The Quinx of Change
Summary: In the aftermath of Christmas, the Quinx's vacation is cut short due to a ghoul preying on kids and teenagers, using the winter holidays to stack up on food. Thus the CCG and Quinx Squad is tasked to hunt and remove the threat of the ghoul, with the cries of multiple families stacking up, hoping for answers
Many children and teenager fans enjoy breaks. After the months of studying and hard work, a break is considered a godsend for them, as they are given an opportunity to enjoy their life, while they can. At this age, they can enjoy and observe the world they will inevitably work for.
So during breaks such as winter break for Christmas and New Year's, many go out in groups to observe and enjoy their life, with their parent's consent, or not.
For those older like Hide, breaks only meant more work. For many parents or young adults, break might just act as a small lightening of the work they are already subjected to.
Whether that was a good thing for them overall, they didn't know.
However, the example shown above acted as a tear between the two customs.
It started after the 27th of December, when the CCG was greeted with a group of distraught parents, who were worried for their children. Apparent a group of 5 teenagers had gone missing after exploring around during the holidays.
Considering the threat, the CCG wasn't ruling out a ghoul attack, and thus began to investigate. A meeting was brought upon the rest whom were upset about their break being interrupted, but that was what they signed up for.
To the CCG, ghouls were like viruses. They never stopped no matter the circumstances, and thus those working against would also have to follow the tradition.
Hide had already gotten part time jobs before, and would sometimes substitute in for those during the holidays, so he was used to the overall atmosphere of having to work during these times. What was different, was what job he was doing.
In a sense, the CCG gave Hide an easy job. Throughout the struggles many youth would have with getting a job.
"Hideyoshi." Hide turned around to see his friend, Kaneki, or Haise.
"Y-Yes?!" Hide turned around quickly.
"Woah someone seems a bit tense, is everything alright?" Haise asked a bit concerned.
"Yeah, I'm fine, just a bit suspense." Hide responded.
Likewise, Hide was within the CCG building, within a meeting alongside many of the groups.
Of course, discussing matters regarding the whereabouts of a possible ghoul, it was a surprise when Hide realized he rarely got an opportunity to speak.
"Um, Akira?" Hide tried to get Akita's attention. For the most part, many within the group refused to hear anything from him. This was probably due to his record in Cochlea, and thus, working in an industry destined to eliminate ghouls, would one blame a ghoul sympathizer?
"Shut it, Hide." Akira shut him down right there, and Hide sighed.
"If I can't say anything can I just go?" He then asked
"No, you will be informing the Quinx Squad about this." Akira responded firmly to Hide's own questions, and thus they continued.
This was quite the norm for Hide. He was still discriminated against due to his own reputation among the CCG. He wasn't really allowed to speak his own mind, which whilst annoying, was very little to do about.
Hide sighed as he merely left. He had finished the meeting. He never really cared for the discrimination he was facing until now. It was a sad truth, that the job he worked was a job everyone hated him in.
For now, he had decided to go back to the Chateau, to exercise. Considering everything with his kagune, he still had to focus and work on his overall stamina, something he desperately needed considering everything.
Hide sighed, as he got another test for his rc level.
"785, it's rising…" Hide sighed in relief. His rc level was within that route, which was expected. Of course, Hide noticed that using his kagune with time, made him lose rc cells. That isn't surprising considering ukaku's get rid of their rc cells in the form of projectiles and pellets.
"Hey Hideyoshi, is everything alright?" Hide had committed to some workouts, only for Haise to look concerned for him.
"Oh, hey. Yeah, I'm doing alright, just a bit tense." Hide revealed.
"I can understand, what Akira did to you was rather scornful. I did try to talk to her about her rather tense actions to you, only for her to punch me in the gut." Haise revealed.
"She punched you in the gut?" He asked, clearly shocked.
"Yeah, she did. I didn't get an answer. All she said was that she would tell Arima about me defending you." Haise scratched his head.
Hide knew exactly what Akira was referring to. Considering everything that was happening, Hide knew that Akira wanted him back into Cochlea. Considering he defended a ghoul who was associated with killing Amon particularly, Akira had a bad rep for Hide.
For now, Hide sighed, "Thanks for the help, but just let it happen."
"Are you sure?" Haise asked, clearly not liking how Hide was accepting everything.
"Yeah, but what can you do? In the eyes of them, I'm a traitor. The only reason they are tolerating with me is because Arima foresaw my release." Hide sighed, "I'll just have the accept it and tolerate it as well."
