Chapter Text
Hide tightened his grip on the heavy bag beside him and tried desperately to avoid looking out any of the windows. If he closed his eyes, he could almost pretend like he wasn't thousands of feet in the air over Japan right now. Until the helicopter tilted and the nausea returned.
He stared at the ceiling of the small passenger cabin and tried to think about anything except the whirling blades above him and the solid ground far far below him. He failed.
If he'd been given the choice, he would have just caught a bus or a train to the shatterdome himself. It wouldn't have taken that much longer than flying. But his superiors in the Pan Pacific Defense Corps were not open for negotiations. So here he was, flying back to Tokyo, and trying not to be sick with panic.
When he'd first joined the PPDC, it had seemed like the only thing to do. With the threat of total destruction looming over the world, Hide couldn't just sit back and wait. He had to do something. And obviously the best option had been joining the PPDC. He'd expected the work to be hard, that he'd be asked to do things that would push him, that they would use him however they saw fit whether he agreed with their decisions or not. That was why he'd joined in the first place -- to be useful.
But he hadn't expected to be told he was being recruited into the jaeger program after he tried out a drift simulator on a whim, and then put on a helicopter and flown to the nearest shatterdome the next day.
As he understood it, the higher-ups were especially pressed to find a new pilot after the last drop ended in disaster for one of Japan's best jaegers. One pilot, Kamishiro Rize, wound up in critical condition after the battle, and was currently hospitalized with no release date in sight. They were in need of a replacement pilot, and fast, or they would be one jaeger short.
That was where Hide came in. According to the suits who'd briefed him, his simulation results indicated he was a perfect match for the remaining pilot -- a rare thing and a lucky break for the PPDC. Drift compatibility was a fussy beast, and there was no guarantee among even the closest of friends or relatives that any pair would be compatible. But apparently, Hide was just the person they needed.
Despite never having met, he and Kaneki Ken were drift compatible. And that meant that, for better or for worse, Hide would now be controlling one of the only weapons in humanity's fight against giant monsters, along with a stranger who matched him perfectly. Hide wasn't sure what to think about the situation.
He risked a glance out the window, and to his great relief, saw a familiar structure rapidly approaching. They’d finally arrived. Hide held his breath as the helicopter descended, only letting it out when he felt the craft touch down. As soon as the pilots gave the signal, he snatched up his bag and leapt out of the helicopter as fast as he could. Solid ground had never felt so welcoming.
"Nagachika?" a voice shouted to be heard over the drone of the helicopter. Hide looked up and saw that the voice belonged to a man in a high-ranking uniform, standing a few feet away from the platform.
"Yes, sir?" Hide asked, approaching with his bag slung over his shoulder.
"Ranger Amon Koutarou," the man greeted with a sharp bow. Hide returned it. "Welcome to the Tokyo Shatterdome. I'll be escorting you to your quarters, and taking you to finish your documentation."
"Sounds good to me," Hide replied, happy to just be on the ground. "After you!"
Amon led him into the shatterdome and through a series of passages Hide tried to memorize, finally coming to a stop before a door that appeared -- to Hide, at least -- exactly the same as every other door in the hallway.
“This will be your suite, which you will share with Ranger Kaneki. You each have a private bedroom, along with a shared living space and bathroom.” Amon held out a key card. “This will get you in. Feel free to drop off your belongings before we continue.”
Hide took the key and held it over the card reader, wondering what he would do if Kaneki was inside. He swiped the card quickly and pushed open the door and tried to brace himself.
The door swung open to reveal a small living space. Directly across from him was a couch, facing a small monitor on the back wall. A few meters away was a small personal fridge and a few kitchen appliances, including a coffee maker. An open door to his side showed a glimpse of a small bathroom. But besides the meager furnishings, the room was empty. Hide wasn’t sure if he should be grateful.
“Your room will be the one on the left,” Amon advised, and Hide nodded in response.
He took the few steps to his new bedroom door, glancing at the door on the other side of the room that apparently led to Kaneki’s bedroom, but no one appeared. Hide dropped his bag on the floor of his room, his shoulder grateful to be free of the weight, and glanced around. The room was small and bare, except for a bed, a small desk and chair, and a wardrobe.
“Well, this certainly feels cozy,” Hide joked.
“Feel free to decorate. This is your home now, after all.”
