𝐒𝐇𝐀𝐓𝐓𝐄𝐑𝐄𝐃 || 𝐓𝐨𝐤𝐲𝐨 𝐆𝐡𝐨𝐮𝐥

𝐂𝐇𝐀𝐏𝐓𝐄𝐑 𝟏𝟎

I slowly sat up, looking around. I spotted Fumiko on the ground a few feet away from me and I crawled over to her, reaching out with my hand. I gently touched her shoulder, and she rolled over. "Fumiko, are you alri-" 

My eyes widened in horror when I saw her face; her jaw had been ripped off and her eyes had been gouged out. Her guts were spilling from her stomach and blood pooled at my feet. I shrieked, a blood curdling scream escaping my throat as I scrambled backwards and away from Fumiko's mutilated corpse when I felt something grab my ankle. I looked back, realizing it was her. 

"N-No, get off of me!" I yelled, panicking and kicking her off. I ran as fast as I could, feeling my legs get heavier the longer I ran; like they were filled with lead. It felt like an endless loop and before long, I collapsed onto the ground completely unable to move my limbs. I dragged myself, crying out for help when I heard a voice behind me. I slowly turned my head, my heart dropping into my stomach when I was met face to face with Fumiko's reanimated corpse.

"You did this. You killed me Ari." She whispered as I stared into her empty eye sockets. "You're a monster!" I screamed-

I woke up in a cold sweat, my heart hammering in my ears as I stared up at the ceiling. My body trembled as I sat up, realizing I wasn't in that ghoul fighting ring anymore. I sniffed, the intense smell of coffee filling my nostrils and overwhelming my senses and I noticed I had been asleep on a couch. The sunlight filtered in through the windows through the cracks in the curtains and I rubbed the back of my neck, cracking it repeatedly and sighing. 

Suddenly, I heard a door creak open and my head snapped in the direction of the sound. In walked in an elderly man, along side the young black-haired man I had been with earlier and a small girl around thirteen or fourteen carrying what looked like a bird cage with a bird in it. It chirped I coiled up nervously, unsure of who they were. 

"Don't worry, we're not going to hurt you." Said the elderly man, and he placed down a cup of what looked like coffee. I was as stiff as a board, and I stared at the three with narrowed eyes. "Go on, give it a try." He said, offering me a small smile. Hesitantly, I reached out with both hands and grabbed the cup, bringing it to my lips. I sniffed it, not smelling anything suspicious and I took a sip. 

It was nice. Aromatic with a hint of both sweetness and bitterness. Like your typical cup of coffee.

I took another small sip, a ghost of a smile forming on my lips as I placed the cup down and felt my throat close up as memories of the previous night flooded my head. I exhaled a shaky breath before speaking. "Who are you? And where am I?" 

The younger man responded. "W-Well um..." He stuttered, rubbing the back of his head awkwardly. "I'm Kaneki. This here is Hinami," He said, motioning to the small girl carrying the bird cage and she waved at me shyly.

Kaneki? I know that name...

"And this is the manager, Mr. Yoshimura." He continued and the elderly man gave me a curt nod. The door opened once again and a grey haired man walked in with a goatee. He was wearing an oversized jacket and had a cold look on his face.

I introduced myself, my eyes scanning the group in front of me. "It's uh... nice to meet you guys. I'm Ari. Ari Fujimoto." 

"Kaneki was kind enough to bring you back to Anteiku, since there was no where else to take you that was safe. This is a coffee shop run by ghouls who reside in the 20th ward." The manager started smiling down at me before it quickly disappeared.

Kaneki piped up. "I-I mean, I couldn't just drag you over to my place, so I brought you here... besides, I couldn't even sleep in my own bed." He said awkwardly, and I grimaced.

What a weirdo... Still, I guess it was nice of him to do something like that. Weird, but nice.

The manager continued. "You both had gotten involved in some extremely dangerous business. Not many people survive what we call the 'Ghoul Restaurant'. I do hear things about that restaurant, but neither I or Yomo know much about it." I glanced back at the grey haired man, assuming that was Yomo.

My mouth went dry. 

"How did you even get put into that situation? Did you get an invitation or something?" Yomo asked, crossing his arms as he cocked an eyebrow at me. 

