Note: Sorry for the long wait! (and the short, boring chapter). To be honest with you guys, I was pretty scared to update this. I'm so grateful for all the support, but I'm also terrified to let you all down. ;A; Hopefully you'll all continue to enjoy this. That's really the only thing I'm always hoping for. :)

Sun Seekers

KaneHide

Chapter 3

The winters of Tokyo are as cold as his old home, so Hide and his dad are well-prepared. They head out for the highway at night, dressed inconspicuously in rich, dark layers and a deep red beanie pulled tight over Hide's blond head. His father parks in a nearby lot behind a convenience store and they both head out, scarves pulled up to their noses.

The walk to the forest is a lot longer than either of them would have liked, but he knows they can't afford to take the same route they did before. Establishing a pattern for feeding isn't exactly the wisest thing for ghouls to do.

Honestly, Hide knows his father doesn't like the thought of bringing him here in the first place. He'd prefer to take the food home himself, but Hide helps remind him that doing that would only be more suspicious. The smell would stick, the bag would stand out, and Hide's father isn't the most forgettable man when he's dressed in black and all alone at dark.

Daiki's perpetually scowling face draws wary glances, ones that Hide easily distracts when he holds on to his father's hand and smiles, playing up the innocent little boy he emulates with his pea-green coat and big brown eyes.

The corners of his lips still sting when they're out of sight, still unused to being pulled so deliberately. Hide has yet to perfect his mask and it irks him. He needs it to protect them.

(he needs it to heal them)

Even imperfect, it works, so his father relents and begins to bring him along to feed in private. They finish their meals at the place where they find them, so nothing is taken home. The tiny knapsack they bring is filled only with two large jugs of water and sugary snacks- nothing too unusual to bring on what they could always claim was a simple walk.

They'd always been lucky enough to find a body to share and fill them up for another month- the same kind of luck they'd had at their old home.

This kind of fortune is unusual for their kind, especially ones so deeply ingrained in human society, so both are always wary at how long it would last.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"Stay back."

Hide watches as his father growls at the white-haired stranger before them, blood still smeared across their mouths. The corpse they had been feeding on lies between them, an irrefutable proof of their nature. His heart begins to pound, mind working in overdrive to remember the routes away from the forest because even if the air is filled with nothing but the scent of ghoul, both of them know better than to let down their guard.

The stranger still hasn't revealed his kagune nor even his kakugan, even at the sight and smell of a fresh meal. Hide notes this and calms himself, dividing the calculations in his head from escape routes to explanations... negotiations.

"Stand down," Finally, the man speaks, but it does little to deter his dad, "Don't cause a ruckus."

"Dad, maybe you should listen to him," says Hide.

"Why should I? What reason do we have to trust you?"

"You're new, aren't you?" The man's eyes flicker over them, "You don't know the rules of this ward."

"Are you saying this is your territory?"

"Not exactly," the man admits, "Although this area does belong to someone else."

"Then what are you doing here?" Daiki's question is followed by a charged silence, his body thrumming with tension as the ghoul contemplates them. Hide is content to observe as well, silently deciding that they aren't in real danger.

"To help you. To help your kind," the man finally replies. His father raises an eyebrow and the man sweeps a hand towards the corpse on the ground, "I'm here to collect for ghouls who are unable or unwilling to hunt for themselves. That is the way we operate here."

"That's an interesting set-up you have there. I find it hard to believe with our nature," Daiki replies bitterly.

"There is a reason why you chose to live here, right?" the man says, "This ward is known to be one of the most peaceful. Doves rarely visit this ward because of inactivity from the ghoul population."

"Is it because of you?" Hide asks, wiping away the blood from his mouth. The stranger turns his gaze to him and he continues, "This boss of yours… he must be a really kind person. You're helping him keep this ward safe, aren't you? And here we are, inviting ourselves to dinner without permission. You must have been worried- wondering what kind of guests we were. Sorry about that!" he laughs.

The stranger regards him curiously, almost fondly.

"Clever," he mutters, flashing him a brief smile. Daiki's stance stutters at the momentary show of expression, then regains himself when the man draws his gaze back to him, "Like I said, stand down. I'm only here to negotiate."

"Negotiate?"

"Your son is right. The manager… is kind. I was sent here to see if you would cause trouble for us, but you both appear rational and controlled. Even so, we can't allow you to continue feeding here unsupervised, so I ask that you meet with him to strike a deal."

"That sounds great!" Hide chirps, leaping up to hug his dad around the waist. Daiki falters and Hide takes the chance to look around him and peer into the stranger's eyes, "C'mon dad! I trust him! Maybe this means we'll get to work together in the future!"

His dad wraps an arm around him, still hesitant. Hide looks up, tugs on his jacket to make him lean down, and murmurs softly into his ear.

The stranger watches them, unnerved at the way Hide's eyes seem to freeze over when he whispers, and melt back into a disarming warmth when Daiki leans back up.

"Alright. Lead the way."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Kaneki wakes from a dreamless sleep, comfortable but alone.

There is little sound in the house, save for the constant hum of the air conditioning, and it is simultaneously calming and eerie. The warmth he'd went to bed with has faded from his fingers, and he misses it terribly.

"I need to go home," he decides.

He gently pads out of the room after quickly fixing it up, and stops when he sees a man standing in the kitchen. Dark-haired and broad-shouldered, Kaneki feels his heart fall into the pit of his stomach when he realizes it's not who he'd been hoping to see.

"You're awake."

