Tokyo Ghoul AR
Chapter 2:
"Hide... Have you ever read any of Kafka's novels?" A slightly raspy voice rang out through the room, piercing the silence. Kaneki Ken sat with his hands between his knees and a lifeless expression on his pale skin. After a few seconds of waiting, Kaneki looked up weakly, a frown etched onto his face.
"In Kafka's most famous novel, there plot is about a young man who turns into an enormous insect."
Hide was sitting opposite Kaneki in the room, his eyes closed and his hands on his knees. Like his best friend, his skin was almost as pale as paper, his mouth quivering slightly. His strawberry blonde hair lay flatly on his head, the color visibly more dull.
"I read that story in 8th Grade..." Kaneki said dryly, his hands slowly gripping his jeans, causing his pale knuckles to turn stark white. Hide's nervously looked over at the bowl of rice on his kitchen table, his emethyst eyes trembling. The nervous teen slowly approached the bowl, digging the silver spoon into the large clump of food.
"At the time, I thought, "What would I do if I turned into an insect..."." Kaneki chuckled dryly, before his small grin turned into a quivering frown. Hide lifted the spoon up to his mouth, the metal visibly quaking. "It was something of a dark musing of mine..." The black haired boy muttered under his breath, just as Hide shoved the spoon into his mouth.
Gulp...
….
…...
"BllUuuRRgghhh!" Only a few seconds later, Hide had gotten up and ran into the closest bathroom, before the food made a reappearance, flowing out of Hide's throat and into the toilet. Several more repeappearances occurred before Hide sulked back into the Kitchen and dropped to the floor in exhaustion.
"K... Kaneki..." Hide gasped harshly, his vile inner liquids dripping from the corner of his mouth. Kaneki looked over at his bestfriend with eyes that were dead on the inside. "Rice... It tastes like pig guts." Hide said with a deadpan expression on his face. He wiped the vile off his face with the sleeve of his shirt.
"What are we?"
…...
…...
…...
The TV's volume blazed out quickly startling the two teens. However, neither had the energy to turn their heads to look.
** Due to the predatory Ghoul incident that happened near the Takada Building, people are unable to hide their unease at the thought that the city of Tokyo is being attacked.*
Hide slowly tilted his head and looked at the screen. His almost was almost in a perfect straight line and he felt a churning in his stomach. Where they that oblivious? As Hide watched the screen, it switched to a man with a large mustache and a confident look on his face.
**Today we have an expert from the Ghoul Research Division. His name is Dr. Ogura. He came to give us more information.**
**Ghouls, you know, do not need to consume a large number of meals in the short term. They can survive perfectly well for a month or two on one dead body... But there are many Ghouls who eat a number of People like this for pleasure. These are nasty creatures.**
** Now, it may be that the Ghoul is afraid of the investigation department and is hiding itself. Normally, Ghouls lead their lives among us in human-shape.**
"Oh..." Kaneki blurted out loud, his eyes downcast and his hair sweeping over his eyes. 'That would explain it... Rize-Chan was a gluten.' Kaneki realized mentally, his face not showing any outwards appearance. 'And from what Hide said, so was her brother.'
Hide's face went cherry red and his teeth began to grit against each other. 'I was almost eaten by a gluten Ghoul just for pleasure...' Hide clenched his fists together and his knuckles went white under the pressure. Disgusting...
**Can't Ghouls be satisfied with ordinary food?**
**You're in that seat and yet you know nothing... Ghouls are unable to digest any nutrients of non-human origin. This is said to be the result of a particular enzyme they have. Furthermore, because the structure of their tongues is different from our own. Food feels very uncomfortable for them...**
Kaneki and Hide's heads snapped up quickly and they made eye contact. They both had looks of distraught etched into their face. It couldn't be... Could they? Two identical rumbles erupted throughout the room, both boys stomach's violently growling.
**Salad tastes unripe, and meat and fish taste disgusting, it seems... In front of people they may be able to eat and endure it but...**
**After eating they are struck with a powerful urge to vomit.**
Kaneki was the first to move and he leapt up onto his feet, almost slipping over over his own bare legs. He ran quickly into the kitchen, his face in clear despair. As soon as he got to the fridge, he swung it open and reached in, pulling out a carton of milk and slamming it down on the table. As he reached with his free hand the uncap it, he found that it was shaking madly. Before he could grab the lid, he felt a quivering hand on his shoulder.
