Part 1. Stranger Ghoul. Chapter 4. The Life of a Sadist

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30 December 1025 in the Imperial calendar.

The girl, with her blue hair fluttering in the wind, was walking along the icy path above the thick snow. There was a blizzard, but Esdes didn't care. Her light white coat, which was open, had no chance to keep her warm, but... the fire would rather freeze than the "icy" girl.

Up ahead, among the trees, the outline of the wooden hut that Esdes was so eager to get to was visible. But not out of bodily sensations, but out of the desire to smash the face of a white-haired Ghoul, who had been running away from her for almost six months. And even the New Year, the celebration of which would be tomorrow, did not matter to the girl.

"Well, I'll show him! He will crawl on his knees, begging for forgiveness!" - Esdes thought gloatingly.

For six months she had been running in his footsteps. First there was the incident in the Capital when, during a renovation, one of the bloodstains ate a passing construction worker, and was subsequently collected by a certain blonde woman with strangely large fangs and a creepy smile. Then, a couple of weeks later, Esdes learned that this blonde was identified as Dorothea and was last seen in the vicinity of Syneps. A city far to the east of the Empire. And after nearly a month of searching, the girl did find what she was looking for. Namely, while wandering the streets at night, she ran into Kaneki. But only... Behaviourally, he was not much different from an animal and tried to kill Esdes, which he almost succeeded. Except, at the last moment, it was like he woke up for a second. And in that time, he managed to gallop away. And from that moment on, Esdes began to shake the informants even harder. There had been a few instances where Kaneki had been caught, but they were all in very different locations in the Empire, which didn't help the search too much. But, a week ago, one informant had delighted her immensely by telling her that Kaneki was well known to the residents of one of the western villages, and as a result, Esdes had easily been able to find out from the scruffy old men that Kaneki could be said to live in this very house outside the village. Before slaughtering those old men for dissolving their hands, of course.

But... Esdes' thoughts were interrupted in the most brazen of ways. Namely, a huge, ape-like creature, with coal-black skin and sparse orange spots, jumped on Esdes, dumping her into the snow.

However, the girl reacted quite differently than one might expect. Esdes grinned, licking her lips, after which she said sweetly:

- I'm insanely happy to see you too, Kaneki.

The hunter stared at the girl's face for a few more seconds, but still moved away from her, letting her go. Esdes rose from the resulting pit of muffled snow, about half a metre deep, shaking off the snow and smiling unpleasantly.

"And for that, I'll punish you too!" - thought the girl.

- How stubborn you are..." came a painfully familiar voice behind her, followed by a sigh. - But that's why I love you.

Esdes's thoughts of cruelty vanished from her mind as soon as she saw the white-haired boy with the overgrown hair in his eyes. And at the moment, that hair, reaching almost to his chin, was developing in the wind, which looked... quite unusual for Esdes. Outwardly... the boy looked much older. Now, it was impossible to give him 16-17 years old. In front of her stood a twenty year old guy, with a familiar spark of madness in his eyes that made him even more attractive.

- Kaneki..." Esdes said quietly, mesmerised as she looked at the guy's face watching her with a grin. She said it so quietly that she couldn't even hear it over the storm, but that wasn't a problem for Ghoul.

- It's funny..." he said, not taking his eyes off Esdes.

- What?" the girl asked, taking the first, small step towards the guy.

- The more I live, the less I understand people. It would be more logical to forget about me, but you... tell me, what makes you think I'm alive?

- Then..." Esdes whispered, clinging to the boy as if afraid of losing him.

- Oh you're my sadist..." Kaneki said jokingly, kissing the girl.

***

Esdes stretched elegantly, which, combined with her nakedness, made for a stunning view. The brown bear skin on which the girl lay, turning over and over to bring some of the heat from the nearby fireplace to every cell of her body, was very soft, as the couple had experienced more than once during the night. For some reason, there was no bed in the cabin.

Esdes was in the best of moods. Considering that she had had sex for a long time, and she wasn't going to cheat, Esdes had had a great time tonight. And who wouldn't be happy with such a bunch of facts as: morning on a warm bear skin near the fireplace, incredible night time, finding a supposedly dead lover and the smell of fried meat.

The latter was what interested the girl. As a result, Esdes threw a white dressing gown on her shoulders, which was carefully left on the back of the chair, and went outside, where the wonderful smell of food was coming from.

Opening the door, the girl saw a picturesque scene. Kaneki, pensively watching a piece of meat roasting on the fire, which was located on the ground, cleared of snow.

- Good morning. - The boy waved his hand without looking.

Esdes, on the other hand, was rejoicing. Her lover was making her breakfast while she slept. It was something she could only dream of.

- Good morning.

