"Haise. Haise, wake up."

Haise opened his eyes to what could conceivably be considered a nightmare. He was sitting in a chair in the middle of a room with a large domed ceiling. A mixture of leather straps and shackles restrained his movement as he looked around. The floor was checkered, black and white squares interlocking hypnotically across the broad expanse of the room. Red blotches coated the floor, the source of which he refused to think about.

"Oh good, you're awake."

Haise frantically turned his head, trying to discern where the disembodied voice was coming from. Fingers bit into his shoulders from behind with enough force to make him wince in pain. He looked down and found pale hands adorned with black nails gripping him. "Who are you?" Haise asked nervously.

"You know who I am," replied the stranger in a harsh voice, still holding his shoulders with vice like fingers. "The more important question is do you want to remember."

Haise was confused. The voice sounded vaguely familiar. His head started pulsing with some repressed memory. "Show yourself," Haise demanded.
"As you wish."

The hands removed themselves from his now aching shoulders. He could hear quiet footsteps as whoever it was stepped away from him. He just had time to glimpse the figure in his peripheral before the vision shattered.


Haise sat straight up in bed, a coating of sweat covered his body and sent shivers down his spine. He looked at the clock on the bedside table, squinting to read the blurry numbers as they slowly came into focus to form 0623 in a luminescent red. He could smell something delectable coming from the kitchen and swung his legs out of the bed to find the source. As his left foot hit the carpet he felt a slight disturbance as something was jostled by his movement. Reaching down to pull up his pant leg he found an anklet filled with a maroon liquid.

Haise reached down to probe the strange device but found that it was practically seamless and much harder than he had anticipated. He couldn't remember it being there prior to falling asleep so it must have been Arima's doing. He'd have to ask him about it.
Arima was already sitting at the table, a newspaper in front of him as Haise entered the room. He glanced up as Sasaki stumbled into the kitchen. The boy's white hair was tousled from sleep and he had dark circles under his eyes. It appeared that he wasn't the only one in the apartment who struggled with sleep anymore.

"Would you like some coffee?" He asked, gesturing to the coffee press.

"Is that what smells good?"

Arima went back to reading the newspaper. "Not all human food is off limit to you. Ghouls seem to have a certain tolerance to coffee, one of the few things in common we seem to be able to enjoy equally."

Haise looked quizzically at the Reaper but the overwhelming scent of the coffee was beckoning him forward. He found a mug had already been set out for him and poured himself a small amount, still hesitant of the chestnut-colored brew in case his nose was deceiving him. He took a small sip at the expense of a few tastebuds but found that it was indeed palatable, even delicious. He poured himself a full cup and joined Arima at the table.

They remained in silence with the occasional sips of coffee and the rustle of the newspaper piercing the quiet ambience until Arima finished perusing the paper. He folded his newspaper and looked over at his charge, folding his hands on the table. The boy still looked tired and was pretending to busy himself by inspecting the kitchen instead of staring at his mentor.

"How did you sleep Haise?"

"Alright," came the quiet response as Sasaki glanced down into the now empty mug. "I had a weird dream…" he trailed off, looking up.

Arima looked back steadily, a question hidden in his gaze. He wouldn't pressure Haise to reveal what had transpired while he slept. Arima had his own demons that still crept into his dreams, though no one would ever suspect that the Reaper could be haunted by anything.

"We'll need to get you some new clothes," was his only response as he once-overed the boy's rumpled outfit. "You'll need to look respectable when we go to headquarters. You'll be representing me and it would be best to make a good first impression."

"H-Headquarters?" Haise stumbled over the words. The only thing he knew about the CCG was that they killed ghouls, like him. He still didn't completely comprehend the fact that he was supposed to kill them. Weren't they people too?
Arima surveyed Haise's panicked expression placidly. "Eventually. You'll have to undergo training first."

Haise visibly slumped in relief at this. He knew he'd have to enter the headquarters eventually but if it could be put off he would gladly revisit the subject another day.

"Arima?"

"Yes?" Responded the Reaper, looking at Haise above steepled fingers.

"What is this?" Sasaki gestured down towards his left leg.

"It's a tracking device. We can't leave you unsupervised yet until you've gained the trust of our higher ups. And in case anything gets out of hand it has an Rc suppressor in it that would knock you unconscious if the need arises. Not that I suspect any trouble but one can never be too careful."

