Author's Note: Sorry for the delay! Here's part two! Hopefully everything still makes sense!

He hadn't really been looking for anything specific, just letting his eyes roam as he mulled over Akira's words. The first body had already been returned to the family some time ago, but files about the entry wound and the victim's identity were still available. They would operate under the assumption that he was connected to the recent string of ghoul-induced murders until evidence proved otherwise.

His gaze glazed over the last remnants of the crowd until it landed on a young man with wide eyes and dark hair. He seemed…. brighter? As if he were directly under a street lamp, but with a quick upward check, Hide confirmed that the lights weren't on yet.

Freaky, he thought, narrowing his eyes to catch a better glimpse of the man's features. He reacted abruptly when Hide started at him, tripping backwards in his haste to escape. The onlookers around him seemed oblivious to his presence, even when he bumped into one and apologized.

Hide opened his mouth to say something, perhaps call the man back, but he had disappeared into a surge of commuters with another fearful glance behind him.

Even freakier.

"Hey—did any of you see that guy just now? He was young, about my age and height. I literally looked at him and he bolted. Because that's totally not suspicious."

"Who?" Akira looked up from Hide's notebook. She had been scribbling a recreation of the victim's ghoul mark in his notes, since he couldn't see it for himself. Helpful for the case, but not so much for making observations.

He turned to Amon, who had been paying more attention to the scene around them.

"How about you?"

Amon shook his head. "I didn't see anyone run away." He reviewed the faces in the crowd. He could tell Nagachika about the old woman who sniffled, despite not knowing the deceased, and the young father who towed his child away from the scene with a scathing glare, as if it were Amon's fault for the interruption to their outing. However, he didn't see anyone leave with such an urgent hurriedness, as Nagachika described.

"No," Amon repeated, his frown deepening. "But you said he looked worried or upset?"

Hide almost regretted bringing it up. He had only seen the man for a few moments. The more he thought about it, how the man seemed to glow and how his companions hadn't noticed him, the less certain Hide felt that he had actually seen him. Trick of the light, exhausted eagerness—it had happened before, where Hide's observations had ended up causing more headaches for all of them.

"Not just that though. He looked absolutely terrified, like I had caught him staring at something he shouldn't have. I mean, it was a crime scene and maybe he was late for something, but I don't know," Hide trailed off, lips drawing into a pucker.

Akira regarded him for a moment before handing back the notebook, already flipped to a clean page. "It may be nothing, but you should still write it down. If he really was trying to flee the scene, he might know something we don't."

Hide nodded, but he stopped the moment his pen touched the paper. What did he look like again? It had happened so quickly and Hide had been more focused on his abrupt actions than his appearance.

Oh, right. That's what Hide remembered. The young man had apologized profusely when he bumped into people, even when it must not have been severe for them not to notice. In a split section observation, Hide had thought that was kind of cute, how the stranger seemed so flustered at Hide's stare. Wide, gray eyes that met his own. Dark bangs that concealed his eyebrows when they jumped high in shock.

Hide sketched a messy face, wincing at each detail he added to try to fill up the blank spaces. He was nearly positive a few of these additions were concocted by his imagination rather than his memories, but the lead seemed dead anyway. No one else had seen him and the stranger definitely wasn't planning to stick around for Hide to find him again.

He wished he had a pencil instead of his pen as he shaded in the dark eyes and hair. The pressure of his pen tip and the wet ink pressed into the paper, a bit too heavily for Hide's taste. When he flipped the page back, an imprint of the stranger's face was on the next page, ghostly and indistinct.

Whatever. It's in there. Maybe we'll pass each other at a coffee shop or something.

Hide sighed and threaded his pen back through the wire binding of his notebook.

Kaneki kept replaying encounter from the previous day over in his mind. He couldn't help it. He was concerned for the blond human, destined to die without knowing why or when.

No, it was more than that. He felt drawn to him, not unlike a moth to a flame. Kaneki wanted to find him again, but he knew that would be disastrous. While he and Touka were working, he kept glancing over his shoulder, half-hoping to see the human lurking in an alleyway or strolling down the sidewalk.

Touka had noticed Kaneki's excessive fidgeting the moment they met at the tiny coffee shop that morning, but waited until after their second reaping to bring it up.

"What's with you today?" Touka planted her hands on her hip, fixing her partner with a frown. "You've done both of the reapings today without hesitating. You didn't even say anything either—you just took them."

