Chapter 2: Reunion E

The following morning Ken woke up, feeling the same as he had every time since Touka had told him she didn't love him; unenthused and unsure if he would find the strength to push himself out of bed that day. Regardless he still, just like he had done every other day since, managed to push himself out of the embrace of the mattress (though this mattress was particularly hard to leave), brush his teeth, take a shower, and get dressed. Still, he noted with hope, just like every other day since; it had gotten a little easier to get started.

Ken sighed as he buttoned up his wrinkled shirt. I should really find a laundromat, he thought, moving to the window that overlooked the neighborhood and rolling up the blinds. To his pleasure, and helping his mood, the sky was beautiful, the clouds that dotted it were plentiful but, they were white and fluffy and didn't obscure the sun but to provide a light shade. He liked the scenery that his room provided him and decided he'd stay there for at least another day. As he made the decision however, his stomach grumbled, and he'd realized he hadn't eaten at least since breakfast yesterday.

Pulling out his phone, he was immediately assaulted by list of notifications informing him Touka had been trying to reach him. He paused a moment, debating whether he should call back, but he couldn't bring himself to… He feared what it might lead to. Dismissing them, he searched for nearby restaurants that served "Ghoul edible" food and found that quite a few actually did. They were all in denser areas though, and Ken wondered if he could find a nice little izayaka where he could hide away in… This early in the morning he might be the only person in one if he could find it. The old woman might know… he thought, rubbing his chin and, to his surprise, finding a bit of stubble growing out of it. This surprised Ken as he'd never been able to grow facial hair before - he didn't think he'd had the genes for it. "Huh," he murmured out loud and went to the restroom to check the still foggy mirror. He was surprised to find that there was, faintly, a bit of stubble beginning to form. He also noticed that there was a razor stand off to the right with a few fresh blades already supplied. He thought about doing something about it but couldn't find the motivation to even get started. With a sigh, he left the restroom and turned off the light. "I'm hungry," he murmured.

After talking to and paying the old woman, who's name was apparently Reiko, he had asked her where he could find an izayaka that sold GE food, she pointed him to a shop a few blocks away she and her husband frequented often lately. she had also been surprised. "You're a Ghoul?" she had asked, raising her eyes and pursing her lips.

Well, not quite, Ken thought when she'd asked. Even so, he just nodded in affirmation.

"Hmph," she said. "You smell kind of like a woman though… odd."

Ken could only smirk to himself as he left the hotel and followed her directions to the Izayaka. It didn't take him to long to find it either, Reiko was surprisingly good with directions as it turned out. Upon entering the izayaka Ken was greeted by an overly enthusiastic cook whose restaurant was empty apart from the staff and a few spread out people in the dark place. An older, bearded man sitting alone in a corner, a younger, clean shaven man, in a suit a few drinks in, and a couple sitting at the bar, bearing their kakugan as they huddled close together, faces practically touching. What they had before them surprised Ken, it looked like wine which, at first, didn't make any sense but, it didn't take Ken long at all to realize that it was blood wine - like what Itori had splashed in his face all those years ago… Of course, it must have been synthetic, so it probably didn't taste all that good, but Ken supposed that wasn't the point of drinking blood wine anyways.

Sitting down at the far end of the bar, away from the couple, Ken was immediately seized by the cook. "Hey boss! Whatchya' like?"

"Some GE food," Ken said and noticed the cook retreat into himself a little bit. Even in Edogawa, where Ghouls seemed to be able to display their eyes freely, there was still some mistrust. Ken honestly couldn't blame anyone for their fear, after all. The cook must have felt like a mouse being told to make something to eat by a cat.

Still though, he hardly showed his discomfort. "Sure thing, boss," he said, moving to the kitchen. "I make da best GE around! I know y'all think it tastes like crap so I try ta' cook it just right. I think ya' gonna' like it! Just don't eat me, huh?" he added with a small, slightly nervous chuckle.

Ken smiled at him and nodded before looking around the Izayaka some more, his eyes landing on the Ghoul couple once again. Seeing them bare their eyes so openly reminded him of the fact that Cochlea had been turned into a reform center and that, in turn, reminded him of the idea that had crossed his mind the day before.

Ken paused. Could Eto really be there? He asked. So, what if she is? He asked himself, not to dismiss the idea but rather asking himself what seeing if that were true would do for him? Satisfy some curiosity? He paused, sighing through his nose. Well, there's only one real way to find out. he decided before calling out to the cook again. "By the way! Can I get some of that blood wine as well?"

He had a feeling he was going to need it.

II

A couple of hours later, Ken was walking up to the entrance of the reform center and was astonished to see that there were no guards posted out front. Ken had been dropped off just off the highway by a cab, who had also been a Ghoul. He would have been dropped off right at the entrance, with no need to walk all the way through the courtyard and parking lot, but the cab driver refused to turn into the premises. It seemed that Ghouls still held bad memories about Cochlea, reform center or not.

