Bab 3: Forks, Washington
A fresh start is what they had wanted when they left Japan, smuggled out by boat with ghouls and humans alike. Everyone there had been too concerned over being caught and the journey ahead to care about who was human and who wasn't, though there was that slight suspicion, no one was dumb enough to act upon. About five other people sitting below the deck of the boat with them. It had been a cramped fit with the five other individuals below the boat's deck with them.
Kaneki never knew how much Tsukiyama paid for their passage, but he knew it was expensive. The man Uta had gotten in contact with had a good reputation and many successful smuggling trips under his belt, so he supposed that it made sense that no one would be doing something like this for cheap. The Gourmet Ghoul had also acquired fake passports before they left. Kaneki was the only one with a different name since the CCG would have already discovered his true identity as Ken Kaneki from Kami University.
It was a simple precaution, and Kaneki only needed to use the alias when required. Otherwise, he was the same Kaneki Ken, at least in name.
It was a month-long journey, with the boat taking longer routes to avoid Japanese ships as much as possible. And Kaneki had never missed being on dry land as much as he did during that month, relief flooding his body when they arrived on the shores of California during late night.
That had been two years ago, and those years were spent hopping from place to place around the U.S., never truly settling anywhere for too long. With Tsukiyama's seemingly endless funds, they never had to worry about too much. But they had all grown tired of that nomad lifestyle, and Touka was adamant about finding a place to settle and stay for good this time.
That brought them to being on the plane they were on. Kaneki sat in the window seat, staring rather blankly out at the currently rising sun over the clouds they flew over. Hinami was fast asleep, tucked into Kaneki's side, her head leaning onto his shoulder. Yomo and Touka sat in the row in front of them, speaking in hushed tones to not disturb the other passengers.
Kaneki was doing his best to tune them out, but it was hard with his heightened hearing and the not-so-subtle glances he was receiving from Touka through the gap in the seats. Two long years it had been for the half-ghoul, years that he hadn't even planned on living. It left him to face the music, the consequences of the 20th Ward battle, and past events.
Hide's death had been the hardest to try and overcome. It had been Kaneki's fault; no matter what the others said in opposition, he knew that it was true in a sense. Kaneki refused to entertain that false narrative. Hide deserved so much better…
The speakers above the seats beeped before being replaced with a young woman's voice. "Hello, passengers. We will be landing in Seattle, Washington, in approximately one hour—"
Kaneki looked away from his reflection in the glass, glancing down at Hinami. He smiled softly, playing with the ends of her light brown hair. It had grown out to her shoulders, and her same headband with the two clover pins held her hair out of her face. She was still sleeping, not disturbed by the intercom announcement. Kaneki could only wish he could sleep like that again. He couldn't remember the last good night's sleep he'd had.
The dark rings under his eyes spoke volumes, standing out against pale skin. He no longer wore his eyepatch, at least not often. He stood out enough with his white hair that he refused to dye it back to its natural color. The white would only show through eventually, so why bother?
Touka glanced between the seats at Kaneki, and smiled at the sight of him and Hinami. Moments like this, where Kaneki's walls fully lowered to the point he expressed his emotions freely, were a rare thing to come by, even since they'd left Japan. Kaneki's mental health hadn't gotten any better. Some could argue it had gotten worse in some aspects. Though his reluctance to consume human flesh, for the most part, was gone, he still hated it. But his physical health was better because of it.
His nightmares were still frequent, no matter how hard Kaneki tried to hide them from the others. The nightmares, followed by the apparent lack of sleep, showed their physical signs after a while. Yomo believed that he may suffer from severe PTSD. The insomnia, the nightmares, and flashbacks, the constant stiffness from feeling the need to be aware of everything around them; it was obvious.
It was highly unlikely to get Kaneki to see some sort of professional. He wouldn't find much help there anyway since he couldn't reveal the true story behind his issues. Their only choice was to get the half-ghoul to open up more to them, at the very least.
