At last we are nearing the finish line. Commence Chapter 9, our final chapter!

XxXxXxX

Regret.

Regret is a strong emotion, isn't it? Your convictions are so fierce, your conviction so strong, but once the hand is dealt and you accept your cards you realize what a fool you were. How did you let yourself stray? How had you previously convinced yourself what a grand idea this was?

In my head, I feel regret. I regret this entire plan of escape to the point I want to throw up and curl into a ball and die.

I feel regret, but what I feel more is fear. Amon is bleeding on the ground and everything has gone horribly horribly wrong. The single gunshot that pierced Amon initiated an attack of such magnitude I can feel the walls shaking. The ghouls have erupted from their cells and are now attacking, killing, feeding. The human inmates are safe behind their bars (for now), but the guards...

It doesn't matter, not now. I race to Amon's fallen body. The kagune sprouting out of my back violently lash out and knock down guards and inmates alike, and I let them fall like dominoes.

I pick up Amon, doing my best to shield his body with my smaller one. One of the ghouls hisses at me, saliva dripping down his chin. I recognize him. He is Danzo Gershille, the large ghoul that got in a fight with Amon in the cafeteria. He wants Amon. He wants to eat Amon...

Are you going to let him eat your perfect meal, Kaneki-kun?

I laugh, the sound foreign to my ears. I wish I could stay, and make this ghoul realize threatening Amon is the biggest mistake anyone could make. I want to strangle him with his own intestines, cut off his toes and stick them in every hole in his body. Maybe I could create some new holes, and put them in there as well.

Kaneki-kun, my sweet, focus.

I laugh again. Ah, that's right. Danzo.

With one swift motion I use my kagune and break his neck.

Still carrying Amon's body I run. I break out of the cell room and into the hallway that leads to the courtyard. Alarms are blaring and emergency exits are being electronically secured.

But I'm faster than them, right now I'm faster than everything. I break through to the outside and into the courtyard, and I race out of there as well. Soon we're off Quinx Penitentiary property altogether.

My running takes us into a forest, where the tall trees and greenery give us camouflage.

"Amon? Amon, are you awake? Wake up please, please." I set him down against a rock. The blood has soaked through the back of his shirt, and my hands are covered in thick red.

I want to eat it, I'm desperate for food, but somehow my mentality is strong enough to withhold.

I take off his uniform, strip off the cleanest piece, and use it as a bandage. I tie it tight, hoping it's tight enough to constrict blood flow.

He's still unconscious. I check his pulse, and almost moan in relief when I feel the faint thump under my fingers. I pet his cheek, his strong jaw, his chin. Everywhere I touch leaves a trail of blood.

You want to lick it, don't you Kaneki-kun?

I can feel my body shaking (I'm so hungry), but with strained muscles I pick him up. I need to find a road, somewhere that will take me back to Anteiku cafe.

Anteiku café…the mere thought brings me chills.

For hours we travel. Amon hasn't regained consciousness, but frequently (too frequently) I check his pulse and make sure he's still alive. The sun has drifted down to the horizon of the trees by the time we arrive, at last, to Anteiku café. The place I hold so many memories. The place I used to call my home. The place Hide's captor demanded I arrive.

Hide…

Walking into Anteiku café for the first time in a long time feels like an out-of-body experience. The café looks exactly how it was when I left, the brown walls, clean tables, homely atmosphere. I fear that my mere presence taints this beautiful place.

People I love and cherish seem to spot me quickly. With blurred vision I see them hurry toward me. They notice the large body in my arms, the blood spatters covering every inch of our bodies. Among these people I see one person, bright, fiery orange hair, and kind eyes drenched in worry.

Hide…I'm so glad you're okay.

I fall to my knees. This body can endure no more. Hide is alright, I have brought Amon to safety. My job is done. I can finally rest.

I feel myself falling, and I allow myself to hit rock bottom. At last I am done.

XxXxXxX

Amon's POV

When I wake up it seems like I've slept a lifetime. It feels like life has passed me by and I'm only just now deciding to join in again. What happened? I don't remember anything. I don't open my eyes but I know I'm somewhere foreign. Where am I?

A soft hand is stroking my hair, and I hope it never stops. I want to lean into it but I know I don't have the strength. This hand is so memorable, who is it…who…who…

Kaneki.

Kaneki. The ghoul I have absolutely, unequivocally fallen in love with.

I slowly open my eyes, and the first thing I see upon awakening is soft brown eyes and stark white hair. He is smiling at me, his eyes look tired. Too tired. He looks like he's been crying. Why were you crying for me Kaneki? There's no need.

