Flesh.
Flesh.
FLESH!
Kuri grabbed Kaneki. He blinked at her, snapping out of it.
But, God, she smelled so GOOD!
Kuri put her arm around him, pulling him back to her apartment without a word.
It was a different scent then…food. It was a different kind of craving, longing…aaah…he inhaled.
Completely free of his hunger, his lips touched her neck…
Kuri tossed him onto the bed. "Get ahold of yourself!"
"I-It's not—" Kaneki tried to explain.
"You don't really want to eat humans, Ken." Kuri went to the door and let someone in.
It was an older gentleman he recognized from that cafe—Anteiku.
"This is Mr Yoshimura." Kuri introduced them. "Mr Yoshimura, this is Kaneki Ken. I told you about him."
"This must be so difficult for you, Kaneki." Yoshimura sat down beside him, giving him a cup of coffee.
Kaneki looked at Kuri, who nodded, and sipped it. "I-I can drink this!"
"Yes. Ghouls can drink coffee." Kuri smiled.
"I'm a…" Kaneki stopped, and stood, knocking the table over. "You KNEW! Coming to the hospital, taking me in…being there when Rize attacked—you knew all along!"
Yoshimura quickly sat him down; he was so strong!
Kuri looked down, shame-faced.
"Kuri works at Cochlea, the ghoul prison." Yoshimura explained. "She can seal kagunes. She has a very…special…relationship to the ghoul world. She fights for our rights at the CCG in exchange for sealing the kagunes of the worst ghouls."
"But still…" Kaneki glared at her. "She could have stopped it."
"I c-couldn't Kaneki!" Kuri was crying. What did she have to cry about?! He was a ghoul! "I t-tried. I went there, and I tried, but I couldn't move, and then Rize saw me, and I-I—"
"It's alright Kuri." Yoshimura said, and then fixed Kaneki with a sever gaze. "Kuri has strong ties to Fate. She can sometimes see the threads of destiny, and very rarely is she permitted to interfere. But she tried anyway, even though it was against the rules. Even though it could have killed her. Be grateful, not angry."
Kaneki opened his mouth, then closed it again, trying and failing to understand. "You…tried. It was hard, wasn't it? You were afraid. You don't want to die either…and I was a stranger. But you still…tried. Thank you."
Kuri buried her face in her hands and wept. "I'll do everything I can…maybe someday you'll forgive what I've done."
Kaneki stood and hugged her. This small, trembling girl, who went so far for a stranger. "How could I not forgive you. You didn't have to do anything." He stroked her hair. "You tried, and you didn't even know me. I don't think I would have done that. I mean it. Thank you."
He kissed her forehead.
For some reason, he wanted to repay her kindness. He wanted to be strong, to be able to try that hard to protect her.