The Quinx of Change

Summary: Successfully managing to get Amon to safety, Takizawa, Hide, and Kurona are conflicted with another issue, that eventually puts the tired ghouls against a formidable opponent. On the other hand, Hide reunites with a fellow opponent, who for once must work together to deal with the threat.

Ultimately, the three ghouls, Takizawa, Kurona, and Hide had a fun time carrying Amon to Kaneki. Obviously, Hide himself made sure he had his Scarecrow uniform on.

Considering he too was a part of the ghoul culture, he had to follow the customs of wearing his own suit. It was somewhat interesting, considering that instead of a mask, he wore a full-on ghoul costume.

In the end, he went to Uta for a Phoenix-like mask, as even he agreed that it looked good. Obviously, their mutual connection to Itori. Because of this, it was relatively easy to get a phoenix mask for him.

With that being said, Hide also had a hoodie to hide his hair, to make sure no one could notice it. Unfortunately, since Hide's hair was turned to a lighter shade of yellow, he too failed to realize him at first, and likewise so did many, considering many thought he dyed it a different colour.

He learned now, that merely wasn't the case but rather the constant regeneration of his limbs and hair began to make the pigment fail. The result was that his fingers and toes were unusually pale compared to the rest of his body, and his hair was a lighter shade of yellow than he usually left it.

"Remind me never to carry that buff of a man ever again…" Takizawa mumbled.

Hide chuckled, in his Scarecrow uniform. It was somewhat awkward seeing Kaneki again. Likewise, Kaneki seemed to have developed a unique interest in the Scarecrow, considering his constant reoccurrence to Kaneki's own acts.

Hide smiled under his mask and costume, it was somewhat funny seeing Kaneki like himself, but alas their time to meet wasn't now. Hide still had stuff to do, and was still working on making himself strong enough to eventually see Kaneki again.

In the end, the three had decided to call it a day, as they were tired from the commotion and fight against a berserk Amon. For now, Hide had the two had decided to go out hunting.

Of course, Hide himself wasn't a fan of eating human meat, to this day, and thus stuck with ghoul meat.

"Are you sure you want to eat ghoul meat? You know the complications, right?" Takizawa asked.

Hide was under the assumption from Takizawa that he was thought of as someone still adjusting to the whole ghoul lifestyle.

"Don't worry, I already have been suffering from it." Was all Hide answered for them, as it got the message across?

"Well, then I guess it's best to get used to it, then," Kurona responded, deciding to speak up.

Hide smiled, "Well, let's go then."

With that, the three looked out, for their respective prey. Of course, it was bound to cause a bit of scrutiny for the CCG, but considering everything that was happening with Aogiri Tree, they had a nice breakthrough.

In the end, they didn't need to hunt, because Kaneki was nice enough to give them a package of meat. Obviously, Hide said he wasn't hungry, not wanting to eat human meat.

Thus, Hide himself went on a hunt for ghouls. The problem was that he was now alone, and thus had to fight harder for his own food.

"Amber, it's time." Luckily, he had a ghoul who loved ghouls themselves in his subconscious, and thus Hide knew he would be fine. Being able to sense them thanks to Amber, was relatively nice, but it was creepy. Still, Hide got used to it.

"I smell a new, delicious ghoul Hide-kun, let's eat it!" Amber was clearly salivating at how good this apparent ghoul was, who was within Hide's own distance. Thus, Hide began to quietly step through.

Also activating his kagune during the evening would make him noticeable, so he had to focus on keeping himself at a distance so that he could sneak up on the ghoul.

Obviously, some ghouls were able to sense others easier than Hide, and thus the ghoul was able to spot Hide.

"Who the hell are you?!" The ghoul asked, eyeing the Scarecrow, clearly a bit scared at the overall aura he was displaying.

Hide sighed, he always hated taking lives away, but considering his own life, this was better, especially with him trying to retain his humanity.

"I'm sorry." Was all Hide said as he activated his kagune. The one downside for Hide was that he sucked with stealth, and dealing with it. It was evident when he barely could detect that corroding blade from that ghoul, causing him to get hurt pretty badly.

Even now, he could sneak up against a non-threatening ghoul.

Hide grunted, as he noticed the ghoul had activated its own kagune, a rinkaku it seems, with a singular whip protruding out of the ghoul's back.

Hide looked on, clearly thankful it wasn't a koukaku. He was able to cut through the kagune probably.