"A-Amon…" he whispers. That one word is filled with so much emotion. I want to reach out to him, touch him, but I feel weak.

"Hey Neki," I say, my voice hoarse from lack of use. I try to smile but my face doesn't feel like it's woken up yet. I hope it worked. He holds my hand, and I squeeze his lightly. "What happened?"

"You were shot. I'm so sorry, it was my fault. I don't know how I could have forgotten—"

"Hey, none of that. I'm fine." I squeeze the hand tighter. "Everything's fine."

He inhales, takes a deep breath. He looks so tired. I remember escaping from Quinx Penitentiary now. I remember stabbing pain, then falling. Kaneki must have carried me to this place.

God...I can't imagine what he went through. I don't think I want to know.

I don't want to focus on that, I can't focus on that. Instead I assess my body, taking note of injuries. The more I awaken the more I notice the progressive throbbing in my back. "I was shot...i-in my back," I say, voice unsteady. I can feel sweat drip down my forehead, and I'm nervous, scared. I…I hope it wasn't my spine.

Kaneki seems to have read my mind. He takes a towel from the bedside table and lightly dabs my forehead. "When Yomo-san first saw you…he didn't think you would make it. We thought it went through the spine, and that you'd be paralyzed, or d-dead." He takes a deep breath. Once again, I so thoroughly realize how strong Kaneki is. While I've been unconscious (I don't even know how long), he has been here, likely by my side, worrying about me. Kaneki…has been through enough. He has been through more than fucking enough.

Suddenly he squeezes my hand tight, tighter than ever before, and I immediately look up to see his face. He's smiling. He's, he's…smiling. It's so big and bright.

He's looking at me with the happiest eyes. "But it didn't hit the spine Amon. It's healing fine now, and you'll be able to walk in a few weeks. Yomo-san wants to keep you here longer though, just to keep an eye on you."

He's so happy, so fucking happy and I love it. I smile back, and I'm glad I'm healing well more because Kaneki's happy than my own well-being.

In the back of my mind I feel like there's something I'm missing. When Kaneki and I escaped from Quinx Penitentiary there was something we were doing. There was a reason. But I can't remember, and Kaneki is so fucking happy right now. Whatever it was, I assume everything's okay.

I'm also oddly curious where exactly my bullet wound is. As an investigator I fought ghouls. I've never been shot by a regular gun before.

I ask, "Where in my back was I shot?". I weakly lift my hand and try to feel around my back where it is.

"Latissimus dorsi." Kaneki immediately takes my hand before I can reach the entry wound. He keeps it in both his small hands. "Don't touch it, it's bandaged."

But I'm still stuck on what he said initially. Uh…Latis dor what?

"What?"

He asks, "What?"

I'm speechless. I gather my thoughts. "Where did you say I got shot?"

"Latissimus dorsi." By my facial expression he can clearly tell I need more explanation. He turns around and points to the middle of his own back. "The latissimus dorsi is one of the largest muscles in the back. It's responsible for extension, flexion, and adduction. It also plays a synergistic role with the lumbar spine. If you'd like I can—"

"Kiss me Neki."

He stops talking, and he turns around to face me. He eyes me carefully.

Then he takes a step forward and grins. "I thought you'd never ask."

He bends down, our lips meet, and never in my years have I felt so alive.

XxXxXxX

Kaneki is laying on the bed with me, lying across my non-injured side. I hold his hand in mine, and I lightly pet my thumb along his small knuckles. I have been here a week now, and Kaneki has been by my side just as long. Our relationship has grown stronger, and I have fallen for him harder than I thought I could ever fall for someone in my life. Each day more kisses are shared, and I don't think I'll ever get enough.

Content, I look around at my surroundings. The room is inviting and comfortable. I am not in a hospital, like I initially thought despite the dark beige walls, but Anteiku café. Anteiku café, the place the "kidnapper" in the note demanded Kaneki go to.

The "kidnapper" who was also the kidnappee.

My fingers are idly playing with Kaneki's thumb and forefinger when speak of the devil Hideyoshi enters the room. At the CCG I had known he was intelligent, sharp. I just didn't realize he was this diabolical.

"Hideyoshi, explain to me again why you faked your own kidnapping?"

He's walking into the room with bags of food. He sets them on the table, chuckling sheepishly. "I wanted Kaneki out of jail. Simple as that." The first time he explained it, I had apparently been unconscious. Kaneki updated me though, and then yesterday it became a heated debate again. Kaneki was angry, angrier than I'd ever seen him in my life. Hide, you lied to me! When I arrived at Anteiku I thought you were dead. Both you and Amon…you were both…both…

Kaneki had been carrying my unconscious body, thinking I too was dying. It had to have hurt so bad, he must have gone through so much.