Haise clearly did not like the humble answer Hide was giving. "Well, what exactly were you going to ask before Akira interrupted you?" Haise asked.
Hide looked on, "I was about to ask where they were said to have disappeared? If there's anything known about the area, and for any witnesses."
Haise pondered, "That is a good question. I did look in the databases, and multiple witnesses said they last saw them north of the 17th ward. Specifically, near the forest."
"I see, well we might want to check there." Hide revealed. "Again, we don't know how far the time interval between those teenagers and their last spotted appearance. Considering they were near a forest, one can assume that's where the ghoul hunts."
"You make a fair point, Hideyoshi." Haise remarked, "I can send you and another Quinx Squad member to help you look over everything."
Hide nodded, "That's fine."
"Is there any preference you have to work with?" Haise asked.
Hide shook his head, "Not really. I guess either Shirazu or Mutsuki?"
"Alright, I can organize that. I think Mutsuki would be better considering the difference in kakuhou style." Haise wrote something down.
"I want to send Shirazu and Urie together, so that they can improve their own relationship. We cannot tolerate rivalry in this." Haise spoke as he continued to write, "And Saiko can come with me so that she will actually try."
Hide chuckled silently at Haise's own remark about Saiko's laziness. It did make him wonder why Saiko joined in the first place.
Oh well, for now Hide had an idea where he was to go.
With that being said, he wasn't finished with his own improvements.
"We will try later tonight, since that is perhaps when Santa will come out." Haise revealed.
"Wait, the ghoul's name is Santa?!" Hide asked, clearly not believing it. "Couldn't they come up with something more interesting?!"
"Nope." Haise responded, "Sometimes the simplest names are fine."
With that, Hide knew he had enough time. "Alright, am I allowed to head out?"
"Yeah, go ahead. You have been working noticeably harder than the rest. Plus, your recent performance is ahead that of the rest." Haise praised Hide, "Go ahead take a little break before our mission."
"Thank you." With that, Hide left. Making his way to :re, Hide greeted most of the :re crew.
Considering he was wearing his CCG uniform, it did act as a bit of a conflicted atmosphere. On the one hand, because it was secretly run by ghouls, it did make them a bit anxious for the oddity, something that went away when Hide ordered a coffee like any other customer.
"Sorry, I'm on break I came straight here afterwards." Hide smiled at Touka and Nishiki.
Nishiki merely made a noise in response, while Touka sighed. It was clear they still were anxious and suspicious of them. Considering how Hide frequently came over for sparring match, they did slowly but surely get more comfortable with him.
Plus, having a CCG member here did make them safer within the risk of CCG detection. After all, they were just living their lives, and Hide could not critique them on it.
"Can I come behind the counter?" Hide asked. Of course, once again being a bit nervous, they slowly got more comfortable with Hide. Especially since he was close to Kaneki, he was able to give an update on him.
Specifically, about how he is trying to remember his own mind and the likes.
"We'll be heading to the 17th ward, on the disappearance of 5 teenagers during Christmas. It is theorized the ghoul is using the nearby forest as a cover to hide and devour them." Hide revealed.
Even Touka was somewhat disgusted.
"I know it's hard, killing ghouls for killing people, but it's my job. I will protect you, but I cannot guarantee for every ghoul." Hide smiled sadly.
"I can't blame you. After all, it is better to eat humans who either are close to death or those who have willingly killed themselves." Touka sighed. "Killing humans at the prime of their lives is nothing but despicable."
Even Touka admitted to this, and it made Hide feel a bit better. He had revealed some of the overall feelings he had when he killed some ghouls. Considering he was a CCG member, it was his job.
In a way, it was something he did alongside his family lines, since his father was apparently as respected and strong CCG fighter. While Hide wasn't one of them, he admittedly had the results to keep him going.
"Hide, do you want to perform a bit of a sparring?" Touka asked.
Hide shook his head, "I would like to, but like I said, I have a mission tonight. After my kagune, I have to keep it rested, considering how I drain out quickly."
Touka nodded, "It's fine, we can do simple hand to hand combat if you want."
"I guess we can do that." Hide smiled.
Of course, with this Hide always had the disadvantage from lack of experience compared to Touka, but he was no slouch. He never really had any self-defence prior to this whole circumstance he found himself into.
Thus, he was definitely hurting whenever he spared with Touka. However, he was regenerating in a similar sense to a ghoul. Even though he was a Quinx, he was capable of regeneration.
