71Chapter 9
Hinami's legs burned as she ran through the pouring rain as fast as she could manage. She weaved between the legs of pedestrians, trying to remember the way to Anteiku as best she could, but she'd never gone there without her mother before. She'd never gone anywhere without her mother before. This is bad! This is bad! I should have asked Kaneki how to get back! I'm lost! They'll both die if I can't get to Anteiku in time! Hinami took a moment to stop and see if there were any signs that could lead her to the coffee shop, but if there were, she didn't see any.
Hinami's mind was racing as she continued to aimlessly run through the streets, hoping that she'd stumble upon the shop eventually. She tried to ask people for help, or directions, but they either told her to get lost or simply ignored her. She couldn't understand why no one would help her – why no one cared. Eventually, unable to force her burning, aching legs to continue anymore, Hinami collapsed on the sidewalk and began to sob. Mama… Kaneki… I'm sorry… I'm sorry… she apologized, as she tightened her fists in sadness and anger and squeezed her eyes shut, hot tears streaming down her cheeks. She remained in that state for a few moments, so overwhelmed by guilt that she didn't even notice the sound of a car pulling up in front of her and the opening of its passenger door.
"Hinami?" A deep voice called to her. Opening her eye's she was greeted by a large, silver – haired man in a car, looking at her with a slight hint concern on his face.
Hinami's first instinct was to run, assuming he was another investigator, as he was just as frightening. However, her nose, though it's sense of smell was hampered by the rain, informed her that he was like her – A Ghoul.
"Who… Who are you?" she asked warily, standing up. "Please, I – my mother needs help and my friend, Kaneki! Some men found us and -,"
"Get in," the silver-haired man told Hinami, who paused for a moment before climbing into the passenger seat, barely able to close the door before the man floored the gas pedal, the force pushing her into the back of the seat.
"Where are they?" The man asked, as he sped down the road, passing cars.
At that moment, Hinami realized that, if she didn't even know where she was, she didn't know how to get back to her mother and Kaneki. A new wave of despair overwhelmed her, and she began to cry again. "I – I don't know! I don't even know where I am!" she cried, bringing her knees to her chest and sobbing into them.
The silver haired man didn't say anything and instead began to tune his radio into different frequencies, catching Hinami's attention as she continued to cry. "W-what are you doing?"
"Figuring out where they are," the man replied as he continued to turn the knob, picking up the sounds of people talking. The man continued until a particular conversation caught his ear, describing a Ghoul who sounded like Kaneki, on Miyaki street.
"Th- That's them! It has to be!" Hinami exclaimed; hope reignited within her.
The man nodded. "They're not far."
(-)
Renji parked his car (using the term his lightly) a block away from Miyaki street and scaled a nearby building, using the rooftops to make his way to the scene undetected. Touching down on a low office building that rested on Miyaki street, Renji peered over the rooftop ledge to get a clearer view of what the situation was - If Ryukou and Kaneki were still alive, or if he should clear out.
The first things that caught his eye were the two doves that crossed the border into the 20th a few weeks ago, furrowing his brow, he thought about how if he knew things would accelerate this far, he would have killed them when he had the chance that night, rather than hope they would give up on their investigation and move on. He should have known that they were a cut above the rest, even for 1st ward investigators. One, the old man, was busy prodding at a lifeless figure lying on the floor and the other was helping up two of his fellow doves.
His eyes shifted to the lifeless figure that he soon recognized to be Kaneki, dead in the street, with his neck bent at an unnatural angle with bones jutting out of place and causing the skin to strain not to be torn. Renji closed his eyes in disappointment; if only he'd been there sooner. I'm sorry, Eto… The kid was a fool, and not cut out for a Ghouls life, but Renji had hoped he could have saved him.
Where's Ryukou? Renji set a new objective, hoping to be able to save someone, as he continued to survey the situation. Fortunately, she didn't seem to be anywhere around, so there was hope that she could have escaped them. But how? Yomo wondered. Ken must have sacrificed himself to help her escape… dammit. Renji gritted his teeth in frustration and slipped his beaked mask over his face, preparing to confront the doves. It was a foolish thing to do, he knew, but he was going to try to recover Ken's body; It was the least he could do for him. I'll have to be quick. Can't kill them, or it'll just make things worse… I'm not too sure if I could take the both of them either.