Kaneki glanced guilty away, one eye glowing a dangerous crimson. He recalled his wings, the wispy tendrils folding neatly into his lower back. He supposed his voluntary reaping was rather out of character—he loathed taking life and only did it when Touka made him—but he was too distracted by the possibility of running into the blond human to consider what he was doing. It felt like he had been on autopilot. Who had he reaped? He couldn't remember.

"I… uh…." Kaneki stammered himself into a tongue-tied silence. He trusted Touka implicitly, but he still felt hesitant to reveal his latest secret to her. He was afraid she wouldn't understand, how Kaneki felt a strange sense of connection to a random human on the street.

(He could hear her response now. "He looked at you? That's what this is about? Are you kidding me?")

He had tried to explain it once before when they first met, how he felt closer to the humans than the other ghouls did. Touka had shrugged, passing it off as part of Kaneki's newness to reaping. However, even as the months passed, Kaneki still felt stranded, not quite a ghoul but never again a human.

He knew he was different in other ways too, ways that Touka couldn't explain even with her years of experience. He had first noticed his eyes after a reaping near a storefront. As he had turned his head from the dead body, he only saw a single red blur move across the darkened window. Kaneki had jerked his head back, nearly pressing his face against the glass to get a better glance at the pulsing red eye.

Just one. One glowing eye.

Touka admitted that she had noticed from the beginning, but she didn't know what it meant. Nishiki scowled when Kaneki brought it up later; Rize smiled when she overheard.

Touka was still watching him, her arms tight across her chest. She hadn't dropped the pose since asking her question. "Huh?"

Kaneki couldn't even lie and say that he was feeling unwell. Bodily ailments were another thing he had lost since waking up as a ghoul. The only weakness that remained were the headaches that plagued him when he tried to think abo—

That's it!

"I tried to think about my past again," he hastily explained. "I know I shouldn't have, but I couldn't help it after running into Hinami and the others yesterday. Rize and Nishiki," he added, causing Touka's expression to darken. He doubted she would pry much further into their conversation.

"Headaches again? That's why you reaped those two so quickly then?"

Kaneki nodded, grateful that his quick excuse covered so many details. "Yes, exactly."

Touka eyed him for a moment before mirroring his nod. He wasn't sure if she believed him fully, but she dropped her arms and spun on her heels, moving towards the next case.

"Tch. Whatever. I told you to stop doing that, since it only makes you feel worse."

Kaneki offered an abashed smile when she turned her head to see if he was following. "I know. I feel better now though."

Touka relented and slowed her pace, enough so Kaneki could walk beside her. "Good. I'm still going to do the rest of the reapings today though."

"Huh? Why?"

"Because I'm faster and that's the only way we'll get finished before he leaves again."

"He? Who's coming?" Kaneki was beginning to wonder if there was some sort of ghoul briefing each morning that no one told him about. It would certainly explain how Touka was always in the know while he was perpetually clueless.

"The Reaper is coming today, you idiot." She rolled her eyes fondly, the name feeling more endearing than insulting. "You can ask him about your headaches before we get our next set of cases."

Kaneki blinked before nodding eagerly. "Right! Of course!" He had completely lost track of days, a common occurrence when his new "life" had become so routine.

They lapsed back into a comfortable silence as they walked towards their next assignment. An older lady with a terminal illness. Not a young investigator with a vibrant smile.

The rest of the day passed without major incident. Even though Touka conducted the remaining reapings, he stayed close beside her, allowing their work to consume his wandering thoughts. He strayed so close that he even materialized with each reaping, his presence inadvertently strengthened by the intoxicating scent of lost life around them. Although the cries and pleas were far from pleasant, they were a needed distraction.

The only hitch to their day was when Touka announced that their final victim would be a young police officer. Kaneki froze as Touka reviewed the name before tucking their assignments list from the Reaper back in her pocket.

The young officer was frightened, shaking his head and causing his dark hair to flop across his forehead. Kaneki tried to maintain a somber expression as the human looked from him to Touka; it had been a false alarm. He asked to know why he had been targeted, but kept a firm upper lip. Touka offered a blanket excuse, that it was an immutable decision, and stuck her arm out, catching the man's forehead with a palm. Light blossomed around the point of contact and with a deep sigh, he leaned forward and closed his eyes.

Touka opened her own eyes, crimson and blazing in the poorly lit room. Her jagged wing unfurled and glistened as the last of the officer's life faded from his body. Kaneki stared; despite the hundreds of cases he witnessed, how each ended with death and tragedy, he still couldn't believe how beautiful it could look.

After that, they were free until the Reaper gave Touka their next list of assignments. Kaneki smoothed down his dark uniform, picked at a nonexistent piece of dirt, and glanced meekly in Touka's direction. He was anxious to see the Reaper, anxious to ask him questions he should have asked months ago.

