"The White Cup and the Red One"
Now that it was spring, the snow had melted; and, with the melting of the snow, all of the blood of that fateful battle had flowed away. The blood of everyone Touka had ever loved had drained into the sewers, forever intermingled with everything else undesirable. She didn't like that idea.
Outside the window of her own coffee shop she could see flowers growing. The stems and the buds were almost ready to burst. Though the buds were fresh and green, they could be taken away by a frost any day now. Their fragility was almost disturbing. Touka placed a porcelain cup upon the counter. There were no customers; this was for herself.
The cup had an intricate design of a red flower along the rim of the cup and it's handle. The rest of the cup was a perfect, untouched, white color. It's mate, made at the same time as the other cup, was a red cup with a soft snowflake design.
The door of the shop opened. The bell tinkled softly and a dark figure stepped in. Touka put down her white cup and looked up.
"Wel-" she started, but suddenly stopped.
There, in the doorway, was a handsome young man with dark hair and grey eyes. Over one of his eyes was a fresh eyepatch. The man closed the door and rubbed the back of his neck nervously. His blue sweatshirt looked clean and almost new. In his hand was a small black book with a bookmark in it. It was as if nothing had changed.
Touka walked slowly away from the counter, her hands glued to her apron. He smiled at her gently. Tears sprang to her eyes, but remained there. Touka couldn't let them fall, not in front of him.
"Kaneki?" she asked, pushing back her violet-blue hair.
He grinned once more at her. Slowly he put his book down on the table beside him. Touka looked at the book on the little coffee table. Odd, for he never put his book down.
"Can I get a latte, miss?" he asked, scratching his cheek.
Touka almost giggled at him. Kaneki could be so awkward sometimes. She let him sit at the counter, leaving his book on the table behind him. He watched carefully as she ground the beans by hand and slowly swirled the boiling water over them. Finally, he had a hot cup coffee in his hands. It was the red cup with the snowflakes; Touka had the mate.
"Touka," whispered Kaneki, "I need to tell you something."
The girl, now almost a woman, looked up. Her deep eyes were pooling with curiosity. Kaneki began to speak again.
"I never said it before…I probably should have."
Touka's mouth twitched. It was so like him to be mysterious. Still, she was more than intrigued. Pushing herself forward, she leaned over the counter towards him.
"For a while, you know, I kind of liked you."
Touka almost blushed. Suddenly, Kaneki's hair turned white and his eyes black. The cups on the counter wobbled. The whole store began to shake. The cups fell to the floor and shattered. She screamed. Kaneki stood up, unfazed, and opened his mouth. Blood began to gush up and stain every part of the floor. The blood began to fill the room. Touka covered her ears and screamed again.
She woke up, drenched in sweat, but safe in her own bed. Next to her the alarm clock was blinking on 3:27 am. The two cups she had dreamt about were safe on her shelf. Touka ran her fingers through her short hair. It had all been a dream. She dropped back down upon her pillow and wept bitterly.