It was dark. The sound of rain echoed around Kaneki as he felt like he was drifting in an endless black abyss. Am I... trapped? Is this... death? Kaneki thought to himself. He wasn’t scared, he didn’t fight it. This was fate. There was no room for anything but acceptance, he thought to himself, continuing to let his consciousness drift aimlessly. But a voice called him back. Back to the real world.
“Kaneki”, a voice echoed in the distance.
“Wake up Kaneki!”, the voice grew louder, slowly pulling his consciousness back to the present moment. A light appeared in the void as the voice finally became recognisable. Kaneki opened his eyes. It was Skae, looking over him.
“Wake up Kaneki!”, she shouted.
Kaneki blinked to let his eyes focus and slowly sat up and looked around. It was raining and he was still in the woods in which he fought Tray, quite some time had passed since their fight, the night had passed. He looked to his left to see the mountain in which Tray emerged from. The cavity still remaining inside the mountain. He glanced back at Skae. Her brown hair was soaked from the rain and her green eyes were reminiscent of the trees around him.
“What happened to you?”, Skae cried, keeping her eyes on Kaneki.
The rain continued to fall heavily, and thunder was heard in the distance. Kaneki blinked slowly before answering.
“He... beat me”, Kaneki muttered, “Tray beat me. He tricked me, I thought he was my friend.”
Skae looked down, giving a grim expression before looking back at the remains of Kaneki’s house and pausing for a second.
“If only I made more effort.”, she muttered to herself.
Kaneki followed her gaze, laying his eyes on what remains of the life he was forced to leave behind.
“Is she still there?”, he asked, a tear welling in his eye.
“She is.”, Skae replied, trying to keep her voice steady, “We need to tell the orphanage what has happened, right now nobody knows what's happened to Hannah, not even Lola.”
Kaneki turned his eyes to Skae.
“So how are you here then, how did you know where to go?”, he asked.
“I overheard your conversation, back in the hallway.” she replied quietly.
Kaneki recalled him and Tray talking in the hallway, the day they met. When Tray spoke of the plan to return to his house.
“When I saw that you and Tray were gone in the morning, I knew you had come here.”, she explained, “I thought that Hannah was also gone because she went to search for you, but instead... I found her body.”
A tear rolled down her face, but she sniffled and wiped the tear away quickly.
“What happened here?”, Skae asked, turning her head from the house, back to Kaneki.
“Tray went mad and started attacking me, Hannah tried to push him back but...”, Kaneki looked down in shame, “Tray killed her.”
Skae gulped.
“Did you say Tray... beat you? Does that mean... you fought him?”, she asked, recalling Tray’s eyes turning from blue to orange.
Kaneki took a small breath.
“I remember getting so angry and fighting him but it’s all a blur now.” he explained, “But what I remember vaguely... is losing control, I felt so powerful.” he continued, staring at his palm.
Skae looked at Kaneki for a moment before standing up.
“We need to go back and tell the orphanage what happened, let’s go.”, she said firmly.
Kaneki looked up at her.
“Right.”, he replied, getting up.
The two walked back to the destroyed remains of Kaneki’s house and layed their eyes on Hannah’s body once more.
Her eyes were shut and Skae had laid her coat over the stab wound. Kaneki gasped as the memories came flooding back. Her final words echoed in her mind.
‘Promise me... you will always do the right thing’
Kaneki fell to his knees and broke down in tears
“I’m sorry.”, he whimpered
Skae looked down and closed her eyes, fighting the tears. Kaneki’s silent crying, the sounds of him sniffling only made the struggle to fight her tears harder.
Kaneki recalled Hannah’s attempts to protect him as guilt flooded in. But an image flashed in his mind, the injection vial. Tray dropped it after he was stabbed. Kaneki raised his head to scan the ground for the vial, but it was gone. Tray had taken it. Why was it so important? He felt Skae tap his shoulder.
“Kaneki, you can grieve later, but right now, we need to deliver this news to Lola and the kids.” she said firmly.
Kaneki wiped his tears.
“You’re right.”
