Clinking of cutlery
'…'
Muffled conversations
'…'
My eyes finally begin to open. With blurred vision, I lift my head. I can make out a table and a plate in front of me.
Ahead, I see a few blurry silhouettes that slowly begin to take shape as my eyes adjust.
The sounds grow clearer, and a nostalgic feeling rises in my chest, followed by a sense of déjà vu, as if I've lived through this before.
"Ken? Are you okay? You look a bit tired." A soft, almost melodic voice asks.
'Ah…'
'That voice…'
'It's been... so long...'
"I'm fine, Mom"
"Just a sudden headache… it's already gone."
"Hmm, maybe it's a fever?" she suggests, her warm, concerned gaze showing genuine worry.
Before I can respond, a hand gently rests on my forehead, checking for a fever.
"Are you really okay, Kaneki?" Himiko's voice echoes softly in my ears, a mix of concern and affection.
I take Himiko's hand, removing it from my forehead and interlacing my fingers with hers, speaking in a carefree tone to the two most important women in my two lives.
"Yes, yes, it's already gone."
"Then let's finish eating. If it gets worse again, there's medicine in the kitchen drawer." A firm voice sounds, though still casual. Meeting his gaze, I can see the concern in his slightly furrowed brows.
"Thanks, Dad." A sincere smile appears on my face.
I turn my attention back to my plate, and soon the others do the same. The silence that follows is warm and comfortable, broken only by the sound of cutlery against plates and occasional side conversations.
'It's been a while since I had my mom's cooking… so good, as always.'
After finishing my meal, I get up from the table, take Himiko's plate, she's already done as well, and head to the kitchen to leave them in the sink.
My steps halt shortly after setting the dishes down. Something pounds in my mind.
'Why did my mom call me Ken?... Am I forgetting something?...'
'That's stupid, it's my name… isn't it?...'
I grab the soda bottle from the fridge and take out a glass for myself and one for Himiko.
My father walks into the kitchen, places the dishes in the sink, and also prepares two glasses, one for himself and one for my mother, before starting to wash the dishes.
In the living area, I notice my brother and his girlfriend talking; they've already finished eating.
"Do you guys want soda!?" I shout to them.
My brother turns toward me, asks his girlfriend something, then shouts back:
"Later!" Then he turns back to his conversation.
I nod and move closer to the soda bottle.
Drip...
I feel something warm running from my nose.
Drip...
When I wipe it with the back of my hand, I see it completely stained with bright red blood.
"Uh?"
Blinking, I look again at my hand, now perfectly normal, with nothing dripping from my nose…
That same feeling of forgetting something returns, fading as the sound of running water suddenly stops, my father has finished washing the dishes and now stands beside me, waiting for the glasses.
'Strange…'
My thoughts are interrupted by laughter from my mother and Himiko coming from the living room, making my father and I exchange a warm smile.
I quickly fill the glasses and return to the living room with him.
I hand one to Himiko and sit beside her.
Taking a sip of the ice-cold soda, I turn to her.
"Himi, I think I'm forgetting something… I just can't remember what it is…"
Himiko looks at me thoughtfully, letting out a contemplative "Hmm."
"If you forgot, then it wasn't important." My father jokes, already used to forgetting things here and there.
"Must be." I shrug, going along with his carefree attitude.
Conversations come and go.
The weight on my shoulders from the stressful day slowly fades away. Even the silence between sips of soda is comforting.
The laughter, exaggerated, but genuine, warms my chest.
The feeling is comforting...
I notice Himiko still trying to remember if something is missing or wrong.
The look on her face, thoughtful and slightly confused, is very cute. I have to hold myself back from pinching her cheeks.
With our fingers interlaced, I gently stroke her palm.
"You don't have to think too hard about it, Himi… it's probably nothing."
"Hmm, I think I'm almost remembering… ah! That's it!"
She turns to me with an unusual seriousness.
"Kaneki, wake up!... I need you!…"
Hearing those words, a chill runs through my body.
I feel a strange coldness, and unable to look away from her eyes, I speak with a trembling voice:
"H-Himi? What?"
Before I can react, she grabs my face and speaks again, this time with a more desperate, tearful tone.
"Kaneki!! WAKE UP!!... Please… I need you!!!…"
Tears stream down her face as she speaks, her expression shifting into pure fear and desperation.
"WAKE UP!!"
"WAKE UP!!"
She keeps repeating it. I freeze.
The world around me begins to distort.
My vision blurs.
Himiko keeps repeating the same words, her voice echoing in my ears as everything starts to go dark.
Before everything fades completely, I hear a chorus of soft voices from my family, but somehow, I understand their words perfectly…
"Goodbye… Stay safe..."
"We love you."
"I love you too," I manage to whisper back before the darkness fully envelops me.
The first thing I notice is pain, followed by a sense of vulnerability. I can barely move my body. Everything feels like it's vibrating and burning.
My senses slowly begin to return… I can feel my head resting on something soft…
I can also hear… Himiko… crying?
I slowly open my eyes.
My vision, still blurred, gradually clears, and then I finally see her.
Eyes shut, tears flowing endlessly, sniffling, her face filled with helplessness and fear.
Her tears fall onto my face.
I grit my teeth and force my functioning arm to rise, trembling. I touch her cheek and wipe away her tears with my thumb.
Feeling my touch, she opens her eyes in shock.
Before my hand can fall from lack of strength, she grabs it tightly, as if afraid it might disappear.
"Kaneki!!" she shouts my name, still in shock, but her expression slowly shifts into relief.
"Kaneki... sniff" She tries to speak, her voice trembling, but the words won't come out.
"I'm here, Himi… I'm here," I say softly, but she hears me perfectly.
Relief completely washes over her as she realizes I'm okay.
─── ◆ ───
[A/N]: Fun fact, this chapter was my first experience writing something, even before chapter 1.
I wasn't even sure of the protagonist's name when I wrote it.
Sure, I had to modify it later, but I think it fits well with the other, more advanced chapters.
<3
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