Really wanted to push this chapter out because why not? Normally I would write few more chapters before publishing the current one, but nowadays I just write and put out


Chapter 5: You learn something new everyday

Kaneki was in his own head like any other giving day. Unlike worrying about this month rent coming up, materials he needed to keep his home clean, and even the traps to stave off the rodents, he was thinking about learning much of what the ghouls meant for both Piltover and Zahn, 'How does one event, shift the dynamic of what ghouls are?' Kaneki thought to himself as he sip the bottle of water in his hand, 'Just because everyone became sick didn't mean they all wanted to hurt others for their own benefit… They should still be remembered for helping build both cities to what they are… Not be forgotten because of one event that changed them.'

Kaneki frowns, feeling himself becoming rather angry at the subject at hand. He hasn't felt this welt up of emotion in what seems like forever, but that's because he didn't have a reason to be angry at anything. Learning more about ghouls and their history with both cities made it so fairly easy.

Due to his focus on his own emotions, he felt a jab to his cheeks that made him turn to his right where he was then suddenly blindsided by a piece of meat being put into his open mouth. This sent a shock in his system; the taste of the meat was more rotten, wet cheese then being freshly cooked for Kaneki, "You've been staring into the abyss of nothing with a glare on your face that you could use a bit of fresh food from Jerhico," said Vi as like herself, Powder, Mylo, and Clagger were stuffing themselves of food.

Kaneki's eyes slightly widened, wanting to hurl the meat out of his mouth but didn't want to raise suspicion to his friends. And so with every bit of will, Kaneki chew, chew, and chew some more before swallowing, "Can't have you missing out when you already paid for us too," she again said, not paying attention to Kaneki but the food on her plate.

Kaneki would quickly drink his water to drown out that nasty taste from his mouth, '...Years of training and still want to vomit it out of my system… How do ghouls pretend to be human nowadays..? If they even do…' Kaneki would shake more of his thoughts out of his head and focus on the friends near him, "..Anything new that's been happening with you guys this week?"

"Oh… you know," Mylo with a shit eating grin as he had orange liquid drip from his mouth, "Planning something big soon. Apparently Vi found someone in Piltover that we can get a decent pay out from."

Kaneki again looked at Vi direction with excitement replacing his brief frown, "That's.. Amazing to hear."

"I still voted for you to come," Powder mentioned, who was also close to Kaneki like her older sister, "Just for backup purposes if things get's out of hand."

"And I said… No," Vi responded, "With how Ken operates, he'll make it easy on us. Why else he always denied helping? Besides my birthday of course," Powder would pout at Vi, "Plus it'll be a hitch and we'll all soon be a competition for our eyepatch friend over here," she patted Kaneki's shoulder.

Kaneki on his part gave a small chuckle as he let his left hand rub under his chin, "I have no doubt."

"Hey… So is it true you broke into the Heimerdinger lab and sold some equipment under his nose?" Mylo asked Kaneki.

Kaneki's eyebrow raised. That piece of information was to be kept low on the ground, he made sure no one tailed him to his place or saw him out of his place. Unless Heimerdinger reported something stolen, which he hasn't from what he knows, "..Where did you hear of this Mylo? From Ekko?" Kaneki threw back a question of his own.

Mylo shook his head, "Even he would keep his lip shut not to spread that around Zahn. You remember who it was Claggor?"

Claggor was busy sipping the liquid from his bowl before he answered, "... Think it was one of the Sevika people that she rolls with."

Kaneki sighed when he heard the name Sevika, and as well as Vi groaned with him, "Nothing gets past their eyes, always wanting to hear everything and anything. I never understood how you used to be associated with that bitch, Ken."

Kaneki shrugs as he takes another sip from his water, "..She helped me learn the rope's of dealing with Zahn when I had issues dealing with it myself. Just because Vander did his part to have her stay clear from me, doesn't mean she wouldn't pop up every now and again. She probably had something to do with my client, and well.. She wanted me to steal something from the CCSN not too long ago…"

The group turn to him, each eye's widen and stopping their moment of either eating or drinking, "She did fucking what?!" Vi first responded, "That's it. I'mma kill her myself when I see her."