The orphanage, usually exploding with the sounds of children chattering and playing, was now completely silent aside from the faint sounds of the younger kids crying and indistinct discussion from the older kids. The idea that Hannah, the source of constant joy and uplift and a warm maternal figure for all the kids, was missing or in danger, plunged the orphanage into a world of despair. Some kids opted to stay in bed and sleep the worry away, others chose to stay positive and take their mind off everything with books or TV but the rest of the kids would let the worry eat away at them, sitting in the dining room or lounge and speaking to nobody and refusing to eat or partake in the games that Lola had prepared. Trudging back to the kitchen, holding a pot of rejected spaghetti, Lola gave a loud sigh as she set down the pot and stared at herself in the reflection of a window.
“Where are you, Hannah?” she murmured to herself.
At that moment, the sound of feet tapping against the wooden floor turned Lola around and she saw Stevie waddling into the room, his mouth and the tip of his nose covered in vanilla yogurt.
“Has Hannah come back yet?”, he asked with innocent eyes.
“I’m afraid not, Stevie”, Lola replied, grabbing a tissue and handing it to the boy, “You always make such a mess with the yogurt.”
“My friends are always crying.”, Stevie mumbled, his voice muffled as he wiped his face, “They don’t want to play, so I’m just eating yogurt.”
“And how come you aren’t crying?”, Lola asked.
Stevie finished wiping his mouth and dropped the tissue in the bin, forgetting about the yogurt on his nose.
“Because I’m too old to cry now, I’m five years-old.”, he said proudly
Lola smiled slightly with amusement.
“And Hannah always said she will be here with me, so I know she will come back.” he continued, taking another pot of yogurt from the fridge and leaving the kitchen.
Lola’s smile dwindled, recalling the conversation she heard from Kaneki and Tray. Her eyes widened slightly. If Hannah really went to the site of the house explosion and we haven’t heard back from her, isn’t the reason obvious.... Is Hannah... dead?
The thought loomed over Lola’s head, for as long as she could remember, nothing worth this much concern had ever happened at the orphanage. Only now has stuff like this started happening, the newspaper articles, plans of escape, and now disappearances. Ever since Kaneki and Tray had arrived, that’s when all this started. Lola clenched her fist at the thought before a loud knock was heard at the front door. The whole orphanage was sent into hysterics, all the kids were screaming with excitement and ran to the door, all of them were pushing and shoving; Lola barely managed to keep standing while making her way to the door.
She smiled and gave a sigh of relief.
“Finally decided to show up, huh? You scared us-”
Lola was cut off by the sight of Kaneki and Skae standing in front of the doorway. The smiles of all the kids faded, their expressions first showed disappointment until they saw Kaneki covered in wounds, blood staining his clothes and Skae’s grim expression – the kids’ eyes widened in shock.
“Kaneki... what happened to you?”, Lola gasped, stumbling back, “And... where’s Hannah and Tray?”
Skae looked down in disappointment before raising her head to answer.
“Hannah... is dead. Tray killed her and ran away.”, she said firmly, keeping a firm expression.
Kaneki looked past Lola to see the reactions of the kids. Some kids simply stood and stared at Skae in pure disbelief but other immediately broke down in tears, the wails of the kids sent a horrifying chill down his spine. Lola looked back at all the kids, their look of despair ripped her heart right out of her chest. But then she saw Stevie, his mouth and noise covered in yogurt but no longer glimmering with hope as he stood there, unable to process the news. Lola gritted her teeth and turned back to face Kaneki and Skae.
“Why are you both standing there, trying not to cry?”, Lola asked coldly, giving the two of them a piercing stare.
Kaneki and Skae looked back at Lola in confusion.
“What?”, Skae asked in disbelief.
“You’re telling me that Tray, who joined at the same time as Kaneki, and has only been here for a couple of weeks, has randomly killed Hannah and the only other person who was there at the time was Kaneki, who was very close to Tray?”