"Seems you are regenerating better." Touka smiled.
"I know, considering how I lost an arm in the raid." Hide sighed.
"It is surprising. Humans have to find breakthroughs to cure their shortcomings, while us ghouls can easily perform it just like that…" Touka commented.
"I know, when humans are determined, it's scary…" Hide responded.
Around an hour of sparing, and they eventually finished their sparring. Respectably, Hide performed well. Even though he suffered more injuries than Touka, he did manage to get some good hits to her.
"You are improving well, I wish you luck on your mission." Touka said as he eventually went up.
"Also." Touka then stopped, "How is Kaneki?"
Hide sighed, "Still the same it seems. Like I said, I cannot try to help him, else I find myself back in Cochlea. However, he is happy."
Touka sadly smiled, "I'm glad…"
"Are you worried he might never regenerate his mind?" Hide asked.
"Y-Yeah… Stupid Kaneki, always making me worried for him." Touka grumbled.
"You like him, huh?" Hide smiled.
"I do…" Touka sighed.
"You know what I think?" Hide asked.
"What?"
"Fate will determine what happens. As stupid as it is, Kaneki is a strong person, so I feel he will come back. Give it some time." Hide smiled to Touka, clearly trying to give her hope.
Touka remained still, before she quietly went up.
"Good job Hide, you just made her depressed." Amber taunted Hide, who groaned.
"What are you doing up?" Hide asked.
"I'm calling you to tell you I'm sensing a new ghoul within the area, entering :re." Amber revealed.
Hide's eyes widened slightly, before he made his way up quickly.
Of course, Hide looked around, surprised that everyone had left. Seems that they were closing up early.
"Oh? There's a new ghoul around here." Hide looked to Yomo, who nodded. "It's nice to see you again. I heard about Hinami."
"Hinami?" Hide asked.
"You've never met her? She's considering Kaneki's younger sister, because they have a sibling bond." Yomo revealed.
Hide looked towards Yomo, including his interesting aesthetic, and quickly pondered.
"No, I know her, Kaneki rescued her and I was talking to her while she was in prison." Hide explained.
Hideyoshi could remember the brief conversation they had the last time he visited her. Considering everything, it made sense of them to reintroduce themselves.
"Hey Hinami, I'm Hideyoshi Nagachika, I'm Kaneki's best friend." Hide introduced himself to Hinami, who slowly got comfortable.
"H-Hide?" Hinami asked, clearly surprised.
"You know my nickname?" Hide asked, suddenly surprised.
"Yeah, big brother would usually talk to about you!" Hinami revealed.
Hide smiled, "I see, sorry I'm wearing this uniform, but I kind of need it to maintain a close connection to Kaneki."
"Wait, you are talking to him?" Hinami asked. She was clearly like a little sister vibe, considering everything that was happening.
"Yeah, but he doesn't recognize me…" Hide revealed.
"Oh…" Hinami was probably hoping Kaneki would recognize him.
"Sorry to get your hopes up, but considering I'm close to him, I can give you updates on him." Hide revealed.
"Even though I'm apart of Aogiri?" Hinami asked.
"I don't hate Aogiri, I just hate how I'm dragged into everything. But considering that's what my best friend went through, it's something I will tolerate."
"I see…" Hinami sighed.
"Hinami!" Touka's voice rang through the store, as she hugged Hinami, clearly worried for her after not seeing her for quite some time.
Hide chuckled, "Anyways, I'm going to head out, my mission is starting soon."
"Alright, see you Hide!" Hinami waved, as Hide smiled.
"Alright Amber, let's find some ghoul." Hide asked Amber, who merely made a noise to tell Hide she was active.
For now, Hide has to meet with Mutsuki, as the two were to make their way over to the 17th ward.
For now, he decided to head towards the ward. He had messaged Mutsuki, telling him he was heading there, and they would meet at a specific point.
They activated their own position in their maps, thus they would easily be able to find each other.
"Amber, do you sense anything?" Hide asked, as he looked around. It was rather dark, and thus Hide unfortunately could not see anything far away from him.
Thus he had to rely on Amber to sense a ghoul. Hide tried to smell if by any chance if he could smell something that would associate with a ghoul, like blood, but there was nothing.
"I smell a mix between a ghoul and human…" Amber notified Hide, who he merely theorized was Mutsuki.
"Hide?" The nervous voice of Mutsuki.