His passion for reading had only just begun to return since he had been helping the others with their English speaking and reading over the past two years. Kaneki already had some knowledge of the English language many years prior, so he'd acted as their main translator. Kaneki was still the most fluent of all of them, though he no longer had to translate. Touka could remember when Kaneki would excitably ramble on and on about whatever new novel he had gotten his hand on at the time, even before he and Touka had entered each other's lives and Kaneki would be frequenting Anteiku with Hide. Before, when he was still his quiet, somewhat shy bookworm self.
Kaneki's eyes were back on the window again and only turning away when the plane began to descend below the clouds. It wouldn't be too long before they landed. Kaneki gently jostled his arm to wake Hinami, pinching the girl's cheek when she didn't respond. The seventeen-year-old's brown eyes opened, covering her mouth as she yawned and slowly stretched, batting Kaneki's hand away.
"Are we there yet?" She muttered.
"Almost," Kaneki said.
As the plane approached the Seattle, Washington airport, Kaneki silently prayed—to what, he wasn't sure. The universe, maybe—that he and the others would be happy there. He couldn't help but feel the doubt in his chest but refused to voice it. He wouldn't ruin this for the others. So, he kept his mouth shut and would continue to do so, and tried to turn that doubt into a tiny bit of hope.
It was late afternoon when they finally arrived in Forks, Washington. They pulled up to a building near the middle of town; Hinami barely allowed the car to come to a complete stop before jumping out.
"Hinami," Touka yelled. "At least wait until we park!"
Kaneki chuckled quietly as they got out of the parked vehicle. Stretching his arms above his head, Kaneki took in the area of their new home. It was a two-story building with a small parking lot that could hold a couple of cars. The outside was a mix of light blue and cream. The front of the ground level was framed with large windows that looked into a hardwood lobby. Touka has always been eager to open her own cafe, and it looked like she finally pulled through on that. Kaneki assumed that the upstairs was like an apartment loft of some kind.
Not far down the street, Kaneki could see what looked like a high school based on its layout. He figured most of their customers would be students once school started. With it being mid-summer, most of the Forks residents would probably have taken the opportunity to get out of town, but there were still some locals walking about, driving by.
Two middle school-aged kids stared at the newcomers as they passed. Kaneki gave a small wave before heading inside the building with the others.
"Nice," Touka said, looking giddy with a large grin as she glanced around the main room. It was very open, the walls a darker shade of blue than the outside, with brown hardwood flooring. It didn't look to need that much in terms of renovations, but based on Touka's ramblings about furniture, supplies, décor, and paint, she disagreed.
Hinami and Kaneki made their way up the stairs that sat to the side, behind the front counter. The young girl held his wrist, pulling him along eagerly. On the upper floor was a living room with an open layout kitchen, with half a wall and a counter separating the two areas. There was a short hallway with three doors and then a rolling door.
"Looks like Touka and I will be sharing," Hinami remarked as she opened each door one by one, revealing two nice-sized bedrooms, a bathroom, and a small little closet with a washer and dryer set.
"Great…" said Kaneki dryly under his breath. The fact of sharing a room made him feel antsy. Every time they'd moved in the past two years, Kaneki had ensured he had his own living space. While he didn't mind sharing a room for the sake of sharing, he didn't want to bother anyone with his insomnia and nightmares. But since Touka had arranged everything in this move, Kaneki hadn't gotten much say in it. He wished he had been more persistent in knowing the details and where they'd be living.
At least the nightmares could be explained away for the most part. They all had them; at least the two girls and Kaneki did. He couldn't be too sure about Yomo with his stoic personality. What Kaneki couldn't explain away were his waking nightmares. Episodes, he supposed they could be called.
Kaneki absentmindedly rubbed his ear. He had grown stronger since he had been held captive by Yamori, physically and strategically. He knew he could hold his own without breaking a sweat. Mentally, however…that was a whole other story. Kaneki wished that he had considered the risks and the consequences of devouring Yamori would have been. He hadn't been in the right state of mind to do much but rely on his instincts at the time. And he regretted that decision every day.
