Outsider Chronicles: Tokyo Underworld

Death is never fun. Getting reborn into a world where monsters of all sorts haunt the streets is even worse. Add in a bunch of childish Immortals locked in a war and an emo best friend and you have a recipe for disaster.

And we're back. Enjoy!

Chapter 2

"So, you managed to get a date with that girl?" I asked around the mouthful I was chewing.

"Yep, we're going to the bookstore tomorrow," said Kaneki.

"Huh, sounds like you got lucky," I said, "So whats her name?"

"Rize Kamishiro," said Kaneki, "Hey, are you eating something?"

"Yeah, you caught me in the middle of dinner," I said.

"Oh, sorry about that," said Kaneki, "Anyway, I should go."

"Sure sure, have fun on your date," I said and snapped my phone shut.

I let out a huff and pushed myself up off my seat, absently tossing the chewed arm bone in my hand back onto the pile of bloody meat that looked like it had been torn at by a rather large dog. I hadn't been lying to Kaneki when I said I was eating dinner, what I hadn't told him was that dinner had been a Ghoul who had been stupid enough to attack me on my way home. What? I'm a Lycan! I'd eaten Humans and Vampires in the past when they had been stupid enough to try and pick a fight during the Full moon. I hadn't even tried to pick a fight with the idiot, he just decided to jump me out of nowhere. Still, the look on his face after I transformed was priceless...right up until I chewed his face off.

"Well, I got a lecture and a hunt tomorrow, so I guess I should head home," I muttered as I crouched, "Thanks for the meal."

And with that, I jumped up three stories and landed on the rooftop, already fully transformed, and took off across the roofs at speeds that easily outstripped the cars on the roads below.

"Hurff, damn, that guy I ate last night is repeating on me," I grumbled as I walked home from the corner shop with a bag of milk and indigestion tablets, "This is why I hate junk food."

"There is a reason why we don't tend to eat Ghouls," said a female voice from a nearby doorway.

"I was hungry, pissed and he attacked me," I drawled, "Now what do you want Yoriko?"

The girl stepped out of the shadows to reveal that it was Touka's friend, Yoriko Kosaka who also happened to be a Lycan and member of the Tokyo pack. Yeah, I was surprised when I found out about that too.

"I saw that friend of yours with a Ghoul earlier," said Yoriko, jerking her thumb down the street, "And she stank of fresh blood. If you want to keep him from getting eaten, I suggest you hurry…"

Before she had time to finish, I had already taken off, pausing only to drop my bag on top of a roof to be retrieved later and took off in the direction Yoriko had pointed, following the smell of Kaneki's blood. Unfortunately, it was apparent that I was too late as my sensitive ears picked up the sound of falling metal and a scream of pain. I cursed and sped up, landing on a beam above the 'accident' site a short time later. I was too late to catch the asshole responsible for dropping it.

"Damn it," I growled, clawing furrows in the metal beneath my paws, "Tch, aw well, I'll get another chance."

I glanced down at the pile of metal girders.

"Hnn, I wonder if I should...nah, not worth the risk."

Despite being a half breed, I was still a carrier of the Lycan virus, meaning that my bite was just as infectious as any other Lycan. I'd never actually turned anyone, but tests performed by Singe, my Fathers personal science geek, determined that the result would be a perfectly normal Lycan. He did theorize that any I turned would have a higher immunity to silver than most, but that was just supposition.

That meant that I could have bitten Kaneki, but considering that the chance of him dieing from the virus was higher than him making the change safely, I wasn't about to take that risk. True, it would mean that Kaneki would become a Ghoul, but with a little help from yours truly, I'd be able to smack him out of his moping without him having to get tortured by Jason.

Decision made, I jumped away from the bloodbath, retrieved my shopping and headed home.

"I'm sorry, but your friend still isn't up to receiving visitors," said the nurse at the front desk.

I sighed and rubbed the back of my head. It had been three months since the accident and, although I was expecting it, it still hurt that Kaneki was reluctant to speak with me.

"Can you at least tell me when he'll be discharged?" I asked.

"Actually, I think he's set to be discharged today," said the nurse.

"Thanks," I said and left the hospital, "Now then, is it worth me shelling out for food that won't get eaten? I guess I should as a friend, but I really don't have the money to burn, so…"

I let out a huff and smirked.

"Think I'll go buy him coffee, see if he can figure out I already know."

I headed to the shop and bought a large jar of coffee, which I ended up leaving hooked on Kaneki's door handle with a note.

"Right, now my good deed for the day is done, I gotta go help with planning the festival…" I muttered, "Why did I volunteer for that again? Oh yeah, peer pressure."