Hide went towards him, as they eventually found each other.
"Oh! Hide, where were you?" Mutuski asked, clearly thankful that he found Hide.
"Oh, I was leaning on that tree, are you ready?" Hide asked.
"Yeah, let's go." Mutuski smiled nervously.
Hide sighed, "Do you have a spare flashlight or something?"
Mutsuki nodded, "Yeah, I do."
"Great, I'll lead the way, just stay behind me." Hide notified Mutsuki, who nodded in response.
Obviously, being within a forest, it was rather quite the mundane task, considering everything they were doing.
He had called the others to make it know that he was pondering over everything. For now Hide had jumped over a small branch on the forest as they looked around.
"Do you see anything Mutuski?" Hide asked.
"Not yet…" Mutsuki sighed.
"Can you ask the other members?" Hide asked back.
"Sure." With that, Mutsuki began to notify others about their lack of findings. Of course, Hide was somewhat intrigued by the atmosphere of the forest. Specifically, how the night time added onto the eerie aura of the forest,
Considering how Hide always had a drama for dark forest stories, it did make Hide a bit nervous, but also in awe in how fast everything came together, regarding his thoughts and his real point of view.
For now, Hide looked around. While Mutuski was busy talking to the other members of the Quinx Squad, Hide eventually smelled something.
Something that Amber made evident.
"Hide-kun, I smell something delicious!" Judging by Amber's mention of something delicious, he quickly assumed it was a ghoul he was looking for.
He quickly found a depression in the ground, and curious, he looked down.
To his horror however, what Amber was referring to, wasn't a ghoul.
Instead, it was the dead remains of the five teenagers. Mutilated, as their overall bodies weren't even intact.
What made this creepier, was how the skin of the bodies was decomposing, as if the ghouls had picked their favourite part of the body.
Hide could tell it was around 3 girls, and 2 boys, judging by the little proportions of the body. They were dead, and that was unfortunately something he couldn't change.
However, the shock of the mutilated bodies was enough to make Hide yell in shock.
Mutsuki quickly came by to see what was happening.
"Hide, what's-" Mutuski tried to come towards Hide, only for him to rush back and cover Mutuski's eyes.
"Don't look!" Hide yelled, as he was calming his breathe. He was clearly traumatized by what he had saw. It was worse than the remains of the dead bodies in Aogiri, because they were beyond what to expect. Here, they still had quite the remnants of what was their body. They must have been dead for at least one or two days.
Mutuski remained still, as they both were breathing heavily. Hide softly moved Mutuski away, and calmly spoke.
"Tell the others we found them. The ghoul will probably be here, at the very least, we can give the families closure." Hide spoke and eventually released Mutuski once they were out of sight.
Hide calmly went over to investigate, as he was clearly nervous and horrified by what he saw.
He did not want to touch the now deceased and now decomposing bodies, as he noticed some smaller animals scavenging on the dead flesh.
"This ghoul…" Hide gulped as he began to feel the contents of his stomach rise up.
Nonetheless, he held it all down, not wanting to puke. For one, he needed to hold himself together. It was something he couldn't do.
This was heinous, the worst of the worst.
It was here did Hide see the worst parts of what ghouls were capable of. But then again, there were human serial killers, who would kill higher numbers than this.
So whilst one could make ghouls out to be the monsters, at the end of the day, Hide knew that there was always a bad side to everything. Ghouls were no different, but so were humans too.
Thus, whilst a normal human investigator might use this as a catalyst to encourage hatred among ghouls, Hide used this as a way to understand how similar everyone is.
Thus, he sighed in relief, as he eventually left the depression in the ground. The whole area was rather melancholy at the moment due to the discovery.
What made this entirely more eerie was the potential that the ghoul was within the area. Of course, if they were able to notice the CCG, it would probably be best to run off, considering they have very little to say.
All Hide knew was that the ghoul wore a mask similar to that of Santa, to create the illusion that this ghoul was a somewhat harmless individual trying to just cheer up kids.
Obviously, what happened next was instantaneous for them, and would be their last moments of consciousness before they died.
For Hide, he was curious as to what exactly was he facing.
Letting Mutsuki call the rest of the Quinx Squad, Hide as unaware of the fact he was being watched.
In fact, he was unaware of the projectile being launched towards him.
"Watch out!" Hide heard the sound of Amber's voice as he tried to move out the way, only for Hide to feel something strike right in his shoulder.
