Tokyo Ghoul: King

Chapter 14: Prelude to a Tragedy

  You woke up the next morning after saving Eto from falling down an office building. Thank god for your kakuja's unrivaled durability. Without it, you would've not had such a good chance of survival.

What surprised you was that you found Eto sleeping on top of you, her head resting peacefully against your shoulder. You did notice how her lower torso was now completely intact.

'Impressive.' you thought, "Just a little donation of Rc cells allows this kind of healing, even if she has some exceptional healing powers by herself.'

As if on cue, she wakes up.

"Morning." you say to her.

"Good morning." she replied.

"I see you've recovered." you told her.

"Thanks to you." she said.

You two went over to the kitchen and started brewing your morning cofee.

"So, what's the next phase of your plan?" you ask, "I don't think that our little Kaneki's back on track yet, so what's next?"

"I believe he might be coming for me." she replied, "He did say my name as I fell."

"And what do we do about that?" you asked.

"I think we can use it to our advantage." she replied.

"What? Let him imprison you and let their grunts execute you?" you said snarkily, "Not gonna happen on my watch."

"As if they'd be able to hold me in their little prison for long." she said, "And if you'll help me, I could easily escape Cochlea."

"So, you think you can just escape that prison?" you ask, "What I've heard, it isn't that easy."

"But that's where you come in." she replied, "I believe that we will have a sufficient distraction, as I know that some other ghouls will more than likely try to free the currently imprisoned Hinami. All that we need to do is get out of there before things get too ugly."

"Well, if you have faith in me, I'll have faith in your plan." you said, "So, we let them imprison you, and then what?"

"I'll be publishing a book one of these days." she replied, "It will cause some commotion and get people to question the CCG."

You thought for a moment.

"And if your plan succeeds, I could give someone those files I have." you said, "They could add fuel to the fire."

"Exactly." she said, "But I would like to go through the entire plan."

"Hit me." you replied, ready to hear out her plan.

She went through the plan thoroughly. First, Sasaki would arrest her and she would end up in Cochlea. Her book and your files would provoke people to sympathize with ghouls, which is part of her plan further or in the future. After she is imprisoned, she would call you, and you would then head for Cochlea via the 24th ward and Tokyo's sewer system. Once there, the two of you would meet and escape. She would "tie up some loose ends" as she said it while she's there, and then you would escort her out.

She also told you that while she would be there, she'd anoint Kaneki as the One-Eyed King, which was why she has been planning on turning Sasaki back into his original Kaneki persona. After you two would escape, you would hide in the 24th ward for a while.

"So, what then?" you ask after she finished her explanation of the plan.

"Depending on if CCG and V are still standing, we will join the fight." she said, "But if things go according to plan, both of those organizations are going to be either defunct or destroyed rather quickly. And if that happens, I suppose we could consider settling down, and just maybe..."

When she said the last part, a light blush formed on her cheeks.

"Maybe what?" you ask.

"...Never mind." she replied, "It's better we first see that we can at least get me out of prison."

"Alright." you replied, "But are you still sure about this? I have this weird feeling something's gonna go wrong."

"Don't worry." she said as she leaned over to kiss you again, "A few silly humans can't stop us."

"As long as they don't sic all of their senior investigators at the same time." you reply, "But when are you gonna turn yourself in?"

"In the next few days." she replied, "But until then we have all the time in the world."

"As long as you don't suddenly die on me." you said, "Don't wanna lose you like I did my parents. I doubt I could handle that kind of pain twice."

"Oh, come here, you." she said as she scooted over to hug you. You sighed as you hugged back.

"I think you're the one thing keeping me from losing my mind." you said in a slightly depressed tone.

"Don't worry." she said, "It'll all work out in the end."

After a small while of hugging each other, you let go.

"Any other plans?" you ask her.

"I'll go inform the Aogiri Tree members about some great changes that are coming later on today." she said.

"Right." you said, "I think I'll just laze around for a bit. Maybe go empty another remote CCG base to compensate for the Rc cells I used to speed up your healing."

"You do that." she said, "I'll be working on the finishing touches to my newest book."

The two of you settled down for a peaceful day, with you taking a small nap on the couch and Eto writing away at her keyboard. After some time, in early evening, you started feeling a little peckish.

"I'll be going out for a snack." you said to Eto as you grabbed your robes, "I think I'll also make rounds around the home turf."

"Take care." she said with a wave from her room.

After the exchange, you put on your robes and headed out to the 24th ward. While you had little doubts about it, you wanted to make sure you were still considered the unofficial owner of the ward.

