Okay, supernatural finished. Onto basic no ghoul.

The boys walked, hand-in-hand. No one could really tell their personalities apart, but their mannerisms were different.

Kaneki never spoke, while his twin spoke if needed.

His twin was the stronger one. Kane was his name.

You'd never see the two apart, no matter what.

If one was behind the other, it was always Kaneki in the back.

If one was speaking, it was always Kane.

Such mannerisms as these were what depicted them.

--------

"Fa**ot."

The boys turned to the person behind them simultaniously before turning back to their business.

"You guys are so G*Y for each other! Incest is disgusting! Especially with disgusting people like you! If that wasn't enough, you're both BOYS!"

The words bounced off them. As long as they were together, they were in their own little world. Nothing ever pierced it.

That was how they'd always been.

And as the boy shouted at them for peeing together, the twins did not notice.

It was true though. They did EVERYTHING together. They even peed at the same time. They were practically the same. If they were different genders, it would've been a problem, for they would never go in different rooms than the other.

-------------

Kane and Kaneki were walking home, hand-in-hand. Alone except for each other. Not many people were on the street, for that was the way they walked home.

But they loved the slightly lonely street. They always preferred lonely to crowded.

But perhaps that was a mistake.

{Okay, you know the Like Jigsaws story I was talking about in ___{I think meant to put the story I had first talked about that, but I'm too lazy to look for the story I first talked about it in}? [Spoiler alert for Like Jigsaws] Their kidnapping part is the same here, with slight differences, such as the two boys sitting silently in the van, unaware of what was going on. They're only kids, after all, so how are they supposed to understand that they're being kidnapped? Oh, and they're only in second grade when they get kidnapped.}

--------------

The pair stepped in, hand-in-hand, as if nothing had happened.

But their hair and dull, lifeless eyes said otherwise.

Both of their hair were now white instead of black. Their eyes had barely any light in them.

And of course, they were nude.

They'd been thrown out of the van and onto a street {Like in Jigsaws}. Bare and exposed. Some called the cops, but the children seemed unfazed.

Perhaps it was because of the pain they had gone through.

Though Kaneki's mind had almost faded out from the impact, they stared anyway as if they'd woke up from a nap.

The pair had stood up and grabbed each other's hand without even looking at each other. They then proceeded to go to the building.

That was where they were now.

The police station. Many had called about a pair of identical children walking around naked, but it was all the same pair.

And since the kids were going to the police anyway, the police's efforts to find the walking children were useless.

Kane and Kaneki were then surrounded by the people who'd been in the police station.

The cops hurried to get the two kids blankets to wrap themselves in and food and water. They also tried to find out what had happened to the poor children, but they didn't speak.

"Kane? Kaneki?"

The pair turned at hearing their names. Their eyes met worried ones.

"It's you, right? Is that you?"

"..." The pair stumbled over to the multi-colored boy.

"I've been so worried!! What happened to you both?!!"

The pair didn't respond, but they were sheltered under their big brother's embrace nonetheless. They clutched Haise's shirt with their free hand, burrying their faces in his embrace.

"Kane.. Kaneki.."

The two were cleaned up, and they went home.

Knock. Knock.

Kane and Kaneki peeked out from their covers.

They had been home for an entire day now, and Haise had JUST left them alone to make food. Ever since they got back, he hadn't let them out of his sight until now. Kane and Kaneki looked at each other before retreating from their warm bed.

There was persistant knocking, and Kane and Kaneki peeked out of the appartment door.

".." They let the boy in, who hugged them tightly.

"It's true!! It's true!! You guys are back!! I was so worried!! Where did you go?!! Rabbits DIE from lonliness, you know!!" the boy cried out.

The twins merely stared at their best - and only - friend.

"Hide," Haise acknowledged with two plates in his hands. "You should let them go- they've been through a lot.."

No one knew what exactly they went through since neither talked about it, but it was clear they went through a lot of pain.

"Haise-nii-chan," Hide acknowledged.

Since Hide was so close the twins, he calls Haise big brother as if he was born and raised by the same mother.

Haise seemed just as dark as the twins. But he gave the two plates to the twins.

They went into their room and ate. Hide followed them in.

