A few months later…
Life at the orphanage hasn't been bad, aside from the children who avoid me like the plague… I need to find a way to suppress the terror my eyes make people feel.
The longer I go without drinking blood, the worse it gets, even affecting adults.
I started learning Japanese with the caretakers. I'm getting the hang of it, I can already hold small conversations and ask more elaborate questions.
My fourth birt hday was yesterday, February 7th. I started feeling an itch and a sense of discomfort on my back.
The caretakers are paying closer attention to me now, since this is the age when Quirks awaken.
Suddenly, I feel control over something on my back. I activate my Quirk, and the hem of my shirt flies back, revealing a dark mark from which four red, scaly tentacles emerge, glowing faintly in pulses.
I feel an incredible sense of relief when releasing the tentacles, as if I had freed a limb that should always have been part of me.
The caretakers approach with a mix of fear and caution. One of them tries to touch a tentacle with a slightly trembling finger, and it instinctively recoils away from her touch.
"How do you feel, Kaneki-kun?" Asks the orphanage director, while she examines me from head to toe.
"Relieved…" I answer honestly, then retract the tentacles, which disappear into red fragments.
The director takes me to the hospital so we can name and register my Quirk. There, I feel more anxious than usual, clearly noticing the difference in myself when being in a hospital.
I show my Quirk to the doctor, who asks a few questions and makes notes in the registry.
"Interesting… it seems like a mutation-type Quirk, but there are signs of physical enhancement as well… They are organic, parts of you… impressive," he says excitedly as he continues evaluating my Quirk.
"It appears to be a creature-based Quirk, since everything fits together, but no animal or mythical being comes to mind…"
"Maybe an octopus…" The doctor finishes, almost making me let out an incredulous sigh.
My eyes and regeneration were listed as secondary aspects of the mutation Quirk, with the main focus being on the tentacles. I didn't mention anything about bloodlust.
I named my eyes Kakugan, keeping the name to myself. Luckily, there weren't many questions about it; they must have been treated as a negative and uncontrollable aspect of my mutant quirk.
The Kagunes hadn't appeared before purely because of my physical weakness; I've never been healthy enough until now.
Perhaps there are other things different from what I know about Ghouls…
"So, about the name… hmm, how about… Red Tentacles! Or maybe Red Octopus!" I shudder at the terrible name and try to speak up.
"Doctor… could the name be Kagune?"
"Hm… Kagune? It's a good name, sounds exotic. It works," he says. I let out a long sigh of relief.
─── ◆ ───
A few days have passed since the registration, and I've been testing my Kagune. It's very similar to Kaneki's Rinkaku from the anime, but I discovered something really good.
I can also use Koukaku (Kagune on the arms). It's much more durable than the Rinkaku, but it's heavy, and I can only change its shape while forming it. I can use it on both arms, but it's stronger and more resistant when concentrated on just one.
I can't use Ukaku (shoulders) or Bikaku (tail) yet, but I feel that I have them, so I should be able to use them at some point.
When I'm using my Kagune, I feel much faster and stronger, and I'm also very comfortable with it being out.
I even started sleeping wrapped in it, like a butterfly cocoon. I don't have any issues with that, since I stay in a small room just for myself, because the other children were afraid to sleep near me.
My bloodlust has been unbearable. Children get hurt all the time, and an orphanage is full of them.
The smell of blood reaches my nose from a considerable distance. I've had to drink my own blood more often to keep myself under control.
I've been trying to find a way to deal with this, but I can't think of anything that isn't extremely dangerous or stupid, so I have to make do with what I have.
─── ◆ ───
Ken Kaneki – 6 years old
It's been a few months since I turned six. I'm about to enter elementary school, which I need to do properly if I want an easy path toward emancipation.
My Japanese has gotten pretty good over the years. I've been practicing using my Kagune, though I still can't use Ukaku or Bikaku, but I didn't let that discourage me.
Right now, I'm listening to a lecture from the school principal, presenting the rules and welcoming us to elementary school.
At the end of the lecture, we're dismissed to find our respective classrooms. Looking at my enrollment paper and asking a student monitor for directions, I find my classroom, which is already full of students talking among themselves, probably kids who already knew each other before entering the school.
I try to go unnoticed and look for a seat in the corner of the room so I can sit down and melt my brain for the next long nine years of my life.
I take a quick look at my classmates. There's a girl with a glowing eye, a boy who can make his own face disappear, and another kid with ant wings.
Looking at the seat next to mine, I see a girl with long, light-blonde hair talking to other girls. I notice she's clearly forcing a soft, slightly shy smile… curious.
The teacher introduces herself and asks the students to do the same. When it's my turn, I notice that the other students clearly avoid looking at me, maybe treating me like some kind of delinquent… okay, at least that avoids long-term trouble.
I don't bother memorizing my classmates' names. I probably won't be able to talk to any of them without them being terrified by my eyes.
The school day passes quickly. I pack my things and prepare to head back to the orphanage alone, since the principal considers me quite responsible and independent, or maybe it's just negligence, who knows.
Leaving the school after going to the bathroom, I notice most of the students have already left with their parents. I start my walk, which isn't very long, since the orphanage is relatively close to the school.
To relax a bit, I release my Koukaku down to my shirt sleeve, just as a thin Kagune plate. It's useless for combat like this, but it's enough to enhance my senses and make me comfortable.
However, those heightened senses make me detect the smell of blood in the area. Since it's dangerously close to the school, I decide to investigate.
As I get closer, I notice the smell is from animal blood, but I keep going.
It's in a park, more specifically, beside a tree. I see the same blonde girl from my class. Slowly, I approach her.
Stopping beside her, I see her crouched and frozen, staring at a bird's corpse. Noticing my presence, she lifts her head and locks eyes with me. After a few seconds of staring, she starts to panic, her eyes filling with tears.
"I-it w-wasn't me sniff who hurt him!" she says in a trembling voice, tears already starting to fall.
I take a look at the dead bird and can clearly see a scratch mark on its wing. 'It must've been killed by a cat,' I think.
"I believe you."
My words make her eyes widen, and contrary to what I expected, they make her start crying even harder.
"Y-you sniff b-believe me??"
I hand her a tissue as I see her nose start to run.
"Yes, I believe you," I repeat gently.
She blows her nose into the tissue, then looks into my eyes with touching vulnerability.
"Th-thank you."
After that, she smiles, a sincere one this time, showing her teeth, with large, pointed canines. She freezes when she realizes it and quickly covers her mouth with her hand, looking away.
'Is she insecure about her teeth?'
"Hey, look here."
When she turns to look at me, I show her my own teeth, lightly pulling the corner of my mouth with my finger to show a canine similar to hers.
Her eyes, still watery with unshed tears, seem to shine with understanding. She removes her hand from her mouth and shows me her teeth the same way I showed mine. We stare at each other for a few seconds, and she lets out a cute little giggle…
I hope I'm smiling too, at least…
─── ◆ ───
[A/N]:
I don't know if I managed to make this part clear enough, but I felt I should talk about it.
The Kakugan (the black eyes with red pupils from Tokyo Ghoul) are always "active," Kaneki's eyes will always be a different color, but the terror effect he has on people is something that can be controlled.
When I say that the Kakugan is active, I mean that this terror effect is active.
There is a visual change for the Kakugan to be active; the eyes develop small red markings, even extending out of the eyes and painting the skin. The image on the fanfic cover is a good example.