The lack of guards caused Ken to pause and double take his surroundings, to make sure he was in the right place. Cochlea had always been a heavily guarded piece of CCG property – there was always a sizeable number of guards stationed at the place equipped with q bullets in the case of a breakout or break in. There were none here, however, not at the entrance at least. "Huh," he murmured before entering the facility.

Inside he was even more surprised to find a… waiting room? A waiting room with empty chairs, as well as reception desk and a receptionist who looked bored, as she held her head in her hand. She perked up to attention when she saw someone had entered, however. On the wall directly across from the entrance there was a sign that read "ALL GHOULS MUST DISPLAY KAKUGAN" He had seen those signs around a lot lately, Ken wondered what for, but chalked it up to simple ceremony set by older members, which would probably fade when they did. Then, a single word stood out to him.

"May I help you?" The receptionist spoke up, gaining Ken's attention.

"Ah… Yes," Ken answered walking up to the reception counter. "I was wonder -,"

"Oh, I'm sorry," the receptionist started. "I'm required to ask; Human or Ghoul?"

Ken paused and almost laughed. A long time ago, that was a question he had asked himself a lot. "Both," he chuckled. "I suppose."

The receptionist looked as if she was about to ask what he meant when his left eyes sclera went black and the pupil within lit up red. "O-oh!" she said, surprised. "I see… Hmm. Anyways, are you here to… admit yourself?" she asked, using the word "admit" carefully.

Ken laughed a little. "No, actually, I was wondering if someone was checked in here."

The receptionist nodded. "Alright, who?"

Ken paused, unsure. "Ummm, try Sen Takatsuki… If not that, then Eto?"

"Last name?" the receptionist asked.

Ken scratched the back of his head. "I don't know… Maybe Yoshimura?"

She nodded and danced her fingers across the keyboard. "Aha! Miss Takatsuki is here with us!" she said with a smile. Her smile dropped to a look of intrigue before she asked. "Isn't that… The author?"

Ken nodded. "Yeah." Really? She's here? It's not like there aren't still active Ghoul prisons… Why a reformation center?

"Will that be all?" The receptionist inquired.

Then, for some unknown reason, Ken pushed further. "I was wondering… Could I see her?"

"I'm sorry, sir," the receptionist apologized in advance. "Any visit with a patient must be scheduled at least a week in advance… I could schedule one for you now if you like?"

Ken pressed his lips together into a thin line. He didn't like pulling rank on people but, at the moment, he felt a sudden intrigue in seeing Eto, to see what had become of her, after he'd everything had ended.

"Actually," he said, reaching into his wallet and pulling out a high-ranking peacekeepers badge. "I think maybe we can schedule it for now."

The receptionist paled slightly and nodded. "O-oh! O-Of course, sir. Just let me let miss Takatsuki know she has a visitor incoming ahead of time."

Ken watched as the receptionist once again danced her fingers across the keyboard before pressing down on her space bar and speaking into the computers microphone. "Miss Takatsuki, you have a visitor who will be arriving shortly." She hung up before Eto could have replied, if she were allowed to reply at all. "You'll find her on level 3," she explained, with a smile.

The receptionist then pressed a few keys and the door to her left, leading into the facility proper unlocked with a thick clanking sound. Looks like the "patients" aren't allowed to leave whenever they please, Ken noted before throwing a quick smile to the receptionist and moving through the door.

Ken wasn't surprised to find that there were indeed guards still left at Cochlea. However, these guards were not nearly as well equipped as they used to be - they carried nothing lethal, that Ken could see at least. The most effective weapon they seemed to carry were Q – tasers. Which were just tasers with quinque steel electrodes that could pierce the skin of the Ghouls. They were standard issue among peacekeepers for dealing with restless Ghouls. Still, even Ken felt that perhaps the guards here should be outfitted a bit more effectively, if they were going to be guarding Ghouls like Eto.

Much to Ken's shock, there was a slew of art on the walls, much like the hotel. There were calm paintings, potted plants lined the spiraling hallways of the facility, and coffee machines were spaced out at every level. It was almost like steel hotel. The names of the patients were also inscribed outside of their… Ken almost called them cells but decided that dorms may have been a better word for it. The idea that they were dorms was only substantiated when Ken saw the most surprising sight that the repurposed Cochlea had to offer. There were many "patients" that is to say Ghouls, walking about freely in the halls – Kakugan displayed, of course. Not only this, but they also seemed to be at complete ease as they strolled in the open air of Cochlea, as the roof had been retracted to let the sunlight in. There was all manner of Ghoul. from Tall and Dark - those who looked like they'd been born in a fighting ring – to thin, and unassuming - those who probably tricked their victims.