You reached the ward with no difficulties, after which you took a moment to take in the smells to see if CCG had gotten brave and sent some investigators in.

With a sharp inhale, you had detected no CCG agents, only some minor trails from the direction which you had entered last night. The other smells in the ward were the same. But for security's sake, you decided to go see if there were any troublemakers around.

You checked the countless entrances and found no humans there, and met no resistance from the locals. Though once you started to leave the ward, you were interrupted by the sound of a child speaking to you.

"Mr. Monster?" the voice spoke. You turned around and saw a young teenage girl, probably no more than 15, standing there. You turned to face her.

"What is it?" you ask her.

"You've been away for a few days. Are you still gonna keep this place safe?" she asked.

"Nobody else can." you replied, "So don't worry. As long as I'm alive, I'll come check this place out for any CCG investigators or some other interlopers every once in a while, even if I would have a full schedule. But now, if you'll excuse me."

"Be safe, Mr. Monster." she said.

"I will." you replied as you walked away. You didn't think much of the fact that one of the residents here would show concern for their safety, and by extension, yours. They had already shown gratitude, so it seemed natural.

After making your rounds, you decided to look for a remote CCG base to destroy, and found one with relative ease. You managed to find a good spot to hide in until you saw the opportune moment to strike. Some hours went along until the opportunity came, and when it came, they didn't see it coming.

You smashed through the doors and attacked the base, attacking the investigators in a swift, deadly assault. They didn't even get to sound off the alarm. That was how quickly you slaughtered them. And those who fought back with their quinque were usually cut in half, skewered or brutally beaten down.

After you were done, you quickly started feasting. Nothing was really left from your feast; most bodies had been eaten clean to the bone, with only certain body parts left untouched. And you had also eaten their kakuhou housed inside their quinque. You considered it taking back stolen goods. You left them a note to confirm just who was behind all of this. Once done, you left the building and disappeared into the late evening.

You returned back home without a hitch. Once you got back home, you found Eto still typing away at the keyboard.

"How's that story coming out?" you ask her while leaning against the entrance to her room.

"Just about done." she said as she scrolled through the text on the screen, "Just checking for typos."

"Right." you said.

"So, how did your day go?" she asked.

"Well enough." you said, "Nobody's snooping around the 24th ward, and another CCG base is down."

"Say, how have the people of there even reacted to you turning their home ward into a restricted area?" she asked.

"Well, they were scared for the first year, but started gradually showing respect or gratitude for my protection over the last year, and now they seem to be actually concerned about me." you said.

"How does it feel to be a king?" she asked you.

"I'm no king." you said with a chuckle, "I'm just a guy who chose to fight back in the name of vengeance."

"Don't fool yourself." she said with a smile, "You're more than just a monster now. The people in that ward trust you and look up to you as a protector."

"I suppose you're right." you said, "But I'm no One-Eyed King. I'm no revolutionary or leader of the people."

"Of course not." she said, "That title belongs to someone else."

"And I like it that way." you said, "I wouldn't make a good leader. I'm more of a guy who scares the opposition with his sheer power."

"And sometimes the people might need a protector instead of a leader." she replied as she finished typing, "All done."

"So, I guess you'll be getting that to your publisher soon?" you ask her.

"Before Kaneki arrests me." she said, "So yes, very soon."

"Alright." you replied, "I suppose I'll just pack my things before they break in and investigate this place."

"No need to rush things." she said as she stood up and held you by the shoulder, "We still have time to spend together."

She pulled you into her room and gently pushed you down onto her futon.

"And I intend to make the most out of still having you by my side." she said.

"As long as you're happy." you replied as she cuddled up against you.

The next day she went to her publisher to get her latest book out. A day or two later her book, named "King Bileygr", was released to the masses, and quickly got people riled up and had them criticize CCG. When the first few cases of humans criticizing the organization appeared in the news, you only said;

"Serves them right.", to which Eto had replied with a knowing smile.

Speaking of Eto, she publicly revealed herself to be a ghoul during a press conference.

Not long after that, you woke up alone in the apartment. For the last nights, she had been keeping you close, so it distressed you to not find her next to you.

You quickly checked around, but didn't find Eto. You did find a note from her on the kitchen table. It said;

"By the time you're reading this, Sasaki will have no doubt arrested me.

But don't worry. If all things go according to plan, we'll be back together before you know it.

Just wait for my call and things will work out.

Also, I recommend visiting the Helter Skelter bar in the 14th ward before it's too late. You should find someone to give those files to there.

Love,

-Eto"

She had drawn small heart next to her name.

