Fixed Mistakes

16: Has Coffee Always Been This Bitter?

Chapter 16: Has Coffee Always Been This Bitter?

Kaneki stretched his legs out on a park bench while taking his first sip of coffee from the café across the street from his apartment, the moment it entered his mouth his entire facial expression soured as the abomination that this place called "Tokyo renowned coffee" took over his taste buds with the quality of dirt.

"More like renowned for being shitty coffee." He grumbled as he set the cup on the bench for someone to take if they wanted, he hadn't had anything good to drink since he ditched Anteiku a month ago. One month since he left the good life, or it was a good life for him until Touka decided to play detective and screwed with his mind again.

Kaneki was so angry at Kai he wanted to revive him, hear his explanation, and then kill him again. He didn't get why people loved to take a perfectly ideal situation where no one knew anything about what happened to him and he was suffering alone, now this affected other people that he cared about, the opposite of what he wanted.

He had tried to give Touka some comfort when he had gone to her and apologized, but he had done that so she wouldn't get too mad at him and she would stop prying. Not that it mattered now anyway, he would try to avoid seeing her again at all costs.

"Nishiki you pile of shit! I told you he was in this ward!" Yelled someone about fifty meters in front of him.

Kaneki's eyes shot wide in surprise and broke off into a sprint into the street adjacent to the park. Ayato had been the one who yelled out and that wasn't good for him, the hideout was only three blocks away and Ayato was almost the same speed as him, he would be able to trail him back. As an Ukaku ghoul Ayato would fade quickly, but not quick enough for Kaneki, fighting was his only way out.

He turned around and put his hands up in the air while Nishiki caught up to Ayato, "Took you guys a while."

Nishiki was wearing a bright orange hoodie and had a thermos of what was presumably coffee and Ayato was sporting his usual punk clothes, with the odd addition of a small bracelet that did not suit him.

He cracked his fingers resonantly and Nishiki set down his drink. Ayato had a face-splitting grin that he couldn't hide as he said with glee, "Oh man, you don't know how much I've wanted for another match."

Kaneki brought up both hands and taunted at both of them, "Alright you two, come at me."

Spastic vivid crimson tentacles erupted from his back and his eye ignited, getting the same responses from the other two ghouls.

They came at him at the same time and swung at him with a fist and a kick powered by a bikaku kagune, he sidestepped the punch and swept the Nishiki's right leg that didn't have the kagune, tripping him onto his back. Ayato had taken a leaf out of Kai's book and took two crystals in his hands and was now swinging his fists at him in reverse grip while maintaining a steady pace of aimed fire, forcing Kaneki back to the park where he had to bend back to avoid a hearty swing from Nishiki.

Ayato grumbled and tried to place a kick on Kaneki's abdomen, but was dodged while his hands were behind his back and his tentacles were merely digging into the ground and allowing him to skirt around them in circles. He was ridiculing them.

Ayato realized that even though they had been fighting for this small amount of time, he could recognize that even with the two of them who were S class ghouls, Kaneki would destroy them any day of the week. Unfortunately for the two fighting him they came to this conclusion a bit too late as Kaneki decided he was wasting time, he sighed audibly and when his two opponents rushed at him he used his advantage in reach to hold them up by their feet with a tentacle poised to strike if either dared to struggle.