The Quinx of Change

Summary: With the Quinx surgery complete, and Hide recovering and moving into a new house, Hide realizes only part of the deal is finished. In order to be fully relieved from Cochlea, he is to prove and fulfil the conditions the CCG reaper had given him. One of them, being the most difficult, having to reconnect with a friend you cannot even say their proper name to.

Hide's Unconsciousness

It seemed that darkness was always a place Hide would find himself inhabiting, especially for the future to come. It was a strange feeling, being able to see and understand what was happening whenever he was asleep or unconscious. The outside world where your consciousness is was like a border of a different country. You could hear of what was happening, but not with your eyes.

Humans are mostly visual creatures; we rely more on our sight to perceive things. Compared to other non-primates like us, like dogs, they can rely more on their nose. Of course, this offers some advantages and disadvantages. Whilst humans are able to use their sights well, they unfortunately cannot smell danger, unlike some of their supposed companions.

It first seemed to have picked up that night during the raid, when he fell unconscious from a wound to his stomach, and his left arm being cut off, no doubt putting him in a precarious situation. He thought that would be a first and only due to the severity of his injuries, but clearly that's wasn't the case.

He had been having a sort of conscious, with his thoughts ever since that night. Whether it was after it, or whenever he would sleep in Cochlea, he would no doubt in some way be awake. Maybe everyone was to an extent, but for Hide this was new. It hadn't happened before.

And yet again, here he was, in another self-conscious state despite being put to sleep for his surgery.

Another one during roughly a year, his body was not having a good time, especially with Cochlea and regrowing his arm, it wasn't a fun time.

He wasn't feeling anything, which he was glad for, as feeling a knife cut you open is something Hide doesn't want to feel at all.

"So, this is the Quinx surgery?" Pretty standard if Hide thought so himself, with another sort of image popping up. Though even through this, this new revelation he was experiencing was something else.

Did people who have surgeries develop these kinds of visions or dreams? One could say Hide was going insane, but he would probably blame the environment for making him who he was.

They always say you are a product of the environment you reside in, so perhaps Hide is who he is because of what happened to him. After all, Hide would consider himself a tragic figure. Not on the same sense as his best friend, Kaneki, but he was also one to face tragedies and faults at a young age, being blamed for something he couldn't control.

"Wait, who is that?" Hide asked mentally as he could see a blank image of what appears to be a adult figure slowly walking up to Hide. Hide himself looked down and could see his limbs.

What made him question everything, was rather the figure, which seemed very unreal. He noticed the image of what appears to be a hand trying to reach him.

"This is not normal" He quickly thought, not knowing, or understanding what this could imply. He wasn't scared, just confused.

He watched as the figure slowly approached the mental image of Hide before in a bright light dissolving away. It almost seemed to have vanished in thin air. It was strange Hide had thought so.

As a result, Hide found himself in a mental atmosphere, filled with an orange room. Whenever he would approach something to touch, it would dissipate, leaving Hide with nothing but void.

"Wait, what are these doing here?" Hide asked himself, watching as it dissolved as well the closer, he got to it.

"Huh…" was all he could really say, realizing what was happening. It was similar to his other dreams, never being able to actually touch something. Instead he watched as the closer he got, the more transparent the object or person became before dissolving entirely, becoming nothing.

Hide sighed, the only thing he could really do in this mind was simply sit down and wait for his physical self to wake up. It always felt like forever, he would tell himself, when, the time in his mental world went by faster.

A typical eight-hour sleep would only last two in his mind. So, if anything Hide was just impatient. He just wanted to see the outside world, his friends, and Kaneki, even if he was an amnesiac.

What was he to think right now? What would he do after joining the Quinx Squad, there was some things he needed to do?

He needed to go back to the site of that building where he found Kaneki after he went missing. He could have sworn that was Kaneki, though with white hair instead. Of course, certain events would get him to finally see him after a while, and he confirmed it was the first time seeing him with that changed hair colour.

Then, there was the fact that the building was destroyed by the CCG, it seems that everywhere Hide remembers gets destroyed one way or another.

Still, he was certain something had happened while he was gone, and he had to find any trails, the tracks of his best friend on the dirt surface. His footprints.