As Renji prepared himself, The older man used the tip of his umbrella to press down on Ken's lower back, surprising Renji - and himself - when a massive red tentacle erupted from Ken's kakuhou. The tentacle whipped itself hard and fast, striking the older man in the chest and sending him flying into a nearby store window. Renji stopped, watching as the Kagune returned to a resting, but alert position.
"Mr. Mado!" The younger investigator cried out in concern, letting go of one of his comrades he was propping up, forcing them to grab hold of a light pole for support, and rushing over with his own club like quinque. The investigator, a well-built man, who could probably be formidable even without his weapon, stopped several feet away, quinque at the ready. Ken's kagune danced wildly above him but, in response to the new threat. aimed directly at the investigator. It reminded Renji of an angry snake, ready to strike.
The investigator then began to make his move, shuffling his feet forward a bit, he edged closer to Ken's body before breaking into a serpentine sprint, probably hoping to have the tentacle miss and give him time to properly kill Ken. If that was his intent, it worked – the kagune struck at him and barely missed as he slid beneath it and headed straight for Ken, club overhead and ready to come down to smash the boy's head in. Renji was about to intervene when, to both his and the investigators surprise; a second, smaller appendage erupted from Ken's lower back and wrapped itself around the club.
A moment later, it wrenched the weapon from the dove's hands and tossed it away into a nearby building, where it imbedded itself into the wall. The tentacles however, seemed not to be able to maintain themselves and dissipated shortly after. Now weaponless, the investigator looked to the quinque of the older man, who had dropped it when he was knocked away. Yomo figured his intent and when he saw the man rush for it, used his own Kagune to fire a warning shot between the investigator and the quinque.
The man stopped in his tracks at that, immediately spotting the Ghoul in the plague doctor mask on the rooftop down the street. Renji, even through the rain and tinted spectacles could see the fear in the man's stance and face, as well as his resolve. As quickly as he could, he leapt to Ken's side, scooped him up and took off down the alley way adjacent to them before scaling a fire escape with Ken on his back.
Once Yomo had cleared a few rooftops, he found himself a concealed spot behind some ventilation equipment and checked to see if Ken was actually dead. He had been sure he must have been when he arrived, just looking at the unnatural way his head rested on his left shoulder, but after what he'd just witnessed, he felt hopeful that he had been wrong. Yomo was still surprised by that; he'd seen a Ghoul's kagune erupt from their body after death before, sure - it was the same as the random nerve twitches the body exhibited after death - but he'd never seen a Kagune behave like that… like it was alive.
Pulling up Ken's wrist, noting how cold his skin was as he did so, Renji checked for his pulse and was pleasantly surprised to find that yes, Ken Kaneki was still alive… Barely there but still alive. He then examined his neck, which appeared like it had been broken severely, most likely by that club. Still, it didn't appear as bad as he had initially thought. He had seen Ghouls come back from worse after all. Picking up Ken onto his back, this time making sure his head and neck didn't knock around too much, Renji made his way back to where he'd left Hinami and the car.
(-)
Amon stood in silent shock as the rain poured over him and soaked him to the bone. What was that? he wondered, his heart still pounding. In all his time studying at the academy and reinforcing his knowledge of Ghouls and their Kagune, he'd never seen a Kagune act that way while its host was incapacitated. Kagunes of dead or unconcious Ghouls could sometimes be triggered by nerve stimulation or even just as the Ghouls body relaxed, but he'd never heard of it being able to do something like that. And why didn't that other Ghoul kill me? Why did he leave me alive?
"Amon," He heard a shaky voice call his name from behind. Turning, Koutarou watched in horror as his mentor stumbled out of the door of the shop he'd been thrown into, clutching his ribs. A second later, he fell to his knees and coughed up some blood.
"Mr, Mado!" Amon exclaimed as he rushed to the older man's side and dropped to one knee. "Mr. Mado! How bad is it?" he asked, carefully propping the old man up, draping his thin arm around his shoulder.
