Wind rustled the trees of the 20th ward on this cold winter night. Indigo hair zoomed through the streets in desperation.
God please let me reach him.
Her breath was ragged and shallow from the sharp chill in the air. Her legs burned and her arms were numb. But most of all her heart ached.
Anteiku was quiet and unnerved at the sudden reappearance of their friend, that little boy from the alley. Yoshimura's saddened gaze met the young girls as she entered the shop. "Touka-chan..." the peaceful manager said, but not in his usual loving tone. It was more sad than anything now.
Her gaze shifted around the shop, moving from each of her friends. She could tell something was off by the looks of all their faces. Even Uta's face was gloomy. Nishki Sat quietly in a corner not daring to look her in the eye.
She finally spoke up, "What happened?" her voice was scratchy and was barely able to reach the ears of the others. Her stomach kneaded and gnawed at her, trying to jump up into her throat. Call it woman's intuition but some how she already had a feeling of what happened.
Minutes of silence passed, or so it seemed to her.
"Touka-chan, have a seat." He said still having a hint of sorrow in his voice.
Touka slowly made her way over to the bar of the coffee shop. The nerves in her stomach were practically jumping, trying to bust their way out.
"Kaneki came by earlier."
Her heart skipped a beat at the sound of his name. She could feel her lungs begin to shut down.
The sky blue eye's of the woman grew in shock.
"Is he still here?!" she forced from the depths of her abdomen. Her hopes still clinging onto what ever chance she had of seeing him again.
Yoshimura, with regret, shook his head.
"He left ten minutes ago."
Everyone in the shop was avoiding eye contact with her, not from shame, but from regret.
Regret for not convincing him to stay.
Before another word could be spoken the bell to the café door chimed as she took off into the night
Stumbling through the orange hue of the street lights she frantically searched for him, the man that was haunting her thoughts, her dreams. That stupid little smile replaced by a depressing gaze with murky gray eyes. His inky locks drained of their spirit. Replaced by the cruel world of pain and suffering. She couldn't stand the thought of the world bringing so much pain to him, she just wanted to shield him from all the problems of the world and now he had vanished from her life. It was a nightmare, and she couldn't wake up from it. She clenched her hands on her knees. The chill of the air taking its toll on her body. Snow slowly began to fall from the heaven's, frozen tears that she would shed each night.
I have to find him. I can't lose him again. I have to find him. Please...
She continued onward down the street past the late night traffic. Her legs wanting to give out but she continued on.
She'll be damned if her legs kept her from him. Never again will she buckle and let him walk with his back turned to her again. She had to tell him how she felt.
She finally saw it. That silver haired man walking over an over pass.
He stopped, looking at each of the snow flakes falling from the sky to mold with the ground in the never ending cycle.
She was out of breath and he could hear it.
He turned knowing full well who it would be. He couldn't stand doing this to her, his heart shattered each time he thought of her face, her indigo hair, that intoxicating scent when she's close.
Silence. Silence was the only thing between them on this cold winter night on top of this over pass.
It stayed that way for what felt like eon's. Her deep purple eye's shimmered in the artificial light of the 20th ward. They reminded him of a quasar shining brightly in his life when everything around him was dark and cold.
They closed the gap as they hesitantly walked toward each other.
His eyes, the same eyes she would dream about now seemed to carry even more pain within them.
Her gazed shifted away from his, biting her bottom lip.
His lips parted as he finally broke the silence.
"I talked to the manager..." Kaneki began. "He told me to come back to Anteiku."
Touka's voice was quiet almost a whisper to the traffic below them.
"..And?" she asked hesitantly.
The gaze of the silver haired man seemed to drop at her question.
"I don't know..." His voice just as much a whisper as hers.
Those indigo eyes continued to shimmer in the street lights, now only they were holding back tears.
Finally she snapped.
She closed the distance arching her torso as she threw a punch at his face.
Her hand being caught in his she let out her response.
"You think you can look broody, like some tragic hero?!"
She threw a kick at his head. Followed by another and a flurry of punches, all blocked and evaded by the man.
"There's no way someone who can't even protect himself can protect anyone else, is there?!"
she continued to let out her assault on the man. His eyes filled with sorrow and his face was emotionless.
"Why the hell didn't you come back to Anteiku?!"
Taken back by this comment he left himself open to one of her punches, which planted him firmly on his back.
To his surprise when she landed on top of him, all she could do was sob. Her fingers gripped tightly around the collar of his shirt.
"Why...?" She asked with tears rolling down her face.
"...Why did you have to end up like this?" Touka asked through her tears, which fell lightly down onto Kaneki's face.
Under the night sky there seemed to be something brighter than the stars.
Their lips had met under the slow fall of the snow, neither wanting to break away from each other.
Her lips were so soft and warm, like he imagined. They tasted like cherries before they tasted like ash.
Forced to break away for air, Touka rested her head on his chest listening to the sound of the traffic going underneath them.
"Kaneki-kun... Lets go back to Anteiku. Let's go home." She said with a small smile.
The gaze of the silver haired boy had grown softer, no longer murky and filled with sorrow. Thats when she saw it. That stupid little grin he always did.
.
.
.
.
"Tadaima, Touka-chan." He said with his arms wrapped around her shoulders, intent on never letting go.