守りたい // hidekane

12

Blood splattered all over Kaneki's figure as he crouched onto Hide's side, inhaling his friend's delectable aroma, the scent filling up his senses, his appetite. Kaneki's mouth watered. His tentacle-like kagune positioned themselves onto Hide's stomach, not losing a moment to tear it right open. A bloodcurdling scream arose from the strawberry blond's throat. He was faking being unconscious? It didn't matter, the screams Hide uttered were like music, they made Kaneki want to tear him open again and again.

"He's your friend, if anyone deserves to eat him that would be you!"

"That's...That's right! H-Hide's my friend! S..So..I have to eat him!"

Kaneki woke up with a jolt, beads of sweat dripping down his chin, his heart beating an unusual pace and tears were streaming out of his wide gray eyes. He suppressed his urge to vomit as he felt a bile rise up his throat. Finally, Kaneki took in his surroundings. Anteiku. He's back in Anteiku.

What is he doing back here..? He looks down to see his shirt stained with red. It's almost as if it was never white for there wasn't a single white patch left on it. He peeked underneath his shirt. Nothing, no signs of any wounds whatsoever.  The half ghoul's eyebrows knitted together. His mouth felt weird. Hesitantly, he raised his fingers and swiped it inside his mouth. He pulled it out, a little string of saliva connecting it from his lips. But that wasn't his concern.

His fingers were stained red.

Blood.

Whose blood is this? Maybe it's his..? Now that he thought of it, the constant grumbling of his stomach seemed to have stopped. But there was this unusual stinging feeling coming from his near tailbone.

Blurs of what happened before he blacked out flashed in his mind. He remembered Nishiki. And...H...Hide! Kaneki's stomach churned in an unusual way at the mention of his friend. What happened to Hide...? The last thing he could recall was Nishiki's kagune getting eerily close to His friend's unconscious body and a fiery sensation of pure anger coursing through his veins. Then he completely blacked out.

The sound of the door opening startled the young boy, his head  whipping towards the figure who stood by the entrance.

"Ah, I see you've awaken already." Yoshimura's says softly, and Kaneki noticed that he was holding a roll of bloodstained bandages on one hand and a wet towel on the other. "How are you feeling?"

"Wh.." Kaneki's voice felt like it was dragging along his throat like sandpaper. Coughing softly, he looked back into the elder's unwavering kind gaze. The ravenette took a deep breath before trying to speak again, "Wh..at happened?...H-Hide..is he..."

"Sit down, young man." Yoshimura stated simply, approaching him. Kaneki didn't even notice that he had heaved himself out of the couch and stumbled towards the manager. He felt his knees buckle and almost trips over himself as the room was starting to spin around him. Finding his way back onto the seat, Kaneki feels his hands shake. "Touka found you two just in time."

Kaneki's brows furrowed, he couldn't recall seeing the purple haired teen today. He tries to push further back into his memories but it only made his head throb, slowly, he spoke again, "I-Is Hide okay..? Did something happen to him? Where is he-?" The half ghoul's words got stuck in his throat, cutting him off, he tasted the blood in his mouth again. It tasted like...like food. Oh fuck, this isn't his blood.

Yoshimura's eyes darken, to that Kaneki feels his stomach twist into uncomfortable knots. What the hell happened? "Follow me." The ravenette eagerly complies, leaning against the wall for support as the manager leads him to the door of the room beside them, he twists the knob and pushes it open, hearing the hinges creak in slight protest.

Revealing the back of a sleeping strawberry blond.

Kaneki couldn't help but smile, he started to make his way towards the bed. Hide's alive! He's okay! His stomach isn't open! His blood isn't gushing out! I wasn't eating him! I didn't kill him!

The ravenette stopped in his tracks as he felt a bile rush up his throat. Lightheaded and queasy, he starts to walk backwards, his eyes wide, still focused on Hide's sleeping figure, and balls of sweat dripping down his chin. Kaneki's whole being trembled. He couldn't dare go any closer to his friend for he felt like every step he was taking towards him was leading to Hide's imminent death.

"Are you alright?" Yoshimura's voice called out and snapped him from his trance. Kaneki felt hot trears trickle down his face. It's a surprise his tear ducts haven't dried themselves up yet.

"The blood...in my mouth...it isn't mine is it..?" He paused, trying to look at the elder in the eye, "Answer me honestly...what did you do while I was sleeping..?"

"There's only one way to satisfy a ghoul's hunger, I'm sure you know what I mean." The manager spoke softly, the glint of his kakugan piercing into Kaneki's chest. "It was for the best, or else you would've eaten your friend."

Kaneki chokes, "E-Eat...I was going to eat Hide?" Yoshimura nods slowly, it was pitiful to watch the boy break down in front of him. To think the universe would pull something as cruel as this. He pats the boy's shoulder gently.

"Starvation is hell for a ghoul, I know you never intent to hurt your friend, it isn't your fault. This is the curse, the reality we have to face. This is what it means to be a ghoul."

Kaneki only cried softly in reply as he cursed the universe for punishing him like this. It's not like he didn't deserve it but it was definitely way too much. These people didn't deserve this either - to have no other choice but to become cold blooded murderers to be able to live. Oh how unfair.

"B-But..I'm not..- I don't want.." The black haired teen tries to say, but at lost for words. "I don't want to hurt him.. so I can't stay with Hide anymore...I can't be a human anymore..but I'm not a ghoul either." His body shook with agitation, "There's nowhere I belong." Kaneki finished, breaking into a fit of tears.

"Neither?" Yoshimura repeated, "That's where you're wrong. You are both a ghoul and a human, you are a single person who can belong in both places." A pause stretched out before he continued. "Join our shop, Anteiku. We'll teach you how to live like a ghoul." Kaneki whipped his head towards the manager, startled at the sudden offer and the feeling of hope sparking in his chest, "All the while letting you keep your place as a human. And maybe soon enough you'll be able to understand us and wether we are just beasts driven by hunger."

A beat of silence spread through the air and Kaneki's vision starts to clear up, a small twitch of a smile made its way to his lips and his eyes glimmered with this new spark.

"So how about it? But first, I'll teach you how to make delicious coffee." Yoshimura swings the door back open and scoots a little bit as an inviting gesture.

The ravenette wipes the tears from his eyes and smiles softly, "I..I've never had a job before...but..I'll try.." And with that, he followed out the door and closed it gently, but not before giving out one last glance on Hide's unconscious state.

At the soft sound, the strawberry blond's eyes flutter open.