*Flaming Pellets* *Flaming Trial*

Deciding to use multiple of his abilities at once, Hide first activated his kagune wings to strike the ground, allowing for flames to fly off the ground towards the ghoul, whilst also using his upper two wings to launch flaming projectiles towards the ghoul.

The ghoul's eyes widened in shock at the sudden aggression before managing to dodge, but barely.

"That kagune…" The ghoul mumbled, "What the hell are you?!"

Hide shrugged, "Doesn't matter, all that matters for me is food."

"Y-You eat ghouls?! You cannibal!" The ghoul exclaimed as he charged to Hide with his rinkaku. Instead, the singular whip began to branch out into smaller extensions, as Hide found himself struggling to dodge.

*Guard Shroud*

Blocking the strike, Hide could feel the two kagunes colliding, as Hide crystallized his kagune, as he pushed back against the ghoul.

The ghoul flew back, clearly giving up.

"You're such an annoyance…" The ghoul mumbled, as he eventually continued the offense.

For now, Hide had to quickly end this.

*Red Rain* *Smolly*

Hide launched some flaming pellets above himself, he noticed the ghoul attempting to strike him down. Launching himself back, the circular ring of flames began to surround the ghoul.

The ghoul's eyes widened in shock, as Hide gave a wave signaling a goodbye, before pointing up.

The ghoul was shortly pelted by burning projectiles that rained upon him, while the surrounding flames began to connect and burn the ghoul from the inside out.

"Well, seems that I will be having cooked ghoul tonight." Hide chuckled to himself, as he got rid of his costume, and quickly ate the ghoul.

"So good Hide-kun, I told you, you would enjoy it." Amber taunted, as it was clear from the start she wanted Hide to eat ghouls. Now, he ultimately was.

Considering the alternative would spell consequences greater than the current, Hide had a tough route to take.

For now, once he finished the ghoul, we reapplied his uniform, wiping off any dust and dirt, before heading out. He was now fulfilled and thus was ready to see whatever Takizawa or Kurona needed.

"You came by quicker than I anticipated…" Takizawa commented.

Hide shrugged, "I finished with my ghoul meal, where are we going?"

Kurona sighed, "You see, there are some smaller artifacts from Aogiri Tree we need to find. Considering everything that happened, it would be in our best interest to find them."

"Huh?" Hide asked, "What artifacts?"

Takizawa looked on, "Regarding Kanou."

"Oh, I see…" Hide mumbled. He didn't necessarily want to go back to Aogiri Tree, but for this purpose he supposed it wouldn't hurt. "Can I get a specific thought of what exactly are we looking for?"

"Any evidence for Kanou's illegal testing of humans and converting them to ghouls," Takizawa said at last.

Hide didn't need more answers after that.

"Alright, count me in." Hide responded.

"I would have expected this since we all are products of his experiments." Takizawa smiled.

Hide nodded, "Kaneki too, but alas he clearly is busy." He mumbled that to himself.

With that, the three were making their way over to Aogiri. Since Takizawa and Kurona unfortunately stood out for the most part, they were being looked at whilst they all were on the train.

However, since Hide did not have his scarecrow uniform on in public, he was glossed over, aside from the weird hair.

Once they made it, the trio put on their own uniforms.

Hide sighed, "Seems like I'm back…"

"Indeed, Hide-kun…" Amber's voice resonated in Hide's mind, making him flinch.

Regardless, they all went in, clearly scouting the destroyed remnants. The building was still intact, but now abandoned, for obvious reasons. For now, Hide looked on, noticing the small stuff, such as some dried-up blood.

It reminded him of his time in the Quinx Squad, when he was within a group, bonding with them. Hide wondered how everyone was doing during the time he was gone. They definitely missed him, and considering everything with how Kaneki reacted to his actual self, there was no doubt that Quinx Squad underwent major changes he was not aware of.

Heck, he wasn't even sure if it was called the Quinx Squad anymore. Still, even with the discrimination he faced, he considered the Quinx Squad to be one of his better experiences in life as a whole.

Then again, Hide's own life was a tragedy. He was also involved in the violence that came from ghouls and humans. The difference? Hide was never fond of his actual father in the first place, so his reaction was tamer than one would expect. He had briefed Mutsuki about it, but everything didn't really matter when Hide's father died.

For now, Hide had somewhat of a connection with others. Even if he couldn't talk to Kaneki yet, he was close to him. He even had Amber, oddly enough.