But…I understand Hideyoshi's side as well. His best friend has been through enough. I'd never known this, but Kaneki was rotting in Quinx Penitentiary under the false charge of murder, of a human girl that committed suicide. Kaneki had been in prison for months, knowing he'd probably be there for decades. All because a girl decided to take her life that day.

Hideyoshi was selfish for Kaneki's sake, all because Kaneki is the epitome of selfless. Every inch of his body is at the whim of someone else; if they need something, he will gladly give it. That's the kind of person he is.

I move back to the present. Kaneki and Hide are currently bantering lightly, much of the recent past already forgive and forget. My hand is still running along Kaneki's small knuckles. Kaneki is selfless, but I vow to allow that no longer. Kaneki can be selfless, but I will be equally selfless. More selfless. The most selfless person in the world. I will give every piece of my soul and heart and life to Kaneki, and I will do it every moment of every day for the rest of my days.

"Hideyoshi."

I interrupt whatever they were talking about. They stop conversing and look at me.

"I would like to speak with Kaneki alone."

Hideyoshi looks curious, but after a moment he grins and walks off. "No problem. I'll be back in twenty though, so don't take too long." He waves and shuts the door behind him.

Kaneki resituates on the bed to get a better view of me. I wonder what my expression looks like right now. I wonder how he sees me.

"Neki, I…when I first met you I despised you. You were a creature I didn't understand and couldn't relate with. You wanted change, yet you were a ghoul." I take a deep breath. "But now…" I overlap my fingers with his, and I stare into his brown eyes. "You mean the world to me, and I never want to go a day without you. Kaneki…I don't even care if you're a fucking ghoul. I love you."

The last word leaves my lips and suddenly Kaneki is kissing me. My mouth, my cheeks, my neck, everywhere. I'm being showered with the scent and presence of Kaneki, the most beautiful ghoul in the universe.

"I love you Amon you mean so much to me I don't know what I would've done if you'd been hurt please never die."

I chuckle, so fucking happy I feel like I'm fluttering on a cloud. He scatters kisses all over me, and I gently angle his lips to press against mine. I carefully resituate his body until he's sitting on top of me, and my fingers nudge beneath his shirt. The thin skin of his abdomen feels soft, warm. I stroke it, and ecstasy runs through me when Kaneki arches his back.

I'm aroused, my bulge is so big it's rubbing against Kaneki's thigh. As he arches his back I take his neck into my mouth, nibbling and sucking.

His moan is heaven, and I'm utterly intoxicated by him.

"W-Wait Amon…"

My brain screeches to a halt. I think about how we're situated in the bed. Kaneki has been abused, tortured, raped. Yet I'm touching him like this? Like a fucking pervert?

I'm about to scream and fling myself out of the bed when Kaneki pushes both my shoulders down against the bed, holding me there. "I'm fine, i-it's not that. It's not that. It's…something else."

I try to tell my body to calm down. I want to be the perfect person, the perfect lover for Kaneki. But my mind is racing with potential problems, a thousand different angles that this could all fall down like a house of cards. All because of me.

My heart is beating fast. The collar of his shirt is disheveled and a hickey is appearing on his neck. My body is tempted but I refrain. The desire to listen to Kaneki's words keeps me in my place.

"Yes?"

"I-It's about…me…being a ghoul." He's sitting on my lap, and he fiddles with my shirt sleeve. He cracks a knuckle. I wait. My palms are sweaty. I'm nervous.

A few minutes pass before he speaks. "I will tell you something, but…please be prepared. It's not something you will expect."

I'm confused and more curious than ever. His expression looks almost scared. Please don't be scared to tell me something.

"I want to know your story Kaneki." He looks up, seemingly grateful for my intrusion. "But, I don't want it to come at a price. I will never pressure you into telling me about your past or your secrets. I want to know, but what I want more than anything is for you to feel whole."

That seems to ignite a fire in him and I'm so fucking happy when he leans over and kisses me. He then backs up a few inches, still fiddling with my sleeve. He licks his lips. "I-I only have one kakugan, and…there's a reason for that. I…" He pauses. "I was once human."

I stare. I stare. I stare as I'm thrown into a state of utter bewilderment and shock. I want to know all of his secrets, but…is this secret even possible? It takes several seconds for my mouth to work. "Wh…What?"

