A/N: Hey everyone! Angel here! I'm sorry about the length and satisfaction level of the first chapter. I was just excited to get out my first chapter that I didn't really spend much time on the story, or length in general I suppose. Anyway, as a note, I've decided to add in some pretty rad stuff to my story that is just getting introduced or hinted at in this chapter. If you notice any it and don't like it, please feel free to mention it. I will definitely revise said parts if I get enough comments on it. Otherwise, enjoy and review please! Reviews are sooooo helpful!

Chapter 2: Strange Meetings

"T-Touka!" Kaneki stopped on the bridge that he and the female ghoul had previously crossed on their way to Uta's.

Touka glowered back at him, "What?"

"W-What, exactly, happened to Hinami?"

"Why would you want to know that? It doesn't matter to you." Touka returned to walking, but was forced to pause again.

"I want… I want to know. If there's anything I can do…"

Touka scowled and stared at his feet, "She has to live separately from her father now, so she's probably anxious. She usually isn't like that."

"Really?" Kaneki suddenly had a touch of pain in his stomach as he remembered his father, who had died when he was younger, "Oh… Um, by the way, what are the those masks used for?"

"What?! You came along without knowing even that?!" Touka clenched her fists and stomped where she stood. That damned manager… First my only day off, now this shit.

"Uhhh.… Umm…."

Touka maintained her death glare, but her voice lost some of its edge, "The doves. That's what we call the ghoul investigators. If you have a run-in with the doves, then you don't want them seeing your face. That's why we're having Mr. Uta make you a mask."

Touka turned back to walk. "W-Wait, I have another question!" Kaneki stepped forward and raised his hand, then realized she wasn't stopping. He ran after her, trying to keep up. Touka sighed and muttered back, "What is it, damn Kaneki?"

"That person. That boy back in Uta's shop. Who was he?"

Touka's next footstep hesitated and she nearly tripped and fell. However, she finally slowed her pace enough for Kaneki to catch his breath, "That boy is the most dangerous person both you and I have ever met."

"Huh? He was so young though."

"… He's older than both of us… I think…."

There must be so much I don't understand about ghoul physiology then. "Oh, I see. Why does he want to talk with the manager?"

Touka growled at him, "How the hell should I know? I haven't seen him for nearly four years. I'm sure we'll both find out though. The manager will almost certainly call for a meeting when they are finished talking."

Catching onto her growing animosity, Kaneki gave up on trying to converse with the teenage girl. The woman's voice I heard. Who was that? Am I going crazy? I guess it wouldn't be a reach considering the events that have happened recently…

Center for the Commission of Counter Ghoul

First Class Ghoul Investigator Mado Kureo practically pranced into Associate Special Class Ghoul Investigator Shinzoku Kage's office space. Mado twittered in glee, "Shinzoku! I have created a new quinque from my last investigation. I call it, the Fueguchi One! Would you care to see?"

Kage raised one eyebrow and continued to fill out the extremely tedious paperwork from his own investigation, "Not particularly. Your obsession with rending the body parts off of ghouls is not something I want dirtying my thought process."

"Oh, but isn't that the point?" Mado cackled, "They hunt us like animals. They disembowel us for sport. Shouldn't we have some pleasure in wreaking vengeance on our predators?"

Kage sighed and put his work down, "If you say so. How is your daughter… What was her name, Akira?"

Mado's manical demeanor immediately shifted to a more serious, proud parental tone, "Yes, Akira. She just made Rank Two Investigator. She was valedictorian of her class at the Academy."

His mood swings are almost comical, if he weren't so utterly insane, Kage thought to himself. He glanced at his watch, which said 8:59. "Oh… Shit… I'm supposed to meet with Doctor Chigyou in less than a minute."

Kage jumped to his feet and rushed out of the door, pausing only to grab his suit jacket, leaving Mado sitting by himself in the senior investigator's office. A few seconds later, Kage peeked his head back into his office, "As much as I would love to stay and chat it up with you, get out. I don't want to chance catching your obsessive contagion from your loitering near my workspace."