"Oh… It's not so bad," Kureo replied, with a hint of sarcasm to his voice. "At least, that's what I'd like to say, but that bastard got me pretty good – I think most of my ribs are broken, and the ones that aren't are cracked." He coughed a bit more and had a far off look in his eyes as he continued to stare at the ground. "Dammit, If I had been in my prime, I would have dodged that thing easily, you know?" he said with a chuckle.
"Of course, Mr. Mado," Amon said, finding a nearby bench to sit him on. "I'm going to call an ambulance."
Reaching into his coats inner pocket, Amon brought out his cell phone and began to dial emergency services. I'll make those bastards pay for this…
(000)
Touka stared blankly at the Kanji in her textbook, having long ago decided that she wasn't going to get anywhere studying it by herself. Maybe you should just pay attention in class for once, Kirishima, she told herself, smirking. No, no, that's far too difficult. After all it's boring right? That's reason enough to not try, isn't it? Even though it was a joke, there was still truth there. The reason Touka had neglected her studies was because it was boring – damned boring! It wasn't even so much the material itself as it was her teacher. The man would talk in the most robotic voice – it was almost like he didn't care. So why should I? she thought.
Still, she couldn't lie to herself and blame it all on the man. If only I knew someone who was good at reading; like an author… or a bookworm. Touka blinked and frowned, slamming the book shut and looking out the rainy window at the figures of people and the occasional car passing through. Eto's words from a few weeks ago rang through her head – about setting her up with a cute guy – about Kaneki. So, he's not as lame as I thought, but he's still not cute… Not in an attractive way… I guess… Maybe I'll take him up on that offer to tutor me. Touka then shook her head – she needed to focus on her studies.
The sound of a car pulling up outside her window, caught Touka's attention, prompting the young Ghoul to peer through the glass. She recognized it as Yomo's car (or at least the car he drove), which was strange, because he almost never came by the shop during the day; then she saw Hinami exit the passenger seat and rush into the restaurant. Touka's breath hitched in her throat as she stood up abruptly and waited for Ryukou to emerge. Only, she didn't; instead Yomo turned into the alleyway adjacent to Anteiku and Touka felt herself turn cold with fear.
Oh no, she thought, practically jumping to her door and rushing downstairs to meet Hinami. Oh God, what happened!? As she quickly made her way down the stairs, using all the restraint she had not to just leap down the flight, she could only think about how she'd just seen Ryukou. God, please tell me they didn't find her… That she's not -, Touka didn't want to think it.
Making it to the bottom, Touka watched as a soaked Hinami flung the dining floor door open and rushed in. Immediately, she picked out Touka and ran to her. Touka dropped to one knee to meet her and embraced her as she ran into her arms. "Hinami, wha –,"
"I'm sorry!" Hinami cried a muffled apology into her shoulder before Touka could ask. "I didn't mean for him to get hurt! I just wanted to help mama!"
Touka wanted to ask her what was going on and what she meant but paused as Yoshimura stepped into her view from behind the counter and motioned for her to get upstairs. From behind him, she could see that some customers were beginning to stare. Touka nodded and led Hinami upstairs, keeping her in her arms as Hinami continued to cry, Yoshimura following behind.
Touka took Hinami into the lounge and sat her down on the couch, once again falling to one knee and placing her hands on the girl's shoulders. "Hinami, what happened, huh?" she asked, wiping away the tears from the girl's cheeks. "Who got hurt?"
Hinami looked as if she was about to answer when a moment later Yomo entered the room. "It's Kaneki," he said, gaining Touka and Yoshimura's attention. The two shared a glance and Yoshimura followed Renji out the door, headed towards the basement, leaving Touka alone with Hinami.
"Hina, what happened?" she asked gently, cupping Hinami's face in her hands. "Where's your mother?"
"I don't… I don't know," Hinami replied as she caught her breath between sobs before she continued to cry again. "It's my fault," she said. "It's my fault, I'm sorry! I didn't mean for him to get hurt! I didn't!"
Touka swallowed. Oh God… Kaneki's not… He's not dead, is he? After shaking her head as if to erase the idea, Touka pressed her forehead to Hinami's and said, "I know. I know, Hinami. It's okay, we're all just glad you're okay, alright?"
