Hiraeth (A HideKane/ KaneHide multichapter fic)

Chapter 17

I do not own this story. It is written by Aellia on FanFiction.net. All credits go to her.

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Hide opened the door to the shop and inhaled the familiar, welcoming smell of freshly grinded beans and coffee. He spotted Akira, arms folded in her lap, at the same table they spoke at last time. Walking up to it, he took a seat.

"Hello, Nagachika," she said as he sat down.

"Hello, Akira-san," he replied. "How have you been?"

She tucked a loose lock of hair behind her ear. "Let's skip the niceties. I know you must be anxious to hear what I have to say."

Hide nodded in agreement; on the way over here, he hadn't been anxious at all. But now that he was finally here, facing the single person who held their futures in the palm of her hand, nervousness flared up in his stomach. "You're right about that."

Akira took a sip of her coffee and set it down before speaking. "You and Kaneki have been deemed eligible for the job."

Hide could've cried in relief right then and there. They were safe now, right?

"Don't get too excited yet; you still have to go to through the interview process. You'll both be speaking with the director and other higher-ups. Arima Kishou will be among them. They'll determine if you'll actually be allowed to have it. If you get it, then you'll be sent to the research facility and looked at before you can start. Is this acceptable?"

While he wasn't sure about how Kaneki would feel about being experimented on-frankly, he wasn't liking the idea much either-he understood that it was a necessary part of working there. The whole idea of bringing two humans-turned-ghouls on board was to research them and use them for the CCG's benefit. They would have to accept the fact that they were basically going to be reduced to mere lab rats for some time.

If it guaranteed their safety, though, it would be worth it.

"I accept," Hide said firmly. "But there is one thing; if we're not given the jobs, what will happen to us?"

Akira's gaze softened. "Unfortunately, that's not my decision, so I can't tell you anything for sure." She paused to take a drink. "I want to make sure you understand this deal, though, so I'll tell you what I think would happen without sugarcoating it. You would be apprehended and experimented on against your will, most likely. They'd keep you in the research facility and, when they had no further use for you, put both of you into Cochlea. This is if they believed you wouldn't be able to function properly as a ghoul investigator."

"And what do you think is the probability of something like this occurring?"

"...The odds are more in your favor than Kaneki's by far."

Hide looked out the window of the shop, watching the bustling street life outside. If they did this, they could be walking into a death trap. But if they didn't, the CCG would find them, and they'd be dealing with investigators on a daily basis.

"Quite the predicament you both have landed yourself in," Akira said, a weary smile on her face. "I believe in your ability to convince them you're still human, Nagachika. I can't be sure, however, of Kaneki's. He has done some...questionable things, if you will."