Saya could not stop the grin from creeping onto her face as she neared the apartment. There was a fluttering sort of giddiness in her as she walked, pausing briefly to glance at the names near the doors. Kaneki…Kaneki…Kaneki…here it is! She stared at the door, standing in place as an almost nervous sensation began in her stomach. The girl placed a hand on the door, bowing her head to hide her grin. Kaneki lives here. He was nice enough to say that I could come to him for help with my literature homework, but…I really just want to see him again.

It took her a moment to compose herself and when she finally knocked, she could feel her heart beating faster. There were few things that Saya had encountered in her life that made her nervous. Tsukiyama and Rize, unfortunately, were sources of anxiety for her. Yomo was another one, but in a less dangerous or romantic and more intimidating way. She had been in plenty of fights, but none of those opponents could make her tremble the way that Kaneki seemed to.

He opened the door with a nervous smile and let her in. Immediately, the boy found himself swept into her warm embrace. The door closed and Kaneki stared at it, feeling her arms wrapped around his neck and her chest pressing against his. He hesitantly hugged back, still a little confused by her forwardness. "Um…d-did you have trouble finding-?" Kaneki went silent, tensing when he felt her face bury in the side of his neck. "S-Saya-chan?"

The female ghoul hugged tighter, but used control to not hurt him. His scent was intoxicating as she nuzzled her cheek against him, the tip of her nose tracing over his skin delicately. "You smell so good. I'm sorry, Kaneki-senpai. I probably sound creepy, but your scent just makes me feel so happy. I don't get it."

"Sh-should we start? You said that you wanted help with your literature homework." As nice as it felt to be hugged, and to hug someone else, he was still a little nervous around her. Though it was clear that she was trying hard not to scare him.

"Ah! Sorry!" She reluctantly pulled away, her cheeks burning with a blush. Rize-san's scent is becoming his scent. Being around him so much the past few weeks, it's like the memory of it being hers is disappearing. I can barely call it her scent anymore. Saya seated herself at the table with him and got out her textbook and some worksheets. "I got you something. I didn't know what roast you like best so I just got as many as I could carry," she confessed.

Kaneki looked over as she pulled her bag open further, displaying a shopping bag full of cans of chilled coffee and containers of instant coffee. "W-wow. These are for me?" He lifted a can, studying the label. "Thank you, Saya-can. That's really nice of you."

When he smiled at her, she felt her heart pound in her chest. The blush intensified and she bowed her head, her dark blue hair falling over her eyes. I feel like I'm melting! Why is his smile so cute?! It's just a simple facial expression, but when he smiles like that…and at me…I just don't know if I can handle it!

The two sat together for a couple of hours, going over the problems on the worksheet. The girl would occasionally glance over and feel her focus start to slip. He was explaining things to her, wording everything in a very easy to understand manner, but she found her gaze wandering to his lips and then to his single, dark eye. From behind her bangs, she watched his facial expressions and prayed that he did not catch the way she was staring.

"A-are you okay, Saya-chan? If you're tired…well you seem like you get it, right?" He looked down at the problems again. The memory of her hug surfaced and he glanced over to find her blushing pink, staring at him. "Saya-chan?"

I thought it was just Rize-san's scent. I thought it was just her organs. But I think that I might actually like him for him. She lowered her gaze once more, absently toying with a loose strand of her hair. "Kaneki-senpai. Are you afraid of me?"

He gulped audibly. "Um…I mean, I'm still…kind of nervous around ghouls in general," he confessed. "But I-I'm not really afraid of you specifically. That probably doesn't sound good, but-!" To his surprise, she leaned over and caught his lips with hers. His eyes widened and he subconsciously gripped her shoulders.

Saya's pulse was racing faster than ever before in her life. She had expected him to taste like food since he was still partially human, but his lips tasted like something else entirely. Something bittersweet and delicious. Her arms wrapped around his neck as his arms slid around her waist. Her heart skipped a beat as his lips moved against hers, reciprocating the kiss. His lips were surprisingly soft, but his hold on her tightened when her teeth grazed his skin.

Kaneki was glad when she did not try to nip at him again. He knew that she would never try to eat him; he had some of Rize's organs and she wanted to keep those alive. Although he was starting to wonder if that was really her reason for spending time with him. The kiss began to deepen as the tip of her tongue skimmed over his bottom lip and he felt heat rushing to his face. He was the one to break the kiss, but she immediately bowed her head and let it rest against his shoulder.

"I'm sorry. I'm sorry, I'm sorry. I didn't mean anything by-"

"I-it's alright. I know you didn't want to eat me," he tried to assure her.

