The Quinx of Change

Hide enters the CCG lab intending to help Amon escape. However, the matter is complicated when he is encountered by some people he hadn't expected to be around. When Amon goes berserk, Hide must cooperate in order to save him. Will Hide and Kaneki finally meet each other again? Or will it once again be delayed?

…

Once he noticed the numbered figures jump down to meet one another, Hide froze. In his scarecrow suit, his eyes wanted to pop out after seeing Kaneki, and the rest.

It seemed that they were going to be dressing up as CCG researchers or members to gain access to the lab. A decently smart idea, Hide thought, but being around Kaneki wasn't going to be ideal.

Hide sighed, unaware of the strange looks the three were giving him.

"Hey, scarecrow! You coming with us?" Ayato asked, unaware of the weird look Kaneki was giving him. To be fair, it was warranted as Kaneki had seen this figure before, though ignored it over Eto.

Regardless, Hide shook his head, before he leapt further onto the building.

Ayato sighed, "What a strange fellow." he commented, with Takizawa agreeing.

"How he knows my name is beyond unreal," Takizawa added.

Kaneki had seen the figure before, and was now intrigued, "Who exactly is scarecrow?"

Ayato sighed since he was the one who spent the most time with him, albeit it wasn't a lot. "He's a strange individual. Apparently, he showed up helping Banjou and his group with some investigators. When Cochlea was breaking down, his kakuja activated, and he fended Furuta and Eto off, clearly as he is still alive."

Kaneki pondered, "I did see him right next to a badly beaten-up Eto." He commented, "His kakuja must be very powerful."

Ayato then shook his head, "It may be, however it is incomplete."

Kaneki then turned back, the dude fought with an incomplete kakuja, it was relatively impressive.

"Enough of this, let's head inside." He stated, unaware of the fact that they were being followed by the scarecrow.

Whereas the others were merely walking in, pretending to blend in, Hide was taking a different approach.

During his walk, he had circled the building, looking for any small weak spots he could enter through, which he found. Managing to sneak in, he then cautiously deactivated some of the rc gates, something he had watched some skilled investigators do, from time to time, whenever they had to fix the gates themselves.

He was lucky to have not accidentally activated them, as it would've caused an uproar among them. Once he made it through, he began his journey toward the lab.

Most of it was going down to experience and memories. He had worked for the CCG for quite a time before he was presumed dead and thus was able to determine where was were. It was easy if you knew what you were doing.

It wasn't the easiest thing, as effectively being a ghoul meant that those gates could activate, and one wrong step would be a game over for Hide. One wrong step, and he was finding himself back in Cochlea, or at least some form of it.

The place, however, brought back some memories for Hide, who had once been a regular, participating in missions, and fighting ghouls.

His memory then went back to that fated fight with Noro, in which Hide had gotten quite the injury, and then the fight with Furuta.

It was somewhat horrifying for Hide, who had fought the individual with great struggle. Even though he had landed even in their fight, it was clear that Furuta was taking it like a game, not taking him seriously, as he let his anger get the best of him.

Hide really had one choice now that he was here, and had to make his way down, and that was to head down the regular way to the lab, or the very quiet way, the long way no one took.

A human would probably get tired walking down and upstairs, but a ghoul's stamina was superior, and thus were better equipped. Of course, this was mostly downstairs, but if his memories served him correctly, he would find his way down.

Would you look at that? How Hide was able to do it without spotting a single investigator was something Hide wished he knew, but was something he was glad about. The less drama he opened in the CCG, the better.

There was one major problem, his costume. Maybe if he took it off, he wouldn't be distinguishable, but he would also struggle with those who could see through him. Though he got a haircut, it only made him more similar to himself. Sure, his hair was yellow now, but he was still the same, except was now a ghoul.

What made Hide somewhat unfortunate as a ghoul, was his relatively poor senses. He didn't have the strong senses some other ghouls had. Some could smell blood from miles away, some could hear the slightest disruption in the sound barrier, while others even had electrical abilities, able to sense others based on their heartbeat.