A moment later Kaya entered. "Touka, what's going on?" she asked, hurriedly walking over to the younger Ghoul and Hinami.
"I don't know," Touka replied, making room for Kaya to check on Hinami. "Hinami is too shaken up to make any sense right now, I'm going to go see what happened."
"Right."
Stepping out of the lounge, Touka made her way to the storage floor – the floor below the dining room – where they kept an assortment of excess belongings, as well as the freezer where the packages were held. It was also where Renji liked to enter and exit the shop, using the hidden door at the back, so no one could connect him to Anteiku. "Yomo? Manager? Where are you?" she called out.
"Over here," Yoshimura replied, "At the back."
Nodding, Touka hurried to the back of the storage floor where she saw Yoshimura and Renji standing over Kaneki on an unused, wooden table. Touka moved to join them, but stopped in surprise when she got a better look at Kaneki. He was lying lifeless on the table, soaking wet, with his neck bent at a painful angle, with a bit of vertebrae pressing against the skin. Oh God… "Is he dead?" she asked, not taking her eyes off of him.
"No… It was actually worse before I got here. His body is healing itself incredibly fast," Yomo answered, his voice tinged with what sounded, to Touka, like disbelief.
"That… Makes sense, though right?" Touka asked, looking up to the silver – haired Ghoul. "I mean, he's a Rinkaku type, they're fast healers aren't they."
"…Yeah," Renji affirmed, sounding uncertain.
Yoshimura looked to Renji, then to Touka before turning to her and saying, "Touka, go upstairs and find a warm blanket and a pillow for Kaneki. I would set him up in a bed, but I don't want to disturb the customers… Or cause any suspicion. Also, call Eto and tell her to come."
"Right," Touka said as she began to turn, but stopped when she heard an odd sound coming from Ken. Pausing, she looked back and watched as the vertebrae that had been pressing against the skin adjusted itself back into place with a loud crack."
"Touka, hurry," the manager reminded her.
The she-Ghoul nodded and jogged to the staircase, dialing Eto's number as she ascended them. What the hell happened?
(An hour later)
Finally, Eto thought as she opened the door to Anteiku and began her ascent upstairs. She opened the door to the dining floor of Anteiku, wrapping up her drenched umbrella and looking around for anyone. The dining room was thankfully empty apart from a somewhat troubled looking Koma waiting behind the bar.
"Yo, green!" he greeted, face lighting up a bit at her presence.
"Koma -," Eto began, sounding breathless, but was immediately cut off by the pompadoured Ghoul.
"I know, I know," he said, waving his hand, "Ken's upstairs in guest bedroom… We just got him out of the basement when the last of the customers took off. They told me to wait down here in case anyone else shows up," he explained, sounding a bit annoyed at the end.
"Okay," Eto nodded, hurrying up the stairs. "Thank you!" All she could think about was what condition Ken was in; Touka described it over the phone, but Eto had to see just how bad it was herself. Arriving at the top, she made a B-line for the guestroom when suddenly, the doorit opened and her father emerged, a serious look on his face. That made Eto pause, she'd seen that look many times as a child; she understood what it meant and shifted her gaze away.
After a tense silence, her father spoke up. "Ken is… healed," he answered the question he knew she must have had. "His healing abilities are remarkably fast."
Hearing that from her father, put the half-Ghoul at ease. Still, she had to be sure herself. Making her way past her father and into the room, she was met by the rest of Anteiku; Kaya, Touka, Yomo, as well as Hinami were all standing around Ken's unconscious form on the bed. Touka and Kaya had looks of slight concern, Touka more so than the older woman, while Yomo's troubles only manifested in his eyes; he gave her a look which insinuated that they needed to talk. Hinami's feelings were the most apparent, however. The young girl wasn't even looking at Ken, instead her head was tilted down, her gaze cast to the floor, and her face was contorted in a look of shame with tear stained cheeks.
Eto joined them around Ken who, true to her father's word, seemed more or less fine, apart from some bruising on his head. "Has he," she started, taking a shaky breath. "Has he woken up since?"
"No," Yomo answered. "We attempted to wake him when we moved him to the guest bedroom, but he didn't respond."
