Copyright Disclaimer: All credit goes to the brilliant Ishida Sui for creating such complex and beautiful characters for his fans to create stories with ^.^

And to all my readers and reviewers: Thank you for taking the time out of your day for reading my story, I really appreciate it. I might not have finished this next chapter without everyone's kind words.

July 8th.

The fragrance of golden roses was embracing her. Cobalt sundress flowing behind her in an effort to outrun the flying breeze only to be wrung back forcefully by the seams it had been bound to. A slender hand approaches the wide brim hat that threatens to leap away from her fair head, while the other cradles something tightly against her side. She looks up, a pair of indigo eyes intent, with curiosity.

He could feel his breath escape.

She was here.

Touka approached the silver haired man in front of her. When he looked up, surprise and recognition spilled out his wide eyes. Touka observed amusedly, "I told you we would meet again didn't I?" The man nodded, still bewildered at the sight of her and studied her as she sat across from him. He didn't expect her to come back.

Touka examined the wooden tabletop, there was neat stack of papers covered with ink, and a laptop that perched beside it, off to the peripheral a pen lay lazily on its side. "So," started Touka albeit awkwardly, "How have you been?" Kaneki gave her a brief, warm smile before grabbing the miniature notebook from his chest pocket and the pen that was brushed off to the side. It's been an uneventful week. He wanted to ask her about the man that broke her heart but he didn't want to spoil the shy grin that adorned her face. "I suppose that's a good thing, in a way." Touka set down the book she had been carrying. Its title was The Centipede.

Kaneki spotted the object and recognition crossed his eyes and… was there a flicker of amusement? Touka notices his gaze. "Oh! It's a book by Sasaki Haise, do you know him?" she asks. He just laughs. "W-what's so funny?" her face flares crimson.

Oh it's nothing, it's just I wasn't expecting such a stylish young, woman like you to be interested in such violent and tragic mysteries. Touka is taken aback by his answer, it was a compliment, but, was he judging her? "So?" Her eyes became fiery, "Even stylish, young women are interested in horror stories that psychopaths wouldn't dare touch" Touka chastised, features forming an expression of defiance. Her interests were personal and she didn't appreciate others' criticism over it.

But, her reprimands obviously didn't succeed as Kaneki just continued to laugh at her response. He finally fell silent after noticing the piercing glare she threw his way, but even then he tried to cloak his snicker behind long, delicate fingers that let loose the image of his soft pink lips curling up at the sides.

After regaining his composure Kaneki finally asks, So then what do you like about his writing, Touka-chan? She gaped. It was strange; something about his immaculate way of writing her name was different. Maybe it was because it was so tidy unlike her careless letters that seemed to run into each other like lost children frantically searching for their parents. He made her name appear meaningful, like it was a hidden treasure amongst an uncharted sea of words.

She only snapped out of her daze when he began to wave his hand in front of her face. Oh, she realized, and then noticed that she had been staring at his words for an extremely inadmissible length of time. Brushing off the embarrassment that threatened to chew her out she gathered her thoughts.

Touka loved Sasaki-san's writing, but she didn't know what she liked about it. "I'm not sure to be honest," she admitted looking up distantly at the pointed canopy, "His writing style is subtle," she breathed, "and the way he expresses emotions is just so raw, you really can't help but feel something." Kaneki took time to digest her words and nodded thoughtfully. I'll let him know, he told her.

"W-w-wait, what?!" she sputters in surprise and stands up to lean across the table; she couldn't believe such an unprecedented development. "Y-you know him?" Touka's mouth hung agape. He's an old friend, he explains. Touka stares, speechless, at Kaneki with childish wonder as though he was a prize won at the lottery. "C-can I meet him? I-If that's okay with you" He shakes his head, Sorry, he's really shy, he apologizes. Touka slumps back down onto the bench and sighs, "It's fine, I suppose his anonymity is a part of his identity" she says "Although, it does makes him quite alluring," She shoots him a mischievous grin and his cheeks warm.

I can get you his autograph if you want, he offers. "Really?" she beams. He nods and watches, amused, at how her expression turned into that of someone who had just found a treasure chest at the foot of their bed. She ardently repeated her thanks before remembering what she had come for.

"Oh, I almost forgot!" Touka sits back down and grabs the small purse she had brought. She extracts a small plastic container and hands it to Kaneki. He sends her a quizzical expression. "It's for last time, I-I just wanted to say thanks" Touka stutters and her face flushes at the memory. What is it? Kaneki asks curiously as he undoes the clasps and lifts the lid. "C-Cookies," she hoped he wouldn't notice the fact that they were slightly burnt, it was her fifth batch and the few that she had selected for him were the only ones in edible condition. "They're mint," she adds. He opens the box and gives one a cautious look, Touka could feel her heart racing as he grabs one of the emerald circles and takes a small, careful bite. Kaneki's stony expression divulges nothing until he looks up and offers her an affable smile reassuring her that they were fine. Touka lets out a chuckle of relief, maybe her cooking wasn't that bad after all.

He offers her coffee just like last time and she accepts. This time it was iced, perfect for the smoldering heat the sun inflicted upon them. Although the pavilion did provide them a cool shade to rest in it was still pretty hot. Touka murmured small thanks and sipped the drink slowly, savoring its sweet flavor and letting out a satisfied sigh afterwards.

They spent the afternoon in comfortable silence in which Touka read her book and Kaneki typed as fervently as he wrote. When the sun began to set they parted ways, both already anticipating the next time they would meet.