~~~~~~
Adjustments are to be made, an attack takes place, Y/N faces her mortality.
~~~~~~

"go on, eat it!" Touka had Kaneki pinned to the wall of the alley, shoving the meaty flesh down his throat.

"Touka, don't you think you're being a bit harsh on him?" You stood behind Touka, a bit of a worried expression on your face.

"Shut up, Y/N!" She continued to push against Kaneki, but he ended up shoving her away, falling to the ground, throwing up the flesh.

"How could you do that to me?! There's no way I could eat someone's flesh!" Touka didn't have a reaction "you're not gonna turn me into a cannibal! I'm human, I'm not like you monsters". Wow, that stings.

Touka kicked him in the gut, sending him flying. She slammed his head against the wall and started punching him repeatedly. She then grabbed him by the hair and threw him. He landed on the ground with a thud, blood coming out of his mouth.

She kneeled beside him "so, if I'm a monster then what the hell does that make you?".

"Please, you have to help me. I don't know what to do...my whole world has been turned upside down...that day has ruined my entire life!" Kaneki still had tears in his eyes.

"Touka, maybe you should tone it down a bit?" She ignored you, still focusing on Kaneki.

"Yeah, I bet it's rough. I can't really say that I pity you though" she stood up "you see, I've always wondered why humans loved cake. It tastes so disgusting to me, that it makes me wanna puke." She bent down and poked at a decapitated ghoul head "but, you guys sure do seem to enjoy eating it." She sighed "it must have been nice, to live such a peaceful life. One where you didn't have to live in fear of the CCG or other ghouls." She held a nostalgic look on her face, but it quickly contorted into a glare.

"You think your life sucks now? Give me a break, this life is all I've ever known, so how do you think that makes me feel?!" She picked up the head and threw it at Kaneki "well, buddy?! Answer me!"

The head hit him on the face, then landed in his lap. The dull, wide eyes looking up at him. He let out a scream as he threw the head off of him and jumped up in fear.

Touka stalked towards him menacingly, and Kaneki put his hands up in defence "no! I'm telling you, I'm a human!" She grabbed him by the hair and swung him around again, tossing him to a wall.

Just as he was about to get up, touka put her leg up, pinning him to the wall. She sniffed the air and sneered "boy, you're not a ghoul I know that much, but you're not human either. A half-breed like you won't last five seconds out here!" Kaneki looked up at her in fear, too focused on her to notice you behind her, watching.

"But I- I'm not-" Touka interuptted him "if you want to be a human so badly, let's see how long you last 'till you starve. But, I should warn you..." She opened her eyes, revealing her kagugan.

"Starvation is utter hell for a ghoul."

There was a figure in the shadows. "that's enough, Touka. Leave the poor boy alone." You looked over and saw Yoshimura, a stern look on his wrinkled face. "But sir!" Touka contorted, but Yoshimura sent Kaneki a sympathetic look "this must be hard on you. Please come with me young man" Touka's face grew shocked "are you gonna take him in?!"

"Of course I am." Yoshimura was turned away "remember. It's our policy to help our fellow ghouls in their time of need"

Touka growled and pulled him up by the back of his hoodie "come on." She walked ahead, her shoulders hunched.

Kaneki breathed heavily and finally noticed you standing there. His eyes widened "you...you're the one that-" you gave him a look to be quiet "we'll talk about it later, but I can't have Touka knowing I was the one that helped you" he let out a shaky breath and nodded.

Heading into Anteiku, Yoshimura motioned for Kaneki to sit at the counter while he started to brew some coffee. You took a seat with Touka, watching quietly as the old man stood behind the counter.

Soon enough, Yoshimura stood beside Kaneki, coffee mug in hand. "Sorry, that took awhile. Here you go, son" Yoshimura placed the cup in front of kaneki.

Kaneki just stared at it "what's the matter? You don't like coffee?" Kaneki held is hands into fists "I do, it's just..." He looked up at the old man "Kaneki. Take a good look at the cup In front of you" Kaneki looked down at the mug "does it look strange?" Kaneki shook his head "no sir, it looks delicious..." His voice was shaky.