Ken took his time descending deeper and deeper into Cochlea, admiring just how different a few simple additions and changes had made it. Ghouls lived out here as if they were living in an apartment complex… Well, a lightly guarded apartment complex. They made conversation, shared coffee, and read books, it was a strange sight in Cochlea to be sure… But Ken couldn't help but smile.

Eventually, Ken made it to the third level of Cochlea, at the bottom floor. The bottom floor was barren, there wasn't even a coffee machine, and only one patient; "Sen Takatsuki."

And suddenly, Ken was wondering if he should turn back. Standing in front of the entrance to her "dorm", Ken felt apprehension. He didn't know what would await him lying beyond that door… he felt like Bilbo about to wander into Smaug's lair but for no reason, with nothing to steal, and with no one but himself making him do it. Regardless, Ken steeled himself, inhaling deeply and exhaling before opening up the door.

III

Ken wasn't sure what he'd expected to find… Maybe a dark, empty room, with Eto huddled in a corner. Maybe her Kagune had infested the room, making it look like a Lovecraft inspired nightmare. Ken didn't know what thought he would see but he expected something uncomfortable. Instead, he saw something stranger than whatever he could think up. Which was funny in that he saw a relatively normal sight.

Eto wasn't huddled away, going crazy in the corner. Nor had she spread out her Kagune to encompass the whole room. She wasn't even sitting there, plotting maniacally. She was at the back of her room, attempting to make her bed. Her entire room looked a mess but, not in a manic, unsettled way, but the way a college student's room would, while they are working on four papers and project at once. Coffee cups discarded all about, empty bowls of ramen and other things - which Ken thought of as strange initially, before he recalled that, like Ichika, Eto could eat human food without any repercussions. There were also books everywhere, the television was on but was turned down so low it was barely audible, and her kitchen sink was a mess. Despite all this it smelled fairly fresh in her dorm, probably due to the myriad of candles spread about.

When Eto saw him, she stopped her attempts at making her bed presentable and paused, staring at him with surprised eyes. "H-Hello," she said, interest and confusion in her voice.

For Ken, when he heard her stutter out the first word, he'd heard from her in years, reality felt… Altered. This was Eto? This was the woman who'd manipulated so many people? The leader of a Ghoul terrorist organization? This woman who he'd caught failing at putting her bedsheets on? Ken almost thought he'd entered the wrong room. "Hello," he said. "Miss Yoshimura."

At mention of her surname, Eto seemed bristle ever so slightly. She uneasily, moved towards the center of the room, where a couch and two chairs sat, with a coffee table between them as they faced each other. "I… wasn't expecting to ever see you again," she explained, moving almost cautiously towards him. "Please," she said. "Sit down."

Ken, not so nervous now but more so curious, apprehensively moved to the center of Eto's "dorm", and took a seat on the chair across from her, the coffee table between them, while she stood behind the chair.

"Would you like some coffee?" she asked with all the friendliness she would normally have addressed him with but with none of the underlying malice.

Now it was Ken's turn to stutter. "S-Sure," he agreed and Eto moved to the kitchen, got two cups, and began to pour coffee from a pitcher into each.

"I'm sorry that it's such a mess in here," she said as she walked back with coffee. "Normally I'm given more time to prepare myself so when I was told I had a visitor, I panicked… I'm sorry you have to see such a nasty place." She set the coffee down on Kaneki's side of the table, reaching over but not walking to him, before sitting down on her side.

"Well," Ken said, taking the coffee, subtly sniffing it once, and taking sip. "I didn't even knock… I could have given you some time."

"Were you that eager to see me?" She asked with a playful smile, showing more of the Eto Ken had remembered but, once again, with none of the malice. When she saw Ken didn't laugh or even crack a smile, because he was too surprised, her own smile faded. "Anyways… What is it? If you're here on case, or asking for my help with Ghoul matters, I'm sorry but I can't help… I lost all my connections."

Ken was about to tell her that it wasn't that, that it was – but he stopped, truth be told he didn't know why he was here, having this conversation with her – this had honestly progressed farther than he thought it would. And then, as if she were reading his mind, Eto said, "That's not why you're here though is it?" and there it was… The Eto that Ken knew showed herself, with her ability to read people… once again though, there was no underlying intentions in her voice, no malice, but it unnerved Ken all the same.

"You're not sure why you're here, are you." It wasn't a questioned, she was stating it as fact and Ken was speechless. He was mute, he didn't know how to respond, what to say. She was right. He had thought he had wanted to see what had become of her and now he had… But there was something more… Something deeper. He sat with his mouth open until he let out a single chuckle.

"That's just like you, Eto."

And he saw her bristle again. "Why do you do that?" he asked. "When I say your name, why do you bristle?"