Perhaps when those are under intense loneliness, they create a mental image of another person to fill that void they feel. Hide didn't know.

"Hide-kun, pay attention, I smell a ghoul!" Hide flinched when he heard Amber's alarm of a voice pulse through his veins. He could have sworn Amber had a smugness in her tone of voice, and that made Hide a bit nervous. What exactly was he expecting?

"Guys, there's a ghoul nearby…" Hide notified the others, who nodded.

"We noticed as well, we'll have to remain cautious," Kurona explained as they began to look around. For Hide, he remembered this area relatively well. It was the same area he had come through when he broke into Aogiri Tree earlier in his Quinx Squad days.

Nonetheless, it was also where he got his first kill, by strangling a ghoul to death. For what he wondered, how did they respond to a sudden dead ghoul?

Hide would never know.

For now, they all branched out a bit to cover more ground. It was a bit risky, but also less time constraining. Considering it was almost night, Hide did have the advantage of going unnoticed.

Eventually, he discovered a room that looked similar. Hide concluded it was the same room where he met all those horribly decomposed and mutilated bodies beforehand.

It was strange how that didn't impact Hide as much as the other bodies he had found. Perhaps these ones were beyond recognition, whilst the others were. Hide didn't know how the human mind worked, or the ghoul mind whatever.

"Shit!" Hide turned to the source of the voice, it was Takizawa, and a sudden bang reverbed throughout the building.

"What the hell?" Hide asked, as he calmly made his way over.

"Seems your friend found the ghoul of interest, hehe," Amber told Hide.

"About time you warned me." Hide sarcastically said, noticing Kurona looking at him strangely.

"Were you just talking to yourself?" Kurona asked.

Hide shook his head, "Don't worry about it." He gave a small smile before they made it towards Takizawa who was on the ground, having been slashed by a large ghoul.

"What the hell is up with large ghouls…" Hide mumbled. This one seemed to be a koukaku, with wrappings of what appeared to be some form of a piercing weapon.

"Great, another koukaku…" Hide mumbled, clearly not liking them. They really pushed his stamina to its limits, considering how defensive they were.

"Kuku, you brought some more friends, huh?" The ghoul grabbed Takizawa with a free hand, before tossing his figure towards Hide and Kurona.

Hide managed to catch him, only to feel himself hit the wall. Hide groaned in pain, before he noticed the ghoul looking at him.

"Why are you wearing a full suit instead of a mask?" The ghoul asked, curious as to what his individual was trying to do.

Hide remained silent.

"Oh well, guess I'll have to tear the costume off." Before the ghoul could continue, he felt a whiplash to his side, realizing he left the rinkaku Kurona had struck him.

"What is your name?" Kurona asked.

The ghoul in question had a mask of pure black, as if he thrived in the night, with how dark it could be.

"They call me the Nightmare." Was all the ghoul stated as he charged to Kurona, trying to pierce her with his kagune. Seems this ghoul was only excelling in close range, and thus Hide felt intrigued in fighting him.

Putting Takizawa down, who was breathing heavily, clearly exhausted, before he joined the battle.

Of course, the ghoul swiped, and Hide activated his own kagune, making the four wings sprout out of his shoulders.

Quickly blocking the move, he made the other move, something he needed something to make him more visible.

*Pierce Flash*

Igniting his wings, he then struck Nightmare across its torso, only for the ghoul to strike back with his own kagune. For Hide, it managed to give him a sense of figure, as he now had an idea where he was.

However, Hide was being overpowered, and he internally panicked, knowing he would need to counterattack or fall back.

*Midnight Bane*

Before being struck, Hide's figure began to replicate around Nightmare, who seemed confused, especially when his kagune got lit on fire, which he had to dissipate for a bit, giving Takizawa, who had recovered his energy to launch pellets at Nightmare.

Nightmare grunted but seemed to have not taken a lot of damage. By now, the burning replicas of Hide surrounding Nightmare dissipated in smoke, and they offered a bit of a vision advantage to Hide's team.

*Pyro's Flaming Orb*

Making some of his wings create a flaming ball that would explode, he kept it around him, as he closed the distance between himself and the Nightmare.

Of course, he had two wings to deal with the two knife-like weapons the ghoul had. For now, Hide kept the status quo, trying to stall enough so that the others could come.

