Chapter 1:
On My Signal
Slayers Den
Impossible, it's not possible
—Yasuke Yashidu
---
It's trouble.
“Yasuke, on my signal you make a run for it,” Kaneki said.
“Huh?”
“He came all the way here from his shop,” Kaneki said, a streak of light falling on his face. “Do you think he came for a lesson on etiquette?”
Silence.
“I'll stall them,” Kaneki said. “The moment I give my signal, you run.”
“Not happening. If they're here, they're probably here for the steroids, so taking them on here would mean them not coming back. I'm not going to watch you get killed.”
“Yasuke, do you really think we can take those guys?”
“Exactly my point,” Yasuke said. “If both of us can't win, what chance do you alone have?”
“Who gives a damn about winning? I'm just going to stall them.”
“Kaneki.”
“Don't ‘Kaneki’ me, you're the—”
The banging had returned.
Kaneki opened the door, wide enough to see them but just enough to shut it if they tried to get in.
“Look,” he said, “I'll be out here shortly. By then I hope you'd have decided whether we're doing this the easy way or the hard way.” He shut the door behind him.
“Yasuke, you've got a father who, until he gets those steroids, has a few more hours to live.”
Kaneki handed Yasuke the pack.
“On my signal, run.”
Yasuke said nothing.
Kaneki stepped out. A cool breeze blew. The night would have been perfect for sleep.
“I guess we're doing things the hard way.”
“Don't worry, Hogi,” Ayanakoji said. “I'm just going to give you and your friend a little lecture". With my fists, that is.
“This means I was wrong,” Kaneki said. “You actually did come to learn etiquette.” One. Two. Three. Four.
Including Ayanakoji, there were four of them.
Silence.
Then one of them moved.
It was a straightforward punch. Kaneki dodged, dragged the man by his kimono and flung him to the ground. Then a kick connected with the side of his head. He stumbled, then turned to meet the second man halfway through his attack. He caught the man's fist, but as he tried to hit back, the third guy was there. A quick kick to the stomach, and Kaneki was on his knees. Then Ayanakoji stepped forward.
“You're a great businessman, Hogi. I'll hand it to you,” he said, then bending down to Kaneki's eye level: “Your mistake, however, was underestimating me.” He buried a fist in Kaneki's guts. “You thought I'd just leave things—”
Ayanakoji felt something hit his face, something warm. As he raised a hand to his face, Kaneki kicked up some dirt. Pebbles flew. Ayanakoji found out what had hit his face.
“Hogi,” he said, annoyance clear in his voice, “you sp—”
Something hit his face again.
Kaneki spat on him a second time.
---
Yasuke had left the steroid market far behind. He had been running for at least thirty minutes. He had slipped out when he heard pebbles hit the wall of the shop.
I'll get this to father, and then I'll come back for Kaneki.
That was the conclusion he had come to.
Then he stopped.
It wasn't the first time he had stopped since he started running, but it was always for the same reason.
What if I'm too late by then? he thought. What if I can't save Kaneki?
He gathered his thoughts. Think logically, Yasuke. They won't kill Kaneki. It's me they want—it's me and the steroids they want. I'll save father and then save Kaneki.
He started to run.
He stopped.
This time it was for a whole different reason.
Impossible, he thought. It's not possible.
“I gotta hand it to you, kid. I didn't think you'd have gotten this far already.”
Standing in front of him was Ayanakoji.
“Well, this is where your journey ends. So hand the steroids over, and I promise not to beat you up as bad as I did him.”
Ayanakoji walked closer to take the steroids. Yasuke stepped back. Ayanakoji stopped and laughed.
“I should have known you'd try to fight back,” he said, snapping his fingers. “But you don't even look as strong as Kaneki. If he got himself beat up, what chance do you stand?”
“Where's Kaneki?” Yasuke asked.
There was a thumping sound. Yasuke turned to see a bleeding, unconscious Kaneki behind him.
“Do you still feel like fighting, boy?” Ayanakoji asked.
Then Ayanakoji flew backwards.
He could feel a stinging pain. He could taste blood.
Yasuke had broken his nose.
“I've gotta hand it to you, kid,” he said, getting back up. “With your frame, I didn't expect you to be able to swing like that.”
Ayanakoji took a stance.
“That doesn't do you too much good, though, against the three of us.”
“Let me worry about that,” Yasuke said. He didn't even know what he was doing. I should be running home to save father.
One of them attacked from behind him. He barely managed to dodge. Yasuke attacked back—one punch, and he was able to draw blood from the man as well.
I'll save Kaneki and father.
clang
There was the sound of metal connecting with his head, then he felt everything swimming around him.
Must save father. Must save Kaneki.
There was another sound of metal. Then he heard footsteps.