Haise looked down, a flush breaking through his pale visage. He couldn't imagine that it would be needed and was embarrassed for its necessity but didn't argue.

"Go get ready, I left an outfit for you in the closet. There are eyepatches in the cabinet above the sink. You'll have to use them until you can control your eye." With that, Arima collected the cups from the table and turned his back on Sasaki.

Haise quickly showered and got dressed. The clothes were a surprisingly good fit. The eyepatch was uncomfortable and made him feel vulnerable but he knew there was a good reason for it.

They left, Arima wearing a business casual suit with his ever-present briefcase, and quickly arrived at an upper end clothing store. The sales people greeted Arima warmly, it was clear he was a regular customer. They wondered apart to browse. Haise picked up a finely made shirt and glanced at the price tag before quickly replacing it. Arima noticed and approached him, not batting an eye at the figure on the tag.

"Arima, I don't have money, I can't buy any of this."

"You'll be able to afford it once you've been indoctrinated. Until then we'll just consider it a gift. You'll earn it in time," replied Arima, sizing Haise up and gathering up few pieces from the racks.

After they selected a few outfits worth they next ventured to a sporting goods store where shorts and sweat wicking shirts were added to the growing pile of Haise's wardrobe.

Sasaki was mindlessly rummaging through the racks when he smelled something sweet in the air. He looked up and found the source. An attractive woman with long brown hair was standing in the aisle across from him. She was staring, almost hungrily, at a man looking through a cage of basketballs.

Haise's gaze was unwillingly stuck on her as Arima came up behind him and inspected the situation as well. "Good eye Haise, you're already earning your keep."

Sasaki looked up questioningly. It then hit him and his eyes widened in shock. "She's a…" He trailed off as Arima glanced knowingly at him. Haise looked back at the women who was trailing the man as he traversed through the aisles.

"What do we do now?" Haise asked, suddenly nervous.

"We don't do anything," Arima responded, a hint of disappointment lightly souring his tone while his hand gripped the handle of the silver case he held imperceptibly tighter. "I'll notify headquarters and they'll take care of it. She won't do anything yet so there's no need for action. We'll keep an eye on the situation until they get here."

Sasaki nodded hesitantly as Arima typed something unseen into his phone. He was feeling a little nauseous at the thought of having doomed this person. What if he was wrong? He looked back up and still found that her eyes were solidly fixed on the man who was getting ready to leave the store.

Arima led them to the checkout and purchased the clothes while Haise kept glancing up at the situation at hand. He was startled to find that both the man and women had disappeared. He searched and saw a swish of hair disappear towards the back of the store near the exit.

"Arima," Haise started, panic making his voice go up a pitch. "They're.."

"Thank you," Arima told the cashier before steering Haise towards the exit where the ghoul and the unsuspecting man had just disappeared.

"It seems like luck isn't in our favor today. Just stay back Haise and I'll take care of it." He handed the bags to Haise, quickly unlocking the first latch of his brief case with his fingers hovering over the second, ready to engage his quinque when the time was right.

Sasaki squinted as his eyes adjusted to the afternoon light, leaving the noises of the store behind. The parking lot was mostly empty and it looked like the pair had vanished. Haise listened for them, finding that he could hear their conversation while he pointed the way towards them for Arima who nodded in agreement.

He led the way towards the back of the building where tractor trailers where parked in bays waiting to be unloaded.

"Thank you again for your help," the women started as she led the man in between two of the bays.

"Man, why would you park all the way out here?" The man said with disdain.

"My car broke down and I thought it wouldn't get towed back here."

"Well good thing you found me, I know a thing or two about cars," stated the man, and Haise could just make out the brag in his tone.

Arima and Haise were close, still holding back so that the ghoul wouldn't notice them. They had just disappeared when Arima clicked open the last hatch, the suitcase bursting open and the quinque fully expanding in Arima's hand.

The lance fit into Arima's hand in a comfortable familiarity. Arima gestured for Haise to wait and followed the ghoul and her would be victim around the corner. Haise heard a scream and ran around the corner to find that it was over before it had begun.

The man was sprawled on the ground, staring in terror at the limp, reaching body of the women. Her eyes were black and lifeless with blood trickling out of one corner of her mouth. A large hole could be discerned in the middle of her chest through blood-soaked clothes.