Once he felt the ghoul get the upper hand, Hide used his close-ranged flaming orb, hoping it was point blank range, of course, the ghoul instead slashed the orb Hide had, and it exploded among them, burning both Hide and the ghoul.

"Bad idea…" Hide mumbled, grunting when he heard Amber agreeing. On the bright side, the ghoul seemed to have suffered more than Hide, considering Hide has his wings to cover most of the burns.

At the very least, he had performed a reckless act that at least had its merits.

Kurona decided to take the chance to strike, launching her kagune from the ghoul's peripheral vision, curling them to strike his middle, only for Nightmare to grab the kagune, all of the tentacles, before slashing down towards the ground, pinning them in place. He then stared at Kurona, before he placed his arms out, her kagune still stuck as he charged her.

"Kurona!" Takizawa exclaimed in worry, as he was too far to save her.

*Smolly*

Hide, however, grunted in seriousness, as he then activated a flaming circle around Kurona. While it did burn her kagune off, it did free her from the captivity she had, whilst protecting her from the charging Nightmare, who was only met with flames.

Nightmare growled as he turned to Hide, knowing he had to focus on him.

However, being pelted by Takizawa was not a fun time, and thus he remained still, trying to think.

It gave Hide enough time to set up a trap for the Nightmare.

*Precise Bullet*

Eying the spot he wanted to hit, Hide fired a single projectile towards Nightmare, who merely struck it down, and sent it back to Hide surprisingly. Hide had to raise his wings to deflect it away, only for Nightmare to pierce Hide directly in the chest.

"Hide!" Kurona exclaimed in shock.

That was a bad move on Hide's part, but considering his trap, he merely smiled.

"What the hell are you smiling at?" Nightmare asked in a threatening voice.

"Your recklessness will be the end of you." Was all Hide said, as he then enveloped himself in flames.

*Flame Body* *Flame Arena* *Smolly*

Before Nightmare knew it, his immediate vicinity was surrounded by flames, as he was now trapped by Hide, who was also burning Nightmare from igniting himself.

Nightmare howled in pain as he felt himself being burned. Eventually, he acted, as charged out of the flaming dome, clearly burnt.

Hide looked to see that Nightmare was on the ground.

"Seems you fell for my trap." Was all Hide said as he walked toward Nightmare slowly? "That is your downfall."

"Is it?" Nightmare asked ominously before a black vision took over the environment.

"What the hell?!" Takizawa exclaimed.

"I can't see anything!" Kurona added.

Hide grunted. "Amber I need you to help me detect him."

"Of course Hide-kun!" Amber answered eagerly.

And so, even though Hide had his vision hampered by Nightmare, he thankfully had Amber telling him where to go, how to dodge, and the like.

For now, Hide's vision was actually in his subconsciousness, but oddly was still conscious in the conscious world.

Thus, when Hide moved in his subconsciousness, he was moving in the consciousness world. For now, Nightmare was angry that Hide was still dodging its moves, whilst Takizawa and Kurona were too busy trying to get their vision back.

Thus, Nightmare noticed that Hide was the main threat to them.

"Stop dodging attacks!" Nightmare yelled, which was different from his usual voice.

Hide activated his kagune, as he felt Nightmare's presence within the area.

*Flame Trial*

With a mighty slash to the ground, Hide made the ground quiver as the flames began to protrude out towards Nightmare.

"Gah!" Nightmare yelled in frustration.

Eventually, Hide and the other two began to restore their vision, as their eyes widened in shock.

"A kakuja…" Takizawa mumbled.

"This is bad…" Kurona silently spoke.

Hide looked on, "Damnit…"

"Hahahaha! Did you really think you had the chance to defeat me?" Nightmare asked, clearly smirking.

Hide shrugged, "We'll see about that."

In the end, Nightmare's own kakuja had turned to a disgusting armour across its body its body. Thus, Hide's own burning, Kurona's rinkaku whiplash, and Takizawa's pellets had no effect on Nightmare.

For now, Hide knew everyone was going to have to fight harder.

Immediately, Hide noticed that the ghoul's kagune began to waver around him. Hide being the first one and the closest to Nightmare, was the first to get slashed multiple times just by being near Nightmare.

"I will be your true Nightmare!" The ghoul yelled as a black wave began to envelop him.

To Hide, his own mind began to become unstable, as he felt himself wanting to sleep.

"Don't fall asleep!" Kurona yelled, "His kakuja will make you fall into a nightmare!"

