"Books that change you, even later in life, give you a kind of electrical shock as the world takes a different shape."

A. S. Byatt

The atmosphere in the room dropped several degrees as Amon was given permission to join the room–it took him by surprise that he was the only individual present in the room, aside from the imposing male who sat upright on the other side of the noir polished desk.

"Investigator Amon," Arima greeted in a dull yet professional tone. "Please, take a seat." The male took hold of a pen, scribbling down on a clipboard that held a single sheet of paper. "I am grateful that you came as soon as the letter was received."

"It's what we should all do, Sir." Amon hastily stepped forward; his facial features evoked uncertainty as to where he should situate himself, for the desk was unusually long for an office.

"Seat here, please." Arima gestured to a seat beside the centered one he currently occupied. "Yes, Sir." Amon quickly answered, situating himself in the offered seat.

Arima regarded Amon with an unreadable expression, his glasses reflecting the intensity of the lights from the ceiling. "I believe you know what the circumstances are with…"

"Eyepatch." Amon finished; his hands, which currently rested on the desk, tightened slightly.

"Ken Kaneki." Arima corrected, his unblinking eyes staring directly at the investigator.

"What?" Amon blinked, not understanding what had been said.

"The 'ghoul' that you call Eyepatch, we have researched and found out his real name is Ken Kaneki."

The investigator sat motionless, the newfound information slowly sinking into the depths of his mind. His orbs slowly widened, understanding and realization flickered through his composed facial features.

"Then–he's really here, under our custody," Amon muttered quietly, disbelief clear in his tone. Arima did not miss the fact that his fellow coworker had referred to Kaneki as he, unlike those he had conversed with. "I don't mean that you couldn't have taken him down, of course! It's just…well…"

"You have encountered him various of times, Investigator Amon. He is a formidable opponent, and yet he was able to fall into our hands this quickly after these many months of running free." Arima spoke softly, though emotions unreadable. "It is also a surprise to those that doubted he could ever be taken as a prisoner."

Amon stared at his hands for a moment, his thoughts reeling with memories of their first encounter, to the last. Ken Kaneki. The name rang through his mind, for it was bizarre to refer to the ghoul with a name and not the label they had chosen. The sound of a pen clicking made him snap out of his thoughts, though he quickly cleared his throat.

"The evidence I am about to tell you is classified, but the higher ups have given you their trust to keep silent of the matter. Can we trust you to keep this information to yourself, Investigator Koutarou Amon?" Arima regarded the investigator with a grave demeanor.

"Of course, Sir! You have my word!" Amon spoke sincerely, for he knew that such trust was to be regarded with pride and not insult.

The white-haired male stared for a moment longer, yet seemed satisfied as he looked down at the clipboard. He scribbled once more, afterward he switched his gaze towards Amon, knowing quite well what the proceeding information may surprise the man. He placed the clipboard upside down on the desk.

"Have you ever heard of artificially made ghouls?" As the male had predicted, Amon displayed shock written over his features, denial crossed his eyes as well as disgust to such a possibility.

"That's impossible, isn't it?" Amon whispered for he did not want to believe that there could be such a twisted person in the world. He regretted his question, though felt the answer would surely bring more questions than answers.

"Is it?" Arima countered calmly, his façade remained professional despite his excruciating gaze on the male. Amon's gaze was filled with clear uncertainty and doubt slowly seeping through his thoughts for he was not sure what to believe.

Arima stood up rather abruptly, making Amon tense slightly from the male's piercing stare. The Special Class stepped towards an office cabinet, his fingers easily flicking through the organized folders. He pulled a black folder, one that distinctly stood out from the rest. The label in its front read CLASSIFIED: CASE 240.

"Please look through this." Arima slid the folder smoothly on the table, placing it directly in front of Amon. "The questions will bring answers, and the answers will bring questions to your beliefs." He did not offer any other explanation, though Amon clearly contemplated his words.

After a moment of hesitation, Amon slowly traced his forefinger to the folder's edge. He stared, clearly wary of what he would find. He slowly flipped the folder's cover and in it revealed the front page of what the subject was about. His eyes widened as he stared at an unfamiliar university student, his eyebrows furrowed in utter confusion.

"This folder contains the information of Ken Kaneki." Arima provided for him, which resulted in Amon's sharp intake of breath. The realization that the small ID picture was of Eyepatch's made him relive the moment he had first fought him. Amon remembered the black hair, the frigid raindrops, and the ghoul that cried for him to flee. "This is…"

Amon brought the folder closer to him, his eyes scanning every little single detail that provided him. From the day of birth to his height, weight, eye color, hair color, every single thing. He had always wanted to know who that mysterious ghoul had been, yet the positions they were in had never given the opportunity. He soon caught a specific label where it said 'species'.

He looked at the provided information, yet halted dead in his tracks. His eyes remained wide as they took in what he had read, rereading it over and over again. His jaw slackened from shock, his hands shaking slightly in utter confusion. Amon ripped his gaze away from the folder and met with Arima's calm gaze.

"This…has to be an error…" His voice shook as he vocalized his thoughts. "There's no way that he was…"

"Human?" Arima provided, in which in turn made Amon leaned back in his chair, the folder feeling like lava under his digits. It burned with such an intensity of truth; he could not bring himself to step on its surface.

"There's more to people than simply reading them like a book, Investigator Amon. Every story needs its villain." He spoke softly.


Thank you very much for reading, I hope you enjoyed!