"Kanekiiiiiiii!" The distant scream of his friend closed in as Hide barreled into Kaneki. "You've been abscent for so long!" The orange haired boy repremended him with an indignant huff. "I almost thought I'd die of loneliness."
Kaneki gave Hideyoshi a quiet chuckle at his friend's energy as they walked side by side across the college campus. "S-Sorry, Hide, things got pretty hectic back in Anteiku. I would've come sooner." Kaneki sheepishly apologized.
"Right, I keep forgetting you live in an actual cafe." Hideyoshi waved off Kaneki's apology dismissively as they seated themselves at a nearby table.
There's another ghoul here. You can smell him already
Kaneki shuddered a bit at the creeping coldness that the thought left him as he caught a glimpse of a hazelnut haired student with glasses passing by. The two locked eyes, the student furrowing his brow a bit, before vanishing back into the crowd.
"Hey Kaneki, you awake?" The one eyed ghoul snapped his attention back to reality and back to his friend.
"Oh, sorry, Hide, I didn't hear what you said." Kaneki flushed in embarassment at getting lost in thought.
Hide rolled his eyes playfully and leaned back into the chair. "I asked you if you planned on living at that cafe all your life. Like, you got any big ambitions or what not?" He asked casually. "Cause I plan on working my way into the Commission of Counter Ghoul. I wanna be a top ranked investigator!" He laughed, leaning back too much and his chair started tipping over.
Kaneki acted faster than Hide could react, his foot catching the chair and pulling him back down to safety.
So, he wants to be in the CCG
He wants to be a Dove...
The voice in Kaneki's head hissed a warning.
"W-Well, it's a lotta work to get into the CCG. You think you're up for it?" Kaneki asked, hiding his discomfort with a smile.
Hide didn't know that side of him.
He didn't need to know that side of him.
"I heard it was super hard to get into the CCG. Like a lotta physical tests and classes to take. Why do you want to be a Do-" Kaneki paused, catching himself before calling the Investigators "doves". "An investigator?"
Hide hummed to himself, rocking in his chair in thought. "Well, there's been a lotta ghoul activity lately. I wanna help as much as I can and we both know that I'm pretty athletic, although, you're kinda smarter than me." He laughed good naturedly.
Kaneki's phone buzzed, getting a text message from Touka.
But it's Saturday, she should be at school.
"Get your ass back here. The boss needs you for something. And make sure to bring that stinking mask of yours."
Kaneki grimaced a bit at her message. Touka didn't sound too pleased. Speaking of masks, he might have to pay Uta a visit for a new one.
His old mask is starting to show it's age.
It never really did fit him.
Kaneki sighed, turning to his friend. "Hey Hide, I gotta run to Anteiku. Sounds like things are starting to get out of hand. I should be back before my classes." He got up, waved to Hideyoshi and started walking away.
"Yeah sure, I just gotta run over to the upperclass dorms to pick something up from someone. See ya later, Kaneki." He also got up and the two parted ways.
xxx
The ghoul on campus made Kaneki a bit nervous now that he left Hide on his own, but it wasn't like Hide was going to cross paths with him, right?
Careful, you've been eating less human lately. A diet of human food is just going to weaken you. You and that ghoul locked eyes, he might take that as a threat to his "territory"
But...we're in the 20th Ward, most of the ghouls hear are peaceful.
Keyword, "most" ghouls. Now, are you really going to leave your squishy and admittedly tasty looking friend alone with a ghoul running around the university?
The voice spoke too much sense, highlighted his anxiety and worry with Hide.
Kaneki sighed to himself, making a decision.
Touka is going to be pissed...
Kaneki sighed and ran back to rejoin Hide.
He just hoped Yoshimura would understand.
xxx
"Hey, Hide, wait up." Kaneki called out and panted once he caught up.
You really are out of shape. You'll be eaten alive with stamina like that.
Kaneki flinched at the thought.
"Yo, Kaneki, thought you were headed back to your work." Hide asked questioningly.
Kaneki chuckled nervously, rubbing the back of his head. "Well, I uh, I do live there, so I help at any time." He shrugged. "I almost never get to see you anymore anyway." Kaneki reasoned as they headed over to the dorms.
xxx
"Ey, Nishio-sempai, You got what I need?" Hide opened the sliding door without any regard to the owner. Consequently, a nearly undressed girl screamed and ran off.
"Geez, Nagachika, do you ever think about knocking?" The voice sighed in annoyance as Kaneki and Hide entered the door, Kaneki nervously looking around.
The room had a ghoul's scent.
Kaneki and Nishiki locked eyes, the latter narrowing his eyes at the hybrid. The very same student with glasses that Kaneki saw earlier.
"Unfortunately, the data I you need is back at my place." Nishiki explained to Hide, breaking his stare at Kaneki and looking over to Hide.
"Damn, I need that stuff now." The yellow haired boy lamented with a sigh.
"If you need it so badly, you can come with me and I can run over to my house while I get it. You can bring your friend too, if you want." Nishiki shot a threatening glance over to Kaneki and the one eyed ghoul stiffened at that.
"O-Of course I'll come." Kaneki hastily agreed.
xxx
Eto buried her head deeper into her hoodie as she watched Kaneki and his friend exit the campus and into the city as the sun started to set behind her.
"Noro." She called after making her way too the rooftops.
The silent masked man stood behind her suddenly as she watched Kaneki and the other ghoul.
"Keep an eye on Ken-Ken for me. I'd love to watch him take on his first fight in years, but I gotta head back to the 1st Ward. Jason's starting to get restless." She huffed with a pout. "So inconsiderate to keep me away from my Ken-Ken. If his life is in danger, only then can you interfere." She ordered him. "My love must learn to fight for himself if he is to ever grow up."