"Kane, Kaneki, please, say something. Talk to me!" Hide pleaded with a nervous smile.

But the twins said nothing, only ate their food.

"..."

The twins rarely spoke before. Kane only spoke if needed, and Kaneki would only ever say special names.

But around someone they were close to - or someone Kaneki would say the name of - Kane would talk. And Kaneki would a little, too.

Hide was one of those special people. Kaneki would repeat his name over and over again, making Hide feel really special.

But.. why are they not saying anything?

Hide sat down next to the pair, watching them silently eat.

Once finished, Hide tried again.

"Kane, Kaneki, please, talk to me!"

Kaneki and Kane looked at their friend. They set their plates aside and sat on either end of Hide, holding each other's hand. With their free hand, they held Hide's hand. They leaned on their friend and soon fell asleep.

For the first time since they had gotten home.

Haise stared in the doorway.

They had finally relaxed.. Perhaps they had needed to see Hide before they could.

".. Have they.. spoken to you at all?"

"No," Haise responded. "I guess they haven't spoken to you either."

"No.."

"They went through a lot.. Maybe they'll start talking again soon."

".. I hope so.. I don't.. want to live my life.. without ever hearing them speak my name again.." Hide whispered, his lips pressed into a thin line, his voice slightly cracking.

"Auh.."

---------------

A week later, Kane and Kaneki came back to school, but they still weren't talking.

"Alright, so what's the answer to this problem.. Kaneki?"

".. !"

Kaneki took out a piece of paper and a pencil. He wrote on the page and held it up.

".."

The teacher blinked. This was the first time she'd called on the twins since they came back, but.. Kaneki wasn't speaking?

Perhaps Kaneki was the one who wouldn't speak.

"Um, I can't see it from all the way over here, Kaneki.." she smiled softly. She then came up with an idea. She got out a white board and a marker and gave it to the little boy. "Here, write your answers on this, okay? You can even take it home. Just give it back at the end of the year, okay?"

".." Kaneki blinked and wrote on the board. He held it up and looked at her expectingly, as if asking for approval, if it was okay, what he was doing.

"That's right, Kaneki," she smiled and then retreated back to the front. "Okay, now, who can do this problem?" she wrote a problem on the chalkboard and looked around. As always, only a few raised their hands. "Hmmn, I'm gonna call on.. Kane!"

Kane twitched upon hearing his name. He looked up cautiously.

"What's the answer to this problem, Kane?"

".." Kane stared.

Before the attack on them, Kane and Kaneki were pretty much the same. But during and after the attack, the twins realized that there were differences between them.

And the school was starting to realize as well.

"U--Um, Kaneki, why don't you give your brother your board so that he can write down his answer, okay?"

"! .." Kaneki looked at his brother. He handed the board and marker over sheepishly, but Kane only stared at his expecting brother. Upon Kaneki's face turning to worry, Kane took the board and stared.

He looked up at the teacher.

"Just write down the answer to this question, alright?"

".."

Kane looked at the board. 94-56..

Kane stared, his mind swimming and swirling.

Kane looked at the board. He began writing shakily.

94-56=

Kane wrote aside,

1000-7=993. 993-7=986. 986-7

Kane continued to subtract seven from the answers he got. He had to erase quite a few times to have enough space, but eventually, he realized he couldn't do it. He screamed and ruffled his hair. He felt Kaneki's hand pat his back.

Kane's feet tapped impatiently at the floor as he tried desperately to find a way to figure it out. His hair was disheveled and unorderly.

"U--Uh, i--it's okay, if.. you can't figure it out, Kane.." the teacher told him, but it played along deaf ears.

94-.. 94-..

Finally, Kane's brain couldn't take it, and he blacked out from using his mind too much.

--------------

Cold eyes stared at the ceiling, as if glaring to burn a hole in the roof.

His sense of touch started to return to him, and he felt his hands being twiddled with.

Almost like.. Almost like..

He looked at his side, where Kaneki was mindlessly fiddling with his brother's fingers.

Kaneki did this when he was nervous. But he hadn't done it since their attack.

He must've been very worried.

"Oh, you're awake."

He looked up at a smiling lady. If he remembered right, her name was.. Izumi.

Ms. Izumi.

"Are you feeling better? You suddenly collapsed in class."