Eto had sunk into her chair and had closed her lips tight and she looked at him with… scared eyes and Ken felt like reality was altered again. "I – I'm sorry… I need you to leave," she said, sinking into the chair.

Ken blinked. "What?"

"Please go," she said, her voice having a faint tremble to it.

Ken looked around him. What happened? What was going on? Confused he started "I-," Then the door opened once again, gaining his attention, and, to his surprise, Dr. Ogura entered, in a hurry too.

"You!" he said, pointing to Ken. "You can't be in here without a scheduled appointment! This is no prison! Not anymore!"

Ken blinked again. "What?"

"You have to leave," he said, walking over and grabbing Ken by his arm. "Now!" and suddenly he was leading Ken out of the room, only stopping to bow to Eto. "I'm sorry about this, Miss Takatsuki," he said and closed the door behind him.

IV

Once he had, he turned his attention back to Ken. "What are you doing?! You can't just strong arm you way into this place and barge into our patients' spaces, especially not a patient like Miss Takatsuki! We need to give them time!"

Then Ken realized, he'd been incredibly uncouth and selfish. He'd imposed himself on a patient of this "reform center" and treated her like an exhibit. It was as if he were possessed and he suddenly felt guilty. "You're right," he agreed, eyes drooping low. "I'm sorry…"

Ogura let go of his arm. "What's this all about anyways?"

"I don't know… I was out… walking and I heard what had happened with Cochlea, it being turned into a reform center and… I never knew what had happened with Eto. I wanted to see if there was a chance, she'd ended up here and when I found out she did I wanted to know why? There are still Ghoul prisons functioning, so why is she here? I couldn't believe it, so I had to see myself. I didn't mean to barge into her room… I just felt an impulse to."

"Hmm," Ogura said disapprovingly. "In any case, don't call her that, not around her."

"Call her what?"
"Eto Yoshimura." Ogura explained. "She goes by her pen name now. Sen Takatsuki."

"Why?"

"I can't tell you without her consent, doctor patient confidentiality and all that… If you want to see her again, you'll have to schedule an appointment and she'll have to approve it… Judging by the look I saw on her face, that's not likely to happen."

Ken nodded, then another thought came into his head. "You run this 'reform center'?" he asked. "I didn't realize you had the qualifications."

"Psychology is my minor," Ogura explained as he began to lead Ken out. "Being a Ghoul researcher as well, I was approached to run this… 'reform center'. Now, you have to leave… I can try and schedule you an appointment but, as I said before, I doubt it will happen. There's only one person who comes to see her anyways."

"Who?" Ken asked.

"What don't you get about doctor patient confidentiality, huh? We can try and schedule an appointment in my office" he said, leading Ken back to the top of Cochlea.

After doing so Ken went back to the hotel, feeling guilty and unsatisfied.

V

Ken returned to the hotel and laid on the bed, with the blinds rolled up, allowing the colors of the outside city to dance on his ceiling as he bathed in embarrassment. He had been so rude, so selfish to just barge into a patient's living space like he had, and for what? He didn't even know the reason. He'd gotten his question answered when he talked to the receptionist and he could've and should've left there.

Instead, he intimidated the poor receptionist into letting him through, so he could go and harass one of their patients. And he couldn't stop thinking about what he'd seen. He never imagined he'd get a look at Eto… or Sen, he supposed, in such a fragile state. She seemed less like herself in that room than when he'd seen her limbless, in a pool of her own blood. What happened with her? He wondered. Deciding that he'd get no answers, Ken rolled over, facing the window and tried to drift to sleep.

That was when the phone rang, gaining Ken's attention. He rolled back over to face the other side of his bed, where he saw his cellphone, face down against the white sheets, buzzing with a blue illumination beneath it. He thought it may be Touka calling again, as she had been doing, and Ken had been ignoring… He simply didn't know if he could stand to hear her voice. He was afraid to hear her voice, would it be angry, or would it be sad? Would she try to convince him to return? He didn't want to, but he knew she would, so he almost ignored it… but flipped it over anyways, just to be sure.

What he saw however, was the number Dr. Ogura had given him, in case of the slim chance that Eto – Sen would approve his appointment with her. It could be just that… or it could be a denial. Either way, Ken decided he should pick up the phone.

"Hello?" he answered, placing the phone to his ear as he rolled onto his back and looked at the reflective display on the ceiling.

"She's agreed," Dr. Ogura told him. "Be here in three days."

"I thought the waiting time was a week?" Ken asked.

"Generally," Ogura answered. "Patients can adjust it as they please. Regardless, that's the date, this Wednesday. Got it?"

"Yes, I'll be there."

Ogura grunted and hung up, leaving Ken alone with his thoughts. He exhaled, as if a great weight had been lifted from his chest. For some reason, not tied to his embarrassment, he felt relieved.