Kuri restocked the shelves at the bookstore where she worked, Visions of the Past. She bumped into a customer who was eagerly searching the shelves.
"What are you looking for?" Kuri asked him.
"Egg of the Black Goat." He said eagerly. "I want to show it to my date!"
"I think I might have to order that one for you." Kuri said, taking out a pad of paper. "Your name?"
"Kaneki. Ken Kaneki. Can you get it fast?"
Kuri picked up another book off the cart, and laughed. "Pretty damn fast." She said, handing it to him. "Egg of the Black Goat. We just got it in."
"Th-Thanks!" Kaneki grabbed it and ran over to his date, shoulder brushing her on the way out.
Xxx
Kaneki, walking with his date in the darkness.
An attack from the date, a bite, a scuffle…
A death.
Kaneki's eyes opening, with one ghoul eye.
Xxx
Kuri blinked, dropping her books. People looked, she didn't care.
Even as she looked over, locked eyes with Kaneki a moment, she knew this was one Fate wouldn't allow her to save.
So what? Fuck fate.
She stacked the books on the cart, turned to her coworker. "I'm going out for a minute. If I'm not back by closing, send help to this address." She tossed a piece of paper to Cassandra.
Cassandra believed in Kuri's power, so it was fine.
Kuri didn't have a weapon other than her unique abilities, but that didn't matter. It also didn't matter that she was about to get herself killed.
To tell the truth, she liked Kaneki. It wasn't often that someone looked THAT happy about a Sen Takatsuki book.
But mostly, she was sick of being held back and governed by Fate. It was a sick, stupid little rebellion, but again, she didn't care.
She caught sight of them, her vision playing out. And she stopped.
Struggling, but not able to move. It was as if she was chained. No voice, no words would come. Her body wouldn't move.
Snap.
Kuri fell to the ground, her momentum from straining sending her forward, landing in front of them.
"Miko." The girl spat. Was that the binge-eater? "How dare you interfere with my meal?"
"I'm not—I…
The beam snapped, and the two were crushed.
"KANEKI!"
Xxx
Kuri tried everything she could think of, but this was just a problem she couldn't solve, something she couldn't fix.
So she went to visit Kaneki in the hospital. If he was destined to become a ghoul, and she couldn't stop it—even though she was RIGHT THERE!—then the least she could do was help him.
She ended up falling asleep right there in the chair, waiting for him to wake up after surgery.
Xxx
Kaneki opened his eyes and saw her there. It was the bookseller. He didn't know her name, but the ghoul, Rize, had called her Miko.
Like a priestess? Was she a ghoul?
He didn't know. But she was here. Why?
He gulped. What if she was here to "finish the job"?
But if she wanted him dead, she could have finished him while he lay there. So she must not want to kill him. Or eat him.
He shuddered.
Kaneki carefully pulled a blanket over her, trying not to disturb his IV.
She snapped to attention. "Kaneki! Thank Kami you're ok!"
Ok so a priestess then.
"How long have you been here?" Kaneki asked softly.
"Since you came out of surgery a few hours ago." She grinned. "I'm Kurisuta Hikawa. I saw it all go down, and couldn't help, so…" Her fists clenched.
"Whoa whoa, you think that was your fault?" Kaneki laughed a bit in disbelief. "No way! If anything you saved me! You called the ambulance, right?"
"Yeah," Kuri whispered melancholy. "Look, I know you live alone…so would you be willing to recover at my place? I'm a priestess, so I'm well-versed in the healing arts."
"With medicine tho, right?"
Kuri laughed. "Yes with medicine. My mother was a doctor, in addition to being a proficient miko."
Kaneki sighed in relief. "Sure then."
"I think they are discharging you soon."
It was only later that Kaneki realized she never said a word about his untouched food.
