Chapter 1
Transitioning from the life of a human to the life of a ghoul didn't come easy for Kaneki. He'd been working at Anteiku for weeks, and he still struggled to blend in. Even when it was something as small as pretending to eat lunch with Hide or serving other customer that was also a ghoul, he still couldn't make it look like it was natural for him to take a bite out of a sandwich or treat them like they were just another person. And, as always, whenever he screwed up, Touka was right there yelling at him.
He didn't exactly blame her for it, though. Not listening to Touka's advice had almost gotten him killed a few times. Between his own stubborn yet naïve nature and the other ghouls of the 20th Ward, he needed her just to keep his ass alive.
Kaneki glanced at Touka from across the restaurant as he wiped down a table. She always came across as friendly and polite while serving customers. Whenever he was with Hide, it was always hard to believe he was seeing the same person. Then he would receive a rough jab to the ribs or a menacing glare from another table, and he'd be brought back to his reality. Touka was cute, but she was also scary.
Kaneki glanced around the shop. Touka was waiting on customers, Nishio was at the counter, likely trying to figure out a way to get out of work. Hinami sat at a table reading. And Yoshimura stood behind the counter, brewing coffee. It was a relatively peaceful afternoon. No major incidents, no new word on the doves (which probably couldn't be considered a good thing.) And Kaneki had managed to keep his embarrassing screw ups to a minimum. All he had after this was his training with Yomo, which was bound to go horribly, and he was done for the day.
"Is something the matter, Kaneki?" Yoshimura piped up, noticing that the boy was lost in thought.
"Oh, it's nothing," Kaneki replied, jumping slightly, "I was just thinking about how quiet it's been lately."
A little too quiet, it seemed. When he was a human, quiet days were just another day for him. They were the days he'd spend at bookstores or listening to the television at home. Now that he was a ghoul, he lived a ghoul's life. Dodging attacks from other ghouls and keeping an eye out for the CCG were daily tasks. Hearing about other ghouls being killed, either by doves or some other enemy, were in the rumors at Anteiku just as often as homicides were on the new local news. He still remembered how hard it was for on everyone when Mrs. Feuguchi was killed. He had to get over the fact that his life wasn't going to be as quiet as it once was, and he and the people he cared about were one mistake away from winding up dead.
Kaneki shook the thought off as he went back to cleaning, one of the few things that he could do right at Anteiku. Sweep floors, wipe down tables, help Hinami with her reading, and go food shopping with Yomo. Since his coffee making skills weren't quite up to par with Yoshimura's yet, he had to make himself useful in other ways.
Just as he was finishing up his shift, the door swung open with a loud boom. The small bell at the corner of the door rang at a painfully high volume, so loud everyone thought it would break off of the door. Before anyone could ask any questions or give any sort of greeting, a flash of purple flew across the coffee shop and dove behind the counter.
Yoshimura let out a surprise gasp as a familiar face sat under the counter or the terrified expression on his face.
"Tsukiyama?"
Touka instantly marched over to the counter, fists clenched and her face twisted in annoyance.
"What are you doing, creepy bastard?" she growled.
The petrified gourmet shushed her, eyes pleading.
"Whatever you do, don't tell her I'm here!"
"What the hell are you talking about?"
Just then, the shop's door opened once more. It was much more gentle this time as the bell let out a light ring.
Touka turned from Tsukiyama long enough to let out a greeting.
"Welcome to Anteiku!"
Touka paused. The person that walked in had stopped at the door. She was a ghoul that was relatively small in size. Her milky white skin complemented the pretty pastel pink dress she wore, full of frills and decorated with white lace and a black bow tied around her waist. Her hair was a cotton candy pink in color and fell in delicate curls down to the middle of her back. They matched the shade of her eyes, which seemed to shine as the afternoon sun hit them.
The girl stood there for a moment before her gaze locked on Touka. She approached her in small steps, ignoring the expressions of shock and confusion coming from the customers and employees.
"Uhh, can I help you?" Touka asked nervously.
The girl pulled a piece of paper out of the small handbag she carried and held it up. It was a photo of a familiar looking man with dark purple hair.
"Have you seen him?" She asked in a soft voice, "he ran in this direction, but I haven't been able to find him."
Touka glanced over to Tsukiyama, who shook his head frantically. She could decide to rat him out, figuring that's what he deserved for causing so much trouble for the employees at Anteiku. But then she thought about it a bit more. Tsukiyama was hiding from this girl, and was clearly frightened. It was completely abnormal for him to be afraid of someone or something and outwardly show it.
"Not today, I haven't," she replied, "Tsukiyama comes in to say hi every great once in a while and pester us, but we haven't seen him recently."
"Alright," the girl said as she put the picture back in her handbag, "if you do see him, could you pass on a message for me?"
"Sure. No problem."
"Tell him Chinatsu is waiting for him back at the mansion and that dinner will be ready when he gets there."
"Sure thing. I'll let him know if he comes in."
"Thank you."
The girl gave a curt bow and turned to leave, but paused a moment as her eyes settled on Kaneki. There was something in her gaze that he couldn't quite figure out, a combination of recognition and realization. She took a few steps towards him, looking him over.
"You're Ken Kaneki."
It wasn't a question, it was a full blown statement. An acknowledgment, something that she knew already, yet the two of them had never met before.
"Um . . . Yeah, that's me," Kaneki replied nervously.
The girl was silent for a moment before she cracked a small smile.
"I'm Chinatsu Tsukiyama," she said, "Shuu speaks highly of you."
"Y-yeah. I'm very well aware of that . . ."
Images flashed through Kaneki's mind of when he and the flamboyant gourmet first met. He had to admit, he was attractive and had a way with words, especially whenever he talked about books. But right from the start, he always came on a bit too strong, and if he could find the words he'd tell him that he wasn't all that interested.
"Make sure Shuu stays out of trouble, okay?" Chinatsu asked.
"Sure, no problem," Kaneki answered.
Chinatsu bowed once more before turning and disappearing out the door, Leaving the one-eyed ghoul a little bewildered. She had a similar vibe that Rize had before she attacked him; quiet, quirky, ladylike, and a total bookworm. Then again, that act had led him astray before. It was entirely possible for Chinatsu to be just like Rize and Tsukiyama, just another wolf in sheep's clothing.
Touka let out a sigh before turning to the cowering gourmet, "She's gone. You can come out now."
A relieved sigh escaped Tsukiyama as he stood up, "Merci beaucoup, Ms. Kirishima."
Almost instantly, Touka's annoyance returned.
"Now are you going to explain what the hell's going on?!"
Translations
Merci beaucoup: (French) "Thank you very much"