Hide had none of that, unless he was in his kakuja state, he realized, after being told by Yomo his claws had a paralyzing agent to them. However, that was more in aided combat. His crystallized wings could give him the defense of a koukaru, he had the crystalline projectiles and mobility of a ukaku, and the flexibility of a bikaku, he was overall a unique fighter.

It was even more unique in his kakuja, with his wings gaining more utility, and his claws containing paralyzing agents that he could also fire out of them. It made him somewhat of a threat, as the paralyzing agent in particular could be a huge factor for Hide. Of course, it didn't paralyze permanently, and it didn't affect the whole body, rather just the part it strikes for some minutes, depending on the severity of the injury.

Hide merely did not know his full kakuja state, but knowing the similarities to other ukaku's it probably had something to do with blades and armour. He already had some blades along his back, so there was that.

Regardless, Hide couldn't find the particular smell of the RC suppressant, he couldn't hear the sound of researchers in the lab, or sense them with electricity. He merely had to look around and hope for the best. His stealth was the worst among ghouls, even though he could speed through some of the faster units.

It didn't matter if his fighting was unlike others of his kind, if he got sneak attacked, he was done for.

As Hide began to move around, he found his memory of the place getting shrouded in fog.

"Are you kidding me? Out of all the times to develop these?" Hide asked himself to no one in particular as he continued walking around.

"Sounds like you are having some difficulties, Hide-kun." Amber taunted and Hide sighed.

"You know, I knew you were going to say something eventually. I was surprised you didn't at all the other time." Hide commented, with a slight chuckle. It just was comedic timing.

"Well, you know how it goes, perfect the timing, for maximum style," Amber stated, and Hide chuckled in response.

"Who says that?" Hide asked.

"Me, now continue looking for that lab," Amber ordered, and Hide sighed, not wanting to deal with this.

"You know I was already looking for it before you showed up." Hide stated.

"Yep, but how are you to find it?" Amber asked, and Hide looked down.

"I thought I knew the place well, but I had some fog show up." Hide stated, at last, not wanting to admit that to Amber.

"So, you're asking the ghoul in your mind to try and mind your missing memory? Tough luck." Amber replied.

"Oh, come on, if you are in my mind, just search for it!" Hide exclaimed.

"Well, it's a lot more complicated than that," Amber mentioned.

"Of course, it is..." Hide grumbled, "Are you going to do it or not?"

"No, because if I did, I would've taken over your memories and mind," Amber replied.

"What?"

"I can only access and look at your memories, I cannot search for it. What you know is what I know. If I had that ability, I would've just taken over your mind." Amber stated and Hide sighed.

"Fair enough, I guess." He remarked before he continued his search.

Just like other times whenever Hide was on his own, without anything to think about, Amber would usually be the one talking to Hide, whether it be about irrelevant stuff about her life, or his current predicament. In truth, Hide didn't mind.

Considering the times when he was stuck in Cochlea alone, he didn't mind that Amber had begun conversing with him. Sure she could be annoying and manipulative at times, but during the casual times when they weren't arguing or trying to coerce each other into doing stuff, their conversations could actually be relatively normal.

Well, as normal as it sounds with someone talking, to seemingly no one on the other side of the room.

Still, Amber was sort of like Hide's sixth sense, able to detect ghouls for some reason, as she loved eating them.

As a result, he had somewhat become dependent on that, and therefore, as much as he hated to admit it, kind of needed Amber.

"Aww, you do need me Hide-kun? That's adorable!" Amber taunted, and Hide cursed himself, forgetting that Amber could quite literally see everything Hide thought.

"Damn you." Hide mumbled, and Amber merely laughed in Hide's mind, saying random stuff like a little brother to his older sibling.

Hide really felt like that, but shook his head and continued further. He couldn't let himself get too carried away with the voice in his head. To some, it may seem like a mental illness, having a sort of hallucination, but to Hide, it really felt like an actual person in his mind. This was especially the case as Amber had showed up after Hide had gotten the Quinx Surgery, so the idea that Amber was, "the ghoul inside of him," was believable.

Anyways, Hide was clearly in the dump end, struggling to find the area he needed to go when a thought came up to him. What if Amon wasn't really in this area? What if he was placed somewhere else? It wasn't that farfetched. After the destruction of Cochlea, it was clear that the CCG had to find new areas to put their captive ghouls in.