She shook her head with a wry smile. "Go ahead. I don't need you for anything else."

Kaneki thanked her before hurrying towards the place where he knew he would find the Reaper. With an evening storm looming overhead, darkening the world around him, the park was empty. Kaneki slowed his pace at the sight of a single figure, resting on a bench.

He paused, waiting for the Reaper to turn his head and acknowledge Kaneki. The older man turned and Kaneki tentatively approached.

"Hello Kaneki," the Reaper said in his soft, deep voice. "Please, sit."

Kaneki moved to sit next to him, but stopped at the sight of a book resting beside the Reaper. The Reaper shifted the book to the side to make room for Kaneki.

Kaneki blinked at the action, momentarily fixated on the open pages. As a ghoul, he had lost the ability to interact with most human things. He couldn't read the book's words—just blurry scribbles on a field of white—but he felt a fondness for reading stir deep within him, a love unable to be erased as easily as his memories.

The Reaper caught Kaneki's wide-eyed stare and smiled.

"I'm sure you're wondering how."

Kaneki nodded again. The only words he had read in over a year were the shimmering names and addresses on the black tablet the Reaper gave them. Their monthly assignments. It was one of the few items Kaneki could hold in this lonely existence. He had always assumed that the Reaper was like him, similarly removed from the living world. Perhaps he was Death personified.

But here he was, reading a book as casually as an office worker on break.

"Although we inhabit the edges of the human world," the Reaper said, "that does not mean we have to deny ourselves small pleasures. As you become more comfortable with your role, you will learn how."

Kaneki sat down heavily. A rumble of thunder echoed overhead. The Reaper's words were infuriatingly cryptic. He hoped he would get clearer answers to his next questions.

"When I reap," he started uncertainly, "only one of my eyes glow. Touka says that it's been like that since I first began." He hesitated, debating whether to mention his fascination with humans, but decided not to. "Is there something wrong with me?"

The Reaper shook his head with the same gentle smile from before. "Not at all. Before I explain something, tell me what you know about ghouls."

Kaneki considered the question before realizing the answer was "not much." Touka had filled him in on the essentials, explained why certain humans seemed brighter than others, and why those humans had to be reaped. Taking Kaneki's silence as an answer of its own, the Reaper moved forward with his explanation.

"All humans must die," the Reaper began slowly. "We stay among the humans, taking their lives as necessary to maintain this balance between life and death."

Kaneki nodded. This he already knew. They resided along the boundary between realms. It was why the humans rarely saw them or why he couldn't interact with their things.

"As angels of death, we are the ones who enforce fate. However, it is necessary that we understand and respect this power. Therefore, ghouls are chosen… rather, born from death."

Kaneki straightened up. It was a popular rumor, that they had all been humans before becoming ghouls, but hearing the Reaper confirm his suspicions made him apprehensive. It certainly explained his lack of memories and unexplainable premonitions.

"Ghouls are born from tragedy. Although you cannot remember your life before, there is a hope that you will take mercy on those you reap. A part of you should always recognize their suffering."

Kaneki thought about Rize's harsh laugh and Nishiki's bland referral to humans as cattle to be culled. They seemed so bitter and jaded about their duties; he doubted they could ever be the merciful angels of death that the Reaper mentioned.

"I'm sure you've heard of other rumors too. About humans who see the ghoul marks and fight off ghouls."

Kaneki's thoughts sprang back to the blond investigator. He remembered his original purpose for seeking out the Reaper.

"Yes! I saw a team earlier. The woman—she could see the marks left behind. I think they were trying to stop something bad from happening. There was another investigator there. He could see me when I looked at him, but he wasn't a special human. I think he was marked."

A beat of silence and a swallow.

"He's supposed to die, isn't he?"

As if sensing Kaneki's thoughts, the Reaper nodded slowly. "Yes, and the decision is irreversible. Ghouls cannot lift the marks they leave."

"Can you?"

The Reaper wore a strange expression, lips pressed and eyes half-lidded behind his glasses. Kaneki couldn't tell if he was disappointed or content. The thunder grew louder, directly overhead them.

"No, only Doves can interfere."

Doves? This was the first that Kaneki heard of such a thing. He immediately thought of clumsy, fat birds, waddling and cooing for bread crumbs. Hardly a comforting image.

"Though, it's been a while since a Dove has visited this ward," the Reaper added, answering Kaneki's unspoken question.