"You probably need to have a plan when and where we'll have to do it," Powder prodded with her older sister.

"I trust you for finding the dumpster."

"Gonna need a body bag too."

"You got that cover, Claggor."

"..Yall crazy if you think I'll be a part of this masterful killing plan you got here!" Mylo being the sane one said out loud.

That's when laughter ruptured with all of them, again reminding why Kaneki loves spending time with them, "Seriously guys… It's not as bad as you think.. We may hate each other's guts but she isn't gonna snitch on me."

"Shit, you're right about that. After all she is a zahnite to the core."

"Still a bitch though."

"Language pow pow!"

"But you said it earlier!"

"I'm an adult though! Clearly I have every right to say it!"

"It would be great if you too don't argue right by me," Kaneki added, "My ear's might start ringing from the both of you. Either way, I think it's time for me to go."

"Back to work?" Claggor probed.

"Actually I have to help Vander with something," Kaneki would stand up from his seat and gather his bearings, "I'll see you guys whenever?"

"As per usual! You know where to find us."

"Bye Kaneki!"

"Later paley!"

"Till next time!"

Kaneki would drift off from the group, walking to the direction where the last drop was. It didn't take him long to enter the bar. Even when it's not night time, the place still has a number of people drinking and having whatever sense of fun they can have together.

He didn't see where Vander, but he recognized a laughter that was across from him that led to the entrance. Kaneki let a deep breath in and out when he heard that particular laughter, coming from a woman he knew of, 'So she's here…'

The familiar brand of cigarette she always smokes, the oh so grunts of people losing from a card game, and her talking a lot of crap as she was winning the game. Sevika was in the last drop.

Kaneki wanted to deal with her, the woman who placed him in danger of the CCSN and the one he has a complicated relationship with. Since Vander was busy dealing with something, this was his chance to deal with a smaller problem first. Kaneki would go to where Sevika's voice was, now seeing her sitting amongst her group of Zahnites in a card game. She peaked up from looking at her cards before going back to it. Her smile didn't waver at the sight of a frowning white hair, eyepatch teenager that proceeded at her table, "Look who it is. You still lost, little devil?" She asked, blowing off her cigarette as her eyes roamed up to Kaneki instead of the cards in her hands.

Because once she put it down, she won the game and also the money from it as she stuffed them in her bag, "No. Have you seen Vander?"

"Probably in the back setting up more of his alcohol. Give us the room guys, I got some catching up to do with the little devil," some groan and suck their teeth, but they know better not to fuck with her. When all was gone, Kaneki took his seat as he was face to face with the more taller, muscular, brown skin woman that was Sevika, "Empty handed? How do you score from a councilman of the upside, that's known for his intelligence, but not something less of him?"

Her cheeky grin as she inhales more of the cigarette only seems to aggravate Kaneki, "You knew!" He silently yelled at her, having his face edge a bit closer to her, "You knew that was a CCSN and you wanted me to get caught!"

She snickered at Kaneki's anger, "Careful now, don't wanna break the table," she noted at Kaneki's grip on the table causing it to crack. He would let go, focus on calming himself, "Now that's something new to see, anger. Heh, well you do learn something new on a daily basis. Either way, I've done enough of a job for you to survive in bad conditioning. So much so, I believe you'll make it out alive little devil. Though, I do notice that over the years of you going alone, Vander helping you out with this so called scavenger gig," she air quoted, "It softened you up."

"It keeps me on my toes just enough, and I don't need to…" Kaneki would massage his chin with his left hand before answering, "...Murder people for what I need," Sevika scoffed, drinking a bit of alcohol in her cup as she pour another.

"That's bullshit. If you don't kill then you'll go hungry, if you go hungry, you murder. It's in your nature regardless little devil."

"Well…! At least I only do it when I have to," Kaneki countered, feeling uncomfortable of Sevika boldly saying his own nature at hand, "Better then to force myself to kill others that don't deserve it."