Hide sighed, perhaps this was a mistake, he thought, before he noticed something small.

It wasn't anything noticeable for Hide if it wasn't for Amber.

"I smell ghouls!" Amber spoke in a song manner, and Hide sighed, a bit of cringe at Amber's voice at the time.

"Great, now if I could sense where exactly, and how to make it to that area, that would be golden." Hide stated.

Thankfully, as if fate was answering his plea, Hide found a map of the building shortly after, almost mocking the fact that Hide was lost.

"Are you flipping kidding me? Why didn't they just have this map upon entering the building!" Hide exclaimed, putting his hands to his head in confusion. It was like a cruel game, it felt to Hide.

Regardless, now Hide knew where he had to go. It was relatively simple for now, but he knew that he had to first get there.

Furthermore, judging from the commotion that was going on, Hide could tell that the others had found the lab.

Hide sighed, attempting the open the door, before realizing it was locked. Then the electricity went out.

"What the hell..." Hide mumbled trying to find the lock and maybe try to pick it up. He didn't know. All he knew was that now, he was stuck on the outside, of some clear commotion on the inside.

Perhaps Ayato and his group had already found it before him, that was a definite, but why would they lock him out?

However, the sounds of fear seemed to make Hide understand what this was. They were locking the researchers in.

"Well, that makes sense the more I think about it." Hide mumbled to himself, before slapping himself, knowing unless it was Amber, he shouldn't be talking to himself.

"There's eight of them." Hide heard Kaneki say, and once again Hide flinched, knowing that if he was to enter, he'd be in the direct vicinity of his best friend.

Was he allowed to see him after these times? Hide wasn't sure. What he was sure was that he eventually was going to meet him, but his struggle for freedom against the Clowns was a reoccurring issue, that thankfully he was winning, though the progress was slow.

The room became quiet for quite a bit, but Hide wasn't sure why, and even Amber had remained quiet, which caused Hide's ears to ring. It was strange, for him.

However, just as fast the silence came, the sound came back, and he heard the sound of something falling. Judging by the sound, it was a person who fell.

"Like I'd let you." Hide heard the voice of Takizawa take hold of the silence before he heard a beep.

"Uh oh..." Hide stated, knowing the sound of that was never a good sign.

"What the hell did you do?!" Takizawa exclaimed before the door miraculously opened. Hide felt the door strike him right in the head, and he fell down, moaning in pain, unaware of the running researchers.

Hide couldn't care less, he was here for one purpose, and now the door was open, albeit it was dark, so neither the researchers could see him.

However, Hide knew from what was happening, that he had no time to relax, as he heard the sound of another door opening and the sound of gasps.

"Is that Koutaru Amon?" Someone, Hide wasn't sure, stated, and Hide's eyes widened. So he was actually here. Why was the CCG keeping him in this lab?

Hide sighed, it wasn't something he wanted to delve into.

Approaching the commotion, to his horror he saw a grotesque kagune coming from Amon. Hide gulped, knowing the situation that had just gone towards them.

Amon had gone berserk. Hide had been too late.

Hide watched as Kaneki attempted to land a strike on him, but it was futile, and he watched as Ayato kept the white-haired back.

"Kaneki! No! We got the rc suppressants! Let's go!" Ayato exclaimed, tugging him by his shirt.

"I can't let Amon go!" Kaneki pleaded, and Ayato sighed.

"Sure, but everyone else cannot let you go! Everyone needs you right now! If you cannot let go because of your emotions..." Ayato went on, specifically about how much ghouls now depended on him, even Touka. It was clear to Hide that Amon and him have an interesting history, and while he wanted to ask, he knew the time wasn't right.

"Fine, let's go." Kaneki stated, at last, clearly upset at the circumstances dealt with him."

"Your responsibility doesn't apply to us." Takizawa then stated as he and Kurona began to step forward, ready to put down the berserk Amon.

Despite Kaneki's pleas, Ayato firmly kept a hold on him. "Let's go, we got what he needed," Ayato told Kaneki, and they nodded, before heading out.

Both Kaneki and Ayato spotted the scarecrow, and Ayato looked at him, "Scarecrow, we found who you were looking for, though I'm afraid it isn't the correct situation you wanted nor were expecting." Ayato stated.