"Grah!" Hide yelped out in shock, before he felt another couple projectiles strike him.
Hide could tell that he was being hit with some form of a blade being thrown towards him, considering how sharp it was.
His left shoulder was aching, and he found himself being hit by another one to his leg, hindering his movement a bit.
He managed to get behind a tree, but his shoulder and leg were aching him.
"No doubt that was the ghoul…" Hide thought to himself, specifically Amber.
"It is, seems to be a koukaku kagune…" Amber notified Hide, who sighed in annoyance.
"The one kagune I'm weak too…" Hide grumbled in pain, both figuratively and literally, as he could feel the blades protruding inside. He was debating whether to remove the blades or not, as regardless they would cause internal tissue damage regardless.
Considering he would regenerate, getting rid of the blades would be of use.
However, to his horror, his skin was corroding.
"The blades must have been poisoned…" Amber mentioned, while Hide gulped.
"How exactly is this poison going to affect me?" Hide asked.
"The damage probably is determined by where you are struck. Considering you are hit by the extremities, it probably won't go further than a simple nuisance." Amber told Hide, who sighed.
"As long as it's not fatal, then I can still fight." Hide mumbled. Gripping Kura, he knew, considering how dark it was, he would have to rely on Amber.
"The ghoul seems to be on a tree." Amber notified Hide, who sighed.
Gripping Kura, he made his way over to the unidentified ghoul, as he jumped high to strike the ghoul.
Managing to hit flesh, rather than trunk and bark, Hide smiled a bit at the circumstances.
Hide dropped down, where he saw a faint figure of a humanoid individual.
"I got you." Hide panted. His arm and leg were hurting, Amber was right the poison was going to be a nuisance for now.
"Kuku, is just a glancing blow…" The ghoul chuckled, as he activated his kagune.
Hide could tell from the kagune, that it became green.
The ghoul's eyes becoming red, alongside the green blade-like kagune around his arms and hands. Considering how the ghoul's main colours was red and green, which made it work regarding Christmas.
For now, Hide noticed the ghoul attempt to strike Hide away. Being close, Hide had to back up.
"A koukaku that can shoot a blade projectile tipped with poison? What the hell?" Hide mumbled as he continued to run towards the ghoul. He could only hope Mutsuki would notice, and eventually get the rest of the reinforcements here.
Hide panted, as his arm and leg was hurting, and he had to continue.
Before Hide could tell what was happening, he found himself in a strange environment. To his surprise, he saw another figure around him.
While originally thinking it was a threat, he eventually realized the figure was similar, and was in fact Amber.
"Amber…" Hide mumbled.
"No time to talk, just make your way through here." Amber explained, "It'll help you in finding the ghoul in this environment."
Hide quickly nodded. For now, he couldn't answer too many questions at the moment.
While Hide was looking around, he noticed a small red and green orb. It was somewhat confusing.
To his shock, he found Kura in his hand, and that both his leg and arm were in fact, fine now.
"That's strange…" Hide mumbled before he decided to attack the orb.
Strangely, the orb began to head off, as Hide was making it closer.
"Damnit…" Hide mumbled as he eventually increased his speed.
Once he got closer, he struck the orb, before it opened up in quite the display.
To his surprise, the orb manifested into the ghoul he was fighting with. Now, Hide was continuously attempting to strike the ghoul. However, the fact that the ghoul had both blades upon it's arms, Hide knew it would be quite the struggle.
"Damnit… Being a ukaku does not make this easier…" Hide sighed. It was frustrating.
Before he knew it, he noticed the blade striking him again.
He knew he was ultimately too slow to retaliate, so he activated his kagune.
Immediately, Hide's rc cells crystalized into his wings, just before the blade struck Hide, the blade hit Hide's kagune, hitting a clang sound. Hide could feel the blade's velocity going against him. Still, he held himself on the ground, before the blade eventually fell harmlessly.
Hide sighed, as he eventually continued to make his way over. He would have to keep his kagune up for the defense, but it has the added problem of draining Hide's kagune faster.
Hide looked up, seeing the ghoul looking down on him, clearly confused about Hide's kagune.
"Tch, such a weird individual. Why is a ghoul fighting for the humans?" The ghoul asked.
Hide had enough, he charged towards the ghoul again, striking Kura down, whilst trying to corrode and decay the ghoul using Kura.
Of course, he managed to properly hit, only for the ghoul to hit Hide at point-blank range by another corroding blade.