"..."

"Not the talkative type, I see. Well, that's alright. Do you need anything though?"

"..." Kane just continued staring.

"I see. Well, you can stay here as long as you want, but you'll be missing what you do in class. Keep that in mind."

The woman sat back in her chair, the computer screen flashing in her eyes as she wandered around the computer, doing whatever work she was doing.

Kane looked at his twin, who was staring at him.

".."

".."

Neither spoke a word; they only stared into each other's eyes, peering into the other's soul. Even though they were broken, the invasion of privacy was welcomed, as the one invading was the one who could make them complete.

They spoke nothing at all, yet thoughts were passed with no problem, as if they could speak telepathically.

They stared into each other's eyes for a while longer before someone ran in.

"Kane!! Daijoubu?!! You suddenly fainted in class!!"

Hide had the same teacher as them, but no matter how much he begged, the teacher didn't let him go to the nurse's. Luckily, he was able to fake getting hurt at recess (before really getting hurt) and was sent to the nurse's office.

Hide ran up to the pair, but his knee ached for having falling on it.

"Oh my, your knee is all scratched up!" Izumi stood up and got out some disinfectant. Despite Hide's protests, she treated the bleeding knee and put a band-aid over the wound. "There! Good as new!"

"Kane," Hide turned back to his friends, now having the distractor out of his way.

".." the twins stared at him silently. Kaneki gripped the bottom of Hide's shirt and leaned over to it, as if trying to hide himself into the clenched shirt.

".. Kaneki.."

The twins still hadn't spoken since their attack, and Hide was starting to become impatient (as if he was patient in the first place) and worried (as if he wasn't worried in the first place).

They seemed to show emotion through gripping and getting physically close to Hide.

Hide walked closer so that Kaneki didn't have to lean so far, and he petted Kaneki's snow-white hair. He then petted Kane's similar hair.

Kaneki soon fell asleep like that, still tugging at Hide's shirt. Hide stared at Kane.

"Daijoubu?"

".."

Kane forced himself to nod.

Hide was eager. It was the first time either of the twins had communicated (besides Kaneki's writing earlier).

"What happened?" Hide asked, expecting an answer. Kane only stared. ".." Noticing the boy wouldn't speak, he changed his question. "Was the question too hard?" Kane stared. Hide stared back and guessed Kane wasn't sure how to answer his question. ".. Nee, um.. why won't you speak? Does it hurt to speak?"

".." Kane held up a shivering hand with his pointer and thumb close together.

"A little.. Um, so uh.. about.. about you guys, um.. did it.. um.. you were kidnapped, weren't you?" Hide looked up at his friend in worry.

".."

Though Kane's body made no movement, the pain in his eyes was answer enough.

"Did they.. hurt you really bad?"

".." Kane's whole body shook as he nodded subtly.

".. I'm.. sorry.."

".. ?"

Hide hugged the confused boy, his eyes watering.

They stayed like that for a while before Izumi spoke up.

"Nagachika-kun, you were at recess, right? I think it's lunchtime now."

".. I'd rather stay here. I won't leave them. Not ever!"

".. You have to eat sometime. Why don't you three go back to where you're supposed to be, alright?"

".." Hide hugged Kane closer to himself, but they complied and went to lunch.

----------

Hide handed Kaneki a piece of paper.

"You won't speak, right? Can you.. write down answers?"

".." Kaneki nodded.

"Okay, why won't you talk?"

".." Kaneki wrote down.

My throat hurts.

"Oh.. Um, can you.. write down.. what happened to you?"

".." Kaneki shook his head furiously, his eyes tightly shut and watering.

"O--Okay.. That's okay then.. Um.."

The truth was, Kaneki didn't remember much. The thing he remembered most was waking up with an aching body.

Kane was the one who never slept.

Kaneki, however, would faint. The pain was too much for him to bear.

".."

Hide stared at his two best friends. They were on their bed in a bit of a triangle.

Hide wished that he had been kidnapped with them. Then, he could've shared their pain, and he could tell people what happened to them. Since Haise and the others were very worried.

Kane's eyes were still a little sleep deprived. He hadn't been able to sleep well, so he couldn't possibly gain the sleep he lost.