The two stood there in utter silence, the idea of being accused of taking part in Hannah’s murder tore right through Kaneki. The panic began to settle in as he took another look at the other kids, while most of them continued to cry, some were staring at Lola in shock upon listening to her words of doubt. ‘Lola’s right...’ Kaneki thought to himself, ‘This has been clearly set up in a way that makes it seem like I’m guilty. How? How can I convince the others that I’m on their side?’ he looked over to Skae, searching for an answer, but her face reflected that she was just as defeated as him. There truly was no way to prove his innocence. The ominous sound of a thunderclap roared in the distance as the rain grew heavier on Kaneki and Skae.
One of the older kids gritted his teeth in fear but looking around to see his peers who were on the floor, shattered by the news of Hannah, his fear evolved into anger as he decided to speak out.
“Yeah!”, he shouted over the other kids, “Nobody ever spoke to Tray, except Kaneki, they must’ve planned this together!”
Everyone turned their eyes to him in shock, nobody wanted to believe that Kaneki truly partook in Hannah’s murder but the loss punctured a hole in their hearts and the pieces were coming together. The boy looked back at his peers in determination.
“Skae was close with Kaneki and Tray too!”, shouted another kid, clenching his fist and shutting his eyes tight, “I remember how she was always staring at Kaneki during meal times and I heard her shouting through Tray’s door the other day! She was probably in on it too!”
The narrative has been taken without permission. Report any sightings.
Skae gave a gasp of horror, staring at the boy who accused her.
“Why would I ever want Hannah dead?”, Skae cried, “I loved her in the same way all of you did! She was like a mother to me!”
Skae looked around to see everyone’s reaction to her plea, but nobody chose to take her side, nobody was convinced by her words.
All the other kids stopped crying momentarily, they all started to put the pieces together in their heads . As they slowly turned their gaze to Kaneki and Skae, the clues began to click together in the kids’ heads. The sudden pause in crying and dozens of eyes casting the light of judgement created an eerie atmosphere that gave cruel shivers to both Kaneki and Skae, causing them to take slow step backwards.
“That’s right...” Lola muttered under her breath before standing up straight and looking directly ay Kaneki, “This all started after you and Tray showed up.”
Lola clenched her fist and her eyes widened.
“Kaneki, you are never welcome here ever again. Leave and never come back!”, she hissed.
The cruel words pierced Kaneki’s heart as his breathing became rapid. Skae glanced at Kaneki and gave Lola a look of shock.
“Lola, you’re jumping the gun. Kaneki had nothing to do with Hannah’s death, you can’t just kick him out!”, she pleaded.
“You’re out of here too Skae...”, Lola replied coldly, “You were the only one who associated with Kaneki and Tray, you’re lucky I don’t report the two of you to the police. Now leave and never come back!”
“But-”
Before Skae could get any words out, Lola slammed the door shut, leaving her and Kaneki stranded and alone, the rain relentlessly pouring down on the two. Once again, Kaneki had lost everything he cared about. His home, his friend, his only idea of a mother, it was all taken from him. The image of Jiro standing over his dad flashed in his mind once more, like an old wound reopening, ready to cause more pain. Kaneki shut his eyes tight and looked down.
“It’s just like before.”, he muttered under his breath, “Why do these powers take everything from me?”
Skae turned her gaze to Kaneki in confusion, listening to his muttering. ‘Powers?’ she thought to herself, recalling the sight of Tray’s eyes changing colour, before walking up to Kaneki and resting her hand on his shoulder.
“Come on.”, she said to him calmly, “We gotta find a place to stay tonight.”
The wind howled. Thunder cracked through the sky. The rain poured harder with every passing second, soaking through their clothes and weighing down each step as Kaneki and Skae trudged through the sleeping city.
They hadn't spoken in hours.
Nobody would take them in.
Knocking door after door, pleading with strangers — all they earned were fearful stares and doors slammed shut in their faces. The longer they walked, the clearer it became — they didn't look like children anymore. The dirt, the blood, the hollow look in their eyes...
They looked like monsters.