Hide grunted, as he felt the blade strike his abdomen.
"That's going to hurt you…" Amber notified Hide, who nodded.
*X Flames*
Hide had to continue the fight, as he launched his wings down, making an X symbol of flames towards the ghoul, hitting the ghoul directly in the chest.
"Argh! What the hell kind of a kagune is that?!" The ghoul exclaimed in shock, as it was clear the ghoul was hurting from the flames.
*Flame Body*
Hide was not done yet, activating the flames around his body, he continued to assault the ghoul, clearly keeping the pressure on the ghoul, who was continuously getting burned from Hide's own kagune.
Obviously, while Hide was getting the result he wanted, he was draining his rc cells, and his stamina, and considering his current levels, he probably had a couple more minutes regarding his kagune before he could potentially collapse.
However, he also had the poison on his abdomen slowing him down, as he was grunting in pain.
Hide took a deep breathe, as he eventually slashed the ghoul with Kura, through a vertical strike. Still, Hide had more work. He couldn't really continue, as the poison was slowly hurting him, to the point where he couldn't continue.
Hide could feel his ears ringing. No doubt the poison was probably reaching his head, affecting his hearing, considering the ringing evident. He could even hear his own breathe properly, as his hearing was clouded.
Still, he tried to continue.
"Hideyoshi!" Hide could barely hear the yelling of Mutsuki, as he eventually realized the ghoul was attempting to strike him again with the blade.
*Fiery Drift*
Hide managed to avoid the projectile, as his flames shroud over, as he appeared behind the ghoul, striking the ghoul on the head with Kura.
Whilst the damage wasn't able to finish the ghoul, it was a major strike, before Hide eventually fell down, the poison and injuries getting to him.
…
"Hide-kun..." Amber's voice echoed in Hide's mind.
"Amber…?" Hide asked, clearly shocked, "My body hurts, what happened?"
"Well, you got poisoned three times." Amber spoke for Hide.
"Poisoned? I can't really remember…" Hide groaned as he felt his head hurting, even though he couldn't even hold his head.
"Well, that is no wonder, some of the poison went to your head, temporarily removing a bit of your memories. The poison was quickly removed from your system due to your regeneration, but there was still a bit of damage." Amber explained. "The blade hitting your arm and leg wasn't that severe, since your body was able to replenish and remove the poison quickly. Though the shot to your abdomen was quickly able to make it to your brain and lungs."
"Ugh, my head hurts, no wonder…" Hide mumbled.
"Don't worry, you will recover, and wake up soon, apparently you did very well in stalling the ghoul." Hide could hear Amber praising Hide, and all he could do was groan in pain.
Before he knew it, Hide eventually found himself waking up in the CCG headquarters, specifically the medical section.
"Oww, I got poisoned… Never happening again…" Hide mumbled.
He looked around, and quickly felt his arms and legs, before realizing that they were fine. Specifically, that he wasn't feeling hurt.
He gently made his way off the hospital bed, he felt fine. It was shocking, but it was pretty understandable, since his body had quickly removed the poison.
"Oh Hideyoshi!" Hide felt himself being hugged by Mutsuki and Saiko, whilst Shirazu greeted him.
"Sup man, glad your awake!" Shirazu grinned.
"Ow, how long was I sleeping for?" Hide asked.
"Around a day only, your body needed time to heal from the poison." Shirazu explained, "Apparently, one good shot was enough to shut down a human body."
"I see…" Hide mumbled. Clearly, he took the hits from taking three shots.
"Hideyoshi." Hide looked up seeing Kaneki, or Haise standing up, "Good to see you doing well…"
"It's fine, did you all take down the ghoul?" Hide asked.
"Yes we did, we managed to subdue and eliminate the Christmas ghoul shortly after you hit it on the head with Kura. Speaking of which." Hide looked to see Haise had give Hide back Kura. Hide nodded in thanks.
"You did well for fighting a strong rated ghoul alone." Haise praised Hide.
"Are you sure? I took quite the beating…" Hide sighed.
"Sure, but when we found the ghoul, he was badly burned and injured. He was unable to move properly, so it made ridding him easier." Haise explained.
"Oh, I see." Hide sighed.
"We actually found out something major about the ghoul you fought singlehandedly." Haise then revealed. "In fact, this is something the whole of the Quinx Squad should hear."
"What happened?" Hide asked, clearly confused.