Hide smiled and nodded, but hearing Amon call this place “home” didn’t feel quite right. Maybe the place would grow on him, but for now, this room felt more like a cell.
Amon seemed to understand Hide’s hesitation, and tilted his head back towards the front door. “Shall we? You still need to properly check in.”
Hide smiled again. “Of course! Lead the way, sir!”
He followed Amon back through still more corridors, Amon spouting off facts and features of the shatterdome that Hide only half listened to, and the two finally stopped at a series of elevators. They entered one, and as the doors slid closed behind them, Amon's focus of conversation turned to the topic Hide was most interested in.
“We currently have three operational jaegers in the shatterdome, and one undergoing repairs,” Amon informed. “Of our operational machines, there’s Shining Vengeance, piloted by myself and Mado Akira. Masked Rabbit is piloted by the Kirishima siblings, Touka and Ayato. And then, of course, there’s the jaeger you’ll be piloting with Kaneki Ken.”
Hide nodded, trying to commit the names to memory. He’d heard of the jaegers before, at least. Shining Vengeance had the well-earned reputation of being quick and precise on its drops. Masked Rabbit had a spotty record, but was piloted by the youngest pair of rangers in the PPDC, who were only expected to improve. And then, there was...
“Have you seen her yet?” Amon asked, as if reading his mind.
“No,” Hide replied softly. He knew Amon meant his jaeger -- the colossal machine Hide would soon be piloting against monsters from another world. He clenched his fists.
Amon smiled beside him. “Then brace yourself.”
Hide had half a second to realize what that meant before the wall in front of them disappeared. The elevator shaft became a skeleton at this height, allowing the passengers an unhindered view. Hide knew Amon had chosen this elevator on purpose, because directly before them stood a jaeger with jaws of jagged metal teeth -- Tokyo Ghoul.
“The jaw was added at Kamishiro’s request," Amon stated, as if he knew exactly where Hide's thoughts were headed. Hide could swear he heard a hint of exasperation in his superior's voice.
Hide turned his focus back to the huge jaws, watching the way the light shifted over them as their elevator rose higher. They looked fearsome, brutal. He felt a shiver run down his spine at the thought that he was expected to pilot that monster, that he would control those jaws.
And then a new wall slid into his vision, and the jaeger was gone as quickly as it had appeared. Moments later, the elevator slowed to a halt, and the doors behind them opened with a whir.
Amon nodded towards the door, and Hide followed him down a new hallway. Eventually, they paused in front of a new door, and after Amon swiped his key card, they entered.
Inside was a small room with a desk, and a hallway leading to more closed doors. The person sitting behind the desk glanced up when the pair entered, and Amon nodded in greeting.
The person seemed to recognize Amon, and asked, "Is this the new arrival?"
Amon nodded. "This is Ranger Nagachika Hideyoshi."
The person smiled and beckoned Hide over, and for the next hour, Hide was drowning in paperwork. He thought with all the forms he had to complete before he even left for the shatterdome, "checking in" would just require a couple of signatures. By the time he finally finished, his wrist was aching.
"Was that all really necessary?" he gumbled to Amon in the hallway after they left.
Amon laughed. "Sorry, but we all had to fill out the same paperwork. There's quite a bit of red tape involved in piloting jaegers."
When the pair reached the elevators, Amon paused, and held out the large package of documents, which he'd apparently retrieved from the office while Hide was filling out paperwork.
“This is for you. These materials include maps of the shatterdome, as well as reports deemed useful to you, protocol information, and some other documents it would benefit you to peruse. And I think a mess hall schedule as well,” he added with a smile. "I have some other business to attend, so I'll have to leave you here. Will you be able to find your way alone?"
Hide smiled nervously. "I'm sure I'll be able to figure it out."
"Then I'll see you tomorrow morning at our first training session," Amon said cheerily, and left back down the maze of corridors.
Hide hesitated at the elevator, and considered thumbing through the packet of papers he was holding to find the maps Amon mentioned. He dismissed that idea as soon as it crossed his mind. He could find his way without. And if not, getting lost and wandering through half the shatterdome was the best way to find out where everything is, right?
He was wrong. At least, partially. He got lost immediately, but he still couldn’t bring himself to pull out the map. Wandering the shatterdome had turned out to be somewhat calming, especially when he had nothing to do and nowhere to be until the next morning. He stumbled across some research labs, a few engineering wings, the mess hall, and even a recreational area and a gym.