"Kaneki..." Hide's tired voice called out to his friend, causing him to shudder. He had almost forgot that Hide was there. It was if this all way a dream. "The surgery... It did something to our body..." Hide declared weakly, and if Kaneki had looked over, he would have seen a deep frown on his face.
"Did the suRgery... Turn us into...?" Kaneki mumbled raspy, his voice like a thin line. It was completely shattered and dead. Both of their lives had been flipped and twisted into madness in one night. Hide gulped loudly, before he gritted his teeth together hard. A burning sensation made it's way into his heart and he slammed his eyes shut in denial.
"Ghouls!"
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"You're showing a lot of leg." An old scruffy voice exploded through a seemingly empty alleyway. The night sky hung low in the sky, the stars lightning up the streets of Tokyo. The full moon watched passively from the skies, it's shining surface clearly seen from the surface of the Earth.
"Hey!" A young girl's furious voice shouted from the same alley. The girl was tugging weakly on her own wrist, her fingers prying at the perverted old man's hands. He was holding her tightly to his body, and she could smell the disgusting odour pouring out of him.
He looked to from around the area and his mouth was twisted upwards into a perverse grin. From what it looked like, he had the complete uperhand in the strength stuggle. In his mind, he was right about to get just what he wanted from this poor little girl.
"Why won't you come wit-"
"Touka-Chan!"
Touka tilted her head to the side to look at whoever was calling her name so desperately. A bead of sweat rolled down the side of her petite young face. Two figures came running down the alleyway, heading towards Touka and the perverted man. The one on the left had bright strawberry blonde hair and the other had flat charcoal black hair.
"Huh?" Touka exclaimed, a look of shock plastered on her face. It was also a look of slight disbelief. She couldn't get a good look at their faces but she was almost sure that she hadn't seen them before. Maybe they were customers at the cafe? Suddenly, she felt the grip on her hand loosen and she gasped, looking down.
On the floor infront of her, the same strawberry haired teen was on top of the old man. Hide growled ferociously down at the man, his teeth beering angrily. Half of his face was covered in shadows while the other was clearly revealed, showing his bright eyes and furious expressions. His right hand was clasped rightly around the perverted man's wrists.
"How dare you!?" Hide growled, his expressions intensifying dramatically. He leaned in closer to the man's face, the other side of his face being revealed. His crimson eye was revealed instantly, along with the cloud of darkness around it. Cracks racked down from his single Kakugan, etching down his face and all the way to his neck. He was hungry.
Starving...
Kaneki had his both of his hands anchored to his knees, sweat rolling down his face like bullets. As soon as they heard a cry of distress, Hide had forced him to run along with him. Hide had always been faster then Kaneki, but it seemed very different now. He ran at insane speeds, inhumam even.
When Kaneki's eyes had landed on Touka's body, his mouth tightened and went into a straight line. He gulped down and winced as the saliva traveled down his dry throat. His eyes trailed from her face down to her waist. It looked so... good. And then he went down to her legs and his mouth began to quiver violently.
'Those soft looking legs... A little fat... And that slender waist. With organs stuffed inside!'
Kaneki was snapped out of his thoughts by the sound of a petrified scream piercing the night sky. He looked over at the source of the noise and his eyes widened considerably. His bestfriend was in front of him, laying on the floor with a maniac look on his face. Hide's pale hands were drilled into the deceased man's chest and after a few carefully tugs, Hide had a large chunk of meat between his fingers. Bloody and...
Delicous.
While all of this happened, Touka stood there with a bewildered look on her face. It was only then that she remembered the two unfortunate teenagers. They had been in the cafe a few weeks agos. But last thing she remembered was that Rize and Fall had tricked and manipulated them, and then the two binge eaters had both been declared dead.
'Shouldn't they be dead? And even if they survived, why are they about to eat human meat?'
After a few moments of being frozen, Touka sighed out of her mouth, before kneeling down and gripping the deceased man's arm. She raised her foot and placed it on the old man's shoulder blade, before tugging hard enough to sever to arm right out of the socket. Blood sprayed out everywhere, a shower of blood coating Kaneki's face and Hide's clothes.
"I don't preferably eat old man meat. It's disgusting." Touka said blankly, turning to look at Kaneki. She had noticed that he hadn't moved to take some of the meat yet. "But your friend just killed this guy and you look pretty hungry. Do you want some?" Touka asked Kaneki, extending the hand out to him.