He had a lot to do, and being skeptical of the "deaths," of around 60-70 CCG investigators, all of whom their bodies went missing. That was too much of a coincidence. A multitude of bodies dead but with no flesh? No bones? Just bits of blood? It was too unbelievable.

He had heard of the "deaths," of Seidou Takizawa and Koutaru Amon, both of whom were also missing, at least their bodies were. He had to find evidence, regardless of their status.

He had a lot of work to do, especially if he was being freed. He had to, especially in the case that he is locked up. There was always the possibility he would be put back in Cochlea, destined to live the rest of his life there. It simply was something Hide did not want to endure for more than around a year.

He looked around his surroundings, seeing a chair, a desk and his room in Cochlea. The difference was that the plain grey walls were not an energetic organ, matching Hide's hair colour. As much as he wanted to touch and cherish it, he knew by touching it, it would disappear. He knew now.

How long was this surgery going to take? Hide was unsure, he was still asleep it's hard to tell, he told himself. He was still suffering from the other one.

Sighing, he heard some music, only to find that his headphones were somehow placed onto him. He turned around and saw a mysterious figure, with no defining details to them, not even in gender, not even in clothing, it was a patch of dust. The figure did not look at him because it did not have any eyes. The figure did not do anything. It was just watching Hide.

Eventually however, the figure unexpectedly began to grow, and Hide found himself running before being consumed by the figure.

"Uh…" Hide mumbled before he found his eyes working. Still closed, he quickly found himself awake at last. He turned to a nearby clock, only to see that only eight hours had passed. It was now evening, and Hide was shocked, mainly because his conscious felt awake for much longer than it needed to be.

CCG Headquarters, Medical Ward

But then again, that is usually how it went for him.

"Ah, Hide I see your awake." Dr. Shiba had stated a smile atop his facial features.

Hide mumbled, getting himself up in the bed. "How was it?" He simply asked the doctor.

"Well." He said licking his finger before turning a page in his notebook. "The restrained kakuhou was successfully transplanted into you, with the quinque frames. Like most other Quinx, you are set to F2, with 40% potential power to that of regular ghouls."

"So, I can eat normally, and my rc Levels?" Hide asked, a bit sore.

Dr. Shiba smiled, "your body adapted very well to the change, the quinque frames allows for the rc cells in the kakuhou to not cooperate with your native cells, preventing you from turning into a one-eyed ghoul."

"I see." Was all Hide stated, lying down. He forgot home much surgery made one sore. Then again, the amount of stuff they do to your body says a lot. It was impressive how much the human body could take. Then you look at a ghoul's body, much more durable, and one can't ask but wonder, how much can a ghoul seriously take, referring to damage. Just how durable were they really?

For example, how long could ghoul's go without oxygen? None of their superhuman traits would technically matter if Hide could choke them within the same time as humans. After all, they have the same anatomies, almost, so if that was the case, then their lungs were the same, but stronger. Of course, this could also mean they depended more on oxygen to fuel themselves.

"Do you need anything else? Or are you going to rest? Because I got to check for any complications and that." He mentioned and Hide simply nodded, letting him do his thing.

He was a bit skeptical of doctors in general, but decided that if he was approved by the CCG then he should be fine.

A couple of hours afterwards, of testing and scanning to look for anything unusual, and Hide was given the green light by Dr. Shiba would state that his body was phenomenal during and after the procedure.

"Well, I'm glad to hear it went perfectly." Hide said at last.

"Indeed, now I'll give you the time to recover, it should be within a week you can be discharged." He said, leaving while Hide brought his bag on the floor, and began to put his headphones on.

It then dawned on him that he hadn't gone back to his home ever since he had been locked up. No doubt the lack of any communication from his foster father presumably meant that he didn't care where Hide was.

As careless as it was, Hide didn't actually mind. If anything, he was glad, knowing he would've gotten a bit of a yelling afterwards.

Still, he knew that the CCG were going to provide him with a new room nearby alongside the rest of the CCG Squad, meaning not only was he going to be moving, but also away from his only guardian.

It was a bit struggling, but considering the CCG states they'll pay the expenses, with their only precaution was to make sure their residence was clean every weekly visit they made, it wasn't that bad.

