I own nothing.

'Miss Sen' felt cheerful. She was in such a cheerful mood that she wanted to buy food for her poor harassed 'chaperon' Shiono-san. By some stroke of luck – she passed by a taiyaki place.

"Miss Sen, you really don't have to this. You need to work on your draft!"

"It's my treat! Do you eat your taiyaki by the head or the tail?" She flounced and skipped and giggled. They attracted quite a bit of attention.

"The tail…" Her embarrassed chaperon said.

"That sounds just like you!" She gushed.

What a peaceful yet boring day. She thought, as they waited in line.

That's when she caught sight of a boy who smelled like Rize, turning round the corner, she watched – with a raised eyebrow. She watched the three (college?) boys. Two ghoul. One human.

Not that either, the ghoul or the human, were important.

The boy smelled like Rize was, though.

But Rize was dead.

Or was she?

"Miss Sen? Where are you going?"

"Ahh…" She paused, turning around. "I just found out that I have some place to visit."

He made to follow her.

"Alone." She smiled. Sharp and pointy.

"Kaneki! Kaneki! It's me!"

Reasoning with a ghoul and not even trying to run, crawl or scream. What a strange boy. She watched as a metal bar was thrust between the ghoul-baby's teeth. Freshly hatched.

And then the boy reached forward – to jab the ghoul's right eye with his index-finger.

Like the great monstrous, evil centipede who was struck down by an arrow, which was covered in the hero's spittle, to the eye and up through the brain–

And the ghoul-boy screamed and thrashed.

And then the poor, daring, human boy was thrown back against the wall. He buckled. Miss Sen watched with horrified glee as the ghoul child screamed, clutching his eye. She shuddered.

"Oh…how dramatic. What a spectacular end. Encore."

Poor trusting human boy, to be betrayed by your dark, depraved ghoul friend, the misery, the agony, the utter tragedy. Et tu. Brute? Will he too drive a dagger through his chest?

Then the Anteiku girl had to ruin it.

Oh.

"So you finally cracked, huh, punk?" The girl taunted.

The Anteiku girl stood between the fallen human boy and Rize– no that boy who had Rize in him. The girl moved then – speedily, knee to the gut.

"Ukaku ghoul?" Miss Sen whispered to herself.

The ghoul was flung like a rag-doll to the wall. Miss Sen watched with raptured attention as he tried to get up. Miss Sen admired his tenacity. She shifted her attention to the girl.

"Too bad it isn't Kamishiro or that Anteiku brat would have been annihilated." She thought.

It didn't matter, the boy was weak – his kagune was drooping, his blows were had the precision of sludge and overall – she averted her eyes – he'd lose.

Poor fuckin' loser. She was such a sucker for despair that even plots about despair turned into a cliché.

The ghoul baby was knocked out.

The Anteiku girl heaved the boy over her shoulder. She gave the human a cursory glance. The girl then, shifted Kaneki's weight and turned her back. She shifted her cool eyes in Miss Sen's general direction. Not that she could see her.

But she knew that a ghoul was there. Ghouls had a sharp sense of smell.

Anteiku's kindness will really be their downfall, truly. Miss Sen thought mildly.

She smiled and hopped down from the rafters of the construction site.

"Good day!" She told the unconscious boy. "How do you do?"

She picked up a stray metal pipe from the ground and poked the boy idly. Then she threw it and ran her fingers over the sticky blood that was trickling from the side of his head.

"Poor thing, she really did leave you out here to die. She probably thought you would die. Too bad Anteiku have this policy of not eating humans whilst they are still alive…you know?"

She reached forward. She lifted him up over her shoulder and heaved him. Her phone rang then. With her other hand – she picked it up.

"Oh Shiono-san!"

"Miss Sen? I was just checking up on you. It's not good for you to be out alo–"

"Why you have to be such a boring person? I'll be home soon." She shifted the weight on her shoulder. "I just got a lil' something, that's all – oh Shiono-san!"

"Yes…?"

"I got a new idea!"

"Mrs. Sen, I'm hope that this doesn't hinder your draft."

"It's the ingredients in the making for a grand, epic, tragedy – take one boy who loves unconditionally, take a friend who's slipping into darkness. The terror, the awe, the wonder, the pain, the longing, the rise and the fall. The audience adores their theatrics – no one would go that far for a friend. It's all drama."

"I'm afraid I don't get you…"

"This is a side-story of a side-character who is nothing but a special ingredient for the main-course."