Kaneki fell silent, mulling over this new information. As far as he could gather from the Reaper's story, the blond investigator was destined for death. Nothing could be changed about it.

"And about my eyes?"

"Most ghouls are born from natural deaths. Accidents, suicide, murder. Instances outside of our control." Kaneki's frown deepened. They all sounded like terrible causes; he realized there was a reason for them to each lose their memories upon waking. "However, some are born after being reaped before their time. Reapings are supposed to be peaceful and planned, but sometimes they can be violent or unexpected."

The Reaper watched Kaneki out of the corner of his eye. He swallowed again, feeling his superior's eyes burn icy holes into him.

"You died before you were supposed to in a way that should not have happened. Fate was disrupted and a part of you still lingers in the human world. I'm sure you've felt a strong connection with the living. You can experience their world better than your companions. Although strange, it should not affect your ability to reap."

Kaneki nodded numbly. The other things made sense, but he was consumed by a single line of thought.

I was killed by a ghoul. I'm supposed to be alive still. I'm supposed to be alive.

He repeated the Reaper's statement over and over in his mind, unable to move past such an overwhelming secret. He gazed forward, expression blank. Did he know his murderer? Did they know him? Were they still close, laughing at their handiwork?

The storm had passed before Kaneki realized that the Reaper had disappeared.

Hide groaned contentedly, offering two quick pats to his distended stomach before pushing through the front door of his favorite restaurant. He knew he shouldn't have ordered a second entrée, but eating in his cozy booth certainly beat trudging through the rain. He glanced at the glistening pavement and squinted up at the hazy gray sky. It looked as if it could break open again at any moment.

Better take the short cut home then.

Instead of following his usual route, Hide took a sharp right towards the old park he used to love as a child. His shoes would get damp by cutting across the grass, but that was a small price to pay for getting back to his cramped apartment faster.

The thunder rumbled in the distance, but beams of sunlight tentatively poked through the cloud cover.

I think it's on its way out. That's a relief.

The park was abandoned when he got there. It made his brief dash across the grassy field less embarrassing. He was grateful that no one was around to hear his "ah ah ahs" when he splashed through an enormous puddle.

Hide slowed to shake the mud from his ankles and groaned.

Well, almost abandoned.

There, on one of the distant benches was a man, huddled with his dark head bowed. He seemed illuminated from above, but when Hide glanced back up at the sky to look for the gap in the clouds, he noticed that a gray dusk had settled back across the sky.

Weird lighting. It's almost like that guy from ear—

Hide broke off mid-thought and squinted at the stranger. He couldn't make out any features from that distance, but he knew a few careful steps could remedy the problem.

What if it's the guy from earlier? He's a suspect in a serial killer case.

Yeah? What's he going to do in a public place? Hide glanced behind him. He could see the edges of the taller buildings on the city outskirts, but the park entrance had disappeared when he rounded the previous corner.

Not so public anymore. Some service worker is going to find my body wedged under a picnic table. Lovely.

He was a bit surprised by the tenacity with which his mind argued against itself.

It's probably some random guy. Leave him alone and get home before the storm starts up again.

However, Hide ignored his own advice and strode quickly towards the stranger on the bench, his head held high with a bright smile on his face. His purposeful approach caused the man to startle, gray eyes landing on Hide before widening.

It is him!

He rose quickly, jerking his gaze around for an escape option. Hide held out his hands in what he hoped was a soothing, nonthreatening way.

"Oh, hey! I didn't mean to catch you by surprise!"

The man eyed Hide warily, hovering over the bench as if he were ready to dash away at a moment's notice.

"I just recognized you from earlier. Y'know, from the crime scene at the intersection near a bookstore and a grocery market? I wanted to ask you some questions, but you left before I could."

The man kept staring at him in silence. Hide scratched the back of his neck, gaze sliding to the side as he tried to come up with something else to say.

"Right. So, my name is Hideyoshi Nagachika, by the way. You can call me Hide though." Another blink. "I, uh, can make you anonymous for the report, but it'll be less awkward if you tell me your name."

"Report?"

"Yeah, about that murd—er, I was supposed to say crime, but I guess now you know it was murder. Oops. Anyway, I saw you in the crowd. I tried to find you to take your statement, but you were already gone."

"Oh."

"Yep."

A thought struck Hide, simultaneously hilarious and nerve-wracking.

"You aren't the serial killer, are you? Because that would be really bad."

He would have laughed if he didn't think that would make him come off as a psychopath.

The stranger reacted sharply to Hide's question, sputtering an excuse and shaking his head.

"Huh? No! I, uh… I don't know what you're talking about."