But still, Hide was still in a hospital bed, recovering. Just like last time, a year ago. It was kind of ironic, that Hide would find himself back in the operating table. At least this one went better than the other.

The only difference, hopefully was that Hide wasn't going to be sent to Cochlea after this.

It was just a matter of time, Hide briefly told himself, trying to get his mind off of his boredom.

Before he could fall asleep, however a recognizable voice called out to him.

"Hide." Hide raises his eyes in the direction to see Arima standing there.

"Oh, Arima how is everything?" Hide asked a bit surprised, considering he was about to go and sleep.

"Decided to stay back a bit late, heard you were awake and decided to see the results." He simply stated.

Hide chuckled, "well the doc said I was adapting well and I don't seem to have suffered any complications, so I should be up in a week."

Arima nodded, "I see, well when you are discharged, remember the conditions, you will be joining the Quinx Squad, meaning you will be moving into a CCG approved residence alongside the rest for the squad. You will probably meet them once you move in, unless you get out earlier."

"I understand." Hide simply stated, considering he got the physical battle done, this rest weren't going to be that difficult.

"I'm glad, but you also must remember, Haise Sasaki, I am fine and can tolerate what you call him, but within the CCG grounds, and around him, you cannot refer to him by anything but Haise, understood?"

Hide gulped, silently trying to tell himself it was for the best, and that it was a part of his condition.

"Yes." Hide said at last and Arima nodded.

"Good, I'll send Akira to check your monitors tomorrow alongside Dr. Shiba. Get some rest, you have a long week ahead of you." Arima said before leaving the room.

Hide sighed, taking in all the stuff and moving he had to do. Especially so soon after surgery.

He found himself groaning, "I thought the physical toll was done, now I got to lift after I get up?" He mumbled, before he let his eyes close, trying to find proper sleep.

Despite being a rather energetic person, Hide had a surprising ease when it came to sleep, it was easy for him, at least in recent times that is.

As a child he was always energetic, running around and jumping. He would always get in trouble for climbing fences, and had a knack for agility. He was brought to a doctor on suspicion of hypersensitivity or ADHD, but was found to just be energetic, and was thus left off the hook. In gym, he was the fastest runner, and could beat anyone in a short span sprint off. He even participated in a small athletic tournament, where he excelled in hurdles and sprinting. He was okay in long distance, but always found himself going just a tad too fast for his own good.

By the time he grew up, it didn't stop. His physical capabilities became stronger, and so did his brain. In addition to being outgoing and energetic, he was also hard working and caring, especially to Kaneki, who was his only long-term friend. Sure, he had an easy time talking to anyone, but he never connected with them. He simply was too busy letting his mind move around. By teenage age, he was simply an outgoing person. He didn't run on any sort of track team, but was always somewhat athletic and still could go off when he truly wanted to.

It was ironically up until Cochlea did Hide begin to fully embrace sleeping. Considering how much he loved moving, and the restrained movement he had in general, all he was left to was to find ways to not bore himself. Sleep became a dream for him, as it gave him a conscience where he could banter whatever he wanted. As a child and teenager, he was energetic and struggled to sleep.

Now, he was probably still his energetic self, he just lost the physical capabilities, but now sleep came much easier for him. As well as that, but he found himself sleeping in more. He wasn't sure if his body was just growing to appreciate it, or if it was Cochlea that did this. But considering it was the same time he began to get those conscience within his closed eyes and sleeping state did he have an idea how it happened.

To his mild surprise and shock, he continued to see that same black figure in his subconscious state. Hide was unsure what symbolize it could represent, or what it means. Was it the ghost of the person who once had the kakuhou, now implanted into him? Was it a message, or some kind of curse the CCG reaper had given him? Or was his mind going crazy from the time in that prison? Hide was unsure, but his subconscious state had it disappearing whenever Hide could approach it. To this day, he still couldn't get a precise feature that made it stand out, only seeming like coloured dust, Hide called it.

It didn't really matter, Hide thought, as he let himself float in whatever environment he was in. Eventually, he would wake up and oversee the next part of his life, curtesy of Arima's compromise with the other members. Oh yeah, and what about the CCG members who see Hide as a ghoul defender? Were they going to discriminate him against his actions, even if he showcases some form of loyalty?