"My friend had been invited by a man she met. She told me to tag along and..." I trailed off, suddenly remembering Fumiko. I slammed my hands on the table, shaking it and the cup of unfinished coffee slightly. "Did you manage to bring her back too? Is she here? She has short brown hair and-"

"Don't worry, your friend is safe. She's resting in another room." The manager said calmly and I hid my face in my hands. My shoulders slumped, relieved. I sighed quietly, and I looked up at the group my eyes fixating on Kaneki for a few seconds before he looked away nervously. I stood up and bowed, thanking them for their hospitality.

"Thank you for taking care of me and my friend. I'll be sure to get her home safely." I said, already heading for the door when I felt a hand on my shoulder. I looked at it, only to realize it was the manager. 

"Wait." He started, his mouth forming into a frown. "I'm not quite sure it's safe for you to leave yet. For the safety of you and your friend, I'd recommend you stay here for a little bit longer." He said, and I looked down at the floor. "Besides, I'm sure you've noticed that young Kaneki over here is a lot like you." My eyes snapped up to look at Kaneki again, and my lips formed a thin line. His cheeks became a light shade of pink and he rubbed his chin nervously.

"L-Like me? How so?" He stuttered, and Hinami giggled at him. The manager smiled and took his hand off my shoulder, and I took a step back. 

The elderly man spoke. "I think I'll let you two chat. It'd be nice to get to know your other future coworkers." I looked at him, a perplexed look on my face. 

Huh? Coworkers? What does that mean? Does he want me to work here?

The manager gave me a quick glanced before folding his hands behind his back. "Here at Anteiku, our policy is to help out our fellow ghouls whether that would be for food or just living comfortably." He said, and I tensed up when I noticed one of his eyes had opened to reveal his ghoul eye. "Since we brought you in, all that I ask in return is that you help out around here. We can guarantee you a relatively quiet, guilt-free life."

My eyes fell to the ground once again and I thought of the options I had, the options being only one. I had been struggling to come to terms that I had been turned into a ghoul, even if I was just half. I couldn't live my life as a normal human anymore, but living as a ghoul didn't seem like the right answer either. Neither felt possible. I felt lost and alone. 

Sighing, I nodded and looked at the manager and he smiled. "Wonderful. For now, I'll let you rest. Your friend should be awake soon, so please try not to worry." I watched as him and Yomo headed for the door, closing it behind them only leaving me, Kaneki and Hinami together. The little girl stood behind Kaneki, hugging the bird cage as she stared at me, seemingly curious.

I stood there awkwardly, and Kaneki did the same. I scanned him from head to toe, noticing how scrawny and pale he was. Huh. Just like me. Small world we live in, I guess.

"So, uh..." He started and I glanced at him. I walked past him and sat on the couch, grabbing the cup of coffee I was drinking earlier. I sipped it, staring into the cup. It was cold now.

"Are you also a one-eyed ghoul?" I asked flatly, not bothering to let him answer. "I saw your left eye had changed when we were at the ghoul restaurant. Is that was the manager meant when he said we were alike?" 

Kaneki froze and chuckled nervously, taking a seat across from me. Hinami leaned against the back of the couch, continuing to stare at me. I looked at her, offering her a small smile and her cheeks went red and she ducked her head. I frowned.

I'm not good with kids. Never have been. 

"Well, do you mind if I ask you a few things? I know we don't know each other that well, but I'd like to know a few things." I asked, and he nodded quickly.

"Y-Yeah, of course! I don't mind answering any quest-" He started before I cut him off. 

"Great. First off... did you happen to be on a date with a long purple-haired woman? She had red glasses, I believe." I asked, folding my hands in my lap awaiting his answer and he nodded.

"I... Yeah, I did." He said, his face going dark. So that confirms that. I did see him that night I was out with Fumiko. 

"Alright. Next question. Were you one who got into that steel beam accident involving two university students that had been broadcasted all over the news?" I asked tilting my head as he answered. 

He hesitated before he spoke. "That was me, yes. I... I was attacked by her. She turned out to be a ghoul and she tried to kill me. The doctors were sure I wasn't going to live, so they transplanted her organs into me. She was already pronounced dead before we arrived at the hospital." He said quietly, and I nodded. I took another sip of coffee and pondered my next question.

"Last question." I started. My mind reeled back to the dream I had earlier that month; the one Kaneki was in. I didn't mention anything, since it would most likely freak him out. Telling him that I had a dream where I was seeing through the eyes of the woman who attacked him would definitely screw him up. "What was the woman's name?" 

He tensed up before relaxing, seemingly trying to formulate his answer. "Rize. Rize Kamishiro was her name." He said, a sad smile forming on his lips. I sat there silently, trying to put everything together. 

