payment!"
"This isn't what we agree on," Kaneki said calmly.
He scoffed, "How about you let this slide would ya?" Kaneki shook his head, "You really want to cross this bridge kid? You know who your fucking with? I can get the enforces on your ass in the heart beat if I wanted to," Kaneki didn't exactly flinched, "Or better yet, the CCSN," Kaneki flinched, not just because of the name, but small headache he got that made him itch his eyes were the eyepatch was at, "Yeahhh… You really don't wanna fuck with me kid. I mean, how could a kid like you possibly do all this scavenging stuff by yourself?" The man said, putting the dots together of who and what Kaneki is to be doing this job all by himself.
Kaneki was dealing with the headache that he didn't have a clear answer to his client's questions, but it was enough to strike a little fear in Kaneki's heart, "So let this side and I won't have to tattle tail on ya."
Kaneki's frown was apparent, but a man cleared his throat and made his presence known, "Is there a problem Kaneki?"
Kaneki looked to see it was the same guy that was talking to Vi; one who had his arm crossed, gray eye's peering into Kaneki's client eye sole, one who had to look away, "No there isn't Vander…"
Vander had his eyebrow raised, hearing how Kaneki's voice dipped in disappointment didn't sit well with him, "You paid him good?" He questioned Kaneki's client.
"Y-yes of course Vander."
"You sure?" Vander leaned closer to him, "Look me in the eye and be real with me?" he did so, yet Vander saw one thing in his eyes that he didn't see when it was just him and Kaneki, "Exactly what I thought, shivering in fear because now you know Kaneki is familiar with me," he pointed to himself, "And you know damn well, if you cross anyone that's friend of mine then you cross everyone in this bar."
The man had to gulp as heads were turning to him just as Vander death stare was still on him. Suddenly put more gold in the bag for Kaneki, and took his leave as quickly as he could, "You know you shouldn't choose to simply back down on people like him, when you can beat them to a pulp thanks to Vi."
"I know, but I don't want to start a conflict, especially here in your establishment," Vander took a seat in front of Kaneki.
Vander both scoffed and chuckled, "You know you're always welcome here, guy's like him could threaten you but not when he knows you're familiar with this place. Even the people here welcome you here, as well as Vi, Powder, Mylo, and Clagger welcome you, and of course, me of all people. One who knows what you go through every time you get hungry."
Kaneki couldn't but sigh, the word hungry didn't sit well when he looked upon Vander, one who's gray eyes looked upon him as a father who is worrying for his son, "I ate recently, shouldn't be hungry for another few weeks, maybe a month if I'm lucky."
"You got rid of the body?" Kaneki nodded, "Good. I kept you here long enough, go meet with your friends. I gotta get back to doing business here as always."
Kaneki and Vander would share a chuckle together before they went on to doing separate things. In the backdoor, Kaneki headed downstairs where the gang was doing different things. Either with Vi hitting a boxing machine and scoring big points, Powder hitting the shooting rage with Mylo as he cursed at losing again, or Clagger simply taking a small nap, "Finally! I'm starving over here!" Mylo shouted at the sight of Kaneki taking out the bag of food from his bag and passed it to everyone.
Mylo immediately was scarfing it down, Clogger was awakened by Vi from his short nap, who then took his time with the food, and Powder was rather gleeful that she was eating something else than Zaun's food.
Mylo also started choking with Vi patting him in the back as she sat on top of the edge of the couch, "Looks like someone actually prefers something about Piltover here."
"Yeah right… I'm just eating because I'm hungry."
"So we're just gonna forget you savored the food Kaneki got from us?"
"Quit it you!"
Everyone chuckled at Mylo's annoyance. It was just them, with a boxing machine, an arcade, a shooting game, and couches that looked like a living room. This was them enjoying what little they have together. Out of all of them, Powder was curious about Kaneki, he himself wasn't eating but rather drinking water. She felt guilty that he was eating when he should be eating, so she broke apart her food and offered to him, "Here. You don't want to be starving on the job."
"It's fine. I actually had food earlier before I met up with all of you."
Mylo groaned, "Don't be the bigger man here and just eat something. Bad enough that I'm actually gonna admit that upside food isn't so bad, but the fact that you get it for us and you don't eat it with us?" Mylo took the food from Powder, making her frown at his action, "Kind of lame man."
"Mylo let the guy do what he wants. He was able to keep up with me no problem anyways for a guy who barely eats," she bumped her hands to Kaneki's arm, who sat below her alongside with Powder, earning a smile from him, "And at least ask Powder for food next time, you greedy ass."
"Powder, can I have some of your food?" Powder responds by sticking out her tongue and continues eating her food.