Hide sighed, knowing there were a lot of questions that he would have to find out and answer if he wanted to get his mind satisfied. The thought of Kaneki alone made his mind show concern, as well as the others, whom clearly had an impact on him when he wasn't there for him.

With a sigh of relief, even Hide's subconscious went black.

Arima was slightly surprised. Only by a bit, at the boy's improvement and recovery was going relatively well. It had been around two days since his surgery, and even Dr. Shiba, expressed his surprise shock at Hide's simple endurance and recovery. The boy's muscle strength was deemed normal, with him being able to move relatively well, after seeing him kneel down to pick up his backpack.

Then, the monitors deemed he was doing well. With his rc levels and his overall bodily function remaining stable, with the former being considered healthy enough.

So, Arima had gone to the recovery room to ensure a swift and smooth transition to the new household, which Hide thanked. Of course, he did ask if he could gather some items from his old house, which Arima accepted if he had the supervision of someone, but considering the boy spent around nine months in Cochlea, without proper clothing of his choice, it was only fair.

Arima then went down to a room within the CCG headquarters, where he spotted the white-haired boy who had a connection to Hide.

"Haise." Arima called out neutrally, causing him to turn around to the reaper behind him.

"Oh, Arima, what's going on?" He asked slightly confused, clearly concerned at the facial features Arima had.

Arima always had a sort of neutral, stoic expression, with his eyes always relaxed in his glasses, and his mouth being among the most straight you could see. Despite that, there could be some confusion within this expression, as many could misinterpret it as sorrow.

"Follow me, this involved the Quinx Squad." He simply stated, motioning for Haise to follow him.

He led him to a more prestigious room, which Haise was familiar with, as he watched the reaper sit down.

"So, what's going on with the Quinx Squad?" He simply asked, not knowing if the news was good or bad.

Sitting down in his chair, Arima started, "The news is relatively simple actually, a new member will be joining the Quinx Squad, and thus will be moving into the household. He has just finished his Quinx surgery around two days ago, and is set to be discharged a day or two later. As a result, I want you and the rest of the team to make sure the free room is available and hospitable."

Haise clearly seemed unexpected with the news, and for good reason. Considering the lack of volunteers willing to get a kakuhou, restrained or not, inserted into them, many thought that the group would remain relatively static.

"Why did he choose to join the Quinx Squad?" Haise asked at last, and Arima began to think of a quick response that would seem feasible, but it was difficult.

"This individual, is a bit different in terms of the other volunteers." Arima started, and Haise clearly seemed intrigued at what he meant.

"What do you exactly mean by different?"

Arima quickly thought of a good excuse. "He has a unique situation with his rc counts, where they fluctuate."

"Is it ROS?" Haise asked and Arima shook his head in denial.

"No, it fluctuates, though the peaks and dips are still within human range. Besides he doesn't seem to have a history of rc cell issues, nor any symptoms related to ROS. His procedure was merely stalled and pushed back for this reason." Arima stated.

Haise raised his eyebrow in confusion, "Fluctuations in rc counts, isn't that detrimental to a person's body?"

Arima chuckled, "Not really, remember when a ghoul initiates their kagune, it results in a massive spike in rc counts. Considering that many ghouls are fine afterwards, its either their bodies are resistant to these fluctuations, or they aren't affected by it the same way as humans are."

Haise raised his hand to his head, scratching it trying to make what this meant.

"So does this individual eat humans if his rc gets too high?" Haise asked.

Arima shook his head, "There's a lot of medical tests done to check it. The answer is no, he can eat like a regular human. The peaks and dips do not exceed 1000. They only do during uncontrolled, but very brief spikes. I understand your worry, however he is merely like the rest of the group you are training. Speaking of which, how is their training?"

Haise then turned, realizing he was now speaking. "Oh, well they are performing relatively well. They have better control of their kagune's, and are able to cooperate with each other as well. The only exception is Mutski, who seems more hesitant, but I think he'll improve with time." Haise confirmed, and Arima nodded.

"That is good to hear, this new member will be starting off later than you, so do not expect him to advance around the same time as the rest. He does definitely seem like the quick learner, so it should be fine." Arima stated, and Haise simply looked on.