Eto gulped silently and closed her eyes a bit. "Do you think he's," she paused again. "Do you think that nobody's home?" she asked, mindful of Hinami in the room.
Despite this though, Hinami understood well what she meant and made a pitiful sound, tilting her head lower, catching the other's attention. "I'm sorry," she pleaded for the umpteenth time that day. "It's all my fault. I just didn't want mom to die… I didn't want to lose anyone else. I didn't think that -," she cut herself off as she stifled another sob and clenched her teeth, shutting her eyes tight.
Touka knelt down next to her and brought her into a hug, patting her head. "It's okay, Hinami," she tried reassuring her. "We understand."
"That's right," Eto added. "No one here blames you for trying to save your mother." The author looked to Ken and paused. "I'm sure Ken doesn't blame you either," she added.
Hinami stopped sobbing for a moment and looked up to Eto with wet eyes. "Really?"
Eto looked to her and smiled, trying to hide the fear she felt. "Of course," she reassured her. "Listen, I'm sure he'll be fine, he's survived much worse than this," she added trying to reassure herself as well as Hinami. "You can ask him yourself if he's mad at you when he wakes up, okay?"
"O-Okay," Hinami said, stopping her sobbing and wiping away the tears on her cheeks.
"Hina," Touka said, gaining the young girl's attention. "Let's get you to lie down, okay? I'm sure you'll feel better after you get a hot shower and some rest; you've had a rough day." Hinami looked as if she was about to protest but eventually conceded that Touka was right. The trio watched as Touka led the young Ghoul out of the room.
"So," Eto sighed, trying and failing to hide just how deep her concern was. "What happened?"
Renji paused. "From what I could tell; Ryukou and Hinami had been cornered by the doves and Ken must have intervened. I found Hinami a few blocks away, alone and she explained it to me. I assume Ryukou got away since I didn't see her there."
Eto furrowed her brow slightly. And Ken took the punishment for her… "Do you think he'll wake up?" she asked, trying to keep her voice calm.
"It's hard to say," Yomo replied, eyes locked on Kaneki. "He's recovered from worse, like you said, but that blow to the head he took was pretty severe, judging by how badly his neck was broken when I found him. Still, he's recovered incredibly fast, even for a Rinkaku type, so I'm betting he'll be fine."
Eto glanced at Yomo. If she didn't know any better, she'd think that he was actually hoping for something in the first time since… Well, she didn't even remember. It was enough to make her smirk, despite the grim outlook of Kaneki's health. Taking a seat on a chair next to the bed, she exhaled shakily. "I can't believe this happened… I was supposed to take care of him."
"It's not your fault, Eto," Kaya spoke up. "You should know as well as anyone that these things happen."
Eto ran a hand through her hair and bit her lower lip lightly. "That's just it though," she said. "I could have prevented it entirely… I didn't even mention procedure when it came to dealing with the Doves – I didn't explain to him that he should by no means try to engage them … If I had maybe, we wouldn't be here now. I just never guessed that he would go and pick a fight with them… "
Kaya was silent for a moment. "If you had… Hinami would have lost her mother."
Eto furrowed her brow again – it made her angry that Ken, despite trying to help Ryukou, was left there by her. Still… I suppose that was his goal. Eto paused. Who knew you were so brave? She looked to the unconscious Ken and smiled, slipping her hand beneath the sheets and gripping his. You better wake up, she thought as her eyes began to water a bit.
"There's something else," Yomo added, gaining her and Kaya's attention. "When I arrived, I was in time to see one of the investigators probing Ken for his kakuhou and when he found it, it erupted to life and lashed out."
"Yes, well, that happens occasionally," Eto replied off handedly. "It's a nerve twitch."
"I know," Yomo answered. "That's what I thought as well but, this time was different. It acted as if it had a mind of its own - it deliberately attacked the investigators before it eventually failed to sustain itself."
"That sounds like something only a kakuja should be able to do," Kaya spoke, her tone serious. "They've been known to have unpredictable Kagune that sometimes act on their own… But, you don't think that Kaneki has been cannibalizing, do you?" she asked, a bit of humor in her voice at the insinuation.