- I'm sorry if it doesn't come out right. - Kaneki continued. - If you think about it, this is the first time I've cooked in... oh, when was that..." he grinned, sinking into his memories. - Unless you count the time I tested my roasted human meat on Touka... Ahem, a long time ago. - He shook his head, turning the Blutege on which the meat had been threaded.

- Touke? - Esdes frowned. - Who's that?

- Just an old acquaintance of mine. - Kaneki waved his hand. - Ghoul, like me. At one time, we worked together, that's all.

At the same time, a thought flashed through Kaneki's mind that 'that's all' didn't really fit what he was doing to the poor girl he was in love with. "I remember back then, with a flushed face, she often called me a lecher. Heh, good times..."

Meanwhile, Esdes had lost interest in the topic, prioritising food over conversation. Seeing the torment of the girl's stomach, Kaneki grinned, then began to take the meat off the fire.

- Let's go. The meat is ready. - Kaneki said as he headed towards the hut. - And put out the fire please.

Esdes hurriedly frosted ice on the place of the fire, and then moved after the guy. It's not like I have a rubber stomach.

***

Kaneki watched Esdes eating the steak thoughtfully. That look bothered Esdes, because it was so different from the way Kaneki had looked at her a year ago. In today's, there was something... cold. As if he was contemplating whether to eat the girl, or wait until she was full and fat.

- Is something wrong? - Esdes asked, tearing herself away from the meat.

- Is it good? - nodded at the steak.

- Yes. Very good. I haven't eaten anything like this in a long time. - Esdes smiled, digging into the meat again.

- It's New Year's Eve. - grinned Kaneki. - How will you spend it?

- We will. - Esdes corrected him. - Shall we go to the Capital?

Kaneki raised an eyebrow, but after a few seconds, he hummed with satisfaction.

- Good. In principle, if we hurry, we can reach the Capital by evening. - Kaneki smiled, jumping up from his chair and heading for the exit.

- Kaneki! - Esdes was indignant, throwing down the unfinished steak and quickly starting to pack. - Wait!

- I'm waiting, I'm waiting. - Kaneki nodded, already outside, and then closed his eyes.

In front of him, the hunter landed, after which Ghoul put his hand on the skull of the monster, and hovered. And after a couple of seconds, the monster's back began to change, becoming saddle-like. At the back of its head, two bone rails grew like horns, and its sides were spiked with spikes, in the shape of a horizontally tilted leg.

The changes took only a couple of seconds, after which Kaneki stepped away from the hunter, looking at the work he had done.

- I'm making a killing machine into a horse... What a shame..." he grinned, then looked up at the blue sky. - Six months already... And I didn't notice. By the way..." Kaneki blurred into a scarlet figure, but after a second, he regained his colours. However, his hair was already at its usual length.

- Kaneki... - Esdes' voice rang out.

The boy turned around, but when he saw what was in the girl's hands, he turned pale.

- And what is this? - Esdes asked, shaking her hand, which contained a lock of white hair.

- Erm... that's me... I threw it up out of anger. Something didn't add up the other day, so...

- Ahh... And what was that? - Esdes nodded, staring at the boy.

- Um... - Kaneki stretched out. - I just hunted without any results.

- Um... I see. - Esdes nodded, losing interest, allowing Kaneki to discreetly, sigh with relief. - Shall we go?

- Uh-huh... - the boy nodded, looking around the forest with a glance.

***

Kaneki looked around at the people bustling about. They had reached the capital sooner than planned, and as a result, by 4 o'clock in the afternoon, they had arrived at their destination.

The sight was a sight to behold. While the wives and children were preparing at home, the husbands were shopping for missing food ingredients, gifts and the like. The hustle and bustle even warmed Kaneki a little, reminding him of everyday life back home. While he was reminiscing, Esdes was looking thoughtfully at the shop of cold weapons.

- Kaneki..." the girl said in a honeyed voice. - Shall we go to that shop over there?

The boy shuddered, pushing his memories back into a dark corner of his mind as he ran his eyes over the sign. It took a couple of seconds to realise the necessity of entering the shop, after which Kaneki looked expressively at Esdes.

- What about your rapier? - The boy nodded at Esdes' blade hanging on the girl's belt.

The girl faltered, looking sadly around the shop window at the two metre long cleaver that was probably the biggest weapon in that shop. Kaneki sighed, after which he also looked around the shop with a glance and said briefly:

- Let's go.

Esdes instantly glowed with joy and raced towards the shop. Kaneki sighed once again, after which he headed after her.

***

As the ice queen wandered among the steel racks, Kaneki glared at the blonde, who was now actively trying to keep her balance as she headed further down the street.