"If I may ask, who is this new member?" Haise asked, and Arima noticeably flinched, an unusual characteristic and reaction from someone like Arima, and for a question as innocent as it seemed.

While for Haise, it seemed innocent, for Arima, it was a question he didn't want to encounter. But he eventually realized this could give Haise some sort of warm up before the confrontation, and so he decided to tell Haise their name.

"His name is Hideyoshi Nagachika." Arima simple spoke bluntly and serious, looking specifically at Haise, looking for any traces of shock, or surprise.

Arima simply stared at Haise, for any small changes in his face that would seem unusual for a normal surprised reaction.

But luckily for Arima, Haise simple stated, "Hideyoshi Nagachika, very formal." He commented, and Arima breathed a sigh of relief, in his head.

"Uh, yes, very formal indeed. Anyways he is expected to move in with you all at the end of the week, so get that ready for a new roommate and a new team member."

Haise nodded, "Understood. But if I may ask, what type of kagune does he have? I'd like to know so I can expose him to some pre-training advice and strategies to adapt to it."

Arima nodded, "He is a ukaku kagune, like Shirazu, though it may look different than his."

Haise smiled, "Understood. So, another swift unit capable of massive barrages of attacks? Interesting. I shall look into this more."

"You don't need to. He will be training just under a week after his surgery, so take it easy for him, and then go from there."

Haise turned his head in confusion. "Are you sure? I think it'd be better if I prepared some training."

Arima put his hand out, with a more serious tone, "I am sure, I need to also give him a new quinque in addition to this. I think I may give him Kura."

Haise's eyes turned into curiosity. "Really? I thought it was destroyed?"

Arima shrugged, "The other one was as well, but was repaired, before being destroyed again. Some members successfully repaired this quinque, and thus we'll probably give to him."

Haise then shrugged off the unusual idea, "Alright, I guess I'll begin cleaning up the room for the new member to be transferred smoothly."

Arima nodded, "Good idea." He said finally and watched as Haise walked off, probably to tell the others of the new member they were getting.

As he realized the work he was doing, he simply watched the time go by, as he continued to work. Despite his supposed premature aging, his work ethic seemed to be in parallel to that of a young adult. He was thorough and swift, but also informative. The time went by, as he noticed Akira opened the door, exposing their eyesight's to each other.

"Is there anything you need Akira?" Arima simply asked.

She shook her head, "Not really, just came to inform you that Hideyoshi Nagachika has been discharged from the hospital with Dr. Shiba's approval."

Arima raised an eyebrow at that. He knew that the boy would recover quick, but even this, for human standards were impressive. Maybe it was the Quinx already taking its effect on him? Arima wasn't sure, but decided to trust the doctor's advice.

He got up, intent on meeting the boy who probably was unsure where he was to go now. A couple months of Cochlea definitely would make him confused, and thus he'll need help.

He spotted the orange-haired young adult just outside, wearing some uncharacteristically blue and white clothing, which a black hoodie. It looked a bit off with his orange hair, but decided it was unnecessary to bring up, considering the looks other CCG members were giving him as they passed.

Those looks of fear, and even distrust did bother Arima somewhat, considering the ghoul he saved would eventually become Haise, an investigator himself.

Regardless, he shrugged, meeting the clearly confused boy.

"Do you need help navigating the area?" Arima asked and Hide nodded.

"It's been a while since I was able to go out. I need to go to my stuff for moving in. Is the room any better than down in Cochlea?" Hide asked.

"Of course, it is. It isn't a prison. It's an actual place where investigators live, and you can move around whenever you want. Obviously when you have to go out."

Hide nodded in uncertainty, he was a bit unsure about the whole thing. For all he knew, he could be moved to a "nicer" prison for all he knew.

Still, he trusted Arima to getting out of Cochlea, and he was. Now walking across the street, before finding his place of residence, well formerly.

"This is it. I guess I'll get what I can carry." Hide said, realizing he wasn't able to carry a lot due to his surgery. While he was recovered, he had lacked the muscle he had due to his stay in Cochlea, and mixed with his "new arm," he was still unable to carry a lot of moderately weighed objects.

"Don't worry, I can handle it." Arima simply stated, and Hide nodded.