Sevika let one eyebrow raised, before laughing at how stupid that sounded from the kid infront of her, "You still haven't learned your place? I never had control over you," she said with the added effect of moving her face closer to Kaneki, "You made those choices all on your own," she then leaned back on her chair so she could have a drag with her cigarette, "I only ever taught you how to survive when it comes down to it."

"You call sending me to a CCSN investigator surviving?"

"Don't forget, you also made a choice to break into fucking Heimdinger lab of all places. Little devil, you're bad at breaking and entering when you choose stuff like that, just like when you couldn't help yourself with my offer. You still choose to take risks that will only get you caught just for the money, and to please others."

"Cause," Kaneki had a pause in his sentence. A moment to question to himself what she meant by that? "..How else will I keep myself afloat Sevika?" Kaneki said hesitantly. The way Sevika was using her choice of words seemed to get to Kaneki's head, enough so to question how greedy he is for the money.

"There it is," she pointed, "That hesitation in your voice. You know what your problem always was, Kaneki?" she leaned her arm on the table, put out her cigarette and dropped into the nearby glass empty cup, "You don't have the balls to choose when the cards come down to it, and when you do choose, you risk it all for yourself and others, no matter who gets hurt or killed. If you were smart, you would have said no to all the jobs I give you, if you had a brain you wouldn't take bigger risks because of what you are. And Somehow," her eyes squinted, "I think you just want to either get put in a cell, to where you'll go bat shit insane, lose those friends of yours, or just die all in the process of it. I can't tell with how you act these days, but it's enough to know your still either making stupid decisions, too afraid to decide what you really want, and overall, don't care about anyone but yourself."

Kaneki had no words to back up her claim, his eyes lost focus on Sevika, the woman who taught him enough to survive on his own. The worst part about all that was what she said, which felt true, and if so, Kaneki hates himself for it.

He technically doesn't need the money when he has so many client's that are willing to pay whenever he opens up. He technically doesn't need to risk his own self for even more money, but he does anyway. Yet for what? He stays away from his friends and he doesn't, he knows the reason why to stay away, but he's always finding reason to go back to them, or let them in when he shouldn't, 'But is she truly right?' He asks himself, letting his left hand rub under his chin in a thought process of what Sevika said, 'All this… Am I doing this so I can just die? Why would I want to die? It would make Vander sad, Vi mad that I let myself go, Powder crying, Mylo and Claggor knowing another person from Zahn dying, and even leaving Ekko trouble of my death. So why… Why is she right? And why do I hate myself for it…?' If I… Totally leave everyone in my life, never to see or interact with them, then I'll be alone…. All by myself without the laughter or smile from the people I care about.'

'And I can't bear to relieve myself of being alone after the death of my mother.'

His head would start hurting once again when he thought of life after his mother's death. It was again hasy like any other memory before and after her death, but it still makes his head throb in pain from the thought that he ended up ignoring it. The snapping fingers from Sevika got him away from his thoughts and the focus back on her, "One of these days you're gonna get slap so hard from being away from reality," Sevika would give the money she one from her game to Kaneki in a small bag, "And I'll be there laughing when it happens."

"Kaneki!" Vander would pull up to the table where Kaneki and Sevika were just about done with their conversation with a box in his hand, "I got all the stuff for Benzo set up."

"..Cool," Kaneki got up from his seat, "Can you hold onto this till I come back?"

Vander nodded, and Kaneki departed with the box full of scraps and other equipment for Benzo. Vander then took one look at Sevika where his eyebrow furrowed, "What did I tell you about staying away from him?"

She slangs one arm by her chair as she pours some more alcohol in her cup, "It's never me that goes to him. In the end, he often finds me just to bitch about his stupidity."

"Cut the bs," Vander took a seat where Kaneki once was, "You play those card games for a straight hour here. I bet he didn't know you were here in the first place, but you were waiting for him."

"Vander, you are not his father like those 4 other kids of yours. The little devil isn't yours to care about," Sevika spoke with brutal honesty in her voice, "You can't control him because of what he is, and he will always be a little devil, surviving only for himself and no one else."

Vander eyebrow then raised at that accusation, "I seem to remember days before you met him that you, of all people, hated ghouls."

