I don't own Tokyo Ghoul.

Prologue

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A child was born on 2nd January.

A healthy baby girl.

Kisaragi Ryou frowned slightly as he took his newborn daughter into his arms.

A son would have been better.

Ryou was a ghoul investigator, and he needed a strong successor and heir. But looking at his wife, Honoka, he thought that maybe with the right training, even his child being a female could become a fine ghoul investigator. After all, this was his child who carried the blood of the Kisaragi family within her, and no Kisaragi would choose any other path than to become an investigator as a career. It was their duty. There would be no exception.

Her mother would surely help support the decision as they were both dedicated to their shared goal—the eradication of the beasts that had infiltrated their society; the ones that wore the disguise of humans: ghouls. And that was how they had met: through their profession as both of them worked for CCG. It hadn't quite been love at first sight, but the fact that they understood each other's loss was enough for them to be together.

They both shared the same grief of having lost loved ones to ghouls, and they both shared the same burning hatred towards them. It wasn't hard for them to make the decision of settling together and then having a strong enough relationship for them to marry.

Honoka wasn't a ghoul investigator though. She never did manage to qualify for it as she was deemed unsuitable for that type of work. She just wasn't strong enough; ghouls would have eaten her in very little time if she were to be in combat with them. So the only other option she could have taken was to become a bureau investigator, allowing her to still contribute—no matter how small—on getting rid of those monsters.

And now, they had a new addition to the family—a daughter who would follow her parents' footsteps. A son would have been ideal, but he supposed, it would be all right. She would most likely be raised up as a boy.

After all, a Kisaragi could not be weak.

I hate being left alone.

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"Mama? Papa? Where are you going?" a young child asked softly, stepping out into the hallway.

It was during the middle of the night.

"We've been called in for work," her father answered.

At the time, she only knew that their job had something to do with killing some monsters known as 'ghouls', but she hadn't paid much attention to it other than the constant absence of her parents in her life and that continuous, crushing feeling of being isolated in an empty house all by herself whenever they left for work. She hardly ever saw them on some days, and it was always for her to come home to see a meal wrapped up in cling film and a note besides it.

She could hardly blame them for being almost obsessed with their work because she knew they had lost important people to ghouls after all. But sometimes, they spent so much time doing their work and so little time with her, that she couldn't help but think: what was the point of even having a child if they were just going to neglect them?

She had once told them that she wanted them to stay at home for a day—for her. Just for once. And her parents had looked at her sternly and said:

"One day, you'll be continuing this line of work too. You'll be responsible for clearing out those beasts that have infected out society, and you must understand that it's important for us to have to do our work for that to happen. This is for everyone's future. You're a big girl now. Learn to be mature and responsible."

She was six at the time.

If… there was one thing in this world that you could have within your grasp,

What would it be?

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I think I would want…

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"Are you nervous?"

A curious look directed towards her parent.

"About what?"

"Going to school today. After all, it's going to be your first day in this new school."

Then an expression showing the loss of interest.

"Not really," she answered offhandedly.

Dismissing the subject, the child pushed back her chair and made way to grab onto her school bag, slowly walking out the front door towards the car. Her mother's eyes followed her movements before the adult sighed and took steps to lock the front door and strode towards the car also.

On the way to her new school, the girl faced the window closest to her left as the scenery passed by. Recently, her parents had moved to the twentieth ward for reasons like the Branch Office being stationed there and how it would be more convenient for her mum, who worked there, as it would be closer. The reasons were always related to their job.

Not that she cared.

She had been in her previous elementary school for a year or so, and she hadn't made a single friend or even tried to make any bonds.

(To them, she was an abnormality, a freak, an outsider who observed from a distance—someone who was a natural loner.)

(Being a freak was a death sentence in the Kingdom of Children for children could be cruel if they wanted to.)

Day after day, it was waking up to go to school then walking home, only to be trained (that was if her parents were even home to train her), eat dinner, train some more, followed by going to bed. And the next day would just be a repeat of the previous one.

(Really, she didn't—couldn't bring herself to care anymore.)

"Go Kimiko! Hurry to the goal and score!"