I pulled a face and headed out.

Heres an interesting question. How the hell do you start a conversation with a friend about being what amounts to a fictional creature? I mean, Ghouls were a known quantity, but Lycans? There was a reason that Touka still didn't know that Yoriko was a Lycan after all. It was this very question that I found myself wrestling with over the next few weeks as I went about my business waiting for Kaneki to pull his finger out and get his arse back to school.

Speaking of, I next saw Kaneki about two weeks after he was discharged, stood in the universities courtyard and staring at a couple of girls who were enjoying lunch.

"Wow, you move on quickly," I said as I walked over, "Then again, I guess you did only go on one date."

Kaneki nearly jumped out of his skin at the sound of my voice and spun around.

"O-oh hi Hide," he said.

"Hi yourself," I said, "So, are you feeling better now?"

Kaneki nodded.

"Great, now maybe I won't be so lonely during class," I said, "Now, since you're here, wanna tag along with me? I need to get some stuff from an upper classman and could use the help."

"Alright, I guess," said Kaneki as we started heading towards the main building.

I glanced over my shoulder at the new Halfbreed and hid a smirk as I noticed him sniffing the air and looking confused.

"Hey Hide, do you smell wet dog?" he asked.

I raised an eyebrow. Was that what Lycans smelt like to Ghouls? Interesting.

"Nope, sorry," I said, "So, have you been eating right? You look a little pale."

Kaneki twitched and I heard his heart rate spike.

"Y-yeah, I've been eating fine," he said, his voice shaking.

I gave him a flat look that said I didn't believe him, but didn't press the issue.

"So, where are we going?" asked Kaneki.

"I need some data from last years festival," I said, "The guy who has it is called Nishiki Nishio. He's a little snarky, but a good guy."

The rest of the short trip was taken in silence, but fortunately, it wasn't long until we reached the room he was in.

"This is it," I said as I knocked on the door.

Considering I remembered how this meeting started, I wasn't about to barge in. My sensitive ears picked up a startled gasp and a decent amount of scuffling from inside, before the door slid open to allow Kimi to leave, slipping on her jacket and throwing a goodbye over her shoulder to a disgruntled looking Nishiki.

"Did we interrupt something?" I asked, although considering I could smell arousal, that was pretty much a rhetorical question.

"Yes, now what do you want Nagachika?" growled the Ghoul as he turned to face us.

I was actually mildly impressed with his self control considering his only reaction to seeing Kaneki was a slight widening of his eyes. Well, that and an increase in heartbeat, but it would take someone with Lycan level hearing to detect that, so its kinda irrelevant. Kaneki's reaction was more obvious as he paled and took a step back.

"Hey, you OK Kaneki?" I asked.

"I-I'm fine," said Kaneki in a strangled voice.

"Well, come in," said Nishiki, "So I take it you're Hide's friend? Kaneki is it?"

"T-thats right," said Kaneki.

"Hnn, I'm Nishiki Nishio, a second year pharmaceutical student," said Nishiki, "Nice to meet you."

I could hear the bloodlust in his tone, but only because I was looking for it.

"So, I was hoping that you had the data on last years sales numbers," I said.

"Oh, right," said Nishiki, turning back to his desk and rummaging through the stacks of boxes, "Hmm, I can't remember where I put it...Nagachika, could you check that shelf over there?"

"Sure thing," I said.

Kaneki joined us in going through the boxes and files.

"Aw damn it, I think its back home," said Nishiki at length.

"Really? Dang, I need that data," I said.

"Well, I don't live far," said Nishiki, "We can go it if you like."

"If its not too much trouble," I said, "Sorry Kaneki, but we'll have to meet up later."

Kaneki hesitated, before he swallowed and spoke up.

"U-um, do you mind if I tag along?" he asked.

"Sure, I don't mind," said Nishiki, "You aren't coming in though."

"T-thats fine," said Kaneki.

Now, you might be wondering why I was letting this play out considering it'd end with me getting kicked in the head. Well, considering my nature, theres no way I'd be permanently harmed. Hell, chances are I'd come out of this without a scratch. Nishiki on the other hand...I smirked, feeling my teeth itch slightly as they started to morph from Human to wolf.

The three of us chatted about random stuff as we headed towards Nishiki's place, pausing to get some Taiyaki that turned out to be excellent. Shame that Ghouls couldn't enjoy Human food. True, my body was far more inclined towards a carnivorous diet, but I could still enjoy other types of food. I was just finishing my snack as we stepped under a bridge when Nishiki paused, turned on his heel, and kicked me in the side of the head.