Blood ran down the side of the arm and onto the fingers, before droplets of the scarlet liquid dropped to the ground at Kaneki's feet. Kaneki licked his lips and the scarlet cracks at the side of his face increased in size and quantity, spreading all the way across his face.
"So do you want some of this or not?" Touka asked Kaneki, putting one of her hands into her pockets comfortably. "If not, I can just take it back to the Cafe..." Touka grumbled, slightly annoyed that the black haired boy wouldn't reply to her.
Kaneki snapped out of his starvation and he began to pant loudly. He looked up at Touka and his eyes widened in shock. This girl... She was a Ghoul this whole time?! His stomach grumbled loudly and he began to quake. He was so hungry... It was unbearable..
The black haired teen turned his head to look at the corpse of the old man. Or more specifically, the strawberry blonde haired boy crouched on top of it and the sprays of blood he could see spraying the brick walls with crimson liquids. Hide... Hide was eating...?
"Hm... Only one of their eyes are red... That's kind of weird..." Touka mused, her mind spiralling through possibilites. She had heard of the One Eyed Owl from rumors and such but it was purely myth that had existed for years now. One Eyed Ghouls were legends that were made to scare both species, she believed.
But she was sure that these two were human just a few weeks ago...
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After the first gulp, Hide had been transported to a heaven on Earth that consumed everything around him. He couldn't even heard anyone around him, or the erratic chewing and gulping of meat that was vibrating from his throat. This was simply amazing.
Hide's bloody fingers scooped into the man's stomach and they snaked around a very warm and long organ. Hide began to pull it out like a bloody rope.
Squelch!
Hide lifted the intestines of the man up into the air, and felt the spraying of blood dripping from the organs. His mouth opened subconsiously and his tounge extended out of his mouth, and he caught a dropplet of the blood.
Perfect!
Hide's body visibly shook violently, the body underneath his legs tearing apart under the shaking and the weight. Hide's eyes snapped open and the cracks on the side of his face exploded outwards and down his cheek. Pleasure shot through his body in short bursts, and Hide began to breath heavily. He slowly lowered the intestines into his throat, before biting down on the organ, spraying hot blood all over his body.
"Aaahhhhh..."
Gulp.
Hide leaned backwards and glared up into the night sky, blood staining his face and hair. This wasn't right... Human's don't eat other humans... But then maybe... Maybe he wasn't human at all... Yes, that was right. No human could eat another human and enjoy it like he just did. Hide's face went blank for a moment and his arms went limp at his side.
"I am... A Ghoul..."
Hide's voice had caused Kaneki to bow his head in defeat. This... Couldn't be right. Why was Hide saying that he was a Ghoul? Kaneki's hands began to tremble and he reached upwards slowly, grasping the bloody arm in Touka's hand. If Hide had to live with the burden of eating a Human, then Kaneki wasn't going to let his friend go into that well of darkness alone.
Kaneki yanked the arm from Touka and opened his mouth considerably, before sinking his teeth into the old man's arm. Blood ran down Kaneki's mouth and down his chin, before Kaneki tore a chunk of meat from the man's arm. Blood spirraled around Kaneki's mouth, caressing his taste buds and then going down his throat.
Pleasure quaked through Kaneki's body and he took a very deep breath through his nose, before his throat loosened and he swallowed the chunk of meat in one gulp. Kaneki's Kakugan flared a bright crimson and he moaned loudly, his face lightening up and a small contrasting frown appearing on his face.
Better then any human food I can remember...
"From what I have observed, and from those eyes.. You two were originally humans and now you're both Ghouls? Hmph..." Touka said blankly, only a wisp on interest in her voice. The bang on her face shifted across her face slightly, revealing her other eye for a split second.
"The closest thing I can have to human food is Coffee... Teach me, former humans... What does cake really taste like?" Touka asked calmly. Both of the former human's attention switched to Touka and stuck with her. "It's so disgusting it makes me want to puke, so I don't really know... But humans seem to eat it like it's good, don't they?" Touka asked rhetorically, a slight anger rising in her voice.
"How was your life not being hunter by anyone? Your days spent not having to live in fear of the Ghoul Investigation Department or other Ghouls gone insane?" Touka asked, her voice flaring with anger. She glare down at them as shadows covered her face. "TELL ME!"
A long impregnated silence ensued...
Scuffle...
Touka's eyes snapped over to her left, and she caught sight of Hide. He was standing up onto his feet, an unreadable look on his face. Dark and ominous shadows clouded his expression. When he was balanced properly, he looked up at Touka and a small, charming smile was etched across his face.