"Then why don't you give it a try?" Kaneki hesitated and picked up the cup with both hands, taking a fast swig of it, expecting it to taste horrible. He pulled the cup away from his lips only to take another sip. His face looked shocked. He smiled "oh wow...it is delicious" his face suddenly grew sad as tears started to roll down his cheeks, his shoulders shaking as he cried. "But every time I try to eat something it tastes horrible...".

"Through the ages, coffee has been the one thing ghouls can enjoy the same way humans do"

Kaneki continued crying as a short silence fell over the cafe. Touka sat at a table, her cheek leaning on her hand in boredom, while you sat beside her with a calm expression.

"However. Drinking coffee is not enough to satisfy your hunger." He took out a familiar orange/brown package. "Take this." Kaneki stared at it in curiosity as Yoshimura set it on the counter "what is that?".

"When you need more, don't hesitate to come back. There's plenty more where that came from" Kaneki stared at with wide eyes and tears on his cheeks.

Kaneki shakily took the package and put it in the pocket of his hoodie.

You stood up "if you don't mind sir, would it be ok for me to walk with Kaneki home? With what happened with Nishiki, we surely wouldn't want him to walk into another ghouls territory on accident" Yoshimura stayed quiet before nodding "Kaneki, please allow Y/N here to accompany you home. If anything happens, she can defend you".

Kaneki was silent but nodded and headed to the door with you following behind him.

As you both walked out of the cafe, it was silent and awkward. Kaneki was still sniffling from when he was crying, and you just kept your eyes ahead of you.

The silence was irritating you, but you didn't want to mention it.

"Why did you save me that day? You're a ghoul so...why...?" You glanced at him from the side and pursed your lips.

"Not all ghouls are terrible. We do what we have to, to survive. The same way humans eat cows or chickens. What's so bad with wanting to live?" Kaneki hesitated and kept his head lowered "I just...I always took ghouls as these heartless, murdering monsters not..."

"You didn't expect us to look like normal people?"

Kaneki shook his head.

"There have always been ghouls around you, you just never noticed until now. There are ghouls that are civil, like the ghouls at Anteiku, or there are ghouls that are heartless monsters, like Rize or...others. And to answer your question. I saved you because Rize and I had a pretty rough past, one that I don't want to get into, but I couldn't stand seeing another person being hurt by her. You looked so happy when you wanted to ask her out, and I didn't want you to go through all that effort just to die". Kaneki kept his hands in his pockets as he listened to you, shocked.

"I'm sorry if I offended you in any way...when I called you and Touka monsters. Ever since I found out I was like this...I haven't been able to accept it..." You hummed in acknowledgement. "I can't imagine what you must be feeling, but like I said before, we're not all bad".

Kaneki stopped walking "I um...I don't think we ever properly introduced ourselves so..." You stopped walking and stood Infront of him. He held out his hand for you while looking away in embarrassment.

"My name is Ken Kaneki, you?" You smiled at his slightly dorky behavior, but took his hand in your own "Y/N L/N. Nice to meet you Kaneki".

A soft warmth spread through Kaneki's pale cheeks 'wow, her hands are... surprisingly soft...'.

"So, should we continue going to your house?" Kaneki snapped out of his small daze and looked at you, nodding with a light blush on his cheeks.

As you and the boy continued to walk, it was silent. However, this silence was more comfortable.

~~~

Touka and Yoshimura were cleaning up the shop as you and Kaneki had left, and Touka felt irritated at the old man's actions.

"I don't get why you decided to help that kid" Touka said as she was cleaning one of the tables as Yoshimura took the counter.

"I know you're upset, but do you remember the story on the news about an emergency organ transplant?" Touka let out a small gasp and turned to him.

"Some steal beams fell and crushed two students who were standing beneath them. The doctor took it upon himself to transplant the organs of the deceased girl into the surviving young man's body."

"But the girl who died in that accident...-" Touka started.

"It was Rize"

"Wait, he was the guy?" Touka asked, a shocked look on her face.

"Yes. He's had ghoul organs transplanted into him, and as a result, his life has been forever changed" Yoshimura stared into the coffee bean jars as he spoke to Touka.

"You gotta be kidding me!" She was still in disbelief.

"This is the first time I've encountered this situation. But, I have a feeling that his body may be changing to become more like ours."