Sevika huffs at him bringing up old memories of her younger years when ghouls roam Zahn. She even took a swig of her drink at the nasty memories of those days far behind her, "Yeah, then we got rid of them. That little devil was never a little devil with at least one eye being human. Probably was an upsider because of what he was wearing that day I found him, before he made Zahn his home," Sevika felt herself scowling as she could hear her voice sounding a tad bit sorry for the troublesome ghoul.

Another drink to drive away those feelings was the next thing she did, "...I seem to remember a man like you that wanted us to get rid of ghouls so we can have the freedom and life from those controlling freaks," Sevika moralized with bitterness towards the past.

"Then we did, stole CCSN weapons and went to war with them, but it didn't help as much as it should. Only led to more beef with the upside afterwards."

"And the big wolf himself adopted kids, and thinks he can adopt a half ghoul too?" She snicker, but loudly, "Get real Vander, he isn't someone to have a family. He eats them."

"He aint your mother to know what he wants or will do. He's far from what he used to be. I made sure I give him what he needs, allow him to have friends that benefit his health, and always offer a home he can come to if he ever needs it. What did you ever offer him that only worsened his already bad health?"

"Tsk… He was strong when I was teaching him what Zahn is, what it can do for him, and how it can make him into a proper man. He was willing to use those power's he has to gain what he needs, and at the sametime, backing me up when I need it," she arm cross, "Now he's gotten weak, kind of like you these days as you do nothing to give Zahn it's independence that upside has."

"Watch that tone Sevika," Vander would take out his pipe just to relieve him of the stress he has to deal with Sevika, "I aint trying to have my bar in a rekt again."

"Yeah, yeah. Whatever you say lapdog," Vander would offer her his pipe that she soundly took.


Kaneki would reach Benzo's shop, it wasn't far from the last drop clocking at least a few minutes between them both. Kaneki saw Ekko fixing up a vehicle of his that was very circular, no set of wheels, but all sort of moving like the wheel itself, "Yo, Kaneki!" Ekko hollar at the white hair teenager.

Kaneki waved at Ekko, "You didn't happen to be speeding again were you Ekko?"

Ekko scratched behind his head while avoiding Kaneki's worried gaze, "I might have happened to hit a roadblock that I'm duly fixing now."

Kaneki could only shook his head of how much Ekko reminds him of Powder; they both love to tinker with machines, although Ekko focus on stuff to get him moving around Zaun while Powder focus on stuff to make her useful when helping Vi in a fight, "Please be careful, we don't get rewinds when we hurt ourselves."

"Pffft. Error's lead to success. Plus you and Vi get into way more scuffle and come out just fine," Ekko said as an excuse.

"You see how I fight sometimes," Kaneki mentions just as his left hand once again brushes upon his chin, "I'm more useful as a distraction for Vi."

"Yeah! But you move so fast sometimes they can't even hit you, heck you lay tackles and suplexes on bigger guys than you," the compliment simply was making Kaneki rather bashful, "Oh! By the way, since everyone else is busy today, mind accompanying me somewhere?"

"Um… I might have to work today."

"Pleaseeee?" Ekko begged, adding a child-like pout to his request, "It won't take all day, just the rest of the afternoon."

And how could Kaneki say no to that? "If it's that important…"

"YES! Just let me fix this up and we'll be there in no time."

Kaneki did a double take on the we part, yet he didn't voice it because how else would they really get around Zaun? With Ekko, walking was for poser's in his eyes, even if he himself walks. Kaneki would enter Benzo's shop, waving at him, "Oi! Kaneki!"

"Hey! I'm just stopping by to drop some stuff off from Vander."

"Ah," Kaneki gave Benzo the box from Vander, "Old wolf decided to use you as his personal butler again?"

Kaneki lightly chuckles, "It's nothing of that sort, I love to help Vander."

"Ai say no to that fucker would ya? Love to see his reaction one of these days.

They both crackle in laughter, Kaneki loves Benzo's sense of humor, not taking much of anything serious and simply enjoys whoever comes into the shop, "I'll make sure to bring some stuff to you later in the week."

"Of course! No rush kid!"