"I expect you will be fighting Amon alongside them, make sure you all make it out." Ayato concluded, sighing when Hide nodded before he and Kaneki left.

Hide sighed, he was yet again so close to talking to him, but it wasn't the time now. He looked up at the kagune that was Amon, before approaching the two others.

"We learned that investigators should risk their lives for their superiors, it's an honor getting to fight a respectable investigator," Takizawa explained.

"We promise, we'll get Amon back," Kurona replied.

The two look at Amon, his kagune forming even more.

Hide had made his way closer to them, his walking speed relatively slow as he realized the conversation revolving around them.

"Well, Amon." Takizawa started, "We're all half-assed fools, so shouldn't we all get along?" He asked as he and Kurona activated their respective kagunes.

"We are all half assed fools." Hide stated, at last, causing the two to look back. Takizawa and Kurona at first being confused, before their eyes widened in realization at what scarecrow meant.

"Scarecrow, you too?" Kurona asked, so this was also one of Kanou's one-eyed ghouls?

Hide nodded, "My story is a bit different than yours, but the end result was the same." He stated before he activated his kagune, his four orange wings protruding out his shoulders. He could have sworn he saw Takizawa's eyes widen even more as if he officially recognized who this person was.

"Your kagune..." Takizawa commented though Hide acted confused, instead turning to Kurona.

"I never really got to ask you, but what is your name?"

Kurona merely stated, "Kurona, and you, scarecrow?"

Hide sighed, "It'll definitely cause shock, so I shall explain after we defeat Amon." He stated before he initiated the fight by firing crystalline projectiles towards Amon, who dodged, attempting to hit Hide with one of his blade-like arms, which he dodged.

"Go you two!" Hide bellowed to Takizawa and Kurona who nodded, before they began their onslaught.

Hide merely watched the two work together to inflict and tire out Amon. The question of whether or not they wanted to kill him or simply subdue him was a conflicting question.

He spotted Takizawa showering Amon with his own projectiles, and Hide followed suit, firing his own crystalline projectiles, while Kurona used her tentacle-like kagune, which looked very similar to Kaneki's for some reason.

Regardless, with Hide and Takizawa acting as a long-distance attack force mixed with Kurona's mid of the road onslaught, Amon did seem to be taking quite the beating. Still, Hide had to be incredibly careful with his overall moves, as he did not want to ignite Amon into flames. That was the last thing he needed.

They were trying to apprehend him and bring him back. Not to merely kill him, like the ghouls Hide would eat.

That is until Kurona looks at the remaining rc suppressants on the table. Hide's eyes also wander to it, but he retains his focus on Amon. Kurona, does not, and it causes the tide of the battle to switch somewhat.

Leaving herself open, Amon took advantage of that, quickly closing the distance between each other. With Amon's built figure quickly overpowering Kurona's. She manages to get quite the distance, at the cost of her stamina, as she seemed to have coughed out blood.

Suddenly, Takizawa suddenly stops firing projectiles, and Amon looks at him with a crooked smile, which brings Hide some shivers. However, Takizawa lowers his weapon, and Amon takes advantage of that, an explosion takes over around Takizawa and he is sent spiraling towards the ground, quite a ways away from them.

"Owl!" Kurona exclaims before she is slashed in her face by one of Amon's blade arms. Kurona is then sent spiraling the other way.

Hide growled, he was now the last one standing, and he watched as Amon approached a fallen Kurona, and he sprang to bring himself in the way.

*Guard Shroud*

Crystallizing his wings to the greatest of his ability, knowing those blades of Amon's weren't to be messed with, as they could possibly break through Hide's own kagune.

Amon's blade, instead of colliding with Kurona's flesh, collided with Hide's crystallized wings, acting as an armoured plate.

Hide's teeth clenched, as he felt the enormous pressure being built upon his wings. It was possibly the strongest ghoul he had fought when it came to pure strength. Sure, others were difficult, but Hide couldn't hold onto his wings, as he felt the armour slowly plowing through his kagune.

