守りたい // hidekane

25

"Yo, Kaneki."

Everything within the past few hours have been nothing but a blur for him. Kaneki knows he ran in to save Irimi, he sent them to meet in the sewers. He ran into Amon on the way to hopefully assist Yoshimura and he's pretty sure he's got a nasty damage from their fight. How, nasty, though? He can't tell. Everything is numb from the waist down.

Everything is numb.

He's dying, maybe.

But he could hear him. He could hear his voice.

He doesn't turn, he merely freezes and tries to figure out if this was his mind tricking him about things that aren't there. But Kaneki hears the splash of water draw nearer as if someone were really approaching.

"What's with the getup?" The voice continues, light and cheery despite the lack thereof around them. "That in style these days?"

Like a shockwave, Kaneki finally feels like he's breathing after a long time of holding his breath underneath the surface of the water. He spoke softly, cautiously. "Hi-..Hide..?"

He whips his head towards the direction of the greeting, but he couldn't see anything clearly. Everything was red. He could barely make out shapes and figures.

It's as if he were looking through another's eyes and not his own.

"Whoa, now that's a sight to see." Hide (is he really?) says in amusement, "This special look of yours could send even Hollywood into shock."

Kaneki wants to say something, anything.

When he doesn't, Hide carries on speaking, "All this time...you've been suffering."

This....

"You won't need the mask anymore, Kaneki."

This isn't real.

"I'm seeing things again." Kaneki mutters to himself, hands cupping his ears, frantically scratching and pulling at his skin. There is no way, there is seriously no way, "Hide can't be here. It's an illusion." He says as if he were trying to convince even himself.

"It's a dream. I'm dreaming." Like a mantra, Kaneki whispers. "It's a dream. Nothing special. Happens all the time. Hide isn't here. Hide can't be here. Hide can't see me like this. It's a dream. It's a—"

He feels a firm hand rest on his shoulder.

"It's okay. I'm here. You're not alone."And it's soft, the voice- Hide's voice, it's like he could feel again, it's like nothing is wrong, it's like he's okay and it's oh so painfully soft, it's- he wants to cry.

"Let's go home, Kaneki."

Just like that, he's back in Anteiku with his best friend laughing with mouthfuls of cake, fingers tracing patterns over his book's pages as he listens to Hide rap out about anything and everything with his hair bouncing to and fro, the light of the sun making him appear brighter than he already is and it hurts. Fuck it hurts so bad.

Kaneki feels like he's dying.

He cries out bloody murder as his head throbs erratically, uncontrollable pain flaring throughout every part of his body. He wants to eat. He wants to eat so fucking bad-

"I want to help you." Hide murmurs. "They've probably blocked out all the routes by now and there's no chance of making it out..."

"Hide, get out of here, please. I'm hearing these voices and I might-"

"That's a nasty wound.." He sighs instead, and Kaneki's suddenly conscious of the large gaping hole on his stomach, the numbing pain increasing by tenfold. It isn't healing.

"Hide, please-"

"I'm sorry, Kaneki." He could feel Hide come closer despite his warning. "Can you fight with your all, just one last time?"

He's so close now - so dangerously close. Kaneki can smell him. He can smell— he shouldn't be smelling him-!

"Hide-"

"-......you."

But he couldn't hear Hide anymore.

When Kaneki wakes up, his wound was gone.

There's only one way......

And Hide is nowhere to be found.

...into the abyss.

END OF PART 1

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a/n: screaming rn i hope u guys enjoyed reading! i appreciate each and every vote and comment and reads from everyone. you all motivate me to carry on <3

love u all sm thank u for reading <3 :re coming soon!!