- What a meeting..." the white-haired man whispered softly, smiling slightly. - It wasn't even evening yet, and she was already drunk out of her mind. She hasn't changed a bit. - He glanced at Esdes, who was still rummaging among the shelves, and headed straight for Leona.

By the time Kaneki reached the metamorph, however, she had already managed to get herself into trouble. Namely, the merchant and her son, who were now actively resenting Leone's behaviour. By some miracle, the blonde had managed to turn the counter around, flying into it on another of her pirouettes.

The girl herself didn't care about the curses of her grandmother, supported by the ambo behind her back, with a huge sword on his shoulders. And so, when this "son" was about to punish Leone on his mother's orders, Kaneki finally decided to intervene.

- I wouldn't advise you to touch that girl. - Kaneki said mockingly, climbing out of the small crowd that had formed around the incident.

- Huh?" the ambo asked dumbly, turning to Ghoul. - Are you, like, her mate?

With that phrase, the last nail of realisation that he was just a common idiot was hammered into Kaneki's head. And with that, there was also a nail in the coffin lid of this ambo's coffin.

- Sort of. - Kaneki replied tiredly, glancing at Leone, who was squinting at him, trying to see who was in front of her. The girl must have been drunk....

- Then pay the damages and get out, or I'll make you a boo-boo. - grinned, leaning towards Kaneki.

- So you like pain? - Kaneki raised an eyebrow. - Okay.

At that moment, the guy's body instantly moved behind the ambalist's back, followed by Ghoul's kick to the man's back. The man instantly roared in pain, drowning out the distinctive crunch of his spine. The scream didn't last long, however. Pain shock set in, and the man immediately shut up, losing consciousness.

- I suggest you finish him off. - Kaneki said, a satisfied smile on his face.

He glanced at Leone, who had somehow fallen asleep, and then he put her on his shoulder and headed towards the gun shop. The gawkers didn't even think of stopping him, hurrying back to where they'd originally gone, trying not to look at the sobbing grandmother leaning over the hulking man with a bone protruding from his loins.

***

Esdes frowned at the body resting on Kaneki's shoulder. She couldn't find a suitable weapon, which made her mood even worse. Now, the trio was heading towards a certain manga shop where Leone resided.

- Enough. - Kaneki nodded irritably when Esdes, once again, glared angrily at Leone.

The girl averted her gaze, sharply interested in the signs of the various shops. She was hurt that what was supposed to be her and Kaneki's date had been interrupted.

- Here we are. - After a few minutes of walking, Kaneki stopped.

Esdes looked round at the small, green, two-storey building. The door was wooden, but a strip of fur was visible around the edges. On the first floor, three windows were visible with a small balcony to the right, just above the door.

Kaneki silently approached the door, before grinning crookedly and placing Leone directly on the snow in front of it. After watching the lioness for a bit, the boy nodded to himself and knocked on the door with force. And the next moment, with a quick step he headed away, waving his hand tantalisingly at Esdes. The girl hurried after him, and a dozen seconds later, when the couple had already disappeared around the corner, the door opened, revealing Lubbock, with a small piece of tinsel tangled in the boy's green hair.

***

1 January 1026 in the Imperial calendar.

Esdes stared mesmerised at the lights of the fireworks, set off just a few seconds ago. Just now, the clock had struck midnight and people had begun the main celebration of the New Year. A huge crowd had gathered in the main square of the capital, where the couple was now, watching the flashes in the sky. Kaneki didn't care. The thoughts of his homeland were beginning to gnaw at him again, which did not add to his mood.

- You know," Esdes began, looking at the fireworks. - I've never seen anything like this before. I thought it was boring ...

- You've changed. - Kaneki said in surprise. - At least you're calmer than before.

Esdes pinked up nicely, making Kaneki's mood soar. Meanwhile, the fireworks stopped, causing the couple to cringe at the wild, joyous shrieking of the crowd around them.

- Let's go. - Kaneki jerked his shoulder, heading for the exit of the square.

Esdes took one last look at the sky, then hurried after her lover.

***

- Say... why haven't you been around all this time? - Esdes asked suddenly, walking beside Kaneki down the empty street.

The inhabitants were either celebrating New Year's Eve at home, or were partying in the centre of the capital, leaving the outskirts unattended. The couple took advantage of this to simply walk in silence, interrupted only by the crunch of snow underfoot.

Kaneki gave the girl a thoughtful glance, then spoke:

- "The first two months after my 'death', I spent as a liquid. I sort of managed, in the form of blood, to eat some man, after which I was scraped off by Dorothea. She didn't realise I was alive until I had managed to form a semblance of a body, which was difficult. Then I spent a couple of weeks learning to control my new state, and... well, whoever I touched died, having been absorbed by me. I got a lot of energy for it, but I couldn't control it. It went on like that for another month. I had completely mastered my body, learning to transform it as I wished, but, let's call it "hunger", did not stop. Beyond that, I just didn't want to put you in danger. I searched for an Imperial doctor who created Ghouls, but the search was still unsuccessful.