It had been costly. Rize had always been there, a little voice in his head since the attack that started his life's downward spiral. Usually, she only made herself known when his hunger hit him and sometimes when he had too much time to dwell on his thoughts. Kaneki had learned to ignore her for the most part had grown used to her.
But after the events with Aogiri Tree and Yamori, the blonde psychopath joined Rize in Kaneki's psych. He wasn't sure exactly when they had decided to team up, but it was certainly after he had left Anteiku for the first time. Together, the two deceased ghouls taunted him, demanding for Kaneki to acknowledge them, to do the most despicable things that would make even the most psychotic person shudder in response.
Kaneki, unfortunately, had not figured out what triggered them during the day. During the night, when he slept, Rize and Yamori showing up made sense. Kaneki's insomnia allowed him to avoid them most nights, though the sleep deprivation took its toll occasionally. He didn't know how to avoid setting them off, or even if he could, but he knew the signs at least.
They would start out small, tickling, menacing whispers in the back of his head. Kaneki could ignore those, but gradually, they would step on the gas. That was why Kaneki preferred his own living space, a place he could escape and lock himself away for however long Yamori and Rize decided to torture him.
Yomo's voice called up the stairs, announcing that the storage truck they'd hired had arrived with their boxes and furniture for the upstairs. Kaneki ended up helping Touka move one of the bed frames, the dark-haired girl talking the entire time.
"We should have everything done and put together by the end of the summer if things go as planned," Touka said. "I've already ordered some stuff, mostly decorations. We'll order stock and stuff last so everything is fresh and new when we open shop, and we can look around online for furniture…"
They leaned the frame of what would be the girls' room, leaning it against the wall. "How did you plan all this in less than a month?" Kaneki asked, amused.
Touka grinned and chuckled. "I have my ways, no need to worry your pretty little head about it. No, what you need to be worrying about is what you plan to do with your time here. I know you'll probably want to help with the café."
"Yeah, that's a given fact. I don't have much else I can do."
"That's not true. There's more to life than just working at the café, Kaneki. The café is my dream, not yours." Touka placed her hands on her hips. "And you're not limited to just Forks. There's Port Angeles, even Seattle; I'm sure you can find something that interests you. Maybe you can go back to college. Get your degree."
That had been another thing Kaneki had missed out on: finishing college. He'd dropped out—not officially, he just stopped showing up—after Yamori. He hadn't had much of a choice, really. Besides, Kaneki would need to go and receive his GED under his new alias name in order to register for any college courses, which he never bothered to do with them moving around so much.
"I don't really want to deal with taking out loans and stuff to pay for college, Touka," Kaneki shook his head.
She scoffed, rolling her eyes. "I'm sure Tsukiyama wouldn't mind paying for it in full since it's you. You just have to ask him."
Kaneki's eye twitched. Of course, Tsukiyama wouldn't mind. The man was borderline obsessive when it came to Kaneki. If he didn't consider the man a friend and ally, Kaneki would be more worried about that type of behavior. Then again, he hadn't the first time he'd met Tsukiyama, despite Touka's warnings. "I'd rather not take more money from him."
"It's not like he has a limited supply or anything." Touka sighed. "Just think about it, okay?"
Kaneki hummed and nodded. As the two returned downstairs, passing Yomo on the way, Touka watched her friend—more of a brother now. She took in the bags under his eyes and the exhaustion practically rolling off his frame despite him moving around and interacting just fine.
Determination settled in her stomach like a heavy rock, and she turned away before Kaneki could catch her staring. Touka would talk to Yomo since he was the most likely to get Kaneki to listen to him. Maybe they could get him some sleep medication, as she knew Kaneki's nightmares could be a lot. But he couldn't continue like this. It would be for his own good, and hopefully, with them finally settling in a new home and with their help, Kaneki could begin to heal.
As the four ghouls began settling in their new home, the vampires of the Cullen clan moved about their day as normally as they could. Emmett and Rosalie were the most anxious, especially after Alice announced the newcomers' arrival in the town. It wasn't just the man; there were three others with him.