"No. It's not alright." She gathered her textbook and worksheets into her bag before hurriedly making her exit. Once she was outside, she leaned against the wall beside his apartment door and tried to catch her breath. Heat had gathered in her cheeks and pooled in the pit of her stomach. She had wanted more, but she knew better than to get greedy. What if he doesn't like me that way? I basically forced that kiss on him! Damn it! Irimi was right; I'm going to scare him off! But still…that kiss felt amazing. Her lips curled into a grin as she started to walk home.

Saya had plans for that night. Her outing with Tsukiyama had gleaned important information and she was certain that she could replicate a human meal if she could get the ingredients. The chef had told her what cuts were best and how to go about cooking them just right. As she walked, she made a mental checklist. Lean meat, blood, maybe some bone marrow for extra flavor. I'll need some fresh meat though. I can't rely on Anteiku to have what I need so I'll have to hunt tonight. I just can't get caught.

She absently drew her phone from her pocket and saw the time. For an instant, an absolutely sadistic smile crossed her features as she typed out a message to a certain someone. They immediately called her and it gave her an extra spring in her step. "What do you need?"

"What the hell do you mean? You had a study date with a college student?" Nishiki demanded, his voice sounding a little strained.

"What? Jealous?"

"I told you not to mess with Kimi! If you end up hurting her, I'll-!"

"Tch. You really think I'd ask for her help? I don't give a shit about her. I told you that." A scowl threatened to tug down the corners of her mouth as she kicked a pebble down the street ahead of her. "So…what kind of underwear are you wearing, Nishiki~?"

He growled, but it ended in a wet sort of cough. "Shut up. And bring me more coffee, brat. I'm still trying to heal."

"Yeah. Sure. I'll get right on that. But, you know, you keep saying you'd call for Kimi if you needed help and then you keep asking me for stuff. What's a girl supposed to take away from that?"

"Just shut up and do it!"

The line beeped and she knew he had ended the call. Well, my day is more than complete. I would've just been happy with seeing Kaneki-senpai. She ran her fingers through her hair and sighed. Of course, I sort of forced that kiss on him, didn't I? Damn it. What am I? Some kind of pervert? I blame Nishiki. I hang out with him often enough, it probably just rubbed off on me.

Saya was soon in her own apartment. She still had a few hours before the sun would set and there was no way that she would risk hunting in daylight. The best prey would be the drunk humans stumbling out of the bars late at night so she set an alarm on her phone and wandered aimlessly through the apartment in search of a way to kill time.

Shift P.O.V

Idiot. She didn't change the locks? He slipped his key back into his pocket and quietly pushed open the door. Immediately, his nose was flooded with her scent. It lingered all over the furniture and items in the apartment, but he could tell that she was there. He almost wanted to leave. He had intended to just see if it was the same way that it was before he left Anteiku. She was supposed to be out.

Ayato pushed the door closed behind him, just as quietly, and started forward. He was on high alert, knowing that she was dangerous when startled. Thankfully, she was not in the kitchen or sitting room. Proceeding to the bedroom doorway, he paused. There she is. This idiot. How can she sleep like that?

The girl was sleeping on her side, the blanket and sheets in absolute disarray on the floor. Her dark blue hair was spread out behind her head on the pillow in waves, her pale pink lips twisted into a frown as she slept. She was still wearing her school uniform and had one sock halfway rolled down her leg.

With a quiet growl, he grabbed the blanket and carefully settled it over her sleeping form. He was sitting on the edge of the bed, looking down at Saya with a frown of his own. Before he could stop himself, he was lying next to her with an arm around her waist. She remained asleep, but her lips parted slightly. How can you sleep out in the open like this? What would you do if I attacked you? Idiot Saya.

To his surprise, she nuzzled into his chest and started to tremble. "…Aya…to…" she mumbled, still asleep. There was a quiet sniffing sound and her trembling grew worse. "A…Ayato…" the girl sobbed. "Don't go…you little shit! Who said you could leave?!"

He was half-afraid that she had woken up, but when he pulled away he saw that her eyes were tightly closed. Tears ran from the corners, shining on her pale face. For an instant, there was a tightness in his chest that made him want to pull her closer. Instead, he moved further away. She gripped onto her pillow in his place and turned onto her other side, facing away from him.

Ayato heard her crying and a scowl formed on his face. She misses me? After what she said to me, does she really think that I wouldn't leave just because she told me not to? The flicker of sadness was quickly replaced with a spark of fury. He was tempted to do something. Anything to release the feeling. Turning away from the bed and the girl, he gritted his teeth. "I'll be back." It was said in just above a whisper. "I'll be back and I'll show you how powerful I've become."