Third person POV, Kaneki

"HIDE!" shouted Kaneki as the Ghoul kicked his friend into the shadows below the bridge, "Why you…"

"I thought I was the only Ghoul on Campus," said Nishiki, cutting the half breed off by grabbing him by the throat and lifting him off the ground, "I dun know how I missed you though. You stink like a female."

Kaneki tried to struggle against Nishiki's grip, but not only was the other Ghoul too strong, but he slammed him into the support of the bridge.

"You know, hanging out with Nagachika is pretty risky," said Nishiki conversationally, "Hes a sharp one, it wouldn't take much for him to figure you out. Still, I guess the risk makes the hunt that much more enjoyable."

"W-what are you talking about?" groaned Kaneki.

"Don't play dumb with me," sneered Nishiki, "I know your game. There's nothing quite like the look on their face when they realize your betraily. It really whets the appetite."

Kaneki stared at the sneering Ghoul in horrified realization as he realized what he was getting at.

"N-no, t-thats not it!" protested Kaneki, "Theres no way I could eat Hide!"

"Is that so?" sneered Nishiki, drawing back his hand.

He was about to plunge it through Kaneki's stomach, when his wrist was suddenly caught in a vice-like grip. He looked around in surprise, only to freeze in shock when he saw that the perpetrator was Nagachika, looking none the worse for ware from his kick. But...that was impossible! No Human could get up so soon after that kick!

"That hurt asshole," growled Hide, tightening his grip on Nishiki's wrist to the point where the Ghoul was actually worried the bones would break.

"W-what the...how are you able to move?" snarled the Ghoul as he tried to tug his arm free.

"I heal quick," said Hide, "Lets see if you can do the same."

The next thing Nishiki knew, he was flying through the air with a set of throbbing slash marks across his chest.

Kaneki gasped for breath as Nishiki was forced to release him, but that didn't stop him from staring up at Hide in shock as his 'Human' friend put his foot back down from where he had kicked Nishiki. Then, Hide looked at Kaneki and the half Ghoul recoiled. His friends eyes were no longer brown, instead they almost looked like a Ghoul's Kakugan, but instead of red, it was a cobalt blue. Not only that, but his teeth had changed into a set of canine like fangs and his ears appeared to be pointed.

"You OK Kaneki?" he asked, snapping Kaneki out of his shock.

"Y-yeah, but...whats happened to you?" asked the half-Ghoul.

Hide blinked and glanced down at his hands, which were now tipped with sharp looking claws.

"Huh, guess I lost some control," said Hide, "Eh, I guess this saves me trying to figure out a way to explain…"

He paused and glanced into the shadows where he'd kicked Nishiki.

"Tch, looks like he doesn't know when to stay down," he muttered, "Alright, Kaneki, wait here a sec and whatever you do, don't move."

He stepped away from Kaneki and moved into the middle of the area as Nishiki staggered out of the shadow, looking a tad dazed and clutching at the gashes across his chest that were still bleeding sluggishly.

"You...what are you?!" he growled, "Actually, I don't care, you're dead!"

Hide smirked.

"Rather than tell you, I think I'll just show you," he said, "It'll be easier and save me some time explaining all this to Kaneki and the girl in the shadows."

Kaneki heard a startled intake of breath from the darkness, but that was quickly wiped from his mind as Hide shrugged off his shirt and started to change. His muscles rapidly expanded as his skin turned black and started sprouting fur, his arms lengthened and his hands morphed into powerful looking claws. His legs reversed direction and his feet transformed into clawed paws while his face began to bulge out into a muzzle full of sharp teeth and his ears morphed into lupune points. Finally, the monster that had been Hide threw back its head and let out a howl.

The creature was huge, towering over Kaneki as a mass of muscles, claws and teeth, covered in black fur with a thick, blond mane the same colour as Hide's hair running down its back and a bushy tail tipped in blond fur.

"So, still think you can kill me?" growled Hide with a wolfish grin as he flexed his claws, "You're welcome to try if you think you're strong enough."

Nishiki gulped and took a few steps back.

And there we go, done. Sorry if this seems all over the shop, but I wanted to get the ball rolling. Things will be changing and becoming more cohesive pretty soon.

I'll be honest, I'm not entirely sure why I made Yoriko a Lycan, it just sorta happened. I doubt it'll have much bearing on the plot though.

Yes, Hide's Lycan form is different than his fellows, but hes not exactly normal. He's a natural born Lycan with the First as his dad and a half blood. Thats all combined to give him a unique look. Plus, I may exercise my imagination and give the Lycans somewhat more personalized looks.