"No," Renji replied, folding his arms and shifting his gaze back to Kaneki. "However, Rize may have been."
Eto was silent. She didn't know this Rize woman whatsoever so she couldn't speak on her behalf. "If that's the case then when… if Ken comes too, we need to teach him how to control his Kagune. Someone as inexperienced as him running around with a kakuja's kagune would be dangerous for everyone – Ghoul and human alike."
Renji nodded. "I'll ask around the 20th, too see if anyone can confirm whether or not Rize was cannibalizing."
"That's unlikely," Kaya interjected, gaining their attention. "Rize was a glutton… But, she didn't eat for survival, she reveled in the taste of flesh and she was no pushover either… She'd have no reason that I can think of to cannibalize. Of course, I didn't know her very well myself."
At that there was a sudden knock at the door, gaining the attention of the three Ghouls. "Come in," Eto said. A moment later, Eto's father and, to the surprise of the entire room, Ryukou, sopping wet from head to toe peaked her head in.
"Mrs. Fueguchi!" Kaya greeted, moving to meet her.
"Hello, Irimi," Ryukou greeted with a quick smile, shakily as she stepped in. "Where's Hinami?"
"Touka took her to get washed and rested," Kaya answered. "You should do the same – you're soaking wet and shivering!"
"I will," Ryukou replied, moving past her, towards the bed before stopping and placing her palm to her mouth in surprise. "Kaneki… Is… Is he -,"
"Not dead," Eto answered, her voice stern with a hint of an edge directed at the older Fueguchi.
That, along with Yomo's subtle glare, caused Ryukou to shrink in response. "I… I take full responsibility… If it… If it weren't for my own weakness, then Kaneki would never have had to get involved."
"Were you followed?" Yomo asked.
"No," Ryukou answered suddenly. "I made sure this time. No one knows I've come here… I also don't intend to stay long. I'm going to try and lead the investigators away from the 20th and lie low until they lose my scent… I just came to see Hinami and if Kaneki was alright…" Ryukou paused for a moment before turning to Yoshimura. "I… I hate to ask," she said, voice quivering with shame. "But, could you watch over Hinami for the time being? I can't have her on the run with me like this."
Yoshimura was silent for a moment before placing a hand on her shoulder. "Of course, Miss Fueguchi. For now, however, you should follow your daughters' example and get a shower and some rest. Also, you should wait until tomorrow to leave as there will undoubtedly be patrols looking for you tonight.
"Thank you," Ryukou said, gripping Yoshimura's hand. "Thank you so much! I promise it won't be long and we'll be out of your hair afterwards! I promise!"
Yoshimura shook his head as he led her out of the room. "Miss Fueguchi, please. There's no need for that."
Yomo waited for a few moments after they left before speaking up. "I'm going to go then."
"I'll go downstairs and help Koma with any customers that come through," Kaya stated as she and Renji left.
Eto sighed and tightened her grip on Ken's hand. Suddenly a wave of guilt washed over her. I shouldn't be so angry at Ryukou… But why did you do something so reckless? She asked. Pausing she looked Ken over. He looks so peaceful like this… When he's awake he always has this worried demeanor about him but, now he looks so calm… It's a nice look on him.
(The Following Day – Around Noon)
Ken was stuck in the darkness. He didn't know where he was or how he got there, only that, despite this, he felt at peace. There was a hefty, warm feeling hugging him and contrasting his cold body. He felt himself relax into it, exhaling deeply. Where am I? he asked, not really caring what the answer turned out to be.
At that moment, Ken's eyes began to flutter open and the all-encompassing darkness was replaced by one less deep. Immediately, he understood he was in a room of some kind. He could make out fuzzy shapes within it, such as a cabinet at one corner of the room, a drawer to his left, the window, because of the thin strips of light breaking throw the closed blinds, and at his feet the foot of the bed he was apparently resting in. This isn't my bed though…
Suddenly memories flooded Ken's mind, events that happened just moments ago; Hinami running into him in the pouring rain and leading him to where her mother was cornered by the Ghoul investigators, his attempt to save her which he couldn't remember was successful or not, and his skull crashing against his own shoulder and his inability to move as he laid in violent agony on the asphalt in the cold rain.
