A/N: I would first like to say that I apologize for the very long wait for this chapter. I honestly didn't realize that it had been almost three years since i last published anything. I had written about half of this chapter two or so years ago but somewhere along the way I lost interest and had a serious case of writer's block. However, with the release of the Tokyo Ghoul: Re anime I regained my interest and hope to update at least monthly, though I've learned that I shouldn't make these kinds of promises. I do have several ideas for the next couple chapters though I'm not sure how long this fic will be. With all that being said, I hope you enjoy and please give me feedback, as I mentioned it has been a while haha. Also, any ideas for future chapters or characters that you would like to see included would lovely.
Arima woke to the blare of his alarm clock, this being the first time it had gone off in over a month. Normally his circadian rhythm woke him just before the sunrise but with today being out of the ordinary, he wasn't surprised. The situation must be making him more tired than usual. Calmly reaching out to turn off the obnoxious sound he ends its relentless humming with a simple click.
He laid in bed for a few moments more before scrounging up the courage to free himself from his warm bedsheets. Putting on his glasses he made the bed and went to brew a cup of coffee in the kitchen. He relaxed his mind as he went about the task. Normally he would have numerous trains of thought chugging through his mind the minute he reached consciousness but today was different and he allowed himself the moment of reprieve while the coffee simmered away.
His body moved automatically through the motions of preparing breakfast. He pulled out a few herbs, each serving their own purpose in seasoning his meal. He retrieved milk, eggs and vegetables. Chopping up peppers, onions and mushrooms, he began to mix up the ingredients, drinking from the now finished cup of coffee as he did so.
He ate the finished meal delicately, savoring each morsel before he chewed and swallowed. Soon another would join him at this table, one who didn't need food to survive. Arima wondered what it would be like but he didn't ponder too deeply. He would find out soon enough after all.
He got up and washed the dishes, putting them out to dry when he finished. Going to the bathroom he finished his morning routine, shedding his pajamas, washing his face and brushing his teeth. He looked dolefully back at his reflection, going through the motions with boredom. He really hadn't changed much in years and the same serious face greeted him when he looked at his reflection. Going back to the bedroom he got dressed in jogging shorts and a t-shirt. He put on pristine sneakers and left his apartment, locking the door behind him as he went.
At this time in the morning the traffic was light, come even an hour later and he would be struggling through a crowd of strangers. He ran down the street in the early light of the in-coming dawn with a smattering of street lights. His mind was free as he focused on the breath in his lungs and the pounding of his feet against the cement. He continued down his beaten path consisting of eight kilometers, never stopping to catch his breath as he strode on in his easy and accustomed gait. Arima finally slowed down as he reached the final bend in his course, coming full circle back to his apartment complex.
Unlocking his apartment he entered before changing into dress pants, a button up and simple black tie before rinsing the sweat off his face. The large living room held two doors which led into adjacent bedrooms. Each had its own bathroom for convenience. Arima opened the door to the spare, inspecting the place Haise would sleep before going to retrieve him from the hospital.
The room remained as it always was, neat and clearly unused. The comforter remained creaseless and unruffled. No clothes were found in the laundry basket nor confined in the drawers of the dresser. The closest was devoid of articles as well. The only sign of life was the full bookshelf, filled with Arima's vast collection of titles. They ranged from classic to horror, with everything in between. With luck, Haise would be able to find a source of entertainment in their pages while Arima was working. It was unlikely the CCG would allow the young adult to enter its halls until he was proven to be competent in dealing with humans, able to replicate their actions and respond in kind. Haise's identity was to remain secret, only those of Special Associate Class or higher, with a few exceptions, knew of his ghoul side, at least for now.
Arima considered all of this as he left, closing the door behind him. He opened the curtains in the living room to make the place more welcoming to the boy, putting more effort into creating a livable space than he had ever previously done before. Looking around once more he left to bring Haise home.
The drive to the hospital was short, the traffic moderate for once at eight in the morning. Arima found a parking spot in a garage close to the entrance. He opened the door and entered the small facility. The nurse at the desk greeted him with a clipboard. The release forms were neatly secured. Arima read through them, noting the confidential stamp that highlighted the conditions of Haise's release. As expected, it would seem the CCG was taking every precaution possible. Finished reading, Arima signed his name at the bottom. Handing it back to the nurse he resigned himself to what waited ahead.
The walk down the hall was quiet, the flow of doctors and nurses lax at this time in the morning. The path was by now familiar to Arima and he reached the door in record time. As it opened he first noticed the empty bed, blankets pulled back and the bedsheets crumpled. Haise stood pacing in the middle of the room. He wore casual clothes instead of his regular garb of pale pastel hospital gowns. The white shirt and black pants did little to make him look completely normal. His nails were still black and his hair still stark white. Perhaps he was pacing in anxiety or maybe in frustration but he stopped a few seconds after Arima entered the room. A small smile replaced his frown when he recognized his visitor.
"Hello Arima," greeted Haise softly.
"Haise," Arima noted with a nod. It was good to see the boy out of bed for once, even if he wasn't entirely as carefree as he would have Arima believe. They observed each other for a moment before the door opened again, startling Haise visibly. Dr. Shiba, who had been placed as Haise's care provider due to his extensive knowledge on ghouls, walked in.
"Oh Arima, I'm glad you're here. I wanted to speak to you before you left. Hello Sasaki."
Sasaki nodded solemnly. He had seen the doctor a few times since regaining consciousness. He had always treated him courteously, holding small conversations with him unlike the nurses who looked upon their duty as his caretaker with a minutely noticeable air of disdain. This time, however, he ignored Haise's presence aside from his small acknowledgment.
"Arima, there are a few things I wanted to go over with you before discharging Mr. Sasaki. Would you mind following me outside for a moment?"