Eventually, Hide found himself back in front of Tokyo Ghoul. She looked even more fearsome up close, towering hundreds of feet above him, all gleaming metal and power. He struggled to catch his breath when it occurred to him again that he was expected to pilot that thing -- that he would be controlling it.
"Impressive, isn't she?" a voice behind him asked. Hide turned to find a tall, muscular man approaching, carrying a large bag slung over his shoulder. The man stopped beside Hide and glanced up at the jaeger.
"She's incredible," he answered honestly, still feeling breathless.
The man held out his hand. “The name is Banjou, and I’m the one in charge of maintaining her,” he said, nodding his head towards the jaeger.
Hide beamed and took his hand. "Nice to meet you, Banjou. You can call me Hide. And I guess I'm the guy that's gonna be piloting her now."
Banjou raised his brows. "No kidding? Then hopefully you'll be a better match for Kaneki than Rize was."
Hide frowned. "I'd heard they had the highest sync rates of any team."
"Well, when they were in the drift, at least. Outside the jaeger, that was a different story," Banjou remarked, and Hide frowned in confusion.
"Did Kaneki and Kamishiro... not get along?" Hide ventured.
Banjou glanced up at him, then cleared his throat as his gaze shifted down again, apparently realizing he'd said too much. "That's not the way I would describe it, but..."
There was a long pause. Banjou seemed to be hoping Hide would drop the conversation, ask him a different question. But Hide remained silent and kept his gaze fixed on the mechanic. Finally, the other man caved.
"Rize wasn't the type of person to make friends. Rize was... She was brilliant. Intuitive and resourceful in a fight. With unmatched strength. But." Banjou looked away, letting his voice trail off. "She didn't care for people. And, Kaneki... He wasn't like that at all."
Hide didn't miss the way he spoke of Kaneki in past tense. Another silence fell between them, and Hide still waited, hoping Banjou would elaborate. Instead he laughed.
"That's all you're getting from me on that topic. I shouldn't have said anything at all."
Hide nodded, "I won't tell anyone you said anything."
Banjou bowed his head in thanks.
"Um. Actually, there was something else I was wondering about. Ranger Amon mentioned there was a jaeger being repaired here, but he didn't mention which one?"
Banjou nodded. "That would be One-Eyed Owl," he said solemnly.
Hide gaped. "Wait, really? The Owl? I didn't realize it was back in Japan." The Owl had a reputation across the world as one of the most brutal and powerful jaegers ever built. It was piloted by a father-daughter team that had largely stayed out of the spotlight, despite their jaeger being a household name. But, something had happened during their last mission a few months ago -- something that was kept tightly confidential -- and they hadn't been deployed since.
"Are the pilots here?" Hide wondered aloud.
"Now that's something you'll have to ask the higher-ups about. I'm just a mechanic," Banjou shrugged and picked up his bag, slinging it over his shoulder. "Anyway, I need to be going. Nice meeting you, Hide. See you around."
Hide watched Banjou go, and the gnawing uncertainty that had been building inside him since before he arrived grew.
He’d decided to return to his quarters for the evening and get some sleep, but now that Hide was standing in front of his door, he wondered what he would do if the other occupant was inside. He was simultaneously thrilled and terrified. But he wasn’t one for inaction.
He swiped his card and pushed open the door to find the room as empty as he’d left it. He let out a breath he didn’t realize he was holding, and took a few steps towards Kaneki’s room.
“Kaneki?” Hide called, ignoring the way his heart pounded in his chest. Seconds ticked by in deafening silence, and Hide tried again. “Kaneki? Are you in there?”
He waited. But there was no sound from behind the door. Hide hesitated, nervously scratching the back of his head, but still nothing happened.
Finally, he retreated to his room and resigned himself to a night alone reading over paperwork.
He plopped down in the chair at his small desk and thumbed through the documents Amon had given him earlier. He scanned through some of the protocol review pages, but most of this was already familiar to him, and he figured there would be plenty of time to learn procedures later. He had a horrible memory for that kind of stuff anyway -- he always learned better by doing.