Soon enough, he was back outside where Ekko jested him to take a seat in the circular vehicle, "Remind me again… How do I drive this?" Kaneki asked, as he watched Ekko behind him situation the ride and himself behind Kaneki. He would have to rely on holding Kaneki's shoulder while keeping his feet on a stand to not make him fall off.

"Like this!" Ekko pushed a green button in front of Kaneki, essentially starting up the vehicle and speeding away from Benzo pawn shop.

"WHOA!" The vehicle startled Kaneki enough where he had to quickly hold onto both handlebars in front of him. The vehicle started picking up speed that Kaneki had to avoid crashing into people, "HOW DO I SLOW THIS DOWN?!"

"THAT'S THE FUN PART! WE DON'T!" Ekko let out a scream of glee when holding on tightly behind Kaneki.

People in Zaun could hear different types of scream; one was Ekko joyishly enjoying speeding through Zaun with his older friend, and Kaneki screaming when avoiding pedestrians in the street, "PLEASE MOVE! PLEASE MOVE!" They also cause certain people to drop their stuff to avoid getting hit, having whatever object in their hand be broken in the process, "SORRY!"

Then there were also changing lanes in between to avoid crashing into either people's walls, but then there were people lifting heavy objects in front of them, "EKKO!"

"SEE THAT LEVER BY YOUR FEET?!"

Soon as Kaneki looked down, he immediately pulled it without question, propelling the vehicle in the air and back on the ground, again avoiding impact, "Holy… HOLY!"

"RIGHT?!"

Soon, Kaneki worrying about the speed was gone, and now was replaced by excitement. Same excitement Ekko felt when putting up a middle finger at Piltover enforcers, who couldn't do a damn thing but watch the two riding on a motor vehicle beyond anyone's imagination.

He was having fun, "So where am I going, Ekko?!"

"Uh….." Ekko squinted when looking from the height he had behind Kaneki, "Make a left! We're heading to the sump level."

"Yeah.. I know where to go," he said as he took a left.

From then on, Kaneki had no issues avoiding people because it was either they did it themselves, shouting that they'll beat their asses, or Kaneki did it for himself by avoiding them, 'He really thought of everything huh? The handling isn't too bad, all it needs is a brake and Ekko can be selling this to a bunch of people here in Zaun,' Kaneki overall thought about the vehicle Ekko made.

They started reaching the sump level, lower than Entresol level where everything else was at. The spacing between riding from upper to this level is night and day; there were more cramped spaces here but not enough to where the vehicle itself would have trouble maneuvering. The air was more thick down here and the light itself was poorly lit down here.

This is where the poorer sides reside, something Kaneki knew too well and never wanted to live back here. It put a frown on his face when seeing kids his age living with no home, no family, and also had to work at those factory's to make a sustainable living, 'Won't ever live like that. Have to keep moving, scavenging to keep my living.'

They soon made it to northside heaps of Zaun, one where anyone can find the scraps necessary to create something intuitive and dangerous at the sametime. At least, here lights were more noticeable from up above at Piltover. Ekko quickly pressed the red button on the vehicle, having the vehicle braking to stop its motion. Surprisingly, it didn't hit anything important when stopping, "...So there was a brake all along?" Kaneki asks with a frown.

"And if I told you it would zap all the fun we just had," Ekko mentioned while hopping off from behind and beginning searching through the scraps here in the northside heaps.

Kaneki joined where Ekko was, curious to what he even wants here today, "Got an idea what you want to make?"

"Mmm… I'll think of Something," Ekko seemed to be picky with what he was looking for, tossing certain stuff with the rest of the scraps that he didn't quite like, "Maybe build flying skateboards? Or maybe…. Nah.. She wouldn't like me helping."

Since his own muttering wasn't quite as he wanted it to be, Kaneki doubled back at what he meant, "Something you wanna talk about?"

"No. Maybe," he would stop picking and choosing, "... How do you help a person who doesn't want to be helped?" Ekko asked, looking back at Kaneki would have raised his eyebrow to his questions.

"Anyone specific?"

