I tried something a little different with this chapter. Arima is the focus while Haise is merely mentioned. This is a little bit of a filler in which I introduced two new-to-the-story characters who will pop up every now and then. I hope everyone seems in character and thanks, as always, for the favorites, follows and reviews!
Shortly after the meeting, Arima left the hospital still feeling uneasy at his unusual display of emotion in front of his newly designated charge. It seemed strange to the Reaper that someone so different from himself could affect him to such a degree. As it was he pushed the thoughts to the back of his mind as he approached the CCG headquarters in the 20th ward, preparing himself to get back to the job at hand.
Walking through the halls to his office he was met with an oppressive atmosphere of thick emotions. Eyes straightforward, showing that he had no time for others didn't result in a decrease of their sentiments towards him. Arima knew he held a position of intrigue among the other investigators, especially those who had only seen him work from a distance. He could feel their tense, admiring stares as he passed. In some of the eyes he refused to meet, he knew he would find resentment. While this had never bothered him, he still felt it was tiresome and unnecessary.
Finally, he arrived at his office. Placing his weapon's case down, he sat in the chair behind his mostly barren desk, which contained nothing but a small collection of folders. It was only a few seconds before a knock distracted him from his files, causing his train of thought on the case at hand to become disrupted. The glass paneling of the perimeters of the space held no secrets and he could see his, unfortunately, expected visitor in an instant.
"You can come in," sighed Arima, setting the papers back in the file. It seemed like the case would be prolonged yet again.
The tall man entered the office, looking around as he appraised the condition. As spotless as ever, he mused before pulling up a seat towards the front of the Reaper's desk. It was only when he looked at Arima properly that he noticed something was off. Though few people would be able to recognize it, Taishi could see that the Reaper was not quite as unperturbed as he would, upon passing glance, appear.
"Hello Arima. I was just working on a case and decided to stop by."
"That's quite the trip for a simple hello…" stated Arima as he looked blandly back at his companion.
"Yes.. well," the man cleared his throat uncomfortably. It was clear that his intentions had been seen through. His colleague could of course deduce his own motivation for coming within less than a minute. "Is it so wrong that I would want to come and have lunch with an old friend," he countered, coming up with a mildly half-assed and partially true excuse for driving two hours away from his own ward for a simple visit.
"I suppose not," replied Arima, pushing back his own chair and picking up his weapon's case once again. The two men left the office in companionable silence. The walk through the halls of the CCG were filled with the sounds of lunch, forks and knives scrapping against plates and the happy murmurs of those enjoying the meal together. It was only when they got to Taishi's vehicle that the silence was broken. There was no fear of eavesdropping here.
"Why did you really come to visit Taishi?" asked the Reaper, taking his usual blunt approach in addressing his friend.
Taishi took his time in starting his inconspicuous vehicle and heading towards the first set of lights before replying. "Is it really bad if I say I was worried about you?"
Arima looked ahead, Taishi taking the silence as a clear response that Arima did not want to discuss the situation at hand. It was just too damn bad that he wouldn't let him get away with it again. "Arima, what you did for that ghoul, well, it's unheard of. All the higher up's who don't accept your plan think you've finally lost it," said Taishi, remaining just as curt as his friend. He continued on the path to their normal restaurant, passing through two sets of lights before Arima deemed that a response was appropriate.
"His name is Haise," replied Arima, "and I find him… interesting."
"Interesting? Is he some sort of experiment to you?"
"In a manner. I just believe that he has… potential."
Taishi could hardly contain his annoyance at the vague statements Arima was making. Instead of responding as he would have in his younger days his let out a deep breath before speaking again. "Potential for what Arima?" He would play along with the game for now if only he could discern some glimpse into the reason that Arima had forgone his orders for extermination in such an off handed manner a month prior.
"I believe this is our turn," Arima stated, his gray eyes still pointedly looking forward.
Taishi swore, making a sharp turn into the parking lot, causing a few cars behind him to beep their horns in aggravation. After finding an empty spot and getting out of the vehicle, the two made their way to the entrance to be greeted by an overly perky hostess. Taishi told her of their reservations and they were led to the booth a quiet corner near the back of the room. Neither unfolded their menu while they waited for their usual waitress to come over with their preferred drinks. A black coffee for Arima and strong tea for Taishi. A quiet surrounded them until their server left, remaining that way only until Arima broke it with his answer.
"To surpass myself."
Taishi nearly choked on his drink. "W-what," he sputtered. It seemed inconceivable that someone, and a ghoul at that, would be able to become more skilled than the man in front of him.
"While fighting he was able to pass my defense, the only person since Lantern who was able to do that."
"Huh," grunted Taishi. The feat must have taken some skill to achieve, either that or overwhelming power. Taishi had of course gone up against the Reaper on numerous occasions, always landing on his back within a minute or less depending on Arima's mood at the time. He had never once managed to land a blow. It was only when Taishi examined Arima's face closely in the dim lighting that he could see a faint white scar on his right cheek. This was the same spot as Lantern's successful strike. Taishi remembered as he had relentlessly teased Arima for wearing a bandage over the wound for a week. "Well what are you going to do with… Haise?"
Arima took another sip of coffee, the steam slightly fogging up his glasses. Taishi had learned the hard way that making fun of the condensation on the lens of the spectacles would get him nothing but pain, in one form or another. Arima took his time once again, savoring the flavor of the beans used in the brew. Patience was the key when dealing with Kishou Arima and few had the qualities necessary to deal with his antics. It was at this moment the waitress delivered their food, sparing Arima another minute before he responded.
"I plan to train him. He'll be coming home to live with me tomorrow."