Commision of Counter Ghoul Laboratory Division

Kage sprinted to the glass door of the CCG Laboratory building. He flung the entrance open and ran to the front security desk. "Shit, where is it. Where is it?" He muttered, fumbling for his wallet.

"May I help you?" the receptionist asked.

Kage looked up at her, holding his prize up, his CCG ID. The receptionist smiled and took it. She looked at it, then her eyes widened in surprise as she scanned it. "Oh… Oh… Go on through, Investigator Shinzoku," she stammered.

He grinned cheekily, grabbing his ID. Kage ran through the Rc cell detector and into the elevator. He mashed the button to the lowest floor and fell into the side of the elevator, gasping for air. Finally stabilizing his breathing, he looked over to realize there was another occupant in the confined space.

She was a beautiful, blonde young woman that was several inches taller than himself. She was wearing a red oxford with an accompanying red tie and a dark blue suit skirt. Her mouth was set into a straight line with a grave complexion. She looked eerily familiar…

DING! DING! "Floor: Basement. Arrived."

Now, if you were to look at the situation from a completely uninvolved, nonpartisan perspective, you would see a young woman, in professional business attire, of average height standing in an elevator, seeming completely at ease. On the other side of the elevator, you would see a considerably shorter, out of breath, and sweaty young man, in a disheveled attempt at a suit. After all but flying into the elevator, the man's eyes creep to the corners of his to stare at the woman beside him, followed by the motion of his entire face turning. His head stays this way until the elevator stops. When the elevator stops, the two are greeted by an unenthused scientist in a lab coat. The mess of a man continues to glare at the other occupant of the elevator, albeit with a mouth now slightly open and his left eyebrow raised. Finally, the young woman notices the visual examination that she is undergoing.

"What the hell do you think you're doing?" Mado Akira shouted at Kage.

Snapping out of his daze, Kage looked at Dr. Chigyou, the head of the CCG Lab Division, then at Akira, then back at Chigyou. He slid out of the elevator, never taking his gaze off of the now pissed off younger Mado. Kage grinned at Akira, "I do apologize for my rudeness, but trust me, we've both seen something far crazier. In fact, I was just talking to him a little while ago! I think his last name might have been Mado!"

"Why you shitty little… IMP!" Akira made to step out of the elevator, but Dr. Chigyou blocked her way.

"Ah, miss Mado! You're on time!" Chigyou tried to break the tension, "And…. Shinzoku… You're late."

The doctor held Akira back from pounding the other investigator, "Miss Mado, please refrain from killing the Associate Special Class Investigator Shinzoku. I'm sure your superiors would not be happy that such a recently decorated graduate of the Academy just murdered the most decorated Associate Special Class Investigator."

Akira gasped as it dawned on her who exactly the person cowering hiding behind Chigyou was.

"Hello!" Kage waved, his grin widening.

"I… You… What…" Akira stammered, "…."

Chigyou placed his hand on her shoulder, removing her from the elevator, and directed her to a waiting room down the hallway, "Miss Mado, please wait here for the time being. I apologize for the wait, but Shinzoku was late and our meeting cannot be delayed any further."

Akira allowed herself to be led away from the Kage, who was still grinning like a madman and waving. Chigyou returned to the "imp" and snorted, "Lovely impression you made on her."

"It happens," Kage shrugged, "Now what was so important that you had to drag me down here at the end of the day?"

"Follow me," Chigyou motioned with his hand and Kage fell into step.

The pair entered a testing laboratory room several doors down the hallway. Dr. Chigyou walked over to the windows and closed the reinforced steel barricades. Kage examined the room and saw a singular table sitting in the center with a briefcase on top of it. Shinzoku took one look at it and said, "No. I've told you over and over, I don't need a quinque. Stop bugging me about it."

Chigyou turned back to him and answered, "It's not a quinque. Open it."