"It's…. Powder," he said while rubbing his neck to avoid the look of bashfulness he has on, "She struggles building what she wants. She knows what she wants, how to build it, but it never works. I just… maybe want to help her out, even when she doesn't want too."

Kaneki couldn't help but grin when Ekko became rather embarrassed with the subject of Powder. The small grin was enough for Ekko to notice he wanted to let out a chuckle of sorts, "Don't smirk like that!" He yelled out at him with annoyance. It was enough to make Kaneki giggle but he held it back with his hands, "Dang… I knew I shouldn't have told you. Vi just as well laugh when I bring up my problem," he mentioned while sitting on pile of scraps.

"..Sorry," Kaneki sat beside him, "It's… Cute that you think of her like that, and you wanna be there for her… I'm not great at dealing with crushes."

"It's not a crush!" He said voically, besides the fact he is still bashful on the topic at hand.

"Ok. Ok. But I'm still not great at relationship advice… What did Vi say for her advice?"

Ekko let out a breath of air before kicking a scrap in front of him, "She said don't force yourself onto her. Better to let her sort out her problems because she doesn't like it when others solve her problems for her."

"And… Why do you feel bothered by that?" Kaneki curiously asked'

"Because…!" Ekko wanted to explain why, but nothing came out. It was like he had the intentions; the crush of that matter, but he didn't really have a reason why he's out here. Give her tools? She has those. Build something for her? It wasn't even her birthday. Instead, he and Kaneki watched as more piles of scraps came from the upside to Zahn, "...I don't know why I feel so bothered really, or why I'm even here in the first place…. Probably it's because I hate how stressful she brings down on herself when she doesn't get things right. And I don't know how to make her feel better."

Kaneki felt every word Ekko was saying. He too wants to do something for Powder, but unlike he has way more utility to help Powder, Kaneki doesn't have the inkling or experience to help Powder in a way she would beat herself up, "...Samething with me. Only thing I know how, and I guess good at, is to give her an ear to listen too."

Ekko's eyebrow shrewd in confusion, "You mean like letting her get stuff out of her chest?"

Kaneki nodded, "It works for me. Maybe that's all she needs. She doesn't need people to always help her with her problems, just an ear so can become less stressed about her problems."

"...Is that why you're so good at being friends with her?" Ekko looks at him, trying to piece together how to be like Kaneki when it comes to being a better friend to Powder.

"Well…" instinctively, his left hand rubbing his chin as he let out a small chuckle, "I wouldn't say I'm such good friends. I like to think I'm just a person who she can count on whenever I can."

"Come on!" Ekko bumps his shoulder to Kaneki's, "There's not one moment she doesn't go without mentioning how much you help her sort her thoughts out, or something new she discovered from you."

Kaneki was surprised at that, "She does…?" He didn't know he was that important to Powder, "Huh… You learn something new everyday," Kaneki would cringe to himself at taking Sevika words from earlier.

"That's why I'm wondering what's your secret? Can't just be listening to her right?" Ekko kept prodding his questions. Kaneki felt he took that part more from Vi than anyone else.

"Really, I just listen to her Ekko. Sometimes it's easier to do the simple things that have an impact."

Ekko pouted, he was hoping for something more, but if this is truly the answer then all he has to do is put it to good use doesn't he? "If you say so!" He shrugs and let off the scraps, "Since we're here, might as well collect something worth building, for me that is!"

"Wear your gloves!"

"I'll be fine!"

Kaneki shook his head as he watched Ekko do his thing. Good thing he had his bag with him so that he could read something. But even before he could take out his book, his nose caught a scent, one that was odd and nothing like the regular people in Zaun or even Piltover he smelled. Kaneki felt his jaw tighten, his body tense up as he stood on his toe's, 'I… Know that smell… It's different from humans, toxic here blocks most of it, but I can smell…. That someone is here, and he isn't human.'

Whatever it was, it made him on high alert, "Ekko… I think we should get going."

"Why? I haven't even started gathering some tools."

"Yeah…" Ekko and Kaneki had their heads turned to a deep voice coming from one of the many pipelines in northside heaps, it's voice slither out with no remorse, and it all the more unconsciously got Kaneki's readying himself for a fight, a fight that he would need to use his ghoul side, "Why the rush…? WHEN FOOD IS READY FOR THE TAKING!"