Kaneki swallows nervously, and then he begins his story. With each word I sink deeper and deeper. With each word I sink deeper and deeper. This story is the kind of story that appears in nightmares, a story that's too horrific to be true. I am sad for Kaneki, but I am also so fucking angry for him. How horrible, inhumane, evil…

Kaneki completes his story, and in this instance it would be completely appropriate for him to be crying. But he's not. His cheeks are dry and his eyes are sad.

My voice is shaky and my heart hurts. "So he…s-so some doctor…t-turned you…into a ghoul?"

He nodded. "Before I was captured and imprisoned, I'd been trying to find the doctor who performed the surgery on me. Kanou." He shook his head futilely, and I understood its meaning.

I'm anguished for him, and in a way so fucking sorry for him. That fateful night was likely the beginning of all the tragedy he endured. He was turned into a ghoul, his body morphed with part of the Binge-Eater ghoul. Rize. He isolated himself from his best friend Hide out of fear. He was raped, tortured. His hair turned white from the stress. His entire world was flipped upside down and it all began with that stupid fucking doctor.

I honestly want to find that doctor. I want to find him and capture him and crush him.

I look into Kaneki's eyes. My gaze is fuzzy. "Thank you for sharing your story Neki." I'm surprised I have the strength to speak. My brain is so addled, I'm still so angry.

He smiles lightly. "You handled it better than I thought you would." A finger traces lightly along my jaw, and I know he can feel the tightness of the muscle. He massages it until I finally relax it, releasing tension.

I shudder. "W-Why…" I shake my head. "Why did it have to be you?"

His eyes are glazed, and I look into them with equally glazed vision. A tear fell and I quickly wiped it off my cheek. "I h-hate that this happened to you, but…" I finally smile. I smile, because his past is tragic, but I can make his future so much better.

I take his palm and kiss it. "I already admitted to loving the ghoul part of you. I have no problem loving the human part as well."

He smiles in response, and it's bright enough for me to forget any guilt or sadness I had felt previously. "Now that that has been said…" he purrs idly. "Where were we?" I cock my head to the side. He pulls his shirt collar to the side, revealing smooth, creamy skin. "I think you were in the process of giving me hickeys..."

My cheeks blaze red and my dick hardens to thrice its size. My moment of mourning is gone, because I am suddenly very, very aroused.

"I would love to continue where I left off," I say. I lick my lips then dive into the nape of Kaneki's neck. Just as he moans the door to the room slams open.

"Guysss, I'm back! And I brought more food—omg what are y'all doing you realize this is still a public place right jeez show some decency!"

My cheeks are redder than ever before and Kaneki is giggling. An angelic noise really. If I wasn't so embarrassed I would have my attention solely on his laugh.

As it stands though…

I grab the nearest pillow and fling it at Hide. "Hideyoshi get out of here we're clearly busy!"

I smack him in the face and he wails in annoyance and pain. "Owww, how mean!" I throw another pillow and tag him in the leg. He limps out, "Fine, god. You're such a bully. You owe me!"

Even after Hideyoshi leaves Kaneki is laughing and wiping tears from his eyes. "Amon…" He bends forward, similar to how he had before we were interrupted. "You are beautiful." Before I can respond (he is a thousand times more beautiful than I'll ever be) he takes his lips into mine, and I moan unexpectedly at how hot his mouth feels. His body is a cavern of heat, and it invites me in.

When I first joined the CCG so long ago, I would have never guessed this is where my life would lead. When I first became cellmates with Kaneki, I thought I would continue my loathing toward him, my hatred. But instead…

Instead I am kissing a ghoul, in love with a ghoul. In the blink of an eye my entire world revolves around this ghoul. I want to take all of his pain off his shoulders and place them onto mine. I want to make him happy. Happier than he's ever been in his life. For the rest of his life.

My passion and desire for him burns. The hard-on between my legs is relentless, but I don't act on it. I won't act on it…until Kaneki's ready.

I pull him in for another passionate kiss, our tongues colliding and meshing. His taste is heaven, and I'm desperate for more, more. We pull away only when the need to breathe is screaming at us to stop. "A-Amon…" he moans. His hair is disheveled. His lips are red and kiss-swollen.

I am spellbound and utterly defenseless against his beauty.

"Would you like to continue?" He has a choice to say no, he will always have a choice to say no.

"Yes."

Our lips meet again and suddenly two becomes one. I am Amon Koutarou, former ghoul investigator of the CCG. I am Amon Koutarou, desperately in love with a ghoul.

I am Amon Koutarou and I am, for the first time in my life, whole.

XxXxXxX

And there we have it! Officially complete. I'm incredibly thankful to everyone that followed this through to the end. All of your support has been incredible.^_^

Hope everyone enjoyed! Until next time!