Kaneki’s head hung low, eyes fixed on the glistening pavement. His body shivered beneath the cold — or maybe beneath something deeper. When he glanced at Skae beside him, the twisting feeling in his stomach only worsened.
Her brown hair clung to her soaked face. Mud splattered across her knees. There was something painfully wrong about seeing her like this — someone like her — dragged down to his level.
He couldn’t take it anymore.
“I’m sorry,” he muttered, barely audible over the storm. “I dragged you into this.”
Skae didn’t look at him.
“It’s not your fault.” Her voice was firm — but empty.
Kaneki’s nails dug into his palms. That answer wasn’t good enough.
“If you’d just... stayed out of it... you’d still be at the orphanage.” His voice trembled, fighting through the lump in his throat. “You had your own problems to deal with. Why... why did you even care about us?”
At that, Skae finally stopped walking.
Kaneki froze. His heart clenched as he realised he’d touched a nerve — but the words were already out.
Skae turned her head slightly, just enough to glance at him through strands of wet hair. Her eyes glimmered with something between annoyance and exhaustion.
“You really think I was just... curious?” she asked, voice low.
Kaneki flinched, but she didn’t let him answer.
“People like Tray — I’ve seen them before.” Her gaze drifted to the cracked pavement, as if staring into something far away. “Where I grew up... people... would use you. Once you have served your purpose...”, Skae’s expression tensed slightly, “...or when people realise you have no purpose, they cast you aside.”
Kaneki’s breath caught in his throat.
Skae’s face was hard, but the slight quiver in her voice betrayed her.
“The second I saw him... I knew exactly what he was. I could feel it from a mile away.” Her fingers curled at her sides, knuckles turning white. “I watched him circle you — the way he talked, the way he acted like your best friend — like he owned you.”
She shut her eyes tight.
“But I couldn't prove anything... so I told myself I was being paranoid. I kept watching. Waiting.” Her voice dropped lower, almost to a whisper. “I waited too long.”
Kaneki’s chest tightened.
His mind flashed back to the hallway — Skae screaming through Tray’s door — warning him. He never even listened.
If she had been quicker...
If he had been stronger...
Would any of this have happened?
Skae’s nails dug into her palms so hard they threatened to break skin.
“Hannah’s dead because I was too scared to trust my own instincts.” Her voice cracked beneath the weight of those words. “I could have stopped it. I could have stopped everything.”
Her breath trembled in the cold air.
Kaneki stared at her — eyes wide, heart pounding — because the words she spoke sounded like something torn straight from his own mind.
It’s my fault.
I could’ve stopped it.
His mind flashed to the moment Tray stabbed Hannah.
If I was stronger... if I was faster... if I wasn’t so weak—
The storm swallowed his thoughts whole.
Neither of them said another word.
The guilt hung between them — heavy and suffocating — as they trudged back into the rain.
But a voice called out to them.
“Hello?”, the voice echoed from a distance.
The two turned their head in a flash to see a man waving at them from a window. He was dressed in a smart suit and his hair was combed perfectly, slicked back.
“Are you kids lost? Do you need help?” he continued, raising his voice.
The eyes of Kaneki and Skae flashed with hope as they looked at each other with intrigue.
“We need somewhere to stay, just until the storm subsides.” Skae called back.
The man stopped for a moment and turned his head to a person who was standing away from the frame of the window.
“Okay, if you can make your way here, we’d be happy to help you two.”, the man offered with a smile.
“Okay we are coming.”, Skae called back, before the man closed the window.
Kaneki began to make his way to the building, but Skae laid a firm hand on his shoulder. He looked back to see Skae’s fierce eyes.
“We are only going to go there because we need shelter, we have no other choice.”, she began with a commanding tone, “We don’t trust them, so as soon as the storm calms down, we leave. Got it?”
Kaneki analysed her face for a moment before nodding with certainty and the two made their way to the building.
Upon reaching the entrance, the two were taken back by the abundance of flashing red lights that were circled around the words ‘Variety Hotel’. While the name of the building was flashy, the building itself was not any special. Made of stone and covered in moss in some corners, a sign of negligence hung over the building in contrary to the blinding lights at the entrance.