The boy's limp hands swayed as she danced.

When he woke up, the first thing he saw were blurred specks. The lazy dust specks were floating around in silvery, soft light.

Hide felt his head, then his ribs and then his bruised mouth. The softer, sinking surface underneath him smelled like leather. A fabric lay on his thighs. He felt the surface of this blanket, disoriented.

Hide counted his options.

He wasn't cuffed.

He wasn't bound by ropes.

He wasn't drugged

His feet weren't tied.

But he was bandaged. Hide felt his bandages again. He twisted his body slowly. Every achy limb of his body screamed in protest as if it was picketing.

And he let out a stream of expletives –

"OOW! Ow ow..."

Hide looked around, after managing to prop his feet on the floor. The room was small. It was a small apartment. From a cool, white tiles to dark-colored walls, lit up by soft white lights. It seemed to be an apartment for one person in particular and smelled of sandalwood.

There was also an egregious mess of papers, scribbled scraps of paper, balls of paper and more paper taped to the wall. Hide blinked.

The clock ticked a minute.

But it felt like an hour before there was a twitch of a knob. The hinges creaked. His eyes widened.

He hoped to meet his saviour without incident.

A moment passed, then two. And then –

"Awake already?"

"Light sleeper, I suppose." She continued nonchalantly. The girl had green-hair, wild, unruly and as if it hadn't been brushed in several days – or months.

"Hello."

The girl was petite, her large beige sweater nearly dwarfed her general figure. She adjusted her red-framed glasses, pulled out a chair, spun it around and sat on it backwards.

She observed him for a few seconds.

Hide shifted uncomfortably, he attempted to pull himself up, using the cushions to do so.

"Ano…"

"Sen." She began.

"Eh?"

"You may call me Sen. I saved you – by the by. You are also welcome by-the-by. Let's skip the cliché intros and get right to it. You were found half-dead and bleeding."

There was momentary silence. Why was the name 'Sen' so familiar?

"Then why didn't you just call the ambulance." Hide asked.

She sipped her mug of coffee. Her face twisted with delight. He didn't know if it was at the taste of coffee or the question.

"Because that would be a problem, Nagachika-kun."

"How did you–"

"Your I.D., found it beside your family picture." Sen tutted impatiently, "Do you want your friend to get caught?"

Dumbstruck, Hide watched as she calmly continued. He then groped for his pocket wallet, and found beside his bag-pack which was over the coffee-table. He reached for the wallet, pried it open and counted his bearings.

And Sen talked on with more enthusiasm.

"Ka-ne-ki Ken," Her eyes glittered. "He's a ghoul. What do you think the law-enforcement does to ghouls?"

The implications settled in. He prodded forward.

"Where…where is Kaneki?"

"Alive probably." She shrugged, "Probably taken in by one of those ghoul groups. They would refuse to help him because of you. So I moved you from the area so that they could move your friend. The two of you made quite a bit of noise."

"Why?"

"Because the appearance of a human body would be an attack. People would file complaints, it isn't hard to link a ghoul who is wet behind the ears to a crime, didn't you know? Then the doves would be more active. Then they would capture him and put him in these ghoul prisons–eh no–"

She paused.

"He would die." She nodded. "Small fries like him would be ripped apart…"

Hide winced.

"So you moved me, the key piece of evidence…"

"Someone had to. Usually it's ghoul-group problem. But Anteiku is quite…placid toward humans." She swung her leg back and forth whilst rocking on the chair.

She watched him.

It unnerved him.

"Ghoul Groups?"

"Did you think ghouls didn't have groups? They have communities – little circles where they bond together over their ideals. For example, I enjoy the ankles of humans –" Hide subconsciously twitched his feet, "–but you enjoy the eye-balls. In that case – you would prefer to fraternize with people who have the same delicate taste in eyeballs. Connoisseurs of eyeballs. We share a common interest."

"But in terms of an ecosystem – that's very counterproductive…" Hide reasoned. "I mean wouldn't y–we be more interested in differences of tastes? It is more efficient when it comes to consumption. You eat the eyeballs, I eat the…ankles…"

He faltered.

She then smiled. It wasn't a pleasant smile.

"I was merely using a metaphor of sorts. It just means that some kind ghoulish organization took Kaneki-kun in respect for their ideals."

She bared her teeth and smiled. The smile didn't reach her eyes.