Hide flipped a page, ready to give up and go to sleep for the night, when he saw the title of the next document. It was the final report from Kaneki and Kamishiro’s last mission. He stared at it for a long moment. He still knew nothing about the events leading up to his recruitment, save that Kamishiro had been injured to the point where she could no longer pilot. This report would tell him exactly what happened. His curiosity was consuming him, even as a small part of him told him that he didn’t really want to know. Finally, he forced himself to pick up the report, and flipped open the cover.
Hide skimmed through the first part of the report, which noted procedures and boring administrative things that Hide didn’t care about at the moment. Finally, ten pages in, he found what he was looking for: the official details of the battle.
Much of the report seemed to be missing -- Hide guessed his security clearance wasn’t high enough to warrant being given the full report -- but he was able to get a decent picture of the mission’s background.
A category IV kaiju -- codename Yamori -- exited the Breach late in the evening on December 19th. Yamori headed straight toward Tokyo, and was projected to make landfall just after midnight on December 20th. Tokyo Ghoul was selected to intercept Yamori off the coast of Japan and prevent him from reaching land.
The beginning of the mission progressed without a problem. All system settings, scans, and tests were within normal ranges. The pilots were synced at levels similar to previous drops. Vital signs were showing no significant distress, and psychological scans were stable.
Even the confrontation with Yamori seemed normal at first -- at least as far as kaiju battles went. But then, the report seemed to skip ahead. One paragraph, Kamishiro and Kaneki were engaging the kaiju and all fields were normal. The next, Kamishiro was unresponsive and out of the drift, and Tokyo Ghoul had suffered a massive amount of damage. Another paragraph, and the battle was over, but Hide had no idea how Kaneki managed to win.
Hide frowned and skimmed through the next section of the report, which described the medical conditions of the pilots following the battle. Kamishiro suffered massive injuries, including broken bones, a crushed rib cage, a collapsed lung, and severe head injuries. She had remained unconscious and was whisked away to the medical ward immediately, where her condition was stabilized. But as far as Hide knew, she still hadn’t woken up.
Kaneki’s injuries were far less critical. According to the report, "The remaining pilot sustained minor physical injuries. Those sustained and treated include severe bruising to all fingertips, and numerous self-inflicted lacerations to the tongue. At the time of this report, the pilot is currently still unable to speak. No other trauma or injuries were sustained --"
Hide had to stop reading, and leaned his head back against the wall. Kaneki had bitten his own tongue during the battle. Multiple times. And his fingertips were bruised -- was that from gripping the jaeger’s controls too tightly? Hide winced. It must have been the pressure of the neural load.
He risked another glance at the report, and saw something that caused a pain in his chest: "Additionally, the pilot's hair was noted to have turned entirely white.”
What had happened in that cockpit during the battle? What could have caused Kaneki’s hair to turn white? Taking the entire weight of the neural load alone had caused serious problems for test subjects in the past, but Hide had never heard of it changing someone’s hair color. His heart ached for this man he didn’t even know.
He forced himself to keep reading, but the report didn’t answer any of his questions. The conclusion attempted to explain what happened and how to prevent similar events in the future, but none of it seemed to bear any weight. The report switched topics erratically, leaving Hide with the feeling that more information had been cut out, and the claims the report made rang hollow -- like the kind of bureaucratic nonsense the authors were required to include but didn’t actually believe. But one detail near the end did catch his eye.
"It had been previously noted that Ranger Kamishiro caused Ranger Kaneki significant psychological distress --" the report noted.
What did that mean? Hide wondered. He recalled what Banjou said about the two of them, and his curiosity grew stronger. He skimmed through the rest of the paragraph, but nothing more was mentioned. But a few lines down, Hide read something that didn’t surprise him.
"-- given their performance during drift compatibility testing and during deployment missions, this distress was not considered an impediment to --"
Hide scoffed. Of course, as long as Kaneki could still fight, the higher-ups wouldn't care what kind of "psychological distress" he suffered.
Hide scanned through the rest of the report, but found nothing that would help him paint a clearer picture of Kamishiro, Kaneki, or the fight against Yamori.
He sighed and closed the document, leaning back in his chair to stare at the ceiling. His mind swam with unanswered questions, and the silence of his room weighed down on him. He wondered if Kaneki was in the bedroom just a few meters away at this very moment.
Hide stilled his breathing and listened hard, trying to catch any hints of movement or life in the other room. But he heard nothing, and let out his breath with another heavy sigh. Maybe tomorrow would bring more answers.