Hide grunted, knowing exactly what she was referring to.

"Grah!" Takizawa then closed the distance as he tried his best to quickly rid Nightmare. Still, it was rather futile, as he himself fell towards the corner. He strengthened his projectiles, trying to lay a dent, but the aura around Nightmare was too much for him, as he fell a bit, trying not to fall asleep.

"I'm not done with you!" Nightmare chuckled as he approached Hide.

In what could be assumed as a one-sided beatdown, Hide found himself slashed and torn. Even his Scarecrow suit suffered some damage, and Hide was forced to ditch it for the time being, so that it wouldn't be injured more.

"You are finally revealing yourself?" Nightmare asked.

"Those who see my face don't live to see it." Hide eyed Nightmare, smirked at the new person.

"Is that so?" Nightmare asked as he continued to attack Hide.

All he could do was dodge, "Kurona!" Hide yelled.

"Yes!" Kurona nodded, as he eventually launched her own kagune, trying to overwhelm Nightmare.

In the end, it was still rather futile, as Nightmare's armour was too difficult to break through.

Hide had tried to use the flames, but they only dissipated, and even his piercing moves did little.

Still, they had the best chance against them, and thus Hide continued.

Using the flash to blind Nightmare helped, specifically with his attempts to make them fall asleep, but still, Hide struggled.

"Pierce him!" Hide told them.

Takizawa nodded, as he fired a projectile made from multiple to act as a thrown weapon, while Kurona combined her tentacles to pierce through Nightmare's armour.

This did yield better results, as some breakage was made, and a mark was left, but in the end, it would take a lot and too much commitment, whereas Nightmare could just predict.

Hide looked on, regretting what he was thinking.

"Kurona, Takizawa, I'm going to release it." Hide said a last, his own voice rather calm, considering how everything was.

"What do you mean, it?" Takizawa asked, "You can't possibly be thinking about your kakuja, it's still unstable."

"Yeah, but are you planning?" Kurona asked, clearly worried.

"I'm going to do it, now make sure you leave the area." Hide said.

"Hide why? You are worrying us." Takizawa stated, clearly shocked at what Hide was getting at.

*Igniting Storm*

Before they knew it, Hide began to envelope himself in flames, intensifying it, as Hide's own facial expression changed, instead was now growling with pure hatred towards the individual he was fighting, the Nightmare. He was holding himself in and trying to let it out.

Takizawa and Kurona could see, and as Hide's flames intensified, their eyes widened.

Still, Nightmare continued to attack, but all Hide did was dodge carefully, as Hide seemed more focused on himself, as if he was in a different world.

"Nightmare." Hide spoke.

"What?" He asked, "Giving up?"

"Like hell, I would." Hide explained. "For when I give up and get desperate I will ensure your defeat."

"And how do you expect to defeat a kakuja like this? I would like to know." Nightmare smirked, clearly enjoying what was going on.

Takizawa and Kurona looked on in worry, what was Hide doing?

"I'll gladly show you." Hide smiled evilly, as the flames slowly began to circle around his figure, intensifying, as even smoke was beginning to develop. Still, Hide was able to breathe properly.

"If I can't defeat you alone, then I'll defeat and destroy everything that makes you fight." Hide explained.

Nightmare looked on, "And what are you referring to?"

"This entire building, I will destroy what is left with it, if it means destroying you." Hide growled. In truth, Takizawa and Kurona had left to find what they were looking for, and they did.

For now, Hide was continuing his assault towards Nightmare, as the flames only burnt brighter.

However, Hide was tiring quickly, due to the flames he was burning around him.

"Well, seems like your flames are dying out, huh?" Nightmare teased.

"Perhaps, but you do know how the flames work?" Hide asked.

"How?" Nightmare asked, confused.

Hide chuckled, "Those that burn the brightest, live the shortest."

With that, Hide unleashed his fury. The intense flames that surrounded Hide, began to explode outwards, as the flames began to ignite, burning. Everything within the building caught fire, and slowly crumbled, with the building itself igniting ablaze.

Even Nightmare was shocked, as they felt the flames begin to pierce through him and his armour. At first, he was confident he could tank through it, his eyes widened when his armour was burnt, and thus was now feeling the flames pierce his skin.

"Grah!" Nightmare yelled out in pain. The last yell he would ever speak.