Kaneki moved fast, faster than Ekko could see when he scooped him up to avoid a large man lunging at them with the same eyes Kaneki exhibits when he uses any of his ghoul capabilities. Only with him, the large man had both eyes deep violet on the outer rim of his eye and with his pupil being red.

Kaneki landed right by Ekko's vehicle, putting him in it, "Ekko, can this vehicle support my weight and you take the wheel?" Ekko could only be in a shell shock state as see the large man slowly praying on them while toying with them, especially with Ekko's fear, "EKKO!" Kaneki shook him so he could gain attention, "CAN THIS THING SUPPORT MY WEIGHT?!"

He nodded quickly, and Kaneki could hear the man laughing as he again was charging at them. Kaneki pushed the vehicle away from him, just in time for him to get grabbed by the large man, who slammed on the ground several times, enough to make him bleed, but Kaneki punch him a few times that only got the man laughing, "What kind of punches are those?!" Kaneki didn't had time to break from the grip as he swung hard in the many metallic scraps, "I'll come back for you in a bit!"

Meanwhile, Ekko started up the vehicle as he was breathing ragged and he was more focused on getting away from the monster that likely killed his friend. Thanks to the headstart from Kaneki, the vehicle was speeding off on the wooden ground, "He'll be fine. He'll be fine. He'll be fine," Ekko muttered to himself, "He'll be fine right? Not like he won't survive that right? RIGHT?!"It was then his vehicle was caught by the twisted man, causing the wheels to burst and spun out of the wheels.

"Smart kid! Too bad," he lifted the vehicle effortlessly on his head, making Ekko fall out of the vehicle and him running as fast as he could, "Your dead meat little pub!" He would toss the vehicle, not at Ekko, but away so he can enjoy the feast.

The large man felt something protrude through him. Eye widened slowly as he recognized what could protrude through his tough skin, and when he turned around, he saw Kaneki, survive, bleeding from his forehead, left eye no longer with the eyepatch but now of a ghoul, sticking his two tendrils through his chest, "S-so…. You're aren't weak after all!" The large, twisted man pulled Kaneki's two rinkaku towards him, what he didn't expect was for him lean his head back away from the haymaker, anker himself around the large man thanks to still having the tendrils still inside him, and brought himself back to him where he shoved both knees in his spine to while also grabbing his head so he could slammed it hard on the ground.

As soon as he did this, Kaneki blasted forward, scooping up Ekko as he made multiple leaps among the bunch of scraps here before nose diving into a pipeline, "You're alive! You're…" Ekko's whole dynamic changed when he took note of them falling to toxic waste, "GONNA DIE!" Kaneki quickly used his tendrils to stop his fall, and pounced on another pipeline. Ekko couldn't help but let himself gasp in shock when now noticing Kaneki's left eye and tendrils on the back of him, "...Just like him."

"Hold on," was all that Kaneki said as he kept going through the pipelines that led to many other interconnected tunnels. Kaneki made sure to have Ekko behind his back and his tendrils out just in case that ghoul came chasing after him.

But back at the northside heap, the man didn't move from the ground as was shocked to see another like him. Only with one eye being a ghoul with the other being human, '...Another ghoul.. One here in Zaun…Where the massacre happened because of our disgusting change?!' Suddenly, he pulled himself out of the rocky ground and laughed out loud, "I CAN FINALLY EXIST AGAIN! THERE IS SOMEONE HERE LIKE ME! I FINALLY FOUND SOMEONE LIKE ME AGAIN! STRONG LIKE ME!"


Kaneki didn't know where exactly he was going, but soon enough the coast was clear that he could slow down just a bit without his tendrils needing to be out, letting it whitter away back inside him. He had made sure his leaps were adjusted correctly so he didn't fall into the toxic waste these pipelines can lead too.

But it was quiet between him and Ekko, and he knew he had a lot of questions upon him. So he took the moment to stop, "I think it would be good for you to walk now."