Unfortunately for Hide, his day was not off to a great start. He’d tossed and turned all night, unable to sleep comfortably in the unfamiliar room, and stayed in bed far longer than he’d intended. It was already after eight by the time he dragged himself out of bed. His first training session was in two hours, and there was no way he’d get everything he’d planned done by then.
He rushed through his morning routine, only just remembering to snatch the map from his room before leaving. At the door, he paused, glancing over his shoulder toward Kaneki’s room. He should be awake by now, right? He hesitated, before finally deciding to risk calling out to him again. After all, if Kaneki answered, maybe he could save himself a trip to Amon’s office.
He waited by the door, called out again, but his only response was silence. Maybe the other pilot had already left for breakfast, or, wherever he went in his free time. Hide sighed and slipped out of the room, heading straight for Amon’s office. If he couldn’t ask Kaneki himself, he’d settle for the next best person.
But what he found in Amon’s office was not what he’d expected. A woman was standing over a desk, sorting paperwork, and she didn’t bother to greet him when he entered the room.
Hide stood frozen in the doorway for a few moments, before finally snapping out of his surprise. “Where is Amon?” he asked.
“He’s out,” the woman replied without looking up.
Hide hesitated, unsure if he should ask this woman for the information he wanted, or just come back later.
“Do you need something, or are you just going to stand there?” The woman’s sharp voice cut through Hide’s thoughts.
“Um, I’m sorry, who are you?” he asked, deciding this was a safe way to determine his next course of action.
The woman looked up finally. “Ranger Mado Akira. I pilot with Ranger Amon.” She looked him over once. “You must be Nagachika.”
Hide nodded. “I was wondering if Amon might be able to answer some questions for me. About Tokyo Ghoul.”
Akira raised a brow. “What do you want to know?”
Hide took a deep breath to steel himself, then continued. “Well, specifically, I want to know what happened to Kaneki. During his last mission.”
Akira stiffened, then placed her pen down on the desk in front of her.
"He was evaluated and deemed fit to pilot, if that is your concern. You should not have problems carrying out missions with him," she said carefully, then fixed her gaze back on her work.
"That's not what I -" Hide cut himself off, unsure what he was trying to say.
"You should have been given a report," Akira answered without looking up.
"I read it." He paused to gather his thoughts before continuing.
Akira still did not reply.
Hide clenched his fists at his sides, and decided to be honest. "It seemed like something was missing from the report. Something important that happened to Ranger Kaneki. And... I'd like to know what I'm getting into before I drift."
Akira looked up at that, and fixed Hide with a long stare. "You don't think you should ask the person you'll be drifting with?"
"Of course," Hide said quickly. "And I will. But, we still haven't met yet. And that's not exactly a conversation for the first date, you know?"
Akira stared. Hide thought maybe trying to joke had been a mistake.
Finally, she answered. “If you’re unsatisfied with the report, I can’t help you. You were given all the information your clearance level permits you to access.” Akira picked up her pen again. “Now, if there’s nothing else?”
Hide took the hint. “No, no, that was it. I’ll just be going, then.”
Akira didn’t bother to respond, and didn’t look up when Hide showed himself out of the office.
Hide wondered if he should try to find Amon, but he had a feeling that even if Amon was willing to help, he'd be overridden by his scary co-pilot. He checked the time and saw he still had time before his first training session today, and the grumbling in his stomach urged him to spend at least part of it in the mess hall. As long as he could remember where it was.
Hide was proud to say he only got lost once on the way to the dining hall, and he didn't even have to consult a map. Navigating the sea of tables in the hall, however, was a different story.
He stood awkwardly with his tray of food, glancing around at the different tables and wondering where he should sit, when he finally spotted two familiar faces. He'd never met them in person, but he'd seen enough news articles with their pictures in them to know who they were -- the Kirishima siblings. They were sitting with a small girl Hide didn't recognize, but otherwise their table was empty.
Hide smiled and made his way towards them. They had to meet eventually, and now was as good a time as any.
"Do you mind if I sit?" Hide asked cheerfully as he plopped down across the table from the siblings.
The two of them looked up at him with identical expressions of confusion and irritation.
"Uh, sorry to interrupt your breakfast!" Hide quickly explained, "But I recognized the two of you! You're the Kirishimas, right? Touka and Ayato?"