This was Amon, an already powerful person before becoming a ghoul, he was simply too much for Hide to hold back, and before he knew it one of his crystallized wings was pierced, and the blade went through before Hide felt something lifting him up and throwing him across the wall.

Hide hit it with a sickening thud, before he fell to the ground.

Thankfully, Hide got up, thanking his regeneration, particularly on his wing, which grew back quickly, though his body was hurting from the impact.

Hide realized that when he got up, Amon immediately went to fight Kurona and Takizawa, the former struggling noticeably.

Not giving up, Hide fired some more projectiles, trying to distract Amon from Kurona.

"You're fighting me, Amon!" Hide bellowed in sheer rage, crystallizing his lower wings into his own orange blades, as he charged yet again at Amon, firing close ranged projectiles while he swung his blades recklessly, slicing Amon, specifically his own blades.

Amon growled as he brought himself down to strike Hide with his kagune arms.

*Fiery Drift*

Hide's speed in moving his kagune was what was impressive, as he managed to distract Amon enough for them to get up. Dodging Amon's kagune arms using his evasive ability, he eventually used the ability to gather some small hits on Amon, which only angered him further.

Miraculously, despite the close-ranged fighting, and the damage to his body after being thrown into a wall, he had managed to get out without injuries, though his body was still hurting.

Hide's wasn't done. He had his other plan and strategy.

"Kurona, Takizawa, put out the lights!" Hide exclaimed, and whilst the two were confused, they nodded, going alongside what Scarecrow was going for.

*Midnight Bane*

As the lights turned off, and Amon struck Hide, or Scarecrow, an array and surrounding replicas of Hide began to surround Amon, clearly confusing him. Plus the blinding effect that the lack of light provided, meant that all Amon could see was the flaming replicas of Hide.

This made him growl, as he began to swipe across, clearly getting burnt in the process. Considering the other instance, Hide noticed that this was giving him a free advantage since his opponents would have to get burnt unless they could fly, or jump high. Then again, a projectile could make the flaming replicas evaporate, but again, Hide digressed.

Once Amon recovered, it weakened him, allowing for more openings. Considering the limit that his Midnight Bane provided, he was glad that it was worth what he did. It was an offensive evasive move, which he thanked.

"Guys, do me a favor." Takizawa then asked, and Hide looked in his direction, his eyes widening in shock at what he was seeing.

"What is it?" Kurona asked.

"Go all out!" Takizawa stated, and Hide watched as he charged toward Amon with his kakuja.

Hide looked on, quickly knowing he had to give Takizawa the opening.

*Pierce Flash*

With the flames across his own wings lighting up significantly, it was enough to temporarily blind anyone looking towards him, ie Amon. This gave him the chance to perform a strike with his wings, to slightly damage Amon, but to also apply a bit of a distraction on him, so that Takizawa could get the opening he needed.

Of course, Amon struck Hide quickly, who dodged but got hit with a glancing blow. Still, he was fine, and he continued on, giving Takizawa the opening he needed.

Hide merely looked on in a bit of confusion. He remembered himself in that position, both ironically. He remembers going up against Takizawa with his kakuja, failing alongside Hinami, so he could relate to Amon. However, he himself had also been in Takizawa's position. Fighting against someone which resulted in you using your kakuja. His battle with Uta and Yomo, while he was losing his mind, wasn't pretty.

So, while Takizawa and Amon merely fought, two titans against each other, all Hide could do was have a flashback to his times, both when fighting against and for ghouls in a kakuja state.

He himself knew the mental stress that came with it. He had to quickly find a way to subdue Takizawa once his mental health got shot.

Hide looked to a nearby tank, as he spotted the cracks in the ground from the two fighting. Hide could see that the two were going to fight until the ground from them literally fighting with such ferocity.

Eventually, he spotted it. The ground broke apart, as Takizawa pierced his kakuja right into Amon's kakuhou, managing to subdue to berserker.

The two were down that pit, that they had just created, but while Amon was unconscious, having returned to normal, Takizawa's mind was slowly going insane.

Hide could see it, but before he could act, Kurona was already on it, filling the pit they were in with a tank full of RC suppressants, successfully turning Takizawa back to normal.