"Hmmm…." Hide mused, rubbing at his chin with mock thoughtfulness. "That's exactly what a serial killer would say."

Instead of responding with more stuttered denials, the young man maintained the same wide-eyed, terrified stare. Hide relented after a moment with a chuckle and a grin.

"I'm kidding. I'm guessing you didn't see anything then?"

"No." He thought for a moment. "I was late for work."

"I was afraid that might have been the case. Well, there goes my lead."

Hide sighed gustily and collapsed on the bench without warning. The man didn't protest, but slid over slightly to give Hide more room. Hide interpreted it as an after-the-fact invitation.

There was a beat of silence. Hide tapped his foot and chewed on the inside of his lip, reviewing the case again.

"Kaneki."

This time, Hide was the one to be startled.

"Uh, what?"

"My name is Kaneki," the man said, offering a hesitant smile.

Hide's grin returned. "Oh, so that's how it is. I only get your name once you reveal that you're useless to me."

"What case were you working on? I'm guessing something with murder?"

"Akira would kill me for telling some random civilian, but I guess since you proved beyond a shadow of a doubt that you aren't the serial killer, then there's no harm." Hide leaned towards Kaneki, pressing a conspiratorial hand to his cheek, as if he were about to share a great secret. "There's a serial killer who's going after middle-aged men. Yes, I know. A thrilling demographic."

Kaneki's brow quirked up and he pressed his lips together. For an exciting moment, Hide thought he had almost made his new confidant laugh.

"Anyway, it's not your run-of-the-mill serial killer either. Apparently, these deaths are being instigated by a ghoul. Oooh, yeah. Judging by that expression, you know exactly how bad that can be."

"What?"

"Yeah, see ghouls don't always have to suck the life out of us humans. They can 'mark' people and then send other humans to kill them. Really tricky, but that's what we're going after."

"I see." Kaneki frowned. "How are you going to catch them then?"

Hide tapped his chin, considering the question. "Best case scenario would be catching the ghoul in the act. Amon—he's the big guy you probably saw earlier—would swing at it or do whatever he does. More likely though, we'll stop the human that's killing the others."

"That sounds dangerous. Both scenarios do," he amended.

Hide shrugged, leaning against the back of the bench. "Maybe. Those scary moments are so few and far between though. Besides, I have Akira and Amon to watch my back. Takizawa sometimes too."

Kaneki nodded politely. Hide knew the names meant nothing to him, but it was still nice to reassure himself.

"Yeah, but enough about me. What do you do, Kaneki? Ha! Hopefully something more normal than ghoul investigating."

"Uhh…" Kaneki glanced to the side, noticing that the Reaper had left his book resting against the leg of the bench. "I'm an author."

"What? Really? That's so cool! Have you been published yet?"

"No, not yet."

"Ah, well. I'm sure it's a matter of time."

Kaneki's smile returned. He appreciated Hide's absolute confidence in his made-up profession. Hide continued to chatter about various predicaments and cases he and his small team had encountered in the past. Kaneki added his own commentary when Hide would look expectantly at him. He soon discovered that it was refreshingly easy to laugh in the Hide's company.

In the middle of a particularly grisly story, Hide broke off with a gaped-mouth expression and a gasp.

"Oh, crap. I'm so sorry. I totally forgot that this stuff freaks people out."

Kaneki shook his head and offered what he hoped was a reassuring smile. "I don't mind." In all honesty, he enjoyed hearing stories from a different perspective. He knew that humans feared reapings, but it was fascinating to hear how they rationalized it all, how ghoul lore had become akin to ghost stories.

Hide smiled back, relieved. "That's good to hear. As much as I would love to keep sharing stories—and believe me, I have quite a few more juicy ones—I do have to get back home and get some rest." He dragged a hand down his face, muffling the accompanying groan. "Amon is determined to go out on a patrol right at the crack of dawn. He thinks ghoul sightings are more common at that time. I don't. I think even creepy death monsters have to sleep in sometimes."

Kaneki didn't comment, but stood up as Hide did. It was nearly dark and the sporadically placed lamps were already glowing along the walking path's edge. He didn't have anywhere to go until he would meet up with Touka the next morning. Still, he would need some time alone to process his evening with Hide.

Hide turned to leave, but paused and glanced over his shoulder. "It was really nice to meet you, Kaneki. Hopefully we'll see each other again," he added with a wink and a wave before setting off.

Kaneki smiled at his disappearing back, but the expression slowly slipped when Hide rounded the corner. Weren't ghoul marks supposed to be a curse? Regarding Hide, they felt like anything but one.