"Ghouls aren't as…co-operative as you think."

Fisting his blanket, he felt drained and dizzy and very tired. His mother would be worried sick about him. Then he realized that he knew what his mother looked like. It was an old, coffee-stained picture, one which his father had taken.

He was the only family she had.

"Miss Sen," Hide began slowly. "Why did you help me? A ghoul wouldn't let me live."

"Interesting." Sen observed blandly. "You are incredibly sharp."

"I've have bitter experiences with ghouls," Hide pointed out. He dragged every syllable. "Three encounters. I'd be stupid not to be able to tell a ghoul from a human by now."

"Was it the smell?" Sen sniffed her sweater, "I haven't done laundry in a while."

That probably explained all the papers, Hide thought.

"No, usually most normal people would assume that ghouls behave like predators, not connoisseurs of fine cuisine."

Silence.

"Ha." She laughed.

"Why did you help me?" Hide asked again.

He clenched the blanket. Perhaps if push came to shove, he could use the blanket to suffocate a ghoul. She would probably tear it apart–

"I'm not going to eat you." She deadpanned. "But I'll make this fast – have deadlines for my novel. I want to recruit your services."

"My services?"

"Be my errand-boy. Buy me coffee. Stuff like that."

He contemplated it for a second. "No."

"Aww." She leaned back in her chair. "Silly me – I didn't expect you to say 'Yes' without reading the terms and conditions."

"What are your terms and conditions?" Hide felt uneasy.

She smiled slow and wide.

"You won't call the police on me, do you know why? Because I'm your outlet. Because I will help you with Kaneki – don't you think I can push him in the right direction? Besides if you don't, I can accidentally slip some word about Kaneki's whereabouts."

"Terms and Conditions? Didn't even offer a pen." He scoffed softly.

"Because boy, did you know that his donor pissed off some very important people in high-places?"

The realization settled in.

"People are looking for Rize." He said. "You just said he would be helped by these 'ghoul communities'."

"Helped. Yes. But who do you trust? The boy hasn't grown up to dream darkly – what does he know? Rize could run. He can't. He knows nothing. He'll be flailing around in the dark, moving around with the wrong crowd. No authorities, no support, no help, just the incessant call of madness."

Her eyes gleamed. There was silence. She smiled at him. Hide smiled, wide.

"And what's in it for you, Miss Sen?"

She adjusted her glasses.

"The pleasure of entertaining a new muse."

Hide could feel her creepy, conniving eyes on his back as he left her apartment. His slick, bloody jacket and dirtied baseball cap was stuffed into his bag-pack. He pulled out his cellphone and pulled out the front-view camera. The curtain of her apartment window, over his shoulder, shuffled to a close.

He limped.

She wouldn't try anything. He wouldn't try anything. It would all be all hush-hush.

Because they both agreed – for Kaneki.

He flipped off his camera, and moved into contacts. Underneath 'Sen' was another contact. Hide clicked the green phone. It rang on the other end.

But Hide didn't make deals in the dark with sharp, conniving ghouls..

"Hello, Commission of Counter Ghoul employment services: ward 11, how may I direct your call?"

"Eh…Hello, my name is Nagachika Hide. I saw your ad, were you looking for a delivery boy?"

There was shuffling and typing and a rustling of paper.

"Ahh…sorry Nagachika-san, we managed to get someone for this already."

"Oh…ma…it's alright." He said, disappointed.

"I'm sorry…but we'll definitely let you know if another position comes up?"

"Hai!"

"In the mean-while, would you like to sign up for our newsletter? We normally post advertisements in there."

It was Thursday and it was five days after the attack.

Hide and Kaneki often met near the bike-rack next to the History department. They met there before their lectures. It had sort of become a ritual because Hide biked to university.

But he was surprised to find the latter waiting for him there. The boy had called his mother. His mother had fussed a little, scolded Kaneki and told him that Hide was resting. Hide had been catching up on sleep and studies.

Neither of them texted each other.

There was a nervous shuffling of foot, a single wary, watchful eye into the crowds. He scanned every face. Hide watched as he jumped at the sound of people calling out to each other.

Then Kaneki caught his eye. He looked hesitant. Hide smiled.

Then Hide belted out, startling a near-by gang of girls.

"YOOOOOOOO KAAAAANEKI!"

Startled and very embarrassed, the latter's face flushed.