Kaneki's eyes were hollow, too, being surrounded in a thick line of black.

It was almost time to sleep, and Hide had been staying the night ever since they got back.

Each night, the twins did look a little better than when they went to bed. Although the pain on their faces got a little worse, Hide and Haise could tell that they would eventually look normal.

When they had gotten back, they were pale and boney. Now, they weren't boney anymore, but their pale exteriors were still there.

Of course, they'd always been a little pale.

But the ghostly white skin they had currently was totally different from their normal pale color.

"You guys are still up?" Haise leaned in the doorway, "C'mon, get to bed."

The children scurried into the covers and snuggled up close to each other, Hide in the middle. All hands were entwined as if the twins were trying to make a circle with Hide so that no one could penetrate.

"Good night, Kane. Kaneki. Hide."

"Oyasumi," Hide called back while the twins nodded silently.

".." Haise left with a sad look in his eyes.

----------

Hide woke up with a start. His own face was pale. He looked beside him to the source of the pain.

Both twins were crying, Kane screaming like crazy. Kaneki's mouth was wide-open, too, but Hide was positive the sound was only coming from Kane.

Hide gasped and tried to soothe the crying boys, his ears aching. Kane was screaming so loud, you'd think he was dying.

But Hide didn't doubt that whatever was making him scream was worse than death.

"Kane! Kane!!" Hide tried to shake the boy awake. He then tried to wake up the other twin. "Kaneki! Kaneki!!"

Haise ran in, panting. With his help, they were finally able to focus on one twin and eventually wake them up.

Kaneki covered his eyes with his hands, sobbing silently. Tears were flowing like a river.

Kane was staring with wide eyes, his breath erratic. Tears flew down from his eyes.

"Kane, Kaneki, thank goodness you're awake!" Haise sobbed, hugging his little brothers.

Kaneki gripped Haise and Kane's shirt with one hand and reached out for Hide with the other, his face burried into his siblings' chests. Hide gripped Kaneki's reaching hand tightly and leaned his head on Kane's back.

Kane gripped with a death-like claw into Haise and Kaneki's shirts. His nails were sharp, almost piercing into the fabric to make a hole.

Once the twins had finally calmed down, both were in bed, side-by-side, eyes staring blankly and lifelessly into Hide and Haise's above them.

"A--Are you okay?" Hide asked.

".." the twins just stared. They looked at each other and back to the people hovering above them. Drool poured out of their mouths. Kane's voice came out in a raspy groan.

"Ka--Kane.." Kaneki tried to hiccup, but his voice wasn't there. It had been wasted by screaming in his sleep.

Haise went to go get water for the boys while Hide took care of them. He petted their heads similtaniously.

"Kane, Kaneki.." Hide mumbled through pale lips.

To wake up to the twins screaming and crying so relentlessly.. he and Haise had definitely been shaken up.

Unknown to Hide though, they had been screaming like this each night. Since Hide was a deep sleeper, he hadn't woken up even when Haise had ran in and woke the boys up. Though Hide's sleeping figure was disturbed by the screaming- he'd been tossing and turning in discomfort as the boys screamed. Though it was hard to hear his whimpering over the twins, he had been frightened by the boys' tormented agony.

And another night passed with the boys drinking water instead of sleeping.

---------------------

Hide slept peacefully next to Kaneki as a figure loomed over itself.

His brain was whacked up. Even if he wanted to speak, he couldn't get it out clearly. His brain was too full with the memories of endless nights.

Kane took a glance at his brother and best friend. They were sleeping so peacefully, so innocently. Hide drooling, his figure taking up most of the bed, with Kaneki huddled into Hide's crevis, tugging tightly with two tiny hands at the shirt Hide wore.

The past few nights, Kane sometimes did this. Sitting and staring instead of sleeping. He couldn't sleep. Not with the torture swirling around his brain.

".." Kane decided to try and speak. His breathing erratic, he stuttered, "--Hi--I.. Hi.. ugh.. na.. ee.. I.. ugh. hu.. hu.. Hi.. oh.."

Kane finally gave up. He still couldn't even get one complete word out. Excluding one-lettered words like 'I'.

But Kane was still stubborn. He tried to start off with a shorter word this time.

He WOULD get back to normal. And so would Kaneki. They had to..