In the meantime as they eat. Kaneki ends up taking up a black liquid in a bottle where he then dabs it on his hair, letting it change his hair from white to black, "Can I do it?" Powder asked.
Kaneki momentarily looked at Vi, who only shrugged as a way of saying it is his choice, "Sure."
Powder quickly finished up her food as she moved closer to Kaneki. She then dabbles some black oil in her hand where she then rubs it around his hair, making his white free hair become black restricted hair, "You know it's crazy that we got the three sets of unique hair, maybe I should look into making my hair green. I don't suppose you can hook a guy up huh Kaneki?" Mylo asked.
"That would require payment."
"But you're not scavenging anything for me though!"
"Look at it in this sense Mylo," Vi spoke up, "He probably would have to get ingredients from Piltover to make that oil stay in his hair, which means he is still scavenging for you."
"Mannnn," he lay on his couch, until clagger offered him his own food as he seemed to be full, "Can't do a friend a solid at least?"
"Hmm… That wouldn't be appropriate for business, but I can give you a discount," Kaneki sarcastically offered.
"I would take that deal," Vi said.
"I second to that because if we're being honest, he runs a business that everyone tends to go to," Clagger also said.
"Please, don't hype me up. I just know a few things to get around without any issues," Kaneki said as he felt bashful of how his friends praised him.
"Hey, we have every right to hype you up. One day, you might find us in the competition market," Vi spoke with a challenging smile.
"I wouldn't so much compete with you guys, better have a partnership then a rivalry."
"So that includes free stuff right?" Mylo again reiterated.
Powder finishes up with Kaneki hair. She went to the bathroom to wash off the oil and get him a mirror from her room to show it to Kaneki, "Wow… It's perfect," Powder falten his hair just enough to make him look less of what he is, "Thanks. Maybe I should just have you do it instead of me."
"Then I'll have to charge you," she retorted with a giggle.
"B-but, that's not fair."
"YES! TAKE ALL OF WHAT HE'S WORTH!" Mylo shouted.
"Way a go sis, you just learn how to haggle," Vi proudly said.
"Looks like the tides have turned in our favor."
"Guys…." Kaneki didn't like the position he was in. But, times like this reminds he's a teenager who has friends that appreciate his existence.
The sunlight was starting to dim as Kaneki was running along the rooftop of Piltover, wearing the more bluish and golden clothing of piltover, but an added hood too. For a moment, he took a spit stop of a map he had in his hand, 'Ok… So it's one of the taller buildings north from here, reaching to the council building,' Kaneki would look at the direction that showcases the tallest building of Piltover.
He would keep using the rooftop as a way to navigate Piltover. With how easily learned from Zahn, Piltover was light work with how easy it was to scale buildings and transition from building to building.
Unlike some, Kaneki was taking big leaps that no normal person can accomplish without a little help. He would soon find the building to reach too, and again leapt just enough to reach a specific window. He easily use his surprising strength to break the locks that kept the window secure open and maneuver himself inside of the home he's raiding, 'In,' Kaneki made sure to look for anything of value; sometimes it's shiny invention's, personal books he took for himself that had interesting outline, jewelry, occasional money lying around for him to take, the client specifically wanted this place looted, but also obtain a weapon of sort.
That's when he headed to the office and he saw a particular weapon, lying horizontal on a stand, 'Must be it… Hope it's not heavy,' Kaneki couldn't help but chuckle to himself as he easily lifted the long jagged blade, one that had a string on it so he can have it around him, 'Odd blade… Doesn't seem like it was made from here. But I'm not gonna question it,'
Just when he was gonna leave, he caught a picture on a desk that piqued his interest; one that had a white hair man with glasses, standing in a photo with two other people. He was in a shell shocked place of the women he could recognize, one that made him itch his right eye, '...Mom?' His head was slowly pounding, and pounding to the point it became a painful migraine and that his scratching wouldn't stop till he bled.
And then a howl as he collapsed on the ground, with one hand holding him up by the desk as voice penetrated to his ear, but really it was through his own mind.
"WHY DIDN'T I LEFT YOU TO DIE?! I SHOULDN'T HAVE NEVER MADE A DEAL TO KEEP YOU ALIVE IF THIS WOULD OF HAPPEN TO YOU!"
"...Leave me…"
When the migraine stopped, and the scratching stopped where his eye began healing, he felt something metallic by the base of his neck, "..Didn't I told you to run, and never come back to Piltover?" a man now in the room, with the weapon Kaneki was supposed to take, now on the base of his neck as he questioned Kaneki's presence.
His eyes widened at being caught but more of the deep voice he heard before, somewhere it was causing the back of his to itch that memory out, but he couldn't at the moment. Kaneki had only thought in his mind.