The only two remaining individuals in the room were now Kurona and Hide. Hide chuckled silently, out of all the people who remained standing, it was the one he had no clue about.

With a brief sigh, Hide asked Kurona. "So, what now?" He asked.

Kurona shrugged, "I don't know, the RC suppressants should convert them to normal, after their state, as for how we get them up, I don't know."

Hide chuckled, "You're right, I don't think neither of us combined could even drag Amon out."

Kurona laughed at the attempted joke before she turned her head to the scarecrow. "So, who exactly are you?"

Hide shrugged, "I'm a scarecrow."

Kurona shook her head, "Not that name, your actual name, who you are, and how you turned into a ghoul." she said that last part with confusion, recalling what Hide said regarding him reiterating them with the half ghoul comment.

Hide sighed, "Who was the one who turned you into a ghoul?"

Kurona nodded, "Well that makes sense, but you said your story was different."

"Indeed, I already had a kakuhou implanted into me, and I was a former member of the Quinx Squad."

At that, Kurona's eyes widened considerably, was this the guy she had brought to Kanou? From the Quinx Squad after that van attack?

"Wait, the human weapons, with the kakuhou?" Kurona asked, her eyes seemingly getting the idea.

"Yes, after an accident, I was assumed dead by the CCG, before Aogiri Tree caught me. I was surveyed by Kanou, and then tortured to increase my regeneration abilities. After a week I escaped and developed the scarecrow moniker. I couldn't go back to my old life, because one, I was effectively a ghoul, and two, I was considered dead."

Kurona's eyes widened in shock, realizing who this person was, "You! You were-" but she couldn't finish, making Hide confused.

"Sure, I don't know what you are referring to, however."

Kurona seemed a bit confused, "How exactly were you turned into a ghoul?"

"A Quinx had barriers across their kakuhou, which makes them retain their human traits. However, when Kanou surveyed and experimented on me, he took the barriers separating the kakuhou and my body, allowing the RC cells to flow throughout my body. Once that happened, my body turned ghoulish."

Kurona then understood, "I guess that makes sense." She knew Kanou was interested in the Quinx, but to see the very being right here explain to her why was shocking.

"According to the CCG, if a Quinx frames out, which happened to me, they are to be treated as S-rated ghouls, I'm only lucky I'm a rank below." Hide mentioned, and Kurona nodded again.

"You still haven't answered one question," Kurona stated.

"And what is that?"

"What is your real name?" Kurona asked.

Hide sighed, knowing he had to give her an answer, "My name." He started, deciding to take off, at least his scarecrow mask, "is Hideyoshi Nagachika." He said, at last, exposing his face to Kurona.

It was here did Kurona let out a gasp. So it really was the boy she brought to Kanou during that attack, when he was thought to be dead until he showed signs of regeneration.

She quickly quieted herself.

To Kurona, Hide didn't look unique, though the yellow hair was pretty unusual.

"So, where's your kagune?" Kurona asked.

Hide chuckled, "Are you kidding me, you saw it when we were fighting." Hide then trusted his instincts, and mentally told Amber to wake up, as his right eye developed the kakugan.

"I see, you are just like us," Kurona stated, guilt evident on her face.

Hide smiled, "I wasn't kidding." He spoke before he put his mask back on.

"So how do you know Amon and Takizawa?" Kurona asked.

"I was like all of you, formerly a CCG worker, so I knew Takizawa and Amon through that. I had managed to save Amon from his captors, while I had fought Takizawa during my time in the Quinx Squad." Hide stated.

"Really? You were a CCG investigator as well?" Kurona asked.

"Not an investigator, just an assistant, I worked part-time. Long story short, things happened and here I am. Amon had actually been the one telling me to eat ghoul, and that's when I developed my kakuja." Hide stated.

"You have a kakuja?"

"Incomplete, so I know the mental stress it puts on you." Hide mentioned.

Kurona nodded, "Sounds like you went through a lot."

Hide sighed, "We all have. All of us are former investigators, turned into ghouls."

In truth, Hide was beginning to see just how cruel this world really was to everyone. The sheer pain everyone at some point had to go through was enough for Hide, especially since this in itself was something that both humans and ghouls put upon themselves.