~~~

Kaneki sat in his room the next day, his curtains closed, concealing him in the dark. He sat on his bed staring at the brown package, his stomach growling loudly.

Kaneki bent over in pain as his stomach growled again, panting with sweat rolling down his face.

'Flesh, flesh, flesh, flesh, flesh, flesh, flesh, flesh, flesh, flesh, flesh, flesh, flesh!'

"You're not a ghoul, but you're not a human either. A half-breed like you won't last five seconds out here!" Touka's statement from earlier echoed throughout his mind as he panted, his breaths coming out heavy and erratic.

A voice rang through his head, a fairly familiar one.

"Who cares if you're a half-breed? I don't see why it really matters. So you're not a human? Well, you're not a ghoul either. All that matters is you're still you. I say you make the most of being a half-breed. There's delicious flesh out there just waiting for you"

Rize, or what seemed to be a mental projection of Rize, leaned against Kaneki's back as she wrapped her arms around his front, her chest pressed to his back as Kaneki tried to suppress a scream.

"Watch, you're gonna love it, you'll see. Once you start eating it, you won't be able to stop! Yes, it's so good. It'll put any steak to shame!" She licked her lips seductively in hunger.

Kaneki let out a scream as he now leaned over the flesh-contained package, drool coming out of the corner of his mouth and breathing heavily with his one kagugan now activated.

"Go ahead and eat it, you know you want to" Rize, once again, was leaning against Kaneki, her mouth near his ear, whispering things to him. "It's extra rare, just for you".

Kaneki groaned and screamed as he grabbed onto the package, attempting to rip it open as his stomach growled once again.

A ringing sound from his phone stopped his pursuits, and he snapped his head towards the sound. He gasped and screamed as he threw the meat across the room.