Arima nodded and followed the man outside, whereupon they stood in the empty hall. Shiba looked up at Arima and began. "It seems Haise has refused to eat his meal today. He seems to be repulsed by the idea of eating anything human and he requested something else instead. Of course he found it… unpalatable. This may be a problem in the future and something you'll need to look out for. We'd like to keep him well fed to avoid any… accidents. Most ghouls can live off a body for a month or two, as you know. But in this case we have no prior knowledge towards the eating habits of half ghouls so we'll adjust as you see fit. It would be unfortunate if anything were to happen in a hungry stupor."
Arima nodded again in agreement.
"Secondly there is the issue of his Rc cells. They have been spiking since we reduced the amount of suppressants. It's really quite extraordinary. While they were certainly higher than a human's with the full amount of suppressants, they've spiked significantly higher over these past days with the decrease. I would like to monitor them closely if I could."
From the pocket of his lab coat, Dr. Shiba held up a device shaped like a diabetic blood sugar meter. "This device is capable of taking blood samples from ghouls. If you could take a sample every eight hours for a week and record them we can get a better idea of his normal levels. This might alert us if something abnormal occurs in the future. His body chemistry will be different then a full-fledged ghoul's and thus rather mysterious. The data should prove useful in the development of future projects. Aside from this I would also like to set up monthly appointments."
"Sounds reasonable," supplied Arima. He found the two conditions simple enough. While Haise's reluctance to eat might cause problems, Arima was convinced that the boy could be taught to accept, on some level, the hybrid he had become.
Finally, the doctor handed Arima a small device that appeared to be an anklet with flashing red lights and a chamber filled with red liquid. "And the item you requested. It has been tested and approved to do what needs to be done should anything happen to cause Mr. Sasaki to become unstable. Thus far there is no reason to be concerned but I approve of your caution. It will send an alarm to you if the need to be used should arise. Let us hope that this will not be the case."
Arima scrutinized the device carefully. Should Haise lose control and his Rc levels spike, suppressants would be injected into his body, causing him to lose consciousness within seconds. The GPS signal installed into the unit would allow Arima to keep track of his charge while he was at the office. After his inspection Arima nodded. "This will do, thank you."
"Very well. You can contact me here if you have any questions or notice any strange behavior. Good luck." Dr. Shiba placed a strong, comforting grip on Arima's shoulder before departing down the hall.
Arima watched as the doctor walked down the hall and disappeared around a corner. Arima was left standing outside the door to his charge's room holding the device. Entering the key code again he entered the room where Haise was curiously looking at him.
"Do you have everything you need?" Asked Arima. Sasaki looked around and nodded. He had no possessions and was ready to embrace his new role with nothing to his name. Arima nodded and left the room, leaving Haise to follow in his wake.
For the first time since regaining his vision Haise was led down the halls of the hospital and was able to survey the place with his own eyes. There was a stark cleanliness about the place and a pervading smell of antiseptic. Many of the room were empty and the halls echoed with the clack of his and Arima's heels on the ceramic tiles. Underneath the hospital smell was a faint odor of blood that caused Haise's stomach to inadvertently gurgle. Arima looked down at him, causing Haise to blush in response. It would seem that this problem would have to be dealt with sooner rather than later, thought Arima.
The two finally reached the exit to the hospital and arrived at the parking garage where Arima's nondescript black car was waiting. Unlocking the doors he waited until Haise got in the car before getting in himself. Arima started the car and backed out of the spot. He drove cautiously around the bends of the garage before exiting to the city beyond.
Out of the corner of his eye Arima could see Haise's eyes widening in surprise. While it was true that the city could be overwhelmingly breathtaking at times it was also a place of overpopulation and noise, two things Arima didn't care much for. While Haise took in the sights Arima turned up the dial on the radio for background noise. It was one of the few pleasures he took in life. It also effectively blocked out some of the sounds of the horns blaring and subwoofers throbbing from the other cars around them.
Haise took this as a sign to keep quiet but he couldn't help himself. "Um, Arima?"
"Yes?" Arima questioned, slightly turning the volume down to a manageable conversation level.
"Where are we going?"
Arima paused for a moment before answering. "To my apartment. You will live with me until I see fit for the CCG to assign you to private living quarters."
"Oh," Haise replied, looking back out the window. Arima, knowing that something else was bothering Haise kept the volume of the radio down and focused on driving. He was not used to having company while driving and found it a bit unnerving though the sentiment refused to show itself on his face.
"Arima?" Supplied Haise again, looking nervously back up at him. Arima continued to watch the road ahead while waiting for Haise to gather up the courage to ask his next question. "Isn't it dangerous to have a… ghoul living with you?"
"In most cases, yes, it is unheard of. Do you think that that you pose a danger?"
Something about the way Arima said danger sent a shiver through Sasaki's spine. He couldn't yet comprehend why but he had a feeling that Arima would be able to handle a ghoul as one would a pest or some other minor inconvenience. "No?"
Arima took his eyes off the road for a moment to look at Haise. His expression gave nothing away as he responded "Don't underestimate yourself Haise. Ghouls possess more speed and stamina than a human could dare hope for. They are able to heal in seconds depending on the injury. A hungry ghoul will kill without hesitation." Arima looked back at the road. "However, if anything should happen, I will take care of it."
The faint threat lingered in the air. An uncomfortable silence filled the atmosphere of the car until they finally reached Arima's apartment. Getting out of the car, the pair walked up the short path to the front door. Haise waited a pace behind while Arima unlocked the door.
"Welcome home Haise," said Arima as he opened the door wider to allow Haise to enter. Arima closed the door behind them and locked it with a slight sense of foreboding. It seemed that things would change in his quiet apartment, though for better or worse he could not yet determine.