He blacked out.
—Yasuke Yashidu
---
It's trouble.
“Yasuke, on my signal you make a run for it,” Kaneki said.
“Huh?”
“He came all the way here from his shop,” Kaneki said, a streak of light falling on his face. “Do you think he came for a lesson on etiquette?”
Silence.
“I'll stall them,” Kaneki said. “The moment I give my signal, you run.”
“Not happening. If they're here, they're probably here for the steroids, so taking them on here would mean them not coming back. I'm not going to watch you get killed.”
“Yasuke, do you really think we can take those guys?”
“Exactly my point,” Yasuke said. “If both of us can't win, what chance do you alone have?”
“Who gives a damn about winning? I'm just going to stall them.”
“Kaneki.”
“Don't ‘Kaneki’ me, you're the—”
The banging had returned.
Kaneki opened the door, wide enough to see them but just enough to shut it if they tried to get in.
“Look,” he said, “I'll be out here shortly. By then I hope you'd have decided whether we're doing this the easy way or the hard way.” He shut the door behind him.
“Yasuke, you've got a father who, until he gets those steroids, has a few more hours to live.”
Kaneki handed Yasuke the pack.
“On my signal, run.”
Yasuke said nothing.
Kaneki stepped out. A cool breeze blew. The night would have been perfect for sleep.
“I guess we're doing things the hard way.”
“Don't worry, Hogi,” Ayanakoji said. “I'm just going to give you and your friend a little lecture". With my fists, that is.
“This means I was wrong,” Kaneki said. “You actually did come to learn etiquette.” One. Two. Three. Four.
Including Ayanakoji, there were four of them.
Silence.
Then one of them moved.
It was a straightforward punch. Kaneki dodged, dragged the man by his kimono and flung him to the ground. Then a kick connected with the side of his head. He stumbled, then turned to meet the second man halfway through his attack. He caught the man's fist, but as he tried to hit back, the third guy was there. A quick kick to the stomach, and Kaneki was on his knees. Then Ayanakoji stepped forward.
“You're a great businessman, Hogi. I'll hand it to you,” he said, then bending down to Kaneki's eye level: “Your mistake, however, was underestimating me.” He buried a fist in Kaneki's guts. “You thought I'd just leave things—”
Ayanakoji felt something hit his face, something warm. As he raised a hand to his face, Kaneki kicked up some dirt. Pebbles flew. Ayanakoji found out what had hit his face.
“Hogi,” he said, annoyance clear in his voice, “you sp—”
Something hit his face again.
Kaneki spat on him a second time.
---
Yasuke had left the steroid market far behind. He had been running for at least thirty minutes. He had slipped out when he heard pebbles hit the wall of the shop.
I'll get this to father, and then I'll come back for Kaneki.
That was the conclusion he had come to.
Then he stopped.
It wasn't the first time he had stopped since he started running, but it was always for the same reason.
What if I'm too late by then? he thought. What if I can't save Kaneki?
He gathered his thoughts. Think logically, Yasuke. They won't kill Kaneki. It's me they want—it's me and the steroids they want. I'll save father and then save Kaneki.
He started to run.
He stopped.
This time it was for a whole different reason.
Impossible, he thought. It's not possible.
“I gotta hand it to you, kid. I didn't think you'd have gotten this far already.”
Standing in front of him was Ayanakoji.
“Well, this is where your journey ends. So hand the steroids over, and I promise not to beat you up as bad as I did him.”
Ayanakoji walked closer to take the steroids. Yasuke stepped back. Ayanakoji stopped and laughed.
“I should have known you'd try to fight back,” he said, snapping his fingers. “But you don't even look as strong as Kaneki. If he got himself beat up, what chance do you stand?”
“Where's Kaneki?” Yasuke asked.
There was a thumping sound. Yasuke turned to see a bleeding, unconscious Kaneki behind him.
“Do you still feel like fighting, boy?” Ayanakoji asked.
Then Ayanakoji flew backwards.
He could feel a stinging pain. He could taste blood.
Yasuke had broken his nose.
“I've gotta hand it to you, kid,” he said, getting back up. “With your frame, I didn't expect you to be able to swing like that.”
Ayanakoji took a stance.
“That doesn't do you too much good, though, against the three of us.”
“Let me worry about that,” Yasuke said. He didn't even know what he was doing. I should be running home to save father.
One of them attacked from behind him. He barely managed to dodge. Yasuke attacked back—one punch, and he was able to draw blood from the man as well.
I'll save Kaneki and father.
clang
There was the sound of metal connecting with his head, then he felt everything swimming around him.
Must save father. Must save Kaneki.
There was another sound of metal. Then he heard footsteps.
He blacked out.
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