New message!
From:Hide
Subject:"You're gonna die alone"

~~~

Kaneki went to school the next day, a white medical eyepatch now covering his left eye to hide his kagugan.

He walked about the campus of Kami University, seeming a bit anxious as he looked for his friend, checking his phone every now and then.

As he was walking he spotted two girls, one of them eating a sandwich as the other spoke to the girl across from her.

"Hey, have you ever been to the bakery that's Infront of the train station? They have the yummiest stuff in there!"

Kaneki let out a soft gasp, not noticing the figure that was speeding towards him from behind, screaming.

"Ahhhhhhhh!!!!!" Hide jumped on Kaneki from behind, scaring him. Getting Infront of him, and holding his shoulders, he looked at the boy sternly.

"Dang it, kaneki! How long are you gonna skip classes you jerk! Do you know how hard it's been for me?! If you don't come back soon I'm gonna die of lonelyness" Kaneki laughed nervously and out his hands up "woah, easy. Sorry, man".

He had a confused look on his face "what's with the eyepatch? That some new trend I'm not hip to?"

Kaneki down casted his gaze as he drowned out Hides talking.

'you know, it's funny...all these years...and Hide hasn't changed one bit...' kaneki thought.

~flashback~

A younger Kaneki was walking, looking at the ground with a grim look on his face. The weight of his mother's death still heavy on his shoulders.

He gasped as he heard running and screaming from behind him, but he didn't get the chance to turn around, as he was suddenly jumped on.

"Dang it! How long were you gonna stay home you jerk?! Do you know how hards its been for me?!" He looked up, seeing a young Hide as he shook his small body.

~End of flashback~

Kaneki was taken out of his daze by Hide shaking him rapidly "hey, are you even listening to me?! Earth to Kaneki!" Kaneki slightly flinched at the tone of his voice "oh, uh. I'm sorry. What'd you say?" Hide pouted.

Hide and Kaneki were now walking "I've gotta go pick up some materials from Nishio. He's an upperclassmen. A little snarky, but he's okay. You wanna come with me?" Kaneki shrugged. "Yeah, sure". Hide had his hands behind his head as he walked, Kaneki trailing behind him.

"Hey, Kaneki. I don't mean to pry, but are you eating right?" Kaneki hesitated, obviously not knowing how to answer "you're looking a little pale. You're gonna have to eat better if you wanna stay healthy" Kaneki pursed his lips, looking away "uh, right. Ok" they continued walking.

'You can't get anything past Hide' Kaneki thought 'I should've known he'd be able to see right through me. He's hypersensitive. It's like he knows what I'm feeling even before I do, but he pretends that everything's cool, for my sake' Kaneki had stopped walking at this point.

'What upsets me the most about all this, is if I were to stop being human I couldn't hang out with him anymore'.

As they were walking, Kaneki noticed a familiar girl up ahead, walking in their direction.

'what? No way, she goes here too!?'

Hide seemed to notice the girls too "hey, you're that waitress from Anteiku! Y/N, right?" You, and who Kaneki assumed was your friend, turned to the blonde.

"Oh, hey. Yeah, that's my name. Nagachika, right" Hide nodded with a smile on his face "just call me Hide" you smiled and nodded.

You noticed Kaneki behind him "oh, hey Kaneki. It's been a few" Hide held a shocked look on his face as he turned to kaneki "what?! You get to hang out with the hot waitress and you didn't even tell me?!" Kaneki laughed nervously "sorry, but we sorta met by chance".

"Anyway, where you guys headed?" You asked, tilting your head. "Oh, we're headed to this guy named Nishio. I need to grab some stuff from him" you slightly tensed "mind if I come with? Maybe I can help?" Reiko gave you a glare.

"Really? You're gonna ditch me for boys? Since when are you so concerned with helping? And since when are you interested in boys?" Your friend pushed up her glasses, her face clearly displeased. You gave her a glare and blew a raspberry at her.

'wait a minute...' Kaneki thought 'she's human! If that's so, then why is Y/N hanging out with her?! Isn't she afraid she'll eat her?!'

You rolled your eyes "you'll live without me for a few hours. Go to the library or something, I won't be long"

Reiko flicked your nose "just don't go off getting pregnant. The last thing we need from you is child support bills and hospital visits" your cheeks flared red as you pouted "I'm too socially awkward, I'll see you later" you and Reiko hugged eachother before you took off with Kaneki and Hide.

As you three walked, Hide leaned towards you "so, that was your friend? She's pretty hot" you shrugged "she's interested in someone else" Hide pouted.

Arriving in the building you were supposed to, you walked up the stairs with the boys.

"Thanks for coming along, I think you're really gonna like him" Hide said as you guys walked.

"Who, Nishio?" Kaneki asked.

"Yeah. Who else?" Hide said in a kind of obvious tone. "Like I said, he can be snarky, but, he's cool. He's got this dark, mysterious vibe. It's hard to explain".

As you continued walking the hallway, Kaneki felt even more nervous around you. It seemed like everywhere he went, there were ghouls.

Approaching the door, you could hear a noise from inside that made your ears flush red. Gross...

"This is it." Hide slid the door open without knocking "hey, Nishio!" Kaneki and you deadpanned "jeez, you could've knocked first" Hide gasped and widened his eyes.

The red haired girl that was seated on Nishiki's lap screamed. She jumped up and ran out the door, adjusting her rustled clothes on her way out.

"You always barge into places without any warning, Nagachika?"

Hide sighed "sorry about that, I wasn't thinking."

Nishiki was faced towards his desk, but you could clearly see he was pushing up his glasses "yeah, no kidding. You know, nothing pisses me off more than people disrespecting my territory." Nishiki chuckled as he turned around.

"So, anyway. This is my friend Kaneki I was telling you about before." Hide said, gesturing to his friend.

Kaneki's eyes went wide and his blood ran cold. It was almost as if you could tell the exact moment his heart stopped.

Nishiki's eyes were wide as well as he stared Kaneki down, but his eyes held a hostile glint to them.

Nishiki turned his gaze to you and it instantly hardened. You gave him a cold look right back.

He stood up and walked towards Kaneki, clearly taller than the black haired male "Nishiki Nishio. I'm a second year with the school of pharmacy."

He placed a hand on Kaneki's shoulder and leaned towards his ear with a menacing glare in his eyes "it's nice to meet you, Kaneki" the boy was drawing in shaky breaths as the older male leaned away from him.

Nishiki turned to you with a glare but said nothing as he walked towards Hide.

You walked up to kaneki, placing a hand on his shoulder. He flinched and turned to you, slightly relieved to see you instead of someone else.

Nishiki rustled through his shelf as Hide searched through a box on the other side of the room "you wanted last year's numbers, right?" He asked the blonde "yeah, but I'm only interested in the retail data".

Nishiki sighed "just wish I could remember where I put it".

Nishiki sat on his chair, running a hand through his hair "oh wait, it's probably at home" Hide sighed "oh, seriously?" Nishiki opened his eyes and looked at Hide "I don't live too far. If you want we could walk over there right now".

"Walk over where? To your house?" Hide raised a brow "that okay?" Nishiki asked.

Hide sighed, crossing his arms "I need that data." He turned to kaneki "I'm sorry, buddy. I hate to ditch you, but it looks like we'll have to hang out some other time" kaneki looked slightly hesiant "okay" he said, his voice slightly strained.

You noticed Kaneki seemed to freeze up for a few seconds, having a panicked look on his face. You could already sense his worry for Hide's safety. You placed a hand on his shoulder and nodded.

"Excuse me. Do you mind if we tag along?" Hide looked slightly shocked at his friend "what's gotten into you?" Hide whispered to kaneki. Nishiki gave all of you a long look before sighing and turning back to his desk.

"Yeah, sure. That's fine. It's not like I'm gonna let 'em in or anything" Hide sighed "totally understandable".

Nishiki's phone rang, and that's when you decided to ignore the conversation completely. You pulled Kaneki aside and looked him in the eyes.

"You sure you know what you're doing? You're not strong enough to fight him, even if he does attack" Kaneki slumped his shoulders "I know that. That's why I asked if we could both come. You can fight him, right?" You hesitated, looking away "yeah, but...I don't want anyone getting hurt".

"Neither do I. Just in case something happens, you'll be able to protect us, right?" you sighed, and ran a hand through your hair "yeah."

Nishiki and Hide walked up to you guys "all right, lets go."