Survive. Faster than he usually moved, he rolled his way out the kill position and began running forward to get the hell out, 'Not again! Won't get caught by him again! Wasn't supposed to be here!' Kaneki's brain isn't processing what he was thinking, but to survive, and that also meant forgetting to use the same exit from earlier.
Something was charging behind him, causing Kaneki to turn to see the same white hair men, calmly walking to him in the hallway, where the weapon had changed into a firing machine. Kaneki ducked and kept moving, jumping from wall to wall to avoid each blow that was destroying the hallway. He felt his adrenaline pumping further, his fear rising.
Then hunger… Which made him pale as soon he got hit by the firing machine and collapsed on the ground where he hit a wall, creating a crater behind him but not breaking it. His stomach was aching him badly that he was huffing and puffing to keep himself in check, 'No… please… Not now… I've eaten not too long ago….! Don't make me…' The white hair man who wore glasses and also wore a suit and tie calmly walked to Kaneki, who was trying to get up, 'Never… Felt this...No.. I did… I felt this… Before.'
He then saw his weapon changing first hand. Whoever wants that really wants to sell it to the highest bitter, but it wasn't something worth dying for now Kaneki sees what it can do, "You remember what happened last time I confronted you like this?" He didn't, but the itching was back, this time by his eye patch where he tore off to scratch, "Oh how I tried raising you like your mother wanted… But you're too far gone, Kaneki Ken."
He howled again, and again distant voices of the past crying out to him. One that was similar to the man in front of him.
"If you want to survive Kaneki, then you'll have to try harder."
"NO!" His left eye, no longer hazle, but now deep violet on the outer rim of his eye and with his pupil being red. His mouth clenched as he growled animalistic, "DON'T MAKE ME KILL AGAIN!" Kaneki shouted as the man in front of him only tilted his head. Whether it was out of curiosity or impatient, Kaneki couldn't care less but survive and don't kill. Soon, 4 purple tendrils pop from his back and at first, the man thought he was gonna fight with the way he was swinging his tendrils, wildly and no sense of direction, but then Kaneki leapt over him, still having his tendrils attacking him as the man dodge, counter each of his tendrils attack to close the distance.
Unexpectedly, hearing the man calmly maneuver his way to him, Kaneki threw a quick punch to push him back, and he was successful into sending him tumbling back to his office. Kaneki again screamed, his stomach aching him to eat, eat what's in front of him as the man was picking himself up.
But deep in his consciousness, somewhere he can't quite pick out due to the headache and stomach twisting and turning for food to be put into his stomach, he knew this man was only baiting his hunger, "NO! I WON'T…. NO!" Kaneki found his way out where he came from, but instead leapt through the glass window and onto the many rooftops of Piltover.
The white hair man took his time getting up as he followed where Kaneki leapt through. He watch from the distance as Kaneki moved liked the demon out of hell wanting to feast on a pure soul, jumping and moving so fast that he soon lost track, "Good to see your surviving, but this will complicate your existence now Kaneki," he scoff as his hand past by the back of his hair, feeling it being a bit wet with blood coming out as he hit the dent of the desk, "Now, I wonder again since seeing you again, why did I kept you alive? Why did I let a ghoul live?"
Kaneki would find himself in Zahn. Moving faster than the eye can see. He uses his tendrils to keep him high above the polluted, thick air so no one can see him.
He wasn't as sane as he should be, his monstrous growl, his silva being clear as day, he was hunting for food. And when he found one person by himself, in the alleyway, away from the eyes that could see. Kaneki pounced on him hard, he held his mouth so no one could hear him scream as one of his tendrils went straight through the head, letting his brain come out rather easily with his tendrils.
And then he devoured it, and started devouring each flesh that the once alive person has on him, "Kaneki…?"
Kaneki's head turn behind him to see Vander, noticing raw human meat still lingerie in his mouth that cause Vander to have gasp, "...Please…" He turn his head, back to the dead body that no one would care happen to him, but him, "Don't keep watching me Vander."
Vander could only swallow whatever silvia he had. It was hard to see a kid like him, munching, crunching, tearing the poor Zaunite apart because he was hungry, "...When you're done, I'll brew you up some coffee for you."
And so Vander left Kaneki to his own device. As minutes went by, as the hunger faded, and reduce the person to mere bones, Kaneki couldn't help but lay on the ground where the pool of blood surrounded him, staring at the steam fule of Zaun but just barely seeing the night sky that Zaun itself couldn't show from down below, 'Why is this my life…? To be a ghoul that hurts others, but not oneself?'
Kaneki would get up, take a bottle of water he had left and drench over his head to retain his white hair. Yet he had to head home to wash off himself and his Piltover clothing.
