Tokyo Ghoul: King

Chapter 8: Fading Warmth

 You woke up the next morning, feeling only slightly tired despite how you spent the last night, both during and after your visit at the bar. In most mornings you felt notably more tired than this time. You guessed that last night had given you closure and helped stabilize your emotional state, which seemed to have been the key for you to gain complete control over yourself when using your kakuja.

However, last night taught you something that had shaken your view on the world. While ghouls were those who suffered from CCG's actions the most, humans would also suffer; practically all of them were under the impression that all ghouls, no matter what upbringing or motives, were all monsters and a threat to humanity as a whole. This kind of delusion didn't really help with your kind of case, as it forced even the most innocent ghouls to become heartless monsters due to having no option.

It made you feel sympathy towards those who would eventually see both sides of the conflict, but also made you even angrier, as you understood that the suffering caused by this conflict would most likely overweigh any benefits of the result.

While knowing that the conflict than you had known, you also were more hopeful. You saw a chance for peaceful coexistence between humans and ghouls in the late investigator whose party you crashed. You also still had your promise to Eto. These two things were what drove you forward at the moment.

You sat up from the bed before stretching out and letting out a small yawn. You looked to your side and saw Eto there, peacefully asleep. You stood up and grabbed your clothes as you made your way to the door.

You dressed up as you walked over to the kitchen to make coffee. Once there, you turned on the coffeemaker as you took out the filter and coffee powder. Not long after, the smell of coffee could be smelled from anywhere in the apartment.

After the machine finished, you took two mugs and poured the coffee in them before walking over to the table and placing the other mug on the spot Eto used to sit in. You sat down and enjoyed the beverage in the silence of the apartment.

Not long after, Eto walked out of the bedroom.

"Good morning." you said to her.

"Good morning." she replied, "You're up earlier than usual."

"I noticed." you replied, "Don't know why. Last night seemed clear my thoughts, even if I feel twice as pissed off now. Because honestly, it doesn't really help to know that we ghouls ain't the only ones who don't like this war on our kind."

"It's quite cruel." Eto replied, "But you shouldn't worry about all of the casualties of this conflict. You can't save them all."

"I suppose I can't," you replied. It did still bother you, the idea that there was no easy way out of the conflict. It would either have to be a miracle that would unite both species or the eradication of one or both sides.

"But that won't stop you from trying to make a difference, will it?" she continued.