Judging from the look in the man's eyes, it is clear Kaneki is not someone he'd wanted to see either.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

"You really should have stuck to your books."

Kaneki tears his gaze away from his reflection in the coffee.

"...Huh?" he squeaks.

Daiki snorts, "I recognize you. You're that kid who's always got his nose stuck in a book. No matter where you went, you always had one. I was always surprised when you'd put it down just to talk to someone."

"Well, it would be rude otherwise," Kaneki defends automatically, then pauses, "Wait. Why do you know me?"

"Because I work at your school, dumbass," Daiki bites out, Kaneki flinching back into the couch, "Jesus, stop being so jumpy. I'm not going to eat you, that's disgusting."

"I-I'm sorry," Kaneki stutters. Personally, he thinks it would be easier for him to relax if this man didn't insist on permanently wearing an unpleasant expression in his presence, "Um, where do you work exactly? I don't think I remember seeing you before."

"Let's see. You've only been a freshman for a a few months, right? And yet I've already seen your face enough to point out who you are. I wonder how that could be?" Daiki replies, words dripping in sarcasm.

Cowed, Kaneki furrows his brows in a feeble attempt to show he was legitimately thinking over it.

"Jesus. Don't answer that! It's not important," Daiki snaps, "What's important is that as far as I knew, you used to be a normal human kid. And now, you're not. Also, I'm pretty sure Kamii doesn't accept idiots, though God knows it seems like you want to prove me wrong, so I'm hoping you know exactly what this little transition of yours means."

Kaneki sinks further into the couch, his cheeks flushed brightly with embarrassment. A tiny part of him wishes Hide was here, missing the playful, gentler way he'd brought up the subject.

His thoughts also bring up the way he'd cried himself to sleep in his arms, and he groans.

I can't run away from this forever.

"I… only know a little," Kaneki admits softly. He cradles the cup in his hands, looking back at his reflection in the dark liquid, and remembers the awe he'd felt it still tasted good, "Honestly, I know it's not enough, but I've been too scared to face this that I just couldn't find the time to know how to work with it. It's so stupid, and I could've died… but I didn't," he laughs.

It's amazing, what he's saying. Kaneki doesn't know where this bravery is coming from, but figures he is just so tired of it all. He's spent days crying in denial over his condition, then more in trying to gut himself, but now he's just sick. He's sick of running.

Daiki's face softens, and he sighs.

"It's not..." he starts off, voice softer than before. Kaneki looks up at him timidly and he rolls his eyes, "Stupid. It's expected. You were human, and suddenly, you're not. It's normal to panic so stop beating yourself up over it."

For an adult, the words sound childish and crass. Kaneki ignores it to appreciate the sentiment.

"...Thank you," he smiles.

"Just… shut up and listen, kid."

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

The sugar cubes are not meant to fulfill, only delay. Despite the relaxed atmosphere they have adopted, Daiki keeps up his guard and observes their guest from behind his cup.

So far, Kaneki showed no other signs of severe hunger. For someone who'd just had an entirely new way of life dumped on him, the kid looked oddly calmer than expected.

He wonders what exactly his son had done before.

"Thank you Nagachika-san. I appreciate all the time you took explaining this to me. I'm very grateful to you and your son."

"Don't mention it," Daiki replies offhandedly, "You might be a special case but you're still a ghoul, so you apply for the same rules. We're just here to make sure you follow them."

"Right. That's… nice," Kaneki murmurs, a hand curling around his chin, "Well, I've imposed on you long enough. I'll be on my way then."

"Stay safe." Daiki almost says. He stops the words in his throat, bewildered.

Kaneki takes his silence as dismissal and bows.

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

There are arms squeezing around his chest, and a strawberry head nuzzling under his neck.

"Gotcha! Leaving already?"

Kaneki blushes, placing a hand on Hide's arms to make him let go before letting himself get turned around to face him, "I'm sorry. I wanted to wait for you to come back to thank you, but I didn't want to impose on your family, any longer."

"Oh, don't tell me my dad scared you away? Haha, my classmates always say the same thing. I swear that's just his face!" Hide chuckles. Kaneki is mildly surprised at the revelation, having only been told that the man was a relative, and noting the near lack of similarities between them. The only link he sees immediately are their eyes- both colored in the same shade of golden-brown.

"No, he was actually very helpful. I… didn't know he works at Kamii either," 'Nor that you study there.' Kaneki adds. He knows it's close-minded to judge people on their looks, but Hide really didn't seem like the academic type. It makes him wonder.

'What other secrets do you have?'

"Yeah. He works at Student Affairs, so he probably knows you, but you don't know him. He's always in this little private room of his." Hide replies.

Oh. So that's where Kaneki recognized the name.

"Anyway, I'm glad I caught you! Here-" Hide rummages in his pockets and hands Kaneki a sticky note with an address scribbled on it, "I work afternoon shifts at this cafe every Wednesday and Friday after classes. I'm there on weekends too. You should come visit me tomorrow! I have someone I want you to meet."

"W-who?"

"Just a friend. They've been really curious about you and I promised to introduce you two soon!" Hide chirps.

"I'm not sure if I can-"

"See you there, ok? Bye, Kaneki! Take care!"

"W-Wait! Hide!"

-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-.-

Replies to Anonymous Reviews:

TheSwedishDragon: Thanks! Sorry to keep you waiting. _

Guest 1 (Aug.8) : Thank you! Yeah, poor everyone. :(

Guest 2 (Sep. 17) : Hell yeah! Kaneki is like Ishida's bitch in canon. Who doesn't want to coddle that boy? XD