~~~

You four walked to Nishiki's house, you and Kaneki trailing behind as Nishiki and Hide took the front.

You all stopped at a pastry vendor "you want one?" Nishiki asked "yeah, sure, thanks man" Hide said, clearly wanting it.

The baker smiled "you're in luck, I just made a fresh batch!" Kaneki looked shocked as Nishiki grabbed the pastries, handing all of you one and opening his.

Kaneki looked even more shocked as both you and Nishiki took a bite.

"So, are you in any clubs, Kaneki? Y/N?" Nishiki asked as he leaned against the wall, eating.

"Uh, no. I'd like to join one, but, I don't do so great with large groups" Nishiki hummed in acknowledgement "oh, yeah? You're the exact opposite of your buddy, Nagachika."

"So, how about you, Y/N? You in any clubs?" Hide and kaneki looked at you, awaiting your answer.

"I'm in the Literature club and Art club, but that's about it. I'm not really a people person, so I try to find stuff that'll allow me to limit human interaction." honestly, that was just brushing the surface of your non-existent people skills.

Nishiki took another bite of the treat "this is the best one I've tasted" Hide smiled "me too, it's nice and crispy. Hey, aren't you gonna eat your, Kaneki?" Kaneki began putting the pastry in his school bag "I will. Later".

You all began walking down an alley near a car-park, the dark making the scene even more suspicious.

All of a sudden, Nishiki stopped and turned to all of you with a smirk, raising his leg and kicking Hide down the entryway of the car-park. He pushed up his glasses "I don't think he needs to see this".

"Hide!!" Both you and Kaneki shouted in worry. You turned to Nishiki, a pissed off expression on your face "what the hell was that for, asshat?! What, couldn't hunt down your own food without help?!" He glared at you but turned to kaneki.