"Shut up, Hide! You are being so loud!" He hissed. Hide limped forward with the biggest, happiestgrin on his face.

"Doing alright?" He asked with a bigger grin. He locked his bicycle.

"How…are you? I called your mom. Did you go to the…hospital?" Kaneki asked him. "Have you been straining yourself–?"

"I'm fine! I'm fine! That car hit us pretty hard, huh? Hit-and-run too."

He saw Kaneki widen his eyes for the briefest of seconds.

"I did go to the hospital, Kaneki. How about you? How are you? Any injuries?"

"No…" The boy murmured and then increased his voice. "I'm okay. We're alive. We're alive!"

Hide chuckled. "Some good luck, huh?"

And just like that, all was well. Hide shared his notes, scolded Kaneki over skipping class and Kaneki told him about his new job.

At a coffee shop called Anteiku.

"Ne," He said. There was a mild stench of puke underneath the smell of freshly laundered spring. "Let's go celebrate with some coffee."

The action startled Kaneki.

"Since when did you like coffee, Hide?"

A look of suspicion flitted over Kaneki's face.

It was a fair question. He had always displayed a vehement distaste for the drink. But then again, Hide was a much better actor than Kaneki.

"Ehhh?" He exclaimed, "You need to get with the times, Kaneki. Adults have coffee. And we are officially adults. Besides if we go to Anteiku, I get to see your co-workers!"

The boy flinched.

"Also I've been trying out this coffee at Starlocks –"

"You mean Starbucks?"

"–and I'm so inspired to work at a coffee shop as a barista you know? It would be very interesting?" He continued on. "Maybe you could help me get a job at Anteiku, what do you think?"

Kaneki blinked once then twice.

"Hah?!" He glanced at Hide, mortified. "Maybe you'd be better suited to working at a build-a-bear shop?"

He was greeted by the cheerful ring of the door-bell, the aroma of coffee and a cheerful waitress.

"Welcome!"

He scanned her name-tag.

"Hello Touka-chan!" He sent the girl a bedazzling smile. "How do you do?"

She nods her head in response with surprise in his directions. She then sent Kaneki a look – as if to say deal with your friend.

"Wait here," Kaneki led him to a free-table, "I'll go get your order."

"But I want Touka-chan to make my coffee!" Hide whined. Kaneki left him with an apologetic look in waitress' direction.

He watched as Kaneki stood over the counter. The waitress whispered, frantic hushed things toward Kaneki – she caught his eye. Kaneki spoke back – reassuring her of something.

And looked away immediately.

He heard the sound of people chattering, squealing, bargaining, whispering, and hissing around him. They blended together.

"…eh? So I haven't heard about that binge-eater in a while..."

"…heard she's dead! Maybe there's actually a god!"

Because boy, did you know that his donor pissed off some very important people in high-places?

Hide averted his eyes to the surface of coffee brown table. There were two conversations going on. One behind him – one in the table in front of him.

"…Ami! These sandwiches are the best!"

"Mhmm! I told you Anteiku has a very delicate taste!"

"…now there's another fucker on the loose …"

"…Very gourmet-like and very delicate…!"

"Gourmet…? That fucker is so disgusting I heard he cannibalizes…"

"Gourmet…? I heard that on the news today! What does it mean?"

"Who knows? Sounded fun to say."

He heard the table behind him erupt into giggles and the girl and her friend launched into another conversation.

The table in front of him, was distracted by the appearance of Touka, who brought them their bill. The men then paid and left. Hide then pulled out a tissue, he rummaged for a pen, pulled the cap out with his teeth and brought the nib toward the tissue.

He was about to write–

"Here I brought you some cappuchino. You'll like it." He said with a hint of a smug smile.

And he set the cup down. Hide dropped the pen. He picked up the cup.

"Thanks man!" He brought it to his lips and made a face, "Kaneki, this is awful!"

His friend sent him a withering glare.

"I even added a stupid neko design on it, Hide! Like the kind you like on your omurice!"

"Eh…I still think Starlocks is better."

"Then why don't you go there, hmmm? Just drink and pay up Hide, it's not on the house. The manager will deduct money from my paycheck thanks to you–"

"Bitter…" He whined.

When he stepped out of Anteiku later. He got a new text-message from Sen.

Homework for you~go sniff for information about the ghoul called 'Gourmet'.

A/N: I hope I'm not disappointing yet. Oh and I might of lied about this being written out. I scrapped those chapters.