The first thing that Kaneki Ken felt when he came to, was a pleasant aftertaste in his mouth.
The second was a strange smell, a combination of delicious and sewer.
When he opened his eyes, and saw, that, indeed, he was in a sewer, it explained half of it.
It took him entirely too long to remember the events leading to his current predicament.
'Anteiku! I was fighting, than I was hurting…and then I ran to the tunnel, where there was a strange hallucination- Hide!'
Frantically looking around, he found that it was no hallucination.
His best friend, Hideyoshi, was really near, partially eaten and bleeding. The reason for the CCG standard armor on him, as alarming as it was in itself, was meaningless, compared to the revelation of his presence there-and his half eaten leg.
That was the source of the pleasant smell.
'No! Hide! Not you too-I can't fail you too!'
Standing up, the half Ghoul tried to pick up his Buddy as gently as he could, holding him like a bride.
Somehow he could just imagine the jest about being gentle that Hide would have surely said, had he been conscious. His infectious laugh that would have followed.
Fearfully, hoping against hope, that it would somehow prove a terrible dream, still, he put a hand towards his mouth, trying not to jostle the precious cargo he was carrying in the process.
He felt moisture, and his eyes and nose confirmed what he already knew.
It was blood.
It only madethe heartache all the more painful. Never before did Ken feel as strong a revulsion with his altered eating habits as strong as he did then, with the friend in his arms missing considerable amount of meat, and his stomach lacking the hunger pangs he usually had after a battle like the recent one.
Never did he find the thought of consuming human flash as sickening as at that moment, ever since becoming a Ghoul.
"I won't mistake you for a hallucination again, just please hold on. Just a little longer, Hide."
The Ghoul hurried through the sewer pathways, himself not certain where his feet led him, nor caring-as long as his friend will receive help there!
He ran as fast as he could, at some point going above-ground, maskless, not caring for being spotted or recognized.
Nothing but Hide mattered at that moment.
He soon smelled another Ghoul, and his heart fluttered-will he have to fight them? Hide didn't have the time for this!
It was with great relief that he recognized Touka. That was his chance-she will know what to do!
"Kaneki! What are you-Is that Nagachika?!"
"Yes! Please, Touka-chan, save him! I beg you! I will return-I… I will do whatever you want-just don't let him die!"
The stupefied girl took another look at the familiar shape, and took in the hated uniform..
"Is he a Dove now? And you expect me to let him tell the other doves about us? Are you crazy?"
"No! Please-He is not one of them-he… he saved me Touka-chan! Please, I can't lose him-not, not like this! I will do everything, and... And this is Hide-he won't tell-I promise! Just help me! I need him!"
The girl took another look, one that felt like an eternity to the youth standing before her, as she carefully observed the tear struck, bloody face of the Ghoul and the dirty form of the guy that used to call her out to date him, was insufferably cheerful and energetic, and didn't stop looking for his best friend.
The blood and chewed off limbs made him hard to recognize as that sunny young man. She felt a phantom pain at the sight. For some reason she didn't want him to die either.
"Fine, now follow me. Yomo-san should know what to do. I'm certain he has a doctor he could contact… that man has contacts everywhere, it seems."
Hide was surprised to wake upon what felt like a bed.
He was surprised to wake up at all. While he did not come to intentionally die, in that tunnel with a half mad Best friend, he resolved that in may likely be the case.
He did not regret it, if it meant saving Kaneki.
'It's not only you who need me, Ken, I need you too!'
As he looked around, Hide saw that the walls were not white, nor the lighting the standard one- he was not in a hospital, despite the medical machines surrounding him.
He saw a window, covered by dark curtains, and tried to get out of the bed and peak through. Maybe it will give him a hint as to his current situation.
Only for some reason he felt his entire body too weak, as if heavy weighted, or under increased gravity. Also his left leg, particularly the ankle, hurt.
As he turned to look at himself, to find the reason for the heaviness, he saw a multitude of wires connecting him to the machines. As well as bandages over his right arm.
And he was clad in a pajama-a pink, girly looking one.
'well, if they wanted to do something horrible to me, they wouldn't have changed my clothes into this… probably… Though I heard about the Mado humor , and she would have reasons to do horrible things to me after finding me-especially with the knowledge I helped Kaneki.'
Farther thought was interrupted, as his attempt to see the hurting leg failed.
He hastily rechecked, and double and triple checked-only to receive the same contradictory conclusion.
He no longer had a left leg left that would hurt. Just below his knees, he had a stump.
With shaking hands, he slowly reached and touched the place where half his leg was missing.
He couldn't swallow completely the involuntary whimper that escaped his throat.
As if summoned by the noise, the door opened, and a familiar figure enters. It's Touka-chan!
"You finally awake! You sure took your time! "
"The angry Touka-chan is not a face I have seen before, but it's cute too."
"Don't you dare do something like this again! Do you have any idea how upset he was? We thought you would die for a moment there!"
"He? Is Kaneki alright? What happened to him? Where is he?" the bedridden boy shouted excitedly, before coughing, his throat raw.
The girl gave him a nearby glass of water before replying.
"He usually spends his day at your side. I have to bully him every time to sleep and eat. He would have been here otherwise… or dead from exhaustion and starvation.
"But he is not alright! You can't imagine how shaken he was by your near death experience. He… he only held to life for you…you can't die on him you shitty best friend!" that exclamation was followed by tears, and Hide did his best to hold the crying girl, and rub circles on her back, like he remembered his mother doing to him, when he was a little boy.
After a minute of discharging her emotions, the girl pulled away, and Hideyoshi lacked the strength to even try holding her for a second.
"You were in a coma for months. You right arm will have scars, and your left leg was infected –they had to amputate what little remained uneaten. What were you even thinking? Going into a closed zone, filled with Ghouls?"
"I had to find my best friend. I couldn't leave him. I won't!"
"You won't be going anywhere yet anytime soon. You will likely need therapy to even walk again."