"I thought I was the only ghoul on campus, but I guess not" he walked around Kaneki's body, and his expression suddenly turned into one of disgust as he sniffed him "woah, you reek, buddy. You smell just like a female ghoul"

Nishiki grabbed Kaneki by the neck and pushed him against the metal wall.

"Hey! Let him go, asshole!" You ran towards Nishiki in an attempt to kick him but he pushed you away by punching you in the face.

You landed on the ground with a harsh 'thud!'. 'dammit!' you thought 'why am I so fucking stupid!? Why did I think I could fight him when I haven't eaten in weeks?!' you winced as you watched Nishiki choke and attack Kaneki.

"You think I don't know your plan? You were going to try to eat Nagachika weren't you?! There's nothing like the sense of power you get from turning on some idiot who trusts you wholeheartedly! Don't you just love the look of anguish that crosses their faces when they finally give up hope?! Well, don't you, kaneki?!".

Kaneki strained as he tried to talk "you-you're a monster. I'm not like you!" Nishiki narrowed his eyes "oh, yeah?".

Nishiki suddenly dropped Kaneki, punching his fist straight through his stomach, making him cough up blood.

"You better watch your mouth cause you're starting to piss me off. You're supposed to respect your elders." He pulled his fist out of kaneki's stomach, letting him fall to the floor. "That was too easy. You don't even have an ounce of muscle on your body. I punched right through you" he chuckled as he did his best to get the blood off of his hand.

Nishiki groaned in disgust "ugh, I'm getting queasy. How can humans eat the stuff? It's disgusting. It tastes just like I'm eating a pile of horse crap" he stuck three fingers into the back of his throat, attempting to throw up the food he had just consumed.

He threw up the food all over Hides body "uh-oh, sorry about that. Looks like I just ruined your meal."

He placed his foot onto Hides head "you two have known eachother for a long time! He calls you his best friend! So tell me, just when were you going to eat him?!" He stomped his foot onto Hides head "don't you think you've waited long enough, Kaneki? Which part of him do you want to eat first?! Huh? Huh? Huh?!" He stomped on Hides head more, causing him to bleed.

"Stop it. Hide is not food...get your foot off of him" Kaneki said, weakly.

Nishiki held his hand up to his ear with a sadistic smile on his face "what did you say?" He continued to stomp on Hides head, laughing manically as he did so.

"You heard me!" Kaneki ran at Nishiki, flinging his school bag towards him "you're attacking me with your bag?! What are you, an old lady?!" He laughed and kicked Kaneki across the lot.

Nishiki approached Kaneki as the boy was coughing up blood on the cold concrete "you just don't seem to get it, do you? Humans aren't your friends, they're nothing but food to eat. It's no different than the way they'd treat a cow or a pig." He dug his hand into Kaneki's stomach wound, causing him to grunt in pain "it's rude to play with your food. You should probably just go ahead and eat it, quit pretending you're his friend." He grabbed Kaneki by his hair, lifting his head up off of the ground.

"But I'm not... pretending!" Kaneki choked out.

Nishiki smirked "I see. Don't you think that hanging out with Nagachika is risky? He's pretty smart. Don't you think having someone who's as perceptive as he is by your side is bound to get you into trouble. And this-" Nishiki grabbed onto his eyepatch, taking it off, revealing his one kagugan "-you can't even control your own eyes"

Nishiki kicked him into a wall again, and Kaneki shouted in pain "oh, come on, get up. Or do you want me to kill Nagachika first? How about I kill that weak excuse for a ghoul over there? How'd you feel if I hurt her?".

Kaneki got off of the wall and sent weak punches to Nishiki, which only amused him. "Are you kidding me? Is that all you got? Let's see you dodge this!" He kicked Kaneki up into the air, causing him to hit the light fixtures at the top and come hurdling back down.

"I could release my kagune and put you out of your misery, but where's the fun in that?" Nishiki said as we walked over to Hide.

"Hide!" Kaneki shouted.