Arima wiped off his quinque with a rag and placed it back in the case. Sasaki watched curiously as it dismantled itself to fit neatly back inside. He tried to avoid looking at the women but his eyes were drawn to her. Haise couldn't remember killing anything before and certainly not a conscious being. His stomach heaved and he turned from the scene, bile creeping up the back of his throat. He clenched his eyes shut and jumped when he felt Arima gently touch his shoulder.

"It's over now Haise, you'll need to get used to it," Arima said simply as he went to question the man who was still looking in horror at the body.

Haise took a breath and got himself under control once more. He could do this. He didn't have a choice, not if he wanted to live. He shuddered at the thought but forced himself to look over at the newly deceased ghoul. He promised himself that he would be efficient and quick like Arima who had in mere seconds dispatched the ghoul. There was no need to cause more suffering and pain than what was required.

Haise could hear sirens as the CCG back up finally arrived. The van screeched to a halt in front of them and two inspectors leapt from the car, quinques engaging as they cleared the doors.

"You're late," Arima said much to the chagrin of the delayed investigators. "I assume you can take care of this situation." He gestured to the man who was now whimpering pathetically and struggling to move further back as the stream of blood slowly seeped towards him.

The two inspectors disengaged their weapons with embarrassed expressions and went to gather up the body of the ghoul and comfort the man.

"Let's go Haise," softly commanded Arima as he turned to go back to their car.

The ride back to the apartment was quiet. Haise kept nervously sneaking glances at the man who had prevented him from having the same fate as the ghoul. He was both awed and frightened of the prowess displayed by Arima and was slowly learning that perhaps there was a reason he was known under the alias Reaper.

"You handled yourself well Haise. I know it can't be an easy adjustment."

Haise could only nod in response, trying to keep his eyes focused on the road ahead. He felt guilt eating at him though he knew that at least one person had been saved, and numerous future victims if one could include them.

Arima could understand his silence. He had trained many investigators in his time but Sasaki was different. He was half ghoul himself, true, but more than that he lacked the dark past memories of ghoul encounters that continued to follow most investigators and served as their primary motivation for joining. He could only hope that by seeing a potential victim that he would come to realize the precarious balance that existed between the two worlds of humans and ghouls. If he couldn't get past his reservations Haise wouldn't leave him with many options.

"We'll take the rest of the day off and start training tomorrow," Arima stated without room for compromise.

Sasaki nodded again and chose to remain content with his own thoughts. The drive home passed and they soon pulled into the driveway. Together they unloaded the car and entered the quiet oasis of Arima's home.

Tags were removed and clothes that were to be dry cleaned were put aside. Arima left Haise to wash his clothes and prepared a small lunch for himself. When Arima finished eating and cleaning up he went back to the living room. He found Haise reading a book on the couch and squinting as he held it closely to his face.

"Are you having trouble reading Haise?"

Haise looked up, a blush staining his cheeks. "A little," he admitted shyly, placing the book down in his lap.

"I'll arrange an appointment at the optometrist. As a rank three investigator you'll be expected to read case files frequently plus all the other paperwork you'll need to fill out for you superiors. Not to mention the handbook that you'll need to study to pass the entrance exams."

"Thank you Arima, for everything," Haise said with a small smile.

"You're welcome Haise," Arima said with a small smile in return. It wasn't often he was thanked, not that he expected any gratitude. "How are you feeling about what happened today?"

Haise hesitated before answering. "I'm sad that the ghoul had to die but I know that it was the right thing to do in order to save that man. I know that it's something I'll have to do as an investigator and I'm willing to stop ghouls in order to save more lives," he finished with conviction.

Arima noticed he hadn't used the word kill but let it go for now. He would deal with that when the time came. Arima nodded and sat on the other side of the couch, picking up his own book from the end table.

They remained in their respective positions until the light outside the windows faded and Arima decided it was time for dinner. Haise joined him at the table but didn't eat, merely drinking a cup of coffee. They finished, Haise quickly scooping up the dishes and washing them before Arima had the chance. He joined Arima on the couch and the two read until late, parting in the hall to their separate bedrooms for the night.

Haise stared at the ceiling unseeingly. He could still hear the echoes of the scream from the ghoul earlier replaying repetitively in his ears. It was a long time before he was able to fall asleep. What seemed like just a few short hours later he felt himself being shaken awake with Arima standing over him.

"Time to get up Haise, today your training begins."