"I will kill you with me!" Nightmare yelled, using its last breath, struck Hide in the head. Hide, who was exhausted, and was now hit in the head, fell unconscious, as the flames began to burn the building.

"What the hell was that?" Kurona asked.

Takizawa then smelled around, "The building's on fire! Run!"

"What the hell did you do, Hide?!" Kurona asked before Takizawa's eyes widened, "Shit."

"Hide!" Both of them yelled as they went back into the building.

Seeing the burnt body of Nightmare, and the unconscious body of Hide, Kurona quickly picked him up, while Takizawa got Hide's Scarecrow costume.

For now, Hide was seriously damaged and injured, considering how much pressure he had put himself through. Kurona and Takizawa got what they wanted, and they also managed to save Hide.

They all panted once they got out, noticing that the abandoned building of Aogiri Tree, was now burning.

"What the hell did Hide do?" Takizawa mumbled.

"I-I don't know…" Kurona answered, "What the hell is happening…"

They looked at the unconscious body of Hide. Thankfully, despite the blow to his head, and the stamina he had drained, Hide was alive and would recover quickly.

Still, Kurona and Takizawa began to head back to their base, only to see another ghoul figure. Unlike the other ghoul, this ghoul seemed rather passive. What made this even more unique, was the quinque in her hands.

"Who are you?" Kurona asked while Takizawa kind of recognized her.

"Grave Robber?" Takizawa asked.

However, the Grave Robber was instead focused on the unconscious body of Hide.

"He's alive?" She asked, clearly shocked.

"Yeah, why?"

"He was assumed dead by the CCG, something I heard. He promised me a rematch, and he was to die so quickly?! What blasphemy!" She yelled in frustration. "I thought I wouldn't get my rematch."

"Ugh, listen while you are thinking about a rematch, he clearly is not in the right condition to fight you," Kurona explained.

"Oh, right, he's unconscious." The grave robber mumbled before she smelled something.

"What the, how the hell is the building on fire?!" She asked, clearly shocked about the whole ordeal.

Takizawa sighed, "That was Hide's doing. We were fighting a tough ghoul with a kakuja…"

Grave Robber looked pretty concerned, "Well since we are heading to the same area, tell me everything while you are at it."

Takizawa sighed, "Well, I guess it started with…"

As the three carried the unconscious Hide, who was depleted of his RC cells and stamina, he merely needed to rest and eat to restore his rc cells. Obviously, he would get them back with time.

"Ow…" Hide mumbled.

"Welcome back Hide." Takizawa smirked.

"Ow, what happened?" Hide asked.

"You burnt the whole building down, and killed Nightmare in the process," Kurona explained.

"Oh sorry, did you get what you needed?" Hide asked.

"Yes, we did, while you fought Nightmare alone." Takizawa explained, "Can you walk?"

"Y-Yeah I can, we'll have to walk slower though." Hide explained, notifying many.

"Understanding," Takizawa replied, as they then walked slowly walked.

Hide then noticed the new individual with them. "W-Who are you?" Hide asked, clearly surprised by the new person, before realizing, "You seem rather similar…"

"You don't recognize me?" The Grave Robber asked, before raising her quinque.

Hide's eyes widened, "Oh, you're the ghoul who wanted a rematch?"

She smiled, "Yes! I told you I wanted one, then you went to go off to die!"

Hide shrugged, "Hey, that's my job, I am destined to risk my life."

Grave Robber pouted, "Well then, make sure you don't die because I am expecting a rematch. The only reason I'm not giving you one now is because you are injured."

Hide chuckled, "Well jokes on you, I'm a ghoul now, so…"

"Wait what?" The Grave Robber was confused and surprised about that news. "What do you mean, a ghoul now?"

Hide sighed, "I can't eat human food now. I'm literally either eating human or ghoul meat."

"Well, that certainly is interesting…" Grave Robber mumbled. "Still, you seem tired."

"Yeah, my kagune does this…" Hide sighed, as they continued to walk, "Oh my costume, thank you! I thought I burnt it in the building…"

"We noticed how important it was for you, so we decided to bring it with us," Kurona explained.

Hide sighed, before smiling, "Thank you."

"No problem, you managed to defeat Nightmare." Kurona smiled back.

"How did you defeat the ghoul?" Grave Robber asked.

"You just want to write it down so that you can get the advantage against me, huh?" Hide smirked.

Grave Robber smirked, "Well then, you got me."