"Aw, you worried about your buddy?" He activated his blue Bikaku kagune "well you should be. Are you ready to hear him scream in agony?" He looked down at Hide "oh, he's unconscious."

Nishiki lifted his foot "say your prayers, Nagachika."

You picked yourself up off the ground "asshole...get away from him..." Nishiki groaned "you again?! I thought you'd be dead by now, pest" you glared at him through your hair.

He approached you, kagune still activated "I'm surprised you're not fighting back. What happened? You not eating like you're supposed to? You know what happens when you do that"

He raised his foot and used his kagune to stab you through your stomach, causing blood to pool out of your mouth. "Honestly, I expected more from you. You've gone soft for the humans. Spending too much time with those coffee loving freaks" you glared at him, your kagugans activated.

"Go fuck yourself...! You sorry excuse for a pile of horse shit...!" Nishiki laughed "wow. I'm welling up with tears. That's really the best insult you got? Wow, you sure are getting rusty." his kagune curled deeper inside of your abdomen, causing you to cry out in pain.

He pulled his kagune out, only for him to stab you through the middle your chest, the sound of the bones of your ribcage cracking and breaking rung through your ears.

You coughed and gasped as he finally dropped you to the floor "seems like I'll be killing two birds with one stone today. You and Nagachika."

He went back to Hide again, raising his foot once more "say goodbye".

Suddenly, three bright red kagune tentacles sprung into the air, lifting kaneki's body off of the ground.

"NO! I WON'T LET THAT HAPPEN!"

the tentacles hurdled towards Nishiki, only for him to dodge them. Nishiki lunged his own kagune at Kaneki, who also managed to dodge it. He used Nishiki's short blind spot and grabbed onto his kagune and plunged all three tentacles into his body, stabbing him repeatedly, getting blood everywhere. On the cars, Hide, you, and even on his own face.

Nishiki let out gurgled screams "stop it! Stop it! Take this off and don't kill me!!" He gagged as his body flailed around like a ragdoll.

Kaneki finally threw Nishiki's body into the light fixture, the skin of his face peeled away as he blood spurted out of his mouth.

"That's Rize's kagune...how can that be?"

Nishiki hung there, his body dripping blood onto the concrete.

'Good riddance, fucking pshyco'.

Kaneki looked towards his unconscious friend "Hide?".

As he was walking towards the boy, Kaneki seemed to freeze. What was wrong?

"Mm. He sure looks delicious" Rize poked at Hides cheek. Kaneki gulped. "What a savory aroma. That's making me hungry. So what do you think, Kaneki? Doesn't he look tasty?"

"No way. I can't eat him, he's my friend!" Rize now leaned near Kaneki's face "forget about that for a sec and take a closer look. Well, can you see it now?" Drool pooled at the corners of kaneki's mouth "yeah, I can" he began breathing heavily, his mouth twisting into a hungry, sadistic smile. Veins coming out of his kagugan and trailing down his cheek as drool dribbled down his chin "he does look tasty!" He began laughing manically.

Kaneki gasped as he realized what he said. He grabbed his head, pulling at his hair "no. What the hell am I doing?!".

"Aw, you poor thing. You wanna eat him so badly you can't stand it. " Rize wrapped her limbs around Kaneki's body as the boy gasped and screamed "don't beat yourself up. I mean, it's not like you're doing anything wrong. "

Kaneki panted as he leaned up against the bus that was beside him, slamming his head against it. Rize leaned against him again "what are you waiting for? Quit fighting yourself and give into your instincts" Kaneki's voice was shaky "what instincts?"
Rize's voice was low, longing with hunger "the primal ones. He's all yours kaneki".

A slight look ok shock covered his face "He's all mine?" Veins started to cover his cheek again as drool bubbled in his mouth, making him look feral.

"Go on".

Kaneki turned to Hide, a sadistic smile on his face while a maddened laugh came from him "you're right. Maybe I should follow my instincts for once. He's like a special treat just for me!" Kaneki hovered over Hides body "cause Hide is my..."

"HE'S YOUR FRIEND!"