A rush of adrenaline and fear surged through Kaneki then, causing him to fly up and hop out of the bed, bringing his hands to his neck and head, as if he were trying to keep them in place. Oh God! Oh God! My Neck – It's Broken! He thought, pacing around in the dark room, clutching the back of his neck like letting go would cause it to snap. He took in deep, shaky breaths as he did so, unaware of the person he had been sharing the room with until they placed themselves in front of him, gripping him by the shoulders.
Instinct took over and Ken tried to pull away, assuming it was one of the investigators who he had attacked but found himself unable to. "I'm sorry! I was just protecting my friend!" He told them, closing his eyes, awaiting the impending pain. Only, it never came, instead he was greeted by a familiar voice.
"Ken, it's me!" came the voice of Sen Takatsuki – his favorite author – Eto.
Kaneki opened his eyes again, and looked at the figure of the person who's grip he rested in. "Sen?" he asked, a mixture of surprise and relief in his voice.
Suddenly, the door opened, and the light switched on, blinding Ken for a moment before his eyes adjusted. There, just as she said, was Sen Takatsuki. Ken was relieved, but confused at that moment, so much so he didn't even register it when she placed a hand on his cheek and brushed her thumb against it. "Is this Anteiku? How did I get here? I thought for sure that -,"
"Renji brought you here," another familiar voice answered from the doorway, drawing Ken's attention to it.
The manager was there, standing with his hands clasped behind his back and a small smirk on his face. Ken, who hadn't realized he had been hyper ventilating at this point, gulped and began to slow his breathing. He closed his eyes and gently removed himself from Eto's tight grasp, moving to the edge of the bed and sitting down, and placing his head in his hands as he continued to take shaky but controlled breaths.
Ken realized that he was still holding onto the back of his neck at this point and reluctantly released his grip. Looking up to Eto and her father, who had ventured further into the room, he said; "I thought… I thought my neck was broken… What happened?"
There was a slight pause before the older Ghoul responded. "Hinami ran into Renji after you sent her to us for help and he went to rescue you. When Renji found you, he said your neck was severely broken and he thought you were dead… at first. However, you recovered in your unconscious state rather quickly."
Ken nodded exhaling; thankful the pain had caused him to pass out. "And… What about Miss Fueguchi? Did she get away?" he asked, hoping all of that pain he endured meant something.
Yoshimura nodded with smile. "Yes… It was very brave of you to risk your life for Ryukou like that, Ken." However, despite his praise, Yoshimura's smile morphed into a serious expression. "Next time, however, I'd appreciate it if you did not get involved."
Ken blinked in surprise and glanced to Eto, who gave him a sympathetic look. "W-why?" I messed up? Even after saving Ryukou, I still managed to screw it up?
"Unfortunately, dealing with doves is not as simple as dealing with violent Ghouls… If you had killed one of them, then the central office would have sent many more down here to hunt you down… It would place a great burden on all the Ghouls here… Of course, you aren't to blame for that – you were acting with good intentions."
Eto also chimed in at this point. "I should have told you, but I didn't expect you to go and pick a fight with the doves, after all."
Ken nodded and lowered his gaze. "I'm sorry… I just… I felt that -," Ken shook his head. "I'll… keep that in mind."
Yoshimura nodded, and said; "You can have today off for your troubles, Ken. It's the least I can do, after what you did for Ryukou and Hinami." He paused, smirking; "I expect you here ready to work tomorrow, however. I have a feeling it'll be a busy day." The joking tone in his voice was palpable.
"Yes, sir," Ken conceded with a small smile of his own.
Yoshimura chuckled to himself and moved to the exit, leaving the two half-Ghouls alone.
"That was brave of you to do that for Ryukou and Hinami," Eto told Kaneki taking a seat next to him. "Though, I'd appreciate it if you never did it again."
"I understand," he reassured her. "I won't give the CCG any reason to send more investigators to the 20th ward." Ken looked to her, "I'm sorry."