Drug by his curiosity, the investigator walked over to the table and clicked open the fasteners of the briefcase. He sighed and raised the lid. Inside was a manila folder named Ghoul Case: Spectre. "We have reason to believe that the ghoul known as Spectre is back in Tokyo somewhere. The chairman wants you to handle the investigation personally."

Kage glanced through the file, "I suppose I don't really have a choice. You do remember what happened to me the last time I encountered him though, right?"

"Yes I do. I was the one responsible for maintaining your health. However, I seem to recall you claiming that you injured him just as mortally?" Chigyou nodded gravely.

"Yeah. His wounds heal faster though. Tell the chairman he's a bitch for sending me to do it instead of Arima."

"I'll be sure to exactly that."

Kage closed the briefcase, grabbed it, and proceeded to leave the room. He hesitated for a moment, then put his best shit-eating grin on before saying, "Please do apologize to miss Mado for me. I meant no ill will to her or her most honorable father."

Chigyou smiled, "Get out you little shit, before I call her back for your head."

11:00 P.M. — Anteiku

All of the employees of Anteiku were gathered in the main area of the cozy coffee shop. Komo and Irimi sat at one of the smaller tables, enjoying two cups of steaming coffee. Simultaneously, Ryouko and Hinami, mother and daughter, sat together at a different table, both of them reading. Yomo had taken up his silent post in the corner of the room. Meanwhile, Kaneki and Touka had sat at opposite ends of the room, the latter affixing the former with her infamous, glorified death glare. Kaneki, withering, stared at his coffee cup, warming both his hands on either side. Finally, the manager, Yoshimura, entered from the back door.

"I am sorry for the late hours, but all of you needed to be present for this," Yoshimura began, "According to Touka, Borei, Spectre, has returned. He has requested to meet with me, however, I believe we would all benefit from seeing him again, or, in Kaneki's case, for the first time."

Hinami started, practically jumping out of her seat, "Onii-chan and One-san are back?!"

The manager smiled in return, "To my understanding, Borei will meet us here. However, Touka did not say that he mentioned Yurei."

Kaneki leaned over to Ryouko and whispered, "I think I've already met Borei, somewhat, but who is Yurei?"

Ryouko replied, "Yurei is his twin sister. They both worked here for a time. While they were here, Yurei was the life of this shop."

"Oh."

In the near silence, a loud resounding knock filled the air. Everyone flinched, but the only one to respond immediately was Hinami. She ran to the door and flung it open. The person that Kaneki met earlier stepped inside. This time, though, he actually got a decent look at him.

Spectre, Borei, was a young man with angled black hair, much like any other Asian. He looked to be about two inches shorter than Kaneki himself. His dress was very casual, consisting of dark blue jeans and a black zip-up hoodie with a black undershirt. He had a young face, but his eyes…. His eyes spoke of something else though, someone much older.

"Onii-chan!" Hinami shouted, hugging his midsection. Smiling, he bent down and returned the hug.

"I wasn't expecting a welcome party, Yoshimura," Spectre winked at the manager.

Yoshimura, too, walked over to the newcomer, "It is nice to see you again, Borei."

"You know, I've told you this so many times. My sister was the one that preferred to be called by her personal name. I prefer my operational name."

The manager chuckled, "After five years of not seeing you, I suppose I can respect your wishes."

Spectre stood up and greeted the rest of the room, "Komo, Irimi. Pleasure to see you. I hope your disputes are settled."

The two ghouls tilted their heads respectfully.

He walked over to Ryouko Fueguchi and gently grabbed her hand, "Ms. Fueguchi, it has been too long."

"Likewise. You are always welcome under our roof," Ryouko beamed.

"Yomo, always taller than me, and always in your corner," Spectre bowed, to which the white haired ghoul responded in kind.

He then looked at Touka, who immediately froze in her nervous tapping, "Touka, you've grown up. You're no different than you were years ago. My sister promised me to tell you that you'll… and I quote… 'You'll always be that little chibi of a blueberry.'"