Hide was sick of it, and like his best friend, he would help Kaneki in controlling the process of unity. Sure, it would be difficult, after all, ghouls are literally programmed by Mother Nature to hunt down and kill humans for food, so one can say it is justified, just like how a police officer shooting an animal is justified as their adrenaline is pumping, causing them to act erratically and potentially violently.

Sure, Hide himself knew of the deals every individual went through and the nature of their overall beef. But at the end of the day, Hide knew that not everything had to be decided by nature. Did nature want humans to be this successful? No, humans came all this way to reach what they wanted.

Kurona chuckled, "Can you imagine it, the very thing we were told to kill, we became."

Again Hide didn't really know what to say, it was tragic, but to him, this whole world was the real tragedy.

"There are people out there who I think have gone through much more, but I guess that doesn't take away from others." Hide commented.

"I guess so. Just for the record, if I ever go berserk on my kakuja, the RC suppressants wouldn't work on me." Hide mentioned.

"And why is that?" Kurona asked.

"Highly resistant to it. Activated my kagune while in it, and it had no effect." Hide spoke and replied.

"How?" Kurona asked.

Hide laughed, "Probably because I took it a lot, because of that, Aogiri couldn't harm me the way they wanted."

The two remained quiet, for a bit, before they sighed, "Do you think we should try and get them out?" Hide asked.

"I don't think so, we run the risk of being caught as we escape," Kurona stated.

Hide then mentioned, "But if he remains here, the chance of them coming here is there. We're either waiting for them to come to us, or we potentially go to him."

Kurona then flinched, "You have a point, damnit, I just don't want to lift Amon."

Hide chuckled, "I don't want to either, but we have no choice, perhaps we lift one of them at the same time."

Kurona was about to complain before they heard the sound of groaning. "Is that a zombie?" Hide asked, and Kurona scoffed, "Zombies don't exist."

Hide remarked, "I said that about ghouls, and look what I am now."

"Shut up!" Kurona playfully slapped Hide laughing at his statement.

"K-Kurona?" The voice of Takizawa brought them both out of their conversation, as they rushed towards him.

"Takizawa, are you okay?" Kurona asked as Hide looked on at the two.

"Y-Yeah, I'm better." He moaned, trying to get up. He was relatively weak at the moment but was able to get up and move around.

"Is Amon up?" Takizawa asked, and they shook their heads.

"We were contemplating on whether or not we should try and lift him out." Hide mentioned and Takizawa groaned.

"Please no, I just woke up, I cannot lift someone that big."

Hide chuckled at that. Despite their fight, they were still their typical people.

"Well then, we are going to have to wait for a bit, in order for Amon to get up." Hide stated.

It was then that Takizawa turned to Hide, who had put on his scarecrow mask before the former got up, "You seem very familiar. Your voice, your kagune, even your personality, who are you?"

Hide chuckled, turning to Kurona, "I already told her, she can tell you everything, as I don't want to repeat myself."

And so, Kurona did her best to explain who exactly Scarecrow was, in terms of how he got to where he was. However, once Kurona had spoken the two words, "Hideyoshi Nagachika," Takizawa's face turned into a shock, clearly remembering the guy.

"H-Hide?" Takizawa asked, turning to Hide, who merely nodded.

Before Hide could remember, he found himself being tackled into a hug from Takizawa.

"I thought I killed you..." Takizawa mumbled, and Hide merely laughed.

"So did everyone." Hide stated, "Everyone thought I was dead."

The hug, was ultimately short-lived, as they heard the sounds of another person waking up.

"How was your beauty sleep, Amon?" Takizawa asked, separating himself from Hide.

…

A.N / So this chapter goes up until around 115 in the manga. Once again Hide had lost the opportunity to talk and reunite with Kaneki, I promise the two will get to talk to each other, though I don't know if it'll be around the same time as the manga. Regardless, this is chapter 23, and I hope to see you again soon.

Pierce Flash.

Midnight Bane.

Guard Shroud.

Precise Bullet.

Pyro's Flame Orb.

Flaming Arena.

Flame Trail.

Igniting Storm.

Smolly.

Red Rain.

Flame Body.

Shapeshift.

X Flames.

Flaming Pellets.

Fiery Drift.