They were curious, all the Cullens were, even Carlisle though he hid it more easily. He and Esme had to keep the others in order and calm. They would meet these people in due time. And that due time was about a week. Emmett got his first hint of the family and the mystery man that threatened to turn his life upside down.
It was indirect and a coincidence as he hadn't been actively seeking them out. Both from not wanting to defy Carlisle's orders and the anxiety and restlessness that had been eating away at him since Alice's vision. He'd done all he could to distract himself. He went hunting nearly every day or went out running, making it to the Canadian border a few times. Emmett couldn't bear just sitting around the house all day.
Emmett was still in shock, and he couldn't deny that the nonchalant attitude Rosalie had been putting up the past few days hurt a bit. The two had been married since 1936; almost 70 years of being mates, 70 years of never looking elsewhere, no wandering eyes, because why would they? Now…Now, it seemed like that was all being thrown out the window.
"I do love you, Em," Rosalie had told him during one of their many talks. It seemed like that was all they'd been doing, the only thing they could talk about right then; it was the main thing weighing on their minds, their hearts when they weren't trying to actively distract themselves. "But I won't stand between you and whatever this man brings if it's what you'll truly want. I couldn't bear the idea of holding you back from true happiness. Even without the concept of true mates, I would do the same."
Rosalie wasn't as shallow as others made her out to be an egotistical bitch, he'd heard someone say once. Of course, it hadn't been to her face, but it had been one of the 'nicer' things said. No, Rosalie was kind and loving. She was just selective on who she showed it to and had her own ways of showing it if you had the honor of seeing it in the first place.
Emmett just wanted to know who this man was. He couldn't be that great to the point of affecting his life this much; there was no way. Alice hadn't given him any other details of this mystery guy, not even an appearance that he could look out for. Neither was budging. Even Edward was incredibly tight-lipped about the whole thing, the coward.
And he hadn't heard any gossip about the newcomers either, which was surprising for the small Washington town. Then again, it was the middle of summer, and the Cullens tended to avoid said town gossipers, so practically everyone. Their own family had been the primary topic for the past year, so they knew how quickly the people of Forks descended on anything new to town. Emmett pitied the newcomers for what awaited them once summer was over and those who were gone returned.
Emmett was just leaving the hospital, having hung around Carlisle's office for the past few hours as a failed distraction, when he caught the scent. His head whipped around in the direction it was coming from, and he almost missed it. A black car with tinted windows driving down the road. Emmett would have missed the scent altogether had the front windows not been down. He caught a glimpse of a woman, no older than 20 probably, behind the wheel before she disappeared down the road.
The girl's scent wasn't what pulled his gaze, but rather the fainter scent from her. He couldn't pick up on the exact smell, but it felt like a smooth warmth within his chest. Obviously, the woman was one of the companions of the mystery man.
Now, Emmett wasn't one for stalking. Why would he? No sane person would be. And he certainly, in no way, condoned the act. And he definitely didn't recommend following a person based on the fact they may have contact with a specific person Emmett wanted to learn more about…so he could in no way justify what he was doing.
He left his jeep behind in the parking lot, opting to go on foot; he would return to get it later. He didn't have to follow the girl far. She pulled into the parking lot of a two-story building down the road from the high school. He'd seen it often on his way to school that past year. It had been vacant and up for sale since the Cullens had moved to Forks.
Emmet kept to the tree line nearby, hidden but still able to see clearly into the building through its large front windows. The woman carried a few bags inside, placing them on the counter downstairs. Groceries, perhaps? Footsteps were walking around upstairs and another somewhere else downstairs. The one downstairs was heavier, the other much lighter.
"Oh, Touka," came a deep male voice. A tall, well-built man with silver hair came into view from some back area behind the front counter. "Have you seen Ken? I need him for something."
The woman, Touka, paused in unpacking the bags to shake her head. "He's probably wandering around somewhere. You know he rarely sits still for long."
The man hummed. Emmett moved a bit closer, keeping out of sight. Was this the mystery man? He couldn't catch a scent from where he stood.
