Author's notes:
Hello! If you had read my fanfiction Finally, this is a direct continuation to it! This is going to be a series (and a long one at that) and will focus on the relationships between Touka, Hide, and Kaneki/Sasaki. Other characters will be involved as well. This is going to be a romance fic, though it will also show other aspects such as self-discovery (being honest to one self, one's feelings, etc.) and the characters' coping with their new lives and the enormous changes in their society.
To be honest, I had a hard time writing this one because the characters are already matured and are adults in the story, so characterization might be a bit off, specifically Touka because (1) she was known to be hot-headed and tsundere in the series and (2) I (and probably we) still don't know if her hot-headed personality is gone now (she's rarely shown in :re). Though I really hope you'll like this! :) Oh, and it's going to be a love triangle, I think (you can guess who they are! Harhar)
The first chapters will be focusing on Touka first and will slowly develop into the main plot so might get bored but please bear with it! :) I promise you, it will get interesting soon (I hope, hyuk hyuk XD)
Well, that was a long note, but I hope you enjoy! Please do leave reviews and suggestions! It'll help a lot! :D
P.S. please read Finally first before reading this since that is the starting point. You won't be able to get the story of you don't read it first. Don't worry! It's only a one shot. XD You can read it on my or on my Tumblr account.
As if meeting his son wasn't enough.
She was supposed to be holding two, large cake boxes. But instead, she is only holding one. She was supposed to go alone but she is standing alongside of an acquaintance she hadn't met in years.
In fact, Touka hadn't seen any of her friends or acquaintances in a very, very long time. It was long ago when she moved away from Tokyo. She needed a peace of mind after their rights were established. Thinking that it'd be harder to stay calm in the city, she went away to a small, quiet place. As much as she wanted to study at Kamii, she couldn't possibly achieve a tranquil life while studying at her desired university.
But it wasn't bad. It wasn't bad that she finished her studies in a smaller university; successfully. She met new people, made friends, and she got to work at a good school—like she wanted. She was so happy that those like her are finally given rights. Ghouls could finally co-exist with humans.
"Touka-chan, why are you smiling?" her friend speaks. She looks at him, and notices that he was smiling at her.
Unconsciously, she smiled. She didn't know. She was caught up in her thoughts. About to give him a reply, he just chortles.
"I didn't need to ask, did I?" he smiles. "I mean, it's pretty obvious." He scratches his cheek with his finger.
She tosses back a smile. "It's okay, Hide-san," she assures him.
Of course, it obviously wasn't bad that she had conveniently bumped into him on her way to a homecoming.
"It's been a long time, hasn't it?" he says, smiling again.
"Yeah," Touka agrees; in a soft voice, as if she's shy to talk.
And she is. Touka thinks it's because they're probably not very close, though she talked to him many times.
Or it's probably because he knows she's a ghoul now. She remembers saying she'll kill him without doubt if he ever finds out about them.
"You didn't need to come along, you know," she says to him. "I could carry these with ease by myself."
"It's alright, Touka-chan. Besides, I have a day-off, and it's not gonna hurt talking to someone I hadn't seen a while, right?" he says, with the widest of smiles. He's like a sunshine, she thinks—completely different from his best friend.
And that thought stabs her heart. She remembers him, and she wants to wince a little, though she stops herself from doing so in order to avoid weird remarks from Hide.
"So you're going to be reuniting with your former classmates, huh?" he says, looking out. He tries hard not to make her feel uncomfortable.
"Yeah..." she says. "I honestly hope it goes well, especially when I arrive..."
Her voice falters, making Hide sense her uneasiness. He cheers her up.
"It would be, so don't worry," he smiles once again. "You're a kind person, so you don't have to worry about it."
Touka smiles back at him, feeling the reverberation of the train underneath her feet.
They walked together.
It was weirdly silent since either of them is not initiating conversation. They walk beside each other, their footsteps audible in the hanging silence.
Touka decided to observe him for a while. She noticed that he was significantly taller—which necessitates her to raise her head a little if she were to look at his face. His build is somewhat larger—but not too lithe. His hair is still the same color, though it is longer.
"So," he starts to say, breaking the silence. "How are you doing, Touka-chan?"
"I'm okay," she replies. "I'm enjoying my job right now."
"Oh? So what do you do?" he asks her, clearly interested.
"I teach at a good high school. It gets stressful from the time-to-time, but I like to get worked up. Most of the students are nice, so there's no problem with socializing with them so far. What about you, Hide-san?"
"Hmmm," he says. "My work is social-related, so there's no really problem for me. I enjoy it as well. Ever since the ghoul rights were established, work in the CCG decreased and some were transferred in social relations office so I opt to work there."
"Well, I kind of understand that the government can't fully shut down the CCG since not all ghouls were satisfied with the rights. I mean, some are still wreaking havoc and rebelling so there should be someone controlling them," Touka speaks. "Though I just hope they don't murder them. If they do, I'll fucking get back at them."
Hide stares at her uneasily, and scratches his cheek. "Well… Kirishima-sensei sure is fierce, isn't she?"