She scowled hatefuly at the other ghoul with Kaneki.
Kaneki must embrace violence once again if she's ever to convice him to join her side.
xxx
The three students strolled down the street, taiyaki in hand.
Kaneki, being a one eyed ghoul, can safely eat human food, but he gains no nutrition from anything he eats.
Not like human or ghoul flesh.
He caught Nishiki gauging his reactions as he bit into the pastry a few times.
Suddenly, out of nowhere, the ghoul slammed a kick into Hide, causing the human to sail through air and smash into a car.
"Hide!" Kaneki shouted.
"He doesn't need to see this." Nishiki shrugged causally. "Don't worry, he's alive." The expression on the brown haired ghoul darkened. "For now." He took a whiff of Kaneki's scent. "Shit, you smell really good. Like the best damn thing I've smelled. Better than human, even." Nishiki cracked his neck with a hungry grin. "See, I was planning on letting bygones be bygones, you keep to yourself and I'll keep to mine. Share the campus, maybe. It's big enough for both of us. But then you came into my territory. Into my place. How's a ghoul supposed to remain calm, hm?"
Kaneki trembled. With fear and with rage.
Nishiki grabbed him by the throat, slamming him into a bridge support with a sick grin. "So, what was your plan? Elminate me and eat the human yourself? Turn Kami University into your personal hunting ground?" His grip tightened on Kaneki's throat, who struggled and kicked desperately.
"N-No! Hide is my friend!" Kaneki argued back, still struggling. "I'm nothing like you! There's no way that I'm going to eat Hide."
Nishiki chuckled darkly, narrowing his eyes. "Oh yeah? Well, if your's not going to eat him..." The ghoul slammed a fist into Kaneki's stomach, causing him spew some blood out before tossing him to the side, and walked over to Hide. "...Then maybe I will. You're too damn weak to stop me anyways. you're all skin and bone. How's that pacifism going for you, huh?" He laughed, pressing a foot onto Hide's head and pressed down.
Kaneki went into a coughing fit, clutching the hole in his stomache as Nishiki licked the half ghoul's blood off his fingers.
You're going to have to fight him, Kaneki. There's no other way. You're a one eyed ghoul, you're stronger than the strongest ghoul around.
I'm too weak, I barely know how to fight...
Then don't , you idiot. You have teeth, claws, and a kagune. Fucking use them. If you don't, he's going to kill your friend.
Kaneki shakingly rose to his feet, his wounds starting to regenerate already. "G-Get your foot off of my friend, you bastard." He yelled in defiance at Nishiki.
"Oh, seems like you have some fire after all. Then go save your-" Nishiki paused as the eyepatch fell off of Kaneki's face. "...shit"
"Get away from him!" Kaneki shouted as two sapphire and black spider leg like rinkaku sprouted from Kaneki's back as the one eyed ghoul sped toward Nishiki, impaling him and slamming his body into a car. Kaneki then grabbed Nishiki by his face and hurled him through the air.
"Shit shit shit!" Nishiki cursed as he let out his blue snake like bikaku out as he landed back onto his feet, but Kaneki was insanely quicker, already on him as Rc cells pumped through the half breed, dodging and weaving the bikaku's swipes as both rinkaku pierced Nishiki's chest and stabbed him over and over again, causing a rain of blood to drop down on the surrounding area. A third sprouted out from his back, grabbing Nishiki by the leg and sent him hurling into the upper balcony.
xxx
Kaneki panted, drained of Rc cells and hungry.
He turned towards the downed Hideyoshi, the human's blood causing the starved ghoul's mouth to water.
You're hungry, and there's a delicious meal in front of you. Eto appeared behind Kaneki, wrapping her arms around his chest affectionately. You don't need to be a genius to know what needs to be done, Ken-Ken.
Eto walked over to Hideyoshi and sat down beside as Kaneki's rinkaku writhed and lashed about as he followed her to his downed friend.
Kaneki followed after his childhood friend, almost in a trance.
You need to eat, Ken-Ken. You can't survive must longer like this. She gestured to Hideyoshi. Your friend's sacrifice won't be in vain if he makes you stronger from it,
Yeah...she had a point. Eto always knew what to do, Eto always knew best. Gotta eat Hide to get stronger.
It'd be easier to resist if he didn's smell so good.
Kaneki laughed with hungry grin as he knelt down in front of his friend.
Eat
Eat
Eat
"God, look at you, You look just like a wild animal, dumbass." A voice and a new scent caused the half ghoul to snap up, glaring at the new interloper.
"I'll eat you too!" Kaneki shouted as his kagune lashed out at Touka, who blocked with her ukaku and charged at her friend,
The rest was a blur of events.
xxx
"Activity in the usually peaceful 20th ward seems to new be seeing a lot more activity. Any theories on this?" Kureo Mado mused to his partner, Koutarou Amon, as they strolled down the CCG headquarters. "A binge eater, a gourmet, and Jason all showing up at once isn't something that the higher ups are willing to ignore."
"That's why they're sending us to go investigate.." The 1st class investigator stoically remarked, glancing out the windows they passed by.
"If that's the case, why are we also on babysitting duty?" Mado groaned out, glancing behind him. "What was your name again, girl?"
Following behind, was a older teenaged girl. Two thick sections of pale blue hair worn in pigtails with uneven fringed bangs. Her baby blue eyes glanced between them, a bit intimidated by their presence.
"S-Saiko. Saiko Yonebayashi." She squeaked out as she hurried to catch up with the two,