Rize Kamishiro...

After a few moments of silence, I spoke up. "Thanks. I don't think I need to ask anything else of you." I said quietly, and he smiled at me.

"It's not a problem. I know you've probably been having a rough time, so..." I glanced at the bird cage. The bird chirped at me and I narrowed my eyes. Trying to make conversation, I spoke to Hinami.

"Is that your bird? He's cute." I spoke as sweetly as possible. She looked up at me through her bangs and I gave her a half smile.

"U-Um, yeah his name is Hetare... he has a little star on his wing! Wanna see?" She said, slowly bringing the cage to me. She held it up and I looked at the cockatiel that sat on its perch as it chirped at me. I chuckled before the door opened. A young blue haired girl walked in, her right eye covered by her bangs and she was wearing a work uniform. She looked to be around sixteen or seventeen and she looked at me, her eyes narrowing.

"Another one of you one-eyed freaks, huh?" She said coldly, and I cocked an eyebrow. Kaneki looked between the two of us, confused.

"This is Touka, Ari. She also works at Anteiku." Kaneki said. I rested my head in hand, staring intensely at the girl. I could visibly see her tense up, and I fought back a smirk. 

"'Freak' was definitely not the word I would expect you to use." I said calmly, looking at the girl. She scoffed and waved me off with her hand. My gaze turned into a glare.

She has no manners, huh?

"Well it's definitely weird that there's two of you now." She said, crossing her arms. "And you both have really similar scents." She added and I narrowed my eyes. 

Similar scents...? What the hell did that even mean?

"Anyway, Kaneki you have a visitor." She said, already turning around and heading to the door. 

"Who is it?" He asked, confused.

"I dunno. It's a girl." She answered.

"Huh...?" He said and stood up, heading to follow Touka out of the room. I stayed stayed with Hinami, watching as Hetare cleaned his wings. I stayed silent and the young girl did the same, probably unsure of what to say. Though it was quiet, it wasn't as awkward as before. I kept my hands folded in my lap as I gazed at the bird, the sunlight filtering into the room. Everything was moving so fast. I didn't have time to think or process what's happened to me. But I felt at peace for once in my life; even if I couldn't go back to the way things were for me. 

Hinami suddenly spoke, snapping me from my trance. "Um... Ms. Ari, how old are you?" She asked, and I looked at her with wide eyes. 

"I'm 20. What about you Hinami?" I asked, and she blushed. 

"I'm 13..." She said softly, tugging at a loose thread on her skirt. "The only reason I asked is because well... your hair is grey and white, and..." She trailed off and I gawked at her. She nervously waved her hands in front of her, apologizing profusely. "I-I'm sorry! I didn't mean to sound mean!"

Did she think I was an old woman because of my hair color? Should I just go bald at this point? My life is over...

She looked up at me, her cheeks red as a tomato. "It's alright Hinami, I get that a lot. My hair is naturally this color, so people get confused." I explained and she looked down at her hands. She was still a young child after all. 

"Oh, well I really like your hair. It's pretty!" She said, smiling brightly at me. I covered my mouth with my hand and looked away, trying to hide the grin that threatened to form on my face. 

"I... thank you." I said softly, looking back at her. She nodded profusely, giving me a thumbs up. 

She then pulled out a book from under the coffee table and placed it on top. I looked down at it, noticing it was one of Sen Takatsuki's books, "Monochrome Rainbow". It was a collection of short stories. "Oh! You also look really smart... Normally Kaneki would help me with reading, but I was wondering if you could instead? At least until he comes back." She asked sheepishly and I nodded. 

"I'd be more than happy to help." I said, and she beamed. She opened the book to a certain page and began asking me how to pronounce words and what they meant. She took notes in a notebook and I watched in awe. She really was dedicated to learning. I guess she doesn't go to school.

"What does this one mean?" She pointed to a word, and I looked at it. 

"That word means 'forever'. It can also be read as 'eternal', which means never-ending." I explained and she nodded profusely as she wrote what I said down. I smiled softly. 

Forever, huh?

．．．

𝐀𝐮𝐭𝐡𝐨𝐫'𝐬 𝐍𝐨𝐭𝐞: Hey! I'm back and am constantly on the grind. I'm happy with how this story is progressing, and I hope you all like it! In case anyone was wondering, the banner art was drawn by me. Enjoy <3 - Chu