"Haha…" Hide chuckled, with Takizawa and Kurona joined in the laughter.

For now, once they went back to a safer area, Hide finally went to sleep, ignoring the look he was given by Grave Robber.

"Hey I'm tired…" Hide mumbled, "I need the sleep."

"Understandable." Takizawa explained, "My back hurts from being thrown to the wall…"

Kurona then hit Takizawa in the back, "Ow!"

Kurona chuckled, "Well then you should go and rest now. You should let the girls have their talk."

"What the heck?" Takizawa mumbled, "Why does a girl talk?"

"Because that is what girls do." That was what both the girls said.

Hide, who was behind the wall eavesdropping, chuckled silently. Seems that there were always interesting people.

"Alright. I'm going to sleep, and then head back to my base." Hide explained.

"Are you sure? The three of us make a good team." Kurona explained.

Hide shrugged, "For now, I want to continue with the status quo. Considering everything that is happening. Especially with how I burned down the building, they are probably going to get suspicious…"

"I see." Takizawa mumbled, "Perhaps you could try and find us again."

"We will see. For now, I have a lot of stuff happening, so I will try."

"And you better give me my rematch!"

Hide chuckled, "Of course, I'll make sure we get our rematch. I don't die that easily."

Grave Robber pouted, "Good."

Hide sighed, as he went to bed. For now, whilst they were understanding of Hide's own issues, Hide and Takizawa had gone to sleep and rest, considering the injuries they had sustained during the fight.

In the end, once Hide got up, Kurona told him that Grave Robber had left to commit some of her own issues. Thus, Hide decided it was time for him to head back as well.

"I'll make sure to visit." Hide smiled at the two, putting on his Scarecrow suit, which he repaired before walking out. For now, he had to meet with Itori yet again.

Especially, since he had disappeared for a bit, they were probably worried for him.

That was made ever more present when Hide went back to Helter Skelter. He had come back to his room after a bit. He quietly took off his costume, before he felt something from behind. Specifically, how the sides of his back had been hit by something bouncy, uh oh…

"Hey Hide-kun!" Itori's voice rang out, and Hide knew exactly what Itori was doing.

"Her boobs are pressed against my back, help, help, help…" Hide internally panicked, as he was trying to calm himself down.

"Hey Itori, I'm back." Hide sighed as Itori finally let go, and he felt free.

"Where the hell were you?" Itori asked, as she then began to bombard Hide with many questions. Considering everything that was happening, it made sense for Itori to be concerned for Hide.

Hide sighed, "I'm fine Itori, just some stuff I had to do, though I had some smaller issues, but alas, it all piled up."

Itori smiled, "Well, now that you are here, I missed you!" She then hugged Hide again, with her cups once again too close to Hide.

"I swear, this woman is trying to choke me with her breasts!" Hide mumbled, clearly trying to get out, only for his face to be buried by Itori's heavenly breasts.

"We should sleep together again, I remembered how soft and warm you were when Yomo and Uta managed to stop your berserker kakuja state."

Hide's face was heating up, what the hell was this girl doing?

"Uh, Itori, I think it's safe that we sleep apart." Hide chuckled nervously.

"Aww come on, why are you doing this to a girl?" Itori pouted, looking sad.

"You're older than me Itori, you're a woman." Hide explained.

Then, Itori smiled, "Great! That means I can choose what I want!" Itori smiled, before she then leaped to Hide, pushing him on the bed.

"Itori! I don't think this is acceptable!" Hide complained.

"It's fine, we're just sleeping together, right?" Itori innocently asked.

"Yes, Hide-kun, you and this girl are just sleeping together, nothing bad about that, is that right?" Amber taunted.

Hide mentally groaned. He had two women annoying the hell out of him.

"Why is this happening to me…" For the first time in Hide's life, he realized why some people didn't like being next to girls.

For now, Hide was stuck, as Itori fell asleep.

However, what Hide forgot to notice, was that Itori's breasts were on his chin.

"WHAT THE FUUU-"

A.N / I really like making the running gag of Itori putting herself onto Hide too innocently, it is so funny to write, and it makes for something interesting. Once again, this is just an interlude sort of chapter, so to create new conversations, and develop better relationships. Once again, I don't think I will give Hide a definite love interest, but instead, just put multiple hints to let the reader choose who they want. For this story, the main purpose is Hide's friendship with Kaneki, and no, this is not a MxM story.