"I'm surprised, really," Touka continued. "He doesn't normally leave our sides if he can help it. Especially when we first get to a new place."
The man nodded. "He's still protective."
"I think the term you mean is 'paranoid'."
"With what he's been through, it's just instinctual for him," he reasoned, then sighed. "I'll talk to him though."
"Should have done that years ago."
"That wasn't exactly an option when we couldn't even pin him down."
Touka grimaced, pushing the bag in front of her to the side. "I know, I know. It's better now than never at all. Thanks, Renji."
The man, Renji, hummed again. Emmett's eyebrows knitted together towards the middle. So it was either this Renji guy or this yet-to-be-seen Ken.
"What are you doing?"
Emmett, who was so focused on his own thoughts and the conversation happening inside, hadn't heard or sensed Jasper showing up. He jumped slightly, swinging out instinctively, which Jasper neatly dodged. Emmett glared at his brother, who grinned sheepishly back at him.
"Don't do that! Jesus Christ…"
"Sorry," Jasper said, though not look the least bit apologetic. He turned to look at the building. "I see you found the new guys. It's only been a week, and you've already resorted to stalking."
"I'm not stalking anyone," Emmett grumbled, crossing his arms over his chest. "That woman," he gestured to her, who was still conversating with the man, "drove past the hospital. Not her scent, but the one that clings to her caught my attention is all."
"So, the most logical step was to follow her home," Jasper nodded sarcastically. "Most people would consider that to be stalking."
"Shut up," Emmett hissed. The conversation went on to discuss renovations, which he didn't care to listen to. They were opening a coffee shop, a café. That was smart. Surprisingly, the small town of Forks didn't have one unless one counted the local diner.
"Is that the guy from the vision?" Jasper asked.
Emmett shrugged. "Can't tell since I can't catch his scent from here." If only he could just step inside…
The person who had been moving around upstairs descended the stairs then. A teenage girl came into view with bobbed brown hair pulled back by a green headband. The only one left unseen was this Ken guy.
"Hinami, have you seen Kaneki today?" Touka asked as the girl passed the doorframe.
"Nope. I haven't seen him since we went to check out the school this morning," Hinami said. "He wandered off after we got back here."
Touka rubbed her eyes tiredly, though she didn't look surprised at the response given. It seemed like it was a regular enough occurrence for this Kaneki Ken. "Well, let's hope he'll be back soon."
"He was being really antsy."
"Did he say why?" Renji asked. Hinami and Touka gave him a look, and he held his hands up in mock defense.
"This is Kaneki we're talking about," Hinami said knowingly. "Of course, he didn't."
So they'd been to the school. Perhaps if Emmett headed over there, he could pick up on a scent there…
Jasper nudged Emmett's side, shaking his head. "Don't. You'll meet him when the time comes. You heard what Carlisle said."
Emmett opened his mouth to argue before shutting it with a sigh. He nodded. "Yeah, alright." Emmett would wait. He wasn't even sure if he wanted to face this situation right now." Why are you out here?" he asked Jasper.
"Carlisle wants to go hunting tonight."
"I literally just saw him. He couldn't have told me that himself?" Emmett shook his head. "I've been hunting almost every night. I don't need it."
Jasper lifted a shoulder at the first comment. "He said he's getting off early. Are you sure?"
Emmett looked back at the building. The three occupants had gone upstairs sometime while the two brothers were talking. Maybe hunting was a good idea. He didn't need it, but it would keep his mind off things.
"Alright, fine. I'll go." Emmett finally said. "Maybe I can convince Rose to come too."
Jasper smiled painfully. He could feel the truth behind his brother's words. He knew this whole thing was eating him up inside, but there was little the blonde could do for Emmett besides being there. Jasper patted Emmett's shoulder before disappearing, presumedly running home. Emmett ran a hand over his face, glanced back at the work-in-progress coffee shop, and then headed back towards the hospital to retrieve his jeep.
Status Power Mingguan
-- Peringkat
Power 
-- Power
stone