The next day passed by in a blur.

The Reaper handed back the tablets as he did each assignment period. The previous names were wiped clean while new names shimmered. The Reaper maintained the same neutral expression, even when giving Kaneki and Touka their assignments. Only when Kaneki murmured a weak thanks did the Reaper's impassive stare soften.

While he and Touka were completing their first round of reapings, Hide's words from the night before ate at his concentration. He asked Touka several questions about ghoul marks and why they always reaped their targets personally instead of sending a proxy human. Touka eyed him curiously, but answered nonetheless.

Now, with all the day's reapings complete, he found himself on the same park bench from the day before, foot tapping in a nervous anticipation.

Would Hide come back? He wasn't sure. He hoped he would, but he also wanted Hide to stay away, never to cross paths again. He was afraid of growing attached to something that would soon die. It was like falling in love with cut flowers.

With the sun blazing overhead, the park was full of people. Each shift in his periphery caused him to turn his head, only to be disappointed when another screaming child ran past. Fortunately, his secluded bench remained abandoned and he was not disturbed. The Reaper's book was still leaning against the bench leg, damp and muddy from a late-night shower.

"Fancy meeting you here."

Kaneki jerked his head, twisting against the bench's back to better see Hide approaching from a nearby path. He smiled reflexively. Hide was still as vibrant as the day before. Bright and alive.

His gaze followed Hide as he rounded the bench and sat in the same spot from yesterday. Immediately, he opened his mouth to vent.

"I've had the weirdest day. If I didn't know any better, I'd swear that Amon is playing a joke on me. I kept seeing these people on the street—kind of bright, too, like they're under a spotlight—but when I pointed it out to him and Akira, they didn't see anyone. Like, how can you miss someone who's standing right in front of you?"

"I got information!" Kaneki interjected hastily, eager to change the topic.

"Huh?"

"I talked to," Kaneki paused, considering his words, "a friend who knows more about ghouls. She offered some advice on the serial killer case."

"Really? That's awesome! Maybe these meetings should become part of my daily routine."

He drifted back to the questions he asked Touka, how each of her answers were tinged with suspicion. He had to be careful that he didn't make Hide equally suspicious of his own insider knowledge.

"When ghouls reap, they become visible to their assigned victims and sometimes other people around them. That's where you get the stories," Kaneki hazarded a guess. Hide's words from the previous day, about how ghouls were viewed as nightmarish monsters, had been rattling in his mind all morning. He tried to treat his victims that day with an extra dose of sympathy.

"Assigned? Reap? That's a creepy way to phrase things." Hide shuddered, rubbing the sides of his arms. "But go on."

Kaneki froze, mind racing to explain what he had just revealed before moving forward with his own theory. "My friend thinks there's a pattern behind the deaths caused by ghouls. That they aren't random, but rather it's just time for that person to die."

"Oh-kay," Hide said, drawing the word out into two long syllables. "Systematic death." He gave a nervous little chuckle and a shake of the head. "We always find marks on the victims, so does that mean they could all see ghouls?"

Kaneki nodded. "Anyone who is marked for death can see u—uhm, ghouls."

"Does your friend know anything about the window between a person getting marked and when they're killed?"

"It depends." He hesitated, wishing there was a less clinical way of explaining it. "If they're reaped by a ghoul directly, it's pretty instantaneous."

"Right. Like a they-see-a-ghoul-then-die sort of thing."

"Ye-es… But when it's humans going after other humans, it's not right away. Usually a couple of days, since they have to find each other. That means the target can see ghouls up until they are…uh, found."

And killed.

Touka had admitted that she preferred to reap directly. It was messier and they had to deal with the emotional consequences, but she said it was gentler and quicker for the human. Kaneki had never considered the alternative, how traumatic it might be for a marked individual, fleeing from invisible monsters until being murdered by another human.

(Was it worse, being stalked and killed by something just like you?)

"Low-key terrifying, but it makes sense." Hide mulled over Kaneki's words with a thoughtful nod. "I bet seeing things that no one else could would make a person pretty upset. Maybe enough to go to the police or the hospital."

Kaneki recounted the various reactions people had when they approached. Terror, anguish, desperation. All very powerful emotions.

"All we have to do is find someone who's being chased by ghouls and has the same ghoul mark. Then we can protect them until the killer comes." Hide turned and grinned at Kaneki, nearly blinding him with the wattage of his smile. "That's brilliant, Kaneki! You and your friend are lifesavers Once this case is cracked, I'll owe you big time for your help."

Kaneki smiled uneasily at the phrasing.