Ayato looked down his nose at Hide, and Touka raised a brow. "What do you want?" she asked bluntly.
"Just to introduce myself!" Hide said happily, mildly put off by their demeanor, but trying not to show it. "I'm Nagachika Hideyoshi -- you can call me Hide -- and I was just brought in as a new pilot."
Touka's eyes widened in recognition. "Oh. So you're the one they found."
"That's me!" Hide grinned cheekily. He turned to the girl sitting beside Touka, who had been buried in a book before he joined their table. "Are you a pilot too?"
The girl giggled. "No! I'm not. I'm just a student at the academy," she told him happily. "My name is Hinami."
"Nice to meet you, Hinami!" Hide beamed at her.
"Oi, Kirishimas," a new voice greeted. A man with wild red-brown hair had taken a seat at their table. "Hinami," he nodded, and the small girl smiled at him.
"Hello, Nishiki!"
The man -- Nishiki, apparently -- fixed his eyes on Hide and took a sip from his mug of coffee.
"Who're you?" he asked dryly.
Hide smiled uncomfortabely. "The name's Nagachika Hideyoshi, but everyone calls me Hide."
Nishiki grunted and looked away, apparently completely disinterested. "Nishio Nishiki."
"He's Rize's replacement," Ayato added, and Nishiki's gaze returned to Hide.
He looked Hide up-and-down, critical eyes appraising, and shrugged. “You have some big shoes to fill, new guy,” Nishiki remarked, taking another sip of his coffee.
"You mean literally?" Hide joked, receiving a glare from Nishiki.
“Brother and Miss Rize were the strongest team in the world!” Hinami excitedly explained, apparently missing Hide's admittedly terrible joke.
“Their sync rates were higher than any other team, is what she means,” Ayato remarked, noticeably bristling. Hide made a note to himself not to compare teams when Ayato was around.
“They were also undefeated. And more than once, they were called out to save other teams.” Nishiki shot a pointed glance at Ayato, who pointedly didn’t notice. “Anyway, I hope you can work miracles, new guy. Losing Rize was a big hit to our Shatterdome. And Kaneki hasn’t really been the same either,” he added, and took another sip of his coffee.
“Stop running your mouth, shitty Nishiki,” Touka spat, stabbing at the food on her plate.
Hinami sighed and opened her book again, apparently recognizing that this conversation was going somewhere familiar.
“I’m just stating facts, shitty Touka,” Nishiki grumbled.
Ayato scoffed. “You act like the rest of us are useless.”
Nishiki smirked. “I’m not the one who said it.”
“Keep talking if you want to start your day with a trip to the infirmary,” Ayato growled.
Nishiki narrowed his eyes and leaned forward. He opened his mouth and --
“Are you antagonizing the pilots again, Nishio?” a new voice called, just in time to diffuse the situation.
Hide looked up to see a woman with straight black hair and a man with a large nose approaching. Ayato and Nishiki both sat back in their chairs, glaring at each other from across the table.
“They’re the ones threatening me!” Nishiki scoffed. “Besides, it’s not my fault the Kirishimas have such short tempers.”
Touka huffed and opened her mouth to retort, but an exasperated glance from the woman sent her back to picking angrily at her breakfast.
“Ah, you must be the new pilot,” the man was saying.
Hide smiled and rubbed the back of his head. “That’s me.”
The pair smiled back at him. "Hopefully we'll get a chance to meet properly sometime soon," the woman said warmly.
The two said quick goodbyes to the others at the table, then walked away to join a group of people leaving the mess hall.
“That was Koma and Irimi,” Nishiki stated, watching the pair leave. “They were ranger prospectives for a while, but they burnt out during training.”
“Burned out?” Hide asked, suddenly feeling worried. It hadn’t occurred to him that he might not make it through training.
Nishiki took another sip of coffee. “They couldn’t handle the drift.”
“When did you become such a gossip, shitty Nishiki?” Touka cut in.
“What? It’s common knowledge. And it’s not like it’s shameful. The drift isn’t for everyone.”
Ayato smirked at that. “Is the shit-talker admitting he couldn’t cut it in the drift?”
“Hell no,” Nishiki said easily. “I know my place, and it’s in the lab, far far away from the drift. I’ve seen the kind of shit it does to people. No, thank you.”
Ayato scoffed and went back to picking at his food, apparently deciding that starting an argument over Nishiki’s comments wasn’t worth it.