Kimiko. That was her name. Its meaning was 'child without equal'. Her parents had given her that name in the hopes that she would surpass all of her previous predecessors. Her father's side of the family were all ghoul investigators. Whether they were male or female, all of them, without exception, became ghoul investigators. That was their line of profession.

(Everything was decided for them at birth.)

Along with the training her parents had put her through, she excelled in most physical activities. She had even beat—some literally with violence and some not—the boys in her class during the physical education lessons. She was faster, stronger and more agile on her feet with reflexes that were superior to most children her age. They were all things she could perform like an instinct.

But it was to be expected, her father would always say. She did carry the blood of her father's family—the Kisaragi family. Everyone there had superior abilities in terms of their physique. There was a rumour that their predecessors had fed on the flesh and blood of countless ghouls to gain the strength that they had today.

(And wouldn't that just be ironic?)

Her strength and improvements in combat were increasing, day by day, and they had placed a high amount of expectation on her.

A 'child without equal' indeed…

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Do you know how lonely that is?

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Perhaps that was why she had gotten into fights so much. She wanted to prove her parents wrong – someone wrong. She didn't want to be the one with the expectations of succeeding the Kisaragi family and their duties. She didn't want to be the abnormally strong child – freak – who would only continue to grow stronger and eventually become a ghoul investigator. She didn't want someone to have her whole life dictated.

That's why she rebelled. She refused. She disobeyed. It got to the point that she was almost always arguing with them.

(She would not let them decide her future.)

But no one her age was ever able to better her—no human that was. She wasn't allowed out late, and she wasn't quite eager on finding ghouls to fight with even if she had to sneak out in the middle of the night. She admitted that she was arrogant but not to the point she was blinded by it entirely. And thus her days of being trained by her parents continued.

Life became bland.

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Until she met them—people who she forged her first bonds with.

"Koraaa!" she screamed, running up to a group of boys crowding around a much smaller one who had their book clutched tightly to their chest. She had seen them pushing and shoving the poor boy, and it was obviously a case of bullying.

Keh, what narrow-minded jerks, she thought. This was why she hated associating with kids most of the time.

"Do you like picking on the weak?" she asked, glaring at them. It was ingrained into her by her family that one should never bully those who were less strong and instead should be protected. That was why they served as ghoul investigators. To serve the society and to protect the weak that were preyed on by those 'repulsive ghouls'… even if it meant forsaking their own child.

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It probably wasn't hate but more rather the fear of being alone.

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But those bearing the name of Kisaragi did not fear.

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Weakness was not allowed.

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She fought with the group of bullies and obviously won. But she wasn't left unscathed either—she supposed she'd be getting another lecture from her parents again and sighed at the thought.

Slowly, as to not frighten him, she turned towards the boy.

"Oi, are you all right?"

He flinched as she asked him in a blunt tone.

(She wasn't that scary was she…?)

"Eh, umm, yeah. T-thank you for helping me," he whispered.

He was shorter than her by a good couple of inches with large, grey doe-like eyes and raven-black hair.

She tilted her head.

"Kawaii..." she muttered. He resembled one of those cute animals that she always had an inclination to protect.

"E-eh?"

For some reason after that, they started to stick together. She gave warnings to those who tried to bully him because of reasons being as petty as always seeing him reading books and being a bookwork. Said warnings were usually in the form of… well, violence.

Then, one day, that loud, annoying orange-head transferred to their school, and their small friendship group of two gained an extra person.

She was most definitely not jealous of having to share her… only friend with him.

(Hesitantly, she called the dark haired boy her friend. She wasn't quite sure if he was one. Although… it would be nice if he was, she supposed.)

Well, she didn't hate the noisy, strawberry-blonde haired kid, but he could sometimes be too exuberant for her liking.

(Not to forget to mention, he was a snotty brat. Literally.)

She looked up towards the blue sky, speckled with clouds and spotted a few stray birds circling the free open space. And she smiled.

(She could deal with this.)

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Life wasn't so bland with these guys around.

...

A/N:

Another re-upload from my old account. Sorry xD There's another chapter after this as well.

I've already got a fresh chapter about 50% typed up though so I should have that out soon...