"If you help us understand just exactly what we've turned into, I'm sure I can help you with anything..." Hide declared, a confident look on his face. Kaneki also stood up, a gloomy look on his face. Crimson blood dripped down both of their mouths and down their necks.
"Tsk..."
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"Watch your step..."
Hide's face was emotionless as he walked through the lively facility. His blood stained luminescent jacket was now neatly folded and under his arm. All of the lights around him were dimming as they walked. He had remembered this place, and he was sure that Kaneki remembered it too.
Anteiku...
Kaneki's dark eyes were glued to the ceramic floor underneath his feet. A deep frown was present on his face and a deep gurgling in his stomach caused him to quiver on the outside. He had eaten a human hand. Just the thought of the incident gave him the overwhelming urge to throw up in his mouth. And now they were in the cafe where it all began.
Touka walked ahead of them both, her footsteps echoing loudly. She had a casual expression on her face, strangely enough for the two teens watching. After such a bizzard event, both of their emotions were scrambled but she seemed just fine. Was this everyday for her?
As they all walked in silence, Hide's eyes fell onto the owner of the extra pair of footsteps. This person was considerably older then all three of them and he was wearing a brown leather jacket that went down to his feet. Although he had his back turned to Hide, he could almost tell he had a smile on his face.
It didn't take long from when Hide saw the old man for him to realize that he was the owner of the Cafe. The same styled haircut and the friendly smile was all too familiar Kaneki had also noticed it instantly, and it only gave him more questions that needed answers.
"Let's give you two packages for now." The old man said slowly. The group stopped and turned to their left, all of them now facing a large stainless steel refrigerator. The manager reached forward and pulled it open, a blast of delicious fragrances pouring out. Along with the smell, the sight of scarlet blood and fleshy parts hanging from racks could be seen.
Kaneki's mouth fell open slightly and his hands trembled slightly. He watched as the man took the flesh out and wrapped them in paper, acting as if it was normal food. This was far from normal. The black haired teen felt the bile slowly rising in his stomach slowly and slowly.
"Come back when you need to. There's no need to be shy." The old man said tentatively, pushing both of the envelopes of meat into the teen's hands. He had a small and refreshing smile etched on his face, causing both of the boys to accept the offer quickly.
Hide looked down at the envelope of meat with tentative eyes. Moving his thumb across the spongy surface, Hide began to drool ever so slightly. A single thought was going through his mind and brain. Will this be enough?
Kaneki clutched his meat envelope with both trembling hands. His quaking body showed everyone his current mindset. His logic and bearing were all scrambled around and it left him visually bewildered. His misty eyes would then turn away from the envelope as he shoves it into his pocket.
"My name is Yoshimura." The old man revealed, before he turned his back to the teens. . "If you ever need Anteiku's assistance, just ask." Yoshimura told the two half Ghouls. He began to walk away. disappearing into the shadows of the underground after a few strides.
Touka's bright eyes watched as Yoshimura walked away and into the shadows. She knew that he was either watching them or wondering through the tunnels, as the Cafe was curretly closed. However, she didn't bother with finding out, and she turned her head to look at Hide.
"I'll tell you whatever you want to know tomorrow." Touka told him with a glimmer of brightness in her eyes. Hideyoshi nodded and his hands began to twitch on the package of meat. His index finger pressed into it hard and his thumb erratically ran across the surface like a squirming worm about to be devoured by a bird.
Touka looked at Hide's erratic finger movements and then looked over at Kaneki, who had a deep frown etched to his face and green tinted cheeks. Weird. Touka turned her back on them both and her bang covered over her right eye instantaneously. Both of them are weird... Touka would then begin to walk off, her foot steps becoming echoes in the deep tunnels.
"Wait, Touka-Chan!"
Startled, Touka swiftly turned around and made eye contact with the strawberry haired blonde, the clash causing him to pause momentarily. His right arm was outstretched and his hand was clenched, as if he was 'grabbing' her. Touka's body was stiff and her eyes were fixated on him. She was ready to pounce at any given moment until...
"Can I have your number?" Hide asked, an expression of seriousness etches onto his face, along with red tinted cheeks and a single sweat rolling down his forehead. When he noticed that his hand was outstretched, Hide grumbled and quickly brought it back to his side, sweating profoundly.