Touka's face went as red as a beet and she looked towards the ground, "Thank you."

Turning to the rest of the room, Spectre cleared his throat, "I… suppose you have many questions for me. I'll start with the foremost: Where and why did I go? Short story, I left because of the Fukushima Nuclear Reactor Accident. Now the runner-up question, why did I return? I am here for you," he pointed at Kaneki, "and for the One-Eyed Owl." He fixed Yoshimura with a pointed stare.

Hinami, still attached to his hip, murmured, "Where is One-chan?"

"That is the third most need-to-know question, isn't it?" Spectre's eyes glazed over, "The nuclear meltdown in Fukushima was not an accident, nor due to an earthquake. Well, I suppose it was. The earthquake itself was a direct result of a Rift Opening."

Yoshimura gasped, "No! The last one was sealed over twenty years ago!"

Spectre nodded morosely, "It was. He's back, manager. We knew it was only a matter of time before he found another way back. As for his current status, I don't know his whereabouts or plans."

Yoshimura's face went pale, and he stumbled back to a seat, shaking, "You… were telling us of your sister…?"

"Yes. She left me to control the Keeper of that particular Rift, while she, herself, went to control the situation at the nuclear plant," he answered, "By the time I had finished the Keeper and gotten back to the plant, she had kept two of the three active reactors from losing complete control. Reactor number two though…"

Spectre's mind exploded in a flash of colors as he recalled the event.

A woman's voice, "Is this what it feels like to end?"

His answer, "I do not know."

A sad smile, "You do not know, because this is not our end."

A light purple aura, then a bright flash of light.

Japanese workers, exhausted, sitting on the ground. A smoking crater in the place of the second reactor.

A woman crying in the distance.

"… Spectre!…. Borei!… Can you hear me?"

Spectre's eyes flashed open. He shook his head, reacquainting himself with his surroundings. The manager had his hand on his shoulder, a look of worry on his face. He had zoned out…

"I… apologize. The second reactor's meltdown could not be controlled. Yurei evacuated all of the workers she could then consecrated the ground and called upon her Respite. The… resulting explosion was too much for her to deal with fast enough. She used her body as a vessel to dissipate the radiation. She… sacrificed herself to keep the reactor from spreading radiation across the Western seaboard and Eastern Asia."

A very audible silence filled the room. Hinami's small voice could be heard, quiet gasps between sobs of realization. Kaneki looked around at everyone, I don't know either of these people, but I feel like I've had a stake driven through my heart. Who IS he? And who was is his sister?

Spectre gathered his breath, "I imagine you have many, many more questions, but they will have to wait. I have information that there is a meeting in the 24th ward concerning the One-Eyed Owl tonight. I intend to be there. May I continue operating under the assumption that I have permission to take up residence and employment at this shop?"

The manager, albeit slightly aghast, nodded, "Of course. Of course. You are always welcome here."

"Thank you," Spectre proceeded to walk to the door he came in, then turned to look at Kaneki, "We should talk… Is tomorrow alright? After your shift here?"

It took a few seconds for Kaneki to register the question, "… Oh! Y-yeah! I-I mean, yes. That works perfectly for me."

"Good. I will see you here after your shift then."

With that, Spectre opened the door and stepped outside into the crisp night air, closing the door behind him. He took off at a jaunt in the general direction of the 24th ward.

Inside the restaurant, Yoshimura spoke up, "I hope this meeting was not as disappointing nor saddening to everyone as it was to me. However, thank you for coming. Please, enjoy the rest of this night."

Kaneki got up, dazed, considering the request to meet after his work shift. Someone shoved him: Touka. He spun around to face her with a retort, but stopped when he saw her face. Her eyes were red and her voice was in the back of her throat, "P-push your chair in you shit-head. And if I hear you crying about any more of your misfortune tonight, so help me God, I will kill you!"

She ran off upstairs to her room, leaving the college boy speechless, for the second time that night.