"I can't wait to get this information to Amon and Aki—" Hide broke off as his phone rang. Kaneki jumped at the jarring sound, but Hide rolled his eyes as his fished his phone from his pocket.

"Yeah, Hide here." He paused, nodding at the words on the other end. Kaneki couldn't hear them, but even if he could, he doubted he could understand them. After such vivid conversations with Hide, it was always jarring to return to the blurry, desaturated world of humans.

"Mmmhmm. Got it. I'll be there in a sec." Hide hung up the phone and offered an apologetic smile. "I really hate cut this short, but my team needs me." Kaneki stiffened and Hide laughed with a wave of his hand. "No, it's not the serial killer. Akira says this one is just a regular case. The ghoul mark was right there on the forehead. I have to go take some photos though."

Hide adjusted his satchel and glanced back at Kaneki, who immediately adverted his worried gaze.

"Be careful," he murmured. The words sounded empty and ridiculous and Kaneki regretted them the moment they tumbled from his mouth.

However, Hide took them in stride with another grin. "Always am. Same time and place tomorrow? I promise to keep you posted on whatever happens, but I'm still going to take the credit."

Kaneki nodded numbly. Hide waggled his fingers before setting off. Kaneki watched him disappear around the corner, just as he had the previous day.

(Was this how it would be from now on? Kaneki would wait at the bench each day. Waiting until the day that Hide never showed?)

"What the hell are you doing?"

He jumped at the sharp voice behind him. Touka frowned at the path that Hide had taken, arms folded tightly across her chest.

"T-Touka-chan!" Kaneki stuttered, knowing very well he had been caught. He wasn't familiar with any rules about fraternizing with humans, but then again, he didn't know much. "How long were you standing there?"

Her frown deepened. "Long enough to hear that he was a ghoul investigator. I thought I warned you about them."

"I… I was trying to help! There's a ghoul who's going after humans who aren't on the assignments list." Kaneki had withheld that information from Hide, knowing the type of questions it would prompt, but he had checked the offhandedly mentioned names against the tablet given to him by the Reaper. Those killed weren't supposed to die. Hide wasn't supposed to die.

Kaneki fidgeted uncomfortably until her impassive stare. Was she disappointed? Angry? Finally, she relented with a slump of her shoulders.

"I've heard the same from some of the others. There isn't anything we can do about it though."

"But we can help Hide prevent the other humans from dying, right? Even if they're marked, if we stop the human who's kill—"

"That human, the one you were talking to? He's marked, Kaneki. And judging from the fact that he's been talking to you for the last few days, it won't be through a ghoul reaping."

"I know."

Touka's tone softened, but each word still felt like a blow. "Even if the human who's targeting him fails, he still has to die somehow. Those are the rules."

He dropped his gaze.

"What were you going to do after the human investigators stopped the killer? Were you going to reap anyone who came close to your friend? Protect him that way?"

Kaneki's forehead twitched at Touka's words. It felt strange to view a human as a friend, but he didn't want to lose him yet. Touka intended for her idea to seem ridiculous, but Kaneki seriously considered it.

I could do it. If I always stayed close, I could stop anyone from coming near him. No ghouls, no humans. No one could hurt him.

He would still die though, kept away from his friends and family. Even for the few short days Kaneki had known him, he recognized how much Hide needed other people to thrive.

"It can't be helped," Touka finished with a shake of her head. They lapsed into a thoughtful silence and Touka took Hide's place on the bench.

Kaneki knew he didn't need to breathe, but his chest still felt tight, like there was something trapped within his lungs.

"I felt so alone." Touka watched him out of the corner of her eye, but said nothing. "I had you and Hinami-chan, but it's been always so lonely watching the humans from a distance. When he looked at me, when he talked to me, I didn't feel that way anymore."

And now he's going to die.

Another pause.

"Touka?"

"Yeah?"

"What do you do when you're alone?"

He had never asked her, but now he was curious how other ghouls suffered through the same loneliness.

Her gaze drifted towards a group of children, frolicking near a playground. Their forms were blurry, their joyful shrieks muffled.

"When I first woke up as a ghoul, I found this school. At first, I just went to see if there were any marked kids I could scare. But then I realized if I focused really hard on what they were saying and doing, I could understand it all. Like I could be a part of them. I still visit that school sometimes." She tutted and shook her head. "Stupid, I know."

She pressed her lips together, deeming that her confession was as personal as their conversation would get.

"No, it makes sense."

It was no different than him thanking an oblivious human when slipping through a held door.