Several minutes, maybe an hour would pass from showering the blood of Zaunite, Kaneki heads to the last drop once again today. It was more quiet down with not many people here to enjoy alcohol in their stomach. Vander would have his coffee ready as Kaneki sat down and simply took the smell, and the coffee itself in, 'The sweet smell of the beans here in this coffee. No ounce of sugar in it too,' Kaneki would sip it solely with how good it tasted as he drank it, 'Everything else tastes like shit… Except for these types of coffee Yoshimura makes that I steal every now and again...'
"The gang are sleeping for the time being. Seems yall had fun today mocking about here down here."
Kaneki took more sips of the coffee. If he was being honest to himself, Yoshimura was better with how smooth and savris it tasted. Vander, on the other hand, his own taste is something you just wanna keep drinking like his many bottles of liquor and ask for more instead of savoring every bit of it compared to Yoshimura, "Wouldn't call it fun as Vi would put it."
Vander softly chuckled as he also gave him a new pair of eye patches, "I already had a talk with them, Vi taking the blame that Mylo puts on to Powder. Unfortunate that they can't always see eye to eye," Kaneki would silently agree on that notion. He doesn't know why Mylo is always so hell bent on calling Powder a jinx when somethings are out of her control, "Did you win?"
Kaneki shook his head, "More of a tie and me not paying attention to people in front of me," he reminisced as he put on the eyepatch with his left eye, "Vi still gets paranoid easily when I climb too fast and almost fall or fall in the process."
"Because to her, you're the only one that can match her when running. She doesn't want to lose a fellow competition anytime soon to push her beyond her capabilities."
Kaneki's smile would grace him solely but surely as the conversation with Vander continued on, "We're part of Zaun, we look out for one another. It's what I taught them all, and hopefully, they keep that lesson when they're grown, especially you. If anyone should know who you are is Vi, compare to the rest of them, she would understand most of all"
"I… I'm not sure if I want to do that, or yet at least."
"Up to you, no pressure, but it will hurt Vi more that she trusts you more then you trust her," Vander pointed out.
Kaneki knows of this, but what could he do that would satisfy him and Vi? When there aren't options to have it both ways, "…. It's… It's hard to manage my hunger. Sometimes I can go a month, and other times it'll end up being a week and I'm hungry. Though, today was an odd one."
"How pray tell?" Vander asked as he leaned his arm on the table, wanting to understand what happened to Kaneki today.
"My client wanted me to steal something from someone by the name Arima," the name itself made his eyebrow furrowed as he took another sip of his coffee, "That name makes back of my eye a little itchy for some reason, along with my head feeling a bit dizzy," he felt his hand wanted to scratch his eye out of habit, but he didn't give in, not like last time, "Do you know of him?"
"Hmmm," Vander rubbed his hand on his chin, "Arima… Arima… Arima… If I remember correctly, there was a guy who worked for CCSN when more ghoul's prowl around here. They called him Arima Ki-"
"Shou… Ahh…" Kaneki's head started pounding on the name he recognized. Along with the migraine were voices he could hear.
"Run… And survive."
"Ok?" Vander rushed to his side with a warm towel brushing his head.
Kaneki nodded, understanding that he was checking on him, "Yeah…"
"Deep breaths," Kaneki did what he was told, holding the towel rag on his head that eases his migraine, "How long have you been having these headaches?"
"W..What headaches?" Kaneki asked, genuinely curious to what he was asking, "...What were we talking about again?"
Vander frown, watching how Kaneki only seen eye blinking rapidly as he try to get his sense of reality back. Vander knew Kaneki so well that he couldn't fake anything like this. It worries him, bothers him even though this wasn't the first time Kaneki would have an episode of a migraine and then forget what he was talking about. The worst part of it all is that there wasn't anything he could do to help ease or take that pain away.
There are definitely people out there that can maybe help him, but Vander doesn't trust anyone to help Kaneki because of him being a ghoul. They would rather poke and prod him to see what makes him thick, or use far worse methods to get what they want, "Nothing important. If you want, you can sleep here for the time being."
"N-no thanks," Kaneki would drink the remainder of his coffee as he gave the towel rag back to Vander, "I'm fine to go home. Have a pleasant night Vander," Kaneki would give him a small smile.
Vander would nod to Kaneki, not driving away his worry self for the young ghoul that walks this path all on his own. And there's nothing he can do to help with that but offer support and watch on.
Just an fyi, CCSN is essentially CCG, but the difference is they handle not just ghouls, but whatever supernatural is around Runeterra, except for Ionia that is. More stuff to come, but try not to expect a consistent update. See ya whenever