Nevertheless, the two walked up to the front door, a polished wood door with a brass knocker. Kaneki reached up to the knocker but just before he placed his hand on it, the door swung open, and man was standing there to greet the two.
“Welcome to the variety hotel!”, he boomed with a wide smile.
The two jumped back in fear, the tranquil walk to the hotel followed by the loud greeting overwhelmed them in seconds.
“Come in, come in. You can stay here until the storm subsides, free of charge”
He looked the two of them up and down.
“It doesn’t seem like you have any money anyways.”
Skae tensed up and she clenched her fist. This man. Why is he so cheerful? Why is he so happy to help? Her mind briefly wandered back to her past before Kaneki took her hand and looked at her.
“Come on Skae, we need somewhere to stay.” he said in a tired voice.
She looked at him with worry but closed her eyes for a moment and followed the man inside the building.
Inside, the air was thick.
The floorboards groaned beneath their steps. The wooden walls were lined with faded floral wallpaper, peeling at the edges. Every few steps, Skae's sharp eyes caught them — deep scratches carved into the wood. Like something had tried to claw its way out.
Still... the man kept smiling.
“So,” he chirped, “shall I fetch you something to eat? Perhaps a drink?”
Skae's head snapped toward him.
"No. We just want our rooms."
The man's smile flickered — just for half a second — before it stitched itself back onto his face.
"Nonsense. You're my guests. I insist."
Skae’s breath caught in her throat. She was already shaking her head — already backing away.
“No—”
"I said I insist."
Something snapped inside her.
"I said no!"
Her scream echoed through the hallway.
Kaneki’s heart jumped.
The man's smile vanished completely.
For a second, nobody moved. Then the man crouched low — bending down to Skae’s eye level.
"You must be scared," he cooed. "I understand. But you don't have to be—"
“Shut up!”
Skae shoved him back.
Her voice was shaking — but her eyes were burning.
"Why are there scratch marks on the walls?" she hissed. "Why are there chains behind you?"
Kaneki’s stomach dropped.
He followed her gaze.
There — half-hidden behind the man’s legs — was a length of chain bolted to the wall. Blood still crusted along the metal. Several sets of handcuffs dangled beside it, stained brown.
Kaneki's breath caught in his throat.
The man stood up and stopped for a second before sighing.
“I really wish you two had made this simple.”
The door behind them opened.
Heavy footsteps.
A second man stepped out — twice the size of the first — dressed in black with a fabric mask wrapped around his face. His knuckles were wrapped in bandages, cracked and stained.
Skae turned to run.
The suited man grabbed her by the wrist.
She barely had time to scream before his fist cracked across her face.
Kaneki's heart stopped.
“SKAE!”
He spun, fists clenching, but the bulkier man was already moving — faster than anyone that size should have been.
Kaneki swung.
His fist landed square in the man's chest—
Nothing.
Like punching a brick wall.
The man's fist came down — a hammer against Kaneki’s skull.
Everything went black.
A couple hours later, Skae woke up in a daze. The two men were standing in front of her talking. She looked around. This was a different room than before, a bedroom. She wanted to investigate but her arms were locked in place. She looked back to see her arms cuffed to a bed frame. A slow shock settled in, realising she was lying in bed, trapped and alone with the two men. Her heart began to race but she fought the urge to scream. She stayed quiet and listened to the men.
“This isn’t really our type of business.”, said the bulky man.
“I know, but we need to sell something.”, the man in suit replied, “She’s young for sure, but she’s cute. Some sick bastard might pay a good sum. She’s got green eyes, that could provide some value.”
“Alright... if you say so.” the bulky man said unknowingly, “So, what do we do with the boy?”
“Put him on the other market, he looks healthy.”, the man in suit said casually.
Skae froze, her breath was shallow. ‘Value? Sum? Market? W-what... is this?’
The man in the suit looked back at Skae, flinching slightly.
“L-look, she’s awake, how did she get up so quickly?”
The man walked up to her.
Skae let out a scream of horror.
