Touka's breath hitches when she first meets Kaneki.

Her first thought is, that he doesn't look like a ghoul.

Her second is, oh.

Touka lets her gaze fall upon him and she does not think that he is handsome, nor that he is weak. She does not glance at him and ponder if she will grow to care for him, grow to love him.

She does not think of these things, but perhaps all of them could be true.

She takes once peek at his kind eyes and gentle smile and decides he is too kind for the world.

"Hello."

His voice is scared, it tremors slightly and she watches his fingers fumble for the hem of his sleeve for something to grab. His eye, the one that isn't covered is black, flecked with brown and the black is as thick as the tones of ink. He is young, younger than they normally are; he looks, with his dark hair and joyful eyes, so much like a boy it hurts.

"Hello."

Her response is quiet, it is not supposed to soothe him or calm him, but somehow it does; she blinks as his fingers relax slightly at the tone of her voice and she watches his eyes light up in recognition.

"You're that girl from the ca–" He begins, she cuts him off, "–Yes, I am."

"I'm Kaneki."

"Touka."

"Nice to meet you Touka-chan!"

(Things change after that.)


He had promised, promised Hinami and her that he would not leave.

She had sat by and let him be taken away, and so utterly weak of her to lie with her back leaned across the door, coughing up scarlet and watching her brother lose himself, watching as she lost Kaneki.

The only blood on the wall is hers and Kaneki's, a splash of brilliant vermillion against the dull tones of yellow is what she focuses on.

They take him away.

(She doesn't cry still. He'll come back, he promised. By now she has realised that he is not her father nor her brother and his promise will be kept.)


When he comes back; Touka doesn't think he looks like Kaneki at all anymore.

His hair is thin and nimble and barely clings onto his scalp, the thick black it once was will never grow back and now in it's place is the colour of pure white, not a single strand of black anymore. His voice is heavier, his fingers do not tremble and fumble for something to grab, and he sounds like something is lodged in his throat, a promise, another promise.

His eyes look different, worn down, bitter and she sees rage in the vibrant red and she is almost scared, it is bone-chilling because he came back, he came back and she wants to cry and scream and slap him but she settles at looking at him through heavy eyelids.


The next day, she sees him teaching Hinami how to read and she thinks maybe he hasn't changed much at all.

The next day, he lets out the most wretched laugh as his hands drip blood and she shuts her eyes and prays this is a dream.