Kaneki was unsurprised that she too had a deeper desire. He thought of the Reaper's book and Hinami's longing look at the flower shop display.

As ghouls, they were born from tragedy. He supposed some things didn't always end with death.

Hide found them standing on the street, only a few feet from one of the ward's local police stations. Neither looked happy, but Hide chalked that up to his lateness.

"All right, I'm here, I'm here. No need to sour the mood." He fished through his bag for his camera. Once found, he flipped it on and glanced around for the body.

"Hold up… Where's the body? Don't tell me it was another false alarm."

Akira shook her head with a sigh. "It wasn't, but it's already taken care of."

"Huh?"

Amon angled his head towards the kōban behind them. Stone-faced police officers were milling in and out of the building. "The victim was a desk sergeant. Cameras caught the ghouls when they materialized to feed."

"They told us they wouldn't need our services, but I had already called you," Akira added, sparing a tight-lipped frown in the officers' direction. "Once they move the body and clear the scene, we can at least look at the footage to see if might be related."

Akira's words made him think of his conversation with Kaneki and Hide perked up. "Ah. I actually have something I needed to tell you anyway."

Tucking his camera away for safe keeping, Hide began to recount the important details from his bench-side chats with Kaneki. He spoke animatedly, using his hands to press at his back where the ghoul stains had been found as well as gesturing towards the kōban.

"We might not be able to find the ghoul, but if we find the next target, we can stop the human proxy."

Amon nodded, his grip tightening around the metallic handle to his briefcase. "That's better than waiting for another body," he agreed.

"It'll mean we have a busy couple of days ahead of us." Akira pinched her chin between her thumb and her index finger as she considered the best places to visit. "We should start at police stations first."

"But, uh, maybe not this one first?" Hide offered with a wry smile as an officer approached them, hat gripped in his hands. It would be a bit awkward asking for information only hours after an officer's body had been discovered.

"Akira-san, Amon-san," the officer nodded respectfully towards them. "Please follow me if you would like to see the surveillance footage." Hide trailed before him, thoughtful.

Akira said that the ghouls that did this left a stain on the forehead. It must have been a different set of ghouls than the one we're chasing after. Weird that it was two ghouls.

Didn't Kaneki's friend think that they were assigned to kill certain people? Maybe they work on a team...sort of like what we do.

They followed the officer into a small room with multiple screens. He tapped a button and one of the screens buzzed to life, illuminating a dimly lit storage room. A young officer squinted at the various boxes and files stacked around him.

"He was found earlier today, but the medical examiner estimates that he died yesterday." The officer adverted his gaze and the victim on the screen spun around with a startled shout. He backed against a stack of boxes, shaking his head with wide eyes.

A female ghoul materialized, her back to the camera. Hide suppressed a gasp. It was a rare sight; ghouls usually preferred to attack in abandoned areas. She must not have noticed the cameras behind her. She reached forward, cupping the man's forehead with a palm. A single red, pulsing wing swelled from her exposed shoulder blade.

With his gaze still adverted from the screen, the officer continued to offer commentary. "Another ghoul appears seconds later. He doesn't touch Seriza—uh, the victim. At least, as far as we could tell."

Akira leaned forward. The reflected light from the female ghoul's wing threw eerie crimson patterns on her face. "Possibly a contact materialization from the feeding."

"A what?"

Amon glanced at the pale-faced officer. "We can work the computer if you have other things to do." It was an escape offer that the officer accepted with an eager nod.

"Yes! I, uh, I'll be right outside if you need any assistance!" He fled from the room. Hide spared him a glance before turning back to the screen.

Damn! It looks like I missed the second ghoul materializing. He squinted at the back of the ghoul's head. Male, but young. At least, judging from his bowled haircut and slender shoulders.

Hide frowned.

They looked troublingly familiar.

The feeding ended a few moments after the second ghoul appeared and the female pulled her hand hastily away from the dead man. She turned to speak to her companion, her eyes and wing still glowing as the rest of her body faded out of view.

Like the Cheshire cat….

Her companion tilted his face and Hide caught a quick glimpse of his profile. A red eye and pursed frown. He surged forward and slammed the space bar, freezing the image with a staticky bzzz.

Oh no. Oh no. Oh no.

Akira glanced sharply at him. "What was that about?" Even Amon looked vaguely startled.

Hide felt his knees tremble and his throat go dry. He tried to swallow, but it only made his tongue feel heavier.

He was there. I saw him. We were—the bench.

"I've seen him before. That's—that's Kaneki! The one who knew so much about ghouls."

Thanks for reading! Part three and the epilogue will be up shortly.