A brief silence fell across the table, and Hide’s mind drifted back to the questions that had been plaguing him since before he arrived at the shatterdome. Nishiki seemed to be in a talkative mood, and to know a lot about the shatterdome. Hinami seemed close to Kaneki. And Ayato and Touka were pilots -- they had to know something.
Hide cleared his throat, deciding it couldn’t hurt to ask. “Um. Actually, I was wondering about something. Maybe you could help me?”
“Ask away,” Nishiki answered, waving his hand.
Hinami looked up from her book again, and Ayato and Touka also fixed their eyes on Hide, waiting expectantly for his questions. Hide suddenly felt self-conscious, and wondered if he should really ask what he was considering asking. But, the question had been eating him away. And maybe these four, with their knowledge of the shatterdome and Kaneki, would be able to answer it.
Hide braced himself, committing himself to his decision, and finally asked, "What exactly happened during the fight with Yamori?"
The mood at the table instantly chilled. Touka stiffened. Nishiki tightened his grip on his mug. Hinami fixed her gaze on her hands. Only Ayato made eye contact as Hide looked around the table, but the boy’s expression made his disdain clear. Hide knew he’d stepped into hot water and desperately tried to think of something to say to backpedal, but the sudden screech of a chair sliding against the floor interrupted his thoughts. Touka was looking at him now, standing and glaring down at him.
“Why don’t you ask him yourself instead of gossiping with his friends behind his back?” she spat.
Before Hide could respond, she huffed and snatched up her tray, carrying it off to the plate return carts. Ayato grimaced at Hide as he stood and followed his sister.
An awkward silence settled on the table. Nishiki drained the last of his coffee in one gulp as he watched the Kirishima siblings go. He stood and gave one last look at Hide, who returned it with an uneasy smile.
“I guess I screwed up, didn’t I?” he chuckled humorlessly, trying to diffuse the situation.
Nishiki snorted, and walked away without another word.
Hide looked to Hinami, hoping at least one person would be willing to talk to him, but she was sitting stiffly and staring hard at her book. She must have felt him watching her, because she looked up and frowned at him.
"Look," he began, feeling guilty. "You don't have to say anything. I shouldn't have asked that."
Hinami chewed on her lower lip, glancing between the book and Hide. Finally, she focused her eyes on him again. "I just think you should talk to brother. It's not really our place to -- sorry, I have to go." She bowed her head apologetically and hurried away after Nishiki.
Hide ate the rest of his breakfast alone.
Hide returned to his quarters feeling defeated. He sighed as he turned the latch on the door, and tried to comfort himself by thinking that at least the day couldn't get any worse.
But when the door opened, Hide noticed something strange -- the door to Kaneki's room was slightly ajar. Hide furrowed his brows as the front door swung closed behind him, trying to remember if it had been open when he left earlier that morning.
Hide took a step towards the open door, just as a head of white hair peeked over the back of the couch.
Their eyes locked and Hide froze. Neither spoke. Hide watched Kaneki's eyes travel over him, quickly assessing the intruder as he pulled himself up into a sitting position. He finally looked away to pick up a bookmark and place it carefully between the pages of his book. Hide watched him tenderly set the book on the small table beside the couch, and felt his heart begin to race.
Kaneki stood and turned back to face Hide. "You must be Nagachika."
"Just call me Hide!" he replied, unable to help the smile on his face.
"Hide, then." Kaneki smiled back softly, politely. "I'm Kaneki."
"I know!" Hide said quickly, then immediately realized how strange that sounded. "I mean, I figured that, because this is your room -- our room -- I mean -"
Kaneki's smile had finally reached his eyes, and Hide gave up trying to explain. At least Kaneki didn't seem to mind. He'd even looked away to spare Hide some embarrassment. But when Kaneki glanced back up, his eyes met Hide's, and Hide thought his heart might flutter out of his chest. He swallowed hard, suddenly nervous. But Kaneki was still smiling at him, and Hide was determined to salvage something from this meeting.
"Uh, let me try again," Hide said awkwardly, walking further into the room to reach out his hand to Kaneki. "It's nice to finally meet you, Kaneki, and I hope we can be friends."
Kaneki took his hand easily, his eyes warm and soft. "I'd like that, Hide."
Maybe the day was salvageable after all.