Eto smiled at him. "I know you know that," she told him taking his hand in hers for the second time. "I'm asking you for selfish reasons. 2hen Touka called me and told me Renji had brought you to the shop unconscious, with a broken neck," she paused, gulping quietly. "I was terrified... I thought how little time I'd had with you, and how you were already gone."
Ken was speechless for a moment, he was flattered that she would have worried about him so much but, at that moment, all he could think was; I'm not really someone worth worrying over. "I appreciate it, Eto," he finally answered, looking back to the floor.
Eto frowned at his response and gripped his hand tighter, gaining his attention. "Why did you do it? You must have known that the chances of you surviving an encounter with two doves wouldn't end well for you. You would have been killed or taken into custody… Ghoul prisons aren't nice places."
Ken paused for a moment, thinking about an answer that wouldn't sound to self-deprecating. Eventually coming up with one, he looked to Eto and said; "I know what it's like to lose your mother… I just didn't want Hinami or anyone else to have to go through that."
Ken thought that answer would suffice, it should have, but he saw the look on Eto's face – one that told him she knew that he was holding something back and, against his better judgement, he kept talking. "I felt that… If someone should die today, it should be someone worthless like me and not Ryukou – Hinami's mother… Someone with value." Ken surprised himself as he started to choke up. Why? It's not like this is news to me, so why does it hurt so much to say it aloud? He wondered as his vision blurred and tears formed in his eyes.
A second later, Ken found himself brought into an embrace, pressed tightly against Eto's chest. "You're not… worthless Ken," she said, stuttering slightly. "You - just existing as you are – you have meaning… To me, if not anything else. Before meeting you, I felt alone for so long."
"Alone?" Kaneki asked. She has her father, Touka, all of Anteiku… How could she feel alone?
"I know it's silly, right? I have everyone here… But, I never felt like I truly belonged. I don't understand what it's like to be them – to be a real Ghoul. I also don't know what it's like to be entirely human, either… Sure I can live a fairly normal life, blending into society better than any regular Ghoul could hope to but," she paused. "Even I need to devour flesh on occasion, to keep my body healthy. If I didn't, I'd begin to wither away and die… It's a curse that none of us can escape." She paused once again. "Then I met you and I didn't feel alone anymore… And even though we weren't exactly the same, we still both had that rare place in the world."
Ken was silent for a moment. "It… must have been hard," he told her, reluctantly hugging her, unsure how to respond.
A second later, there was a knock at the door and Eto released him quickly and stood. "Come in," she answered and a moment later, Ryukou entered, holding Hinami in front of her.
"H-hello… Mister Yoshimura told us you'd woken up… so me and Hinami wanted to see you."
Ken stood up in surprise. "Miss Fueguchi!" he greeted with a happy smile. "I'm glad to see you safe.
"I should be saying that to you, Kaneki… I'm only alive because of what you did for me," she told him, looking to the floor in shame. "I'm… I'm so sorry!" she apologized suddenly, surprising Ken. "I feel so terrible for what happened to you in my stead!"
"Miss Fueguchi," Ken started, scratching the back of his head. "Please don't… It's okay, I promise."
Ryukou shook her head. "No, It's not… And I can never, never repay you for what you did for me and Hinami, but I wanted you to know, before I have to leave again, that I'm eternally in your debt."
Hinami turned and gripped her mother's hands, letting out a small sound of despair at the thought of her mother leaving, causing Ryukou to drop to her Knee's like she had done on Miyaki street before facing the investigators. "I know… I know, Hinami. We already talked about this though; I have to leave, just for a little while, until they stop searching, then I can come back, and we can be together again, okay? I promise."
"But -," Hinami began to protest.
"Hinami, I have to," Ryukou said sternly, causing her daughter to go silent and hang her head. "It'll be okay. You have Touka, Kaya, Enji, Kaneki, the manager, and miss Eto… I'm going to miss you." Ryukou kissed Hinami's forehead and stood, bringing her into one last tight hug. The mother then looked to Ken and gave him a deep bow before leaving the room.
A moment later, much to his surprise, Hinami wrapped herself around Ken's waist and began to cry.
Authors Notes: Sorry for the wait, I just got sick of typing after finals. Also, by next chapter this story may have a new title it wont be drastically different, but it's just a heads up so no one is confused.