The scream awoke Kaneki. Startled, he jumped up and looked around. Boxes, boxes everywhere. A storage room? Skae screamed again. Kaneki’s blood went cold. The screams were coming from the room beside him.
‘Skae!’ he thought to himself, in shock.
He turned his head to the door but to his horror, it was metal door with no handle.
Skae screamed again.
“Kaneki! Save me please!”
Sounds of rustling and struggling came from the room.
Kaneki’s mind flashed back, to the death of Hannah, the death of his father. He wouldn’t be weak, not this time.
He ran to door, punching it, kicking it, over and over. The screams of Skae made him strike the door harder and harder. He broke the skin of his knuckles. The pain was excruciating but he continued relentlessly, screaming and leaving blood on the door after every strike. But the door didn’t even dent. His punches were futile.
“Kaneki! Please!”
Skae’s screams made him continue, but it was pointless. Was he really too weak, once again?
Tray’s eyes, a mockery kindness, flashed in his eyes
No.
This won’t end like before.
He recalled the moments. The moments he fought. The surge of energy when he faced Jiro. The raw power when he fought Tray. It was there. It was always there. Inside him. Making its way to the surface. Waiting, calling for him. Kaneki’s eyes flashed a white as he charged his fist back. Black particles swirled around his fists, healing all the injuries instantly, an aura of darkness surrounded his body.
Letting out a scream, Kaneki threw a punch that ripped right through the metal door followed by a kick that blew the door off its hinges.
The massive crash of the door alerted the men.
“What the hell was that?”, asked the bulky man as he left the room.
Skae watched him leave. ‘Kaneki?’
Kaneki walked into the hall, eyes glowing white and dark particles slowly circling him, power coursing all through his body.
The bulky man walked into the hallway and noticed Kaneki’s state. He looked at the crushed metal door behind the boy in pure disbelief.
“What the-”
Before the man could finish, Kaneki closed the distance between him and the man and sent a punch that ripped right through his chest like wet paper.
“Monster.”, Kaneki said quietly to the man before slowly taking his fist out of his body and letting him slump to floor.
Kaneki felt... nothing.
Blood was scattered everywhere and seeped through the space under the door of the room that Skae was in.
The suited man stepped out to see the man with a bloody hole in his chest and blood scattered across the walls. He looked at Kaneki in horror, particles still surrounding the boy and his white eyes glowing with rage.
“What... are you?” he said, accepting that this was his final moments.
Kaneki didn’t say a word and slowly walked towards the man. The man’s legs shook in terror as he watched impending doom approach, a devil disguised as a boy. Kaneki threw a kick at the man’s left leg, shattering it instantly, watching as he fell in agony. With cold eyes, Kaneki grabbed the man’s head and slammed it into his knee, cracking his skull and killing him instantly.
Kaneki’s eyes returned to normal and the aura dissipated. He took a long, unfeeling look at what he had done before walking into the room to save Skae. He opened the door to see Skae crying, cuffed to the bed, bruises on her face and her legs. Kaneki didn’t say a word and used the last moments of his power to break the handcuffs.
“You’re safe now.” Kaneki said quietly.
Skae sniffled and wrapped her arms around him, crying.
“Thank you.” she said softly.
Kaneki didn’t return the hug. He just remained still, recognising what he had done, what he had become. But the power he had, it felt... good.
Skae moved back and stood up off the bed, looking at the state of the two men who had kidnapped her. She slowly looked at Kaneki.
“You... did this?”
Kaneki nodded slowly.
“You have powers?”
“Looks like it.”, he replied, softly.
Skae looked back at the corpses in shock of this revelation.
‘But how does he have powers?’
Her mind recalled, the dark particles she saw.
She looked back at Kaneki.
‘Unless..’
Kaneki’s mind echoed Hannah’s last words.
“The world has done you wrong...”
“promise me you won’t let it consume you…”
He looked down to see the blood dripping from his hands.
‘Sorry Hannah...’
‘I can’t keep your promise’
Is Kaneki still a hero after his actions?