"I--guh.." Kane sobbed, his body shrivelling up.

It hadn't happened in front of someone yet, but he sometimes had uncontrollable fits like this.

Once the fit was over, Kane resumed trying reluctantly.

"I--nneeggghh.." Kane had a hard time breathing. "T--T..t.."

Kane bit his tongue, drawing blood.

He couldn't even say a two lettered word..

"H..H.."

Kane forced it out, feeling a saddened hope that he was so close.

"HI," he choked out. "Hi.."

His breathing was heavy as if he'd just regurgitated.

"I.. I.."

Did it.

Tears welled up in his eyes as he stared at his hands, a relieved smile on his face.

He'd done it. He spoke a two-lettered word.

He wallowed in his pride a little while longer before trying more.

"T..T.. glegh.."

I have to push it out.. I have to push it out.. Come on, you can do it..

"TO.." Kane gagged.

It wasn't much, but he was finally getting somewhere. Perhaps he shouldn't have started with Hide's name.

Just take one step at a time..

For hours, Kane was voicing out two-lettered words, every one he could possibly think of. When he ran out of words, he repeated the ones he'd been doing.

But his brain was worn out and broken. There was only so little he could take.

Within an hour or so, Kane fell backwords, his consciousness fading in an instant.

----

Haise entered the room quietly.

For the first time since they had come home, he hadn't been woken up by screaming.

He was glad. Perhaps they were finally getting better..

But Haise froze when he entered.

In the bed was Kane, smiling a small little smile, Hide, who was snoring softly and taking up most of the bed, and..

a tormented little Kaneki, screaming even though there was no sound that came out.

".. Ka--Kaneki!!" Haise ran over to his little brother. He tried to shake the boy awake, to try and get the tears to stop flowing, but Kaneki just wouldn't wake up.

"Nn.." Kane groaned in his sleep. His voice was raspy as if he'd been screaming himself even though he hadn't. He opened his groggy eyes.

He wanted to sleep more. His brain was pooped by how hard he'd been trying to speak last night.

Hide groaned himself, his lips a dissattisfied and unapproving frown as he moved slightly.

But Haise paid no mind to the waking boys as he tried desperately to wake Kaneki up from his horrid nightmare.

Kane stared at the ceiling a little while longer before his eyes finally opened at his ears having heard something. They picked up the sound only now, as his ears hadn't woken up quite yet. Never mind his poor, battered, and broken brain.

He shot up and looked at the source. The world swirled as his brain couldn't process such quick movement.

And Kane fainted just as quickly as he'd woken up.

Next was Hide's turn. His eyes were finally fluttering open, his ears finally opening to sound.

And his eyes flashed open.

He looked to his right, where Kaneki laid, being shaken by his worried brother.

"Kaneki!" Hide shot up and finally processed the situation.

Kaneki was having another nightmare.

Hide tried to help Haise wake up Kaneki when he realized--

Kane must be having a nightmare as well.

Hide looked to his left, but no one laid there. Then his eyes spotted two legs.

"K-K-K---KANE!!" Hide scurried over to the fallen boy. His eyes were swirling, his legs the only thing that were able to stay on the bed.

Hide helped the poor boy back onto the bed and tried to wake him up.

"Ka--Kane! Kane, wake up!!"

That morning was hectic, as the H's tried desperately to wake up the K's.

---

Hide and Haise stared at the two white-haired boys.

They hadn't been able to wake either one of them, but at least they were now sleeping peacefully.

Thing was..

Today was a school day.

Should they call the twins in?

It was already time to leave- Hide and Haise had wasted their time trying to wake the poor boys.

Haise stood up from the bed, sighing.

"I'm gonna call us in. Do you want to stay home as well?" he looked back at the orange-haired boy.

"I'll help you take care of them."

Taking that as his answer, Haise went over to the kitchen to call the school.

Hide looked at his two friends.

Why had Kaneki had a nightmare and not Kane? Why had Kane fallen off the bed? Had Hide taken up that much space???

No wait, Haise told him that Kane had been sleeping peacefully when he came in. Hide doubted Haise would say that if Kane was drooling on the floor.

Hide sighed. This morning had been so crazy. He had no idea what was going on.