"Isn't that risky? A ghoul living under your roof, what if it kills someone?"
"You think I can't handle it?" asked Arima with a small smirk.
"Of course you can, you're the God damn Reaper," spoke Taishi angrily, lowering his voice when he noticed a few stares fixed in their direction. "I'm just.. worried. I don't know why you're taking such a gamble." Taishi focused on cutting his steak, mildly embarrassed by his display of emotion.
"Taishi," started Arima, causing Taishi to look up at him. "I have a plan, though your concern is touching."
Taishi looked away once more, a slight blush lightening his skin. He focused intently on his food. The meat was tender and well-seasoned. There was a reason they returned to this restaurant time and again. Arima began to cut his steak as well, using his knife to dice the meat as a surgeon uses a scalpel to dissect delicate tissues. The meal continued in a pleasant lull as the two consumed the rest of their meals. Once the plates were removed they were left with refilled drinks and unspoken thoughts.
"How is Aki doing?" Asked the Reaper, finally breaking the silence.
"Well. She's busy raising our child. She's a wonderful mother," he replied affectionately.
Arima was pleased with his answer. While he rarely saw Taishi's family he always inquired about them, knowing how much they meant to the man.
The two continued their light conversation, talking about their newer cases and the clean-up of the 20th ward. They left the establishment with their cups empty and a large tip on the table. Driving back to the ward Taishi brought up the conversation previously left behind again, approaching it from a different angle. "What's he like?"
Arima needed no further prompting to know who Taishi was referring to. "He's.. quiet. From what I've gathered he seems to be cautious though prone to emotional outbursts. He's… lonely and troubled," Arima concluded.
"Sounds like you'll have your hands full," responded Taishi in a strained tone. While he was worried, he wouldn't bring up his feelings again.
"Yes," simply replied Arima in agreement.
The rest of the drive was quiet with both occupants lost in their own thoughts. After a few blocks they arrived at headquarters where Taishi stopped to let Arima out of the car. After saying their farewells they departed with Arima watching his friend drive off, black car quickly blending into the sea of traffic.
Arima walked back into the building he had left nearly two hours ago, stopping only when he saw a familiar bleached head of hair bobbing over a small cubicle. Unlike Arima, he had not been given a separate office as his place in the CCG had been hardly recognized by his superiors. The space had previously contained numerous papers pined up and connected with string to indicate possible connections between the items. Now the walls lay mostly barren minus the tack holes and a large box which filled up the space.
Arima watched as he worked, taking down the last of the profiles on the land hand side of the cube. He sighed heavily, wincing as he lifted the box up onto his desk. On his left shoulder was a bundle of bandages, hardly noticeable under the camouflage of the CCG trench coat he was wearing. Arima knew what was underneath, however, and how he had come to obtain the wound.
The investigator stopped moving after a moment, feeling the stare of someone on his back. He slowly turned around, brown eyes widening as he took in Arima's lithe form standing near the entrance to his assigned space. "A-Arima, how long have you been standing there?" asked the boy nervously.
"Just a few moments. Are they reassigning you?"
"Yeah, as far away from here as they can, they don't want to take any chance… you know.. with…." The boy trailed off, his face suddenly changing from sunny to cloudy with a chance of rain. "How is he?"
"He knows who he is now, or at least who we've led him to believe he is. I believe he handled it as well as he could have given the circumstances," stoically announced Arima, not allowing the boy in front of him to determine anything other than his words. He didn't need to know about Haise's exact response to the news.
The young investigator nodded. "You'll keep me updated won't you?" Hope flickered brilliantly in his eyes, demanding to be met with a promise,
"Of course. You are, after all, the reason he's still alive."
"I guess," murmured the young adult, doubt entering his expression as he looked at the Reaper. He had seen what the man in front of him had done to his best friend, and while it had stopped his tirade of destruction and madness it had also taken his memories with it. The method used to defeat Kaneki was not exactly civil or humane in his opinion either but what was done was done. The past could not be rewritten, it was only in the future where things could change. At least that's what he tried to tell himself each night before he succumbed to nightmares involving gleaming white teeth, bloodied eyes and a white haired Shinigami.
"Well I better get going. My ride will be here soon." The boy looked around once more at the empty space he had previously occupied before lifting the large box up with only the slightest indication of discomfort. He left the cubicle with Arima moving back to allow him passage. He stopped and looked up at the man. "You'll take care of him, right? He'll be okay?" He asked, needing some form of reassurance that he had done the right thing, that his friend would survive, mentally and physically, whatever the Reaper would put him through.
"I will do my best Nagachika, you have my word," sincerely comforted Arima, putting an ounce more of emotion into his words then he would normally.
"Thank you," Hide said simply before leaving. Arima watched as he journeyed down the hall. He stood more warily then he had before the raid and his eyes were more serious with an air of determination permanently embedded in their depths. His friend hadn't been the only one to be changed by the tides of battle, Arima thought as he returned to his office.
Tomorrow he would bring Haise to his new home. It would mark the first day he would be assigned not to an extermination, but to something requiring more delicacy than the sharp steel of a quinque. He would be providing for someone for the first time, and someone not entirely human at that. Though considered less risky than going against the One-Eyed Owl, Arima still believed that it would be the hardest mission he had ever been assigned. To think that he brought it on himself was laughable but as he sat there he prepared himself for the challenges he would face and the consequences they would bring.
Yes, Hide is alive and working in the CCG. I think I might have a future chapter based on what happened in the sewer and thereafter to explain exactly what happened to allow Kaneki's survival if that's alright with everyone. Thanks for reading!