"There should be some boxes inside where I can store some stuff, so I'll come outside when I am finished, okay?" Hide stated, and Arima nodded in understanding.

It took around an hour, and it was getting a bit late, but Hide eventually got everything he needed. Some clothes, a refillable water bottle, his phone that he hasn't used in a while alongside its charger, some books so that he may hopefully be able to go back to Kami after this whole ordeal. While it may seem stupid with a criminal record, and spending time in Cochlea, it was dropped and Hide was officially clean of that record, especially considering what happened afterwards.

He had somewhat hoped that now, he could officially go to university after all this drama.

Regardless, he still had some things to finish. Case in point, moving into a new residence. It was a bit unnerving, considering he would be living with his now co-workers, and his best friend who doesn't know him. Before he had lived mostly alone, due to his foster father simply not being there. So, it was a relatively big transition that he was open to try and work with.

Right now, the air was relatively cold, with Arima carrying two boxes of stuff that Hide had said he needed. But of course, he was strong enough to carry them just fine, with the distance not being too far.

With it being relatively dark, the chances of sudden ghoul attacks are there, with the darkness being their only time when they can hunt, due to a lack of human presence. However, the presence of the well-known reaper acted as a sort of repellant to the ghouls. Any smart ghoul who saw the posing figure would know better than to attempt to even go within striking distance.

As a result, Hide felt safer, as he carried some smaller objects back to the residence.

"So, is there a name for this house?" Hide asked.

"The Chateau." Arima merely stated, "We're right there now."

Hide looked up in mild shock, at the surprise in front of him. A three-story building, that seemed very neat, compared to Cochlea that is.

He simply looked on, admiring the building for all its smaller details. The architecture, with the entrance in particular looking nice, with the flowers, fences and so on.

"This is definitely much better than Cochlea." Hide mumbled, which Arima heard and slightly chuckled.

"Of course, it would be." He replied. Putting down the boxes as he watched the orange-haired boy sit down, a fence acting as a support for his back.

"Is everything okay?" Arima asked.

Hide quickly looked up, "Oh, no! Everything is great! I'm out of Cochlea, going in a better house than even my old one, and I'll have people to interact with. It's quite the transition, in fact." He said, quieting a bit.

Arima knew what Hide was getting at, the sudden change, with not being able to interact with anyone really for almost a year, to this, it was a change that Hide would have some difficulty getting used to.

"Do you know what it consists of? Just so I don't get lost." Hide asked Arima.

"Oh right, well the first floor is the training room. It contains all of the equipment not just for physical health, but also for training with your kagune's. Don't worry too much about damaging the surroundings, your restrained kakuhou and the tough interior makes it difficult to break. The second floor is for more casual interactions. It contains a living room, a kitchen and the likes, even a small game room. With the third and final room being where most of you will sleep, as it'll be your private room. There are separate bathrooms so you don't have to share." Arima stated.

"Okay, is there any expenses we have to pay? Or will the CCG take care of that?" Hide asked.

"The CCG will pay for the expenses. However, we will pay weekly visits to make sure there's no issues regarding a room. So one thing we'd like is for you to keep the place as clean as you can."

Hide shrugged, "That I can do."

"I'm glad to hear that."

Hide sighed, taking a deep breathe. Despite his personality, he was still a bit nervous, to see those including Kaneki.

"Oh yeah," Hide thought. "I have to call him that.."

"I think I'm ready. Let's go in and set my stuff up." Hide said at last, after about ten minutes of sitting outside. It was somewhat impressive that the other Quinx couldn't hear him.

Arima opened the door with Hide not too far behind. The area was just like Arima had said, more resembling a training and gym. But Arima began walking up some stairs that Hide could barely spot, following up quickly, before seeing a more residential style environment.

He could also hear the sounds of conversations, and knew what he was about to encounter in mere seconds.

A.N / Chapter 5 is finished with a decent cliffhanger to Hide and an amnesiac Kaneki's meeting. Hide is in the process of getting moved in the chateau, where the rest of the Quinx Squad lives. I also want to apologize in advance if I don't get the kagune kakuhou and the other stuff right, it's pretty confusing with the similar names is all. But regardless hope you enjoyed this chapter.