"The ghoul that we fought, and the one Hideyoshi specifically had stalled for us to reinforce, was S+ rated."
Many within the Quinx Squad then looked over to Hide in shock.
Urie, seemed jealous of the accomplishment Hide had done.
"What…" Saiko mumbled.
"Hideyoshi had fought against, and managed to severely injure a pretty prominent ghoul, where a special class investigator was needed." Haise explained, and Hide was beginning to understand the severity of his actions.
Obviously, Hide was worried about how this might impact his overall placement in the CCG. There was a lot of factors, particularly how he was powerful.
But he was a powerful and hated member of the CCG. Incredibly controversial. There was no doubt that putting Hide in a powerful position of the CCG would no doubt debate and protest against the overall decision.
Even Arima was hesitant to put Hide in a position, specifically to lead the Quinx Squad.
Even Urie, within the Quinx Squad had opposed the decision. In the end, Hide himself rejected the possibility of rising the ranks, just to tame the uproar that the CCG was in.
It was somewhat infuriating though, they took a very good result for them, and made a problem and controversy out of it.
It was sad, and somewhat annoying, but Hide knew he could do very little about it. Even Arima was opposed, as there was only something he could do in his position. There wasn't much he could do if many within the ranks.
Thus, once Hide was discharged, he was instead told to retain the status quo, and that he would actually have some things about him tweaked, so that the CCG could keep a closer eye on him.
Once again, this was an example of Hide's unfortunate discrimination. He could have sworn that actually dying would have been a better option for them than keeping him around.
No doubt, if Hide actually died, the CCG would not really care, and it kind of infuriated him. Regardless, he ultimately knew that was how he was going to suffer, specifically how everyone within the CCG holding a grudge.
In the end, Hide got toward the Chateau, and eventually got towards his room. Considering he at least had some within the Quinx Squad defending him as a good individual, it was a losing battle.
"Hideyoshi?" Hide turned to see someone calling him. It was Mutsuki.
"Oh hey, what's wrong?" He asked in concern, considering Mutsuki's expression seemed full of guilt.
"I just wanted to apologize…" He mumbled.
"What for?" Hide asked, clearly confused. "Why are you apologizing?"
Mutsuki looked on, "For letting you fight that ghoul alone! If I was there I could have helped you…"
Hide already knew what he was getting at. Considering Mutsuki was busy trying to get the rest of reinforcements, there was no doubt there was some trouble because of Mutsuki's nervousness.
"It's fine, in the end, everyone is fine, and the mission is complete, so don't worry."
"Are you sure?" Mutsuki asked, clearly upset.
Hide sighed, "Like I said, you got the reinforcements, and I managed to hold him off until then, so in the end everything worked."
Mutsuki smiled, "Alright, I still feel guilty, but if you are sure that everything is fine, then alright. I just wish I was stronger…"
Hide looked on, "I can't really tell you an advice how to become stronger, besides a simple training isn't enough. We need the experience, so just become more confident. You kind of need it right now, Mutsuki."
"Alright, thank you…" Mutsuki sighed, before she looked out, "I'm ordering food this time, so don't worry with dinner."
"Alright, thanks Mutsuki." Hide smiled as he was going to speak to Kaneki, or Haise.
Hide sighed. At the end of the day, he still needed work regarding his overall capabilities. While Mutsuki was blaming himself for Hide's injuries, Hide blamed himself. Regarding this experience, Hide knew he would need to train harder.
Thankfully, Hide had quite the amount of ghouls he could train against, for a better combat abilities. At :re, Hide decided to train harder alongside Touka, with Nishiki adding unnecessary comments as always.
"Is everything alright, we didn't hear from you." Touka explained, with a bit of concern.
Hide nodded, "I fought a ghoul that could corrode others, so I got injured for a bit."
Nishiki chuckled, "Well then, seems you need some more training, huh?"
Hide smirked, "Yes, how about I light the fire?"
Nishiki gave a smile for once, liking the little joke Hide gave, "I think I'll stick my distance. I get too close to the flames, and I'll get burnt."
Touka slapped Nishiki, "Don't be a coward, if Hide needs this training, then you will participate." Touka then smirked, clearly wanting to hurt Hide further.
Hide realized how royally screwed he was, "Well shit…"
A.N / Not much to say. This is a completely made up mission created by the author, this is not within the story that I know of. For now, hope you enjoyed.
Flame Body.
Shapeshift.
X Flames.
Flaming Pellets.
Fiery Drift.