"Hide's been my friend for years, so I should be the one that gets to eat him!" He opened his mouth to take a bite.

"Well, looks like you're becoming more like us, half-breed. You're so hungry you've lost your sense of reason."

Kaneki glared at Touka "move it!".

"I don't give a crap about your friend, go ahead and kill him if you want. But I'm warning you. You're gonna be sorry if you gobble him up. You'll be left with nothing but a sea of blood, entrails, and regret. Do you think you could live with that guilt? Knowing you killed your best friend?" Kaneki growled at her, activating his kagune.

Touka smirked, loosening her school tie "I didn't want it to come to this" her kagugan was shown through her hair "I'll try to go easy on you, Kaneki..."

Her flamed, ukaku kagune activated "but I can't promise anything!".

Kaneki came at her, attempting to hit her, but due to his weak body and the fact that he was in a stage of uncontrollable hunger, Touka easily took him out. The shards of her kagune pierced his, and when she saw a blind spot, she knocked him out.

Kaneki fell to the ground as Touka stood over him. Her kagune and kagugan disappeared as she saw your form on the ground covered in blood.

She ran over, examining you. There were gaping holes in your body. One in your stomach and the other in your chest. Her lips parted as tears pricked at her eyes when she hugged your body.

"God, you're such an idiot...why didn't you tell me you weren't eating...?" You obviously didn't answer.

She hoisted your body up on her shoulder, then grabbed Hide and Kaneki, making her way back to Anteiku.

~~~

"It's funny. I thought we could actually be friends."

"You ratted me out?! What the hell is wrong with you?!"

"Rize...I'm sorry! They forced it out of me!"

"I highly doubt that. You were just using me all along, weren't you?"

"No! I swear i-"

"You're not worth my time. You better leave now before I kill you."

Your eyes snapped open as you sat up, panting. Your eyes looked around the room. Your room.

There was a knock at your door.

"Come in"

The door opened and Yoshimura walked in "glad to see you're awake. You gave us quite a scare." You looked down at your lap "I'm sorry..."

His face turned serious "why were you not eating? You could have been killed in that fight"

"But I wasn't! I'm fine!" Yoshimura frowned "yes, you are. But you still took a risk you knew would get you hurt. Answer my question"

You stayed silent and hesitated "ever since Rize I...i'm not sure if I regret what I did or not...I was so concerned with how you all would think of me if you found the truth that I forgot my own needs..."

"And what did you do?"

You looked away from him, your hair casting a shadow over your eyes.

"I'm the one that dropped the steal beams on Rize that day. It's my fault Kaneki was turned into one of us. I'm the one who killed my best friend!" Tears poured down your cheeks, your voice shaky.

"Y/N, listen to me. None of what you did is your fault. Thanks to you, Kaneki is alive. If you hadn't stepped in, he'd be dead. You didn't kill your best friend. You killed a monster. What Rize was doing was inexcusable. You've saved alot of people"

You sniffled "are Kaneki and Hide ok?" Yoshimura nodded "Kaneki woke up. I'm allowing him to work here in the coffee shop" you nodded "and Hide?" Yoshimura smiled "he's asleep. We fixed up his wounds".

The old man placed a hand on your shoulder "remember what I said." He went to the door, opening it "oh, and I'd be prepared".

Your eyebrows furrowed "why?"

"You made Touka very worried"

'Oh no...'

As soon as he walked out, Touka ran in, grabbing you by the shoulders and shaking you "do you know how worried I was, you dumbass?! I thought you'd die! You owe me!" You smiled sheepishly "I'm sorry, Touka. I didn't mean to" she glared at you, but then took you into a hug.

"You're an idiot...making me worry like that" her cheeks tinged pink as she had her face shoved in your shoulder.

Your eyes widened, but you hugged her back.

"I'm sorry..."

"Yeah. You better be."

Confession:I was originally gonna have the reader fight Nishki, but I thought it'd be more interesting if she didn't.

As you may have noticed, POV's switched alot in this chapter. It's probably gonna be like that for the rest of the book.
Haha! Touka big gay for reader chan!
~Natalie
Word count:6398