Ekko gets off of Kaneki and the two walk together through the dark pipes that leak with some sewage water. Ekko had to hold himself as from time to time he looked at Kaneki, noticing one eye was normal and the other eye that usually had his eyepatch was in a different shape of color. One that made him look more volatile than normal, "...How long were you… This?"

"...Don't know," out of habit, Kaneki itched his left eye for a second, "Memory gets hazy, but I knew I was once human at one point."

"So… The reason why you're faster than all of us, and even doing scavenging jobs for the majority of people in Zaun is because you can do all that?" Kaneki nodded. They change direction when they reach a dead end, "What… Are you exactly?"

Kaneki took a moment to now look at Ekko, seeing his fear straight and narrow while still being shaken up of almost dying, "I'm still the same person that just almost run over a bunch of people not too long ago," he said, adding a smile that only made Ekko look away with how much it reminded him of that large, twisted man who almost killed them. Kaneki frowned as this didn't appeal to Ekko's head, "...I'm a ghoul.

"A… Ghoul?"

Something Kaneki just now realized is how young Ekko is. Young enough to not know what ghoul's are and was to both cities, "..Yeah. Stories say they originated from Noxus, but several of them left due to differences in perspective, allowing groups to find themselves here where they helped keep the peace between both Zahn and Piltover at one point in time."

"If that was the case, what happened to them to have them leave Zaun?"

Kaneki could only shrug, "The offical thing was ghouls became what people fear them to be. Their eating habits were different then regular people, but they could at least eat raw animal food at one point. Until they no longer could and could only eat… Humans. When that became the case, and the people of Zaun and Piltover couldn't run them out, CCSN came in and killed the majority of them."

"And then cause the war between upside and Zaun. I didn't know ghouls existed like that, or even how much they did for Zahn," Kaneki hummed in agreement of what happened next in history, "So all this time, the reason why you're so distant is because of this?" Ekko asked curiously.

Again, Kaneki's left hand passed along his chin, "...Yes. One day I'm afraid I can't control myself…And I ended up hurting or killing one of you, or all of you."

Now, Ekko has an understanding of why Kaneki is the way he is, why he wants his own independence, why he doesn't always hang out with the rest of the group, and why he also doesn't show up to celebrate anyone's birthday. It all makes sense, but now it just makes it depressing that he knows, "Who else knows?"

"Just you, Vander, and Benzo," subconsciously, Kaneki left Sevika out so he wouldn't have to worry about her.

"You have to tell the rest," Ekko said, moving in front of him to stop his walk, "If I can understand, if they can understand why you are the way you are, then so can they."

Kaneki can see the desperation in Ekko's eyes, this time pleading to really tell his friends the truth about who he is, but Kaneki shook his head, "Ghouls are looked down on Ekko. For what they have done to both cities, both rising it up from brick to brick, to almost crumbling it all down. How would Vi react to me being this? Or Mylo, or Claggor, or even Powder?! Do you really think they'll see me as the same person Ekko?! DO YOU REALLY THINK THAT?!" Kaneki's voice raised with frustration, and anger.

This was the first time Ekko heard Kaneki yell like that. He was always soft spoken, almost quiet, but never screamed out like this. Between the two of them, the conversation started to die out as Ekko couldn't provide an example of their friends not reacting in a terrifying way to Kaneki's other half, 'They won't hate him right? Be scared of him?' Ekko thought to himself as they kept moving through the pipe tunnels, '...He's right. I.. I don't know how they'll react.'

Ekko would look up to Kaneki; he wasn't bleeding like before, he lost his bag, and his clothes were trashed up from the brief fight from the other ghoul. His left eye may be back to normal, but he wasn't smiling, more of frowning, 'If he told them, if anyone else knew, he would be alone… Does that… scare him? Why he also doesn't want to tell the others?' Ekko would look away from Kaneki, 'Cause I know it would for me.'

Ekko never told Kaneki those thoughts, even when they found themselves back in the sump level.


Anyone wanna guess who's the mofo that showed up in Zahn? But besides that, things are unraveling in Kaneki's life by the second. And as we go on, we're gonna see him hit places that'll test him harshly, both mentally and physically, just like in the manga. See ya whenever