Guardian of Memories

Chapter 5

I quickly opened the door to our small apartment. I ran to the fridge and threw my whole bag in the freezer like I usually do. I went to grab my favorite scarf and ran back out the door.
Since I was running, it didn't take me that long to reach the park. I slowed down and walked until I reached the back where the field was.
I still didn't see Kaneki, but I did notice something else. The grass of the field was a little taller than me, but there was something that looked like an entrance to my left. I slowly walked over to it. It was an opening! Someone had cut out a little path in it. I looked down to see a piece of paper on the ground beside my foot.
I picked it up and unfolded it; it said something. I wasn't very good at reading kanji yet, but eventually I got the message.

Come on in. I won't scare you, I promise.
~Kaneki Ken

I smiled and put the note in my pocket. I entered the field and followed the path, walking faster with every minute that passed.

I eventually came to a small clearing. It was a complete circle with something in the middle. It was a small box. I picked it up. It was light but a little heavier than I expected.

"Boo!" Someone whispered as they grabbed at me from behind. I squealed and fumbled with the box, almost dropping it. I turned around as I heard laughing. When I turned, I saw Kaneki rolling in the ground, holding his stomach as he laughed. He was actually laughing so hard I could see tears in his eyes.

"I thought you said you weren't gonna scare me!" I yelled, stomping my foot in frustration.

"I knew you'd misread it if I wrote it down," he said with an evil grin. "It actually said that I would!"

"So you used my handicap against me!" I pouted.

"It's not like that. You know I don't see it as a handicap. I just thought it would be funny to scare you, but you'd be expecting it. So I had Hide help me think of a way to trick you without lying to you."

"Why worry about lying to me if you're gonna be mean and scare me anyways?" I looked down.

He grabbed my hand and squeezed it, causing me to look up at him. "Because I don't want to lie to you. I want you to always be able to trust me." He smiled. I couldn't help it; my anger melted away and I smiled back.

"Thank you, Ken. Even if you did scare me, it's okay." I giggled. "How did you manage to do all of this anyway?"

"Well, I know how you like to play in the middle of the field when it's short enough to see and not get lost in. You loved it when Okasa would make us a picnic before she went to work, and me and you would sit here and watch the clouds." He looked down. His cheeks started to get red. My smile kept on growing. "I had her help me one day when she was off and you were at the café. It took longer than expected, but it was worth it if I could do it for you."

A tear rolled down my face. Kaneki smiled and wiped it away with his thumb. I covered my mouth with my hands. I was too happy to contain myself. I threw my arms around him and hugged him as right as I could.

He laughed as he hugged me back. "Before you thank me, you should open the box. I helped people with yard work for a week so that I could get it for you."

I let go enough to look at his face. He was smiling really big, like he was proud of himself for being able to get me something with his own money.
I laughed and looked at the box. Somehow it had ended up in his hands. I took it from him and gently opened the top, pulling out a coffee cup.

"How can it be so pretty?!" I was stunned. It was different shades of red around the outside with golden painted swirls around it. The inside was white and the handle was gold. It was definitely fine china! I felt like just looking at it would cause it to break. I fell in love with it instantly.