Initiative.

[trustmods]

The Conductor - Solf J Kimblee - is dead. You've won. You have three new keys, a philosopher's stone, and twenty-three mysterious potions at your disposal. You've had enough of people leading you around, haven't you? So now it's your turn to take initiative. What will you do now?

Comments

[samsa]

[The tighter hugging only serves as a reminder of how alive they are, so it's certainly not unwanted.

He lets his eyes fall closed for a moment as he holds Ashley close, and now there really are tears rolling down his cheeks, but he doesn't move to brush them away. He murmurs back, after a pause.]

Of course...and thank you for...everything you did for us. It's thanks to you that we all pulled together like we did.

[hashtagafreakingghost]

M-me? I... I just...

[Ah. After everything that's just happened... Well. Ashley bites down on her lips and sniffles a bit, with a small, almost surprised nod.]

I- m-maybe I...did do something, after all.

[It's going to take some time. A lot of time. But this is a good first step.]

[samsa]

[There we go. He smiles gently, pulling back from the hug enough so he can look at Ashley.]

I guess we're all a little stronger than we thought we were.

[hashtagafreakingghost]

Yeah. Guess so.

[...Okay, you know what? She leans in and gives him a little kiss on the cheek.]

[samsa]

[Oh. O-oh.

Kaneki blinks a few times before lifting a hand so his fingertips can brush over his cheek there, a soft laugh escaping him.]

Ah...y..yeah...

[hashtagafreakingghost]

You're a real great friend, Ken. [Quietly beaming.] I'm glad we got to meet.

[samsa]

[He mirrors her smile, his face just slightly red.]

So am I. It's funny...to think we met just because you needed to reach the top shelf.

[hashtagafreakingghost]

[An awkward sort of laugh.]

And I didn't even really find anything up there...besides those scissors. Curiosity, who'd've thought?

[samsa]

[He wants to say that those scissors did turn out to be pretty handy, but...well, that's all in the past now, isn't it?]

Especially with everything that happened that week...I'm glad we got to meet at all.

[hashtagafreakingghost]

[All's well that ends well, right? ...Don't answer that.]

...Yeah. Yeah, just one little change and, you might've... [...huh.] To meet over something so small...heh. Butterfly effect.

[samsa]

[It's a little mindblowing, when you think about it that way. But he's long since given up wondering about the 'what ifs'.

What if he hadn't gone to the dining hall to read late at night?]

It's funny how things work out that way.

[hashtagafreakingghost]

In my experience, they always do.

[The adrenaline's starting to wear off, just a little.]

...What're you doing, when- when we get out of here? When you head home?

[samsa]

[Oh...right.]

I'm...probably not going home. Not to...where I came from, anyway. There isn't going to be much left for me there.

[Between Aogiri and Tsukiyama being a potential threat, it would be out of the pan and into the fire.]

I'm going to go with Chie-san back to her timeline. Her version of home is a little different, but it would be safer for me to go to.

[It's directly in the future, so it's not like the world itself is too different.]

[hashtagafreakingghost]

[Oh, well, this is...] What...? Oh, Ken. Oh no... I'm so sorry, i- you... You're leaving everything.

[You can visibly see her heart break for him, frankly.]

[samsa]

[He nods a little, offering her a faint- if sad- smile.]

It's for the best. It will be safer for me there. There's a version of me out there in her world...somewhere, but...given everything, I don't think it's possible we could ever meet.

[He doesn't know the full story, but once he gets there he'll realize that, well...yeah. Things Happened.]

If I went back to where I came from, I don't think I'd be alive for long.

[hashtagafreakingghost]

[A hand slowly raises to her mouth and she just pulls him into another hug. It's less desperate, more tight. Her fingers wrap into his shirt and she pulls him as close as possible.]

God, Ken. I'm sorry. I'm so so... Your friend. [Hide.] I'm s-so sorry... I c-couldn't...imagine...

[In the end, whatever's waiting for her, she's headed home, after all.]

[samsa]

[He doesn't know it, at least not with the memories he has. He may never know, but...it's not very likely that Hide is alive anymore.

Even then, he doesn't hesitate to return her hug. It's gotten a little easier to just accept concern from others like this, instead of being the brunt of everyone else's burdens.]

It'll be okay. Wherever Hide is, I'm sure he's doing fine. And, right now...I have more friends than I have ever had in my whole life.

[hashtagafreakingghost]

[More? ...Oh. Oh, that's...really sad, honestly. She pushes back for a moment to look at him.]

You promise me you'll be safe, okay? So we can see each other again some day?

[samsa]

[Knowing where he's from...he can't promise that. He really can't. But...]

Just as long as you promise me the same thing.

[hashtagafreakingghost]

[An attempt (failed) at the littlest, saddest smile.]

O- of course. I...promise.