Kaneki looked up at his best friend's attempt at snagging the pretty girl's contact details and he couldn't help but chuckle slightly. A warmth spread through his chest and his face brightened considerably. Despite what Kaneki might have thought, just because Hide had devoured a fellow human, he was still the same person underneath.
"I-I mean... It's only for me and Kaneki-Kun to contact you..! That's all!" Hide stumbled nervously as he shakily shoved his meat envelope into his bulged pockets. The startled girl left Hide in a dead silence for a few moments. She hadn't been expecting that question from him again. Before she had found it irritating and frustrating but now it was different.
"Um... Next time..." Touka said slowly and unplanned, before turning quickly and dashing into the darkenss. Both teens stood in silence for a few seconds, before Kaneki turned to Hide with a shocked expression.
"Did she just say yes?"
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"I wonder which one is the best..." Hide asked outwardly to no-one in particular. His eyes were concentrated on a certain section of the supermarket. When Touka had hinted that Ghouls could take in Coffee, Kaneki had practically forced his best friend to go out to the shop at night and retrieve some.
"Hideyoshi-San, Blondie Coffee is the best of the instant brand." A familiar voice rang through Hide's ears, causing him to turn around skitishly. Hide's body was as flimsy as paper as he accidently shouldered into a slightly taller teen with messy hazelnut hair. Hide cursed and looked up at the slim young man with confusion, until suddenly it turned into joy.
"Nishio-Senpai!" Hide's voice could only be described as relieved. "I didn't expect you to be here at such a late hour!" Hide would then turn back to the Coffee rack and instantly pick up a few of the Blondie Coffee's. Nishio was wearing an ashy T-Shirt with charcoal outlines, that was covered by a jacket that looked as if it was covered in scales of a reptilian.
"Nor did I... But things happen." Nishio replied in a melodramatic tone of voice. The hazelnut haired boy put one of his hands behind his head loosely and yawned with a bored look on his face. It was obvious that he didn't particularly want to be there at that moment. His dark eyes were extremely clouded and apathetic.
Hide's expressions twisted into a mischievous grin. "I bet you'd prefer to be with Kimi-Chan right now, huh?" Hide chuckled heart-fully, his insides itching with laughter. His headphones made a tiny jingle on his back as he made this movement, almost falling right off of his neck.
Nishio rubbed the back of his neck and turned away from Hide. With a slightly irritated look on his face, Nishio went up to the cash register. "Tsk... That isn't your business." Nishio spat back at Hide, but the blonde teen didn't take it as any offense. Even if Hide was right, Nishio wasn't going to entertain him with those fantasies.
As soon as Nishio finished paying for all of his items, he went straight for the exit without giving Hide a second look. It was evident that his mind was occupied elsewhere. Hide put down several Coffee containers, simultaneously shouting a 'thank you' to Nishio as he scurried to the exit.
"That will be 4840 Yen." The cashier said blandly, his emotions laid out obviously on his clear Caucasian face. It was clear to anyone that he wasn't in the mood for this job, or anything. However, Hide saw something else when he looked at the young man. Instead of seeing a lost man with no real motives in life, Hide only saw one thing...
Food..
A chiseled jaw. Skin as fresh as a newborn. Mouth small and compact. Ready to eat... Ready to eat... Ready... Readyyy...EAATTTTT.
"-TOP!" Hide was snapped out of his mental rambling by a minimal, but effective pain impacting the side of his face. From his left eye, he could see was the metallic silver of a frying pan but from his right eye, he could see the same cashier from a few seconds ago, but with a petrified look on his face and the same frying pan in his hand.
Hide would soon notice that he was clutching something solid in his right hand. As his hazy eyes cleared up considerably, Hide realized why the young man reacted so harshly. His expression twisted into shock when his right hand could be noted squeezing down on the cashier's throat, causing him to choke and twitch.
Stop! Stop! Stop! Stop! STOP!
However, Hide's right hand kept squeezing on the young man's smooth neck, despite Hide's obvious objections. I can't... I can't control it! What's wrong with me?! The man's ashy caucasian skin began to swirl into inhumane blue and purple colors, his complexion similar to a thrashing ocean.
"I suddenly have an interest in you, Hideyoshi-San..."
As if on instinct, Hide pivoted his body to the right. He could almost feel the attack coming, but it was evident that he was too slow. The last thing he noticed before his world fell temporarily into darkness, was how fast Nishio's heel was coming at his face.
Chapter 3 will be out soon. 2