As her message encouraged, you decided it was time to do something about those files you had. You headed out with the box, your parents' letters hidden in your coat.

After some searching, you found the bar and entered it.

You scoped out the place until you noticed two familiar faces; your father's friends, who had given you your new, clean clothes. You decided to see if they knew anyone who could have use for your father's files.

"Hi again." you said when you had stopped at the stall they were sitting at.

"Ah, (First)!" the lady said, clearly elated, "How are you?"

"Fine, thanks." you said, "Say, you guys know who I should talk to to make good use of these files?"

"The files you got from your dad through us?" the man asked, "The guy in the backmost stall. He's been looking for people with CCG files that he could use to shed light on the shadier actions of his former employer."

"Right. Thanks." you said as you walked over the stall where a well-aged man was sitting by himself.

"I heard you're looking for info on CCG." you said to the man.

"That's right." he said, "You got something for me?"

"I sure do." you said as you sat down opposite to him. You slid the box over to him.

"So, what's this then?" he inquired.

"Files on ghouls that had been confirmed harmless, or at least to not have committed murder." you replied.

He opened the box and went through several files.

"This is some heavy stuff." the man said, "And how did you get these files?"

"My father stole them some years ago." you replied, "You might recall a news story about how a ghoul was found stealing files from CCG and was then arrested and executed alongside his wife?"

The man went into thought for a moment, then said "Yeah, that case. The whole family, the man, the woman and the son were arrested and imprisoned, but with the kid escaping during a raid on one of CCG's ghoul prisons."

"That's the one." you said before standing up, "But now if you'll excuse me, I have my own matters to attend to."

"Before you go kid, just one question?" the man asked, "Just how do you remember that event? Most people went quiet about it after a few weeks."

"I have a personal connection to the case." you replied.

"Wait, are you the kid of those two?" he asked, looking slightly distressed.

"What if I am?" you asked back.

"You see, I was the one who arrested them." the man said, "Your parents, that is."

You clenched your fist for a moment.

"Do you regret it?" you asked him.

"I do." the man said, "After Sen Takatsuki published that book of hers recently and people started talking about the oppression ghouls have to put up with, I had a change of heart. I wanted to repent for my sins, so I retired from being a CCG investigator. I've been gathering up files and other info on what CCG does to the people of Tokyo under the excuse of security ever since."

You calmly exhaled and turned around, "Then I forgive you. Like the one who arrested and imprisoned me, you at least show regret for what you did."

"You can't know the sort of comfort it gives me to know I've at least been forgiven." the man said.

"I know how it feels." you said with a small smile, "After the Aogiri Tree liberated me, I met the girl I would grow to love. After things got a little difficult, I didn't think things through and left her for two years. After that, she forgave me and took me back. So yes, we both know how good it feels to be able to fix things."

"Say, who was this girl you met?" he asked, "If it's not too much to ask, that is."

"Well, I suppose I could tell who she is. She did declare herself ghoul recently, after all." you replied, "But I think you already know."

"Sen Takatsuki?" he asked in a surprised tone.

"That's right." you said, "But if you'll excuse me, I really need to go."

"Alright, alright." he replied, "But one last question. Just what became of you over the last few years?"

"Did you read the news about who appeared during the Tsukiyama Family Extermination Operation?" you asked him, "I was there."

"The One-Eyed Owl?" he guessed.

"The other one." you said.

"The 24th W-" he said before freezing for a moment.

"Bingo." you said as you turned around to leave, "Make sure to put those files to good use."

With that you left the bar, with the former investigator still frozen with a look of shock.

Back home, you settled down onto the couch to wait.

And so you waited.

Meanwhile, at the CCG headquarters, a figure clothed in black with a top hat was conversing with an investigator by the name of Nimura Furuta.

"So, what do you intend to do with that "24th Ward Monster" that has been scaring your friends away?" the man in black asked.

"Not sure." Nimura replied, "But I don't think we have to worry."

"What do you mean?" the man asked, "He's declared himself an ally of the Aogiri Tree and has been emptying bases around Tokyo."

"He's too much of a coward." Nimura said, "He keeps to his precious little 24th ward and rarely leaves it. We leave him alone, we don't have to worry about him. A few remote bases lost is no big deal."

"I hope you at least have a plan to dispose of him." the top hat-wearer remarked, "In time, he might start getting braver and take down all of CCG's bases."

"In good time." Nimura said, "But for now, we focus on more urgent matters."

A disaster was soon to happen, and nobody was going to know just how catastrophic it was going to be.