She realized what she just said. Oh shit, that's right, she thinks. He doesn't actually know that I can be blunt. Though he probably saw me like that sometimes…
"Oh, I'm so sorry…" she apologizes. "It's just that—"
"I understand, so don't worry about it," Hide reassures her. "I'd feel bad too if they get… killed."
Touka smiles slightly, feeling glad at how considerate he is. "So, uhm, what kind of work do you—"
"Touka-chan, isn't that your school?" he says, cutting her off, pointing in a large building.
Her eyes light up with excitement. She had completely forgotten about what she wanted to ask as she felt her feet drag her body towards the gate.
"It's changed a little," she comments. "It feels more… peaceful."
"Well, the whole city did, Touka-chan," Hide says. "I hope you'll be able to feel how peaceful it is now."
"Well, it certainly did. In our place, it was quiet too…"
"So, Touka-chan," Hide looks at her happily. "Shall we go further?"
"Ah, I'm kinda nervous…"
"I told it's gonna be okay, didn't I? So let's go!"
Hide steps further inside the campus as Touka follows her.
They soon reached the gymnasium. Touka's heart beat faster as she heard the scuffling noises inside. She almost yelped in surprise when Hide slaps her back out of the blue. Her eyes widen.
"Oh? Did that hurt? I'm sorry," he says, scratching his head. "I just want to help you loosen up a little."
"N-No, it didn't," Touka stammers. "It just s-surprised me…"
"Ahh, sorry, sorry," he continued apologizing. "Let's go then."
They are a few meters away from the gymnasium doors when they see it open, and Touka smiles as she sees a familiar looking woman emerge.
"Yoriko!" Touka exclaims, almost dropping the box she's holding.
Yoriko looks their way and squints a little, and widens her eyes as she realizes it's her best friend.
"Touka-chan!" Yoriko calls out, running towards her excitedly. Touka does the same. Before colliding into each other, Touka drops her box on the ground a little gently, and continued to run towards her. Hide smiles as he approaches the two women hugging.
"I missed you so much, Touka-chan," Yoriko says happily as she embraces her tightly. Her then-short hair is now reaching up to her waist, and she looks more mature.
"Me too, Yoriko," Touka says. They finally let go of each other and chuckled a bit.
"You've changed so much, Yoriko!" Touka beams. "Your hair is longer. It looks good on you."
"Same to you, Touka-chan," Yoriko says. "Still haven't gotten rid of the long bangs?"
Touka laughs lightly, which Hide thinks sound so good it makes him smile. "I'm used to it, you know."
Yoriko smiles at her before looking behind her. She smiles. "Oh," she speaks.
Touka realizes that she's looking at Hide, and it dawns on her that it's the first time they meet. "Ah, Yoriko! He's a friend of mine."
Hide smiles and unfolds his hand, inviting Yoriko for a handshake. "I'm Nagachika Hideyoshi. Nice to meet you."
Yoriko takes his hand. "Nice to meet you, Nagachika-san. I'm Kosaka Yoriko." Touka notices she has a slightly playful expression on her face.
"Is he your boyfriend, Touka-chan?" Yoriko asks suddenly after shaking hands with Hide.
Touka blushes furiously. "H-He's not my boyfriend, Yoriko. Geez, why do you always get that idea?"
Yoriko laughs. "Well, it's because you don't have a lot of male friends."
"During our high school years, I rarely have friends, Yoriko."
"But aren't I your friend?"
"Yeah, just you! Silly," Touka says, pinching Yoriko's cheek.
Yoriko laughs again. "Well, Nagachika-san, thanks for coming with Touka-chan."
"Oh, I only helped her with her things. I can leave now," Hide says, raising his hands, palm out. "Besides, it's your school's celebration. I hate to crash into the event."
"It's okay, Nagachika-san!" Yoriko says. "It's a homecoming celebration. Everyone is welcome to bring their family or friends along. You don't have to worry; the others have brought their kids or partners along!"
"Kids and… partners?" Hide looks at Touka like he's telling her a silent message that he isn't… either of those. He flushes a little.
"You should probably come along, Hide-san," Touka says. "I mean, you're already here. It would be troublesome if you don't come."
Hide scratches his cheek, a little unwilling. I can't refuse, can I? he thinks.
"Well, if you insist…" he says softly. Touka gets the boxes off his hands.
"Thanks for the help," she says.
"I can still carry it, you know."
She shakes her head. "Yoriko and I can do it."
They walk towards the gymnasium. Yoriko happily talks to Touka about something personal, and as they reach the doors, Touka felt an electric shock pass throughout her body.
Upon reaching the door, it suddenly came to her that she was about to face her former classmates. Her nervousness, which was engulfed by the happiness when she saw Yoriko, came back. She wished to wait for a little longer, but Yoriko's hand was already on the door, and she was too late to stop her.
The moment Yoriko opened the door, Touka knew she's not able to go back. She tries to gulp down her nervousness as she follows Yoriko inside, hoping that no one will notice them.
However, she found a hundred eyes intently staring at her the moment she stepped into the gymnasium.