Chapter Text
Chapter 1
Kaneki’s PoV:
As my eyes flickered open all I could see was a very bright light. I went to check my phone but then I realised, I was strapped to a table. Now fully alerted my eyes were open wide, and my body thrashing. The last thing I could remember was going to a callout about a crazy ghoul, fighting one and then bam. I woke up here. It’s quite possible that I have some form of amnesia.
I quickly realised that no amount of thrashing would unbind the metal straps that kept me to the table. I calmed down and tried to think logically. It’s also possible that I’ve been kidnapped by a ghoul, and that they intend to torture me. Sick fucking creatures, that’s why I joined the CCG, so that these vermin to our street can be eradicated.
Suddenly the door to my front opened, revealing a man in his 40’s with short white hair. “Who are you!?” I shouted. He’s probably a ghoul.
“Me, I’m a doctor… Kaneki.”
“H-how do you know my name?” I asked.
“Your badge, we searched you. I just want to run one last test, then once I am far away enough I’m going to press a button which is on a remote. That will cause you to be unlocked and you will be free to go, I promise”.
I felt sick looking at him, he said it with a sincere smile, almost like he was a grandparent talking to their grandchild. He produced various food items from his white coat and sat them on a table which was at the other side of the room. He picked up a ham sandwich and brought it over to me, holding it to my mouth he said: "Eat it".
I was unsure whether it was a good idea, it could be poisoned. It smelled like it had. However, the promise of release was stuck in my head so I took a bite anyway… and it was disgusting. Almost immediately I spat it out and onto the floor.
“Fantastic, things appear to be going as expected. We’re just going to try the rest of these foods and then you’ll be out of here in around an hour, does that sound good?”
“I have a question.”
“Oh really, go ahead Kaneki.”
I shivered at being called by my name. “What about the others? Hide, Akira, Sediou and Amon?”
“Ah, the rest of you squad are fine. Probably looking for you actually.”
That being the end of our conversation, he did exactly as he said he would. He grabbed the various food items, made me try a bite or sip when it was a drink and every single time I had the same reaction. Pure disgust.
However, the last item was very different. He produced some meat from a brown package and it smelled… it smelled… there was no describing it. He said to me "Try this". It being the only good looking and smelling thing I did, and it was superb. It was like a burst of flavours, something that I had never experienced before. I almost bit the tips of his fingers off, but luckily he let go of the meat just before I was able to do so.
“Thank you so much Kaneki, the results of this final test have been superb. I apologise for the method that I went about conducting it. As I said, free within an hour. Your stuff is on a table just outside this room as well as more of that meat should you want it.”
Unsure of what to say to the man I just nodded, as much as I could anyway, and whispered a small thanks.
Yet again, true to his word I was released from the confines of the metal barrier. I opened the door and on the table lay my suit, trousers, phone, various other items and a few packets of the ever so tasty packets of meat. Much to my surprise, some other items on the table included a small mirror and a white medical eyepatch. I lifted the mirror to see what state I was in and, I was for sure in a state. A whole new state of being, my left eye was black and red.
No way, I’ve got the eye of a ghoul. I can’t be, I’m human! Ghouls are monsters, evil creatures that kill for pleasure, I’m not like that. I know for a fact that I am human, I’ve eaten human food, I’ve never killed a human. Surely if I had always been a ghoul I would’ve killed somebody for the heck of it. That mean that… no, that’s impossible. You can’t get ‘turned’ into a ghoul, that’s crazy. That couldn’t have been his experiment, could it?
I opened one of the brown packages and had a look at the meat which lay within. For whatever reason, it was tugging at a memory in my head. I stood for minutes, trying to remember. When it hit me, these were similar packages and similar cuts to what I had found during a raid on a ghoul hideout in the 11th ward.
That confirmed it, what I had eaten and enjoyed was human flesh! I had eaten, the flesh, the muscle of another human being… and I enjoyed it. Even worse I wanted more, and more and more and more. I gave the meat a sniff and suddenly veins protruding from my left eye spread out around my eye, a sight which was common when I fought very angry or hungry ghouls.
Calming my breathing as much as I could the veins disappeared but my eye remained black and red. I guess that’s why the person, who I’m now going to refer to as Doc, left and eyepatch for me.
I quickly put my suit and trousers back on and put my phone in my pocket, begrudgingly I also put the brown packages in my pocket as well. I didn’t want too, but something in my brain said that not taking them would be a bad idea. I walked towards a door which took me outside of the building. Quickly scanning the horizon I recognised where I was, near the scene of the fight in the 20th ward. It’s only recently the squad was stationed here.
I checked my jacket pocket for my wallet and luckily all my money was left there. In fact, the only thing I was missing was my quinque, if I’m lucky the CCG would’ve found it and kept it in storage.
I walked to the location of a nearby shop and paid for my favourite food and then ran to the apartment Hide and I shared. I fired the food on and half an hour later it was ready.
Come on Kaneki, this is your favourite food in the world. You can’t not like it.
I took one bite, then another, and then a few more. It was disgusting. I forced myself to swallow it all but instantly I felt like I was going to puke. I ran to the toilet before puking inside of it.
I took the meat out of my suit pocket. It looked so tasty, I wanted nothing but to revel in it. And so I did, I couldn’t help it. It just looked so good that I lost control and soon I was licking the blood from the packet. And no matter how much I hoped, I wouldn’t puke it up. I turned on my phone to find almost hundreds of calls and texts, most of them were Hide, my best friend since childhood. Hide can’t find out, I’ve just got to act normal like I always do and he won’t suspect a thing.
I went to Hide's contact and pressed call. Almost instantly I heard Hide's voice tentatively ask, "Hello?"
“H-hey Hide. It’s me.”
“Kaneki! Oh my god, you’ve been missing for two weeks, where have you been?!”
Wow, two weeks. I thought I was only out for a few days.
“I uh, was knocked out during the fight and then kidnapped. For some reason they just let me go.”
“Did they do anything to you?”
“I erm, uh, don’t think so. I’m pretty sure nothing happened”.
“Ok then, where are you Kaneki?”
“I’m at our apartment”. I replied.
“I’ll be there as fast as I can” Hide said, before pressing the hangup button.
It wasn’t too long before I heard the door open.
Ok, just act natural and he won’t suspect a thing. What could go wrong right?