After his words, Kaneki stopped abruptly, swaying slightly. Esdes looked at the guy in surprise, also standing up on the spot.

- What's wrong? - Concernedly asked the girl.

- Nothing... - Kaneki smiled weakly. - Listen, let's get a room at some hotel.

- What's wrong with you? - Esdes repeated her question.

- Esdes. - suddenly coldly said the guy, which made the girl frown even more. - Let's go to the hotel.

- Okay. - The girl nodded glumly, turning her head round in search of a sign. - I don't think there'll be any rooms available.

- That's my concern. - Kaneki hissed through clenched teeth.

The girl glared at him with a frown, then headed away. Ghoul gave her back an annoyed look, but after a few seconds he followed her.

***

The boy's figure slipped silently through the window, entering a dark room. There were no guests in the room, as all of them, as well as many others, were now celebrating in various corners of the Capital.

2 scarlet eyes flashed in the darkness, looking around the room, before Kaneki strode into the depths of the room and another dark figure climbed through the window. A small flame flared up in the darkness, from a lit match, which immediately flickered to the wick of a candle.

- What's the matter with you? - Without the slightest hint of amusement, Esdes asked.

- I'm fine. - calmly curved the edges of his lips in a sneer.

- Stop lying. - Esdes started to get angry, intending to get close to Kaneki, but the boy was quicker. In the blink of an eye, he was in front of the girl, clutching her in his arms.

Esdes was discouraged by this turn of events. Embarrassment followed, and finally humility. The girl smiled lightly, and hugged the guy back.

- I'm sorry. - Kaneki whispered.

- For what?

- It's not time yet. - Kaneki shook his head, ignoring the question but continuing to hug the girl. - You came too early. I'm sorry for letting that happen...

- You didn't...

- I'll wait for you. - Kaneki interrupted her. - And when you find me again, I promise I'll be in complete control and I won't hurt you.

- And I won't let you go. I don't want to lose you again. - Esdes grinned, pulling the boy even tighter against her just in case.

- So you didn't find me. - Kaneki whispered, and then kissed Esdes' lips.

She opened her eyes in surprise, but after a second she began to sink to the floor. Her eyes began to slip sleepily, and just a few seconds later, Kaneki picked up the unconscious Esdes.

The guy gently placed the girl on one of the beds, and then, throwing a sad glance at the sleeping girl, looked at the hunter that had crept into the room unnoticed.

The monster silently drilled his creator with his gaze, not uttering a sound. Kaneki sighed, after which he covered his eyes. After a couple of seconds, the hunter's gaze shifted to the door, identically frozen on it.

The boy nodded to himself, after which, casting one last glance at Esdes, whispered quietly:

- Look for me some more, okay?

***

Esdes felt bad. Not even that... BAD! Her head was just splitting open, causing the sadistic girl to moan softly. The girl struggled to open her eyes, trying to realise where she was.

It was a hotel room... clean, well-maintained... unless you counted the half of the room covered in blood. The ceiling and walls were covered in numerous blood stains, but the floor was completely scarlet.

Esdes tensed instantly, jumping up and pulling out her rapier, somehow still worn on her. However, no threat followed. The room was empty. Literally empty. Not a single piece of meat lay on the floor, yet the blood clearly spoke of a large... All in all, things were rather strange.

Taking a quick look around herself, Esdes was relieved to find no bloodstains, but immediately came worry and suspicion. Since the artist of this painting was not her, then there was someone else. And the fact that the girl had slept so unconcernedly in someone else's unfamiliar company infuriated her.

The pain was gradually leaving her head, revealing more and more memories. Here she comes to some bar last night. Further, finds a drinking partner in the person of Leone, which surprises the girl very much. And then, they leisurely go to the hotel, where they fall asleep after the "celebration".

Esdes pounded her fist on the wall in anger, wanting to stifle the rage inside for such negligence. She needs to keep searching for Kaneki, and she's doing no idea what she's doing!

The wall couldn't resist such a greeting, and collapsed unconscious. And given that it was the first floor, and someone's male screams containing eighteen stories of maternal constructions... It fell on someone's head.

Esdes clenched her teeth in anger, then quickly rushed to escape while the guards were still paying attention to her. She was sure of herself, but she didn't want to face even five of the Emperor's Teigoyuzers.

A black-haired guy in a hooded black jacket on the main tower of the Palace, which was a few kilometres away from what was going on, was watching the whole thing with his hand on his face.